“Come As You Are” by Jess Hardy

4⭐️/5⭐️
3🌶/5🌶

“How had he found this woman? What parallel universe had he fallen into to be allowed to feel as good as she made him feel? He didn’t deserve it. He didn’t deserve her.”

Bluebird basin is experiencing major financial troubles. Ashley Cooke, the owner, figures this is their last season of operation unless something major changes. Through some strong arming from her mother, Ashley hires Matthew Madigan, a location sobriety coach, and his group of recovering addicts. She’s apprehensive, but Madigan’s enthusiasm reassures her. Over the course of the season, the two grow closer and closer. But what will happen when the season is over? And can the men of Little Timber Sober Living use this new opportunity to turn their lives around?

-This was such a delightful story! I’ve never read a romance between MCs in their late 40’s and early 50’s, but I really enjoyed reading about mature characters that are able to communicate their feelings. Yeah, there are some stumbling blocks, but I’m impressed with how the characters solve their problems and face their differences.

-A big thing I liked about the way the author wrote the story was how she handled the individual side characters. They are addicts, and while they are on the road to recovery and making great progress, that doesn’t mean their stories have perfect endings. There are bumps, challenges, and not all problems are easily fixed. There’s a moment when I thought a side character would be handed a really easy ‘out’ for their storyline, but the author took a different turn, which gave the character even more depth.

-I enjoyed rooting against Chuck, he was a fun villain to hate. I also appreciated the complex obstacles facing Ashley and Bluebird basin, as a reader I wasn’t sure how Ashley would solve her problems, which made it easy to stay interested in the story.

-This book was more smutty than I anticipated, and I loved that! Ashley and Madigan have several spicy scenes together. You can see Ashley’s self confidence grow every time she’s with Madigan.

-One of the strongest aspects of this book is the supporting characters. Sometimes in romcoms the supporting characters can feel singularly focused, like they serve one purpose. But all the side characters have a rich history, everything is mapped out; you really get the found family trope in this story.

-I would recommend this book if you want to read about more established MCs, a cozy winter romance, or a romcom that delicately handles serious topics.

I picked this up because of the Nirvana title and the promise of a Generation X romance, and I really enjoyed it. I loved reading about main characters whose age is a little closer than mine than I usually come across in romance.
The mountain setting was great, and I also really liked the secondary characters. The relationship between Ashley and her mother was difficult and it was good to see that. I also liked that it didn’t seem to be resolved, even though her mother realised she had to change somewhat.
The romance worked well and loved the two of them together. They both brought their fears and their pasts to the relationship, and they managed to navigate difficulties, even if they needed a bit of time to get there.
The one thing that was a little disappointing was the lack of Nirvana. There was music talk, Madigan was a former musician after all, but no Nirvana. Also the GenX thing seemed more like a marketing strategy than something that was part of the book. Nevertheless, it’s a perfectly nice book and I flew through the pages.

This was perfect for my Christmas in July moment. What a fun holiday romance novel, I read it so fast and didn’t want the fun to end.

It's so nice to see a book with older characters! This was such a cute, semi-steamy romance! I also enjoyed that it was slow burn. The chemistry between Madigan and Ashley was delicious! It got a bit rushed at the end but even with that it was wonderful. I can't wait to read more by Jess K. Hardy!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

This was a refreshing read about Ashley, a ski hill owner who is in trouble and hires the guys from a sober living home to help her. One of them is Matthew, a former grunge rocker and recovering addict who is super sweet and sexy. 😍 They have so much chemistry and they make each other laugh and grow. 🥰 They also have adorable dogs 🐶 and awesome music taste 🎸. This book made me feel nostalgic for the grunge era and happy to read about characters my own age. It’s a grumpy-sunshine romance with a lot of emotions, but be careful: it also has a trigger warning for parental loss. Thank you NetGalley for sending me this book in exchange of my honest review.

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4.5⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: Contemporary Romance 📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about a Gen X romance but this was such a sweet read! If you’re looking for something different I would recommend this one!

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Gen X Romances
Hallmark vibes
Ski resort setting
Sweet yet still somewhat steamy reads
Heartwarming second chances

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
Rescue dogs!
Little Timber men

Fresh and swoony, Come As You Are is a great addition for your romcom pile! You’ll have all the feels.

