Oh, how my heart loved this! The Roughest Draft is easily going to be one of my favorite reads of 2022, I am calling in. The set up and premise of this book was interesting but I was a little worried about how well it would go on paper. Well, the authors pulled it off without a hitch and I was immediately obsessed with this story. I loved the parallels between past and present, as well as the story within a story that plays out. The chemistry is fantastic, and the characters felt real. All of the talk about the craft of drafting, and life of a writer was relatable and I felt at times as if the authors had plucked these things right out of my own brain. There is angst and tension galore, and you can bet it all pays off. Highly highly recommend!

This book pleasantly surprised me. I went a bit excited but weary because I love Emily and Austin's previous work but I was unsure of how they would do with an adult romance. That worry was definitely unnecessary, they captured angst so perfectly and built the history of the couple so well and the forced proximity trope was the icing on top of the cake. My favorite parts would have to be the romantic tension between the characters as they worked through their rough history, I loved how well they knew each other despite years of being apart. The only downside of this book was when the romantic interests got together, it seems as though the characters lost a bit of their spark and it became a bit cliche.

I started this book back in January and wandered off from it so I’m just finished it now. I liked it in the beginning but as the book went on, I really found that Katrina and Nathan have no chemistry. The emotional cheating was a lot in this story and it didn’t add much for me because I never really felt their connection.

Thank you to Berkley for my gifted copy.

A slow burn romance, that at times feels too slow. This book while well written felt like it dragged on, but I am also not a fan of slow burn so someone else might love it. A fine book but nothing spectacular.

I loved this one! It felt like reading Beach Read for the first time. I loved the characters, their tension and chemistry, and all the forced proximity! I can't wait to read whatever comes next from this duo.

📝𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗹𝗼𝘁
Past: Colleagues Katrina and Nathan collaborated on a best-selling novel, but their relationship ended on a sour note.
Present: Katrina and Nathan have not spoken to each other in four years, but they reluctantly agree to work together on a second book for financial (her) and career (his) reasons.
Future: They get off to a rocky start two putting book two into jeopardy unless they can openly and honestly confront each other

📝𝗜 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁
This forced proximity, second chance romance was written by a married author writing duo about two authors who achieved their greatest literary success by writing together. The book they have created is not a typical lighthearted romance but a view into a couple’s emotional, complicated relationship. This story is tension-filled as they struggle with their feelings for each other and move beyond their past mistakes.

The story unfolds with raw emotion from Katrina and Nathan’s points of view and alternates between the past and present. I liked getting glimpses of why their relationship broke up through the shifting timelines but felt that the “past” chapters eventually became repetitive. The chemistry and longing between Nathan and Katrina felt authentic, but some readers may be disturbed by the emotional cheating.

This book tells the story of what happens when two best friends turned enemies reunite. Following their best-selling book, Katrina Freeling and Nathan Van Huysen went their separate ways, and not of good terms. After having their greatest success, the dissolution was a mystery to the literary world and their fans. Without having much success on their own, and in order to honor the remaining book on their deal., Katrina and Nathan are forced to reunite. Both characters are under personal and professional pressures, and coupled with the assignment of writing their next great book holed up in a house together, the pressure cooker eventually explodes, revealing what led to their falling out four years earlier. In the aftermath, Katrina and Nathan find clarity in their careers and in their relationship. In addition to complex characters and an intriguing storyline, the authors provide an interesting glimpse inside the writing process, and the real-life pressures that face authors as they strive to create a successful book.

“Because I’ve realized a life lived with you is the best story I could ever tell.”

Katrina Freeling and Nathan Van Huysen are two co-authors that wrote a bestselling novel. Unfortunately, they had a bad falling out that caused them to end their partnership and go their separate ways. Katrina stopped writing, and Nathan wrote his own novels but it isn’t doing well. When their contract says they have one more book to write, they’re forced to spend 2 months in a house in Florida to write their last book after 4 years of no contact.

