This novel follows the Strong brothers, Jesse, Damien, Noah, and Lucas. They face the dilemma of deciding whether or not to keep the family’s business, Strong Knits open after the loss of their matriarch, Mama Joy. Faced with doubt, uncertainty, and other insurmountable odds, Jesse, along with childhood family friend, Kerry, strive to ensure that Strong Knits’ presence remains a staple in their Harlem community.

We give Real Men Knit four out of five stars. Let’s get into what we enjoyed about this novel. Jesse is characterized as an unambitious, lady’s man compared to his other fairly successful adoptive brothers. But during the course of the story, he tries to reinvent himself and prove to himself and his brothers that he is capable of continuing on with Mama Joy’s legacy. We enjoyed Ms. Jackson’s masterful storytelling ability throughout this novel. We also enjoyed the light that was shone on the complexities of the individual’s lived experiences and how it shapes their personalities and temperaments even after adoption. It was also refreshing and heartwarming to see the level of community support that allowed Strong Knit to preserve through adversity. However, the plot did drag on with unnecessary details and monologues for a large portion of the beginning of the novel. This novel was more of a slow burn when it came to revealing the chemistry between Kerry and Jesse as they worked closely together.

TL; DR
The Good: A feel-good novel about family and community.
The Bad: The pacing of the novel was a bit off-putting. The beginning seemed to drag on with repetitive inner thoughts, while the ending appeared a bit rushed.
Is it Worth Buying: Yes. Real Men Knit’s exploration of familial strife
Rating: 4/5 stars

I was really excited to read Kwana Jackson's Real Men Knit; I was super intrigued by the unique premise (And give! me! that! sibling! drama!), not to the mention the very gorgeous cover.

Unfortunately, this novel fell a bit short for me on a few fronts. First and foremost, the old saying goes that writers should "show, don't tell," but this book was pretty much all telling. There were a lot more musings and random asides than actual dialogue, and all of it was super repetitive. While I loved some of the brothers' interactions and many of the supporting characters, I especially had trouble fully embracing Jesse and Kerry as a romantic couple.

Second, unfortunately not much happens in this story; it got to a point where I'd skim a few pages, start reading more intensely again, and realize I hadn't missed anything in that time; in many cases, the characters were still having the same conversation. I mean, the entire first quarter of this book essentially takes place over a single morning discussion.

I had high hopes and I'm sorry I did like Real Men Knit more, but you win some and you lose some.

I LOVED this book. It's sweet, feels like home, it has diversity, family values, hot men and such a great community. I loved all the strong brothers and I really hope that she writes stories for all of them. I really liked how, it breaks the stereotypes around men or boys knitting, or running their mother's business. Thank you Kwana for writing this book it has everything!

I ended up not finishing this one, the characters had no chemistry and I couldn’t find it in me to care let alone like any of them. Not only that, but it felt like nothing was happening for the 75% I did manage to get through.

This ARC was provided for review, but in no way affects the following impartial and unbiased review:
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3,5*
Pros: PoC leads and secondary characters. Wholesome and lovable setting, starring a yarn shop. Funny and swoon-worthy. Interesting and engaging scenes and dialogues. Focuses in dealing with loss, in grieving and moving on. Beautiful points surrounding family and the love of a mother.
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Cons: Oddly written through a male gaze, even though the author is a woman. Needlessly misogynist and enforcing some outdated notions and descriptions. Over-the-top sugar-coated ending.

In this book I found a love story set in Harlem with a great lead, Kerry and her crush that she has liked for ages, Jesse. Jesse and his three other brothers recently lost their adoptive mother and currently have are trying to save her adoptive mother's knitting shop. I thought this was a such a really cute idea with knit shop setting and a story where the heroine gets to fall in love with her crush who she's know for forever, I absolutely love those stories, However, this book might have fallen just a little bit short for me. Only because I see this more as contemporary family fiction book instead of a contemporary romance. I think since I spend a lot of time reading romance I like it to be apart of everything I consume in some form or fashion. But if it's a book that's marketed where the romance seems like it will be at the for front I think I would like to see more of it. (I also like to be hit over the head with as many swoony moments as possible.) But I loved all the banter and the relationship between the brothers was a great and felt real to me. This was an overall great start to a series and I can't wait to see what's next.

