HOW SWEET IT IS - @authordylannewton
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Heat level: 🔥🔥

Thank you @netgalley and @readforeverpub for this ARC. Coming out July 13!

"Event planner Kate is famous for creating the HEA for her clients’ dream weddings. But her best friend asked her to plan an horror book launch for her client.

Drake is tired of his reputation as the Knight of Nightmares. He’s not prepared for Kate, or for the attraction he feels for her. She’s inspiring him to take his writing in a whole new direction. Now Kate and Drake are changing up the rules, and this plot twist might just surprise everyone, including themselves."

💭This is a feel good, laugh out loud, heartwarming book that should be on everyone's shelves.

Mixing the happily ever after side of Kate's business with the horror side of Drake's books makes for a surprising and explosive combination. The result? Unique scenes, like one in a cemetery, and a sometimes gothic atmosphere.

Let me tell you that I screamed with laughter at the meet cute. It was an absolute disaster that didn't seemed to end. I have never read anything like it and I loved it so much. The adorable romance is definitely a slow burn and culminates to an incredible sex scene 🥵. I wish the high of their incredible chemistry would have come a bit early in the book though.

Both leads have good careers that they don't plan on giving up because of the other. They don't fall instantly in love and realise they have a lot to loose if they rush it. There is real growth for both of them and the realisatisations they make are meaningful. This was a realistic story and we STAN realistic stories.

I love Kate's confidence and determination. Drake is also super adorable with his project and the way he relies on Kate to make it happen. I also enjoyed getting a glimpse of how his brain works and his overactive imagination.

Btw, I am pretty sure Dylan is a The Office fan (I'm right, right?) because I spotted 2 references.

I wish the issues raised in the book (lack of support, fears) were more developed, and the pace was sometimes a bit slow for me, but I really enjoyed the book and I urge you to get it when it comes out July 13!

I had high hopes for this story going into it. However, it turns out that this isn't my kind of romcom. This is more slapstick, zany comedy. The meet-cute went on for far too long and packed way too much into it. By the time I got to the end of it, I wasn't amused or invested in any of the characters.

I think the writing style shows a lot of promise, and the premise sounded amazing! But in the end this wasn't my cup of tea. DNF at 25%.

4 stars! This is a super cute debut novel. The hero and heroine were both likeable and funny. I really enjoyed their story. Sweet is a great way to describe it.

What a cute read! This was a really fun opposites attract romance.

I found it quick to get through, I loved the character development, and the storyline in general. Kate and Drake have excellent chemistry, and I found myself laughing as they found themselves in several situations on the bumpy road of their relationship. It was a fun read, I would definitely recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

With a unique premise involving a wedding event planner and a horror author, this book was absolutely delightful! I fell in love with Kate and Drake just like they fell in love with each other. With well-timed humor, so much heart, and just a touch of steam, How Sweet It Is is the perfect romcom for your beach bag this summer. I'm already excited for Newton's next book.

There is something so wonderful about two main characters not liking each other right away - one of my favorite tropes! I was new to this author and I was pleasantly surprised! I will be recommending this book to patrons and purchasing a copy for our library. There is even a fun little twist!

I really enjoyed this book! It is a sweet romcom with oodles of laughter and fun within the pages. It does contain one of my least favourite troops, insta-love, but the author did a good job of making us believe that this could be attainable for anyone. This is a great book if you're in need of an instant pick-me-up or quick laugh. I look forward to reading more of Dylan Newton's books!

Thank you to @readforeverpub and @netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Adorable and romantic read for the summer. Would recommend taking it on your holidays and reading by the pool.

You guys. This book - Pure rom com goodness. I loved it so much.

Drake is a horror writer with a reputation he can’t shake and is known as the “Knight of Nightmares” but is really the nicest guy ever and also my new favorite book boyfriend.

Kate - an event planner who is the “Queen of Happy Ever Afters” who is driven to succeed and shine in her chosen and well loved career despite her family of surgeons pressuring her to join them.

