I rate this a 2.5.

I like the idea of a book about love after loss. The first half was enjoyable but I feel like the second half was rushed. I wish there were stronger secondary characters- I think this would have added some depth to the story. Even just the FMC having a friend or family member. I did also find it inconsistent at times. One minute she is wrestling her feelings then all of a sudden she’s having phone sex.

It has a good premise and good bones and I think it could have been a great book if more time was spent flushing out details and adding additional characters.

It was still a quick and easy read.

The biggest takeaway from this book for me was how well the characters communicated- as someone who despise the miscommunication trope, how refreshing to have two characters voice their emotions, validate eachothers feelings and create a safe space for one another.

I liked Riley and Jake. Neither of them were particularly standout MC's but they weren't unlikeable. I liked their easy dynamic and the light hearted humour between them.

I do think the relationship is quite rushed considering the circumstances of their meeting and with the off-page past being such a central storyline. The moment of jealousy from Jae in the bar seems to come out of nowhere and it feels quite forced. But they did work as a couple and it wasn't so poorly handled that it wasn't an enjoyable read.

Overall, it's an easily digestible, quick read. I didn't love it, I didn't hate it. Take it or leave it, kids 🤷🏽‍♀️

A great little story about second chances and managing grief. I really loved exploring Jae and Riley’s story and I thought the way the author portrayed navigating grief was wonderful.

PROS:
- Both characters are incredibly likable. Jae and Riley are both flawed but normal people. In a world of romance novels where the characters are a little above and beyond, it was awesome to read a story that felt like these two could be your own friends.

- The way the stages of grief were shown felt so realistic. As someone who also has lost important young people in my 20s, it felt so real and comforting.

- The story itself is honestly so cute! This is such a realistic story and I really enjoyed the ride!


CONS:
- The book was SUCH a slow burn (loved it) but they fell in love very fast afterwards. Wish it was a little longer to make sense with the satisfying slow burn.


- Some things took me out of the story a little. You can’t buy and renovate an apartment but also rent? Phone sex when you live a floor apart and you JUST declared you liked each other? Sometimes the dialogue felt a little British and formal too. Also not sure why Jae went from being super cinnamon roll-y and then in bed using “good girl” in a place it didn’t belong and generally being kind of aggressive. Just did not fit his personality. Did it ruin the book for me? No, but it definitely took me out of the story for a bit.

- The fake dating premise really didn’t need to be there. This could have been a great meet cute story where they became friends and he set her up with his friends but made himself jealous with it. The fake dating angle felt really forced. Didn’t ruin it for me at all but definitely was a little weird.


Honestly though, so often I read ARCs of romance novels and they just try to do a trope checklist or tell a story that is far fetched or whatever. This one was SO cute, the premise was more original than most, and the characters were refreshingly normal and likable. I would definitely read more from this author in the future!!

Sweet, sweet story. I love the plot. It wasn’t a new trope but the first few pages caught me. Then I lost interest in the writing but continued to like the story and wanted to see how it played out. I was rooting for Jae and Riley but I had a hard time with the writing. It felt disjointed. Jae was at one point kind and gentle and sweet and then in the love scenes was using the word “cunt”. It just didn’t fit and that is due to the writing. Dirty talk is fine if written well but I just couldn’t believe it in this case and it felt forced. This is hard to because I just didn’t like the writing or the flow but i liked the trope and the idea of it all

The books starts off so well. But as I continued to read, it became harder to not see the lack of realistic of the situation. The insta-love was hard to believe and given the dialogue, it wasn’t believable. I found myself hard to connect to the story.

"Take All the Time You Need" by Cate Summers is a touching and introspective romance that delves into themes of healing and personal growth. The story follows a protagonist who, while navigating the complexities of love and life, learns to embrace the journey of self-discovery and healing. Summers’ writing is both lyrical and empathetic, capturing the nuances of the characters’ emotional experiences. The novel’s blend of romance and introspection makes it a compelling read for those who appreciate stories that explore the deeper aspects of relationships and personal transformation.

2.5 ⭐️

First of all, thank you author and NetGalley for the ARC!

