This dual effort is an amazing read! I enjoyed the alternating perspectives as well as the flashbacks (a personal favorite). Highly recommended!

<b>"Prove it," I half whisper. "Prove to me it's fiction." </b>

"Why did Katrina Freeling and Nathan Van Huysen quit writing together?"

THAT is the question. and THAT is why The Roughest Draft had me turning the pages to find out what happened! I enjoyed the insight of co-writing and the vulnerability of writing. Emily and Austin's prose is always stunning. Heads up: this one is not a perfectly crafted love story. Yes, there is an HEA but Katrina and Nathan are. On. A. Journey. A four year journey. TBH, some of the story didn't sit well with me; however, if romance readers love an imperfect fairytale then check out The Roughest Draft! 28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand (but with an HEA) kept popping in to my head. The Roughest Draft is raw and real and deep. A love to hate romance between two authors and their way back to each other.

READ IF YOU LIKE:
-friends to enemies to friends to lovers
-slooow burn
-past & present timelines
-dual POV
-a second chance at love
-writing partnership
-a lovable kitty named James Joyce
-gorgeous Florida cottage setting
-late night love letter written in someone else's voice
-#IsThisAKissingBook: "...the feeling of a first kiss with someone you've kissed a hundred times."

Thank you Berkley Romance for an advanced copy!

Song: Fire and Rain by Birdy

This dual perspective romance delivers second chances, feelings we can't let go of, and plenty of tension. Told with plenty of flashbacks, The Roughest Draft quickly establishes tension by forcing readers to speculate about what happened. What drove Katrina and Nathan apart? While that mystery hooks us, what ends up keeping us reading are the characters. Katrina and Nathan unfold on the pages leaving their vulnerabilities, and feelings, clear to us.

And that's where they stay. Because what becomes abundantly clear is that the line between fiction and reality is muddied. As a writer, I can only imagine how difficult that line can be. Already in the stories we create, so much of us bleeds through. Our own dreams and demons. Loves and forgotten paths. So what happens when two people can write characters who can convey feelings they cannot? The Roughest Draft continues this tension throughout the whole book asking us, and them, if they can cross that hurdle.

You know those books where from the very first page, it becomes immediately clear that you are reading something special? Yeah, that was definitely the case here. I have two kinds of reading modes when I find myself loving a book: can’t put it down or read it slowly so I can savor it. This was a savor book, and one I know I will be coming back to again and again.

Katrina and Nathan are writing partners with really bad timing. Their connection is undeniable, but it seems like any time they might have a chance to act on their romantic feelings, one of them is involved with someone else. After a rough falling out while they were on a retreat penning their second book, the two spend four years avoiding each other and avoiding writing together–all while said second book is absolutely blowing up and making them literary superstars. Technically they owe their editors another book, but thanks to the success of their preceding title, no one is pushing them to write it. Nathan has continued to write on his own, without Katrina, but he is having trouble selling his solo titles. And Katrina has abandoned writing altogether, and only considers picking it up again because her agent/fiance gets into a bit of financial trouble. Katrina and Nathan agree to reconcile for two short months–just enough time to put together a rough draft and then head their separate ways. But as the two hole up together in the same beach house where they once created literary magic, they’re forced to confront their past, and determine their future.

I don’t even know where to start with this book because the whole thing is brilliant from cover to cover. All I wrote in my reading notes is “This book is unfairly good.” I’ve read some of Austin and Emily’s YA books and so I think I went into this one expecting a lighter tone, but it became clear very early on that this is not a traditional rom com (though it certainly has some funny moments). It’s a reach down in your guts and then rip out your heart and stitch it all back together kind of romance. I felt things, guys. And even though this is definitely a very slow burn, the pacing never dragged, and the tension was on point the entire time. Like I was definitely screaming at my iPad for them to just kiss already. I always love books about writers (for obvious egotistical reasons), but Roughest Draft takes it to a whole other level. I can’t even describe it (yay writing!) but it’s like you the reader are just as wrapped up in the words as the characters are. There were multiple times when I just had to set the book down because a sentence was so perfect it kinda pissed me off a little bit (that’s a compliment). Honestly, it was basically perfect and I can’t wait to read it again and I really can’t wait to see what these two have in store for us next.

In intricate layers, Wibberley and Siegemund-Broka unfurl what went wrong between the protagonists and how their past anger transmutes into desire and soul-binding love, making for a deeply emotional meditation on the psychological perils of success within a passionate romance.

