I just finished *Not Exactly a Small-Town Romance* by JJ Knight, and it was such a delightful read! Kelsey is a rom-com expert—literally, it’s kind of her job as a casting agent—and watching her try to engineer her own love story was both funny and engaging. I loved the setup of her trading city life for a small-town adventure, hoping to find her perfect, rustic love interest. The twist? Her best friend Zachery, who’s been by her side all along, might just be the guy she’s been looking for. The story is light, flirty, and filled with those feel-good rom-com vibes, but it’s also about figuring out what really matters when it comes to love.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

I loved, loved, loved this book! As someone who adores rom-coms, this book was right up my alley; I couldn’t put it down! Let’s face it, we all know how the story will end, right from the beginning, but the journey was what made it great. I wished the sex scene wasn’t so graphic, as it was a cute romance otherwise, but the rest of the book was exceptional. I wouldn’t be surprised if this book was picked up for movie rights, as I’d so watch this as a movie, and not a direct to tv movie, but it think it’d do really well at the cinema. Overall a great book that will keep you engaged throughout, whilst swooning at the romance of it all. 10/10 go read it now!

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the ARC

JJ Knight has written a sweet and funny friends to lovers romance. Our fmc is looking for inspiration in her work life and therefore sets out on a road trip to have the perfect meet cute. Her friend, Zach, who's always had a thing for her, sets after her to ensure her safety and hinder any love story from happening. I had to chuckle of some of the forced meet cutes. It was pretty obvious she and Zach was end game which made the meet cutes even better in a way. It did take a while for them to finally get together, but when they did it was really sweet. It was a quick and fun palate cleanser

This romance was an enjoyable read with a lot of warmth and emotional depth. The author did a commendable job portraying the complexities of an age-gap relationship, with the story set against the backdrop of a Hollywood casting agent's world, adding an intriguing layer of industry insight.

However, the book often shifted focus to side characters and subplots, which sometimes overshadowed the main romance. I felt there were not enough moments dedicated to the central relationship, which could have strengthened the emotional impact. Despite this, the book was satisfying overall and will appeal to fans of contemporary romance.

I'm a romance lover, especially those cute, not very dramatic ones, with happy endings, that let you live in love-land and not think about reality for a while. This one was exactly that for me! The dual POV was a masterpiece, chef's kiss. And I obviously love how modern it was. All good tropes, all fun and a beautiful happy ending. An wonderful reminder that we are all worthy of love and that it will come to us at the right time, no matter if it's new or if it has been there all along.

This book was frustrating .
I really really wanted to loved it because the blurb have me intrigued , but unfortunately I didn’t enjoy it. There’s not romance at all between Zachary and Kelsey. How we’re supposed to believe they loved each other when they didn’t have cute scenes together ?? The book was more focused on Kelsey's other love interests than her romance with Zachary. I understand the main plot was she finding love while being on road but at some point she had to started being in love with Z because HE'S THE MALE MAIN CHARACTER 🙃. And the few scenes that have them together were poorly written and zero chemistry.

Now Kelsey was so selfish and too judgmental. She was so much into people clothes brands and prices. I just can’t get her. I really hate when authors write dumb females. It annoys me.
She “thinks” she finally found the love of her life -after only a few days- then she asks Zachary to leave and treats him poorly after she gets mad when he doesn’t cover her with her boss, like are you serious? Is your responsibility and Zachary did enough covering you for days. And the cherry on top? EVERYONE BLAMES ZACHARY AFTER SHE WAS FIRED (???) I’m sorry but what??.

And Zachary is not better, I was so tired reading why he was too old for her, like it was his only reason for not asking her out. You know what? You’re a coward.

I appreciate the eArc, but unfortunately this book is not for me.

Thanks NetGalley for providing me this early copy.

Kelsey Whitaker is a 25 year old casting assistant to a mean boss nicknamed the Demon. Kelsey's super power is she can pick two people to be paired together as romantic leads in anything. Kelsey grew up in Alabama on a dairy farm, but left the country life for the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles, CA. Kelsey's best friend is her co-worker, Zachery Montgomery Carter, a 36 year old has been actor, known for his raunchy comedies. Zachery doesn't need to work, but he is secretly in love with Kelsey so he keeps working just to be with her. When Kelsey's love life has stalled out in CA, Zachery secretly tries to help it move along, and the result is Kelsey has decided to go on a small town, cross country road trip to find her special one.

