I’m going to start off this review by saying I almost never give books 5 stars nor do I take more than 3 minutes writing a review, so doing both is a big deal for me.
As a daughter and caregiver to a father who undergone a kidney transplant 3 years ago just for the kidney to fail 1 1/2 years ago, this book made me feel seen. It showcased the highs and lows of dealing with medical professionals, the harsh reality of how life changes for those with organ failure, how hard it is to accept help, and so much more.
This book did not romanticize sickness nor did the happily ever after come easy.
While Jules was aware of the sympathy that she was going to receive from those she told, I do wish she would have acknowledged more how hard it must be for her loved ones to see what she is going through. Caregivers are often times forgotten and not acknowledge for the hardships that they have to go through seeing the person they love struggle. Especially when the caregiver is healthy, but have ro live the life of a sick person.

This book was emotional while remaining light and fun. Touched on important topics while still not overwhelming the reader with sadness and grief. Loved it.

SO. GOOD. There needs to be more books like this in the world. I burned through this book so quickly because I could not wait to see how it ended. I feel that this book is different from other romance books in that this one is so gritty and realistic. Loved it. I would wholeheartedly recommend. As soon as I finished this book, I was looking for any more books to read from this author. I hope that she continues to write books like this.

This book follows Jules Kelly, who is a confident CEO for a startup with her best friend Alan. Jules is also struggling to manage a rare disease that is causing liver failure. Her company scored an incredible work space that is exactly what they need to continue on the path to success. The only catch is they share the space with another company. When Jules overhears the CEO of this company, Tom Davenport, expressing some disdainful comments about her company, she is quick to enter a verbal smackdown with him. She also quickly notices that arguing with Tom makes her feel as closer to normal than she has in a long time. The work styles of Tom and Jules are polar opposites, which fuels the fire of their constant arguments. As they continue to work in the same space though, things get more complicated when each discovers their is a lot they don’t know about their work enemy. These complications exponentially expand when Jules’ health continues to decline and an opportunity of investor funding turns into a competition between the two companies.

At the heart of this book is a cute romance that centers around the main character's struggle with fatal liver disease. Prior to this book, I had never heard of the disease nor knew anything about a live liver transplant. For that reason, I am really glad I read the book.

However, this is marketed as a romance and it felt lacking there. The alleged reason for the lovers to have antagonism at the beginning of the book is very shallow and not very convincing. I suppose the idea was to build a kind of enemies-to-lovers trope. The build-up for their romance came too soon afterward with very little to convince me theirs was a strong love.

I also did not care for the work elements of the story. It felt like vague jargon was used to try to sell the reader on the business know-how of the main leads. In reality, even after finishing the book, I still have no idea what the focus of either's start-up was. At one point, the male main character even notes how his love interest's travel agency program is just that and ineffective with a potential client having access to the internet. I could not have agreed more. It seemed not very well thought out.

Overall, it was a cute story with some very interesting and effective elements, but I would have liked more build-up for this to be a better romance.

4.5 romance with complications stars (rounded up for the tears)

This is a transplant story, and this is a romance. I wasn’t quite sure how that would work, but I ended up loving this one. Fair warning, I cried in at least two (maybe three) places in this book.

I loved the two main characters in this one – Jules Kelly and Tom Davenport. They are rival CEOs at two very different start-ups. They’ve been given the gift of one-year free shared office space.

From the moment they meet, they bring out the worst in each other. Tom comes across as an arrogant tech leader and Jules looks like a hippy who doesn’t work all that hard.

Of course, we know from Jules’ perspective that there are serious reasons that she doesn’t spend all her hours at work, she’s very sick and if she doesn’t get a liver transplant soon, she will die. The author writes so authentically about this because she lived this. Can’t get more real than that.

Soon the only thing getting Jules out of bed in the morning is the chance to spar with Tom at work. She can’t help but notice his gorgeous forearms and overall good looks! Why does he only wear black and white though?

