As the eldest daughter of an alcoholic mother, she learned early that love means holding everything together—even when it’s falling apart. Now, she runs Hey Honey’s, the beloved coffee shop she’s poured her life into, clinging to carefully ordered routines that keep her Obsessive Compulsive Disorder—and her heart—in check.
Anderson Montgomery has spent his whole life running toward disasters.
A firefighter with a chronic caretaker streak and a habit of cleaning up his brothers’ messes, Anderson knows how to shoulder other people’s burdens. But, what he doesn’t know how to do is tell Ava he wants more than the “no-strings-attached” arrangement they began eight months ago. He’s finally ready to risk everything and confess—until Ava’s world implodes.
When Child Protective Services decides she isn’t stable enough to adopt her younger sister, Ava is desperate, and Anderson doesn’t hesitate. A marriage on paper gives CPS the “perfect family” they want to see.
But, living under the same roof blurs every boundary they try to set. The stolen glances last longer. The touches linger. The words “husband” and “wife” start to feel less like a lie and more like a promise.
And just when the adoption is finalized and they’re supposed to walk away, Ava finds out she’s pregnant—with Anderson’s baby.
Now they have to was their marriage ever pretend—or were they just too afraid to call it love.
Katy is the indie author based in Milwaukee. Her favorite trope is forced proximity, and she is a firm believer that found families are the best families.
Lover of all things romance, pop punk, tattoos, anime, rainy days, matcha, and her husband, Katy’s purpose for writing is to remind readers that you are deserving of the love you read about.
When she’s not writing, you can find her reading, or adding to her never-ending TBR.
this book blew my expectations! I’m not a big romance reader and I went into this completely blind, never having read anything else from this author. I was pleasently surprised of how much I ended up enjoying this and will be looking into other books from this author!
this story was extremely beautiful and had such a big emotional impact on me. what really touched my heart was the adoption of our fmc’s little sister georgie and I loved the whole storyline. that was what really got me invested into the book and I loved how georgie’s character was written.
the found family was definitely my favourite part in this series and how all the characters that were not coming from the easiest backrounds formed a family together. they created such a safe and comfortable space within each other that it made this book such a comfort read for me. I loved the friendships in this book so much.
I was nervous of how the accidental pregnancy was going to be handled but I am happy to report that everything was handled with such care, the story felt really realistic and reminded me of how unideal circumstances in life can still work out.
I don’t have much knowledge about OCD but this book gave me more information and it felt realistic based on my knowledge. I appreciated how harder topics were handled in this book and especially what touched me was the part of being the eldest child as an eldest child myself.
the romance in this book grew on me as quietly as it progressed in the book, I loved the tension in between our main characters and the banter in between ava and anderson. the ending even got me tearing up. the spice in this book was really well written! there is not much spice but it’s really rewarding when we get to it and I really liked how it was written.
everything in this book flowed so naturally, I was unsure before reading how all of these topics were gonna fit in one book but it was just all really natural and made sense. that was other one of my favourite parts of this book, it was really well structured in my opinion and had a nice flow.
I gotta say in the start I was not as invested and did not like the intial settings, but I got invested into the story pretty quickly especially when georgie came into the story. especially after halfway I was just super invested in the story and I was flicking through the pages, not being able to put this book down.
I felt a lot of emotions while reading this book and I was giggling and kicking my feet, rooting for the characters, sheding some tears and gasping. also, this book was funny !! some parts got me laughing out loud. the emotions it brought out of me and how much impact it had on me, had me landing on my 4,5 star rating! overall amazing book that I can warmly recommend ♡︎
Thank you to Katy Michele and House of Hearts for the ARC copy in exchange for an honest review!
I have really mixed feelings about this one. There were parts of this book that I genuinely loved, but overall I struggled a lot with the relationship dynamic between Ava and Anderson.
One thing Katy Michele did really well was the mental health representation, especially Ava’s OCD. You can tell a lot of care went into writing those struggles realistically, and that was probably the strongest part of the entire book for me. I also really liked the overall setup of the story. The marriage of convenience trope, surprise pregnancy, and Ava fighting for custody of Georgie all had so much potential. I also loved the theme of both Ava and Anderson being the oldest siblings who constantly carry the weight of everyone else around them. That aspect felt fresh and emotional.
