Wow. I adored this book. I completely devoured this in about five hours. Once I started, I couldn’t stop reading it! This is such a powerful story about Jules, our main character, who is fighting a rare, often terminal, illness and her only hope is a liver transplant. Despite her disease, she’s still the CEO of her own tech company and honestly such an inspirational person. Just when she’s losing hope, she meets Tom, a rival CEO who is sharing an office space with her company. He might be just what the doctor ordered because he brings out a spark in her that she didn’t know was still there. They’re complete opposites but is he exactly what she needs?

At first Tom seems like your stereotypical douche bag tech guy but as the story progresses we really understand his character and his development throughout the book is really good. Once we peel back those layers, I really did love him. How could you not after that second date 🥺 Jules…what a powerful, inspirational, amazing, warrior of a female lead. Her story will definitely bring some tears to your eyes, so grab the tissues. This is such a great story of perseverance, friendship and love even in the darkest of times and I think that everyone should read this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Laura Bradbury for this eARC! It deserves all the stars!

This is a romance that will make you swoon and cry (multiple times!). Jules is terminally ill with PSC, a rare disease that means lots of trips to the hospital and a slim chance of making it to the top of the organ transplant list. I was so enamoured with her determined, strong, and lively character - a great CEO of a tech company. She was warm and talented, and full of zest for life, somewhat swallowed up by her condition. This book had the right balance between the romance, Jules’ everyday life, and insight into PSC and transplants. I struggled to put this down, as absorbed as I was in Jules’ fight and her blossoming relationship with Tom - a man with a lot of baggage of his own and a very big heart.

As someone with long-term health conditions, I could sympathise with Jules’ secrecy surrounding her condition and unwillingness to discuss it with others. Whilst she has a great support system in Alan and to a lesser extent, Mac and Annie, she battles on, relishing her freedom and independence whilst shouldering the bleakest aspects of her condition in silence. She carries on when she should rest, she dreads the looks of pity and being treated differently. That really resonates with me. Her relationship with her family was heartbreaking and frustrating and showed that blood isn’t always thicker than water!

Whilst the subject was pretty heavy, the romance was wonderfully light and hopeful and it’s impossible not to fall for Tom with his shy and awkward behaviour (when he’s not fighting with Jules, that is!). The way their relationship was approached in terms of Jules’ uncertainty about her future and then later, after the transplant as she tried to come to terms with what she had been through, was really wonderful and it’s a pleasure to read an Own Voices romance with chronic illness. Laura Bradbury has a new fan right here!

This is beautiful and personal and everything you want from a rom-com. beware a few CW for hospitals and medical trauma but knowing that this author wrote on something she has personal experience with ensures it is handled with the utmost care. I will be rereading this as soon I get my hands on my copy post publishing.

🩺BOOK REVIEW🩺

Unlikely Match: A Transplant Romance by Laura Bradbury
Release Date: May 26, 2022

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

🩺🩺🩺🩺🩺🩺🩺🩺🩺🩺🩺

Meet Jules Kelly, a super bohemian girl boss CEO of a startup tech company that just won a subsidized space to work side by side with another up and coming tech company. A company polar opposite of hers, run by the cold yet superiorly handsome Tom Davenport. From the minute they meet, it is on. There is a spark of annoyance that takes over. However, no one knows Jules’ secret. She has a rare, terminal illness, and if she doesn’t get a transplant soon, her days are even more numbered than she thought. But there is something about fighting with Tom that makes Jules’ fighting spirit live again. Will this man she hates ultimately become the man that she needs?

⚕️⚕️⚕️⚕️⚕️⚕️⚕️⚕️⚕️⚕️⚕️

Man, oh, man guys. Get ready for this one. I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK. I cannot scream it any louder. The way Laura Bradbury describes the life that a person with a terminal illness has to tip toe around life sometimes; grappling with the grim possibilities but also with the extreme desire to live is more than accurate. The relationship between Tom and Jules is so raw and real. A true enemies to lovers. This book is sweet, and tragic, and hopeful, and all around just wonderful. Please, friends, do yourself the favor and read this one. It is just amazing.

