Love this! The tension was A+
I am not usually a fan of the slow burn. The ‘wait until 70% for the first kiss’ energy is not my jam - but hot 👏🏻 DAMN👏🏻! This one nailed it. The tension and animosity and the mystery of what happened between Kat and Nathan had me gripped the entire time. I got all the heart flips and the butterflies. It was just perfection.

I'm not sure what it is about books about writing books, but I loved it. This gave me Beach Read vibes, which in my opinion is a high compliment, as I adore EH, too!

Wibberley and Siegemund-Broka have done it again! They captured the charm, effervescence, and depth of their YA romances and ported it over to adult romance and I, for one, am happier for it. A lovely read.

I love books about the publishing world and especially about authors. THE ROUGHEST DRAFT was the perfect combination of sweet and sexy. It gives all the feels you want from a book like this.

This was really good, I buddy read this with a friend and we had the best time. Katrina and Nathan had SO MUCH chemistry, and I was dying for them to break through their insecurities and GET TOGETHER ALREADY! I really loved how they were forced to write a book together, it was such a cool idea. Even though the angst drove me crazy in the best way, I really had a lot of fun seeing these two finally get together and actually confront years of resentment. It had so much heart and I loved the writing style. I’m excited to read more from this author!

What’s the last book that you read that you can’t stop thinking about?

For me, there’s been a few, but one of my top reads has to be the Roughest Draft. This book was so beautiful it actually took my breath away. It follows Katrina and Nathan in a dual-POV AND dual timeline narrative as they write their final book together as co-writers.

I do not highlight or annotate books, but this book has so many quotations that were so incredible that I couldn’t help myself. This romance read like a literary and poetic masterpiece. If I ever went back for my masters, I have a thesis in mind that literally revolves around this book. I could write an entire thesis on Nathan and Katrina.

The Roughest Draft publishes January 25, 2022. You absolutely need to add this to your goodreads right now and go preorder it. I’m not sure if I’m allowed to share quotations from this or not yet, so I won’t. But if I could… you’d cry too. Just from the beauty of this book.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-galley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis:
They were cowriting literary darlings until they hit a plot hole that turned their lives upside down. Three years ago, Katrina Freeling and Nathan Van Huysen were the brightest literary stars on the horizon, their cowritten book topping bestseller lists. But on the heels of their greatest success, they ended their partnership on bad terms, for reasons neither would divulge to the public. They haven't spoken since, and never planned to, except they have one final book due on contract. Facing crossroads in their personal and professional lives, they're forced to reunite. The last thing they ever thought they'd do again is hole up in the tiny Florida town where they wrote their previous book, trying to finish a new manuscript quickly and painlessly. Working through the reasons they've hated each other for the past three years isn't easy, especially not while writing a romantic novel. While passion and prose push them closer together in the Florida heat, Katrina and Nathan will learn that relationships, like writing, sometimes take a few rough drafts before they get it right.

I enjoyed this foray into adult fiction by married couple Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka, but wished the pacing was a little more consistent. I loved the plot idea and getting a look at the writing process and I liked the mystery behind what happened between Katrina and Nathan. I’d definitely give this duo another try though, because I appreciated their writing style and think there’s lots of potential there!

TW: cheating, emotionally distant partner, gaslighting, manipulation, mental health, mentions of: divorce, affairs, among others I may have missed.

Actual - 4.5

UMMM. This was so good???

Imagine my surprise - considering I DNF’d this ARC because the FMC was engaged to a POS named Chris for a big portion of the “present day” scenes, and that just…hit too close to home (hence the TW LOL) Petty, I know, but alas - therapy is not cheap. I tried it again via audiobook and I’m so happy I did!!!

The description makes it seem like two authors are being forced to worked together years after they have an affair and split. Which is…kind of true? But not in the way you think. You can scroll down to the very bottom of this if you want a “spoilery” explanation.

This gave me similar vibes to Beach Read but not as cozy - and that’s not a bad thing. The animosity, the tension, and all of the flashback chapters made this very interesting. The prose was beautiful, which is not something I really review on, but the similes were done so well.

