I hardly read romance and contemporary fiction but Brooke Burroughs swept me away with her former book, The Marriage Code, that had a lovely cultural setting.
I didn’t quite get that effect with The Name Curse, but nonetheless it was a cute and charming story set in Alaska with plenty of Alaskan descriptions that would want to make you visit the state. I just hope her next book will be back to the setting in South India :)

Unexpected romance when two polar opposites are forced to share a tent while hiking in Alaska. A cute and lighthearted book worth reading.

This book gets a solid stars from me. This is an enemy to lovers story that starts out strong. Bernie and Matthew are on a hiking trip and they need to share a tent and provisions, so this is also a close proximity story as well. I enjoyed the first half more then the second half but overall it was a funny rom com.

The Name Curse is a quick fun read, perfect for fans of enemies to lovers and forced proximity romance stories.

This story is perfect for nature lovers and armchair adventurers alike who enjoy stories of opposites attract, enemies-to-lovers, the forced proximity trope, and slow burn romance.

This is a book for readers looking for something light. It is a romance of a pretty classic variety. Bernie has been going through a rough time. Her friends suggest that she gain some perspective by going on a hike in Alaska. She agrees little knowing what will result from this.

Matthew also needs some time to think. He, of course, also travels to Alaska. What will happen when Bernie, who has lost a father, and Matthew, who has found one, meet up? Will sparks fly? Read this romance novel to find out.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All opinions are my own.

Two strangers on a hike forced to share a tent. Initially not getting along. Ridiculous cast of characters as the other hikers. It had potential, but the first half of the book felt like Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center, but without the depth and heart. The last 30% slows WAY down and gets a bit boring. All that to say, the book was enjoyable. An easy read. Just forgettable.

Really enjoyed this story. Flowed well and had me hooked in reading it. The first book from this author. Will find more books from them.

I enjoyed this book very much. In the beginning Matthew is annoying af and a total douchecanoe. Sorry not sorry. 🤷🏽‍♀️ He was rude and kind of annoying, which I believe was the point so you felt like Bernie, so great job. 😊 You learn about about Matthew and Bernie and their pasts throughout the book., while watching them move from enemies to lovers.

Overall it was a very cute story, and once Bernie and Matthew’s journey really gets started they are hilarious. The book isnt without drama but it worked well with story and ends with an HEA and epilogue.

Melli’s Book Breakdown
-Narrator
-Enemies to Lovers
-good grovel
-nature romance
-only one “bed”
-Clean romance
-HEA

I really enjoyed this little romance novel. It wasn't what I was expecting but all the same, I loved the journey it took me on. I loved watching Bernie come into who she is, and I loved watching her growth. This was a light book set in Alaska, it was nice but a bit cliched. This enemies to lovers, forced proximity romance set in Alaska and the Pacific NW is just the right blend of adventure, sass, and self-discovery. I was expecting to enjoy it, but I didn’t expect to connect to Bernie and Matthew and their struggles in a way that really had me pulling for them! There are some great laughs and supporting characters as well, and a rift that (even though you see it coming) creates the most gratifying resolution. I really enjoyed this trek with Bernie and Matthew!

Brooke Burroughs' The Name Curse is a thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable tale full of quirky characters and set against a backdrop of the spectacular Alaskan wilderness. While I loved Bernie from the get-go, Matthew was quite serious and took a bit longer to warm up to. A heartwarming adventure as Bernie and Matthew clash hilariously and then bond while tackling challenges both physical and mental, and healing. Highly recommend for a rewarding feel-good read.

Bernie's boss forces her to take vacation time. Bernie's mom and best friend tell her she's been stuck in her little life for too long. So when Bernie's mom buys her a guided hiking vacation in Alaska, Bernie eventually decides to go and prove everyone wrong. In Alaska, she meets struggling screenwriter Matthew, who is fleeing writer's block and a bad relationship with his father. It's hate at first sight between Bernie and Matthew, but that doesn't last long. Being forced to hike through the Alaskan wilderness together brings them closer, and it might just lead them to something special.

I loved that Bernie and Matthew's mutual annoyance with each other slowly grew into closeness. The gradual bonding was excellent. I did spend a good chunk of the book being incredibly annoyed by Matthew, who was slightly too jerkish at certain points.

Once the story left the Alaskan wilderness, it sadly lost some of its spark. The slow development of their relationship somehow started to feel more insta-lovey, and the ending was very rushed, but it still remained an enjoyable reading experience.

oh boy did i want to like this book something fierce! but alas, i did not. it was just kinda meh. ya know? i hope you like it better than i did. thank you netgallye for taking a chance on me.

