It didn't hit the spot with me. I just couldn't invest in our main characters relationship or the story in general. While it was a cute idea with the gallery and artist angle, it just didn't work. Maybe I wanted more passion and steam than I felt was there.

*** I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Cute and romantic. I wanted it to sizzle more and be more alive, but it was still a good and fast read. The dynamic between the siblings is so fun that it's my favorite part of the book.

I loved this book! I was smitten with Kit and his ways from the beginning. What a match for Katherine! This book kept me up late into the night as I just couldn't put it down. I would definitely recommend this!

My rating went back and forth between 2 and 3 stars but overall I enjoyed the story so I went with 3 stars.

I have never read anything by this author and so I was going in completely blind to her style or how she writes her characters. The beginning of the book I found was really hard to get into and while now it makes sense to have had all of those chapters I was just waiting for it to get going. Despite the slow beginning I really enjoyed this book and loved the growth and change that we saw in the characters. It was a very sweet romance and I really loved Kit!

I really struggled a bit with the language of the book as I am from the USA and did not understand some of the lingo or phrases that were used. Some of them I was able to figure out, some just made no sense to me at all but luckily I was reading on my Kindle and could look things up otherwise I probably would have been very confused. There was also some of the ways that she described feelings that absolutely made no sense to me for example she said she didn’t know if she wet herself or if she was feeling this all encompassing happiness and that is just really weird to me.

Despite the language barriers and the slow beginning I did really enjoy this book and it was a cute summer beach read.

3.5 stars

Where to start with this book? This was my first book by Belinda Missen and while I thought the plot was good, the book felt choppy to me - I felt like it left certain days / events without fully finishing and we were thrust into the next day / event leaving me a little confused. It was not a bad book by any stretch of the imagination, but it certainly wasn't one of my favorites. In fact, this book took me three days to read and it's not even a long book - I found myself having to force the issue to get me to finish reading.

This book centers around Katharine, a 30 something curator who works all the time; has a complete dork for a boyfriend because he totally takes her for granted and she doesn't ever fight it; has a brother who is battling his own marital issues; has an eccentric father who remarried a wonderful woman many years after her mother passed away; has a best friend who is perhaps the most selfish friend around; and Katharine herself is going through an early mid-life crisis. When Katharine doesn't get the promotion she feels she deserves, she decides to quit it all - her job, her boyfriend, her home city of London to move back to her hometown three hours away to open her own art gallery.

As she tries to convince the best "local" artist to be her first showing, they may "accidentally fall in love". But this was no easy feat - Christopher pushes her away at every step and Katharine seems so forward to me. I honestly don't know how they fall in love because I just don't feel the chemistry.

There's many more side stories that happen along the way so I feel I haven't ruined the plot for anyone that hasn't read the book yet.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions stated above are mine without biases.

I love a good enemy to lovers trope, or at least a dislike to love one, so I was super excited to get my hands on this one.

Katharine Patterson is going through some pretty major life changes and all in a very short amount of time. She quits her job, moves back to her home town, breaks up with her boyfriend, opens her own business, and meets an intriguing (but infuriating) artist.

I liked this book well enough, but I wanted more from certain parts. I didn’t totally buy the chemistry between the main characters, and wished there was more tension build up between them. Instead, it felt like the lead-up to Kat ending up back in her home was given too much focus and felt drawn-out to me.

But I liked Katharine’s journey to rediscover herself and her bravery in going out on a limb to create the life she wanted. Her courage was what endeared me to her the most.

All in all, it was a solid read, I’d just hoped for a little more depth and chemistry between the characters, and I didn’t find it to be the ‘laugh-out-loud funny’ I was promised. This book has been compared to Mhairi McFarlane’s writing, and I find her dialogue to be completely hysterical, so that was my expectation going into it.

4.5

Katharine uproots her whole life to move to her hometown and open her own art gallery. She meets Christopher and they initially clash, but soon they begin to fall for each other.

