Sarah Ready is my favorite romance/romcom author for a reason. Fated once again proves that I can count on her to deliver a story that will capture me and satisfy me!

While the paranormal/magical realism is not my normal go to when it comes to romance in my books, Ready’s Ghosted Series is the exception.

Fated gives new meaning to ‘The Man of my Dreams!’


Excellent story and I can’t wait for the next book in this series.

This book is literally bonkers and I can’t tell if that’s in a good or bad way

Like this was a wild fever dream, I’m not sure if I was awake or asleep. I have no idea if this was good or not. At the very least I will say that I had to finish it so much so I stayed up until 1am to find out what the heck was going on.


SPOILERS BELOW:

I think the added story line of Becca and Aaron just made the whole thing sour. I understand it as a plot device but it just mad my stomach angry. Like are Fi and Aaron going to talk about how Sean might not be his. Becca was a genuinely terrible person. Robert was too, to be honest. Max was fine and that story line made sense to me but the way the dreaming, not dreaming like person walking…idk.
Did I mention how much I hate Becca?

I loved this book!!! It was so well written, with so many moments of wonder. Of amazement. Of relief. And most of all, of love. The story was unique, and tender. Man, my heart was so touched. I couldn't put the book down, and read it in one sitting!!!

I loved all the elements of the book, and I loved that I was surprised at different points. It's so much fun to be surprised, and pleasantly so.

I'd definitely recommend this book!!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I didn't feel much of an attachment to the characters until about 60% of the way through and then I really enjoyed the direction and ending. I didn't realize this was #3 in a series and have not read the others so I can't speak on if that matters. I think you probably would have had a connection with the characters right away if you've read the others, that may have been what lacked in the beginning for me. The sibling relationship is great.

I received an advanced review copy and audio copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through Netgalley.

I absolutely love sarah ready books. Any of them. But this one? Its the best one yet. The concept is so unique, and so hopeful. The characters are so good, lovable, and you really see the development of both the characters and their relationship. I also really love the connection to part 1 in this series (daniel).

The narrator is awesome as well, you feel like youre inside their world, i barely noticed i was listening to a book.

Thank you to netgalley and the author for sending me the book in exchange for an honest review

Oh, how we love the Ghosted series by Sarah Ready! We honestly feel giddy with excitement every time she releases a new book in this ‘suspend all belief’ series of pure romance with a dashing of suspense, angst, broken hearts, and ultimate dreams of ‘the one’! Every book so far has won our hearts and Fated has now completed the perfect trifecta by this Author in the Ghosted series. If you’ve not jumped on the Sarah Ready -fan train- yet you simply must, we implore you.

Fated is another interconnected standalone in the Ghosted series and we’re back in beautiful Geneva, by Lac Leman, taking in the fresh mountain air and the wonderful flower scents of the Jardin Anglais, flower clock. Fated is the story of Fiona Abry who, alongside her brother Daniel (who we met in Ghosted book #1), runs the family Swiss watch company. Fiona is a dreamer at heart, though is you ask her she’ll deny it. She guards her heart fiercely whilst living a very self-controlled organised life that’s focussed on her business as well as her daughter. Fiona has not been lucky in love, in fact she stays well away from it, as people who are meant to love you always leave you.

Now, what Sarah Ready excels at is showing just what will happen if you’re helped along the way to seek your heart’s desire. Your soulmate. What Fiona desires most is a fervent love that’s pure, honest, and unselfish. And as things would have it, sometimes the path to wondrous love turns out to be incredibly unconventional and instigated by the person we least expect.

Fated is beautiful, agonisingly emotional, just pretty perfect. We had tears in our eyes as we read with gigantic smiles on our faces. Our hearts raced and our hearts broke. What an immensely beautiful story with such lovable characters. To be honest, our expectations were high when we started Fated but unsurprisingly Sarah Ready matched and exceeded them in a heartbeat!

Fiona Abry has no time for love.
When she is gifted a magical family heirloom that allows you to dream of your hearts desire, Fiona finds herself dreaming night after night, of a little island town, and a sleepy cottage that she lives in with a man and their two children.
Every night Fiona returns to this life, a life that is not hers.

