Good Catch

Harper Landing #2

by Jennifer Bardsley

Former ballerina Marlo Jonas has all the right moves—except when it comes to men. Her latest boyfriend? A cheater. In the wake of her breakup, her father has a novel idea for her: try dating men for who they are and not how they look. This makes it easy to ignore her hot nemesis, Seattle Times reporter Ben Wexler-Lowrey.

Ben’s take on romance means spending time with interesting women whose personalities might sparkle more than their looks dazzle. But Ben’s mother thinks he can fare better. He’s never tried online dating before, but what could be the harm in putting himself out there?

As Marlo and Ben both suffer through a series of hilariously awkward dates, they’re left feeling empty. Marlo needs someone empathetic enough to soothe her past hurt. Ben needs someone who truly sees him for the man he is.

These enemies love to loathe one another; could that mean Marlo and Ben are foes in love?

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Chick Lit, Adult, Fiction, Enemies To Lovers, Contemporary Romance

268 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 5, 2021

About the author

Jennifer Bardsley believes in friendship, true love, and the everlasting power of books. A graduate of Stanford University, she lives in Edmonds, Washington with her husband and two children. Jennifer’s “I Brake for Moms” column has appeared in The Everett Herald every week since 2012. She also writes Young Adult Paranormal Romance under the pen name Louise Cypress. When she’s not writing books, or camping with her Girl Scout troop, you can find Jennifer walking from her house to the beach every chance she gets.

Reviews

[Syndi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Catch is a sweet romance with a small town backgroung. I read so many small town romance over the past years, but not as satisfying as Good Catch.

Miss Barsdsley done a wonderful job bringing many aspect of small town romance into a second chance romance for Malow and Ben. Marlow and Ben are two characters coming from different background. And yet when they click, they made Harper Landing lits with fire.

There are a lot of cute, sweet, honest conversation between Marlow and Ben. The secondary characters also play importsnt role in the story.

Overall a very enjoyabld read.

4 stars

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I genuinely loved this story. I feel like it could be the perfect Hallmark movie. I’m always a fan of enemies to lovers, and this book did not disappoint. The love interest is absolute perfection and quickly turned into my favorite and my top choice for Marlo! If you’re a fan of feel good romance stories with quirky exes and a beautiful plot line, then this is the book for you!

[Tahera · Rating 4 out of 5]

We are back at Harper Landing and this time we follow a new couple, Marlo and Ben, navigate the complex world of dating and finding true, everlasting love. Both are frenemies with different outlooks on the idea of the perfect partner and have nothing much in common except for a respective history of failed relationships--Marlo has just ended a long relationship with her cheating boyfriend while Ben's previous experiences can be described as 'interesting' at best. Both their parents place bets with them to challenge their dating life and this results in their foray into online dating via 'Good Catch', an online dating site. Marlo and Ben keep bumping into each other while on their dates with other people and in the process get to know each other better with a new understanding about their personal struggles, ambitions and hopes.

I overall liked reading the book but I have to admit I didn't warm up to Marlo the way I did with Julia Harper in the first book. Ben is cute and more likeable of the two. There is another thing I noticed: the male protagonists in both the books suffer from a condition (Aaron has paleo while Ben is dyslexic) and it is refreshing to see both of them use their condition to build a healthy and successful life and career around it.

I received an e-Arc of the book by the publisher Montlake and the author Jennifer Bardsley via NetGalley.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐✨💫

[Sophie's Reading Corner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since I had really enjoyed Sweet Bliss, I was really excited to read Good Catch by this author too. The small town feeling I'm getting from the Harper Landing books, remind me why I really love small town romances. The feeling of the united community, it's just like the village life here.

This was a really sweet story, with slow burn and a few laugh out loud moments. I really loved Ben and I can relate with his character. Marlo was also a lovely character and I enjoyed their slow burn romance.

My only issue with the book was that it was too slow, as the biggest percentage of the book was about them trying the Good Catch app and going on dates with other people, instead of getting to see them together. I felt like I needed more romance or scenes with them getting closer.

Overall, it was a really nice and heartwarming story that I really enjoyed and I'm looking forward to reading more books by this author.

[Steffi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nachdem mir der erste Teil der Harper Landing Reihe sehr gut gefallen hat, war ich sehr gespannt auf den zweiten Teil. Leider muss ich jedoch sagen, dass mir dieser nicht ganz so gut gefallen hat.

Ich bin leider nie so richtig in der Geschichte angekommen und auch die Charaktere sind mir über das gesamte Buch irgendwie fremd geblieben. Marlo und Ben waren zwar grundsätzlich nicht unsympathisch, aber mir fehlten die Funken und die Chemie zwischen den beiden. Die Liebesgeschichte wirkte auf mich leider sehr erzwungen.

