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Izzy Treadway has a reputation as a love guru. She knows exactly what ignites the spark for others, but she has no desire to find love herself. You see, Izzy’s bipolar and not only fears being seen as damaged goods but is terrified that if anything goes wrong, it might just send her back to the hospital. Nevertheless, her best friend decides Izzy’s the perfect person to write The Idiot’s Guide to Love.
While researching and writing the book, Izzy finds herself falling for Jane Mendoza, the new intern at work. Everything’s perfect until Izzy tells her she’s bipolar and Jane leaves her, claiming the dreaded “It’s not you, it’s me."
Izzy’s devastated, but heartbreak teaches her she’s stronger than she gives herself credit for. As Izzy and Jane learn their pasts don’t define their future, they’ll need to get out of their own way to discover love can overcome any obstacle.
While researching and writing the book, Izzy finds herself falling for Jane Mendoza, the new intern at work. Everything’s perfect until Izzy tells her she’s bipolar and Jane leaves her, claiming the dreaded “It’s not you, it’s me."
Izzy’s devastated, but heartbreak teaches her she’s stronger than she gives herself credit for. As Izzy and Jane learn their pasts don’t define their future, they’ll need to get out of their own way to discover love can overcome any obstacle.
328 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 15, 2019
9 people are currently reading
49 people want to read
About the author
Kimberly Cooper Griffin
15 books73 followersKimberly Cooper Griffin is an award-winning author of contemporary romance novels in the sapphic genre and the award-winning non-fiction Inkslinger series for writers. Born in San Diego, California, Kimberly joined the Air Force, traveled the world, and eventually settled down in Denver, Colorado, where she lives with her wife, the youngest of her three daughters, and a menagerie of dogs and cats.
Her fiction explores the complexities of building relationships and finding balance when life has a tendency to get in the way, and her non-fiction guides writers through the often complex writing process.
You can find her books at:
http://author.to/KimberlyCooperGriffin
Her fiction explores the complexities of building relationships and finding balance when life has a tendency to get in the way, and her non-fiction guides writers through the often complex writing process.
You can find her books at:
http://author.to/KimberlyCooperGriffin
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
October 17, 2019
'ARC provided by both NetGalley and The Publisher in exchange for an unbiased review'
**'Writers! Stay away from the machinery of the modern world.It will ruin your imagination..Genuine storylines can communicate before it is understood..'
I have been mulling over what I wanted my view about this storyline to look like because of how weird and dull the storytelling resonate. What I really don't want my words to do is discourage other interested readers plus I also do not want to come off as too critical or harsh. As another reviewer noted 'the synopsis does not match with the actual storyline and I wholesomely agree. When I said earlier that this storyline end up being really weird, well add puzzling also.
I'm just gonna give a semi brief assessment of a part of this storyline -- where having any mental illness can be a bit of a stigma in some relationships or one's surroundings but I don't think it should be a cause for any break-ups, which did happen in this storyline and seems way too fallible because there can be other contributing factors such as falling in love and shacking up way too fast without first finding out each others likes & dislikes etc..plus some interactions between them (Izzy and Jane) revealed any chemistry or excitement in their relationship.
For any further well detailed description pertaining to the book well that I'll leave to other interested readers.
**'Writers! Stay away from the machinery of the modern world.It will ruin your imagination..Genuine storylines can communicate before it is understood..'
I have been mulling over what I wanted my view about this storyline to look like because of how weird and dull the storytelling resonate. What I really don't want my words to do is discourage other interested readers plus I also do not want to come off as too critical or harsh. As another reviewer noted 'the synopsis does not match with the actual storyline and I wholesomely agree. When I said earlier that this storyline end up being really weird, well add puzzling also.
I'm just gonna give a semi brief assessment of a part of this storyline -- where having any mental illness can be a bit of a stigma in some relationships or one's surroundings but I don't think it should be a cause for any break-ups, which did happen in this storyline and seems way too fallible because there can be other contributing factors such as falling in love and shacking up way too fast without first finding out each others likes & dislikes etc..plus some interactions between them (Izzy and Jane) revealed any chemistry or excitement in their relationship.
For any further well detailed description pertaining to the book well that I'll leave to other interested readers.
October 16, 2019
This is a weird one for me to review because while this book kept me interested and stayed on my mind when I wasn’t reading it, I didn’t particularly care for the story or the characters and found myself having to suspend my disbelief quite a lot. I’m starting to realize that maybe I don’t like rom-coms as much as I thought I did...or maybe I’m just really picky when it comes to this sub-genre.
Izzy Treadway is a 47 year-old technical writer who has bipolar disorder. Her first real heartbreak coincided with her first bipolar episode, and so Izzy is convinced that if something like that ever happens again, she’ll lose control. She can’t let that happen, Izzy’s worked too hard to get where she is: mentally stable and almost happy. It’s kinda ironic since she has a knack for fixing everyone else’s relationships. Over the summer, Jane Mandoza, a university professor spends a few weeks testing out the intern program at the company where Izzy works and the two women are drawn to each other. Too bad Izzy doesn’t do relationships and Jane doesn’t date coworkers...Until they both do. Of course.
My main issue with this book is that Izzy (and pretty much everyone else) acts like a 20 year-old. There’s no way you can convince my otherwise. I wanted to read a book about mature characters dealing with real life issues and that isn’t exactly what I got and I was disappointed.
It’s rare that we get characters with good mental illness rep. I think in this case the author did a great job portraying Izzy’s disorder and I love that it wasn’t used against her in any way. It wasn’t used to create drama or further the plot. It was just there and she tried her best to deal and cope with it. The thing that really bugged me though was how long it took her to admit it to Jane. As if it were a dirty secret that made her less than. I can understand the fear of ~coming out because there’s still such a stigma surrounding bipolar disorder, but I still wish Izzy had been upfront about it.
Jane’s father is a homophobic asshole (let’s be honest) with a violent streak. He’s beaten Jane almost to death when she was a teenager, and now he hits her mom, but Jane keeps showing up to Sunday dinners? Why? I don’t get it. As someone who’s dealt with that type of thing, I cannot understand Jane, but I’m curious as to why the author decided to incorporate that family dynamic into her book because it didn’t add anything to the plot. It felt a little over the top.
That being said, the writing is pretty decent and I would definitely read something else by Kimberly Cooper Griffin. The relationship between the two MCs is feels real and is quite believable. It progresses over the course of a few months with its ups and downs. I don’t know if this book is getting a sequel or not, but I would probably read it if that were the case.
I’m giving this a 3.25 stars, but I don’t think this book is bad by any means. It just wasn’t exactly what I was hoping it would be.
