This was such a cute, fun book and I really enjoyed reading it. I had so many warm fuzzy feelings the entire time I was reading Otherwise Engaged. This is a perfect summer read.

I was expecting this story to be a lighthearted rom-com, and it definitely swung more towards the women's Contemporary Fiction side of things, but I still enjoyed it. I REALLY could not relate to the main character, Molly. While I understand the motivations behind why she acted the way she did, if I knew her in real life I would have wanted to give her a reality check. Overall, this was a quick paced and engaging story. Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC!

I enjoyed this book but didn’t love it. The writing was great but I grew frustrated with the main character and her methods of trying to resolve things. It may have just not been the best read for me right now, but I often found her more annoying then likable.

Your mileage may vary, so I recommend giving this book a shot if you want a light and easy read. Perfect for the beach.

The premise of the book is great and the author really delivers. Great read. Highly recommended. .

Really enjoyed this book! It was cute, relatable, and also a realistic portrait of relationships, love, and friendships.


I really related to it a lot as someone close in age to the protagonists. Her actions felt real and believable, and I understood her motivations even if she did sometimes drive me crazy and annoy me with certain things she did, if I'm being honest. There were a few things here and there that bugged me, but not to an extreme extent. Overall, this was such a fun, cute read. I'll definitely be checking out more by the author in the future!

If you’ve ever been the girl jealous of her ex’s past (who hasn’t been?), then Otherwise Engaged (Skyhorse Publishing) will be a funny, and slightly infuriating, read that shows “happily ever after” isn’t always what you envisioned it would be. Lindsey J. Palmer’s newest book introduces readers to Molly, a human resources professional who is living her dream life, newly engaged to her boyfriend, Gabe, who is about to publish his first novel. There is lots to celebrate, until Molly begins to read the draft of Gabe’s novel, essentially a retelling of his relationship with his wild and crazy ex-girlfriend, Talia. As she reads through the pages, Molly can’t help but compare her and Gabe’s current love to the one he shared with Talia. Molly’s concerns are magnified when Talia comes back into the picture to capitalize on the publicity from Gabe’s book, though Gabe continuously brushes her off, assuring her that his book is fiction and that their life is reality. When Gabe’s fame catapults with the success of his book, the lines between reality and fiction begin to blur, causing the increasingly jealous Molly’s paranoia to spin out of control. Her life with Gabe is falling apart in front of her eyes, as is her social life and work. When Molly hits rock bottom, she is forced to question what she wants and must fight her way back to happiness and to things she really wants.

Molly has been waiting for her boyfriend Gabe to pop the question already!
After a night out drinking, Gabe finally asks Molly to be his wife on a subway ride home. Sure not what Molly has dreamed of but she is excited.
Gabe has now published his first book about his wild love affair with his ex girlfriend, Talia. Talia now comes back into the picture to help promoting the book.
Molly should be in pre wedding bliss as she plans her big day. Instead she starts obsessing over Gabe;s book as she reads the relationship between Gabe and Talia unfold. Molly starts to go down a rabbit hole and everything around her is spiraling downwards. Can she stop obsessing over Gabe and Talia so that she can focus on her engagement?!

At first I was disappointed in the proposal. I am a hopeless romantic and love the proposal stories. Come on! Proposing on a whim while drunk, on a subway, and THEN use a twisty tie off the grimy floor to make a ring?!? How could she say yes?! That should have been the first sign that this was not going to go well. Overall it was a humurours story and you just wanted to shake Molly and ask what are you doing.

I should have known this one might not work for me, I mistakenly went into it hoping for a romance. It is very much a women's fiction story. I think others could love Otherwise Engaged, but it was not the right book for me and I decided to DNF

I really couldn't warm to any of the main characters in this novel. It was all just a bit of a punish to get through.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 rounded up to a 3 star.

Everything should be perfect for Gabe and Molly they live in New York, young, in love and just Engaged!! Not to mention Gabe has just finished his first book!

Though everything SHOULD be perfect Gabe's first book appears to be all about his ex girlfriend who has reinserted herself into their lives. The more Molly tries to be calm about it all the more she seems to spin out of control about everything. Soon enough she is loosing control about everything from her love life, her friendships, family and work. Will she be able to catch a grip before she destroys it all?

While I do not need likeable characters to find a book enjoyable I found these characters not only unlikeable but the book to be repetitive too. The premise was interesting and I wanted to like it more than I did. This is not to say that I didn't enjoy part of it. There were parts of Molly's complete melt downs that were highly amusing.

Well it wasn't my cup of tea I could see others enjoying this book and would recommend it for someone who enjoys a light read, it would be good for a beach read or by the pool. It's quick and light which is always nice over the summer when you want something to read over the weekend on your getaway.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the eArc all opinions and reviews were my own.

