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Come Here Often?
“I flew through this in one sitting. Made me laugh, brought me close to tears… Had me hooked… Absolutely adored… Will keep you turning the pages.” Bookworm86
My name is Kat and I have a confession. For the last week, I’ve been secretly living in the gym.
Let me set the scene for you… It was my first day working out. Ever. My idea of fun is lifting Dunkin’ Donuts, so as if exercising wasn’t bad enough, it got a lot worse. In the space of minutes, my boyfriend dumped me over the phone and my boss fired me.
Cue a Code Red panic attack. Now, no matter how hard I try, my anxiety is stopping me from physically walking out of the door, back into the hot mess of my life.
So now I’m stuck here, spending night after night sleeping on massage tables, escaping security guards and hiding from my ex. Flirting with personal trainer Marcus, who’s carved like a Greek god and has a smile that makes my stomach flip-flop, is the silver lining to this craziness.
But what happens if I get caught? Can I finally sort my life out? And how personal is too personal when it comes to personal trainers?
This fresh and funny page-turner is for anyone who has ever lost their spark, struggled with anxiety, or prefers pie and lattes to pilates. Perfect for fans of Beth O’Leary and Emily Henry.
Read what everyone’s saying about Come Here Often? :
“LOVED, loved, loved… I loved this. I would totally recommend this. I even talked about it with my friends… Awesome.” NetGalley reviewer
“FLEW through this excellent, incredible book… Laugh-out-loud funny… It hooked me immediately… Wow, my heart melted so many times… I love light-hearted rom coms like this. The heroine was so relatable—her aversion to working out and her living situation made her so likeable and fun… Ellie does such a beautiful job curating these endearing and wonderful characters with seemingly real personalities and ambitions. I absolutely loved being in Kat’s head and trying to figure out what Marcus was thinking… I AM SO HONORED I GOT THE CHANCE TO READ THIS NOVEL. This one even topped so many other rom com novels this month, and I can’t wait to tell everyone to buy it when it’s in stores or be annoyingly persistent about it when I’m at the library. I adored all the characters and the atmosphere so much, and I hope the author continues putting out more books like this!” Goodreads reviewer
“The book was hilarious. It had me laughing out loud and calling my friends to tell them about it.” Goodreads reviewer
“Made me laugh, but also made me realize a few things about myself. I connected with Kat from the very beginning… I lost sense of time while reading it… I was laughing out loud which I haven’t done from reading in quite while! Well done, Ellie Center!” Goodreads reviewer
“Such a breath of fresh air! I loved this book. I fell in love with the characters and the cute storyline! It was cute, romantic, and compelling.
My name is Kat and I have a confession. For the last week, I’ve been secretly living in the gym.
Let me set the scene for you… It was my first day working out. Ever. My idea of fun is lifting Dunkin’ Donuts, so as if exercising wasn’t bad enough, it got a lot worse. In the space of minutes, my boyfriend dumped me over the phone and my boss fired me.
Cue a Code Red panic attack. Now, no matter how hard I try, my anxiety is stopping me from physically walking out of the door, back into the hot mess of my life.
So now I’m stuck here, spending night after night sleeping on massage tables, escaping security guards and hiding from my ex. Flirting with personal trainer Marcus, who’s carved like a Greek god and has a smile that makes my stomach flip-flop, is the silver lining to this craziness.
But what happens if I get caught? Can I finally sort my life out? And how personal is too personal when it comes to personal trainers?
This fresh and funny page-turner is for anyone who has ever lost their spark, struggled with anxiety, or prefers pie and lattes to pilates. Perfect for fans of Beth O’Leary and Emily Henry.
Read what everyone’s saying about Come Here Often? :
“LOVED, loved, loved… I loved this. I would totally recommend this. I even talked about it with my friends… Awesome.” NetGalley reviewer
“FLEW through this excellent, incredible book… Laugh-out-loud funny… It hooked me immediately… Wow, my heart melted so many times… I love light-hearted rom coms like this. The heroine was so relatable—her aversion to working out and her living situation made her so likeable and fun… Ellie does such a beautiful job curating these endearing and wonderful characters with seemingly real personalities and ambitions. I absolutely loved being in Kat’s head and trying to figure out what Marcus was thinking… I AM SO HONORED I GOT THE CHANCE TO READ THIS NOVEL. This one even topped so many other rom com novels this month, and I can’t wait to tell everyone to buy it when it’s in stores or be annoyingly persistent about it when I’m at the library. I adored all the characters and the atmosphere so much, and I hope the author continues putting out more books like this!” Goodreads reviewer
“The book was hilarious. It had me laughing out loud and calling my friends to tell them about it.” Goodreads reviewer
“Made me laugh, but also made me realize a few things about myself. I connected with Kat from the very beginning… I lost sense of time while reading it… I was laughing out loud which I haven’t done from reading in quite while! Well done, Ellie Center!” Goodreads reviewer
“Such a breath of fresh air! I loved this book. I fell in love with the characters and the cute storyline! It was cute, romantic, and compelling.
310 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 23, 2022
95 people are currently reading
230 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 196 reviews
May 21, 2022
Come Here Often by Ellie Center
Contemporary women’s fiction.
Kat goes to the massive health club for the first time ever. While she’s there, her boyfriend dumps her over the phone and then she losses her job. In the same day. She tries to leave but she can’t make it to the exit door. She has a panic attack and retreats back into the gym. Kat finds herself living in the gym, making friends and trying all the amenities including all the various workout classes. Anything to avoid the exit door.
🎧 I listened to an audiobook narrated by Kate Hanford. The performance was well crafted. The listener can clearly hear and feel Kat’s anxiety as she tries to approach the door and her introspection as she remembers different issues and self-diagnosed missteps. Her switch to the daycare children is brief and sounds more like baby talk but it’s clearly not an adult voice so acceptable. I listened to this at a speed of 1.3 which is my preferred rate for a conversational pace.
Kat is clever is finding resources to both keep her busy and sustaining her daily needs of food, drink, and keeping her phone charged. The overall tone of the book is on the depressing side although it does include some humor. She makes friends and learns about herself but it’s really only the last portion that includes any hope. It does end on the positive side which is what makes it worth the drama for me.
I did have an issue with Kat’s self-soothing shopping and drinking in the mega club. I kept thinking of how she’s going to pay the credit card bills once she is actually able to get home. Maybe that’s just the accountant in me.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Hachette.
Contemporary women’s fiction.
Kat goes to the massive health club for the first time ever. While she’s there, her boyfriend dumps her over the phone and then she losses her job. In the same day. She tries to leave but she can’t make it to the exit door. She has a panic attack and retreats back into the gym. Kat finds herself living in the gym, making friends and trying all the amenities including all the various workout classes. Anything to avoid the exit door.
🎧 I listened to an audiobook narrated by Kate Hanford. The performance was well crafted. The listener can clearly hear and feel Kat’s anxiety as she tries to approach the door and her introspection as she remembers different issues and self-diagnosed missteps. Her switch to the daycare children is brief and sounds more like baby talk but it’s clearly not an adult voice so acceptable. I listened to this at a speed of 1.3 which is my preferred rate for a conversational pace.
Kat is clever is finding resources to both keep her busy and sustaining her daily needs of food, drink, and keeping her phone charged. The overall tone of the book is on the depressing side although it does include some humor. She makes friends and learns about herself but it’s really only the last portion that includes any hope. It does end on the positive side which is what makes it worth the drama for me.
I did have an issue with Kat’s self-soothing shopping and drinking in the mega club. I kept thinking of how she’s going to pay the credit card bills once she is actually able to get home. Maybe that’s just the accountant in me.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Hachette.
May 25, 2022
In today's society everybody seems to have anxiety, there is not a week that goes past, when I here somebody say this or that gives them anxiety and stresses them out. I am not saying that their anxieties are not genuine, however there are different levels of anxiety. This novel is quite an eye opener into the world of somebody who is living with high level anxiety, and just how difficult it can be and how much it overpowers their life.
Kat's world is a little messy, her beloved support companion "Lily" a golden retriever has passed away and Kat is missing her terribly. She has resorted to drinking excessively with her girlfriends of an evening and is getting sloppy in her performance and attitude at her workplace.
Her long term boyfriend, Sam, of 5 years had gifted her a membership to a fancy new gym, and one day Kat decides today, is going to be the day I am going to make some changes. She goes to the gym and registers, does a tour of the fancy gym, which has multiple different classes, a cafe, a bar, a child care, massage rooms, swimming pool etc. Once Kat has finished the tour, she decides to hop on the exercise book for a bit, after a brief 4 minutes she is exhausted and then her phone rings it is her work number. Kat is terminated from her job effective immediately. She is furious and decides to do a few more rounds on the bike, taking out her frustrations on the bike.
Kat decides to give Sam a call, tell him that she is at the Gym, as he would be proud of her, for taking the plunge. Sam is unhappy with Kat, after a big fight they had the previous evening, and says it has been coming, and he then proceeds to break up with Kat, as he says she is not the same person she was when they were first dating.
By now Kat is at a complete loss, and is falling apart, she does not know what to do next or how to control her emotions, she attempts to leave the health club, but finds her anxiety is kicking in highly and she cannot force herself to take the last few steps out the front door.
Kat decides to wander around the gym, she discovers Yummi's cafe, the bar where she orders herself some drinks. She relaxes by their swimming pool, has a spell in their Sauna. The gym also has massage rooms, a hairdresser and beautician, a shop that sells clothes, shoes and underwear, a child care centre. This Gym has everything, so much in fact, you could practically live there.
I found myself getting cranky at the character Kat, at times I wanted to shake her and say come on, you can do this, and at other times I was in tears with her, feeling her pain and stress levels.
It is extremely sad to see how she turned to alcohol in her times of needs, and the thoughts of Zanax were never out of her mind.
Kate Hanford did a great job as Narrator and make the novel, interesting and a pleasure to listen to.
This books shows us the difficulties and the strains of living with high level anxiety.
Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture Audio and Bookouture a for this advanced audio. This book is available to purchase from May 23rd, 2022
3 Stars: It was a good book and well-crafted. I would recommend it to the right person.
Please visit my blog and Facebook page to see all of my past and future book reviews.
https://www.facebook.com/Kylies-Book-...
https://kyliesbookaddictreviews.blogs...
Kat's world is a little messy, her beloved support companion "Lily" a golden retriever has passed away and Kat is missing her terribly. She has resorted to drinking excessively with her girlfriends of an evening and is getting sloppy in her performance and attitude at her workplace.
Her long term boyfriend, Sam, of 5 years had gifted her a membership to a fancy new gym, and one day Kat decides today, is going to be the day I am going to make some changes. She goes to the gym and registers, does a tour of the fancy gym, which has multiple different classes, a cafe, a bar, a child care, massage rooms, swimming pool etc. Once Kat has finished the tour, she decides to hop on the exercise book for a bit, after a brief 4 minutes she is exhausted and then her phone rings it is her work number. Kat is terminated from her job effective immediately. She is furious and decides to do a few more rounds on the bike, taking out her frustrations on the bike.
Kat decides to give Sam a call, tell him that she is at the Gym, as he would be proud of her, for taking the plunge. Sam is unhappy with Kat, after a big fight they had the previous evening, and says it has been coming, and he then proceeds to break up with Kat, as he says she is not the same person she was when they were first dating.
By now Kat is at a complete loss, and is falling apart, she does not know what to do next or how to control her emotions, she attempts to leave the health club, but finds her anxiety is kicking in highly and she cannot force herself to take the last few steps out the front door.
Kat decides to wander around the gym, she discovers Yummi's cafe, the bar where she orders herself some drinks. She relaxes by their swimming pool, has a spell in their Sauna. The gym also has massage rooms, a hairdresser and beautician, a shop that sells clothes, shoes and underwear, a child care centre. This Gym has everything, so much in fact, you could practically live there.
I found myself getting cranky at the character Kat, at times I wanted to shake her and say come on, you can do this, and at other times I was in tears with her, feeling her pain and stress levels.
It is extremely sad to see how she turned to alcohol in her times of needs, and the thoughts of Zanax were never out of her mind.
Kate Hanford did a great job as Narrator and make the novel, interesting and a pleasure to listen to.
This books shows us the difficulties and the strains of living with high level anxiety.
Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture Audio and Bookouture a for this advanced audio. This book is available to purchase from May 23rd, 2022
3 Stars: It was a good book and well-crafted. I would recommend it to the right person.
Please visit my blog and Facebook page to see all of my past and future book reviews.
https://www.facebook.com/Kylies-Book-...
https://kyliesbookaddictreviews.blogs...
February 2, 2023
3 solid ⭐
Is this a debut? It seems like it.
Poor Kat is having a rough day. While at the gym, a place she didn't want to be to begin with, she receives a phone call from her boss who is calling to fire her. She, then, calls her boyfriend, Sam, to tell him and he ends up breaking up with her. She has a panic attack and ends up avoiding security and spends the night, and the next and possibly the next ~ I'm not really sure how many days she stays there. Good thing the health club is set up with everything she could possibly need, such as a bar, restaurant, clothing shop and all the proper gym type things.
There were a couple funny parts, but not overly so. It is light, as in basically non-existent, on the rom and com and is heavy on Kat's anxiety issues, which is fine. It seemed she did want to drink an excessive amount of alcohol, but the people she hung out with did not. I liked the ending and the save she made.
On the longer side at 11 hours and 42 minutes. Kate Handford was a good narrator.
