Really enjoyed this book! The story was fresh and something I haven't read before. The mystery throughout the book had me hooked to find out what the conflict was. The characters were very well developed and I immediately liked Nathan and Katrina. The setting that repeats and the moments they felt sparks in were all well written. The clear passion between the two characters who would rather stay away from each other was palpable. This is the first book I've read by the authors and finding out their personal background made this book even better.

Didn't love this as much as I thought I would. I liked the premise, two authors co-writing, but it was just soooo slow. It took me a week to get through the first 100 pages.

I liked this story, but it would be a secondary purchase for my public library. I was frustrated with the main characters just not talking to each other leading to years of separation.

Oh my heart! For fans of Emily Henry, this one is for you as it felt like a mash up of the best parts of both Beach Read and PWMOV, but also so unique in its own way.

I absolutely adored the premise of this story! Co-authors with a tumultuous history who are basically forced back together to write another book after a fall out four years ago… how fun is that? Plus, what made this more intriguing was the fact THIS book was cowritten by a husband-wife partnership! The irony in it all made it much more fascinating to read because I kept thinking “is this at all what the experience is like for the actual authors to write together?”.

First, I really enjoyed the writing and prose. The story was told from both Katrina and Nathan’s POV, with some flashbacks to the past thrown in as well. There were so many great moments and dialogue that were really profound and touching that I found myself rereading, plus I liked that both Katrina and Nathan’s perspective had their own voice to it which was nice to read.

For the plot itself, I enjoyed several aspects. One was of course seeing and understanding Katrina and Nathan’s journey— both as co-authors/ work partners and as individuals. With the partnership storyline, I was of course SO curious to know what the heck happened four years ago to cause the two to part ways. As for their individual stories, seeing how they each fell in and out of love for different reasons and at different points in their life was so interesting and I really appreciated how it was written.

My only minor issue with the book is that even though truths came out and thjngs got resolved, I feel like a lot of it was chalked up to lack of communication. I get the characters had a hard time grasping past feelings and situations, but I think because of those past misunderstandings, it made some of their behaviors in the present a bit hard to get on board with.

Overall, I really enjoyed this adult fiction debut by these authors and would highly recommend for any romance lovers out there!

I loved the idea of looking at the process of co-authoring a book, especially when the partnership has gone south.
Unfortunately, this book didn't quite work for me. I'm a big fan of strong female protagonists, and Kate came off as weak to me. And, as a fan of second chance romances, I was looking for more, well, romance. I recommend checking this book out as the things that didn't work for me could be personal preferences.

Thank you to Berkley for this copy that I won in a giveaway.

Enjoyed this romance a lot. The elements of writing, of the romance tropes of a little bit of both friends to lovers and enemies to lovers was clever. The multiple perspectives was delightful and the conflict's conclusion was so satisfying. Really enjoyed this story and these fully realized and charming characters.

Powerful, moving, and beautiful. SUCH A GOOD STORY! I loved every moment I got to spend unraveling Kat and Nathan’s story. The switch back and forth between present and past was genius. I was absolutely drawn in and read this book in one sitting.

Nathan and Katrina co-wrote a best selling book, but that was three years ago. They left that experience on bad terms, but what happened that left them so angry with each other? This book takes us on the journey of figuring that out as Nathan and Katrina reunite to write another book to fulfill a contractual obligation with their publisher.

I love books about books, and I put The Roughest Draft in that category since it has a focus on two people writing a book. I felt a part of their writing process, and that’s something I enjoyed. The author definitely built great chemistry between Nathan and Katrina, and I kept reading because I needed to know both what happened that caused them to have such a tumultuous relationship and to see how it played out.

I found the ending to be somewhat predictable, but with a romance I almost expect that so it didn’t take away too much of my enjoyment. My biggest (but still not too big) issue with the book is the author’s use of a dual timeline to explain their past and how it affects their current relationship. For most of the book I found that their interactions were so similar in the past and present at times I would forget which timeline I was in.

Overall I really enjoyed the ride that this story took me on. If you are a rom-com aficionado, I think this will be up your alley.

Thank you @netgalley for this ARC.

I devoured this book in 2 days and needless to say, it was such a sweet and addictive book. I adored the flashbacks between the couple and the angst was perfection. Chris was the perfect annoying ex although I was extremely frustrated that Kat (a strong independent woman) was with him whilst he treated her so poorly. Nathan was so perfect and I loved his development throughout the novel. The writing was captivating and transported me to an idyllic and flawless paradise.

