This was such a sweet but hot story with nuanced main characters and fully fleshed out supporting characters too. The FMC was a delight, the plot pacing was perfect. Highly recommended and I've made sure this will be added to our new romance display this autumn.

I really wanted to love My Kind of Trouble, and I tried so hard to get into it, but I didn't vibe at all with the writing style

The premise of this sounded like a lot of fun and I was excited for both fat character and autistic characters. Unfortunately this is a book that just couldn’t pull me in and therefore didn’t work for me.

This book pleased me; it was a bit different from what I usually read, but it was entertaining.

A conwoman arrives in a small town to exact the revenge she's always dreamed of, but she didn't expect to fall in love with the town librarian (who happens to have autism). Is it a great premise? For me, yes. I love seeing women take charge, and Harmony embodied that for me. Her intelligence in deception and evading capture amazed me, on the other hand, Preston is her counterpart: a shy guy who simply wants to support his sister (who also has autism) and save the library's books (which resonated with me because it's something we sadly witness every day). Could they be more different? Yes, but the chemistry they shared was beautiful: slow but steady. Yes, her lies bothered me a bit, but at the same time, I understood her. Romantically, they were exactly what each other needed, and I appreciated that they didn't overcomplicate things. I was eager to see how the web of lies would unravel, and it didn't disappoint. There was no major drama; the secondary characters added depth to the book, and the sense of family warmed my heart.

I understand that this is the author's debut novel, and while it shows a little, I feel it's a great book filled with love.

📌I received a e-arc through netgalley, and this is my honest opinion/review of it.

For a debut novel this was superbly done. A great light read with amazing ND and fat representation! A quick read that left me entertained and fully satisfied once I had finished. Well done!

I enjoyed the representation in this book and the depiction of autism was done with such care. It's a rags-to-riches con story and while the idea was interesting and I enjoyed the interactions between the MCs, the flow and the dual 3rd person POV made it hard for me to get through this book. There was so much of the con that it took away from the character growth at times and I just couldn't full get into it. I enjoyed the chemistry between Preston & Harmony. A good balance of romance and spice between them made their interactions the parts I loved the most, but the con plot just seemed to overshadow it. The ending confused me a little as the pacing seemed off. When lies start to unravel, there's an abrupt shift in Preston's feelings that made it seem too convenient for me. I wish I liked this book. more because there is a lot of good in it especially with the representation but it just fell flat for me, unfortunately.

I don’t know if it was the writing or the 3rd pov but it was soo hard to get through it
It took me so long to finish it.

The plot was good, the characters were likable.
It did end abruptly at the end. It was okay overall.

Safety
Omd: he was jealous of men talking/flirting with her. It was mentioned she had ons with men beforehand

Owd: a few mentions of girls he hang out with beforehand but it was difficult for him.
And he was dating a girl in grad school.

He pushed away few time, i kind of understand him a little, i tend to run away from confrontation or face difficulties but its fiction 😭😭😭, i want my mmc chasing the girl.

I received a free copy from the publisher through Netgalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

I immediately requested this one after spotting it on Netgalley and seeing it had an autistic main character. After getting diagnosed as autistic last year I've been reading more books with autistic main characters and I liked the sound of this one. I wasn't sure about the conwomen part, but decided to give the book a try anyway. And I am glad I picked it up as I had a great time reading this book.

At the start the book fit pretty much my thoughts when requesting it, I liked Preston and found him relatable. I did not like Harmony and the way her con meant she's lying to everyone, I also didn't like how pushy she was to Preston, but then she also seemed surprisingly understanding and accepting when he was firm.

Slowly I grew to like Harmony more, as I got to know her better her reasons made more sense and it was clear how much losing her father hurt and how desperately she was trying to fill that gaping hole his loss left. Once I understood her better I started liking her more. It also helped that the people she cons aren't nice people, she's not just in it for the money, but more for a type of social justice. She also has such a vibrant personality and I do love those type of characters in books. And the way she interacts with Preston especially when they grow closer was wonderful, I loved how understanding and accepting she was. And I just really liked them together.

Their romance was quite the slow burn, but once they get over a certain hurdle it went a lot faster and I could really feel their connection when they start to work together. I liked how Harmony helped him with the library and the people who wanted to shut down some of the programs and ban books. I liked how Preston and Harmony spend time together checking out vendors for the festival con. They made for a great couple and I liked reading about them.

One thing I did struggle with was the conflict, with that set up it was clear what the conflict would be and after a certain point I was just waiting for the lies to come to light and everything to go wrong. And that part just wasn't my favorite, but I actually did quite like how it all played out and got resolved. I had predicted part of the resolution, but it was still satisfying to see it play out. And I liked how the conflict and drama wasn't drawn out. And seeing Harmony be vulnerable and share her feelings with Preston was awesome.

I also liked how Preston was autistic and how that was part of who he was. I liked how relatable he felt and it was fun to spot things I could relate to and behaviors I recognized. He also has a sister who's autistic and it was interesting to see some different traits and traits that present differently in her.