Thanks to Bold Strokes Books for providing me with a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review
Izzy Treadway is a 47 year-old technical writer who has bipolar disorder. Her first real heartbreak coincided with her first bipolar episode, and so Izzy is convinced that if something like that ever happens again, she’ll lose control. She can’t let that happen, Izzy’s worked too hard to get where she is: mentally stable and almost happy. It’s kinda ironic since she has a knack for fixing everyone else’s relationships. Over the summer, Jane Mandoza, a university professor spends a few weeks testing out the intern program at the company where Izzy works and the two women are drawn to each other. Too bad Izzy doesn’t do relationships and Jane doesn’t date coworkers...Until they both do. Of course.
My main issue with this book is that Izzy (and pretty much everyone else) acts like a 20 year-old. There’s no way you can convince my otherwise. I wanted to read a book about mature characters dealing with real life issues and that isn’t exactly what I got and I was disappointed.
It’s rare that we get characters with good mental illness rep. I think in this case the author did a great job portraying Izzy’s disorder and I love that it wasn’t used against her in any way. It wasn’t used to create drama or further the plot. It was just there and she tried her best to deal and cope with it. The thing that really bugged me though was how long it took her to admit it to Jane. As if it were a dirty secret that made her less than. I can understand the fear of ~coming out because there’s still such a stigma surrounding bipolar disorder, but I still wish Izzy had been upfront about it.
Jane’s father is a homophobic asshole (let’s be honest) with a violent streak. He’s beaten Jane almost to death when she was a teenager, and now he hits her mom, but Jane keeps showing up to Sunday dinners? Why? I don’t get it. As someone who’s dealt with that type of thing, I cannot understand Jane, but I’m curious as to why the author decided to incorporate that family dynamic into her book because it didn’t add anything to the plot. It felt a little over the top.
That being said, the writing is pretty decent and I would definitely read something else by Kimberly Cooper Griffin. The relationship between the two MCs is feels real and is quite believable. It progresses over the course of a few months with its ups and downs. I don’t know if this book is getting a sequel or not, but I would probably read it if that were the case.
I’m giving this a 3.25 stars, but I don’t think this book is bad by any means. It just wasn’t exactly what I was hoping it would be.
Thanks to Bold Strokes Books for providing me with a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review
November 7, 2019
I’m really glad I didn’t read the blurb before I read this novel. I didn’t find it to be much of a romantic comedy but I was completely taken in by it. Izzy is a tech writer at a company in Silicone Valley. She has a wonderful ability to see how to help her friends and colleagues in their relationships but as is so often the case, she is unable to turn that perceptiveness on herself. After numerous suggestions from her friend’s she decides to write ‘An Idiot’s Guide to Love’ even though she hasn’t had a relationship in years because she spends so much of her time balancing her own mental health because she suffers from Bipolar Disorder. The arrival of Jane at her offices threatens her precarious balance when she find herself more attracted to her day by day.
This story affected me in quite a personal way in that I have a few close relatives dealing with different types of chemical imbalances. So much fell into place for me just by reading Izzy’s thoughts and the way she constantly assesses her wellbeing. In the light humour lies a subtle depth and seriousness of the condition. Exerpts from Izzy’s book follow each chapter and they work well to highlight Izzy’s intellectual behaviour against her emotional behaviour. The exerpts are short, not to over-powering and often ironic.
Jane and Izzy’s relationship is lovely. Izzy is really likeable because she works hard all the time to maintain her control over her routines to keep her mental health in check. Jane is fun and free and even though she seems completely relaxed in their relationship there’s something ticking in the background intermittently.
I couldn’t put this book down and it’s given me lots to think about.
Book received from Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.
This story affected me in quite a personal way in that I have a few close relatives dealing with different types of chemical imbalances. So much fell into place for me just by reading Izzy’s thoughts and the way she constantly assesses her wellbeing. In the light humour lies a subtle depth and seriousness of the condition. Exerpts from Izzy’s book follow each chapter and they work well to highlight Izzy’s intellectual behaviour against her emotional behaviour. The exerpts are short, not to over-powering and often ironic.
Jane and Izzy’s relationship is lovely. Izzy is really likeable because she works hard all the time to maintain her control over her routines to keep her mental health in check. Jane is fun and free and even though she seems completely relaxed in their relationship there’s something ticking in the background intermittently.
I couldn’t put this book down and it’s given me lots to think about.
Book received from Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.
October 10, 2019
Izzy Treadway is a 47 year old user guide writer for a tech company in California. She has no love life, but she is exceptionally good at offering relationship and love advice to her friends. With some prompting from her best friend, she embarks on a journey to pass this wisdom along by writing ‘An Idiot’s Guide to Love’. In the meantime, Jane Mendoza starts working for the same company. She is a professor trying out the company’s intern program on behalf of the university. Interest is mutual, but they are unable to share all of their baggage with each other. Will lying by omission end their relationship?
The novel is narrated in third person from Izzy’s point of view. Chapters are arranged with the current story followed by ‘An Idiot’s Guide to Love’ book entry. I liked that arrangement and felt it served the story well. That is, until later in the book when the advice given by Izzy in the entries did not match her actions in real life, or simply started getting cumbersome and interrupted the flow of the story.
Since the story is narrated from Izzy’s point of view, we know right away what her baggage is. Izzy is bipolar and was diagnosed in her 20’s after her girlfriend broke up with her and sent her on a downward spiral. Now set on a good management routine for her disease, Izzy does not want to risk falling in love and triggering an episode. I do not have personal experience with this disorder, but if true to what the author attempts to portray, she did a phenomenal job at conveying it. I think that is the highlight of the novel. The reader gets a glimpse at the mindset of someone with bipolar disorder symptoms. All the questions that can surface with sometimes the simplest of dilemmas. Like when Izzy gets a scone and her mind rambles about Jane possibly not liking scones to being a glutton if she eats both of them. When Izzy was being a ‘chatterbox’, the reader could easily pick up on it. Same when Jane was distant. One could readily see it through the dialog and scene description. It was eye opening how all consuming the disorder can be and the struggle by an individual to not be defined by it. Of course, that opens the door to the stigma associated with mental illnesses in our society.
On the other hand, the most aggravating issue was how much Izzy preached communication in her guide’s entries but then would do the opposite in her life! All the issues could have been easily addressed if communication was indeed something the characters did. And yes, I said characters since Jane was also to blame. For example, one of the big issues in the relationship was Izzy’s need to keep up with her running schedule. If Izzy would have simply explained how running was part of her routine to help with depression, Jane would have been fine with it. For two women in their 40’s, wow, talk to each other guys!
On a side note, the guide mentions moving in with your partner because it provides an economic advantage. Well, I couldn’t stop laughing because that was exactly what my mother said when I told her I was moving in with my now wife of 15 years!
Overall, a mostly straightforward story showcasing a main with bipolar disorder. 3.5 stars
ARC generously provided to me by BSB via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The novel is narrated in third person from Izzy’s point of view. Chapters are arranged with the current story followed by ‘An Idiot’s Guide to Love’ book entry. I liked that arrangement and felt it served the story well. That is, until later in the book when the advice given by Izzy in the entries did not match her actions in real life, or simply started getting cumbersome and interrupted the flow of the story.