And we learn that Tom presents a tough guy exterior due to a horrible foster home life in his early years. He feels that he doesn’t know how to be a friend or how to be in a relationship.

I really loved the lifelong friendship that Jules has with Alan. He is there so many times for her, and you know
that is difficult with a medical situation. Her family is atrocious and it’s no wonder that Jules sought out friends and co-workers to be her support system.

I read this one in one sitting and I was totally drawn into this story. I’ve read another transplant story before, so I knew a bit about the lack of available organs and the agony of the waiting game. I kept rooting for Jules to get her transplant and for her blossoming romance. This one did get emotionally tense but I’m so glad to have met Jules and Tom. This one won’t work for everyone, but it totally worked for me!

When I started this book I was unsure how I would feel about reading this book because I thought it would make me emotionally. I was right, it did make me emotional, but in the BEST possible way. I thought this book was so well written and loved how it addressed difficult topics in such a beautiful way.
Both main characters were dealing with their own issues and had to work through things on their own before also being able to work through things together. Their banter and relationship was a highlight of this book as well as the friendships and chosen family. I also appreciated the way that therapy was shown in such a positive light. The only part I didn't enjoy in this story was Jules' family, but that was the role they were meant to play. I truly loved this story!

Thank you NetGalley and Laura Bradbury for this ARC!

Bohemian lover, Jules is suffering from a rare disease & needs a transplant soon in order to survive. And if thats not enough she has to share her office space with another company whose CEO, Tom, is a jerk in this tech-world bro culture.
It's hatred at first sight but with high stakes & close proximity even the loathing turns into something else.

I have said it before & I'll say it again, Laura's writing will bring you jou & reach to the heart. Unlike her other books, this was more vulnerable, emotional & heartfelt.

Jules' was nothing but a warrior. Her journey was inspiring & heartbreaking but that didn't let her dim her shine.
I loved her completely especially the relationship with Alan.

Tom came across as a jerk & soul-less but as the story progresses we get to know his side of the story & his past which was equally important & deep.
I loved these 2 together through thick & thin.

Tom was there for her when her own family (who were a bunch of pretentious loosers) wasn't. This story was so special & unique with Laura setting a very high bar for love interests all over.
Which you'll realize when you see Tom's idea of a second date 🥲.

Thank you netgalley and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. It was an amazing read that was both funny and emotional. Jules and Tom served too many good tropes for you to not pick this book up when it comes out. I adored the writing style and can’t wait to read more from the author in the future.

I absolutely ADORED this book. It hit all of the marks for me, from its accurate depiction of the difficulties one faces when dealing with a lifelong illness, to the barriers women still face in the workforce.

Despite tackling some heavy themes, I found this book easy to get through. Jules, our fierce heroine, is the CEO of a travel guide tech startup that’s sharing an office with Tom’s startup. Jules and Tom have an awful first encounter that leads Jules to believe that Tom is just like any other tech bro.

Jules and Tom couldn’t be more opposite. Jules is fierce and outspoken. She wears boho fashion and has champagne parties at work. Tom is career focused, ridged, and wears the same variation of suits daily (it is revealed why later on in the book). Despite how different Tom and Jules appear to be, they are both hiding parts of themselves: Jules with her illness and Tom with his past. The banter and chemistry between these two was AMAZING. They found one another at just the perfect time in their lives and I loved seeing their romance grow and evolve as the characters worked through their traumas.

This book is such a gem and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a read that’ll make them feel ALL of the emotions.

