Cover Image: Unlikely Match

Unlikely Match

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Member Reviews

Super cute story. I loved the writing style, the characters and the plot in general. Would definitely recommend.

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First of all, I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for granting me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Now, where to begin? Ah, yes. The representation. To be honest, I didn't know anything about the disease until I read this book. However, after reading it, I was able to learn a lot about it and how people with such disease are incredibly strong and brave people. This book was honestly educational and eye-opening as well. And, the romance? I loved it so much.

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𝕃𝕒𝕦𝕣𝕒 𝔹𝕣𝕒𝕕𝕓𝕦𝕣π•ͺ
π•Œπ•Ÿπ•π•šπ•œπ•–π•π•ͺ 𝕄𝕒π•₯𝕔𝕙 : 𝔸 π•‹π•£π•’π•Ÿπ•€π•‘π•π•’π•Ÿπ•₯ β„π• π•žπ•’π•Ÿπ•”π•–

This book reminded me a lot of the tropes of "The Hating Game". Only that I liked this book a lot more to be honest.

To create this book, get the following recipe:
β€’ Rivalry between offices
β€’ An unconventional heroine who swims against the current
β€’ A competitive and workaholic hero
β€’ A whole range of emotions (prepare a tissue in advance and a friend on speed dial. don't say I didn't warn you!)
β€’ Tough and very realistic life story
And you got here a super exciting romantic novel, with an unusual love story that will conquer your ❀️

Jules, CEO of a start-up company (GoodGuides) that she founded together with her best friend. She is dealing with a serious disease (PSC) that affects her liver function and urgently needs a transplant because she is already in the final stage..
Tom, CEO of another start-up company (Silobase) and he is competing against her.
To say that they started off on the left foot would be an understatement..πŸ˜‚
Tom judges Jules from the first moment - thinks she's rich and spoiled that behaves and dresses like a hippie.
Jules thinks Tom should get the stick out of his arrogant ass and chill πŸ˜‚

The rivalry between Tom and Jules makes her fire come back to life, every friction, every quarrel makes her feel alive and that's why she looks for a fight with him at every possible moment.

Along with all this rom-com moments there are also the uneasy parts - life alongside the disease. This book made me appreciate the patients who continue to fight even after the transplants and realize how fragile life is and that it should not be taken for granted.
Jules' doctors were very humane, her best friend made sure to strengthen her, she fought again and again, with all the difficulty, with the hopelessness and the physical and mental pain she was going through. I adore her so much!
A kicking, funny, romantic, unconventional book, it has a touch of reality and a touch of a slow burnπŸ”₯!
Highly recommend to those who are looking to get out of the routine and dive into a book that is no less than a roller coaster of emotions ❀️

(I own the edit, not the pictures)

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

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This book was a refreshing read. I have not read a book from this author before so it was something new for me to try and I thoroughly enjoyed it!!

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Huge thanks to Grape Books and Netgalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ms. Bradbury, where have you been all my life. This book was fantastic. I love my romance with some emotional depth and great character development and this novel hit all the points. The plot was gripping, complete, and made me run through a range of emotions. The characters were four dimensional with well thought out character ARCs. The couple was wholesome and had me rooting for them the entire novel.

I smashed through this book in 24 hours. This is an author that I will continue to checkout and a novel I'm going to continue to recommend. It's five stars from me.

(Note: Check out trigger warnings for this novel before reading. Medical situations, chronic illness and familial abuse are prevalent in this novel.)

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I was approved to read this ARC and I sat down to start reading before bed and wound up staying up till almost 2am to finish it. This is certainly a tear jerker and an absolutely beautiful story! Jules Kelly, our female MC is a strong character that makes me want to do better for myself. The love story was impeccably written. I loved it so much, that I getting a physical copy of it. I received this ARC from NetGalley and reviewed it voluntarily. All opinions are my own.

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Unlikely Match is another freebie I luckily got approved for through NetGalley. The blurb definitely had me hooked, but then I saw another Bookstagrammer say how good this book was, and I was so happy to get started reading it. Although I will say I was a little worried, because a romance with the main character needing a liver transplant was giving me A Walk to Remember vibes, and I was majorly scared. But anyways, let's get on with the review.

In Unlikely Match, we have Jules and Tom. They are both CEOs of tech start-ups that are sharing an office space. They appear to be completely different, and they immediately start off on the wrong foot. He's talking shit on her company, and she overhears him. She calls him out like a badass, and he's stunned. They eventually become frenemies and then a fling. Throughout all of this, Tom is unaware that Jules is battling a life-threatening disease and is waiting for news of a possible donor for a liver. Tom eventually becomes enlightened about her situation and they have to deal with a complicated relationship to both find their happily ever after, if Jules doesn't run out of time.