DNF at 52% I just don’t like this story which makes me sad because I love these authors so much! I love their YA books but this book just makes me sad. I love enemies to lovers but I don’t enjoy books where the characters actually hate one another and are mean. And it feels like their are cheating on their sig other.

"𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘳, 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴. 𝘐𝘵 𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘴𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘣𝘧𝘶𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘦."

I'm stingy with giving books five star ratings. Like really stingy. Last year, I read 176 books and rated less than 20 five stars. To me, five star reads are ones where the writing transports me, the characters stick with me, and that I find myself recommending all the time. My picks aren't always the most popular books or everyone's taste but they're stories I'd read over and over again. 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗗𝗥𝗔𝗙𝗧 is one of those books.

Despite the great cover illustration that suggests it's a rom-com, this is a more complicated, slow burn angsty romance about two writers who co-write a best seller but have a falling out. Years later, they have to reunite to write together again, forcing them to unpack their feelings and face their issues while under deadline to deliver their new novel.

I love books about writers and writing and this one is just sublime. That it's co-written by a married couple who write books together is even more perfect. The characters have great chemistry, the banter is fantastic and there's a book within a book, a huge selling point for me.

I usually hate comparisons but two of my favorite books of the past two years are 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 and 𝗦𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗗𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲, unputdownable novels about writers who fall in and out of love, and this one is like the missing member of their trio. It's been two weeks since I finished and I can't stop thinking about it. Five stars all the way.

Now can I get a sequel about Harriet finding love, please?

Thanks to Berkley Romance and NetGalley for the copy to review.

I had high hopes for The Roughest Draft; I was drawn to two people writing a novel after an incident that broke up their partnership three years prior. Billed as a “Best New Romance” from multiple sources this book was grossly mislabeled and should also come with a warning label that it contained multiple incidents of emotional cheating which is just as bad if not worse than physical cheating. At best this book was women’s fiction with romantic elements, but honestly I didn’t find it romantic at all. Both characters were selfish and full of themselves in different ways and acted like children instead of highly intelligent adults.

Told in flashbacks from when they wrote their best-selling novel three years ago and the present in which they are writing a follow up because the heroine was bullied into it by her fiancé and the hero needs it because his recent solo release isn’t selling as well as it should have and the publisher doesn’t want to option another solo venture. Katrina and Nathan agree to go on a writing retreat for 2-3 months to get the book done quickly. They spend a good third of the book antagonizing each other, then they become a bit friendlier, then back to the bond they had previously, to longing for each other (remember she’s engaged). They are basically incapable of communicating verbally yet they write their feelings into their book. I won’t even go into the fact the book they are writing is supposed to be a romance that ends in divorce. Apparently their publisher and the authors don’t understand that a romance has a HEA or at the very least a HFN.

I went into this book expecting a wonderful book about two people writing a romance while starting a romance of their own and instead I got a story about emotional cheating both in flashback and in the present between two people neither one being very likeable.

This book was obviously not for me.

Seriously... what personality traits did the main characters have?!?!

I find myself to be split down the middle with this one. I really enjoyed the plot, and found the book overall to have a fun and easy read. The authors do a great job setting up the tension between the two main characters, giving them a compelling backstory (in relation to each other only) and I was rooting for them as a couple.

However, literally neither of the main characters had any personality. We never learn about who they are outside of their passions for their careers as authors. Literally not a single thing. Everything we learn about who they are as people relates exclusively to who they are to EACH OTHER.

The writing quality of this was pretty good, and again I enjoyed the plot and read the book pretty much all in a day. However, I wouldn't recommend this as the first romance somebody jumps to. Read something better instead.

4 ⭐️ A story about a missed connection and second chances between two co-authors.

The romance was unexpectedly beautiful. I don’t like cheating (emotional or physical) stories, but this was different. You could tell how much Katrina and Nathan loved and respected each other on some fundamental level. But unfortunately, Nathan was married and loved his wife, albeit in a different way. Both Katrina and Nathan struggled to come to terms with their feelings for each other while trying to be respectful of Nathan's marriage. There was some unintentional emotional cheating but nothing physical really happened until the relationship was over. These characters were so conflicted that I couldn't help but feel sorry for them. It's just so obvious that they are soulmates who meet each other at the wrong time. But I loved how they finally find their way back to one another.

Also, I just adored the way Nathan describes Katrina. It truly gave me butterflies during his POV chapters. ❤️


The writing was brilliant - a lovely combination of Taylor Jenkins Reid and Emily Henry. The metaphors and extended symbolism used throughout this story were beautiful. And the author's prose offered amazing insight into the characters, descriptive settings, and overall amazing attention to detail. I will admit though, there were some moments when the writing was stiff and the flow wasn’t quite right so it took some effort to read. This is intelligent writing so if so you actually have to read each and every single word to follow the story. If you’re a skim reader, you’ll need to slow down.

