Blog Tour: Talk Bookish to Me

I love a good rom com when one of the main characters is in a bookish profession. In Kate Bromley's Talk Bookish to Me, the heroine is a romance author whose first love has unexpectedly shown up in her life after ten years and you can imagine the hijinks that ensue. The story was fun and SO funny and I had a good time reading it.

Here's the book's description:

Kara Sullivan is definitely not avoiding her deadline. After all, it's the week of her best friend's wedding and she's the maid of honor, so she's got lots of responsibilities. As a bestselling romance novelist with seven novels under her belt, she’s a pro and looming deadlines and writer’s block (which she definitely doesn’t have) don't scare her. She's just eager to support Cristina as she ties the knot with Jason.
But who should show up at Cristina and Jason's rehearsal dinner but Kara's college ex-boyfriend, (the gorgeous and infuriating) Ryan? Apparently, he’s one of Jason's childhood friends, and he's in the wedding party, too. Considering neither Kara nor Ryan were prepared to see each other again, it's decidedly a meet-NOT-cute. There is nothing cute about this situation, and a bit of notice to mentally prepare would’ve been nice, Cristina! However, when Kara sits down to write again the next day, her writers' block is suddenly gone. She has to wonder what’s changed. Are muses real…? And is Kara's muse...Ryan?

I really liked Kara. She was smart and funny and passionate about the romance genre. She was clearly a fantastic friend, having two equally amazing best friends, and was confident in herself. I liked that she was thirty and had her life together, for the most part. It's so great to see rom coms exploring heroines of all ages (and all everything, really) especially as I move towards being in my mid-thirties. She has her issues, as do we all, but they weren't manufactured flaws or outrageous - it all made sense. Short story long, she was a really great heroine.

Ryan was also a great hero...to a point. You know how in romances and rom coms there's a moment where something goes TERRIBLY WRONG and the couple has to move past it in order to get their Happily Ever After? I was super pissed at the Terribly Wrong Thing. Like REALLY angry. I understood how they could move past it buuuut it made me not a fan of the character and their actions. It was sort of like, really? Was that really necessary? I mean, of course it was because it's fiction and there needed to be a Terribly Wrong Thing but I kinda wanted a different Thing. Other than the whole Thing, Ryan was a sweetheart. Smart and clearly head over heels in love with...his dog. (And, yes, Kara.) He had a bulldog named Duke who stole every scene he was in. It was adorable.

This does read a bit like a debut novel. There were pieces that didn't really connect but didn't take away from my enjoyment of the overall story. I was also totally over Kara being a bookstagrammer. And I say that as a blogger/bookstagrammer. I didn't think it added to the story and while I can understand bringing a bunch of books to stage at a beautiful location, I also found it to be a bit much. Plus she's a very accomplished author with several novels under her belt. That alone would allow her advanced copies - she didn't need to resort to bookstagram for free books. I'm aware this is an odd thing to be nitpicky about but, personally, it just rubbed me the wrong way. 

Second chance romances have long been a favourite trope of mine but the shine had started to come off them in recent months. Talk Bookish to Me managed to polish the shine. I was so happy to hear about Kara and Ryan's initial relationship and read as they were thrown together again and tried to make things work a second time. It wasn't easy but it was a lot of fun to ride along with them as they figured it out.

I had a great time reading Talk Bookish to Me. Kate Bromley has written a debut novel that delighted me and had me laughing out loud on numerous occasions. I liked the bookish vibes and the second chance romance. I'm looking forward to seeing what Bromley writes next!

Where to buy Talk Bookish to Me:
BookShop.org * Harlequin * Barnes & Noble * Amazon * Books-A-Million * Powell’s

Connect with the Author:
Website * Twitter * Instagram * Facebook * Goodreads

About the Author:
KATE BROMLEY lives in New York City with her husband, son, and her somewhat excessive collection of romance novels (It’s not hoarding if it’s books, right?). She was a preschool teacher for seven years and is now focusing full-time on combining her two great passions – writing swoon-worthy love stories and making people laugh. Talk Bookish to Me is her first novel.

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Graydon House Books, in exchange for a review for the purpose of a blog tour. All opinions are honest and my own.*