*Advance copy provided by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review.*

In Stephanie Jayne’s I’ve Got My Mind Set on Brew the popular enemies to lovers storyline is set in a nano brew pub that is struggling to remain afloat. Kat, a server with the goal of becoming a brewer, grapples with lots of emotions when her longtime bosses, after bad health news, hand over the day-to-day to the son of an investor. She’s feeling abandoned by her chosen family, resentful that Ryan is handed the reigns to her beloved Resistance, and shocked when she’s relegated out of the brewing process to just giving tours.

Eventually Kat and Ryan join forces to try to save Resistance, but will it be enough? Kat tries to balance finally doing what’s best for herself through brew classes and networking against her inclination for self-sacrifice and putting other people before herself. Ryan is a Peter Pan-type trying to prove himself, but he really seems to be riding on Kat’s very Wendy coattails, coming to her for ideas and execution.

Overall, I enjoyed this read. It was quick and a nice break from my typical thrillers. Where there could have been a simple resolution at the end, Jayne provides a twist that I very much enjoyed. There was a lot of complicated relationship dynamics going on and I do wish that was played out more, either with the previous owners or Kat’s family, or given a further backseat.

Thank you to Netgalley and Alcove Press for letting me read this ARC! I rated this a 3 out of 5 stars. I enjoyed the story but I didn't feel like there were any outstanding climactic moments in it. The ending felt a bit rushed to me and I wish we had more of the side characters backstories because I just didn't feel like they had a lot of depth to them, which made me confused when they were brought up in the writing because I'd forget who they were. I do relate to Kat however in her dislike of change. This book was just okay in my opinion but I will be picking it up at my local bookstore when it is published so I can read it again after the last round of editing.

Thank you Stephanie Jayne, NetGalley, and Alcove Press for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

What a fun concept for a romance! Being from Wisconsin, I love that craft brews were involved so heavily in a book!
The chapter titles were really fun, and the cover is gorgeous.

I had high hopes for this one. However, I found myself having very mixed feelings on this overall. The idea was good, I just think overall could have been executed better.

I first was off put by the formatting - it did not read well. However, this was an ARC so I am hoping that the finished copies will be adjusted accordingly.

My second and biggest problem was the massive tone-shift involved. This went from being a slow-burn romance focus - to being more of a business meeting style vibe. This isn't something that I personally want as a reader.

I did love how beer was explained, and how the FMC related people to different types of brews. The reasoning why Kat has a thing with beer was a nice touch as well. While I liked Kat, I couldn't find myself to enjoy Ryan. He was manipulative, childish, HAD to be the center of attention.

ENG :

My opinion on the book is very mixed, basically I read it for the romance which was sold to me as an enemy to lovers in the end I saw very few enemies and the romance is to my taste the weak point of the book
The strong point is kat and the fact that she is a glass child with all the difficulties that come with it. I also enjoyed the writing, it's easy to read with a rather pleasant humor although sometimes heavy.
I didn't like ryan, I found him too childish, with a manipulative side that I didn't appreciate, everything has to revolve around him otherwise he's not happy.
I also found it sad not to have had more scenes with prairie and joe, in particular a reunion scene would have been very interesting
Another strong point of the book is the end, I found it very realistic and satisfying

And let's not forget the beer! I love to read books on passions we always learn a lot of things and it did not fail! Although there are some technical terms most of the explanations are understandable for a non-drinker like me, at the beginning of each chapter there is an explanation of the tastes of several beers which I found very different and interesting. There are also the parts where Kat explains her love for beer and where we understand why she took such an important part in her life which I found very touching and which added a certain depth and sensitivity to the character.

And so if I had to recommend this book to someone it would be more for kat and her discovery of herself than for the romance.




FR : Mon avis sur le livre est très mitigé, à la base je l’ai lu pour la romance qui m’a été vendu comme un ennemi To lovers au final je n’ai vu que très peu d’ennemies et le romance est à mon goût le point faible du livre
Le point fort est Kat et le fait qu’elle soit un glass child avec toutes les difficultés qui en résultent. J’ai également apprécié l’écriture, c’est simple à lire avec un humour plutôt agréable bien que parfois lourd.

