𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐓 𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓
ʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🎧 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘃𝗶𝗮 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝗚𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘆
⏳ 𝟭𝟬𝗛 𝟬𝟴𝗠
🎙️ 𝗔𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝗻𝗼 & 𝗗𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗱 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗮

💙𝙲𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝙳𝚘𝚘𝚛 𝚁𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎
🏕️𝚂𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝙵𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚜
💙𝚂𝚑𝚎’𝚜 𝙻𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙵𝚘𝚛 𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎
🏕️𝙷𝚎 𝙲𝚘𝚊𝚌𝚑 𝙳𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙷𝚎𝚛
💙𝚂𝚕𝚘𝚠 𝙱𝚞𝚛𝚗

💓𝗣𝗲𝘁𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲: 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆𝘄𝗼𝗼𝗱💖

⁀➷ ❝ 𝐒𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭. 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝. 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐈 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐝. ❝

❝ ʜᴏʟʟʏ ɪꜱ ʟᴏᴏᴋɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ꜱᴇᴛᴛʟᴇ ᴅᴏᴡɴ ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀ ꜱᴘᴇɴᴅɪɴɢ ʏᴇᴀʀꜱ ᴏꜰ ʜᴇʀ ʟɪꜰᴇ ᴡᴀɪᴛɪɴɢ ꜰᴏʀ ᴀ ᴍᴀɴ ᴡʜᴏ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ɢɪᴠᴇꜱ ʜᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴀʏ. ꜱʜᴇ ʜᴀꜱ ʙᴇᴇɴ ꜱᴘᴇɴᴅɪɴɢ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ᴡᴇᴇᴋᴇɴᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʙʟɪɴᴅ ᴅᴀᴛᴇꜱ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ɢᴏ ᴀɴʏᴡʜᴇʀᴇ. ʜᴇ ᴄᴀᴜɢʜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇʏᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴊᴀx, ᴀ ʙᴀʀᴛᴇɴᴅᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀ ꜱᴇʟꜰ-ᴘʀᴏᴄʟᴀɪᴍᴇᴅ ᴘʟᴀʏᴇʀ ᴡʜᴏ ᴀꜱᴘɪʀᴇꜱ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴀ ᴡɪʟᴅᴇʀɴᴇꜱꜱ ɢᴜɪᴅᴇ. ᴛʜᴇʏ ꜱᴛʀᴜᴄᴋ ᴀ ꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅꜱʜɪᴘ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴅᴇᴠᴇʟᴏᴘᴇᴅ ɪɴᴛᴏ ʜɪᴍ ʜᴇʟᴘɪɴɢ ʜᴇʀ ꜰɪɴᴅ ᴍʀ. ʀɪɢʜᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴇʀ, ʜᴇʟᴘɪɴɢ ʜɪᴍ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜɪꜱ ʙᴜꜱɪɴᴇꜱꜱ. ʙᴜᴛ ᴡʜʏ ʟᴏᴏᴋ ᴡʜᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʀɪɢʜᴛ ᴘᴇʀꜱᴏɴ ɪꜱ ʟɪᴛᴇʀᴀʟʟʏ ɪɴ ꜰʀᴏɴᴛ ᴏꜰ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴇʏᴇꜱ… ❝

This story hits way too close to home for me, Holly is approaching her 30s and feels like she didn’t accomplish anything in her life and was wasting her 20s. She was waiting for a man who dangled a promise off forever but kept putting her off the side. Jax is the one who shows her that it’s alright to demand more, in fact, she deserves it. Jax has a lot of baggage from the past, he frustrates me so much because he’s in denial for most of the book. But he makes it up in the end, I love how they both find a way to put themselves first and ultimately bring them to choose each other.

I’m really enjoying Katie Bailey’s writing, she wrote the most fun banter chemistry without the spice and I love it! I highly recommend this to fans of sweet romcoms with a witty sense of humor!

🎧𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄🎧
Bumping the rating to 5⭐️ after I listened to the audiobook. I have read this book upon release and loved it, so when the audio is available, I grab the chance to revisit this story. Both Abigail and David are new to me narrators, and I do enjoy their performances. David is perfect as Jax, the sexy and confident mountain man, while Abigail is just as fun as Holly. This was a great experience and I highly recommend the audio version.

✨ 𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚘 KATIE BAILEY #NETGALLEY & DREAMSCAPE MEDIA 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚌𝚌𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚞𝚍𝚒𝚘𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 & 𝚎-𝙰𝚁𝙲 𝙸'𝚖 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 𝚟𝚘𝚕𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚕𝚢 ✨

#QuitListThe #NetGalley

In the beginning, I originally thought it was taking awhile to set up the characters (or at least more than I am used to). But I found myself easily invested in the bad boy bartender and witnessing Holly’s string of bad dates was entertaining. Once things picked up and Holly enlisted Jax to help her find her happily ever after, I was already head over heels for Jax! Jax became her best friend in the sweetest way… their communication, Jax saving her, Holly leaning into him for support and encouragement, the humorous situation that caused the one tent scene (IYKYK), and the way she became a cheerleader for his new business. I seriously loved seeing their relationship grow and unfold! I loved it all!