This book really piqued my interest because of its trope—love after grief. It's unusual for me to read a romance book like this.

The book started off amazing, but it all went downhill due to inconsistencies in the story. I hoped the author would focus more on the love itself rather than sexual attraction, so the concept of love after grief would be more emphasized and appreciated. It’s just odd that the FMC suddenly remembers her dead ex-fiancé after describing how attractive another man is or after having phone sex—which, btw, made me cringe and laugh at the same time 😆. I understand that including smuts is common now, but I wish it had been toned down a bit. I even skipped some parts where J and R were sexualizing each other.

Again, this book had a lot of potential but ended up feeling like another wattpad-style story. I’m giving it 2.5 stars cuz there are parts that are really good. This book is really promising and contains scenes that will hook you. I’m not sure if it's possible, but I hope the author will rewrite it to have a more mature plot (while still maintaining the cozy vibes) and fix the grammatical and typographical errors.

It's refreshing to come across a romance story that highlights death of a loved one, and Riley is very prickly in the first few chapters- and I love how she was vulnerable in her moments alone, and the author sharing this as well, made her more real. Well, Jae comes off as a tease, and from the first meeting it seems he knew more about Riley, having that upper hand kind of created this imbalance I guess- and I cannot say much about the chemistry between them, it's there and for the story maybe just fine to get us to the end.
It's a great light witty read.
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.

This book was very enjoyable! The story was very well written. And the romance was so cute! I would highly recommend!

I thought this book had good bones: the idea of love after loss isn't something that's discussed in the contemporary romance genre all that often, and I thought Riley's inner dialogue broached the subject in a really vulnerable and honest way. I struggled to feel connected to the romantic aspects; the way that Jae and Riley interacted made it seem like Jae somehow knew a lot more about Riley, or that they had a relationship beyond living in the same apartment. The chemistry between the characters was more "telling me" than "showing me". I enjoyed it but I'm not sure I would recommend it.

I loved this book! I found the storyline very unique, but something about it didn't quite reach 5 stars. I definitely recommend it to everyone who loves a good romance story!

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Take All The Time You Need releases September 24, 2024

After three years, Riley is finally taking the steps to move on with her life after her fiancé died of cancer. She moves into a smaller unit a few floors down and befriends the new tenant of her old place when he commissions her to paint a mural in his new restaurant.

Romances with grief as a main theme are my bread and butter, coupled with an Asian lead who’s a chef (aka me but the opposite gender), I really thought this would’ve been something great (it wasn’t).

This debut missed the mark on writing, character likeability, and plot progression. With many typos (ending a finished sentence of dialogue with a comma instead of a period, or calling a white-collared job “white-color” for example) and the inability to stay consistent with tense choices or plot points, it was difficult to latch onto the narrative.

Riley’s act of jumping straight into dating didn’t make sense for her characterizations and felt forced.
I think the author tried to go for a grumpy x sunshine dynamic, but the stilted and unnatural dialogue throughout made it read like a rude fmc paired with an invasive mmc.

The way Jae handled his mother’s MS was not well thought out in the slightest. Any chef knows how relentless and laborious work days can get, so it made absolute no sense for Jae to come to the realization that he wouldn’t be able to provide the care his mother needed until after he moved and renovated two apartments.

I really do hope this goes through another round of edits, not only to fix the grammatical errors, but to iron out major plot and character inconsistencies.
— How was Grant a major designer of the building at the age of 22 (he died at 23), with a keen eye and expensive taste, yet the building was falling apart less than 5 years later? It makes zero sense that Grant and Riley were fresh out of college and had a rental unit with herringbone and quartz finishes, when other units had vinyl countertops and laminate floors. I guarantee you, no one invests in renovation changes that lavish and extensive when you don’t own the place.
— What was the point of introducing Rishi when everything that followed from Jae was so counterintuitive and didn’t align with how Stuart described him?
— Why would you have a Korean mmc with his own restaurant, cooking dishes like bulgogi, but then put halo halo on the menu which is Filipino? It’s giving <I>all Asian’s are the same and I don’t know the difference</I>.
— Did Jae buy the West Village apartment, or was he renting? He mentions having to sell it, but then also mentions breaking his lease early, which don’t go hand in hand with each other.

