Partner Pursuit was like a Hallmark movie came to life: a woman married to her job and trying to juggle romance in between long hours at the office. Audrey’s main focus is to make partner at her law firm and it’s nearly in her grasp. Unfortunately, the heroine’s obsession with her career got an unproportionate amount of air time compared to the love interest. The romance seemed like a secondary plot line and the hero was barely featured. In addition to the trope of the career woman who’s most important relationship is her job, we also received a multitude of side characters that blurred together and bedroom scenes that went straight to commercial.

The few moments we got to see Jake were worth it. He was bright, affable, sweet, and had the personality of a golden retriever. He reminded me of Levi from Fangirl because he provided the sunshine in an otherwise cloudy romance. While I’m personally not a dog person, I thought it was cute that he named his dog, Biscuit. I kept waiting for Jake to show up and become more prominently featured in Partner Pursuit. They had nice chemistry together, even if all their love scenes faded to black. The scale of sexual content is entirely up to the author and I think I’ve read too many spicy romances that I wasn’t expecting to slam on the brakes when it started getting steamy. Closed door love scenes aren’t my preferred rating on the "love-o-meter", but I can always respect the author’s choice.

While I didn’t completely love Partner Pursuit, I liked the clever title and the heroine’s dedication to her career. I need to take more personal time myself and give less devotion to my own job. Audrey faces the struggle of the modern woman who feels like she has to decide between the law firm and romance. Who says she can’t have both? I wish the romance with Jake was a bigger element of the story, especially because he was cute as a button. Partner Pursuit shows that it’s important to follow your dreams and avoid obstacles when you’re flying down the bustling streets of life.

This is one of those books where I can't put my finger on why it wasn't exactly for me. The plot was strong, but I think the writing and pacing wasn't working while I was reading. I'd definitely give this author a try again though, considering this is just her debut!

I enjoyed this story, I thought Audrey was a well developed character and there was a lot of research into being a lawyer,

The story line was easy to follow however I thought at times the pacing was too slow with a lot of unnecessary detail and at other times too fast.

I really enjoyed this book! The storyline was easy to follow. The characters were well developed. I would definitely read more from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and Strawbundle Publishing for the opportunity to read and Review Partner Pursuit.

Strobos’ debut follows Audrey, a workaholic corporate lawyer in NYC who is months away from making partner at her firm, and her cute new next-door neighbour, Jake.

The premise and the fact it took place in NYC appealed to me but the more I read, the less interested I got about the lawyer and romance aspect.

Audrey was an exciting and empowering lead however the other characters seemed a little dull. I am not a fan of love triangles so I wasn’t thrilled by that portion of the plot. There was just a lot going on with the side characters and the love interests that it sort of felt messy.

The cases were well thought of and intricate and in the end it felt unnecessary and confusing due to all the jargon.

I did enjoy the realistic descriptions of the balancing work, social life, and what-not. I liked that Audrey was very independent and the whole women supporting women section of the story.

Overall, i give this a 3/5! It’s not my kind of book but it may be for someone who wants a glimpse into a lawyer’s life with a side story of romance.

