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Snapdragon Romance #1
Kaity's Catch
Can a fake relationship lead to real passion?
Kaity is too fat to pole dance. Her ex-husband's voice in the back of her head reminds her every day.
Dragged by a friend to a pole studio's showcase, Kaity reluctantly agrees to try out a class. She also bumps into a hot photographer, Gabe, but it's too soon after her divorce to start dating...right?
But Kaity and Gabe both need a date ASAP. She needs to show up her vengeful ex-sister-in-law, and he needs to prove to his family his life is back on track.
As Kaity finds friends, community, and confidence in pole classes, it gets harder to resist Gabe's charms. Gabe, too, is torn between exploring Kaity’s delights and his treasured independence. And caught between self-doubt and a looming change, Kaity must decide if grabbing her feelings by the pole and leaning into love will end in a photo finish or land her flat on her face.
Kaity's Catch is a steamy, fake-relationship romance with a curvy, plus-sized heroine and a loner artist love interest who find an unexpected happily ever after.
Kaity is too fat to pole dance. Her ex-husband's voice in the back of her head reminds her every day.
Dragged by a friend to a pole studio's showcase, Kaity reluctantly agrees to try out a class. She also bumps into a hot photographer, Gabe, but it's too soon after her divorce to start dating...right?
But Kaity and Gabe both need a date ASAP. She needs to show up her vengeful ex-sister-in-law, and he needs to prove to his family his life is back on track.
As Kaity finds friends, community, and confidence in pole classes, it gets harder to resist Gabe's charms. Gabe, too, is torn between exploring Kaity’s delights and his treasured independence. And caught between self-doubt and a looming change, Kaity must decide if grabbing her feelings by the pole and leaning into love will end in a photo finish or land her flat on her face.
Kaity's Catch is a steamy, fake-relationship romance with a curvy, plus-sized heroine and a loner artist love interest who find an unexpected happily ever after.
266 pages, Paperback
Published July 20, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
August 3, 2022
Plot ⭐⭐⭐
Spice 🌶️🌶️
3rd person POV, switches between MCs
Kaity's Catch by JJ Sommers is a debut novel and follows a plus size recent divorcee as she reclaims her sensuality and sexuality through pole dancing. Kaity is dragged to a pole dancing showcasing event by a friend in her divorce group and afterwards they sign up for beginner classes together. As Kaity continues to navigate being single again, she is thrown for a loop when her ex-sister-in-law gets a job at her firm a month before a company event where she then fumbles and says she is going to have a plus one (spoiler alert: she doesn't have one yet). Our MMC, Gage, is a freelance photographer who has been pretty much banned from seeing his half-sister by his stepmother for being too flighty and irresponsible. After Kaity runs into him (literally) at Snapdragon and then bumps into him again at a bar, she gathers the courage to ask him to accompany her to her work event. He decides that this could be mutually beneficial and asks Kaity if she will come to Easter lunch to impress his family by proving that he's grown up and competent now (by their standards, not his). Their fake relationship starts off mutually beneficial, but along the way, life happens and things go off the tracks.
Here's what I liked:
-Alex!! Alex was a great friend to Gabe and such a voice of reason. I loved that she was able to call Gabe on his shit, even if it meant he would be (irrationally, IMO) mad at her.
-For the few spice scenes we got (which were pretty detailed, just not that frequent, nor very kinky), Gabe was heavily focused on Kaity's pleasure. He understood that she was still feeling vulnerable after her divorce and made it a point to ensure she had agood great time.
-The women who worked at Snapdragon were always kind and uplifting to Kaity. There's a lot of internalized fatphobia in Kaity and these women help unravel some of that mindset.
Here's what I didn't like so much:
(the first 3 kinda go hand in hand)
-The characters were very two dimensional. They used the same recycled excuses for their behavior throughout the book that lacked depth and made for a somewhat dissatisfying ending when they decided to give their relationship a real shot. There was no arc for them, not really.
-Even at the halfway mark, Gabe still doesn't even know if he's into Kaity. When talking to Alex, he repeats over and over how he doesn't want a commitment/relationship. I just wish there was more pining/attraction that went further than physical.
