Romantic Comedy Review: Talk Bookish to Me by Kate Bromley

Talk Bookish to Me by Kate Bromley

Published: May 25th, 2021

Publisher: Graydon House

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Heat rating: 🔥🔥

# of pages: 320

My rating: 4.5 stars

Acquired this book: From the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for honest consideration

Add to Goodreads

Buy: Amazon CA || Amazon US || Indigo

Warning: This review contains marked spoilers

Kara Sullivan’s life is full of love—albeit fictional. As a bestselling romance novelist and influential bookstagrammer, she’s fine with getting her happily-ever-after fix between the covers of a book.

But right now? Not only is Kara’s best friend getting married next week—which means big wedding stress—but the deadline for her next novel is looming, and she hasn’t written a single word. The last thing she needs is for her infuriating first love, Ryan Thompson, to suddenly appear in the wedding party. But Ryan’s unexpected arrival sparks a creative awakening in Kara that inspires the steamy historical romance she desperately needs to deliver.

With her wedding duties intensifying, her deadline getting closer by the second and her bills not paying themselves, Kara knows there’s only one way for her to finish her book and to give her characters the ever-after they deserve. But can she embrace the unlikely, ruggedly handsome muse—who pushes every one of her buttons—to save the wedding, her career and, just maybe, write her own happy ending?

Talk Bookish to Me is basically a love letter to the romance genre. Our heroine, Kara, is a romance author, a fierce defender of the genre, and a bookstagrammer (so she’s basically me). She’s spent months unable to write her next book and, with her deadline looming, is getting desperate. When she’s reunited with her first love - the guy who broke her heart ten years ago, and who she still harbours a ton of resentment toward - she’s both irritated and intrigued to discover his presence has unblocked her creative flow.

This book was so charming. It had me laughing within the first few pages, and I connected easily to Kara. I loved the combination of second chance and enemies-to-lovers; Kara and Ryan clearly had unresolved feelings for each other and despite the initial anger they felt toward each other for all that had happened, they couldn’t deny their lingering feelings or the chemistry between them. I also really enjoyed the friendship dynamics between Kara and her two best friends and how supportive they were.

Now, here’s where we get into spoiler territory: Cheating is usually a deal-breaker for me. If I’d known that aspect of the plot going in, I’m not sure I would have read this book, which would have been a shame because I genuinely enjoyed it. The way it all happened made me sad, angry, and disappointed in Ryan. I feel so torn because what he did was wrong and inexcusable, but...I appreciated how it all worked out? People make mistakes and while this was a colossal one, he and Kara were clearly in love and were meant for each other. I do wish there had been some other conflict because it feels icky seeming like I’m ‘okay’ with the cheating aspect. I’m not okay with it, but Ryan knew what he did was wrong and was willing to face the consequences. People aren’t perfect and we can’t expect fictional characters to be either. As an author herself and a champion of romance, Kara knew that better than anyone, and I feel like her decision to forgive Ryan was an informed one. She loved him enough to forgive him and forge ahead with a relationship. As readers, our viewpoint is subjective and we bring our own personal biases and histories, so I completely understand how that part of the book will be a hard no for some people. // End spoilers

I think Talk Bookish to Me will be a hit with many romance readers. It definitely was with me! I’ll look forward to more books from Kate Bromley.

Have you read Talk Bookish to Me?

{Bookstagram || Instagram || Facebook || Twitter || GoodReads || Pinterest}

2020: A Year in Review

Well, we officially made it through 2020. After such a chaotic year, I debated whether to do my usual Year in Review; I wasn’t sure I wanted to look back, plus so much of the year feels like a blur. I also saw a lot of social media posts saying how year-end posts would be a mixed bag now more than they ever were and would have a lot of people feeling a variety of emotions since some people managed to accomplish a lot while others' accomplishments were simply making it through the year and living to tell the tale. For me, 2020 fell somewhere in between, but the things I did accomplish were hard-won, which I think should be celebrated.