This was such an easy book to fall in love with. The chemistry between the two characters was absolutely off the charts. Pouring their feelings towards each other out onto the pages they were writing felt like love notes that I was privy to.

Highly recommend!!

🎧 - 5/5

The flashbacks slowly show their progression of falling in love with each other while he’s married to another woman. Nothing physical happens, and they both address this with themselves, but it was very emotionally charged.

In some ways, it's hard to describe this novel as a romance, because even though the characters have a romantic relationship, it's really an exploration of what collaborative writing is like. An intriguing read.

No auge do sucesso de seu lançamento literário, de repente Katrina Freeling and Nathan Van Huysen de repente rompem sua parceria e as razões nunca foram explicadas. Agora, três anos depois, eles precisam trabalhar juntos novamente e com isso sentimentos e mágoas antigas retornarão.

Se Leitura de Verão e Daisy Jones & The Six tivessem um filho, essa criança seria The Roughest Draft: temos dois escritores que não se gostam (Leitura de Verão) que de repente se separam no auge da carreira (Daisy Jones & The Six). Uma comparação meio capenga? Talvez, mas durante toda a leitura eu tive os sentimentos desses dois livro e é sobre isso. Esse foi meu primeiro livro da dupla e com certeza vou conferir outras histórias.

A narração alterna não apenas na visão de Nathan e Katrina, assim como o presente e o passado. Com isso temos o ponto de vista dos sentimentos dos dois em relação a tudo: um ao outro, sua carreira, sua vida e, principalmente, o livro que precisam escrever. Não demora muito para descobrirmos qual foi o real motivo da separação, mas isso não estraga a leitura.

Tanto Katrina quanto Nathan possuem um baita caminho pela frente para trabalhar seus sentimentos em relação um ao outro, mas nesse meio tempo eles acabam se escondendo por trás das páginas. Interessante esse jogo que os autores fizeram de uma espécie de metalinguagem porque em vários momentos, tanto no presente quanto no passado, vemos Katrina e Nathan contando sua própria história enquanto escrevem.

Não importando o tempo da história, vemos que Katrina e Nathan possuem um grande química e realmente funcionam muito bem juntos na escrita. É como se fosse o mesmo cérebro em dois corpos diferentes. E é por culpa dessa química que temos uma tensão o livro praticamente todo, já que quando se conheceram Nathan era casado e atualmente Katrina está noiva. (Não gente... sem traição)

Mesmo tendo conferido a história por audiobook, deu pra ver que a escrita da dupla é ótima. Não sei se a inspiração deles para o livro foi seu próprio processo de escrita, mas quero pensar que sim (menos a parte da angústia romântica). Os capítulos são curtos e, como já falei, alternam a narração entre presente e passado, com Katrina e Nathan em primeira pessoa. Na Bienal, a Arqueiro divulgou que comprou os direitos de publicação, mas sem previsão de lançamento até agora.

Great dual POV romance for people who like books about people who write books.

The Roughest Draft follows two best selling authors who wrote a hit book together but then abruptly ended their partnership, to the public’s chagrin. They have to come together to write one more book, despite having not spoken in four years. The book takes place in a Florida house, where the two sit together and try to get the magic back. While it is enjoyable, nothing much happens.

I like the concept and the writing is good, but there were some melodramatic moments that come from the fact that the book is so cerebral. It really takes place mostly inside each character’s head without much outside action.

I still recommend the book for fans of Beach Read, and I will be looking forward to the next book this duo writes.

The Next Chapter: "The Roughest Draft" by Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka

Katrina Freeling and Nathan Van Huysen were once two friends who met at a Writer's Retreat and then became best selling co-authors. A lot happened in the 3 years since the end of their partnership. Things ended badly. Why, was a mystery neither would talk about. Nor have they spoken with each other since then.
Nathan's first novel on his own didn't take off as he'd hoped. Meanwhile, Katrina, married to their former agent, hasn't written a word since.

Then their publisher tells them they owe one more book as co-writers to fulfill their contract. Katrina's husband wants her to be the literary superstar he was originally attracted to. He's pushing her to write with Nathan again. It doesn't seem like anyone cares about her feelings.

