Unfortunately, this was DNF for me. I think that readers who love third point of view would probably love you more than me.
I was having a hard time connect to the characters and the story. I think a big part of it was the third point of view for me.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me, but don’t let that deter you from reading yourself. The book is perfect for people who enjoy 3rd-person POVs and plot buildup.

For me it was just too slow-paced, and I didn’t feel connected with the characters. I wish there were more chemistry between the MCs, and that the plot was a bit more organized.

Thank you to NetGalley and Splitrail Publishing for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review. Deeply Personal is out now.

The book starts right away with a meet cute. Jessica passes out while running a 5K and is carried by Paul to the medical tent. The chemistry is instant but both have pasts to move past. So they put each other at arms length. But they end up having to help each other out. Paul needs his house redecorated and Jessica needs a meet up with a potential client. They end up spending more and more time together, leading to a back and forth of will they won't they. Only time will tell and if they are both willing to move forward together.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read Deeply Personal.

This one was almost a DNF for me, though I truly wanted to love it. The story begins with a charming Meet Cute between Jessica and Paul—two driven entrepreneurs with strong support systems and good hearts. Jessica is recovering from a breakup, guided early on by an influencer’s message about emotional boundaries and self-protection. Her growth includes learning to open herself back up and stepping into a new relationship with Paul, along with a moment of closure that felt satisfying but not particularly moving for me.

Paul is portrayed as a genuinely good guy—he’s a successful bodybuilder and business owner with deep love for his grandparents. He does acknowledge the root of his commitment issues, but his growth feels more like a subplot than a fully developed arc. Both characters had promising setups, but I never quite connected with their romance on an emotional level.

That said, I really enjoyed the side characters. They added charm and depth to the story and helped carry moments that otherwise felt flat. I also liked the timeline progression, which moved steadily from Thanksgiving through the year, ending in a one-year-later epilogue. The pacing still felt a bit slow, but not due to a lack of movement.

As someone who skips spicy content, I found the romance scenes inconsistent—some were fade to black, others leaned toward open door. It made it hard to know what to expect, which was frustrating for me, though other readers might not mind.

The cover gives the impression that Paul might train Jessica, and while we do see him working with clients as a personal trainer, that dynamic never plays out between him and Jessica. The title is referenced in the story, but didn’t leave a strong impression by the end.

One highlight: I genuinely enjoyed the interior design elements woven into Jessica’s world. They were detailed and interesting, and added a nice layer to her character.

In the end, Deeply Personal had the pieces of a story I could’ve loved—fake dating, only one bed, and a supportive community—but it didn’t fully come together for me. Still, there’s potential in the author’s voice, and I hope others connect with this one more than I did.

Thank you NetGalley for access to this book.

3/5

I felt really weird reading this. Don’t get me wrong, it was enjoyable and fluffy, but it felt flat at times—but that may be me just wanting drama—and it felt lowkey like a health and fitness influencer thing. I loved the representation of the characters needing health and fitness otherwise they may be a little bit in trouble BUT for Jess, her heart problems magically disappeared?? I was actually hoping it would be deeper than what it was. But that’s plotwise.

I was honestly surprised there were now “spice” scenes, mostly because of the trend for books to include them recently, but I was so on board with the fade-to-black-esque of the intimacy the characters share—bring back non-heavy descriptions, let me enjoy the plot. Please don’t boo me for this take!

The characters, Jessica and Paul, were interesting to me. Very realistic in the ways that Jess didn’t really want to get hurt again, especially with her push and pull with Paul. Paul was a bit weird though, I enjoyed reading about how he was being pestered at work, because men get that too, and we don’t really see that, ever and we should because it happens all the time. Paul flipped up his commitment-phobe philosophy a lot faster than I expected, I know it took months in the book, but it literally felt like he went from not wanting a serious relationship to Jess being the one in a few chapters. That might be someone’s preference but I’m a big fan of the yearning.

Honestly, this was cute and fluffy and a nice easy read but this wasn’t really for me at the moment. I may reread this in the future.

(Cross-posted to Fable and Goodreads and StoryGraph)

This book was simply not my cup of tea. From the start I did not feel any type of connection to main characters and they fell a bit flat to me. But I saw a lot of promise in the premise.

Cute book with excellent character growth and self reflection. I felt like the end was a little rushed and the cover slightly misleading. While the MMC is a personal trainer, the FMC never takes him up on the offer to train like the cover would suggest. It’s more centered around her job as an interior designer.

