Pixels and Paint by Kristi Ann Hunter

I really enjoyed this sweet romcom. I really liked the character growth that occured from beginning to the end and the storyline. Give this one a read

This was a super cute book. The two of them not knowing exactly what to do when you are dating someone was adorable. He truly saw the best in her and it warmed my heart. I loved seeing him open up space in his house for her.

I received an arc through netgalley.

This somehow was all over the place. And as I have Art as my big hobby and work in IT I get both worlds...
As Emma I would still hightail it outta there. The whole ending & fight felt soo toxic. Also the fact that he didnt at all appreciate what she was creating. Which IS art... I mean her code gets discribed thus but also the whole process of creating and developping smth is extremely creative.
I get that he is supposed to be a snob (which is also his failing) but that ending discredits everything he has been learning about her & her world.

It just seemed like the only person that changed and grew was Emma... (I also like the developement of the realationship with her sister, but what about the dinner with the mother?)

#BookRevew: PIXELS AND PAINT by Kristi Ann Hunter

This book with a playful cover brims with humor and heart. Emma and Carter were polar opposites, but they found a way to bridge the gap. Like Emma, I can relate to computer codes but not the specifics of art. I love looking at beautiful things so the topics on paintings and visiting the museum were interesting. I would love to see Carter’s paintings.

The story had its slow moments, but its many facets made it an interesting read. I enjoyed watching each character grow and learn to embrace their differences and uncertainties. They were a sweet couple and Ienjoyed their banter. Emma’s way of redeeming herself at the end was a delight to read. I didn’t understand Emma’s family and their way of thinking. But, I enjoyed Emma’s relationship with her best friend, Jason. Carter’s interactions with his grandparents were fun. I would have wanted him to spend more time with Emma’s family and see some improvement there. Romcom fans will surely enjoy this book.

Rating: 4 stars
Pub date: 04 Jul 2023

Thank you to the author and #netgalley for the complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

I received an ARC from the author/publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I’ve more or less enjoyed Kristi Ann Hunter’s previous historical romances, and was excited to hear that she was also starting to write contemporary romance. While it’s a bit of a stylistic shift, she manages the transition well, and Pixels and Paint is just as engaging as her historicals.
I was really drawn to the characters and their dynamic. Emma in particular drew me in, as she’s an intriguing flip on a conventional trope, being more technical, while her family is in the art world, especially it’s far more common for the protagonists to be artists, and their families be pushing STEM careers on their children. However, I totally understand struggling to be your true self with family or others who think they know you best/want things for you that you don’t. Carter is a great love interest, being flawed, yet sympathetic. I love how he’s Emma’s opposite in some ways, being more artistic, but they learn they can learn from each other and what they bring to the table (both professionally and personally).
I enjoyed this book a lot, and I’m excited to continue to get to know the Trinket family in future books. If you’re interested in closed-door/Christian contemporary romance, I’d recommend checking this out!

I received this book from NetGalley.

About 30% into the book and it's really enjoyable. It's a quick read and interesting as well. Carter is a really likeable character and Emma is too. A problem that I have with Emma is that she's a grown woman and yet still doesn't stand up for herself to her family. She also takes on a huge task that she's not completely prepared for just to prove something to them. When Amy arrives unannounced, Emma is running around the apartment trying to change things. She needs to stand up for herself.

When Carter suggested doing a puzzle I could have married him right there. WHEN HE ASKED EMMA TO BE HIS GIRLFRIEND - I'M GOING TO NEED TO KNOW WHERE TO FIND MY OWN CARTER.

While I understand that Emma is upset that Carter doesn't like her idea she also needs to realise that he did his job. He was a consultant and actually he shouldn't have been giving her tips that the other people didn't get, that wouldn't have been fair. Yes, maybe he could have softened the blow sooner but somehow I don't think that Emma would have accepted that criticism either. When she sees the picture that Carter painted and she gets upset, made me really frustrated with Emma. He's explaining himself and she really isn't listening. It's so frustrating because it's so obvious that he cares about her and she doesn't fully believe in herself.

Man, Carter is the best. Actually the best. Definitely a good read and one that I would recommend.

I was instantly drawn to this book because of that fun cover and it did not disappoint! I felt it was a very interesting concept of art vs technology and how both can complement each other. I enjoyed getting to know Emma and her unique relationships with her family, especially her twin sister, Amy. Each character also had a unique personality, which I appreciated and I loved seeing Emma’s and Carter’s personal growth journeys throughout the book. If you enjoy Rom-Coms you won’t want to miss this one! Highly recommend!