Full Review: https://www.booklistonline.com/The-Roughest-Draft-Austin-SiegemundBroka/pid=9755236

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Pub for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
Huh. This one has such great reviews so I appear to be in the minority because for me it was ROUGH. I had an extremely hard time getting into the book. I found it to be overwritten…there were plenty of times I had to go back and re-read a sentence to make sure I fully understood what was going on. The writing just didn’t flow and it felt like work to read Nathan and Katrina’s story.
I typically love a book with flashback scenes but the flashbacks did nothing to make me feel the passion or desire between the two main characters. It was clear they had great chemistry writing together, but I just didn’t feel the romantic chemistry. I did fly through the middle of the book, and I was happy to see Katrina deal with her fiancé the way she did. That was the highlight of the book for me. Otherwise, it was just a mediocre read.

This review will go live on The Wellesley News on December 29.

Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka are no strangers to romance, with four YA romances under their names and one more to come next year. I’ve read none of them yet, but what I have read is their first foray into adult romance, and what better romance to write than one inspired partly by their own lives? 

“The Roughest Draft” tells the story of two estranged co-writers, Katrina and Nathan, whose partnership fell apart as soon as they turned in the draft of their second novel. But their second novel sells extremely well, propelling them into fame. However, Katrina has quit writing since then. 

When Nathan’s first solo novel does less numbers than expected and Katrina’s fiancé-slash-literary-agent reveals that he’s in need of money, the two of them agree to write their final co-written novel under contract. But on their writing retreat in Florida, in the same house where their partnership fell apart, old feelings of all kinds start to be rekindled. 

Maybe I’m suffering from the unfortunate condition of being a writer (I write young adult contemporary novels and just got an agent last August), but the most engaging part of this book was not the romance and drama of the main characters’ lives or even the shockingly beautiful prose — instead, I was fixated on Katrina and Nathan’s writing process. 

Seeing the two of them craft a story from scratch was incredible; it made me want to pull out my computer and just start writing something new. Maybe, for a non-writer, or at least someone with no creative experience in any form, this book might be very confusing, easy to get lost in, but for me, it was beautiful to read. 

That being said, there’s more to this book than the very meta experience of me being a writer, reading a book about writers, written by writers. From the beginning, Nathan and Katrina’s chemistry is immediately apparent, filling the pages with tension you could literally cut through. Even their squabbles are filled with love, a kind of love that can only come from two people who’ve worked together so intimately and tried to repress their feelings for years upon years. 

What’s more, Wibberley and Siegemund-Broka’s writing style is wonderfully elevated in their adult debut. I lied a bit when I said I’ve never read their YA books — I did read about fifty pages of their first YA book before my library loan expired, and the style is virtually unrecognizable. 

Their writing is impressively descriptive, not too weighty for an adult romance novel but not quite as commercial as their YA books seem to be. Very fitting, then, for the subject matter of this book. And very fitting for me, someone still in the infancy of her writing career. 

“The Roughest Draft” comes out on Jan. 25. I received an early copy from the publisher, Berkley, in exchange for an honest review.

A romance novel with much more depth than most. A great organic feeling dominates the story and the plot doesn't feel forced or contrived. (Perhaps because the authors went through some of it themselves???) It feels impossibly meta at points, with the authors putting on to the page feelings they are not allowed to feel through their characters. Having both a male and female perspective was refreshing, giving it a grounding and a more realistic feel than many contemporary romance novels. And the fact that the authors dedicate the book to each other makes me want to check out other books they have written and get a feel for their personal story.
Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced ARC.

The Roughest Draft started out so strong, but somewhere along the way it started to feel repetitive. The flashbacks and current timeline both take place at the same house in Florida, with Katrina and Nate writing their books in both timelines. There was also so much build up to their falling out that when it was finally revealed, it felt anticlimactic.

What I loved was that it’s written by two married authors, so every glimpse into the writing process felt so genuine. I loved reading about how Katrina and Nate had different writing styles and how they worked off of one another. The prose itself is beautiful and deeper than what I’ve come to expect from a contemporary romance.

4.5 stars rounded up!

This book is a love letter to writing and writers. The relationship both Katrina and Nathan have with writing was so interesting to read from! I immediately saw the reverence they had for their craft and it was just so fun to read from their perspectives.

