Ellie is desperate for a break from her life, she is about to lose her job, has just broken up with her long term boyfriend, and her family is on her case. She rents a tiny home AirBnb in a small town in Montana, ready to rest for a few weeks. She did not plan for her host to be taken by ambulance the minute she arrives and to be left caring for a donkey, 2 sheep, chickens, and a little bulldog with a big personality. She also isn't prepared to deal with the grumpy, mistrusting, and persistent grandson of her host for her time there while her host is stuck in a nursing home while she recovers.

The highlights for me in this one were the animals, and the spunky grandmother. They all brought so much personality to the story. The romance and how the 2 main characters interacted was very well written. The thing that help me back from really loving this was all the negative characters in this story, the main characters mom and sister, the neighbour trying to get his hands on the farm, etc. It felt a little heavy handed with all the "villains" of the story.

Ellie Reed finds herself in the middle of someone else’s family drama when the owner of her vacation rental ends up in the hospital. Ellie offers to help out around the property while Marilyn recovers but soon finds out the idyllic farm life comes with a learning curve.

Said No One Ever is a stand-alone contemporary romance. There are some kissing scenes but nothing open-door or spicy. There is a little bit of a love triangle and a bonus romance just to keep readers on their toes.

This is such a sweet book. The banter between the MCs is great but Marilyn is all sass. She is the feisty meddling grandma I love to see in these types of books. The friendship that develops between her and Ellie is truly heartwarming. Ellie goes through so much personal growth throughout the book that she almost seems like a different character by the end. Her attitude by the end shows the importance of having good people around you.

The epilogue is so delightful and unexpected. I think it may be my favorite part of the whole book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca!

Utterly Charming-In every single way!! Small town feels, found family, lost and found love- it is all in this little gem of a novel💗

Ellie Reed escapes to a small town in Montana to get away from a recent break up and an overbearing family. She plans to hide out at her rented Airbnb tiny house, relax, and avoid the drama back home in Ohio. It’s basically a three week sabbatical to figure out her life. Planning her next career move and trying not to feel like a failure, she arrives at the rented house in Montana. The first thing she sees is an ambulance and a person being loaded into the vehicle on a stretcher. She finds out shortly that the person headed to the hospital is none other than the owner of the property, Marilyn. She is left to notify family, but when no one shows up or inquires after her, she visits the hospital. This is the turn of events that changes Ellie’s life forever. Marilyn needs her and the only one that can help and has the time to help is Ellie. Overnight Ellie becomes the temporary caretaker of the farm and it’s inhabitants, including a rambunctious dog named Hilda, Edgar the donkey (aka Sheriff), Bo and Peep the sheep, and a crazy rooster. There is so much love and sweetness packed into this story and the joy is in the unfolding. Found family is one of my favorite tropes and even though this isn’t strictly a romance, there is a fabulous little love story with a hilarious meet cute in this book too! When I say this story is a gem, it absolutely is! It’s like a cozy blanket to wrap yourself in on a cloudy day. The whole book is just a smile that warms your heart. One to keep and reread often. 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Available today!!

I was given an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was absolutely adorable. I love a good book with shenanigans and this one had it in droves. A crazy farm dog, a lovable donkey, unruly sheep and an outrageous octogenarian in charge of them all? Yes, this book was everything and more. It was just fun and cute the kind of book you just enjoy reading.

Said No One Ever is a delightful tale filled with playful humor and heartwarming goodwill. The story takes readers on a journey through unexpected twists and turns, leaving them on the edge of their seats with anticipation. Eding's writing style is both professional and engaging, making the story easy to understand and enjoyable to read.

Thank you @sourcebookcasa @dreamscape_media @netgalley for a copy this book. Ellie escapes to a small town Montana as her life is at a crossroad and all things break loose when the host needs help taking care of the property. She meets the host grandson, Warren, and there's mistrust and they must learn to figure out how to bear with each other. This felt more like women's fiction and Ellie figures out how to handle her family and Warren doing the same with his family. I didn't really buy their love story and wanted to see it develop.

Life is a winding road! This is a fun, sweet journey of Ellie finding her way. I enjoyed every minute of this story. There are a lot of laugh out loud moments. I loved how Ellie gained more and more confidence as the story progressed. The characters were fun and relatable. I read the book quickly since I didn't want to put it down in the middle. I will look for other books by this author. I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

This was a quirky entertaining read. Ellie’s AirBNB vacation ends up being nothing like she expected as she ends up wrapped in the owner’s drama and caring for farm animals. I enjoyed all of the shenanigans she gets wrapped up in. This was definitely more women’s fiction than romance but I still enjoyed it. I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narration.

