Cute rom-com; Bridget’s book rec’s sprinkled throughout the book will delight book lovers.. The storyline could be tighter, but overall I enjoyed the characters & story.

Spoilers in this review:

The Other Bridget is a great Aussie bookish rom com. With a lot of similarities to its namesake "Bridget Jones' Diary" makes this a fun and bookstagram friendly story. It starts off super slow and the first 40% of the book really drags. The last 60% is great once it gets going. The epilogue is a strange addition as others mentioned as the POV of the ghost of the teenage cancer patient Bridget befriends during the book. Yes, spoiler, the teenager dies. I write this because it helped me to know ahead of time that it was coming.

Bridget is a librarian with a close-knit friend group in Australia, who is named for Bridget Jones' Diary (the book, before the movie came out). I love Bridget Jones' Diary and was a big fan of the book and the movie. I love the references to it as well as the many references to the current contemporary books, Bridget is recommending to her friends and patrons of the library. I love when she mentions a romance book I've read, while I add the books to my TBR that I haven't.

Sully is a great romantic lead, he starts off as her grumpy neighbor and eventually becomes more after she is duped by her coffee slinging boyfriend. You can't help rooting for Bridget and her friends and overall the book is great even though it starts off slow and is on the long side. I love how short the chapters are though.

Thank you NetGalley and Rachael Johns for an advanced digital copy of this book.

Loved this book, took a while to get going and a lot of characters to get used to but worth getting to know them all. Sully was definitely the best character and outshone Bridget. Two exciting romances in one book. Will look for other books by same author as really enjoyed it.

If Bridget Jones had a sister...this would be her! Love love love this book! You know that feeling you get when you finish the last page and you feel like you've just broken up with someone? This book did that to me. Highly recommend for chic lit, romance lovers

This one had me laughing out loud while reading and awwing over the romance! It's a super fun book!

She's Bridget Jones, yep just like the movie. She is a librarian that has a knack for picking out just the perfect book for anyone - until her new neighbor moves in next door. Bridget believes she has the "Bridget Jones curse" but she falls for the neighborhood barista, Fabio. and he soons joins her elderly book club. And her cranky neighbor, Sully, ends up there, too. All the characters are engaging and entertaining, and the gnome theft just left me laughing. It's a cute story, with a lot of serious parts, too.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

this book was cute, but i felt like it was just kind of predictable and was hard to get into. Sully was by far my favorite character and would love to be friends with him in real life.

This is a smorgasbord of reading delight. Honestly this story mentioned so many of my favourite reads and brought some more to me that I am definitely going to be reading, Bridget is my kind of librarian and honestly the library she works in sounds like my kind of place, the cast of characters in this story is full and rich, they make the story so deep. Even those that you may not like in end, they have their place to make this a great story. I loved the Bookstars they made me smile at every turn, as its not often you see senior shown in their true light, they really are some funny people. Pick this story up if you need a pick me up, or even just a great story.

Super cute romcom from a new-to-me author! I enjoy Bridget's character and the dilemmas that she faced in this story. The book's writing was good, and it kept my interest. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Way, way too much going on here. The many characters needed room to develop, but instead--over what I can surmise is just a few months' time--we have have a plot that includes (deep breath): married ex-boyfriends, cheating ex-wives, sudden strokes, cancer patients, sudden tumors, feuds with sexy neighbors, smarmy Italian boyfriends, fraudsters getting unmasked and punished, friends with benefits, evil bosses, premature labor, and issues with PTSD and eating disorders. And this is all before the ghost appears. Yep. A ghost.

As a reader, I feel cheated. There are the bones of a good story here, but this needed some good editing (15-20% less plot and about 5-6 fewer named characters would have done the trick). I needed a chance to ponder, and to see the characters ponder, what happened on the previous page before a whole new event wipes it out of memory. The rapidity with which the characters completely switched gears to the next thing, and the next thing, and the next thing--as if the previous events didn't matter--was exhausting. By the time the romance we know is coming actually starts to take shape, I was too fatigued to get invested.

Also, the characters are supposed to trust the unerring instincts of librarian that scoffed at Hawthorne, Hardy, and Steinbeck; was reluctant to read Geraldine Brooks; and heralded Jennifer Cruisie's Faking It as a old classic? Just one of many quirks that made the titular Bridget a bit much.

It was not a complete miss of a book. I liked Sully, Bridget's next door neighbor, from the beginning and would have liked to see him get a proper story as a romantic lead. And there were the foundations of good relationships and characters here. It just needed the figurative Coco Chanel treatment before publishing.

