Member Reviews

So Not Meant to Be is the second book in Meghan Quinn’s Cane Brothers series and boy does it deliver the laughs! It’s an enemies-to-lovers workplace romance that centers on the middle Cane brother, JP. JP is a charmer and has won the heart of everyone who works for him. Well, everyone except for Kelsey, who thinks he’s just obnoxious and refuses to give in to his charms. She also very much disagrees with JP’s belief, a la When Harry Met Sally, that a man and a woman cannot work together and just remain friends. When Kelsey is forced to not only go on a business trip with JP, but to also stay in the same penthouse with him, JP’s theory is put to the test with hilarious and heartfelt results.

I adored JP and was charmed by him immediately. He’s a flirt and he’s very intrigued by Kelsey, and he likes to push her buttons to get a rise out of her. Kelsey, on the other hand, took some getting used to because she came across as a bit prickly and judgmental in the beginning. Once I got used to her personality, and especially once she and JP started to get to know each other better, I really warmed up to her. I also love the forced proximity trope so it was definitely a good time watching the two of them share the same space as they slowly work through their feelings for one another. As always with Meghan Quinn’s writing, the humor, and especially the banter, is top notch and had me downright cackling at times!

So Not Meant to Be was another fun installment in the series and even though this is a series, the books do work as interconnected standalones so if When Harry Met Sally is your vibe, you could easily start with this one.

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I really enjoyed the next instalment of the Cane Brothers, it’s enjoyable to see already loved characters pop up on Kelsey’s podcast. I think it’s a nice touch and also a great way to get the smallest of snippets of other beloved characters stories that make you just want to read their tales.

JP is the ultimate cute goof, it’s nice to see a male character go through all his different struggles and his total addiction to pigeons!

Great read, really enjoyed :)

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I’m sorry this has to be a DNF at 36% this was so blooming cringey🤢 it sucks cos I really liked the first one but this one was just not it

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This was a very cute, opposites attack story. JP was definitely the star of the book. He was funny, sweet and obviously so hot. Kelsey on the other hand I was not a fan of. She was a bit annoying, and way too judgmental.

JP spends the book proving that he is someone that others can count on, both his brothers and Kelsey. His character growth is tremendous. It is rare that I find a rom com where the characters do not balance each other, but this is one that they do not. I feel like Kelsey did not grow much, and instead frustrated me because she did not see what an amazing guy JP was throughout the whole book. She was so dead set on finding love, and somehow missed the ideal person who was helping her along the way.

Overall, I did enjoy the book. As with all Meghan Quinn books, it was sweet, spicy and enjoyable. I laughed and wanted to shake the characters, but I think that is what makes a great book. When I get visceral reactions due to the characters actions it shows that I am invested, and Meghan Quinn finds a way have me constantly invested.

Thank you Bloom Publishing and Meghan Quinn for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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JP and Kesley meet because his brother is engaged to her sister. They both feel an attraction to each other but deny it for their own reasons, so will they end up friends or more? I liked how it is told from both points of view.

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I enjoyed this book. I'll admit, I didn't enjoy it as much as Huxley and Lottie's story, but I did enjoy it quite a bit. I thought that Kelsey sometimes felt a little flat, but it could also be that compared to JP she was just not as dynamic of a character. I loved hearing about them explore San Francisco and I loved their dynamic. Thank you to NetGalley and Bloom Books for this ARC!

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nothing drives me crazier than two characters who have feels for each other but pretend to be enemies. i really struggled to get through this and did skim a decent amount. also if i’m going to read smut, i don’t want to wait until i’m 75% through the book for things to get spicy. i loved lottie and huxley in A Not So Meet Cute, so i was hoping that their sibling would similar chemistry but they didn’t.

thank you to BloomBooks for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley.

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JP Cane doesn't believe that coworkers of the opposite sex can be friends and he has made that very clear to Kelsey, who finds his blatant flirtation and antics to be a nuisance. Especially when she is a romantic at heart and wants desperately to find her person. Fate however, seems to have its own plans. The 2 are thrown together on a blind date thanks to a dating app, they both get ditched by their dates at a gala and forced to share an apartment on a work trip. Life keeps throwing them together and JP realizes that he has real feelings for Kelsey but she has made it perfectly clear she is not interested. If JP wants to have a relationship with her, he needs to make Kelsey see him in a new light and the best way to do that might just be to become her friend. Can he convince Kelsey that his feelings are real or will his past mistakes come back and ruin the tentative ground they stand on?

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Thank you for giving me the chance to read & review this story. Meghan's books are fast and easy to read & don't require a ton of thought, which can be perfect for the holiday season!

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Playboy JP Cane has made one thing clear - coworkers can’t be friends. Kelsey, a hopeless romantic looking for her person, takes that and other things he’s done to shed him in the light of a nuisance. However fate keeps trying to get them together — from accidental blind matching on an app and meeting up for a date, to having their perspective dates at a gala ditch them for each other — JP realizes he might actually like Kelsey but she’s made it clear she’s not interested.

When Huxley tells the pair they have to go to San Fransisco for a big new project, they go and begin to be short term companions but when Kelsey is set up on a date, JP begins to lose his mind. Eventually, (thank fuck) he makes his feelings known and Kelsey being the romantic that she is takes him up on his offer, but soon his not so recent past comes back with a vengeance and JP fears he might lose Kelsey for good.


do i love enemies to lovers? DUH. is this book quirky and fun at times? yes. did I get bored at times? also unfortunately yes. I really liked the first book in the series but this one seemed to miss the target for me. i didn’t particularly care for with kelsey or JP, sure at times they were tolerable but eh. i’m going to finish the series because i think breaker is going to be my favorite but if this was the couple to start the series i’d probably dnf. the best part of this book imo was JPs bizarre love of pigeons and helping them through the rescue he donated to.

