I don’t like to compare books. Each one is different from the others in its way. So, I’ll just say that this one gave me the same feelings as some great ones out in the world (with acclaimed reviews).

Jules Kelly is the CEO of the company GoodGuides and co-founder with her best friend Alan. Her life could be amazing if she wasn’t dying. She has PSC – primary sclerosing cholangitis – and her only chance of survival is a liver transplant. The main problem with this disease is that the person needs to be almost dead to climb the transplant list and be able to receive an organ from a dead donor. So, they better try and find a match in a living person who’s willing to donate part of their liver.

If I only tell this part, it doesn’t seem a romance at all, right? Well, there’s where Tom Davenport comes – to drive Jules crazy. Their first meeting couldn’t go worse but with time she discovers that he wasn’t himself on that day. Tom is the CEO of Silobase, the company that shares the same office floor with GoodGuides. As CEOs of the companies, they are asked to help each other so their companies can mutually grow.

I enjoyed Tom’s history and how it backed his actions in the present.
On Jules's end, I loved how stupid her family was and how I hated them. They got under my skin, even knowing it was only a fictional book. So well written! It’s heartwarming knowing that even when our family isn’t there for us, we can create a whole new family to have our back.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book. One of my favorites of the year! I love it when I read a book from an author I don’t know and it’s such a wonderful surprise as this one!

This book had The Hating Game vibes and I loved it! Tom and Jules are both CEO’s of companies sharing an office space and do not get off on the right foot. While the office rivalry and competition for new funding is occurring, Jules is also dealing with a life threatening disease and is in need of a transplant. This was such a deep and emotional journey while also being a lighthearted and easy read!

Unlikely Match
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 5/26/22
Author: Laura Bradbury
Publisher: Grape Books
Pages: 348
Goodreads Rating: 4.22

Thank you to NetGalley and Grape Books for providing a digital advanced readers copy of the book for me to read for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: I’m Jules Kelly, whose hip tech company just won subsidized office space in the coolest co-working space in town. Two big complications: A rare and seriously inconvenient disease is tanking my health by the day, and only a transplant will save my life. A soulless database company is sharing my new office space, and its coldly gorgeous, judgmental, CEO Tom Davenport. We despise each other. A mysterious angel investor forces our companies to compete for a life-changing amount of money just when my relationship with Tom becomes infinitely more complicated.

My Thoughts: The story is narrated by Jules, from her perspective. I LOVED this book! Devoured in a short period time, it is absolutely a bingable book! The characters are developed very well with depth, persona, amazing banter, and just work really well for this book. The author’s writing style is creative, complex, kept me engaged, and well described. I felt like I was there with Jules, rooting her all the way, hoping that she gets the medical treatment she needs before it is too late. I just loved how the events entwined with each other. The supporting characters were also fantastic! I highly recommend this book that was released last month. I will read any book released by this author.

Unlikely Match was my first book by Laura Bradbury and I was not disappointed! The banter between Jules and Tom was hilarious and I loved how Jules put him in his place. Often with banter in enemies to lovers it feels like the hero can view it as just fun give-and-take while the heroine gets really worked up about the conversations, which luckily wasn't the case here. Jules was always totally cool and Tom was the one not being able to keep up. I very much appreciated that he actually took Jules' comments to heart though, when it came to differing work ethics and how he was sometimes a bit too harsh.
Despite a very much disastrous first meeting, Tom did grow on me pretty quickly. It became very much clear that while he was out of line in the way he talked about Jules, he's just a fish out of water when it comes to any type of social setting. I would have liked to see him apologize a bit more in depth for his comments, because even though he was speaking from a place of frustration and ignorance, what he said was still very hurtful and uncalled for. Also while he was horrified about some of the things he said after he learned of Jules' illness, even if she wasn't sick, what he said would have still been rude.
(MILD SPOILER) Jules' journey to finding a donor match was so frustrating and I can't imagine having to go through that in real life. Even though it was kind of obvious from the start (blurb and title) who the donor would be, in the end, I was still so relieved when she was finally able to receive the organ donation and began to get better.
Overall an absolutely wonderful book with great main and supporting characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

What a fun book, perfect summer romance reading. Great for holidays, I really enjoyed it and engaged with the characters

Sweet read

Thank you NetGalley and Laura for the book!

This is the first time I've read a book with a main character who has a terminal illness, where she has to fight her illness in order to get the life she has lost.

