Unlikely Match has everything I look for in a contemporary romance: excellent character development, captivating story, A+ chemistry, and funny banter. It made me feel all kinds of emotions, and I loved every second of it.

What I liked:

-The descriptions of living with a chronic and life-threatening illness were detailed, accurate, and heartbreaking.

-It was set in Victoria, British Columbia, which is one of my favourite cities!

-Jules and Tom were so human, complex, and beautifully flawed. They had rich backstories and amazing character development.

What I didn’t like:

-Honestly nothing other than that the story ended and I’m no longer reading it.

Seriously pick up this book and give it a read. You won’t regret it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Laura Bradbury, and the publisher for generously providing this ARC.

I finished this book in a day. I could not put it down.

What a gripping and moving read! What made it even more moving and authentic was the fact that as a liver recipient herself Laura Bradbury knew what she was writing about. I cried so many times reading about everything that Jules was going through. But there were so many moments filled with joy and hope, too, and it was all perfectly balanced.

Jules Kelly is dying and she needs a new liver, soon. Her family is very unsupportive and basically have no contact with her at all. Jules has a few friends at work - a start-up company she has started with her best friend Alan - who know about her illness and she wants to keep it that way, she doesn't want everyone to pity her, least of all Tom Davenport and others of the firm they share office space with.

Everyone should put this book on their readind list. Five stars.

I ABSOLUTLEY LOVED THIS. what a brilliant and unique concept. As someone with a chronic illness i related to so much of this book and it was so heart-warming to see parts of my world reflected in this book. Jules the protagonist was so strong and beautiful. there was a lot of focus of the emotional/mental side of medical problems, the trauma and anguish associated with it. It was evidence a lot of research and though has gone into this book - i believe the author is a transplant recipient herself and her knowledge in this subject shows. The romance was exquisite, there was a lot of brilliant humour, especially from the side characters. overall i absolutely loved this and would recommend to everyone, especially those with chronic illnesses.

I'd have to give this book a 3.5/5 stars. I LOVEEE enemies to lovers, but somehow I started to not love the dynamic between Jules and Tom by the end of the book. I liked that this story covered hard topics that are not normally written about, and it came across well as a reader.

However, my main issue was that the story was a tad predictable. Also the fact that Tom just basically goes along with whatever Jules wants. Overall I think it was a fun read, just a bit frustrating at times. One of my favorite moments in the story is the development of the nicknames--sooo cute! I also loved the friendship between Jules and Allen.

This is my honest opinion. Thank you for the ARC!

Very sweet. A tough topic, but dealt with in a human and thoughtful way.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grape books for the ARC.

I really liked this book and I had such a fun time. All the little domestic moments between Jules and Tom were so cute.

I received an arc through netgalley.

I loved this workplace enemies to lovers romance! Reminded me of The Hating Game. I couldn't help but stay up all night finishing this book!

“I realized I would go to the same lengths to make him smile as I would to make those sparks of annoyance burn in his eyes.”

4.5 stars!! Sucker for enemies to lovers 🖤

Jules Kelly is a badass, tech-start up CEO whose company is now sharing subsidized office space with her worst nightmare, a tech-bro named Tom who thinks he has her all figured out as a carefree hippie who always gets her way.

What Tom (and everyone else) doesn’t know is that Jules is silently fighting for her life and if she doesn’t get a liver transplant soon, will be leaving this world before she even has a taste of everything she wants from it.
The only thing that seems to pull her out of her physical and emotional funk is arguing with Tom, but how long can she keep her secret from him and everyone else?

This book made me feel every emotion and as someone who lives with chronic illness, I saw myself in Jules and could relate to so much of what she experienced.

I loved the banter, the tension, he raw reality of what chronic illness is like, and the toll it takes on not only the person who is sick, but everyone around them.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I can’t wait to but my own physical copy!

𝘜𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 follows Jules on her journey of battling with PSC (Primary sclerosing cholangitis) and the aftermath of her recovery, all the while falling in love with her nemesis turned surprisingly swoonworthy crush.

- ~ -

"𝘐 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩-𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘩 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦."