🩺🩺🩺🩺🩺🩺🩺🩺🩺🩺🩺

✨Thank you to @netgalley for the opportunity to read this before it is published!✨

#bookstagram #bookmom #bookstagrammer #bookclub #whatimreading #bookies #bookish #readwithme #ilovebooks #booksbookandmorebooks #bookishlife
#bookishthings #currentlyreading #netgalley #arc #bookrecs #bookreview #icanteven

#romance #contemporaryromance

“You know what they say, life doesn’t have to be perfect to be wonderful.”

I don’t know if words can do justice to this multi-layered, all encompassing, page turning story. Not only was it a funny, witty, enemies to lovers/workplace rom-com, it was also an emotional, heartbreaking story that sheds light on just how fragile life can be. Jules encapsulates the definition of an independent girl boss but is slowly losing hope at the bright future she could have as a rare disease is stealing that future day by day! While she is in need of a little hope and a miracle, Jules is trying to understand the little spark of fight she has left that seems to be caused by a dreamy tech-bro “Tom”. Is she feeling hate or chemistry and what does this mean when she’s preparing to say goodbye. Thank you Laura Bradbury and Netgalley for this Arc!

This story spoke volumes to me personally. I was lucky enough to spend the few years that I did with my best friend because of a liver transplant. Her bravery was just as powerful as Jules’ bravery and this is the kind of love story she deserved.

One of my favorite books I've read this month! Besides the romance, it was a great story from the characters to the buildup in the storyline and it just felt so genuine and raw about situations like serious sicknesses that Jules had. For someone who might have relatable experiences, I think that this book could be triggering, but for others (like myself) who have yet to go through something like this either personally or with a close family/friend I found the reactions and thoughts very informative. This book was probably just a glimpse of what the first-experience is actually like.

Jules is an amazing character! She is strong and although her willingness to fight is not something everyone has all the time, I hope she inspires others to be a badass too. Tom was great too and honestly, is probably like most of us. Even though some of his actions-- especially towards the end-- might make some angry, I feel like this is how many of us would have reacted if we were to put ourselves in his shoes and with the context he has.

The romance aspect was a nice touch to help keep the story moving. It definitely was an important part of the book but I like how it did not take away from other important things like the sicknesses and what Jules needed to face.

Special thank you to Laura Bradbury, Grape Books, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this digital ARC of Unlikely Match.

I absolutely LOVED this book - from start to finish it was engaging, fun to read, emotional and more! Laura Bradbury takes her own experience of chronic/terminal illness and turns it into a story for everyone. This book has heavy moments and equally as many light and humorous ones. There's no way you can't love Jules - ambitious, a warrior, and free spirited...mix that with hard head, self absorbed Tom...you know what happens....recipes for Love! This book made me laugh, cry and truly appreciate what helping someone can do. The other characters are quite lovable too!

This book was really incredible.

Chronic and terminal illnesses are a tough nut to crack, and I'll admit that I was a little wary at first. But Laura Bradbury lovingly and boldly turns her personal experience into a great book. It's a heavy thing, and a heavy book, but it works so well.

Instead of an overtly funny book, this is sarcastic and biting in a way that's really subtle and full of personality. I loved the single POV in this one because it's so obvious that Tom is warming up to Jules through the subtle body language that she picks up throughout the story (the way that you notice everything about a person you care about without consciously clocking their movement). That's such a hard thing to nail down, and it's perfect here.

*ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ @netgalley ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇʀ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜɪs ᴇ-ᴀʀᴄ ɪɴ ᴇxᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ᴀ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ*

I was captivated by this story from the very first page and I couldn’t put it down for anything, hence why I read it in a day.
Coming from someone who is disabled with a long list of health issues, suffers with CPTSD, and basically lives at hospitals and doctors offices, this book was relatable and gave a glimpse on life with health issues. I cried reading the words from the MC Jules because I felt like someone finally understood exactly how I felt.
It can be hard for a book to bring in physical sicknesses but that wasn’t the case for this one.
Laura Bradbury put her own personal experiences -from being a living donor transplant recipient- into this story and I really enjoyed it!
I’m also a sucker for a good enemies-to-lovers, office romance story and that’s what you get with this one.
Everyone needs to read this!!
I can’t wait to buy my own copy of this one for my shelf. 🥹🤍

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and Laura Bradbury for this ARC!