I love enemies to lovers. It's my favourite trope. I really enjoyed the characters and I found that Katharine was a very likeable character. It was adorable and I really liked the chemistry. I found that some of the side characters fell flat, but I honestly don't mind that in a romance book. My criteria for romance novels are: likeable characters, cute romance, happy ending. I'm very easy to please.

Cute, fun read! Love the cover! I really enjoy books that feature creative, artistic minded characters which this book had. I also really enjoy books that feature families, regardless of how goofy or quirky they may be, and this book definitely had some great family moments to enjoy reading about. Thanks Nergalley for the free advanced copy of this book.

I love Belinda Missen's stories. I am so happy to have read this one! I read this one over a weekend and was thrilled to meet Kit and Katharine. Well, we meet our heroine first. She's smart and established in her career--going after a promotion. She also has an as-of-yet-undefined man in her life, but she's 9 months in to whatever it is. She is on the cusp of everything falling into place. Then, it doesn't. Instead, the bottom drops out. She dumps the now-we-know-is-an-idiot man in her life and quits her job/wrecks her career path. NOT a good time! She does have a new plan though--to follow her dream to open her own art gallery. She needs a great opening act, and here's were we meet Kit. It was amazing reading their story and you can't help but root for them. They don't mean to fall in love--in fact, they actively oppose it. Happily... accidents happen!

A sweet and heart warming British rom-com about making a change in one's life. I was expecting an enemies-to-lovers rom-com, but I must stress that the real focus of the book was family, friendship and making a leap of faith by opening a new business venture and trying to pursue your dreams.

Katharine Patterson is a 35 year old gallery curator that is fed up with her life in London, she has a very unsatisfying relationship with John a workaholic lawyer who doesn't want to commit, and she is vying for a promotion that she ends up being by past (not for the first time) for by a lesser candidate, just because he is chummy with her boss. She decides to quit everything on strike out on her own as a gallery owner in her hometown. There she meets Kit, a handsome and talented local artist, who seems to insult here on every turn.

I loved reading about Katherine. Both her and the side characters are so well developed that I almost didn't realized that more than half way into the book there were barely three interactions with the male lead of story. I must say that at first Kit, her love interest, comes off as a bit of a douche. He is rude, arrogant, snobby and obnoxious to our heroine for no apparent reason, but somehow by their fourth interaction he apologizes and makes a complete turn around.

Kit it turns out has a good reason to be broody, and he and Katherine have a lot in common once they break through the ice. There is a lot going on in the book beside the budding love affair. There is the financial strain of opening a new business, the chinks in the friendship with her best friend who is more absorbed in her upcoming marriage, the family interactions with her brother, her Dad, his wife and making time in your life for art.

Overall, this novel makes for a very enjoyable light-hearted read with a strong female lead, witty banter and warm family interactions. Just keep in mind that the rom part is spread a little unevenly.

I would like to thank NetGalley and HQ Digital for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
#AccidentallyinLove #NetGalley

I am torn on this book. I loved the main character, I loved her story of going out alone to be successful in her chosen field. I love that she gave a big F U to the corporate men. I also loved the family relationships. But, ultimately I did not like the love story, that is obviously the key plot point to the book. What I look for in books is organic stories which you see develop, very much "show not tell". But I found that this book just told me what was going on at any given point, and whilst we knew how it was going to end (because everyone loves the enemies-to-lovers trope), I don't think it was well fleshed out in the middle. A good attempt, a very solid main character, a mediocre love story.

I love a good enemies-to-lovers story and this one did not disappoint. The main characters were realistic and I felt like I could really relate to them. And I loved the plot.

This was a highly enjoyable read! I loved the setting around the opening of a gallery and artists, things I knew nothing about before now. I found all the characters realistic and enjoyed reading and getting to know about each of them.
Would defiantly recommend!
Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

This was such a surprise at how much I absolutely adore this book. The writing was so fun and the characters all so relatable, I loved how they showed that life is messy and tough and that romance can blossom in the most unlikely of times. I loved the romance so much, it made me so happy the entire way through!

i loved this absolutely fabulous story. The enemies to lover story is perfect. When she moves home and meets someone who hates on site you know it's going to end up in the best of ways. I really enjoyed this story.