Helping out a friend, Kate agrees to plan a book launch for a famed horror author in his maybe-haunted house. This book had me smiling from their initial crazy meet cute through the mix-ups and chaos that seemed to follow them all throughout the book. and I loved every minute of it. It was cute and funny and charming. It also took moments to shine the spotlight on very important causes such as Veterans and victims of abuse throughout the book.

Drake’s mother, brothers and grandma along with Kate’s best friend Imani round out a lovely cast of supporting characters and I truly would love to see more about each of them. Can we please make this happen??

This entire book was an Awww moment for me and, if you are a rom-com lover like me, you should definitely preorder for this summer release. It will be a perfect beach day read!

All the stars and so many thanks to @netgalley @readforeverpub for the arc. All glowingly positive opinions are my own.

One of my favorite reads of 2021! Will add more when I’m at my laptop! Thank you NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the digital ARC!

3.5 magical little stars.

This was a really cute and fun rom-com about Kate, an event planner, and Drake, a best-selling horror author. The two are unexpectedly thrown together when Kate's best friend calls in a favour, asking her to plan Drake's upcoming book launch. The two get into some really funny shenanigans planning the launch and conducting research for Drake's writing - their first meeting in particular amused me greatly!

This was a really quick and easy read. It is quite a slow-burn though due to the professional nature of Kate and Drake's relationship. While I understand and respect the choice to do this, by the 60/70% mark of the book I was little bored of waiting and wanted the romance to get going! I just feel that for a rom-com where sparks had been flying from the start a slow-burn wasn't the right choice. The book doesn't provide enough of a the deep connection I expect alongside a slow-burn romance.

The one issue I had with this book was the celebrity lifestyle Drake's books were letting him lead. He is constantly recognised by swarms of fans who want autographs and is very wary of people because of his fame. I just found it all a little over the top and unbelievable. I could be wrong and authors do go through this but I personally don't have any idea what a lot of my favourite authors look like, let alone the exact house they live in to stake out for an autograph.

Overall this was a really enjoyable book, I just wish there had been a little more romance.

What a cute premise - a horror author works with a wedding planner to create a book launch for his new release, all set against the backdrop of a charming small town.

Kate Sweet is a wedding planner known for delivering over-the-top weddings with “Aww!” Moments for her clients. She is in between events when her best friend asks her to do a book launch event for a best-selling author. The only catch? That author is Drake Matthews, master of the horror genre and known as the Knight of Nightmares.

Their meet-cute is the stuff of nightmares (requiring bandages!), but the attraction is there from the beginning.

What I loved:
💕 low-stakes, low-angst romance read, set in an almost Gilmore Girls-esque small town
💕 the horror author and wedding planner pairing is original and makes for some hilarious settings (including a near-kiss in a mausoleum!)
💕 the creative process for both the hero and the heroine is interesting and descriptively written

Watching Kate and Drake fall for each other is adorable, and you’ll be rooting for them the whole time. If you are looking for a new read with a unique pairing and a hilarious meet-cute, you cannot go wrong with picking up this new book (releasing on July 13th).

Thanks to @NetGalley and @ReadForeverPub for providing and advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

This book was a super sweet rom-com about an event planner and a horror writer. Drake and Kate are so cute together! I almost gave this 3.5 stars, because I did feel like something was lacking. (If I were Kate, I would say it needed a bigger "aww" moment) But it was a really entertaining read, so that pushed it up to 4 stars.

The conflict in this book was very small, which isn't always a bad thing! Sometimes you just need a cute light read where nothing major happens, and that's okay. So, if you are looking for a sweet, easy read, I recommend this book.

This is a book I will definitely be recommending to other readers if they're looking for a true rom-com; there were a lot of hilarious moments in this, the pace of the book was quick (almost too quick at times because I didn't want it to be over as soon as it was!), and the chemistry blended just the right amount of heat and softer romance. It's a phenomenal debut from a new-to-me author that I'll be looking to shove at everyone when it finally debuts!