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

When I first picked up this book, I was unsure how an intense romance could eventuate when the main character was very ill, awaiting an organ transplant. However, I was truly mistaken. When Jules is diagnosed with liver disease, she always hopes that she will receive a transplant, but after time, reality sets in and she is uncertain what the future holds for her. When she meets Tom Davenport, the gorgeous judgmental CEO of the tech start-up firm sharing her office space, she is initially taken aback. She questions her feelings for him, resenting his opinion about the start-up company she has with her friend Alan, but feeling alive when he is around. Yet Jules soon realises that Tom is not the person, whom she thought he was, and soon she feels that when she is with him, she can truly be herself. But life has a wife of complicating matters, and soon Jules is facing the biggest battle of her life and wondering whether the fledgling relationship she has with Tom can go the distance.
This was an amazing romance between two delightful characters, who have both faced tremendous challenges yet still find in themselves to love. Even when I stopped reading one chapter, I had to quickly go back and keep reading, as this book was all I could think of. Definitely 5+ stars.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and Grape Books. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I didn't think I would love this book so much. Going in I thought this was going to be a very predictable RomCom, but what I got instead was a book that I could not put down.
This book is way more than just your traditional RomCom. The book follows Jules, a tech startup CEO, struggling with an incurable chronic illness. This was a beautiful story that allows the reader to follow her journey of survival and the emotional struggles that come with it. Throughout the book you get to experience different stages of the illness with Jules and see how it effects her body and mental state, as well as the relationships in her life. We get to see the struggles of wanting to feel "normal" and hiding the daily struggles of illness. We get to experience the pain of feeling removed from the world, while still being part of it. What I found the most eye opening was seeing the struggle after the transplant. Seeing Jules learning how to live again and regain a life she never thought she would have.
This is definitely a book that will stay with me for a long time.

I really enjoyed this book. It was an interesting, heart-warming, and refreshing read and one of the best romance novels I've enjoyed reading.
Set in Canada, the first refreshing departure from most romance novels, it tells the story of tech rivals, Jules and Tom.
Jules is from a privileged, upper-crust background and is deceptively carefree and easy-going.
Tom is hardcore, both in his physique and his closeted, survivalist lifestyle both of which were born out of his desperately underprivileged history.
When the two opposites collide, literally, the reader is reminded that this is a romance novel after all and we get our first enemies-to-lovers trope.
But Jules's carefree attitude is a ruse to hide her debilitating liver disease and as the tech rivals' shared working environment brings them in closer and closer proximity, romance blossoms. Then the next refreshing change occurs, Jules's liver disease derails the romance spectacularly.
The couple and their friends and family then go on a very realistic roller-coaster ride of healing, self-discovery, and finding each other again.
I liked that the book got real. The gritty reality in the novel is based on the author's own experience with liver disease and is a refreshing change from the normal happy-ever-afters. Yes, part of the appeal of romance novels is the happily-ever-afters but the clever departure in this book is that the characters do end up happy but it's a "choosing to be happy despite the pain" kind of happy as opposed to the "all my problems have been solved by this god of a person" ending.
And while there is a lot of saving happening in the book, it's not the "all that emotionally unavailable cad needed was the right woman to break through his walls" kind of saving, which is a much healthier message.

Jules is living with a serious illness, her liver needs a transplant, her body is failing her but she is making the best she can under the circumstances. She has her work and friends and unfortunately her family which is not the people you want with you when you are down.

Tom's company has to share the space with Jules' start up, they are completely opposites in everything, from the way they run their companies to they way they dress but they have to work together to help each other while they are sharing the same office.

The fact that Tom is gorgeous doesn't help or the fact that she is keeping her illness a secret. But once they come close the game changes.

I wasn't sure about the hero, his first impression could have been better but he improved so much during the book. Tom grow to be lovely and very sweet.

I am in awe of Jules strength, she was so brave and she was taking everything that life gave her and kept moving on.

I liked a lot the supportive characters, expect her family, I can't fandom how they could act they way they did towards her. Her friends and especially Alan was her true family and I am glad we got to see them support each other.

*I received an ARC and this is my honest opinion.

Just had the pleasure to read this book provided by Netgalley.
I smiled, laughed and most certainly cried. This book had the mixture of everything and i just had to finish it in one sitting and i really enjoyed it, Jules has been through a lot and having her friend Alan next to her and seeing their friendship is heartwarming and not to forget our H Tom (⚡) who was also their for Jules from the very beginning even if he didn't know it and how their relation evolved was satisfying.

