A fun, entertaining read with flawed characters and realistic issues. An interesting debut novel from this author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.

Oh wow, I loved this book. The characters were priceless and the humor was perfect.
I loved the split perspectives that this story offered. They really gave the reader insight into each character in different ways. The characters were funny but they also showed their real emotions in very true ways and I felt for what they were going through.
I was snickering my way through this novel and it really brought a smile to my face. I recommend this to anyone looking for a novel with lighthearted moments that will make the reader laugh. I am eagerly awaiting more novels by Jessica Kate.

Rating: 5 Stars
Content: 4 Stars

*I received a complementary copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own and a positive review was not required.

I like this author’s style and the idea behind this story was a good one. She’s great at writing dialogue. The main characters, Jem and Natalie were both quirky, but were also caring about their families. Their quirkiness added charm to the book and I enjoyed their story. Natalie’s care and devotion to her parents was touching and she had my sympathy because of this from the very beginning of the book. So there’s some very, very good parts to this story.

But the number of characters and all their problems sometimes made for burdensome reading. I think this storyline would have made two great books: One with the focus more completely on Jem and Natalie, and the next book centered on Pastor Mike and his family. I’d like to have seen Pastor Mike’s story be more in depth and have a little bit more hope infused in it.

I’d definitely try another book by this author. I’m going to rate this book as. 3.75. Almost there, it needed some trimming in the storyline.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Though this new novel has every element we love about a good rom-com, Jessica Kate has also chosen to weave in some pretty serious issues. And here’s where I was cautious... would it be to just have the plot moving? Or would there be a point of them all?

Well, I can honestly say I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was most impressed by the author’s ability to balance the funny moments and those that don’t call for a joke at all.

The story is told from Natalie and Jem’s point of views as well as Lili’s, Jem’s niece. And let me tell you, "a mess" doesn’t describe well the life of these characters. So much chaos I wondered how everything would be tied together.

I’m happy to say I was satisfied with the ending. Yes, there is a bazillion of options of what could have been written, but this is Nat and Jem’s book and the focus was how the message of their journey would relate to the other character’s. And this was done very well!

I’m excited to see what Kate brings next :)

This was a really cute read! I picked it up not knowing or having a lot of expectations and I'm so glad I did. The author does a great job at making you feel what the characters are going through all three of them and it is just an overall sweet read.

Thank you to netgalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I would rate this book as 3.5/5

This story follows Natalie and Jem. They were high school sweethearts, engaged at 19, and broken up just weeks before their wedding when Jem moved to Chicago. Seven years have passed and Jem is back in town.

Natalie's life has been hard, and she is desperately in need of a job. When an internship offer arises with a local ministry, Natalie is so excited. But she needs a side job to help cover bills and they only one offering is Jem.

Jem needs someone to watch his infant son. He is optimistic that Natalie will be willing to help. And maybe they will have a chance to reconcile.

This book has several side stories but the biggest is Lili, Jem's niece. Lili found her father kissing her teacher. Extremely hurt, she moves in with Jem to get away from her parents. The aspect of a parent's infidelity and all the fall out around that is intense. Lili is overwhelmed and doesn't choose the best ways to deal with the pain.

I thought the characters had a depth about them, perhaps because they had to deal with so many difficult situations palliative care, diabetes diagnosis, unexpected pregnancy, flooded apartment, debts. There were a lot of difficulties.

This book was an enjoyable read and I would recommend it.

Thanks to #netgalley for providing a copy of this book for review purposes. Overall I really liked this book. The only thing that downgraded it for me is that I felt like some of her tone was almost too personal and slightly inappropriate (i.e. referencing body parts) for a Christian fiction. Chattiness is fine, but some parts were too much. I would still classify this as Christian fiction chick lit.
That being said, this is a wonderful book about the importance of second chances and especially about forgiveness. In this world where a record everything is kept digitally, letting go of hurt can be hard. While some of the issues were resolved by the end of the book, several more were not. I think that reflects real life. I would definitely read more books by Jessica Kate in the future.

I didn't find the story compelling or the characters memorable. I thought it was okay, but I did have to push to finish it.

This is the first Christian fiction novel I've read since high school, so I was apprehensive, but pleasantly surprised! Love and Other Mistakes reads just like many of the other rom-coms I've loved recently. The author does a great job at not being overly preachy and creating relatable, flawed characters with just a touch of cheesiness to make you smile.

Natalie is trying her best to get by, helping her family care for her sick father and his medical bills, when her ex-fiancé, Jem, moves back to town with his new baby. She finds herself with no choice but to work for him as the nanny to make ends meet in order to pursue her true dream of working in ministry. At the same time, Jem's niece Lili comes to live with him after discovering a secret about her dad, the pastor of the local church. Natalie and Jem find themselves trying to navigate life with a baby and moody teenager, all while coming to terms with their own emotional past together. There's a love triangle, infidelity, and lots of drama between the three intertwined families in this novel.

This story was very "busy" with lots of characters and lots of drama. While I sometimes found myself annoyed at the characters for their repetitively bad decisions, they were overall pretty likeable (except Steph- I did not like Steph). I especially loved how the author really developed and made baby Olly an excellent character. There were some transition issues between POVs/time lapses that were confusing, but I expect these will be resolved before the final print.