This book had a slower start for me and took a little bit to get used to the writing style, but once I got into it I enjoyed the story.

I enjoyed Katherine's character and how close she is with her family, but also how she grows and realizes she deserves more from the people in her life, whether in her job, relationships, or friendships. She isn't flawless, but she is funny, honest, and has a great heart. I also warmed up to Kit who has a grumpy exterior but means well and is just afraid to open up.

I appreciated the slow build between Katherine and Kit and loved their connection and banter once they moved past their initial reservations about one another. The ending wrapped up a bit too quickly for me, but overall I really enjoyed this one.

The romance is on the light side but there's good character growth so I recommend it for contemporary romance / women's fiction fans. Thank you NetGalley and HQ Stories for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

I ended up DNFing this book 15% in. The premise sounded good, and I really wanted to like, but there was just something about the writing style that I really couldn’t get past. The writing didn't flow smoothly at all, and I was constantly rereading sentences trying to follow along. If I can’t get into a writing style, I can’t read the book. If there are people who aren’t bothered by certain writing styles I think they could still enjoy this story though!

Accidentally in Love is a contemporary romance that follows a woman turning her life around in her mid-thirties, chasing her dream and falling in love along the way. While the book does utilize a couple of contemporary romance tropes I don’t usually like, it’s still a really wonderful read and will suck you right in.

Katharine Patterson has just been passed over- not for the first time – for a promotion she deserved. She works as an art curator in London, and she’s sick of being overlooked in favor of less competent men in spite of her master’s degree. Katharine walks out of her work, completely unsure of her next step. She’s got a kind-of-boyfriend who doesn’t want to meet her family or see her during the week, no job, and an expensive London flat to pay for. Plus, her best friend Lainey is getting married, and Katharine has committed to doing a lot of calligraphy for the event. Katharine’s passion for art originated in her devotion to photography, but she can’t remember the last time she picked up her camera. Unmoored from her life and re-evaluating her choices, Katharine sits at a crossroads.

On a weekend visit home, Katharine realizes how much she’s missed Sheffield, her dad, and her dad’s girlfriend Fiona. She has the idea to make a fresh start back home, and open her own gallery under her own name. Unfortunately, it is on this same visit home that she is introduced to Kit, a local artist her father has befriended, who seems to immediately hate Katharine. Kit accuses Katharine of being biased against smaller artists and only wanting to show big names, and questions her artistic integrity. Being called an elitist doesn’t make Katharine feel any better, given that it’s been a long time since she felt like a real artist. She feels even worse when she finds his website, which showcases his gorgeous paintings and successful art school. Kit’s talent and his complete dismissal of her stings, and Katharine hates to think that he might be right about her.

Katharine sets out to start her own business, but has to make a lot of decisions about what parts of her life will come to Sheffield with her. She dumps her rubbish not-boyfriend, focusses fully on her ambitious project, and starts to figure her life out again. But she keeps running into Kit- rude, cheeky, unfairly talented Kit – who wants nothing to do with her. Katharine has to decide what – and who – is worth her effort, and what her new life is going to look like.

This book has kind of a slow start, but it picks up after about a chapter or so. Katharine has a sharp, caustic voice, and it’s hysterical to read. She is wholly likable and the kind of female lead everyone can see themselves in; she accepts less than she deserves from a man, but takes her power back. She loses satisfaction in her life, and makes a change. While she’s not fearless or flawless, Katharine is brave, funny, and honest. She has a great heart, and is ready to make space in it for anyone who shows her they are worthy. I also loved Kit. I have limited patience for cranky, rude men, but Kit is fun to read about, a person who is afraid to open up, but desperately needs to be seen. Their romance is sweet, fulfilling, and wholesome; it’s a perfect love story of two people who are fairly similar below the surface but have difficulty seeing it. Kit and Katharine lift each other up, which is a refreshing dynamic and really makes you root for them.

