Member Reviews

Enemies to lovers meets boss/worker meets craft brewing? Yeah, I'll take a pint of that please. I adored how quirky and off the wall this brewery was and wanted to fight to the end alongside Kat when new boss, Ryan, comes in and is set on turning it into the run of the mill cookie cutter style brewery that everyone knows. Where this fell just a bit flat for me was that despite the punny title, the quirky cast and setting, and opposites attract trope, the story continued to progress and I slowly became less convinced that I was actually reading a romance. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot here that adds to the story but I just didn't quite feel the chemistry between the two brewing off page. I think if we had switched this up and focused purely on Kat's journey and the culture and community of craft brewing, this would've been a knock out read for me however it's branded as a romcom and we just didn't quite hit the marks with that.

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Wonderful story, great character development, great writing! Highly recommend this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it

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Kat Malone is at a crossroads, and her unlikely pivot to craft beer brewing sets the stage for a quirky romcom filled with workplace drama, unexpected partnerships, and just the right dash of slow-burn romance. From the moment Ryan—a sports-bar-loving newbie owner—steps into Kat’s beloved Resistance brewpub, sparks fly. Their dynamic is equal parts clash and camaraderie as they struggle to save the pub from financial ruin while reconciling their very different visions for its future.

Kat’s passion for brewing is the heart of the story, and her journey toward balancing ambition and love is relatable and engaging. Ryan, though initially unremarkable, reveals layers that make their partnership believable and surprisingly sweet.

With a blend of humor, heart, and craft beer charm, I've Got My Mind Set on Brew is a breezy read for fans of opposites-attract romances. While not quite as refreshing as a perfect IPA, it’s still a solid pick for a laid-back afternoon.

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"I've Got My Mind Set on Brew" by Stephanie Jayne has a lot of potential, especially with its unique brewpub setting and Kat's ambitious journey into the craft beer industry. The chapter headings featuring different beers were a delightful touch, adding humor and creativity to the story. However, the romance between Kat and Ryan lacked depth and chemistry, leaning heavily on tropes without delivering the spark readers expect in an enemies-to-lovers plot. The third-act breakup felt formulaic, and Ryan’s lack of a compelling grand gesture left the resolution unsatisfying. While I appreciated Kat's passion and drive, her entitlement to a role she wasn’t qualified for, and Ryan’s manipulative tendencies, made it hard to root for the characters. The audiobook narration by Kelli Tager shined for Kat but faltered with Ryan, as her unchanged voice for his perspective was distracting. Overall, while it wasn’t a standout read for me, the craft beer culture and the promising premise may still appeal to fans of lighter romance novels. I’d be open to exploring future works by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC for an honest review.

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The cute, punny title 100% drew me to this one! There are a lot of aspects of this book that I liked but I enjoyed more of the setting and found family vibes than the romance. The lust/interest was there and the sort of forbidden romance of it added to it but I didn't feel that much chemistry or growth between the main characters. Ryan and Kat both have backgrounds that make them feel older than they are but somehow they also came across pretty immature. I would have loved more development in their relationship and personalities. I've Got MY Mind Set on Brew is an enjoyable book, especially if you like beer or know anything about it (which I do not but I still appreciated the info and quirks of the brewpub and staff). The chapter headings are cute - each is a different drink and description/fun fact, which taught me something new with each one and added to the overall atmosphere of the book.

*opposites attract
*enemies to lovers
*boss x employee
*forced proximity
*silly meet cute
*3rd act breakup
*found family

I received a drc from Alcove Press via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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I love craft beer so thought this was a fun take on a romance book. It was a cute story but the main characters were hard for me to connect with. I enjoyed the ending and the audio version was good to listen to.

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Cute, fun, lighthearted! Perfect for beer lovers everywhere. Enjoyed every second of it and hope to get more from this author soon.

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Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for providing me this Digital Advanced Readers Copy of the book!

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First off, I love the clever title and cover! Featuring a down-on-her luck craft beer brewer, and entitled new boss, all the tension builds between this pair of enemies to lovers.

My main complaint was the third act breakup.. womp womp.

*many thanks to Alcove Press and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

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I think this is a likable read. Throughout the book I kept picturing it as a Hallmark movie.

The way Kat and Ryan met was hilarious and I had high hopes for the potential banter between these two MCs. However, they just kind of disliked each other and the playfulness didn’t really hit.

