Love the second chance romance trope and super duper love that there wasn’t a third act breakup. Love the male main character SO much! I did, however, feel hesitant for the first 30% of the book because of how much Marissa hates this exboyfriend. Did it end terribly and cause trauma? Of course! But she can’t say his name, the family can’t mention him 16 years later and she’s still white hot with rage? Hmmmmm….i felt sad for her that she is such a boss entrepreneur in her professional life but can’t get mental health support to deal with something almost 2 decades ago.

A cute rom com that follows the story of Marissa and John who were childhood sweethearts until he broke her heart. Sixteen years later they meet again under slightly strange circumstances and fate conspires to bring them together.

This was an easy, enjoyable read with some twists and turns which certainly made me chuckle.

I’d recommend this to any rom com lover!

I love the premise of the plot: Marissa’s eggs get accidentally fertilized by her ex boyfriend’s sperm.
The events leading up to that are funny and cringy. I thought I would lose it with the brown smudge scene.
Marissa is afraid to be vulnerable because if a deep past hurt, that I think she carried a bit too far.
Dr. Dishy knows he made a huge mistake and says and does all the right things toward Marissa.
She just needed to jump…… on him!
It’s an enjoyable read.

Driven and smart, Marissa Mayer has worked her way to COO at a major Fintech startup as well as launching her own successful app on the side. Now what she wants more than anything is a baby. And having given up on love after her heart was broken by the boy next door, she’s prepared to do it alone.

Recently returning to New York from LA, Dr John Raikes is an expert in his field of neonatal medicine. But when John introduces himself as Marissa’s doctor, sparks fly, and not in a good way. Because Dr John Raikes is no stranger: he’s her teenage sweetheart all grown up.

Marissa knows she should keep John at arm’s length, lest she have her heart broken again... But there’s something about a man in a white coat. And with John determined to show Marissa he’s changed, can she keep saying no when her heart is saying yes?

A gorgeously funny enemies-to-lovers, second-chance rom com, perfect for fans of Sarah Adams, Lynn Painter and Jo Watson.

#babyonemoretime #bolddwoodbloggers #bookreview #romance #secondchanceromance

Marissa is an independent woman who has waited for Mr. right so she could have the baby she’s always wanted and since Mr. Wright seems to be running late she decides to go ahead and medical assistance getting impregnated. The only problem is the clinic she picks is the one her ex John is a partner at. Needless to say after one mishap and another they continue to run into each other she still angry and he is nice and pleasant… Something that only infuriates Marissa more. When he was 18 he broke her heart but now he’s back is a single dad to six-year-old Nora can he win back Marissa‘s affection or is there any justification for ghosting someone who loves you? I love this authors romance series and find her books so funny but having said that I do want to say that whole thing with the chocolate to me was just gross I could’ve totally lived without that. Moving on I cannot resist a book with a single dad a cute six year old I do think I’ll ever Marissa was a little too angry but I did like her and once again laughed so much throughout this whole book especially at the taco shop. I want to thank Boldwood books and Net Galley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Marissa Mayer is a busy career woman working as the COO of a large corporation and running her secret app program on the side. She could use this as an excuse for why she hasn't met the right guy, but the truth is that she was broken and lost her trust after the boy next door abandoned her with no reason on prom night. She's running out of time to start a family so she decides to start IVF treatment with a donor. Much to her dismay, the doctor filling in for one of her crucial treatments is none other than her ex and there's no chance to postpone. After their awkward encounter and several other run ins at the clinic, John realizes he's still in love with her but he has a long way to go to earn her trust again, especially when unexpected circumstances connect them in a whole new way.
This was a great follow up to the first book in the series, Not in a Billion Years, and those characters play a big part in this book too. I love how strong, steady, and patient John is with Marissa even when she takes the hot/cold treatment to the extreme. How he is with his young daughter Nora is so sweet and she just stole the show in every scene she was in! I'm hoping the hint of Thomas and his super smart crush lads to a third book in the series?!!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I wanted to love this book more than I actually did. I find myself to be in Marissa’s shoes in my life-35 years old and wanting a family before it’s too late. But this book is just really far fetched. From the mishaps at the clinic to the 6 year old who talks like a teen/adult. Marissa honestly gave me whiplash with how much she hates John one minute but jumps right into wanting to have sex with him. It was hard to follow.

I love the idea of this story and I believe it has potential but didn’t hit the mark for me. Thank you for the ARC for my honest review.

A fantastic light read, a true rom-com, funny and engaging. John is back 16years to late after leaving Marissa on prom night. I enjoyed Marissa stood her ground and kept John at arm's length, but he slowly crept back into her heart. The IVF process and the mishap afterwards was well written, a great overview of how IVF is done. There could have been a bit more detail/description on Marissa's aftereffects of the shots she gave herself.
There was also Nora, John's six year old daughter talked like she was older, she was very cute but she spoke and was spoken to like she was a teen and I kept forgetting she was just six.

"Baby, One More Time" was fine, but oh man, the ethics violations! I never quite know when to suspend my disbelief with these sorts of things, but many things that happened in "Baby, One More Time" took me out of the book a little, in addition to general issues with the plotting.

I will say, romance novels with pregnancy storylines get a bad rap because of the general dislike of the accidental pregnancy trope. However, I really do appreciate romance novels that have representation of single parents, pregnant people, people experiencing infertility, and people seeking alternative pathways to parenthood. I want to give this book props for that.

However, there were so many medical ethics violations in this book and also possible some insider trading? Even besides the whole donor mix up thing (which Marissa would have been well within her rights to sue the clinic for), there are several times that John uses his employment at the clinic to view Marissa's medical records which is definitely not kosher.