*Thanks to Bookouture Audio, the author and NetGalley for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Follow me here ➡ Blog ~ Facebook
Is this a debut? It seems like it.
Poor Kat is having a rough day. While at the gym, a place she didn't want to be to begin with, she receives a phone call from her boss who is calling to fire her. She, then, calls her boyfriend, Sam, to tell him and he ends up breaking up with her. She has a panic attack and ends up avoiding security and spends the night, and the next and possibly the next ~ I'm not really sure how many days she stays there. Good thing the health club is set up with everything she could possibly need, such as a bar, restaurant, clothing shop and all the proper gym type things.
There were a couple funny parts, but not overly so. It is light, as in basically non-existent, on the rom and com and is heavy on Kat's anxiety issues, which is fine. It seemed she did want to drink an excessive amount of alcohol, but the people she hung out with did not. I liked the ending and the save she made.
On the longer side at 11 hours and 42 minutes. Kate Handford was a good narrator.
*Thanks to Bookouture Audio, the author and NetGalley for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Follow me here ➡ Blog ~ Facebook
May 27, 2022
I enjoyed this book, for the most part. Some bits were a bit redundant or slow but when you get through those I was eager to see where the story lead to. The cover art threw me off, as I truly thought I was about to read a romantic comedy. It is more of a book about a girl's journey through severe anxiety and mishaps in life that triggered it. The ending was brilliant and I truly loved how it was wrapped up, so I'm giving it 4 stars. I enjoyed the main character even though some parts of her made me cringe, overall I appreciated her rawness, impulsiveness, instability as it just makes it more relatable to normal people's messy sides.
I received this book to read by NetGalley and the publishers. All statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this book.
I received this book to read by NetGalley and the publishers. All statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this book.
May 3, 2022
Kat is trying out the new health club her boyfriend signed her up for when she receives two devastating phonecalls - the first one from her employer, who promptly fires her, and the second from the boyfriend, who dumps her. Kat’s distress at this turn of events is so intense that when she tries to leave the health club, she finds she can’t. Struggling with her mental health, she decides she has no other option but to start living in the health club in secret, and grows closer to other patrons and staff alike.
This was a really odd book to read. I think the cover and the description of it is very misleading: the cartoon cover and inclusion of a male figure made this seem like it would be a cutesy romance, whilst the description describes it as a romantic comedy. I found it to be neither of these things: it wasn’t romantic, and it wasn’t particularly funny.
Whilst the description mentions Kat’s anxiety, I did not expect this to be literally the entire focus of this novel. This book is very introspective: it is entirely from Kat’s perspective, and apart from occasional encounters with other people, most of it is in Kat’s head: there’s a lot of details about her past and what has led her to where she is, the root causes of her anxiety, and her relationships. She has a few quirky encounters with other people working or using the health centre, but none of these relationships felt very developed. Anyone looking for romance should look elsewhere; Marcus, the man mentioned in the description, is only mentioned in passing for the first 40% of the book, but even after that stage takes a very minor role.
It was actually quite a bleak novel. The writing is good - that, I can’t fault, it was engaging and I couldn’t stop reading - but the tone of it is very jarring. Whilst I would not describe this as a comedy, the way the story is told is clearly designed to be comedic. It just wasn’t actually very funny. Kat’s situation is terribly sad. She is not a particularly likeable character, but I did find I pitied her a lot by the end of it. The result as a book that just made me feel quite sad and miserable, which is not what I expected based off the cover and description.
I think part of the problem is it’s very clear, as the reader, that Kat is in serious need of intervention for her mental health issues, and whilst it comes close to acknowledging this, I didn’t feel very satisfied at the end of it that this was a character that was going to get the help she needed. The ending felt too neat: it was all tied up with a nice big bow, but there were so many aspects to Kat and her life that I just don’t think could be sorted out with a quick conversation with her family and a flirtation with a personal trainer.
Overall I just found this a really odd read. I’m not entirely sure what the author was hoping to achieve with this book: the romantic element felt like an afterthought, and the clear attempts at creating humour fell very flat. I can sort of see how the bare bones of the concept could have worked, but as it is here, the book left a sour taste in my mouth. I think if the book had a different cover and the description made less of her relationship with Marcus, I may have felt differently - but then again, I may not have requested an ARC in the first place, because I would have known this wasn’t my kind of book. As it is, I feel a bit like the cover and description are incredibly misleading. Anyone looking for a lighthearted, cute romance with a comedic element won’t find it in this case, and I can’t say I would recommend it either. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy of this book.
Content Notes:
This was a really odd book to read. I think the cover and the description of it is very misleading: the cartoon cover and inclusion of a male figure made this seem like it would be a cutesy romance, whilst the description describes it as a romantic comedy. I found it to be neither of these things: it wasn’t romantic, and it wasn’t particularly funny.
Whilst the description mentions Kat’s anxiety, I did not expect this to be literally the entire focus of this novel. This book is very introspective: it is entirely from Kat’s perspective, and apart from occasional encounters with other people, most of it is in Kat’s head: there’s a lot of details about her past and what has led her to where she is, the root causes of her anxiety, and her relationships. She has a few quirky encounters with other people working or using the health centre, but none of these relationships felt very developed. Anyone looking for romance should look elsewhere; Marcus, the man mentioned in the description, is only mentioned in passing for the first 40% of the book, but even after that stage takes a very minor role.
It was actually quite a bleak novel. The writing is good - that, I can’t fault, it was engaging and I couldn’t stop reading - but the tone of it is very jarring. Whilst I would not describe this as a comedy, the way the story is told is clearly designed to be comedic. It just wasn’t actually very funny. Kat’s situation is terribly sad. She is not a particularly likeable character, but I did find I pitied her a lot by the end of it. The result as a book that just made me feel quite sad and miserable, which is not what I expected based off the cover and description.
I think part of the problem is it’s very clear, as the reader, that Kat is in serious need of intervention for her mental health issues, and whilst it comes close to acknowledging this, I didn’t feel very satisfied at the end of it that this was a character that was going to get the help she needed. The ending felt too neat: it was all tied up with a nice big bow, but there were so many aspects to Kat and her life that I just don’t think could be sorted out with a quick conversation with her family and a flirtation with a personal trainer.
Overall I just found this a really odd read. I’m not entirely sure what the author was hoping to achieve with this book: the romantic element felt like an afterthought, and the clear attempts at creating humour fell very flat. I can sort of see how the bare bones of the concept could have worked, but as it is here, the book left a sour taste in my mouth. I think if the book had a different cover and the description made less of her relationship with Marcus, I may have felt differently - but then again, I may not have requested an ARC in the first place, because I would have known this wasn’t my kind of book. As it is, I feel a bit like the cover and description are incredibly misleading. Anyone looking for a lighthearted, cute romance with a comedic element won’t find it in this case, and I can’t say I would recommend it either. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy of this book.
Content Notes:
May 16, 2022
I was provided an ARC of this book by Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
Well, where to start? Never before have I felt like I was given a bait and switch with a book and yet... here we are. When I originally requested this book it was based on the description "woman with anxiety finds herself trapped by panic attacks in a health club bonds with sexy personal trainer" a delightful premise for a rom/com for sure. Yet... there is no rom, there is no com. Instead, this book is 310 pages of poorly treated anxiety. Now, I am not going to sit here and say this character is unlikable because of her disorder. I am a woman with anxiety who spent many years with poor coping mechanisms that would sometimes display as crippling agoraphobia, and this book felt like being trapped. Being trapped in that headspace. Which was hard. I kept turning the page hoping the main character would learn something, I know for me regular exercise became a life line and helped changed my headspace and yet for Kat it was just something to pass the time. Building relationships also help, but for Kat people are still pawns for her to justify her behavior, her inability to ask for help, and that superficiality makes the character ring just as narcissistic as ever by the end. In fact, it takes a once in a life time heroic situation for Kat to not only leave the club, but also for everyone around her to forgive her, and for her to get the help she needs? I'm sorry but that's just not reasonable. Living with this disorder takes work, it takes accountability, and it takes a hard look at yourself which Kat just never does. She skips to the end without us seeing in actual work being done and now she "knows real power." The power of what exactly? being in the right place at the right time? Not being a terrible human being? We also have to address the "romance" angle, this book was sold to me as a romance. That is the genre I like and the reason I picked up this book, but there is no romance. Oh, wait, there is some slap dash b/s unearned concept of a relationship in the EPILOGUE between two characters that barely have anything which remotely looks like a connection and then tell me you tell me this is a romance novel. That is the laziest most awful marketing push ever. But honestly, if this book had been sold as a fictional story of a woman having a manic anxiety episode in a gym no one would buy it, so instead they slapped a cartoon cover on it and added a couple paragraphs of unearned kissing to trick romance readers into engaging? It just all and all was very disappointing. I felt like I was being forced to relive uncomfortable parts of my life and couldn't even champion the character most reflective of me when it was all over.
Well, where to start? Never before have I felt like I was given a bait and switch with a book and yet... here we are. When I originally requested this book it was based on the description "woman with anxiety finds herself trapped by panic attacks in a health club bonds with sexy personal trainer" a delightful premise for a rom/com for sure. Yet... there is no rom, there is no com. Instead, this book is 310 pages of poorly treated anxiety. Now, I am not going to sit here and say this character is unlikable because of her disorder. I am a woman with anxiety who spent many years with poor coping mechanisms that would sometimes display as crippling agoraphobia, and this book felt like being trapped. Being trapped in that headspace. Which was hard. I kept turning the page hoping the main character would learn something, I know for me regular exercise became a life line and helped changed my headspace and yet for Kat it was just something to pass the time. Building relationships also help, but for Kat people are still pawns for her to justify her behavior, her inability to ask for help, and that superficiality makes the character ring just as narcissistic as ever by the end. In fact, it takes a once in a life time heroic situation for Kat to not only leave the club, but also for everyone around her to forgive her, and for her to get the help she needs? I'm sorry but that's just not reasonable. Living with this disorder takes work, it takes accountability, and it takes a hard look at yourself which Kat just never does. She skips to the end without us seeing in actual work being done and now she "knows real power." The power of what exactly? being in the right place at the right time? Not being a terrible human being? We also have to address the "romance" angle, this book was sold to me as a romance. That is the genre I like and the reason I picked up this book, but there is no romance. Oh, wait, there is some slap dash b/s unearned concept of a relationship in the EPILOGUE between two characters that barely have anything which remotely looks like a connection and then tell me you tell me this is a romance novel. That is the laziest most awful marketing push ever. But honestly, if this book had been sold as a fictional story of a woman having a manic anxiety episode in a gym no one would buy it, so instead they slapped a cartoon cover on it and added a couple paragraphs of unearned kissing to trick romance readers into engaging? It just all and all was very disappointing. I felt like I was being forced to relive uncomfortable parts of my life and couldn't even champion the character most reflective of me when it was all over.
April 15, 2022
First things first, this book is marketed as humour / romance… it’s really neither of those. I didn’t laugh or find it funny and the romance was so minimal, one kiss in a book cannot make it a romance novel.
I feel like this book also should have a warning for those struggling with anxiety and mental health as this is the whole theme of the book. The main character’s actions are extremely frustrating of course but it shows the thought process of someone with chronic anxiety. I do wish the story told more of why her anxiety is happening (from the past). This book is long, quite repetitive and unfortunately just wasn’t for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read an advanced copy of this novel
I feel like this book also should have a warning for those struggling with anxiety and mental health as this is the whole theme of the book. The main character’s actions are extremely frustrating of course but it shows the thought process of someone with chronic anxiety. I do wish the story told more of why her anxiety is happening (from the past). This book is long, quite repetitive and unfortunately just wasn’t for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read an advanced copy of this novel
May 16, 2022
Kat is having the worst day of her life. Her boyfriend has signed her up to join the gym. She decides to take the leap and check it out, and then two phone calls changes her life. She is stuck at the gym with severe anxiety and cant bear it to walk out the door an so becomes a stow-away spending a couple of nights in the safety of the gym.
The first few chapters were great. Building up the story and get you really invested. There was however no humor at all and probably only about 10% romance in this book. If I wasn't expecting those two big factors this would have been a great read. The story had a good grounding start but it did not keep the pace at all.
The narration on this book was really great, and I felt that she had a good voice over for this book.
My thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture Audio for this ARC.
The first few chapters were great. Building up the story and get you really invested. There was however no humor at all and probably only about 10% romance in this book. If I wasn't expecting those two big factors this would have been a great read. The story had a good grounding start but it did not keep the pace at all.
The narration on this book was really great, and I felt that she had a good voice over for this book.
My thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture Audio for this ARC.
June 1, 2022
This is what happens when you pick a romcom book by its cover. Me getting duped by the cover of a book is now getting old. Fast.
This book was an almost DNF for me. But I don't like to leave books hanging (what if they came back as nightmares?)
Anyway...
The Story:
Katherine "Kat" Noad joins the Great Fitness Hotel..err..gym to bring about a change in her life. But within an hour of going there, she receives two calls - one from her job, firing her, and the other from her boyfriend, dumping her.
As this news overwhelms her, Kat finds that she is unable to leave the gym. She has a full-blown panic attack every time she tries to step out. Thus, she ends up spending a night at the gym. Then another. Then another. Until it is nearly a week and Kat does not know what to do.
On the flip side, however, there is this handsome trainer, Marcus. Will Kat be ever able to leave the gym? What if she decides to spend her life here with Marcus?
