I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley for my honest review! Thank you Netgalley! As I said in my review of the author's last book, I think she does the Hallmark, cheesy, fluffy books well. It's not for everyone, and it's not a feeling I'm drawn to often. I do appreciate that it isn't love at first sight and is at least a bit of tension. It was enjoyable and easy.

I couldn’t get into it. The characters felt flat and unlikeable to me. 3.5 because I’m sure some people will love this romance, it’s just not for me.

A cute small town, forced proximity, celebrity rom-com with zero spice.

I enjoyed sexy but sensible actor-turned-producer, Lucas Stone, as a supporting character in Hooked on Hollywood, so I was looking forward to seeing where he landed his next big move. Which happened to be yet another charming small town with another female lead, Rachel, that had tried out city life only to return to her hometown and high school job (while swearing off rich boys) after a spoiled engagement. Mr. Hollywood hires Rachel as his local tour guide, against her better judgement, to trail him around in hopes to find a landing spot for his next film.

Summers is brilliant at setting the scene and describing surroundings in detail (add trip to Washington to bucket list — check!), as well as creating relatable characters in realistic relationships, and intertwining Hollywood without damaging her small town set. Unfortunately, those qualities are the same things that keep this book from being great. The characters have depth, the plot is interesting, the pace is captivating (at least at first), then it falls flat. There is an overall lack of genuine conflict and chemistry in the end. Especially given the forced proximity of two adults in their twenties who are as attracted to each other as Summers wants us to believe. A romance novel doesn’t have to be spicy to be swoon-worthy, but I can only describe this one as purely platonic. Cute. Sweet. Borderline boring. Suitable for tweens and young adults.

okay hear me out. i really wanted to like this book. but unfortunately, it just did not work for me. which is okay. you should still check it out and thank you so much to netgalley!!!!

Book #2 in this series follows the story of Lucas Stone, the best friend of Ryan Jones (the famous actor in book #1) and he is also a Hollywood hunk. In book one, Lucas is scouting a film location for the majority of the book and this is the story of what he's doing while Ryan is handcuffed to Olivia. Rachel has recently broken up with her wealthy, cheating ex-boyfriend who has moved back home to Canyon Ridge, WA from New York City after being let go her museum job. After living with her dad and stepmom (who is also her former college roommate) she gets her old high school job back as a wilderness tour guide for a local hotel, which also gives her a room of her own at the hotel. She is an experienced local guide who ends up helping Lucas scout locations for his film and she is not a fan of rich people so you can imagine how spending loads of time together goes for them.

I really liked the crossover from the first book with Lucas, as we met him in the first book and he was a likable character. The nature descriptions are excellent and make you feel like you're really walking around in Washington state nature. The detail included in the hiking descriptions is exceptional. I like Lucas's character more than the male MC in the first book, he comes off as a very happy and all around nice guy. His character also has some depth, regarding his childhood. I don't know why but it seems like he's softer than the male MC in the last book, which is more appealing to me. The ending was super sweet and I really did enjoy this book. I think I liked it more than the first of the series, actually.

I struggled to get into this book. It felt very clichéd and, for the promise of a clean rom com, it sure didn't feel like it. I'm all honesty, I gave up after the second chapter. I know that romance comes are notoriously predictable, but this one left nothing to hope for.

This was a fun read.
Summers knows how to craft realistic characters and fun dialogue.
I'm not usually one for an insta-love plot, but I did enjoy this.
I received a copy via NetGalley and all opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author/publisher for a copy in exchange for a review.

I have found myself a big Mia Summers fan and I enjoyed this one as I have her others. This one had some fun elements and very small crossovers if you have read Hooked on Hollywood. I did find myself enjoying her others more than this one but I think it was just because this one didn't have much depth to the storyline. I still will be wanting to read her others :)

Posted to Goodreads 1/14/24

Mia Summers does it again. Love Interest #9 may be my favorite by her. I enjoyed bringing other characters from previous books into this one, and the relationships/struggles everyone has. Definitely will be buying a hard copy of this.