This was a cute and flirty romance set in Alaska, on a tour hiking Mt. Denali. I enjoyed it very much, it was a quick getaway read.

Bernie lives in Portland OR. Her job just told her to take her 4 weeks of vacation, and her mom bought her the Denali hiking trip on Groupon so she decides to go. Bernie isn’t very outdoorsy, not like her great-aunt Bernice (who climbed Denali herself) for whom she is named. When she arrives in Anchorage and meets with the group, she finds the organizers have paired her with a guy named Matthew because they thought she was a guy.

Matthew is a writer for TV shows, and he hasn’t had luck selling his scripts recently. He’s hoping that the hike will give him new ideas and inspire a new script. Matt thinks Bernie is a little quirky, goofy, and inexperienced, so he makes numerous notes about her behavior and mistakes on the hike. After a few days, they’re getting along very well and there’s a strong mutual attraction. They have a lot in common, and both their families have expectations they feel they have to live up to.

When Bernie breaks her ankle crossing a stream while scaring away a bear, Matthew goes to Anchorage with her on the medical helicopter and stays with her afterwards at a hotel. Bernie finds his notebook with the notes about her. She’s devastated and immediately goes home to Portland.

Can Bernie forgive Matthew, and can he find the right way to get her back? The writing was good, and I liked meeting the characters. 4 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

3.5 stars- This was a cute, fun rom-com. I enjoyed the main characters together (I’m almost always a fan of the grumpy/sunshine trope). Here were some serious themes discussed in the book, it in a way that still left the book feeling feel-good. The only thing I really didn’t like was when Bernie’s great aunt told her about one her old relationships and said that sometimes hate is sometimes just love in disguise. This is a completely toxic idea and not a good idea to preach to others. On the other hand, *spoiler* I like that in the end, Bernie didn’t completely change careers. It seemed like things were hinting that things wouldn’t go that way. I like that she was able to find a more fulfilling job in her current field and her field of study- that was actually very refreshing!
Other than that, I had a lot of fun reading this book and would definitely check out other books by this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake Publishing for providing me access to this eARC for my honest opinion!

The Name Curse follows the story of Bernie and Matthew as they are forced into hiking together through the wilderness on an adventure! It’s basically irritation at first sight for these two, but they quickly grow on each other!!

What I loved:
* The overall story was awesome and I enjoyed all of the supporting characters!
* The fact that the main character, Bernie, didn’t feel like she was living up to her adventurous namesake, but in the end, she realized she needed to live her life for herself!

TW: loss of a familiar member, substance abuse

I don't know if it's just me, but the cover gave me vibes that it's a young adult or a middle school novel.

But no. It is a hate-to-love romance. They were tent-mates in their hiking trip in Denali, Alaska. He saw her as a city girl who knows nothing about the outdoors or camping, taking the trip for social media pictures, and he's stuck with her. She thought he's an asshole, know-it-all with all his mansplaining.

Bernie was named after her great-aunt Bernice. And adventurer who lived her life to the full. But Bernie hated her name and felt pressured to live her life like her name-sake did, but Bernie didn't leave her house in five years!

Yeah! I definitely like all kinds of hate-to-love romances.

The plot of this one was super fun! Sharing a tent with a total grump in the Alaskan wilderness! Perfect! Bernie was a really lovable character, but I had a hard time loving Matthew. I know he's a total grump, but there was something about him that I just didn't like. Overall, it was a heartbreaking and fun read!

Go to IG: @entre.mi.libro.y.yo to see the full review.

I liked this book but it wasn´t the BEST THING EVER, you know?
I didn´t feel attracted to the guy (which is a big turn-off in a romcom) and even though the idea was good, it could've been developed better.

Anyway, I think this is a good book to kill time, and reading about Alaska made me want to go there!

Thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the book in exchange for an honest opinion.

Bernie, named after her adventurous Great-Aunt Bernice, is gifted a hiking trip to Alaska by her mother who thinks Bernie needs more adventure in her life. When she arrives, she finds that she was assumed because of her name to be a man and is set to share a tent with Matthew for the trip. Matthew is a total jerk to her and spends most of his time jotting down nasty observations in a notebook that he uses for inspiration for scriptwriting. In two twists that surprise no one, they fall for each other and she later finds the mean notebook. I didn't particularly like Matthew even after his early grumpiness was gone, and I don't really think they made a great pair. The story was okay aside from, well, Matthew being in it. 2.5 stars rounded to 3.