Since the story is narrated from Izzy’s point of view, we know right away what her baggage is. Izzy is bipolar and was diagnosed in her 20’s after her girlfriend broke up with her and sent her on a downward spiral. Now set on a good management routine for her disease, Izzy does not want to risk falling in love and triggering an episode. I do not have personal experience with this disorder, but if true to what the author attempts to portray, she did a phenomenal job at conveying it. I think that is the highlight of the novel. The reader gets a glimpse at the mindset of someone with bipolar disorder symptoms. All the questions that can surface with sometimes the simplest of dilemmas. Like when Izzy gets a scone and her mind rambles about Jane possibly not liking scones to being a glutton if she eats both of them. When Izzy was being a ‘chatterbox’, the reader could easily pick up on it. Same when Jane was distant. One could readily see it through the dialog and scene description. It was eye opening how all consuming the disorder can be and the struggle by an individual to not be defined by it. Of course, that opens the door to the stigma associated with mental illnesses in our society.
On the other hand, the most aggravating issue was how much Izzy preached communication in her guide’s entries but then would do the opposite in her life! All the issues could have been easily addressed if communication was indeed something the characters did. And yes, I said characters since Jane was also to blame. For example, one of the big issues in the relationship was Izzy’s need to keep up with her running schedule. If Izzy would have simply explained how running was part of her routine to help with depression, Jane would have been fine with it. For two women in their 40’s, wow, talk to each other guys!
On a side note, the guide mentions moving in with your partner because it provides an economic advantage. Well, I couldn’t stop laughing because that was exactly what my mother said when I told her I was moving in with my now wife of 15 years!
Overall, a mostly straightforward story showcasing a main with bipolar disorder. 3.5 stars
ARC generously provided to me by BSB via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
did-not-finish
August 20, 2022DNF @ 43% in.
This just didn't wow me, and ultimately annoyed the crap out of me. Every single character is ridiculously immature and annoying.
The blurb has little to do with the actual plot. Don't waste your time or money. Just glad I got this on a deal.
This just didn't wow me, and ultimately annoyed the crap out of me. Every single character is ridiculously immature and annoying.
The blurb has little to do with the actual plot. Don't waste your time or money. Just glad I got this on a deal.
September 30, 2019
This is the second book I have read from this author and is in a sense completely different from the first book. Where her first book was a bit on the edgy side with prison scenes, drug scenes, and the likes, this one is a little more on the tamer side with bipolar disorders, crazy families (in a way), and romance (sorta). This is a story manily about Izzy and told by Izzy in third person which I think may have hurt the flow of story at least for me. Jane is also a main character but honestly the focus was not really on her per se but on her with Izzy.
So the story starts out pretty nicely. We know from the blurb that Izzy is bipolar but what is nice is that for about 40% of the book it does not define nor play a huge role in the story. We also know Izzy is great at giving advice on love and the only reason know this is because we are told it. That aspect is not really shown or proven. Since she is so great her friends convince her to write a manual of sorts on dating for idiots. Introduce Jane, a professor who is interning at the company Izzy works for so she an idea of what her students go through. The story is really about Izzy journey in their relationship.
I give this book a solid 3.5 stars. While I enjoy that the illness was not a front runner in the story I became increasingly annoyed with Izzy and her lack of communication with Jane. I can take her being oblivious to certain situations, I can also accept her not knowing how to act when certain things happens, but it because annoying reading what she wrote in her book and then doing the exact opposite of it. For that I took off a half star. I also found the blurbs of her book interrupted the flow of the story and often did not match what was happening or had just happened in the story itself. I think I only enjoyed like three blurbs: the first one, the one about Audie, and the last one. It worked better when it was about her experience and her friends than when she was trying to give advise. The writing of those book blurbs seemed more bloggish in nature...half a star off. At the last half star was taken off because Jane's story was an after thought and I felt could have added more to their story if was there plus communication between the two seemed lacking...and kept lacking. So....there is how came to my 3.5 stars and since half stars are not allowed it gets rounded up to 4 stars.
The ending seems as if there might be a sequel to this book and I would honestly read it if it did come out. At the end of the story, I did feel some connection with the characters and would like to know how their journey continues.
***Recieved an ARC from Netgalley for an honest review from me. Thank you***
So the story starts out pretty nicely. We know from the blurb that Izzy is bipolar but what is nice is that for about 40% of the book it does not define nor play a huge role in the story. We also know Izzy is great at giving advice on love and the only reason know this is because we are told it. That aspect is not really shown or proven. Since she is so great her friends convince her to write a manual of sorts on dating for idiots. Introduce Jane, a professor who is interning at the company Izzy works for so she an idea of what her students go through. The story is really about Izzy journey in their relationship.
I give this book a solid 3.5 stars. While I enjoy that the illness was not a front runner in the story I became increasingly annoyed with Izzy and her lack of communication with Jane. I can take her being oblivious to certain situations, I can also accept her not knowing how to act when certain things happens, but it because annoying reading what she wrote in her book and then doing the exact opposite of it. For that I took off a half star. I also found the blurbs of her book interrupted the flow of the story and often did not match what was happening or had just happened in the story itself. I think I only enjoyed like three blurbs: the first one, the one about Audie, and the last one. It worked better when it was about her experience and her friends than when she was trying to give advise. The writing of those book blurbs seemed more bloggish in nature...half a star off. At the last half star was taken off because Jane's story was an after thought and I felt could have added more to their story if was there plus communication between the two seemed lacking...and kept lacking. So....there is how came to my 3.5 stars and since half stars are not allowed it gets rounded up to 4 stars.
The ending seems as if there might be a sequel to this book and I would honestly read it if it did come out. At the end of the story, I did feel some connection with the characters and would like to know how their journey continues.
***Recieved an ARC from Netgalley for an honest review from me. Thank you***
October 2, 2019
ARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I’m finding this a hard book to review. It’s my first by this author, and I liked it enough to try more of her work, but overall the book was up and down for me.
This features MC Izzy, who’s POV this is told from. She’s late 40’s, writes technical documentation for a tech firm and is seen as somewhat of an ‘expert’ in relationships, even though she fails at her own. Her friends encourage her to write a self help book about love, and that forms a large part of the plot. She’s also bipolar.
Izzy meets Jane, a professor form a local college, when Jane comes to her company to shadow some interns and they become friends, and this develops into a relationship. Because the story is told via Izzy’s POV, Jane isn’t as well developed, and we learn things about her only sort of as asides, we don’t experience her life the way we do Izzy’s. Both women have families, Izzy’s is large and supportive, Jane’s is smaller, and more fraught.
