WOW. Just wow. Unlinkely Match was a deep, compelling, intense and emotional romance.

Now, Jules isn’t your average romance FMC— she’s dying. An orphan disease is threatening her life and Jules is in need of a liver transplant to survive. The book follows her daily life throughout this journey, along with her private life— her work as a CEO of a startup, her family and friends relationship...

The description of Jules’ daily life struggling with her sickness felt so raw and real. It was hard to read at times, but I actually learned a lot and definitely think this representation matters SO much. The author got a transplant herself and this story is therefore done beautifully and with a lot of care.

I adored all the relationship in this book. The dynamic between Jules and Tom, the LI, were hilarious right from the beginning. Their respective character development was amazing. Jules doesn’t let the sickness bring her down: she’s fierce, strong willed, and her constant arguments at the beginning with Tom were incredibly entertaining. The way their relationship slowly evolved was really endearing.

I also loved Alan, Jules’ best friend. Everyone needs an Alan in their life. Their friendship was beautiful and strong, I enjoyed every time they were both on page.

Many side characters, like Jules’ doctor, were nice additions.

The writing style is great: it’s compelling and throws you right into the story from the beginning. It’s easy to follow, despite the tough subjects tackled or some of the technicalities that get explained. Jules is a lovely main character and not once was I annoyed or bored by her.

Many moments brought tears in my eyes, only to smile or even have a fit of laughter a few pages later: that’s how good the author is at creating an emotional rollercoaster throughout this book.

I highly recommend Unlikely Match, but please proceed carefully if you can be triggered by any of the following: terminal illness, hospitals, blood work/needles/IV…

Otherwise: if you like your romance books with more depths and a lot of emotions, this one’s for you!

Huge thanks to the author and NetGalley for the opportunity of reading this ARC!

I enjoyed reading this book by Laura Bradbury. A great, sweet plot that was enjoyable to read. Hope to read more by this author.

5 shining starts to this funny, heartwarming, tear-jerking, beautiful gem of a book.

Jules Kelly, CEO of a tech company and absolute badass woman, has a rare terminal liver disease and is desperately waiting for a transplant. If that was not enough, she now has to share her coworking space with another start-up and its coldly gorgeous, judgmental, CEO, Tom Davenport, to whom she finds herself inexplicably attracted to as he seems the only one able to conjure Jules' spark and vitality through their fighting and witty banter. All is well - or as well as it can be when one lives on borrowed time - until it isn't: a serious medical complication exposes their true feelings, their fears and how far the people who truly love you are willing to go to help you.

What to expect from this story:
- OwnVoices
- badass heroine
- enemies to lovers
- workplace romance
- grumpy - sunshine
- witty banter
- the best bff a person could ask for2

Trigger Warnings:
- medical setting
- terminal illness
- medical PTSD
- transplant
- parental abandonment
- foster care system experience

The struggles Julie faced after the transplant, when she had to learn to adjust, come to terms with what she experienced and what her life would look like from then on was very eye-opening, raw and extremely touching. This romance was not only captivating, funny and heartwarming, but also informative and thought-provoking, which is why this book and this story will stay with me for a long while.

I think I may have found a new favourite author.

Do yourself a favour and add Unlikely Match to your TBR (it's on KU!!), you won't regret it!

***Thank you Netgalley and Laura Bradbury for the eARC of Unlikely Match in exchange for my honest review***

Firstly, I want to quickly mention that this book broke my 4 month long reading slump so you have to know that it's good! The moment I read the first chapter, I was hooked. I couldn't put it down and I knew I was going to love it!

This book follows the journey of Jules Kelly and Tom Davenport, two tech-star up CEOs whose companies got the opportunity to share a subsidized office space. They get off to a very rocky beginning when Jules hears Tom being an 'asshat' about her company and basically we follow their journey.

Jules is suffering from a rare disorder and is silently fighting for her life while waiting for a liver transplant. Her friends have vanished from her life and get parents are on another level.
The only thing that seems to spark her now is arguing with Tom, and spending time with him while building her company.

I loved everything about this book. The representation, the characters, the side stories, character development, the witty banter, the dialogue, the focus on start-up culture and mainly the focus on medical care, health and mental support.

I really hope everyone picks this book up and enjoys it as much as I did! I hope this book gets the love it deserves! It will hit you in all the right feels! Beware, there are some tear-jerking moments as well!

5 ⭐

Thank you NetGalley, the publishers and the author for a copy of this book! This book just came out so be sure to pick up your copy!

Unlikely Match is a work place enemies-to-lovers with a unique twist. It follows Jules, who has a rare liver disease, and Tom, a rival CEO whose tech company shares office space with hers. The pair love to hate each other and have some of the best banter and hate-flirting I've come across in an office romance ever. Things start to shift between Jules and Tom, because duh, and it blows up in their face a bit when they ended up pitted against each other in a competition for a large sum money gifted by an anonymous investor.

This was just really unexpected and I loved it.
.

I really enjoyed this book! It has my favorite trope, enemies to lovers, but the story was fresh and different enough to keep things interesting. The second half of the book went much more quickly for me, and I found myself not trying to guess what happened next because I was so engrossed in what was happening in the "now" of Unlikely Match.

