📖: Deeply Personal-a standalone

✍️ By: Suzanne Collier-new to me author

📃 Page Count : 285 eBook

🗓️ Publication Date: 10-31-24 | Read 11-5-24

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, Splitrail Publishing, and Suzanne Collier for this ARC 💚! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions expressed are my own.

🌎Setting: Nashville, Tennessee

Genre: Rom-Com/Contemporary Romance, Adult Fic

Tropes: 1-bed/same room, right person/wrong time, fake dating, small town, slow burn, body positivity, closed door/off page sex

☝🏾POV: dual, 3rd person

⚠️TW: death of parents, parental abandonment, alcoholism-not H/h, drug overdose-not H/h

💭Summary: Jessica is a workaholic who doesn't take the best care of herself. At the annual Turkey Trot Run, Jessica almost passes out but a cute blue-eyed guy named Paul helps her. Diagnosed with a heart condition, Jess's doctor tells her to exercise more and change her diet.When she sees Paul again he offers to train with her in exchange for renovating his old, shabby condo. While talking they have Mr. Tom Buchanan in common as Paul is his trainer & friend and Jess is after his business The Buchanan Company. Paul suggests they fake-date and go out to dinner with Buchanan hoping Jess impresses him.

🚺 Heroine: Jessica Chandler-32, runs her own interior design business, Chandler Interiors.Having financial issues, needs customers to pay overdue bills.

🚹 Hero: Paul Brady-33, personal trainer trying to convince g-parents to move to assisted living.

🎭Side cast:

• Lenny-Jessica's twin brother, married w/ 2 kids

• Kristin-Jess's BFF since college

• Tony-Paul's BFF a war veteran now in a wheelchair, a fellow bodybuilder

• Jessica's father-staying in London, devastated when wife left town with another man 15 years ago.

• Paul's grandparents Millie and Ralph-raised Paul after his parents died when he was 11, grandfather introduced bodybuilding to him. Moving into assisted living

• Adam Wright-Jess's ex boyfriend they were together 5 years, and broke up 6 months ago.

• Eva-Paul's ex-girlfriend, they were together 3 years ago, has a son Ethan who Paul was close to. Married to a bodybuilder 1 year later to Max Rodwell.

• Tom and Alice Buchanan-Paul's clients. Jess wants to do business w/ Buchanan

•Mrs. Worthmore-Jess's billionaire client tells Jess about her marriage and taking another chance on love.

🤔My Thoughts: This was a cute rom com with a couple you rooted for. Jessica and Paul were career driven and both had commitment issues after being hurt. I loved Paul's grandparents because they reminded me of my grandmother who was stubborn and hard of hearing when she wanted to be. I couldn't believe the nerve of Adam. Jess became such a boss, and her business was booming. Great HEA too!

Range of emotions: 😬🤔🙄
🌶️: Spice 2/5-kissing/off page sex
😭: Emotion 4/5
❤️: Couple 4/5
⭐️: Rating 4/5

This one wasn’t for me, I liked the premise but the actual read… the main characters were not memorable or appealing and I didn’t buy into the whole “love” story as they appeared to have no chemistry whatsoever.

The ending felt rushed but perhaps that was just because I was eager to get it over with.

This book started off with a bang, and ended on a cute note.

All the stuff in between was a light read.

I liked the side characters, but wasn't a fan of some of the main characters interactions/monologues.

Was it predictable? Yes.
Was it cute? Also, yes.

Great read between series/or as something light.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for my DRC.

This was so much fun. It reminded me a lot like Work it Out which I read at the beginning of the year, but in a different font. This was a lot of fun, I do recommend!

The book had a cute premise, but the blurb and the cover led me to believe he would be her personal trainer and that never happened. I wish there had been more build up and more chemistry between the characters. It went very quickly from meet cute to “I don’t want to date anyone” to “I’m in love” with very little substance in between. I would have loved more from the side characters, like their friends. It had a lot of potential but just fell a little flat. Would definitely give this author another try.

Unfortunately, this was just an ok read. There were elements from this book that I really enjoyed. Jessica and Paul's initial meeting was hilarious and swoony, like literally quintessential rom com meet cute. I also really liked the side characters; Jessica's relationship with her brother was really sweet and Paul's Pops was a HOOT. But I didn't LOVE the main characters and some of their interactions and inner monologue was awkward/cringey to read. Because of this it was hard to get on board and fall in love with their love story. Thanks Netgalley for the e-ARC!

Loved that this was a light and fun story. The writing is good and I enjoyed the banter between the two main characters! The Turkey Trot setting was fun for me since I grew up in a city that hosts one each year! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This book was cute, and had some funny moments. I wasn’t crazy about the writing style and the switch between first/third person point of view. Overall, it was entertaining though!

I really enjoyed this. It was a nice quick and easy read that brought a smile to my face. It included the fake dating trope but I felt like it was subtly done. I also appreciated that there was no 20 page conflict at the end. It was great for my book anxiety. I’d read more from this author.

I just started this arc and thank you Netgalley and to the Publisher for the copy of my arc. I am a sucker for cute covers and this book looked good and caught my eye. Thank you for making this read now as I really appreciate when a book is listen now or read now availability.
The pub date is today Halloween- 👻 October 31,2024 how ever I just seen this book today!!

Thank you again and I will do my full review when I finish this arc. Having this arc as like an audiobook on my kindle helps with a lot of arcs :)

This romantic comedy will definitely make you laugh, 🤭 perfect for anyone who wants to laugh when reading books. This is the perfect listen when traveling or road trip.

I'm not a huge fan of the Insta-love tropes or romance novels that don't have a lot of extensive subplots and themes. Unfortunately, because of this, I didn't resonate to the characters or the storyline as much. I did appreciate the humor and rom-com-esque feelings the book and main characters gave at times and that helped make it an overall fun, lighthearted, and positive experience. Solely because I have different preferences when it comes to my romance novels, this one wasn't one that I connected with as much.

A book filled of laughs and romance. I loved the characters and how their relationship grew throughout the book. I also liked the ending even though it was predictable.
Thank you netgalley for an advanced copy of this book, all opinions expressed are my own.

Great book. I was hooked from beginning to end. The characters were well developed and the plot was realistic. The length was just right to tell the story fully.

Absolutely loved this one! As someone who is dealing with health issues I could highly relate to this beautiful love story. Such a great book about the reminders about slowing down and finding love along the way.