I give kudos to the author for including a main character with bipolar, but I thought the reveal about this took too long. Izzy admits to being ‘depressed’, but doesn’t share the actual details of her illness with Jane, which seemed strange given how supportive Jane was about, well, everything. Jane’s family issues are also fairly heavy, and I would have preferred a POV switch technique to really get a better grip on those. I also ended up skimming about 70% of the ‘love guide’ Izzy was writing, it didn’t add anything to the story for me.
The relationship between the leads develops slowly, and we get to see the actual relationship with them living together, etc, and not just the usual meeting, getting together stuff, but I’d have preferred more honesty between them, I felt Izzy hiding her illness just reinforced that it’s something people won’t accept, which wasn’t the case at all. I also felt the stuff about children at the end was decided too quickly and wasn’t particularly believable for Izzy’s character.
The blurb is also very misleading, it claims Jane leaves Izzy because she’s bipolar, which is not the case at all. This is a nice enough romance, but it was a bit uneven, I’d give this 3.25-3.5 but am rounding down.
I’m finding this a hard book to review. It’s my first by this author, and I liked it enough to try more of her work, but overall the book was up and down for me.
This features MC Izzy, who’s POV this is told from. She’s late 40’s, writes technical documentation for a tech firm and is seen as somewhat of an ‘expert’ in relationships, even though she fails at her own. Her friends encourage her to write a self help book about love, and that forms a large part of the plot. She’s also bipolar.
Izzy meets Jane, a professor form a local college, when Jane comes to her company to shadow some interns and they become friends, and this develops into a relationship. Because the story is told via Izzy’s POV, Jane isn’t as well developed, and we learn things about her only sort of as asides, we don’t experience her life the way we do Izzy’s. Both women have families, Izzy’s is large and supportive, Jane’s is smaller, and more fraught.
I give kudos to the author for including a main character with bipolar, but I thought the reveal about this took too long. Izzy admits to being ‘depressed’, but doesn’t share the actual details of her illness with Jane, which seemed strange given how supportive Jane was about, well, everything. Jane’s family issues are also fairly heavy, and I would have preferred a POV switch technique to really get a better grip on those. I also ended up skimming about 70% of the ‘love guide’ Izzy was writing, it didn’t add anything to the story for me.
The relationship between the leads develops slowly, and we get to see the actual relationship with them living together, etc, and not just the usual meeting, getting together stuff, but I’d have preferred more honesty between them, I felt Izzy hiding her illness just reinforced that it’s something people won’t accept, which wasn’t the case at all. I also felt the stuff about children at the end was decided too quickly and wasn’t particularly believable for Izzy’s character.
The blurb is also very misleading, it claims Jane leaves Izzy because she’s bipolar, which is not the case at all. This is a nice enough romance, but it was a bit uneven, I’d give this 3.25-3.5 but am rounding down.
September 30, 2019
Hmmm
Izzy is bipolar and has had a really bad time after a break up years, before she decides the single life is for her. (Being as she’s totally clueless when women are flirting or interested in her, it’s just as well.) However, she always seems to have the right relationship advice at the right time. Her best friend encourages her to write a book on affairs of the heart and she agrees. Then she meets Jane at work and her world changes. She’s smitten but Jane makes it clear she doesn’t date coworkers… until she does. This is a fun, interesting and engaging book. I really liked how there were pages at the end of each chapter detailing what Izzy has learned in her relationships and puts into the book. There was a lot of really sound advice, good reminders for those of us in relationships or those looking for one. I enjoyed the story and liked watching the women fall in love and find their way. I loved the secondary characters and Izzy’s best friend was so
In spite of how much I liked the story I did have some pretty big problems with it. Izzy is afraid to tell Jane about her bipolar. She has no problem admitting to having depression that she will have to take meds for, (and Jane makes it VERY clear that is NOT a problem at all!!) for the remainder of her life but for some reason, she is convinced Jane will leave if she knows it all. Eventually Jane does leave but not because of the disease. It was VERY obvious that Izzy suffers from severe anxiety but her bipolar isn’t as obvious and it doesn’t seem to really be a factor in her life, maybe because it’s really well controlled and she is managing it. The anxiety is more of an issue and it is only addressed as Izzy taking a Xanax once. Jane too has some problems that she should have shared along the way as well. She was physically abused as a child, (and some of the injuries and a bit of what happened are discussed in case that’s a trigger) and has some insecurity issues. I was really surprised that Jane would go visit her parents as often as she did given the amount of physical and emotional abuse her father dished out…. She even picked her parents up at the hospital after her father hurt her mom so badly she needed an ambulance…. As hard as I tried to be a true believer and just go with it, it just doesn’t work for me.
Izzy is bipolar and has had a really bad time after a break up years, before she decides the single life is for her. (Being as she’s totally clueless when women are flirting or interested in her, it’s just as well.) However, she always seems to have the right relationship advice at the right time. Her best friend encourages her to write a book on affairs of the heart and she agrees. Then she meets Jane at work and her world changes. She’s smitten but Jane makes it clear she doesn’t date coworkers… until she does. This is a fun, interesting and engaging book. I really liked how there were pages at the end of each chapter detailing what Izzy has learned in her relationships and puts into the book. There was a lot of really sound advice, good reminders for those of us in relationships or those looking for one. I enjoyed the story and liked watching the women fall in love and find their way. I loved the secondary characters and Izzy’s best friend was so
In spite of how much I liked the story I did have some pretty big problems with it. Izzy is afraid to tell Jane about her bipolar. She has no problem admitting to having depression that she will have to take meds for, (and Jane makes it VERY clear that is NOT a problem at all!!) for the remainder of her life but for some reason, she is convinced Jane will leave if she knows it all. Eventually Jane does leave but not because of the disease. It was VERY obvious that Izzy suffers from severe anxiety but her bipolar isn’t as obvious and it doesn’t seem to really be a factor in her life, maybe because it’s really well controlled and she is managing it. The anxiety is more of an issue and it is only addressed as Izzy taking a Xanax once. Jane too has some problems that she should have shared along the way as well. She was physically abused as a child, (and some of the injuries and a bit of what happened are discussed in case that’s a trigger) and has some insecurity issues. I was really surprised that Jane would go visit her parents as often as she did given the amount of physical and emotional abuse her father dished out…. She even picked her parents up at the hospital after her father hurt her mom so badly she needed an ambulance…. As hard as I tried to be a true believer and just go with it, it just doesn’t work for me.
April 7, 2022
Didn't work for me - the book the MC was writing, Idiot's Guide kept getting in the way. Sad, as I've given straight 5*s to date to KCG. Move on.
November 12, 2019
Izzy is the go-to person when it comes to advice for other people's relationships, but when it comes to her own, she shies away. Izzy is bipolar, and she's always afraid to bring it up in fear of chasing people away and she's afraid of losing control if things turn out badly. Jane is a professor, turned intern for the summer, and the two women hit it off over peanut M&Ms. When Izzy's friends dare her to write a how-to book for finding love, she throws herself into doing research. What she doesn't realize is that love might be right in front of her all this time and that maybe she's stronger than she thinks.
