Compared

The Sweet Rom"Com" #1

by Kortney Keisel

Meg

Confession: I'm attracted to my student's dad. Let me give you Tyler Dixon's resume: thoughtful, manly, father of the year, widower, ridiculously attractive (basically the opposite of a dad bod).

This might sound like good news for someone like me—someone who dreams of getting married and becoming a mom—but it's not. Getting involved with a parent is grounds for immediate removal at my school, and right now, my fragile heart can't handle being fired. My mom just died. My boyfriend broke up with me, and to top it all off, my dad started dating again. Stable employment is the only good thing I have. Risking my job and my heart is the most foolish thing I could do.

Tyler

Being a widower isn't like the movies. There's not a block of women knocking on my door, bringing me casseroles every day. No, real life is work, laundry, and groceries—all while being both the mom and the dad. I'm pretty much failing at this single-parent thing. I don't have time to date. Which is good since the only woman I'm interested in keeps pushing me away: Miss Johnson. Emphasis on the Miss—as in, my son's teacher. It's hard to convince a woman to go out with you when she'll get fired. But it's either pursuing Meg, despite her job, or the never-ending depths of loneliness—no big deal.

Compared is a witty, heartfelt rom-com with a teacher/parent romance, an irresistible single dad, and swoony chemistry that will have you rooting for a happily-ever-after while keeping the romance closed-door.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Clean Romance, Contemporary Romance, Rom Com, Fiction, Audiobook

324 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 4, 2022

About the author

Kortney graduated from the University of Utah with an English degree and spent a few years before motherhood teaching 7th and 8th graders how to write a book report, among other things. But after a reading slump, where no plots seemed to satisfy, Kortney pulled out her laptop and started writing the "perfect" love story...or at least she tried. Writing love stories is her job...just kidding. Her real job is taking care of her five awesome kids and spending time with her husband.

Kortney loves a good romance movie or book, warm chocolate chip cookies, and traveling the world.

Connect with Kortney at www.kortneykeisel.com

Reviews

[Rosabel · Rating 4 out of 5]

See how many MF I've read? I'm having a hard time finding good MM books, so yeah. 🥲🥲

Compared was a lovely book that I thought I wasn't going to like, I was wrong but that's how I start every MF book: with low expectations. 🤣🤣

I fell in love with Tyler, that's what made it for me, the love he had for his wife, the respect, his way of parenting, his doubts, I WANTED TO GIVE THIS MAN BABIES!! *pants on fire*

And that's what did me.

I enjoyed Meg, specially when she wasn't in denial, she was strong, introvert and a lovely woman and I couldn't have been able to resist Tyler either so I don't blame her. (Yes, I know how that sounds)

Lovely book. 🥰🥰🥰

[Alexis Cat]

I think that it’s a pretty average romcom. There is nothing particularly outstanding and nothing particularly devastating. Very mediocre. . . except for one thing. It has a pretty good message about grief and moving on. I was going to give it a 3 star rating until chapter 44. I am all for grand gestures that I have to suspend my disbelief for, but this was just TOO MUCH. I was cringing the entire time. I get what the author was going for but it just didn’t work for me. It was cute I guess but it made me feel icky.
Also, the epilogue??? Two months after and they are at THIS level of commitment. Same goes for Meg’s dad. WHAT???? Astonished. I am absolutely astonished (not in a good way).

[Tetyana · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5
Весела, мила, романтична комедія. В цілому, я гарно провела час і насміялася. Але були деякі мінуси, що трохи зіпсували враження від книги.
Мені не вистачило взаємодій Крю і Меґан, хотілося побачити як вона завойовує його довіру і любов, побільше милих моментів з ними. Але їхні відносини виглядали як вчителька і її учень, чомусь ніякої теплоти між ними я не відчула. До того ж те, що Крю так швидко її полюбив і захотів, щоб Меґан стала його мамою виглядало дивно для мене, все ж таки хлопчик відносно нещодавно втратив свою матір, проте, за весь час лише раз за неї згадав і все🤷.
Хотілося побачити, як вчителює Меґан, хоча б трішки, щоб зрозуміти за що її так люблять діти, але ні, нам і цього не дали.
Майже всю книгу мене дратувала головна героїня Меґан, а в кінці взагалі вибісила. Хоча, якщо подумати, то в житті так і буває, коли через певні сумніви і страхи стосунки руйнуються або взагалі не починаються. Але я рада, що вона взялася за голову і виправила ситуацію, також мені сподобалося як повів себе Тайлер в той момент.
Додам ще, що в книзі немає сцен 🔞, тут настільки closed door, наскільки це взагалі може бути. Але я цього взагалі не помічала, адже хімії між головними героями цілком вистачало, а ці сцени були б тільки зайвими.
В цілому, читається швидко і легко, але без особливого захоплення.