Thank you, author and publisher, for the advance reading copy.

I would say the dealing with grief and pain, loneliness and aloofness of the main character is very realistic. However, I couldn’t enjoy the writing and the interactions between the characters.

This was a really cute book that was a very fast read. But I feel like the MMC was very repetitive with saying the FMCs name. As well as the ending felt a little rushed. But I still enjoyed this book.

Thank you Cate Summers and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I devoured the first half of this book, and it got me out of my reading slump!

I was a little hesitant to pick this one up because I prefer lighthearted books. I was worried the premise would be too heavy. I thought Riley's grief was well written, well handled, and not too much of a distraction to the book. I would recommend this book even to people who do not like this trope. Given Riley's history, I wish the story was more drawn out and it took more time for them to fall in love. It was a little too instalove/lust.

I LOVED Jae. He's a golden retriever but not in an annoying or over the top way. I liked that he was patient and understanding of Riley, and her past was not a major conflict in their relationship.

I agree with some of the other reviews about plot holes/things that don't make sense. To me, they were not a distraction because I enjoyed the book and it's not uncommon for romance novels to have plot holes. They were just things I noted.

No me gustó ni la trama ni los personajes ni la escritura.


Para el tipo de trama y dolor de ella esperaba un slow burn, no un instalove. Se supone que esta sufriendo por la perdida de su prometido, pero cuando conoce al tipo se le olvida y se enamora o mejor dicho se obsesiona con su vecino.

No vi amor, lo que ellos tenían era atracción sexual.



Jae se entera por el casero de la historia de Riley y hace su meta hacerla sonreír, que salga más y que tenga citas, se mete a la de afuerzas en su vida. ¿Por qué un extraño haría eso? ¿Por qué el casero anda contando cosas privadas de sus inquilinos a un desconocido?






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

I was hooked by the story line but the pace was not realistic. I felt like I was missing major storylines or character development. I finished in less than 24 hours. I wanted to know what happened at the end. It was predictable.

3.25 stars, rounded down to 3

This book had great bones! However, there were too many inconsistencies and plot holes that kept pulling me out of the story. Still, it was a quick read and it wasn’t awful, despite the inconsistencies.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc. All opinions expressed are my own.

Books that make me think about the Wandavision quote; "What is grief if not love persisting"
Riley Chase will give readers whiplash in a way that emulates how utterly destroying loss can be. She desperately wants to move on,allow herself to exist again but grief over her fiancé's sudden death holds her hostage. Every step forward comes with two back and the reality of what the modern dating scene has become doesn't help. But Jae, the confident, kind, incredibly inconvenient new occupant of her apartment, the home Grant designed, is incredibly magnetic. Riley grapples with the sudden return of her desire, one moment she's staring at his bicep and the next. she's disgusted with herself for being unfaithful to Grant. The stream of consciousness writing allows you to really feel the war happening within Riley to move forward with her life, and if you let yourself be pulled along you will find that Summers has managed to write a story that will make you feel so human it's unreal.

I was excited to read this romance as it has a plot that is not often explored and one of my favorites: love after loss.

I liked the journey the MC was on and having it from her POV was interesting. At times it was like reading her stream of consciousness, which proved to share a lot. This book is raw and honest. I felt my own sense of grief at points, imagining how I would cope with the same things.

There were some issues that kept me from getting invested fully. The dialogue is choppy and hostile. I’m not sure if it was an issue of the humor not coming through or what. Also, because I read an ARC, there were so many inconsistencies that hopefully are cleaned up in the final. Those inconsistencies pulled me from the story too many times.

I also thought the characters as a couple needed more development and conflict. Everything seemed to be resolved through telling the other person not to feel that way. It just felt too simple for the complexities of the topic. It also bugged me that the love interest basically swoops in to rescue the MC, that was a disappointing arc to the story.

Overall this is a fast read and it was sweet. I’m not sure I would recommend as there are stronger books in the genre.