Super cute book that is entertaining from the get go. Loved the main characters and just the overall story line. It was well done and i could not put it down.

Welllllllll....... I definitely cried with this one. Jules's struggle seriously wrecked me. All of the hardships she faced, including her shitty family broke my heart. I loved her character, she was a definite boss who faced her career and her health struggles with such an amazing attitude... until she met Tom, a serious tech CEO with what seems like a serious chip on his shoulder based on their first meeting..

These two got to me, the only reason I gave this read 4 out 5 stars is because of Tom's rash reaction to being rejected, not that I don't understand but it was still rough. I definitely think you need to pick this one up.

An Important, meaningful, moving, romantic story. Charming & insightful ! It contained some of my favourite tropes: Enemies to lovers, opposites attract and grumpy - sunshine combination. Overall I really enjoyed this read. I have never read a transplant romance before and I really enjoyed this.

3.75 stars!
Starting with my likes:
- I think this book played with emotion well, specifically hurt. Those emotional punches landed nicely.
- I really loved Tom! The way he was written was great. His motivations and emotions seemed very subtle coming from Jules's POV and I really appreciated that.
- I also really liked how Jules and Tom formed their friendship. It felt like a very realistic progression for them.
- Lastly, I loved how much detail the author gave in medical aspects of the plot. I appreciated that she trusted her reader would care especially since it is a giant part of the plot.

There were more things I loved, but those were the ones that stood out.

I am only deducting a star from my rating because the plot felt very thin (not much really happened). It was very linear and felt like it only had the attention span to follow one plot point at a time.
Also, I felt like Tom and Jules's relationship had development, but not a lot of material to it.

Jules is CEO of GoodGuides, the startup company she started with her best friend Alan. They have just moved into the new space of subsides office space, along with another tech company. She hears their CEO talk bad about her company on the first day and she isn't the one to stay quiet. So it starts the months-long antagonism between Tom and Jules. But Jules is not all that mad about it. Something about Tom brings out her fighting spirit and she desperately needs one right now.

Jules is sick and she is only getting worse with each week. She needs a new liver, but can't find a match and her family is no help. And totally horrible. She needs to keep on fighting and have hope.

She dislikes Tom very much and thinks of him as nothing more than just a regular work-obsessed tech bro who hates women. He thinks she is a hippie and not serious about her company or work. And then he shows up with pierogi one day. And the more they actually talk, without antagonizing each other, the more they both realize that there is more to them than just first impressions.

It's a love story, heartbreaking, but also romantic and so so sweet. The writing is so good, that I was immediately pulled into the story and had to read in one sitting while crying like a baby. :)

I finished (and started) the book Friday. It's now Monday and I still can't stop crying. It's not just the love story - which is sweet and beautiful, or the hardship she had to endure, or the losses she faced along the way, it's the way the story speaks to anyone who ever had any kind of medical crap to go through. The loss of friends, the alienation, the way people look at you, with pity and the after. After when nothing is the same and all of your goals and expectations are crushed and you have to build yourself again, - that, that was what made me sob. I never before felt so heard and understood and never had to go through anything half as bad as Jules.

Can't recommend it enough!

Unlikely Match hits just the right note in what could have been a trite or oversimplified telling of a complex and difficult situation. The author notes that she has personal experience with the disease that affects the main character as well as being a living liver transplant recipient as well. This comes across in his deftly she describes Jules’ experience, both the physical and emotional sides. The romance is delightful and I appreciated that things didn’t just magically work out. Both characters needed to grow and learn after their experiences in order to come together in a healthy way at the end. I will happily recommend this to my customers.

This was adorable! Loved their Chemistry! Such great characters! I didn’t want the book to end! Such a lovely read!

Unlikely Match by Laura Bradbury was an adorable heartbreaking story. This was my first book I’ve read by Laura Bradbury and it won’t be my last. Jules our main character was
diagnosed with a serious illness. Jules liver needs a transplant. Aside from her condition Jules continues to work and tries to live a normal life. Jules meets Tom and become instant work rivals. Both Jules and Tom have to work together to help each other while they are sharing the same office. I have to say I will read anything regarding enemies to lovers and Unlikely Match did not disappoint me. Over time Jules and Tom spend time together and they learn about each other and develop a romance. I loved the connection between Tom and Jules throughout the book. Thank you so much Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this adorable romance!

Unlikely Match was a unique insight into the world of having a chronic, incurable, terminal illness such as PSC. Throughout the story, her disease was all consuming - nearly every thought seemed to circle back to her illness in some way. While I suspect this is likely true to the author’s experience with her illness, it did make Jules’ story feel one dimensional, particularly in the first half of the book, and I found myself losing interest in her as a character. However, I did enjoy the storyline of her finding a match, receiving and recovering from her transplant, and the road to discovering herself again post-transplant. I also loved the hate-filled vitriol Jules and Tom shared in their journey from enemies to lovers - a classic trope and HEA.