And how cool that this story written about two authors in love is actually written by a husband and wife author team! Apparently, they came up with this book idea on their honeymoon.


I've seen other reviewers saying the issues between Nathan and Katrina are simple and obvious, but I thought it makes sense why these two couldn’t just talk their problems out. Writing is how Nathan communicates and that wasn’t going to change until he grew as a character. Katrina is a sweetheart but seemed too afraid to live the life she truly wanted. They both had their own subtle issues that are slowly worked through throughout this story.


Overall, The Roughest Draft was a well-written story that I found captivating from start to finish. I felt so many things - angst, anger, love, and heartache - but the ending is HEA and left me satisfied.

Is it cold where you are? Maybe you should try to warm up with what I think is going to be a top beach read for contemporary romance fans this year.

The Toughest Draft hits the spot for fans of friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, proximity based romance, and just fans of literary fiction that value complex adult relationships and how they play into everyday life. I enjoyed the writing style this book a lot, especially how the back and forth between timelines mirrored the writing in the story. I am definitely interested in checking out more by this writing duo.

THE ROUGHEST DRAFT by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka is a gorgeous book-themed romance, with prose that leaps off the page to catch your heart. If you liked BEACH READ by Emily Henry, you’ll love this.

As I've begun to grow out of reading YA novels, I was super excited to see Wibbroka writing an adult romance. It's no secret these two can seriously write and The Roughest Draft was no exception. The concept of the story was great and the chemistry between Katrina and Nathan was definitely palpable in the later half. However, the book is not without its issues.

Unfortunately, the book dragged for a majority of the story. It felt like it took forever to get to the actual meat of the story. The second problem I had while reading was the way in which 'past' scenes were written. I always appreciated flashbacks chapters in stories like this, but the way they were placed in the story felt really disjointed. The tone/setting of them also felt so similar to what was happening in the present that I would occasionally get confused.

The Roughest Draft is a great concept. Even with the small issues I had, I still really enjoyed reading this and would definitely recommend to fans of Wibbroka or contemporary romances in general. I hope this duo sticks to adult books and I look forward to reading what they write next!

DNF at 32%

I was very compelled by this premise. But I was so disappointed when I realized that both characters are going to be attached to other people.

I'm sure this is handled with nuance, and brings tension. I just can't devote time and energy to something I might not enjoy. It's a serious turn off for me and limits my enjoyment of a book, especially a romance.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and #NetGalley for giving me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars! Wow I loved this book. It's on sale now... so I am going to have to pick up a physical copy that I can reread!

Successful literary duo Katrina Freeling and Nathan Van Huysen have been estranged since they finished righting their last book, four years ago. Under contract to their publisher for one more book, the two reluctantly agree to live up to their obligation and create one last work of fictional genius together. Kat comes out of "retirement" to appease her fiance & book agent, hoping to improve their relationship, while Nathan needs to write with Katrina one last time so publishers won't blackball his future solo work. When they return to the Floridian beach house they cooped up in for three months whilst writing their last book years prior, they are surrounded by reminders of their past and tensions rise as they each channel their emotions and unsaid feelings into their writing....

The TENSION. Reminiscent of Emily Henry's book, The People We Meet On Vacation, the rift between Katrina and Nathan that took place prior to the present day setting of the book isn't revealed until roughly 75% into the story - which had me desperately turning the page and paying close attention to detail as I read, hoping to pick up on clues for what happened. I WILL say that the reveal felt a little bit lackluster, because it was built up so heavily throughout the book. This book was VERY romantic, dealing with complicated and conflicting emotions spanning through the past and the present day, and I really enjoyed how the authors would mix in scenes from the past building up to Katrina and Nathan's initial rift as the present dealt with them SLOWLY (so so so so slowly - slow burn is the name of the game here) coming back together. I am a sucker for tension and let me tell you this book delivered. With a dual POV, Katrina and Nathan has such distinct and clear voices - which can be challenging to do well but I felt it was excellent! I was so excited to learn what they each thought and felt about one another and about their writing. The raw emotion from the characters driving the plot was beautifully done. I will definitely be picking up any other romance that the authors of this book write!

This book was super cute! It took me a little bit to get into it but once I got sucked in, I was a goner. I get so frustrated with these no communication tropes but alas, we would never have a story if we didn't have it! It was fast paced and fun, definitely recommend reading it!