unfortunately this was not the book for me.

our MMC is loveable, with a deep character development because of his struggles with his faith. sometime he’s not a good partner to our FMC, but no one is perfect. the FMC however is very brash and not a very deep character. I couldn’t find her to be likable and i didn’t see why the MMC was so obsessed with her. if you like the insta-love trope and a truly likable MMC, this book is for you!

the story was interesting, but did have some cringy dialogue. overall, i think the story and romance fall too far in the realm of fiction for me to fully enjoy.

thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

**Features:**

- Old crush/friends to lovers
- Navigating family drama and past relationship trauma
- Open door romance

**Synopsis:**

The last place Rose imagined she would be when she tried starting her career as a bridal dress designer was back home in New Orleans digging up a now deconsecrated church yard in the middle of the night. Yet that’s where DIYer and influencer Jason, now the owner of said church and yard, finds her. Lucky for Rose, Jason is an old friend and brother to the bride for whom she is currently making a number of dresses and thanks to their strange encounter, she is able to rent out part of the church Jason is converting into a home. Sparks begin to fly, but if Rose and Jason are ever going to truly be together, both will have to break down the walls they built as a result of past relationships.

**Thoughts:**

This was a cute and steamy childhood crush/friends to lovers romance that I found entertaining, but had trouble getting fully invested in. Rose is the fiery, fiercely independent female protagonist while Jason is the patient hunk with a heart of gold. The two have great chemistry on the page and start having lustful thoughts about each other almost immediately. However, because they have a history together, this didn’t really feel like ‘insta-lust’ to me. Despite their chemistry and some pretty spicy moments, both characters have had traumatic relationships that shaped their attitudes towards romance and emotional availability in ways that makes them have to work for a true relationship with each other. I loved how this book depicts this process and their evolution made this feel like an actual partnership.

This story goes back and forth between Rose’s and Jason’s perspectives which made it possible for us to engage with their internal struggles and journey. I found Rose’s perspective a little stronger, but there were some incongruities in the way both characters thought and acted. Additionally, a lot of the interactions that dealt with the characters’ personal struggles felt slightly overdone and ended up stagnating rather than developing in a way that felt authentic. I think this is a lot more obvious in Jason’s case both due to how much he leans on his mother’s opinion and his attempts to reconnect with this faith. I wasn’t expecting to have a character that discussed their faith so much and where it is not an automatic turn off for me, the execution made it awkward. Though I appreciate a story that depicts some of the issues of dating a ‘mother’s boy’, I know this is a big turn off for some readers. Overall, this is a fun read for the right readers and will probably find some fans among those who can truly relate to what the characters are experiencing.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Star Siren Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

If an Elsie Silver book and a Lucy Score book had a baby, it would be this book right here

This book was like the perfect Rom-Com. It had me kicking my feet, giggling, and rolling over in laughter. And the banter was SO good.

The characters had so much depth to them that it made you feel connected to them.

The only thing I wasn't hugely fond of was the breakup over something that could have been so easily solved with one simple conversation which is why I gave it 4 stars and not 5.

ACR:
I think some people will really like this book, but I don't think it was for me. It was entertaining, but lacked substance:

The actual premise was cool, because the FMC (Rose) is a wedding dress designer, but is a commitment-phobe; due to her parents getting a divorced and her mom influencing her ideas of men onto her and her sister, which is fairly common and real. I think her character was little to inconsistent at times and I would have loved it if we had more of her getting back into dating journey.

The MMC (Jason) is a artictect and has a whole brand/social media, where he makes custom furniture and sells them. He was sweet, but I couldn't help getting the ick from him and I totally understand he was a mamma's boy, but that was the entire book was him living up to his mom instead of his own thoughts and wants. Granted he did after the 3rd act conflict and it made some sense, but you're in your twenties, grow up.

The religious aspect I think was thrown in because the author needed a reason why the mom didn't approve of Rose, because his ex would have been enough.
There is some OWD, the woman wouldn't take no for an answer and we never got an apology, nothing happens between our MMC (Jason) and her and he doesn't entertain it.

GoodReads: meganerowe
Fable: Megan Rowe
StoryGraph: megan_r1

I'm a sucker for rom coms, and love a "he falls first" trope... but I struggled with this book.

Rose is cute, but her inner dialogue seemed forced outgoing, and like it was a personal challenge to make everything as sexual as she could (and I like my books real spicy).

