The cover and description appealed to me, and it ended up being a cute romance. I didn't realize it was a Christian novel, but it didn't bother me here. I read the book in a day. The characters were interesting, and the descriptions of the locale fascinating. There was some inside Aussie humor that I didn't understand completely but the slang was fun to learn about.

4 stars.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson and Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Based on the synopsis I was quite looking forward to this book. Unfortunately for me the writing did not capture my attention. I read this between other books and each reading did not engage me. Cute premise that ultimately fell flat.

This was a fun read. I haven't read any books by this author before so after seeing so much positive reviews, I had to give her a go. I wish I had read the first book because I think it flows into this story.

Kimberly is an easy character to dislike at first. She's brash and seemingly uncaring. She's focused on one thing and that's Wildfire. Sam on the other hand, while caring about Wildfire seems to take many things into account before he makes any decisions. When life changes unexpectedly, he's not able to take time to decide what direction to go, he heads straight back to his sister, Jules, and the family farm.

Kimberly is left with everything falling apart and not sure how to make things work aside from getting Sam back to Wildfire. It's certainly helpful that each of them has what the other needs: she has the brains for numbers to help the farm and he has the passion to keep Wildfire running.

It turns out Australia is exactly what everyone needs. It's fun to see Kimberly loosen up and take a deep breath while in 'straya. It's certainly a rude awakening when she has some hair raising experiences. it's definitely not all beaches and suntans while she's there. Jules is dealing with an ex-boyfriend who keeps helping her after she's treated him poorly. Their family farm is on the verge of ruin and their hope is in Kimberly finding a way out for them.

Overall I enjoyed the story and the flow from beginning to end. Now I need to read the first one!

*I received this book from JustRead Tours. I wasn't asked to write a review, but chose to on my own.

I just have to say...I loved this book! It has such a positiveness and such sense of adventure, and was a really fun read. A Girl's Guide to the Outback was not what I was expecting, though it was a pleasant surprise. I didn't read the synopsis beforehand (I'm one of those readers that enjoys being surprised) and I think this benefited my reading experience.

This is definitely a feel good book yet it still has that deepness, with almost character in a journey to self-discovery. The imagery of the Australian outback captures the imagination in such a wonderful way. The ending, though predictable, captured my heart. I knew that Sam and Kimberly would find out a way to be together somehow, but who I really wanted to see, and rooted for throughout the novel, is Jules and Mick. I adored their magnetism and Jules and her sass was perfection!

A Girl's Guide to the Outback is the perfect balance of faith, love, and the messiness of life. Highly recommend!!

Super fun book!! I wasn't familiar with Jessica Kate but will definitely be looking for her books in the future. This book moves along at a great pace. I thoroughly enjoyed the bi continent storyline and the characters were very well written. I would definitely suggest this book to others!!!

Have you been to Australia? 🇦🇺🦘I loved it when I was there years ago! I was so excited to learn about Jessica Kate’s new book, A Girl’s Guide to the Outback! This was a great one! Synopsis 👇 .

How far will a girl go to win back a guy she can’t stand? This funny, sweet, and romantic story proves that opposites do attract—and that God has a sense of humor. .

Samuel Payton is a passionate youth pastor in Virginia, but below the surface, he’s still recovering from the blow of a failed business and insecurities he can’t shake. His coworker, start-up expert Kimberly Foster, is brilliant, fearless, and capable, but years of personal rejection have left her defensive and longing for a family. Two people have never been more at odds—or more attracted to one another. And every day at work, the sparks sure do fly. .

When Kimberly’s ambitious plans for Sam’s ministry butt up against his risk-averse nature, Sam decides that obligations to family trump his work for the church. He quits the ministry and heads home to Australia to help his sister, Jules, save her struggling farm. As Kimberly’s grand plans flounder, she is forced to face the truth: that no one can replace Sam. Together they strike up a deal: If Kimberly comes to work on Jules’s dairy farm and lends her business brains to their endeavor, then maybe—just maybe—Sam will reconsider his future with the church. .

As Kimberly tries her hand at Australian farm life, she learns more about herself than she could’ve ever expected. Meanwhile, Sam is forced to re-evaluate this spunky woman he thought he already knew. As foes slowly morph into friends, they wonder if they might be something even more. But when disaster strikes the farm, will Sam find it within himself to take a risk that could lead to love? And will Kimberly trust God with her future? .

