Review: If the Shoe Fits

If the Shoe Fits was my first ever Julie Murphy book. I know, I know! I've been hearing rave reviews of all of her books since Dumplin' was just about to release way back in 2015. I just hadn't read her books since YA isn't my go to anymore. Cue her latest novel, just published on August 3, which featured a new grad in a Cinderella-esque story. I was all in. And when I read it? I was the heart eyes emoji personified the entire time. I loved it.

Here's the book's description:

After having just graduated with a degree in shoe design, and trying to get her feet on the ground, Cindy is working for her stepmother, who happens to be the executive producer of America's favorite reality show, Before Midnight. When a spot on the show needs filling ASAP, Cindy volunteers, hoping it might help jump-start her fashion career, or at least give her something to do while her peers land jobs in the world of high fashion.
Turns out being the only plus size woman on a reality dating competition makes a splash, and soon Cindy becomes a body positivity icon for women everywhere. What she doesn't expect? That she may just find inspiration-and love-in the process. Ultimately, Cindy learns that if the shoe doesn't fit, maybe it's time to design your own. 

This novel was too much fun and had characters I completely fell in love with. I was rooting for Cindy the entire time and it's no surprise viewers of Before Midnight loved her too. She was smart and funny and I wanted to hang out with her and her best friend, Sierra. Cindy was floundering, as one does when one has lost both their parents and is dealing with finishing up college with no real idea how things will go after graduation. Her grief is real but it didn't define her or her story. Murphy created a heroine who was so real and and layered. Reading as Cindy learned how to write her own Happily Ever After was wonderful.

Murphy found a great balance of poking fun at the Bachelor(ette) franchise while also not alienating anyone who enjoys the show. As someone who used to watch it all the time, I appreciated that balance so much. It is ridiculous but, as Beck, Cindy's stepmom's protege, explains, it's a massive platform that can be used for good. Like having a plus size woman trying (and maybe succeeding?) to win an eligible bachelor's heart on national television. The behind-the-scenes scenes were so good and helped remind the reader that reality tv really isn't reality. 

I really liked that this was a kind of sort of but not really Cinderella type story. Given I have my own evil stepmother (who, thankfully, hasn't been part of my life in eons), this can sometimes be a trigger (which is a problem when I love Cinderella stories...). Sooo I was really happy when the relationship between Cindy, her stepmom and stepsisters was rock solid. Plus, being a lover of Disney's Cinderella, I thought it was TOO CUTE that one of Cindy's triplet half-siblings was named Gus! 

I'm absolutely thrilled that If the Shoe Fits is the first in a series and I cannot wait to read the next book. The first installment was so funny and smart and also swoony and had an ending that I thought was absolutely perfect. I'm definitely going to try to make some time for Julie Murphy's backlist sooner rather than later.

*An egalley was provided by the publisher, Disney Books, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

CLP Blog Tour: The Holdout

When I read what Laurel Osterkamp's latest novel was all about, I was intrigued. I immediately signed up for the CLP Blog Tour and hoped The Holdout would deliver. It did! I was so interested and invested in this novel and I couldn't stop thinking about it when I wasn't reading it.

Here's the synopsis:

Robin wanted to win The Holdout, a cutthroat reality TV show, so she gave it her all, challenge after challenge. Then she fell for Grant, with his irresistible eyes and heartbreaking life story. But Grant was only using Robin as they competed for a million dollars. Once home, Robin wants to hide from the humiliation as episodes of The Holdout are aired, and she worries her family was right all along; she's not a survivor. Or maybe she'll have the last laugh Besides, Robin now has jury duty. And as she forges ahead, confronting her demons about bravery, justice, and romance, Robin will come to decide which is more important: the courage to stand alone, or the strength to love again. 

I have to admit that I was a little worried about reading another of Osterkamp's novels as I read Starring in the Movie of My Life a couple of years ago and didn't love it. Still, I thought her newest sounded interesting and boy am I glad I gave it a shot. It was so good. I loved the way she played with the reality show novel - that was probably my favourite part of the whole book. I have never watched a full season of Survivor but it's been around for so long that everyone has at least a vague idea of what goes on during the show. Even though that's not my reality show of choice, I still found Robin's story, and her time on the show, interesting. I liked that we learned what the whole process could be like and that Osterkamp gave us all the background information we needed. 

