I adore Georgia Beers' books, always guaranteed a well written story and book.

This is a very sweet romance between Brooke and Macy, both lovely characters, great story that will keep you turning the page until the end.

Would I recommend: yes if you're looking for a sweet romance

Sweet story from Georgia Beers. This author is one of my favorites she never disappoints. Once you start it you won't be able to stop until your finished.

One of Georgia Beers better books. Standoffish Brooke meets clumsy Macy in a not so meet-cute. Soon enough they become friends to more. A typical opposite attract plot but the characters and pets make you keep reading.

I have enjoyed almost all of Georgia Beers books. She knows how to write romance, love, family, and pets. This is a read about finding love and dealing with family. Brooke Sullivan, high end realtor, moves to a new city, new job and looks forward to a new life away from her well meaning but judgemental family. Macy Carr, stages homes, is recovering from a loss love with a supportive family and friends. When Macy and Brooke first meet, it is very bumpy to say the least. Both women realize there is an attractive but are unsure how to proceed. I liked the self-talk because it provided the reader with some inside information that aided in understanding why Brooke and Macy were saying and doing what they were saying and doing. I also liked the counting, it made sense and provided comfort and order.

🏳️‍🌈👩‍❤‍👩📚⚢✝️🐱👩‍💼❤️👩‍💼🐶🐕🐩🐾🐈🐱💔👩‍❤‍💋‍👩📖👭🏳️‍🌈

That’s in exchange of an honest review that I received an ARC of "16 Steps to Forever" by Georgia Beers from BSB (via NetGalley). 
So, here it is !!! 
My rating : 3 ⭐️

The story sets in a city in upstate New York during Spring and focuses on 31 one years old Brooke Sullivan, the bisexual real estate agent, transplant from Ohio without many friends, & Macy Carr, the local property stager and proud lesbian who has wonderful and supportive close friends and family members, and also five awesome animals …  Brooke knows for sure that people let you down, but that hasn’t stopped her from going after the life she wants. Macy believes in soul mates and true love. They met … Both think the last thing they need right now is a distraction …

Don’t get me wrong, this quite short book it was a decent read. The author’s usual good writing style is in there, as well as a few touches of humor. It was cool to have animals all over the pages of the book. It’s usually the case with Georgia Beers’ books so I wasn’t suprised, as a matter of fact, I was glad because that’s something I love. And with THAT I was able to connect without any trouble: a One-eyed cat (that’s cool to have disabled pets mentioned, they are awesome !! I know ‘cause I’ve got one myself, yes, a one-eyed kitty, and she’s a gem …), a stray cat (I rescued a bunch of them through the years and they are still my daily companions) and a few other adopted loving pets (I had some adopted dogs until they died of natural causes last year …). 

BUT … 


°° There are great & very supportive secondary characters in this novel like Macy’s nephew, Tyler, or even Macy’s BFF, Lucas, and Macy’s sister, Eva. It’s just a shame that towards the end they just seem to all have disappeared into thin air.

°° Between Brooke’s parents’ refusal of her bisexuality (the result of which is seeing her starting a completely new life in a new place, far from them), Macy’s grief about the loss of a loved one to an accident and a few other things happening (for example : Brooke’s desire to find a new Catholic church because she’s not ready to give up on her religion), Macy and Brooke both carry a lot of pain and sadness & need to work out the traumas that haunt them … BUT … Nope … they begin to deal with everything until they didn’t anymore…That’s definitely too short on the struggle.