Nathan, too, has fears. His own book didn't sell the way their co-written titles did. Is he doomed to a life of co-authorship? And yet, their work together had a great chemistry that brought their characters alive for each other and for a vast readership. So, they both agree, half-heartedly, to once again meet up in the Florida retreat where they wrote their mega-seller.

What happens next makes for an absolutely engaging read! Nathan and Katrina come to life in these pages. We follow their ups and downs and tentative re-connection as writers.
It's a book that will pull you in and keep you reading till the very end!

Also written by coauthors, who happen to be a husband and wife team, you wonder how much of Katrina and Nathan's life was based on their own! This one is highly recommended for anyone who wonders about the writing process when two authors write together, or just enjoy great characters who just happen to be writers!
Thank you to NetGalley for the DRC!

You two got me good. Normally I don’t like slow burn books but this was out of the ordinary! Nathan and Kate are a dynamic duo. I hoped that writing a book wouldn’t be this hard. Writers block, plot, characters ; not bad but the metaphors and synonyms? I guess writing a book is pretty hard. Then writing with someone who is a great partner but a thorn in your side, may be too difficult.

The days when they argued about a particular chapter and went to different bedrooms only to pass written words under the doors, the stress was a lot and I wasn’t writing.

My conclusion is I am a reader and a blogger. This is ok with me. Shout out to Harriet Her boldness was a refreshing opinion that added that little something. Thanks 🙏 for entertaining me for a few nights

Not even going to start this one. Recently saw a review for this that listed emotional cheating in this and that’s a no go for me.

This was a great romcom and I will definitely be reading more of Wibberley! I loved the character building and world building.

This book was okay. I enjoyed the writing but I didn't love the characters or plot as much as I thought I would.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for my gifted copy of The Roughest Draft.

The premise of the book was really cute, unfortunately I did not love the story. I felt that the first half was drawn out way too much to find out why the co-authors stopped writing together. It felt very anticlimactic when the whole story was revealed. I like the last quarter of the book more when things came together, but it wasn't enough to win me over on the whole book.

This story is told from Katrina and Nathan's perspectives in alternating chapters, which I enjoyed because it allowed me to get into both of their heads. Both the characters have a strong sense of pride, which causes a lot of conflict between them throughout the book.

There is a definite draw between Katrina and Nathan from the beginning. Still, it takes time for them to truly open up to that attraction because they are too focused on their own feelings about their past or present situations. The author did a great job with the pacing—it was nice and steady, which allowed the story to come together without feeling like there was a lot of unnecessary fluff.

I recommend this book to anyone looking for an easy and enjoyable read. The drama in the story feels real, and the characters make well-rounded decisions after a lot of internal debate. This book is definitely worth reading if you're looking for a slow-burn romance between two characters who will do anything to stay friends.

This book had *so* much potential to be a new favorite for me, but instead it ended up being probably my most disappointing read of the year and I am SAD. The entire time I was reading this I couldn't help but to feel like the authors were just writing fan-fiction of themselves????? Which honestly wouldn't have been too much of a problem except for the fact that every single character (except for Harriet, obvs) was insufferably unlikeable. They were trying so incredibly hard to be ~deep~ (for example, comparing the Florida heat to "after sex sweat" and BEING SERIOUS????) that I just kept thinking about the fact that I was reading about these annoying characters instead of just being immersed in the story. With that being said, this WAS compulsively readable, but more in the way that I just couldn't look away from the mess than that I was enthralled by what was happening. Needless to say, this was not a book for me and I am BUMMED as heck about it. I would still definitely consider picking up more adult titles from the Wibbroka™ duo in the future because I have really enjoyed a few of their YA books, but this one was just absolutely not my jam. Womp x10000000

CW: divorce, emotional cheating

This was a solid summer read! I absolutely loved how the main characters worked through writing their next novel while unpacking what happened to tear them apart during their first! While written by two authors, the voice and pacing felt similar across perspectives and the overall book flowed well.

I would recommend this book to lovers of Josie Silver and Jenn McKinlay! You’ll be in for a treat!