Review: Nobody Puts Romcoms In The Corner

Title: Nobody Puts Romcoms In The Corner

Author: Kathryn Freeman

Publisher: 26th February 2023 by HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter

Pages: 384 pages

Genre: romance, contemporary, chick lit

My Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis:

The perfect pick me up romcom for fans of Beth O’Leary, Sophie Kinsella and Sophie Ranald!

Sally is a classic romantic and Harry is a classic cynic, but when a drunken bet leads the new flatmates to (badly) recreate ‘the lift’ from Dirty Dancing, and the video goes viral (#EpicRomcomReenactmentFailure), they both realise there’s potential financial benefit in blundering their way through the romcom lexicon for their suddenly vast social media following.

Now, as Harry and Sally bring major romcom moments to new life – including recreating that classic diner scene – their faking it turns to making…out and suddenly they’re living a real life romcom of their own! But like all the greatest love stories, the road to happily ever after is paved with unexpected challenges for this hero and heroine…

My Thoughts

Kathryn Freeman has slowly been sneaking up as one of my favourite ‘go to’ authors for a solid romcom escape. Her current offering was no exception, in fact, the content material was such fun that it was like sitting with a friend as you reel off all the iconic moments from romcom films. If this sounds like you, then pull up a seat and settle in.

‘What is the lift?’ Kitty let out an exasperated breath. ‘Only one of the most iconic film moments. Ever.’ …. ‘That’s just a guy catching a girl.’ ‘Just?’ She stared at him like he’d just spoken a totally different language to her. ‘The shared trust in that moment, the way they communicate without words. It’s a symbol of love, of belief in each other. It’s beautiful.’

Nobody Puts Romcoms In The Corner is filled with nostalgic movie scene reenactments from Dirty Dancing, Pretty Woman, Ghost, Love Actually - just to name a few - and it is just so much fun! Stereotypical Sally loves all things romance yet her new flat mate Harry does not (and yes! They do the scene from When Harry Met Sally!) What starts off as a dare, quickly becomes a TikTok sensation with requests from followers to reenact more iconic movie scenes. Of course, acting them out slowly seeps into real life and then follows the usual narrative path with bumps along the way until the happy ever after.

‘When she said the next words from the film, it didn’t feel like acting. It felt like the truest words she’d ever spoken. ‘If I forget to tell you later, thank you. I had a really amazing time tonight.’

Apart from all the fun movie references, I truly appreciated Kathryn’s efforts to capture true to life feelings that are often associated with the genders. Sally with her head in the clouds and Harry the not so romantic male. The light and fun moments are interspersed with serious themes of loss and grief, family drama and much more. Kathryn does such a wonderful job of providing two stereotypical characters who go both individually and together on a journey of real growth and understanding. 

‘You know, in a way your love of romcoms isn’t helping. The films make us want the words, because that’s what steals your breath, what touches your heart when you watch them. But all the words, they’re no guarantee. Plenty have said them, and it’s meant nothing. Equally, just because the words aren’t there, it doesn’t mean love isn’t there. It means you have to look for other signs.’

If you love romcoms, then this is without doubt the book for you. It is fun, charming with great chemistry and vibes between the two romantic leads. Readers of this genre are sure to fall in love with Nobody Puts Romcoms In The Corner .

‘Isn’t that what life is about? Not how it ends, but the experiences enjoyed on the way?’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: The Italian Job

Title: The Italian Job

Author: Kathryn Freeman

Publisher: 6th May 2022 by HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter

Pages: 369 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: contemporary, women’s fiction, romance, chick lit, culture Italy

My Rating:  4 cups

Synopsis:

Dream job. Dream house. Fake fiancé.

A year in a gorgeous Italian castle…

When Anna Roberts’ life implodes, an online search leads her to an ad for the ultimate dream job – management of a gorgeous castle on the shores of Lake Como, accommodation included. The only catch? Anna can’t do it alone…

…With the last man on earth she’d choose!

The castle owners will only accept a couple as caretakers, which means Anna needs a man on her arm at the interview. Enter her neighbour, Jake Tucker. Though Anna and Jake have never seen eye-to-eye, Jake’s had a rough few years and an escape to Italy sounds ideal. Yet, when they get the job and jet off, Anna and Jake face an unexpected challenge. Pretending to be a couple is difficult … but pretending the tension simmering between them doesn’t exist is quickly proving impossible!

My Thoughts

Having read and loved Kathryn’s, The Beach Reads Book Club, I was eager to try some more of her writing. On this occasion she gives her readers a story of enemies-to-lovers, a couple who are fake dating in order to run a castle in stunning Lake Como, Italy. That in itself is reason enough to pick this one up.  

‘Hope is what drives us forwards, what keeps us going through the tough stuff.’