I love a Sarah Ready romance. Its the perfect balance of life, love and magic.
These characters, the story, the town, the confusion between what is real and what is a dream, I loved it all!

Charming and delightful - a welcome addition to the earlier books I've read by Sarah Ready. Well done

I liked Fated. Like always, Ready did a great job with the magical realism genre. Having read the other books in this series, I liked what Ready did with this book. I never wanted the dream world scenes to end. I wish there was more explanation about what Becca was doing in the dream world. I didn't find it believable that Aaron would stay with Becca for that long. I thought Fi and Aaron were cute love interests. I liked how Ready tied everything together at the end...there were some points where I questioned where the author was taking the story. I wish the beginning scene with the gala wasn't brushed under the rug. I thought Ready could have added more depth to Fi's character with that. This was a LONG book. I felt that some of the scene descriptions were a little dragged out. Overall, this was a decent read. Thank you to NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC for the ARC.

fated by sarah ready

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

contains:
* a lot of love
* fated lovers
* magical realism
* two different worlds
* single mum
* closed door romance
* finding the ‘spark’

an easy romance that was filled with love, laughter, grief, sparks, vulnerability, fear and bravery, it was such a delight for fated to be my first of sarah’s reads…and it has only made me want to read more🫶🏼

fiona is running her family’s swiss watch company, and has very little time for anything other than work or her family - especially any vacation time and definitely not a love life…

…until she holds the family heirloom which allowed her to dream what she truly desires…however real those dreams may feel💫

fiona starts to fall HARD for the man in her dreams, a second life on the beach that lives only in her dreams, but in the end it’s not fate, it’s just a dream☁️

i loved sarah’s writing style, how she could write fiona’s pain, and show aaron’s unconditional love and confusion at the same time🥹

let’s just say, i laughed, i awed, and i most certainly cried🥹😇

fated is a standalone book, within a series of 4 books in total - who doesn’t love a series you can read in any order?!☝🏼

release date: july 16th - if you haven’t thought of picking this one up yet…please do🤩

thank you to @netgalley @sarahreadyauthor and swift&lewis publishing for sending me the e-arc for review!!💗

˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚

📚 Fated @sarahreadyauthor
⭐ 5/5
(Part of the Ghosted series, Fated releases on 16th July'24💜)

Thanks to @netgalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with the e-ARC of this amazing book!
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💌 REVIEW:: I've seen posts about Sarah's books all over my feed but i never had time to read one, until Fated. This book was so beautifully and poetically written and had me spilling tears into my pillow. 🥹

The plot is pretty simple, but the way the author wove the words together, filled with laughter, magic, vulnerability, fear, grief abandonment, love, and bravery, was something that stuck with me.

Fiona seems to have it all together; being the heiress to a generations owned watch company, single mother to a precious daughter, with a loving brother and guy best friend; who hopes one day he and Fiona will be more than just that.

Still, Fiona feels something is missing in her. With an heirloom watch clutched to her heart she falls asleep into a dream, a dream that feels a little too real. Her husband Aaron, and their two children, on an island should be perfect. But all is not perfect there either, well, except Aaron.

The author's writing style really had me in my feels🥹, not just with Fiona's pain but also with Aaron's aching vulnerability, his confusion and his unconditional love. From the beginning to the full circle end I was left in wonder and awe💕

"There's something there...hovering at the edges of my mind...since I woke up. It's as if I...saw the most beautiful love, but now it's gone...A distant echo of something...I can only feel the pang of a loss so great my heart aches...for something beautiful...I can't remember, but know I loved... it's like a dream."

The stunning transcendent romance Fated, poetically, beautifully written, by gifted versatile author Sarah Ready, left me grabbing the Kleenex and guarding my heart.

The premise appears simple, but like all her romances, the path to true love is a twisty winding road filled with fear, loss, vulnerability, grief, abandonment, sparks, laughter, wonderment, magic, bravery and timeless love.

Fiona seems to have it all with a Swiss chateau, heiress to a prominent generations owned watch company, single mother to a precious daughter, a loving brother and Max; who hopes one day he and Fiona will be more than best friends.

But Fiona knows something is missing, broken in her. She loves Max but isn't in love with him...why? With an heirloom watch clutched to her heart she falls asleep into a dream, a dream that feels real. Her husband Aaron, and two children, on an idyllic island should be a respite but all is not perfect there either. Well one thing is perfect...Aaron.

