I absolutely loved this book. It was one of the few books this year I haven’t been able to put down. I loved the characters and how realistic they were, especially the Party Thyme people. Somehow they came across as realistic multidimensional bros instead of just caricatures of that type of person. As someone who grew up in the GTA, I also appreciated the little tidbits of landmarks and directions that scream “getting out of the city”. You just know what “getting on the 400” means, so things like that felt like a little inside secret that still contribute to the gist of the story enough that other people wouldn’t be left confused. I can’t wait to recommend this book to others when it’s out. More in-depth review to come!

Typical Romcom, girl gets boy with a lot of unfortunate events to get in their way, which is one of the tropes that I’m not a super fan of. However, it was a fun light read

4.5!!! Thank you so much for the chance to read this, it was incredible.

I always write a 1-2 sentence review in my notebook before I actually do my netgalley reviews, and I feel like this one describes my feelings very well:

"YEP THIS SLAPPED. The work successes? The drive to find meaning in work? The DOGS? Obsessed."

To elaborate, Kate is 32 and makes some drunken mistakes that get her fired. The benefit is that she doesn't care about her job, and through a series of coincidences ends up working for a fancy retreat in Ontario.

The wintry vibes were amazing, I loved the setting and it felt very Canadian in the same way Every Summer After did. Her love interest was also amazing, very dimensional and THE WAY HE SUPPORTS HER? Wow.

And just a reminder - there are two dogs in this story, and I would die for each of them!!!!!!

*I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

When Kate Rigbsy's life implodes, leaving her single and unemployed, she is offered the chance of a lifetime: a 3 month contract at an artist's retreat in Muskoka. But is Kate doomed to fail before she's even begun?

I enjoyed this book. It had a wonderful cast of characters, a fun premise, and the author perfectly captured the setting (as someone who spent a lot of time in Muskoka before moving out of province, I can say without a doubt it is one of my favourite places in the world). Unfortunately, the book overall fell a little flat for me. The drama was heavily manufactured, and the writing was quite stilted. However, I NEED to stress this, the author has done a FANTASTIC job of writing a robust cast of secondary characters who don't just 'fade into the wallpaper'. They stand out in the story on their own, something many books I've read fail to do. Bonus points to the author for mustachioed knitters and creating a company called Party Thyme (that should be a real thing, whose gonna do it?)

So while overall this wasn't my favourite book of the year, I did still enjoy it and if you're looking for a fun, dog-filled, quirky read you may really enjoy this book!

This is a lighthearted rom-com that follows Kate after a drunken night on social media ends her career. But fear not for the job she lost she didn’t really like and before you know it, Kate quickly nabs what seems like a dream job. However, almost as soon as she arrives at the Treetops Retreat she realizes that the job has some serious issues…but happily there’s also a cute guy there.

The story runs along in a way that is expected and isn’t entirely unique or shocking but it’s humorous in places and the romance was nice. There’s a secret baddie in the story who gets their comeuppance in the end.

The file I received from NetGalley that contained this title was formatted terribly so it was hard and frustrating to read. I tried to read it in the few formats they provided but I often would log off in frustration after reading a few pages. This meant that I didn’t really enjoy the reading experience but I think with a properly formatted file I would have enjoyed the story somewhat more so I’m rounding up my 3.5 to a 4.

This book will make you laugh out loud at times and leave you with a huge smile on you face and a heart full of warmth. A woman, recently split up from a lengthy relationship also loses her job after she has a few too many class of wine and “vents” on Instagram just how awful her ex is. When a job at a wilderness retreat opens up she grabs at the opportunity to take it and get away. What follows is a delightful story including a freezing cold Ontario winter, wonderful co-workers and a potential romance with a little corporate sabotage.

I loved all the characters and the storyline just flowed so smoothly without any gaps. The main character is so likeable mad realistic you can’t help but love her and she has a dog so that just makes it even better.

I think you really really enjoy this wonderful rom-com and like me, you won’t want to put the book down. .