TW: Acute anxiety, panic attack, pet death, parent divorce (off-page)
The Positives:
1. The writing - The writing was really breezy. I listened to the audiobook which was more than 14 hours long but I sped through it in record time.
The Negatives:
Sigh.
1. Kat - The book is narrated from the first-person POV of Kat and her mind is not a nice place to be. She is petty and selfish and extremely narcissistic. Every problem she faces is because of someone else, or so she thinks. Her need to blame others for her mistakes wore thin after a while. It would have been a better idea to have multiple POVs or to write from a limited third-person narrative.
Kat's selfishness shines from every pore. One moment, she is worried about being trapped in the hotel/gym and the next moment, she is slavering over some hot hunk. Even when others point out her mistakes, she is least worried about correcting them and instead resorts to...you guessed it right...blaming it on others. She blames her parents for getting divorced. God, girl! Not everything is about YOU!
She loves drinking as well. If she is not thinking about men or sex, she is thinking about drinks. It is above me how an alcoholic can hold a job (she is a dental assistant) if she cannot get her head out of the glass. She constantly talks about how broke she is (natural, considering she has lost her job and has to pay rent as well) but hardly shows any restraint in her spending patterns. She buys new clothes multiple times. She gets others drinks. She is continuously drinking herself.
Another thing she constantly talks about throughout the book is her pets. Or rather, their deaths. There are two pet deaths that were pretty traumatic by themselves but the feeling was compounded by the constant repetition. Kat mourns the loss of her dog but does she get a new dog after losing her to cancer? No.
She loves repeating herself throughout the book. You learn that her surname, Noad, rhymes with Toad about 18376 times in the book. And don't even talk about the Big A (getting to this one in a minute).
Throughout the book, Kat behaves in a childish manner and there is absolutely no character arc to her. She remains the same until the end.
2. Side characters - None of the side characters seemed well-written. Sam, Kat's boyfriend of five years, is fed up with Kat's selfishness and laziness, so he gets her a gym membership. But he also breaks up with her. Why?
Kat's friend, Val, says Kat is the female version of Peter Pan, but she doesn't try to change her or do anything else to make Kat better. All she wants is to get wasted on drinks with Kat so that they can bitch about all topics under the sun.
Marcus is a trainer and that is all I know about him. No, I don't know his last name.
The gym's CEO (don't remember his name) acts all funny when Kat is discovered at the gym.
3. Name-throwing - Oh my God the amount of celebrity names in this book is incredible. Marcus looks like Jake Gyllenhaal. Someone else looks like Brad Pitt or someone. I mean, amid all the Big A, how does Kat notice which actor a person looks like?
4. Mental illnesses - The cover and blurb promise a fun, laugh-a-minute romcom where a freshly dumped woman gets together with a hot trainer. What the book actually was was a 14-hour discourse on poorly managed mental health.
Kat has anxiety and experiences panic attacks in acute situations. But she doesn't do anything to set it right. She has a therapist she doesn't want to visit even though her money gets deducted for failed appointments. When she is trapped in the gym, she has the option of calling her therapist but she resolutely refuses to take this course of action.
She calls her anxiety the Big A and we are treated to hearing about the Big A for every wrong thing she has done or has happened to her. She calls her friends (multiple, yes) but she does not tell ONE of them to come and help her out of the situation.
In fact, when faced with the threat of being arrested for spending the nights at the gym, she wonders whether going to jail might be better than calling 911. Seriously, I am worried about this woman's mental condition.
5. Genre - Seriously, what genre is this book? I would classify it as women's fiction because there is no rom and no com in this supposedly romcom book. No, you cannot put in a hurried "romance" in the last two chapters with a person whose last name we don't know and who has appeared for about five minutes in the book and call it a romance.
6. The GYM (written in capitals because it is THE PLACE!) - No, seriously, WHAT PLACE IS THIS? Great Fitness Gym is a gym but also a hotel because it has everything, EVERYTHING inside.
Sauna rooms? Yes.
Hair and nail salons? Yes!
Boutique that sells fancy clothes AND underwear? You got it!
Daycare where people leave their children and go to work? Of course!
Bar complete with whiskey? OMG!
Cafe?? Do you still need to ask?
I mean, why would Kat want to leave? I wouldn't want to leave a place that offers everything.
The book is marketed as a romcom "Perfect for fans of Sarah Adams, Tessa Bailey and Sally Thorne. " But whoever has marketed this book has never read it. They just skimmed through it, slapped on a chicklit-y cover, and sent it over to idiots like me who fell for the trick.
Overall, I am very disappointed in the book. But this is a debut and the author shows much promise in her writing. Hoping for a better next book.
1.5 stars rounded up to 2.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture Audio for the audio ARC.
This book was an almost DNF for me. But I don't like to leave books hanging (what if they came back as nightmares?)
Anyway...
The Story:
Katherine "Kat" Noad joins the Great Fitness Hotel..err..gym to bring about a change in her life. But within an hour of going there, she receives two calls - one from her job, firing her, and the other from her boyfriend, dumping her.
As this news overwhelms her, Kat finds that she is unable to leave the gym. She has a full-blown panic attack every time she tries to step out. Thus, she ends up spending a night at the gym. Then another. Then another. Until it is nearly a week and Kat does not know what to do.
On the flip side, however, there is this handsome trainer, Marcus. Will Kat be ever able to leave the gym? What if she decides to spend her life here with Marcus?
TW: Acute anxiety, panic attack, pet death, parent divorce (off-page)
The Positives:
1. The writing - The writing was really breezy. I listened to the audiobook which was more than 14 hours long but I sped through it in record time.
The Negatives:
Sigh.
1. Kat - The book is narrated from the first-person POV of Kat and her mind is not a nice place to be. She is petty and selfish and extremely narcissistic. Every problem she faces is because of someone else, or so she thinks. Her need to blame others for her mistakes wore thin after a while. It would have been a better idea to have multiple POVs or to write from a limited third-person narrative.
Kat's selfishness shines from every pore. One moment, she is worried about being trapped in the hotel/gym and the next moment, she is slavering over some hot hunk. Even when others point out her mistakes, she is least worried about correcting them and instead resorts to...you guessed it right...blaming it on others. She blames her parents for getting divorced. God, girl! Not everything is about YOU!
She loves drinking as well. If she is not thinking about men or sex, she is thinking about drinks. It is above me how an alcoholic can hold a job (she is a dental assistant) if she cannot get her head out of the glass. She constantly talks about how broke she is (natural, considering she has lost her job and has to pay rent as well) but hardly shows any restraint in her spending patterns. She buys new clothes multiple times. She gets others drinks. She is continuously drinking herself.
Another thing she constantly talks about throughout the book is her pets. Or rather, their deaths. There are two pet deaths that were pretty traumatic by themselves but the feeling was compounded by the constant repetition. Kat mourns the loss of her dog but does she get a new dog after losing her to cancer? No.
She loves repeating herself throughout the book. You learn that her surname, Noad, rhymes with Toad about 18376 times in the book. And don't even talk about the Big A (getting to this one in a minute).
Throughout the book, Kat behaves in a childish manner and there is absolutely no character arc to her. She remains the same until the end.
2. Side characters - None of the side characters seemed well-written. Sam, Kat's boyfriend of five years, is fed up with Kat's selfishness and laziness, so he gets her a gym membership. But he also breaks up with her. Why?
Kat's friend, Val, says Kat is the female version of Peter Pan, but she doesn't try to change her or do anything else to make Kat better. All she wants is to get wasted on drinks with Kat so that they can bitch about all topics under the sun.
Marcus is a trainer and that is all I know about him. No, I don't know his last name.
The gym's CEO (don't remember his name) acts all funny when Kat is discovered at the gym.
3. Name-throwing - Oh my God the amount of celebrity names in this book is incredible. Marcus looks like Jake Gyllenhaal. Someone else looks like Brad Pitt or someone. I mean, amid all the Big A, how does Kat notice which actor a person looks like?
4. Mental illnesses - The cover and blurb promise a fun, laugh-a-minute romcom where a freshly dumped woman gets together with a hot trainer. What the book actually was was a 14-hour discourse on poorly managed mental health.
Kat has anxiety and experiences panic attacks in acute situations. But she doesn't do anything to set it right. She has a therapist she doesn't want to visit even though her money gets deducted for failed appointments. When she is trapped in the gym, she has the option of calling her therapist but she resolutely refuses to take this course of action.
She calls her anxiety the Big A and we are treated to hearing about the Big A for every wrong thing she has done or has happened to her. She calls her friends (multiple, yes) but she does not tell ONE of them to come and help her out of the situation.
In fact, when faced with the threat of being arrested for spending the nights at the gym, she wonders whether going to jail might be better than calling 911. Seriously, I am worried about this woman's mental condition.
5. Genre - Seriously, what genre is this book? I would classify it as women's fiction because there is no rom and no com in this supposedly romcom book. No, you cannot put in a hurried "romance" in the last two chapters with a person whose last name we don't know and who has appeared for about five minutes in the book and call it a romance.
6. The GYM (written in capitals because it is THE PLACE!) - No, seriously, WHAT PLACE IS THIS? Great Fitness Gym is a gym but also a hotel because it has everything, EVERYTHING inside.
Sauna rooms? Yes.
Hair and nail salons? Yes!
Boutique that sells fancy clothes AND underwear? You got it!
Daycare where people leave their children and go to work? Of course!
Bar complete with whiskey? OMG!
Cafe?? Do you still need to ask?
I mean, why would Kat want to leave? I wouldn't want to leave a place that offers everything.
The book is marketed as a romcom "Perfect for fans of Sarah Adams, Tessa Bailey and Sally Thorne. " But whoever has marketed this book has never read it. They just skimmed through it, slapped on a chicklit-y cover, and sent it over to idiots like me who fell for the trick.
Overall, I am very disappointed in the book. But this is a debut and the author shows much promise in her writing. Hoping for a better next book.
1.5 stars rounded up to 2.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture Audio for the audio ARC.
March 26, 2023
"Come Here Often?" is a light read that focuses on the experience of Kat, who is unable to leave the gym after losing both her job and long-term boyfriend, all in the span of a few hours. The book is a poignant exploration of the impact of anxiety on an individual's daily life and the challenges faced when seeking help, as well as the impact it has on the relationships with people in our lives.
The writing style of the book is light-hearted and engaging, with a focus on Kat’s inner thoughts and emotions. While the book deals with a serious issue, it manages to balance the heavy subject matter with humor and wit, making for an enjoyable read. The audio narrator’s effort with reflecting Kat's emotional struggles and the support from those around her.
Overall, "Come Here Often?" is a great book that provides insight into the experience of living with anxiety. The story is well-written, with a relatable protagonist and a writing style that balances the serious subject matter with humor. The book serves as a reminder that seeking support can be scary, but it is an important step towards healing and finding peace.
Special thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture Audio, Bookouture, and the editorial team for giving me the opportunity to review the ARC in audiobook format and to you, my reader, for taking the time to read this honest personal book review.
If you are interested in other of my book reviews, make sure to follow me on GoodReads! #ComeHereOften #NetGalley #LifeLongLearning
The writing style of the book is light-hearted and engaging, with a focus on Kat’s inner thoughts and emotions. While the book deals with a serious issue, it manages to balance the heavy subject matter with humor and wit, making for an enjoyable read. The audio narrator’s effort with reflecting Kat's emotional struggles and the support from those around her.
Overall, "Come Here Often?" is a great book that provides insight into the experience of living with anxiety. The story is well-written, with a relatable protagonist and a writing style that balances the serious subject matter with humor. The book serves as a reminder that seeking support can be scary, but it is an important step towards healing and finding peace.
Special thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture Audio, Bookouture, and the editorial team for giving me the opportunity to review the ARC in audiobook format and to you, my reader, for taking the time to read this honest personal book review.
If you are interested in other of my book reviews, make sure to follow me on GoodReads! #ComeHereOften #NetGalley #LifeLongLearning
April 17, 2022
right off the bat, this story had me SO frustrated...
this is not a romance, and it's not funny
i couldn't connect with Kat at all, which in itself is a huge disappointment because i thought her anxiety would make this read relatable...solely mistaken...
something about the situation of anxiety just didn't sit well with me, and i understand that everyone experiences it in their own way so i won't elaborate on that
this story was just all over the place for a setting which contains one huge building. it was incredibly repetitive with a main character that just seemed rude and irresponsible
this ended up being more of a women's fiction than anything else... i was just not a fan of any of it
*𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳, 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘦-𝘢𝘳𝘤 𝘪𝘯-𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸*
this is not a romance, and it's not funny
i couldn't connect with Kat at all, which in itself is a huge disappointment because i thought her anxiety would make this read relatable...solely mistaken...
something about the situation of anxiety just didn't sit well with me, and i understand that everyone experiences it in their own way so i won't elaborate on that
this story was just all over the place for a setting which contains one huge building. it was incredibly repetitive with a main character that just seemed rude and irresponsible
this ended up being more of a women's fiction than anything else... i was just not a fan of any of it
*𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳, 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘦-𝘢𝘳𝘤 𝘪𝘯-𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸*
May 22, 2022
Closest to DNF book I have read in quite some time...except Little House On The Prairie
"A totally laugh out loud heart warming romantic comedy"no greater lie has been told since the last words coming out of Biden's mouth.
