I have mixed feelings about this book. At times I really enjoyed reading it but there were also too many things that sadly didn't do it for me. 2.5-3 stars.

I liked the beginning of the book where we get to know Aubrey, a grumpy and pretty anxious bookseller who meets Blake, an actor in a movie that is filmed next to Aubreys bookshop. Their instant (sexual) attraction felt real and relatable and I didn't mind how fast everything developed at first - I loved their first date and was looking forward to reading about how their relationship developed from this initial attraction to romantic feelings but sadly I didn't really feel their romantic connection for the rest of the book which made the jealously plot/the whole thing with Aubreys ex-boxfriend unbelievable and to be honest it felt really unnecessary for him to be "the bad guy" of the story. I would have loved to read about Aubrey having complicated feelings towards his ex and his friend/his ex's new boyfriend but instead it felt liked forced drama which annoyed me quite a lot. I also wish Aubreys character (development) would have been a little less passive and surface-level.

Blake sadly felt underdeveloped to me as well - his only trait seemed to be "wanting to make Aubrey happy/helping him succeed with his bookshop" and his interests (poetry & photography) felt like they were only there to further the plot and/or show something he has in common with Aubrey. I also didn't really like how brushed over his forced coming-out and difficult relationship with his family were. If you're going to write this type of coming-out narrative at least deal with it properly, please. I don't want to read about queer character's pain that is only there for plot reasons.

I really loved the premise but sadly didn't really like how the story was executed.

Thanks to Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for the ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

(⭑⭑⭑) An Unexpected Kind of Love is an achillean love story about a very stressed bookseller and a very charismatic actor.
Aubrey Barnes (I loved the name, by the way) is the owner of an indie bookshop in London. He claims to love his quiet life, but the truth is: his bookshop is struggling and he has not moved on from his ex, Eli. His life seems even more chaotic when a film company starts to film in his Soho street, and turns everything into chaos. Between all this mess, Aubrey meets the charismatic and distractingly hot American actor, Blake Sinclair.
Did I like this novel? Yes! It was entertaining and cute, and I love reading queer novels by queer authors. However, I know how I like my romance novels and unfortunately, this was missing some details.
First, the writing was great and you know I love some first person narrator, but sometimes I felt like the only thing Aubrey was narrating was how stressed he was. Like, mood. But also, I felt like Aubrey's narration was too focused in how stressed he was and I wish there were more developed into the scenes. Like, Aubrey tells us what is happening, instead of showing us.
Second, but this is a more personal opinion: I didn't like how fast their relationship was moving. Even for a Romance book, it felt too fast and quick for me. But, again, this is more personal, as I usually love very slow-burn romances. also, the ex was so annoying but I guess that was the point, so I only wanted to say I hated Eli.
The prompt was very original and fun, and the book was very short. Even though I believe there were some key elements that I would change, so this would be the kind of story I usually obsess about, this was a cute read.

Thank you #NetGallery for the opportunity to read this book in exchange of an honest review. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

In this queer rom-com, grumpy bookseller Aubrey is out of sorts about filming on his street. He is indignant when they want to film in his shop but finds himself drawn to actor Blake Sinclair and to the money that could prop up his struggling business. I especially loved Aubrey's pessimism and dry humor, which also happen to be some of my finer qualities. I was less attached to Blake because, without his own POV, he almost came across as too-perfect wish fulfillment. I liked him, but I didn't feel connected to him in the same way.

The actual romance went at an alarming pace for my poor demi-aroace sensibilities, with the physical intimacy kicking off on the first day of meeting with minimal conversation, and the feels crash-landing not long after. I think their heart-eyes infatuation was adorable, it just came upon me so fast that I adjusted much slower than the characters to the new development. And that's my own identity rearing up, not a problem with the characters or their choices. Of their romantic moments, a public serenade after a fight sucker-punched me with its cuteness.

This is a lovely, fluffy whirlwind with a high steam factor and a lot of bean facts (a niche genre, to be sure). If you're looking for your next contemporary mlm fix, look no further. Thanks to Entangled and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this advanced copy, out 8/9.

