I received an ARC from NetGalley and Hera Books in exchange for my honest review.

If you haven't read my reviews before, I share my thoughts a I read with my overall thoughts at the bottom. So if you're just interested in what my final thoughts are feel free to scroll down 👇🏻

⚠️ trigger warning: domestic abuse mentioned⚠️

"My little girl won't let me down" - wow, no pressure or anything..

The stepbrother being named Josh reminds me of Clueless.. anyone else?? 🤷🏼‍♀️

Ohh!! I love books with multiple perspectives!!

I never understood why some places use different abbreviations for the word advertisement, some places use ad and others use advert.. just pick one abbreviation..

Did Annie have a crush on Josh?

Wait. So Jane was married to Emma's stepbrother Josh? Wouldn't they know that Emma was in the matchmaking business and that they might possibly see Josh at an event?

Hmm. So Jane has a secret she's keeping from her friends..

Emma is godmother to 2 of her exes kids? That's a little awkward..

Whatever happened to Emma's dad for her to have taken her stepdads last name when her mom married him?

I'm very curious how her playing poker online is going to be important to the plot... Maybe Tom Knight plays poker too??

I'm bored reading the poker talk.. but I'm afraid if I skip it I'm going to miss something important..

The only news I can think that Jane has that would ruin a marriage but not friendships is that she's lesbian?

I'm only currently on chapter 7 and haven't had any real laughs. For a book that claims to be "a laugh-out-loud, uplifting rom-com" so far it feels lacking in the "laugh-out-loud" department..

My advice for Lydia.. don't invite men over if you don't want to risk them falling asleep and staying the night 🤷🏼‍♀️

Hmm.. something is off with Lydia's mom...

Normally I enjoy multiple perspectives in my books, but this book jumps around too much I feel like. And I'm trying to decide if some of the information will be vital to the overall story.

Annie is the school teacher who has a second chance at love.. a second chance to get with Josh.

I'm very uncomfortable for this Colin guy because Annie is very quite obviously not interested in him..

Full disclosure - I'm really struggling to read this book. I'm not finding it as charming as I hoped based on the description and the cover art. I won't give up on it, but I am very much having a hard time.

Why do they keep saying Col, Colin, Colin Williams? Just call him Col or Colin...

I too am never sure if the dice game is called craps or crabs 😂😂😂

Lydia is a lonely woman who needs something more than a relationship, she needs therapy I feel like... She's desperate for the physical relationships, but it's because she's missing something in her life.

Josh is interested in Annie and feels upset she's formed what seems to be an attachment to Colin..

Does Emma end up playing poker for real to try to win money for the Season?

Okay.. so, we have POV Emma, POV Jane, POV Annie, POV Lydia, POV Tom and POV Josh.... I think that's all?

So I'm thinking SirWalt is Tom...

I feel like Lydia is depressed..

My favorite meal would also include a can of Dr Pepper, but that's as much as I have in common with Lydia I think.

Will (Hot Barman) is a nice guy. Is Lydia set on not being with someone because the guy her mom is with? I'm making an assumption that it isn't her dad..

Is Will a viscount? Or his dad?

His dad's an earl?? I figured he was from a rich family and worked because he wanted to prove himself independent.

My assumption was wrong, it is get dad who is the abusive prick.

"Then think of me as a weird stubbly girl you've had sex with" -- that actually made me laugh. Not belly laugh, but a good chuckle.

The part about Josh's dead dad's birthday hit home for me on this particular day of reading, because it is my dead mom's birthday.. I didn't do anything special to mark the day.

I honestly find Will's story the most interesting of the bunch and he's not even one of the main characters..

Wait, do Annie's family and Tom's family have the same carer? They both mentioned Hilly...

Emma just let slip get poker name in front of Mr Knight.. he recognized it..

Tom's story of his late-husband is sad.

Of course Tom is in love with Emma. Even if he doesn't know it yet..

They keep cutting Tom off before he can finish "and I play-" and he plays what??