-I didn't feel the chemistry between Gabe and Kaity. They felt more like friends with benefits. Neither of them seem to have deeper feelings for the other outside of enjoying each other's company and being physically attracted to each other. This makes the "betrayal" at the end seem trivial (IMO) since neither of them are really even sure if they like one another, but Gabe gets all mad that she didn't tell him she was planning on moving away? If there was more of a natural growth of their relationship (even if they don't admit it to each other but it's something we see in their internal monologues) other than just physical throughout the book, I would understand his feelings of betrayal/abandonment more since they would've had an emotional connection. But they don't admit until the end that they actually like each other and it was all very hasty.
-The pacing was slow at times and the pole dancing classes were written in extreme detail which made them tedious. The author is a dancer so I'm sure it was fun for her to weave in her experiences with the book, but as a non-dancer, it was hard to picture everything and just felt very technical. I think pole dancing could've remained a huge plot point without going into such detail of the classes.
-Some of the chapter ends/POV ends were abrupt and rather clunky and just didn't feel natural.
I know the "what I didn't like" seemed rather long, but despite all that, I still enjoyed the book and see a lot of potential for this author. I'm looking forward to seeing whatever else she decides to put out!
Spice 🌶️🌶️
3rd person POV, switches between MCs
Kaity's Catch by JJ Sommers is a debut novel and follows a plus size recent divorcee as she reclaims her sensuality and sexuality through pole dancing. Kaity is dragged to a pole dancing showcasing event by a friend in her divorce group and afterwards they sign up for beginner classes together. As Kaity continues to navigate being single again, she is thrown for a loop when her ex-sister-in-law gets a job at her firm a month before a company event where she then fumbles and says she is going to have a plus one (spoiler alert: she doesn't have one yet). Our MMC, Gage, is a freelance photographer who has been pretty much banned from seeing his half-sister by his stepmother for being too flighty and irresponsible. After Kaity runs into him (literally) at Snapdragon and then bumps into him again at a bar, she gathers the courage to ask him to accompany her to her work event. He decides that this could be mutually beneficial and asks Kaity if she will come to Easter lunch to impress his family by proving that he's grown up and competent now (by their standards, not his). Their fake relationship starts off mutually beneficial, but along the way, life happens and things go off the tracks.
Here's what I liked:
-Alex!! Alex was a great friend to Gabe and such a voice of reason. I loved that she was able to call Gabe on his shit, even if it meant he would be (irrationally, IMO) mad at her.
-For the few spice scenes we got (which were pretty detailed, just not that frequent, nor very kinky), Gabe was heavily focused on Kaity's pleasure. He understood that she was still feeling vulnerable after her divorce and made it a point to ensure she had a
-The women who worked at Snapdragon were always kind and uplifting to Kaity. There's a lot of internalized fatphobia in Kaity and these women help unravel some of that mindset.
Here's what I didn't like so much:
(the first 3 kinda go hand in hand)
-The characters were very two dimensional. They used the same recycled excuses for their behavior throughout the book that lacked depth and made for a somewhat dissatisfying ending when they decided to give their relationship a real shot. There was no arc for them, not really.
-Even at the halfway mark, Gabe still doesn't even know if he's into Kaity. When talking to Alex, he repeats over and over how he doesn't want a commitment/relationship. I just wish there was more pining/attraction that went further than physical.
-I didn't feel the chemistry between Gabe and Kaity. They felt more like friends with benefits. Neither of them seem to have deeper feelings for the other outside of enjoying each other's company and being physically attracted to each other. This makes the "betrayal" at the end seem trivial (IMO) since neither of them are really even sure if they like one another, but Gabe gets all mad that she didn't tell him she was planning on moving away? If there was more of a natural growth of their relationship (even if they don't admit it to each other but it's something we see in their internal monologues) other than just physical throughout the book, I would understand his feelings of betrayal/abandonment more since they would've had an emotional connection. But they don't admit until the end that they actually like each other and it was all very hasty.
-The pacing was slow at times and the pole dancing classes were written in extreme detail which made them tedious. The author is a dancer so I'm sure it was fun for her to weave in her experiences with the book, but as a non-dancer, it was hard to picture everything and just felt very technical. I think pole dancing could've remained a huge plot point without going into such detail of the classes.
-Some of the chapter ends/POV ends were abrupt and rather clunky and just didn't feel natural.
I know the "what I didn't like" seemed rather long, but despite all that, I still enjoyed the book and see a lot of potential for this author. I'm looking forward to seeing whatever else she decides to put out!