This was a wonderful debut by Dylan! I absolutely loved the dynamic between Drake and Kate! As a fan of the macabre, it was fun to see some horror mixed in with my romance. Low grade spice level. Quick easy read, that I would recommend to friends!

I was a little hesitant with this book, just because I’d never read anything from Dylan Newton, but I’m so happy I was wrong.

A quick and fun read, with plenty of aww and funny moments throughout.
Newton did an amazing job making me fall in love with these characters, Kate was a loveable dork with an attitude but not to the point where you’d cringe every few minutes, and Drake was the tall, dark and brooding who doesn’t show his true feelings to anyone, even though at heart he’s a big ol’ softy. While the trope can be overused, it didn’t feel cliche.

The love story, while a bit of a whirlwind, didn’t feel rushed or one sided at all. The pacing felt a more natural than most romance novels, and Drake asking Kate to participate in research for his book was one of the scenes that really sold me on them as a couple.

I can’t wait to read more from Dylan Newton, They will definitely be an instant buy for me!

4.5⭐️ Overall

✨Thanks to NetGalley, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review✨

DNF @ 24%

This book isn't terrible, but I did not like either of the characters or the plot/writing. For a romance novel I need to be able to rally behind the characters. I see potential for this one to grow on me, but I just was not feeling it and I'm trying really hard not to force myself to finish books I'm not interested in.

*thanks to the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review*

How Sweet It Is was so good! Both Drake and Kate are wonderful characters. They are fun, they have their own issues to work through, they are strong, and they are great together. I loved them and I loved all the supporting characters as well.

I appreciated the fact that this wasn't straight insta-romance. It did happen fast, but over the course of a few weeks, not immediately, which I appreciated. I could have done with a little more steam, but the steam we got was great!

This was a fun, romantic read. I highly recommend picking it up when it comes out, and I can’t wait to read more by Dylan Newton. I really hope she writes more with Drake's two brothers!

Thank you to Dylan Newton, Forever Publishing, & NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

I really hate giving negative reviews, but this book did not do it for me. You know it's time to DNF a book when you dread reading it and can only get yourself to read a few pages at at time. I haven't not finished a book in a long time, but 65% through I have decided to throw in the towel. I feel a little bad because I couldn't bring myself to finish it. I just don't forsee myself enjoying the rest.

This is supposed to be a rom-com, but I didn't find it funny or witty. The romance between the main characters felt pretty non-exisitent and frankly, I felt very awkward while reading this. Many cringe-worthy moments made this book hard for me to get invested in it. Honestly, I'm not sure how to rate this because I didn't enjoy it and didn't finish it. Maybe someone else will love this one, but it wasn't for me.

Thank you Netgalley and Forever Publishing for this book in exchange for a honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review!

How Sweet It Is, is a charming, quirky, slow-burn romance. The plot follows Kate Sweet, a wedding turned event planner, and Drake Matthews, a bestselling horror novelist known as the "Knight of Nightmares", whose book launch she is tasked with planning. After a catastrophic first meeting and Kate momentarily being fired, Drake brings her back to help him not only with his upcoming book party, but to help with the secret romance novel he is writing.

Things I liked: While the book borders on an extra slow-burn, the chemistry between Drake and Kate is perfectly written to keep you invested as the two gradually give into their shared attraction. As a reader, you become desperate to see who will give in first and how! I found both characters to be extremely loveable and perfectly matched. The way that Newton crafted their different perspectives and worldviews into her writing was expertly done. It was refreshing to have Dylan and Kate be confidently and comfortably themselves, both individually and with each other. Lastly, really great secondary characters!

Things I didn't like: The end of the book felt a little bit rushed. I would have liked to have a bit more time for the resolution to breathe, and for the characters to fully flesh out their feelings/motivations in coming back together.

Overall, How Sweet It Is, is a light-hearted captivating read that you will probably finish in one sitting because you can't put it down. I look forward to more Dylan Newton books in the future!