3.5 stars, rounded. Excellent setting and the family relationship between the brothers (and their determination to maintain their adoptive mother's legacy) was definitely the best part of this story. It's less romance than I expected, but the story and collective group of characters were entertaining and enjoyable. Would definitely read more from this author!

I really wanted to love this book because I used to knit when I was a teenager after my mom taught me. As much as I tried I just couldn’t get into this story. I would lose focus and have to re read certain parts again. The characters or the story didn’t draw me in as I hoped it would.

I wanted to love this book! I really did. The concept is unique and it had so much potential. But I couldn't connect with these characters or the storyline and unfortunately wasn't able to finish the book.

Real Men Knit is a story about four adoptive brothers struggling to keep their family knitting shop open after their mother's death.

What I really loved was the community aspect of it and how the knitting shop is an institution in the neighborhood. I also enjoyed the dynamic between the brothers and the complexity of their relationships with each other. My favorite character (even though we only hear about her) was definitely Mama Joy - she sounds like an amazing woman.

What fell really flat for me was the romance in it. Jesse and Kerry just seemed incredibly immature and I did not feel the chemistry between the two.

Reviewed by another reader, Melinda, for our site. She loved it!
Her review is at: http://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/real-men-knit

More focus spent on building the relationship between the men in the knitting shop than the romance, which takes a backseat until close to the end of the book. Hopeful more books in the series will build on the established cast of characters.

This book unfortunately was just.. kinda boring? I feel like nothing really happened for the majority of the book, and then when things were actually happening I didn't feel much of any chemistry between the two main characters. This book wasn't bad, it just wasn't for me.

When the owner of a beloved Harlem yarn shop passes away unexpectedly, her four adult foster sons must decide if they can keep the business afloat. Jesse, a known heartbreaker without much of a life plan, convinces his brothers that they have to keep the shop open in memory of their mother. Luckily, he's got support from Kerry, who grew up around the shop and loves the customers like family. But when romantic tension grows between Jesse and Kerry, will it interfere with their goal of saving the store?

There is so much I love about this book! I love Mama Joy, even though we only meet her through her sons. I adore Jesse and his brothers. And Strong Knits is the most wonderful fictional yarn store in the universe. The romance aspect is reeaallllyy slow burn, which is fine, because there is so much else going on! I rooted for Jesse from page one, and I really hope to return to the Strong brothers in another book in the future!

I have to say that this book really disappointed me, I was unbelievably excited for this one but it just felt incredibly flat. The first half, maybe even the first 65%, of the story nothing is happening. Jesse and Kerry experience some mild mutual attraction but it feels like they barely have any notable interactions. I did not feel any chemistry or relationship development between these two and only in the final 50 pages is anything even mildly interesting happening in regards to them. You could say this is a slow burn but for me, a slow burn would have had more fun and intrigue to keep me engaged but this was just so boring.

Heat Factor: Moderate heat
Character Chemistry: Palpable sexual tension while they’re knitting together
Plot: This is a light-hearted story about coming to terms with grief
Overall: I enjoyed myself immensely

When Real Men Knits opens, Kerry and Jesse are both lost and grieving. Mama Joy - Jesse’s adopted mother and Kerry’s mentor and boss - just died. The fate of the knitting shop she owned is up in the air, until Jesse convinces his three brothers to support his effort to keep the shop going. With Kerry’s help. Mama Joy’s death therefore ends up serving as a catalyst for both Kerry and Jesse to rethink their lives as they take on a new challenge.

I thought Jesse and Kerry were great characters. In some ways, Jesse is a typical womanzing hero. He has a lot of meaningless sex - and is clueless when the women he’s with fall for him. He doesn’t have feelings for them, so they’re obviously on the same page, right? Infuriating, I know. But what saves the dynamic for me is that Jesse is also a hot mess - and the text is explicit about this (rather than me psychoanalyzing him and his emotional constipation). He turns to mindless hook ups as a way of distracting himself from his grief. He thinks he’s a mess and undeserving of respect because of his bad choices; and furthermore, other characters (mostly his brothers) call him on it. Repeatedly. So much so, that the dynamic becomes more about him lacking a support system.

