A cute read! Funny and it has some steam. One R rated sex scene for those who want to know. It was like a hallmark movie with more adult content and I think it worked. The ending will leave you happy and satisfied.

How Sweet It Is was such a *sweet* book! Kate Sweet is an event planner. (do NOT call her a party planner) that gets roped into helping her best friend with a book launch for the "Knight of Nightmares" Drake Matthews. Their meet-cute is super embarrassing and so fun. I read this one really fast, and enjoyed it a lot! It was fun, had some emotion, but overall was a breezy-read!

Kate Sweet is an event planner who has it all together. When she agrees to plan a book launch event for horror writer Drake Matthews, chaos ensues leading to Drake firing her. Kate wins Drake over by agreeing to help him with his next book and to run everything about the event by him. As the two spend more time together, romance blooms, but can Drake trust that Kate really loves him for himself.

How Sweet It Is is a lovely romantic comedy which takes place mostly in a small town setting. Drake is a horror-writing cinnamon roll and Kate is a smart business woman with a soft side. The two main characters see each other for who they are and support each other. I also enjoyed the side characters - Drake’s mother and two brothers and Kate’s best friend Imani. I hope that we’ll see stories for them all in the future,

What piqued my interest in this book was the horror writer angle. I love horror books and someimes romance so this was a perfect match for me. When Kate is between weddings in her event planning business, her friend asks her to plan an event for a new book. As Kate wonders which romance writer it might be, her friend informs her it's a famour horror writer known as The King of Nightmares. There are funny moments in the book along the way. The only part that bothered me was when Kate leaves behind important paperwork at a cofffee shop. She is the queen of spreadsheets so it didn't seem realistic that she would be so forgetful. Maybe leaving them in a cab that speeds off or a folder that flies away seems more likely. Also I wish the cover showed more of the horror aspect, bats flying around or pumpkins. Overall a fun and different take on the romance novel!

I was sucked in to this story due to it being marketed as 'perfect for fans of Beach Read.' I read Beach Read a few weeks ago and loved it so figured this would be right up my alley...

This story features wedding planner extraordinaire Kate Sweet, and 'Knight of Nightmares' horror writer Drake Matthews. Kate finds herself planning a book launch event for Drake's latest book and from their very first (disastrous) meeting, you know this is not going to be a smooth ride.

I did enjoy the characters, I liked that they were both focussed on their careers and were working alongside each other. There were a few very cute moments and some that were quite steamy. I did think that the relationship building/tension/angst that makes so many book romances/relationships draw you in and cause you to turn pages desperately at 3am, was lacking somewhat. They seemed to meet, have a couple of interactions and then it's a bit of a skip to them off on a night away for 'work' and bam things are happening. It takes away some of that delicious anticipation.

I loved the brothers and would 100% read a sequel if it featured them.

Overall, this story lives up to its name. It's very sweet and its a nice easy, happy ready for anyone who is looking for something light and fluffy.

Thank you netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I didn't know Dylan Newton at all and got into this novel without knowing what to expect. It was a very nice surprise!
Kate is a talented event planner who knows how to make other people's lives magical for a day. Drake is a writer of scary novels, which everyone imagines as a vampire sleeping in a coffin (I'm exaggerating a bit lol) but he's a far cry from that stereotype. On the contrary, he gives off a lot of sensitivity, doubts and romanticism. His meeting with Kate will turn his life and career upside down, she will unwittingly inspire him with feelings and scenarios imbued with love. Their attraction is immediate but they will not give in to it right away. I loved their verbal jousting, their game of seduction, their clumsiness, their humor, their benevolence ... They are two generous and adorable characters who help each other in their careers and become friends and then lovers. I loved learning about Drake's writing process and his challenges for Kate, especially in the graveyard. I loved Kate's imagination, her ideas, her caring relationship with others. I loved Drake's family, his mom and his brothers. The scene where they meet made me laugh and melt.
In short, this novel makes you happy and joyful, the story of Kate and Drake is really cute. A nice little story that is good for morale!

*I received an advanced copy for free in exchange for an honest review.*

I loved this! Kate was so much fun - especially when she was a hot mess. I also appreciated Drake. So often we can get trapped in boxes that others create for us, and it can be so difficult (and even scary) to get out of them. I do wish they had talked more about their conflict - it felt a little two nice & wrapped up with a bow. Overall, I loved all of the characters and much of the conflict felt very real and like it could actually happen to normal people. Super easy and cute read.

This book is absolutely amazing. I genuinely smiled the whole time I was reading this! Dylan Newton absolutely has a hit here!