I bet he was going to say "and I play poker", and if Emma let him say it, she would know he was SirWalt!

I'm annoyed Jane is trying to end things with Charlotte because she's pregnant instead of letting Charlotte make the choice for herself if she wants to stay with her.

The ending seemed a little rushed.



-Cover: 5/5 cute and simple with 2 people on the front, title font in a cute print
-Blurb "a laugh-out-loud, completely uplifting rom-com": 2/5 and that's being generous.. when I hear laugh-out-loud I think of laughing every other page or every few pages, I've laughed a small handful of times during this book.. when I hear uplifting I think positive happy things, not stories of people growing up hating their childhood, being raised in an abusive household and deceased significant others..
-Overall rating and thoughts, *fair warning, some of my overall thoughts might have been mentioned in my thoughts while reading 👆🏻 so I apologize if it seems redundant, but some people skip the during thoughts* 3/5

With this being Ally Sinclair's debut novel, this book was decently written. I typically love multiple POV stories, I like jumping into the minds of the characters the story is about, however, I feel like this book has to many points of view per chapter, I think it kind of messed with the overall "matchmaking" plot of the story. I feel like the story was rushed. Ally wrote a note saying there will be a 2nd book, about the Christmas season.. in my opinion she could have used this book to introduce characters and she could have written multiple books using each couple as a main focus of each book and center it around the couple and they're background and then falling in love during the season. That might have made it more enjoyable for me, less people to focus on in one book.

Honestly, I wouldn't read it again, and I'm not sure I'd recommend it to a friend either.

A fun take on Jane Austen's Emma, A Season for Love brings the season of Regency England into the modern era.

Emma Love is a matchmaker, taking over the business from her mother. She comes up with an idea to have an 8 week event over the course of the Summer in which singles can meet and court like they might have in the early 1800s. Aided by her stepbrother Josh, she gets her idea off the ground, inviting many vetted prospects.

Among these are 3 friends, school teachers off for the Summer break, Annie, Jane, and Lydia. The story follows them and their search for love. Will they find it? Or will they come up empty while wearing period costumes?

I was drawn into this story, and had to know if all the ends were nicely tied up. I wished for a little more passion, but it was a sweet, enjoyable read, nonetheless.

*I received a digital ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review

Emma took over her mom’s dating business, she decides to organise regency-style dating season events, where people meet each other and get to know each other and had no intention of dating anyone.

Emma is a hardworking character who does her best to make the business successful. Lydia is a PE teacher who has a commitment issue. Jane is Emma’s brother Josh’s ex-wife, and she has kept a secret from her friends. Annie likes Josh, and she hopes to find "The One" at the event. The story was told from multiple POVs.

I liked the regency-style dating events; they were fresh and unique. All characters have their own stories and problems while searching for their "The One."

The book is described as a rom-com, but I didn’t find any comedy elements in the book. I was expecting more of Emma and Tom's slow-burn romance. The plot was slow.

It was an enjoyable read. I liked reading this book.

This was cute, and easy to read. I did feel like there was almost too much going on - everyone’s own complex stories and thoughts and tales going on at once. I think this would do well as maybe a series of novellas or even split into two books so that you could halve the number of characters being focused on at once. It was almost like a whole TV show except in book form! Overall fun and cute and enjoyable.

hooked and hooked some more. Loved all of this and couldn't put it down. I was like oh my. I need to know more. Read it.

i really didn't like this, i couldn't connect with any of the characters and i couldn't get used to multiple povs since it's been years and years since the last time i read a book with multiple points of view. i liked the main concept, bridgerton but make it 21st century, and yet i think it was done poorly. I'm really sorry, but this wasn't for me.

What a fun read! I liked how there were heavy nods to Jane Austen, without actually reusing any of her plots. Three very modern romances occur against a backdrop of Regency recreation.