This book was a delight to read. I've never read a 'transplant romance' before and while I've never gone through anything as serious as mentioned in the book, the way Jules, our main character, handles things is just so inspiring.
Jules is a badass CEO of her own startup and she's also looking for a liver donor so she can get a transplant ASAP. And then we have Tom, also a CEO of his own startup but an arrogant one who looks down on Jules' happy nature and work/life balance.
The romance was definitely electric. The way Tom and Jules come together to learn more about each other, understand and ultimately cherish each other was beautiful. And I absolutely loved the way Jules and Tom grew into themselves as well, and the way their trauma and difficulties were written was amazing. And the plot was perfectly paced.
But what definitely made the story for me were the friends. Alan was my favourite character the way he was completely ride or die for Jules just made me bawl. It's quite rare to find friends like that in your life and I loved that Jules had someone like him in hers.

This book was a solid 4 stars for me and I read it all in one sitting!

Jules has PCS and needs a liver transplant ASAP. She feels hopeless about finding a deceased donor, her family is uninterested in trying to be a match, and her last hope is to find a living donor. Her only lifeline anymore is her tech startup company that she co-found with her best friend, Alan. She doesn't want anyone at work to know about her illness, especially her "enemy" Tom.

Through somewhat forced collaboration at work, Tom and Jules grow closer, but she still doesn't want him to know she's sick. She hides it as long as she can, but eventually Tom finds out. He is so sweet and is relentlessly there for her, as a friend and more.

I am obsessed with Jules and Tom! They will make you laugh, cry, and swoon throughout their story. This isn't your standard enemies-to-lovers romance. I couldn't put this down and highly recommend the read!

Thank you to Laura Bradbury and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

It's not m crying right now. I'm just sweating from my eyes. This romance was a rom-com with a heart. I loved Jules and her dynamic personality. she has a great backstory and the more I discovered the more I loved her. I was not too fond of Tom when we first met. He had the best redemption story from that first meet-cute.

I enjoyed this book so much! I laughed, I cried and I reflected. It was way deeper than I was expecting but so cure and awesome all around.

I mean the other characters even had great stories to go along with Jules and Toms's story. The amount of research into the donor process must have been insane. it seemed super realistic and well throughout.

A wonderful read! I loved it

This definitely was a quick but also enjoyable read. I love these two characters so much and the way they seem so mismatched but are perfect together is amazing. This was a really good story and I most likely will buy a copy of this book

dang !! i just have to say this author has to send me a hard copy of her book i wont mind walking around evryday with it just rereading it ,Their love story is beautiful saying this with hope there is a possibility someone like him is out there.To think my sister thought i was sleeping i spend the whole night reading this book and i loved every second thanks to the author and her wonderful team..

Yesterday, on May 22, I was approved for an advanced reader copy of Unlikely Match by Laura Bradbury. I was beside myself, as it was the first ARC I had ever been approved for and I decided to start reading it that minute. Unsurprisingly, I could not stop reading it and am writing this review less than 24 hours later.

I think the cover of the book is adorable and, to be frank, it is the first thing that attracted me to reading the book. "Could the man I hate be the perfect match I need?" Is the first line of the description, and the only words I needed to read to completely sell me on this book.

"Unlikely Match" is a young woman's journey as she builds a company with her closest friend while fighting for her life against a terrible diagnosis. It only becomes more complicated when she is forced to share a workspace with a very handsome tech-bro who ignites a spark in her.

To say that I love the main character Jules would be a complete understatement. She is a fierce warrior, a loving friend, and the kind of boss you could only dream of. It is very unlikely for me to root for the misogynistic asshat we are first introduced to, Tom, but Laura Bradbury's writing of him made it so I also fell in love with this misguided and serious man.