The beer descriptions at the beginning of each chapter were cool and I loved that the FMC was the one striving to be a brew master. It still seems like a predominantly male field so it was cool to see Kat’s journey. I also loved the dynamic between all of the Resistance employees.

Overall, I think an ok read for anyone looking for a cozy rom com.

Thank you to NetGalley, Alcove Press and Stephanie Jayne for an early review copy. These are my honest thoughts.

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At the beginning of this book, I thought this would be an easy four or five-star read. I thought Kat was super cute. I found Kat and Ryan's meeting cute and entertaining. However, after this, it all went downhill. There was so much miscommunication I thought I was drowning in it. Also, there was no chemistry between the couple after their initial meeting. A rom-com will never work for me If I don't feel anything for the couple.

Thank you to Alcove Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

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3.5/5

Third act breakup here we go! I've Got My Mind Set on Brew by debut author Stephanie Jayne has boss girl energy thanks to Kat perusing her love of brewing beer and has a unique premise set against the backdrop of a brewpub named Resistance. I loved that each chapter started with a different kind of beer along with a brief description and sometimes a fun quip. I honestly wouldn't mind owning a copy just so I have those chapter headings. 🤣 The enemies-to-lovers romance between Kat and Ryan could have used some more chemistry, but overall, I was fairly happy with it!

The audiobook is narrated by Kelli Tager, and I thought she did a great job for Kat, but I did not love her for Ryan. I REALLY wish there had been a male narrator even though he only has a couple of sections. She didn't differentiate her voice in any way, and it was just weird for me. Otherwise, I found the audio very enjoyable and would recommend it. As previously mentioned, there is a third-act breakup which I am getting a tiny bit tired of, and I do wish there had been a grand gesture from Ryan to make up for him being, bluntly put, an ass. I've Got My Mind Set on Brew wasn't quite as satisfying as I had hoped but it was a nice light read and I would definitely read more from this author.

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This book has a very strong start, but that did not last the whole way through. While I liked the plot and writing, I found myself disappointed by the romance.
Most of that can be attributed to the main male character, who wasn’t all that likable. In fact, both of the main characters got that way by the end. As a result, I did not care for their relationship. I also thought that the typical third-act breakup cliché happened too late.
Although, to add a small positive here, I did like the title. It’s a decent pun.

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I had high hopes for a book set to beer and this one certainly had all the right ingredients: opposites attract, coworkers/rivals...it was just a little flat. I loved the theme and the beer snippets at the start of every chapter. There was just something missing for me. Thank you so much to the publisher for the eArc!

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Liked the concept and the setting at a brewery, and at first book was really cute! But I felt like the romance was more of a business relationship than one I was cutesy rooting for. I didn't really buy into the chemistry and felt more like the mmc was a dickhead, even when the backstory came out that serves to explain his attitude.

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he premise of a down-on-her-luck brewer and her privileged boss clashing in a quirky pub had potential, but the execution fell flat for me. The characters felt one-dimensional, and the romance lacked the spark needed to make it compelling. While it had its moments, the predictable plot and unremarkable dialogue left me feeling indifferent. Not the worst read, but definitely not a memorable one either.

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This book was cute and if I was into craft beer I think I would have enjoyed it even more. Its so interesting to explore titles were the characters have different passions that you do in real life. I am a bookworm and so books where the characters also love reading always call to me. Branching out to a read about a FMC who wants to be a Brew Master was different for me. I enjoyed the little facts about different types of beer at the start of each chapter it was cute.

I think this book left things to be desired. The characters start as rivals and argue throughout the book start to finish. I feel like we never get to the root cause of that and they kind of just write it off to be together. I also feel like I never fell in love with the couple the chemistry just wasn't there.

I also feel like there were unfinished threads of the story like the owners of the brewery and the FMC relationship, the MMC family drama, the FMC family drama. I think it could have just all been expanded on.

To summarize I just wanted more depth and better understanding of the characters and their relationships.

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This was a fun take on romance. I haven't seen one set in/around a brewery before and I thought that was a really original idea. I also liked that the FMC was the one wanting to become a brewmaster. Fun, great time all around.

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If you are looking for a fun jaunty time in your romance reads, this will be the book for you.
This is a book that I had such a fun time reading.
If you are a fan of the move, Leap Year, I would recommend this book for you.

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This was fairly charming. The beer description chapter headers were fun, and Kat is a relatable, interesting main character. I think the romance in this one felt a little forced, and the best parts of the story were Kat's quest to pursue her career.

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