Jules is really an extraordinary character in my opinion. She has a rare disease and the only way she can survive is by getting a liver transplant. However, Jules did not give up on the situation and continued to live her life to the best of her ability. As sick as she felt, she still struggled to live and did not give up on the situation.

I learned a lot about transplant patients from this book. How difficult it was for them to be able to find donors, how the disease was slowly eating away at Jules' life and there were moments where I cried while reading this because of how hard Jules went through. Moreover, Jules has a very toxic family, I hate Jules' family who really think of Jules as a broken thing and don't have the slightest sympathy for Jules when she is down and in pain. I don't know how much I cursed when the Jules family appeared.

But, fortunately Jules has amazing friend who make me feel calm because I know Jules has someone who will always be by her side even though she has a super toxic family. I love Alan so much!

And of course it was Tom who appeared in Jules' life and gave her the zest for life. It's pretty obvious what will happen in the future and how Tom and Jules' relationship has changed. I can guess at the key moments but I still enjoyed the story and really loved it! I love their relationship so much!

I wanted to really like this book, but I had some major issues.

One. How was she paying for all the meds and ER visits,etc, maybe I missed her explanation but I feel like it didn't address how money wise this would affect someone.

Two. Why does every man have to be God like, to the point where the MC is lusting over their thighs and ears, like what? Give me a dad bod please

Three, too much sex.

Four. Wrapped up way to nicely but weirdly as well.

It's decent for a fluffy romance spicy book but don't expect more than that.

Thank you Net Galley for a copy of this ARC, Unlikely Match by Laura Bradbury. Event though I was a little late to the party. I don't' even know what to say about this book, because I am in a book coma! This book is STUNNING! You know how when you read a book that is so good that it puts you in a reading slump after because nothing compares? I am so going in a reading slump. But I wouldn't change reading it for the world.

hats off to laura bradbury for making me believe again in an office romance with the sparks of enemies-to-lovers!

i love my two start up CEOs. and the tension. the rivalry. the chemistry. everything!! at first i didn’t really care about tom bc, well, he’s kind of an ass and arrogant (partly also bc we see him in jules’ pov) but anyways we can actually see the growth and how their characters were developed throughout the book. despite tackling so many heavy themes this book has took it with sincere care and make it easy to get through. also, they are so interesting to me because!! opposite attracts!! tom and jules are an absolute opposites, but the kind of opposite that brings out the best in the other. it also has its moments of courageous actions that leaves you rooting for the characters. this book was such a perfect mixture of many emotions. the struggles jules had to face was done very well-written, it was both emotive and inspirative. and for those who are curious, the medical aspect did not overshadow the overall romance between tom and jules like what i had initially expected. just a right amount of romance with more layered depths about the meaning of life, death and the importance of finding people that feel like home.

thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unlikely Match was a sweet story. This was my first Laura Bradbury novel, and I was impressed with the quality writing and wonderful character building. Unlikely Match tells the story of Jules, a very sick heroine with a rare disease that desperately needs a liver transplant, and Tom, her office nemesis.

Bradbury was able to convey a lot of emotion through the character of Jules. In the author's note, it was revealed that Bradbury also suffered from the same rare disease that Jules had. I think she did a great job describing the agony of the illness and the conflicted emotions that transplant recipients experience. Tom also had a complicated background involving foster care and abandonment. His character growth arc was wonderful as well. I enjoyed their love story and their banter.

Two negatives that I had from this book... Jules' family and found family both read very one note. I wish there was some complexity to those situations but they were either all terrible or all perfect. The second thing was the work competition. I just thought it was an unnecessary addition.

Unlikely Match was a sweet, emotional, sometimes funny read that gave me some insight into a complex situation. I'm glad I had the opportunity to read it and I will definitely seek out more Laura Bradbury in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and Grape Books for the free e-book in exchange for my honest opinion!

This book was so incredibly unique. It had all the elements I adore in romance books, the grumpy- sunshine trope, the nemesis- to lovers trope, and incredible side characters. And the transplant aspect of the book was well done. It captured the raw feelings, the fear, sadness, horrors, and heartbreak a transplant patient has to go through and the things they have the battle. Laura Bradbury did such an amazing job, putting these emotions into words. The book was a beautiful experience, but it did fall flat in terms of romance. You watch the characters go from being nemesis to loving each other- but you never truly feel it. I wish it was explored more. But the characters themselves were so great, especially our heroine's best friend, Alan who I was head over heels in love with, Overall, I really do recommend this book!