Jason is sweet but he gave me the ick. His family drama, the religious mama drama sorta ruined the fun and cuteness out of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Holly Rose, and Star Siren Press for the ARC!

3.75/5 stars. i'm giving this a 3.75 but there were definitely moments in the book were in bordered more on a 4, however, at the end of the day it feels more solidly like a 3.75. i had a lot of fun with this, i felt like while it had a lot of traditional romance tropes (roommates, friends with benefits, even a little grumpy x sunshine if you squint), it felt really unique. i really enjoyed both of the main characters, rose's individual character journey was probably my favorite part of the book, and i liked the other non romantic dynamics in the book as well. the only things i didn't really enjoy were more of my own personal preferences rather than stuff i thought was "bad", i kind of thought they got together too early (which i understand completely, as a big part of the main conflict was rose's relationship with commitment and jason's relationship with his family about his relationships), but my own personal preference is for a little more of a slow burn. i also didn't super connect with the religion aspects, even if i understand and respect their place in the story, they just weren't for me. overall, definitely a solid romance read that i would recommend, just wasn't one that totally worked for me.

thank you so much for netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

Cute, but the religious drama didn't work for me. Likely someone else's cup of tea.
Thank you Star Siren Press & Holly Rose for this ARC!

I read the first chapter and was worried I would DNF (I was so worried this would be religious propaganda because of the celibacy angle), but by chapter two I was SOLD! This book is so sex positive, super spicy, and so romantic. Can't wait to read more from this author!

Honestly the premise of Follow Your Bliss really intrigued me and seemed like something I would love, and while this is definitely a cute... It just wasn't for me.

Thanks NetGalley and Holly Rose for the e-arc on exchange for my honest review!

Super cute and cozy! Loved Rose and Jason's banter! However, the religious drama kinda sucked the fun out of their quirky relationship imo. Also the mommas boy dynamic and too scared to stand up to his mom kinda rubbed me a little bit.

You may enjoy this book more than me so don't let my review scare you away from picking this book up! While it was cute and cozy, parts of the storyline just weren't for me.

This was an enjoyable read! The steam was well-done, and the attraction felt very real. My one qualm was that Rose was a liiiiiiiiiittle cringe in the first few chapters. But if that's who she is, that's who she is, I guess! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I picked this up as it seemed like a light, cute palette cleanser read between my usual darker reads - and it delivered with extra depth than expected! As a seamstress who has always dreamed of living in a converted church, I was easily drawn in by the premise and it didn't disappoint.

The story is a fair bit more complex than I initially perceived - it's not a simple "seamstress meets DIY-er" light romance. There's some meaningful, but light, exploration of healing from abuse and abandonment, and an interesting contrast between her being commitment-wary and sex positive against the MMC's religious background and voluntary celibacy. While I wasn't expecting religion to have as such a role as it did, it was an interesting new dynamic to explore.
Sex positivity is always something I embrace however at times it felt a little too much like a lecture? The FMC's quirkiness was also a little too forced at times, and some of the dialogue occasionally a little too juvenile/over the top sexual, but thankfully fell more into the background as the book went on and didn't detract from the enjoyment of the story overall.

All that being said - a lovely, enjoyable book that grew on me as I read. The spice was original and well balanced, and the relationship development felt natural over the course of the book. The dual POV really enhanced the experience giving us insight to both characters and their growth.
Overall a happy and easy read, with plenty of charm and unexpected depth - would definitely recommend to romance reading friends looking for their next read and I'm looking forward to the next instalment of the Dream House Girls series!

Thank you Star Siren Press & Holly Rose for this ARC!

I love the wedding dress designer because I always love a wedding trope and that was a fun spin! The spice in this book was a good time but I could have used a little more plot per spice.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC!

This was a pretty fun read! Rose is a bridal gown designer who is desperate to have her designs seen and bought by women in high-end boutiques. She's moved back to New Orleans from New York City after her internship and is feeling pretty down on her luck after being unable to get her dresses stocked in shops there. Despite this, she's got an order to fulfil for her sister's best friend, and we start the story with her going to dig up a time capsule to get her sister's necklace. Apparently, she needs to wear it for Becca's shower, as otherwise, Becca will go to Bridezilla.

