I really loved this book -the characters felt so real and funny and interesting, and I think the author did an awesome job taking a subject that was pretty intense and sad and making it human but keeping the story little light-hearted. Can't wait to read more by her!

A bit on the nasty side for this old prude.

The characters and story were pretty good and except for a few explicit and to me, nasty scenes. Other than the Yuk factor, I enjoyed the book!

A nice romantic comedy with a quirky twist. I think romantic comedy readers will like this.

I'm giving this book 2 stars only because it started out so promising and there is genuine chemistry between the main characters.

But it all started to go to shit (for me) at around 39% and never redeemed itself. The entire Midland family is full of assholes. Matt, for being a ROYAL DICK to Meg throughout what seems like their entire relationship, and insisting that Meg pay him $10K for the pictures he took for her cookbook when, while they were together, he wanted no repayment (other than BJs. Wow, how super male of you).

Sylvia, for hating Meg for dumping Matt (he deserved it) and then suing her for half the proceeds of her cookbook. Oh, and also for saying truly horrible things to Meg basically up until their last conversation.

And Kyle, basically for breathing. For agreeing that the lawsuit was valid and gaslighting Meg into believing the same (I hate that she capitulated on this at the end. Matt didn't deserve that money and neither did his estate/the family. She had PROOF that he didn't want money or credit). For encouraging his brother to cheat on Meg just because he didn't want them to get married. I would have maybe been more sympathetic to this - and by that I mean I would've thought he was a major asshole instead of thinking he was a morally corrupt asshole - if Matt was a serial cheater or something, and Kyle was like "let this be the nail in the coffin!" But he had never cheated on Meg before, and Kyle knew this was her weak spot given the history with her parents. He knew exactly how she would respond. He took the choice from both Meg and Matt to decide that their relationship wasn't going to work. He took away a sense of closure for both characters that I think is completely unforgivable. That, above everything else, makes me really, really dislike him. Which I'm pissed about, because he was wonderful up into the point he started saying his mom was right for demanding a cut of the cookbook profits.

And I kind of hate Meg, too, for allowing people to walk all over her during the entirety of this book, and also for the ten years she was in a relationship with Matt. She defends herself several times throughout the story, but her actions reflect the EXACT opposite of what she says. I literally groaned out loud when I got to the part where she agrees to give Matt's estate a cut. For fucking what?! FOR WHAT?! That money wasn't his! He took some pictures and she used it in her book. She did 95% of the work and he didn't care about repayment until they broke up and he decided to be a big prick about it.

Ugh.

It also got really cringeworthy reading Meg's internal monologue about Matt when she was with Kyle. Especially when she was *with* Kyle. It ended up taking me away from the connection between the two of them because this ghost (I mean, kind of literally?) would pop up in the middle of it. And all of the talk about Kyle's ex-girlfriends too. It just felt like they were in a constant cycle of revisiting the past for reasons that became very tiring.

Oh, and when Kyle helped her prep for the bachelorette party and he refused her offer to pay him? And she paid him with dessert instead? Dear Meg, that is the thing that got you into this huge ass mess in the first place. You should have paid him. And gotten a receipt. I mean, Jesus.

I think this could have been a really wonderful, really beautiful book had the whole lawsuit not come into play. Or even if it did come into play and Kyle acted as a mediator between his mother and Meg. I would have been okay with that. But his weird mama's boy, guilty-conscience white knighting of the whole thing was just gross. And that paired with his role in Meg and Matt's breakup made it all too rage-inducing for me.

3.5 stars

A solid, quirky contemporary read. Sometimes a little off the wall but fun to listen to. Good narration.

Rating: 3.5 stars, rounded up because it was quite enjoyable

I love the idea of requited love, and that is exactly what we have in Now That It's You. Meg had dated Matt, Kyle's brother, for a decade before she became a runaway bride. During her "Matt years", Kyle was pining for her. Matt's death brings them back into each other's lives, and sparks fly.