This is Book 2 of the Big Star, Small Town series and was an absolute delight to read. If you haven't read the first book, no worries, this can be read as a standalone. It was a cute and sweet story with likable characters, and was full of charm. Rachel has had some pretty tough breaks recently, and she finds herself heading back to her small hometown, Canyon Ridge, for a fresh start. She settles for a job as a tour guide at the local bed and breakfast, which also provides her a place to stay. Not the ideal job, but it's a start. Then Hollywood action star, Lucas, comes to town and shakes things up a bit. He's looking for a location to film his new movie, and finds Canyon Ridge the perfect place to do so. He needs a local tour guide to show him around. Rachel isn't thrilled to take him on as a client, perceiving him to be an entitled, spoiled, jerk. But as she spends time with him, she realizes he's not at all what she thought him to be. They slowly starting developing a relationship, but after what happened with her last relationship, she wasn't in a hurry to get involved in another one. Lucas senses her reluctance and gives her the space she needs to let things progress slowly, and Rachel realizes what a genuinely caring and understanding man Lucas is.
It was nice to see their relationship develop slowly, and not be rushed. They seemed to have a really good connection, and that played out nicely. The author did a nice job of bringing the scenes and the characters to life. A delightful and charming story!
Thanks to Netgalley for providing a complimentary copy. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Okay I thought I loved the first book in this series but I was wrong cause this one was even better. I love the slight crossover of stories and characters without being too much and the weird dynamics they added like the step mom best friend. Short And sweet read but left me wanting more of their story.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3/5

"Love Interest #9" by Mia Summers is a fun and enjoyable read with a slow-growing and evolving romance. Rachel, after facing heartbreak and being displaced from her apartment, returns to her hometown and takes a temporary job as a tour guide. Hollywood hotshot Lucas Stone enters the scene, demanding her as his personal tour guide, sparking an entertaining and sweet romantic storyline.

What I liked was that I had immediate interest from the beginning, the enjoyable nature of the book, and the ability to read it as a stand-alone. The descriptions of Canyon Ridge are appreciated, and there's a lot of potential in this book/series.

What I didn't like were that situations in the plot were drawn out, leading to a rushed ending that was not entirely satisfactory. The evolving relationship between the main characters feels more like a friendship than a potential romantic connection. The male POV is inconsistent with the character's description, and the handling of the big disagreement in the plot is was very unsatisfying. There are a lot of similarities between the female main character in this book and the one from the first book in the series, and there are many events happening simultaneously, potentially making the plot feel overwhelming.

In summary, "Love Interest #9" is presented as a book with entertaining elements and sweet romance, but it faces criticism for certain plot developments and the resolution of conflicts.

I really enjoyed this book! It’s definitely my favorite of Summers works so far I think. There were a few inconsistencies within the book I’m sure will be fixed for the final novel, but that did not impede my enjoyment in any way. I really loved getting to see the characters and am really looking forward to the next book.

Mia Summers is a phenomenal author and I love getting the chance to read all her books. I love the simple covers with all different colors.

This is my least favorite from the Big Star, Small Town series. But it was ok to read, the characters were well-developed and likable.
I volunteered to review an ARC of this book for Netgelly

This is a great romance novel. I like the characters.
The story is really wonderful.

I would like to thank the author for the arc.

Mia Summers delivers quick, unfussy romances that are definitely heavy on the cute side. This one is a safe read for any age and doesn't require much involvement to hustle through since it's so short and straightforward.

Rachel & Lucas's destinies are pretty clear from the beginning. The ancillary characters definitely feel like just that--ancillary--and their lack of involvement hurts the depth of the story since everything is pretty superficial and everything Rachel does is forgivable. It's too heavy on Rachel's rough edges and Lucas's constant acceptance to build up any good elements.

The ending seemed rushed, but not surprising considering that the plot was on a pretty straight line the entire time; no need to perseverate when glossing over parts did the same trick. Still, it was a easy read that was nice to get lost in for a few hours

Overall: 3.5 stars

I'll tell my students about: parental death

**Thank you to NetGalley and Sterling & Stone for the free ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.**

I loved this book. The characters are like real people with real problems. Well developed characters and settings! Fun story a wonderful escape. I can't wait to read more by Mis Summers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an advanced copy of Love Interest #9 by Mia Summers.

Rachel a girl who is grudgingly back in her small hometown and Lucas Stone the Mr.Hollywood of the century, the most unlikely duo. The character's were extremely likable though their pasts were sometimes thrown in your face throwing you for a loop. The writing though basic, was fun to read. The ending though throws you off balance, suddenly everything falls into place, in like three pages with no buildup whatsoever. The last chapter was extremely weird because it felt like the character's has suddenly been gifted with new personalities. The concept was great, the exhibition good but the ending felt slightly rushed and alla in all not very satisfactory. All in all definitely a book for the younger teens.


Thank you Netgalley, the publisher & the author for giving me a chance to review this book.