(3.5 stars)

This book was not only lots of fun with the relationship that developed between Jules and Tom, it also focused on many important topics that aren't featured in novels often enough, including chronic illness, childhood trauma, and sexism in the tech industry.

Jules' need for a liver transplant due to a rare disease was a large focus of the story, with many of the other events revolving around that fact. She was so strong and resilient despite the barriers she faced and the negativity in her life (her family *really* sucked), being determined to keep working as long as she could and not wanting pity from those around her. I am glad she realized how important it was to ask for help from those around her, which is an important lesson for anyone who reads this book.

Tom was an intriguing, complicated character. There was a conversation he was involved in at the very beginning that almost made me DNF the book to avoid further disappointment, but I am glad I gave him a second chance and kept reading. I had to remind myself that sometimes people can say things that deeply hurt or offend us, but it's coming from a place of deep pain within themselves that we don't know about - but it is still hard to not take it personally. I quite quickly transitioned to wanting to give Tom a hug for all he had gone through as a child. Books that make you think this deeply are so lovely. I am very glad that Tom and Jules found each other!

There were many interesting supporting characters involved in their story too, with my favourites including Dr. Abebe and Alan. It took effort and growth for these two to accept help from each other and those around them. Jules and Tom had emotional baggage that could have greatly altered the story's outcomes, so I am glad they found each other and supported each other through the tough times. The epilogue was really sweet and wrapped up the story so nicely!

Oh man this book. I adore romance, but an opposites attract romance set in the transplant world? I never expected that!

Jules is the CEO of a start-up, living with end stage liver disease brought on by a rare auto-immune disorder, PSC. She meets Tom, the CEO of another start-up, on the day their two companies begin working together in a communal work space. Their slow burn, opposites attract, frenemies to lovers story is delightful, sweet, and felt so natural and real.

But I want to talk about why this book was SO good for me. I am the caregiver to my mother, who 10 years ago received a kidney transplant. I helped her for years prior with her end stage renal disease, I helped her through her transplant, and I care for her now that she’s back in the end stages of renal failure with her current transplant. I’ve seen every aspect of the transplant journey, lived it along side her…. And let me tell you now… This book gets it RIGHT. I was up at 4am reading this book because I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and when it came time for Jules’ transplant, and the trauma leading up to it and the new traumas that develop after it, I had tears streaming down my face. People think life is perfect post transplant - and the fact that this beautiful story took a deep dive into the uncertainty and remaining PTSD post transplant is incredible. I’m just so grateful that such a beautiful story was told in the parallel of a sweet rom com.

This book had a little spice in it, given the heat between Jules and Tom, that was to be expected. ;)

I highly recommend this book to any and all wanting to better understand medical trauma, the loss of friends and family, the guilt and uncertainty you feel, and the overall transplant experience. When wrapped in a sweet love story like this, it truly gives the reader a more digestible version of what people experience.

Thank you to Laura Bradbury for writing such a lovely and important story.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Let me start by saying I absolutely loved this book. This book pulled me in from the first few pages; not many books can do that. I was interested from the start. It made me laugh, and cry. I loved all the characters ( well the good ones obviously, definitely not the Kelly’s). I adored the side characters Stewart, Dr. Abebe, Tarun, and Brian; they really bought the story together. Alan and Jules friendship is the sweetest thing! I loved watching the characters develop, especially Tom. I thoroughly enjoyed the banter between Jules and Tom, it was incredible! This story really showed me how unpredictable life is. I loved the quote, “life doesn’t have to be perfect to collect perfect moments”. It’s the perfect way to think of life. I’m a sucker for a good enemies to lovers! I could not put this book down, I can’t recommend it enough!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4866360455?book_show_action=false

Unlikely Match - Laura Bradbury
3,5/5 ⭐️

“I can’t go on. I go on.”

This book was an intere mix between love and life story! Jules is fighting a rare liver disease when she meets Tom at work. Even though he seems like a usual “Tech Bro” in the beginning, they start becoming closer and closer. But Jules doesn’t have a lot of time to live without a liver transplant.

I lived the story, but I couldn’t stand Jules’ parents and i honestly do not think any parents would behave like that. I’d rather have absent family than that kind of family.

I didnt expect to love this book as much as I did! It gave me some the hating game vibes, but with an original spin! This is one hell of a take on enemies to lovers and I’m here for it!