This was an enjoyable read but I wasn't into it until the first 20% tbh. The characters were pretty well described and had a strong personality. The matchmaking setting was brilliantly portrayed but since I picked this book up expecting more romance between the main character, I found it quite off putting when some new characters' povs were introduced. I wasn't a huge fan of the writing because there's so much going on in each of Emma, Jane, Lydia and Annie's life that it was hard to keep track of. I went in expecting to get only Emma & Mr. Knight's story but the mix up made me lose some interest tbh. Also I didn't see the funny parts anywhere considering it is a romantic comedy but the only two things I liked about the book are Emma and the slow burn relationships. Emma was an awesome woman, a good friend and someone whom I could relate with. But I'm not gonna lie, the multiple storylines slowed down the plot a lot and made me feel disconnected with the other characters.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review

Emma, new owner of a match making service, organizes a modern day regency dating event not thinking she herself would succumb to its charms, or at least guest Mr. Knight’s grumpy charms.

This was a nice retelling of Emma, the Austen classic. The story isn’t just Emma’s. There are actually four characters that are followed, all with their own individual stories. While it was nice to see all of them, that did slow down the book a lot. The representation was good though (one of the main characters is pan which you don’t see enough of!).

You will like it if you enjoy:
-slow burn
- closed door
-classics retelling
-following multiple characters

Thabk you to the author and publisher for the ARC book in exchange for an honest review.

I have been through one of those grisly 'can't read' phases and this has tugged me right out of it. Engaging characters, delightful contemporary variations on the best Austen classics (as if there are any bad ones...not!) and, of course, lashings of romance. There are nods to yesteryear, but all full embraces of today's world and its many variations on how complicated life can be and how much better it is when you fall in love. Any Austen fan would be a fool to miss out on this joyous, Bridgerton-esque romp through the modern world of dating. Thank you to Hera and to Ally Sinclair for this sparkling addition to the world of dating agency books. A delight through and through.

I liked this one, but I didn't love it. 3.5 stars for me

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC.

Devoured this book in two sittings. Absolutely loved the premise. The characters were well drawn and credible and the situations they found themselves in were very relatable.

A modern-day must for lovers of Jane Austin. Can not wait for the next book in the series.

Highly recommend.

A season for love is an adorable 21st century homage to Jane Austen’s Emma and a good start to a new series.

Emma Love is inheriting her parents’ matchmaking business and comes up with a fun idea way to get people meeting up in person. The Season was to be an 8 week sequence of get-togethers like people used to do in the regency period, only better because it is inclusive and not gender-biased. This is definitely something I think today’s single people could really use! And this Season was so successful I’ll be looking forward to reading about the next one! Recommended for British rom-com readers of authors like Josie Silver and Sophie Cousens.

Big thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

When Emma Love’s mother retires, it is time for her to take the reins of the family dating agency and build on its success. And she has a fresh new idea: to host a Jane Austen-style Regency Season of glamourous events where potential lovers can actually take the time to get to know each other in person, with no apps in between.
Emma has no intention of becoming romantically involved herself, of course; she is a matchmaker on the hunt for the perfect partner for ladies like Annie (who thought she had missed her chance at love a long time ago), Jane (recently divorced and nervously stepping into her new life) and wild child Lydia (more interested in hooking up than finding Mr Darcy).
As the Season unfolds, there is only one fly in Emma’s ointment – the irritating Mr Knight, with his casual attitude and gentle cynicism. Why is she allowing him to ruffle her calm, ordered life and why can’t she stop thinking about him? She is far too sensible to take a chance on love – isn’t she?

There are four primary characters:
Emma - owner of the matchmaking business, sister to Josh. She plays online poker games and despite running the matchmaking business, has never been in love herself.
Lydia - a PE teacher with serious commitment issues, who is used to pick up guys but stays emotionally detached. Slept with Will, who has his own story, too.
Jane - recently divorced from Josh. Her family lives in a commune, but that is not the only secret she’s kept from her friends...
Annie - the girl who signed her friends Lydia and Jane up for this course. She hopes she will meet The One, but she actually already has…?!