What concerned me about the book was that it is, at it's heart, a romance surrounding an organ transplant. However, Laura Bradbury included a note within the book about how she also had the same diagnosis as the main character, Jules, and it was clear in her writing that she had a deep understanding of what Jules was going through. Her own experience gave this book a very realistic point of view while also not allowing us to pity Jules for her disease, it was impossible not to root for her.

Overall I would give the book 4.75 and definitely recommend that you add it to your reading list for the year! I will be telling all of my friends and family to purchase it as well. Thank you so much, Laura Bradbury and the Grape Publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read and review such an amazing book in advance of its publication this Thursday, May 26!

Wow! I couldn’t put this book down until I finished it! It was THAT good!

First of all, Laura, you are a survivor and a warrior! This illness is awful and hats off to you for surviving, not letting the illness bring you down and thriving after your surgery!

But let’s get back to our book.

Enemies to lovers? Yes, please! A heroine battling with a deadly disease and an undercover hero? Prepare your tissues, you’ll need them! I sure did!

We have the two CEOs that need to share a space for their startups: Jules Kelly and Tom Davenport. Jules is a lovely, loyal and fierce woman who has been battling with PSC (Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis) for five years and is in dire need of a liver transplant. Tom is portrayed, in the beginning, as a jerk who looks down upon Jules’s business and employees, but throughout the story, we can see there’s more than meets the eye.

I love their chemistry and their back and forth is very refreshing. I’ve been dying for at least half of the book, that Jules will finally trust and share with Tom the fact that she was so ill that she could’ve died any minute. I really loved how their relationship evolved BEFORE the transplant surgery and AFTER Jules made it and recovered.

Honestly, this book is so real, so raw and so heartbreaking. It’s hard imagining what the author and the heroine went through because of PSC, but I’m glad we got to see a glimpse of their happy ending!

Thank you NetGalley& Laura Bradbury for the copy of Unlikely Match. It was an intense journey!

A very different premise and although it was very emotional I also learned a lot. Jules and Tom seem so
mismatched but fit perfectly. It is a long road for both of them and I enjoyed their journey.

This was a cute enemies to lovers type of story that was enjoyable and a quick read.

I will say - I never bought into the enemies thing. The reason for hating eachother happens in the opening pages of the book and it felt a bit shallow and never convinced me of their hatred.

However, I loved that this story dealth with real life health struggles - some of us have faced them and I loved seeing a main character take it all head on.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this advance copy in exchange for my honest review!

I absolutely loved this book so much, I could not put it down. I started reading this book right before bed thinking I would just read a few chapters and ended up staying awake till 3am reading it. The characters were so dynamic and there was clear tension between the main characters. There was so much emotion packed into this story and it is definitely a slow-burn romance. My main takeaway is that Jules Kelly is an absolute girl boss and an amazing character. I highly encourage anyone to purchase and read this book!

Unlikely Match follows Jules Kelly, the CEO of a startup. Unbeknownst to almost everyone in the company other than her best friend, Jules is dealing with the effects of being diagnosed with a rare disease that has caused liver failure. Jules desperately needs a living donor to receive a transplant. At the same time her health has taken a nosedive, her company starts sharing space with another startup, whose CEO, Tom Davenport, immediately antagonizes Jules in a way that makes her feel alive for the first time in a while.

The author herself experienced a living donor transplant and was diagnosed with the same rare disease that Jules has. The authors care while writing about this topic is immediately evident and incredibly authentic. I am a hospital social worker and often don't pick up books with a medical focus, as I feel they are often surface level or not realistic. I was initially hesitant to pick this one up as well but given the author's history, I was optimistic, and I was right! This really was lovely and unexpected at times. The hospital environment and experience with a chronic illness was so authentic that it actually had me tear up a few times, which is rare for me in reading.

The only thing I didn't find super realistic was Jules' family - they certainly seemed to be a very exaggerated version of an unsupportive family. I think there perhaps could have been a way for her family's unsupportiveness to be more realistic. Though perhaps the author wasn't going for realism in this case, despite the rest of the book being very realistic.

Overall this was a 4 star read for me. Thank you to Netgalley and Laura Bradbury for the eARC in exchange for a review.