A Girl's Guide to the Outback was so, so good!! It made me realize it's been a while since I've read a book set outside of the US, but it was just perfect!! I loved the phrase "summer weather at Christmas" because that's been my whole life! No, that doesn't mean I'm an Aussie, it just means that people in South America can also relate :D

I loved the mix of Contemporary Romance, unabashed Christian Faith, and humor. I seriously think I have about 100 highlights on my copy, I kid you not since this book had me laughing, swooning and feeling inspired (or called out) in my faith, that I absolutely know I've found a new favorite author.

I absolutely loved all things Sam, Kim, Jules, Mick, and Straya (and its slang, lol), and think this book deserves all the stars in the sky. Well done Ms. Kate!!

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

Thank you to Thomas Nelson for the chance to read an ARC of this book. This was such a cute story! I pretty much always enjoy reads from this publisher, and this book was no exception. I'd read it again, and definitely recommend to other readers of clean romance.

Ratings: Scores rank from 0-10. For craft, 0 is "I can't get those hours of my life back", 10 is best of the best. For wholesome ratings, the scores are backward: 10 is atomic bomb, 0 is non-existent.

Craft ratings:
-> Writing: 8/10
I got such a kick out of the narrative voice in this! It had me smiling and even outright laughing multiple times, and drew a few tears out of me, too.
-> Plot: 6/10
The plot is fairly simple, but it works. I was kept engaged with little to no lulling. It's Christian fiction, but this aspect was surprisingly remote for the majority of the story.
-> Characterization: 9/10
This was probably my favorite part. Jessica Kate has a great way with organic dialogue and believable characterization that really packs a punch. I felt like I knew these characters by the end of the story, and it was hard to let them go! I was sooo attached to them! And the dynamics between everyone were so fun, and occasionally enough to bring tears to my eyes.

Prudie™ Wholesome ratings:
-> Language: 0/10
No profanity to speak of.
-> Steaminess: 3/10
Kissing is as "steamy" as it gets. And I know this is a controversial topic, and the opinions on it run the gamut. But I appreciated that this book managed to be clean while not completely ignoring the fact that people can be attracted to each other physically. I feel like so many clean romances out there involve an unprecedented lack of articulation concerning physical attraction, like couples aren't allowed to think about or express that they think the other is sexually appealing just because the story is a wholesome one. This book doesn't shy away from that--though it's certainly not all that the chemistry of the romance is founded upon.
-> Positive theme(s): 9/10
I don't want to give any spoilers away, so I'll keep it vague and say there's some of hard-hitting stuff, though relatively simple. (Nothing dark, though.)
-> Political correctness: 2/10
The women are strong forces to be reckoned with, and there is a mixed-race couple. Other than that, this is suuuper light on the politics and PC-ness.
-> Violence: 0/10
Overall score for enjoyment/appreciation: 7/10 for 4 out of 5 stars.

A Girl's Guide to the Outback is a decent read, but not one of my favorites. I've read a lot of rom coms over the last year, and this just didn't quite reach me. The Christian perspective was fine for me and really didn't get too preachy (which I don't like). The characters are well developed and believable and I loved the farm in the Australian outback. For me, though, the slow burn romances just took too long for me to get really invested. This felt like it needed to lose a few of the incidents that happened toward the end and the romances (there are two) tightened up. I will read more from this author- as a sophomore effort, I see potential here.

This is a cute story about two people who thought they hated each other, and how they're able to be there for each other and grow. I thought it was cute, charming even, at times. It wasn't quite what I expected to read but aside from some small pieces of narration that I had a hard time believing this is a sweet and fast read about two people with their own complexities learning to see each other.

I thought this was a well-written book, and I'm always a sucker for a setting in Australia. It was so refreshing to read a CLEAN book, that combines aspects of love, adventure, friendship. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to review this book.

Last summer, I read Jessica Kate's debut novel, Love and Other Mistakes. While I enjoyed it, I also had mixed feelings about it and didn't think it lived up to the hype. (Some of the fault definitely lies with the publisher, who marketed the book as a romantic comedy when it was definitely much more of a drama.) But I appreciated the author's writing style, so I knew I would give her next book a chance.

I am so, so glad I did!!!

A Girl's Guide to the Outback is everything I wanted Love and Other Mistakes to be. It's so funny (and it takes a lot for a book to get me to laugh out loud), it's romantic, and it's just a joy to read!