[Rhonda 🌒🌕🌘 🐈‍⬛ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 🌟
3/5 ❤️‍🩹
3/5 🥰
1/5 🌶️
0/5 🔎
1/5 😰A
3/5 🎭C
1/5 🎭T
0/5 👻

⚠️⛔️TRIGGERS:⛔️⚠️

Death of a Parent
Death of a Spouse
Infidelity
Car Accident
Medical Content

🗯️💬BOOK BLURB:💬🗯️

Meg

Confession: I'm attracted to my student's dad. Let me give you Tyler Dixon's resume: thoughtful, manly, father of the year, widower, ridiculously attractive (basically the opposite of a dad bod).

This might sound like good news for someone like me—someone who dreams of getting married and becoming a mom—but it's not. Getting involved with a parent is grounds for immediate removal at my school, and right now, my fragile heart can't handle being fired. My mom just died. My boyfriend broke up with me, and to top it all off, my dad started dating again. Stable employment is the only good thing I have. Risking my job and my heart is the most foolish thing I could do.

Tyler

Being a widower isn't like the movies. There's not a block of women knocking on my door, bringing me casseroles every day. No, real life is work, laundry, and groceries—all while being both the mom and the dad. I'm pretty much failing at this single-parent thing. I don't have time to date. Which is good since the only woman I'm interested in keeps pushing me away: Miss Johnson. Emphasis on the Miss—as in, my son's teacher. It's hard to convince a woman to go out with you when she'll get fired. But it's either pursuing Meg, despite her job, or the never-ending depths of loneliness—no big deal.

Compared is a witty, heartfelt rom-com with a teacher/parent romance, an irresistible single dad, and swoony chemistry that will have you rooting for a happily-ever-after while keeping the romance closed-door.

🌎📖OVERALL REVIEWS📖🌎
Courtesy of Storygraph

COMMUNITY REVIEWS
SUMMARY OF 749 REVIEWS

Moods
lighthearted 75%
emotional 64%
funny 63%
hopeful 47%
inspiring 21%
reflective 17%
sad 17%
relaxing 14%
challenging 5%
tense 2%
adventurous 1%
Pace
medium 48%
fast 43%
slow 8%
Plot- or character-driven?
Character: 50% | A mix: 37% | Plot: 10% | N/A: 2%
Strong character development?
Yes: 71% | No: 13% | It's complicated: 10% | N/A: 4%
Loveable characters?
Yes: 81% | It's complicated: 11% | No: 6% | N/A: 1%
Diverse cast of characters?
No: 70% | Yes: 13% | N/A: 11% | It's complicated: 3%
Flaws of characters a main focus?
Yes: 64% | It's complicated: 21% | No: 9% | N/A: 3%
Average rating
3.74

🤔🧐🤯MY THOUGHTS:🤯🧐🤔

This really is a sweet rom com! I’m so happy that things worked out for Meg and Tyler. It was iffy there for a little while. This is a quick feel good read. I’m enjoying the series so far.

RATING KEY:

🌟 Stars - based on the overall plot and theme or idea of the book
❤️‍🩹 Emotions - based on how emotional I got while reading
🥰 Romance - based on how well I got invested in the love story aspect
🌶️ Spice - based on how the sex scenes were portrayed and written as well as the number of sex scenes
🔎 Mystery - based on how well it kept me guessing who, how and why
😰 Scared/Anxious - based on how scared or anxious the book made me while reading
🎭 Comedy/Tragedy- based on if I laughed or if there was a tragic event and how it affected me. I will mark the Masks with either a C or T to indicate Comedy or Tragedy
👻 Spooky/Creepy -based on if this had any occult or paranormal themes and if those elements creeped me out or gave me anxiety!