Wow, this book was A LOT. The flashbacks, the tension, the anger, the awkwardness of having to reunite after years of not talking to each other. I’m going to be honest, I was struggling with this one; it took awhile to understand why their partnership ended and even then I’m still confused on why it ended in the first place. But other than that, I enjoyed the process of two writers go from hatred to realizing that they love each other.

✍🏻READ IF YOU LIKE✍🏻:
- dual POV
- friends to enemies to friends to lovers
- co-writers
- second chance at love
- slow burn
- flashbacks (past & present timelines)
- forced proximity
- Beach Read and PWMOV vibes

cw: divorce, depression, anxiety, emotional cheating, death of loved one, gaslighting, manipulation, lack of communication

Thank you to @netgalley and @berkleyromance for the advanced copy! The Roughest Draft is now available!

I loved this book so much. The writing was absolutely beautiful. The amount of things I highlighted was absurd. I was very pleasantly surprised by the twists. I really pictured the book going one way and I was very happy when it didn't. I have never had any desire to write a book but this really made me want to consider only because of how it was described by Katrina and Nathan. I will highly recommend this book to everyone!

Love stories about writers, is that a trope? Because I am very into it!

Quick synopsis: Bestselling cowriting duo Katrina and Nathan end their partnership at the height of their success, leaving the public to wonder and speculate what happened between them. After not speaking for years, they have to get together to write the final book due on their contract.

This book is told from both Katrina and Nathan's perspective, I usually don't love books that jump perspectives but I think this was done flawlessly and each perspective was very distinctive and not confusing at all. I love how they used the process of writing a book to help the plot move along. It had just the perfect amount of angst. The romance was heartfelt and emotional and I enjoyed every step of Katrina and Nathan's journey.

Thank you, @netgalley and @berkleyromance for my copy in exchange for an honest review! Love stories about writers, is that a trope? Because I am very into it!

Quick synopsis: Bestselling cowriting duo Katrina and Nathan end their partnership at the height of their success, leaving the public to wonder and speculate what happened between them. After not speaking for years, they have to get together to write the final book due on their contract.

This book is told from both Katrina and Nathan's perspective, I usually don't love books that jump perspectives but I think this was done flawlessly and each perspective was very distinctive and not confusing at all. I love how they used the process of writing a book to help the plot move along. It had just the perfect amount of angst. The romance was heartfelt and emotional and I enjoyed every step of Katrina and Nathan's journey.

Thank you, @netgalley and @berkleyromance for my copy in exchange for an honest review!

I reviewed The Roughest Draft for BookPage. Here's an excerpt:

Co-authors and former friends become lovers when forced to return to the beautiful Key Largo, Florida, beach house where they first struck literary gold in young adult fiction duo Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka’s debut book for adults, The Roughest Draft.

From the moment they met, aspiring novelists Nathan Van Huysen and Katrina Freeling had brilliant, intense chemistry.
---

Three years later, Katrina and Nathan aren’t speaking. She got engaged to their once-shared agent and he has married his fiancée. Nothing has gone quite as well for either of them since the break. Nathan’s solo book was dead on arrival, and no one wants another. Katrina is even more stuck: She’s not writing or even venturing into bookstores in person for fear of being recognized or connected to her formerly lustrous career.

In the midst of this limbo, they get a call. Their publisher wants them to fulfill their two-book contract, and time is running out. The solution: Recapture the magic by returning to Key Largo.
---
Katrina and Nathan are easy to care about, both as individuals and as a potential couple. But some structural and stylistic aspects prevent The Roughest Draft from reaching its full potential. The flashbacks are well done, but the slow-drip reveal of what caused past hurts and hostilities keeps the reader from understanding the couple’s present-day motivations. And the often self-conscious and metaphor-stuffed prose, plus abundant reflections on the nature of reality versus fiction, creates distance where there should be intimacy. However, this romance is a joy to read once Nathan and Katrina let go of the past, at least temporarily. As they give their natural connection free rein, The Roughest Draft truly sparkles.

the writing of this didn't really work for me, but the romance did! it's a writing pet peeve of mine when people's significant others are villainous in romances, but the connection between the two protagonists and the writing element were fun.

