A recent review of THE HATING GAME, suggested that Fenske is one of the rom com heirs to Jennifer Crusie. I hadn't read anything by her, and so I picked up a copy of NOW THAT IT'S YOU. The book starts off in unusual territory for a comedy: Meg Delaney, a caterer, is taking balloons to her ex-fiancé, whom she hasn't seen in two years, when she hears that he's in the hospital. Unexpectedly, though, as she walks into the hospital, she runs into her ex's younger brother, Kyle, who tells her that Matt has died. But since Matt died because he took Viagra against his doctor's advice and suffered a heart attack due to anesthesia during hair transplant surgery, the funny is definitely underlying the sad.

Things get even crazier when the self-published cookbook (on aphrodisiac recipies) that Meg wrote and Matt took the photos for suddenly goes viral, and Matt & Kyle's uptight mother sues Meg for royalties. And when Kyle takes mom's side, even while he and Meg keep finding themselves in sexually compromising positions...

Fenske has a strong comedic voice, and combined the grief and gaffes with a deft hand. Meg and Kyle make a cute couple, but Meg was fairly undeveloped as a character (not much in the way of goal or motivation), and so their romance itself didn't feel that urgent or compelling. Still, I'd definitely give other books by this author a look; really good romantic comedy writers are hard to come by.

A light and fluffy read that will leave you feeling good.

This is the first Tawna Fenske book I’ve read but it won’t be the last.

Tawna does a great job at involving the reader and really submerging you in the story. It’s a very easy read that could easily be devoured in one sitting and had I not had work commitments I imagine I would have stayed up til the AM to finish this.

Story wise- I love Meg and think as a protagonist goes, she’s one that is easily relatable and authentic which makes the whole novel that much easier to sink into. I love Kyle and the relationship that forms between them both and adore the confession game they play as a way of helping Meg open up.

Adored all of the fluffy scenes between Meg and Kyle and loved the dynamic of the pair.

My only qualm is that the book seemed to leave some unanswered questions surrounding Matt and his ex’s weird group. Why did they set up a group? Did he know? Why did he always go for the same type of girl? What happened during his depression? Did he really care for Meg? Was he aware of his brothers love for Meg? Etc

Other than that I really enjoyed the novel and will definitely be looking into more of Tawna Fenske’s work.

After a late night confession of infidelity before their wedding, Meg Delaney jilts her fiancé Matt Midland at the altar. Now two years later, she's ready to face the man who cheated on her; to gain closure. Unfortunately, she's too late. Instead, she comes face to face with his younger brother Kyle Midland resulting in startling repercussions.

Kyle Midland didn't expect to run into the one woman he's held a torch for over many years. Definitely not on such a tragic day. Yet, the flame of his unrequited love is still burning strong and Kyle needs to find personal closure. Only he has to face the fallout of past actions first.

After reading the blurb, I really didn't have any preconceived ideas as to where this story would go. The author kept me on my toes as we delved to the bottom of Meg and Kyle's shared past and how deceitful actions and poor judgement can alter an incident with devastating consequences. Whilst the protagonists' history's based on their individual relationships with Matt Midland, I felt that his 'presence' was too dominant sometimes, deflecting attention away from Kyle and Meg's complicated and chaotic story.

The storytelling is entertaining, with plenty of humorous banter between the characters. However, a couple of times I didn't find a scene or dialogue amusing at all...the park scene is such an example where I skimmed because it was rather tedious. However, I'm sure that others more familiar with Ms. Fenske's writing will find it laugh out loud funny. The supporting cast adds compelling twists in this sexy story. The whole book's laced with so many differing emotions as Meg and Kyle try and put events firmly in the past whilst hoping there's a future for them as a couple too.

I've not read anything by Tawna Fenske before but I'll definitely pick up more of her books.

***arc generously received courtesy of Montlake via NetGalley***

3.5 stars. I wish the heroine’s backbone had been a little stronger, but I really did enjoy the book regardless.

Good book with a nice mix of romance and grief. It had been two years since Meg left her fiancé at the altar after finding out he had cheated on her. She's finally ready to bury the hatchet and goes to see Matt at the hospital where he is having minor surgery. Meg runs into her ex's brother at the hospital and learns that Matt has died. Kyle has always had a thing for Meg but buried his feelings while she was with Matt. Now that Matt is gone, so is that reason to keep his distance. But there are other things that complicate the situation.