The first half of this book read a little slower for me, and I had originally struggled a little to get into it. When Izzy is trying to dating another woman for research, it felt like too long a deviation from the main connection. I felt myself losing my connection to the relationship and the characters because Jane almost fell back into becoming a secondary character for a while. But the second half of the book I really enjoyed and I couldn't put the book down! I ended up finishing the book feeling really positive about it so I ended on this rating. There were tons of sweet moments in the book, and while things move pretty fast once they get going, it's very realistic. There's some heavy moments as well, but I think they make for a well developed story, and that are balanced out by sweet family moments and amazing chemistry between Jane and Izzy. I really enjoyed reading about this world, I wouldn't complain if we got to come back and see Audie find love in a future book.
I'm thankful for the author including Izzy's mental illness and touching on stigma and how we still have a long way to go, not just for anxiety and depression, but even more so for other mental illnesses. Izzy's worries and thoughts and conversations were very realistic, and this story was such a good reminder that everyone deserves love and everyone can find their person.
I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a sweet romance, sorry if you have a craving for peanut M&M's at the end though, like I did.
I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The first half of this book read a little slower for me, and I had originally struggled a little to get into it. When Izzy is trying to dating another woman for research, it felt like too long a deviation from the main connection. I felt myself losing my connection to the relationship and the characters because Jane almost fell back into becoming a secondary character for a while. But the second half of the book I really enjoyed and I couldn't put the book down! I ended up finishing the book feeling really positive about it so I ended on this rating. There were tons of sweet moments in the book, and while things move pretty fast once they get going, it's very realistic. There's some heavy moments as well, but I think they make for a well developed story, and that are balanced out by sweet family moments and amazing chemistry between Jane and Izzy. I really enjoyed reading about this world, I wouldn't complain if we got to come back and see Audie find love in a future book.
I'm thankful for the author including Izzy's mental illness and touching on stigma and how we still have a long way to go, not just for anxiety and depression, but even more so for other mental illnesses. Izzy's worries and thoughts and conversations were very realistic, and this story was such a good reminder that everyone deserves love and everyone can find their person.
I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a sweet romance, sorry if you have a craving for peanut M&M's at the end though, like I did.
I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
October 13, 2019
This was a fine read - a surprising rom-com that is more on the serious end of the rom-com spectrum. Izzy is a technical writer at a publisher, and is working on a romance advice book. Turns out that she's great at giving other people advice but is terrible with her own love life. So much so, that when a new intern, a professor from a local college, shows heavy interest in her, Izzy simply misses it.
I think I like both Jane and Izzy as characters, and you can see how each of their circumstances have shaped how they view themselves and the world around them. Lizzy was peppered with uncertainty and doubt with regards to her bi-polar disorder. Jane has a horribly abusive father who beats on her mother, her and her friends. Their situation causes them to be horrible communicators and that drives most of the story. There's some good stuff in that, especially since it does take some time for Izzy to read Jane's signals. It was frustrating when they finally got together and you know something is off, but they just don't talk to each other. It causes a blow out that feels really unnecessary.
This was a nice rom-com, that relies more heavily on the romance part. There's a whole bunch of rom-com tropes packed in here, so if its your thing, I'd say go for it. It is fairly nicely paced, but I feel like Jane's problems are punted to the background just a little too much. There are some interesting ways that Izzy's point of view blocks our perception of Jane, but I felt like screaming at Izzy to just ask her what was wrong! I think that will get people the most upset, but it should not be that much of a problem for some folks.
I received this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
I think I like both Jane and Izzy as characters, and you can see how each of their circumstances have shaped how they view themselves and the world around them. Lizzy was peppered with uncertainty and doubt with regards to her bi-polar disorder. Jane has a horribly abusive father who beats on her mother, her and her friends. Their situation causes them to be horrible communicators and that drives most of the story. There's some good stuff in that, especially since it does take some time for Izzy to read Jane's signals. It was frustrating when they finally got together and you know something is off, but they just don't talk to each other. It causes a blow out that feels really unnecessary.
This was a nice rom-com, that relies more heavily on the romance part. There's a whole bunch of rom-com tropes packed in here, so if its your thing, I'd say go for it. It is fairly nicely paced, but I feel like Jane's problems are punted to the background just a little too much. There are some interesting ways that Izzy's point of view blocks our perception of Jane, but I felt like screaming at Izzy to just ask her what was wrong! I think that will get people the most upset, but it should not be that much of a problem for some folks.
I received this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
October 29, 2019
I first want to express that I can appreciate a romance that touches upon some heavy topics. This one touches mental illness and abuse. So if those aren't you thing you might want to consider skipping this read.
I have been thinking about how to review this one for a couple of days. I overall liked the story of Izzy and Jane. You can tell they are attracted to one another, but because Izzy has sworn off dating because of she is bipolar, she sort of misses this attraction. She does however begin to see it once her close friend convinces her to write a self help book about relationships since Izzy is so good at giving love advice. Jane seems sweet, but has issues of her own that doesn't totally appear until midway through the romance.
Though I appreciated the themes, I didn't connect totally. I think because the romance moved too slow. It didn't move quick enough to really keep me engaged. Once the book picked up for me, it was over. If the pace was quicker and the overall romance shorter, I think I would have liked it much better. I can't complain about not having enough sex scenes in this one because there are plenty and that is probably one of the things that kept me interested.
Anyway, I rate this one 3.25 stars.
This arc was provided by netgalley for an honest review.
I have been thinking about how to review this one for a couple of days. I overall liked the story of Izzy and Jane. You can tell they are attracted to one another, but because Izzy has sworn off dating because of she is bipolar, she sort of misses this attraction. She does however begin to see it once her close friend convinces her to write a self help book about relationships since Izzy is so good at giving love advice. Jane seems sweet, but has issues of her own that doesn't totally appear until midway through the romance.
Though I appreciated the themes, I didn't connect totally. I think because the romance moved too slow. It didn't move quick enough to really keep me engaged. Once the book picked up for me, it was over. If the pace was quicker and the overall romance shorter, I think I would have liked it much better. I can't complain about not having enough sex scenes in this one because there are plenty and that is probably one of the things that kept me interested.
Anyway, I rate this one 3.25 stars.
This arc was provided by netgalley for an honest review.
December 28, 2019
An amazing read. It’s my first by this author.
The blurb and the cover (a young woman?) are also very misleading, the blurb claims Jane leaves Izzy because she’s bipolar, which is not the case at all. I did feel some connection with the characters. great characters.
Even though the romance was slow, I enjoyed the development. It was an amazing slow romance, and I like that.
The blurb and the cover (a young woman?) are also very misleading, the blurb claims Jane leaves Izzy because she’s bipolar, which is not the case at all. I did feel some connection with the characters. great characters.
Even though the romance was slow, I enjoyed the development. It was an amazing slow romance, and I like that.
