3.75 Starts

small town | single dad | grief/trauma | workplace romance

Triggers: death, post natal depression.

This was a nice easy read. A fast paced romance that explores finding love when you’re a busy single parent juggling the complexities of life.

Josh and Avery had an instant connection but having just moved to a new town with a new job, Josh was hesitant to make a move. Avery spots a wedding ring and puts the idea of any kind of relationship in the trash, until she discovers he’s a widow. They both put their worries aside to embrace their romance. A chime in time makes them think that maybe their meeting was in fact fate.

A charming, heartfelt rom-com with the perfect mix of heat, humor, and heartache. Sparks fly when a playful Parks & Rec pro clashes with a hot single dad out to "re-org" her world. Enemies-to-lovers meets small-town feels in the best possible way. Total must-read!

Thank you Netgalley for the Arc!

Avery has semi-recently moved back to Climax after a breakup, and to help take care of her aging parents. Josh is new in town and is working for a company that wants to help revitalize the town and the rec center.

What follows is a sweet, quirky, romantic story of two people falling in love while navigating life's challenges.

I really enjoyed this story, and the town bell was a fun little twist.

Tropes:
Small town
Forced proximity
Single dad x caregiver

Avery and Josh are a very funny couple. They are immediately attracted to each other, but they both have very complicated lives. They have to learn to see their baggage in new lights before they can move on. The kids are also very cute.

Avery lives with her parents, who are struggling with their health and she works for the parks and rec department in her town. Her job is on the line when a big fancy corporation comes to town and is talking about restructuring. Josh works for the big corporation. I think this was supposed to be an enemies to lovers, but really missed the memo on that? It was more like an insta love situation. There were some serious cringe moments involved and I almost add this to the DNF pile, but there was a little bit of heart and depth to the story as well. Honestly, it was a pretty short read and maybe if it had been longer, the tension could have been built up a little better? I’m not sure.
I’ll give it 2.5 stars, rounded up to 3.

4.5 stars!
A cute story with lovable characters. The HEA is quick, but very satisfying!!!!

One thing I really love is that the kids are important, but not story stealing. The book is still all about Josh and Avery!!!

I just wish there was an epilogue teasing the next story (because you’ll know when you read it how easy this can become a huge CPR series!)

Small town rom-com features Avery working three jobs at the community rec center in the ironically named town of Climax. When a big city firm moves to town, they get involved with big plans for improving the rec center. And the main person liaising with the community rec center is a hot single widower. An immediate attraction and a town full of matchmaker set the stage for a fun story. Thanks to netgalley and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

You can never go wrong with a Karen Grey romcom read and THE SINGLE DAD’S GUIDE TO RECREATION is that and more! Welcome to the fictional small town of Climax where the only thing funnier than its name is its quirky inhabitants. In this book the main characters are Avery and Josh but you get to meet a whole slew of secondary characters that are book worthy in their own right. I enjoyed everything about this hilarious romance including an adorable little boy with the cutest lisp ever and a female friend group that I’d like to be a part of. From start to finish you will embrace the crazy that is Climax and want to book a one way ticket to this special place. I’m giving this book the judy.ann.loves.books stamp of approval, TBR and Enjoy!

I did for cute romance but it’s just better when there’s a little drama. Who hasn’t had their heart broken, lied to, and is just al over apprehensive that something so good is for them! You won’t be disappointed with this light hearted quick read! Send me more Ms Grey! 💕

While not a total miss for me, this book definitely didn’t fully work. For one, it felt less about the relationship between Avery and Josh and more about the Parks and Rec Departments challenges and all the various side characters and quests. It felt like I was at work. Avery and Josh got lost. I loved their first romantic encounter, but everything after kind of left me unenthusiastic about their pairing. For me, any of the spice I read with one eye open because it was so awkward. It just didn’t have any heart. For spice, I feel like you either lean in or close the door. Trying to keep it clean but also spicy makes it clumsy. Maybe too much was going on to really feel moved by any of it.

This book was adorable. And it was QUICK, I finished it in a couple of hours. It definitely felt like the start of a series, and enough attention was given to the side characters that I’m pretty sure will be in the next installment- not too much to take away from the main couple, but enough to tease!