To summarize: This was a lovely romance story between an autistic librarian and a conwomen. I picked this one up because of the autistic main character and liked him from the start. I struggled more with Harmony and how she lied for her cons, but slowly warmed up to her when understanding her reasons and methods more. She is such a vibrant character and I liked how understanding and accepting she is. I liked their romance and seeing them getting to know each other and grow closer. They were a great couple. I did struggle a bit with the conflict, it was obvious what the issue would be and when I got closer to the end I just wanted to get the conflict over with. I did like how the way it played out made sense and I liked how it got resolved. I thought the autistic representation was well done and I found both Preston and his sister Lacey relatable. All in all I had a great time reading this book!

From the description, I thought I would really enjoy this book and the plot seemed unique.

I loved the autism representation in the story and a lot of the moments between Preston and Harmony were fun to read. Sadly though, overall the story fell flat to me. Too much of the con aspect was handled in the past and I struggled to get into the story and ended up putting it down three times before I could pick it back up. It was an okay read but nothing ground breaking to me.

Thank you so much to Net Galley and Alcove Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A curvy-conwoman walks into a library and meets an autistic librarian...there's no punchline. It's the set-up for a really fantastic story!

I just wanna say, I cannot wait for this to be published so everyone can love it and give it the attention it deserves.

As a fellow curvy girl, I loved Harmony and how confident she was in her skin (and how much Preston appreciated her too. 🥵🔥) Anytime an FMC is strong because she has no choice but to be, I feel for her so strongly. I loved watching her fall for Preston and the town and I loved that she showed so much love and compassion. From googling info about autism, to showing Lacey how to make paper stars, to coming to a queer teen's rescue when she's being bullied by adults—Harmony had such a beautiful heart even after everything life handed to her.
Preston should be protected at all costs. I'm so appreciative that his autism wasn't this exaggerated thing; it felt very realistic and honest. He and Lacey's stimming, the missing of social cues, Lacey's selective mutism, and the (rightful) criticism of ABA—I think it was so beautifully represented. He was adorable and I love that he cares for his town and sister so deeply and how important representation is for him.

I was obsessed with the storyline; I didn't want to put the book down. I was so invested in seeing how the con would play out or if things would crash and burn. Everything was so well thought out and felt necessary to the story and the characters.
It was sweet and funny and spicy; overall, I really loved it and I can't wait for it to be out in the world.

Thank you to Alcove Press, NetGalley, and L.A. Schwartz for the eARC in exchange for my review! ♥️

I have to say that it took me a little while to warm up to this book and its characters - from the jump, I loved Preston and throughout the book, I loved getting his perspective and the moments we were in his head. I loved the way he loved Harmony and what that brought out in him! Harmony was a little more difficult - she really rubbed me the wrong way for the first at least 25% of the book and maybe it's a credit to her growth that I found myself rooting for her by the end.

I loved the bones of this plot. The Music Man is a favorite story of mine and I think this was a fun reinterpretation, but some of those plot elements just fell a little flat, particularly around the con itself and getting to know Harmony. I wanted a little more development on page for some of the bits and pieces and for our main characters and their romance.

I appreciated the nods to queer romance and topical issues like book bans and the way they harm our communities, but some of that felt a little disconnected from the actual plot.

All of which to say, I did come around on the charm of the story and I think if you're willing to handwave some of the con-oriented pieces, this is a fun read to dive into!

*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review *

I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did.

Both Preston and Harmony had so much potential, but I feel like their characters felt a little flat, and I would have loved to see more of their individual growth. It felt like they were both a little one dimensional.

Preston and Harmony's story was cute and the plot surrounding them was definitely different from what I've read before. I found the romance scenes fun to read, and it was nice to see autism represented in romance, especially in a man. Seeing autism represented in a young girl, and watching as her brother adjusted their life to fit her, rather than make her fit their life, was refreshing and heartwarming.

The con parts of the book were a bit of a let down for me. Most of them were glossed over and explained in past tense, so we never really got to see much of the inner workings of the con, apart from Harmony's dealings with the mayor. I would have liked to see Harmony and Alice actually doing the things they talked about, rather than just planning and then later reflecting.

I thought the topics of banned books, the environment and LGBTQ+ issues were handled well and it was important to see such topics be addressed in the environment where they are often actually discussed in: the library.

Overall, this book was a good, quick read, but nothing world-changing.

A few chapters into My Kind of Trouble, I was scratching my head. Harmony, a con woman who only went after marks who deserved it, had her sights set on a small town mayor who had stolen her father’s idea and made millions while her father drank himself to death. She has some kind of complex scheme to fake plan a music festival that will somehow convince the mayor to shell out his fortune so she can leave him bankrupt. And in order to do it, she must get the town’s hot and nerdy librarian Preston (who happens to own a perfect piece of land) to agree to let her use his property.

If I sound skeptical of the plot, it’s because I am: Harmony’s supposedly bulletproof plan seems full of holes from the start. But once I decided not to care if the festival con plot made any sense, I could just enjoy the somewhat silly but sweet love story between Harmony and Preston, who is autistic and the sole guardian to his autistic younger sister. It’s plenty of fun to see the awful mayor and his equally awful wife (whose only purpose in life seems to be to be a nasty homophobe who wants to ban books and take away drag story hour at Preston’s library) get their comeuppance. There’s an outlandish (and highly predictable) plot twist that I’m willing to forgive.