If you're a fan of strong female characters, swoon worthy writer guys with adorable dogs, small town settings, fall and Halloween, fun stories, and fantastic side characters then this is the book for you!

You honestly can't help but root for Kate and Drake, both together and separately. They are such fun characters who grow so much on their own that it's just so fun to watch them get to know each other and wonder if they can bring their very different lives together.

Plot: This was so good! I love that Kate is an event planner, planning the launch for Drake's new book. The romance was adorable. The book had me laughing at multiple parts! (Their first meeting was hilarious!) And I LOVED that the book takes place in Autumn, around Halloween!

Characters: Kate was a fantastic main character, and I loved her relationship with Drake. I also really liked Imani, and I hope we get a book focused on her! And Drake's family was wonderful, I really liked his brothers!

The Cover: It's really cute! Though, it would be nice if it had a little more Autumn/Halloween colors on it, to show that the book takes place then, because in my experience, it's hard to find Romances that take place during that time.

Overall: I really loved this book! And I LOVED the epilogue. I will definitely be checking out what else this author writes in the future, and I would highly recommend reading this book!

I received an e-ARC of this book from the publisher.

As the title suggests, this was a very sweet novel that I really enjoyed. I liked all of the characters and I wished some of them, particularly Imani, played a bigger role. I loved the overall plot (the wedding planner planning a horror author's event sold me in), but I felt like it was very trope-y, and even a bit cliché sometimes. The meet cute was definitely on the cliché side and the whole thing felt very insta-love, which I'm not really a fan of. I also felt like the conflict at around the 80% mark was a little unneeded since it was just mostly there to create more drama and angst. I thought Drake went a little overboard with his words to Kate but I felt his reaction was still sort of valid since they only knew each other for like, three weeks then? I also wished Kate's family had a bigger role and her conflict with them was more explored, instead of it being resolved backstage and was kind of a footnote in the epilogue. Other thinhs I liked was how there was a focus on Kate and Drake's respective careers as well instead of just the romance. I especially enjoyed all the descriptions for Drake's writing process. The ending was cute and I think it tied the whole story nicely.

The title sums this book up quite perfectly

I really enjoyed it. Light and fun and the characters were a joy to read. The meet-cute was more of a meet-awkward/disaster which was very entertaining.

The characters Kate and Drake were incredibly likeable (even loveable). I enjoyed the career centred theme where both characters were trying to shift and grow in their own ways.
Drake’s career as a horror writer, dubbed the knight of nightmares, paired with his sweet side was so lovely to read.
I loved that Kate’s career goals and aspirations weren’t seen as a downside or even a problem in any way. Drake’s response to her concerns was *chef’s kiss* perfection.
You made me swoon Drake! You made me swoon.

If you need a feel good pick me up, an ice cream after a heavy meal, read this.

She is the Queen of Happily Ever Afters - He is the Knight of Nightmares and they're soooooo sweet !

Kate and Drake seem so different : she's an extravert event planner really focused on winning an award and he's an introvert writer torned between what he would like to write and what he thinks his readers expect from him. Their one a kind meeting leads to a really, really cute romance I didn't want to end.

This is a 5 stars story (lovely and just a little steamy to hook you if hadn't been hooked yet) and I hope so much Dylan Newton is preparing a series to give Imani, Zander and Ryker their own books !!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an eArc in exchange of an honest review.

Loved every minute of this book. I loved this story. It's friends to lovers with one of the best meet cute I've read in a while. The dialogue between both characters was awesome and the chemistry palpable. It deals with some issues while still being a light and fun read. I'm excited to read more books hopefully about Drake's brothers.ok. I'm excited for more Matthew's!!

How Sweet It Is is a chaotic little romcom! I really liked the premise of the book -- the idea of an event planner who traditionally does weddings taking on a splashy book launch to diversify her portfolio was really unique and interesting. I really liked Kate's professional ambitions and the tensions with her family about her career added some depth to the novel.

Kate and Drake's meet cute is pure chaos -- climbing your prospective client like a tree is certainly one way to make an impression. I liked their dynamic and the Kate-as-Drake's-muse scenes are silly but fun. I wish the "conflict" at the end had been a bit more believable -- Drake pops off and makes a series of assumptions based on a miscommunication that seemed pretty out of character. But overall this is a fun romance novel if you're looking for something fluffy and sweet! 3.5 stars rounded up!