Ok, so there are so many things I loved about this book. So much so that I flew through it pretty much one day. I was laughing, I got all misty-eyed, I was just all up in my feels. I also loved how raw and real this book was. These are not characters who have petty problems or are unrealistically perfect. They are both real and are both very flawed. Yet they both are such amazing people and are willing to better themselves and face their fears for the other person. They also acknowledge that the other person cannot be perfect and that working to better themselves is not a linear progression. They know there will be ups and downs, but as long as they communicate and do not take on the responsibility of "fixing" one another, they can work through things together.

The romance between Jules and Tom is just *chef's kiss.* Like I mentioned earlier, it's real, and just, ugh, I love it. Despite very different traumas, they both just get one another. Some quotes about their relationship that just made me sigh, and if I hadn't felt these things with Derek, I wouldn't have believed them to be things that you can feel in real life.

"It felt like sitting in front of a roaring fire under a soft blanket, sipping a good cup of hot coffee." Ok, so I don't even like coffee, but in my head I just swapped that out with, like, hot cocoa or something.

"Could love and learning thrive side by side too?" Yes, unequivocally yes. As the majority of people in this world, I've had some bad relationships. Having to learn to work past those experiences to truly have a happy and healthy relationship with Derek has made me realize that this is what makes a relationship. You learn together, and that sets up the foundation for a strong, sturdy relationship.

The thing I did not like about this book...Jules's family. They are horrendous. Like legit pieces of shit. Their interactions in this book made want to go absolutely unhinged. And what's even worse is that there really are people like that. I try to see the best in people, but they're just awful. Good for Laura Bradbury to invoke such emotion with her writing (and that is not sarcasm!).

Now to move on to Jules's true family...her friends. I am so happy for Jules that she has created such a warm family for herself. Her best friend, Alan, is a true friend and family member. You can tell how much they each care for each other and truly want what is best for each other. Their relationship was very comforting to me. And while maybe not part of her chosen family, her Dr. Abebe and Stewart are such comforting characters. You can just tell their hearts are golden.

And a few more parts I highlighted and just loved from this book.

"Oh bless! I forgot how ridiculous men are. Thanks for reminding me why I'm married to a woman." I legit laughed out loud at this part. It's a very serious part of the book, and poor Tom is just not clued in as to why Jules is sick. He makes a statement that is just so endearing, and this person's reaction just cracks me up.

And these quotes on pity - they hit home and may be why I hate being pitied. I was just never able to put those feelings into words (the joy of books, right? They help us express ourselves in ways we never thought we'd be able to). "Once they decide you are one thing, it's almost impossible to change their minds, yet nobody can be defined by just one thing. Not ever." and "And they always made me feel like a stranger to myself-like pity blinded people to who I was inside."

And for anyone who has ever been through some type of trauma or mental or physical illness, this one will probably speak to you like it did me. "You've earned your black belt in surviving; the hard thing is remembering how to live."

Overall, I gave Unlikely Match five stars. I really hope you'll pick this book up. It's free on Kindle Unlimited and is worth the $5 Kindle version.

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This was the first book I’ve bread from this author and I enjoyed it! Good read with great banter. I always love a grumpy sunshine story and this one for sure gave me everything I wanted!

Thank you to NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review

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Unlikely Match isn't your typical light-hearted romance read. It's one of the most moving, touching, heart-wrenching romances I've read in some time. Jules is brave, strong, fierce, and determined. She's the epitome of a fighter. Tom is selfless, caring, and kind despite not having the most nurturing upbringing. I loved how raw and real the characters, their experiences, and their emotions were. You could feel the characters feelings radiating off the pages. I could not stop reading because I was so invested in this story and needed to know how it played out. A fair warning to readers that this book will take you on a roller coaster of emotions, from laughing to crying and everything in between, but it is definitely worth the ride.

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I was not able to put this book down after starting it.

We see Jules who is successful and young. She is a social person with a love of bright colours.

She runs a travel startup with her best friend. So she shares an office space.

Tom is a CEO of a startup with who she will share the office space.

He is really motivated and hard-working but not good with human interactions or great with first impressions.

But first impressions are not always what you think they are.

I loved how Jules disease did not define her.

She was bad*ss and Tom is the typical boyfriend that you love.

We see the best but also the worst of humanity.

Don't judge people without knowing them.

We read about friendship, love and hope.

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This sat on my shelf for a while, I assumed I knew what would happen all throughout the book. I slowly learned that I was wrong, and that what I anticipated happening wasn't happening! About half way through I hit a point when I couldn't stop reading and quickly finished the book. It was a little slow to start, but one of those that when you get through all the little details it comes through strong.