* I received an e-ARC copy of the book from Netgalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.

Pixels and Paint
By Kristi Ann Hunter
Publisher: Oholiab Creations, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA)
Series: None
Rated: 2
Obtain: Borrow
Back of the Book: “For Emma Trinket, life is a delicate balancing act between loving her family and pursuing interests they don’t understand. When the opportunity arises to finally impress them with her job as a computer programmer, she jumps at it even if it means immersing herself in a world she’s despised since childhood.
Unfortunately, the one man who could crush her prospects is also the best person to help her navigate the lessons she needs to be a success.
Artistic expression is both Carter Anderson’s safe space and his livelihood, but his fading inspiration has him worried about his place in life. His encounters with Emma spark a passion to create that he hasn’t felt in years, and he isn’t ready to let go of his new muse even if she’s threatening the sanctity of his art world with her digital technologies.
As each tries to gain an advantage from the other, Emma and Carter discover they actually might be more compatible than they thought. Will that be enough to unify their opposing missions or will the real differences between pixels and paint tear them apart?”

Impressions: I struggled to enjoy this book. I didn’t connect with the characters. None of them… Emma comes across as jaded while Carter’s quiet observing was a bit creepy. The family is shallow, pretentious and disconnected. Emmas relationship with her family was confusing however because despite their characters she goes out of her way to conform to their world. I didn’t understand why she would not have been honest with her taste and desires earlier. I understand wanting to be accepted but she took it too far in how she attempted to hide herself. There are light references to God and faith but there is also reference to a condom and sex. It was a clean romance otherwise.

Quotes: “‘The way you see the world isn’t the only way to see it.’”

“‘You gotta value her skills as much as you value your own.’”

I received an ARC of this book via the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review shared here. For more book reviews go to: https://thebluestockingbooknook.wordpress.com

A sweet and simple story.

The main character, Emma, was a bit of a pushover. She allows her mum and sister to rule her life and wardrobe and its a bit weird that she finds the need to hide her yoga pants from her family. Like she's a grown up. Wear what you want, who even cares?

The love story was sweet, albeit a bit rushed. The characters were God-focused which was fine, but it was a bit awkward when Emma referred to "the square" and couldn't have conversations like a grown up. I also felt that the ending was a bit rushed.

I am looking forward to Amy's story - she seems to be more my speed.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC. All views are my own.

Pixels and Paint - Another great romance by Kristi Ann Hunter that I didn't want to put down. Emma Trinket is a programmer who dislikes art. Carter Anderson is an artist who dislikes technology. With their differences, you wonder how a relationship would develop. While it did start off a little slow, I loved reading their story unfold as they grew their relationship.

I have read this author's amazing regency romances and anticipated reading her first contemporary romance. It did not disappoint. If you are wondering if she can write contemporary as well as regency, the answer is YES. I look forward to reading more about the Trinket sisters.

I couldn’t relate to the heroine’s character. Emerald (Emma) is a pushover. Her mother Opal and her sister Amethist (Amy) largely control her life. They expect her show up at art expositions, which she does despite the fact that she hates art. But she doesn’t want them to know. Likewise, they even decide what she’s wearing, by picking out outfits for her to wear! When she’s mistaken for an artist and expected to present a pitch to a museum, she doesn’t clear up the confusion but again keeps her true feelings about all of it hidden and she jumps through numerous hoops to accommodate the museum. Apparently she totally lacked and self-respect and self-esteem. I couldn’t relate to her at all so I struggled to continue with the story. The pace was a bit slow and the story was sometimes confusing.
Carter wasn’t much better. As an artist he got inspired by her, and agrees to work with her just to keep her close, despite the fact that he thinks her original proposal sucks. Overall, I had trouble connecting to the characters and the story.
I received and reviewed an advanced copy of this book and I am grateful for this opportunity. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I’m a fan of Kristi Hunter’s regency novels and I was a bit hesitant when she announced she’d be writing a contemporary novel. But I knew I wanted to give it a shot. While I liked the story from the start, it was a bit slow for maybe the first 40%. I enjoyed it when I would pick it up, but found I could also put it down easily. It started to pick up for me after that though. This book will ask you if you know who are just as Emma is asking herself. I was just as fascinated by her though as Carter was and so it was touching watching her discover and reveal her true self. Carter had some discovering to do himself and I loved that he was willing to travel that path, that it wasn’t all left up to her. The story wound up touching my heart and left me a bit teary eyed towards the end. This one didn’t have the humor I’ve come to associate with her Regency novels, but the quirkiness of the characters made up for it. I saw a note at the end that Amy’s story is next and I’ll look forward to that one!