I could not put this down! It was absolutely perfect! It has the right amount of steamy scenes and I loved it. I live later in life books because I myself am now later in life. Absolutely perfect.
I just reviewed Come As You Are by Jess K Hardy. #ComeAsYouAre #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

Small town generation x romance
This book is about Ashley who owns a struggling ski resort who partners with Madigan the owner of a halfway house for recovering addicts. She hires his men to work on her mountain in a desperate attempt to save her ski resort.
This was a sweet - kinda?- insta love ❤️ romance. I liked how the mmc and the fmc were so mature and the entire book wasn’t a bunch of horrible communication skills like some books I’ve read. They did have their moments but they talked it out like real humans would even if they made bad assumptions about one another. I really enjoyed the mother daughter complicated relationship, it was very realistic and imperfect. I also liked how the author made a 35 year old woman want to make 53 year old madigan my hot book boyfriend! 🥵🔥🌶️ The spice scenes were very steamy and I enjoyed them once again bc they were realistic and imperfect. I didn’t like the third person past tense writing style and if it was re written to first person it would be so much better. She was able to capture the personality of both alternating pov characters so I’m going to say she’d be able to write it!! I also got a little bored sometimes bc nothing intense or dramatic or tense happens. just a basic love story like a hallmark movie.

4 Beautifully Emotional ✨'s

Come As You Are was breathtakingly beautiful and raw. The story follows Ashley, who is struggling to keep her family's ski lodge running and out of her ex-husbands' hands. When her mother suggests hiring men from a local sober living home to work for them, Ashley is reluctant to bring them on, However, when Madigan, the owner of the sober living home, and former addict himself assures Ashley the men will be on their best behavior, she agrees to hire them for the season. While the men get situated in their jobs and open up more, Ashley and Maddigan quickly notice the chemistry between themselves and can't help but grow closer.

I absolutely loved how raw and emotional the story and characters were in Come As You Are. Both Ashley and Maddigan believed because of their age and issues they would never find love again, but watching them grow and uplift each other was beautiful. The way their love unfolded was so natural, only aided by their healthy communication and assurances in each other. I also can't stress enough how lovely the side characters were, to see the men come out of their shells and be there for each other through their sobriety was amazing. Overall, this book is a great read for anyone looking for a slow burn romance that is just as likely to make you cry as it is to make you laugh or smile.

4.5 easy stars! I LOVED THIS so much! Thank you NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, Pinkity Publishing for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

So. This book. Think of your favorite ski resort with freshly fallen snow over cozy cabins, a heart-of-gold sexy Irish tattooed former guitar-playing rockstar who now helps recovering addicts, a divorced workaholic blonde who is scared to open herself up to love again, a truly villainous rival ski resort owner/ex, an adorable St. Bernard rescue dog, AND add a dash of holiday vibes and more than a dash of spice (like a whole bowl of spice!). Like the image? Thats the book. It's amazing. If you like Tessa Bailey's books, you will adore this, but I honestly enjoyed this so much more than some of hers. Jess K. Hardy's writing is easy to digest, and her side characters, both the Little Timber guys and Maude Alice and Davis, were so well done and interesting that I felt equally invested in their stories as I did in Ashley and Madigan's.

I absolutely adored this book--it felt like I was inside of a movie. Truly. I felt so much chemistry between Madigan and Ashley, more so than I've felt towards other characters in books that are longer and very hyped up. They are simply perfect together, physically and emotionally. Their romance is inspiring, hopeful, well-written, and so beautiful to read. But this has more than just the romance plot--it examines the complex issues of addiction and recovering addicts, second chances in life, familial dynamics, and choosing hope over fear. Basically, this has everything. Oh, and did I mention this ends with a winter concert featuring famous bands? A swoon-worthy happily-ever-after? Ugh. This has it all. Go read it. Now!

PS--I cannot wait for another book in the Bluebird Basin series. Praying for a Davis/Kev story!

the cover art for this book is what drew me in. it’s so pretty! looking at it you wouldn’t know it was a gen x romance

i loved madigan. he was like kind of a grump but also with golden retriever energy which is a great combo

the MCs didn’t seem like they were close to 50 in the way that they acted. a lot of their dialogue and interactions seemed kind of immature. also, maude alice (love her name) was the most chaotic character i’ve ever read and not in a fun way!! she’s making her daughter’s life miserable

overall it was very cute, but i wish the characters were a little more mature. i loved the fact that it showed addiction and recovery in a way that didn’t seem disrespectful.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of 'Come As You Are' by Jess K Hardy.

This book had high potential - especially as its dubbed as a Gen X romance. However 'Come As You Are' fell flat on me. Multiple times I just went: yeah no I'm not into that.
It's clearly a personal taste thing but this novel was not for me.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters - both main and supporting - were really well developed, and I quickly became invested in their stories.

