Let me start off with saying THIS HAS A HEA!!!! This book took you on such an amazing rollercoaster of emotions. Laura Bradbury’s writing just pulled me straight in and held on tight to me. I was rooting for and cheering on Jules and Tom and Alan and all the other wonderful characters.

I wish I was better able to articulate my thoughts and feelings I had throughout this book. Laura did such a wonderful job of making you feel like you were right there with Jules going through everything she had to go through. Knowing Laura had first hand personal experience made this reading journey all the more exceptional. This is one book that will stick with me forever and one I will most likely read over and over again. Thank you for sharing this with us Laura.

Thank you NetGalley and Laura Bradbury and Grape Books for providing this ARC to review. ~I was given this book and made no commitments to leave my opinions, favorable or otherwise. ~

This book was previously published and archived before I got to read it. Thank you Netgalley and publishers for chance.

So, I loved this. I was absolutely fascinated and thrilled to learn more about Jules' disease. I have a daughter with type one diabetes, so I really, deeply enjoyed reading a romcom with a protagonist who dealt with daily pain. I think, often, about my daughter falling in love some day. She will always have pain. And, I loved how in UNLIKELY MATCH we saw Jules' pain honestly. I appreciated how she didn't want people to pity her but also to be there for her. It is such a fine line, and I really appreciated how UNLIKELY MATCH showed that.

As I am not the one with the illness, I grapple with how to talk about my daughter's disease with her. I want to be caring and compassionate and supportive but also honest. I loved being able to slip inside Jules' head a bit and see what made her feel loved and supported.

Also, let's talk about the romance. I just love the sexy, serious, a bit dorky love interest. Such a fan. There was high heat sexual tension, adorable banter, and just overall, a lovely romance.

I also liked that Jules decided to do something new at the end of the novel, even though she had success in her current career. I love that she was rewriting herself and that she didn't quite know what that meant. There was such beauty in that openness and the possibilities. And, I think that is so true -- I think with carrying a chronic illness you do not have the space to dream. You have to SURVIVE and that takes so much. So I loved that honesty and the absolute beauty of her being able to dream up what to do next.

I adored this book and highly recommend it.

Jules has a secret: she's in need of a new liver and needs a living donor transplant asap. Time is running out as her health is in a serious state of decline, but the last thing she wants is for anyone to fret over/pity her...especially her new work enemy/tech bro "asshat" who is the CEO of the office her company shares an office with...

This was such a sweet, heartwarming story. The author, Laura Bradbury, noted that she had to go through a living donor liver transplant. Learning in small doses about the trials and tribulations of the way the medical system works in terms of transplants was super eye opening.

I loved the slow-build chemistry between Jules and Tom! They were complete opposites, but almost felt like pieces of a puzzle that finally worked once they sorted through all their personal struggles. (Tom was also SUCH a sweetie to Jules in her times of need, but also understood she could take of herself, but it was just in his nature to be a helping hand.)

Thank you to Laura Bradbury and NetGalley for a copy of this book on exchange for an honest review!

RATING: 4 out of 5

“I guess that’s the ironic thing about facing death—there’s no better crash course in learning how to live.”

Jules Kelly has a rare autoimmune disease and desperately needs a liver transplant.
When she overhears Tom Davenport from the rival tech company she shares a floor with complaining about her company, her competitive nature sparks. She's determined to beat him to an angel investor's funding. But she wants to do it as her old self, not the sick woman she's become.

I loved this enemies-to-lovers story of love over adversity. The banter was super sharp, sometimes dark, often hilarious, but also incredibly moving. I did find that some of the feminist points very early on didn't actually relate to the conversations she was having with Tom and consequently felt shoehorned in. As a result, Jules came across as ranty occasionally. But that's a minor detail in what was overall an uplifting rom-com.

As someone who was diagnosed with an aggressive autoimmune disease, I really empathised with Jules and related to her outlook (both positive and negative), especially the drifting of friendships and the anticlimactic realisation that though you might no longer be dying, you still aren't 'well'.