August 20, 2022
For transparency, I'm a good friend to author J.J. Sommers. I was delighted to support her in her writing career by reading her first (but certainly not the last!) novel. As a first offering in her Snapdragon series, this is a great way to introduce readers to this world that revolves largely around a dance studio that offers classes for a variety of dance styles. Characters keep coming back to Snapdragon as a place of community, learning, self-reflection, exercise, and new experiences. For Kaity's Catch, we're privileged to Kaity's journey as a recently divorced woman who initially is goaded into taking an intro to pole dancing class. Her confidence grows as she learns the skills in her class and then translates that strength to other areas of her life. This of course is connected to her would-be romantic match, Gabe. He's a freelance photographer who periodically shoots for the studio for promos and showcases.
While this is primarily marketed as romance, it doesn't fit only into that genre. It really reads for me as empowerment and woman-centered community lit. Kaity is trying to heal from her traumatic marriage and subsequent divorce. She has a network of friends that help her, as well as her self-investment through dance. I will also say that the book has a huge body positivity theme, which is brilliant. Sommers also tackles transparent consent in platonic and sexual situations, which is refreshing.
I will say that It was hard for me to connect with Kaity. She has some self-esteem things she's working on, which is totally sensical for her character. For me, my anxieties and self-doubts lie elsewhere and so that connection was harder to achieve. While there's a lot of effort made to give Kaity and Gabe emotional breadth, they're sufficiently different from me and from the relationships I've had that I wasn't always all-in on their story. That said, I think there are LOTS of readers that these fictionalized scenarios will hit quite close to home.
I have it on good authority that the next book will be for Miriam, the Goth-y college student who attends the same pole class as Kaity. While we don't yet know a lot about her, I'm intrigued to learn more and will definitely read the next book.
While this is primarily marketed as romance, it doesn't fit only into that genre. It really reads for me as empowerment and woman-centered community lit. Kaity is trying to heal from her traumatic marriage and subsequent divorce. She has a network of friends that help her, as well as her self-investment through dance. I will also say that the book has a huge body positivity theme, which is brilliant. Sommers also tackles transparent consent in platonic and sexual situations, which is refreshing.
I will say that It was hard for me to connect with Kaity. She has some self-esteem things she's working on, which is totally sensical for her character. For me, my anxieties and self-doubts lie elsewhere and so that connection was harder to achieve. While there's a lot of effort made to give Kaity and Gabe emotional breadth, they're sufficiently different from me and from the relationships I've had that I wasn't always all-in on their story. That said, I think there are LOTS of readers that these fictionalized scenarios will hit quite close to home.
I have it on good authority that the next book will be for Miriam, the Goth-y college student who attends the same pole class as Kaity. While we don't yet know a lot about her, I'm intrigued to learn more and will definitely read the next book.
August 26, 2022
Ohmygosh such an amazing book, i loved it soooo much. Even better news is that its Book 1 of a Series (Snapdragon Romance) yippeee
This book was fun, flirty, girl-power feel and empowering.
The spicy scenes were very detailed and on fire.
The characters are great, such great friends that were able to be kinda a voice of reason and to help encourage their friends to do the best thing for them, def. there for each other and nice support.
Snapdragon - a fun revue, if not for this location there would be no book. If Kaity's friend did not encourage her to take pole dancing classes then all the other events wouldn't even of happened, so this is a special place. :)
Gabe and Kaity's relationship was kinda odd at first ( I felt like they needed more chemistry there was always something in the way or stopping them in their mind) but I also get it that was part of them, their backstory. I understand also because they both had past issues that they needed to work out as well.
I know horrible for her to be divorced but after reading the whole book and finding out that back story you will understand and hows its a positive thing. Cant say anymore bc don't want to ruin anything. So many new and amazing things happen in her life and within herself, so great to read a story with this in it.
Cant wait for Book #2 in this series, hope it is soon. :)
I would like to thank BookSiren, the author and the publisher for the chance to read this ARC, i loved it and the opinions and comments above are my own, honest and voluntary.
This book was fun, flirty, girl-power feel and empowering.
The spicy scenes were very detailed and on fire.
The characters are great, such great friends that were able to be kinda a voice of reason and to help encourage their friends to do the best thing for them, def. there for each other and nice support.
Snapdragon - a fun revue, if not for this location there would be no book. If Kaity's friend did not encourage her to take pole dancing classes then all the other events wouldn't even of happened, so this is a special place. :)
Gabe and Kaity's relationship was kinda odd at first ( I felt like they needed more chemistry there was always something in the way or stopping them in their mind) but I also get it that was part of them, their backstory. I understand also because they both had past issues that they needed to work out as well.