The setting for the book is gorgeous, I just wish there had been more written about it. We had visits to the local village, Italian dialogue with the locals and swimming in the lake, however, I would have loved more armchair travel to this stunning destination. The relationships between Jake and Anna with the supporting characters felt very genuine and heartwarming. The two main leads were most definitely opposites but the background stories for them are solid and it added depth to their character arc as individuals. It is the perfect slow-burn romance with loads of chemistry. I loved and related to Anna’s organisation and list making with the banter between the two being top notch. 

‘You’re the organised to my chaotic, the sensible to my crazy.’ He kissed her softly on the end of her nose. ‘The calm to my impetuous. You’re strong when I’m weak, smart when I’m stupid. Brave when I’m a coward. And I bloody love every part of you.’

The only drawback was the amount of misunderstanding through miscommunication. The repetitiveness of their insecurities was overplayed somewhat in my opinion with the continual assumptions drawn proved rather exhausting at times. I really liked both main characters with a classic supporting cast but just wish there had been more descriptions of the locale and not so much stomping off!

The Italian Job by Kathryn Freeman is the perfect inbetween read. It is fun, charming with great chemistry and vibes between the two romantic leads. Readers of this genre are sure to fall in love with this book. 

‘The job was never the dream. The dream has always been finding someone I love that I want to spend the rest of my life with. You’re my dream.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: The Beach Reads Book Club

Title: The Beach Reads Book Club

Author: Kathryn Freeman

Publisher: 30th June 2021 by HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter

Pages: 400 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: romance, contemporary, chick lit, women’s fiction

My Rating: 5 cups

Synopsis:

Welcome to the Beach Reads Book Club…where love is just a page away…

When Lottie Watt is unceremoniously booted out of her uptight book club for not following the rules, she decides to throw the rulebook out the window and start her own club – one where conversation, gin and cake take precedent over actually having read the book!

The Beach Reads Book Club soon finds a home for its meetings at Books by the Bay, a charming bookshop and café owned by gorgeous, brooding Matthew Steele, and as the book club picks heat up, so too does the attraction between Matt and Lottie.

If there’s anything Lottie has learned from the romances she’s been reading, it’s that the greatest loves are the ones hardest earned.

A love letter to chicklit, romance, romcoms, whatever you want to call them!

My Thoughts

‘Five people whose lives she hoped would all be improved, just a little, by the combination of a good book, a mug of tea and the company of like-minded readers.’

Let’s make a tally of all things fun and bookish:

• book about books - tick

• books and tea - tick 

• takes place in a bookshop - tick

• centres around a fun book club - tick 

• book club has some fun reads I have read and can relate to - tick

• there is a fun romance with a dashing hero and strong woman - tick

I could go on …. but I think my fellow book lovers appreciate where I am going with this … MUST. READ.

‘The Beach Reads Book Club’ contains everything one looks for in this genre - it’s easy to read yet has serious undertones, it’s light and funny but has a deeper level of significance, it’s romantic and just simply what I was after. I loved it!

‘What you mean to tell me you were alone in the dark with this town’s answer to Mr Darcy, and you didn’t take advantage of it?’

This is the kind of book club I would want to join with super fun members and just the right amount of romantic escapism that had me smiling and feeling all gooey inside (#newbookcrush). There is the promise of not only book talk but real life talk washed down with cake and tea or pizza and gin! Lottie and Matt are the perfect ‘opposites attract’ - so sweet and steamy - and challenge each other to step outside their comfort zone. The members of the Beach Reads Book Club are awesome! A group of women who are both fun and funny in their love of literature and life.

‘Seeing the look on their faces, the excitement, the delight when they’d only been talking about books… it had made her wonder if she’d been missing out. Then she’d read one of their recommendations. After that, she’d been hooked, going on to devour all the books she could get her hands on.’

This leads me to two key points. One, I stand and applaud the theme of ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ - literally! Beach reads, chick lit … call it what you will, however, these books, seemingly light and frivolous, often contain so much more …

‘Real guys don’t walk around with roses between their teeth,’ her brother had mocked. ‘And life isn’t full of sappy endings.’ ‘If you think that’s what romance books are all about, you’ve clearly never read one,’ her mum had countered.‘They’re about hope, about joy. About handling adversity and coming through the other side stronger. Yes, they’re also about love, the most powerful emotion you’ll ever experience.’

Secondly, I also wish to highlight the books read at the club and how these titles often reflected and coincided with the events of the story itself. A clever way to highlight a theme but also to note once more, how these ‘beach reads’ often have more substance than at first glance. 

‘… books that take us on holiday.’ Gira, the quieter of the two women, looked at them both. ‘I don’t mean they have to be about beaches, but they take you out of your head. Transport you to another world for a while.’

This was such a fun rom-com with a cast of lovable characters and a gorgeous love story! For some heartwarming escapism you really cannot pass it up. 

‘To the Beach Reads Book Club and all who join it … it’s about bringing the joy of books to all readers, no matter what their tastes.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.