Tom was a classic misunderstood cinnamon roll with an extra layer of frosting. I absolutely ADORED him. I also loved the secondary characters and Tom's background story, and particularly appreciated how two broken (in different ways) people were able to mend one another. A highly recommended read. Just gorgeous!

Overall Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Heat Rating: 🔥🔥
Emotional Rating: 😬💓😡💔🥰😢💓😭😍

Wow. Hello to Unlikely Match, a spectacular grumpy sunshine, enemies to lovers, he falls first novel!

Author Laura Bradbury presents us with a story that contains classic contemporary romance tropes while adding in the unique medical twist she portrays though protagonist Jules Kelly.

The book’s dedication is for the readers, addressing those who have gone through difficult medical experiences. As someone who has dealt with an interesting mix of medical problems, I loved the way this book made it clear that they do not make you weak, but rather make you strong.

I am not hard to please when it comes to books, but this one in particular was just so wonderful. I adored Jules and Tom, the two characters who the book is centered around. The way Tom’s character was fleshed out from “tech-bro” to secret softie with a traumatic childhood was really interesting and I enjoyed not only learning about how Brian changed his life, but meeting Brian as well. Jules was amazing throughout the whole book. Her confidence in her boho-chic style and her commitment to living life in the face of a practically terminal illness was admirable. I also love that she never let her family’s lack of empathy and behavioral awareness impact her, as she was always the bigger person.

Jules and Tom’s relationship took a route that was, in my mind, perfect. While they started out as fiercely stubborn enemies, they learned to be vulnerable with each other and developed a blossoming friendship. Their connection was able to grow and flourish because of the genuine connection they shared. The sacrifice Tom makes for Jules is not only heroic but also swoon-worthy (sorry, the romantic in me just can’t help it!). And, of course, the final scene of the book had my heart melting because I am a sucker for a good old happy ending.

Book: Unlucky Match
Author: Laura Bradbury
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Review~
Jules is sick due to liver disease and will need a liver transplant in order to live. She tried to reach out to her family but they did not want to help.

Tom works as a CEO and Julia is also a CEO and they both were looking to work with each other other. But little did you know Julia found him super hot.

Tom eventually found out about her condition after he felt for her. Tom was a match to be her donor. Little did she know that he was going to be her donor.

Overall this book was amazing I definitely recommend reading this book. I love how strong Julia was through her battle.

This will easily be one of my favorite books of 2022. The writing was so so so good. I usually don't love enemies to lovers but this was done so so well. Jules and Tom's relationship had legitimate tension (thus the enemies) that gracefully turned to friendship to sexual tension. I highlighted MANY quotes and chunks of text in this book because there were a lot of lines that really hit me whether they were funny or heartfelt.

All of that to also touch on the medical side of this story, Jules's struggle with her health was handled very well and was very believable. Her health journey as well as her relationship with Tom kept my attention and I gobbled this up. ALSO, all the lovely side characters were written very well. Alan is the perfect BFF. Will be recommending this to everyone and reading more by Laura Bradbury.

I must say that when I usually envision a rom com, it does not include a main character battling a very serious rare disease I've never heard of. However, Laura Bradbury did an exceptional job including that element but still providing me with the feel-good, lovey-dovey parts I always enjoy in a romance novel. I went through a roller coaster of emotions while reading this thanks to Laura's extremely authentic character development. Of course I loved the happy parts of this, but I loved them so much more because of the difficult storylines that were intertwined.

Thank you Laura for giving me insight into a piece of life I have never experienced (and hopefully never will). This was a nice twist on a classic girl meets boy, girl hates boy, girl and boy fall in love story. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and highly recommend!

What an absolutely wonderful romance! It was an emotional ride for sure, but one I loved.