Kimberly and Sam (two minor characters from Love and Other Mistakes) work together at a ministry in the United States but can't stand each other ... at least so it seems. But as they actually get to know each other while trying to save Sam's sister's Australian farm, sparks fly. I loved the whole back-and-forth of their romance, especially following their first kiss, which came about in a really fun sequence!

This is a two-for-the-price-of-one romance, as Sam's sister Jules gets her own second chance romance, and it's just as swoonworthy as Kimberly and Sam's romance. Plus, there are some really fun Australian references (I had to Google "chicken salt," and now I'm thinking of splurging on some from Amazon), as well as some not so fun ones that had me thanking the Lord I live nowhere near those ridiculous snakes and spiders!

The novel does deal with some serious topics like money issues, absentee parents, and learning when to let go, but it doesn't go nearly as dark and heavy as its predecessor did. This is a fabulous rom-com, and I can't recommend it highly enough!

This book appealed to me because of the setting. The agriculture of Australia, the climate, and terrain captured my interest. This book transports you to another continent. You're introduced to some Australian vocabulary, animals, and a glimpse of favorite edibles. These details are seamlessly woven into the story. It's a sweet romance with fun characters. The romantic relationships are swoon worthy and one day maybe we'll see it on the Hallmark Movie channel. After all, the matriarch of the family does make her appearance just before Christmas. She a formidable woman, whose middle name should be "TILIS" (tell it like it is)! The twenty something main characters have real depth, solid skills, and some issues to resolve that speak to everyone. Through Sam we get a good glimpse of how adopting a risk-adverse nature can hold us back and make us too fearful to follow God's lead. Kimberly shows us that possessing a first rate business acumen is wonderful but can be empty without a sense of belonging that is found in family. Jules shows us how blindly following after what we think we should do might not bring the rest, peace, and joy we're meant to experience. The author shares an accurate story of agriculture and how things operate on a modern dairy farm; the unique setting adds to the story. I recommend this story for anyone who is looking for an upbeat story. I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley. This is my honest review. #AGirlsGuideToTheOutback, #NetGalley

I so enjoyed returning to the Wildfire world. In this book, we get to focus on Kimberly and Sam, who we met in Love and Other Mistakes, and it’s clear that the constant clash of wills is because they care so deeply. But somehow it takes months and a trip halfway around the world for them to catch on, so we also get to meet Sam’s sister Jules and her once upon a time beau Mick. I feel in some ways that I would have liked to have seen them in another book to get a more substantial snapshot of Kimberly & Sam, but I loved their concurrent happily ever afters. There was so much to inspire—love, acceptance, fighting for what you want, surrender, believing in yourself—and frankly I’m crazy about the hilarious moments especially because they happened Down Under. Hanging out on the farm with the animals what is the perfect please to watch love bloom, and I loved every chapter. I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher, and was under no obligation to write a review.

Title: A Girl's Guide to the Outback

Author: Jessica Kate

Chapters: 40 Plus epilogue

Pages:368

Genre: Christian Rom Com

Rating: 5 stars

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

A Girl's Guide to the Outback is my second full-length novel by Jessica Kate. the first one, Love and Other Mistakes was good. I've also read her novella The Kiss Dare which was a cute short story but my favorite was A Girl’s Guide to the Outback. And after listening to the audio I want to get a passport and jump on a plane to Australia. I love Kimberly in this book even though I didn’t really like her in love and other mistakes but there she was foil to Natalie. It was also nice to Sam in his native Australia.

Jules and Mick pretty much stole the story at least in my opinion. I love when Rom Coms have a secondary couple.

Sam’s never have someone who’s had faith in him and believe that he can follow his dream like Kim does. Even though neither realizes it they bring out the best in each other and are prefect for each it just took a trip to rural Australia for Kim to see Sam in a new light and for Sam to see the real Kimberly.

I enjoyed this down under rom com in book form and look forward the next rom com Jessica Kate gives us.


I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed ar

A Girl’s Guide to the Outback takes Kimberly and Sam from Jessica Kate’s debut, Love and Other Mistakes, and transplants them to Sam’s family farm in the Australian Outback. Sam is convinced he’s a failure, so quits Wildfire, the youth mission he founded. When he gets home, he finds his sister Jules with a broken leg, and the farm under threat of bankruptcy.