[Vibliophile · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun and flirty but also problematic

Such mixed feelings.
I love Meg & Tyler - they're well written and totally sympathetic. I love the dialogue. I especially love Paul & the secondary romance with Anna Mae. I love the way the story deals pretty credibly with grief & moving on. I really enjoyed those aspects of the book.

It was a little difficult to fully let go & enjoy, though, because while I'm generally fine with fictional fantasy, there are obvious issues with what they're doing on a real life level. And they're not even particularly discreet. That's mainly on Tyler, who while he has a lot going for him, was wrong to push Meg so much, to be so careless about it, and to decide she was willing to risk or lose her job before talking it over with her first.

In real life, there are more ways to trade for grades than sex, so the school's policy wasn't addressing the heart of the original scandal anyway.

Still, it should have been enough to simply move Krew to a different classroom where Meg would no longer be in a position to affect his grade.

HOWEVER, that doesn't justify going back on your word. And when a child in Krew's position realizes that his dad & new mom were being dishonest & breaking the rules, guess how much credibility they'll have in trying to get him to respect their rules.

They should have petitioned the board for an amendment of the restriction based on the rationale above. The outcome might have been the same, but they wouldn't have sacrificed their integrity

Final gripe: the denouement is too cheesy.
***SPOILER***
I hate the cliché where the protagonist gets up in front of everyone & bares their soul for no credible reason other than it adds drama. I would have preferred Meg to finally be upfront about everything to Diane rather than making the unlikely & unnecessary public scene, & then offer her resignation rather than wait to be fired. Then she could have gone to Tyler's house & shared her grand gesture which showed she was serious about them.
The way she ended up getting her position back was kind of weak & then the board's going to allow her to be Krew's teacher after all - what about all the concerns over bias & favoritism?
***END SPOILER***

Much as it has going for it, I can only recommend this one with caveats.

*Romance level: passionate kisses, nothing graphic

[Viri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me gustó mucho y estuvo súper cute 🥰

[Aimee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just What I Needed

Well, I read this book in one sitting. It kept me invested from start to finish. I had a sad day and this book took me away for a few hours. It was a good balance of romance and real life struggles with the happily ever after that I needed. I appreciated the varying ways the characters dealt with grief and think that it will resonate with lots of people just like it did with me. I really enjoyed this one and I'm excited to see what comes next from this author.

[Sarah Monzon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hate to say it but…this is not a romcom. Sorry! It’s just not. It *is*, however, a fantastic contemporary romance with humor. There is a good balance of humor that breaks up an otherwise fairly heavy book that deals with the subject of grief and love after loss. A perfect balance, actually. I thoroughly enjoyed this book even though it wasn’t what I expected. Will be awaiting more in this series.

[Sarah | Kerosene.Lit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gosh! This book. I was not prepared for the level of swooning it caused me. This story deals openly with death and grief, but it's all balanced by lighthearted humour and a precious forbidden (teacher + parent) romance. I adored it.

Tyler Dixon was an all-around perfect hero. His self-doubt regarding parenting was so honest and heartwarming. Fumbling his way through a newfound attraction with Meg, his continual efforts to prove his interest were incredibly sweet. And this meet-cute is definitely one to remember, immediately making me laugh at the awkwardness.

The subplot of Meg struggling with her father dating again worked so well within the discussion of grief, emphasizing there's no timeline when mourning. I simply loved how Tyler acted as a support for Meg, leaning on his own experience of losing his wife. This was an almost-perfect read. I would have preferred a different ending, but I still highly recommend this one!

[Cait | GoodeyReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

THIS WAS GOOD.

BLOG || INSTAGRAM

I’ve mentioned before that I didn’t love Keisel’s YA dystopian series. Didn’t get past the first book. BUT, I had heard wonderful things about her turn in contemporary romance and thought I’d give it a shot. Happily surprised that this was a hit and I will be continuing this series!

I adored Tyler. I love the single Dad trope and this one was so tender and soft. Coping with grief and loss (Tyler is a widower) was at the forefront, but the way that it was presented was touching. I felt the emotions from him, and also appreciated the lighter, make me laugh kind of moments too. I thought that Tyler and Meg had a great connection and their meet-cute hit it off just right with the banter. Meg grew on me over the book and I liked her enough by the end.

What wasn’t my favorite was the the ridiculous ex-boyfriend who kept showing up for no reason. Meg and him broke-up, lets move on and not keep bringing him back for “drama”. I also didn’t love the push/pull towards the end. It was repetitive. I liked the all out argument and conversation leading to some moments of reflection, and then coming back together. That’s where it should’ve stopped.