°° Add to this what’s going on around them, happening to some of the secondary characters, for example : Tyler — Macy’s nephew — being dominated by his father Harlan, well, until he isn’t anymore or Brooke’s neighbor being clearly in an abusive relationship until she isn’t anymore... it feels like there wasn’t enough build up for the reader to become really invested in anything in the book. There were a lot of little hints for potential conflicts & dramas but the main one like the other minor ones never happened and it felt like a letdown to me. I mean by that; that all those topics are very serious ones and they need some time (a lot of it) and emotional work (the profesionnal support might often be required in some) to overcome …But the time frame, even if it’s progressing all the book long, doesn’t allow the situation to evolve logically from my POV … In my opinion, the seemingly miraculous resolution of all those issues just before the end doesn’t feel right … as a matter of fact it even seems totally off. It would have required way more time and depth in their treatment …because it would have made everything more credible and way more respectful for all the people, out there in the real world, who daily deal with this kind of heavy stuff… 

°° Maybe I missed something (even without skipping any pages or chapters, I swear) but I found a couple of things intriguing … Among a few others, I wonder, how on earth, in the first place, Brooke's parents — who live in another state — have been informed of her carbon monoxide accident for her to find them in her hospital room when she woke up. Reading about that kind of "weird" things gives me the feeling that a bunch of the chapters have been cut or shortened a big deal and, so, that a part of the story has been erased in the process …

OK … So… This might seem surprising for those who know me but , for once, I found that the now traditional black moment made sense because, for sure, the situation had everything to take its toll on anyone. However , the thing that bothered me (yeah … it couldn’t be all good), that’s the pacing & the rushed ending after this quite long event ("long" because described with detail, not "long" in time ...) . Since it was, for once, a necessary thing, the "breakup" had to happen BUT it should have happened earlier in the novel and be a tad more "violent", for the MCs to be really shaken to the core by it and have to work way much harder on their issues, to get back to trusting themselves and, then, each other. This "unbalance" I felt is reinforced by the lack of epilogue … In a proper closing chapter, it would have been interesting to know how, in time, the lovebirds dealt with everything they had left to face by becoming an official item… and it would also have made the end look like the HEA expected by everyone (& suggested by the title) instead of the HFN it looks like now …


If I had to make a very short and quite different version of my review, it’d be something like this :
- Did I enjoy this book? => Sadly, not as much as I wanted to …
- Did I find the characters believable? => Not really
- Is this book now included in my "must be re-read"-list? => Nope !
- Will I purchase the paperback? => Nope !
- Would I read another book by this author? => Yes because she’s an author appreciate and I still have a few of her previous novels in my TBR-list
- Would I recommend this book => I’ll let people use their free will to read the novel, or not …

🏳️‍🌈👩‍❤‍👩📚⚢✝️🐱👩‍💼❤️👩‍💼🐶🐕🐩🐾🐈🐱💔👩‍❤‍💋‍👩📖👭🏳️‍🌈

Georgia Beers is my go-to comfort read, and this one is no exeption. Warm, well written, good characters. Just perfect!

To be recommended!

3.9
I've read a number of books by Georgia Beers and just like her previous books, '16 steps to forever' did not disappoint.

This story as Hallmark written all over it. It's a sweet romance and you feel the romance between the pair bouncing off the pages.

I think for quite a few of us, 2020 was emotional hard on us... I've found it hard to concentrate and also had difficulty reading. But this book was very different from the rest of what I've read this year. It kept me gripped and ground and I found myself not wanting to put the book down. I actually read this in a day.

You have 2 main characters in the story, firstly Brooke Sullivan, she knows what she wants from life, even if she's been let down repeatedly. She's in a new city as started a new job and feels like she's back on her feet. She doesn't go looking for a distraction but then walks in Macy Carr. Macy Carr believes in true love and soul mates. Once upon a time she had everything she dreamed of until a simpy accident took it away from her. But she as her job, friends and her fur babies. Lifes good... until she falls for the newbie, her new agent working for her biggest client she as.

If you like romance stories, this one needs to be on your to-read list.

I gave '16 steps to forever' 3.9 stars.

I was given a copy for an honest review.

