An easy read. I enjoyed the setting and the secondary story of trying to save the wildlife park. The romance between Jess and Nick had enough angst to keep me reading, although I didn't connect to either of the characters. I did give props to Jess for doing whatever it took to care for her brother but her attitude was a bit exhausting at times.

This is the first book of Nina Kaye’s I’ve read and I can’t wait to read more! A lovely and endearing story, featuring:

-workplace romance
-disability rep
-a bit of enemies to lovers
-a bit of grumpy x sunshine
-closed door romance

I was actually a bit surprised that this was a closed door romance, given the tension and chemistry that had so clearly been building up between the MCs.

Also - a top tier epilogue 😭

Just Like That by Nina Kaye is a cute romcom set at a zoo in Scotland. First of all, who doesn't love going to the zoo! Second, to have a romance at the zoo was a perfect setting for this story. I loved Jess and her story but Nick delivered on all the swoon as a gamekeeper. While it was a slow burn for me, I was hoping for a little more spice. Overall a great read and perfect for summer!

Just finished reading this today. Read it one one go. Really enjoyed. Full review and links to come shortly...


Hello,
Busy Bee Book Engage is a new like and save engagement group.
As well as being a like and save group we plan to introduce other optional engagement threads.
We’re just reaching out to see if you would be interested in joining??
We would love to have you in the group. If you’re interested let us know.

- Maria

I want to thank Nina Kaye, Canelo and NetGalley for this ARC read,

This book was a nice surprise for me. It was a very fast, cute and fun read for me that I can recommend to others.


We follow the main character Jess who is very career driven, she handles a lot of larger clients at work and she is on top of her game. One day she gets a call informing her that her brother Seth had a stroke. Since their parents don't live near them, she decides to get a hold of them to let them know what has happened. She soon finds out they could care less about them, something they always joked about but never thought to be true. All they want to do is to throw money at them to clear their conscious for abandoning their kids when they need them most, why have kids if this is how you treat them? Shame on them. Due to her parents lack of compassion and responsibility, Jess is now the main carer of her brother. Jess soon realizes this is all a lot, girl I feel you, and needs to go part time at work to properly take care of her brother. She is still willing to bend backwards for this company but of course... her boss Craig is a dick and could care less about his employee.

WOW, big shocker I bet? Just kidding, this is how I feel like everyone gets treated at work nowadays.

But fuck that guy because the story isn’t about him!

So needless to say, Jess is having a ROUGH day after dealing with all this and needs a good cry. This stranger happens to see her going through something and checks on her to see if she is doing okay and to get something to drink. Getting hit on is the LAST thing Jess is wanting right now and tells this stranger off.

Fast forward...

Jess gets assigned to a low-end event to try and save this animal enclosure who has fallen into hard times. She goes to this meeting to help them keep afloat until they can get a loan but… what would you know? She runs into no one other than Nick, that stranger who hit on her at the hospital on one of the worst days of her life and boy do they both look very unhappy to see each other. I will not say more, just pick up this book!

Onto my thoughts...

I enjoyed how the book takes place in an animal enclosure because I have not read any romance books with this setting before. I did like the characters but I wish I could have learned a little more about them and got to see them really connecting through their time of having to work together because their story felt a little short for me, I just like a lot of character development.

I'm not going to lie, this book did make me cry a little because some of this did hit a little close to home for me.. but a good cry never hurt anyone, ask Jess!!

I feel like this book teaches us that life just happens and you have to go along with it, it won't stop when times become hard. You will learn who is actually there for you when you need them and who isn't. Letting go of toxic people is okay, even if they are family, life is too short to keep people who don’t have your back at the end of the day. It is in times like these that you need to be strong and move forward, because life sure as hell won't stop and wait for you.

Okay enough of that.

I will recommend this to others and would not mind a second book diving more into Jess and Nick's relationship. Maybe even finding a love interest for Lauren or someone else in the group, just an idea!!

Jess is a highly driven event manager. She is the best in her company and in line for a promotion.
Then a tragedy happens in her personal life which means she has to scale back on her work. Due to this her boss takes away all major clients leaving her with some less than favourable minor events to organise.
And to top it off, she gets to her new main client and has to deal with a grumpy grouch of a man, there too, who seems hell-bent on making her life miserable.

A romance which follows a fairly predictable formula ....boy meets girl, they clash, meet again and are attreacted though she is not completely honest about her current personal responsibilities which leads to more than a few misunderstandings with different people. An easy and entertaining read , it deals with emotions quite well, though there is a tendency for characters to fill in the emotions of another and jump to conclusions. It is set in the border region of East Lothian and Edinburgh.
A good read where you don't have to concentrate too much on events ... perfect as a holiday read
Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC in exchnage for an honest review

The cover and synopsis do not do this book justice — it was SO much better than I could have even hoped for!