This book was neither romantic or funny. In fact it was platonic and depressing. I will rewrite the tag line for you, " A totally yawn out loud depressing platonic fiction book." Please note I did not even give it the honor of being labeled a drama because heaven forbid that would actually mean there was some emotion or excitement.
I blame myself for reading this. The cover was SO cute, I use to teach spin so I loved the bike on front. I also love my fancy gym so I thought it would be a cute read.
The book is about Kat Noad (Rhymes with Toad--dont worry dear reader if you don't catch it the first time you will be reminded another 977 times) who goes to her fancy gym for the first time and while there gets fired and her boyfriend breaks up with her, this sends her into having massive breakdown and she can't leave the gym......like she is paralyzed and has massive anxiety attacks if she goes towards the exit,
So that leaves us readers stuck with Kat in a massive gym (that is so unrealistic, don't get me wrong ym gym has a cafe, salon, spa, but a bar?? A place to buy formal wear?? Nope sorry Ellie, not a thing..oh and how about the fact that they have a childcare center that allows parents to drop the kids off all day while they are at work.......So this whole fictitious gym seems to grow and grow to fit what Kat needs.
Then there is the whole Kat hides out overnight in the gym---cameras seem to only point at one place and she is able to avoid them all in her overnight crashes....eye roll number 78
I could go on about unrealistic events, dumb plot lines, what a terrible person Kat is and the annoying reference to celebrities but I will not waste any more time. I think the author has a book full of trigger warnings.
-Kat uses exercise as a coping mechanism (like working out 8 hours a day) Trigger warning
-Constant reference to unhealthy food and exercise messaging
-Child abuse
-Abuse
-Animal death (you have to hear about this THE WHOLE BOOK!
-Alcohol
-Anxiety
-Depression
The concept could have been funny I guess. But the author takes this story down a terrible dark road. Personally I thought the way she handled the Anxiety (The Big A as it is referred to in the book--uhh) was very insensitive. Her anxiety is a character in and of itself. The whole book goes into great detail how it has ruled her life and led her to where she is and why she has made so many bad decisions in her life. Her coping mechanisms are very unhealthy. She becomes so dependent on medication and people around her.
I would have been more sensitive to Kat if she wasn't so unlikable. She deserved to be fired (Cussing out patients and treating them rudely), constant lies, she deserved to have her boyfriend break up with her (out partying, barfing in the sink because she was hung over all the time, a slob to live with) a bad friend (only doing what she wants, not considering others) and constant lies she tells to others.
Sum It All Up: This book is stupid
I would like to thank Netgally for this advanced listen to this book. I was not paid for this review (Obviously!)
"A totally laugh out loud heart warming romantic comedy"no greater lie has been told since the last words coming out of Biden's mouth.
This book was neither romantic or funny. In fact it was platonic and depressing. I will rewrite the tag line for you, " A totally yawn out loud depressing platonic fiction book." Please note I did not even give it the honor of being labeled a drama because heaven forbid that would actually mean there was some emotion or excitement.
I blame myself for reading this. The cover was SO cute, I use to teach spin so I loved the bike on front. I also love my fancy gym so I thought it would be a cute read.
The book is about Kat Noad (Rhymes with Toad--dont worry dear reader if you don't catch it the first time you will be reminded another 977 times) who goes to her fancy gym for the first time and while there gets fired and her boyfriend breaks up with her, this sends her into having massive breakdown and she can't leave the gym......like she is paralyzed and has massive anxiety attacks if she goes towards the exit,
So that leaves us readers stuck with Kat in a massive gym (that is so unrealistic, don't get me wrong ym gym has a cafe, salon, spa, but a bar?? A place to buy formal wear?? Nope sorry Ellie, not a thing..oh and how about the fact that they have a childcare center that allows parents to drop the kids off all day while they are at work.......So this whole fictitious gym seems to grow and grow to fit what Kat needs.
Then there is the whole Kat hides out overnight in the gym---cameras seem to only point at one place and she is able to avoid them all in her overnight crashes....eye roll number 78
I could go on about unrealistic events, dumb plot lines, what a terrible person Kat is and the annoying reference to celebrities but I will not waste any more time. I think the author has a book full of trigger warnings.
-Kat uses exercise as a coping mechanism (like working out 8 hours a day) Trigger warning
-Constant reference to unhealthy food and exercise messaging
-Child abuse
-Abuse
-Animal death (you have to hear about this THE WHOLE BOOK!
-Alcohol
-Anxiety
-Depression
The concept could have been funny I guess. But the author takes this story down a terrible dark road. Personally I thought the way she handled the Anxiety (The Big A as it is referred to in the book--uhh) was very insensitive. Her anxiety is a character in and of itself. The whole book goes into great detail how it has ruled her life and led her to where she is and why she has made so many bad decisions in her life. Her coping mechanisms are very unhealthy. She becomes so dependent on medication and people around her.
I would have been more sensitive to Kat if she wasn't so unlikable. She deserved to be fired (Cussing out patients and treating them rudely), constant lies, she deserved to have her boyfriend break up with her (out partying, barfing in the sink because she was hung over all the time, a slob to live with) a bad friend (only doing what she wants, not considering others) and constant lies she tells to others.
Sum It All Up: This book is stupid
I would like to thank Netgally for this advanced listen to this book. I was not paid for this review (Obviously!)
May 10, 2022
Kat Noad is at the gym when she gets fired and dumped in the spam of 10 minutes. She then has an anxiety attack and can't exit the gym.
I agree with other reviewers that this is definitely not "a totally laugh-out-loud and heart-warming romantic comedy" as stated on the cover. It tries to be funny while talking about a serious issue (anxiety) and it really didn'l work for me at all. I found the story sad and depressing.
The first 80% of the book is a repeat of "I'll tell someone to help me out of here - not this person" and then pool or gym, buy new clothes in the gym shop, eat at the gym restaurant and then drink (a lot) at the gym bar. This goes on for a week, but feels more like a month.
Then in the last 20% something happens and everything is magically resolved (as if anxiety can be cured with one single action). Finally, in the last two pages of the book (the epilogue) Kat is like a new person. Sorry but it was hard to believe.
I have to say that the writing style was not bad, but the story didn'd work for me.
** Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion. **
I agree with other reviewers that this is definitely not "a totally laugh-out-loud and heart-warming romantic comedy" as stated on the cover. It tries to be funny while talking about a serious issue (anxiety) and it really didn'l work for me at all. I found the story sad and depressing.
The first 80% of the book is a repeat of "I'll tell someone to help me out of here - not this person" and then pool or gym, buy new clothes in the gym shop, eat at the gym restaurant and then drink (a lot) at the gym bar. This goes on for a week, but feels more like a month.
Then in the last 20% something happens and everything is magically resolved (as if anxiety can be cured with one single action). Finally, in the last two pages of the book (the epilogue) Kat is like a new person. Sorry but it was hard to believe.
I have to say that the writing style was not bad, but the story didn'd work for me.
** Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion. **
September 17, 2022
This was such a fun book to read. Though anxiety is not funny by any means, especially for the person experiencing it, Kat had me laughing out loud when reading about her situation she was in. I found myself cringing at the same time because I almost felt guilty for finding it all so funny. I can’t picture this happening to anyone in real life, but yet… We read in the authors note that similar things have happened! The characters are definitely what makes this book so delightful. There are some colorful and quirky ones, as well as some well known famous ones! None are as great as Kat though. I truly laughed so hard a few times, I couldn’t help it. A bit corny, but you know that going in. Perfect read for when you want something light and fun. Fans of Kristen Bailey will love this one!
May 21, 2022
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read this book early! When I marked it as "currently reading" on Goodreads, I saw that this book is not getting a lot of love and I was curious as to why because the beginning really hooked me and had me interested! This book is about a woman named Kat who suffers from anxiety. Her boyfriend signs her up for a mega gym and wants her to get healthy, so she's there when she gets the call that she's being fired and minutes later the call that her boyfriend is breaking up with her. Her anxiety takes over and she finds herself mentally trapped in the gym. It's not a 24 hour gym, but she decides to make it her home and hide out so she never has to leave. People's complaints about this book are completely valid-- this book is grossly mis marketed. From the cover and the general pitch, you would assume this is a fun, cute romance. Thats not at all what this is. This is a look into the life of Kat at her rock bottom. Her anxiety causes panic attacks and has led to prior hospitalizations, etc. She has a very severe case that is being managed only by Xanax (which she has run out of). We follow Kat as she continually tries to leave the gym but just can't. We learn more about her past and the triggers that have led her to this point. We also see her discover fitness and friendship in the people she meets at the gym. There is SORT OF a romance between her and a trainer, but thats such a minor part of the story I would not call this a romance at all. This is much more a women's fiction about Kat trying to overcome her anxiety and come to terms with her struggles enough to get some help. I think if this book were marketed more appropriately and people knew what they were getting into, it would be better accepted. Personally, I enjoyed the story because I knew very little going in. However I do have some complaints. Since the book is set all in one place and we're really just following Kat, it got a little redundant. I also hated how Kat couldn't be honest with ANYONE so she told 13984 lies to people. It makes sense why she did it, but it got annoying to read. There are also bits of her past thrown in to show us things that have made her mental health battle even harder, but they felt thrown in and awkward. Furthermore, they seemed to confuse the focus of the book. Is she suffering with anxiety or PTSD? The answer is likely both, but the life events made it even more gross to me that nobody was really supporting her. Her mom is an alcoholic, her dad kind of MIA, her boyfriend broke up with her, etc. This gal needs a lot of therapy and support and she's not getting it. I loved getting to know Kat's heart and seeing her work with kids was sweet. Overall, this definitely feels like a debut, but with better marketing and more experience, I'd give her another shot.
SPOILERS AHEAD: She finally leaves the gym when one of the kids she knows from daycare starts to get kidnapped by her abusive Dad. Kat started working in the daycare and met this little girl whose parents were divorced. The mom told her to never let the dad take her but someone new let it happen and she knew the little girl was in danger but nobody would help so she ran out of the building to save her.
SPOILERS AHEAD: She finally leaves the gym when one of the kids she knows from daycare starts to get kidnapped by her abusive Dad. Kat started working in the daycare and met this little girl whose parents were divorced. The mom told her to never let the dad take her but someone new let it happen and she knew the little girl was in danger but nobody would help so she ran out of the building to save her.
May 11, 2022
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Just as Kat is about to turn her life around and get a healthy lifestyle, everything crumples around her. First she loses her job and then her relationship, and finally her anxiety flares up and makes her unable to leave the gym. And that after having been avoiding that place for her entire life. As she faces the fact that her anxiety will not let her leave the luxurious and fully equipped hotspot, Kat has to figure out how she got into the situation and how to get out of it.
This book surprised me as I expected a cute rom-com featuring a good-looking gym trainer and got a book about an anxiety induced protagonist, who is in the middle of an existential crisis. And as much as I believe anxiety and other mental illnesses to be an important topic of conversation, I feel like the cover is a bit misleading. But I can only blame myself, since there is the saying about never judging a book by its cover. But let's start by saying that this book made me feel anxious myself. It was rather painful to be stuck in Kat's mind and see her desperately seek for affection by believing that everyone in the gym was her friend, although they were literally just doing their job. I couldn't help but cringe every time she talked to anyone. I would have loved if this book had commented on what in my opinion was the actual plot: Kat's anxiety fantasy world. Everyone around her, including her family, her ex-boyfriend and her 'friends' were super toxic and behaved highly unrealistic. Kat let herself be judged and antagonized by everyone, even people she barely knew.
What made it worse was the ending, which didn't fit the rest of the book, it was like it suddenly turned into a rom-com, but only for the last three chapters. Really, I would have loved this book if it had commented on how delusional Kat's outlook on the world is and if she throughout the novel fought her way out of it and learned how to live with her anxiety. But this book just sadly wasn't for me.
Just as Kat is about to turn her life around and get a healthy lifestyle, everything crumples around her. First she loses her job and then her relationship, and finally her anxiety flares up and makes her unable to leave the gym. And that after having been avoiding that place for her entire life. As she faces the fact that her anxiety will not let her leave the luxurious and fully equipped hotspot, Kat has to figure out how she got into the situation and how to get out of it.
This book surprised me as I expected a cute rom-com featuring a good-looking gym trainer and got a book about an anxiety induced protagonist, who is in the middle of an existential crisis. And as much as I believe anxiety and other mental illnesses to be an important topic of conversation, I feel like the cover is a bit misleading. But I can only blame myself, since there is the saying about never judging a book by its cover. But let's start by saying that this book made me feel anxious myself. It was rather painful to be stuck in Kat's mind and see her desperately seek for affection by believing that everyone in the gym was her friend, although they were literally just doing their job. I couldn't help but cringe every time she talked to anyone. I would have loved if this book had commented on what in my opinion was the actual plot: Kat's anxiety fantasy world. Everyone around her, including her family, her ex-boyfriend and her 'friends' were super toxic and behaved highly unrealistic. Kat let herself be judged and antagonized by everyone, even people she barely knew.
What made it worse was the ending, which didn't fit the rest of the book, it was like it suddenly turned into a rom-com, but only for the last three chapters. Really, I would have loved this book if it had commented on how delusional Kat's outlook on the world is and if she throughout the novel fought her way out of it and learned how to live with her anxiety. But this book just sadly wasn't for me.
May 2, 2022
Kat Noad is a dental hygienist with extreme amounts of anxiety. She joins a gym, loses her job, and her boyfriend breaks up with her all on the same day. Kat experiences panic attacks and discovers that she is incapable of leaving the gym, so she decides to stay for a few days, concocting elaborate lies to fool the employees and her friends.