Anywho, this was great. I liked the story and the couple a lot. I would love more stories with the other sisters (that’s where this is going right?!). I liked the side characters and the general nature of the book itself. Looking forward to the next.

Overall audience notes:
- Contemporary Romance
- Language: none
- Romance: make-outs
- Trigger/Content Warnings: depictions of grief, loss of a parent and wife (not on page, recounted often)

[keira · Rating 2 out of 5]

alright so i really enjoyed the first half of this - it’s fun and easy to read, especially when the mc’s meet for the second time and i love a teacher in a romance novel and i’m a sucker for a hot dad but everything else just missed the mark for me

there wasn’t really much chemistry between the two and it bugged me how dismissive tyler was being with the whole dating thing like, you don’t care that she could lose her job??? really hun

i didn’t feel connected to any of the characters at all and ended up skimming the last 50% to see what happens, and i’m glad i didn’t waste my time cause it’s very predictable

that subplot about her dad meeting someone who looks exactly like their recently deceased mother was SUPER weird and i really didn’t get it at all and also i thought her sisters were kinda bitchy??? idk

the writing wasn’t terrible by any means but this just wasn’t for me and i’m mad cause i had high hopes

[nishqreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was cute!

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Are you book crier? How about a laugher? Well, if you answered yes to either question, watch out. This book hits ya in all the feels. Seriously. Every last one of 'em.
.
Tyler. Tyler, Tyler, Tyler. Is he right on par with Davin, Trev, Drake and Marx? I'd say. Kortney writes such good, smirky, flirty men.
Meg. Okay, can we be friends? Her awkward tendencies make me feel like we are soul sisters. Plus, she's so good. She's sweet and kind and I imagine all her goodness shines out her beautiful face.
Paul 👌 one of my favorite secondary characters I've read in a while. He's such a great dad to everyone he meets. He knows who he is and what he wants but is considerate of others and I can respect that.
So go for it. Read this book. Pre-order it. Enjoy it. Tell Kortney about it. Tell me about it. That's probably a long enough to do list.
.
Book notes!

- Meg and Tyler
- Logan is a good name 😏😉
- their first meeting 🤣 also, by water. Just saying.
- meet the teacher- Krew totally throws him under the bus. Kids, man.
- un-frog-ettable love songs- what a good name 😏🤣
- Kortney is really good at writing these smirky confident men that make you fall a little in love.
- Tyler is a very mischievous flirter
- Nigel Faartz 🤣🤣
- the maturation program is so flipping funny
- Chili's. Could you imagine? So goodm
- popcorn bowl
- I don't think I've ever seen Sandlot.
- the family text strands are funny and I love how we get to see all their different personalities
- is Diane sincere or undermining? Why is it so hard to tell? Either way, 👎
- Oh the wedding cake. Been there
- Kortney has a great voice for this genre.

[пустунка · Rating 4 out of 5]

неочікувано, але мені сподобалося. це було мило, і навіть трішки довело мене до сліз, бо під кінець частково десь я розуміла Мег.

Тайлер майже два роки тому втратив дружину і тепер мусить справлятися з сином сам. під його пильне око трапляється Мег – улюблена вчителька Крю, його сина. і пішло-поїхало.

от мені сподобалося спостерігати за рішучістю і наполегливістю Тайлера. він милий, до того ж хороший батько, нехай не без труднощів. Мег для нього була як ковток свіжого повітря. і разом вони дуже гармонійна пара. хочу сказати, що я чудово провела час, хоч і спочатку було трішки затягнуто, і враження було, що нудно. можливо, саме через відсутність високих очікувань, мене і порадувала ця романтична комедія.

у Мег мила сім'я, але ситуація з батьком мені досі до кінця не зрозуміла. начебто й прикольно, але все одно дивно.

4/5

[Toni Shiloh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great read. So excited to see what other books are to come in this series. Compared made me laugh out loud, tear up, and cheer. Now to see if Kortney Keisel has written other books.

*read on kindle unlimited

[May Carstairs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Que insoportable es la prota🤦‍♀️

[Amy Gets Reading 📚 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t think I was fully prepared for this book.

