3.5 🌟. This was a cute friends to lovers romance, it was full of awkward meet cutes, adventure, miscommunication & yearning.
I absolutely adores Zachary, he was so sweet and supportive, protective & charming.
Kelsey was sweet, but she was also frustrating at times.
She was smart, & sweet & easy to like.
There was banter, romance, & some steam.

Not my favorite story but I did enjoy the narrators which did help it go by a bit faster. It was a cute story but felt like a lot of other things I have heard before.

I do enjoy a good road trip love story, however, I felt like this one didn't quite hit the mark for me. I didn't really connect with the characters and the romance didn't like it was really there. It was an interesting concept for a love story, but fell a little flat.

Kelsey and Zach work together for the Demon that what they call her because she is a horrible demanding boss.
Kelsey and Zach go to an event where a fortune teller tell her she ready to find love that when she decide to take a sabbatical to find love. while going to find love she find adventure and Zach goes after her because he been in love with her and because of the age gap between them it has stop him from pursuing her. When he think he has lost her he leaves to let her live her

I just finished Not Exactly a small-town romance by JJ Knight on audio and here are my thoughts.

When a psychic tells Kelsey that she needs to get on the road to find her soul mate, she take the literal scenic route to bring some of the rom-com tropes she loves so much to life in hopes of meeting her true love. Her best friend Zachery joins her on the road to make sure she doesn’t get into trouble.

Changing her Hollywood ways to get more small town Zachery can’t help but fall more in love with her but he will stand with her even if she’s looking in all the wrong directions.


It was cute. I love the small town, friends to lovers vibe that was emanating out of this book. Zachery is an actor who now works behind the scenes. He thinks he is too old for Kelsey but he cannot help his feelings but he doesn’t tell her.
The characters weren’t stellar. They were passable. They weren’t great at conversation and they didn’t rock my world but it was a really cute story and I did enjoy how they ended up together.
If you like small town with an age gap, give this one a shot
3.75 stars

This ended up bring a cute friends to lovers slow burn. It took me a while to get into this one but once I did I really enjoyed the story and the journey. Kelsey was a bit irritating at times with her quest to find love but Zach helped balance her out so those irritable moments weren't a big turn-off. Zach was a loveable guy with the way he stood by Kelsey despite how much he wanted her. Glad I chose to give this a try.

Thank you to NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for this advanced copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Another cute RomCom by JJ Knight! The story was sweet and I enjoyed Zachery and Kelsie’s comfortable banter throughout. The faked meet cutes were funny and oh so classic and sometimes even predictable when it turned real. Overall, this was a feel good story with a hallmark feel.

Let’s Talk Audio:
While I loved the story, the narrators were a different story altogether. For us audio fans, a narrator can make or break a story. In this case, the female narrator was ok but the male narrator ironically wasn’t a perfect fit for this story. Throughout the book, I felt like he was reading it to me instead of “living” the part which in part did not make me feel like I was an invisible part of the scene like many books do. So needless to say- I think I would have enjoyed this particular story in book form instead of audio.

If you've ever wished for your very own rom-com road trip, buckle up with Not Exactly a Small-Town Romance by JJ Knight! Narrated by the dynamic duo John Lane and Juniper Young, this audiobook brings to life Kelsey Whitaker, a Hollywood casting assistant who’s an absolute rom-com buff and believes she knows exactly how to find her storybook love, she just hasn’t met him yet.

With high hopes and rom-com clichés packed in her metaphorical suitcase, Kelsey’s on a mission: small towns, flannel-clad locals, and every "boy-next-door" trope on the map.

Alongside her is best friend and professional wingman Zachery Carter, a “total Hemsworth” whose heart’s secretly in the mix. Narrators Lane and Young capture Kelsey’s vibrant enthusiasm and Zach’s quietly pining heart with humour and warmth, making each scene sparkle with chemistry.

The story is witty and heartfelt, with Kelsey’s hilarious rom-com misadventures contrasting perfectly against Zach’s growing frustration and affection as they hop from town to town. And while Kelsey’s hoping for a charming stranger, the real romance has been right there in the passenger seat all along.

Lane and Young’s narration adds that extra dash of charm, making Not Exactly a Small-Town Romance a delightful listen for fans of friends-to-lovers romance, spontaneous adventures, and love stories with a twist. This audiobook feels like your favourite rom-com but with the volume turned up, perfect for a cozy road trip or just a fun afternoon in!

This was so cute and I love this audio! The way it just felt like coming home. This was a new to me author and narrators too! I love when I find them!