This was a DNF at 57% for me. I don’t often leave one star reviews, but the half of the book I read was very depressing. It is essentially one long monologue of an anxious and depressed woman; there is very little dialogue. The book was described as “Perfect for fans of Sarah Adams, Tessa Bailey and Sally Thorne,” and a romantic comedy, but the contents don’t match that promise at all. Kat is very mentally ill and not at all a likable (or frankly relatable) character. Maybe she experiences great growth in the second half of the novel, but I won’t ever know because I couldn’t take any more of the constant negative drivel. Kat is primarily depressed because of the death of her dog 6 months prior. There are very sad descriptions of the illness and final days of her beloved dog. There is also a story about the death of a childhood pet rabbit. The whole book so far has just been one big happiness drain, which is exactly the opposite reason why most people pick up “romance” novels. At almost 60% of the way through the book it is also still unclear who the romantic interest will be (I’m guessing Marcus), but they’ve had very little interaction and other than his good looks, there is no indication that Kat is interested in him. I don’t recommend the book to readers of romance novels because it isn’t one. Instead I would classify it as women’s fiction.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
CW: anxiety, depression, panic attacks, mention of DUI, death of pets, improperly taking antidepressants
This was a DNF at 57% for me. I don’t often leave one star reviews, but the half of the book I read was very depressing. It is essentially one long monologue of an anxious and depressed woman; there is very little dialogue. The book was described as “Perfect for fans of Sarah Adams, Tessa Bailey and Sally Thorne,” and a romantic comedy, but the contents don’t match that promise at all. Kat is very mentally ill and not at all a likable (or frankly relatable) character. Maybe she experiences great growth in the second half of the novel, but I won’t ever know because I couldn’t take any more of the constant negative drivel. Kat is primarily depressed because of the death of her dog 6 months prior. There are very sad descriptions of the illness and final days of her beloved dog. There is also a story about the death of a childhood pet rabbit. The whole book so far has just been one big happiness drain, which is exactly the opposite reason why most people pick up “romance” novels. At almost 60% of the way through the book it is also still unclear who the romantic interest will be (I’m guessing Marcus), but they’ve had very little interaction and other than his good looks, there is no indication that Kat is interested in him. I don’t recommend the book to readers of romance novels because it isn’t one. Instead I would classify it as women’s fiction.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
CW: anxiety, depression, panic attacks, mention of DUI, death of pets, improperly taking antidepressants
May 26, 2022
Oof. This book didn’t work for me on so many levels. First, unless you think a severely damaged woman suffering from crippling anxiety drinking herself into full blown self destruction is funny, this shouldn’t be marketed as a comedy. For an extra “comedic” boost, the author threw in a side character with a physically abusive father who tries to kidnap her and a tragic memory of a small child’s death. So funny right?
Ok if I can ignore the fact that this was marketed as “feel good” and “funny” and just dive into the story, I’m still disappointed. Look, there are lots of novels about sad damaged people (“A Man Called Ove,” “Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine,” etc.) that are wildly successful but in order to do that the writing needs to be rich, the characters and relationships deep, and a main character’s evolution. “Come Here Often” didn’t have any of those elements so it fell flat.
It was almost like the author couldn’t decide if she wanted to write something light and fluffy or something serious so she did a little bit of both and neither one worked. I think this could have worked as a rom com if the character wouldn’t have been so damaged with real life issues or it could have worked as a serious book without the fluffy celebrity references and nonchalant nature the main character has toward her self destruction. However, a little of each genre shoved in together just didn’t work.
Finally, the book was exhaustingly repetitive, the relationships lacked depth/connection, and the priorities were so off balance it was concerning: the main character is so deeply damaged by the death of her dog but her involvement in an accident that led to a child’s death is just glossed over like an afterthought? What?!
I’m sorry; I know it takes major guts and gumption to write a book and have it published so congrats to the author for that but this just wasn’t for me. Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the advance electronic copy in exchange for an honest review.
Ok if I can ignore the fact that this was marketed as “feel good” and “funny” and just dive into the story, I’m still disappointed. Look, there are lots of novels about sad damaged people (“A Man Called Ove,” “Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine,” etc.) that are wildly successful but in order to do that the writing needs to be rich, the characters and relationships deep, and a main character’s evolution. “Come Here Often” didn’t have any of those elements so it fell flat.
It was almost like the author couldn’t decide if she wanted to write something light and fluffy or something serious so she did a little bit of both and neither one worked. I think this could have worked as a rom com if the character wouldn’t have been so damaged with real life issues or it could have worked as a serious book without the fluffy celebrity references and nonchalant nature the main character has toward her self destruction. However, a little of each genre shoved in together just didn’t work.
Finally, the book was exhaustingly repetitive, the relationships lacked depth/connection, and the priorities were so off balance it was concerning: the main character is so deeply damaged by the death of her dog but her involvement in an accident that led to a child’s death is just glossed over like an afterthought? What?!
I’m sorry; I know it takes major guts and gumption to write a book and have it published so congrats to the author for that but this just wasn’t for me. Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the advance electronic copy in exchange for an honest review.
May 23, 2022
Thank you NetGalley and Ellie Center for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.
How do I start? I really enjoyed the beginning of the book but it got bad really quick.
I make it a point to not read reviews because I want an unbiased take on the book but a couple chapters in I had to look up how others are taking this. And I'm glad I did.
I did not like the representation of anxiety here, at all. Yes, anxiety inhibits you from being what you are or reach your potential but that is no excuse for you to blame EVERYTHING and get away with ANYTHING. At the end of the day you still have a responsibility.
I thought this would be a rom-com, my favourites, but it was a just a book that was a little too long for my liking, with a plot that did not make sense to me.
I tried getting this over with just so I'm not put into a reading slump.
How do I start? I really enjoyed the beginning of the book but it got bad really quick.
I make it a point to not read reviews because I want an unbiased take on the book but a couple chapters in I had to look up how others are taking this. And I'm glad I did.
I did not like the representation of anxiety here, at all. Yes, anxiety inhibits you from being what you are or reach your potential but that is no excuse for you to blame EVERYTHING and get away with ANYTHING. At the end of the day you still have a responsibility.
I thought this would be a rom-com, my favourites, but it was a just a book that was a little too long for my liking, with a plot that did not make sense to me.
I tried getting this over with just so I'm not put into a reading slump.
May 24, 2022
DNF at more or less 50% of the audiobook.
I stopped reading halfway through the book. This book has a description that in no way corresponds to what it really is. This book is not a romantic comedy. The main character suffers from many mental issues and I couldn't continue this audiobook, even the narrator herself gives off a melancholy vibe. It's a very heavy book, not at all what I was expecting when I requested the arc version.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing the audiobook for an honest review. I am very sorry that I was not able to listen to its entirety.
I stopped reading halfway through the book. This book has a description that in no way corresponds to what it really is. This book is not a romantic comedy. The main character suffers from many mental issues and I couldn't continue this audiobook, even the narrator herself gives off a melancholy vibe. It's a very heavy book, not at all what I was expecting when I requested the arc version.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing the audiobook for an honest review. I am very sorry that I was not able to listen to its entirety.
January 12, 2023
It honestly takes a lot for me to not finish a book, but this one was an instant DNF but I kept reading to see how this story went... this I my review.
DNFed 54%
First of all, I have no idea who thought this book should be marketed as romance, humor book. It could count as humor, if humor is me making fun of this book. The humor in his book was not it for me at all. This is a women's fiction book, and when I completely changed my view of this book I was slightly intrigued just cause I wanted to know what was going to happen.
Second of all, chapter one was a massive red flag. I should've DNFed when I finished this chapter because I do not think it's funny to write a book about a woman having a panic attack so bad she has to live in a gym for 4 days, (maybe? I didn't finish). The constant mention of her grief about her emotional support dog, and her boyfriend and her boss had very valid reasons for breaking up with her and firing her.
Third of all, this book needed a major trigger warning of anxiety. The whole 54% book was her inner monologue of her anxiety and we had very few interactions with other people. I have no idea what the romance part comes into play. Her and her exboyfriend are definetly not getting back together and Marcus has a girlfriend (IDK). They only have talked maybe once, and the other times are like small casual conversations. It did seem like he was flirting with her, but she is definitely an unreliable narrator.
Now continuing the reasons why I didn't like this book, the constant comparison between people with celebrities. We had Jake Gyllenhaal, the Hemsworth, Salma Hayek, Amy Schumer and so on. To the point that somehow Jake Gyllenhaal goes to this magical gym that has EVERYTHING. It has a store that sales cocktail dresses and high heels, to a bar where you can drink alcohol.
I'm sorry, but this book and I are never ever getting back together (is this a song?).
I would like to say Thank you NetGalley and BookOuture for the e-arc of this book. I really did try to give it a chance.
TW: Alcohol, Eating Disorder, Grief, Panic Attacks, Vomit, Body Shaming, Mental Illness, Sucidal Thoughts, Fat Fobia and Animal Grief.
DNFed 54%
First of all, I have no idea who thought this book should be marketed as romance, humor book. It could count as humor, if humor is me making fun of this book. The humor in his book was not it for me at all. This is a women's fiction book, and when I completely changed my view of this book I was slightly intrigued just cause I wanted to know what was going to happen.
Second of all, chapter one was a massive red flag. I should've DNFed when I finished this chapter because I do not think it's funny to write a book about a woman having a panic attack so bad she has to live in a gym for 4 days, (maybe? I didn't finish). The constant mention of her grief about her emotional support dog, and her boyfriend and her boss had very valid reasons for breaking up with her and firing her.
Third of all, this book needed a major trigger warning of anxiety. The whole 54% book was her inner monologue of her anxiety and we had very few interactions with other people. I have no idea what the romance part comes into play. Her and her exboyfriend are definetly not getting back together and Marcus has a girlfriend (IDK). They only have talked maybe once, and the other times are like small casual conversations. It did seem like he was flirting with her, but she is definitely an unreliable narrator.
Now continuing the reasons why I didn't like this book, the constant comparison between people with celebrities. We had Jake Gyllenhaal, the Hemsworth, Salma Hayek, Amy Schumer and so on. To the point that somehow Jake Gyllenhaal goes to this magical gym that has EVERYTHING. It has a store that sales cocktail dresses and high heels, to a bar where you can drink alcohol.
I'm sorry, but this book and I are never ever getting back together (is this a song?).
I would like to say Thank you NetGalley and BookOuture for the e-arc of this book. I really did try to give it a chance.
TW: Alcohol, Eating Disorder, Grief, Panic Attacks, Vomit, Body Shaming, Mental Illness, Sucidal Thoughts, Fat Fobia and Animal Grief.
May 26, 2022
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'Make Me Disappear' by Jessica Payne.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Jessica Payne, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous
Publication date 23rd May 2022.
This is Emily Center's debut novel.
I was originally drawn to this book by its eye catching unique cover and intriguing sounding synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that this book is 'Perfect for fans of Beth O’Leary and Emily Henry.' I am a huge fan of Emily Henry so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).
This novel consists of 25 chapters and an epilogue. The chapters are medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is based in Nashville, Tennessee , USA 🇺🇸
This book is written in first person perspective and the main protagonist is Katherine Noad. The benefits of books written in first person perspective are as long as they are well written it makes you feel that you are being spoken to by the protagonist and it can create more of a bond between yourselves and them.
'Come Here Often?' ' discusses some topics that may trigger or upset some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Ellie discusses/includes mental illness, anxiety, panic attacks, death of a pet, death of a child, domestic violence and attempted kidnapping.
This book is very well written with vivid descriptions will that have your heart pounding on the treadmill and sweating in the sauna. The cover and synopsis suit the book perfectly.
This storyline is very easy to read and I flew through it in one sitting. It is a unique storyline, one of only a handful that I have read that is set in one location throughout. I always worry when it comes to books set in one location that I will get bored of "seeing" the same places but as 'Great Fitness' is such a large building with so many different amenities there are plenty of places to explore with Katherine. Although it is based in a gym this book is filled with so much more than fitness, from romance to rivalry, family and friends and even some crime. It is filled with love, sadness, tension, hope, loss and everything you could ask for in a romantic comedy. There were parts that made me laugh, brought me close to tears and others that made me sit up and hold my breathe. I loved all the song, music, movie and celebrity references. I read this on my kindle but I also had the audio book which I listened to in the car and on school runs. The narrator was fantastic and the voice was perfect for Katherine, she had me hooked on the audio book along with me already being hooked on the book itself. The narrator portrayed Katherine's anxiety perfectly. Although this book is mainly sold as a romantic comedy there are some serious topics discussed such as depression and anxiety so if you are looking for a laugh a minute romcom this may not be the book for you. However, personally, I enjoyed the mix in emotions and I thought Ellie intertwined funny situations with darker ones perfectly and also helps to bring anxiety awareness to readers.
The characters are all well described and strong. There is also a wide range of personalities which I enjoyed getting to know. I became completely invested in Kath and her story and hope she does get the help she needs. I was very happy in how the book ended for her. My heart went out to her on several occasions as she had gone through so much as a child and continued to struggle into adulthood with her mental health along with everything happening in her personal life. I really liked Jack who seemed like a really sweet guy and in a way I would have liked to see more of him and see how things worked out if Marcus wasn't in the picture. I won't say any more than that as I don't want to spoil it for future readers. However, I did like Marcus and thought he was really sweet. I did not get on with Sam and thought that he didn't seem affected at all considering how long he had been with Katherine. I absolutely adored sweet little Rosie and hope that things improve for herself and Raline. I wasn't a fan of Katherine's parents and thought that they should have been a lot more supportive and considerative of her feelings and mental health. Lura was definitely a strange one who I didn't like at all when I first met her but I believe she was misunderstood and was redeemed by the end. Regardless whether you loved them or hated them these characters work perfectly well to make this a very enjoyable read.
Well done Ellie on a great debut novel, I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with next 🥂.
Overall a unique and intriguing storyline that will keep you turning the pages.
Genres covered in this book include Women's Fiction, Romance, Humour, Romantic Comedy, General Humourous Fiction and Comedy amongst others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Beth O’Leary, 'Bridget Jones Diary' and Emily Henry.
323 pages.
This book is just 99p to purchase on kindle or free on kindle unlimited (at time of review) via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 4 /5 (I enjoyed it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews
#ComeHereOften? #Bookouture #EllieCenter #NetGalley #BookReview #BlogTour #BooksOnTour
@EllieCenter @Bookouture @Bookworm1986 @bookworm86 @EllieCenter
https://kcmw86.wixsite.com/bookworm86
https://m.facebook.com/Bookworm1986/?...
https://m.facebook.com/Bookwork86/?__...
https://www.instagram.com/bookwormwhi...
Merged review:
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'Make Me Disappear' by Jessica Payne.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Jessica Payne, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous
Publication date 23rd May 2022.
This is Emily Center's debut novel.
I was originally drawn to this book by its eye catching unique cover and intriguing sounding synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that this book is 'Perfect for fans of Beth O’Leary and Emily Henry.' I am a huge fan of Emily Henry so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).
This novel consists of 25 chapters and an epilogue. The chapters are medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is based in Nashville, Tennessee , USA 🇺🇸
This book is written in first person perspective and the main protagonist is Katherine Noad. The benefits of books written in first person perspective are as long as they are well written it makes you feel that you are being spoken to by the protagonist and it can create more of a bond between yourselves and them.
'Come Here Often?' ' discusses some topics that may trigger or upset some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Ellie discusses/includes mental illness, anxiety, panic attacks, death of a pet, death of a child, domestic violence and attempted kidnapping.
This book is very well written with vivid descriptions will that have your heart pounding on the treadmill and sweating in the sauna. The cover and synopsis suit the book perfectly.
This storyline is very easy to read and I flew through it in one sitting. It is a unique storyline, one of only a handful that I have read that is set in one location throughout. I always worry when it comes to books set in one location that I will get bored of "seeing" the same places but as 'Great Fitness' is such a large building with so many different amenities there are plenty of places to explore with Katherine. Although it is based in a gym this book is filled with so much more than fitness, from romance to rivalry, family and friends and even some crime. It is filled with love, sadness, tension, hope, loss and everything you could ask for in a romantic comedy. There were parts that made me laugh, brought me close to tears and others that made me sit up and hold my breathe. I loved all the song, music, movie and celebrity references. I read this on my kindle but I also had the audio book which I listened to in the car and on school runs. The narrator was fantastic and the voice was perfect for Katherine, she had me hooked on the audio book along with me already being hooked on the book itself. The narrator portrayed Katherine's anxiety perfectly. Although this book is mainly sold as a romantic comedy there are some serious topics discussed such as depression and anxiety so if you are looking for a laugh a minute romcom this may not be the book for you. However, personally, I enjoyed the mix in emotions and I thought Ellie intertwined funny situations with darker ones perfectly and also helps to bring anxiety awareness to readers.
The characters are all well described and strong. There is also a wide range of personalities which I enjoyed getting to know. I became completely invested in Kath and her story and hope she does get the help she needs. I was very happy in how the book ended for her. My heart went out to her on several occasions as she had gone through so much as a child and continued to struggle into adulthood with her mental health along with everything happening in her personal life. I really liked Jack who seemed like a really sweet guy and in a way I would have liked to see more of him and see how things worked out if Marcus wasn't in the picture. I won't say any more than that as I don't want to spoil it for future readers. However, I did like Marcus and thought he was really sweet. I did not get on with Sam and thought that he didn't seem affected at all considering how long he had been with Katherine. I absolutely adored sweet little Rosie and hope that things improve for herself and Raline. I wasn't a fan of Katherine's parents and thought that they should have been a lot more supportive and considerative of her feelings and mental health. Lura was definitely a strange one who I didn't like at all when I first met her but I believe she was misunderstood and was redeemed by the end. Regardless whether you loved them or hated them these characters work perfectly well to make this a very enjoyable read.
Well done Ellie on a great debut novel, I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with next 🥂.
Overall a unique and intriguing storyline that will keep you turning the pages.
Genres covered in this book include Women's Fiction, Romance, Humour, Romantic Comedy, General Humourous Fiction and Comedy amongst others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Beth O’Leary, 'Bridget Jones Diary' and Emily Henry.
323 pages.
This book is just 99p to purchase on kindle or free on kindle unlimited (at time of review) via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 4 /5 (I enjoyed it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews
#ComeHereOften? #Bookouture #EllieCenter #NetGalley #BookReview #BlogTour #BooksOnTour
@EllieCenter @Bookouture @Bookworm1986 @bookworm86 @EllieCenter
https://kcmw86.wixsite.com/bookworm86
https://m.facebook.com/Bookworm1986/?...
https://m.facebook.com/Bookwork86/?__...
https://www.instagram.com/bookwormwhi...
Review for 'Make Me Disappear' by Jessica Payne.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Jessica Payne, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous
Publication date 23rd May 2022.
This is Emily Center's debut novel.
I was originally drawn to this book by its eye catching unique cover and intriguing sounding synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that this book is 'Perfect for fans of Beth O’Leary and Emily Henry.' I am a huge fan of Emily Henry so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).
This novel consists of 25 chapters and an epilogue. The chapters are medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is based in Nashville, Tennessee , USA 🇺🇸
This book is written in first person perspective and the main protagonist is Katherine Noad. The benefits of books written in first person perspective are as long as they are well written it makes you feel that you are being spoken to by the protagonist and it can create more of a bond between yourselves and them.
'Come Here Often?' ' discusses some topics that may trigger or upset some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Ellie discusses/includes mental illness, anxiety, panic attacks, death of a pet, death of a child, domestic violence and attempted kidnapping.
This book is very well written with vivid descriptions will that have your heart pounding on the treadmill and sweating in the sauna. The cover and synopsis suit the book perfectly.
This storyline is very easy to read and I flew through it in one sitting. It is a unique storyline, one of only a handful that I have read that is set in one location throughout. I always worry when it comes to books set in one location that I will get bored of "seeing" the same places but as 'Great Fitness' is such a large building with so many different amenities there are plenty of places to explore with Katherine. Although it is based in a gym this book is filled with so much more than fitness, from romance to rivalry, family and friends and even some crime. It is filled with love, sadness, tension, hope, loss and everything you could ask for in a romantic comedy. There were parts that made me laugh, brought me close to tears and others that made me sit up and hold my breathe. I loved all the song, music, movie and celebrity references. I read this on my kindle but I also had the audio book which I listened to in the car and on school runs. The narrator was fantastic and the voice was perfect for Katherine, she had me hooked on the audio book along with me already being hooked on the book itself. The narrator portrayed Katherine's anxiety perfectly. Although this book is mainly sold as a romantic comedy there are some serious topics discussed such as depression and anxiety so if you are looking for a laugh a minute romcom this may not be the book for you. However, personally, I enjoyed the mix in emotions and I thought Ellie intertwined funny situations with darker ones perfectly and also helps to bring anxiety awareness to readers.
The characters are all well described and strong. There is also a wide range of personalities which I enjoyed getting to know. I became completely invested in Kath and her story and hope she does get the help she needs. I was very happy in how the book ended for her. My heart went out to her on several occasions as she had gone through so much as a child and continued to struggle into adulthood with her mental health along with everything happening in her personal life. I really liked Jack who seemed like a really sweet guy and in a way I would have liked to see more of him and see how things worked out if Marcus wasn't in the picture. I won't say any more than that as I don't want to spoil it for future readers. However, I did like Marcus and thought he was really sweet. I did not get on with Sam and thought that he didn't seem affected at all considering how long he had been with Katherine. I absolutely adored sweet little Rosie and hope that things improve for herself and Raline. I wasn't a fan of Katherine's parents and thought that they should have been a lot more supportive and considerative of her feelings and mental health. Lura was definitely a strange one who I didn't like at all when I first met her but I believe she was misunderstood and was redeemed by the end. Regardless whether you loved them or hated them these characters work perfectly well to make this a very enjoyable read.
Well done Ellie on a great debut novel, I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with next 🥂.
Overall a unique and intriguing storyline that will keep you turning the pages.
Genres covered in this book include Women's Fiction, Romance, Humour, Romantic Comedy, General Humourous Fiction and Comedy amongst others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Beth O’Leary, 'Bridget Jones Diary' and Emily Henry.
323 pages.
This book is just 99p to purchase on kindle or free on kindle unlimited (at time of review) via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 4 /5 (I enjoyed it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews
#ComeHereOften? #Bookouture #EllieCenter #NetGalley #BookReview #BlogTour #BooksOnTour
@EllieCenter @Bookouture @Bookworm1986 @bookworm86 @EllieCenter
https://kcmw86.wixsite.com/bookworm86
https://m.facebook.com/Bookworm1986/?...
https://m.facebook.com/Bookwork86/?__...
https://www.instagram.com/bookwormwhi...
Merged review:
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'Make Me Disappear' by Jessica Payne.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Jessica Payne, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous
Publication date 23rd May 2022.
This is Emily Center's debut novel.
I was originally drawn to this book by its eye catching unique cover and intriguing sounding synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that this book is 'Perfect for fans of Beth O’Leary and Emily Henry.' I am a huge fan of Emily Henry so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).
This novel consists of 25 chapters and an epilogue. The chapters are medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is based in Nashville, Tennessee , USA 🇺🇸
This book is written in first person perspective and the main protagonist is Katherine Noad. The benefits of books written in first person perspective are as long as they are well written it makes you feel that you are being spoken to by the protagonist and it can create more of a bond between yourselves and them.
'Come Here Often?' ' discusses some topics that may trigger or upset some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Ellie discusses/includes mental illness, anxiety, panic attacks, death of a pet, death of a child, domestic violence and attempted kidnapping.
This book is very well written with vivid descriptions will that have your heart pounding on the treadmill and sweating in the sauna. The cover and synopsis suit the book perfectly.
This storyline is very easy to read and I flew through it in one sitting. It is a unique storyline, one of only a handful that I have read that is set in one location throughout. I always worry when it comes to books set in one location that I will get bored of "seeing" the same places but as 'Great Fitness' is such a large building with so many different amenities there are plenty of places to explore with Katherine. Although it is based in a gym this book is filled with so much more than fitness, from romance to rivalry, family and friends and even some crime. It is filled with love, sadness, tension, hope, loss and everything you could ask for in a romantic comedy. There were parts that made me laugh, brought me close to tears and others that made me sit up and hold my breathe. I loved all the song, music, movie and celebrity references. I read this on my kindle but I also had the audio book which I listened to in the car and on school runs. The narrator was fantastic and the voice was perfect for Katherine, she had me hooked on the audio book along with me already being hooked on the book itself. The narrator portrayed Katherine's anxiety perfectly. Although this book is mainly sold as a romantic comedy there are some serious topics discussed such as depression and anxiety so if you are looking for a laugh a minute romcom this may not be the book for you. However, personally, I enjoyed the mix in emotions and I thought Ellie intertwined funny situations with darker ones perfectly and also helps to bring anxiety awareness to readers.
The characters are all well described and strong. There is also a wide range of personalities which I enjoyed getting to know. I became completely invested in Kath and her story and hope she does get the help she needs. I was very happy in how the book ended for her. My heart went out to her on several occasions as she had gone through so much as a child and continued to struggle into adulthood with her mental health along with everything happening in her personal life. I really liked Jack who seemed like a really sweet guy and in a way I would have liked to see more of him and see how things worked out if Marcus wasn't in the picture. I won't say any more than that as I don't want to spoil it for future readers. However, I did like Marcus and thought he was really sweet. I did not get on with Sam and thought that he didn't seem affected at all considering how long he had been with Katherine. I absolutely adored sweet little Rosie and hope that things improve for herself and Raline. I wasn't a fan of Katherine's parents and thought that they should have been a lot more supportive and considerative of her feelings and mental health. Lura was definitely a strange one who I didn't like at all when I first met her but I believe she was misunderstood and was redeemed by the end. Regardless whether you loved them or hated them these characters work perfectly well to make this a very enjoyable read.
Well done Ellie on a great debut novel, I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with next 🥂.
Overall a unique and intriguing storyline that will keep you turning the pages.
Genres covered in this book include Women's Fiction, Romance, Humour, Romantic Comedy, General Humourous Fiction and Comedy amongst others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Beth O’Leary, 'Bridget Jones Diary' and Emily Henry.
323 pages.
This book is just 99p to purchase on kindle or free on kindle unlimited (at time of review) via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
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May 1, 2022
My main beef with Come Here Often? by Ellie Center and the thing that has colored my reading and review of the book is that IT IS NOT A ROMANTIC COMEDY. Whoever is doing the marketing for this book is way overselling and pushing the story as something it is not. I’ll get into exactly why in a minute, but potential readers be warned. Do not pick up Come Here Often? if you want some gooey feel good romance because this is not that book.