Die Handlung war mir leider zu durcheinander und konfus, so dass ich den Sprüngen in der Geschichte nicht immer folgen konnte. Auch fand ich die unterschiedlichen Dates der Charaktere mit anderen Personen irgendwie sehr anstrengend.

Die Wohlfühlatmosphäre des Ortes Harper Landing kam hier leider ebenfalls nicht wirklich durch.

[Pavlina Read more sleep less blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 STARS

Omg I love this series, and this one was fantastic.If you like sweet romances with slow burn and great characters this is for you.Marlo and Ben make me swoon.I love them so much they make me smile so much.

They have known each other since kindergarten.They have a history these two and not the best . They decide and use an app for dating and throughout some akward dates they keep running into each other.

It has a little bit of everything enemies to lovers, slow burn,small townromance and sweet perfect for this period.

 

  

[Michelle Claypot_Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a sweet, feel good read. Marlo & Ben have been arch enemies since school and definitely had no plans on changing that. Interfering parents cause some havoc and a cute enemies to lovers romance is born. I really enjoyed this small town cute read.

I received an arc of this book.

[LianaReads blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good catch is the second book in the series and after reading Sweet bliss , I wanted so much to see where the author will take this world that she build. It gives me such a cozy little comfort feeling while imagining myself in Harper Landing.
A slow burn romance full of interesting banter and so many laugh out loud moments, an enemies to lovers story that fulfilled my craving heart in every aspect.
I loved it and if you want to read a romance book, this is a must read for sure.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.0 stars. Romance with a quirky oddball cast of characters. Ok read, but the first book had better flow.

[Karine · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF

*English review below*

Je ne suis habituellement pas une fan des "small town romance".
Ni des personnages principaux qui, majoritairement, ne font que se plaindre.
Et encore moins des parents qui se mêlent de la vie privée de leur enfant dans la vingtaine.
Oh! Je ne raffole pas non plus de la narration à la 3e personne

Eh bien tous ces ingrédients sont réunis dans ce livre, ce qui fait que le mélange n'est pas fameux pour moi. J'ai bien tenté de passer par-dessous tous ces petits irritants, mais.... non. Je n'arrivais pas à apprécier le livre.

ENGLISH REVIEW :
I'm usually not a fan of "small town romance".
Nor the main characters who, for the most part, only complain.
And even less parents who meddle in the private life of their child in their twenties.
Oh! I'm not fond of 3rd person narration either.

Well, all of those ingredients are in this book, so the mix isn't great for me. I tried to go over all these little irritants, but... no. I couldn't enjoy the book.

[Born To Read · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received a free copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Marlo and Ben have known each other since they were kids. But they are not friends. Nuh-huh.
After their parents' insistence they try to date new people, Marlo will try to date not so handsome men and Ben will try to date a little more glamorous women.
That's how Ben decided to join Good Catch, a dating app.
It's a story about the different dates both of them have with the wrong people. And how they start to discover that they don't really hate each other anymore.
Honestly, I couldn't finish it. It was too slow. I tried, but there was a moment I thought I was wasting my time. Sorry...

[Krystal - nerdy_book_lover_1987 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved being back in Harper Landing this time with Ben and Marlo. Watching them two go through some weird and awful dates was quite entertaining and well worth it in the end. Such a cute and fun story that I recommend everyone to pick up at some point.

[Shia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quieter version of an enemies to lovers trope and without all the angst. Personally I love steamy chemistry and angst and verbal spars and this kind of drifted away from all of that. But as expected for a small town romance.

DNF at 40%

[Shelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

The characters seemed so immature & kept talking about how broke they were. It really took away from the story.

[J.J. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disliked a lot of the characters who were also complaining about things and never actually doing anything. Took way longer than usual to get through this because I didn’t enjoy the people.

[carly · Rating 2 out of 5]

So this is what it’s like to watch a Hallmark movie.

[The Reading Devil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Check out my review on my blog: http://thereadingdevil.blogspot.com/2...

Or read below!

We are back in Harper's Landing with this second installment to the Harper Landing series! This is definitely a series that can be read out of order - you'll just see characters from the first book pop up a couple of times!

This time we are following two new characters - Marlo and Ben. Once again, I really enjoy Jennifer's writing style for this book. Her descriptions and world-building are on point and her character interactions are genuine and relatable. I absolutely love small town stories, especially small town romances, so I was excited to read more about the residents of this charming town! Marlo was a sweet, honest girl slowly trying to overcome a past injury and the physical and mental toll that it took on her. Ben was a delightful gentleman - very helpful and down to earth. I thought the two of them made a very cute match!