It was a difficult mental health year - I spent a good chunk of time in anxiety spirals, especially early on in the pandemic - but I also learned new coping mechanisms, and I had great friends to lean on (virtually, of course). Since my 80-year-old mum and I live together, we had to go into lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic in order to keep her safe. As of now, we’ve been in isolation for nine and a half months. The hardest part has been being separated from the rest of our family, especially my little niece and nephew, who we always spent a lot of time with. Thankfully we have each other and we're very close, and we’ve had incredible, generous friends picking up groceries for us weekly. I also found a great deal of pleasure in books and TV, namely the Star Wars movies, The Mandalorian, Schitt Creek, The Baby-Sitters Club, Jane the Virgin, New Girl, and Never Have I Ever.

Things I accomplished in 2020:

★I published a full-length contemporary romance, Hung Up on You in January

★I wrote and published a holiday romcom novella, A Very Perry Christmas in November

       ☆I figured out how to format paperback books after almost nine years of being an indie author and created A Very Perry Christmas as my first ever paperback

      ☆Four different book clubs chose A Very Perry Christmas as their monthly read, which absolutely blew me away

       ☆For the first time in my entire career, I had dozens of people posting about my book on Instagram 

★I wrote a chapter about bookstagram for a collaborative non-fiction book called Indie Writing Wisdom, which released on December 1st and hit the Amazon US bestseller list in new releases

★I wrote chunks of three different novels (for my own future reference, the working titles of those books are Christmas Queen, Sexy Beach Read, and Perry #2)

★I read 100 books (see my Top 10 Favourite Romances of 2020 here)

★I supported various small businesses, mostly Canadian ones, and did my best to promote the ones I loved most (Always September, Fox + Wild, Bibliophile Belle’s Boutique, SJWonderlandz, Lakeside Craft Corner, and Reading in the Country). I was also chosen for two separate terms as a bookstagram representative for Always September, which was a highlight of the year.

★I rediscovered my love of cooking, largely with the help of meal prep kits like GoodFood, Chefs Plate, and Hello Fresh (if you’re in Canada and would like a discount on any of these, I’d be happy to send you one!)

While 2020 wasn’t all bad, I’m eager to move on, look ahead, and hope for brighter days. I’ll be talking more about my reading and writing goals later this week, but for now, I’ll say my word for 2021 is ‘Present’, supported by ‘Simplify’, ‘Connect’, and ‘Balance’. All these things go hand in hand, at least in my mind. I spent most of 2020 feeling discombobulated and disconnected, and this year I want to be more mindful of how I spend my time, what I choose to focus on, and creating a healthy, sustainable work-life balance.

What were some of your 2020 highlights? Some of the things that made you smile, brought you joy, or reminded you there’s still good in the world?

{Bookstagram || Instagram || Facebook || Twitter || GoodReads || Pinterest}

Previous Yearly Recaps:
☆2019: A Year in Review

☆2018: A Year in Review
☆2017: A Year in Review
☆2016: A Year in Review
☆Looking Back on 2015
☆Reflecting on 2014 and Looking at the Year Ahead 
☆2012: A Year in Review
☆2010: A Year in Review

January 2020 Recap

Happy February! The general consensus from people all over my social media channels is that January was the longest month ever. Who else felt that way? It was cold and dreary here, which is typical for the first month of the year, and I went through spurts of being super productive and doing all the things to feeling completely unmotivated and exhausted for days on end. Overall, January was a good month, but I’m hoping February brings more sunshine and more energy.

Writing and reading
★I published a new book in January! Hung Up on You - a sweet and sexy slow-burn, friends-to-lovers, fake-dating romance - was my fourteenth publication. The reception it’s received so far has absolutely blown me away, and I'm grateful beyond words.
★I managed to write the first several chapters of a Christmas book that'll be published later this year. I’d hoped to write more, but the lead-up to publication is no joke. I spent countless hours making graphics, scheduling posts, seeking out reviewers, and doing a-million-and-one other tasks both big and small. I’m pleased with what I accomplished, but I want to ramp it up this month.
★I read a total of six books in January. I participated in the Lunar New Year Readathon on bookstagram from January 24th-26th, and I’ve joined a variety of 2020 reading challenges, including Romanceopoly, Tackle My TBR, and Read Diverse Romance. 