There were two things that stood out for me that kept me from giving this book five stars. One was the way Robin acted during jury duty. I felt like she had a lot of lingering issues with the way the show played out and every once and awhile she'd think about which of her other jurors would get voted off first if they were on The Holdout. I don't blame her, I'm sure being on a show like that can really mess with your head, but I wish that had been toned down just a tad. It made her seem a little unstable and I don't think that's what Osterkamp was trying to go for. The other issue was with her family. I totally loved that she had a large family and they sort of supported her in their own weird way, but I feel like there were too many of them...I got a little confused. There were some side stories involving them that didn't feel as complete as they could have and it just didn't flow well for me. These issues are not deal breakers, though, and I'd still wholeheartedly recommend this book.

I appreciated that the romance in this novel took a total backseat. I could kind of tell how things would end up but Osterkamp kept me guessing until the very end. I liked that. Robin didn't go into the show looking for a romance but it happened, just like real life and good chick lit-esque novels. The romance just happens along the way and that's what happened in The Holdout. 

Even if you're not a Survivor fan, which I am not, I still think you would really enjoy The Holdout by Laurel Osterkamp. It's interesting look at the way we view two seemingly very different things - justice and reality TV. Osterkamp did a good job of weaving together the two into a thoroughly enjoyable novel. Check it out! It won't disappoint.

Review: Lost Without You

Lost Without You is the newly released final book in a great romance series by Heather Thurmeier. I read and loved the first two novels, Falling for You and Stuck on You (links lead to reviews), and couldn't wait to see how the series turned out!

Here's the synopsis:

Zoe Oliver never wanted to be on another reality TV show… until Chip Cormack made an offer too good to refuse. He’s guaranteed her a payday this time and a chance to redeem herself in America’s eyes. But Zoe worries she won’t be able to focus as her desire for Chip grows and her strength to resist him weakens. When she learns she’ll be roughing it in the woods with Chip and without luxuries like indoor plumbing and electricity, she’s instantly on edge, feeling naked and terrified that her scars will be exposed and her secrets revealed. When Zoe’s past turns up on the show, she fears she’ll lose not only the life she’s sacrificed everything else to have, but also the affections of the only man she’s ever trusted with her heart.

The thing that makes this series different than a lot of other romance books is the setting. Each novel takes place during a reality show. How fun is that? The final book features a Survivor-esque show that really pushes the contestants to the limits. What makes it different than the other books is that Zoe, the heroine of book three, isn't actually a contestant, she's the host. The show still plays a large part in the story as she does have to watch each challenge and even participate in small ways (I don't want to think too much about the cooking she had to taste during one challenge). This made things fun and it complemented the other part of the story - the romance!

I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about Chip and Zoe getting together. I pictured him as a pretentious and snobby (redundant?) producer and I wasn't sure if I wanted to read about him. Turns out I was wrong about Chip. As soon as the book started I was assured that he was absolutely crazy about Zoe and had been trying to hide those feelings for years. I liked that Thurmeier touched on how he had changed which helped reconcile the two Chips I had in my head. As I read on, I realized that the relationship between Zoe and Chip totally made sense and I found myself rooting for them. I could see that they had great chemistry. Of course, the scene in the waterfall didn't hurt matters! ;)

I had told Heather that I couldn't wait to read the final book because I wanted to get the full story about Zoe's past. We got hints of it in the second book, Stuck on You, and that helped me see that Zoe wasn't the huge bitch that I thought she was. She's just intensely guarded. That impression was confirmed as I read this book. I don't want to give anything away for those who haven't read the previous two books but just know that Zoe really is a good person. She was sexy, sarcastic, and real and I really loved reading her story.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading Lost Without You. Heather Thurmeier did a great job of sharing Zoe's story and wrapping up the series. I'm sad to see these characters go but I'm happy they all got the endings they deserved.

