Definitely Not Dating is the follow up to The Accidental Fiance. Following the story of Everleigh and police chief Matt Halliday.

Let me start with, I did in fact enjoy this book. The story telling was just as enjoyable as the first. The love story was adorable.

I enjoyed that we got to see a little flashback to right after they won the Inn. The added mystery element was a great touch as well.

Now on to the things that bugged me,

Alex showed literally no character growth, he's still the same overbearing person as the first book. Only this time you're in the head of the person that he's needlessly blowing up at.

I don't think that Amelia is a good friend.

Overall, it was a nice sweet romance. A quick read, great for when you just want something light.

*Thank you to the publisher for this eARC

Definitely not dating tells the story of Everleigh and Matt. They've both been burnt badly in the past and as a result, are avoiding relationships. As far as Matt is concerned, this is a permanent thing. After his wife cheated on him, he never wants to put himself into a position where he is as vulnerable and able to be hurt again. For Everleigh, it's a temporary state. She wants to prove to herself and her friends that she doesn't need to be in a relationship and that she can put time and attention into her work. Unfortunately, for them at least, they can't seem to resist one another.
I enjoyed this story, it has a bit of a friends to lovers element to it, as Everleigh and Matt are clearly as much friends are they are lovers. They haven't known each other very long, but Matt sees things in her that other people seem to miss.
Matt is very sweet, as much as he tries to avoid his feelings for Everleigh, he's really hopeless to resist. Aside from something that he gets completely wrong he does everything he can to help her see her value. Everleigh is quite a fun character, she's a real flirt, which I love, especially as it's not shown as being a bad thing (which it's not). The two of them work really well as a couple and I enjoyed reading their story.
This is the second book in the series. I usually prefer to start at the beginning, but it doesn't really matter that I haven't read the first book. I am quite tempted to go back and read it though.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I can’t with this book! I have read this author before and enjoyed her stories, but this was just too much. First of all, having the name EVER was very confusing because half of the time, I thought I was reading the WORD ever and not the name Ever. Second, Ever’s friends are awful and mean to her. And then she thinks they are great because they say they are sorry. I didn’t like the dynamic at all. Matt was a good character, but the romance isn’t hot enough to keep you wanting to read this one. Sorry, not for me. All opinions are my own. Thank you to netgalley for the ARC.

Everleigh and her besties are like siblings won a lottery,instead of money it was a inn. They all worked together and got it ready for open when Matt the chief of police had a sudden problem when his house burned down and knowing it was arson he kept everything from everyone. Matt and Everleigh grows closer and helps each other.

This a light read if you’re in the mood for it. I would say this is a slow burn romance as nothing really beyond a kiss happens until about 60% through the book. I am not really into slow burn romances which is one of the reasons why it’s not a 5-star read for me. The read was boring during certain parts for me and there were times I considered not finishing because it was not keeping my interest. I will say that the book is well-written and the characters are likable. I am interested in the next book as I love the friends to lovers trope. I am just hoping it’s not a slow burn like this one!

Great idea for a book but I just couldn't connect with the characters. There wasn't enough depth or character development for me to understand why they were in the situations they were in, so they read as very immature and unlikable. Added to that, the way the character arcs were told read like a list of bad things that could happen to a person which took me out of the story.

I decided not to finish the book when I honestly started to believe that if they hadn't won the hotel, there wasn't enough drive between them to sort out their problems. This was about the time the phrase "Is my story depressing you too much?" was actually said in the story.

DNF at 23%

I received an advanced reader's copy of Definitely Not Dating by Christi Barth from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was the first book by Christi Barth that I had read and I was pleasantly surprised to find an enjoyable new author to follow.

Overall, I felt this was a solid romance novel and I found it to be extremely well written. The plot was engaging and the characters were nicely written (layers, folks!). And while our main characters, lottery winner slash loser in love Everleigh Girard and police chief Matt Halliday, had flaws, they were likable and had chemistry. The plot wasn’t terribly original, but it was evenly paced and flowed.

This was a quick, fun read.

This is an entertaining book that I just loved. I fell in love with the characters - especially Ever, who I'm sure most women can relate to, as she tries to overcome her history of picking out losers to date. We've all done it, but Ever has done it in a way that effectively blew up her life. When they win a hotel lottery, she, along with her friends, sees it as a way to get a fresh start.

Matt is the local police chief, and a friend of Ever and her friends. When his house burns down, he takes a room in the inn. While Ever and Matt have been attracted to each other, being under the same room proves to be too much temptation. They are committed to not dating and their non-dating relationship begins.

I loved the way Matt and Ever were together, but mostly, I loved how Ever found a way to overcome her past and recreate a better version of herself. Along the way, Matt helped her, while also overcoming his own past. Their relationship was sexy and sweet. and made me fall in love with them.

If you enjoy the genre, you will love this book. The author is on my must read authors' list.