Books read in January:
★Getting Hot With the Scot by Melonie Johnson
★Almost Just Friends by Jill Shalvis
★Tweet Cute by Emma Lord
★Mermaid Inn by Jenny Holiday
★One Bed for Christmas by Jackie Lau
★The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

If you want daily updates on what I’m reading and loving, be sure to follow me on bookstagram.

On the blog
★I reviewed Mermaid Inn by Jenny Holiday, Almost Just Friends by Jill Shalvis, and Tweet Cute by Emma Lord
★I celebrated the release of Hung Up on You
★I shared some of my favourite things from last year in a 2019 Edition of Friday Favourites

What I watched
★Toward the end of last year, I decided it was finally time to watch Star Wars. It wasn’t that I wasn’t interested all these years, I was just overwhelmed by how many movies there were and didn't know where to begin or where to watch all of them...then came Disney+. Also, I’ll be perfectly honest, I started crushing on Oscar Isaac and wanted to see him in the new Star Wars movies, but figured I might as well do it right and watch all of them. I started watching on the first day of the new year and made it through all eight movies; The Empire Strikes Back and The Force Awakens are my favourites. I still need to watch Rogue One, Solo, and The Mandalorian, and I need to see Rise of Skywalker, but I wasn’t able to catch it in the theatre.
★My Oscar Isaac obsession continued through the month and I watched Ex Machina (it’s official: movies about artificial intelligence are not for me), Life Itself (somehow depressing and hopeful at the same time), In Secret (also depressing, but sexy af before the depressing stuff), and Inside Llewyn Davis (also - you guessed it - kind of depressing, but Oscar sings and plays guitar, so it’s worth it for that alone).

And the rest...
★I didn’t go out much or do much else in January, but I did kick ass with my step goals through the month. My bestie invited me to participate in a Workweek Hustle group challenge on Fitbit with her and six other people, and it was exactly the motivation I needed to get me moving again after weeks of sitting at my desk way too much. The first and second weeks I made it to second place, and last week I made it to first place with about a 10,000 step lead over the person in second place.
★On bookstagram, I entered a rep search for Always September Shop and was chosen as a rep for February and March! Carly specializes in book sleeves but also makes fabric bookmarks and scrunchies; I bought three of her sleeves last year and I’m so excited to have the chance to represent her business for the next two months. I love supporting small businesses, especially ones run by women, and especially ones owned by fellow Canadians. If you’re in the market for some beautiful, high-quality book sleeves at a great price, be sure to check out Always September on Etsy and you can use the code SWEET10 to save 10% until the end of March.

That pretty much sums up the first month of the new year - and the new decade - for me. How was January for you? Did you read any great books? Do any writing or anything else creative? Accomplish something you’re really proud of? I’d love to hear from you!

{Bookstagram || Instagram || Facebook || Twitter || GoodReads || Pinterest}

2018: A Year in Review

Happy New Year!

I’ve been sick for over a week (this is actually Round 2 with the Cold From Hell in the last month), and instead of continuing to go full-tilt like I normally do, I’ve taken the time to rest and relax, plus reflect on the past year and plan for the year ahead. One thing I know for sure going into the new year: I need to be more mindful. It was something I intended to work on in 2018, but now when I look back and so much of the year was a blur, I realize the life of intention and mindfulness I wanted to lead turned into a big jumbled mass of days with a few highlights in between. Despite that, unlike the last several years, I can look back and say 2018 was mostly good.

Here are a few of the highlights of 2018:

I wrote and published a new contemporary romance, ONLY YOU, plus worked on a few other projects. I thought 2018 would be the year I finally got back into the swing of writing and publishing, but it was still a struggle. I’m proud of what I did accomplish though, and I love this sweet, funny, sexy romance.

In June, I met one of my favourite authors, Susanna Kearsley. My mum and I have been big fans of hers for years, so I was excited we could share that experience. Susanna was so lovely, warm, and funny, and I had a total fangirl moment when she immediately recognized me and came over to hug us and speak to us. She spoke for an hour or so about writing, publishing, and researching, and then signed books. If you follow me on bookstagram, you'll recognize Foxy, my little felt fox in the picture below; I brought him along and Susanna didn't bat an eye when I asked if he could be included in one of our pictures. It made me love her even more!

