Cover Image: Gin and Bear It

Gin and Bear It

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Member Reviews

Kelly adopted a cute furball for when she's alone at night but turns out her girlfriend Paula is allergic. Scared of Paula leaving her, she finds him a new home with the hot bartender from a bar she frequently visits with her best friend. They come to an agreement that Kelly can visit Bear anytime.

This was a cute romance about finding your true person who will lift you up after you've dated so many people putting you down. In Kelly's case she had a rough deal in life with just about anyone in her life putting her down or letting her down one way or another. It's taken its toll on her self-esteem so it takes a while for Logan to show her that she is worthy of all that is good in life.

Loved how patient Logan was and how Kelly grew into her own self. It often just takes that one person to show you your true worth.

An ARC was given to me via Netgalley in return of an honest review.

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Cute enough story about Kelly who gives up her cat because her, sporadically, visiting girlfriend claims to be allergic. She finds him a good home with Logan and since she gets visiting rights both women find themselves forming a connection as well. Due to baggage in both their pasts the developing romance is overflowing with insecurities and holding back true feelings.
Joy Argentos writing is slow, the slow burn romance is believable and cute. If you're in need for a cozy romance and can handle stuff moving slow this is the right book for you..

***Thank you Netgalley and Bold Stroke Books for giving me the chance to read and review this book***

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This was a mixed bag for me. There were things I liked and things I wasn't a fan of.

Starting off, the story revolves around Kelly having to rehome her rescue cat because her girlfriend is allergic and as luck would have it, Logan pops up at the right time and offers to take in Kelly's cat. What follows is a steadfast friendship that continues to flourish and Logan's fierce conviction that Kelly only deserves the best.

The book focuses heavily on Kelly's journey with her struggling self esteem which is a result of her rough childhood but it's nice to see her talk through it all. I think this whole book was like Kelly's monologue. It is my first Argento book so maybe I'm just not used to this kind of writing but nothing bad about that! I also wish the cat played a bigger role in the book along with Kelly's best friend, the support characters definitely lacked in depth for me unfortunately.

All in all, Argento did a good job in balancing the heavy parts with the lightness of romance and friendships.

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This book's main characters are Kelly and Logan. Kelly recently adopted a cat, Bear. Her girlfriend says she is allergic and makes her find him a new home. When Kelly and her friend are at a bar, Kelly is telling the story about having to give up Bear. Logan, the bartender, says she can take him and Kelly can visit any time.
This starts Kelly seeing Bear all the time and getting to know Logan.
This also is the beginning of the end for Kelly and her girlfriend, when things become all too clear about what is really going on.
I would recommend.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Not too much to say about this book. The blurb offered is spot on, a really good read. Reading the story of Kelly and Logan has been a pleasure. Nicely paced, nice characters. Very little angst, just a simple romance I’m sure you will enjoy. I certainly did. Very nice read.
ARC via NetGalley/ Bold Stroke Books.

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This is a good cozy romance. I enjoyed it very much, the chemistry between the main characters was believable and not rushed. I loved how Logan never let Kelly get way with putting or self-down. I recommend 4 stars.

Thank you, Bold Strokes Books, and NetGalley for this ARC.

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A very sweet cozy romance between two women who've experienced heartbreak in the past bonding over a cat.

I enjoyed the dynamics between all of the characters. I enjoyed the female with a male-sounding name, which I notice is common in this author's works. I enjoyed the found-family aspect. I would have liked more of the cat.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read the ARC!

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Gin and Bear it by Joy Argento

Thank you Netgalley for an arc for an unbiased review.

This is one of those books going in, you pretty much know what you're getting and this was the case here. It isn't earth shattering as far as how the story goes, or how it is written.
Having said that, it is exactly the sort of book I'd happily pick up if I need that lighter, cute romance read. It ticks those boxes admirably.
Logan and Kelly as main characters are likeable and relatable in many ways.

Overall I'm more than happy to give this 4/5 stars. This is exactly what it says it is as a book, and it is one I'd keep to read again.

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I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

Kelly is devastating when she has to give up her cat Bear because her girlfriend Paula is allergic so she say as she discussing this at a bar with her best friend Rachel who doesn’t care for Paula because she thinks Kelly can do better but Kelly doesn’t thinks so. Logan who is the bartender who lost the cat she loves overhear Kelly talking about her cat Bear and offer to take him in and tells Kelly she can visit anytime. Kelly and Logan grow closer and stars feel more then they should for each other for one Kelly has a girlfriend and Logan who was hurt doesn’t want a relationship but they both starts to question themselves. Logan helps Kelly see her worth even though her friends Rachel and Marley try to get her to see it but I get it sometimes having someone come on the scene who isn’t bias help you see clearly. Love the read low on angst Paula wasn’t a great person and you find out why as you read.