Happy reading! :)

*A copy of this novel was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review*

Guest Post: Heather Thurmeier

I am so happy to have author Heather Thurmeier on the blog today with a fabulous guest post. I reviewed her novel Stuck on You the other day, the review is here if you missed it, and I absolutely loved it. As I mentioned in my review, I enjoyed that it played on the popular reality TV show The Amazing Race. The first novel in this series, Falling for You, did a similar thing with the show The Bachelor. While I don't watch The Amazing Race, I really like the idea of it and thought it was fabulous that Heather had her fictional TV show feature geocaching. Don't know what that means? Don't worry - Heather explains in her post! Enjoy!

Geo-What-Now??

Geocaching (pronounced geo-cash-ing) is a giant, worldwide treasure hunt. Using a handheld GPS unit—or cell phone with app—you look for caches based on their longitude and latitude coordinates. The cache you’re looking for might be as tiny as an acorn (called a nano-cache) or as big as a 5-gallon pail. Inside each cache will be a logbook where you can record that you’ve been there and the date of your find. The larger caches often have other things inside them as well like toys for the kids to take, trackable items you can take and leave at another cache, and any number of other things. It’s great fun and very satisfying when you follow that little GPS arrow all the way to the cache and find it! And it’s always a surprise about what you’ll find inside. My kids love going ‘treasure hunting!’

In my novel, Stuck on You, the characters go on a reality TV show inspired by The Amazing Race. But I wanted to make it different in a few ways. So I kept my contestants local to the New York Hudson Valley area and I made them have to geocache to find prizes and accumulate points to eventually win the ultimate grand prize at the end of the show.  I had so much fun thinking of different places and ways I could hide these caches to make my contestants work to find them. And let me just say, they got into some pretty interesting—ahem—and steamy situations while searching for caches.

For the next quarter mile, they walked in silence following the arrow of the GPS. A few more minutes and they should reach the cache. Paige leaned in closer to the unit, watching the distance on the screen decreasing. Ten more feet.
The ground fell away beneath her and she was suddenly on her back, sliding down a very bumpy surface. After a short slide, she came to a stop, staring up at the canopy of trees.
Ouch.
Footsteps pounded down the slope after her then Miles was down on his knees in the dirt beside her.
Well hello there, Mr. Muscles. Let’s get dirty together.
The image of getting dirty in the forest with Miles was a little more sex kitten than her usual train of thought. Did I hit my head on the way down?
Or maybe it was the influence of the super hot, super built man hovering over her with concern in his eyes that caused the shift in her mental state.
“Are you okay?” Miles asked, touching the side of her face and turning her head first one direction and then the other. Her eyes never left his.
“I’m fine. Just dirty—muddy,” she clarified. Not that he could read her mind, but still. “I’ll get up now.”
“Let me help you,” he said, standing over her and wrapping his large hands around her upper arms, pulling her up to stand in front of him. His hands dropped to her waist and she found hers groping his chest again. Seemed she couldn’t keep her hands off of him. Not that the rest of her complained in the least.
“Thanks,” she whispered, looking up to meet his gaze. The mix of concern and... something else made her breath hitch in her throat. Damn.
“My pleasure.”
Her feet went out from under her again, but this time she didn’t slide down the slope. Possibly because she’d managed to drag Miles down to the ground with her. Perhaps his body weight pressing her into the soft dirt was enough to stop her from going anywhere.
Definitely every inch of his tall, muscular body against hers was enough to cause the lightheadedness she now felt.
Or possibly the lightheadedness could be from his leg pressing against the junction of her thighs. He’d managed to anchor them both to the ground as she straddled his leg. Yes, that could cause lightheadedness to hit full force.
As could the length of something else currently pressing into her.
Either he suddenly had less blood traveling to his brain or he’d managed to shove a tree branch in his pocket on the way down the hill. A very large tree branch.

Geocaching with Miles sounds pretty fun, doesn’t it? Now I can’t guarantee you’ll have the same results as Paige, but geocaching with your friends and family is always a good way to get outside and enjoy nature together!

Author Bio:

Heather Thurmeier is a lover of strawberry margaritas, a hater of spiders, and a reality TV junkie. Her passion is contemporary romance—writing stories filled with laugh out loud moments, uber-hunky heroes, sassy heroines, and always a happily ever after. Author of romantic comedies: Meadow Ridge Romance series, Bunny Hills and Bikinis, and the Reality TV Romance trilogy. You can find out more about Heather's books, news and giveaways by visiting her blog: heatherthurmeier.com 

Just Finished: Stuck on You

A couple of months ago I reviewed Heather Thurmeier's novel Falling for You and I just loved it (review is here if you missed it). I was so happy when Heather contacted me to review the second novel in this series, Stuck on You - especially because I think I loved this one even more!