No matter how much I may sugarcoat the story with the romance aspect, it goes deeper than all of that. It introduced me to a world I had no previous knowledge of and I'm always glad to have more exposure.

- ~ -

Jules, as the story stated, is an incredibly fierce warrior. She's a genuine soul, the kind of person you'd be blessed to have in your life or maybe as a character in a book. And I could probably poison her family without an ounce of guilt for the way they treated her.

Tom, on the other hand, is also a force of nature to be reckoned with; he's kind, thoughtful, caring and shyly humble about it all (it's a cute mix).

"𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘰," 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. "𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨."
"𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘪?"
"𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘪."
"𝘞𝘰𝘸."

And together they share a romance made for the books (quite literally). Their chemistry is adorably sizzling but they also face challenges like any relationship and overcome them with the love they share for each other.

But as they say, it takes a village to raise a child.
Similarly, I'd say it took a village to help Jules on her journey. Despite the lack of support from her family, she received strength from the many people she met throughout, each leaving a profound impact that one can gain from even without context.

- ~ -

Overall: A very informing novel about the complications and uncertainties surrounding chronic health conditions and life in general but also about the support and hope it takes to recover (That too if one's lucky enough to).

4.46 / 5✩

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳 & 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘐 𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 & 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘥. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

Romance books dealing with physical sickness can be hit or miss. Sometimes they are too sad or somehow are spun into an illness cliché. UNLIKLEY MATCH, by Laura Bradbury, is not that type of romance.

Jules is dealing with a LOT. Not just physically (she has a failing liver), but she's also in a startup company with her best friend, has a family that is absolutely horrific (they see her as broken and do not take her illness seriously) and now she's got a workspace nemesis.

Tom just needs to get his startup successful. He's had a tough life growing up in foster care and he needs this workspace thing to work. The last thing he needs is Jules and her crew of work misfits.

As time goes on, Jules gets sicker. She needs a new liver and nobody, and I mean nobody, is there for her except her best friend and Tom.

Spoiler alert, spoiler alert, spoiler alert:

We follow Jules on her transplant journey and, of course, you can guess who her UNLIKELY MATCH is.

The story had lots of longing and sizzle. What was great about the journey was we see both Jules and Tom get therapy after the transplant. Jules also joins a transplant group to discuss all of the changes she's facing.

I'm a cancer survivor and I know the PTSD that comes with the diagnosis and treatment. I think most patients try to brush off the feelings of anxiety while waiting for the other shoe to drop. Jules and Tom's love story did not just end with them realizing their love for each other. They had to conquer ALL of the feelings that comes along with medical trauma.

I enjoyed this book so much. I will say, however, the story is very focused on Jules' illness (obviously). But the romance plot gets lost in all the medical jargon and events. At times, the romance becomes the B plot.

While the story is sad in some parts and you hurt for Jules, the theme is positive and heart-warming.

Thank you NetGalley and Laura Bradbury for providing me an e-book copy of UNLIKELY MATCH to review.

I rate UNLIKELY MATCH four out of five stars.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Firstly I would like to thank NetGalley and Laura Bradbury for an eARC of this book.

This story follows Jules Kelly and Tom Davenport. Jules and Tom are the CEO’s of 2 tech companies that are sharing a subsidised office space. The 2 characters are total opposites, Jules is a girl boss who is hippie like and comes from a rich upbringing whereas Tom is very much work obsessed and from a poor upbringing.

Split into 2 parts (before and after), we see Jules battling with the decline of her health and in desperate need of a transplant. The medical side of this book is what really gripped me and made me not want to put it down.

When reading this book i would recommend going into it as women fiction and not a romance although there are lots of elements of romance within the book. The romance between Jules and Tom didn’t feel gripping to me, I feel as though they didn’t have much chemistry and I got slightly confused with their relationship as I felt that it was very fast and then there was just nothing then it was fast again.

I loved the formatting of this book and found it very easy to read. One of the things that I didn’t like was the beginning of this book, I felt like it wasn’t gripping enough for me as it felt slow and I didn’t really want to continue however I am so glad that I did!