Jess is a highly-driven businesswoman, whose career takes an unexpected turn when her brother experiences a life-altering event. Nick is a zookeeper, who is still carrying wounds and healing from his previous relationship. When their lives intersect at the zoo where Nick works, it’s the start of a beautiful love story.

The setting for this novel was impeccable. I don’t know how no one, at least in my experience, has thought to write a romance novel at a zoo, not to mention one in the beautiful countryside of Scotland! The characters were a little quirky but all felt real and deeply lovable. I appreciated the authors commentary on the way we view people with disabilities and how we need to change the narrative there.

My one critique is the main character’s “best friend” played a very random and seemingly unnecessary and sporadic role throughout the story, so I think we could have done without her.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

As much as I wanted to love this as I thought the concept of it was very interesting (being an event planner has always interested me!), this one fell short for me.

A few reason why I thought this one didn't work:
- dialogue throughout didn't feel natural
- the connection between the love interests wasn't there for me, and I couldn't see how we got from point A to point B
- the female main character was hard to like and made several questionable decisions throughout the novel

I just needed a little more from this one, but if event planning, zoos, and/or the enemies to lovers trope interest you, this one could be for you!

This is the perfect book to cheer you up when you are having a rough day. It can take your mind off of everything else and transform your surroundings into the book. Jess and Nick fall perfectly into the enemies to lovers troupe. Jess is struggling to balance life and work when she takes on an event at a little known zoo. It turns out the zoo is exactly what Jess needs. What I loved most about this book was no matter how my day was going I knew it would get better when I picked up this book. I highly recommend this book for a wonderful romcom.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

As other reviews have me ruined, not really an enemies to lovers. Barely any conflict before they're suddenly in love and that's that.

I thought this book would be good, easy and a fun read, and it delivered. It was fun, and I overall liked this book. The two main characters, Jess and Nick, were a little unlikeable to me, especially with their first meeting. Jess is one of the best events managers from Edinburgh. But then her brother becomes ill, and she has to help him.

I thought this was an enemies to lovers, but they barely bickered except for the first few times and moved on pretty quickly, and they just weren't enemies. The part which I loved the most was the "animal saving", and I think that is the reason I gave this book a 4 stars instead of 3 stars after the disappointing enemies-to-lovers romance.

So if you can get past the enemies to lovers' disappointment this is a pretty good read.

This was a cute story, but a little too tame for me. Jess was kind of infuriating at times, but relatable and overall like-able. Loved Nick!

When Jess's older brother has a stroke, her parents lack of action makes Jess his carer. Giving up her career dreams her boss gives her the simplest and smallest events to plan. This includes helping out East Lothian Wildlife Park with a series of events to ward off closure. Here she meets Nick again. A man who tried to hit on her when crying in the hospital gardens.

Nick is head gamekeeper at East Lothian Wildlife Park. He has been hurt badly by his ex wife, which has left him grumpy and difficult. While Jess thinks Nick was trying to hit on her at the hospital, Jess comes to learn that she misinterpreted the situation, causing tension at the wildlife park.

Jess and Nick are a lovely pair and this book is more about their journey to becoming partners than a true romance. I think it lacked angst, which is strange because there were issues between Jess and Nick. They just never came across as big angst. I did love the animals. Sun bears are my all time favourite. Spice was closed door.

Big thanks to Netgalley and Nina Kaye

📜 𝙅𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙇𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩
✍️ Nina Kaye
💬 English

As the title suggests, this book finished just like that.

I'll start my review from the things I liked. Using the wildlife park as the background setting, this book successfully portrays the lives of the animals in the park. What the staff do, the realities of the animals' lives, and the potential problems that arise in the daily activities there. If the book had focused on the poor animals alone, then my review might have been different. Unfortunately, the main point of the book is the romance, which brings us to my dislikes as explained below.

First, the childish characters. Jess and Nick are portrayed as both stubborn and always arguing every time they meet. They are supposed to be nemesis, who slowly fall in love (cliche thing we loved as readers), but this book doesn't provide that. This book is more likely to be instalove. Jess and Nick can fight, date, fight again in a short period of time, without any valid and realistic explanation. Hence, the romance becomes shallow.

Second, the unfocused plot. I was confused by where the book was taking me. I thought it was about how Jess improved her career and family. I was wrong. This book is about how great Jess is and how lame everyone else is. Jess is always valid, no matter what decision she makes. I'm confused about what the author wanted to convey through this book. Not enough development of plot.

Third, I'm so done with how many times Jess and Nick are called to their boss's office. There's always "Nick, Jess, I'm waiting for you in my office" almost in every chapters to the point I could tell what will happen next.