Wildfire doesn’t go well without him either. Kimberly is packed off to Australia to convince Sam to return to the program. Sam won’t return until he knows the farm will be okay, so Kimberly is bribed to stay and help even though she and Sam go together like oil and water. She offers her financial and management smarts to help in the hope she can get Sam back to Wildfire.

I grew up in a farming community, but Kimberly’s research showed me there is a lot more to farming than I knew (especially Aussie farming. New Zealand doesn’t have the same fire and flood risks as Queensland).

As a Kiwi, I found several giggles and groans in the Aussie cultural references as Kimberly settles in to life in ‘Straya. Mick drinks kombucha, which shows he’s a better person than me—I’ve only tried it once, and it was nasty. Sam wears Stubbies, a fashion staple of rural Australia and New Zealand in the 1970s.

Kimberly packs a picnic basket and includes:

“Canadian bacon—known in Australia simply as ‘bacon,’ plus Vegemite and Weetbix cereal for a traditional Australian touch.”

So if I call it “bacon” and Americans call it “Canadian bacon”, what’s the stuff on the American fast-food menus that they call bacon? Or don’t I want to know?

Also, while I do know some people who eat Weetbix with butter and Marmite (the Kiwi version of Vegemite, and we won’t get into any arguments about which tastes better, thank you very much), I don’t know anyone who’d eat Weetbix, Vegemite, and bacon at the same time. Well, I hope I don’t.

A Girl’s Guide to the Outback has all the wit and sass of Love and Other Mistakes, plus a healthy dose of ‘Straya. The Australian setting means it also has ample opportunity to showcase the highs and lows, from brown snakes and early-morning avian wake-up calls to the beauty of the Outback and the Gold Coast beaches.

But there are some serious life lessons hidden in the banter. Both Sam and Kim have mistakes from their past they need to overcome, both for their own sakes and to draw them together as a couple. Jules (Sam’s sister) has her own issues with Mike, the guy she broke up with years ago because she wanted to stay on the farm and he wanted to move to the coast. It’s fun watching both couples fall apart, get together, and work through their issues. It’s also a reminder of the power of God … when we get out of His way.

Recommended for anyone looking for a fun romantic comedy in a unique setting.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

In A Girl's Guide to the Outback we follow start-up expert Kimberly Foster and youth pastor Samual Payton. After finding out that his family's farm back in Australia is failing Sam returns home to help them out. Meanwhile the ministry that both of them worked for is not doing so well with out Sam there, so Kimberly heads to Australia to see if she can convince him to come back while giving them advice on their farm. This story is an enemies to lover's romance and that is my favorite trope! The banter between the two main characters was perfect. Both Sam and Kimberly had personal issues that they needed to work thru throughout the story and I thought the author did this very well. There are some great side characters in this as well that we get to follow my favorite is Sam's Sister Jules. There is also a great portrayal of friendship in this book between Jules and Kimberly and their moments together were some of my favorites. I really enjoyed this book and will look for more by this author. If you are wanting a sweet slow burn romance than I highly recommend this one. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

3.5 stars

A Girl's Guide to the Outback started a bit slowly for me, and as such I had trouble connecting with the book the first time I picked it up. I abandoned it and came back to it at a later date and once I got past the first 25 pages or so I was more in to it. I didn't initially realize that it is a Christian book but it wasn't overly preachy or in your face about it, it felt (mostly) natural and worked well with the story. I really enjoyed the book from Australia on and from that point found myself unable to put it down but to be honest I was really more connected to and interested in Jules and Mick's story than I was Sam and Kim's. All in all it was a good quick read, but it won't be on my favorites list.

Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for providing me with a copy of this book to review, all opinions are my own.

Jessica Kate's sophomore novel is so fun and the setting is absolutely perfect! I loved Love and Other Mistakes so I was pleasantly surprised when secondary character's Kim and Sam made their appearance in this novel.

This book was full of lots of misadventures, laughter, and fun witty banter between Sam and Kim. However, the book isn't just fun and adventure. Jules, Kim, and Sam are all hurting. They are also unsure of where they fit and what they should do even though it's staring them right in the face.

As with Love and Other Mistakes I was drawn in immediately by the characters and I didn't want the adventure to end. The Australian Outback made me want to move going to Australia up on my bucket list.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book via the publisher. I was not required to write a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really loved this one. It was the light and fun read I needed. I laughed in so many different parts and fell in love with the characters. I loved to duel storyline and the setting only added to the story. Kimberly was no doubt my favorite. She was funny and clumsy and I enjoyed her character so much.