Said no one ever is a very sweet, small town romance with cute and hilarious characters. I love a good grumpy sunshine story and this one delivers in spades all of that. The colourful lady surely made for an entertaining challenge and their back and forth was so on point.
I wish there was much more chemistry and spice overall because it felt too flat for me in the end for a met cute romance but alas, it’s a nice story that many will enjoy

Ellie rents an Airbnb in the middle of nowhere, Montana, to get away from her life. She's thrust into the shenanigans and family drama of her host and becomes her host's pseudo-caretaker. Between the elderly lady's meddling, two polar opposite men, and the never-ending line of animals, Ellie is busier than she expected to be on her solo retreat.
I found the cover and synopsis to be extremely appealing. Love triangles aren't for everyone but I like the push and pull between the characters and the juxtaposition the MC finds herself in with two personalities vying for her attention. Usually, I'll pick the wrong LI but, in this case, I was on the right team. I wasn't connected to any of the characters, however, despite really enjoying Stephanie's last release and the summary for this one. This won't deter me from trying another by her.
The narrator, Stephanie Richardson, is fine. I didn't find that she added much to the story through her performance and it probably added to my waning interest.
Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for the advanced copy and Dreamscape Media for the alc. All thoughts in this review are my own.

‘Said No One Ever’ by Stephanie Eding was the perfect Sunday afternoon read. Funny, emotional and just dramatic enough, I had a heck of a good time reading this! Eding is so good at making you really care for these characters, even when they’re making wrong/confusing decisions. I grew to care so much for the characters and how their stories would end, I really can’t recommend this enough. I look forward to reading more from the author!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Read if you like:
🐓 Farm animals
🚜 Farm Setting (Montana)
🐶 Energetic Dogs
🔥 Slow Burn
🔺Love Triangles

Family Drama whether the FMC’s or the family and friends of the Airbnb host is filled within the pages of this one! Ellie is hoping to escape her family and drama but when she lands in Montana for her getaway she If splat down in the middle of the host’s drama when she injures herself and the trajectory of her stay completely changes.

This one features a love triangle, lots of antics for power, and a slooooow burn romance where we don’t even meet the two contenders until after the first 15% of the book.

This one had a very slow start due to all the set-up but it paid off in the end.

If you are looking for a different romance with lots of energy I recommend checking this one out! Thank you Sourcebooks Casablanca for my ARC in exchange for my review!

If you are looking for a super cute rom Com set in a dreamy small town, Said No One Ever by Stephanie Eding is it for you.

Ellie got stuck with a colorful old but gold lady, her farm, her band of crazy animals and her grumpy grandson when she booked an Airbnb to escape her sad chaotic life. It was full of hilarious coincidences and funny twists. It was all very entertaining. This vacation proved to be the game changer she desperately needed. She is a very sweet and kind girl who has been put in a rock and hard place and these few days in Choteu gave her much needed strength and clarity to show the awesome woman she is. Warren Oliver is the grumpy grandson who cannot believe that his lively grandmother has started an Airbnb without consulting her overbearing daughters. They had a constant back and forth full of wit and fun. The story is told in third person POV and from Ellie's view. I enjoyed the laugh out loud moments but I didn't find much chemistry between Ellie and Warren. The romance was lacking. It didn't have any spice. So if you want a sweet romance to entertain you, it is a good choice.

I reviewed an early copy voluntarily

This was a cute women’s romance fiction novel. It’s about a girl in Montana. I liked it however did not love this one and kept finding myself distracted. I did not necessarily click with the characters.

Ellie's life may be imploding, but at least she still has a 3 week vacation at a quiet Montana farm stay to enjoy. Until she arrives and her host Marilyn is taken away in an ambulance! With no one else around, the responsibility for the animals now falls to Ellie... and she has no idea what she's doing.

She's just beginning to settle into her new normal when a man confronts her in the shower and accuses her of trespassing! Warren is Marilyn's solemn grandson and had no idea that his grandmother was injured, or that she'd started to sublet the tiny home he built for himself.