I really liked the concept behind the plot in The Roughest Draft. I don’t normally go for second chance romance, but I was really intrigued by the synopsis for this book. I was also all there for the forced proximity trope!

When I started reading, one of the first things I noted was that a lot of the time, The Roughest Draft read more like adult fiction than contemporary romance. I definitely expected more cliche language and situations. But this was not a bad thing! The book was very well written, and the plot was well thought out and executed.

I appreciated how well structured The Roughest Draft was too. The reading also made it very easy for me to imagine the situations the characters would get into as well as the setting.

I’d never been to Florida when reading The Roughest Draft, but I definitely felt as if I was there with the characters. Now, having been to Florida since, I’m happy to say that the vibe was accurate! Overall, I had a very good experience reading The Roughest Draft, and recommend it to those who enjoy forced proximity, second chance romance, as well as a moderate amount of pining!

Received a digital ARC of this book via NetGalley.

Cute story! I love books about people in the literary world and chicklit. This has the best of both. Not going to lie would definitely want to read their books in real life. This was such a good light read!

I really enjoyed this title! I love books written by 2 authors who take turns writing chapters, and the characters were original and authentic. Great plot with going back in time and then the present also. I would definitely recommend!

I had really high hopes for this book. The premise is great! But it just fell flat. Being marketed as a romance, it didn't check all the boxes. It jumped between present and past choppily.

Katrina and Nathan's chemistry was good, but not great. Chris (Katrina's fiancé) was absolutely terrible. I felt like Katrina knew that but continues to stays with him for most of the book. And then semi-cheats on him with Nathan. With flashbacks, you learn she only was with Chris to get back at Nathan, but after she finds out how Nathan feels she continues to stay... It was just too much. Overall, it felt choppy and overly receptive.

I finally got around to reading this! It was too feelings-y for me. It thought very highly of itself I think; and I prefer my romances on the funnier / less highbrow end of the spectrum.

I love when writers write about writers and readers, and how they can nail exactly what it is that we all love about books. Make it a contemporary romance and I’m going to love it ten times more. This has a more literary fiction feel than I was expecting, but that was also very refreshing.

The Roughest Draft provoked strong feelings in me as I struggled to figure out what had gone wrong between Katrina and Nathan. They were supposed to be writing another book together, so Katrina's fiancée pushes her to write with Nathan and Nathan agrees to his publishers demands.

I thought this was going to be more of a romantic comedy, but it was a deep novel filled with introspection and dialogue that had me struggling to figure out what was going on. The strong feelings between Nathan and Katrina are tormented by one or the other of them being in a relationship with someone else since they met. This story is more about the writing process behind two people who take the journey to forgiveness and healing to see what is on the other side.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing, NetGalley, and authors Emily Wibberly and Austin Siegemund-Broka for this review copy for me to read and enjoy.

#berkleywritesstrongwomen #berkleypublishing #netgalley #bookstagram #newrelease #arc #books #slowburnromance

Oh, how my heart loved this! The Roughest Draft is easily going to be one of my favorite reads of 2022, I am already calling in. The set up and premise of this book was interesting but I was a little worried about how well it would go on paper. Well, the authors pulled it off without a hitch and I was immediately obsessed with this story. Even though it came out in winter, this is going to be an excellent beach read for the summer months!

I loved the parallels between past and present, as well as the story within a story that plays out. The chemistry is fantastic, and the characters felt real. All of the talk about the craft of drafting, and life of a writer was relatable and I felt at times as if the authors had plucked these things right out of my own brain. There is angst and tension galore, and you can bet it all pays off. Highly highly recommend!