But at least, this book ends happily. That's what matters.

ARC received from @netgalley in exchange for honest thoughts.

I thought this book started off strong, but then it went downhill in the middle, redeeming itself towards the end. I couldn't understand some of the decisions Jess made, making her appear very judgemental and unreasonable sad to say. Nor did I like her constant references to Nick's body. We don't like men doing that to women, so it's not okay to do it to men. Some of the language/dialogue was clumsy. I loved the story of Jess's brother and his recovery, and the story about saving the zoo. Some good points, but really, Jess's character was not very likeable. With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5 stars!

Be prepared to spend your time reading this, it is addictive!

I found myself unable to put this down.
Watching the main character Jess go from a high powered position in her job to being demoted and watching her annoying boss Craig use the excuse of her caring for her ill brother Seth but we got to see her take on these smaller projects and the friendships that spark for her at the Wildlife park.

However I didn’t like her constant attitude of ‘why am I being given this job it is way beneath me’ when she should accept it more so at times for what it is instead. She did enjoy this project but she would have more so if she didn’t worry as much.
When Jess’s brother was first ill, she presumed this man, Nick was flirting with her with how he was coming across. But Jess has a bit of a temper and she was proper rude to him! Then, as she got demoted, the wildlife project happens to include this attractive man who was very verbal and clear of what he thought of her.
They eventually get on as she attempts to help them find a new revenue scheme for their park as they are close to closing.

Nick shows her the animals and getting her to feed them including Rana. It was adorable how attached they became and seeing what Rana and the others plus with the nature vibes of this novel and how it calmed Jess down she became a different person for the better at times.

The ideas: the animal style personality quiz and being matched based on your animal? Such a unique and fun idea! I’m the opposite of single but even I would love to have fun things like this going on in the wild life parks / zoos we have here.

As the novel progressed and things take a downward spiral for Jess we see her finally reflecting upon her decisions and the consequences they have and watched how she became more grateful and in the moment more so by the end.

Watching new friendships form in different ways for Jess and watching her getting on with Laura, Gwen, Allison and the rest was just lovely in how it was written. There was quite the dynamic between all the different characters.

Some twists and turns that I wasn’t completely expecting.
This is a very emotional book, from health problems to career dilemmas and useless parents. This novel quite warmed my heart .
An uplifting read that will put a smile on your face.
Plus, it has animals in it, have I got you hooked yet?

The average rating for this one needs to be higher.
I absolutely enjoyed this and certainly look forward to Nina’s other novels, in particular the Gin Lover’s Guide To Dating! A new favourite author.

So glad to have received this ARC in exchange for my honest words.

Just Like That was a really cute romance for me. I liked that there was a lot of substance to the book, it wasn't just a love story. We follow Jess as she juggles taking care of her bother who has just had a stroke and her flagging career as a high flying event planner. Her parents are completely unsupportive and decide it's best for them to stay away in Spain, rather than help care for their ailing son. Jess is shouldering all of the burden and is forced by her boss to relinquish her high profile projects because he doesn't believe she would be able to handle it along with her brother. She is assigned to bring a wildlife park back from the brink of death while working with a mercurial man, Nick, who she accused of trying to pick her up when she was at the hospital after her brother's stroke. Jess pulls out all the tricks in her hat to make sure the animals and the people she slowly falls in love with won't lose their home. This is the perfect grumpy vs. sunshine book for those of you who like that trope. I loved all of the character's in Just Like That. All of their personalities were so well thought out and you see the depths of everyone Jess comes into contact with. I also would recommend Just Like That to anyone who is an animal lover and is concerned with wildlife conservation efforts. The author puts a great deal of detail about the animals the wildlife park works with and it will be perfect for you!

Just Like That
by Nina Kaye

Pub Date 1st June
Publisher @Canelo

Our female protagonist, Jess, has been tasked with working at an animal sanctuary in order to help them collect money so they can continue operating. She encounters Nick, the irritable animal caretaker, here. While fighting and falling in love, these two have a lot of sparks going on, but Jess is also juggling caring for her brother, dealing with her boss, and attempting to have a personal life.Her brother's stroke causes life to abruptly take a dramatic turn. Her job is placed on hold while she prioritises her brother's health, forcing her to reassess her familial responsibilities. The setting of the animal park is cool. Have a female lead character who is powerful and career-driven, loves animals, is devoted to her family, and read like foes to lovers.

#NetGalley #bookstagram#bookreview #goodreads#read#bookstagrammer #romance #generalfiction #womensfiction

I don’t know this book just wasn’t for me… I found both the characters kind of.. boring? simple? stubborn ? I liked the premise and the setting but the characters were a miss for me.