Shortly into her road trip, Zachery ends up showing up and decides to join her. He will help her find her easy going. small town guy even if he though wishes it was him. Along the way many funny situations occur with Kelsey's planned "meet cutes". When Kelsey and Zachery arrive in Glass, Wyoming at the Hanover Christmas Tree Farm, Kelsey thinks she has found her perfect man in the form of Randy Hanover. Throughout the days they are there, Zachery realizes that he probably lost Kelsey to Randy and decides to head back to California. Of course shortly after Zachery leaves, everything blows up and everyone's life is all a mess.

When Kelsey decides that maybe she doesn't belong in CA, she begins the trip back to Alabama and the life she detested, but somewhere along the way Kelsey FINALLY has her real "meet cute" and all is better in the world. Now Kelsey has her happy ever after.

I loved this fun, laugh out loud road trip between Kelsey and Zachery. These two were such good friends that it was hard for Kelsey to see what was right in front of her. But somewhere along the way real feelings started to become involved.

2.5⭐️


Tenía potencial, pero hay algo que hizo que no me gustará y que no pudiera disfrutar: lo de Zachery con las actrices. Se supone que es un ayudante de una directora de casting, utiliza su fama y apariencia para atraer a las actrices y al final se acuesta con ella, es decir, se aprovecha de su poder. Espero la autora pueda arreglar esta parte porque mejoraría la historia.


Se me hizo innecesario tantos detalles sobre la ropa ¿para qué quiero saber cuanto cuesta cada pieza de su outfit?

Kelsey trabaja con una directora de casting, piensa que Zach es un mujeriego, pero es su mejor amigo. Una adivina le hace una lectora en donde le dice que debe regresar a su hogar y que tiene hasta el final del verano para encontrar al amor de su vida.

Zachary era actor, pero trabajo en puras peliculas de comedia y terminó encasillado en papeles tontos, entonces dejo la actuación y se fue a trabaja con Demona para poder cuidar a Kelsey, está enamorado d ella, pero no se cree suficiente para ella.



Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately this read was a DNF for me. I've never read this author's work before but the blurb sounded interesting and I enjoy "small town romances" but this was not that, or at least it wasn't what I had expected. I'm not into the whole Hollywood celebrity thing and the whole "washed up actor" who is too old for Kelsey didn't do it for me. I kept thinking once she got on the road to her hometown, it would become the story I was looking for, but it just didn't happen and I was unable to finish it. I'm sorry Ms. Knight and NetGalley, but it just wasn't my cup of tea. I always suggest to readers that if something sounds good, please try it and don't listen to me! It's just my opinion and you might love it! I’m grateful to have been given an opportunity to read an advance copy of this book through NetGalley.

I thought the concept of this story was unique, but I had trouble staying interested in it. Some of the humor felt forced and the meet cutes felt very akward, rather than funny. I quite liked the ending of the story. Overall, an ok story. *I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and this is my voluntary and honest review.

- Not exactly a small town Romance was a ‘feel good’ fiction. I would rate it a 6/10
- While I didn’t find it to be a perfect read, there were some elements of the book that I appreciated. I liked the chemistry between Zachery and Kelsey.
- I felt some parts of the book were dragged like the movement from city to city, the details were too elaborate and came across as mundane after a while. I also feel that some of parts of the book lacked depth and more could have been done to develop Zachery and Kelsey’s character, so that they would have more story other than Desdemona, maybe more on their family or more on Jester.
- I might not be able to personally recommend the book but I could stock it up in my bookstore.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were well developed and lovable. The pacing was perfect and left you wanting to read more. I can't wait to read more by this author!

For most of the book, they remain friends even thought it’s clear they should be together. The one thing that bothered me is that the people of the small towns are portrayed as uneducated hillbillies basically lol. If you are from a small town, this might bother you. But to be honest, the book had to be written this way in order for it to work. If she had met the perfect man from a small town then she wouldn’t end up with Zach and she also would have been unhappy, because all her goals in life are big city goals.