But honestly I had a really hard time connecting with Ava for most of the book.
Anderson spent so much of the story supporting Ava, helping her through the custody battle, showing up for her and Georgie, and bending over backwards for everyone around him. Meanwhile, it felt like his own struggles and family issues were constantly pushed aside. I kept waiting for Ava to truly show up for him in the same way, and for me that balance never fully happened until very late in the story. By the time I started warming up to Ava, the book was already around the 75% mark.
I also felt like some of the biggest emotional moments were rushed. Some conversations and reveals that should have carried a lot of emotional weight felt glossed over, and then suddenly we were at the wedding and pregnancy reveal so quickly that it gave me a little emotional whiplash. I just wanted more from those moments because they had the potential to hit even harder emotionally.
That said, I still enjoyed seeing Jack, Rumi, and Evee again from book one, and Georgie and Anderson’s relationship was honestly one of my favorite parts of the entire story. I’m also VERY excited for Emerson’s book.
And if you’re planning to read this series for all the Easter eggs and connections, I definitely recommend reading the Lenny’s Bartenders series first before jumping into Hey Honey’s.
Even though this one didn’t fully work for me personally, I can still appreciate the themes, the tropes, and the care put into the mental health representation.
I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review. These opinions are my own.
This was a roller coaster. I cried, I smiled, I walked a journey of trauma and mental illness to love, acceptance, and family.
Off the bat, I really did not like the FMC. I found her behaviour towards the MMC just plain rude. And from what you know of the MMC, I kept saying "how dare you" to her in my head. I did soften towards her as soon as she did with the MMC at about 60% You end up loving them both at the end. The MMC was so beautifully written. He was loving and devoted. Who doesn't like a guy who blushes?
I think the mental health issues were tactfully handled. Readers got a glimpse into OCD and how trauma affects behaviours, even without you realising. What I appreciated was that the FMC wasn't magically cured after she fell in love. Her challenges and fears were still there. I find sometimes books lean into "love will cure it all" and it minimises the very real underlying issues. So, kudos for that.
The supporting characters were great and added to the "fullness" of the story. Georgie xxx
2 things that bothered me: - I'm not sure if it is a prerequisite for guardians to be married in the USA. It was unbelievably weird that they had to be married in order for the recommendation to go through. Are single moms not allowed? Are long-term partnerships not allowed? Are loving family members not allowed? - My anxiety wouldn't have flared so often if the 2 main characters just communicated. Like, even one small sentence could have cleared up a lot
The writing was great and I would recommend this book for those into "marriage of convenience" and "found family"
Series: Book 2 in an interconnected series of standalones HEA: Yes Spice: 2.5 🌶
First off, I’ve been WAITING for this one. Beyond thankful to receive an ARC. HUGE thanks to Katy Michele & House of Hearts 💐
Ava and Anderson literally felt so real from the start. Ava’s struggle with control and her OCD is handled with the utmost care, and Anderson is a perfect match up…steady, protective, and quietly yearning. Their marriage of convenience feels natural, especially with the emotional weight of Ava trying to adopt her sister. I loved how their relationship builds through small, meaningful moments, shared space, lingering touches, and the shift from “pretend” to something very real. The accidental pregnancy adds just the right amount of tension, and the found family aspect gives it so much heart. ✨ Call You Mine is a sweet, emotional slow-burn that had me fully invested. I was smiling, stressing, and rooting for them the whole time. 📣 ***Special mentions to all the postpartum Mommas out there. Having a very similar birth story myself like Ava’s (including a week and a half NICU stay) just really hit all the emotions for me. Cheers to staying powerful, being strong and finding yourself again*** Can’t wait for everyone to experience this one. 💛
If you tell me there is a guardian trope, surprise baby, and a fake marriage, I’m there! This was such a treat because I love all three of these tropes, and Katy did a great job telling Ava and Anderson’s story.
My heart broke for Ava, Anderson, and Georgia in different ways. Both Ava and Anderson carry so much responsibility as the oldest in their families, they’re always the ones fixing everything. But who takes care of them? I really loved that layer to their characters.