Overall, I really enjoyed the story. I liked the way that Meg decided to close the Matt chapter in her life by visiting him in the hospital and ached for her when she found out about his death. There were times that I thought her grief was a little excessive, considering that they'd broken up two years earlier, but on the other side, they had been together for a long time. Kyle's grief and conflicted feelings were understandable. He and Matt had been brothers, but not always friends. Because Kyle and Meg had also been friends, they were able to connect over their shared grief. But there is also an underlying attraction, one that Kyle has felt for years and that is (mostly) new to Meg.

I liked the development of the relationship between Meg and Kyle. They had a lot in common, including a somewhat quirky sense of humor. The scenes with the LARPers and Kyle helping Meg prep a catering job were pretty funny. Because they knew each other so well, they were also able to open up about their memories of Matt, both good and bad. Those moments were sweet and heartbreaking. I loved the way that Kyle was so sensitive to Meg's moods, fears, and dreams. I had great hopes for something special between them.

However, their developing relationship was complicated by the legal battle initiated by Matt and Kyle's mother over the photographs in Meg's cookbook. My opinion was that Sylvia was way out of line with her demands and her attitude. Everything that was revealed about Matt made him look like a self-centered jerk. His attitude toward Meg and her cookbook was obnoxious and I didn't think he (or his mother) deserved one penny from Meg. I ached a bit for Kyle since he was caught in the middle. He was torn between his love for Meg and his love for his brother, complicated by the guilt he was carrying over his actions. I had high expectations for him, and unfortunately, he did not fully live up to them. I hated what he did at the end and still don't understand how Meg could forgive him so easily. I liked seeing Meg develop enough backbone to stand up for herself, but then she backslid at the end. Matt's attitude toward her cookbook was more than enough, in my opinion, for her to stick to her guns. I think she gave up too much at the end - a token should have been sufficient. I'm happy for Meg and Kyle that their relationship worked out - forgiving Kyle for what he did was nice, but I don't know that I would ever be able to really forget and trust again.

Never in the years of me reading have I disliked both the heroine and hero!!!! Meg, was set to marry Matt, the night before the wedding she finds out he cheated on her. The day of the wedding she leaves him at the alter high and dry. I don't blame her one friggin bit!!!! Two years go by and they haven't spoken one word. Meg agrees to pay off the wedding debt since she left him at the alter. Meg decides that her and Matt need closure only to find out he passed away by his brother Kyle. We have Kyle who has been secretly in love with Meg for the last couple years. We will get back to these two later!

Their mother Sylvia is determined to get payback for Meg leaving and hurting her baby. Sylvia decided to sue Meg over a cookbook idea and also tells her she has to pay $10,000 for photos Matt took. Like the pushover she is she agrees to pay the balance!!! Are you kidding me right now!!! You paid for the wedding and now paying for this?? Oh hell to the no!!!! I would have gotten an attorney ASAP for her ass!!!

So we go back to Kyle, who pissed me off royally. He claims to love Meg but NEVER defended her to his mother. Let the mother walk all over her MULTIPLE times and yet you've been in love with her all these years??? Give me a friggin break!!!!! Kyle even admitted that he pushed Matt into cheating on her, convinced him to tell her because he knew she would leave him!!! Are you sh*tting me??? Who does stuff like this??? I honestly couldn't believe I was reading this!!! And surprise, surprise Meg takes him back a week later, they are in love and a year later they get engaged.

Once again never have I ever disliked both the male and female lead. My god!!! Meg was so weak and such a friggin pushover. She was wronged in this situation and was owed an apology. Sylvia was using grief as an excuse to be a bitch. Kyle was a jerk and I was thoroughly annoyed with this book. I wanted to like this book so bad but sadly it didn't work for me at all. On to the next one.....

*arc was given by publisher through NetGalley for an honest review*

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Man this book was SOOOO good.

I kinda want to just jump back in and reread.

The characters. The romance. The story.

THIS feeling I am left with is why I read. I thinks I just found me a new-to-me author to discover <3

5 stars

Review to come closer to release!

Meg Delaney’s ex fiancé lands himself in the hospital. Feeling an obligation to him she goes to see him and instead runs into his brother, Kyle. As Meg deals with 10 years worth of trauma from her failed relationship and the animosity from her “former-future-mother-in-law” it seems like her relationship with Kyle won’t work out. This is a fast moving and engaging read. The characters are really easy to get attached to and understand. I would recommend reading it if you enjoy romances!

4.5

I really enjoyed this book. There was humor, steam and it was a bit emotional but overall a really sweet romance!

*A copy was provided via NetGalley*

Beautiful, funny, relatable~

I was kind of unsure of how I would like this novel, but I'm happy I read it. I really enjoyed reading this; it was interesting, different and fresh...

Read more on my blog~