Jules is someone who suffers from a liver disease, and she needs a transplant to survive. Her family (who sucks) is not willing to donate or see if they are a match. Craziness happens. Plus lots of coupling. Not much spice, but that’s okay!

I really enjoyed this book. I thought the struggles were believable,the relationship worked, and the best friend (chosen family) was amazing. I also loved the design of “before” and “after” as a storytelling device.

Story wrapped up neatly and I liked the epilogue too!

I really enjoyed this book, but it was shockingly, unrepentantly dark, and that might mean that it’s not for everyone. The cover belies the seriousness with which the subject matter is treated, making this another book that I would not call a romance novel, the way that we have come to think of them. It’s romantic, sort of. But in the end, that is kind of not the point.

The marketing material calls this “a high-stakes, occasionally steamy, workplace romance that will leave you feverishly turning pages,” which is about the most misleading statement that I can remember hearing. It’s not a “workplace romance”, it’s not all that steamy, and, while I did sort of feverishly turn pages, that was mostly because I was worried that our heroine would actually die.

See, Jules is critically, gravely, terminally ill. She has a very rare disease (Primary sclerosing cholangitis for those playing along at home) which is 100% fatal without a liver transplant. Unfortunately, she’s not *quite* sick enough to qualify for a cadaver donation, and she has exhausted her friends and family looking for a live donor. And when sepsis sets in and her organs begin to shut down, well, it might just be too late.

Sounds light and adorable, right?

In the end, it turns out that her frenemy-with-benefits is a match, and, of course, he saves the day. But that only brings us to the middle of the story. The rest of the book deals with Jules adjusting to her new normal, which includes pushing Mr. Right away, quitting her job, and feeling otherwise aimless. It’s explained that these reactions are normal for someone who is quite literally yanked back from the precipice of death…but that doesn’t make them easier to read.

Before you start thinking I didn’t like the book, that is not true. It’s actually really good. But it’s DARK, y’all. And I totally get that it might not be everyone’s cuppa. Jules’ journey is real, and stark and terrifying and I am every glad to have taken it with her. Bradbury writes from her own experience (she also has PSC and received a live-donor transplant) so the book is deeply personal, and the gritty, realistic details really come through.

Recommended if you don’t shy away from dark stories with happy endings, and if the medical stuff won’t be too triggering.

First off that dedication brought me to tears. Like Woah!

Unlikely Match by Laura Bradbury is one enemies to lovers story I couldn't stop reading.
This beautiful Transplant Romance story had me from the very beginning.
Laura's writing style lured me in, gripped my heart and had my emotions all over the dang place.
She has such a talent for making you care so deeply about her characters from the very first page. I immediately felt so much love and connection with our characters.
If you are wanting a good love story, grab this one!
I was blown away by this beautiful book! So much that I don’t think I can put into words how much I loved it. I was torn between wanting to devour it and never wanting it to end.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Grape Books,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my platforms, blog, B&N and Waterstone closer to pub date.

This book was absolutely darling and far from the typical enemies to lovers romance we see. Jules is suffering from a rare liver condition when she meets Tom, who turns out to be the biggest distraction for her in more ways than one. Super sweet story!

This story follows Jules, who is hoping for a living donor transplant for her liver because she is fighting a life-threatening illness. The book is broken up in sections of BEFORE and AFTER the transplant. It shows her working relationship with Tom possibly turning into more, in an enemies-to-lovers kind of way, but it also shows how much friendship means above everything else. Several lovely secondary characters such as Alan, Stewart, Tarun, Brian and Dr. Abebe make the story complete. Really good book!

This book was really good. I loved the characters. I liked this book a lot it was super cute. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

Tom and Jules are imperfectly perfect. Unique premise, good character development, educational on terminal illness and transplant. I enjoyed this thoroughly.