Our heroine (and for once she really deserves the title) is Jules, and she is all those things we stereotypically associate with a person suffering potentially fatal condition - brave, stubborn, determined. She’s literally fighting for her life because she desperately needs a new liver. We are right along side her in her moments of utter exhaustion and despair. I should warn you - I cried about three times.

Our hero Tom, the cranky, antagonistic guy that makes her feel alive even when her health is at its worst, is perfect for Jules but I also loved that he’s not a perfect person. Both of them have come from awful backgrounds (her family is unspeakably horrible, he was in foster care). He knows a thing or two about fighting for a fair go.

The author is herself a transplant patient and her knowledge of the medical issues impacting her character is clear. There’s heaps of emotional depth and soul-searching. As well as being a romance, this story explores the big questions about life, love, family, friends and what is really important. I also loved the setting in Victoria, Canada and it has made me want to visit there one day.

If you’re going to read this book I would recommend checking the content warnings, I found my heart went through an emotional wringer!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc for my honest review!

DNF. I was really excited to read this because it was giving me the hating game vibes but there was too much explanation for me about every little thing that is happening. Once I saw I had a total of 600 pages to read 😥😅 decided it was time to move onto something else.

This story had some of my favorite tropes: enemies-to-lovers, workplace romance, and grumpy-sunshine to name a few.

This book was well done and it was easy to connect with the characters and feel something for them. My heart broke for Jules during the first half but was put back together during the second. The banter between Jules and Tom was sweet and fun.
If you love strong and brave female characters and a supportive male MC, I definitely suggest giving this a read.
Also, be prepared to cry a bit during this book!

Super sweet and fun rom com! I loved the workplace enemies to friends to lovers. I also liked reading about PSC and transplants as I’m not familiar with either of those and thought the author did a really good job with these subjects. Definitely recommend and will be checking out other books by this author.

Ummm I am not crying you are!? Holy wow! I didn’t expect to get teary so many times reading this book! First of all I love Tom! He is just the right amount of grumpy who has a big heart! And Jules such a sweetheart and a heart go a warrior!

I obviously enjoyed the story and the characters together ! I wish I could tell my two cents of thoughts to Jules family but as they don’t really exist I can’t lol!

This story is beautiful and it’s really inspiring. Honestly something different then the rest of the books out there and I love how inclusive it is!

This book was so good! I love the unique idea of a illness/transplant for a storyline. It’s not like anything I’ve read before and it makes it even better that the author speaks from experience. It makes it so much more realistic. I could feel the emotions of the characters. I also loved the enemies to lovers and workplace romance tropes! Jules was such as strong lead. I loved the give and take between her and Tom. They both saved each other. I also loved the other characters! Alan, Brian, and Dr. Abebe were some of my favorites. I loved seeing the support for Jules from her chosen family, especially with her family of origin being so horrible.

Unlikely Match follows Jules who has a terminal illness, that if she wants to survives, she needs a kidney transplant.

The first half was kind of slow, but once I got past the 1/2 point I couldn’t put it down. I love stories that have found family, coming from a life where my friends are more family than my family is.

This book seems to be an accurate depiction of how life with a terminal illness would be.

Thank you to NetGalley and Laura Bradbury for providing me this ARC so that I can write this honest review!

Unlikely Match is a rom-com worth reading right now!

Plot:4/5
Characters: 5/5
Writing: 5/5

I knew I would like the author’s style when I read the dedication line: “If life has lobbed a health-related shit sandwich as your head, this one is for you.” The witty (and occasionally dark) humor shines through the main characters, Jules and Tom.

Although the tropes include enemies-to-lovers and workplace romance, they are backdrops for the story of self-acceptance and growth in both main characters. The story can be sometimes predictable but it that is ok! It is paralleled by the fact the main character Jules loves rom-com movies in the book. Jules knows that there will be happy ending and this gives me the same feeling.

The writing is witty and smart and very detail oriented. The background of the co-working space is especially fleshed out and make you feel like you are in the world. I did not think to consider a pink velvet or yellow couch until I read this book.