Thank you, Net Galley and and Bloodhound Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The MC in this book is named Bridget Jones (based on the novel, not the movie) and it comes up every time she tells someone her whole name, which I thought was fun and very realistic. Bridget is a hopeless romantic librarian who loves her family, friends and job, but has very little luck in love. She's an avid romance novel reader. (More than once I thought 'I wish I could follow her on GoodReads'). She frequently references or recommends some of my favorite romance novels of the last couple years, which was a lot of fun for me.

Bridget ends up in a frenemies situation with her good looking next door neighbor and their banter is hilarious. More than once, I laughed out loud at their antics to try and annoy each other. At the same time, the sexy Italian bartender shows an interest in her, and she starts dating him, even though she's drawn to her neighbor.

Through the book, we learn Bridget is a very kind, caring soul, who has a knack for converting non-readers into readers. (Excellent superpower for a librarian!) Through this talent, she meets new friends and has a whole community around her, which is great because her family is hours away.

There are a few triggers in this book to watch out for: eating disorder (past), PTSD (emergency medicine), and childhood cancer.

All in all, I really liked this book! It didn't follow the standard fall in love, third act breakup, then resolve and live HEA formula. It was funny and had a lot of heart. The one thing I didn't like was the epilogue, but I appreciated it being outside the box.

A very enjoyable romance, with an original storyline. There are a couple twists in this story, both of which you can see coming a mile off, but they’re both very well executed. This book does touch on cancer, eating disorders, PTSD, and grief, but does so in such a fantastic way that rather than a plot device or something the author throws in to try to do something different, it comes across as genuine, realistic, and not a subject that needs to be brushed under the rug as some think. This book will keep you hooked throughout, and maybe even help you find some more book recommendations whilst you’re at it

This novel is a charming and witty delight! Bridget, a librarian with a passion for romance novels, navigates the ups and downs of love with humor and heart. Her interactions with the dashing Italian barista Fabio and the grumpy neighbor Sully add layers of fun and tension. With a vibrant supporting cast and plenty of bookish references, it’s a feel-good romantic comedy that blends real-life romance with the magic of fiction. Perfect for fans of light-hearted romance with a dose of literary flair.

This was an enjoyable rom-com with a lot going on - a little romance/spice, friendships, a book club, and some drama. The main female lead, librarian Bee (Bridget Jones, named after the literary character), has the knack for matching books to people. As a result, there are a lot of references to books from all genres.

I was given a copy by the publisher via NetGalley (thank you!) and all opinions are my own.

This book was so good! It was so entertaining and I love all of the main characters in this book. I would highly recommend!

"The Other Bridget" is a bit of a snooze. The story is slow-moving and the characters are bland. The plot is predictable and there's little to no character development. If you're looking for a captivating read, I'd suggest looking elsewhere. But, thank you to NetGalley and Bloodhound Books for the ARC. :)

Loved this one. This story about Bridget the librarian was funny and engaging. All the characters were fully formed, and I loved the way other books were casually thrown into the story as Bridget recommended them to others.

I just finished reading The Other Bridget. If you are interested in a great romcom, this is the book for you.

Synopsis
Bridget - the other Bridget Jones - has had one bad luck date after another. Waiting for her perfect meet cute, will this romantic librarian ever find her happily ever after?

Thoughts
Just recently, I had the opportunity to spend more time in Australia due to work and visited Perth for the first time earlier this year. During my stay, I decided to delve into Australian-based romance novels, intrigued to see how they compare to the American romances I'm accustomed to.

Things I Loved
The Banter - The delightful pranks played between Bridget and Sully had me laughing out loud and smiling at the ridiculousness. It was truly enjoyable.
Slow Burn - I appreciated the gradual development of the main characters' relationship. It added depth to the story and kept me eagerly engaged. No insta love in this book, always love me a good grumpy x sunshine.
Aussie! - As a newcomer to Australia, I found the small, specific references in the book absolutely charming. It made me feel more connected to the setting and culture.

Things I Didn’t Love As Much
Length - While I enjoyed the story, I found the close to 500 pages to be a bit lengthy for an easy, breezy rom-com. I wished for more moments between Sully and Bridget after the captivating build-up.
Epilogue - The final section of the book didn't resonate with me as much as the rest of the story.

To sum it up, this novel was the perfect beach read - I devoured it in one sitting on the beach. I was so pleased with it that I've already placed an order at my library for another one of the author's books! Thank you Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
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