Absolutely loved it! I loved that Mickey and Diego are technically older, especially for contemporary romance. For this to be a romance, the ancillary storylines aren't stale. I can understand Mickey's feelings of being in education and needing more money. I understand Diego becoming hardened after the death of his wife but most importantly Mickey sympathizing with his loss.

Most importantly, the spicy is SPICY!! Whew, I had to step away at some points lol.

This book was cute and very steamy. I did find it a bit cheesy at times. I think it could have gone through a few more rounds of edits before finalizing.

Mickey needs another job to help make ends meet. Her job as an adjunct professor just isn't cutting it. She'll be able to just pay for her medication, but the rest of life's necessities like rent are going to require another job. Luckily for her, she's determined to land this gig as a bartender. Sure, she doesn't have a lot of experience, but she's smart, a fast learner, and has an upbeat personality. Perfect to make tips, and perhaps get her new (sexy) boss smile.

I love this grumpy/sunshine story. The cast is diverse and lovable. Mickey is strong, smart, and cheerful - the perfect counterpart to Diego's brooding grump who's still grieving his deceased wife. Finding out Mickey's his new writing professor as well as his employee is an obstacle, but not an insurmountable one, and the way they get around it gives some heft to this fun, steamy tale.

An adjunct professor and a widower find love behind the bar in Mickey Chambers Shakes It Up. Charish Reid is an auto-buy/auto-read author for me because of her skill with character building, humor and tension. I was a little hesitant to pick this up because I don't enjoy books with lots of alcohol, but I'm happy to report this book strikes just the right balance by focusing on the workplace dynamics rather than endless descriptions of alcoholic drinks. If that's a concern for you, have no fear! I would put this in the same category as Natalie Caña's stellar debut, A Proposal They Can't Refuse, but with more heat.

Mickey's university has only assigned her one course for the summer and she's got bills to pay, including necessary appointments and medication to manage her chronic hyperthyroid illness. When she walks by The Saloon one day, she impulsively stops in and interviews for a job. Diego's bar has such a hard time keeping servers that the staff has a betting pool for how long each new server will last. Still, at 42 years old, he's finally made the commitment to go back to college and get his Bachelor's. Starting with... Mickey's class. While I always felt the power balance was tipped in Diego's direction because Mickey needs a paycheck to stay alive, I liked that Reid's characters talk about it frequently. Mickey could flunk him, Diego could fire her. Of course, they're both good people and neither would ever do that without just cause.

The tension in Mickey Chambers Shakes It Up is delicious. There's a lot of "we shouldn't be doing this" and strong personal arcs that make the characters wonder if they've got their priorities straight. One thing Reid never does though, is present Mickey as somehow better for Diego than his late wife or cast Mickey in the role of jealous girlfriend. Lucia was a great partner and person and when she died Diego grieved for five long years before daring to risk his heart again. There's no question if Mickey will respect her memory. Such a refreshing and deftly handled change.

I received a digital copy of this book for review but ended up buying it in print and alternating between print and audio (borrowed on Hoopla) as I read. The audio narration was fine not great, but I wish they'd cast two narrators as I felt Diego's POV was lacking.

Pick this up if you want a well-developed contemporary romance with a grumpy/sunshine vibe and excellent character arcs.

I'm Charish Reid's style of writing and thoroughly enjoyed this story about two persons very different and on the same level even if there's a boss and employee relationship.
Entertaining and compelling.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

4.5 stars rounded down.

I LOVED THIS! I tend to not like boss/employee or professor/student relationships but this managed to make the power dynamics a complication without it being gross by having them be reversed/inverse!

I loved both MCs in this dual-POV romance. I really love how Charish Reid does dialogue and characterization. I was cheering for literally everyone (ready for the sapphic spinoff with the longtime server and ex-Amish bartender any day now) and i know you aren't really supposed to quote from ARCs, but when Mickey said, "You can f me or patronize me, but you don't get to do both. I won't tolerate it," that line entered my consciousness for the rest of time.

I was messaging people to tell them to read this before i had even finished it.

NetGalley ARC but it's out now!!!

This was a fun easy breezy romance to welcome in the summer months. There is some meat to the story with Mickey’s thyroid condition and life stresses for both Mickey and Diego but for the most part this is a lighthearted read. This book heavily leans into the grumpy sunshine trope which I both loved at times and didn’t like at others. Perhaps because I live in a college town but I can’t imagine a bar owner being so annoyed by their patrons. It started to grate on me every time Diego was rude or condescending to his customers. But when he was a grump with Mickey it worked a lot better. Especially when she would call him out on his attitude.