Stone has struck a perfect balance of romance, cynicism, and magical realism in this charming comedy. Bookseller Aubrey is trying to keep his family legacy alive as the latest proprietor of Barnes Books. Thanks to some serendipitous events, his shop is selected as the perfect setting for a movie production that's swinging into his London neighborhood. This puts him in the vicinity of one of the film's actors, Blake. As the cameras roll, another story takes place off-screen. Fans of every Hugh Grant rom-com and appreciators of Nick Hornby's original High Fidelity (okay, maybe the John Cusack movie too) will find the charm of this story.. The characters are well-developed and the supporting cast is strong in this one.

hmm, I'm not usually a fan of any type of romance novel where either the MC or love interest is a celebrity. They usually come across as self-insert fanfiction in my opinion, so they're always a hard no for me. Even though I knew this about myself, I decided to give this book a try anyway... now I know I need to just continue to follow my instincts.

The writing is all over the place and a bit repetitive. To be honest, there were times where I just skimmed paragraphs because it was full of absolute nonsense not relevant to the plot. It's fine to describe certain things and places so they can be more vivid in the reader's mind, but the author went a bit overboard with it. When in doubt just keep the prose simple and to the point.

Aubrey is not likeable and is a bit of a whiny grump. I really didn't find much that I liked about him. Blake was no better; he was one-note and a cliche of a love interest. Don't even get me started on the sex scene only 11% into the book... what even was that? I had to honestly go back a few pages to make sure I hadn't missed anything because it was so out of place. I am not a fan of "love" based solely on sexual attraction and that's what their entire relationship seemed to be based on.

I wanted to thoroughly enjoy this book but it just wasn't my thing.

Thank you to NetGalley, Entangled Publishing, and Hayden Stone for the ARC of An Unexpected Kind of Love. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

This book was such a fun romance that got me out a reading slump at the perfect time. If you’re looking for a bookseller romance, with a grumpy sunshine protagonist with the right amount of spice this book is perfect! Also, Blake and Aubrey have a great balance of differences that make their growing chemistry and growth as people enjoyable to read.

Stone does an excellent job at covering a wide range of diverse topics from death of a parent, internalized homophobia, possessive partners, and more to name a few while providing appropriate content warning to enhance the reading too!

Overall, while the middle could have had faster pacing at times this book is a great rainy day or beach read!

First, let me just tell you that I devoured this book in one sitting after receiving a copy yesterday. It’s that engaging and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this is also the debut work of the author! Yay!

This story is basically the gay Notting Hill, and who doesn’t love Notting Hill? I mean, tell me, who doesn’t love Notting Hill??! Right? We got the hipster, anti-social, struggling bookstore owner Aubrey Barnes meeting a C-list American actor Blake Sinclair who’s filming in Soho, and we have a crew of crazy and chaotic side characters!

I loved the series of meet-cute between Aubrey and Blake. There was immediate chemistry between them. The first half of the story was quite engaging and with the right pacing as well. It was told through Aubrey’s perspective only, and I really liked his dry sense of humor, his banter with his friends, and just the way he interacts with Blake. It was just adorable.

Aside from our main characters, I really enjoyed Lily, who’s apparently Aubrey’s best friend and confidante. She’s just very interesting and mysterious at the same time. I’d definitely read a book about her if there’s one in the future.

If I were to nitpick the story, I’d say the scene at the tube station didn’t quite work for me. I won’ spoil it, but the setting of this book is very Gen-Z, right? We have social media, and almost everybody has cellphones, so it’s weird that Blake didn’t even think about the repercussions of his gesture and the way he reacted after it came out; I’m like – surely, he knew that this would come out. Also, the grand romantic gesture of Aubrey flying to New York was a bit cliché, but I love cliché, so that was okay. After that, the whole thing felt just a wee bit rushed. It’s still very much enjoyable, but I wished we’ve gotten more before the time skip in the epilogue.

Overall, this was a very feel-good romance. It has solid characters, the story was very engaging, and it has a happy ending, so I’m one happy bookworm!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

This story follows Aubrey Barnes, a introverted book shop owner, who only wants to make sure his shop is doing better again and Blake Sinclair, an American actor, who wants to explore the city and meet new people. They both keep bumping into each other and unexpected sparks fly.

From the very beginning the story caught my attention. It was pretty fast paced and never boring for even a second. The story had the typical romance track but it still had its own unique and special moments.

I felt like both Aubrey and Blake were very relatable characters in very different way and there was amazing character development for both the characters. Even the side characters had their own personality and added something to the story.