Because the author went through a similar diagnosis herself, I also found the book educational and obviously written from a perspective you don't see a lot in books, especially women's lit/romance.

I would definitely recommend this book for someone who likes stories about enemies to lovers or workplace romances and wants a romantic tale with a little more weight to it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Laura Bradbury for providing an e-ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #GrapeBooks for the ARC of #UnlikelyMatch!

This book was SO fantastic! It's taken me several days to write this review because I couldn't wrap my mind around it. Initially, I wasn't sure how I would feel about the premise of the book. Jules, a CEO, who desperately needs a liver transplant or else she will die and then there is Tom, the CEO of another company in the same space. Naturally, they hate each other. Throughout the story, the author weaves in friendship, personal growth, and, of course, love. Even though this book touched on some deeper topics like medical trauma and PTSD it has so many funny moments that I was chuckling while reading. I love that the author was a big proponent of "keeping it real" and I felt like this was a very realistic portrayal of something that could have happened. This wasn't a typical rom-com and brought a fresh spin to the genre, it was a really quick read for me and I recommend it!

I really enjoyed reading Unlikely Match! The main character, Jules is in need of a liver transplant and is bravely facing her day-to-day life. Tom, the CEO of the start-up next door, is the antagonist of this enemies to lovers story. Noteably, the author shares that she is intimately connected with the subject matter of this book as she had the same disease as Jules and received a live liver transplant, so the details are spot on. This story was unique, the characters were well developed, and I was thinking about this book when I wasn't reading it - a true test of a good read for me!
I received an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Review posted via Goodreads as of 6/2/2022
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4760627829
Really enjoyed.
*Rough topics warning*
Jules Kelly owns a tech company. As her business grows, her health is declining due to a serious disease. She is in dire need of a transplant, and the man she despises might just be the answer. Tom Davenport is the CEO of a database company. He is forced to share office space with the irritating but beautiful Jules. When an investor both Jules and Tom depend on flip things upside down. Now Tom and Jules are having to compete against each other for an amount that could literally change lives. Which side will win? Love or Money?

This book was amazing! I could not get enough of the enemies to lovers trope. I will give a warning though. There are serious topics discussed. Some rough medical and emotions subjects are brought to life. Just a warning. I would absolutely recommend this book.

I was prepared for this book to wreck me. A transplant romance? Yeah, I was ready to cry. But I didn't expect it to be so heartwarming and funny at parts. So definitely read this if you love

- workplace rivals to lovers
- medical stuff/transplant process
- funny banter
- gay best friend who is the BEST
- start-up business culture
- grumpy + sunshine

This book was such a delight to read. I do wish there was a tad more romance, and the pacing felt slow for the last 30% of the book, but it didn't stop me from enjoying the story and even tearing up. Definitely add this book to your TBR!

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 5
Plot/Movement: 4
Character Development: 4
Overall: 4

Thank you, Laura Bradbury and NetGalley, for the ARC!

Trigger Warnings: chronic health illness, transplant, hospital scenes, foster system
Content Warnings: swearing, one open door and one fade-to-black scene

I rounded this rating up to 5 stars after reading the author's note about her journey with PSC. The entire book felt so authentic in the way that Jules was dealing with her illness and I think that was because of how personal this illness is to Bradbury. At times this isn't a light and fluffy romance, it made me so sad to see the reality of what Jules was facing. I really loved to see how both Jules and Tom developed over the course of the book. For this book being single POV, I felt like I was able to get to know Tom really well.

Wow - this book took me on an emotional rollercoaster in all the best ways! I would not recommend this book if you are squeamish with medical trauma, but it really opened my eyes to some of the things transplant patients (waiting and recovering) have to deal with. I can honestly say I have never read another book like this. I love how the author used her own difficult experience to make a delightful rom-com that also deals with some heavy topics.

We start with Jules, a CEO of a social media tech startup, who has a rare disease and is waiting a liver transplant. The only thing she is looking for is finding a way to live - she definitely didn't expect to find love. She is sharing an office space with Tom, a grumpy CEO of a rival tech startup, and they are competing for the same angel investment. Jules is keeping her illness a secret from most of the office, and especially Tom. But as she starts to fall for Tom, how long can she keep this a secret?

The supporting characters made me both scream (in anger) and cry (in happiness). It makes my heart break that people actually do have horrible family members like she depicted. Everyone needs an Alan in their corner! Sometimes our chosen family is so much better than our biological ones.

Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, Office Romance, Grumpy-Sunshine

CW: medical trauma, parental abandonment, grief

Thank you to Laura Bradbury, NetGalley and Grape Books for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest feedback!

This book was incredibly sweet!! If you’re in the mood for a novel that’s still a cute rom-com but with slightly more depth to it, then this is a good read. You can tell that Jules’ experience with PSC is very personal to the author and the book does a great job of not romanticising her illness. You will probably get teary reading this novel. Tom was also a complex love interest with his childhood explaining his motivations throughout the novel.