Initially started out as a very entertaining read although its novelty seemed to wan towards the end of the book. Nonetheless found it an entertaining and funny read. Excellent summer read.

Molly, the main character in this book was a little dramatic. She becomes engaged to her longtime boyfriend who she has been supporting while he writes a book--long time dream of his. However, the book is a 50 Shades sort of book about his ex-girlfriend! When the book is published, Molly goes off the deep end, loses her job and basically her mind over the ex!

I wish the other characters in the book would have had more of a major part in the book. The many side plots seemed unnecessary ( the SIL's drug issue, the brother working hard, Molly's ex and his weird life, the friend getting pregnant, the mom getting married 25 years after her husband dies, etc.) to the actual story. There were so many story lines that were irrelevant, that it sort of made you wonder what you were reading or if you had missed something.

I really wanted to love this book as it seemed like it was totally up my alley, but I only liked it.

Narrative and plot

Otherwise Engaged is definitely an engaging story. It is told from the protagonist - Molly's point of view. There is also another parallel track going on with Molly as narrator when she reads her boyfriend's book.

When you have a strong plot, the rest of the elements just contribute to it. We only get the Molly version of things and how she perceives everything and everyone around her. However, Molly is unforgiving about her own thoughts and actions which gives the necessary depth to the story.

Characters and Conflict
Finally you read about a heroine who studied a subject instead of what she loved, because it would lead to gainful employment. I am some one who did that. And now I work in a completely different area which is ironical, but irrelevant to the matter at hand. The point is, I relate to Molly on that aspect. Molly is your everyday girl whom you can connect at some point of your life. She is flawed, aggressive in her own way and much real than your normally nice chic-lit heroine who is too nice and meek for her own good.

Every relationship aspect of the story was meaningful with three-dimensional characters and not just for the sake of it. They contributed to the plot equally and fueled Molly's character development. Even the fictional characters were well defined.

I guess, writing about a fiction getting twisted and mixed with reality must be a piece of cake for an author, right? On a serious note, the whole unraveling was well executed. What I appreciate most is, in the end it wasn't as if Molly was the only right one with everyone wronging her. She admits that herself too.

Conclusion
This is a book with a strong message. It does not preach it to your face but it shows that it is important being good to people. Particularly in a world where there is a platform for everyone to lash out about something or the other. Instead we should focus on the positives about others, be honest with ourselves and if we don't agree or accept someone or something just let it be. Respect their existence and move on.
Needless to say more. I enjoyed it a lot. In the beginning it felt like just another chic-lit novel. But the book to me by surprise and I am delighted that I read it.

Maybe it's because I'm old, but the main character in this book got on my nerves! She was so dramatic about absolutely nothing. This book was just pointless if you ask me.

I received an Advanced Review Copy of Otherwise Engaged from the Publisher Skyhorse Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

What It’s About: This book tells the story of a young newly engaged couple, where the boy, Gabe, has just written an explosive new book (along the lines of 50 Shades) about his former girlfriend, and follows Molly, the woman, trying to deal with the blow this has on not only her life and relationship but her self-esteem.

What I Loved: I connected with Molly right away, she was a character who tries her best to be a perfect person. She wants people to like her and she is a bit of nerd, I could certainly relate. Then she finds herself in this crazy situation and feels her partner doesn't understand how hard it is and she starts losing control. Watching Molly struggle is frustrating because you know her choices are wrong but at the same time, you wonder if you wouldn't be doing the same thing if you were in her situation. It is hard and frustrating, but it is only because Palmer has written such a relatable character that you feel this way, you want the best for Molly just like she is your friend and I loved how Palmer managed to balance that with watching a character act non-perfect.

What I didn’t like so much: There were times I wanted to throw the book, out of frustration, but this goes back to the part I love about the book. Sometimes the scenarios are a bit extreme and hard to read, but life is kind of like that too. I have to say I didn't love the character Gabe or Talia, I found them to be unsympathetic.

Who Should Read It: People who love books with realistic characters. People who love placing themselves in a character's situation and seeing how they would respond. People who don't mind frustrating characters in exchange for realistic characters.

General Summary: A realistic book that asks the question what would you do or how would you feel if your boyfriend wrote a book about his ex?

Sadly I can't say I was a big fan of this one. It was just ok for me. I was expecting it to be more of a romantic comedy I guess and it was definitely more drama. The main character was annoying for most of the book. She overreacted about a lot of things at first but then Gabe wasn't very helpful either. I understand some miscommunication in books to make things interesting but it was just ridiculous, especially since they had been together for 2 years already. I just didn't like the characters enough to really care or root for them in the end.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review from Netgalley and Skyhorse Publishing. Thank you!