Overall, a cute story for anyone who loves a good rom-com with lots of drama and a good lesson on forgiveness. I will look forward to more of Jessica Kate's work in the future.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson via NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"Jem" (Jeremy) and Natalie were high school sweethearts headed for the altar when Jem called the whole thing off and broke Natalie's heart. Jem left and seemingly never looked back getting his college degree and his dream job in the big city. However, for Natalie, Jem's leaving was the beginning of a tale-spin of bad events including her father getting cancer, Natalie dropping out of college to help take care of him and working a series of dead-end jobs to pay the bills. Natalie has tried to forgive and forget but all her anger at Jem comes blazing back when he moves back to town as a single father and has the nerve to ask Natalie to help him out by babysitting the child he had with another woman. In addition to Jem and Natalie's saga there is lots of family drama from a supporting cast of characters in Jem and Natalie's families.
For me, it was sometimes hard to like the characters in this book because they all seemed to make so many bad decisions over and over. While I appreciated that they turned to prayer and to God's love to try and resolve the problems they had been unable to resolve with their own wherewithal, I still got so mad at them at times! For me, personally, I like my romances to be a little bit more straight-forward but for readers who like multi-layered family drama this story might appeal to them.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read an advanced reading copy of this book so that I could provide a review!

Love and Other Mistakes, a debut novel by Jessica Kate, provides a challenging look at the broken people inside the church. I was prepared for light hearted rom-com and was surprised when it turned out to be a little heavier than that. The story centers on Natalie, although several other characters have a prominent role as well. The stories do all weave together, but there were a few times I would have appreciated a little more filler details. I felt like each of characters had a raw edge to them, which made them feel real. Christians make mistakes and they don’t always handle them the right way. But they do get up and try again because of grace and forgiveness given freely to them. I will read other books by this author.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I just finished this book yesterday and I am still trying to process all of my thoughts on it. I am not even sure what I just read.

I gave this book two stars because overall the writing was good and sassy but not well organized. I felt like I was on a roller coaster ride this whole book. We'd finally reach a part of explanation (FINALLY) only to swerve into a different story. It didn't build any tension it just made me angry. Honestly, if this was split into a family series of some sort it would have been much MUCH better. I was getting dizzy trying to remember whose insane relationship(s)/issues we were focusing on. I also think it took WAAAAAAY too long to get some real details about Natalie and Jem.

As a person who has been failed by her church before, I get that there is corruption in the church and it is a story that needs to be told. Being a pastor doesn't make you perfect. However, I think that plot cheapened the story and made it all the more confusing.

I’m sorry to say that I was not as into this book as I wanted to be it was a lot to keep a track of and a lot going on.

Natalie Groves was dumped by her fiancé 7 years earlier and her father diagnosed with cancer. God just doesn't care about her. So she thinks. Now Jeremy is back in town with a baby son and Natalie is helping her parents with their finances after the medical bills pile up. She just lost her job and she agrees to nanny Jeremy's baby. What? Lots of issues in this debut novel, and they are handled well by the author. Redemption really works as both Nat and Jem discover and God wasn't so far away after all.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers via Net Galley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

With that said, i really liked this one. It was a bit hard to get into at first, a lot to keep track of, but once i got into it i really enjoyed the story. Just goes to prove that even people (couples) that you think are perfect, aren't. That no one is immune to sin and stumbling. It's how you come out of it that matters, how you deal with it that matters. I enjoyed all of the characters in this story, and hope maybe there's another story here. I don't like to give play by plays in my reviews, that's why you read the book in the first place, I don't do Cliff's Notes, I give you a general feel of a story. This one is good, go read it when it comes out.

I was provided with an ARC of this title from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This was a light-hearted easy read that explores what happens when everything you thought was true dissolves into complete chaos. The main character is forced to examine her life in light of God's plan, and comes to a peace and understanding that are hard-won but deeply meaningful.

3.5 Stars.

It is very vital for an author to capture a reader within the first couple of pages; this author failed to do that. I tried reading it, but lost interest and skipped a few pages to see if I would get interested in the story, but I didn't.

Natalie Groves hates public speaking, but she’ll do anything to save her job. She’ll do just about anything to keep her family financially afloat. Seven years of living through a broken heart, dreams on hold, and her father’s cancer has shown her that she can and will do whatever it takes to help her family. Almost.

Jeremy Walters, the man who dumped Natalie weeks before their wedding and broke her heart returns to town, ready to live out the changes in his life. Jem returns with a college degree, a job lined up at the local paper, and an infant son. He’s ready to make his father proud and start living up to his perfect pastor brother’s reputation

When Jem asks Natalie to act as a nanny for his son, she refuses. After all, when your best friend breaks your heart, forgiveness feels like climbing Mt. Everest. But when Natalie gets an unpaid internship at church that could turn into a paid position, she knows that Jem’s job offer might provide the only barrier between bankruptcy and squeaking by. So she takes it.

Charlottesville Christian Church hides more than one broken heart. Steph, the pastor’s wife, feels distant from her husband, but she hides her hurt in church work and cheerleading others on, including her friend Natalie.

When Lili walks in on her dad and her art teacher sharing a passionate kiss, she has no idea what to do with the information. Her dad admits that he and her mom are going through a rough patch, and suggests that Lili move in with her Uncle Jem for a while to help with her nephew after school.

Australian author Jessica Kate weaves humor, pathos, and quirky situations into her first novel published in the United States. Readers will come away with a deeper understanding about the fallibility of humans (even church people), treating others with love and choosing forgiveness.

The story line for this book was pretty steady and well written, but I thought it was kind of a depressing read, actually. Most of the story was about relationships gone wrong and one of the story lines never concluded or had a positive outcome. I wanted to like it but not sure I did fully. I would try another one of hers; just hope it is more upbeat and positive.

Love and Other mistakes is my first book by Jessica Kate and it's also my first christian fiction.

The story was cute and it is about two brothers and their families, their rather complicated relationship with their father and their love interests. In the small town, we follow the family as they discover family secrets and how they impact their lives.

The ending left me a bit confused since it didn't solve or deal with a major problem that some of the characters dealt with and that was quite unsatisfying.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy the book in exchange for a review.