I prefer romances that are heavy on the emotion and while the synopsis would have you believe that this is one of those romances, it definitely isn’t. But as I’ve mentioned that’s what makes this book the perfect summer read because it’s relaxing and cute. The themes in this book were also wonderful and something that I think a lot of people will connect with.

I loveeeed this book! My first full read from Cherish Reid and I loved it! The writing was amazing! Straight to the sexy, fun, funny with a romantic flair! It was impossible to put this book down! The cute love story of Mickey and Diego. Mickey a woman torn in what career path she wants to take and Diego a bar owner grieving his wife. The perfect read! Literally! I can't wait to read her next book! A must read!

If you like grumpy/sunshine, Mickey Chambers Shakes It Up is for you! Mickey is an adjunct English professor whose career isn’t paying enough to sustain her. So she gets a job at a local bar, only to be immediately attracted to the owner… who also happens to be in her summer class! So there’s definitely interesting power dynamics going on with Mickey being Diego’s teacher but Diego being her boss. Should they be giving into their attraction with these issues? No… but they do anyway and that makes for a sexy book! Which also checks the emotional boxes. Diego is a widower who is struggling to move passed the lost of his wife five years ago. Mickey has a chronic illness that effects her life, as much as she is able to live with it. Diego is definitely the grump and there is something so enjoyable about Mickey charming him out his shell. The bar employees provide an excellent side cast and offer support and amusement. Overall, a delightful read and a charming story!

Unputdownable!

My thoughts: The way I see it, some days we run into parts of ourselves we didn’t know existed or that we were capable of and other days the normal is upended by a small or major act.

Mickey Chambers found herself in what we call a delicious dilemma! One moment she is a struggling adjunct trying to make her summer schedule work and the next she is working at the local popular bar to make ends meet only to be attracted to the barman who happens to be gorgeous, grumpy and the owner….her boss who actually just enrolled in her summer class! Delicious right?
Charish had me with this one because from start you wanted to know how Mickey will make it all work. You wanted to get to know the grump behind the bar and his story. And of course you wanted to know how they will make it all work with so much at stake here.
It was unputdownable!
It's that romance I want to experience reading again for the first time all over. Imperfect characters doing life together was written so well. The angst, the banter and the palpable chemistry that came off the pages made for a great read you could not look away from.
Charish had us convinced in the most unpredictable way that this blend of grumpy/sunshine troupe with a dash of age gap, a dash of academe life, grief and chronic illness can become a favourite of yours!

Thanks for the e-arc approved through NetGalley in connecting with Author Charish Reid!

It was an absolute pleasure.
Happy Reading!

Mickey Chambers Shakes It Up by Charish Reid was a very entertaining book that I could not put down. Mickey Chambers and Diego Acosta have great chemistry and I loved their interactions. Their was great built in tension and conflict so it was fun watching the characters navigate the obstacles in order to find love.

I wanted to like this book more than I did, but sadly, I did not enjoy it nearly as much as most of the reviewers thus far.

Positives: open communication, honesty, good friendships, interesting descriptions of the Saloon.

Improvements: Could do more with Columbus, Georgia - so much more to explore there. Could have added more with the community at large and the South in particular. I would have liked more of a description of Mickey's health concerns also.

Content warning: open door intimate scenes, pushing boundaries of what is proper in a teacher-student relationship (even nontrad students, even understanding this is fiction), pushing boundaries in an employer-employee relationship.

Balancing it all out, I decided on three stars. If you like racy rom-coms, this might be a good choice for you.

Mickey Chambers is the sunshine everyone needs in their life. She was encouraging, likable but also didn't take crap. I loved how the author talked having chronic illness the balance of living while having to manage the burden of costs, shifting symptoms, and loved ones who hover. So while it was apart of the plot it didn't take over the larger storyline. Can we talk about Mr. Acosta? What a refreshing grump? My heart hurt that 5 years later he was still grieving his ex wife's death. He didn't forget her even though he was falling for Mickey, brw he never referred to her as his ex wife and Mickey never corrected him. The Saloon family was such a great community and I hope we get a series. There's so much to tell here!!!!

What a delight!!