🎧𝗔𝗟𝗖 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪 - 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗘𝗫𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗟𝗬 𝗔 𝗦𝗠𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗧𝗢𝗪𝗡 𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘
⏳𝟬𝟳𝗛 𝟱𝟳𝗠
🎙️𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗻 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗲 & 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴

💖𝙷𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚢𝚠𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝙶𝚘𝚎𝚜 𝚂𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚃𝚘𝚠𝚗
🔮𝙱𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝙵𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚜
💖𝙰𝚐𝚎 𝙶𝚊𝚙
🔮𝚁𝚘𝚊𝚍 𝚃𝚛𝚒𝚙
💖𝙾𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝙾𝚗𝚎 𝙱𝚎𝚍

❝ ᴋᴇʟꜱᴇʏ, ᴀ ʏᴏᴜɴɢ ᴄᴀꜱᴛɪɴɢ ᴅɪʀᴇᴄᴛᴏʀ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴢᴀᴄʜ, ᴀɴ ᴏʟᴅᴇʀ ᴡᴀꜱʜᴇᴅ-ᴜᴘ ᴀᴄᴛᴏʀ ꜰᴏʀᴍᴇᴅ ᴀɴ ᴜɴʟɪᴋᴇʟʏ ꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅꜱʜɪᴘ. ᴋᴇʟꜱᴇʏ ʙᴇᴄᴏᴍᴇꜱ ᴛᴏᴛᴀʟʟʏ ᴄᴏɴᴠɪɴᴄᴇᴅ ʙʏ ᴀ ꜰᴏʀᴛᴜɴᴇ ᴛᴇʟʟᴇʀ'ꜱ ᴘʀᴇᴅɪᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ʜᴇʀ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ʟɪꜰᴇ. ꜱᴏ, ꜱʜᴇ ᴅᴇᴄɪᴅᴇꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴘᴀᴄᴋ ᴜᴘ ᴀɴᴅ ʜɪᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴏᴀᴅ, ꜱᴇᴀʀᴄʜɪɴɢ ꜰᴏʀ ʜᴇʀ ᴏᴡɴ ʀᴇᴀʟ-ʟɪꜰᴇ ᴍᴇᴇᴛ-ᴄᴜᴛᴇ ɪɴ ᴀ ꜱᴍᴀʟʟ ᴛᴏᴡɴ, ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴏᴍ-ᴄᴏᴍꜱ ꜱʜᴇ ᴀᴅᴏʀᴇꜱ…❝

💭This was a quick read that keeps you hooked, and I really loved the vibe of the friendship between Kelsey & Zach. The age gap adds a fun twist to their relationship, but it’s also the reason Zach never makes a move on Kelsey. He’s secretly crushing on her the whole time, which is adorable, but he’s also just trying to do what he thinks is best for her, though he kind of messes that up in his own way.

Kelsey is an absolute firecracker! She’s so determined to create her own epic love story that she totally misses what’s right in front of her. Her hilarious failed attempts at romance had me laughing out loud, they’re definitely one of the highlights of the book!
While I really enjoyed the story overall, I did find it a bit hard to overlook Zach’s womanizing past. Granted, Kelsey wasn't a pining heroine, so it's all good. All in all, this was a solid, fun read that I’d recommend to anyone looking for a light-hearted romance!

🎧𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄🎧
I picked up this audiobook purely because John Lane was narrating. I'm a huge fan of his work, and he absolutely nailed it again, I loved every moment of his performance. Juniper new to me, but she instantly won me over. She's incredibly expressive, and her portrayal of Kelsey was just perfect. Together, they brought the story to life and made it an amazing listening experience!

𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 𝟯.𝟱⭐️ | 𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗲: 𝟮🌶️ | 𝗡𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝟱🎧

✨ 𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚘 NETGALLEY & BRILLIANCE PUBLISHING 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚒𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝙰𝙻𝙲, 𝙸'𝚖 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 𝚟𝚘𝚕𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚕𝚢 ✨

A cute friends to lovers, dual POV, road trip romance that sees a Hollywood romcom producer trying to find the premise for her next big film by driving across the country in search of the perfect small town meet-cute. Charming and good on audio, this was a fun read but nothing super stand out. Good on audio too though and perfect for fans of authors like Piper Rayne or Samantha Chase. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

Steam level: a couple of open door scenes

A cute friends to lovers, dual POV, road trip romance that sees a Hollywood romcom producer trying to find the premise for her next big film by driving across the country in search of the perfect small town meet-cute. Charming and good on audio, this was a fun read but nothing super stand out. Good on audio too though and perfect for fans of authors like Piper Rayne or Samantha Chase. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

Steam level: a couple of open door scenes

This was a cute friends-to-lovers celebrity romance. There were a few character things that I found annoying, but overall it was a fun book to listen to. I especially liked the male narrator, that's the voice I hear in my head when I read male characters—it's a good voice. What I found annoying was mostly the lack of awareness, appreciation, and the level of entitlement the FMC had. She was a bit too vapid for me, however I liked the MMC.