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Kelly is dog walker with a girlfriend who visits her infrequently for sex and claims that she needs to spend a lot of time taking care of her mother. Kelly continues to suffer a lot of trauma from her childhood and is further traumatized when she finds out the truth about her girlfriend. Logan is a bartender at the bar that Kelly and her friend frequent. Kelly and Logan truly meet and get to know each other when Kelly’s girlfriend forces her to give up Bear, the cat that she rescued a couple of weeks prior. After Kelly and her girlfriend break up, Logan and Kelly spend more time together as Logan continues to encourage Kelly to visit Bear.

The story is sweet between Logan and Kelly and throw in a cute cat and the story is adorable. The dialogue was also cutesy, maybe a little too much so. 3 stars

I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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This was a perfectly lovely, casual read, great for a lazy weekend afternoon!

Two women, both gun-shy about love and relationships, with one having a lot of self-esteem issues, and the other trust issues.

Kelly is being manipulated by her shitty girlfriend, into giving up the cat she adopted. Enter Logan, the hot bartender who adopts said cat from Kelly and encourages her to visit anytime. Both enter into a very supportive friendship that turns into far more. Despite both being hesitant and scared, each with their own issues.

There wasn't a lot of massive drama, apart from the shitty ex-girlfriend situation which thankfully wasn't drawn out for long! The biggest issue was Kelly's insecurity and low confidence, which is where Logan gives her a huge boost and a lot of reassurance. Logan herself has struggle to love and trust again after her own dealings with a shitty ex.

Their love story is just sweet and beautiful, a very feel good read! No, it's not particularly exciting or ground-breaking, but it's lovely in its simplicity.

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Good book. This was a really good story. There's very little angst and drama throughout. The relationship between Logan and Kelly was really sweet and romantic. The supporting characters were very well written and helped to make this an even better story.Logan and Kelly meet when Kelly has to find a new home for her cat Bear. I loved the title of the book, because it referenced Bear the cat and Kelly's favorite drink a slow gin fizz.. This was fun to read and I would definitely recommend this book to my friends and family and I look forward to what's next from this author.

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Forced to give up her pet for an allergic girlfriend, Kelly begins an unlikely friendship with highly sought after and hot bartender Logan who adopted her cat. For Kelly, unlikely is the operative word and general theme of her life that was built on self doubt and low self esteem. While Kelly visits her ex pet Bear, she begins to see a different side to herself through the eyes of Logan.

Gin and Bear It was easy to read and for many of us who have the tendency to downplay and ignore the positive sides of ourselves, it was encouraging to see Kelly taking back her power and owning it. Low on angst, the book has a sweet and happy ending but I do wish for a tad more drama and character development.

I just reviewed Gin and Bear It by Joy Argento. Thank you NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for the ARC.

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Kelly James adopts a cat only to find out that her girlfriend of eight months Paula is allergic. Paula refuses to see her till the cat is gone. Paula also never wants to go out in public or meet each others friends. Bartender Logan Spencer hears Kelly talking to her best friend Rachel about the cat and is interested. Logan falls for Bear the cat and gives Kelly visitation privileges. Logan suffers from low self esteem caused by her mother. Logan brings out a better, more confident side of Kelly. This is a sweet romance with two nice characters but I kept waiting for something “more” to be part of the story. I’ve enjoyed the author before and this falls into a solid basic romance category for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an ARC and I’m leaving a voluntary review.

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3 stars
A very sweet romance. No angst or upset at the 80% mark. Just a combination of letting down protective walls and believing in yourself enough to fall in love and be loved. The characters are super sweet. The dialog was also super sweet...and maybe a bit too cute. Overall a nice romance.
I was given this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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A quick read albeit a bit rushed. Kelly’s girlfriend is apparently allergic to cats so she must give up her new pet, Bear. Paula is obviously hiding something and she’s using Kelly’s childhood psychological abuse to her advantage to manipulate her. But Paula’s presence is so sparse, I think it’s a missed opportunity to make a deeper dive into Kelly’s trauma. And then we have bartender Logan, Bear’s new mum. She also has some hang up but again, a missed chance to dig a bit deeper. It’s a cute romance from this author.
Free ARC via NetGalley.

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