Kerry, on the other hand, is a bit more buttoned up, but I wouldn’t call her a prissy good girl. She can be judgmental and saucy (there’s an extended bit about what eating chicken wings says about a man’s prowess in bed, and I died laughing), she’s just reserved. A homebody - and a woman after my own heart.

Jesse and Kerry have known each other forever, but I wouldn’t call this a friends to lovers romance. It’s more of a Girl Next Door vibe, where they’re not friends, but still tease each other. So we’ve got a solid sparring partners dynamic going on. And, in case it’s not obvious, a blatant case of mutual childhood crush.

There is some Other Woman Drama, which I include as an aside because I know it’s a deal-breaker for some readers. It worked for me, because Jackson uses it to good effect in fleshing out the characters - Jesse is clueless, and Kerry asserts herself.

There’s also a Grand Gesture at the end, but it was perfect. Sorry haters. Well, it was 50% mortifying because of the huge audience (I would have died, but Kerry is embedded in the community and didn’t seem to mind). But the other 50% was utter perfection because the thing Jesse does for Kerry is perfectly symbolic for what he wants their relationship to become. And now I’ve used “perfect” three times in one paragraph.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

This review is also available at The Smut Report. (Mid-July)

2.5⭐

Summary
When Mama Joy suddenly passes away, her 4 adopted sons have to decide what to do with her knitting shop. The youngest brother Jesse has is heart set on keeping the community staple open. So he teams up with Kerry, who has grew up in the shop along side the Strong family. The two them must find a way to keep the business running. But the more time they spend together, the more their chemistry builds. Jesse is determined to prove that for once, he is here to stay.

Overview
➸ POV: 3rd Person from Kerry & Jesse's POVs

➸ Jesse Strong: 27, Adopted by Mama Joy, Youngest of 3 adopted brothers, Wants to keep his mother's knitting shop open, Womanizer

➸ Kerry Fuller: 27, Part time employee at Strong Knits, Has had a crush on Jesse her whole life, Agrees to help keep the shop open

➸ Content Warnings: Death of a parent, Sexism, Bullying

My Thoughts
I have such weird feelings about this book....

First, this is easily the most oddly paced story I've ever read. This book is a meandering family drama for 300 pages and an insta-love romance for the last 30. It was strange (and I wasn't a big fan).

I will say, that while I went into this expecting a romance, I didn't hate the familial focus. In fact, I was ready to give this a middle-of-the-road 3 star rating for the majority of the book. I liked the brothers' dynamics and the community members. This book had a strong emphasis on found family which I loved. And the family aspects is really where this book shined! If the focus had stayed there, this wouldn't have been such a disappointing read.

Unfortunately the last 30ish pages (or 30 minutes of the audiobook since I listened to this on audible) were honestly a train wreck.. This book went from 0, to 100, back to 0, then raging back to 100 so quickly I got whiplash. And that final scene was hands down the most cringeworthy confession of love I've ever read.

And why, for all that is holy, did he have to call her "girl" until the very last page despite Kerry's requests for it to stop?? I was so frustrated...

Overall this book just didn't work for me. While the found family and community aspects of this story were really sweet, the actual romance portions were a big miss. I could clearly see the physical attraction between the main characters, but I never bought into it developing beyond that - especially at the pace it did.

A delightful story full of heart, touching on the subject of family in addition to romance. A heart warming tale about loss and finding oneself in times of those losses. About the strength of rising up to battle the emotions of losing someone. While there are touched of romance, I do find that this book was more of a contemporary fiction, with a slight touch on romance. Based on the advertising, I was expecting it to be more of a cutesy romance, even the cover of it gives me that feeling. It definitely took on more of a heavy theme, as opposed to a light hearted romantic story.

A well-written tale that takes place in Harlem. The Strong brothers have a decision to make regarding Mama Joy's yarn store after her death. Jesse, the youngest brother, who hasn't really done anything with life, says he will operate it. Terry, the neighbor girl, that they have known their whole life says, I will help as I know the operation of the store. There is tension between these tow as they fight the attraction and doubt their own worth. Read this one. And I wonder is there going to be a romantic story about the other 3 brothers?

Loved the Harlem & knitting shop setting (I need to try a chopped cheese!) and the back story of the Strong family and Kerry. But I also got bogged down on the repetitive descriptions of each brother. Enough already