This book is filled with so much awkward. Some of the awkward was really funny, and I laughed or giggled. There were also a bunch of quirky things that I loved, and they made me smile. As for the romance,I would say that I liked this couple. There were a few Kyle moments that I struggled with, and I do understand what Fenske was trying to do, but it didn't make me necessarily like what happened. But the real star of this book was Meg. She just stood out as a beautiful human being. She was not perfect, but she was able to step back, evaluate, and choose the solution that was in everyone's best interest. She had regrets, and she took the opportunities presented to her to re-evaluate and remedy some of those situations. There were so many little things she did, that made me love her more and more. I felt like the author did a great job of developing the main characters. Heck, I even felt like Matt was quite developed. Fenske let us peek into the charactera' past and present in order to allow us to properly assess their motives and evaluate their actions. This story has a lot of ups and downs, so be prepared. It was a roller coaster, but Fenske did a nice job of wrapping it up, and giving us closure.

Overall: Great romance with a bit of melancholy, but a bunch of humor too.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake Romance for the ARC of this book.

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***

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

Two years ago Meg's fiancé, Matt, confessed to an affair the night before their wedding and Meg was unable to go through with the ceremony. She has finally put this behind her and so, when she hears that Matt is in hospital for some minor surgery, she decides to visit him and make peace (yes, she feels it is up to her to make peace - see also below). Unfortunately when she gets there, she finds that he has died.

The opening was an enjoyable read, right up to the point where we learn that Matt was in hospital for hair transplant surgery and died because he had taken Viagra the night before. Meg runs into Matt's brother Kyle both at the hospital and the next day at the park. While talking at the park, they encounter some LARPers (role play participants) and decide to join in. I decided to skim this (excruciatingly dull) part and never really managed to go back to detailed reading. There was just so much to annoy me:

Meg was a complete doormat, who had decided to pay off the entire cost of the aborted wedding herself, despite the fact that Matt was the one who was unfaithful and waited until the night before to tell her. He then billed her $10,000 for taking photos for her cookery book, despite having offered to do it for free (or "joking" that he would do it in exchange for sexual favours). So, instead of querying the bill or telling him to get lost, she pays it off gradually. Seriously? This is our heroine?

Then there is the hero, Kyle,

with his money-conscious ways - I have never read of a family (not intended as outright villains) so concerned with screwing every last penny out of a woman they once loved and who was betrayed by their son. Kyle feels his mother has a point about splitting the royalties from the book, Kyle wonders if Meg kept her engagement ring, Kyle is concerned that Meg can't prove exactly how many instalments she has paid thus far, Kyle can't stop himself from pointing out that Meg didn't in fact perform the sexual favours referred to, Kyle was kind of responsible for Matt being unfaithful in the first place.

I hated Kyle and really didn't enjoy this book.

This is not just a romance. It is about family, loss, love and grief.
Meg had a relationship with Matt for 10 years and they were about to get married when he confessed to having a one night stand. The next day, at the altar, Meg can't go through with the wedding and splits.

This was 2 years ago and Meg has decided to visit Matt in the hospital to bury the hatchett and be able to completely move on with her life. However, to her utter shock, Matt has just died. She is confronted with his family again and especially Matt's younger brother Kyle. Kyle and Meg were friends until the wedding disaster.

In the wake of the loss of Matt Meg and Kyle navigate their feelings (Kyle finally confronting the fact he always has loved Meg) and Meg deals with the sudden success of her self published cook book. A book that sparks a legal battle.
I enjoyed the story, but wish Meg had made some different decisions and Kyle had stood more beside her against his family. However, written well and good story overall.

*** I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review. ***

*I received this book from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review*


This was a cute love story. It starts when Meg going to wish her ex-fiance well after he's had a surgery. Only to find out from his brother, Kyle, that Matt is now dead. Yikes! The rest of this book is the story about Meg and Kyle. Meg finding fame with her cookbook, and also discovering part of the reason why Matt cheated on her in the first place.

While I like romances, and this one seemed more realistic than most, it wasn't my favorite. I liked Meg's character, she was fun and sassy. And I also liked Kyle. He's always loved Meg, even when she was with his brother, which makes the story all the more interesting. But honestly I can't say why I didn't like it much. It was a fun, quick read, but as I said, not my favorite.