The author’s experience with their own health journey made a welcome addition and added heart to a situation which might be trivialized by others. Little details like Jules having small veins, or having to wear sunglasses indoors because of her yellowing eyes made the story more believable.

Lastly, I want to commend the author for emphasizing Jules’s found family (because her birth family truly sucks). Alan, Dr. Abebe, Brian, and Stewart all added to the story without detracting from the main plot.

Go read this book!

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions. Thank you to Laura Bradbury for giving me the opportunity to read Unlikely Match!

Jules Kelly is the CEO of a tech start-up with her best friend. Getting the opportunity of a lifetime, the only catch is their company has to share with another; Silobase. The problem with that? On their first day Jules hears their CEO Tom making disparaging remarks about her company and judging her based on her looks.

Not everything is as it seems however; as Jules is hiding a secret from almost everyone; she is in desperate need of a transplant due to a medical condition that is destroying her body. That 'tan' is in fact jaundice, the weight she's lost? She can't stand the taste of almost every kind of food.

Jules won't let anything stop her from helping her best friend however, despite the fact that she should be resting and that her only hope is finding a living donor so she can recover.

But over time, Jules and Tom discover that they may just be an unlikely match.

This book was so sweet and I did not want to put it down. While both characters were dealing with their own issues, it was wonderful to see how their relationship progressed and I loved the dynamic between the two.

I DEVOURED this book. What a beautiful story. I was completely drawn in to this, and as another reader with chronic disease, I have not read another book with this type of representation and accuracy in describing the roller coaster of any chronic disease, let alone something as heavy as this orphan disease.
The tension between the characters was beautifully executed, and the steamy scenes were *chef kiss*.
My one wish is that the FMC's family was a little more believably dislikable. They were easy to dislike and their unkindness was a bit extreme. Living donation is incredibly complicated, even without how dislikable her family is, so there may have been an opportunity for more depth or nuance there.
Otherwise no other criticism - just an absolutely stunning, heart breaking, and heart warming story.

We need more of these in romancelandia!!!

This book. I cannot tell you how many times I had to put this book down and literally do breathing exercises through my burning nose in order to keep myself from bawling out buckets of tears. After that I started snort-cackling at the most inappropriate times for the most random yet funny as hell quips from God knows which character. Then I started tearing up again. Then I laughed. Then cried. Rinse, repeat. Needless to say, I was on a rollercoaster ride of emotions and I freaking enjoyed every second of it.

This story mainly follows the voice of Jules, CEO of a travel company and diagnosed with PSC years prior. She butts heads with Tom, CEO to database company housed in the same co-working space where hers is also in. Jules and Tom start off on the wrong foot as Jules overhears him one day making a very judgmental comment. They start off as enemies of some sort but slowly form a friendship that borders into something more as they navigate Jules' illness and Tom's scarred past.

The thing I loved most about this book is how it is heartbreaking and brutal yet so full of hope all at the same time. I have never heard of PSC before and I personally think this book gave me a thorough insight on what it is and how people who have it deal with it. This book did not hold back in showing possible harsh realities but somehow temped that down by adding such amazingly supportive characters that will undoubtedly risk their own comforts just to extend the same to their loved one.

Jules in here was such a badass I loved reading about her fighting through every struggle thrown at her. I teared up for her when she hit a roadblock and (mentally) leaped for joy for every sliver of hope she found. Tom is probably one of the most supportive, most adorable, most simp-for-his-woman hero I have ever read. I'm so glad he's not the asshat (Jules' words, not mine) I initially though he was. He had his own scars he had to mend himself but he remained present and for that, he successfully entered my book boyfriend list. Their romance was just so raw and vulnerable that I physically felt my heart warm up while reading.

It goes without saying that I HIGHLY recommend picking this up. This is a unique take on a contemporary romance but a very important one. I also recommend being aware of triggers as this book deals with heavy medical topics that may be sensitive to some readers.