While I did love the hilarity of seeing these two on other dates and the ripple effect of disasters that they each caused, I found a few things were sort of left as loose ends. Brittany for example, and her whole fiasco - I would have loved to heat what, if anything, happened to her afterwards. In the end, I was happy with the book and loved the feel-good vibe it brought me. Overall, this was a quick, sweet read and I can't wait to see what happens next in Harper's Landing!

[Janet | purrfectpages · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marlo Jonas is a former ballerina, sidelined by an injury years ago. Floundering ever since, she teaches Pilates at her parents club. But the job is taking its toll mentally, as well as physically.
Adding insult to injury, literally- is the fact that Marlo just discovered her boyfriend was cheating on her. This is when her father proposes she tries dating a different type of guy.

At the same time we meet reporter, Ben Wexler-Lowrey. He also is having less than stellar luck professionally as well as personally. And he also just happens to have a parent who suggests he date a different type of woman. So they both join the dating app, Good Catch, just to test the waters.

They go on a few not so great dates, but since Ben and Marlo have been “enemies” since kindergarten they could never be a good romantic match, could they?

This was a sweet story that you can read in one sitting. It’s full of small town charm, interesting supporting characters, and some laugh out loud moments. So if you’re needing your fix of a Hallmark movie type of fall romance, Good Catch just might be the read for you!

[Emma Szalai · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This was a cute, quick read with a small town romance at the center (which I'm a sucker for). The main characters of Marlo and Ben had good chemistry and I liked the enemies to lovers feel the story took on.

There was some level of "is this too-much" for me in terms of some of the dates/exes, especially Goldie and Brittany. Because one, Goldie is an ex of Ben's that really didn't feel useful to the plot at all (and the marginal humour she brought to the story felt forced) and whatever weird scheme Brittany was doing just seemed childish and also never got resolved.

What I thought was refreshing, however, was that there was no last-third breakup scene. I liked that once they got together, the characters stayed together!

I received an eARC from Netgalley of this story in exchange for an honest review.

[Kim Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This sweet small town romance is the second book in the Harper Landing series, but also works as a standalone novel.

Although it is billed as an enemies-to-lovers book, let me just say that it is the kindest example that I have ever read. That kindness carries through the entire book, making this town a very welcoming place for the reader! The town is described so well and lovingly that I really think it counts as a character. I might be biased as I live adjacent to the area that inspired the town, but that does mean that I can vouch for the authenticity of setting. I recommend this if you enjoy Virgin River/ other small town romances, like books set in the PNW, and /or prefer non-steamy romance books.