I know horrible for her to be divorced but after reading the whole book and finding out that back story you will understand and hows its a positive thing. Cant say anymore bc don't want to ruin anything. So many new and amazing things happen in her life and within herself, so great to read a story with this in it.
Cant wait for Book #2 in this series, hope it is soon. :)
I would like to thank BookSiren, the author and the publisher for the chance to read this ARC, i loved it and the opinions and comments above are my own, honest and voluntary.
October 10, 2023
Desde el inicio me gustaron mucho todos los personajes, creo que aunque la historia abarca unos pocos meses puedes ver el crecimiento de Kaity dejando una relación tóxica y sanando, encontrándose a ella misma. Eso es lo que más disfruté, pueden pasar mil cosas y conocer mucha gente nueva mientras aun estás en un proceso y creo ese es un mensaje fuerte y bonito. Los POV distintos me agradaron muchísimo porque es lo que normalmente buscas en libros y rara vez te dan. El escribir un romance realista que tiene miedos, inseguridades, traumas es de lo más bonito encontrar, sabes que así es en realidad.
Terminé muy rápido el libro y obvio leeré el siguiente.
Me hubiera gustado un poco más Gabe pero ame su personaje en todo momento. El final se me hizo de lo más tierno.
Disfruté muchísimo el libro
Terminé muy rápido el libro y obvio leeré el siguiente.
Me hubiera gustado un poco más Gabe pero ame su personaje en todo momento. El final se me hizo de lo más tierno.
Disfruté muchísimo el libro
April 30, 2023
Kaity meets Gabe at a pole dancing studio, & she ends up signing up for pole dancing classes. She feels like she needs to prove something to herself (along with her ex SIL), & he wants to prove to his family that his life is on track.
They end up making an arrangement to pretend to date for her work (where her SIL also works), & for his family (who seem to be very judgmental).
This was a cute story. At times it felt a bit simplistic, for example, a chapter ended with her thinking about being stressed about something. Then the next chapter, he was addressing it as if he’d read her mind.
Still, it was nice to read.
They end up making an arrangement to pretend to date for her work (where her SIL also works), & for his family (who seem to be very judgmental).
This was a cute story. At times it felt a bit simplistic, for example, a chapter ended with her thinking about being stressed about something. Then the next chapter, he was addressing it as if he’d read her mind.
Still, it was nice to read.
July 26, 2023
Love the premise, finding self-confidence
This book took me a few days to get into, but I ended up reading the last 2/3 of it in one go. Sometimes the food descriptions would throw me off, but I would also wonder what they ate if it wasn’t described, so maybe that’s just me? I found Kaity to be likable and understandable. I have yet to meet a woman without body issues so I’m happy that she worked through hers a bit and learned acceptance! I feel like Gabe is still slightly underdeveloped and I’d like to get in his head a bit more.
I’m looking forward to learning more about the other supporting characters like Miriam and Anabelle.
This book took me a few days to get into, but I ended up reading the last 2/3 of it in one go. Sometimes the food descriptions would throw me off, but I would also wonder what they ate if it wasn’t described, so maybe that’s just me? I found Kaity to be likable and understandable. I have yet to meet a woman without body issues so I’m happy that she worked through hers a bit and learned acceptance! I feel like Gabe is still slightly underdeveloped and I’d like to get in his head a bit more.
I’m looking forward to learning more about the other supporting characters like Miriam and Anabelle.
September 15, 2022
Thank you to BookSirens for allowing me to read a copy of "Kaity's Catch" J.J. Sommers, scheduled to release on September 14th, 2022! It is a debut novel.
Overall, I rated this novel a 4/5 stars!
This book tells the story of Kaity, who has recently gone through a tumultuous marriage and a miserable divorce. She deals with a lot of self-doubt and anxiety but in the end becomes a very empowered character with a well-developed personality. She does a lot of work on her self-esteem, and one of those things happens to be pole dancing, where we meet her new friend/classmate Miriam.
Overall, I rated this novel a 4/5 stars!
This book tells the story of Kaity, who has recently gone through a tumultuous marriage and a miserable divorce. She deals with a lot of self-doubt and anxiety but in the end becomes a very empowered character with a well-developed personality. She does a lot of work on her self-esteem, and one of those things happens to be pole dancing, where we meet her new friend/classmate Miriam.