Our story is about Katherine “Kat” Noad, a 32-year-old dental hygienist who walks into Great Fitness, an upscale Nashville health club one Monday morning, after her long term boyfriend bought them both memberships. Apprehensive about exercise, Kat nonetheless wants to make changes in her life and starts. Only, within an hour, Kat is not only fired but dumped. Kat is someone ruled by her anxiety (but also not putting real effort into managing it), which sets the stage for our story. After her morning from Hell, Kat tries to leave Great Fitness only to find she cannot without having a panic attack. She decides to temporarily camp out until she can leave, and over a week, we see Kat sleep in questionable places, meet an assortment of personalities, and have a nonstop existential crisis over how she’s been living and what to do next.
You’ll note that in my plot summary, I don’t mention Kat’s romantic life beyond her long term boyfriend dumping her. The reason why is that, while Kat is like perpetually horny and thinks about dating nonstop (both past failures and imagined futures with the guys she meets), Come Here Often? is all about her anxiety. I don’t think at any point in reading I got to go two-three pages without her breaking down and thinking about it more. This complete change in plot-type from the summary annoyed me, because I walked in expecting to read a quirky romance about Kat falling in love with Marcus, a personal trainer at Great Fitness who is onto her current living situation. Instead, Kat and Marcus don’t seriously interact until about 40% of the book, and even then they have only 1-2 major interactions in the raining 60%. That Marcus doesn’t even get a last name should have clued me in to the fact that he may be the main love interest but that he is not important (for reference, even the exercise buddy she talks to 2-3 times gets a last name).
Once you get over the incorrect genre label for Come Here Often?, the question becomes what to label it if not a romantic comedy. The best umbrella label I can come up with is Women’s Fiction. This is a book about Kat coming to terms with how she is living a self destructive lifestyle and letting her anxiety control her actions, and what steps she makes to start a new journey. This is best seen through the writing style itself, as Come Here Often? is roughly 300 pages of Kat’s inner monologue broken up by occasional chunks of dialogue. I know that inner monologuing is a staple for first person POV, but because of her perspective, this means the plot runs off on tangents and has to be yanked back to the central storyline at the beginning of each chapter. For a multitude of reasons, this pissed me off to no reason. How can this book be the novel equivalent of a bottle episode and still take forever to get to the point?
The last thing I want to say about Come Here Often? is that, with Kat as the sole focus and narrator, she ought to be at the very least a character I can root for. She’s not. She’s a whiny princess with alcoholic party tendencies who loves to play the victim. When her best friend called her a female Peter Pan, it was like lightning struck because that’s exactly what she is. Even by the end, when she’s supposedly enlightened and changed after her week at Great Fitness, Kat still reads as the same immature woman. If any other character at least got some personality outside of fitting a situation, I’d talk about them here, but they didn’t.
So, if you are still reading my review at this point and are unsure whether or not to pick up the book, all I can say to you is: Do not spend your own money on it. If this becomes available at your local library or on Kindle Unlimited, go for it. It’s that sweet spot of mindless entertainment that I won’t remember in a month but suits just fine now. But my personal opinion is that this book as I read it is not developed enough to be worth spending hard earned money on it.
Rating: ⭐️.75/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
**I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
Our story is about Katherine “Kat” Noad, a 32-year-old dental hygienist who walks into Great Fitness, an upscale Nashville health club one Monday morning, after her long term boyfriend bought them both memberships. Apprehensive about exercise, Kat nonetheless wants to make changes in her life and starts. Only, within an hour, Kat is not only fired but dumped. Kat is someone ruled by her anxiety (but also not putting real effort into managing it), which sets the stage for our story. After her morning from Hell, Kat tries to leave Great Fitness only to find she cannot without having a panic attack. She decides to temporarily camp out until she can leave, and over a week, we see Kat sleep in questionable places, meet an assortment of personalities, and have a nonstop existential crisis over how she’s been living and what to do next.
You’ll note that in my plot summary, I don’t mention Kat’s romantic life beyond her long term boyfriend dumping her. The reason why is that, while Kat is like perpetually horny and thinks about dating nonstop (both past failures and imagined futures with the guys she meets), Come Here Often? is all about her anxiety. I don’t think at any point in reading I got to go two-three pages without her breaking down and thinking about it more. This complete change in plot-type from the summary annoyed me, because I walked in expecting to read a quirky romance about Kat falling in love with Marcus, a personal trainer at Great Fitness who is onto her current living situation. Instead, Kat and Marcus don’t seriously interact until about 40% of the book, and even then they have only 1-2 major interactions in the raining 60%. That Marcus doesn’t even get a last name should have clued me in to the fact that he may be the main love interest but that he is not important (for reference, even the exercise buddy she talks to 2-3 times gets a last name).
Once you get over the incorrect genre label for Come Here Often?, the question becomes what to label it if not a romantic comedy. The best umbrella label I can come up with is Women’s Fiction. This is a book about Kat coming to terms with how she is living a self destructive lifestyle and letting her anxiety control her actions, and what steps she makes to start a new journey. This is best seen through the writing style itself, as Come Here Often? is roughly 300 pages of Kat’s inner monologue broken up by occasional chunks of dialogue. I know that inner monologuing is a staple for first person POV, but because of her perspective, this means the plot runs off on tangents and has to be yanked back to the central storyline at the beginning of each chapter. For a multitude of reasons, this pissed me off to no reason. How can this book be the novel equivalent of a bottle episode and still take forever to get to the point?
The last thing I want to say about Come Here Often? is that, with Kat as the sole focus and narrator, she ought to be at the very least a character I can root for. She’s not. She’s a whiny princess with alcoholic party tendencies who loves to play the victim. When her best friend called her a female Peter Pan, it was like lightning struck because that’s exactly what she is. Even by the end, when she’s supposedly enlightened and changed after her week at Great Fitness, Kat still reads as the same immature woman. If any other character at least got some personality outside of fitting a situation, I’d talk about them here, but they didn’t.
So, if you are still reading my review at this point and are unsure whether or not to pick up the book, all I can say to you is: Do not spend your own money on it. If this becomes available at your local library or on Kindle Unlimited, go for it. It’s that sweet spot of mindless entertainment that I won’t remember in a month but suits just fine now. But my personal opinion is that this book as I read it is not developed enough to be worth spending hard earned money on it.
Rating: ⭐️.75/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
**I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
May 9, 2022
I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review and a brutally honest review is what you're going to get. This review does contain spoilers because you cannot review this book without giving SOMETHING away. It's impossible.
I'm going to start this review off by saying that the author has talent when it comes to writing. There's no denying that. Formatting, excellent! Dialogue tags and conversation flow, well done! Seamless transition between events and situations, no complaints! Then why was this a generous 1.5 star review? Because every single thing about the actual story was problematic. Come Here Often? was not a romantic comedy, nor was it light hearted or laugh out loud funny. The entire marketing and categorization of this book is incorrect. The cover is a complete lie, because that scene doesn't even happen in the story!
Kat Noad, a party girl 30 something dental hygenist decides to try out going to the gym and all hell breaks loose. Within the first chapter, she is fired and dumped (both over the phone) and then has a crippling panic attack that sets the entire premise for the book in motion.
The way in which mental health and mental illness were addressed in this book was beyond attocious. I was livid from the jump. Kat's choices on how to deal with her mental illness are not only dangerous, they're down right deadly. She does not get the professional help she so desperately needs and insteads chooses to self medicate with alcohol. Kat is an alcoholic. Time and time again, she referrs to her mental health issues as "the big A" aka anxiety. That phrase in this book is used about 98099239 times and it's annoying every single one of them. I'm not sure if this author is unaware of what it's like to battle mental health issues or didn't consult a single person on the topic but the way in which mental health was addressed in this story did a grave disservice to the entire community in which who deals with these issues, those who work in this profession and those who love and care for those who suffer. This book did every thing wrong when it came to a character in desperate need of intervention, therapy and medication. The fact that the author chose to have the character weigh the consequences between calling 911 to receive medical help or get arrested and go to jail blew my mind.
The entire story was laughable, not because it was funny but because it was so ridiculous. The gym was more like the Mall of America. A full restaraunt, an alcoholic bar, a boutique where you can buy work out apparel and full outfits (including underwear), nail salon, hair salon, etc. I've never in my life heard of ANY of these things being offered at a fitness gym. No wonder Kat didn't want to leave... she truly didn't need to!
Page after page, chapter after chapter, Come Here Often? just got more and more absurd. I kept waiting for Kat to reach out for help. I kept waiting for her to get her act together. I waited for ANYTHING to happen, and it never did. The same mistakes were repeated over and over. Kat's behavior got worse and worse. Her lies more ludacris and unbelievable. But did I put this book down? No, because it was a car crash I couldn't look away from. I had to see how it all ended. The finale of the story just might have been the most logical thing that Kat did in 300 pages! How she manages to overcome her debilitating panic and get out of the doors of the gym was commendable. How she finally put someone before herself was appreciated and showed a tad bit of growth for her character. Everything that happened after that scene was right back to unreasonable.
There was zero romance in this book. None. A kiss didn't even happen until the last few pages and even then, it made no sense!
TW: dependency issues, mental health crisis, domestic abuse/assault, child abuse.
I'm going to start this review off by saying that the author has talent when it comes to writing. There's no denying that. Formatting, excellent! Dialogue tags and conversation flow, well done! Seamless transition between events and situations, no complaints! Then why was this a generous 1.5 star review? Because every single thing about the actual story was problematic. Come Here Often? was not a romantic comedy, nor was it light hearted or laugh out loud funny. The entire marketing and categorization of this book is incorrect. The cover is a complete lie, because that scene doesn't even happen in the story!
Kat Noad, a party girl 30 something dental hygenist decides to try out going to the gym and all hell breaks loose. Within the first chapter, she is fired and dumped (both over the phone) and then has a crippling panic attack that sets the entire premise for the book in motion.
The way in which mental health and mental illness were addressed in this book was beyond attocious. I was livid from the jump. Kat's choices on how to deal with her mental illness are not only dangerous, they're down right deadly. She does not get the professional help she so desperately needs and insteads chooses to self medicate with alcohol. Kat is an alcoholic. Time and time again, she referrs to her mental health issues as "the big A" aka anxiety. That phrase in this book is used about 98099239 times and it's annoying every single one of them. I'm not sure if this author is unaware of what it's like to battle mental health issues or didn't consult a single person on the topic but the way in which mental health was addressed in this story did a grave disservice to the entire community in which who deals with these issues, those who work in this profession and those who love and care for those who suffer. This book did every thing wrong when it came to a character in desperate need of intervention, therapy and medication. The fact that the author chose to have the character weigh the consequences between calling 911 to receive medical help or get arrested and go to jail blew my mind.
The entire story was laughable, not because it was funny but because it was so ridiculous. The gym was more like the Mall of America. A full restaraunt, an alcoholic bar, a boutique where you can buy work out apparel and full outfits (including underwear), nail salon, hair salon, etc. I've never in my life heard of ANY of these things being offered at a fitness gym. No wonder Kat didn't want to leave... she truly didn't need to!
Page after page, chapter after chapter, Come Here Often? just got more and more absurd. I kept waiting for Kat to reach out for help. I kept waiting for her to get her act together. I waited for ANYTHING to happen, and it never did. The same mistakes were repeated over and over. Kat's behavior got worse and worse. Her lies more ludacris and unbelievable. But did I put this book down? No, because it was a car crash I couldn't look away from. I had to see how it all ended. The finale of the story just might have been the most logical thing that Kat did in 300 pages! How she manages to overcome her debilitating panic and get out of the doors of the gym was commendable. How she finally put someone before herself was appreciated and showed a tad bit of growth for her character. Everything that happened after that scene was right back to unreasonable.
There was zero romance in this book. None. A kiss didn't even happen until the last few pages and even then, it made no sense!
TW: dependency issues, mental health crisis, domestic abuse/assault, child abuse.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 26, 2022
I never look at reviews before picking up a book, but this is an instance where I really wish I did. The cover and description of this book are completely misleading for the actual content of the book, and if I had known this before, I never would have requested this book.
The first thing I have to stress is there is nothing wrong with the writing in this book - the author's prose was really good, and it wasn't an issue. However, I went into this thinking it would be a cutesy rom-com type book, but that was not even close to what we got. The entire book was the main character working through her anxiety. Which is not a bad thing (although I personally didn't like the mental health rep much myself, I do know that everyone experiences it differently) but there was basically no romance, and even the love interest was only in like 3 scenes with the main character.
I also didn't really like the main character - I felt that her whole attitude of 'everyone else sucks and I'm such a victim to how awful they are' just didn't really work for me because she never took responsibility for her own actions. Even her ex-boyfriend (who broke up with her at the beginning of the novel) was such a horrible person to her for breaking up with her, yet the entire book, every time we saw him, he literally was only concerned for her well-being. Her actions (or lack thereof in the case of never cleaning up after herself) are why he broke up with her, yet she claimed no responsibility for it. All the characters who were not the main character were so minor that they had no real personality and I didn't care for any of them.
This was a monologue heavy novel, which isn't really my sort of thing, so while I can appreciate that it was well written, everything combine just made this not work for me. It was also really stressful reading about her anxiety in the manner that it was done, so this is definitely a strong content warning for anyone with anxiety.