I especially enjoyed watching their relationship develop, along with Anderson’s bond with Ava’s sister Georgia. He’s so patient, understanding, and just genuinely good. It was really sweet to see how both girls grew with the love and care he gave them.
The writing was clear and the characters felt consistent and true to themselves. The OCD representation was handled with a lot of care, which I appreciated. I do wish we had gotten a bit more time with Ava and Anderson both individually and together, and some parts felt like they dragged slightly. But overall, I still felt satisfied and plan to continue the series into Emerson’s story! I would also love to get a book for Georgia as well!
I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review. And, honestly, I LOVED IT. I read it all in one day, and I could not put it down! I loved meeting Ava and Anderson in From the Ashes and learning a bit about them individually, but I fell in love with them both even more in Call You Mine, when we got to see their point of view and watch their relationship grow. Although they had already began their physical relationship in the first book, it took them awhile to find their footing as a real relationship, rather than just their "fake" marriage. Anderson was a man in love and obsessed, and who doesn't love a "he falls first and hard" MMC. I also loved the "my wife" and "my husband" moments, especially the "my husband", since we all know Anderson was waiting for it to feel "real". This book also had some of my other favorite tropes, single guardian and accidental pregnancy. If you are looking for a down bad MMC and some moments of jealousy in a book with a marriage of convenience, this book is definitely for you!
Oh my gosh, I absolutely loved it! By the end, I was fighting back tears; it was so emotional and beautifully captured those meant-to-be feelings.
I do wish there had been more detailed information, but aside from that, it was fantastic. I really appreciate how Anderson supports Ava, especially when she reveals her OCD. His immediate desire to help her manage it so she can feel secure is truly heartwarming.
This book is the second installment in Hey Honey's Baristas series, and I highly recommend reading the first book for better context, as it frequently references events from the first book.
Thank you for this amazing opportunity to read your eARC, and I am happy to provide my honest review in return.
What a beautiful read!! This is book 2 in the Hey Honey’s Barista’s Series & it was such a great book 🫶🏼
Anderson wears his heart on his sleeve and shows how fiercely he loves through every single one of his actions. The relationship development between Ava & Anderson was top notch & I loved seeing Ava let herself be loved 🥰 The realistic way this was written was top tier, with the OCD, expectations of being everything for everyone but especially with the pregnancy/post partum subject matter, you have this ideal in your head of how things will go & then plans can change in an instant. A great read for me ❤️
🌸I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.🌸
Thanks to Katy Michele and House of Hearts for the gifted copy — all opinions are my own.
Alexander is literally the final boss of yearning. The way he loves, waits, aches, and stays devoted so quietly should honestly be studied. Every scene with him feels like carrying a heartbreak you somehow never want to put down.
Also, salute to all the eldest children out there, the ones who learned too early how to be strong, responsible, and selfless even when nobody asked if they were okay. This book really understands the weight of carrying everyone while silently carrying yourself too.
First I want to say thank you to Katy Michele for choosing me to receive an arc!
Next I want to say that this book is one of the sweetest softest things i’ve read. Ava and Anderson together is sweet and tender and you can just feel the love between them. Adding Georgie to the equation was even sweeter 🥹
I haven’t read the accidental pregnancy trope a lot but I can say that I think I love that trope. I would also like to say that the OCD and Anxiety representation was handled really well. Anyways definitely recommend this book if you want a sweet, fun, easy read.
I don’t know who approved Katy being a literary genius but imma need them to do it about a million more times because I LOVE THE KATY MICHELE UNIVERSE!!!! the way their marriage came to be makes this one of my favorite marriage of convenience books ever. Anderson being obsessed with her from basically the first time they met and being willing to take whatever small moments UGHHHH. Ava my girl is a warrior and some of her moments had me close to tears. Overall this book was so beautifully written and those little easter eggs for book 3 have me needing it ASAP!!
Thanks to Katy Michele and House of Hearts for the gifted copy — all opinions are my own.
This book stole my heart. I love how it represented so many different parts of a persons life. Mental health struggles, pregnancy, family expectations, and the list goes on. I didn’t feel like too much and was completely balanced. I hope we get to see Emerson’s story next 💛