This was everything I wanted it to be. Two opposites brought together by an illness that was portrayed so well.

The banter between the two MCs was amazing. I binged this in a day I just couldn't stop.

I shed some tears through the journey as well, which doesn't usually happen. I am so proud of both of these characters.

I absolutely recommend this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC.

I recommend wholeheartedly. One of the most authentic books I’ve read recently. It’s emotionally on the heavier side. You go through the same roller coaster the heroine does and at one point, I felt the need to verify that it had an HEA (and does it ever! = one of my all time favorites…).

Let me state some facts about this book : It’s enemies-to-lovers, mixed with workplace romance. It has the bare minimum of spice. It was emotional and real and filled with pearls of wisdom. It acknowledged the comfort films (10 Things I Hate About You is a timeless classic) and books and will be frequently referenced by me for that simple fact alone. Thinking about the way Jules Kelly’s story came full circle will never cease to make me happy. Blood is NOT thicker than water. Culture shock is real.

And finally, it provides an incredible perspective about many things. I’m not really in the mood for going into family history but I know how hard it is to face organ failure. And I know how high the expectations usually are for the transplant. Sometimes it doesn’t work. And sometimes it does. And I never had the emotional maturity before, to question how things went with all that. The way Jules was written was, I felt like, near perfection. The guilt, the defeat, the hope, the frustration, the numbness, the ‘what now?’...

Before I finish, I want to focus on one person and one person alone. Thunder. Dias. Who is this guy ? Where do we make copies ?

“Can I be your happy ending ?”

Please do !

Consider this fictional man while I go find myself some of those pierogi things.

This damn BOOK! To give you a quick synopsis - our MC Jules is CEO of a travel startup and is simultaneously dealing with an illness she refuses to tell anyone about. She is sharing her new office space with grumpy CEO Tom, who she now has to compete with in order to fund the next development of her business.

I adored this book so much. I was cheering on Jules and wanting her to find happiness and health. A lot of her journey reminded me of my Poppa, and I felt very connected to her character. This book perfectly articulates the struggles of having an illness and trying to have an identity outside of your illness.

The romantic parts of this story were so damn loveable and precious. I loved the banter, the sexual tension and the moments shared between these characters. At halfway, this book ramps up in emotion and I was hooked. This story is so beautiful and hopeful, and I loved the character development the MCs found in addressing their struggles. Everyone is going to love this book and I can’t wait for more people to read it.

This was heartwarming, sweet and so uplifting. Maybe some downfalls, but the enemies to lovers and unlikely situation really caught my eye. This is the kind of books I could easily see going viral al over booktok and bookstagram :)!

Could. Not. Put. This. Down.

This had the best of tropes; Enemies to lovers and grumpy/sunshine!

At first I did not think a transplant romance was going to be for me but Laura Bradbury really changes that!

Jules is the CEO of Goodguides, a startup company when she is forced to meet Tom, a typical tech guy. They both go through some of the most amazing growth. Jules has to come to terms with an illness that will more than likely kill her, but after a life saving transplant she is forced to figure out what the hell she needs next.

“You are a fierce fucking warrior, whether you're fighting a rare disease, supporting your best friend, setting your limits with me, or embarking on a completely new life."
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rating: 5/5
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tropes: enemies to lovers / office romance / found family
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I was approved to read this book as an e-arc. I really loved this book and it was so addicting to read, like i would stop reading but I immediately wanted to read again.
Tom and Jules are CEOs of two completely different start-ups that have to share an office space, but they have a bad start when Jules hears Tom belittle her start-up just because of the appearance of its employees. Jules may look like a bohemian girl but what people don't know is that she has primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), a rare liver autoimmune disease, and is struggling to find a donor.
I loved Jules and Tom and how different they are but they complete each other. I loved Jules, she is a badass heroine who isn't afraid to say what she thinks. I also loved Tom, even though he was acting like a jerk at the beginning. I could see their chemistry since their first meeting and was excited about how their relationship would evolve, at first I was scared that it would be 'I hate you' and then in the next chapter they would be friends but their friendship/relationship evolved in a natural way. You also get attached to the secondary characters, especially Alan (Jules' best friend) and get excited for him in this book. This book also made me learn about PSC which I had never heard of before, and Jules' journey of living with PSC made me cry.
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genre: adult romance (+ steamy scenes)
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rep: mc with PSC and PTSD, and gay side character.
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#laurabradbury #unlikelymatch #NetGalley