The story is told from multiple points of view. Emma, Annie, Jane and Lydia all have their own story and they meet other people who you get to know very well and also have their own stories. There is a lot going on; you keep switching from one character and storyline to another. Some stories act like background stories but the writer has invested a lot of time in these secondary stories. You can guess early on who will end up with whom and what will happen, but because of all the side stories it takes a long time before the HEA. I think this book is a kind of ‘Love Actually’ XXXL meets ‘You’ve got mail’.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book and thank NetGalley for supplying me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a fun, easy read and if you love Jane Austen (as I do!) then it'll be just up your street. A great, original idea, to merge the Regency 'dating scene' with modern day dating and I thought it worked really well. If you've read 'Emma' then you might guess what happens when the heroine in this book meets Tom Knight and I guessed some of the other endings/pairings too but that didn't spoil the enjoyment. Only reason for giving 4 stars not 5 is that there were a lot of characters to get my head around at the start of the book and it took me a while to get to know who was who. But a great read and, as I understand it, the first in a series. I'm sure it'll do well!

Bridgerton for the modern day romantic. I really loved the idea for A Season for Love bringing back Regency courtship in today's world. I found the story very entertaining and while it was somewhat predictable I did enjoy how all the characters got to where they needed to be. My only complaint would be the amount of characters and story lines taking place in this novel, it never really felt like anyone was the main character. It was also a light confusing in the first few chapters until you became familiar with everyone. That being said I would recommend this one rated 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. I want to thank NetGalley and Hera Books for the digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

A great premise, an old fashioned approach to networking, courting and meeting "the one". I found the multiple POVs detracted from the story, there wasn't enough information about some of their back stories which left gaps for me.

I loved this book. Any book that has the word love in it usually has me hooked from the beginning. The cover with the cartoon characters was beautiful and I love that it tells the story with the hooked in line about courtship. I watch a lot of shows about courtships and this one really felt like it could become a tv show afterwards. I loved the characters and the atmosphere. It was perfection.

“Miss Emma Love, requests the honour of your company at the inaugural Ball of the Season”
To say that this romance was not what I was expecting would be a huge understatement!!! Definitely not an every day romcom !!!
It was a complicated hot mess of people trying to find their Ones in a world where life gets on the way and it messes things up.
Emma is an amazing main character and honestly the one I could relate to the most in the entire book.
Tom is a man who loves completely and endlessly and he has suffered through t great pain.
Annie is too sweet and generous for the world, and a part of a friends to lovers you are not completely sure you want to happen.
Lydia is a total mess and she owns it but she still deserves better than what she’s got in her past.
Jane … she has to figure out who she truly is and what she wants … and she will have to face it all !!
I loved how all their life got mixed up in a setting that was pure regency romance and Season … and how much at the end, the happy ending was everything we wanted to get !!
“Better to have loved and lost though. At least that’s what people tell me”
“You don’t fit in with the world, Lydia. You bend the world to fit around you”

When Emma Love’s mother retires, it is time for her to take the reins of the family dating agency and build on its success. And she has a fresh new idea: to host a Jane Austen-style Regency Season of glamourous events where potential lovers can actually take the time to get to know each other in person, with no apps in between.

Emma has no intention of becoming romantically involved herself, of course; she is a matchmaker on the hunt for the perfect partner for ladies like Annie (who thought she had missed her chance at love a long time ago), Jane (recently divorced and nervously stepping into her new life) and wild child Lydia (more interested in hooking up than finding Mr Darcy).

As the Season unfolds, there is only one fly in Emma’s ointment – the irritating Mr Knight, with his casual attitude and gentle cynicism. Why is she allowing him to ruffle her calm, ordered life and why can’t she stop thinking about him? She is far too sensible to take a chance on love – isn’t she?

A super quick, fun read, I just wasn't convinced by the romance.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for my honest review.