Oh my god i absolutely loved it! It was such a good romance book. I was swooning over Tyler, good he is such a good dad my heart was beating fast and my palms were sweaty!

Meg was super cute, I loved watching her evolve and mature throughout the story but I absolutely loved her interactions with Krew!

Would 100% recommend.

[Hersheyreviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is fine but not good🙃

The thing I didn't like was the character of Meg. Oh man come on, her character was really weird in the start but yeah in the end I appreciated that she got some piece of mind🥲

Tyler was fine too. He was patient with Meg but I loved that in the end he understood that he was a perfect dad. Bruh he was right that whenever Meg was sad she went to Tyler however I didn't loved this book literally.🙃

As the genre it is funny but I didn't like that there were only few scenes of Tyler's son and Meg. He deserved more chemistry with Meg because I was looking forward for their bond

[MK · Rating 5 out of 5]

When an author switched genres, you never know what to expect. Because her first series of books were so good, I was excited to see what her new novel would be like, and it exceeded my expectations.

Grief is a complicated emotion and different for everyone. Moving on and watching others move on is hard. We tend to place those who have passed on a pedestal and it can become daunting for us and those around us.

I loved how this book was full of the excitement of new love, while also making you feel the very real emotions of grief and self doubt. I loved Meg. She was such a deep well thought out character and Tyler and Krew tugged at my heart. Maybe it’s because I married a dad with a little boy, but it made me cry several times.

This is one of those books that makes you laugh, cry, and maybe mentally take a character to task over a decision they make a time of two. Isn’t it great when a book makes you feel so much? The closed door romance was well done and perfect for my comfort level as a Christian reader. This is a book I will definitely come back to.

[Dana Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was one of the best romantic comedies I have ever read. I laughed out loud so many times. The story was funny and heartwarming too. Tyler was the best hero. He was so flirty and fun. I fell in love. Meg was precious. I loved her whole family. I really do hope this is a series with each sibling getting a story. I am excited to have found this new to me author. I highly recommend it!

[autwenreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book did not disappoint. This one was a lot of fun for me. It was lighthearted and fun, with raw and emotional moments thrown in the mix. This book was entertaining, heartfelt, passionate, and adorable.

Even though they have a troubled past, the characters are entertaining. Their happy ending took a long time to arrive, but it was definitely worth the wait. I believed there was a lot of chemistry between the characters. 

One of my favorite moments was when Tyler would go to any length to be in Meg's company. It's the same with Meg, who manages to make it so adorable and entertaining. The banter was also on point.

I can’t wait to read the other siblings’ love stories! I can only recommend this romance 100%.

[Books123 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started off strong but as the book progressed it became meh and predictable.

I strongly disliked the subplot where the FMC’s father moved on with a woman who looked exactly like his dead wife only 4 months after she passed away. It was a weird detail to include and it annoyed me how her siblings were so accepting of it.

[Erin · Rating 1 out of 5]

The beginning of this book features one of my biggest pet peeves.

But first let me say that the FMC is pretty pathetic from the first scene, which includes her begging her boyfriend after he breaks up with her.
Within the first few chapters, she is depicted as stodgy and excessively boring.
To top off a rocky beginning, instead of acting like a mature adult when confronted by her ex and his new girlfriend, she leaps at a male stranger nearby and tries to kiss him.

NO.

This is not normal behavior. IRL this woman would be the weirdest of weird.

WHY DO AUTHORS DO THIS?

Of course the man tries to fend off her attack. After her ex leaves, the man says something to her and she has the gall to think, “I have no desire to hear that he couldn’t take one for the team and kiss me to make my ex-boyfriend a little jealous.”

Let’s let that sink in for a minute. So her pathetic-ness is his fault because he didn’t want to be accosted by a rando woman?

🤦‍♀️

Authors: it is not endearing or funny when a full grown woman latches onto a complete stranger and pretends he is her boyfriend and expects him to go along with it.
Please stop with this nonsense.



Anyway, moving on…

Characters- The FMC was spineless, super immature, and made fear-based decisions.
I found her character to be VERY aggravating.
Stop telling us that your mom told you to marry Zach on her deathbed! Everyone, including you, knows he doesn’t deserve you! Stop demeaning your mother by clinging to this offhand comment she made! Act like an adult and use your brain for once! Arrrghhhh!

As for the MMC, Tyler, he was a nice guy but kinda dorky. The fact that he kept chasing after the immature, wishy-washy FMC made him less attractive, tbh.