My only criticism, as someone who knows a little about ski instructing, is how extremely badly the men's first ski lessons went. I know those scenes were meant to be humorous, but with an experienced instructor like Ashley is supposed to be, it doesn't take hours to get up a rope tow (especially because you teach them a few skills BEFORE heading up the rope tow), and the entire group isn't constantly wiping out in spectacular ways that leave them bruised and sore. This is more the kind of experience people often have when a friend who knows how to ski says to them, "Don't worry, I'll teach you!"

I know this is a distinction not many people will care a lot about, but it threw me off for a few chapters because instead of sinking into the world of the story, I was wondering what else was inaccurate. But the overall strength of the story and writing drew me back in, for which I'm grateful.

A former grunge rock god turned rehab center owner (Matthew “Mad” Madigan) and a divorced, single mom running her family’s ski resort (Ashley Cooke) are thrown together by a meddling Mom (Maude Alice) in a toe-curling love story you’re sure to enjoy. The characters and banter are off the charts. I LOVED the middle age representation 🙌🏼, and the realistic depiction of just how complex relationships can be, especially when your own insecurities and emotional baggage get in the way.

Definitely check out this book if you’re old enough to know what a mixed taped is and enjoy forced proximity, second chance romances, grumpy sunshine (FMC), and spice.

I did receive a free copy of this book through NetGalley, but I am voluntarily leaving this review.

#ComeAsYouAre #NetGalley

Come As You Are was absolutely refreshing. Between the unique storyline, surprise turns, heartfelt moments and incredibly sexy moments, this book delivered in all areas. I absolutely fell in love with Madigan, his Rock Star history, his sensitive side and his adorable flirting. Ashley is a strong, motivated mom and business owner, who is determined to succeed regardless of her overbearing mother and obnoxious ex-husband. I loved that these two fell into each others paths at just the right time. It was a pleasure to get to see them fall in love through the pages of this book.

While it was about two people who have lived full lives and are now in their 40’s and 50’s, we didn’t spend half the book discussing that, or the insecurities that people assume come with that, like so many other books about people of those ages do. We just got to see two people, with fresh perspectives falling in love.

I was super lucky to receive an advanced digital copy from @victoryeditingngc & @jesskhardy_author in exchange for an honest review. I have already shared my review to Good Reads (@mel.reads.romance) and I will be posting a full review on my social media channels (@mel.reads.romance) on 7/21/23.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for allowing me read this novel in exchange for a review.

"Come As You Are" which I hope is a hat tip to Nirvana is a very well-written romance with enjoyable middle-aged main characters. The Gen-X references were clear and present, and the personal issues of the main characters were believable and interesting. None of the plot developments felt contrived, and I can't say that at any time I found myself bored. The issues between Ashley and her mother were particularly but realistically irritating.

I wish more novels featured characters like Ashley and Madigan. They may be a younger Gen-X age, but their personalities and interests also have appeal to an older millennial crowd.

(This novel would also make a great movie).

The read was Super cute. This was a new author for me and I’ll be checking out other books.

I just reviewed Come As You Are by Jess K Hardy. #ComeAsYouAre #NetGalley

3.5/5
I loved it! This was a super cute read and it would be perfect for the Holiday season. I rarely see older mcs so this book was super refreshing. It had plenty of spice and it all fell right in with the plot.

One of my favorite aspects of this book was getting background stories on the other characters involved in The Little Timber. Sam especially stole my heart and I was rooting for him the whole book.

Overall, this is a really great romance book and I would definitely recommend it! The best part? The men aren’t afraid to cry!!!!

Come As You Are is a wonderful book that I wasn’t expecting. The whole ski resort aspect is what really drew me into requesting and reading this book but the ex-cons and recovering addicts I think was portrayed very well. This is a very emotional, heart wrenching, healing, and beautifully written starting over story that I loved!

This story follows Ashley, who is trying her hardest to keep her the family ski resort, Bluebird, afloat without having her shitty ex-husband try to buy her out and switch the family style ski resort into something unaffordable. Her mother steps in trying to help keep the resort afloat with a new idea that Ashley is hesitant about. The new idea was that she hire Little Timber Sober Living Home which is a facility for addicts and ex-cons to help keep them under control so she agrees to chat with the owner Matthew Madigan. Reluctantly, she agrees but questions how this will work out.

When the boys arrive, they work their asses off to learn how to ski and then work hard in the positions they were put into. And as the days pass, Ashley and Madigan start to develop feelings for each other. But with so much happening can they make it work?