Late 20s FMC and MMC, meet cute is adorable! The characters are adorable and flawed just perfectly. 2 entrepreneurs who are trying to figure out what the next steps are and what they want out of life. You can’t help but root for them. Could not put it down. Spice is 1.8-2/5 but just enough. He falls first. Fake dating, overcoming broken hearts and finally committing. Nashville backdrop. They are the couple that you’d walk by, seeing them sitting on the park bench, and you just know they are in love but haven’t realized it yet.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I had a lot of ups and downs of the book at beginning but as I continue to read the read; I enjoyed it.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an e-arc in change for a honest review.

This was an underwhelming book for me, started off so well with the building up of the characters however I felt after half way I struggled to keep reading.
The main thing I didn’t understand on this book was the fact that the cover was leaning towards the guy being a personal trainer and him asking her to be her pt however that was never really mentioned in the book after they met so found that a slightly but miss leading

Was a good book but just not for me

3 star read- Felt like some points were missed.

The idea was there.. kinda. The premise of him being a trainer felt forgotten. He didn't train or help her lifestyle..

Characters are sweet, and scenes are endearing.. I was waiting for more in some scenes or detail but it was lost.

Feels more of a woman's fiction or general fiction rather than a rom com.

If you are looking for something quick, a little quirky and requires no brain power this may be for you.

Thank you to netgalley and the author for the ARC

Such a cute read and right up my alley being a Personal Trainer- that’s what drew me to the book. Fake dating trope.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

I liked the idea of this book, but upon reading, the characters chemistry really didn’t do it for me. The book was a little long winded when it really didn’t need to be.

At face value I thought I would really enjoy this book. At first I liked it and our character's relationship had a promising start. Things started going downhill about halfway through the book and we kind of loose the original plot and focus on odd details in the characters live. I lost interest and really was excited to pick this book up once that happened.
This book just wasn't for me.

This book was not for me. I was expecting it to be something totally different and it wasn’t. I am not usually one who dnfs books, but unfortunately, this was one I could not finish

This was a cute romance that genuinely made me stop and laugh out loud tons of times..It was a really quick read but it was so good.

Jessica is an interior designer that has been dared by her brother, Lenny, to participate in a Thanksgiving turkey trot, knowing she’s not a runner. During the race she loses consciousness and falls right into a meet-cute. While she’s rescued and brought to a medical tent by a a charming blue-eyed personal trainer, Paul. It’s here that Jessica learns about her arrhythmia. Although they met by unfortunate circumstances, Paul and Jessica find their paths crossing yet again…

The premise of this story has so much potential, but there were areas that seemed to fall short for me. Some of the dialogue felt superficial and slightly pessimistic. Other than physical attraction, I didn’t get a sense that the MMC and FMC had a strong connection. I definitely would have loved to see more of Jessica and Paul getting to know each other.

"Deeply Personal" by Suzanne Collier is a contemporary romance that explores unexpected love between two career-focused individuals. This slow-burn romance is sprinkled with humor and delves into themes of starting anew and embracing vulnerability. While some readers appreciate its lighthearted and feel-good nature, others have noted issues with pacing and character development. Overall, it's a heartfelt story about finding love when least expected.

I am a huge fan of traditional romance, although there are certain “tropes” that I enjoy more than others. One of my favorites is “fake relationship.” Because of this, I was super excited to read this book.

I was pretty nervous to read this book, as it does look like this author is new to the genre. I needn’t have worried too much. Although the book is told in third person, I did like that it had alternating perspectives.

Usually, when reading a book like this, there is a character that I am “rooting for” more than the other. The interesting this about this book is that I was never on any one character’s side.

Ultimately, I truly enjoyed the book, and felt completely satisfied with the ending. Not to be a spoiler, but there was a question that I would have liked to have answered in the book. Because of that, it keeps me from giving this book five stars. It is still a solid first entry into the genre, though!

**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to NetGalley and Splitrail Publishing for providing me a copy of this book. I wished I had liked this book but I simply didn’t. I felt like the author started with the one plot of the book and then changed it 30% of the way through. The description of the book was that they would swap skillsets (him training her/her remodeling his condo) but we never got any real scenes with them doing that. In fact, he never even trains her, at all. Instead we’re taken through chapters about how they run their businesses. The plot had so much potential but ultimately fell flat for me.