Another great thing about this book is the fleshed out secondary characters. Katharine’s family and her relationships with them are great additions to the narrative, as opposed to an obstacle to the rest of the story. Families can be a stumbling block, but in this case, they’re just delightful. The supporting cast creates believable, interesting subplots that don’t detract from the love story or Katharine’s adventures. I adored this book in spite of the tropes I dislike, which are worked in effectively and didn’t bother me. The title and the cover did give me pause, but it’s really an amazing book and I would recommend Accidentally in Love to any contemporary romance reader.

Accidentally in Love by Belinda Missen was such an adorable book! It follows Katharine, a 35 year old woman who quits her job and moves back home to start her own art gallery. Into the story comes Kit, a local artist who throws everything for a loop with his blunt and straightforward attitude.

At first, the story seems like it's moving slowly. But later, I was glad that the author took her time with it and really fleshed out the introduction. It helps you get to know the characters a little better and the way their relationships work. They all have their ups and downs, and the story really focuses on their growth not just as individual people but also together.

One of my favorite parts of the story was the relationship Katharine had with her family. They were open and trusting. They shared without judgement and accepted each other for who they were. They were honestly one of the highlights of the story.

The book is mainly light and fun, but it does have some darker moments. There are some serious issues that are a part of the character's lives but they are not the central focus. The spotlight is on the character's themselves. The banter, and the back and forth conversation really helped to brighten up the book. That's the only thing I wanted more of in the book!

Overall, this book was a cute read that I would recommend if you're looking for a light and fluffy romance. It was fun and sweet, and ended on a very positive note!

A sweet and uplifting British rom-com about following your dreams

I adored Accidentally in Love, but it felt more like chick-lit/women's fiction, rather than a rom-com at times. This wasn't a smutty romance, but was more of a heart-warming tale of starting over, family and friendships, with some romance thrown in!

Belinda Missen took time to stablish Katherine. the main character, before diving into the romance, and I liked that. I love a book which doesn't just focus on the romance, and this one was just full of wonderful side characters! Kath's family were amazing, and there was plenty of page time devoted to her dad, his girlfriend Fiona, and her brother Adam. I loved them as a unit, they were so much fun, and their love and support of one and other was just so genuine, it warmed my soul! I also liked their individual relationships, Kath with her dad, and her touching connection with Fiona. Kath and her brother, Adam had some great banter, and were just so supportive of each other! I would love for him to get his own book!

Katherine was wonderful! So strong, independent, feisty, and yet warm and funny too. This book was just as much about her finding herself, as it was about the romance. Kath had such great character development, and I really enjoyed being there with her on her journey!

Accidentally in Love was also about friendship. Kath had been friends with her best friend Lainey since childhood, and it was an interesting and realistic look at how friendships can change over time, and how difficulties can arise as you both get wrapped up in your own lives.

There was lots of art in this book, and discussions about art, which was great. I don't know much about art, but I enjoyed both of the main character's passion about it.

Kit, the love interest wasn't introduced for a while, and then him and Katherine didn't get on at first. I have to admit that I didn't like him at first, and thought him stubborn, a bit pretentious and judgemental! But he definitely grew on me as I found out more about him, and it was worth sticking with him. Learning why he is the way he is did make me shed a tear or two. Also Kath and him had such a connection, a shared experience, that it was lovely to see them move past their initial hatred of each other. Plus, they have some great flirtation, and witty banter!

The drawback of this book was definitely the lack of communication a few times in the middle of the book. It frustrated me, and I found myself getting annoyed with both Kit and Katherine! The ending also felt a little rushed.

However, if you're looking for an easy, comforting read, I would recommend this, because it made me smile, laugh and cry, then left my little heart feeling full. It's perfect fans of Mhairi McFarlane.