September 26, 2022
Kaity's Catch was a delightful read, sweet and romantic, even if the two main characters only started in a fake relationship. I loved the inclusion of pole dancing into the story, and enjoyed how Kaity's journey learning how to dance mirrored her own emotional journey. There's more than just romance here; the novel features themes of community and friendship, and moving on after betrayal and heartbreak. I can't wait to see more from J.J. Sommers! To hear my full review, please visit https://hopelesslyromanticpodcast.com....
October 29, 2024
3.5/5 🌟
3.755 🌶️
This book had a really positive message and a great backstory but I feel like the author ran out of ideas on how to make it long. It felt like there was too much information in some places and not enough in others. I like the message it sends and I like the main character. I just think it could have been better too
3.755 🌶️
This book had a really positive message and a great backstory but I feel like the author ran out of ideas on how to make it long. It felt like there was too much information in some places and not enough in others. I like the message it sends and I like the main character. I just think it could have been better too
August 1, 2022
so unique!
What a fun flirty read! Loved every minute of it! I’ve never read a romance like this before and can’t wait to read whatever this author puts out next.
What a fun flirty read! Loved every minute of it! I’ve never read a romance like this before and can’t wait to read whatever this author puts out next.
January 21, 2023
The main character, Kaity, is a plus-sized, newly divorced woman who signs up for a pole dancing class with one of her friends. So we get to experience pole dancing classes through Kaity’s story! She’s going to these classes and trying to refind herself after her divorce.
She meets this cute guy who asks her to do a photo shoot. For whatever reason, they end up making this agreement with each other that she’s going to be his date to a family event and he’s going to be her date to a work event. They don’t know each other very well, but they agree to do this to help each other out.
The story is cute. I only gave it 3 stars for a couple of reasons. Number one, the author’s use of the phrase “and so.” Although it’s not grammatically incorrect, for me it was distracting. And number two, the lack of depth in the characters. We get to know some of their personal issues and things going on, but it felt very surface-y.
Overall, it was a light-hearted, enjoyable story.
She meets this cute guy who asks her to do a photo shoot. For whatever reason, they end up making this agreement with each other that she’s going to be his date to a family event and he’s going to be her date to a work event. They don’t know each other very well, but they agree to do this to help each other out.
The story is cute. I only gave it 3 stars for a couple of reasons. Number one, the author’s use of the phrase “and so.” Although it’s not grammatically incorrect, for me it was distracting. And number two, the lack of depth in the characters. We get to know some of their personal issues and things going on, but it felt very surface-y.
Overall, it was a light-hearted, enjoyable story.
April 2, 2023
super cute
This was adorable. I loved watching kaitys confidence grow and see how gabe slowly fell for her it was great
This was adorable. I loved watching kaitys confidence grow and see how gabe slowly fell for her it was great
November 29, 2023
Fake dating always gets me hooked. I also appreciated the FMC coming out of a divorce, you get more in depth into her insecurities from that.
Did Not Finish
January 4, 2024Dnf at 19%.
I wasn’t into the story nor the characters.
I wasn’t into the story nor the characters.
June 14, 2024
DNF- This just didn’t really do it for me unfortunately 🤷🏾♀️
August 21, 2024
I thought this was a fun fake dating romance! Kaity is a plus size FMC and the things she kept thinking about herself are things I have thought about myself and do still think about myself. I shed a tear or two throughout this book because of the growth Kaity has about her self image. Gabe the MMC went through his own growth journey, but his entire character felt almost like an afterthought. I enjoyed getting his POV, but I just wish we had gotten more out of him as a character. Overall, I really enjoyed this story, and I plan on reading the next book in the series.
January 3, 2024
I absolutely loved this book! Kaity's internal dialog resonated with me on such a personal level. I could truly connect with the mental struggles post-divorce that can really weigh down one's spirit and shake their confidence in the future. The book explores the transformative power that comes with the bravery to embark on something new; a journey that inevitably changes us at our core.
The aspect of building a community in a fresh environment struck a chord with me. It highlighted the strength that can be found in committing to a new path and the connections we can forge along the way.
Overall, it's a fantastic read, and I'm eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.
The aspect of building a community in a fresh environment struck a chord with me. It highlighted the strength that can be found in committing to a new path and the connections we can forge along the way.
Overall, it's a fantastic read, and I'm eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.
January 5, 2024
3.5 stars
The end felt abrupt but the story wasn't too bad overall.
Downloaded as part of the 2023 stuff you Kindle event
The end felt abrupt but the story wasn't too bad overall.
Downloaded as part of the 2023 stuff you Kindle event
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews