What a fantastically talented new author! I can't wait to see what Chase Taylor Hackett comes up with next. The characters were so beautifully developed and I loved watching them emerge throughout the story. The chemistry between Jeffrey and Theo was so realistic, this was the perfect enemies to lovers story.

Seriously, I found myself laughing out loud (embarrassingly often) at all the clever situations Hackett contrives for these guys. Amazingly fresh and creative, I truly couldn't guess what would happen next and it was a blast.

Also, I've gotta say, as a NYC resident it is so much fun to read stories that take place here and it's clear Hackett enjoys this unique place as much as I do. As a transplant from Minnesota I could completely identify with Theo - we mid-westerners really do smile and talk to strangers and most New Yorkers are very welcoming and receptive when it happens. That brunch scene, the description of the tables basically on top of each other and all six diners having a conversation...! Some of the most interesting people I've met have been just waiting on line or riding on trains.

I've got to go back and read Where Do I Start?, I'm sure it's fabulous. Clearly you can read And the next Thing You Know . . . as a stand-alone since I just did, or read them out of order as I shall.

Huge kudos to Chase Taylor Hackett, great job!

Jeffrey, as it turns out, actually can be a pretty good guy - at least when it comes to the people he really cares about (even if there aren't a lot of those). I loved how Theo always kept him on his toes - and vice versa. The banter between Jeffrey and Theo was without a doubt the best part of the book.

I ended up liking the overall story, and although the narrative style is pretty different (almost like they're giving a TV interview or something -- talking to the reader), it was fast-paced, for the most part. But it really bugged me how self-centered Theo was throughout most of this. Obviously he was physically attractive (cute/adorable, it sounded like), but his mannerisms were kind of obnoxious, and although Jeffrey goes out of his way to change and become a better person, Theo kind of...doesn't. :/ Still, it held my interest throughout, and I found myself thinking about both characters and wanting to continue their story after I'd finished (admittedly, it was mostly to give Jeffrey more care from Theo -- to make up for Jeffrey's tough childhood, in some ways).

I really enjoy Chase Taylor Hackett's writing style. It's unique, and laugh-out-loud worthy a lot of the time with the internal monologues/storytelling. At times, I could HEAR the emotions just from reading the punctuation.

The story, I am torn on.. I really liked "Where Do I Start?" and I was excited to revisit the universe, and the fact that Jeffrey (the bad guy) got his story thrilled me.

I like romance that doesn't come easy, but this was a little too much push-pull for me. In my opinion, the middle was too drawn out. Had there just been the initial reluctance followed by the slow-burning romance, and a HEA, it would have been great, but I grew tired of the constant hot/cold thing Theo had going.

The book gets points for the idea of the storyline and the narration style, but loses some for being too drawn out.

This is the second book in a series that I got because there was a dog on the cover of the first one. By the end of that book I really disliked Jeffrey, which is why I almost didn't grab this book because Jeffrey is the main character. This book was so worth it. I can't even express how much this book was the perfect book for me at this exact moment. Jeffrey actually grew on me and he grew on me quick. Everything makes so much sense now. I really misjudged him and I have to give props to Hackett for making me go from thinking that torture was ok to loving an attorney! (Did I mention I work in a law office so attorneys are a group of people I have strong opinions on?)

This was such a passionate enemies to lovers situation that I was so captivated in. I could see myself in Theo so well. I am also short (shorter than Theo), but I wear a slightly larger shoe than him. Theo actually has to shop in the kid's section for shoes btw. Why that matters to me, I will never know but it was a wonderful little detail that just made Theo more endearing and helped further along his need to be seen as bigger than he was. He was a total chihuahua. He was bitchy, tiny, and under it all scared. 

Rebecca was not as fleshed out as I would have liked, but I liked that she was a powerful female attorney with a power for harassing her brother. The way she reacted to things was pretty comical and I am glad she was a character. I would love to learn more about her, though there is am implication that there is a potential sequel with a budding new couple by the end (PLEASE!). 

I was promised a cute dog in this book as well. There were many cute dogs, but the cutest had to be Theo. He was very much a human incarnation of a puppy. I'm not even mad about that. It was wonderful, though the chihuahua mix at the end of the book would have been my first place dog otherwise. He was old, ugly, and just my type of dog. I would have adopted him and spoiled him rotten in a heartbeat. 

I was laughing out loud so often. I was probably giggling more than the boys were. I am pretty sure that my grandmother and my coworkers think I am nuts for how much I  have been giggling and just generally not doing anything but grasping into my kindle for dear life. 

I did have issues with the book: MEN CAN RAPE MEN. Do I need to repeat myself? Men can and do rape men. There is a huge issue of sexual assault in the gay male community (I can go on about the bar in SF that actually has a table in it that if you are at it it means you are open season to anyone and it is not labeled so people are assaulted on a regular basis there or about how people make prison rape jokes all the time or how men are not taken seriously when they report rape. Have I made myself clear?) This line of thinking almost put me off the story. I was hoping that there wasn't another issue like that in the story and thankfully there wasn't anything else as glaringly awful as that. There were a few scenes where there was talk about sexual harassment and cheating, but that was handled much better. I am so disappointed that I even have one bad thing to say about the book. There was so much good and I was so close to saying this book was perfect. SO CLOSE.

While I would  have also liked to have more on page sex (there was only one scene that even remotely got close), I liked how it left the story to be more about the romance and less about the sex. That is a hard line to walk in romance, especially in M/M romance, so in this case I think the author made the right choice by not including graphic sex scenes. Though can I beg for a spin off novella of just straight up sex scenes between the characters of these books? PLEASE.

It took about halfway through this book for me to really get excited about the characters and story. Both MCs started off obnoxious and not too likable for me. Over the course of the book, they did grow on me, however.

Jeffrey is all about appearances and keeping up with a status that he's convinced himself he should maintain. It doesn't help that he feels pressure from his father to live his life a certain way. He's thrown his hat in the race to make partner at his law firm and focuses on that ambition throughout most of the story.

Theo is flighty and carefree, not giving two shits what other people think about his duct taped shoes and lack of permanent residence. He's a theater geek and aspiring song writer. He surrounds himself with other theater types and is dating Madison, a member of his group. This pairing immediately comes off as wrong. Theo and Madison don't fit together, and Madison doesn't act like he’s in a relationship with Theo, in my opinion. Theo just insinuate himself is Madison's life. In fact, Theo seems to insinuate himself in situations everywhere he goes. He's also very self-assured of his musical talent, so much so that he comes off as annoyingly self-centered. To give you an idea of Theo's physical appearance and personality, Jeffery sufficiently describes him as "somebody who could easily be mistaken for a Chucky doll."

Jeffery and Theo start off on the wrong foot from the get-go. They fight like feral cats with moments of cease fire that were amusing and confusing at times. As they continue to get to know each other in their uniquely weird way, Jeffery begins to realize his feelings for Theo. Theo comes across as oblivious to his developing feelings. In the end, they both accept their feelings for each other and their coming together is sweet.

There are lots of moments that are supposed to be humorous but fall short for me. One line that actually got an out loud laugh from me: "He and Fat Madison were probably somewhere watching The Sound of Music and jacking each other off."

Jeffery's attempts at wooing Theo are cute and sweet, and Theo's reactions to them are over-the-top in a way that only Theo can be. It's sort of a relief once they get out of the way of their feelings for each other that they are trying to so hard to fight.

**Copy provided by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest and impartial review.**

I received an e-arc from Netgalley and Kensington Books in exchange of an honest review.

When I first started this book, I thought I couldn't ever write something positive about Jeffrey. That character annoyed me so much in the first book «Where do I start». He was all over the place, too confident, narcissistic, and pretentious. Oh, but I was wrong. Throughout the story we learn to love Jeffrey, we see his vulnerability and how he’s so far away from understanding what he really want, and how to get it. We see him fall in love so deeply that it changes him to the core.

We also follow Theo, Jeffrey’s best friend’s brother. I enjoyed this character. He was easy to love, even if he was a bit childish. Theo is the only one person that has the guts to put Jeff back in his place, who’s not afraid to call him out when he’s acting crazy. The personal growth is impressive. I need to say that I loved the chemistry between them, and I was looking forward to read about their relationship.

We see total opposites fall for each other. While Jeffrey is an important lawyer looking to work up his career, working hard, thinking about money; Theo is an artist, living in his sister’s apartment; sleeping on her couch.

The book isn’t perfect, the story felt rushed at some point, it wasn’t love at first sight, but close to. There was some stereotype that bothers me, but not enough to make me put the book down. But overall, I enjoyed the writing and I will definitely read more from this author.

It was a fun read, and I’m glad I had the chance to read it.

And the next thing you know can work as a stand-alone.

This book came at a perfect time! I had just finished back to back weepers and I really, really needed something that made me laugh and smile.

I honestly cannot recall reading a more consistently hilarious romance novel other than The Hating Game.

Chase Taylor Hackett writes laugh-out-loud dialogue. I picked up the book because I was intrigued by Jeffrey, the angry-lawyer-sleeping-his-way-through-NYC. I have to admit that Jeffrey is still my favorite, but I did end up liking Theo a lot, mainly because he is such an impervious, amusing butthead (yes, I have a weakness for that).

Anyhow, the story takes place from the perspective of multiple POVs, but mainly Jeffrey, Theo, and Thomas. The story is fast-paced and you get into the characters heads pretty deeply as the author does a great job of making you root for them. There are some heavy moments and some important themes, but the book is not dark and depressing.

I think good comedy is the hardest thing to write, but Hackett kept me rolling on the floor even though I am most likely not his intended reader (a 50 year-old). And of course the ending was wonderfully fulfilling and romantic...

I had so much fun reading this story!

These guys were hilarious. Enemies to lovers at it's best.

Jeffrey is a pompous, hot-shot, up and coming lawyer. Recently dumped by his boyfried, Jeffrey is just a little angry and whole lot self-important.

Theo is 5'6" and maybe a 100 lbs soaking wet. He's an artsy type who could care less about wealth and prestige. He could also care less about Jeffrey's importance. During their first meeting, Theo doesn't hesitate to put Jeff in his place. Quickly and efficiently shutting the bigger man down.

Theo is a spitfire! Oh lordy me. He just bowled me over with his shenanigans. Jeffrey could barely hold his own against him and often didn't. I couldn't contain my laughter. I hate laughing out loud when I'm reading a book because people around me don't know what I'm laughing at and I feel like I sound insane. So there was a lot of coughing and choking on my part while trying to contain my uncontainable laughter.

There is also so much character growth in this novel. It's simply heartwarming to see. I loved it. I loved the realness of the characters. I loved their dialogue as well as their wonky actions.

I'm sorry I missed book 1 in this series, because this author KNOWS HOW TO WRITE. This may be book 2, but it absolutely reads as a stand alone book. This one will be published on February 6th. Mark your calendar! You even have time to read book 1, Where Do I Start?, first. :-)

✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ THREE & 1/2 - STAR ✩ REVIEW ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩

> > Judging a Book by it's Cover < <
Simple but cute composition. Bold title and author fonts. The cover caught my eye and begged me to read the synopsis, which sounded like a bunch of fun!

> > Looking Deeper < <
POV ~> Multiple first person perspectives, including secondary cast. Properly identified at the start of each chapter.

From the first page, I knew this book would not be for me. AND THE NEXT THING I KNEW (by 5%), I was already having to talk myself into continuing to read it.
"Why?", you may ask. Well... let me explain:
The storytelling was chaotic, and not in a way I enjoyed. It alternated from narrating as events unfolded, to inner monologue and/or "speaking to" his audience. The sentence structure was also not as strong or developed as it could have been.

My biggest problem: The lead characters were not likable. ( -To Me.)
Jeffrey was a pretentious twenty-nine year lawyer (narcissistic, pompous, snobby, egotistical jackass fits well, too). He had a me, me, me persona" that grated on my every nerve and his inner monologue did nothing but whine and complain about everything.
Theo was a twenty-four year old theatre songwriter/lyricist (aka starving artist, literally: his sister took him in when he could not pay his bills). He's pushy, temperamental, brash, and still a bit naive to what being a responsible adult entails.
Both of these guys, with their grumpy, whiny attitudes were better suited for middle school (or Junior High, depending on where you live, I suppose). They were barely tolerable from the start and caused me to, personally, not care whether they received their happily ever after or not.
That said, I vowed to myself at the start of 2017 that I would no longer force myself to read a book that I was not enjoying - BUT - I **would** give it a "fair shot" and, to me, that means a minimum of 33%. Shortly before I hit that mark, the utterly deplorable turned oddly comical. Neither Jeffrey nor Theo were what I'd call truly likable at any point but they'd become strangely tolerable, albeit, in an annoying way. The banter and antics were ever-present and childish but did have a few funny moments. I managed to finish the book without risking my kindle's life.
NOTE: I really enjoyed Tommy as a secondary character but will unlikely read his story, which will probably come next.
Scenes of the sexual nature were more implied and hinted at and/or spoken of in vague terms. Naming the peen a "hoo-ha" was extremely foreign to me, as I've ONLY ever heard a vag' being referred to as such. That stood out to me as "beyond strange".
The overall concept was good and the general plot had potential to be quite enjoyable. While the writing style and quality was not something that I personally prefer or like, the story moved along at a pleasant pace. There were some conflicts, but it all came down to self-imposed expectations of self and others. Once they redefined their preconceived selves, they were more open to bigger and better possibilities.
Predictability was low. The conclusion was satisfying.
.
Rating: [PG-13+] ~ Score: 3.4 ~ Stars: 3.5

==========================

⭐ ⭐ **** Disclosure of Material: I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the Author/Publisher with the hope that I would voluntarily leave unbiased and unsolicited feedback. I was not asked, encouraged, or required to leave a review - nor was I compensated in any way. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising". ***** ⭐ ⭐

*4.5 stars*

I unexpectedly loved this book, even with it's flaws.

I jumped into And the next Thing You Know . . . totally blind. I've never read anything from Chase Taylor Hackett before, and I didn't realize that it was even part of a series (Where Do I Start? is the first) when I requested it. And the next Thing You Know . . . started off a little weird for me as well, with its running internal-monologue sort of style. It was rambling, and I wasn't sure if I was going to like it at all.

And then I did. I really, really did.

This book is for all of you out there who like prickly MCs who start off hating each other. For people who like MCs who are all piss and vinegar and who have to WORK at each other. Over and over again. If you MCs who are all snark and bite and fire.

But then, underneath, you start to see hints of vulnerability. Just hints. And they make the whole thing worthwhile.

This book is in no way perfect. I forgave the MCs for some pretty crappy things they said (some questionable thoughts about whether men could rape one another - YES- and some other stereotypical, icky other things). There is also absolutely no sex. Not even fade-to-black. Sure, sex is implied, but it is implied like in a PG movie. Like they leave and go into a room and shut the door cut to the next day. However, I didn't mind that much.

When it comes down to it, though, this book gave me oodles and oodles of feels. I LOVED the snark and banter, and I ADORED the chemistry between the two MCs. I even got that tightness in my eyes and throat at the end of the story, I was so happy, and that tightness, that emotion, usually equates to 4+ stars in my book.

And the next Thing You Know . . . won't be for everyone, but people who connect to the writing style and the MCs will love it. Oh, and although this book is part of a series, it also works well as a stand-alone so don't be afraid to dive in. I was so happy that I did.

*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*

Well, it kept me reading to the end, though at times I was baffled by what was motivating the two characters. Thank you for the opportunity to review this title.

I loved the first book but when I heard that this book was about Jeffrey (Roger's stiff, arrogant ex-boyfriend) I was a bit worried. 

Fortunately it was completely unwarranted because And the Next Thing You Know... is just as lovable, quirky and funny as its predecessor. Jeffrey, as it turns out, actually can be a pretty good guy - at least when it comes to the people he really cares about (even if there aren't a lot of those). I loved how Theo always kept him on his toes - and vice versa. The banter between Jeffrey and Theo was without a doubt the best part of the book. Since their relationship was anything but love at first sight it was more like torment than banter but it was still a lot of fun. 

I do feel a little cheated out of their first kiss, though, since the author let the scene fade out before the reader got to see anything steamy. I don't need many sex scenes in a book but I do need the kiss ;)

Other than that it was just as funny, clever and just all around great as I hoped it would be.

"And the next thing you know..." is the sequel to "Where do I start?", Chase Taylor Hackett's debut novel. Basically, if you liked the first book, you will love this one - and I absolutely adored both, even though they are full of things I usually don't like at all. Told from 1st person POV, lots of snark and banter and an overall feeling of "over-the-topness". I would say you have to be in the mood for that sort of thing - but I rarely am and yet - and yet Chase Taylor Hackett makes it work and I *love* it.

As I mentioned, "And the next thing you know..." is a sequel, and it centers on Jeffrey, Roger's boyfriend from the previous book and now ex-boyfriend. Jeffrey is kind of a pompous jerk, and yet I dare you not to love him. It helps that Theo, his love interest, is more than capable to stand up to him and help him see the error of his ways - while not being perfect himself. This is a very believable story about opposites attracting each other, and it works because behind the - really witty - banter there is some actual character growth, and a lot of heart. And I think it shows what matters isn't necessarily how believable the plot is, it's how believable the characters' journeys are, and for me they absolutely were. I could see them falling for each other, and that was actually very well paced.

I wasn't too keen on the Tommy and Rebecca interludes - they didn't really add that much to the story, and if there are more than two points of view, I need them to matter. I also found some of Jeffrey and Theo's comments a bit too superficial, but it worked for the characters.

But apart from these relatively minor niggles, this was a great sequel - perfect if you're looking for a witty and sweet romance.

My ARC copy of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair, unbiased review.

The pros, first.
I really liked the alternating POV. I'm a big fan of that in novels, especially because it allows us to see both sides of the love story blossoming and coming to life. I also really liked the scene on the sailboat, I thought it was sweet and heartbreaking at the same time. Finally, the fade to black sex scenes. It's rare to get that in a romance novel, hetero or LGBTQ, and I liked that we got to see the two fall in love and know that they had an active sex life without going into detail.

Unfortunately, there are some big cons. I really wanted to like this book. The premise was fun and interesting, but I felt like the characters were almost too mean to each other. Reading this on my kindle, I wanted to keep track of how long it took for Jeffrey and Theo to actually start to like each other and, disregarding the sex they had near the middle of the book, I'd say maybe 70% in is when I noticed they weren't slinging horrible insults to each other all the time. No one apologized for the insults thrown, just at the end with the big reveal.

I realize that I am not the intended audience for this novel, and maybe not having read the first one didn't help matters, but I cringed at times and wondered how these two were going to find enough common ground to actually fall in love and make it believable. By the time I got to the sailboat scene, I was ready to give up. I'm glad I finished because I feel like it turned into a whole different novel, and I really enjoyed that last 30%.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!! I did not read the first book in this series but I don't think it mattered that much. As a standalone, this book was decent. It was really LONG and I think it had a lot of unnecessary scenes/dialogue. I liked the characters, Theo and Jeff--they were total opposites and kind of funny together. I just felt like there was too much detail about other stuff going on that interfered with their romance. It was cute and sweet and I liked the ending. I probably will read the first book eventually some day.

And The next Thing You Know,is a great follow up.
I loved the first in this serie and the second is just as great.
I liked Jeffrey,a sweet pompeus ass,when you have his heart.
He will do anything to keep you in his heart and life.
Theo is a witty,full of shit and attitude guy.
Who need someone to call his own.to protect his tender heart.
I did need time to like and love Theo.
Jeffrey in my idea did most off the work,the scale was uneven.
But they clicked,they worked.
The book is well paced,liked the friends.
But Rebecca was a bit to much,love to see more off tommy.
It is sweet,funny,witty with a romantic buzz.
I missed sexy times,everything that hinted at that was done off page.
but overall I had fun and hope for more.

Arc was provided in exchange for an review by netgalley

Ok, so I loved the blurb of this enough to request it. Never read the author before they were new to me.
Over all, it was a decent read. My enjoyed both MC's, and the fact that the author threw in a few supporting character's POV's kept the story interesting.
If you are expecting any juicy sex scenes, this is not the book for you, it's more the lead up then fade to black kind of story.

"And the next thing you know..." is the sequel to "Where do I start?", Chase Taylor Hackett's debut novel. Basically, if you liked the first book, you will love this one - and I absolutely adored both, even though they are full of things I usually don't like at all. Told from 1st person POV, lots of snark and banter and an overall feeling of "over-the-topness". I would say you have to be in the mood for that sort of thing - but I rarely am and yet - and yet Chase Taylor Hackett makes it work and I *love* it.

As I mentioned, "And the next thing you know..." is a sequel, and it centers on Jeffrey, Roger's boyfriend from the previous book and now ex-boyfriend. Jeffrey is kind of a pompous jerk, and yet I dare you not to love him. It helps that Theo, his love interest, is more than capable to stand up to him and help him see the error of his ways - while not being perfect himself. This is a very believable story about opposites attracting each other, and it works because behind the - really witty - banter there is some actual character growth, and a lot of heart. And I think it shows what matters isn't necessarily how believable the plot is, it's how believable the characters' journeys are, and for me they absolutely were. I could see them falling for each other, and that was actually very well paced.

I wasn't too keen on the Tommy and Rebecca interludes - they didn't really add that much to the story, and if there are more than two points of view, I need them to matter. I also found some of Jeffrey and Theo's comments a bit too superficial, but it worked for the characters.

But apart from these relatively minor niggles, this was a great sequel - perfect if you're looking for a witty and sweet romance.