*Provided an ALC (advance listening copy) audiobook from the publisher for review. All opinions are my own.

I absolutely loved the narration of this story. The quirky moments between the MMCs and all of the references to the pop culture made it such a fun read.

My complaint is that it wasnt really a romance. It was a story about the FMC chasing after one guy and the MMC pining after her.

Not Exactly a Small-Town Romance by J.J. Knight
(Release Date October 22, 2024)

Kelsey Whitaker is a young woman from Alabama who left the family farm to break into Hollywood. When that didn't work out, she became a casting assistant to a boss nicknamed the Demon (think Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada). She is the best in the business with her love of Rom-Coms and knows what to look for. She can find the perfect chemistry for actors to work together and make hot movies that do well at the box office. She doesn't however have the same talent to find her own perfect match and has been single for years. She comes up with a plan while the She-Demon is away at Cannes, but her BFF co-worker doesn't want her to do it alone. He's had to be her wing-man in the past and get her out of tricky situations causing him to intervene and bloody his hands. There is no way he will let her drive off for the summer on this adventure alone.

Zachery Carter aka Kelsey's wing-man is a known blockbuster actor (over a decade ago) and in Kelsey's eyes is perfect in every way. Although his acting career didn't last, he was smart with the money he made when he was big and still has some connections even though they don't get him work, he can help make them look good. He also works at the agency to schmooze actresses and be "that guy" on their arms at public events because he is still famous and great to look at. He and Kelsey have grown close in the two years she's worked at the agency. They know each other like no one else, and he will not sit back in California worrying about Kelsey traveling across the country by herself to find her perfect real-life rom-com boyfriend.

With all her meet-cute rom-com knowledge, Kelsey is sure she will run into the perfect small-town dream of a man on her cross-country drive to visit family in Alabama. It happens so easily in the movies, so why can't she do it too? What she doesn't realize is her gorgeous best friend who she has secretly smoldered for also is into her and although he pushed her to try and meet someone thinking he is too old for her, he regrets it because he only wants her to be with him. Trying to take the high road thinking it's best for her, he tries to convince himself it's the right thing to do encouraging her to meet Mr. Right, but it is secretly killing him inside. He will endure almost anything to make her happy, even if it rips his heart out.

This was a cute contemporary romance with all the things. Secret love, jealousy, touch her and I will knock your lights out, family drama, a little spice, and everything nice. It was a fun read and I enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing | Brilliance Audio for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this story I will admit some of it did bother me though I'm not sure how to put it into words maybe it was too many tropes I don't know but overall it was a cute fluffy romance

3.5 stars

This was a fun little Hallmark style romance.

The main characters are co-workers who work for a casting agency in Hollywood. Zach is a retired actor and he is beyond smitten with his co-worker, Kelsey.

I really liked the concept of this story - someone who helps create on-screen romances trying to force her own small town Hallmark movie meet cute in hopes of finding love when her friend and love is right in front of her face.

I also love a road trip romance and found the way JJ Knight navigated him going after her on the road and doing a road trip in seperate cars a unique spin on being forced in the same vehicle.

Zach appreciates how talented Kelsey is at matching people to roles in order to create chemistry on screen, but outside of that he is so head over heels for her, that he goes so far above and beyond to ensure she is happy, content and faces no trouble. He is her emotional support person. Unfortunately, she takes him for granted and becomes a crutch for her. I didn't love that at the end of the book when Kesley was fired for making a call she didn't have the authority to make and when she finally came around to the realization that the small town guys just weren't for her, she became incompetent. Like suddenly once Zach was gone, she realized how much she had taken him for granted and couldn't really handle much on her own.

John Lane and Juniper Young delivered a great performance. They brought the story to life.

- age gap
- workplace romance
- friends to lovers
- it's always been you
- so much pining
- one night stand
- reformed playboy
- road trip
- celebrity

Thank you to JJ Knight, NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for the ALC.

First off, I would like to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to receive this ARC audio of Not Exactly A Small Town Romance by JJ Knight.

This book reminded me so much of a Hallmark romance movie, all of the meet-cute opportunities made me smile as Kelsey and Zachary, as co-workers turned lovers dealt with these meet-cutes and their growing feelings towards each other.

This was narrated by John Lane and Juniper Young and I feel as thought they did an amazing job bringing Kelsey and Zachary to life.

I loved this and definitely recommend it to others and look forward to hearing and or reading the next book from JJ Knight

Thank you again for this amazing opportunity