I love Julia Kent's books. She's a great author. Now I'm ready to go reread some of her other books now! She has a sense of humor that I enjoy, often rolling my eyes at it though. I enjoyed this storyline and loved the characters. I read this when I needed to smile so it was perfect timing. I look forward to more books written by her!

Thank you to NetGalley and Prosaic Publishing for an advance copy of this book!

The book started off SO well! I was instantly intrigued by these two characters meeting, and their framing as unlikely bedfellows. I really liked the FMC a lot, and her world was quite interesting.

But...I was less excited about the MMC, Matt. (Full disclosure, I am in school to become a clergyperson.) A lot of the writing made the book feel like a sales pitch for the UU Church, and there were moments where I felt that the UU world was uplifted at the cost of other religions being portrayed as judgmental or alienating. I understand that there are sects and pockets of religions that ARE alienating and drive people away, but it was frustrating to read about couples reaching out because they wanted someone more open than in their own religion. Again - my feelings will not reflect the average reader's feelings, so take what I'm writing with a grain of salt.

I'm not sure who I would recommend this for - it's a good beach/airport read though!

Never Date the Minister by Julie Kent is a self indulgent romance comedy curated by the need for a social media presence

Set in the world of social media Wedding planner has a one night stand with Matt she is blissfully unaware is a minister, blossoming a relationship riddled with issues it has a will they won’t they feel. At first I enjoyed their connection not knowing who they are but as their relationship progressed I found them slightly insufferable. Matt who is completely sincere and authentic in his work as an exercise influencer and a Unitarian Minister is polar opposite to Nessa who focuses more on the materialistic side to social media. Although I found their relationship hard to understand I did enjoy their relationships with their grandmothers giving a familiarity to the story. The writing style was perfect for the light hearted story being portrayed using dual story telling perspectives. Overall I found the book okay and although not my favourite book don’t regret reading as it gives an interesting perspective on dating in the modern world of social media

I really wanted to like this book but it tried way too hard to be “madcap and wacky” and that was a huge turnoff.

I was very skeptical about a book about a religious leader, given everything that's happening in churches all across America and the way that many leverage their power to regressive ends. But I did enjoy this book in the end!

Never sleep with a priest...

Or, in this case, minister.
Nessa is trying to be more responsible, more adulting 101. She's an influencer working at Wedding Protectors (WTF). Anyways. After a one night stand with Matt (who she called Marc Bell) she ghosts, though the coffee was five stars.

Matt is a ripped, hot, buff, social media influencer, minister, who reads philosophy. He's into Nessa and wants more than one cup of coffee.
Recommend. A refreshing premise.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Prosaic Publishing for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

4.5⭐️ rounded to 5⭐️on Goodreads and retail sites. Never Date the Minister is the third book in the Whatever It Takes romantic comedy series by a maestro in the genre who brought us Random Acts of Crazy, Julia Kent. I have been loving this series since book 1, and this third book did not disappoint. Julia went from the loves stories of the the agency owners to the youngest person on staff. Nessa had grown into her role at Wedding Protectors, with much more responsibilities than she took on a few years earlier. She met Matt Draper at an Animal welfare benefit and went home together. Nessa took Matt’s number but didn’t agree to see him again, but she didn’t anyway when he showed up as the officiant at a wedding she was protecting. Matt so was overwhelmed by Nessa and pursued her every chance he got, but would he be able to convince Nessa that she was cut out to be a minister’s wife? This was another strong novel by one of my favorite authors. It was uproariously funny, incredibly well written with incendiary chemistry. Matt is one hot minister and Julia always brings the angst, the emotional and the spice. I loved this he falls first, workplace contemporary rom com with so many hurdles for this couple to jump to get to their happily ever after. I sincerely hope that this isn’t the end of this series because there are plenty of characters and chances for hilarity left for the staff of Wedding Protectors. Please Julia, keep them coming! I ardently recommend this series and this book for readers who enjoy a well written Rom Com.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Xpresso book tours for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Enjoyable and nice that it touched on expectations and how people are perceived.

This was a great third entry in the Whatever it Takes series, it uses what I enjoyed from the previous two books and thought everything worked together. The characters were everything in this book and had that romance element that I wanted. Julia Kent wrote this perfectly and left me wanting to read more in this series.

A sweet romance, between a wedding planner and a minister was not at all what I was expecting, but I'm not mad about it. I was pleasantly suprised to see how humorous and fun this story was, but also adding an emotional storyline about how social media affects us all, especially those who put ourselves out there for everyone to see.

Awe this one was a bit of fresh air in an unconventional way it was so cute. I really enjoyed Matt and Nessa. Especially in the beginning how we meet them from having a one night stand but the way how Nessa forgot Matt’s name and went to look for it and how Matt confronted her was humorous. Loved Sierra Simon’s The Priest reference. This was also a first read for me in this series and I didn’t fell lost at all.

I received this book at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Nessa is a wedding planner and she falls for the hot minister, Matt. Can they manage work at the same time?

Enjoy Nessa and Matt very much. Terrific chemistry. It's a fun swoony read. So many swoony scenes. too.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

OMG! This book is so funny! You have to read it! Nessa & Matt are a trip! The gym scene is hilarious! As funny & romantic as it is there’s also a really good lesson about social media. This is an all around uplifting, sweet HEA! Don’t just put it on your tbr list - read it right now!

I didn't enjoy this book at all. The POV and writing style just weren't for me; they didn't pull me into the story, even though I thought the plot was interesting.

I didn't know this was a book in a series, but I want to go back and read the prior stories. I love weddings and reading books about them. Kent did a great job with crafting this story and her characters. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.