ACTUAL RATE: 3.5 stars

The first thing I'd like to say is that the work with the characters is great. When we meet the protagonists, we get the impression that Macy will be the sunshine, stereotypical Hufflepuff while Brooke will be the grumpy, emotionally closed-off workaholic. While they do have these characteristics, we get to know Macy is still dealing with the trauma of her (ex) girlfriend's death, using the sunshine-like personality as a mask/coping mechanism, and Brooke, after getting through the wall of her organization habit, she's just smitten and constantly in a bisexual crisis. She's still a workaholic, of course, and she suffers too, of course, for example, because of her parents' disapproval of her bisexuality, but I personally think that she's closer to the cute sunshine than Macy is and I like it when the expected roles are switched.
Now, giving Macy and Brooke a so deserved break, let's talk about the secondary characters. Tyler, Macy's 16-year-old nephew, has an important plot point and his conversations with his aunt are always fun to read. There was one line from the character, though, that I didn't really like. (MINOR SPOILERS)  When they're talking about his sexuality, Tyler mentions that his generation "doesn't like labels" or something amongst those lines. Well. First of all, Gen Z is already romanticized virtually, as if everyone from this generation were revolutionary people, which... is so not true. I'm qualified as Gen Z and I like labels a lot and know many people around my age who do as well. They make me feel safe and bring me comfort, and the moment I'm certain of one of my labels I feel just... euphoric. Second of all, it sounded as if he spoke of labels as something outdated, which is not a good idea and doesn't help people who do feel comfortable with labels, like me, at all. It wouldn't have been hard to slightly change the line to "I don't really like labels", without bringing generations to the table.
Apart from this line, though, I adore Tyler. I enjoyed his character almost as much as Brooke and Macy. I also hate his parents. Eva, Macy's sister, is mad annoying to me, and her husband is a terrible, terrible father. Likely to be a terrible husband, too, but about that, I have no idea. Tyler, I'm sorry to correct you, but your dad isn't a teddy bear, he's a pig. 
Enough for the "Tyler's father whose name I made no effort to remember" hate (for now). Something I also really like about this book is the different dynamics between LGBTQ+ characters and their families. Macy's family is shown as not only accepting, but also supportive: she's close to them, having family reunions often, and her attraction to women being mentioned and discussed normally, openly, not being doubted for a moment and Tyler says that his parents are chill with him being unlabeled. Brooke's parents, on the other hand, are intensely religious in the typical LGBTphobe manner we all know and certainly not love, which is the reason Brooke moved away from their home in the first place. They still talk to each other, but the conversations are superficial and the both of them, although they know about her bisexuality, her attraction to women is unspoken of, ignored, while they often talk about men she could have a relationship with. So, there's a variety of identities and types of family dynamics, which shows that not every LGBTQ+ person is the same and neither are their households and surroundings. Basically, context important when giving advice to LGBTQ+ people, for example, and that there shouldn't be any pressure to us coming out, because it might not be safe to do so. This is a very important message to portray and that not many works get right: not all LGBTQ+ families go through psychological torture with their families, but the opposite isn't the rule either. There's no rule when it comes to that.
I also enjoyed how grief was portrayed by Beers, how its weight gradually became lighter, until she managed to forget about it for mere seconds; then, feeling guilty about it; and then, overcoming that guilt. Mere seconds are significant and as someone who has been through that, I loved how delicately it was handled, but still raw.
Finally, to end this very long review (I don't know how it got so long), I wanna talk about the misunderstandings and the miscommunication in this story: finally! Finally reasonable and relatable miscommunications! I wanted to call them dumb and stupid several times but I'd be a hypocrite to do so, because I would do the same! Or already did the same, the point still stands. So yeah, I liked that a lot. 
Sooo, if you want a romance that tackles heavy topics like death, grief, anxiety disorder and biphobia, but in a way that isn't too heavy because it's inbetween romantic and/or funny scenes, then this is for you.

Although I liked this book, at points I was a bit frustrated by it too. It's hard to review without giving key bits of the storyline away but I think some aspects of this story were resolved a little too simply. For one, Brooke's relationship with her parents was an aspect I think should've been resolved clearer for the reader as it was made an issue for our main characters. 
I absolutely adored Brooke, who I think was pegged as an ice-queen type (but really was a huge softy from the get-go) but Macy was a character I didn't particular connect with. I know we are set-up to feel sympathy for her but I think by mid-way I was ready for her to learn and develop. 
All in all, a cute romantic story.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I just couldn't connect with this one.  I love Georgia's other books, but for whatever reason I didn't vibe with this one.