Kate Sweet is a mile a minute event planner. She's all about the details with her spreadsheets to prove it, ever planning to give people their "Awww moment". Her specialties are weddings, and she basks in the Happily Ever After. When one couple don't make it to the alter, she has an unexpected gap in her schedule and her publisher friend convinces her to plan an event of a different kind - the upcoming release of Drake Matthews' next novel.

Drake Matthews is known as the Knight of Nightmares - a horror writer, who supposedly lives in a house that's haunted. When Kate is stood up by her friend to meet him, she's chased by his overexuberant dog, and injures him with her impossibly high heel. Things look to be off to a shaky start and it's apparent it's going to take all Kate's experience to make the event a success.

How Sweet It Is takes it's sweet time to get going. It's particularly character-driven in the beginning as readers begin to get to know Kate and Drake. On the surface, the pair couldn't be more different "If I wrote this scene, I'd have the shows all cancelled, so you'd have to stay", Kate announced "And we'd go down and ride that boat into the mist". "And if I wrote that scene, a kraken would emerge, wrap the boat in its tentacles, and drag it down to the craggy depths", Drake said.

There's also details aplenty about Drake's home and it's importance in the story. I'm thinking a la Stephen King and Maine here .... Things start to get more interesting due to the close proximity and the pair's preoccupation for one another under their close working conditions. Some meddling from Patty, Drake's mother helps as well. Once the pair declare their intentions after a brush with Drake's ex partner on a "business trip" there's some real warmth in the characters and they seem much more robust.

This one is a feel good read, with some substance. The reader gets a real sense of them looking for someone for a partnership as opposed to them not feeling complete with their own lot as individuals.

Thank you to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing this copy for me to read and review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC.

🌟🌟🌟🌟 4/5 stars

Such a cute, breezy romance with an excellent storyline. How Sweet It Is is about Kate Sweet, a rising event planner who is asked to help with the book launch event for the hugely successful horror writer, Drake Matthews (think Stephen King-level horror fame). Drake is tired of being known as the “Knight of Nightmares” and, after meeting Kate, finds himself inspired to write something completely different.

I just loved this storyline. Also, the autumnal vibes combined with Halloween and old Victorian houses just spoke to me. This was a fun romance that was full of meet cutes, hijinks, grand gestures, and banter. Fans of Lauren Layne and Tessa Bailey will love this read!

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Full review to be posted closer to release date.

This was a really fun debut from Dylan Newton.
Kate Sweet is an event planner and known as the "Queen of Happily Ever After"
Drake Matthews is a best selling horror writer with the unfortunate nickname of the Knight of Nightmares.
In order to help a longtime, childhood friend, Kate agrees to help plan the launch event for Drake's new book.
Drake has been stuck in writer's block for his horror novels and has decided on a secret project that he thinks Kate can help him with, unbeknownst to her.

This is a very sweet and funny rom-com. I loved the two MCs as well as the supporting characters. There were things about them that happily surprised me. The banter was fun and I loved how Kate took charge and rolled with all of the punches. It was a very fast read for me as I didn't want to put it down. It seems as if there will be more coming from these characters and there's definitely a set up for it. I will definitely be reading anything else that comes from Dylan Newton. 4 1/2 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publication for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Dylan Newton’s debut novel How Sweet It Is is fun, sweet and witty. I enjoyed following along as the main characters got to know each other and fell in love. I loved this book and did not want to put it down. I am definitely a big fan of Newton’s writing and can’t wait to read her future novels.

Thank you Netgalley for the e-arc in return of my honest review.

"HOW SWEET IT IS" is a book you would like to read if you want not so cliché romcoms.
The story starts of with Kate Sweet (heroine) how she runs her business successfully as an event planner. Then she gets a offer to set up a book launch of horror writer. Where she meets Drake Mathews also known as King of Nightmares. Though their first meet was not so meet cute I would rather say it was a complete disaster it was overall a fun romcom.

Do you expect to click right away with the person where your first meet was a complete disaster? I would rather not show my face to him forever. But here the Queen of Happily Ever After's meets her King of Nightmares there's supposed to be some out of the norm scenes that may be extraordinary or disastrous so that's fine.

The story now revolves where they both need each other for their work. They spend days together where Kate helps him to write his book and Drake helps her to set his book launch successfully for her profession. This is a close proximity trope. If you like it then you can have fun reading this. However, for me this book was little off the track and not so intriguing so it didn't work for me that well.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

It's a quick, light-hearted read. The romance development following their disastrous 'meet cute' was so quick I sometimes couldn't follow. But there are fun banters and scenes that I enjoyed.