This one was so cute and I have already looked into reading the authors back log and told me before to check her out! Such a cute and clean read

The quit list by Katie Bailey. First friends, then kiss, then who knows. This is a romance that makes you believe in love

The Quit List is a fun closed door rom-com from Katie Bailey.
This is the first book I've read from this author, and while I don't typically seek out closed door romance, I enjoyed this audiobook. There's a lot to like here. Abigail Reno (as Holly), and David Bendena (as Jax) both do an admirable job with the narration, but I can't help wishing that David's voice was a little rougher to go with Jax's mountain man persona. Bendena's Jax sounds like he would be more at home in an office instead of leading hiking tours in the Appalachian Mountains. It's a small quibble though, and he still does a good job with the material.
Overall I appreciated that the big lesson for Holly was one of self discovery and choosing to discover what she really wants out of life. Jax is a great example to her as someone who planned and worked hard to make his dream a reality when it would have been easier to just coast in his job as a bartender. I also liked that Jax had his own challenges with leaning into an actual relationship with Holly. The big "screw it" moment is a fun payoff for the slow burn of their friends to lovers transition. I would recommend this book to rom-com lovers who like closed door or "clean" romances. This one is sweet and funny, with no third act breakup as it builds to a satisfying end.
Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media, and Katie Bailey for the ALC opportunity.

pre-read: there's no plot atm but the dude is hot soooooo *adds to tbr*

pre-read, again: got approved for the arc and realized this released back on my birthday so what a win for everyone involved.

You know what? This book was fun at the start. I loved Holly and Jackson’s POVs. They were so much fun together and I enjoyed their banter so much.

But:

Admittedly, I didn’t know what the plot was. Even when reading the summary over and over, I couldn’t grasp what the book was about. I loved the start cause Holly was so funny. However, it became a little boring. This book transitioned into my background noise.

Damn, maybe I was underwhelmed.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC!

I flew through this audio and want to read more books focusing on the side-characters now— like Season’s Schemings, which focuses on Jax’s sister Maddie. Give me all the stand alone series please! I’m a sucker for misjudged, protective men who have a heart of gold, and Jax certainly fits this role. I loved the humor sprinkled throughout out (where can I get their doormat?!) and liked the modern day dating scene. I’d also love to visit Grainger Guides for a weekend stay — Sasquatches welcome🚿

5 stars

This was such a sweet romance between a man who has sworn off love and a woman desperate to find her person. The dating lessons were adorable without being blatant, more about finding her own desires and happiness before finding someone to share it with. Jax is a good man and you could tell immediately how supportive he would be of Holly. No spice, only kissing, and it made sense for the story and the characters.

Specifically for the audiobook, I think the narrators were perfectly chosen and fit the characters to a tee.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ALC!

This was a cute slow burn romcom. I really liked the story line of this. This was fake dating mixed with “date coaching”. The “only one tent” was a perfect touch.

I loved the banter and the sloooowww burn! This was closed door but it didn’t feel like it with tension between these two.

I really enjoyed the audio for this. The dual narration was great!

4.5 ⭐️

This was a very low-stakes, easy listen. I wasn’t super invested in the characters, I don’t know if I just couldn’t relate to them as much, but I enjoyed them still.

The narration was clear & easy to listen to.

Love this!! The story is amazing! I have actually read this before and listening to it brought it to life in a whole new way!! The voices were perfection and it was so lovely to dive into the story again!!

3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5🎧

First, I loved that Jax was going to do what he loved. A lot of times when you read about someone's dream job, it's I can't, I don't have the money, I could never, so the fact that he leaped, I was like, HECK YAS!

Holly just wants a happily ever after, and she is trying to pursue that, for sure. But it's not working out the way she had hoped. She is putting herself out there on dating apps and going on dates, but nothing is sticking, and it's starting to make her wonder if it's her.

She met Jax because he was bartending at the time, and when she would come in with all her dates, he would notice. They struck up a conversation, and in turn, he ended up talking to her about her dates and what she was really looking for.

It's a sweet romance, and I liked that they grew to be friends and then lovers.

Oh, and I loved the way Jax takes a few digs at her ex, aka her boss!

I had never heard of either of these narrators before, but I really enjoyed them. I would definitely look them up again.

This was a cute rom com. No third act break-up. But I thought it was a little predictable. The narrators did a great job. Would read something by this author again.

This was such a sweet book! Holly has been looking for love after holding out for her ex boyfriend/ current boss for many years. She meets Jax after he saves her from one of her many failed dates. He agrees to be her dating coach and help her find Mr Right.

I really liked how there was no miscommunication nor was there a third act breakup! It was a light romcom with an easy happily ever after! It’s also a closed door romance.

I listened to the audiobook for this book and enjoyed both narrators.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to listen to this book prior to publication in exchange for my review.

Já tinha um bom tempo que eu via indicações dos livros da Katie Bailey e enfim a oportunidade de leitura chegou com The Quit List - e mais ainda em um audiobook que, de cara, já deixo meus elogios aos narradores, me envolveu muito! Juntamente, claro, com o enredo que só havia me deixado curiosa à princípio, mas que ao longo da leitura se mostrou algo diferente e de certa forma pra melhor do que o clichê que eu esperava.