When a read a Georgia Beers book I know she is going to give me everything I like in a book.                   This is the story of two women who didn't think they needed love in their life.                                    Brooke is the new real-estate broker for Sasha Wolfe Realty. She is trying to escape her family who is not happy about her being bi sexual. Macy is a stager that works with  Wolfe Realty. Brooke and Macy meet in the boardroom where Macy runs into Brooke with a handful of Raspberry Danish all over her white jacket. They keep running into each other at the park and coffee shop. The books starts out as you are introduced to her animals. Her cat vomited into her favorite shoes and she put her foot into that shoe. Brooke and Macy started out as a slow burn but when they got up to speed they had awesome chemistry. Sex scenes were some of the best Ms. Beers has written.                                                             The secondary characters were awesome. Macy 's best friend Lucas was wise and funny and with her menagerie of 5 animals. Her sister Eva and nephew Tyler kept encouraging Macy to get back into the dating scene after the death of her GF. Brooke brings life back into Macy. I ended the book with a smile on my face and couldn't wait for the audio to come  out so I could read the book again.

When I want to read a delightful romance novel, I frequently look for a book written by Georgia Beers.  She always writes a pleasant romance that will provide readers with several hours of a heart-warming story.

In 16 Steps to Forever the two main characters are Brooke Sullivan and Macy Carr.  Brooke is a successful, high-end realtor who has recently moved to upstate New York.  After coming out to her family, she needs to start a new life in a town where she has not grown up because her family does not understand her since she previously dated men.  Although the synopsis of the book makes one feel as though Brooke is standoffish, her character just takes a while to warm up to people before she is interesting and shows a quick sense of humor.

Macy Carr works for a company which stages offices and homes for realtors. Macy is incredibly talented and has an excellent eye for this type of work.  After losing the love of her life in a car accident, she is not looking for a new relationship.  However, when Macy meets Brooke, she cannot seem to keep her out of her thoughts.  She wants to get to know Brooke.  However, although Macy is a friendly and talented person, she does have one little flaw—she is quite clumsy, and their first meeting is disastrous.

Readers will find that Macy and Brooke are charming, and their characters are well developed.  The story is a “feel good” plot with little drama.  Instead, you will find that you just want to see how their relationship develops.  

I have read every one of Ms. Beers’ books and recommend them to anyone who wants to read an excellent book.  I rate 16 Steps to Forever with 4.5 out of 5 stars.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Georgia Beers is an expert in creating moments of meet-cutes and first kisses and this book has proved it again. Brooke, a real estate agent just moved to a small town starting a new job. Through her new job, she met and got to know the adorkable Macy, the property-stager. At first, their story was looked like an ice queen romance, but as the story goes it slowly reveals the layers of Brooke character into a warm and funny personality. The chemistry between Brooke and Macy felt natural since their first meeting and was build very slowly. 

Just like every other Georgia Beers’ book, I really enjoy the pacing. I can feel the depth of the emotion of the characters and the atmosphere of a small town. This is a sweet romance and definitely provides an enjoyable escape during these uncertain times.

The premise is a bit cliché, but the story was so beautifully told that I really didn't mind. Brooke and Macy are wildly different people, and yet they fit so well together. While neither character is perfect, both served as fantastic main characters who I genuinely liked. The alternating perspectives in the book definitely helped with that. A great read, and I look forward to reading even more from this author.

Another good Georgia Beers’ book with an ice queen in a suit and an adorable klutz with emotional baggage.

Ice queens and office romances are two of my favourite tropes, so give them to me and I am sold. Brooke is the ice queen real estate agent in a power suit, eager to be back on her feet in a new city with a new job. The last thing Brooke needs is to be distracted by the adorable klutz of a property stager who throws Danishes all over her the first time they meet and spills coffee the second time. 

