My only downfall with this book is it just simply wasn’t for me. It was too heavy in the moment while I was reading and I think that was my main issue. But I think others will enjoy it

After reading the synopsis, I got really excited to read this book. Unfortunately I couldn’t connect to the story and the characters of this book.

Madly Deeply Wildly by Katherine Tucker

5/5

Renata has just escaped a mentally and physically abusive relationship and is working to find her place in the world.

As a writer who has lost her words, Renata finds a job at a local cafe as a way to afford a writing retreat. With the job she makes new friends, Caroline and Fern, and catches the eye of the cafe baker, Chad. Renata is not looking for a relationship but funds Chad bringing back the pieces of herself, she's lost along the way. When Renata's abusive ex, Damien shows up out of no where- with threats on her and Chad's life,- Renata is sent into a spiral. She begins to question Chad's intentions and has she really healed herself?

While written as a romance, it's much more. A story of a woman taking her life back when so many years were stolen from her. The character development all around is "chef's kiss"! This one hooked me from the beginning!

This is a powerful story of surviving and healing trauma, like domestic abuse. It is such a hard subject to not only write about, but read.

The book is brilliantly crafted and beautifully written. As a survivor of domestic abuse with a diagnosis of PTSD, I found a profound connection to Renata's experiences. The portrayal of her journey resonated deeply, illustrating her pain and fear with striking authenticity. The author adeptly captured the realities of living with PTSD and navigating domestic violence, offering a powerful and accurate depiction.

What stood out most to me was witnessing Renata's resilience and personal growth throughout the story. Her journey of self-empowerment and healing was truly inspiring, offering a message of courage and strength that deeply impacted me.

This story evoked a range of emotions, breaking me and then healing me in profound ways. It underscored the importance of choosing oneself and embracing the path to healing. Importantly, it left me with a sense of hope, particularly in the prospect of encountering kind and patient individuals after enduring relationship abuse. Ultimately, the narrative offered a message of hope, reminding me of the resilience that carries us through challenging times.

honestly my guilty pleasure is romance novels and this is exactly what i needed after having a rough week. so so cute and so perfect <3

Man…. I was excited to read this book after reading the synopsis but I couldn’t for the life of me connect with the story and the characters, it was such an outer body experience of un enjoyment that it was extremely hard to finish it
Thank you netgalley for the arc

3.5 stars!

First of all, I just want to say that I think this author handled such a heavy topic (check TWs) very well. One of my favorite things about the book was Renata’s healing journey. Although I think that the characters in the story were well written, I had a hard time connecting with them. I also didn’t really feel the chemistry between Chad and Renata, as much as I would have liked to have felt it. However, I did love the friend group she found for herself with the bakery. I struggled a bit with the way the book was written and the timeline/pace, but that may just be a me thing.

This book was a great read that I devoured. I loved the characters and the storyline. I wish I had more to read!

Plot:

Trigger Warning: This book contains descriptions about domestic, sexual, physical, and emotional abuse.

Renata’s creative writing lies dormant as a result of many years spent with her abusive fiancé. Damien stole her independence, her confidence, and sabotaged her career and existing friendships. For Renata, a person who’s convinced she’s worth nothing, she somehow finds the courage within to get away. She moves back to her hometown and rebuilds her life one baby-step at a time. She begins with her own apartment, and then applies for what Damien would have considered as a menial job at a local café. It is there where her journey of healing begins thanks to her caring and compassionate co-workers. They start rewriting Renata’s ongoing narrative of abuse Damien created. Their love starts to overpower the trauma.

Review:

This book started out rough. After finding a typo on the very first page, (“deciding to go for a run rathen than stare at a blank screen any longer”), I was hesitant to continue. I found the introduction of this book clunky and vague despite my eerie similarities to the protagonist. I too am a young female writer who lost my own words, a survivor of abuse from my first relationship, and I lost my dad. It was like staring into a mirror. But instead of being pulled in, the opposite happened. I felt resistance to the story because of the lower quality. The grammar and the writing style were not connecting for me.I had to re-read sections because the style was so disjointed, choppy, and random in topic. One moment, she’s talking about writing, then her dad, then a vague name game that has zero context for the reader, then running, then her dad, then her ex. It is whiplashing topics around so fast that none of them are properly set up for the reader to care. I wanted to stop, but my husband convinced me to give it three chapters and see how I felt by then.

I gave it time and eventually I adapted to the “style,” and finished the book. However, I did not care for the writing. I think it distracts more than it flows at times, which was a struggle for me. I read a lot, and I read every genre. This novel didn’t feel as refined as other ARCs I’ve been given the privilege to read.

Just because a novel touches on important and necessary social topics, it does not excuse poor writing craft.

The characters are good, but not amazing. Renata and Adam are the only ones that demonstrate actual growth. Fern, Caroline, and Chad are all so amazing and caring, but how quickly that comes along feels extremely fake. Support systems, friendship, and trust are all things that take time to build, especially after abuse, but everyone jumps the gun and immediately likes, cares, and helps each other as if it’s second nature. Where that is wonderful, it’s the most fictional part of this novel, and the hardest thing for me to suspend my disbelief for. That kindness is extremely rare, and for Renata to just happen upon it is ridiculous.
And because of this extreme level of acceptance and love, the side characters have no room to really grow. They are already nice, they all already like and understand each other, so over the course of the novel those characters remain stagnant.Consistent, yes. But growth, nope.