I really loved the writing and overall had no complaints with the story!

An Unexpected Kind of Love is a romance between a British bookseller, Aubrey Barnes and, an American actor, Blake Sinclair.

The story itself was okay. But there were way too many plot holes and the characters and their lives were all over the place. Overall it felt more like a badly written fanfiction.

There could have been a better development of the characters especially Aubrey's. Most people love a character who is grumpy and sarcastic on the outside but a marshmallow on the inside. But Aubrey was just.. not it. He was grumpy sure. But his grumpiness was more like whining over every minor inconvenience. He was very annoying. Either Gemma fixed his problems or Blake did. Even Eli, his ex, helped him deal with customers. He was an adult who owned a bookshop so, why was he so helpless all the time? The book is written from Aubrey's POV and it is hard to read a book if the narrator gets on your nerves.

Comparatively, Blake's character was an angel!

There is no nicer way of putting this but the writing was VERY confusing. And honestly, I didn't see the need for the book to be 234 pages long when it could have been wrapped up in like 100-150 pages.

The description was very appealing but the book did not live up to the expectation.

I thank NetGalley and Entangled Embrace for the e-ARC. I read and reviewed the ARC voluntarily. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A British bookshop owner and an American actor - sound familiar? This is not the story you think it is.

Aubrey has a bookshop in Soho. He's trying to get over his ex, keep his business afloat and avoid the film crew in the area. Well he's trying except one of the actors, Blake, keeps popping up on his horizon all over the place. Somehow he's agreed to let them film part of the movie in his shop. Just as things are getting more and more interesting with Blake. So much for his quiet life.

This is a fun book to read. I could have done with bit more fleshing out on the female characters. I was also a bit confused by Eli, Aubrey's ex, and the status of this current relationship with Aubrey. However since this is told from Aubrey's point of view and he doesn't really seem all that sure himself, the writing definitely helped convey his confusion.

Aubrey and Blake were great - they had great sparks together and I kept wondering right up to the end how this was going to end. I really like not being able to completely guess right at the beginning of the book how things are going to go.

This book will appeal to fans of queer romance who want a light story. I give it a solid 4 stars out of 5 as it was enjoyable and made me happy.

I love this book. It's a perfect love story. It's like watching a romantic comedy movie in my mind while reading and I don't mind. Writing was perfect. Ending was perfect. There was smile on my face a whole time I was reading this book. Overall, it's a perfect, light read romance book. Everyone should definitely read it.

I don’t know, I thought I would like it more but I still enjoyed it. I liked the celebrity aspect and the bookstore a lot. It was so cute. But I think I went in with high expectations.

I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did. The core plot was promising, but the writing felt repetitive and the story seemed to drag from start to finish. I also just couldn't connect with the characters or their romance. The characters and the story were both underdeveloped for me.

That said, I believe this is a debut novel for this author, and while I couldn't connect with this story, I do think there is real potential there. Hopefully he will keep writing and improving his craft!

I flew through this one and it was definitely an easy read. A lot was enjoyable, Aubrey's cynicism is something I can strongly relate to, and Blake was endearing (almost to a fault). Loved that all of the main characters were LGBT+ and the disability representation! Obviously, any book lover will adore the setting of the majority of the story - Aubrey's family-owned bookshop in London.

With this said, part of why I flew through this was because you could honestly skip all of the narrative and just read the dialogue and know exactly what was happening. There was a lot of repetition, and I swear if Aubrey thought "Blake is so HOT" one more time. I get it, but bruh, pick another word. The whole plot felt like when you daydream about meeting your celebrity crush and you fantasize the whole thing but then have to reconcile that there will be issues, but you still want the daydream so the whole thing takes a completely unrealistic turn to make things work out. The story as a whole was very underwhelming.

There are good bones here, and for a debut it's decent. With some more development this author could have some serious potential in the LGBT romance realm.