The capsule is at Rose's old church, St. Dorothy's. Only it's not a consecrated church anymore; it is instead owned by Jason, Becca's younger brother and Rose's crush from many years ago. Jason renovates and creates custom furniture with a side business as a social influencer, and they're both surprised to see each other. Shenanigans ensue, and she ends up renting the completed rectory from Jason while he works on the main church and community hall to turn into his dream hall.

The sparks are flying between them both, but we've got two issues - Jason is a die-hard romantic who wants to find a wife, have a family and reconnect with his faith. His partner has to be mum-approved. Rose is a die-hard marriage sceptic and has no interest in getting married, alongside also not being mum-approved at all.

Despite that, these two cannot stop themselves from coming together, and they're really sweet. Jason is attentive, loving and all the things you'd want in a boyfriend. My only complaint about him is that he definitely feels like a man written by a woman, but I didn't care too much. Sometimes, we need that! Both characters had things they had to look at and re-assess - she needed to work through some deep issues regarding marriage and men, whilst he needed to acknowledge the abuse and desperation to avoid the conflict he was feeling.

Overall, I really enjoyed this and thought it was a fun, quick, romantic read. I'll definitely be checking out the author's other contemporary romance books!

This book was a cute read! There are some mentions of religion so please be mindful of that and take care of yourself if that’s a trigger. The MMC gave such golden retriever vibes, so adorable. The FMC was highly independent and was wary of relationships; casual being her go-to. Her character development of opening her heart to someone was highly relatable and I admired her for sure! They made a creative pairing and I liked the professions they had of seamstress and construction, and their support of one another was definitely shown. I’d recommend this if you want a fun and romantic, fluffy read!

Review
🎀🧵Follow your bliss-Holly Rose (Romance) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

(EN)
I loved this book from the first page (chef’s kiss!). The book was easy to read, which allowed me to immerse myself in the story without any problems. I loved how the author balanced comedy and romance. The character development was fascinating, how they grew and evolved throughout the story. And it has a touch of spice 🤭. Without a doubt, I’m excited to read the next book in this series 📖.

(SP)
Me encantó este libro desde la primera página (¡chef’s kiss!)
El libro fue fácil de leer, lo que me permitió sumergirme en la historia sin problemas. Me encantó que la autora logró equilibrar la comedia y el romance. La evolución de los personajes fue fascinante, cómo crecieron y se desarrollaron a lo largo de la historia. Y tiene un toque de spice🤭
Sin duda, estoy ansiosa por leer el siguiente libro de esta serie.📖


🪡Friends to lovers
📝childhood crushes
🌹 cinnamon roll MMC

Thanks to Holly Rose and NetGalley for the opportunity💕

Follow Your Bliss was such a heartwarming story about love after heartbreak. The two MC’s were so funny and fun to watch learn and grow together that it pulled at the heart strings. If you like the golden retriever or he falls first tropes, this book is for you. It’s spicy, laugh out loud funny, but will also have you crying over heartaches and heartbreaks. The minor characters shine loud and proud and I cannot wait to read their stories in future books (I hope).

Holly Rose is an author to watch as she creates magic with words that not only make you laugh, but cry and remember that love is a messy, but worthwhile endeavor.

I received an ARC of #FollowYourBliss from #NetGalley in lieu of my honest review of the book.

Unfortunately this just didn't really do it for me. I liked that the FMC was confident and funny and the MMC was sweet, they were good characters overall but that was kind of all I enjoyed. The dialogue and inner thoughts were cringey and vulgar for no reason, and I am no prude but it felt out of place and forced. It was also really weird that the MMC was such a mama's boy and not in a good way.

This was cute until it wasn't, I absolutely loved the premise of this book, the romance plot was so cute, the Rose being a dress designer who after not being able to kick-start her career in NYC decided to come back home, needing a place to stay the brother of the bride who commissioned Rose a dress ;Jason ( also Rose's crush since school) offers his apartment. -- Jason is a famous social media craftsman who's ready to date again after leaving a toxic relationship but this time he made the decision that the girl has to be mum-approved due to lingering regrets -- his mum is religious and unfortunately Rose doesn't check all her boxes... Personally the family drama sucked out the cuteness of this book that I didn't know how to feel about the ending anymore... This aside the "unfiltered" dialogues felt so forced and overdone

This was a good book. I liked the characters but felt the overall book had it faults. I wanted more depth and the writing at some parts were just lacking something.