Voice actress @shakirashute_voiceover broke me, not just with Fiona's pain but Aaron's aching vulnerability, his confusion and his unconditional love.

I was wrong at every turn of where this genius writer was taking me. From the beginning to the full circle end I was left in wonder and awe. Part of The Ghosted series, it's very much a standalone and it stands alone Fated to be a romance classic.

I received a free copy of this book/audiobook from the publishers via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

3 stars

Fiona Abry leads a guarded life, deeply committed to her role in her family's prestigious Swiss watchmaking business in Geneva. She cherishes her relationships with her daughter, her brother Daniel, and her best friend Max, but after past heartbreak, she keeps love at arm's length. Everything changes when her whimsical mother gifts her a family heirloom watch rumoured to reveal one's deepest desires in dreams. Intrigued by the possibility, Fiona decides to test its mystical powers. Soon, Fiona finds herself transported during her sleep to a vivid alternate reality: she's married to a devoted man and raising two children on a tropical island in a charming beachside cottage. This dream life stirs unfamiliar emotions within Fiona, challenging her guarded heart. But how can she reconcile falling in love with a life that exists only in dreams?

Sarah Ready's latest novel, "Fated", captivated me from start to finish. As a standalone within a series that features Fiona's brother Daniel, it skilfully blends elements of magical realism with a poignant exploration of love and longing. The narrative unfolds with lyrical prose and a deeply romantic tone, though it remains tastefully restrained in its depiction of intimacy.

While I found myself swept away by the enchanting premise and Sarah's evocative descriptions of tropical locales, I did encounter moments where the pacing faltered slightly. At times, the story felt elongated, particularly in the lush descriptions that, while beautiful, occasionally begged for brevity. This led me to switch between formats—audiobook and ebook—seeking a balance between immersion and pace. "Fated" remains a standout in its genre, offering a narrative tapestry that weaves together themes of love, destiny, and the allure of what might have been. Fans of magical realism in particular will undoubtedly savour this tale.

3.75⭐️

“You feel it. It’s real. “

If I am 💯 honest it took me a while to get into my feels for this one, it was just hard to wrap my head around a pretend relationship at first. But this dream life was beautifully written and it slowly like Fi, it won me over. You just need to let yourself believe in magic.

I was given an ARC copy of this book and my opinions are my own.

This was my first Sarah Ready, but it won't be my last!

This is the 3rd book in a magical realism series, but it can easily be read alone.

If you're hesitant about picking up the audiobook, DON'T! Shakira Shute is DIVINE. I picked up the ebook in the last 15% and I missed her.

This is not your average, trope-filled love story -- I went in totally blind and there were several aspects that made me gasp. I loved the FMC, Fiona, and loved being in her head. It took a long time for her to figure everything out, but in no way was she dumb or blind.

I liked the MMC but wished we saw more of him -- there's a compliment in there somewhere -- instead of just being told about him. The ending wrapped up way too fast for me.

The secondary characters were real and unique and FUN -- I'm definitely going to go back and read Daniels book, the first in the series (though this book seems to take place before his chronologically). I loved how fleshed out the world was, how well-researched the locations and occupations and little details were. It made the book so long but interesting enough that I didn't care.

I'll be waiting anxiously for the next in the series!

Thanks to NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This book was such a nice read. I've never read Sarah Ready's books before but now I will be reading more. There's not much to say without giving the book away but the characters were developed well and authentically. This isn't a "normal" rom-com that you would expect but all the same, it's a great read! The book was descriptive and it felt like I was in the book and it kept me going.

Read if you like:
- Single POV
- Single mother
- Multiple location settings
- Magic/fate

(3.5 stars) I loved Switched, the second book in this series, so I was really looking forward to reading Fated. Unfortunately, I liked this one, but didn’t love it. In searching my mind for reasons, a couple came to mind: there was humor in Switched, but not in Fated; the beautiful descriptions of all the locations in the story were just that, beautiful, but after a while, I started skimming them.

Fiona is the CEO of Abry Watches in Geneva, Switzerland. She and her younger brother Daniel, run the company, which has been in their family for generations. She’s been hurt and abandoned by people she loved and has basically locked up her heart in order to not get hurt again.