February 2, 2021
The back cover synopsis of this book is impressively incorrect and does monumental disservice to the lovely Jane Mendoza with the statement ‘Everything’s perfect until Izzy tells her she’s bipolar and Jane leaves her, claiming the dreaded “It’s not you, it’s me."’
Read the full review @ https://bestlesficreviews.blogspot.co...
Read the full review @ https://bestlesficreviews.blogspot.co...
December 8, 2019
No experience required
I really got engrossed in this novel; the transition through the plot is absorbing, going from what seems like a cookie cutter introduction the story evolves and develops into something deeper and real. Definitely a book I can recommend.
I really got engrossed in this novel; the transition through the plot is absorbing, going from what seems like a cookie cutter introduction the story evolves and develops into something deeper and real. Definitely a book I can recommend.
December 19, 2022
First of all, I want to say the synopsis is not quite accurate. I normally don't read synopsis in advance nor read reviews of books newly pubicated but after reading them almost always go for the explanation that the publisher has chosen for sell us the book. And in this case is not even close to the real thing. I was wondering how I could review this book without disclosing much of the important matters and to my surprise the fact that Izzy has a bipolar disorder is front showed as a major issue. And sure it''s a big thing but Jane also has of their own and perhaps more factoring in the story itself.
Without knowing anything about Izzy condition, the book starts and follows a path pretty joyful about how Izzy's friends dare her to writte a book about how to find true love, because she is the to-go girl for counseling about relationship issues, even though she has never had fruitful relationships.
And with the pretext of writing the guide, at the end of each chapter, there is a kind of explanation that merges general concepts of the different phases of building a relationship with Lizzy's own experiences, which she has in need of the research for the book. Some of these final summaries have been of little interest for me, when Lizzy and Jane story goes growing I wanted to know the real thing, not the theory of things.
And of course, Lizzy’s bipolar disorder influences the story but as I have already said is not the center or bigger part of the ending result. And said condition plus several other things makes the book not joyful anymore.
But overall, I think it has a lot of interesting things so those who like good romantic stories will enjoy it a lot as I’ve done.
An advanced reading copy has been sent to me by the publisher Bold Strokes Books through Netgalley for my honest review
Without knowing anything about Izzy condition, the book starts and follows a path pretty joyful about how Izzy's friends dare her to writte a book about how to find true love, because she is the to-go girl for counseling about relationship issues, even though she has never had fruitful relationships.
And with the pretext of writing the guide, at the end of each chapter, there is a kind of explanation that merges general concepts of the different phases of building a relationship with Lizzy's own experiences, which she has in need of the research for the book. Some of these final summaries have been of little interest for me, when Lizzy and Jane story goes growing I wanted to know the real thing, not the theory of things.
And of course, Lizzy’s bipolar disorder influences the story but as I have already said is not the center or bigger part of the ending result. And said condition plus several other things makes the book not joyful anymore.
But overall, I think it has a lot of interesting things so those who like good romantic stories will enjoy it a lot as I’ve done.
An advanced reading copy has been sent to me by the publisher Bold Strokes Books through Netgalley for my honest review
May 10, 2020
I enjoyed this story. Bipolar Izzy decides to write a guidebook about relationships after being encouraged by her friends. It seems Izzy has a talent for giving useful love advice to her friends but has no real experience herself. She is in her mid-forties and has decided she will never be in a relationship because (1)Izzy fell apart after a lover left her when she was younger and does not want to repeat that (2)she also thinks no one would want her because of her disorder. Then Jane enters Izzy's life, and she wants to give the relationship a go. I have to say they are an adorable couple. Each one is struggling with baggage that needs to be shared, and they are perfect for each other. I found the characters genuine. The family dynamics are reflective of real-life, one supportive, the other abusive. I loved the ending. It made me happy and hopeful about Izzy and Jane and their bright future. Even though the book deals with some weighty issues, overall, the book is sweet and humorous. I especially liked how Izzy’s spot-on love advice was dispersed throughout the book, highlighting each step she took in her love life. Lastly, I would love a future story about the secondary character Audie. She was intriguing.
September 8, 2022
I'm not sure how to express how difficult this was to get through. Not because it was slow or anything like that. You see, I'm bipolar and this book did a more than adequate job of portraying this particular form of neural divergence. The ups and downs. The fact that on some meds you are nothing more than a shell of yourself. How chaotic it is to go through an adjustment period to get on the right meds.
How chaotic just being bipolar is. Then add the difficulties of a relationship into the mix... This is a very good book and worth the read.
How chaotic just being bipolar is. Then add the difficulties of a relationship into the mix... This is a very good book and worth the read.
February 13, 2021
As life in general in 2020 and 2021 has been stressful, I find myself turning to comfort reads. Lesbian romances fit that bill for me. The author of this book writes well and gives very good descriptions of the emotions of the characters. The main character has Bipolar Disorder and has done the work to heal herself and learn to cope with it. She also has closed her heart to any chance at live because the break up of her first love is when her Bipolar Disorder manifested itself. I liked the characters in this book. I enjoyed that it was almost a book within a book because the main character starts writing a book. Overall I enjoyed the story and also learned a lot as well. I do recommend this book.
April 14, 2020
This book is a must read. The way Kim weaves a love story into the struggles of being bipolar is brilliant! I have such a better understanding of bipolarism and the difficulties those afflicted with this disorder face on a day-to-day basis. Anyone can find love... especially if you're willing to show up openly and honestly!
November 19, 2019
No Experience Required by Kimberly Cooper Griffin is a contemporary romance. Izzy Treadway has a reputation as a love guru. She knows exactly what ignites the spark for others, but she has no desire to find love herself. You see, Izzy’s bipolar and not only fears being seen as damaged goods but is terrified that if anything goes wrong, it might just send her back to the hospital. Nevertheless, her best friend decides Izzy’s the perfect person to write The Idiot’s Guide to Love. While researching and writing the book, Izzy finds herself falling for Jane Mendoza, the new intern at work. Everything’s perfect until Izzy tells her she’s bipolar and Jane leaves her, claiming the dreaded “It’s not you, it’s me." Izzy’s devastated, but heartbreak teaches her she’s stronger than she gives herself credit for. As Izzy and Jane learn their pasts don’t define their future, they’ll need to get out of their own way to discover love can overcome any obstacle.
No Experience Required is full of realistic, multidimensional characters. Izzy is dealing with her disorder the best way she knows how, which includes keeping herself at least partly walled off from others. Jane has her own issues, and I found their connection and path towards each other to be very organic and believable. I found both characters to be likable and relatable in their own way. I liked the honest and straightforward way that bipolar disorder was discussed, and I feel like I understand how those with the disorder feel a little bit more than I had before. I think that so much of this book is relatable to readers in different ways, and can help us all stop and think about others and the bigger picture a bit more. Even if readers do not know anyone with bipolar disorder, or are not in a same sex relationship, the matters at the heart of the story are universal. I liked the framing of the story between sections if the book Izzy was writing, and found that it brought everything together, and had me anticipating some of the upcoming issues that they would need to address. I also thought that the advice she was writing was on point, and what I would try to encourage others to take to heart. It was also nice to see slightly older main characters, which I could relate to more on the life experience level.