I've read Emily and Austin's YA books since their first one came out and so, obviously, I was extremely excited to see their first dip into women's fiction. This book didn't let me down-- from the very first page I was grabbed by both of the main characters and found myself constantly thinking about how things would play out. I do think that by the 80% mark of the book things got a bit repetitive and some things could be trimmed down but the ending easily won me back over. I loved seeing the timeline of the relationship parallel different instances and how everything fell into place like a puzzle. It made the ending even more satisfying than seeing things play out linearly. I'm always excited to read a Wibbroka book and this continues to make me excited for what's to come!

Also, play illicit affairs by taylor swift when you read this and thank me later!

I was a little skeptical going into this book because I haven't been the biggest fan of this author duo's young adult books but I did want to give their first adult book a try and I'm so glad I did!
I think this book is perfect for fans of Emily Henry's writing. It focuses a lot on the romance but also has some heavier plot lines.
This book served a lot of angst, but also a great character and couple development, the main couple had a lot to talk about and confront and through the book they're able to do it, Kat finally faces what she's afraid of and Nathan stops hiding, they find the closure in their lives, and it all happened in dual povs and that's great because I love knowing what's in both their minds in every situation. The novel also served enemies to friends to lovers, a co-workers to lovers, and I think there's a bit of second chance romance trope in it which is probably the main reason why I enjoyed reading this so much.
Some points felt a bit repetitive throughout the book but I definitely liked it overall and would look into future adult novels by these authors.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Review posted on GoodReads (December 10, 2021)
Review linked.

5/5 stars!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for sending me an E-ARC of this book for an honest review.

I have loved Emily and Austin’s books for years, ever since their first book came out. That is why, when I heard that they were writing an ADULT romance, I was excited beyond belief.

First off, this cover is adorable, and going into this, I knew I was going to like it. However, I did not expect this book to rock my emotions and world as much as it did. I FELL IN LOVE with this book. Both Nathan and Katrina are such honest and real characters, and their struggles felt human and relatable. Their romance was perfectly beautiful.

As someone who loves to write, this book was such a beautiful journey of love, creativity, writing, and inspiration that perfectly expresses the ties between real life and fiction—while telling the story of two writers. The prose in this book was so beautiful and I found myself highlighting so many beautiful lines. I really cannot put into words the feelings I felt when I finished reading this story. I felt awe, wonder, and the feeling of understanding—because the connection and discussions around writing, fiction, love, and life were so beautifully real.

If you love writing, adult romance, and books that will pull at your heart strings then this is a book I wholeheartedly recommend! I cannot wait to read more adult romances from Emily and Austin!

Thanks for reading!
Caden

“We’ve written the rough draft of our love together, the draft with loose ends, unfinished edges, mistakes every other page.” But every writer knows there’s magic in revision, where your work changes from manuscript into a book.”

What do you get when two co-writers (@wibbs_ink @autins_b I’m looking at you) write a fictional story about two-cowriters forced to sunny Florida to write their last book? An amazing story!! 💗💗

I loved this book!!

What I loved:
🌴The writing was SO good
🌴The process of Nathan and Katrina writing together - the banter, the fights, the swaping of pages
🌴Both of the main characters were likeable and relatable
🌴The past and present POV - we see how Katrina and Nathan first meet and become co-writers and then present day where they are forced to finish one more book to finalize their contract.
🌴This gave me a lot of Emily Henry PWMOV vibes

Highly recommend!

Thank you so much to Berkley Publishing Group for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was so incredibly excited to read Wibbroka’s first adult novel, after absolutely loving their YA titles, but The Roughest Draft unfortunately didn’t live up to my expectations. This novel felt more like general women’s fiction rather than a pure romance novel, which is what I think I was expecting. I was expecting a slowburn + forced proximity + tons of angst and tension in this book--which, don’t get me wrong, there were some moments like that but they were all lukewarm at best. Instead, Katrina and Nate’s relationship was vaguely portrayed throughout the novel and I had a hard time connecting with both of them or believing their feelings in the first place. The story is told in dual-POV and dual-timeline, which I think was the only thing I enjoyed. Otherwise it felt like their argument and years-long-fight was epically blown out of proportion. If you are someone who enjoys watching two people on their own journeys reflecting on “the one that got away” and reconnecting or books about authors, you might enjoy this one, but unfortunately, it wasn’t for me.

Listen I've read a few of Wibbroka's books now and I gotta say, this one was the most disappointing. Wibbroka usually does such great job with chemistry between the characters (imo of course), but Kat and Nate just had none of it. No matter how much they each talked about how much they loved each other, and how close they were. It was a lot of telling and almost no showing.

I think the Roughest Draft had a lot of potential, but it just didn't deliver on it.