I loved the concept of the book, I think it was very original and interesting however at times it feels like too much or over the top. While reading it you have the feel of a rom com which is great and overall it was a fun read but I don’t think the style of romance is for me. I do suggest you give it a go!

I found this book to be fun and a good read! It was an engaging book that truly helped me get out of the reading slump I was in. In my opinion it was fun and written well for a good romance that felt well written!

Not Exactly a Small Town Romance is my first book by JJ Knight and it was a sweet binge-worth read that I enjoyed disappearing into. It was a unique take on the wing-manning, best friends to lovers trope … apart from one delicious spicy scene, it mostly felt like a twist on a hallmark story as Kelsey tried to find her true love by trying out the main meet cutes in romcoms. It also felt like a love letter to romance readers everywhere. I also really enjoyed the leads work in the casting industry as it’s not something I’ve read about much.

Thanks for the arc Montlake and NetGalley.

Not Exactly a Small-Town Romance is exactly the story that I would expect from the title.

J.J. Knight brings us the adorable friends to lovers story that hits with all the rom-com meet cute heavyweights as Kelsey embarks on an epic road trip to return to her small town roots in search of love while her Hollywood playboy best friend follows to ensure her safety while of course falling more in love with her along the way.

Now when I say that Kelsey hits with all the meet-cute heavy hitters I'm saying she plans them all- accidental spilling of coffee, tripping with her suitcase, grabbing the wrong food order and so on but in her case every attempt at forcing the meet cute goes horribly awry. Now Zach isn't a saint, and despite his longstanding crush on Kelsey he believes he's no good for her so he helps her on her ridiculous journey and of course these two are absolutely adorable together and have such great energy. Their story a crazy slow burn though- and then they have this blip and return to this simmer stage.

Overall the story is fun and enjoyable- perfect for anyone that is obsessed with those Hallmark or Lifetime movies. The plot is a little like we grabbed a hat of those go-to romance story plots and intertwined them into one story. This kind of gave me that comfort read kind of feeling, so while I wasn't blazing through the pages I simply enjoyed the journey and love the way that these two finally come around and realize that connection they have is so much more than friendship but that epic love story Kelsey was looking for.

Super cute friends-to-lovers romance. Zachary is a charming former actor, now working in casting and Kelsey is a small town Alabama farm girl working in Hollywood casting with him. I love their friendship together and cute banter. Their dialogue is filled with popular rom com quotes.

Kelsey has perfected the art of capturing the perfect pair on screen and now she’s looking for her own love story and perfect meet-cute. She heads on a road trip to find love away from the typical Hollywood types. Zachary her work bestie decides to tag along showing how protective he is over her. Along the way something changes between the two. It ends up as a journey of self discovery both on the road and within the heart. Like a Hallmark story with a dash of spice.

Dual POV
Co workers in Hollywood
Friends to lovers
Age gap
He falls first
HEA

“She’s given me a glimpse into the infinite. A friendship fully blown into a life promise. A perfect match.”

Thank you NetGalley, Montlake, and J.J. Knight, for sending this eARC for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This book was tricky for me! I really loved the concept, a Casting agent in Hollywood looking for her own hallmark movie. I loved when she would see her script, that was a great touch. I enjoyed how the road trip started but then I was just kind of waiting for them to have any sort of ‘moment’ together (other than that one spicy scene) or some chemistry at all really.

At one stage I was hoping it would work out with Kelsey and one of her meet cute men. We spent more time with Kelsey and these random side characters than we did with Kelsey and Zachary so Zachary sometimes felt like an after thought. But when Zachary finally got the courage to let her know how he felt that was very cute, the big rom com declaration was a hit, I could see that being in a movie for sure. Overall I enjoyed the concept but I just wish there were some more moments between our FMC and MMC!

This was a cute book. Kelsey and Zachary have chemistry from the start. I feel like this book has so much potential but for me it was just OK. I would have loved to seen more time with Kelsey and Zachary together together as a couple and less time on the journey overall not a bad book though.