Harmony is sharp, fully at home in her body and with her appeal, with a (maybe over-developed) sense of righteousness. Preston is so sweet- and so determined to ensure his sister isn’t held back by her autism that he fails to see he’s letting himself be trapped into loneliness by his.

This book is chock-full of meaningful representation (queer, fat, autism), while managing to be light as air and funny to boot.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 3.5 stars rounded up

Thanks to NetGalley and Alcove Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I got a free e-copy through Netgalley, but this in no way affected this review.

I’m a sucker for small town romances, so I knew I would enjoy this the second I saw the synopsis.

The writing style is so good and engaging, I just flew through this book. So yeah, the plot may be a bit silly at times and yes, the ending was a bit far fetched, but it was such a fun book.

Harmony and Preston are such layered characters and I really enjoyed learning more about them as the book progressed. There’s a whole cast of side characters from the town as well, but they really didn’t contribute that much to the story and could have been fleshed out a little more or appeared a bit more on page.

The romance was so sweet and I loved seeing all the representation in this!

Con woman Harmony sets her sights on her biggest, most personal, target yet only to run into a major obstacle she hadn’t planned on in the hot librarian who owns the land she wants to use for a fake music festival.

There is some solid representation and discussions to be found in this book surrounding autism, predatory therapy practices, book bans, and the LGBTQIA+ (though not exactly on page within this very heteronormative romance). This was the strongest part of this book.

Preston was wonderful. I enjoyed listening to his thoughts, watching him interact with his sister, and learning bits and pieces about him as we went. I wish I could say the same for Harmony, but I found that a lot of her con wasn’t properly thought through and would ultimately harm others if it had gone the way she originally planned. It made it a bit tedious to sympathize with her throughout the book, but she was fun nonetheless.

It’s… highly predictable. This is a good thing in genres like this, where the ease of knowing can add to the comfort of the book. However, it’s not for me.

Overall, an interesting read. I’d recommend it to anyone looking to have the discussions listed above, even if they find the book to be lacking, and to those who like cozy romance novels.

Thank you NetGalley and Alcove Press for the ARC.

Harmony, a conwoman, goes to Brookville to right the wrongs done to her late father. Her next mark is the town mayor where she plans to have him sponsor a music festival. She will leave before the festival happens taking his money with her that is before she falls for the town librarian, Preston. He is dealing with his own problems as well.
A group of people are trying to shut down Preston’s library events and ban books. Harmony helps him by gathering town support and preserve his youth programs. When their feelings begin to heat up, Harmony must decide if she wants to get revenge and flee or pursue a happy ending with Preston.

This book is the gender swapped retelling of The Music Man. The author includes many representations of LGBTQA+, autism, and body positivity with care and sensitivity. I enjoyed the story but had trouble getting into it. I stepped away from the book for a while before I restarted it. Although it wasn’t my favorite book, it still was a cute story with current events.

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for an advanced readers copy in exchange for a honest review.

Rating: 2.75

So, I just finished reading My Kind of Trouble by L.A. Schwartz, and I’m kinda torn on this one. On one hand, I really loved the representation on areas such as plus-size main characters, autism, and LGBTQ+. But, honestly? The main character, Harmony, just didn’t do it for me.

It’s not her personality, I get that she’s a con-woman, and she’s not supposed to be the most likable person, but even aside from that, I just couldn’t connect with her. I’m not sure if it’s just her specific chapters but they often seemed like filler scenes or chapters and I think that’s what made me lose interest to the point where I’d just skim ahead to find scenes of her with preston. I was really interested in seeing more of her con play out and I understand that it hadn’t played out as planned due to her falling in love with preston but I’m not sure, things just escalated from one plan to another, the whole situation just didn’t deliver what I wanted it to unfortunately. Now, Preston? Absolute gem. I was obsessed with how sweet and caring he was, especially with his sister.

But, in the end, the book didn’t really stick with me. It was fun while it lasted, but I’m not sure it’s something I’d remember or recommend to everyone.

Anyway, huge thanks to NetGalley and Alcove Press for the ARC in exchange for a honest review!

My Kind of Trouble is a retelling of the show/movie The Music Man. I think the author did a great job of putting a spin of the story. The gender swap was a cool idea. It also created a nice dynamic between the characters.

Preston & Harmony were so much fun to read about. I liked how much of a cinnamon roll Preston was. I love a sweet man! Harmony is a con artist but she has a heart of gold I swear! These two have fun banter and chemistry. I really liked their scenes together. They were also surprisingly sexy!

I loved the references to The Music Man too. They were sprinkled in and not overdone.

The side characters were entertaining and I enjoyed the setting. The plot was interesting and engaging. The romance was well developed and had a nice blend of sweet and spicy.

100% recommend!

Loved this book! Well wrote and a fun book to read! I really enjoyed it and couldn’t put it down! I loved the characters and the development between them and the story had me hooked honestly im obsessed!