For some reason I can't find this book on goodreads. This is a second chance at romance with dual points of view. Nina lived in a small town with her grandmother after being asked to the prom and stood up by Harrison son t0 one of the richest families in town. Leaving for the big city and taking that rejection and miss trust into every relationship she has. 15 years later the two cross paths when they are part o the same wedding party. I thought this book was just ok. I wasn't invested in the story.

Thank you to @netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Nina has built her own business in NYC and has become the anthesis of the meek, timid girl she used to be in high school. A betrayal by Harrison, the most popular boy in school, has shaped so many of her choices since then, and she won't let herself go back to that spineless girl she was. Except that now the teenage hunk that broke her heart is the best man in her best friend's wedding. Can Nina move post all of drama of her childhood to move on?

The biggest thing that stuck in my mind as I read this is the common writing advice of "show, don't tell." So many of the things that are revealed throughout the book are talked about with characters who weren't there, rather than seeing the actual scene where things happen. There are quite a few instances where the author was trying to be coy about something that happened, but the writing became sort of convoluted, and was told second hand, to the two main characters instead of showing the scene itself.

The beginning makes it seem like the book was going to jump around a timeline quite a bit, and I was anxious for those first few chapters. And the timeline IN those first chapters was sketchy at best. Then we hit "present day" and sorry of lived in that time for the rest of the book. There were reveals of things that happened months and years earlier that could have been mapped out as flashback scenes, like the early chapters, only occurring later in the book. There's things that are vaguely alluded to in the present timeline that are just skimmed over and presented in conversation. It was just... Frustrating.

There were also a lot of common book stories that were pulled in to have more going on, but that just wind up feeling like more stuff to flesh out a love story that feels drawn out, but then rushed. A "You've Got Mail" style relationship. A sketchy surprise spouse married in Vegas and surprise pregnancy. A parent using parental guilt, manipulation, and blackmail to get their child to do what they want. And a "mistake" hookup between three two main characters, that is both reveled in, and regretted... There's a lot to unpack here, and too much of it we only unpacked via conversation, rather than seeing the things happen.

It kept my attention, but at the same time, I kept wanting to edit the heck out of it and beg the author to rework dozens of chapters at once.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy via NetGalley in return for sharing my thoughts on this book. Thanks to the author and publisher for this opportunity!

This book was sooooo good. Of course it’s fiction so there are plenty of things that are impossible in the real world. I love the dynamics of friendship. I wish the book had been longer so the plot about the dad’s dirty dealings could have been dealt with. That part.l ic the plot seemed rushed.

Woah, a bit chaotic with the plot lines. Typical enemies to lovers trope but man I struggled to get through this one. I loved the idea but I don't think it was well written. Nina was something else - sloppy, chaotic, overdone. Harrison - mate, get off your soap box!

I get holding onto some hatred but seriously, 15 years?

Thank you NetGalley and BooksGoSocial, Bublish Inc. for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

👍🏼 a travel book for when you just need a break

#MyTurn by Allison Jones is a cute romance. This book won’t rock your literary world, and May get on your nerves* a time or two, but the story is interesting enough to pull you through.

This book is the story of a small-town romance between Nina and Harrison that is quickly shattered when Harrison stands Nina up to their Senior Prom. Nina runs away to New York where she establishes herself as a shrewd and successful business woman, but she can’t quite escape her high school nemesis. Harrison is the best man to her maid of honor for their mutual friends’ upcoming wedding. Not only do Harrison and Nina have terrible timing, but Nina has a secret that she is desperate to hide.

Will Nina and Harrison finally be together? (I mean yes, duh, that’s the whole point. But the ins and outs of how they get there should keep you reading)


*the book alternates between first person narration of Nina and Harrison and honestly, that style is not my favorite, especially when it includes their asides to the reader. I felt that part to be unnecessary and over the top, but to each their own.

Really nice story! Ms. Jones did a superb job of taking the reader through the various scenes and going back in time to give us the details behind the hurt feelings at the center of the story. Really enjoyed this book.

This book is a mess. Nina is a legitimate cartoon and her hatred of Harrison is overblown and overdone that it makes her seem insane, considering her characterization makes her seem like superwoman on crack. Her characterization makes no sense. How is she this hung up when she's made out to be some kind of goddess? I HATE SLOPPILY WRITTEN MAIN CHARACTERS.
Harrison is also obnoxious and annoying. I don't understand how we're supposed to root for these two characters to get together when neither one is likable or enjoyable.
As for the side characters and tropes thrown in to be funny, none of it worked for me. It was like these adult characters were just transported back to middle and high school and all acted like children.
I liked the premise, but the execution was just not done well.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy in exchange for my honest review.

DNF @ 42%

I couldn’t quite get into this book, and I think the MC, Nina, is the reason why. She’s whiny and immature and just straight up not likeable. She repeatedly states that she lets an event that happened in her senior year of high school affect every relationship she’s ever had, and doesn’t allow herself to trust anyone. Let’s be clear… said event is not that traumatic. I also felt that the writing was a bit stilted. It just didn’t seem to flow, but that wouldn’t have kept me from finishing this book if I had liked the MC.

I picked this book up because the cute cover and synopsis with a potential second chance romance appealed to me, unfortunately the writing and the short chapters really couldn't hold my interest. The male main character- Harrison was so underdeveloped and Nina the mc was just so rude, judgemental, impulsive and unlikeable and because of that, I just didn't care what happened to them. There was so much happening in the plot at the same time and I couldn't keep up with the plot anymore because of the annoyingly short chapters and constant switching of pov's. The only things I liked was Nina's grandma and the Downs syndrome rep with Nina's bestfriend's brother Owen. I'm sorry to say but nothing else about the book was entertaining. The plot had potential but the writing ruined it. If it was well put together and not presented in the form of an overdramatic play, I would've liked it more.