A cute and surprisingly real rom com that I generally enjoyed but at times struggled with the writing.
This story focuses on Audrey, a hardworking lawyer trying to make partner at her law firm. As a lawyer myself, I appreciated the attention the author paid to telling Audrey’s story as a lawyer and it’s importance to her, as well as the general accuracy of the details about her cases and work-life. It was not subsumed by the romance element. It also meant that the reader comes away from this book with an appreciation for the challenges working women face, an understanding of some of the unsavory elements of certain work cultures, and a light lesson in feminism as well.
I had to dock some stars though due to the writing and pacing. I don’t think there was too much law/career and not enough romance per se, rather that the romance could have been more developed and the author could have tightened up the writing and pacing some to make the two feel more evenly balanced. The book often read as too detailed, or at times repetitive, and yet would also very suddenly resolve certain plot points with too little development. But the main issue for me was that slowness and overly detailed writing in some parts- it made it hard to get into the book and keep going, despite the fact that u enjoyed the overall story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Strawbundle Publishing for the opportunity to read and Review Partner Pursuit. I’m sharing my review voluntarily. I thought the premise sounded cute and I’d read a positive review from someone I follow so I was excited to receive this ARC. The story was charming and Audrey was a well developed character. There was just a lot going on in this book, a ton of side characters and plot points to track. As we see Audrey and Jake’s friendship develop the reader is introduced to a lot of characters that we meet once or infrequently. The cases were intricate and had a lot of law jargon and details that felt unnecessary. I also didn’t connect to Jake at all or believe that Jake and Audrey had chemistry. I was way more invested in whether Audrey would become partner than I was in whether Jake and she would stay together. Jake was presented as this overly cocky guy at first and then kind of unsure and slow to act as the book went on. It didn’t translate as getting to know the real him, it felt like inconsistency. Jake’s character felt immature to me, especially the way he handled his disappointment. It also bugged me that the dog biscuit is a girl in some parts and a boy in others. The book itself is well written and detailed.

I found partner pursuit to be a pretty quick and easy read. While it had a good meet cute scenario, I didn’t find the book to be well flushed out.

With romance, you want your reader’s lust and desire to build along with your character’s and then when they finally come together there needs to be enough detail that it’s almost as if it is happening to them too. When Audrey and Jake finally hook up it lacks detail, which made it kind of anti climactic. It read more or less that they finally hooked up and had a lot of sex. The author had a second chance to redeem this, at the end, when they get back together but instead Jake says there will be time later and nothing happens then either.

Additionally, I would have liked just a little bit more at the end, once they’re back together. It just seemed a little rushed to me. It doesn’t have to be a lot but maybe one more short chapter with a flash forward of how it’s going? Did Audrey get the better balance she wanted? Are they married? Etc.

Overall it was a decent book with good foundation, it just needed a little bit more to put this author on my list of must buy writers.

A romance story where the romance is the key element…. This was about finding that balance between work and love life. Giving it all at the right time and to the right people. I enjoyed this book and the characters were so well depicted they were clearly playing out their parts in my head. Maybe a little slow but ultimately enjoyed it

LOVED loved loved this book.

The writing had me captivated from the start to finish, and I found myself reading it almost straight through one sitting. I look forward to reading more by this author.

An overall fun read, however I did feel like some of the characters lacked depth and that there were too many characters to keep track of. In general, too many friends in the friend group, too many partners that were asking for Audrey’s help.

Additionally, I felt like the plot felt rushed at times - I definitely would have wanted some more conflict before some of the plot points in the book had gotten resolved.

Would definitely recommend to people who are looking for a light-hearted read with a likable main character.

Partner Pursuit; a story about balancing work and life. Audrey is trying to become a partner in a law office. She works day and night trying to finish the huge workload she is given while trying to allow time to do things outside of work. Her new neighbor, Jake, has caught her attention. This story is about Audrey working day and night trying to fulfill her lifelong dream of becoming a partner while trying to achieve a relationship with someone she has such a strong connection with. This book gives you a hint of suspense in Audrey's work environment with a side of romance.

Fast-paced, lots of dialogue, jokes and great chemistry between the main characters. Really liked this one. It is that kind of book that you can finish reading it in a few days. The story was nice but to be honest, I never expected to say this but wow, so much dialogue, maybe too much??

P.S. Give this books to your boss. Maybe he will get the hint.

Absolutely loved this. I loved diving into the world of being a lawyer, along with all the legal jargon I didn’t know, and was so rooting for Audrey and Jake. Kathy is definitely on my ‘ I need every book from this author ‘ list! Loved it.

Thank you NetGalley for sending this arc for an honest review!