I admire Chad’s understanding and kind nature, but he also bugged me at times. The way he talks about baking is cute for a minute, but can easily come off as condescending for abuse survivors. I started to rub me the wrong way quickly, and especially when they went apple picking. He moved from teaching her about types of apples, to being a snob about them. If I was in that situation I’d feel like I was being talked down to, which is a trigger for my past abuse. The way Damien always acted like he knew what was best, is similar to Chad in the orchard. I was actually shocked she didn't have a flash back then. I am not sure if knowing that is helpful, but I tried to read this like a sensitivity reader would, having gone through abuse myself. Chad is great in other ways though. He demonstrates empathy, patience, understanding, and kindness. He may come off as too good to be true for some readers, but because of my husband, I know men like him actually exist in the real world.

Contrary to what other ARC readers may say, I think the third act breakup was a really strong moment of character growth. For Renata to take that time alone and really do some soul searching was absolutely necessary. Otherwise, she’d be hopping from one relationship into another, without truly knowing or feeling confident in her own survival methods. Being self-sufficient is imperative to correcting the negative automatic thoughts. So I really loved that she took that time to prove to herself that she is a capable, strong, woman and creator.

I think the PTSD was also represented super well.The intrusive thoughts, the physical responses, and the fight, flight, or freeze responses. It unpacks the falsehood of “asking for it.” It explores the definition of consent – just because she doesn’t say “no,” doesn’t mean it’s a yes. And just because you love someone, or are with someone for a long, doesn’t change the fact that it is rape. Rape is rape, no matter who it is or how long one’s known them. Rape is also not anyone’s fault except the rapists. I appreciate that Chad and her took their relationship slow physically. I would have been so upset if they hadn’t. But the body remembers, it keeps score and their pace acknowledges that.

One more positive thing, I like that the book didn’t end once Chad and Renata’s relationship begins. Life doesn’t end at happily ever after, and neither does trauma. The fact that the novel keeps going is a message to readers. Problems don’t dissolve instantly. It takes love and hard painful work. It takes tears, exposure, therapy, and most of all – time.

For these reasons, I give this book ⅗ stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers of Madly, Deeply, Wildly for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a good read. It had a trigger of abusive relationship. It was a hard read for me being a mood reader but I would still recommend.

I truly liked this book. It broke your heart and then but it back together again. I loved the characters and the story. Great book

Such an good read. I was engaged throughout and thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved the authors writing style in this one. It was easy to follow and I didn't get confused.

I enjoyed this book! It had a lot of heavy topics that I thought were dealt with really well. Because these are very hard things to write & read about. I loved all the characters, and I was glued the entire time. This was extremely emotional for me- but those are some of my favorite types of books! My heart ached for Renata, she was so strong & getting to read along and watch her grow.

Only thing I didn’t care much for was the 3rd act breakup. I just feel like they’re so unnecessary & not needed at all. This story is still very beautiful and impacting, but make sure to check TW before going into it. 🖤

Thankyou netgalley for the arc!

What a ride this book was.
I knew Renate was coming out of an abusive relationship but didn’t expect it to go into such heavy detail. Katherine did a really good job honoring this topic though.
Writing about trauma is hard and doing it justice is even harder, but I love how this writer made it very realistic and created this kind of depth in the book.

Renata is one hell of a woman. She’s sweet, kind, misguided, and strong nonetheless. The fact that she went back home, after all she’d been through, and chased her dreams, says a lot about her. Especially after she was made to believe otherwise.
Her journey was tough and bumpy but very, very believable. I don’t like all the choices she made in the book but I completely understood them. I would probably have done the same.
Plus they were necessary to come out on top the way that she did.
She truly resembles the phoenix!

And then there is Chad. Our sweet, sweet Chad. I loved him for her. Heck, I love him for everyone but especially for her. He’s so patient and understanding. So loving and observant, never pushing too far. I’m pretty sure Chad wrote the manual on consent!

He was everything she needed to become this version of herself and, once again, even though their journey knew bumps, just like in real life, I’m happy the story turned out the way it did.
You just knew by the way he’s wired, that they would get back together when the time was right.

Katherine had me hooked on page 3 and after that, it was hard to put the book down.
The story is so wonderfully written. It’s sweet, it’s relatable, it’s fun, it had me tearing up within the first few chapters. It’s downright amazing.

This is the first book I’ve ever read of Katherine Turner but it will not be my last.

I highly recommend it and know that
“This won’t be easy… it’ll be downright painful. But in the end, it’ll be worth it.”

Thank you NetGalley & publisher for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

P.S. I don’t think I’ve been in need of dough more in my life than I am right now.

Ugh. This book is so so so good. I didn’t want it to end and I literally fell in love with the characters and the storyline within the first 50 pages. It was unpredictable and so cute. I’m looking forward to reading more from Katherine but this book has definitely stuck with me.

This book really hit home, but Katherine Turner has told the story beautifully, addressed lots of issues that most people in an abusive relationship fear. Really enjoyed this book, the story was very good and kept me engaged, thank you

Madly Deeply Wildly by Katherine Turner is an escape into a love story thats emotional and hard but also so good. There's so much heartache and courage in this story. I feel for Renata and want to wrap her in a big hug. I thought the characters were well developed. Thank you Netgalley for my copy!

⭐️ 4/5 | 🌶️ 2/5

This book has more depth than one would expect from the cover, and it was such a pleasant surprise to find that out!

Our MCs have very distinct, but in some ways, comparable backstories filled with loss, grief, and in her case, abuse. Madly Deeply Wildly does NOT skimp on the real feelings, physical and emotional, caused by abuse, and as someone who works with abuse victims, it was very raw and filled with so much truth.

I appreciated that our MMC was strong, but not an alphahole, and let Renata piece herself back together without feeling like he needed to hold the pieces himself.

This book tackles some big topics, with domestic violence being a main plot point. It was good to see a tasteful look at the issue, and give hope that those going through it can get the help they need.
The MMC isn't insufferable, and is actually supportive which is refreshing.
The story felt a little cliche, which was a bit off-putting with such a serious topic.
Overall it was a hopeful story, but missed the mark for me