On a positive note, some of Tyler’s observations about his son, Krew, were spot-on and kinda funny.


Romance- Low to non-existent chemistry.
No real angst (outside of the FMC’s spiraling thought patterns) besides one semi-redeeming scene of a confrontation between her ex and Tyler at the end of the book.

The FMC pushed the MMC away repeatedly. The MMC chased after her for most of the book, coming off as desperate at times. Thankfully he played hard to get at the very end, and I was so glad.

The FMC’s grand gesture at the end was SO CRINGY. Why do 800 people need to hear details about your personal relationship and how you were wrong to break up with a guy?
TMI!!!!
Make it stop!


Plot- Uninspired. Felt like a counseling session. The plot seemed to mostly revolve around the FMC whining about how her dad moved on too fast after her mom died, and pushing away the MMC for Reasons.

I wanted to DNF it multiple times, but I had laundry and cleaning to do, and on double speed it didn’t have that much longer anyway… but I wish I had just quit when I felt like it.


Content-
Language- no swearing
Substance abuse- none
Spice- clean, a couple kisses
Cliffhanger- no. Standalone.
Cover- fine
Format- audiobook
Narrators- average

[Kimberly Sims · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compared by Kortney Keisel is a sweet romantic comedy with single dad and secret relationship tropes.

A year and half after losing his wife, single dad Tyler is ready to move on with his life. But he doesn’t want to just date, he wants to find someone to help him raise his son Krew. Similarly, after being dumped by her boyfriend of three years, Meg is looking for someone who prefers the family scene to the party scene. Little did she know she would find everything she’s looking for in the parent of one of her second grade students, Krew. The only problem is, Meg’s school has a policy forbidding teachers and parents from dating. Can Meg sacrifice her dream job to be with the man she loves? Or will her fear of being second best to Tyler’s first wife prevent both Meg and Tyler from being together?

I really enjoyed this sweet rom com! I’m amazed that Kortney Keisel was able to address such heavy topics as grieving the death of loved ones in a romantic comedy. I loved that Tyler and Meg were able to have the awkward, swoony, and steamy moments that make a rom com but that they also had moments where they helped each other heal. Meg and Tyler complete each other and fill the holes in their lives. It was sweet to see them bring joy to one another’s lives.

Although I loved the beginning and the middle, I struggled with the ending. Yes the couple gets their happily ever after, but the way the resolution came about wasn’t my favorite. I won’t go into details because I don’t want to spoil it. It really just comes down to my personal preferences. If you want more details feel free to message me! Overall, I would’ve liked to see more of Meg finding strength and comfort in her family and seeing that’s she’s not alone in her grieving. Meg tends to push people away and I would’ve liked to see more of her making amends with the people she pushed away while grieving.

I LOVED the dynamic between Tyler and Meg! I loved that they are both mature and stable and love the family scene, yet they are so flirty and have lots of interactions that show they have great chemistry. And I liked that the conflict was one where the resolution wasn’t obvious or too predictable.

If you enjoy clean rom coms, characters that learn to overcome challenges like grief, and lots of fun swoony chemistry, you should check out Compared!

[Tasha (the_clean_read_book_club) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book! If you are familiar with Kortney’s writing, this should already be on your auto-buy list. If you are new to Kortney’s writing—you are in for some of the best reading you’ll ever find! One thing I love about Kortney’s writing in general is that there is so much emotion behind the words that it feels so incredibly genuine and real.

This book hits on grief/mourning (loss of a parent and loss of a spouse/mom), and the way it was written made me feel so connected to these characters. It was handled with tact and very responsibly written.

The swoon factor was high on this one, the banter is amazing, and the flirtations are out of this world. I have so many one liners marked. I loved watching this romance develop and that everything wasn’t predictable. There were so many pleasant surprises happening between the two main characters (and side characters) that had me laughing out loud and trying to turn the pages quicker to find out what would happen next!

I also really appreciate the closed-door heat level. RomComs are hard for me to even want to pick up because boundaries can get pushed in a hot second. I expect a level of flirtatious innuendo and even minimal potty humor with any contemporary, but I have come to really appreciate the talent Kortney has for writing well thought out flirtatious/swoony scenes that don’t leave me blushing. If you ever thought you needed fire with your steam to make a book more complete, I challenge you to pick up a Kortney Keisel book because I’m telling you the entertainment factor is high for all levels of readers!

