Member Reviews
Single Parent (Mother), Reluctant to Fall, Closed Door Romance
This is an adorable Valentine’s Day romance. It was a sweet, predictable, and an easy closed door romance. I enjoyed the MMC whom was from France. There were many sweet moments that seemed even more romantic due to the French flourish.
Audioreview: Although Tyler is from Toronto, he has a very believable french accent. His execution of the language and accent adds a very fun element to this audiobook. His pacing was perfect. Unfortunately, Amanda Friday was not my favorite. I felt that there was too long of a gap between each sentence making the flow more choppy. She also had an intonation at the end of each sentence that was a bit off putting.
I received this ALC from Victory Edition NetGalley Co-op in exchange for my honest review.
🎧AUDIO REVIEW🎧
📚He's Not My Valentine by Savannah Scott
🎤Narrated by Amanda Friday & Tyler Hyrchuk
⭐⭐⭐
This is cute closed door romcom, kisses only by Savannah Scott.
Rene is a Frenchman whose best friend, Pierre, now lives in the US with his wife Tasha. Rene decides to leave his beloved country of France & getaway for a few weeks to visit his friends. Pierre is used to living "the single life" in France. Traipsing around here & there as carefree as can be & enjoys the life he's living, no strings attached. Tasha has a sister, Heather, she's divorced with a son, been burned & is closed off to love, jaded from her past relationship. Let's just say....neither one of these singles has any intention of gettin' into a relationship & they make it perfectly clear to Pierre & Tasha.
Rene & Heather are enemies of sorts. She considers him one but Rene doesn't see her that way. He's right there to help her with her son, help in the bakery she works at & is delightful to be around. His kindness & charming personality quickly become a problem for Heather & soon she's trying to talk herself out of going on a date with him but he's a persistent one & finally she caves. Sparks light up between the two.
They begin as friends, enjoying one another's company but Heather knows that the clock is ticking and soon Pierre will return to France. She's hesitant to let this grow into something more and Pierre feels something as well. He's worried about his life & work back home. He doesn't want to move to the US & Heather doesn't want to move either so here in lies the dilemma....what are they going to do?
This story is filled with cute wit & lots of fun banter between the main characters. It's a second chance for Heather & a first chance at love for Pierre. Life can get messy & complicated but once you realize exactly what you want & deserve, everything seems to work out in the end.
🎧Let's talk narration: This was a fun listen especially with the narration by Tyler Hyrchuk. He does a fantastic job speaking with a French accent for both men. He also voices other male characters & Heather's little boy. Amanda Friday has a distinct cadence to her voice & I wish she would have been a little lighter or more airy or something. It just didn't seem like Friday's voice matched who I pictured in my mind for the character of Heather.
Both of these narrators are brand new to me. I've never listened them before. I absolutely did LOVE the fact that this is done in duet style. This is always a treat and makes listening to romcoms with funny banter & hilarious situations the best.🙌
Overall, this audiobook was good. I do think there is a specific audience that this type of story lends itself to. It's a cute enough story but at times was a little slow and I would have preferred a little more tension and "I can't stay away from you" between the two main characters.
Thank you Savannah Scott and NetGalley for a copy of this audio to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and were voluntarily given.
What a treat to return to Harvest Hollow! After reading A Not So Fictional Fall, I was hoping to get to read Heather's story, and He's So Not My Valentine delivered a sweet one indeed. The characters were so relatable and lovely, I was thoroughly charmed by this book. The way Rene worked his way into Heather's heart through his powers of observation and acts of service was a delight to read. I enjoyed the duet narration of the audiobook, but the male narrator's French accent just seemed off, like he was trying to portray a stereotype of a French person, not an actual French person, if that makes sense? Otherwise, the performance value of the audiobook was wonderful and I highly recommend it!
Thank you to the author and publisher for gifting me with an ALC to review. All opinions are my own.
Such a sweet rom-com, I enjoyed the audio of this book very much! The story follows a single mom who is reluctant to let herself love again, but thankfully she allowed love a chance!
Renee and Heather’s love was equal parts heartfelt and sweet. Nate tugged on my heart strings so much, and it was a story I could relate to as a mother myself.
Great work! Thank you for allowing me to experience the audio book!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you, NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
This was an audio copy of this book and I love that the male main character had a french accent to match his background in the book. Great narration casting on this book. This was a closed-door romance and the sweet kisses were just perfection.
Rene is absolutely swoon-worthy and he is just so incredibly sweet, even when Heather does not see herself the way that Rene sees her. I love that the way that Rene treats her and feels about her, helps her to start seeing herself in a new light. I also love that Heather is a mom and has built a life for herself as a single mom.
