<b> Review </b>

When asked about my recommended lesbian authors, KG MacGregor always makes an appearance on that list., having been the author of one of my favourite series in her "Shaken" pentalogy. 'Bringing Me Dreams' is no exception to my list of favourite books by this author as it presents an emotional story of grieving and moving on with your life. Heartwarming and breaking.

Bringing Me Dreams follows two women, Gianna and Keenan, both reeling from the loss of people really close to them through suicide and how they try to move on from those losses.

<b> Characters </b>

Gianna was absolutely endearing she frequently compliments Keenan on her kind nature but she too has a big heart and in this book, one of the main areas of contention comes from her over-extending it to her friend Jaz. Gianna’s lost her twin brother from suicide and as a twin myself, It's safe to say this book hit a dark place within me. The mere thought of spending my birthday without him is unimaginable, this is a small but hard-hitting point in the book.

Jaz is our most present antagonist, she's Gianna’s ex and best friend. Seeing Gianna moving on with her life causes some sort of obsessive break down and she absolutely harasses Keenan. She's pretty messed up in her own right.

Keenan is charming, considerate and patient with all of Gianna drama. She's probably my favourite character along with her cute dog Bennie. She's lost her wife Annabel from suicide as well and has found a satisfying grief counselling in sharing pictures of Bennie in an online counselling group.

<b> Plot+ Writing + Explanation of rating </b>

The plot itself is good, I really liked it and this book was easy to read and definitely interesting. However, I felt like it could've used... more.

There are two main characters but I can't help but feel like Gianna and her drama takes up most of it. I felt like Keenan moving on from Annabel should've been more important but all we get is a few lines of her saying she's okay. So I guess what this book really needed was just a little bit more depth on her side and pacing along with it.

That's why I've given this 4 stars. On one side I really enjoyed their relationship but would've loved to see more of Keena's side of things and her thought processes.

I liked how the Jaz and Gianna situation was dealt with- I've actually seen a similar situation in real life so there's not much doubt to me about the realism of it but again, had it been longer and a more intricate plot line I would've given this 5 stars.

<b> Overall thoughts </b>

Just wish it was longer, to be honest...

Do I recommend it? Yes, this is still a very cute romance.

Make sure and check out the author's other books though! I highly recommend her shaken series. It deserves more attention!

Thank you, NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Bringing Me Dreams

Author KG MacGregor

MC Keenan McEvoy & Gianna

Trigger Warning ⚠️ suicide

Review



This book does deal with a heavy topic.  It talks about the impact of what people go through after someone they care about commits suicide.



This book also shows how a woman can be ahead of the rest, and be overlooked.



Gianna struggling to get passed her brothers death, seeks out comfort and support on an online forum. There she meets a kind soul Keenan.  I felt like Keenan really wanted to help people, and find love for herself again. Keenan and Gianna took the time to get to know each other .  And the story development is perfect.



Gianna family was something else and unfair to her.  Just because someone is blood related, doesn’t  give them the right to humiliate you.  Make you feel less than them,  because of a preference or your sexual orientation. I felt like in some parts of the book,  particular members of her family,  were just manipulating her.



This book has a boom 🤯, you don’t see coming.  This book kept  my attention.  It drew me in instantly and kept me hanging until the very end.



This was my first book by the author and it won’t be my last.  I want to thank Bella Books and NetGalley for the Arc! 5 stars

Well written f/f drama with serious topics
MacGregor tackles a difficult topic in this book: being the survivor of a loved one. One aspect of this book is focusing onhow Gianna and Keenan deal with it. Keenan is already further along in the process and connects with Gianna via her cute therapy dog. I actually like how sensitive MacGregor handled that part of the story and I got the chemistry and bonding between the two mc.
I was greatly disturbed though by the stalkerish ex thrown into the mix who nearly overshadowed everything with her destructive behaviour. I.REALLY. REALLY. DISLIKED HER. On the one hand kudos to MacGregor. But: It was hard to believe that any new relation would be so understanding for so long with a clearly lesbian-stalker situation. Any sensible person would (hopefully) run for the hills and avoid this toxic co-dependency.
The work-situation of Gianna in her family‘s business is a very good example of how sexist and toxic things still are: the double-standards and the impossible to reach bars. The final resolution was long due. I would have wished though that the new couple would have had a bit more time „on paper“ to hash it all out. The end felt a bit rushed and gave me virtual whiplash.
To sum it up: I am a bit torn. This book is overall well-written, tackles some serious topics (and don’t forget the cute dog). But it felt rushed at the end and the stalker-drama to be endured by the new girlfriend (and us readers) is over the top and goes on too long to be believable.
PS: Clever, clever title.

I have got to admit that I requested for this ARC without reading the synopsis. As a fan of the author’s other books; namely Out Of Love and The Shaken series, this was supposed to be a no brainer for me.

KG MacGregor’s latest offering, Bringing Me Dreams, is not only a daring attempt at a sensitive or otherwise hush topic, it is also about reconciling loss with acceptance and braving whatever it needs to go on and to flourish again.

Keenan McEvoy and Gianna Del Vecchio are members of an online forum that offers survivors of a loved one’s suicide a platform to share their grief and pain. Although there was initial reluctance from closed off Keenan, Gianna proved to be someone she not only took a leap with; she learned to fight for and alongside with for their joint hopes and dreams.

KG MacGregor’s take on loss and its aftermath in this book can be uncomfortable for some yet resonating for others. As someone who has suffered unexpected loss, I guess we never really let go of grief. It conjures shock, anger, pain and a myriad of feelings but as with all emotions, it dulls to a point where one have to decide when it is time to let go. Bringing two characters who have experienced the same type of loss as the basis of a new beginning was a brilliant move and lends hope to those who are waiting to catch that break.