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The book So Not Meant to Be was an enjoyable read. I would recommend any book written by Meghan Quinn. Happy Reading!

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely.

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JP and Kelsey have great banter and the tension between them just builds and builds and builds. A fast paced, banter filled read. The only downside was the 'enemies to lovers' only really applies to Kelsey, while JP acted like a bit of an asshole at times he never hated her. And Kelsey's reason for hating JP are not really explained...

Dual POV, Spicy, Enemies to Lovers, Forced Proximity, Workplace Romance, Miscommunication

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DNF @6%. - The writing in this book is not good enough for me to read 500 pages of it. I hadn’t read the first book (although I’ve had it on my iPad for a while), but after reading the first couple chapters of this book, I’m tempted to just delete it. I’ve seen reviews saying the first one is so much better and agree with the many comments on the insufferability of Kelsey. The dialogue felt unrealistic. There were many words used that normal people (even very smart people) are just not going to use in conversation. This seemed like the author had their thesaurus open while writing. I’ve read a couple other of this author’s books and they were underwhelming. I think their writing is just not for me.

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I received a copy from netgalley for my honest review. This was not my favorite brother but still had me laughing at times. The pigeons lol. It was a cute story with spice and and touched on self confidence issues. Would recommend the book.

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One thing about me and this book is that I HATED Kelsey. There's no way around it. She was a brat, judgemental, thought the worst of JP with no evidence to back up that theory and he kept trying to show up for her and she kept not believing him. What is someone to do when that happens besides leave?? It was irritating and I kept thinking she'd get over it and then she never did. I also didn't care for the insta-love happening here on his end (but once again, I think it made it worse with it being toward Kelsey. lol sorry!). This book just doesn't even compare to the first one.

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I'm so torn on this one! I loved Huxley and Lottie's story and couldn't wait to dive into this one 🥰 for all the playing up of guys and gals can't be friends, I was really expecting more of a because we work together we'll be more intentional about trying friendship to lovers. And instead, an enemies relationship was significantly played up and was just plain childish. I mean JP's ego. And Kelsey's attitude. Both were something else entirely. The forced proximity when they were in SF for work had real promise. Her getting to know the Jonah side of him was positively melt worthy. But the self esteem issues that led to epic miss communication for both of them really distracted from the story that could have been. I loved the meant to be snippets, did not make the connection that they were previous characters and cannot wait to catch up on the ones that I haven't read yet!

At the end of the day this was a fun continuation to the series and I cannot wait to jump in to Breaker's book!

Thank you Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for the ARC in exchange for my review!

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Oh my goodness, I was obsessed with JP and Kelsey!!! These two were absolutely perfect! The sheer amount of tension between the two was all consuming. Their chemistry was through the roof! This book has small spicy moments early but overall it was a medium burn book.

These two met by working together after a work pitch gone wrong. They somehow find themselves together on a blind date, and oh my that blind date was horrible in every way. They always say there is a thin line between love and hate, and it would seem that Kelsey is perfect at riding that line. JP is the stereotypical playboy who doesn’t let anyone in, until he meet Kelsey and his whole world is flipped.

While JP would purposely goad a reaction from Kelsey, I began to feel bad for him. My heart was breaking for him and I couldn’t believe the lengths he went just to have Kelsey notice him. I series of unfortunate event and misunderstandings lead to a heart wrenching break-up. I cried a for a solid couple of chapters.

I also loved JP’s mind and the random tangents. Plus, their friend outings never really seemed like friend outings, more dates. It amazing it took them as long as they did to go for each other. Kelsey seeing other people was the perfect kick in the ass JP needed, and boy did he need it!!!

I would highly recommend this book, that will take you from laughing to crying in a matter of seconds. Plus, it’s a Meghan Quinn book, you can’t go wrong!

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BOY OH BOY. This one was a scorcher. Your classic enemies to lovers, slow burn romance with GREAT spice scenes. JP is tough. He doesn't believe that men and women can be friends. Kelsey disagrees, but she doesn't like JP anyway. When they are forced to not only work together but stay in the same PENTHOUSE, enemies turns into forced proximity. You can guess what happens next..

I really enjoyed this one. JP was frustrating at times, but he was the kind of guy you loved to hate: sexy, cocky, smart, rich, and a SLAYER in the bedroom. The spice in this one was top notch. I have never read Meghan Quinn before, but let me tell you, this will NOT be my last book by her. Ooh la la.

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Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an ARC to review!

2.5 stars! I’ll round it up!

This was a weird one for me because I liked the previous book in the series at first, but it didn’t hit me as expected. And this one started off even stronger for me. I was sure it would be at least a 4 star from me but just like the last one, I lost interest in the story. Also the dynamic between Kelsey and JP I LOVED at the start!!! Then it just got too….I’m not even sure, but during one scene they just kept asking each other, why are you this??? I’ll tell you if you tell me why YOU are like this?? - during a ‘semi’ spicy scene which can be a fun little thing but I felt like it just kept going on haha. I’m sad this didn’t turn out the way I had hoped since I really like their banter with each other at the start, clearly wasn’t the best read for me but might be for someone else!

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Meghan Quinn is one of my go to romance writers. I don't think that there is a book by Quinn that I did not enjoyed reading.
If I want a guick, swony and funny pick me up, I choose Quinns books.
Sooo, this one was just that. Loved it.

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