This is a perfect example of “when you know, you just know”, and I loved the happily ever after. I knew there would be one but it came about in a way that I did not expect which was great. I love a good “plot twist” even with a HEA and no real suspense.
I love the quotes that are the beginning of the chapters, especially the Nicholas Sparks quote! Such a fun addition to the book.
Sweet, swoony, and all the things you want in a romance book all in one! What a fantastic slow burn love story!
This book was a sweet romance, it took me a while to get into the audiobook. This was partially due to me never having heard an audio book with thick French accents before, the book and story as overall enjoyable, however not quite one I would have chosen. Good writing and compelling characters.
Thanks NetGalley for the ALC.
2.5 🌟
I have read other books by this author and enjoyed them. This one fell short. I may have enjoyed the non-audio version better as the narrators (especially the French accent) drove me nuts. The accent seemed a little fake. The storyline was also just a little too cheesy and perfect. I will definitely read other books from this author since I have enjoyed some of her other books.
"He's So Not My Valentine" is a very enjoyable, light romance by Savannah Scott! It's the sequel to Scott's "Not So Fictional Fall" and it's definitely worth reading that one before you read this one (though this could be a standalone there are a lot of references to things that happened in that book). I really liked listening to this audiobook about single mom and small town coffee shop Heather and Rene, a realtor from France in town to visit her sister's husband who happens to be Rene's best friend.
Heather is bent on remaining single and Rene wants to just get her to lighten up. Sparks fly as these two navigate a friendship turned relationship. But Rene is set to return to his successful real estate business in France and Heather needs to stay close to her North Carolina home for her son Nate.
I liked the pace of the book, the small town feel and the sweet romance in this book. All of the characters were believable and relatable as well. This is a perfect sweet and clean romance for those like me that enjoy that genre. There is some kissing but nothing more than that.
For the most part the audiobook narration was good, though I didn't like the voice they used for Nate, Heather's son. It seemed whiny to me and I wish it had been done better. He's not in the book a lot so it can be overlooked so I don't think a listener should rule the whole audiobook out based on that along. I liked the narrator for Heather a lot - she's excellent and I'd listen to any books she narrates. The male narrator was good as well but the female narrator was one of the best I've heard.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to a complimentary copy of this audiobook. All opinions expressed are my own.
This romcom audiobook was an absolute delight and I really enjoyed it! This is my first book by Savannah Scott and it's one of those rare finds that not only delivers a relatable story but also and had me laughing throughout. From awkward encounters to hilarious misunderstandings. The humor in this audiobook was clever and well-paced keeping me entertained from start to finish!
I love Rene and Heather's story with their witty banter and quirky personalities. The fmc is a single parent who navigates the challenges of parenthood with humor and a touch of sarcasm that had me nodding along. From hilarious mishaps to heartwarming moments, felt like a friend I could relate to on so many levels.
The narrators did a fantastic job bringing the characters to life. Their voices added depth and personality to each character's quirks and dilemmas, making the story even more enjoyable. If you're a fan of romcoms and enjoy stories that blend humor with genuine heart, this audiobook is a must-listen!
4.5* this is a single mom enemies to lovers trope and I loved it! Such a fun read. This should definitely be made into a Hallmark movie.
I was so excited to see that Heather was getting her own story after meeting her in the Sweater Weather series. I loved this story and seeing Heather, a jaded single mom, get her happily ever after.
I also love the narrators and how there was both a male and female voice to represent each perspective. The narrators did a great job and made listening to this audiobook fun.
Definitely recommend reading or listening to A Not So Fictional Fall before this one if you haven't already. Loved this book and highly recommend you give this one a read.
Valentine's Day...some love it and some wish it didn't exist. Heather is definitely leaning more towards the wish it didn't exist side of the scale. She doesn't outright hate and despise it, but she doesn't have warm and happy feelings for it. Enter Rene, a charming a debonair Frenchman, best friend to Heather's brother-in-law. He's going to be showing her that love is good and true and can bring someone joy beyond their understanding.
*Warning...Rene is going to steal your heart...you have been warned!!!*
I read this book back when it released and I devoured it! I can't get enough of Heather and Rene and Heather's sister's story. Seriously, the chemistry, the character development, the secondary characters, the story line, the setting, the friendships, the family dynamics and support, the second chance at love, the single parent trope and so much more are why I love this book! And why I'm a fan of Savannah Scott. She's a must read author for me and an author that I recommend her books to family and friends!