I didn’t travel far in 2018, but I did get to go to one of my absolute favourite cities (Kingston, Ontario) twice to visit my friend Krista. It was hot as hell when I visited in July, but we had so much fun playing tourist, eating a ton of amazing food, and vegging at her apartment. One of the highlights was visiting Queen’s University while it was completely deserted and getting to wander around and take a bunch of pictures. My trip in November was equally amazing, especially because we got to attend a Victorian Christmas tea; we’d wanted to do a high tea when we visited London in 2015 but didn’t have time, so this was amazing. The November trip was an early 35th birthday celebration for me since my birthday is so close to Christmas and I rarely get to do anything out of the ordinary. Both trips and all the new memories I made with Krista are high on my list of best days of 2018.

Bookstagram continued to be a huge source of joy for me. I’ve made so many wonderful friends there, and I love the creative outlet it gives me. Two major highlights this year: being chosen as a July rep for Canterbury Road Co and recently being asked to be a rep for 1107Studio. I love these companies (and their respective owners) and it’s such an honour to get to represent them.

Looking ahead at 2019...

I have a lot of writing-related goals this year. I'm currently working on a companion book to ONLY YOU, and after that, there will be one more book in that standalone series. I also have a romcom I wrote year before last that I plan to edit and publish toward the end of the year. I've also been thinking about mixing things up and working on something different from my norm...but it's early days yet, so you'll have to stay tuned to see what I'm talking about!

I read 105 books in 2018, and my goal for 2019 is to read at least 80 books.

I want to be more consistent about blogging. After 8 years of having this blog, I finally bit the bullet just before writing this post and officially bought a .com domain for it. No more .blogspot.com for me! Hopefully that'll inspire me to do something with this little of the net and produce more content. My goal is going to be at least one post a week, ranging from bookish and writing posts to travel posts to general lifestyle posts.

I don't have any concrete plans yet, but I decided last year that 2019 is the year I'm finally going to Scotland. Stay tuned for more as I figure out the how and when and all that fun stuff. I'm going to make it happen!
My word for 2019 is CONNECT. I want to connect to my self - be more mindful, intentional, and work on a lot of personal things that are important to me. That also includes connecting to my body and working on getting healthier and stronger. I want to connect to readers, both old and new, and make them laugh, feel, and fall in love when they read my stories. I want to connect to my roots by finally visiting Scotland. I want to connect to nature and not spend so much time at my desk. I feel good about this word because it's broad and it covers a lot, but it can be specific in a million little ways that mean a lot to me.

How was 2018 for you? What were some of your stand-out moments? Do you have any goals or big plans for 2019? Do you have a word for the year?

{Bookstagram || Instagram || Facebook || Twitter || GoodReads || Pinterest}

Previous Yearly Recaps:
☆2017: A Year in Review
☆2016: A Year in Review
☆Looking Back on 2015
☆Reflecting on 2014 and Looking at the Year Ahead 
☆2012: A Year in Review
☆2010: A Year in Review

Follow Ramblings of a Daydreamer on Bloglovin'

Small Business Spotlight: Canterbury Road Co

July is the one-year anniversary of my favourite bookish candle shop, Canterbury Road Co. I don't remember exactly when I discovered Shan's shop, but it wasn't long after she opened. I was envious of my fellow bookstagrammers who had a plethora of bookish and fandom candles as props in their pictures. I had checked out a few different shops and figured I would remain candle-less because of the cost of shipping to Canada. I knew it wasn't the shop owners' fault - they don't control the price of postage, but it was disheartening. Finally, I decided I just had to have some of Canterbury Road Co's gorgeous creations, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Since then, despite the price of shipping, I've placed several more orders with CRC because her candles are just that awesome. I watched Shan's Instagram feed like a  hawk for a rep search, and when she finally announced one, I crossed my fingers and applied. The day she messaged me to ask if I'd be a rep for her for the month of July was pretty much my best bookstagram day ever!

 

My rep package for the month of July included four of Shan's July releases: Narnia (the newest in her Literary Passport line), Reading Under the Covers, Friends-to-Lovers Romance (the newest in her Romance line), Reading at the Beach, plus her anniversary candle, The Canterbury Tales, and one of my wishlist candles, One More Chapter. I love every single one of them. Shan's candles are beautiful and they smell incredible. She makes the most unique scent blends that just blow my mind.