The two have no choice but to co-exist in order to keep the farm running smoothly. But Marilyn's accident has set the vultures circling and if they aren't careful, this could be the end of the farm for good! Can Ellie & Warren put aside their differences and work together? Or will this be the final straw that sends Marilyn into a care home?

First of all, Marilyn is the Grandma that everyone wishes they had! She's fiesty and full of life; I think we would all be so lucky to live like her in our older age. Warren is a classic grumpy MMC, whilst FMC Ellie is quirky with a LOT to process within 3 short weeks.

I was engrossed in the story and loved the close community feel of the town. Ellie built some beautiful connections (both human and animal) in the story and Sheriff and Hilda were such sweet hearts!

Thank you to Author Stephanie Eding, Sourcebooks Casablanca & Netgalley for providing this ARC. All opinions expressed are my own. Publication date is April 4th!

SAID NO ONE EVER – Stephanie Eding
Sourcebooks Casablanca
ISBN: 9781-7282-3997-2
April 4, 2023
Romance Comedy

Choteau, Montana – Present Day

Ellie Reed has just broken off her romance with her steady but boring boyfriend and is on the verge of possibly losing her work-at-home job. A nice vacation in the middle of nowhere is all she asked for, and she gets one after searching online. Ellie ends up on a farm in the middle of Montana, but as she’s arriving, an emergency vehicle arrives and takes her presumable hostess off to the hospital. Ellie doesn’t know what to do, but there is no one else around to advise her, so when she sees that there are animals that need to be fed, she jumps in to help until she can find out what’s going on. But it soon turns out that Marilyn, who owns the farm, is going to be laid up for a while and asks Ellie to take care of the farm until she returns home. Has the vacation turned into a working stint for Ellie? Then Marilyn’s grandson, Warren, shows up, startling Ellie.

Warren isn’t happy to see Ellie. He usually stays in the small house that she is staying in, and he didn’t know about Marilyn’s accident until he found out upon his arrival. While he wants Ellie gone, he doesn’t evict her because his grandmother forbids him to. Warren sees Ellie as a stubborn pain in the rear, but he agrees to let her stay because his grandmother likes her. If his mother and aunt found out their mother was renting a house to a stranger, they would commit Marilyn to an institution. Meanwhile, Warren doesn’t know that Ellie is being wooed by Marilyn’s neighbor, Blake. If he knew, he’d tell her the truth about Blake…

SAID NO ONE EVER is a cute and funny read right from the start. Ellie thought she was going to enjoy a relaxing vacation and get away from her demanding family while she decided what to do next in her life. The last thing she expects is to have her hostess fall and end up in the hospital. With no one else around, Ellie helps, though she has never taken care of a donkey, two sheep, and numerous chickens. After getting instructions from Marilyn after visiting her at the hospital, at least she now has an idea of how to feed them. The arrival of Warren changes things a little. He’s there on his annual trip to fix things around the farm. They spar a lot but get to know each other. It’s clear that Grandma and grandson love each other, but is it enough to fend off the evil sisters aka Marilyn’s two daughters? They’ve been threatening for years to move their mother to Spokane and into a nursing home. Marilyn wants to stay on the farm.

Warren and Ellie’s relationship is tenuous at first. He doesn’t want her there, while she feels like she is obligated to be there as per Marilyn’s wishes. Despite the friction, there is a glimmer of attraction between them. While SAID NO ONE EVER does have a romance in it, most of the story revolves around the emotional journey of Ellie. She came to Montana not sure about her future, but soon she knows that she wants to stay—at least for now. It’s a crazy crew in this rollicking tale, and readers will chuckle on many an occasion. Will Ellie end up staying forever? You’ll have to read to the end to find out.

If you love a lighthearted romance with a bit of kookiness, then SAID NO ONE EVER is a perfect read.

Patti Fischer
Romance Reviews Today

I want to be Marilyn when I grow up!

Ellie Reed using her vacation to deal with her breakup from her long term boyfriend, her family and to look for a job since the medical transcription company was laying off the freelancers. But her stay started off badly when her host at the tiny home was injured tripping over her bulldog leaving Ellie responsible for the animals with absolutely no experience. And there is the helpful neighbor and cranky grandson for the possible romance.

I probably laughed more about the reactions of Ellie with the animals because I can picture the chaos and mess. But reading about Marilyn was worth the price of the book because I could picture my grandmother doing the same things.