This book was amazing and so eye opening, I loved it. This book followed Jules through a journey of PSC and a failing liver, Jules needed to find a living liver donor and quickly as time was running out and she didn't qualify for a deceased donor. She is the CEO of good guides and has recently moved into shared office space with Silobase run by the CEO Tom. The two owners are polar opposites with how they run their business and don't agree with the other, which makes a great work place enemies to lovers trope.

The main character Jules was so strong and powerful and so so brave for overcoming an awful illness and complications on her own due to her family being self centred and not realising the severity of the situation she was in. She stayed positive and at work and tried to remain happy and healthy infront of everyone and in reality feeling so ill and poorly all she wanted to do was sleep all the time. Jules journey gave me such an understanding of an illness I'd never heard of I found it fascinating. Tom was the perfect leading male character, the grumpy CEO exterior that transformed into the caring friend was a lovely friendship to watch blossoming into a romance.

This was my first Laura Bradbury book and it won't be my last I loved it. I highly recommend this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was honestly kind of nervous to start this book- I love romance/NA books because of the happiness and comfort they bring me and I was worried a book centered around disease would bring me down... I was very wrong. I thought this was a pretty enjoyable read. A solid 3.75 for me. I liked the characters well enough but the world just didn't ensnare me enough to be a full 5 stars. The book was a lot of fun, and a gave me a few laughs out loud. I'd have loved to see more with the family (they were hilariously awful). My only real complaint is that the last 10% of the book felt like a bit of a slog. The book wasn't too long, it just felt like the story started to meander a bit. I do think it's worth reading though, you won't regret picking this one up!

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this beauty!

Unlikely Match is the sick-lit rom-com I never thought I would love so much.

Jules Kelly is simultaneously living her worst life and having a great time. Our FMC has end-stage PSC, and needs a liver transplant, BADLY. She also just started a traveling guide start-up, GoodGuides, with her gay bestie Alan and is having a fabulous time with their new start-up space.

Enter Tom Davenport, the other startup in the same space as Jules' GoodGuides. Tom is everything opposite of Jules: he's grumpy, she's sunny, he overworks, she has work-life balance. His first impression sets these two off on the wrong foot by all accounts until they can no longer deny the tension between them. Is it friendly workplace competition, or something, more?

What ensues is a hilarious and heartfelt tale of Jules and Tom that is as up as it is down, with some of the best quotes to grab you in. My favorites include:

- "Annie was our tech leader and a daily reminder that I should never put any woman in a box. Women possessed multitudes that no box could ever contain."

- "That was the thing, though, wasn't it? As soon as I was issued my passport to Sickland with my PSC diagnosis, I was made to feel like a beggar rather than a customer."

- "Another thing I'd discovered in myself since getting sick was the sharp tongue of a viper. Where had it been most of my life?"

There's so much more to this book than what meets the eye, give it a shot!

QOTD: 'I thought with you I'd found the home I've been looking for my whole life. Are you telling me I was wrong? " (Tom, Unlikely Match)

This is one of my favorite quotes from the book as it shows that Tom found a home in Jules ❤️.

BOOK REVIEW 📚

BOOK Featured:
- Unlikely Match by Laura Bradbury 🌸

Rating:
- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5
- 🌶️🌶️🌶️ 3/5

Jules is an independent woman who doesn't rely on her family for anything. Despite the fact of her family treats her with her disease, she is still lives her life. Tom has been through a traumatic childhood, and that molded him into a man who is searching for love, and only love ♥️. The story between Tom and Jules unfolds when they cross parts as work nemesis, and they learn more deeply about one another 😍. This book was a magnificent story teaching us the importance of family bonds, even if you don't have your family with you 🥺. If you love a romance with healing and a happy ending, this is the one for you 🥰.

First of all I really love the starting of the book. The friendship between Alan and Jules was amazing. But it wasn't exactly enemies to lovers trope. There was just a misunderstanding at starting between Tom and Jules. They never hated each other. Things were pretty fast paced at first but later the book was so slow.

I wished there was dual POV. I wanted to know more about Tom. I really didn't like Jules when she said they were rushing things after surgery. Like seriously before surgery she confessed to him and now she is rejecting him? That really offended me. I feel like they were pushing each other away for nothing.

I really like the reason why they don't wanted to feel pity from others. Overall it's a 4 stars books for me.

This book was so cute! There were quite a few things in this book that just hit on a personal level. The pacing of this book is good - it’s not so slow but it’s not fast either, it keeps you hooked enough to want to know what’s going to happen.

Seeing book boyfriends be all swooning makes me wanna bang my head on a wall (in a good way cause like WHEN IS IT MY TURN MAN)

Tropes/things you might like:
-Office setting
-Enemies/rivals
-Grumpy x sunshine
-He falls first
-LGBTQ rep

If you liked Five Feet Apart, The Fault in Our Stars, I think you’ll like this.