I was approved to read this ARC yesterday (May 19) and I sat down to start reading before bed and wound up staying up till almost 2am to finish it. Time literally did not exist when I was reading, that is how good this was, if you were on the fence at all I am telling you you need to go buy it and read it you will be so thankful!

This is certainly a tear jerker so have them tissues ready! Jules Kelly, our female MC, was one of the most well developed and strong willed characters i've read in the genre this year. I was sucked into every page of this book and I would without a doubt read more from Laura Bradbury!

Slow Burn Romance 🌶 🌶
Frenemies to Lovers
Opposites Attract
Excellent Banter

Story: 4.75/5
Cover Art: 4/5
Characters: 5/5

❗️CW: discussions of medical trauma, PTSD, hospital scenes, toxic families, discussions of parental abandonment and foster care system off page.

👏 Thank you to Laura Bradbury and Netgalley for the absolute pleasure of reading this novel!

I really love enemies to lovers in the workplace, so this was a super good fit for me. Reminded me a bit of the hating game, which I didn't love, but I think this was really good. I don't really have a ton to say other than that I really quite enjoyed this, and I would read it again!
The hospital stuff, I absolutely loved and that probably my inner greys anatomy fan losing her mind(IT WAS AWESOME, I LOVED EVERY INTERACTION IT WAS FABULOUS). Wow there she is.
Also, the title! So, so clever!!!
4 stars overall, it was cute, fun and only a little bit sad(debatable).
I was invited to read a free e-ARC of Unlikely Match by Laura Bradbury through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine.

Can we just take a minute and sink into the loveliness and realism that is this romance novel, please? Excellent, thank you.

To start with, Laura Bradbury sent the ARC approval herself and introduced the fact that she has lived experience with the rare liver disease and transplant storyline her MC lives. As someone with a chronic illness and pain condition, knowing the author understands in some way always makes me more excited to read a book.

Then, the dedication. Just trust me, it's brilliant and if all spoonies don't feel as seen and acknowledged as I did I will be shocked.

Jules has PCS, a rare liver disease that will kill her if she doesn't get a transplant. Meanwhile, she is kicking butt as CEO of a mostly female run startup (except for her brilliant best friend Alan) and they have just moved into a shared space with what seems like the typical bro dude start up. She immediately clashes with their CEO Tom but they are forced to work both as competition and collaboratively to achieve funding. Then something unexpected happens and Jules gets her liver, which changes everything.

I loved this story! I haven't read anything by Laura Bradbury before but am definitely going to check out her backlist now. Though I don't have the same experiences she does, there are some universal traumas, stresses, and emotions that come with the territory of living with an illness and going through the medical system.

I haven't said this in a while but I think this could make a great movie! Thank you to NetGalley and Laura Bradbury for the advanced copy. I look forward to reading the final version when it comes out on May 26/22. A condensed version of this review will live in my ARC Reviews highlight on Instagram @chronically_KD.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing the ARC.

This was a very interesting take on a romantic comedy. I wasn't sure what I would get from a terminal illness story, but it ended up being a pretty delightful read.

Jules was a trooper, dealing with what she was doing and working at the same time. I also appreciate the author trying to portray her in a way that came across as her illness not being the sole point of her identity as a character, but rather just a facet. I've never known anyone who has gone through a transplant, so I can't speak to how accurate it is for the range of emotions that she felt, but from my limited experience, I feel like it was handled with a lot of grace and empathy.

Tom, on the other hand, I actually didn't like. I feel like I would have had a better sell of him if he hadn't started his journey making a bunch og sexist and misogynistic remarks towards women in STEM. There are much better ways to portray animosity without hitting on something like that and having the MC fall for them anyways. I don't know if I would have been so forgiving if that had been my first interaction with someone.

Overall, it's what you would expect from a romcom. There's nothing super standout abouy this book, but it is an easy read for those who would enjoy that. Characters could use some work, but I think they were mostly fine overall.

First I want to say that I received this book from Netgalley (thanks, I love you sm!) This morning and I immediately started reading it without being able to detach myself from those pages, until after hours and hours of reading I finished this fantastic book and now I'm ready to review it.