Thank you Netgalley & BooksGoSocial for the ARC

I could not read this book past 20%. I was hoping I'd like this one more than the last, but unfortunately, it just wasn't for me. The trope was great and I was really looking forward to seeing it come to life, but from the very beginning, the story felt very flat.

The publisher kindly provided ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I tried. I tried so hard, but the bouncing between time periods and the POV of Nina and Harrison made this so hard to read. I had to DNF at 32%. The characters seemed very one dimensional and like it should have been reorganized to follow a linear timeline.

My Turn - 2 stars

The romance between Nina and Harrison bounces back and forth in time and is sometimes confusing to follow. There is not a lot of depth to the characters and it was hard to get invested in their story. The dialogue was stilted and cheesy. The plot was predictable.

Thank you to Bublish Inc. and Netgally for the E-Arc of My Turn.

3.5 stars, rounded up.

In the beginning of the book Nina is asked to Prom buy cool, popular guy, Harrison. However, due to his family expectations the day of prom another date is at his house and his parents expect him to take her and he does not argue, leaving Nina stood up. Fast forward years later Nina and Harrison are both successful professionals who find themselves in a wedding together of their friends. Nina and Harrison have a back and forth will they won’t they relationship in person that keeps having wrenches thrown in it. The book is told primarily from two POV’s both Nina’s and Harrison’s.

Without giving too much away there were parts of this book that were quite similar to the movie You’ve Got Mail, and I quite enjoyed that.

I didn’t love Nina’s relationship with food where she sees everything that isn’t healthy as “bad” and I have mixed feelings on the reveal of Harrison’s dad’s personal life on the end, as I don’t feel that’s something a person should be embarrassed by despite the character being unlikable.

Parts of this book were a bit over the top and unbelievable but overall it was a really fun read with some sweet moments. I enjoyed Nina’s friends and family (especially grammy) quite a bit. And while a bit predictable the grand gesture did make me smile.

Overall, this was a fun romantic comedy with some unexpected plot twists.

This was such a fun and sweet book!!! I have recently come into a niche where I am loving all of these sweet romantic comedies and this was right up there in that genre! From the first to last page I was invested in these lifelike characters and their journey through the ever day troubles of life and love. There was a character that I absolutely hated, while there were other characters that I adored with my whole heart. I couldn't get enough of the fun and flirty banter and the emotional moments of truth and reality.

It could’ve been a good novel if every plotline that was flung into it was edited in some way to fit the story. The book reads like an assignment was given: what is your favorite trope and why and then they all get written in.

The chapters in Nina’s and Harrison’s POVs also didn’t work as well as I’d hoped. They were short and the timeline felt choppy. I liked that Nina had her found family and they were a part of the story. It was just a struggle to want to keep reading.

Thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I had high hopes for this book as the plot line is one of my favorite tropes, second chance romances. My Turn centers on Nina and Harrison who initially met in high school and reconnect as adults when their best friends are set to marry. Nina holds a grudge against Harrison for his actions in high school but I find it difficult to phantom that she, written as a strong, successful woman, allows this one action to affect every relationship she has had since then. The conversations that Nina has with her friends throughout the book are cringeworthy. Harrison, charming and successful, comes off as annoying. As hard as he appears to be working to win Nina back, he's arrogant throughout most of their interactions before he settles down and becomes understanding and helpful. My Turn has several plot lines that although still center mostly on the main characters, they add another level of disbelief and it muddies the romance.

This book was alright. The plot was all over the place and the twist came out of nowhere. Nina was holding a grudge for so long and it didn’t really add to her character development. The writing and the plot were choppy with the switching between Nina and Harrison happening every few pages. The plot had the potential to be great, but the writing was tough to get through.

My Turn follows Nina Bryant, a girl from a small town that rules in the big city. She left behind her small town years ago when her high school crush (Harrison) broke her heart. She turned that pained into power and become the best version of herself. He best friends wedding is coming up and Jane is the MoH. Can you guess her surprise when she is introduced to the grooms best friend, and it’s Harrison?

Forced interaction between two people who have a burning hidden love for each other was the trope that this book was going for.
But I found it to filled with hundreds of other tropes. It was just overall disappointing for me.

The story of Nina and Harrison. She has never got over how he treated her years ago. Now their best friends are getting married they are forced to spend more time together, so will this be a second chance for them? Someone is trying to keep them apart, but will Harrison let Nina walk away again?

A great read - I hope there will be more books in this series.

Okay so this was a good book story-wise even if there's a ton of things going wrong in Nina's life. Personally, I felt like despite being described as a super successful literary agent (underlined by the fact that she has a 2-bedroom in NYC and also has an assistant of her own), she comes across has not really having a hold on her life. Except for her professional life, everything else feels orchestrated to herself as well. Maybe if we would have a wider glimpse into her work, then this imbalance wouldn't be this glaring.

Another contrasting thing about Nina was this: while she's described as independent, successful and everything great, she wasn't exactly doing a lot in terms of getting her life back on track when it was falling apart, If there weren't a bunch of friends in her life that dropped everything to help, then she wouldn't have been able to cope at all. I relate to the fact that it is difficult to expressly ask for help, but very honestly, she had all the help even without asking.

What felt new in this book was the way Nina and Harrison spoke to us readers sometimes while narrating. The dual perspective was definitely appreciated considering both these characters are stubborn. The friend group and Nina's Grammy are a bunch of well-written, loyal-to-Nina characters.

Apart from a few errors here and there, this book was an easy read and felt like a movie in which everything magically sorts itself out in the end. No complaints there.