I love small town romances and I got such a kick out of the name of the town (and also the bar!). Avery and Josh are great together and Josh is everything you want in a love interest. He had depth and he’s so wonderful with his kids (who are also written well, which isn’t always the case), I loved reading his interactions with them.

This one’s a dual POV and it’s just spicy enough without being too over the top. There’s also insta-attraction on both sides, but neither acts on it immediately.

The Single Dad's Guide to Recreation by Karen Grey is a small town, romantic comedy.

Avery is back home helping to care for her ill parents while working at the local recreation center attempting to keep her mothers programing alive. Josh is a widowed father who is attempting to figure out life as a single parent. His new job has tasked him with revamping the towns rec center programing, putting he and Avery at odds. I loved the fun puns and lighthearted nature of this novel that contrasted with some of the tough topics it dealt with throughout. I enjoyed how their relationship grew during the book and am excited for more books from the town of Climax.

Thank you to NetGalley, Home Cooked Books, and the author for the e-ARC.

Cute story about a woman who has moved back home to sort out her life and take care of her ill/aging parents and a man just trying to do the best he can for his kids. Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This was a really cute romance book. The banter and romance was so cute and fun. I would highly recommend.

From the first page, I knew I was going to enjoy the wittiness of this book. Karen hooked me from the first paragraph and I knew I was going to be laughing while reading this. Avery is a delightfully quirky heroine - her clumsiness and people pleasing make her exceptionally relatable. Josh is a sweet cinnamon roll single dad who it's easy to root for even when he is making poor decisions. The dialogue is fun and the author's sense of humor really shines through. Oh, and did I mention the town where they live is called Climax? A quick and humorous read, perfect for if you like a little small town eccentricity in your romance!

Very cute! Sets up a fun series I’m interested in reading! Loved the kids too, cute but not cloying and I appreciated the parts about aging parents and caregiving.

"The Single Dad's Guide to Recreation" by Karen Grey is a hilarious read with wonderfully engaging characters. Grey thoughtfully addresses sensitive topics, adding depth to the story. However, the language in the love scenes felt a bit cringeworthy, and the heavy reliance on miscommunication could have been resolved with more openness between the characters, making it feel somewhat overdone. That said, it's a quick, fun read that had me laughing out loud and definitely deserves a spot on your TBR.
Thank you to NetGallery and Home Cooked Books for an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC for this book!!! This was such a sweet & easy read. I related to Avery in so many ways & Josh was a sweetheart of a single dad. I had plenty of giggles & feet-kicking moments 💕 I think I wanted a little bit more of their build-up because I love the tension, but I still had a splendid time reading this one!

I saw this book on a friend’s IG page and thought it looked great, I absolutely love a rom com so I requested it straight away.

Sadly though it ended up being a DNF for me as I really struggled with the characters and couldn’t connect with any of them. I felt that so much happened at the start that it was hard to keep up with who was who so that didn’t help either.

I’m absolutely gutted as it looked very promising but I knew pretty much straight away that it wasn’t for me, I tried but in the end it was a DNF.

I won’t be sharing this book on any of my socials as this is my opinion only and others may love it.

Karen Grey's "A Single Dad's Guide to Recreation" presents a narrative of contrasting worlds and burgeoning connection, yet ultimately delivers a reading experience of moderate impact. The character of Josh, a recently relocated corporate vice president from Manhattan, is portrayed as a figure of efficiency and fiscal responsibility, tasked with cost reduction within the local public sector. His arrival disrupts the established rhythm of the small town, particularly impacting the program overseen by Avery.

Avery, positioned as the antithesis to Josh's pragmatic approach, is a natural caretaker and community pillar, particularly adept at engaging with young children. Her personal narrative is underscored by a profound vulnerability, stemming from the dissolution of her previous relationship amidst the revelation of her inability to conceive. The author effectively establishes the stark contrast between Josh's business-centric worldview and Avery's nurturing, community-oriented ethos.

Can Avery convince Josh that her job is worth it? That her program is worth saving? Can Josh convince Avery he's worth a chance despite all the baggage he brings with?

The story although quick and fast-paced contained too much voice and humor for me.