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for an eARC of this in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me this book in exchange for an honest review!
I wasn’t a huge fan of this book. It was a good story, and I like the plot for the most part, but it just wasn’t my speed. A lot of it seemed pretty dragged out and long in areas where the plot wasn’t interesting, and I didn’t really feel connected to any of the characters, which is a must for me. I think this is a good book for anyone who likes the tropes presented in it, and it is a well done trope. Personally, I just didn’t click with the story or characters or romance. Good writing, good plotline, but overall it just wasn’t for me!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This book felt like such a warm hug. It was a super fun read that genuinely made me feel all sorts of different emotions. The bookstore filming setting was adorable, and it made me want to go to my local indie bookstore and just hug everyone there? I felt like I understood Aubrey’s struggle and really empathized with his character, I also heavily related to his lifestyle and the aspect of not really knowing how to actually LIVE his own life. Blake was kind of frustrating at the beginning but that added to his personality, and HE IS SUCH A GENTLEMAN WOW. Now I don’t know if Gemma’s character was supposed to be that annoying but I really couldn’t stand her, I guess that’s a me problem, lol. My absolute favorite thing about this book was no-doubt the communication between the main love interests, I find that I read a lot of books with the miscommunication trope, and finding a book couple that is so open and honest with the other, is so refreshing and real!
Overall, I loved this book, it was adorable, the romance was sweet, it was relatable, very fast paced and entertaining.

I enjoyed An Unexpected Kind of Love. It was the light, steamy read I needed. The opposite's attract was well done and it was well written. I would have liked to have both POVs though, I felt like we never really got to know Blake and what was going through his head. Also, the conflict between Aubrey and his best friends was highly unrealistic. If what was done to Aubrey happened to me, I would never speak to them again let alone remain friends.

Overall, I would recommend it to all M/M fans.

I voluntary read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Okay. It was an overall entertaining read, I guess. And I appreciated the rep offered by the characters, in terms of sexuality and disability. But many, MANY things unfortunately bugged me.

First, the MC was not very likeable. I absolutely love and can work with quirky and broody characters, but Aubrey was mostly whiny and unpleasant— with absolutely everyone. He’s also very inconsistent, jumping from super anxious, self-conscious and shy to enterprising, rash and bold out of absolutely nowhere.

I also didn’t expect the oral sex between him and the LI, Blake, 10% through the book, after having barely exchanged 3 sentences. And that’s without mentioning the cringey sentences like "there’s no yesterday, no tomorrow, just today just right now and oh God i want him" or “even though i’m fully clothed, i’m naked before him”… They met half a minute ago, a little more build up might have been in order.

Because of this, the super rushed beginning did not make much sense and left me completely deadpan. If the “steamy” encounter was supposed to make us feel something right from the start, it failed for me, apart maybe from making me wonder what the hell was happening and leaving me super biased for what was to come next. It sounded more like both characters acted on their mutual physical attraction, which is completely okay— but when deeper feelings started being introduced, they mostly felt forced and excessively cheesy (all the projecting and plans, the “i miss you” when they spend 4 hours apart even though they’ve known each other for a week, all the times where “right now, in [insert whatever place they’re in], it’s just us, together,” every little thing from the sunset to having tea being “LIKE A PROMISE,” etc.)

I also have to mention the writing, which was very clumsy at times, with repeated information and sentences within a few pages (or even sometimes paragraphs/lines— it could go from the mention of Aubrey’s age twice in 4 lines to the repetition of a same adjective or an entire expression on the very same page.)

It was really frustrating because the first pages made me cackle so loud, and the synopsis sounded nice. But it just didn’t work out for me. The romance unfortunately felt shallow and didn’t hook me enough.

Side note: I really appreciated the content warnings at the beginning of the book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for this ARC— I voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Wow this book was like a Queer version of Notting Hill and I am so here for it! We have a shop owner who seems content and yet in a major rut with love, work, and life who gets totally pulled into the whirlwind of a local film crew and a super hot actor. These two unlikely lovers fall fast and hard into something spectacular. I was in awe of their chemistry, their adorable banter about beans and books, and how magnetic their chemistry was.

Highly recommend for fans of all the romcoms and the quirky cute characters out there who deserve an epic happily ever after!!!

*This book was sent to me by Netgalley, this in no way influenced this review*

This was such a cute book and I loved stumbling upon it! We have a British bookseller who has this meet-cute with an American movie star?? What else is there not to love?

While I think our main characters were fleshed out very good, I would have liked to see a little more dimension added to the secondary characters. I sometimes wished they could have added more to the story than a casual appearance now and then.

I loved all the cute scenes and wasn’t awara this was technically New Adult until I read the first bit of spice! But it’s not very present in the book and I liked it.