I just reviewed Bringing Me Dreams by KG MacGregor. Thank you NetGalley and Bella Books for the ARC.

I'm a fan of KG MacGregor's work and I have to say I really enjoyed this new release. Keenan and Gianna meet in an unusual way and have similar traumas they are each trying to overcome. As they get closer new roadblocks come up and they each have some big decisions to make regarding their future. The plot for this book was so much fun to read. I was so absorbed in this I was reading on the couch still when my automated lights turned themselves off for the night and then stayed up to finish the book until 1am. I really liked the two MCs and many of the side characters too. The one exception was Jaz, I saw no redeeming qualities in her and I couldn't understand why Gianna continued to talk to her. In the end she was pretty integral to a major plot change so I know why she had to be kept around but I still didn't love scenes with her in them. The was another hole related to Gianna's brother that just was lacking in details at the end but those were my only two gripes. I really liked this book and I think it's likely one I'll need picking up for a second read in the future.

This books is first and foremost about grief and loss and dealing with both.
This begins on a website forum for those who have lost someone to suicide where Gianna and Keenan meet, bonding over a picture of Keenan’s adorable dog Bennie. Through the book they both have multiple issues to deal with, both with themselves and other loved ones who are also struggling with their own forms of loss and dealing with it in both positive and negative ways.
I loved how the various states of grief are dealt with, from Keenan struggling with having found her lover, Gianna’s best friend and on again off again lover Jaz dealing with the end of their relationship, to Gianna and her parents dealing with her brother Gabe’s suicide. The emotions shown are messy and real.
Gianna and Keenan bond first over their loss, then Bennie, and start to allow themselves to heal. There are a few twists in the book that kept me turning to see how they would turn out, one in particular that caught me completely off guard.
Overall this book is really good, not super heavy despite the subject matter and the growing relationship between the couple is sweet and hopeful, even when they stumble a few times along the way.

Thanks to the publisher for granting me early access to an e-arc! I love a good queer love story. In fact, nothing makes me happier. I adored this book and the main characters. We are following two main characters who come together and are struggling with grief, loss, and an annoying ex girlfriend.

I really don’t love it when ex’s try to tear apart a new relationship with current love, that said I did overall enjoy the love story in this book!

This book was overall very interesting. I did wish the pacing was a bit slower. Towards the end they were making big decisions that I felt should have been put off a bit more. The ex was way too involved in this story that it became annoying. I felt like we saw more ex drama when that space could have been used to further develop the relationship between the two. The plot twist at the end was interesting. Overall a decent read just a bit underdeveloped in some aspects.

'ARC provided by both NetGalley and The Publisher (Bella Books) in exchange for an unbiased review'

**'When you as a writer begin to tell a story, write as much as you can, read and research as much as you can. But do not forget to THINK before you start telling that story..'

Agitating read!
When i first saw this book then read the premise, i got a bit hesitant on whether i should check it out or not -- because of it's sensitive subject matter (suicide) but then it's a book by KG MacGregor who's storytelling i've always enjoyed. So i took a chance not only because of the author but because i've read about this, heard from close friends and associates about it and even know of a few people in my circle that did -- and it's one of the most difficult, questionable and troubling time anyone goes through. Anyone going through this always wants to understand the why's & what could or should you have done better for that person.
I know it seems like i'm going off topic and not giving a roundabout view about the storyline but then i would not be me if i did not add this; I've long thought that if there are things/issues that we cannot conceive of or measure, it's due to a lack of knowledge, not because such things/issues might be inconceivable or immeasurable outside of our norms or limitations.
As to 'BRINGING ME DREAMS' it ended up being not as difficult to get through but because there were so many different storylines jumping out at the same time. I tried focusing on how Ms. MacGregor was gonna explain what cause both Gianna's brother and Keenan's girlfriend suicides and how their romance came about but only a snippet of this happened. Yeah, there were support groups but the problems with the storytelling was that there were way too many characters plus i don't think the leads had that kind of special chemistry. Her writing kinda veered off too far diving into all this underhandedness taking place in Gianna's family business, Jaz''s non storyline issues, Keenan & family doing volunteer dentistry abroad etc... instead of staying more on telling about their personal lives and an actual enticing love story.
Readers will have to stop at the many numerous occasions to try to consider the points MacGregor might be trying to make and tell in every paragraph and chapter for any enjoyment.

The very cute cover doesn’t reveal some of the serious topics covered in Bringing Me Dreams. Gianna Del Vecchio and Keenan McEvoy meet on an online forum for people who have lost loved ones to suicide. Gianna messages Keenan directly when an online post shows they may be close locally. They begin texting before finally meeting one another. Gianna is hitting the year anniversary for the death of her twin brother. Keenan lost her partner two years ago but has reached the point where she is helping others in their grief. The topic is cover sensitively and while it comes up throughout the book because it affects their own outlooks it isn’t the focus of the story. I appreciate there is a trigger warning and specific pages to skip if needs be at the start of the book.

But the story is very much a traditional romance. Is Keenan ready for a new relationship? Gianna works for a family business and may be getting pushed out of what she thought was her future. Her ex-girlfriend is also causing major drama as the two meeting. I like that they date and Gianna even spends a service weekend with Keenan when she provides dental work to the poor. Even meeting the parents is included. I loved Bennie the therapy dog and the benefits he gave to others and to Keenan herself.

The author creates a good romance with fully developed side characters. The inclusion of a serious topic and how people deal with grief adds to the story but does not bring it down. I was happy for Gianna and Keenan to find their HEA. Thank you to NetGalley and Bella Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.