Je n’ai pas Aimé Ryan, je l’ai trouvé trop enfantin, avec un côté manipulateur que je n’ai pas apprécié, tout doit tourner autour de lui sinon il n’est pas content.
J’ai aussi trouvé dommage de ne pas avoir eu plus de scènes avec prairie et Joe notamment une scène de retrouvailles aurait été très intéressante
Un autre point fort du livre est la fin, je l’ai trouvé très réaliste et satisfaisante

Et n’oublions pas la bière! J’adore lire des livres sur des passions ont apprend toujours énormément de choses et ça n’a pas raté ! Bien qu’il y ait quelques termes techniques la plus grande partie des explications sont compréhensibles pour un non-buveur comme moi, à chaque début de chapitre il y a une explication des goûts de plusieurs bières ce que j’ai trouvé tres différents et intéressant.. Il y a aussi les parties ou Kat explique son amour pour la bière et où nous comprenons pourquoi elle a pris une partie aussi importante dans sa vie ce que j’ai trouvé très touchant et qui a rajouté une certaine profondeur et sensibilité au personnage.
Et donc si je devais conseiller ce livre à quelqu’un ce serait plus pour Kat et sa découverte d’elle-même que pour la romance.

Ah, what a cute story! I loved the beer themed chapter titles and descriptions. I can totally relate to Kat - craft beer and book lover, self-sabotager, and people pleaser. It was great to see such a diverse set of characters, with different personalities, mesh into one cohesive family. I highly recommend this and can't wait to buy a physical copy!

Addicting!!! Thoroughly enjoyed this book. It draws you into the story instantly. It was an easy read, while still containing a complex story, and the descriptive writing is almost POETIC. I couldn't put it down.

I was unable to read due to poor kindle formatting.

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for the ARC.

An enchanting journey through vividly imagined worlds and compelling characters. This fiction gem weaves a tapestry of emotions, adventure, and unexpected twists that kept me eagerly turning the pages. The author's masterful storytelling evokes a powerful connection, making this book an absolute delight to read. Highly recommended for anyone seeking a captivating escape into a richly crafted story!






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I’m not a beer drinker, so the first paragraphed scared me but I came to enjoy the snippets of information about different varieties of beer and appreciated how the author pulled this into the story and used them to describe the characters.

I felt like the main characters did not have any chemistry. I also didn't really care for either of them as they were very hard to relate to. I especially did not like Ryan. There were scenes where he almost redeemed himself but I just couldn't find it within me to be happy for them.

The plot itself slips from being a romantic comedy and feels more like a business meeting - which isn't something I want from a book. I felt like the other plot lines convoluted the book and removed focus from the main.

It was a painfully slow slow-burn with very little description of what had actually happened. It read as though it was just a kiss but apparently more happened?

A very cute "brew' centered romantic comedy. Good chemistry between characters, just enough angst and plot twists to keep the reader interested.

To lead with positivity, the premise of this book was incredibly unique. I’m a big craft beer fan when I’m traveling. I always enjoy trying local brews, so I was excited to read a romance that incorporated this. There were a lot of good things included throughout and many things happening below the surface level plot that were unexpected but a welcome surprise. The book was well-written, and I wish I could say I loved it. Ultimately though, I was underwhelmed by it as a romance novel due in large part to not liking the character of Ryan. If the romance had been more of a background element to Kat’s individual story, I would have been a lot happier.

For the most part, I really liked Kat. Life wasn’t going the way she’d hoped for herself, but she was working hard to keep it together and forge a new path she was excited about. She had a good mind for business, but she also put a lot of importance on the sense of community the small brewpub had cultivated and protecting that culture. There were times I wanted her to stand up for herself more, but it also felt true to her character when she’d put herself on the back burner. I had a lot of empathy for her and was happy with her direction in the end.