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

Stephanie Eding’s Said No One Ever didn’t quite work for me. There were parts of it that were charming and fun but as a whole it didn’t come together.

Ellie arrives at her airbnb in the middle of nowhere Montana as her hostess, Marilyn, is being carted off in an ambulance. Ellie doesn’t know what happened or how she’s supposed to take care of these farm animals. She’s not supposed to be figuring out how to take care of sheep, donkeys and chickens, she is supposed to be figuring out her life. She has just broken up with her longtime boyfriend, she knows she’s about to be unemployed, and she won’t be able to afford her apartment without a job. She’s got a lot going on and three weeks to figure it out. Her family knows exactly what she should do – get back together with her ex and become the nanny for her sister’s children. With a little help from the charming neighbor and a visit with Marilyn in the nursing home where she is to recover from a broken leg, Ellie figures it out. When Marilyn’s grumpy grandson shows up he assumes Ellie is up to no good.

The parts of this that really work are Ellie’s relationship with the animals and with Marilyn. As Ellie gets drawn into Marilyn’s shenanigans and caring for the farm animals, she regains some self-confidence. Edings has a way with dialogue and creating animal characters that I enjoyed a lot.

I think this would have worked better for me if this had stayed focused on Ellie and Marilyn and their lovely intergenerational friendship. While there was some very nice banter with the grandson, I really didn’t love the “love triangle.” It felt forced and it was very clear that the charming one would be a snake and the grumpy one would be the good guy. Even with the shoehorned in love triangle, this really isn’t a romance.

I felt like too many things were handled cartoonishly. Lip service was given to how hard it is to make decisions about caring for the elderly, but the characters who were in a position to make those decisions were two-dimensional bad people. Their choices seemed simple and self serving, which made the choices Ellie advocates for simple and good. It felt like there were two different books in here and they didn’t mesh.

CW: families with no boundaries, injuries to the elderly (treated), injury to animals (treated)

I received this as an advance reader copy from Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.

Ellie had already booked herself a 3 week vaca at an Airbnb in Montana before finding herself newly single and soon to be unemployed. She still goes though, figuring she can finish out her job from anywhere and it’s already set up. Besides, she needs the escape from an extremely meddling family, who all know exactly what her next steps need to be, no input from her needed (or wanted)

Unfortunately, almost just as she arrives the host Marilyn is hauled away in an ambulance after getting injured by Hilda, her occasionally energetic bulldog.

Now her vaca might be getting comped, but Ellie finds herself suddenly caring for an escape donkey, attack rooster, stinky chickens, wandering sheep and some surprise goats. And Hilda of course. Not to mention working on a rather strange todo list Marilyn gave her.

Luckily - maybe, the jury is still out - she has a few friendly people around giving her a hand. Kind of. There’s Warren - grandson, shower interrupter, and builder of the tiny house she rented without him knowing. And there’s Blake, a neighbor whose family rents the surrounding fields and helpfulness and interest seems slightly suspect. And Dr Tori, she’s an actually helpful and friendly local vet.

This was a quick, fun and light read, super entertaining. There’s a grumpy/sunshine vibe, with kind of love triangle.
Overall it’s super light on the romance though, and heavy on the wildest “vacation” ever.
There’s family drama all around, So Much Drama. And Ellie is very much a fish out of water with her instant farmer status. She is Not Prepared!
I loved the characters in this one. Ellie says her goal is grow up to be like Marilyn, and I support that 100% - she and Belle are a hoot.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC!

The definition of a feel-good read. I’m unsure how to summarize the pure fun this book was! Farm settings will always be my catnip.

In need of an escape to figure out her future, Ellie retreats to Montana to rent an Airbnb on farm property. But when she sees the owner of the farmhouse leaving in an ambulance, Ellie lands herself in the middle of stable chores, runaway animals, an unexpected romance, and a family drama outside her own.

The laughs this book gave me! And many of those are thanks to Marilyn, the super feisty eighty-two-year-old widow who runs the farm at her own discretion. I highlighted nearly everything that came out of her mouth, I swear. I loved this woman and her wild ideas.

It’s truly a vacation turned upside down for Ellie, and I adored seeing her find friendships, learn to take risks, and of course find love …

Will it be the crotchety grandson of Marilyn or the charming neighbour down the road? It’s best to go in blind and experience the utterly swoonworthy moments yourself.