This book was so precious OML I have no words to describe how much I enjoyed it. If I could read it for the first time again I would. The romance was so cute and precious that I simply could not put the book down.. definitely will be a buy from me when it comes out!

Audrey is a high-achieving, workaholic New York corporate lawyer. Since the unexpected death of her father, her mother has instilled in her the need to keep your eye on the prize, and to achieve your career goals while setting all other distractions aside. Audrey's work environment reinforces this philosophy, as she and her fellow lawyers compete for partner status by working ever more impossible hours and refusing to turn down cases, even when they are buried under a towering workload.

Jake is the handsome and laid-back music marketing executive who moves next-door to Audrey. He's charming and fun. While he loves his job, he's also determined to strike a good work-life balance and to never allow work to dominate his personality. As the son of a workaholic corporate lawyers, he also intends to steer clear of romantic entanglements with lawyers.

Despite their best intentions to circle cautiously around one another, Audrey and Jake fall into a passionate relationship.But Audrey's work becomes a constant source of tension between them, especially as she's aiming to make partner. Nevertheless, Jake's influence begins to change her in small ways. Is she clinging too much to achieving the role of partner, and does she even want it? So concentrated on work, will she regret missing out on so many aspects of her life? Will she regret her choices?

This novel explores many aspects of work, office politics, and the struggle so many women professionals have proving their worth in the workplace. Audrey and Jake are interesting and likeable characters, with great chemistry between them, and their struggles ring true to readers. New York also serves as an important backdrop to the story, and I liked the sense of place in this novel.. A highly enjoyable read!

Amazon Kindle bills this novel as " feel-good women's fiction with romance" and that is a fair description. I enjoyed the main characters Audrey and Jake--their backstories were a believable source of conflict between them and provided the rocky moments on the road to true love. The climax of the novel when Audrey cancels her trip and Jake reacts badly could have been built up a bit more before its resolution, though. Audrey's workplace tension with Colette and Malaburn also helps drive the narrative forward and serves to engage the reader. All in all, this is a pleasant light read with appealing characters.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. The chemistry between Audrey and Jake was fantastic!

Partner Pursuit by Kathy Strobos
Rating: ★ ★
Genre: 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞
Format: 𝐄𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤
Length: 𝟑𝟖𝟔 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬
Spice: 𝐟𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤, 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.

Partner Pursuit follows Audrey on her mission to make partner at her law firm. She’s prepared for the long hours, and sacrifices required of her. What she’s not prepared for is her new neighbor, Jake, and their instant attraction. Jake has to decide if he wants to take a chance on a workaholic lawyer like his father. And Audrey has to decide what’s more important: work or a life balance.

I tried so hard to like this book, especially because I know it’s Kathy Strobos debut novel. But truthfully, this book was not for me. My biggest complaint is plot and pacing. This book spends way too much time discussing Audrey’s day at the job. I expected to read about her daily life as a lawyer seeing as how she’s up for partner but it quickly became excessive. It took me almost 10 days to read this book because I just couldn’t bring myself to pick it up.

I can say that the author did a great job of creating a likable bunch of characters. I love Audrey’s friends, especially Max. You really do root for Audrey though-out this book but it’s pretty clear that even Audrey doesn’t know what she wants in her life. I think if we spent a little less time at the office and a little more time with others, this book would have easily been a higher rating for me.

I am tempted to give Kathy Strobos another shot and see how she grows as a writer.

Partner in Pursuit was such an adorable read. I enjoyed the story of Audrey and her budding romance with her neighbor, Jake. I loved the chemistry and slow-build of Audrey and Jake’s. I loved the insights on being a lawyer too. I loved the friends to lovers aspect. Though I’m not a huge fan, but it was done well. I also loved how the author showcases New York City's famous places and interesting restaurants. It felt like I was traveling around New York too.

Partner Pursuit is a fun read if you like friends to lovers and flirty banter. It also gives an important message about finding a balance between career and love. I’m excited to read more from the author in the future. I highly recommend this!