Lindsey Palmer's Otherwise Engaged follows Molly, who is steadily and happily in love with Gabe, an aspiring author. Gabe has finally finished the manuscript for his first novel - his first novel about an ex-girlfriend with whom he experienced a deep and intense romance. That would be bad enough without said ex-girlfriend showing up for another try. Even worse when Molly's own past mess shows back up in the picture. Throw in career successes and failures and it's certainly a whirlwind story. I received my copy from Skyhorse Publishing in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Otherwise Engaged sounds like my favorite plot for a quick fun read, and the set up is perfect. Type-A Molly, who sees a place for everything, against Gabe's memory of chaos and passion makes for a heated and twisted story all on its own. Then both of their exes show up and the distrust and insecurities spike to the stratosphere.

This is also where my trouble with things starts. A couple lies by omission is the standard for this type of story, but full on lies and madness go a bit extreme. Molly goes beyond the insecure fiancee to having a full mental breakdown in 0.5 seconds. I found it actually exhausting to read. In an effort to avoid spoilers, I'll be vague here. We have a way too together main character who's life spirals, but when things go beyond the usual, our dear Molly isn't connected to mental heath professionals, she's just left flailing on her own. To be honest, the extent to which things go, feels like too much suspension of disbelief.

Structurally, the story relies heavily on segments of the in-story book written by Gabe. It's a sexist, manic pixi dream girl mess. Regularly, we enter into the story at the strangest possible moments, it seems that while the author wasn't quite interested in giving us a bodice ripper story, she found a way to work it in anyways. For all the graphic sex in the in-story book, there's a surprising lack of it in Molly's story. Helpfully, all of the characters, excepting Gabe and his adoring fans, recognize the faults in his writing.

Lindsey Palmer is a good writer. I look forward to seeing where her writing goes in the figure. This story just wasn't for me. Throughout, she was able to beautifully track the emotional turmoil different characters are undergoing. Background characters don't feel like background characters, they're strong members of the ensemble that you care about.

Review posted to goodreads: www.goodreads.com/review/show/2756835284

#OtherwiseEngaged was an interesting book which blurred the lines between fact and fiction, I could feel myself getting caught up in Molly’s thought process and confusion.

I thought, based on the description and the cover, that this was an easy read chick lit romance, but it really isn’t and that disappointed me. The ending also isn’t definite, and again, that disappointed me, but it might not bother you!

Molly is a self absorbed character. Watching her self destruct isn’t pretty, and I wish she would have finished Gabe’s book! I really like the other characters, especially when they call her out on her behaviour.

Not a bad read, but not the one I expected. I’d read another book by this author though!

Thank you to the publisher and #NetGalley for my advance copy in return for an unbiased review.

I'm giving this one the benefit of hindsight and going with 3 stars. So starting with complaints, why do publishers insist on a cover that completely mis-characterizes the contents of the book? Does this not look like chick lit? Doesn't it look like it will make you laugh? Well it isn't, and it won't. Bad publisher.

That out of the way, if you go into this not expecting laughs, it's actually a remarkably penetrating book about the nature of fact versus fiction and the pitfalls of holding onto the past or comparing one partner to another. I liked Molly as a character; she seemed wholly realistic. Well, except for one thing - I really didn't see what she saw in Gabe, who was a pathetic little man taking advantage of her. I felt myself stressing out on her behalf as she struggles with Gabe's success, which stems from a novel that is taken as an ode to his ex. Again, if this was chick lit, I would not have felt so tense the whole time!

You have to appreciate a book that makes you feel so strongly, even if the feelings are of anxiety and tension! Great ending too, which I was not expecting. So overall, a very good book with a very bad cover.

Thank you to NetGalley, Skyhorse, and Lindsey Palmer for an ARC ebook copy to review. As always, an honest review from me.

Like:
- The character of Sam - she’s unsure about life, but she tells it like it is
- It’s a character study
- The storylines with Molly’s mom — so sweet!
- Watching a far from perfect relationship unfold

Love: —

Dislike:
- Gabe’s book — the writing is so cringe worthy
- Doesn’t go very in depth into so many hard hitting topics such as uncertainty in relationships, becoming a mother, addiction, medical fraud, and more. There’s so much potential to really understand the characters’ feelings about experiences about these struggles.
- People cheating on each other — ahhhhh, one of the things I really dislike in books

Wish that:
- Molly had just finished reading Gabe’s book, because then maybe she wouldn’t have freaked out so much
- I liked more of the characters. None of them really resonated with me, and I wanted to shake them out of so many of their bad actions.
- Was marketed correctly - I thought I was getting into a fluffy romance novel, but that wasn’t the case.

Overall, I feel like this is either a book you’ll love or go “meh” about. I’m in the later category. For me it’s less about the quality but more about the fit between the book and reader.