Jules Kelly is the CEO of GoodGuides, a travel guide start-up she created with her childhood best friend Alan. Tom Davenport is the CEO of Silobase, a database start-up that shares office space with GoodGuides. Jules and Tom are polar opposites–Jules dresses in bohemian style and is a little ray of sunshine while Tom dresses in only black and white and keeps people at a distance. The two meet in a tense encounter at the office after Jules overhears Tom complaining about all the “hippie-dressing” women at GoodGuides and how much of a distraction they’ll be to his employees at Silobase. Jules calls him out on his prejudiced views of women in tech and the two butt heads every time they’re forced to work together. Jules has primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and needs a liver transplant in order to survive, forcing her to miss work often for doctor’s appointments. Tom incorrectly assumes her frequent absence from the office and natural “tan” comes from idle, rich girl traveling, when in actuality it is from jaundice. Eventually Jules and Tom realize their animosity toward each other is hiding explosive attraction, but her disease progression starts to affect their relationship.

“Unlikely Match” is so much more than your typical enemies to lovers, grumpy x sunshine, office romance. This book WRECKED ME. I knew reading a book about someone with a terminal illness waiting for an organ transplant would be emotional, but I was not prepared for the number of tissues I went through. This is not a light read as there are discussions of terminal illness, waiting for transplants, mental health and PTSD, broken families, childhood abandonment, etc. Even with all of those heavy themes, the book remains so hopeful. Jules and Tom are both so supportive of each other’s difficult familial relationships and health issues. Though there is a misunderstanding at the beginning (hello classic Pride & Prejudice trope!), they eventually discuss their incorrect judgments and slowly build a relationship into friends and eventually lovers. The supporting characters in this novel are just that - supportive, patient, and so uplifting. They all have individual stories and personality quirks, but don’t outshine the main characters. Jules’ friend Alan is an actual saint. Laura Bradbury not only wrote a tender love story, but she also spoke of love, loss, change, and recovery. I highlighted numerous quotes, but this one stuck with me the most:

Jules, on the concept of happy endings: “Now that I think about it, I’m not such a fan of happy endings anymore. I don’t think we should aim for that.”

He blanched. “What do you mean?”

“They’re too tidy–too neat and unattainable.”

When Tom laughed, I felt it vibrate through the warmth of his glorious chest. “In other words, not us?”

“Exactly, and not life either.”

“What should we aim for, then?”

I kissed the spot on his neck that always made his toes twitch, and he groaned. “How about we collect perfect moments?”

He tightened his arms around me. “I like that. Life doesn’t have to be perfect to collect perfect moments.”

Five glowing stars!!

“Life doesn’t have to be perfect to collect perfect moments”

Thank you to netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.
This book started out a bit rocky for me in terms of connecting with the MCs. A reader more akin to the medical world might have an easier time with that, though. The first half of the book read a bit slow for me, but the second half picked up with great speed.
I enjoyed Jules’ personality and outlook on life as a whole. Such a strong fmc with unyielding determination and strength, grounded in her ideas of feminism, was everything in this book. The messages were the right amount of poignant and honest for today’s society.
The love story that develops is so charming and you can’t help but smile at the ending. Plus, I happen to LOVE 10 Things I Hate About You.
If you like enemies to lovers, a strong fmc and a sometimes-unsure mmc, and HEA’s, I’d definitely recommend this book to you!

First of a big thank you to Netgalley for my copy, I am off to the bookshop to try and find a physical one ASAP.
This was my first book by Laura Bradbury, and I can assure you this will not be the last. I loved the writing style, the way the characters were written, the sensitive way the subject matter was handled. Everything just worked. It contained some of my favourite tropes: Enemies to lovers, opposites attract and grumpy - sunshine combination.

This story really hit me hard, as someone who is also dealing with medical PTSD, and some parts felt hard to read, but not in a bad way, in a way that it was so well written. It felt reassuring to find a story that contained your feelings and emotions and validated them.

I adored the way Jules and Tom fell for each other, I enjoyed the banter, the verbal sparring. I loved how they weren't perfect and that each one had their issues that made them feel more relatable. I loved the extra characters who all played a vital part in making this a very good read.

I learned a lot about Jules' decease and it was eye opening perspective of the life of someone who has gone through the transplant process. In my own mind you forget about what happens after, and I really appreciate the author giving you a slight wake up nudge.