This book is fabulous! I fell in love with absolutely everything in this book. The writing, the characters, the authors, themes... I was obsessed. I was invested. This book is everything. It's a beautiful love story. If you're a book lover, you'll love it. If you're a writer, you'll adore it! It's perfect for everyone. What I love most about it is that the MCs don't kid themselves. They are clearly in love, but they don't act as if they're not, they're clearly aware. They just have other shit to work through before they get there. They don't play dumb. It's a beautiful love story written by co-writers who actually fell in love and it shows through their writing. You can feel it with every single page.

A huge thank you to Berkley Pub for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

4.5🌟 2🌶

I never knew I needed a story about co-authors working on a book and falling in love until I read this and I think it’s one of the best things I’ve read this year! The journey the couple had towards fixing themselves after a bad falling out added that angst and heartbreak I loved to balance out the story.

The fact that this was written by real life co-authors and couple made more excited about the genuine writing process and love story the couple in the book would be going through!

What I LOVED: The friends to lovers, almost second chance romance between the main characters was my favorite! My heart was breaking from all the missed opportunities, unresolved feelings and miscommunication but given that I LOVE ANGST, it was a fun rollercoaster of emotions for me 🙈

The alternating dual timeline made it much more exciting as the past chapters dealt with the feelings blooming between them as they were writing their first books until the moment they had their falling out. While the present chapters explored the aftermath three years after their major fight and they had to come together to work on a final book.

What I LIKED: The role of their written work in their love story was so unique as the authors unconsciously wrote their feelings through the characters and story they were writing. I liked that I was to experience their love story through the chapters they were working on and their time writing together but there is a time when you have to draw a line between fiction and reality and I liked how that was explored towards the end.

I also liked how I was able to relate to both Katrina ane Nathan through the dual POV with his difficulty expressing emotions in real life and her suffering from overwhelming anxiety.

What I DIDN’T ENJOY: Katrina’s annoying fiancé!!! The way he would constantly manipulate her was so frustrating.

Overall, I absolutely love how engaging the writing was and how fast the pacing was. I devoured this within a day and I’m tempted to read again 🙈

THIS BOOK IS PERFECT FOR: fans of Emily Henry! This book is like when Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation had a baby but with best friends who are co-authors. It’s the best thing ever if you’re looking for a unique love story that is high on angst and perfectly swoony! I’m excited to read more from this duo!

What a fun concept! I am loving the new trend of books set in publishing. This story has fantastic banter, chemistry and great plotting. I loved every minute!

This book was charming and compelling, I read it over the course of the weekend, and had a good time reading it!

The characters were interesting enough - although a bit hard to relate with, and in some cases, not fully developed.

I feel like Kat’s mental health issues, while no doubt intended to present as real obstacles & challenges felt almost skated over. We knew she was anxious & fearful about her publishing success to the point where she retired, but we don’t dig enough into this fear, and where it comes from enough for the reader to really connect with it or honestly even care about it. It felt almost like an afterthought, or an idea that once featured more heavily in the book, but context after context got edited out in favour of a smaller word count. All that being said - it was hard to feel like it was a strong enough “reason” or “excuse” for Katrina to hide behind.

I feel like I wouldn’t like Nathan if I met him in real life. Which is fine! He’s just a bit too pretentious & judgmental for me sometimes. I do enjoy his sense of humour though!

Chris was so obviously a Bad Guy ™️ that I felt almost let down by his character being exactly who I thought I would be. I genuinely couldn’t figure out what Kat ever saw in him - which is ironic, because their relationship suffered from the same fate the book they were writing was almost suffering from, in the sense that it was hard to tell that these characters ever loved each other. As such, the “conflict” felt lacklustre, and honestly I barely cared (and neither, it seemed did Katrina or Nathan).

Harriet was pretty much the Token Sassy Advice Giving Friend of Colour ™️ - just in a different font. This time, she stands up for herself! Kind of! Despite Harriet constantly iterating to either protagonist that she was more than just the person who helps the main characters realize stuff about themselves, & serve as 90% of the “diversity” in this book - she was still one dimensional. Couldn’t we have even gotten a morsel of plot about her book? Or maybe learn anything about her that wasn’t in relation to the main characters?

All of that aside, this was a fast and enjoyable read - perfect for vacations on the beach, Summer reading, or curling up with on the couch, with a blanket and a cup of cocoa.

Love, love, loved The Roughest Draft and the two authors had me wondering if they had been through something similar. Excellent read - especially for book lovers who love a little behind-the-scenes take.