Shan has staples that always stay up in her shop, and she adds new monthly candles, most of which are only available for that month. She also occasionally has sales (like her recent anniversary sale) where she brings back popular/most requested retired or older scents. She also does BOGO sales on her wax melts, which always seem to be popular! The best place to learn about her sales and promos is from her Instagram.
 

I only have a couple of days left in my rep term, but I'll continue to support Shan in every way I can because she's an incredible person and a ridiculously talented candle witch. Until the end of July, you can use my rep code SWEETMARIE17 to save 17% on any order, and after that you can visit Shan's Instagram feed to find her other reps for their codes.

Being a rep for Shan for the month of July has been such an honour. She's so talented and generous, and it's been a joy to show off her candles as often as I can. Pictured above are all the candles I currently own. I'll be adding to this massive stack soon because I bought five more during her anniversary sale!

If you'd like to see more of my pictures featuring Shan's candles (there are a lot; I love them so much I can't help but include them in the majority of my pictures), check out my bookstagram feed sweetmarie_83. You can see other people's pics of Shan's candles by checking her tagged photos or the hashtag #canterburyroadco.

Please note, Shan is moving her shop from Etsy to a standalone site in August (you can be notified by email when the site is ready). I'll update this post when that happens, but for now, you can check out her Etsy shop for her beautiful creations!

Do you have any of Canterbury Road Co's candles? Any you'd like to have? Do you have a favourite bookish candle shop?

 

If you enjoyed this post and would either like to refer to it again or help spread the word about this amazing small business, please share on Pinterest, Facebook, and/or Twitter!

{Bookstagram || Instagram || Facebook || Twitter || GoodReads || Pinterest}

CanvasPop Photo Pillows: The Perfect Personalized Gift for Anyone

We live in a digital world. With the popularity of sites like Instagram, many people consider themselves photographers these days, whether amateur hobbyists, professionals, or something in between. My phone is full of hundreds of pictures ranging from my travels to my family to random things I love, like books, scenery, and the things I collect. I’m always looking for unique ways to display my photos - bonus points if it’s in a meaningful, artistic, and/or functional way. If you’re perpetually on the look-out like I am, I have the perfect solution for you: photo pillows from CanvasPop. CanvasPop is known for their beautiful and high-quality canvas prints in various sizes, but with the addition of photo pillows to their site, you can get even more creative. I personally have limited wall space, and if you’re anything like me - an avid Instagrammer (and bookstagrammer) - you might be looking for something that’s not only beautiful and functional in your home, but that can also be incorporated into your photos in a number of unique ways.

These pillows would make a lovely addition to any home. They’re the perfect gift for any person and any occasion. For my mum, I’d get one with her favourite picture of my niece and nephews. For my brother, I’d use a picture of the huge black bear he snapped once in the woods, or his beloved ginger cat Rosie. For my bestie, I’d use a picture of her rescue cats, or one of the thousands of photos from our 2015 European adventure (like the picture of London used in my pillow shown above). I could happily fill my own home with photo pillows. In fact, I spent days narrowing it down to this photo of London. My other choices were pictures of my niece and nephews, a photo I took recently of my bookshelves, scenes of Paris and Rome from my trip in 2015, and any of my book covers. I was even tempted to use the picture of myself taken at Platform 9 ¾ in London, rocking my Ravenclaw scarf. I have a love/hate relationship with buying gifts for people. I like personal, meaningful gifts, but some people are nearly impossible to shop for. I wouldn’t hesitate to get one of these photo pillows for any of my friends or family members. These 18 x 18 pillows are well made, durable, and the colours are so vibrant. If you’re looking for a unique way to use your own photographs or you want a personalized gift for someone special, a photo pillow is sure to be a hit.

 

If you were to get a photo pillow, either for yourself or as a gift for someone, what image would you choose?

 

{Bookstagram || Instagram || Facebook || Twitter || GoodReads || Pinterest}

 

 

 

 

This post was written in partnership with CanvasPop. In accordance with FTC guidelines, I received the pictured photo pillow for free, in exchange for sharing my honest thoughts and opinions. All thoughts are my own.

Follow Ramblings of a Daydreamer on Bloglovin'