I can't really say I recommend this, but at the same time, if you go in knowing that it's not as cutesy as the cover and description suggest, you might enjoy it a whole lot more than I did.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this e-arc to review.
The first thing I have to stress is there is nothing wrong with the writing in this book - the author's prose was really good, and it wasn't an issue. However, I went into this thinking it would be a cutesy rom-com type book, but that was not even close to what we got. The entire book was the main character working through her anxiety. Which is not a bad thing (although I personally didn't like the mental health rep much myself, I do know that everyone experiences it differently) but there was basically no romance, and even the love interest was only in like 3 scenes with the main character.
I also didn't really like the main character - I felt that her whole attitude of 'everyone else sucks and I'm such a victim to how awful they are' just didn't really work for me because she never took responsibility for her own actions. Even her ex-boyfriend (who broke up with her at the beginning of the novel) was such a horrible person to her for breaking up with her, yet the entire book, every time we saw him, he literally was only concerned for her well-being. Her actions (or lack thereof in the case of never cleaning up after herself) are why he broke up with her, yet she claimed no responsibility for it. All the characters who were not the main character were so minor that they had no real personality and I didn't care for any of them.
This was a monologue heavy novel, which isn't really my sort of thing, so while I can appreciate that it was well written, everything combine just made this not work for me. It was also really stressful reading about her anxiety in the manner that it was done, so this is definitely a strong content warning for anyone with anxiety.
I can't really say I recommend this, but at the same time, if you go in knowing that it's not as cutesy as the cover and description suggest, you might enjoy it a whole lot more than I did.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this e-arc to review.
May 21, 2022
Thank you to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Oh boy. I wanted to love this book, I really did. Based off of the cover and the synopsis I was expecting to read a cute and fun romcom and this book was quite literally the opposite. This book was not light, fun or a romcom. This book was about a young woman going through a mental health crisis and refusing to leave a health center (like a fancy gym) because her anxiety was too bad.
The only reason I gave this book 2 stars instead of one was because the book was well written, it was that the story itself was just not very good. The mc was not likable at all. She blamed everything on her “Big A” (don’t even get me started on how often she referred to her anxiety as “big a”) or she blamed everyone else. And if she did say she was sorry for anything she followed it up with “it’s not my fault though it’s my anxiety”. I honestly do not blame her boyfriend for dumping her in the beginning. I don’t think there was enough character development or self growth throughout the whole book to make the fmc likable by the end. Yes she got over her fear but everything happened in the last 10% of the book.
This book is also like 80% inner monologue about the fmc complaining about her life and comparing herself to others.
I also genuinely think this book was mislabel as a romcom. It’s not a romcom until the last 5% of the book and it doesn’t even follow romance guidelines for books. The driving factor of the book is not the romantic relationship, it’s her mental health. The relationship in the end was so random and I honestly didn’t understand it. I think it should have been a women’s fiction or contemporary fiction but definitely not a romcom. I also though it was extremely misleading to add "Perfect for fans of Sarah Adams, Tessa Bailey and Sally Thorn". This book was nothing like their books at all.
Oh boy. I wanted to love this book, I really did. Based off of the cover and the synopsis I was expecting to read a cute and fun romcom and this book was quite literally the opposite. This book was not light, fun or a romcom. This book was about a young woman going through a mental health crisis and refusing to leave a health center (like a fancy gym) because her anxiety was too bad.
The only reason I gave this book 2 stars instead of one was because the book was well written, it was that the story itself was just not very good. The mc was not likable at all. She blamed everything on her “Big A” (don’t even get me started on how often she referred to her anxiety as “big a”) or she blamed everyone else. And if she did say she was sorry for anything she followed it up with “it’s not my fault though it’s my anxiety”. I honestly do not blame her boyfriend for dumping her in the beginning. I don’t think there was enough character development or self growth throughout the whole book to make the fmc likable by the end. Yes she got over her fear but everything happened in the last 10% of the book.
This book is also like 80% inner monologue about the fmc complaining about her life and comparing herself to others.
I also genuinely think this book was mislabel as a romcom. It’s not a romcom until the last 5% of the book and it doesn’t even follow romance guidelines for books. The driving factor of the book is not the romantic relationship, it’s her mental health. The relationship in the end was so random and I honestly didn’t understand it. I think it should have been a women’s fiction or contemporary fiction but definitely not a romcom. I also though it was extremely misleading to add "Perfect for fans of Sarah Adams, Tessa Bailey and Sally Thorn". This book was nothing like their books at all.
September 18, 2022
This book was… a lot. I considered putting it down, but I ended up pushing through. As a Nashville native, it was painful to read a book that takes place in Nashville that was written in this way. There were so many unnecessary references to cities and streets that didn’t even make complete sense. I know that’s super picky and it wouldn’t make a difference to most readers, but it was grating on me.
I struggled to feel empathy for Kat… she just wasn’t a likable character and didn’t really do it for me. I can sympathize with her anxiety, but I struggled with her lack of self-awareness and having absolutely no desire to help herself. I also feel like nothing was really resolved in this book. There was little development in her interpersonal relationships - literally the only time growth in her relationships with friends/family is mentioned is in the epilogue. While Kat may have learned better habits (again, according to like one line in the epilogue), I didn’t see any real change in her. I’m especially concerned about her dependence on alcohol that isn’t really addressed. As well as the potential for her Xanax dependency…
Lastly, as someone who works in mental health, I was shocked to learn the author had parents in the mental health space after reading her description of mental healthcare. She characterized acute care as a literal jail cell, which is an antiquated way of looking at acute psychiatric care. These hospitals are also not referred to as psychiatric hospitals as much, as that term has a very negative connotation.
Honestly, I’m not 100% sure how I got through this book. It’s not the worst thing I’ve ever read, but I certainly wasn’t impressed. Two stars since I actually managed to finish it against the odds.
I struggled to feel empathy for Kat… she just wasn’t a likable character and didn’t really do it for me. I can sympathize with her anxiety, but I struggled with her lack of self-awareness and having absolutely no desire to help herself. I also feel like nothing was really resolved in this book. There was little development in her interpersonal relationships - literally the only time growth in her relationships with friends/family is mentioned is in the epilogue. While Kat may have learned better habits (again, according to like one line in the epilogue), I didn’t see any real change in her. I’m especially concerned about her dependence on alcohol that isn’t really addressed. As well as the potential for her Xanax dependency…
Lastly, as someone who works in mental health, I was shocked to learn the author had parents in the mental health space after reading her description of mental healthcare. She characterized acute care as a literal jail cell, which is an antiquated way of looking at acute psychiatric care. These hospitals are also not referred to as psychiatric hospitals as much, as that term has a very negative connotation.
Honestly, I’m not 100% sure how I got through this book. It’s not the worst thing I’ve ever read, but I certainly wasn’t impressed. Two stars since I actually managed to finish it against the odds.
May 19, 2022
Thank you, Net Galley, for providing me with a digital copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
Sadly, “Come Here Often?” wasn’t for me. I think it’s the misleading marketing that had me expecting something significantly different and my expectations were not met.
It is said to be a “hilarious romantic comedy” but I found it rather depressing. It deals with a lot of hard-hitting topics like anxiety, depression, alcoholism, unhealthy habits and loss. Which is not to say that romcoms and romance shouldn’t include said topics but if they are the most prominent aspect, they change the vibe completely and in this book they definitely eclipsed all the comedy.
The romance was barely present. It’s definitely not the main focus of the story. The main character does flirt with a couple guys here and there with a clear main interest but it’s all very subdue.
That being said I could hardly call this book a romantic comedy.
I don’t think this is inherently a bad book, but the marketing is not doing it any favors and you could enjoy it more if you knew exactly what you were getting into, not being misled.
My problem with the actual story, regardless of it being or not a romcom, is that it got very repetitive real fast. I know there was a limited amount of interactions and scenarios possible because it all takes place in the same building with the same characters. It’s realistic, but it doesn’t make for a very entertaining read.
I genuinely hope this book gets to the right audience, because it tackles anxiety with no filters. Just don’t go in hoping for a cute and funny story.
Sadly, “Come Here Often?” wasn’t for me. I think it’s the misleading marketing that had me expecting something significantly different and my expectations were not met.
It is said to be a “hilarious romantic comedy” but I found it rather depressing. It deals with a lot of hard-hitting topics like anxiety, depression, alcoholism, unhealthy habits and loss. Which is not to say that romcoms and romance shouldn’t include said topics but if they are the most prominent aspect, they change the vibe completely and in this book they definitely eclipsed all the comedy.
The romance was barely present. It’s definitely not the main focus of the story. The main character does flirt with a couple guys here and there with a clear main interest but it’s all very subdue.
That being said I could hardly call this book a romantic comedy.
I don’t think this is inherently a bad book, but the marketing is not doing it any favors and you could enjoy it more if you knew exactly what you were getting into, not being misled.
My problem with the actual story, regardless of it being or not a romcom, is that it got very repetitive real fast. I know there was a limited amount of interactions and scenarios possible because it all takes place in the same building with the same characters. It’s realistic, but it doesn’t make for a very entertaining read.
I genuinely hope this book gets to the right audience, because it tackles anxiety with no filters. Just don’t go in hoping for a cute and funny story.
May 31, 2022
DNF'd at 59%
I really, really don't like DNFing books....but I just, quite simply, did not want to pick this up again- it really really stressed me out and brought me NO enjoyment.
So, TW for severe anxiety! I've given it two stars purely because I did quite like the authors writing style, I just think this book has been completely mis-marketed.
Its sold as a funny, laugh-out-loud feel good rom com. What we get, is a woman with such severe and crippling anxiety she can't leave a building, and as the stakes get higher we are stuck in her head as she procrastinates and gives, I'm sure, even the most chill person anxiety. The main character (as well as needing different therapy for handling her 'Big A", as clearly what she's currently getting is helping In no way at all) is a very selfish and self-centered character. Her break up? Only has herself to blame- her ex seems to be an absolute sweetheart and has put up with so much from her, tried to help her and clearly loves her. He doesn't deserve to be saddled with her.
Her job she lost? Again, no one to blame but herself, for her rude behaviour and inability to see beyond herself. She is childish and I really could not stand her. I'm sure (hopefully, maybe?) she got better, managed to face her big A and fix her life, face her problems and become a nicer person.... but after forcing myself though as much of this story as I physically could, I'm just going to have to be content with not knowing how this story ended.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for gifting me a free ARC or this book in exchange for and honest review.
I really, really don't like DNFing books....but I just, quite simply, did not want to pick this up again- it really really stressed me out and brought me NO enjoyment.
So, TW for severe anxiety! I've given it two stars purely because I did quite like the authors writing style, I just think this book has been completely mis-marketed.
Its sold as a funny, laugh-out-loud feel good rom com. What we get, is a woman with such severe and crippling anxiety she can't leave a building, and as the stakes get higher we are stuck in her head as she procrastinates and gives, I'm sure, even the most chill person anxiety. The main character (as well as needing different therapy for handling her 'Big A", as clearly what she's currently getting is helping In no way at all) is a very selfish and self-centered character. Her break up? Only has herself to blame- her ex seems to be an absolute sweetheart and has put up with so much from her, tried to help her and clearly loves her. He doesn't deserve to be saddled with her.
Her job she lost? Again, no one to blame but herself, for her rude behaviour and inability to see beyond herself. She is childish and I really could not stand her. I'm sure (hopefully, maybe?) she got better, managed to face her big A and fix her life, face her problems and become a nicer person.... but after forcing myself though as much of this story as I physically could, I'm just going to have to be content with not knowing how this story ended.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for gifting me a free ARC or this book in exchange for and honest review.
May 25, 2022
Thank you, Bookouture, and NetGalley, for a gifted copy of this book for an honest and voluntary review. All opinions are my own.
Come Here Often by Ellie Carter is a hard book to review, despite its easiness to read. I strongly feel like this is miscategorised. This book is promoted as a rom-com, but this must have been super subtle because I missed that part! The story focuses more on Kay (the main character) and her mental health. It gives the reader insight into her mind, as it is told from her perspective only, and there are some comical moments, but a Rom-Com? Not for me.
If I review this as a general fiction book, I will give it four stars, as the plot is interesting and flows well, with some surprises along the way. The writing style is simple yet effective, especially when considering Kay's anxiety. The author deals with this in a sensitive yet relatable manner.
However, I can not ignore or excuse that I was expecting something completely different from the synopsis and marketing of the book, which brought my final rating down to three stars, which is a shame. Perhaps the marketing team could look into this in the future, as I am confident this would be more appealing to a broader range of readers if they made the genre amendments.
Come Here Often by Ellie Carter is a hard book to review, despite its easiness to read. I strongly feel like this is miscategorised. This book is promoted as a rom-com, but this must have been super subtle because I missed that part! The story focuses more on Kay (the main character) and her mental health. It gives the reader insight into her mind, as it is told from her perspective only, and there are some comical moments, but a Rom-Com? Not for me.
If I review this as a general fiction book, I will give it four stars, as the plot is interesting and flows well, with some surprises along the way. The writing style is simple yet effective, especially when considering Kay's anxiety. The author deals with this in a sensitive yet relatable manner.
However, I can not ignore or excuse that I was expecting something completely different from the synopsis and marketing of the book, which brought my final rating down to three stars, which is a shame. Perhaps the marketing team could look into this in the future, as I am confident this would be more appealing to a broader range of readers if they made the genre amendments.
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