Another 5 star, re-read book for me AND my first book that will for sure make my best of 2022 book list!

Thanks to the author for the copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.

[Mariam Rumaieh · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 60%

- Why the hell is her dad dating someone who looks exactly like her mother?? That's weird and how are his kids so okay with him dating just four months after his wife died???
- Meg literally pushed herself onto Tyler when she first met him in such an utterly crazy way, I almost deleted this book. Then she walked away from him and almost didn't apologise???!!! And why is he the one apologising throughout the book for this incident? Why is he apologising for blocking her move???
- Tyler is too entitled and pushy on the whole dating things even after she rejected him more than twice and that makes me uncomfortable.
- He seems so into the idea of a wife and a mother for his kids rather than Meg herself
- Tyler kissed her after she rejected him like what???
- He literally doesn't mind if she doesn't get fired as long as she gets to be with him.
- Romantic gestures too sappy for my taste.
- Disliked both characters, the rest didn't matter....this book had no effect on my life tg.
- I predicted so many lines in this book and I hate predictable books

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aw, yay. It was so cute I was melting the whole time. I kept looking at my cat and screaming "OMG THAT'S SO SWEET!" but quietly because it was like 1:00am and I wasn't supposed to be reading.... Anyway, super cute book, I loved it, and I can't wait for the next one to come out.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun read! Loved the characters, the comedy, the romance. Recommend to readers who love sweet rom-coms.

[Tejomai (bible_and_books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a Refreshing Read
When a rom-com has everything you ever want from reading a book..well, for me it's a deal Steal 😁
This book was fun, loving, emotional, cute, touching, and escaping.

Totally gonna Blame Kortney for her amazing writing style which sucked me right in!


▶A 29-year-old single woman with a sweet, loving, and old-school heart..yeahh, you get me!
▶A single dad who felt inconceivable for a second chance to love at life after losing his wife & being a single dad he is determined to not jump into anything but is suddenly feels touched by a flame of life through MEG

This book started with a breakup and ended with marriage and the roller coaster of emotions it took me through is terrifically beautiful 💗

✨Meg's and Tyler's story was full of emotions, love, Fun, and witty banter
✨The relationship between Tyler and His son Krew stole my heart, that boy is such a charmer... I bet he inherited it all from his dad 😉😁

There's so much comedy laced that balanced with all the emotions playing throughout the book

💗My heart goes to everyone who lost a loved one and I was able to connect to Meg's loss after losing my grandpa and how much I wanted to full fill his last wish but couldn't and realized He will still be happy if I am 😊
How she struggled to full fill her mother's words, how much she loved Tyler but felt complicated and tied...how she overcame everything for Tyler ...Ahh! The end proposal 😁😉

⚽👨‍🏭
Okay, Tyler is a steal deal!! Kourtney is amazing at writing such entrancing book boyfriends I can't help but add them all to my best list
I honestly fell for how much he loved Meg and how determined he was to show her, his affections are true.
There's so much depth for Tyler's character, reading his character and seeing him able to come through his grief and loving another person was so helpful and gave me hope for my friend. I was able to understand my best friend's loss and it's not easy to watch them go through such grief
Just wanted y'all to know why and how much I liked this book

👀There were so many other wonderful characters, can't wait to read the rest of their stories 😁

[Lexi V · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book did not disappoint. I don’t read very many romantic comedies, but I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It was easy for me to get invested in the characters and storyline, and the alternating POV between Meg and Tyler wasn’t confusing to follow.

Things I like about this novel:
“clean:” only kissing scenes, no sex scenes
wholesome single dad trope
characters processing through grief and loss in a relatable
not comparing yourself to others
really good writing and sensory imagery

Things I dislike about this novel:
Diane’s controlling grandmother vibes bothered me, but it fit really well into the theme of the book.

As a cherry on top, Ms. Keisel’s writing is really good, in my opinion. I highlighted a few sentences that made me think, “Wow, that’s some powerful imagery right there.” As an example, Meg says, “I want to roll myself inside this manila folder and squish it into the back of a filing cabinet… like way in the back, where no one can reach.”

In conclusion, I highly recommend this book to anyone who needs an easy read or who enjoys romantic comedies. I give this book five stars.