Pixels and Paint was a funny yet tender romance that kept me turning pages from the very beginning, from the moment Emma contemplated hiding under the dessert table at an art exhibit and Carter felt the only thing fascinating that night was watching Emma exhibit her displeasure at being there.

This was an opposites-attract romance where the characters were able to grow and change in ways they never thought possible or even thought they wanted. I loved how real Hunter made them, both stubborn in their own ways, neither understanding the other side of things. Where Emma was into tech and couldn’t see the beauty in art, Carter was an artist who, save for his phone and humidity control out of necessity, wasn’t a fan of technology. It was fun watching the two interact, and the frustrations that came from it, but also heart-warming to see the closeness that sparked between them.

My heart broke a little for Emma. She didn’t really know who she was and felt it best to split herself into (at least) three categories, holding each person in her life captive in their specific space. Emma wanted to please her family even if it meant pretending to be someone she wasn’t around them, and keeping her distance from them when it wasn’t their regularly scheduled time together. And no one else in her life was welcome to meet or even learn about her family. I found myself wishing her relationships weren’t so strained, and that she would be accepted for who she was.

Emma couldn’t even talk about God to her family.

And speaking of God, I appreciated how He was worked into this story. He wasn’t alluded to; both characters sought after God, attended church, and wanted to do what was right by Him.

I fell in love with both characters from the start and loved all the twists and turns they endured throughout the story, each changing and growing as the pages turned, neither remaining stagnant.

Pixels and Paint is a story I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a genuine romance, a foundation founded on art, technology, and God.

While I feel that my heart will always prefer her earlier books, I can't deny that seeing Hunter branch into modern times with a classic opposites attract romance was still surprisingly entertaining. Hunter sets up a lot of side characters for further books in a series (which means we get to see Emma and Carter a little more) and I'm hoping the characters will be a little more layered in later works, instead of obvious opposites that happened in this one.

The situations Emma finds herself in are so funny and relatable and you really do travel along with Carter as he falls in love with her quirks and insecurities. I also really appreciated the attention to detail, the questions asked about art and painting methodology. You can absolutely tell that Hunter took the time to include these as a way to add depth to her work instead of a slap-dash novel put into a formula that make little sense other than to sell books. And as a reader, I appreciate that like, so much.

Pixels and Paint was definitely entertaining and intriguing enough that I will be keeping an eye out for more in this series and new projects by Kristi Ann Hunter and you should as well. And after this, go back and read her earlier works too. They're fabulous.

My first touch with any of the author's titles, "Pixels and Paint" was such a delightful reading, full of art, reflexions and romance in the point. I liked a lot how christian fiction has found space in the literary world to give Us entertainment combined with scriptures learnings. Well done!

3⭐️

MY THOUGHTS
I was really intrigued by this closed-door, Christian, contemporary romance between a techie computer programmer and an artist. I enjoyed the snappy writing style and host of characters. Unfortunately, the book felt somewhat slow-paced to me, and I wasn't a big fan of the way the miscommunication act played out here. Although, the ending was incredibly sweet and lovely!

SYNOPSIS
Emily Trinket lives between two worlds. The fancy, gala-filled world that her mother and twin sister inhabit with ease, and the techie -programmer world that she has found for herself while at university. When she meets Carter, a famous artist, at an art gallery event she attends with her sister, her two worlds threaten to collide. Things get even more complex when Emma gets the opportunity to design an app for an art museum that Carter is a conshltant for, but the only problem is, she doesn't really like art. So, she enlists the help of Carter to teach her how to appreciate art. This is a sweet story about the power of art and how we can all connect with it in different ways. It is also a story about finding the strength to embrace yourself and feel comfortable in your own skin.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was my first introduction to Kristi Ann Hunters writing and was a nice, easy read.
I really enjoyed the dual POV between Carter and Emma and there were plenty of light and funny moments.
The story was a little slow for me to begin with but it was definitely worth following through to the end!

Overall a cute story! Had some funny moments. And even though I love this authors books I just couldn’t connect with the characters well. At times I felt lost and/or confused. The last 5 chapters were really good! I loved Carters grandparents! I also didn’t like a couple things I felt were not necessary and kinda inappropriate. But overall a good story, just not great!
⭐️⭐️⭐️.75

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from netgalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

this is my new author that i have to read all the books. this was a good one and I will read more from her. These are great stories.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I really liked this book. It was a fast read that I enjoyed reading very much. I read this quickly in one sitting. It was such a great story.
I just reviewed Pixels and Paint by Kristi Ann Hunter. #PixelsandPaint #NetGalley
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