Now onto Ryan. I did not like him from the beginning, and he was never really redeemed for me. By the end, it felt too little too late in my eyes. He came across entitled and spoiled. I felt like he was emotionally manipulative with Kat. I didn’t buy into their romance because of that. There would be times I thought I was coming around on him—there is a good caretaking sequence—and then he’d turn right around and do something else to let me down. I felt for him with the loss he faced in the past, but it just didn’t excuse his behavior for me.

I’ll end with a bit more positivity by saying that I really liked the diverse cast of secondary characters and the neighborhood vibes I got from the setting. I thought it established a solid feel for the welcoming community that Kat was working so hard to preserve.

This book was super fun. I loved all of the niche beer references including the beginnings of the chapters. I also adored how Kat compared people to different types of craft beer. To be honest I don’t even like craft beer but I would 100% go to try it at Resistance.
I loved Kat’s character growth through this and I think where she ended up was the best choice even though it might not have seemed that way to begin with. She was also super sassy and amusing with her 2am brain shut off.
I wasn’t the biggest fan of Ryan and that opinion only really changed right at the very end but I think his trust and faith in Kat was really beautiful. I also really feel for his family and their own journey in this.
I also enjoyed how our opinions on Prairie and Joe shift throughout the book.
The side characters were also so fun and I would definitely read more books about them and their own stories, especially Gary!

As an avid craft brewery visitor, I loved the fact that this rom-com took place in such a unique setting compared to everything else I had read! I found Kat really goofy and lovable and enjoyed the banter between her and Ryan. Some parts felt a little slow and I wished there was overall more depth to the plot and characterization, but overall this was a cute and enjoyable read for a good pick-me-up if you're in a slump!

I received this ARC for honest feedback.

I really enjoyed this read. The love story wasn't too over the top, but just enough to keep you invested. I'm not really a beer drinker, but the amount of knowledge and research that went into writing this, makes me want to branch out and try new things.
The message of building a community, and helping small businesses, is really something I can stand by. I share those see beliefs, and to weave those in, was wonderful to see.

"I've Got My Mind on Brew" has great bones for a fun story. It was very interesting to read a book set in the brewing world, which I have never seen before in romance. However, the main characters did not have any chemistry, especially the male lead. The plot itself gets very convoluted when the business dealings take place. The story seems to break away from a rom-com and sounds more like business meetings. I would have liked a little bit more of a spark between the main characters and less strife in the workplace.

This story is a heavily beer-ified enemies to lovers. It takes place when the past brewery owners have to sell, and the place is bought by ryan. You see their romance unfold following this.

I really liked the idea of this book, but the romance fell a bit short for me. He seemed oddly entitled, and she seemed short-sighted. I didn't get the off the charts chemistry. I liked the additional plot line of her sister, but am most sure all of the plot lines meshed well.

Unfortunately I didn’t enjoy this one. I wanted so badly to love the strong feminist brewer vibes, but the rest of the book was lacking for me. Really slow start plot wise, and she was constantly doing the most icky thing of throwing herself under the bus for ”love.”. At 70% in, they had kissed once. Fade to black as well. I did enjoy the undying support of her female friends.

A cute slow burn romance set in a local Chicago brewery. Kat & Ryan have their individual issues to work through both in their personal and professional lives. It was interesting to see how the author chose to have them work through said situations.

Loved the way each chapter started with a type of beer and a description! Did not love the absolutely horrible work environment (well, it seemed like it to me at least).

Mehs: There were a lot of different layers to this story, some that I understood the purpose of better than others. Sometimes it felt like there were so much going on with backstories and/or other characters that the focus was taken off of the main plot. Also, what happened with Prairie and Joe? It seemed a bit far fetched that they were not contacted again after they sold the brewery. Finally, I had a hard time visualizing the characters based on the lack of description and the disconnect between what was written and the cover art.

This was written well and I liked Kat's character and her growth. I thought the beer brewery aspect was cool. That being said, this was just okay.

Kat wants to be craft beer brewer after a disaster relationship. She meets Ryan, the son of the new owner. Ryan and Kat falls in love after their initial dislike of each other.

Kat is terrific. A great character. It is fun to watch her grow. The book would be extremely interesting to those interested in beer too. Lots of fun facts.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.