I did enjoy reading this novel! However I have a couple nit-picky complaints that took me out of the enjoyable reading experience. First I found the writing, for lack of better words, cringy at moments. The “enemies to lovers” plot line for the couple just seemed so forced. Jules and Tom were only “enemies” due to miscommunication. Tom also was just an ass at the start that I still haven’t totally forgiven him for. I feel like it would have been so much sweeter if the book didn’t have the enemies element just for the sake of it.

Overall I still thought this novel was enjoyable and a sweet read. I’m definitely glad I picked it up.

eARC provided by NetGalley for an impartial review.

I picked up this book and thought I would only read a couple pages as a break from doing work but I just kept reading and finished it in a couple of hours.

This was so different in comparison to all of the other rom coms I have read this year. It was such a touching story (that made me violently sob throughout the whole book) and I absolutely adored it.

Jules and Tom are EVERYTHING (granted I was a bit iffy at the start with his comments but 2 minutes later I let it go). Their relationship was beautifully written and it made me so happy. AND Tarun and Alan were perfect <3

Also the authors note sent me into a whole other spiral of tears 🥲

What an excellent, funny heartache of a book!

Loved their background history and their chemistry, the love and support for one another, the angst, the push and pull, the sexual tension between them, everything was so well executed by the author. The characters were not perfect, they had their own struggles and obstacles they had to overcome before they came to the realization that they are better together than apart. I’m so happy with how everything wrapped up at the end. It was such an enjoyable book.

I adore books that educate their readers on a certain subject without sounding like a textbook and this book hit that nail on the head in every way. I am so grateful that authors like Laura Bradbury are brave enought to write characters that struggle with the same things that they do. In this book, that struggle is a rare autoimmune disease that's only treatment is a liver transplant.

The enemies-to-lovers romance was top notch. Their chemistry was off the charts and both characters felt so raw and realistic. I appreciate that the plot of their romance wasn't too cliche. There were bumps in their path that made the story that much richer and beautiful.

If you're looking for a romance book that also includes a deeper message about survival - add this one to your list!

***Thank you to NetGalley and Laura Bradbury. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own.***

This book was unlike any book I’ve read before. We followed the story of Jules Kelly, CEO of a tech startup and in need of a liver transplant. Bradbury did such an amazing job pulling you through Jules’ journey, the ups and the downs. She contrasted her support system with those who preferred to pretend that she wasn’t dying, her fears and her reality, namely that she might not have a future. Yet this book was not a downer. In fact, it was uplifting to watch this badass woman pick herself up and fight each day, to find love in the middle of all the chaos and reinvent herself after losing her sense of self. Her love interest Tom was the perfect counterpoint to Jules, an anchor in the storm and endlessly layered with a delicious intensity, attention to detail, a buried kindness and unexpected depth. I have to give a shoutout to Alan, her bestie. He was like her emotional conduit and an endless source of love and support. I really can’t recommend this book enough!

This was my first Laura Bradbury novel, and may I say, I am royally impressed.

I really enjoyed this novel, I feel like this is a good step away from all things rom-com we see too often on our feeds. This novel explores heavier topics under romantic themes that deal with chronic illness.

One thing I look for the most is how real the characters are written, and Laura did a really good job with Jules and Tom. I felt like if they were real people outside of these pages, I would 100% be friends with them. They were flawed and imperfect but learned how to be better through one another.

This one really impacted me, in ways I didn't think it would. When we see cute cartoon covers, I think we immediately jump to the conclusion "oh it's a rom-com!" And sure, this book made me laugh out loud a few times, it was still heavy.

The topics about health and insecurities were hard for me to read because they were so real and authentic and it wasn't what I wanted to hear. I think this was beautifully done and I will now be going to Amazon to add more of Laura's books to my wishlist.

Thank you to the author + publisher + NetGalley for allowing me to read this as an ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions.

4 pierogi loving stars.

Unlikely Match is a transplant romance that follows Jules, who has been dealing with PSC for 5 years. Her health is rapidly declining and she is in need of a liver transplant of which the chance of getting one seem to be slipping further and further away from her. When her company is forced to share their office space with a tech company, Jules meets Tom. Saying that they don’t really like each other is an understatement…trust me. However, as time goes on, it’s clear that they might not be as repulsed by each other as they thought…

I thought this book was super cute. I did almost get a little emotional at times when Jules was talking about what life was like for her, and she’s honestly such a strong character. Jules and Tom are just ugh so cute and I genuinely enjoyed reading about them together. I also found the side characters likeable which is always a bonus.

All in all, I would definitely recommend this book if you are looking for a cute romcom with a little bit of emotional bumps.

More info:
POV? Single (Jules), First person
Cheating? No
Spice? Little bit of descriptive spice
OW/OM drama? No
HEA? Yes

List of possible triggers:
- Sickness
- Transplant
- Hospitals


ARC provided by NetGalley and Laura Bradbury in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I really liked the premise of this book. I love the connection to the medical world and the connections of organ donors. But at the same time, I felt the "conflicts" in this book weren't really that believable. Everything moved so fast and it just didn't feel at all realistic.