Talk Bookish to Me

Give me a funny, sexy novel with books thrown in like Kate Bromley's Talk Bookish to Me, and all of the boxes are ticked for me.

Kara Sullivan is a 32 year-old romance novelist, successful in romance on the page, but not so much in her real life. She is maid of honor for her best friend Cristina, and it is wedding week, which means there is a lot to do.

At a pre-wedding party, Jason the groom is waiting for the arrival of his groomsmen. Kara is astonished when she turns around and comes face-to-face with the man who broke her heart in college- Ryan is one of Jason's best friends from childhood and he is standing in front of her.

Kara hasn't seen Ryan in ten years, and she can't believe he is in the wedding. When Ryan gets kicked out of his show more hotel because of his high-maintenance bulldog named Duke, Kara offers to let Ryan and Duke stay with her.

The banter between Kara and Ryan is snappy and often hilarious. I confess to laughing out loud more than once. The sexual tension can be cut with a knife, but Kara is leery about getting involved again with Ryan even as she finds herself attracted to him. On the plus side, the writer's block that has been plaguing her as her next deadline approaches seems to alieviated by Ryan being in her apartment.

Bromley knows how to write sexy scenes that will leave you hot and bothered. We also get to read excerpts from Kara's historical romance that in some ways mirror her new relationship with Ryan. If you are a big romance reader, you'll enjoy Kara explaining the genres, subgenres, and tropes of romance novels to Ryan.

The characters are interesting and I loved the New York City setting. Kara's references to specific NYC touchstones- dinner at Butter, brunch at The Smith, the digital lottery for Oklahoma! tickets- give a great sense of place.

If you're on Instagram, you'll recognize Kara's work as a bookstagrammer, she puts a lot of effort into making her photos look enticing. If you're a dog lover, Duke's antics and Ryan's comprehensive list of rules for caring for Duke will make you smile. (When did dogs become more involved to care for than children?)

Talk Bookish to Me reminded me of Stephanie Evanovich's novels- sassy and sexy. I loved so much about this book, it's a terrific read for the beach or back deck. I highly recommend it.

Thanks to Harlequin Books for putting me on their Summer 2021 Beach Reads Blog Tour. show less

Overall

Talk Bookish to Me is a cute, funny romance about getting a second chance at love. It puts a former couple in very close quarters when feelings have been left unresolved for ten long years. I loved that Kara was a romance novelist stuck on her next novel when the romance of a lifetime falls in her lap. Of course, both Kara and Ryan keep secrets from each other. The intense chemistry between them is clear from the start, and sets off an incredible ride for both of them as they come face to face with what they really want in their lives.

Extended Thoughts

Talk Bookish to Me is about a successful romance novelist currently stalled on her next novel with a deadline looming over her head and a six month trip to Italy awaiting her. Her show more best friend is about to get married at the same time she needs to write an entire novel, but inspiration seems to land in her lap and her agent practically orders her to use it to every advantage no matter how much it might ravage her heart.

Kara needs to finish this book, and her college boyfriend, Ryan, picked the perfect time to drop back into her life. After ten years apart, things still burn hot between them, but their break hadn't been an amicable one. Instead, it hung over them for ten years, easily creating tension when they come face to face at the pre-wedding party for her best friend who is about to marry his childhood friend. When Ryan ends up kicked out of his hotel, Kara's solution is to have him stay with her, taking her agent's orders to heart. Of course, with so much unresolved between them, it doesn't take long for sparks of all kinds to fly.

As a romance, Talk Bookish to Me is fairly predictable. Before any of the key events happened, I knew they were going to occur, but I really couldn't wait to find out just how they were going to unfold. The characterizations of Kara and Ryan were so good that it was easy for me to forget the romance novel formula most of the time because I was so invested in them as a couple. The first half was wonderful and funny and so full of chemistry and tension. I loved every word, every playful and stinging barb they threw at each other. The second half was sweet, but I felt it meandered a bit. I kind of wish either it had been split off into it's own story or it had started there because it felt like there could be a lot going on there in terms of characterization. But, no matter how out of place it felt to me, it did work in terms of the romance Talk Bookish to Me is offering.

I adored Kara and Ryan. They made the whole story for me. The best part was that they were supported by an equally funny and interesting cast. Some of the secondary characters weren't exactly complex, but they each had their own distinct personality and they all blended really well together. Talk Bookish to Me is told from Kara's perspective, so it was an incredible delight to get things through her eyes, to read about her meddling friends and sister. This book has an incredible cast of strong women who all have a soft spot for romance. But I really loved when Kara and Ryan were on the page together. Their early banter is funny and awkward and familiar. Their feelings for each other are clear as day, creating a perfect balance of chemistry and tension. I did feel it came off too strong at times, but I really liked how the banter and serious conversation balanced out so the banter never became truly cringe-worthy.