[Lyndsey Bookish Nature · Rating 3 out of 5]

~~~ I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ~~~

Good Catch is the second book in the Harper Landing series (I did read the first) that takes place outside Seattle. This is the story of Ben and Marlo, who both have some leftover resentments against each other from their school days. Marlo and Ben both join the local dating app "Good Catch" in search of love- and each go on dates with a variety of interesting characters before finding their way to each other.
The general themes of this book are love, forgiveness, and friendship.
I'd categorize this book as a light-hearted Rom-Com. It was sweet and cute, with some laughable moments, but it wasn't stellar. If you're looking for a quick vacation read, Good Catch would be like a fish-on (lol)!

[Stacey Herondale · Rating 4 out of 5]

“You’ve got to be bold to get what you want.”

Marlo and Ben were childhood enemies. Fast forward to a few years later. As they both spend more time together, sparks fly and they can’t seem to get enough of each other.

I did not how much I missed Harper Landing until I read this book; It feels so good to be back in this place! Ben and Marlo’s love story is short but sweet. Individually, I love how they are both good-hearted, passionate, and humorous characters. I enjoyed reading their funny banters and their heart-to-heart conversations; it made my heart go fuzzy. The storyline, plot structure, and character growth in the story were pretty good. Although the story pacing on the first few chapters felt moderately slow, the later part made up for it.

I am glad that I got the opportunity to read both Sweet Bliss and Good Catch because they are the exact definition of hidden gems! If you are into a small town and feel-good romance, then you will surely love this one!

[KC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Catch, and its prequel, Sweet Bliss are set in the fictional Puget Sound town of Harper Landing. Marlo, a former ballerina, and Ben, a Seattle Times journalist, are childhood enemies brought together as adults through a bet about dating, family business issues and small town drama. Although they're both trying to get back in the dating game through an app, Good Catch, Ben and Marlo spend more and more time together trying to help their families' struggling businesses.

Both this and Sweet Bliss are light, fun, clean romances. I love a good small town romance and these have tons of good characters and town antics to keep the interest going while the romance builds. I enjoyed the Fall vibes and the character depth with dyslexia representation and coping with career-ending injuries. It's a shorter read. As a Puget Sound resident, I loved all the local details.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the e-arc. All opinions are my own.

[Sandra Fritz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marlo arbeitet im Fitnessstudio ihrer Eltern in Harper Landing, seitdem sie nach einem Unfall ihre Ballettkarriere beenden musste!Dann trifft sie wieder ihren liebsten Feind seit der Vorschule,Ben, denJournalisten!Auch Ben ist immer noch sauer auf sie, da sie ihn aufgrund seiner Legasthenie immer von oben herab behandelt hatte!Und Ben hatte Marlo auch immer dumm behandelt!Dann gehen beide mit ihren Eltern eine Wette ein!Marlo soll bis Silvester einen tollen Partner finden, den sie nicht sonderlich attraktiv finden würde und Ben muss bis dahin eine Partnerin daten, die nicht so stark unter seinem Niveau ist, wie seine bisherigen Freundinnen!Dann passiert es und beide melden sich parallel auf der neuen Datingapp Good Catch an und sie bekommen den jeweils Anderen als potentiellen Partner herausgesucht!Werden es beide schaffen über ihre Differenzen hinwegzusehen und andere Gefühle zuzulassen?Ein wunderschöner Kleinstadtliebesroman mit zwei ganz und gar nicht perfekten Protagonisten, der uns alle wieder in unsere eigene Schulzeit und zu den Schwärmereien zurückkatapultiert und uns zeigt, dass die kleinen Streitereien und Kabbeleien nach einigen Jahren an Bedeutung verlieren!Toll geschriebener Roman, durch den ich förmlich hindurchgeflogen bin!Ein Pageturner!Absolute Leseempfehlung!

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this enemies to lovers book to be charming. It’s not typically my favorite trope, but the enemies part was really based on being rivals while growing up.

Marlo has always been a ballerina- her career was well on its way when it was ended by an unfortunate injury. She back home teaching classes in her families fitness studio. Ben always wanted to be a reporter. He has his dream job. But it barely pays the bills. He’s sharing a house with friends in his hometown.

Ben and Marlo (and their parents) are seated together at a wedding (book one!!) and the topic turns to their dating life… or lack thereof. Both accept a dare of sorts to get their dating lives going.

Then they keep running into each other. And, are those Sparks?

I loved the gentle tone of this book. I also enjoyed Ben and Marlowe’s evolving relationship. This is a great small town to get to know and the side characters were equally engaging.

Thanks to the author for a copy of this book in exchange fro an honest review.

[Sarah Bowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this small town romance between two enemies that become slowly more over time. While I wouldn't exactly classify Ben and Marlo as enemies (more as when they were young, they made bad assumptions of each other but it's forgivable once it's talked about)

Marlo seems to be at first the rich girl that gets everything she wants and has it easy. But as you read , you see the struggles she and her parents are going through with their althletic club.

Ben is a reporter with dyslexia. He lives from paycheck to paycheck from his job and supplements his money when he can work for his parents at their bakery.

When they both sign up on Good Catch, a dating app, to appease their parents for looking who to date.... You get to see a lot of hilarious (and one very horrible turns into all disaster later) dates they go on before they take a chance on each other.

From Ben's exes appearing (and some are 😳) to turning and to see Marlo's parents making out again, this book is funny.

[Sonya Wasden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marlo is a former ballerina whose career ended in a devastating injury. She is back in Harper Landing working for her parents at their health club. She is grateful but really satisfied with the direction her life is headed right now. She wants more and she wants to find a way to keep their business in the black.

Ben is a reporter for the Seattle Times. His dating life is interesting, to say the least. He tends to date those who are odd, different or crazy. He is convinced to try a new dating app called "Good Catch". His first date with Brittany is a disaster.

Marlo and Ben know each other from grade school. They were enemies then and, now as adults, they still are. Their frenemies relationship becomes more friend like with the possibility of more?

This is a fun, small town story with a few quirky characters with a happy ending. I was given an arc copy of this book and I willingly offer my honest review.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Catch by Jennifer Bardsley is a sweet and quick read. Marlo Jonas has returned to her hometown after an injury that ended her career as a professional dancer and is working at her parents fitness studio. Ben Wexler-Lowry is a reporter, who loves his job. They both experience a series of dating disasters, which provide them with some common ground. Marlo and Ben have been arch enemies since kindergarten, but this book ends up showing how misunderstandings and assumptions can really get in the way.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

[Lauryn Christensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC :) I was anxious to get to book 2 after reading Sweet Bliss. I enjoyed this book and it gave me all the Hallmark Movie vibes my heart enjoys in a book as I turned the pages… Marlo and Ben have all the quirkiness of a fun and charming romance. Some parts moved a little slow, but I still enjoyed the book and will continue to keep an eye out for more books by the author. A perfect second book to pick up when needing lighthearted pages to escape in.

[Amanda253reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Catch

It reminds me of a hallmark movie mixed with the wholeness of Virgin River! I feel like being a Washingtonian and married to a Boeing Engineer that I would fit in with Ben and Marlos friend group!