I always gravitate towards ice queen characters, and I was drawn into the book from the moment Brooke threw a mini bitchfit in the bathroom while wiping raspberry stains off her expensive white suit. But Brooke didn’t stay as ice queen for long. And she turned out to have the sweetest personality and the tenderest hear and I found myself liking this Brooke too. 

I’m surprised by how much I liked Macy as well. Macy was described by Brooke as flaky at the start and I thought she was going to be a ditzy and shallow character, but she really wasn’t. Macy wants Brooke but is afraid to fall in love again after having lost her partner in a freak accident. She hesitates making progress with Brooke at several intervals because of the emotional baggage she carries as the surviving partner and this is one of the core themes of the book. Without giving the story away, I would just like to say that Beers develops the storyline around this theme very well. 

Although this book was slow at the start, Beers had me in tears at the end.

I really enjoyed this. Brooke and Macy are different in so many ways but come together so well. I am always looking for bisexual characters in sapphic romances, so I loved Brooke though I wish she took longer to fully warm up to Macy. I was hoping for more of an ice queen.  
I love the heart and emotion the story evokes.

Two strong women who are the same yet very different.  They don't want whats right in from of them...don't even want to try, but can't deny that they might have to give it a shot.  Admittedly, Ms. Beers is one of my favorite authors, and t his book really didn't disappoint.  I love that she can evoke all the emotions in a story!

This was a really sweet read. Brooke and Macy were both very well written characters with a lot of depth and chemistry. I liked that Brooke was bisexual and that this wasn’t glossed over, also liked that the book explored issues around faith. It was great to see two characters who were in tune with their feelings and communicated well, without any unnecessary dramas or miscommunication issues to move the plot along. The conflict at the end could have been resolved more slowly and Brooke, who seemed like an ice queen at the beginning, could have taken longer to warm to Macy, which would have made this book perfect but I very much enjoyed it still.

This book was a delight to read.  The story is essentially an opposites attract story.  Two women - Macy, a klutzy free spirit, and Brooke, a fairly regimented woman - meet under less than perfect circumstances, then find themselves slowly warming up to each other.  The secondary characters (especially, Sasha) were interesting, and added to the story.  And any story that has cats and dogs in it is a winner for me.

There were two issues, though, that I had with the story.  One was that I found that Brooke's character too easily warmed up to Macy,  And, secondly, I found it a bit repetitive how each character focused in detail on what clothes the other was wearing whenever they met.  The author presented them as physically attractive women who wore clothes that added to their attraction.  One or two mentions of this would have sufficed ... at least, for me.   However, these are minor quibbles, and I recommend this book.

ARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Georgia Beers is one of my favourite authors, and this is a lovely romance from her. 

This features Macy, who is recovering from the death of her partner and works for a fit-out business and Brooke, who is staring a new job at a real estate agency that Macy’s company does a lot of work for. Their first meeting does not get off to a good start and I admit I expected Brooke to be more of a hard ass about it, (as her character is portrayed as a bit ice-queeny in the blurb) but she’s a complete softie. They have a few more ‘meet cutes’ and then become friends. Their relationship is sweet and unfolds naturally and I liked how they communicated (and flirted) with each other. 

Brooke has some family issues due to her bisexuality and the requisite baggage that comes with that, while Macy has trauma from her partner’s death and this leave her uncertain about how to move forward at various stages. 

There’s also a delightful cats of supporting characters, particularly Brooke’s boss, Sasha (who features in a novella in [book:All I Want for Christmas|54636237], and Macy’s BFF Lucas and her nephew Tyler, who has a small storyline that coincides with Macy’s AHA moment during the requisite drama around the 80% mark. That drama felt less contrived than usual, and thankfully didn’t involve a long protracted breakup, more of a pause that was rectified by actual communication. I did think the end was a bit sudden, but it still managed to tick all the boxes. 

Honestly, I just wanted to read something sweet and hopeful and this is both. Fans of Beers should love this. 4 stars.