Unlikely match is a workplace romance enemies to lovers, but it is not only this, in fact it also deals with very important themes that are often not dealt with in books, such as living with a rare disease.

Jules Kelly, a certified bohemian boss, and Tom Davenport, also a CEO, will be forced to work in the same building for a period of time and in addition to a thousand problems and competitions, perhaps something more will break out between the two.

I found the characters very real and vivid, everyone has a turbulent past, and also a present that is not exactly easy, but the two will manage to find a balance and make their present joyful.
I also really like how the book shows the realism of the medical world and the before and after experience a patient goes through, especially in this case a transplant.

In a nutshell I loved this book and I absolutely recommend it: it is romantic, fun, a quick read, it deals with important topics and it is really well written... what more could you ask for?

Thanks again to Netgalley and Laura Bradbury for providing me with this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts in this review are mine.

I loved Jules and Tom. They were so great. I 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.

The author does such a beautiful job curating these endearing and wonderful characters with seemingly real personalities and ambitions. I absolutely busted out laughing and crying so many times! This book was so heartbreaking, witty and honest. I hope the author continues to write more books like this.

A heartwarming tear-jerker transplant romance. I mean, the moment I saw the dedication I almost cried; that's when I knew that this book would be a 5-star read for me.

Jules Kelly maybe one of the best female lead I know, her way of thinking on both timelines deserves recognition. The women empowerment she showed from the first part of the book, even when at the time she lost hope about her illness.

I love the banter of this couple and their slow burn romance. I saw the hesitation Jules had in entertaining her feelings for Tom especially the after part of her surgery. They both have acknowledged their faults and acted upon it to make better versions of their selves.

I like how the book shows the realism of the medical world and the before and after experience a patient goes through, especially in this case a transplant. I even like the way Tom fought his way into success after what his past was like.

I didn't notice the time when I was reading this book, that's how amazing it is. This book has a soft spot in my heart knowing I have a glimpse of what Jules has gone through🥺❤️

“not that long ago we were enemies.”
“that was fun too.”😏

tropes: workplace romance, forced proximity, enemies to lovers, and more that i don’t want to spoil😁

when i tell you i started this book last night and it is now 3 am because i read the entire thing in one sitting… THAT IS HOW AMAZING THIS BOOK IS!! wow i genuinely loved every single thing about it!! this book made me laugh, cry, and smile like a lunatic!😂 i absolutely loved this story between two imperfect people who were perfect for each other!!

jules is an absolute sweetheart! she was handed such a rough card in life but she never let that get her down. she was always there to help someone if they needed it and always put others before herself. she’s such a kind, badass, and incredibly strong woman and anyone would be lucky to have someone like her in their life🥺

and then tom… wow i love him so much!! he also had such a hard life but he worked his booty off to be where he was and it was so admirable. although in the beginning he was a bit of an “asshat” (as jules would say lol), he really is such an amazing guy and i can’t emphasize that enough! he also puts others before himself and wants the best for everyone❤️

overall, this is definitely one of my top books of the year and i’m so grateful for netgalley for sending me an early copy! YALL WILL LOVE THIS BOOK I PROMISE!!! i literally could not put this book down!! it makes me want to reread it all over again! i 10000% recommend this book if you love enemies to lovers with a twist!💗

I adored Jules and her story with PSC. I loved how everything was explained and really thought out (which makes sense, since the the author also had PSC).

Jules Kelly: Hippy CEO girlboss who’s trying her hardest to get through her autoimmune disease. Tom Davenport: Grumpy “asshat” CEO who has to share office space with his exact opposite…what could go wrong?

My favorite things about the book:
- Every scene where Jules was in the hospital or around medical personnel was done incredibly well.
- The stressed importance of therapy and getting through hard times.
- Tom and his background with the foster system
- There 3rd act breakup felt realistic for what was going on.

My least favorite things about the book:
- I felt as though they didn’t have enough chemistry by the time the climax came around.
- Everything happened pretty fast in the grand scheme of the book.