Here's the synopsis:

If being forced to team up with reality TV’s favorite bad girl wasn’t enough, falling for her brother might just make this reality show a real nightmare.
Paige Anderson agrees to be on a new reality show called Treasure Trekkers, a show where contestants use handheld GPS units to find hidden caches filled with prizes, with her good friend Cassidy. But when Cassidy is unable to compete, Chip Cormack, the show’s producer, steps in with a last-minute replacement to be Paige’s partner—Zoe Oliver, reality TV’s favorite bad girl.
Jack Miles (aka Miles) is a mountain climber with the body to prove it. Miles convinced his climbing partner Ben to come on the show with him for one reason—to prove to Ben that they can still hike together, regardless of the fact that Ben lost his foot in a tragic accident. Miles isn’t about to let anything get in his way of winning—not even beautiful Paige.
But when Miles and Paige are thrown into an alliance with their teammates, working closely together leads to more than just good strategy. Can Paige steal Miles’ heart while surviving Zoe long enough to win the game?

This was such a fun premise. I love the reality show focus in this series and I would definitely watch Treasure Trekkers. I was familiar with geocaching before reading this book so I was immediately interested in how the show would play out. Of course, the show isn't the main part of the story, it is a romance novel after all!

And what a romance it was! I loved Paige and Miles and was totally rooting for them through the entire book. Even though Paige was a bit of a twit when she was following Zoe's instructions to wear stilettos while competing (OK, a major twit...what was she thinking? Ack!), you could still tell that she was a really likeable girl. I knew the two of them would eventually get together but that didn't make the build up any less fun to read.

You know when you meet a character in the first and/or second book of a series and you just really dislike her? And worry because the following book will feature said character? I felt like this about Zoe. She is...well, she's a bitch. At least, she starts out that way. We met her in Falling for You when she was competing in The One (a Bachelor-esque show) with Paige and Cassidy and then she pops up again in Stuck on You. I really disliked her. I grumbled and cursed and then...she started to grow on me. Let me tell you I was quite surprised! Heather wrote Zoe in such a way that, as I told her, made it OK for the reader to like her. You honestly go into this book disliking her and if the subtle changes in Zoe hadn't been written well, I would not have been OK with how things ended with her and where they'll go in the third book. Let me compare it to another well known chick lit character - Darcy from Emily Giffin's Something Borrowed and Something Blue. Raise your hand if you disliked Darcy in SOBO. Me too! Were you worried when you realized book two was all about her? Yep, I was too. Did it surprise you when you actually quite liked her by the end of the second book? You guessed it, I was too. Heather has also hinted at a secret in Zoe's past that may explain why she is the way she is and I can't wait to find out exactly what that is. Wow. I just realized this was a very long description of my dislike turning to like of Zoe. Obviously I'm looking forward to book three!

Overall, Stuck on You by Heather Thurmeier was a great read. It was sweet, fun, and a little sexy. I definitely encourage chick lit and romance fans to give this one a read. Especially if you enjoy reality shows as well! I will now wait (im)patiently for book three, Lost Without You, to be released...come on July!

Happy reading :)

*A copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review*

Guest Post: Heather Thurmeier

As promised, today I have a guest post from the lovely Heather Thurmeier as part of the CLP Blog Tour for her new novel Falling for You. If you read my review from the other day, you'd know that this book features a show that is similar to The Bachelor so I wondered what her inspiration was for her trilogy and what it is about reality TV that we love so much. I hope you all enjoy this post as much as I did! A big thank you to Heather for writing this post. Stay tuned for an interview with Heather coming up on the blog tomorrow!

Hi, Kaley! Thank you so much for having me here today to chat about my ridiculous love for all things reality TV and especially The Bachelor/Bachelorette!

What is it I love so much about those shows that I was inspired to base a romance novel on the idea of a reality TV show cast and crew? Ah, so many things!