No Experience Required is a well written and engaging book. I thought the issues of dating advice and mental health were very well handled, and I honestly would love to see more from all the characters in the book. I will be reading more from the author.
No Experience Required is full of realistic, multidimensional characters. Izzy is dealing with her disorder the best way she knows how, which includes keeping herself at least partly walled off from others. Jane has her own issues, and I found their connection and path towards each other to be very organic and believable. I found both characters to be likable and relatable in their own way. I liked the honest and straightforward way that bipolar disorder was discussed, and I feel like I understand how those with the disorder feel a little bit more than I had before. I think that so much of this book is relatable to readers in different ways, and can help us all stop and think about others and the bigger picture a bit more. Even if readers do not know anyone with bipolar disorder, or are not in a same sex relationship, the matters at the heart of the story are universal. I liked the framing of the story between sections if the book Izzy was writing, and found that it brought everything together, and had me anticipating some of the upcoming issues that they would need to address. I also thought that the advice she was writing was on point, and what I would try to encourage others to take to heart. It was also nice to see slightly older main characters, which I could relate to more on the life experience level.
No Experience Required is a well written and engaging book. I thought the issues of dating advice and mental health were very well handled, and I honestly would love to see more from all the characters in the book. I will be reading more from the author.
November 22, 2019
This had a sorta interesting idea of a book in a book. The book that Izzy (our love guru) is writing is shown in short chapterers between the story of Jane and Izzy. It helps you give some insight in Izzy's reasoning and are slightly ironic written which makes for a smile or two. For some reason I seem to not really know how to review this book, it was well written but didn't grab my attention or affect me in any way. The romance started out okay but too much focus was on the not telling about the bi-polar condition and when it does come out everything is so neatly resolved (as are Jane's family issues) in a really short time that the very long build up leads to a feeling of a rushed ending. But again, not a bad written book at all so don't let this review stop you from checking it out yourself.
November 3, 2019
Izzy is a technical writer who has bipolar disorder. She’s really good at giving relationship advice to her friends even though she doesn’t do relationships herself. Her best friend suggests her to write a book about love and Izzy reluctantly agrees and her journey begins. It was a fun and well written book. I liked the main character, she was well developed and interesting but I had trouble connecting with her love interest, Jane. I wanted to know her better, read what she was thinking. I prefer dual pov when it comes to romance books.
ARC provided by both NetGalley and The Publisher in exchange for an unbiased review
ARC provided by both NetGalley and The Publisher in exchange for an unbiased review
June 8, 2022
This started off really slow. I felt that Izzy and Jane's character was more physical than anything else. As someone who has bipolar, I appreciated some of the accurate portrayals of the disorder. There were a couple that were off for me. Overall, I just didn't mesh with the characters and story.
October 27, 2019
3 stars |
June 20, 2020
Overall, I enjoyed this book. The biggest downfall of It was really just the naivety of the main character. She is supposed to be in her forties, but honesty...came across like a recent post-college grad.
I appreciated the inclusion of the bipolar disorder. My Grandmother struggled as bipolar most of her life and unfortunately her poor medicating really alienated her from me at the end of her life. Knowing what the disorder does, the case represented in this book doesn’t feel super accurate either. But, everyone has different experiences, I suppose.
I appreciated the inclusion of the bipolar disorder. My Grandmother struggled as bipolar most of her life and unfortunately her poor medicating really alienated her from me at the end of her life. Knowing what the disorder does, the case represented in this book doesn’t feel super accurate either. But, everyone has different experiences, I suppose.
October 20, 2019
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I need to start off by mentioning the branding for No Experience Required is totally off. Let's talk about the blurb first. I read through it a little while back, and didn't bother to do so again before starting the read. But as certain moments in the narrative unfolded, I was left a little confused to find things didn't add up. I found myself returning to the blurb, to double check I hadn't imagined reading it, or misread it altogether. I was reassured, but again confused, to find it as I remembered it. I was more reassured to find that the general consensus is that the blurb is misleading. I won't go into too-specific details, because I don't want to give too much away, but if you;re looking to pick up No Experience Required, take the synopsis with a pinch of salt.
My second issue with the branding is that the cover just doesn't really fit, in my opinion. I appreciate the nods towards An Idiots Guide to Love, and I think the colour palette is fresh and different, but that's about it. I'm sure a lot of it is down to making the cover marketable, but the model doesn't match up with the protagonist which is disappointing. The main problem there is that Izzy is supposed to be 47, and everything about this cover screams 'college' to me.
I suppose though, I can forgive whoever was in charge of cover design, because anyone who's actually read No Experience Required could testify to the fact that Izzy acts her age.. never. Honestly this bothered me more than it should have, because for the longest time I thought it was going to be an important part of the narrative, but ultimately she just acts immature throughout the novel for no definable reason. I think it's one of the main reasons I struggled to connect with Izzy. It was very bizarre to read about a character over twice my own age acting in a way that even I found immature.
I'm overall really disappointed with this one, because I went in very excited. The first few chapters were exciting, and I liked the initial moments between Izzy and Jane. I liked the banter between Izzy and her friends/colleagues, and I was excited to see if she'd be a bit of a modern take on Austen's Emma. Unfortunately no, and I think that only added to my disappointment, although that's on me for going i with certain expectations.
The writing is generally good, but I think the novel needs another round of editing, to really decide what sections are really necessary for the book to work and also keep the reader engaged. Currently I think it has a few issues, especially in terms of some form choices. Its an interesting idea to have sections of An Idiots Guide to Love interspersed withing the novel, which in parts definitely adds to the story. Unfortunately, I think as it stands currently, it overwhelms the narrative, and honestly those sections left me feeling less engaged. I read a couple reviews where people mentioned skimming them, and I have to admit that I found myself doing the same.
I'd be interested to see more from Kimberly Cooper Griffin, because as I mentioned, her writing is overall enjoyable! I think here it was just a little overwhelmed by the plot and serious matters at hand at times. No Experience Required fell short for me, but I can see there's potential in the book, and even moreso in the author's writing itself!
Thank you again to author and publisher for providing an ARC e-copy for honest review.