The one thing that disappointed me was that I expected more talk about books. There is a bit of chatter about some romance novels, but, since no authors were provided, I have no idea if they were referring to real books or not. Of course I expected that any book talk would revolve around romance novels, but I wish there had been more. I did appreciate that Kara is a romance novelist and is keenly aware of how different real life is from the kind of books she writes.

Despite the lack of bookish talk, there are snippets of Kara's manuscript woven in. Since I enjoy a regency romance every few years, I really enjoyed what she had to offer. I both remembered why I like and don't like them, but I did enjoy seeing how her characters paralleled her life. I also really loved the real talk about how if "real life" were a romance novel, x, y, and z would occur. I didn't feel it was poking fun at romance novels, but more stating fiction and reality are two entirely different things and, well, it's happening in Kara's real life so let's see how a romance novelist handles it. It was fun and helped me forget the romance novel formula.

Set mostly in Manhattan, and a little in Italy, I think I got a stronger sense of Italy than Manhattan, but I liked that Talk Bookish to Me is set in a large city. It didn't play off the whole random chance of meeting people in a big city, and managed to keep the world small in a large place. It gave the story a nice intimate feel while providing a big playground for the characters to amble around in.

As a romance, Talk Bookish to Me absolutely delivers. It's witty and funny and perfect for readers who enjoy the second chance at love trope.

Thank you to Justine Sha at Graydon House Books for a review copy. All opinions expressed are my own. show less

Ugh. So I read this book by accident. A while back I read reviews of it and they were enough to convince me I did not want to read this at all. A few weeks ago, I read Here for the Drama and did not make the connection to this author at all. Since I enjoyed that, when the library suggested something else by the same author, my reaction was sure, why not? Ugh. It started out fine and even funny in parts, then it got kind of boring and I started to wonder if I should just skim the end and then the big reveal! Why? I really don't get how anyone would think a cheating hero would be a good addition to a romance novel, but there you have it. To top it all off, the last few chapters felt like a completely different book, which I probably would show more have enjoyed more, to be honest. The main character's whole hang up about killing her dad was never properly addressed. Why did none of her friends suggest therapy? I really wish I could unread this. The third book in the series is on my to-read list, but now I'm kind of scared. (Oh, also, I really could have done without the book within the book. Was not super compelling.) show less

In the lead-up to her best friend’s wedding, Kara discovers that her college boyfriend is one of the groomsmen.

Kara’s interactions with her ex are interesting, a believable mix of awkwardness, anger, attraction and affection. And their interactions inspire her to make progress on her latest novel, which gives her an interesting motive for spending more time with him. However I didn’t like the obstacles to romance introduced three-quarters of the way through -- solely, it seemed, to prevent things from going too smoothly -- and didn’t like the impact those had on the pace of the story. That diminished my earlier enjoyment.

i actually really enjoyed these characters and the tone of this book, and even most of the writing, but i didn't buy the main thrust of the book (the relationship was way too all consuming after just a couple of days, no matter their history). i liked her play on the tropes and the bookish discussions that happen. i just didn't really care about the two of them as a couple. until near the end, their entire situation felt way too contrived.

Fun Tale. Unnecessary Element In Epilogue. This was a fun rom-com full of angst and banter and miscommunications. The book-within-a-book worked, even while I'm not really a fan of the Regency style historical romances. Indeed, until the epilogue itself this was truly a fun, witty, banter-filled tale filled with heart. Even the actual endgame itself (the last 15% ish of the book, IIRC) was interesting, even as it got away from the main storyline for quite a bit of it. (Unlike some other reviewers though, I totally get why and how it worked. It isn't a *usual* storyline in romance novels, but I've seen it before - and even a few times in real life.) My only issue, and it is more of a quibble since it *is* just in the epilogue, is the show more completely unnecessary baby. It adds nothing, and only reinforces the "you're not a real couple unless you procreate" bigotry. (Also, not an actual spoiler - romance novel. Couple by definition ends up together. :D) Still, on the whole this book really was fun and had some interesting twists to it. Very much recommended. show less

Kara is a romance writer with out the romance! When her ex boyfriend, Ryan, shows up at her best friend’s wedding, Kara is surprised to say the least. But, Kara realizes that Ryan has given her her mojo back. She might actually make her deadline for her next novel. Every time she sees Ryan she has a burst of writing frenzy. But, is she ready to fall back into Ryan?!?!

I adore Kara. She is just down to earth and funny as the dickens. Ryan, I was not a huge fan of. He has a history and it kind of repeats itself and I just wanted to pinch his head off! BUT…Ryan has the cutest dog, Duke.

This is such a cute, adorable, fun read. I finished it in about a day! So if you are looking for a quick rom com…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I show more received this novel from the publisher for a honest review. show less