Meh… this book really missed the mark for me. The premise was so promising but I felt very annoyed by these characters and the way they acted. 🙃

Kat is aspiring to be a master craft brewer after being down on her luck.  After her bosses, who are more like family, decide to sell, she clashes with her knew boss on how the brewpub should continue. 

I was interested in the book because my husband and I love visiting breweries and trying out craft beer.  That was the most interesting part of this book.  The main characters are not very likable. Kat is EXTREMELY judgemental despite making a mess of her own life.  Ryan seems clueless and has no idea how to interact with people, although he is a boss figure.  He comes across as an immature child that Kat has to raise.  They really didn't have any chemistry, and I found myself just reading for the information on beer and brewing (which I did enjoy and found interesting).  If you're not into craft brews, I wouldn't even attempt this one.  I was really let down since I wanted to like this one.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

In this enemies-to-lovers romance, Kat's found family and job are threatened when her former bosses sell their beloved brewery. Despite a disasterously bad first impression with her new boss, Ryan, the two must work together to save the brewery and to fufill their dreams.

This story is cute and rather niche. Each chapter begins with the description of a type of beer, which was very neat and fits perfectly with the theme. I learned some things!

Overall, the story is missing a spark. Not the spicy kind of spark (although there is very little spice in this romance). Kat is difficult to connect to as the main character. Her deep-seated passion for being a brewmaster is not fully fleshed out and is somewhat disconnected from the rest of the story. She is occasionably relatable with her quirky behavior and financial struggles, but there is something missing here.

3/5 stars

I've Got My Mind Set on Brew is a book that is perfect for beer lovers. it's clear the author did a lot of research into the brewing process and beer! Many chapters are named after beers with little blurbs about them and the characters spend a lot of time discussing relevant topics to the craft brewing community. Kat the female main character is quirky, unique, and alternative which I liked. It's nice to see a female love interest that is a little more on the punk/rock side and I also liked how vulnerable she was regarding credit card debt which is a topic you don't often see discussed in romance books. While I think this book has a lot going for it for beer lovers I think overall the romance fell a little flat and lacked chemistry for me.

3 1/2 elevated to 4.

First time reading this author. I enjoyed the story and how the main characters meet.

Kat and Ryan don't start out on the best of terms and finding out he's her new boss doesn't help either. They clash several times, eventually coming to a truce to work together to save the pub. But it's not all the way they want.

It was very interesting to read about beers and the brewing process, and the secondary characters really added to the story.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

Just not for me! It wasn’t the worst rom com, but also wasn’t the best. I didn’t feel particularly connected to either character. I did appreciate the inclusion of chronic illness, which is rare in a romcom.

I’ve Got My Mind Set on Brew’s protagonist is Kat, a twenty-something craft beer brewer living in Chicago. She’s hardworking, stubborn, a little jaded, and totally passionate—about beer. Not her new boss, Ryan…right?!

It just can’t be. Ryan has privileged rich boy energy, which immediately gives Kat the ick. She’s had to work so hard her whole life and is still pinching pennies, and here Ryan thinks he can run the brewery, Resistance, with no experience. She becomes so focused on proving herself to him while trying to save the business. Resistance is everything she’s known and loved—all she’s had, really—since the messy breakup with her ex-boyfriend.

The two become business partners, working together towards the same goal of improving Resistance. I love an enemies-to-lovers trope, and that’s what we’ve got right here. Plus, a little bit of brewing and drinking of good beer. It’s clear the author did TONS of research in regards to brewing because the level of detail in this book is just incredible.

However, the chemistry was lacking! There could have been so much more romance and I felt like there was little interest between the two. Side note: I would have also loved to read more detailed setting descriptions outside of the brewpub while giving nod to Chicago points of interest.

LOVED Kat’s journey and her glow-up towards the end of the novel. All in all, this was a fun, easy read but it was disappointing. My biggest issue was the romance as I’m sure other readers will be looking for that too.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Unfortunately I did not love this book and struggled a lot to finish it. I could not really get interested in the brew process and a lot of the book is very descriptive for that, however if you are a craft beer enthusiast then you will enjoy and appreciate the research that has gone into this book. While I admired Kat’s determination to succeed, I found her and Ryan both a little immature and entitled but there journey to romance was not dull. It is a slow burn, enemies to lover type romance and for some people they will adore this book.
Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.

My ardent love of craft beer and the punny title drew me to this story that is heavily centred around a small craft brewery.

The book started off well and I enjoyed the small brewery setting and the descriptions of different kinds of beer at the beginning of each chapter. The book is touted as a RomCom but despite a few tropes (enemies to lovers, workplace romance), I wouldn't call this book a RomCom. It was more of Kat's journey of self-discovery with a toxic relationship that morphs into a romance.

Despite the strong start, I soon lost interest and a lot of that had to do with the contrived animosity and later the 'InstaLove, all-tell-no-show' romance that followed. I didn't feel invested in the story or believe the chemistry between the couple and those factors contributed to my lackluster reading experience (which lasted 3 weeks!).

I liked Kat initially because of her drive and passion to make the brewery succeed. But her sense of entitlement to get a job she's helped with a few times but isn't accredited for was immature. Ryan was also immature, obnoxious, and toxic in how he tried to manipulate Kat. And yes, we know his saving grace is that he's hot because we are reminded many times.