Sim, o clichê continua na história de Holly e Jax, mas a forma como ele se dá muito me agradou por não se restringir a nenhum padrão exato. A autora conduz um romance que vai do fofo e divertido, ao, por vezes, profundo e reflexivo nas entrelinhas, e gostei muito de como, antes do romance se dá de fato entre os protagonistas l, ela ter desenvolvido primeiro uma amizade muito bacana entre eles, que deu mais solidez ao progredir da relação, que igualmente também curti por ter se dado sem muita pressa.

Respeitando as questões internas e um tanto opostas de cada personagem, Katie conduziu um enredo que tanto tem de clichê e leve, quanto de divertido e ainda reflexivo sobre toda a busca pelo par ideal, inseguranças provenientes de má experiências ou exemplos familiares e todo a pressão desses dilemas principalmente na fase adulta. A forma como Jax, mesmo desde o início deixando claro que não estava a fim de se apegar em romance nenhum, conseguiu ser um mocinho tão sensível e real ajudar a Holly a ver pequenas brechas erradas aqui e ali, e o jeito protetor e amigável dele com ela, aaaa, é de render suspiros! Nossa mocinha também não fica pra trás, e gosto como tudo isso se dá sem nenhuma falsa imagem de perfeição dos personagens, pelo contrário, as falhas deles são bem declaradas ou percebidas, mas eles buscam trabalhá-las de uma forma real.

O meio da trama, ou mais precisamente lá entre os 60% e 80% do livro, é que teve uma certa instabilidade no ritmo da leitura pra mim e no modo como um acontecimento ou outro se deu, motivo então que me fez não dar as 5 estrelas ou pelo menos as 4,5 que eu achei que daria, mas 4 estrelas definitivamente ainda são ótimas e eu certamente indico a leitura! Ponto bônus ainda para quem não gosta de hot, eu inclusa, o que foi muito bom. Então se você procura um romance leve e com um mocinho real mas com seu charme, The Quit List é a pedida perfeita!

This was fun. This was such a breeze to read. I love a man who realizes what he’s missing and just goes for it! This is a very entertaining story. No spice. And it wasn’t needed. It felt more realistic without it honestly. And the audio was sooo good. The narrators were perfect for these characters.
I did read this as a standalone, but I felt like I missed certain things from the authors backlist.
Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape media for the audio!!

Closed door stand alone, but is connected to [book:Season's Schemings|201919785].

Holly is done wasting her time waiting for her college boyfriend to decide it is time for their second chance. She starts dating frequently, but all the men are terrible. Jax, the bartender, has watched her have dinner with awful men week after week. One night, he has to rescue her from one of them. He gives her some advice that sticks with her. Suddenly, she finds herself going to him for advice. She also finds herself attracted to him- despite him checking none of the boxes on her list and vowing to never be in a serious relationship.

I really, really liked Jax. I liked Holly's growth. But there was something missing in the book. I am not sure what it was. I can't put my finger on it. It was just okay for me despite having a very strong MMC.

Abigail Reno and David Bendena narrate the audiobook.

I received an advance audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

Holly Greene is on a mission to find the perfect guy, the guy she will marry and star a family with, but every date she goes on ends in disaster and she’s left wondering what she’s doing wrong. When Holly meets Jax, the bartender at the restaurant she usually has her dates, who just saved her from the worse date ever she asks him to help her find the perfect guy. Jax is the type to avoid relationships at all costs, but for some reason he is inclined to help Holly. With Jax’s help, Holly starts wondering if what she’s been looking for in a guy isn’t what she needs after all. What she needs might be staring her right in the face in the form of a hot bartender.

I love a good romance and this book checked all the boxes. I was hooked from the beginning and couldn’t wait to see how this book ended. I loved Holly and Jax’s characters and thought they were perfect together. The banter and chemistry between them was so fun and I like how they both helped each other out in their own ways. Jax is the perfect leading man with his gruff exterior but teddy bear sweetness on the inside. This romance was a slow burn with little spice, but it was the perfect fun romance read. If you are looking for a good summer romance read look no farther!

Holly is on a mission to finding the one and the idea of the one makes Jax a little queasy. But after watching Holly bring man after man to his bar, Jax agrees to help Holly weed out the losers and focus on what she really wants.
This book was a joy to listen to. I'm loving the way Katie gives her sweet romances the chemistry I love to see. I read Season's Schemings not too long ago and was so happy to have this one match the fun and charm. Both characters are completely lovable and the banter so enjoyable.
Read for:
Forced Proximity
Opposites Attract
Getting off the Grid
Great performance from Abigail Reno and David Bendena! Both narrators brought the humor and the romance to the audiobook.
Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for the alc. All thoughts are my own.

I really enjoyed this read. I smiled the whole time and by the end I was dying to go camping! The narrators were perfect in bringing the characters to life.
This was a 4 star for me and I highly recommend.
#downwithdylan