Mickey Chambers Shakes It Up was a blast! I loved this grumpy-sunshine, professor-middle aged student, boss-employee contemporary romance. Diego was an AMAZING hero and Charish Reid did a phenomenal job with his past as a widower. It wasn't sappy, and it felt like a realistic look at getting to the point of wanting to date after losing a spouse. Be prepared to have a growling tummy also because the food description in this book is top tier.

This book was so much fun! All the stars!

Thank you to NetGalley for the review copy!

Charish Reid writes a great romance novel, it worked overall and I was invested in what was happening. The characters worked overall in this story and I was glad that it worked overall. I enjoyed the cover and thought it was a great concept for the story.

My good god. This book is everything a great story needs. It’s witty, sexy, beautifully written with a healing theme that just makes you feel hopeful and good. This book fills up your insides with fulfillment. Charish Reid and team- what you have here is a pure Gem. I love the grumpy sunshine trope like anyone else and these characters backstories?! That’s what really makes it work. I laughed, cried, audibly gasped all while kicking my feet smiling. One of my
Favorite reads this year for sure. Thank you for this amazing arc.

I enjoyed this story because it features people that are a little bit older than what we see a lot in contemporary romance. It also allows the author a little bit more development in the characters because they have more experience in life. There's a bit more depth to them whether we’re talking pride, passion, work ethic, friendship, or even romance.

I love the female lead, Mickey. She has a lot of backbone and a positive attitude. I love the fact that she was willing and eager to do whatever it took to support herself.

The balance between her and the other main character was fabulous. I love the snark and sarcasm laced with humor and appreciation. Plus, Diego had a deliciously dirty mouth and knew how to spice it up.

I’ve never read this author before, but I fell for her writing style and the flow of her story. Mickey Chambers Shakes It Up was a surprising story that proved to be intelligent, witty, fun, romantic, spicy, and bold. It’s a wonderful story that you’ll connect with on many levels!

Mickey was a fun, strong, complex character! I enjoyed the chapters from her perspective and watching her journey. The rest of the characters were easy to love as well, particularly Mickey's best friend Cleo and the staff at The Saloon. Unfortunately, the tropes in this book just weren't for me. The power dynamics between the owner of a bar and one of his employees, and between a professor and their student (regardless of age) are not ones that I appreciate being marred by a romantic or sexual relationship. Especially given backstory they were both bringing into the relationship (Mickey with her chronic illness and Diego with his grief over losing his mother, and wife to cancer). While I appreciated how communicative they were with each other throughout the book, there were still so many heavy themes dealt with that I feel like the speed their relationship took was reckless. All this being said the writing itself was really strong! The small details were all excellent, the food that was talked about, the setting. I would love to read more by Reid, just not with these particular tropes.

I really liked Mickey Chambers Shakes It Up. There was great chemistry between the two characters and I think all the side characters were well developed and represented.

Mickey was a bold heroine who seemed confident in the decisions she made. When she committed to a plan of action she carried through and I appreciated that about her. I especially liked that she truly took space from Diego. Sometimes in romance books, the FMCS don’t stick to their decisions and it can get frustrated. I also liked that Mickey was dealing with other issues outside of her relationship with Diego such as a chronic health issue and finding passion in her work.

Diego was a sexy grump and was the perfect balance to Mickey’s bubbly personality. The age gap was fun to read because it was appropriate for both their ages. Diego has salt-and-pepper hair, wears glasses occasionally, and is returning to college. What could be hotter? Probably nothing!

I’m excited to read more from this author!

Mickey Chambers Shakes It Up by Charish Reid is a steamy contemporary romance with a plus-sized, sunshiny heroine with an autoimmune disease and a prickly widower with a passion for food and writing. I could not put this romance down from the moment that the story started with a relatable and frightening reality of needing to budget to pay for exorbitant medicines. Mickey Chambers must get a job to supplement her income as an adjunct professor at the local college. When she finds herself at Diego's bar, she's compelled to go in and get the job, even if she wasn't the best barkeep. The attraction between Mickey and Diego is palpable, and even more so when they each learn that Mickey is his writing teacher. Their attempts at resisting each other go by the wayside with the hottest sex scene known to man. While it was a moderate burn, the author didn't hold back when the couple finally got together. I love the manageable conflict between the two of them. Because they had such great chemistry, I didn't want there to be this immense blowup. But their conflict was realistic and genuine for a pair who were still getting to know each other. And the ending was profoundly rewarding.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this romance novel in exchange for an honest review.