I LOVED that this book centres around craft beer and the culture and community surrounding it, but the romance element and character development went over like a Pabst Blue Ribbon lager amongst seasoned beer lovin' mug clubbers in a local craft brewery.

Disclaimer: My thanks to Alcove Press for the complimentary digital copy of this book which was provided in exchange for my honest review.

I don’t drink beer but my husband does and I’ve been to a few breweries so I wanted to give this book a shot. I also liked the cover! It was a cute love story. I love Ryan and Kats relationship!
I also enjoyed reading the descriptions of the different beers! This is not a book of normally go for but I like to change it up once in a while. I also enjoyed the writing in this book. I’m looking forward to reading more books by Stephanie. Thank you, NetGalley, Stephanie and Alcove Press for the ARC!

I don’t like beer but I wanted to while reading this. I did not love some of the workplace plot devices used, but this was still a fun read!

Being a beer lover and a sucker for romance novels, I was instantly drawn to this love story set in a brew pub!

A cute storyline with likeable and relatable characters. The writing felt a bit hipster for the first couple of chapters, like it was trying a bit too hard to be cool but seemed to mellow out and settle into itself. I liked that the surrounding characters were a mismatched bunch of oddballs and not what you would typically expect from a rom-com.

Pacing of the novel was good; the meet cute was fun, though maybe a little predictable. I liked that the "mishap" wasn't the typical completely obvious/oblivious misunderstanding and falling out a la most romance novels.

A chilled and mellow, easygoing read. Not one you'd stay up all night to finish, but not one you'd struggle to get through either.

**Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Kat and Ryan's relationship is adorable! I felt that this was a new take on a romcom/romance trope, and I loved that. I'd never have thought to have a craft brewer fall in love but it goes to show that there's a niche for everyone. I liked that it was an original idea and not just a cookie=cutter repeat of many of the recent novels we've seen.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley!

I love rom coms and beers so was hoping to enjoy this one. Sadly, the enemies-to-lovers advertisement was not exactly the situation between the two MCs in this story and I never fully got on board with the male love interest or their chemistry. I ended up DNFing. This has workplace romance, boss/employee, slow burn, opposites attract tropes but did not have the from com feel that I look for in my romance books.

Thanks to Alcove Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Craft beer is practically a culture in itself where I live, so I was so excited to see a rom com centered around it. I felt that when it came to the industry this book was well written and researched. However, things fell apart for me when it came to the characters and their development. I really don’t think this was an enemies to lovers book, more you annoy me type romance. While this mislabeling was annoying, what really got me was the miscommunication that was written. It was just next level aggravating. The romance aspect just didn’t work for these characters, it fell flat and was unbelievable.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Can’t beat romance and beer! 🍻 ❤️ Slow burn, opposites attract, workplace romance. Great read by one of my new fav authors!

𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐭 𝐌𝐲 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐞𝐭 𝐎𝐧 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐰
𝐁𝐲: 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞 𝐉𝐚𝐲𝐧𝐞
𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟗, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 𝟓

I really enjoyed this story and finished it in a day! This wasn’t just an ordinary romance. FMC Kat is an average person just trying to get by in life like all of us. We watch Kat’s life plans suddenly change and things weren’t what she thought they were. When new manager Ryan comes along she has to work beside him and his new changes to the brewery. Ryan comes from money and a different world from Kat. Their relationship builds with finding common grounds in their opposite worlds and the romance that is built is very cute.

Let’s not forget about the beer! The beer titles and how Kat was describing the other characters personalities after the types of beer was really unique. You can really get a sense of the character that way. I also liked how each chapter had a blurb of the different types of beers.

I would recommend this book especially to the ones who really enjoy craft beer! 💛

Tropes
🍺 Opposites Attract
🍺 Enemies to Lovers
🍺 Rom Com
🍺 Slow Burn
🍺 Boss / Employee

Thank you @netgalley & @alcovepress for providing me with this arc in exchange an honest review.

I loved this book! I devoured it in only a few sittings and wish there was more to read. The story line was paced very well and the characters were easy to love!

Hop into a refreshing romcom where opposites attract, romance bubbles, and redemption rules the day. Kat and Ryan’s relationship trajectory is fun to watch unfold against a sensitively written backdrop of supporting characters.
--Jennifer Bardsley, author of SWEET BLISS

3.5/5
I'm going to start off by saying that I've been involved in craft breweries for the last few years so when I saw that there was a book about craft beer I knew I had to check it out.
This book is centered around Kat and Ryan. Kat has had a hard life and even harder post relationship work existence. She was left in a lot of debt and had to find ways out of it. She then found herself working as a bartender at Resistance. She really wants to be an actual brewer after learning how much she loved that part of beer. Ryan grew up with a wealthy family and circumstances have brought him to Resistance.
Their banter back and forth was cute and they both had their own issues throughout the book. The trust between them was hard to find as they both had reasons behind their lack of trust. This was really a nice way to see not only the way their relationship developed but also to see a kind of behind the scenes look at the craft brewery scene.
I have to say my favorite part of this book was that all the chapter titles were styles of beer and there was a brief description of what the style was.

This was also a closed door book just as a heads up. Which I did appreciate as it didn't take away from the story that was going on throughout the book.