One day, her flighty mother shows up out of the blue and gifts her a pocket watch that has been in the family for generations and is rumored to have magical powers. If you fall asleep holding it, you will dream about your deepest desires. Fiona tries it and winds up dreaming about a very different life, on a small tropical island, married to a very handsome man and with two children - one a young teen and the other a toddler. Not all is well in this paradise, however. Fiona wakes up back in Geneva but can’t stop thinking about her dream life.

I normally really enjoy magical realism but somehow this one just didn’t grab me. I felt the book went on a bit too long. Perhaps editing down some of those descriptions may have helped move the story along a bit better.

I bounced between the audiobook and the ebook for this title, which was very convenient, and allowed me to continue with the story even when I could not sit down and read - or when I could not listen. I wound up doing more of the ebook so that I could skim those descriptions more easily. Also, while the narrator did a fine job, it sounded odd to have a British accent for someone who lived in French-speaking Geneva, Switzerland (even though her young years were in England). Not sure why this bothered me, but it did.

Note: The publisher labeled this as New Adult (along with Romance and Women’s Fiction), but I think that label is an error. The main characters are already in their mid-30s, not in their early 20s or so, which is how I think about the label New Adult.

Thank you to Swift & Lewis Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book and to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

though ghosted remains my favorite in the series, fated is a lovely addition, focused on daniel's older sister, fiona, as she learns to let love and hope into her life again after being betrayed before.

3.5 ★

overworked and jaded, fiona is presented with a unique opportunity to chase the dreams she has yet to realize. during waking hours, she is a businesswoman, a single mother, a devoted sister and friend. but while she sleeps, equipped with a family heirloom, she is transported to a tropical aisle where she's married to a handsome, dedicated man and the couple share two children. though initially confused, fiona soon relishes the chance to learn lessons from the experience, to love a man she knows can't keep. fated is a romance unlike any other, including magical realism, time travel, and several potential love interests. however, it wasn't surprising to discover which gentleman earned her love given how incredible he was.

as we neared the conclusion though, some (crucial) elements of the plot got muddled. there was a lot thrown at the wall with only about half of it adequately explained. the book was also probably a hundred or so pages too long. if some scenes were removed or condensed, it would have improved the overall experience.

thanks to swift & lewis publishing and sarah ready for an eARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review. while enjoying this read, I switched back and forth between formats.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very sweet romance that reminds us to live our lives and do what makes us happy while we can. I really enjoyed the concept of dreaming of your happy life and having it be real. I really enjoyed how great Fiona and Aaron were together. The happily ever after in this book was so sweet. The books in this series are just so sweet and great, feel good romances with a touch of magic in them.

Fiona Abry guards her heart. She loves her daughter, her brother and her best friend Max, but she's not open too love after being hurt. She's content working in her family's prestigious Swiss watchmaking business. But when her mother hands her a family heirloom watch that it's supposed to make you dream you truest desires, she throws caution to the wind and decides to give it a try. After all, it's only dreaming. 

But suddenly her nights are spent in another life away from Geneva: she's married to a wonderful man, has two kids and is living in a tiny tropical island in a colorful cottage on the beach.  Soon, the literal man of her dreams is making her feel things she's never had before, but what happens when you fall in love with a life that isn't real?

I'll try to be as vague as possible sharing my thoughts because you definitely want to go in knowing as little as possible. I loved all the previous books (this IS a true standalone. You do see Daniel from book 1 - he's Fi's brother - but the events here are previous to his story) and I was mesmerized and enchanted by this one. 

You see yourself trying to figure out how Fiona can get an HEA in all this and Sarah delivers a very satisfying one. I am also glad that the one she didn't pick will be getting his book soon!

Lyrical, extremely romantic (with very little spice, though) and even a little suspenseful, this is a must-read for fans of magical realism. If you loved the movies Somewhere in Time and The Glass House, you will love this story as much as I did.

Content notes: a character is shot on page. Mentions of death by drowning, natural disaster with multiple casualties, child abandonment, food insecurity, cheating 

Thank you, Sarah, Swift & Lewis Publishing and NetGalley for the book/audiobook.