I need to start off by mentioning the branding for No Experience Required is totally off. Let's talk about the blurb first. I read through it a little while back, and didn't bother to do so again before starting the read. But as certain moments in the narrative unfolded, I was left a little confused to find things didn't add up. I found myself returning to the blurb, to double check I hadn't imagined reading it, or misread it altogether. I was reassured, but again confused, to find it as I remembered it. I was more reassured to find that the general consensus is that the blurb is misleading. I won't go into too-specific details, because I don't want to give too much away, but if you;re looking to pick up No Experience Required, take the synopsis with a pinch of salt.My second issue with the branding is that the cover just doesn't really fit, in my opinion. I appreciate the nods towards An Idiots Guide to Love, and I think the colour palette is fresh and different, but that's about it. I'm sure a lot of it is down to making the cover marketable, but the model doesn't match up with the protagonist which is disappointing. The main problem there is that Izzy is supposed to be 47, and everything about this cover screams 'college' to me.
I suppose though, I can forgive whoever was in charge of cover design, because anyone who's actually read No Experience Required could testify to the fact that Izzy acts her age.. never. Honestly this bothered me more than it should have, because for the longest time I thought it was going to be an important part of the narrative, but ultimately she just acts immature throughout the novel for no definable reason. I think it's one of the main reasons I struggled to connect with Izzy. It was very bizarre to read about a character over twice my own age acting in a way that even I found immature.
I'm overall really disappointed with this one, because I went in very excited. The first few chapters were exciting, and I liked the initial moments between Izzy and Jane. I liked the banter between Izzy and her friends/colleagues, and I was excited to see if she'd be a bit of a modern take on Austen's Emma. Unfortunately no, and I think that only added to my disappointment, although that's on me for going i with certain expectations.
The writing is generally good, but I think the novel needs another round of editing, to really decide what sections are really necessary for the book to work and also keep the reader engaged. Currently I think it has a few issues, especially in terms of some form choices. Its an interesting idea to have sections of An Idiots Guide to Love interspersed withing the novel, which in parts definitely adds to the story. Unfortunately, I think as it stands currently, it overwhelms the narrative, and honestly those sections left me feeling less engaged. I read a couple reviews where people mentioned skimming them, and I have to admit that I found myself doing the same.
I'd be interested to see more from Kimberly Cooper Griffin, because as I mentioned, her writing is overall enjoyable! I think here it was just a little overwhelmed by the plot and serious matters at hand at times. No Experience Required fell short for me, but I can see there's potential in the book, and even moreso in the author's writing itself!
Thank you again to author and publisher for providing an ARC e-copy for honest review.
October 18, 2019
I was really excited to read this one! The beginning of the book really drew me in and I was ready to fall in love with another book...but that didn’t happen. Honestly, it might just be my own personal issue, but I had a hard time connecting with and enjoying the romantic relationship once it started...
The foundation of the romance seemed to be more physical and lust filled. I love a romance when the two have a deeper connection and solid foundation before the physical side starts. Totally my preference though.
I was surprised to see that the main character was older. She seemed younger...her inner and outer dialogue reflected that. It wasn’t a bad thing...just surprising.
Overall, the descriptions in the story took me there and I was easily able to see myself there in the moment. The plot was good, I enjoyed the book within a book aspect. I also had no issues with the main character’s mental health. There were some uncomfortable moments for me, but for the most part I would say it’s a good book. Was I totally satisfied? No. But I’d be willing to give it another go in the future...maybe then...
I will definitely check out more books by this author, this was the first book I’ve read from her!
*Thank you Bold Strokes for providing this ebook in exchange for my personal review
The foundation of the romance seemed to be more physical and lust filled. I love a romance when the two have a deeper connection and solid foundation before the physical side starts. Totally my preference though.
I was surprised to see that the main character was older. She seemed younger...her inner and outer dialogue reflected that. It wasn’t a bad thing...just surprising.
Overall, the descriptions in the story took me there and I was easily able to see myself there in the moment. The plot was good, I enjoyed the book within a book aspect. I also had no issues with the main character’s mental health. There were some uncomfortable moments for me, but for the most part I would say it’s a good book. Was I totally satisfied? No. But I’d be willing to give it another go in the future...maybe then...
I will definitely check out more books by this author, this was the first book I’ve read from her!
*Thank you Bold Strokes for providing this ebook in exchange for my personal review
November 5, 2019
Izzy Treadway has a reputation for providing awesome advice for her friends on relationships and has, according to herself, 100% success rate so when her friend suggests she write a book she decides to follow the suggestion . Jane Mendoza is the new intern at work who doesn't date her coworkers, Izzy is smitten but she has sworn off dating as she is bipolar and believes this has contributed to her lack of success in relationships . So starts the beginnings of their interesting relationship.
Both main characters had their issues, Izzy with her bipolar condition and Jane with being physically abused and kudos to the author for addressing these. However I really struggled with how Izzy took so long to declare her condition to Jane, I know it shouldn't be a defining factor in a relationship but isn't omission being dishonest?
The other issue I had was that Jane suffered physical and emotional abuse from her father yet surprisingly still seemed to provide care for her parents, particularly her father and this didn't sit well with me.
Having said that I liked the way this book was written and also liked the general storyline. I would definitely read another book from this author again.
Both main characters had their issues, Izzy with her bipolar condition and Jane with being physically abused and kudos to the author for addressing these. However I really struggled with how Izzy took so long to declare her condition to Jane, I know it shouldn't be a defining factor in a relationship but isn't omission being dishonest?
The other issue I had was that Jane suffered physical and emotional abuse from her father yet surprisingly still seemed to provide care for her parents, particularly her father and this didn't sit well with me.
Having said that I liked the way this book was written and also liked the general storyline. I would definitely read another book from this author again.
November 7, 2019
I received a digital advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I am absolutely obsessed with female on female romantic contemporary books. Being bisexual, I feel we do not get enough of these stories nor are they advertised as being female on female romance. I loved this story though.
I loved Jane and Izzy, you can see how they have grown from their past circumstances and how it has shaped their views of themselves and the world. This book is heavy on the romance but I didn’t seem to mind it.
I felt Izzy was so relatable. I am terrible at reading signs too so that really struck a chord for me. I did feel a bit confused by the cover art of this book. I am guessing the girl on the cover is meant to be Izzy. If that is Izzy, then man she ages well. The cover to me looks like a YA novel rather than being a lesbian rom com about a woman in her forties.
I did love the overall pacing of this story. It was well written and a good read. Thank you so much to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to review this novel.
I am absolutely obsessed with female on female romantic contemporary books. Being bisexual, I feel we do not get enough of these stories nor are they advertised as being female on female romance. I loved this story though.
I loved Jane and Izzy, you can see how they have grown from their past circumstances and how it has shaped their views of themselves and the world. This book is heavy on the romance but I didn’t seem to mind it.
I felt Izzy was so relatable. I am terrible at reading signs too so that really struck a chord for me. I did feel a bit confused by the cover art of this book. I am guessing the girl on the cover is meant to be Izzy. If that is Izzy, then man she ages well. The cover to me looks like a YA novel rather than being a lesbian rom com about a woman in her forties.
I did love the overall pacing of this story. It was well written and a good read. Thank you so much to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to review this novel.
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