I loved the book so much and when I had the chance to listen to the audiobook, you better believe I jumped on it! And holy moly it was great! I loved the duet between the narrators in narrating this one. I loved having both a male and female narrator. Some listeners said that they didn't connect with the female narrator's inflections as much but honestly, I enjoyed her voice. I thought it was very enjoyable and found myself being lost in the story and imagining myself there in Cataloochee Coffee shop or in France with Rene, or out on the town with Heather and Rene or in the woods. Loved it lots!!!
Content: Swoon and clean! Some toe curling kisses but nothing further. Rene is a perfect gentleman. Some talk about divorce and Heather being a single parent raising her son.
I purchased my own ebook copy and received an audiobook from the publisher, Victory Editing NetGalley Co-Op, via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.
Happy Reading!!!
He's So Not My Valentine by Savannah Scott was cute - I loved the story. Single mom and coffee store owner in a charming little town meets a charming Frenchman. The banter was cute.
Narration by Amanda Friday was excellent. I had a really hard time with Tyler Hyrchuk's French accent, however. I read A LOT of audiobooks and the accent was a true distraction.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Victory Editing for the chance to review this ALC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.
An adorable romcom with a single mom and Frenchman.
Narrators did great.
Thank you for this ALC.
Rene & Heather
Rene, the Frenchman is visiting his best friend in Harvest Hollow. When he meets Heather again, he is captivated by her. Heathers life is a bit up in the air, all she knows for sure is that she needs to care for her son.
Heather has struggled with being able to rely on people. Her heart has been broken in the past. Rene shows up and helps carry Heather’s burdens, in the sweetest way. ACTS OF SERVICE FOR THE WIN, YA’LL.
He’s going back to France in three weeks, and Heather is staying in Harvest Hollow, so, where can they go from here?
If you’re looking for a closed door audio, with all the swoon-worthy moments, a touch of angst, here it is!
He's So Not My Valentine is a fun, single mom. small-town rom com.
I enjoyed it and would recommend it!
Special thanks to NetGalley for advanced access to the audio book.
Published January 21, 2024.
📚 He’s So Not My Valentine by Savannah Scott
🎧 Format: Audiobook
🎙️ Narrated by: Amanda Friday & Tyler Hyrchuck
📕 Genre: Romance
📖 Read: June 2024
✨ Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
”Rene keeps staring at me with this expression I haven't seen in a man's eyes in years. It's expectant, but reserved. He's so focused on me, it should feel awkward, but instead I feel ...cherished.”
‧₊˚✧ Tropes ✧˚₊‧
ꕥ Single Mom
ꕥ Swoony Frenchman
ꕥ Small Town
ꕥ Dual POV (Duet)
ꕥ Closed Door
A truly wonderful read!
I adored Heather. She was such a strong independent woman who put her son above everything else. Rene was perfect for her. He really seen her and only wanted to show her how special she was.
I loved the duet narration. At first I was a little thrown by the French accent, but quickly got used to it.
Overall, a super cute, swoony romance.
Thank you NetGalley and Savannah Scott for this audiobook. This is my voluntary, honest review.
Heather Does Not Believe In Valentine's Day.
Heather is a girl after my own heart: she loves coffees, her son, and her job as a barista/manager for a smalltown cafe. North Carolina is safe. Although traveling is a dream, it is just a dream. Here, she is home and in control. No man could sway her heart after her true love turned into infidelity.
Cataloochee cafe is the reprieve from her charming husband's betrayal in the town of Harvest Hollow. Heather refuses to fall for any more charming men, any smooth-talking handsome strangers. Trust is difficult for this hard-working single mother.
Rene Dubois is one such handsome men, a charming French man with a wide smile, and eager to help all those in help around him. Heather cannot avoid him hard enough, especially when Rene begins to make his mission to make this single mother learn how attractive she is, how deserving of love she is.
Rene begins with cheek kisses, quick, and unassuming. His flirty bantering begins to become true, his feelings growing, as does his teasing. The compliments come more often, and suddenly going home is not as appealing to the man in love with France.
Rene's bright eyes are starting to effect Heather's heart, the wall she built of stone crumbling down around her. Despite her resistance, butterflies dance in her stomach. Tingles run along her skin where he briefly touches her, caresses her.
I usually do not get so engaged with clean romances. They seldom make my heart race as I read the ink splayed across the pages, but this novel was a genuinely good read. It was obviously cheesy, but it tugged at the part of me that seldomly enjoys Hallmark films for the holidays. 🌟🌟🌟🌟/5 Stars!
I love the story as always she has out done herself the female narrators was phenominal the male narrator was good. If you want to listen or read that would be a great idea thanks for letting me listen to this book