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THIS. WAS. SO. CUTE. AND. AMAZING!! big thank you to netgalley and laura bradbury for sending me an arc. now, although i received this after pub day, this was such a cute book! the two main characters were loveable and relatable, and i found myself laughing multiple times throughout the book. the storyline flowed so nicely, and i found myself constantly drawn to this book once i started it, it was that addicting!! overall i would totally recommend this book and my final rating is a 4.75/5⭐️

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Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

-Enemies to lovers
-Workplace romance
-Opposites attract
-Closed proximity

The main character Jules is really fierce and her character is so well developed. The banter and the chemistry between her and Tom, the male protagonist, is perfect and the both helped each other work through their trauma and overcome their difficulties.

This book made me ugly cry many times while reading it and that’s one of the many things I loved about it! You know a book is good, when it makes you feel a lot of different emotions all at once.


!Please note that this book contains sensitive topics such as medical trauma and hospital scenes on the page. It also refers to parental abandonment and the foster care system mostly off the page.

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I throughly enjoyed Unlikely Match, the banter between Tom and Jules in the beginning sucked me in and I found my self rooting for them.

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I have read two other books that are similar to this one that I would recommend reading if you like this one: Would You Rather by Allison Ashley and Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez. The premise of this one sounds similar so I decided to give it a go. It is a bit different than the first ones I mentioned, and this one starts off with the two main characters not liking each other. They get off on the wrong foot when they first meet. Jules, the main character, is really sick. I think the author does a good job of not only showing what it is like to live with a chronic illness, but also what it is like to be around people who don't understand it. Jules' family members really were insufferable, and I felt bad that she had to deal with them. Also, I really enjoyed the fact that Tom's real name was Thunder. There were plenty of funny moments but also moments where the characters were vulnerable and emotional that made this book have a little bit of everything you want in a good story. Thank you to the publisher for giving me the chance to read a copy of this book!

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This book gives you all the feels! If you have a loved one or have been through a medical trauma yourself you will resonate with the lead character Jules. Having been through my own medical trauma I really resonated with how Jules feels after she gets better. Definitely brought a few tears to my eye. Overall I loved the fact that the connection between the Jules and Tom was messy & they actually lived messy human lives. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Unlikely Match is a beautiful slow burn romance featuring a sick heroine in desperate need of a transplant, all in the midst of fighting for her business to succeed. I loved the found family aspect with the best friends, along with the detail and insight into what it’s like for a transplant patient before and after their transplant. Having been through the experience herself, Laura Bradbury carefully weaves the emotional ebbs and flows of her characters, especially Jules as she navigates the changes her illness has brought to her life, including the gratitude for being alive but also the resentment that the medical realities brings from being a transplant recipient. I’m looking forward to more from Bradbury.

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This was the first book I've read from this author and I really enjoyed it! I think it covered some heavy topics very well, while also giving the reader a nice romance to root for. I loved the enemies-to-lovers vibes between Jules and Tom. Their tension and banter was so fun.

I think this story definitely should get more attention because it truly was such a special book.

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I absolutely loved this story! I'm always a fan of a good enemies-to-lovers trope and this one definitely delivered. I also really enjoyed the message to enjoy and live the life you have because you really don't know how much time you have. Such a great read and I'd recommend to anyone looking for a feel good kind of book!

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This book follows Jules, who’s in her mid twenties and a CEO of a startup tech company with her best friend. She’s dying due to the late stage of liver failure due to an autoimmune disease called Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (which continues to be called PSC throughout the rest of the book). She’s not very high on the dead donor list due to "not enough complications" or not being sick enough, so she has to focus on finding a live donor who fits her rare blood type. Her family is literally AWFUL. Like says she looks the best she’s ever looked because she’s lost weight and looks tanned (due to jaundice) and doesn’t ever acknowledge that she’s dying. They basically say that they can't donate or check if they're eligible to donate because it'd be too hard on them. And they just don't take her and her illness seriously.

Then there’s Tom. The CEO of another startup tech company that shares an office with Jules’ company. And now is kind of a rival for the next set of funds. He was an orphan who bounced around in the system. He had a hard life and works really hard for what he wants and doesn’t really know how to function outside of work.

The tropes we see in this are enemies to friends to lovers.

Honestly, this book was absolutely amazing. I literally stayed up until 3 AM in order to finish this in one sitting. This was so well written, got me in my feelings, and just made me so happy. There was a bunch of medical jargon, BUT, it covers the essentials due to the disease that Jules has. This was a different kind of romcom and it will honestly hold a special place in my heart.

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