First, I love the drama of the show. I know, it’s awful, but I do. I love watching the drama between contestants each week. Sometimes there’s even drama between the contestants and the bachelor/bachelorette! I love to see the daggers get thrown as contestants clash. Tensions run high on these show and it almost always results in memorable TV moments!

Second, I love the challenges and dates! I love to watch each week to find out what crazy things the contestants have to do next. I love when they do something exciting like bungee jumping or rock climbing. I’m always amazed when contestants who are scared face their fears and do the challenge! The only challenges or dates that I don’t like are the ones where the contestants have to act or sing. I think it’s kinda cruel and unusual punishment to put them through that in such a publically humiliating way! And one of my favorite things to watch is when the Bachelor/Bachelorette takes a contestant on a fabulous date that would never happen in real life. Maybe they get whisked off in a helicopter to some remote island for snorkeling with dolphins and a sunset dinner on a private yacht. Or maybe they hike up the side of a mountain and have a picnic in the crater of a dormant volcano. Whatever they do, these dates are always unbelievable and I love to see what they’ll do next!

Last, I love to watch romance blossom. I love to watch as those initial sparks of attraction ignite. And when they start to come together as a couple, opening up to each other and sharing pieces of their lives with someone they just met… it just makes me happy! Is there anything better than watching two people fall in love? No, probably not. Well, maybe that’s not entirely true. I think I like reading about two people falling in love even more! You can read all about Cassidy falling in love in FALLING FOR YOU, but she may not fall in love with who you think!

CLP Blog Tour: Falling for You

Welcome to my stop on the Falling for You blog tour! I'm so glad I decided to take part in the CLP Blog Tour for Heather Thurmeier's latest novel. I loved it!

Here's the synopsis:

Newly single Cassidy Quinn is thrilled to be a contestant on the new reality dating show, The One.
But her excitement turns to horror when the gorgeous bachelor turns out to be her ex-boyfriend. Seeing Brad again makes Cassidy realize she might not be as “over him” as she thought—and then she meets hunky cameraman Evan Burke.
After watching his brother lose his wife in a tragic accident, Evan vows never to fall in love. But following Cassidy around as her personal cameraman makes him question his decision, and resisting her gets harder with every sunbathing, bikini-wearing day.
Cassidy and Evan begin a forbidden affair while her ex-boyfriend tries to win her heart back one groping, awkward moment at a time. If Cassidy can manage to stop falling off horses (literally), stop falling onto her ex-boyfriend, the bachelor (yes, literally), and stop falling in love with backstage playboy Evan, she might still make it through the show without becoming a tabloid sensation.
But soon Cassidy must choose between the ex who broke her heart and the cameraman who might never love her back. For Cassidy, this reality show just got real.

I don't watch a lot of reality TV but the franchise I do watch is The Bachelor/Bachelorette (I draw the line at The Bachelor Pad) so it was a lot of fun to read this novel. I really liked the "behind the scenes" sort of look I got at a similar reality show. Even though I know Thurmeier essentially made up the show, she would have done some research so it was a believable story. As believable as novels and "reality" TV is, of course (and that's not a knock at the book!) :) I watch these shows for the outlandish dates and to see if the contestants can actually find love. This novel was that and so much more. Reading about Brad and the other girls was hilarious - and just what I imagine those shows to actually be like.

I really liked Cassidy. She was a spunky girl and it was quite amusing to read about her adventure as a reality show contestant. I couldn't believe she had ever been with Brad. He was a bit of a...let's call him a twit, shall we? :) Evan, on the other hand, was delightful and their romance was so much fun to read. It was a lot steamier than I expected - an added bonus!

I am so excited that this is a series. The next book, Stuck on You, features Paige, another one of the girls on The One with Cassidy. She was such a sweet character and I really can't wait to read more about her - and find out what Cassidy and Evan are up to.

Even though Falling for You is more of a contemporary romance, I think chick lit lovers would really enjoy it as well. Heather Thurmeier is now one of the authors I stay up to date on because I've now enjoyed two of her novels. I can't wait to read the second book in her reality TV series! Stay tuned for a guest post from Heather and an interview with her coming up in the next couple of days!

Happy reading :)