In addition, the plot of "Baby, One More Time" left much to be desired. I'm not sure I ever fully understood John's motivations for what happened when they were in high school nor do the two characters ever really talk about it. John and Marissa both have interesting things happening outside of their relationship (John's research, Marissa's work life), but neither of these things are really explored.

Did this book have potential? Sure. But I'm not sure it was quite where it needed to be.

2.5 stars.

Thank you Boldwood Books for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

This was a fun, easy read where the characters really develop and grow and you end up really rooting for their happiness! I loved Nora, so outspoken, honest and kind. As always with this author I couldn’t put the book down until I’d finished it because her story’s make you feel so emotionally invested! I also liked that characters and storylines from other books overlap!

Camilla Isley is fast becoming my favourite 'enemies-to-lovers' rom com writer! I am pleased to confirm that Baby, One More Time does not disappoint!

Marissa Mayer is a hard working, successful career woman - you could say that she has it all. Except that she doesn't - yet. After having her heart broken by the boy next door she has little interest in being in relationship and falling in love, but she want a family of her own, and she is more than happy to tread that path alone.

Dr John Raikes is back in New York after years of living in LA. With a divorce behind him, and a young daughter in tow, he is ready to rebuild his life. What he doesn't expect is to bump into the girl next door who he abandoned all those years ago. He certainly doesn't expect to bump into her at work, and find her planning her future family.

This is a classic enemies-to-lovers novel. Marissa of course wants nothing to do with John after he broke her heart so badly. She has become such an independent woman, and incredibly successful in her career but she keeps her heart locked away so as never to hurt again as she did when John left her. Seeing him again brings back all the pain that she thought she had dismissed from her life. John however feels guilty for his treatment of Marissa and is keen to seek her forgiveness. Finding themselves thrown together in the most unexpected of ways, can they move beyond what happened to them in the past?

Marissa is such a great female character - the pain she feels after what John did to her is explicit, but her subsequent success is a positive force to read about. Whilst she has been keen to avoid relationships, it's good to read about a female character who has used that pain to create a successful life for herself. She hasn't spending the years moping, and for that I'm glad!

I am more than happy to recommend this novel to you - in fact I think you should grab a copy of this along with a couple from Camilla Isley's back catalogue to see how an enemies-to-lovers novel should be written! So tuck yourself away, grab a glass of wine and lose yourself in Baby, One More Time!

What a lovely surprise this was! Second chance romance, with a medical twist. What I loved about this one is that it touches on important topics like single parenthood which isn’t talked about usually in books. Not only was it the perfect length for a romance, it was kept simple and not over complicated which made for a lovely reading experience. It was cute, and it just worked! We follow Marissa, a workaholic who is trying to have a baby - and in the clinic she encounters her High-school sweetheart who did something bad. A decade and a half later - a visit to the fertility clinic leads the reader through an adventure!

As soon as you read this title, you sing the Britney song, right? No? It's just me

I love when books are named after pop songs.

Camilla Isley is definitely one of my must read romcom authors. I loved this enemies to lovers story, made even better with a single dad and his adorable daughter.

If you like LOL moments with a great cast of characters, don't miss out on this one

“We don’t do simple. Simple isn’t fun.”

Camilla Isley doesn’t not disappoint. She has a way with words and her books are the quintessential rom coms.

This was hilarious from start to finish. I finished it in less than 12 hours. It was fun, engaging and interesting.

This is the second book in the series and can be read as a standalone but I highly recommend reading the first, Not in a Billion Years, as it is equally enjoyable. It was nice catching up with Gabriel and Blake.

I love the dual narrative. It allowed for the main characters to tell their own experiences and gave an insight into what happened in the past.

I love how the author portrayed the intricacies of the IVF process, highlighting the plight that women face when trying to have a child.

The plot dragged in some places and the story would have benefited by being some fewer pages/chapters shorter.

You have to suspend belief when you read this as there are over the top things that happened in it which I don’t want to get into.

I’m looking forward to reading Thomas’ story and also I feel Amada might feature more in later books.

I received an advanced copy via Netgalley and the review is mine and voluntary.

Second chance romance tick, dishy doctor tick, single dad to cute kid tick, embarrassing meet cute tick and smart capable female character mega tick. This book has a returning character from previous book Not in a billion years but can be read as a standalone.

Camilla Isley has gone on to my list of must read authors as she writes her female characters exactly how I like them. No damsels in distress being saved by a man but instead smart women who run businesses, work hard and hold no prisoners. They don’t need a man but there is nothing wrong with wanting one, although after Dr John’s major mistake in the past he certainly has his work cut out to win her over.

Marissa is at a stage in her life where her biological clock isn’t ticking it’s booming like Big Ben so has decided to go it alone with the help of a donor. When her doctor is unavailable she finds herself face to face with a new one who just happens to be the boy next door who broke her heart, now all grown up.

With a rather large error happening at the clinic she’s not getting rid of him anytime soon either. With the help of his adorable daughter Nora, her family living next door and best friend Blake with her partner Gabriel, this had some funny moments, cuteness overload and two main characters you can’t help but love.

I really enjoyed the first book in the series (Not in a billion years) and was very excited to read this one - and it did not disappoint! The relationship with Marissa and John is a second chance romance but with a few twists that I really enjoyed. I appreciated that the big “problem” in their relationship wasn’t the ex-wife.. the road blocks to them getting back together were realistic even if why they got back together wasn’t.
I enjoyed the tie ins from the first book with Blake and Gabriel and that it was somewhat in the same time. But you don’t have to read the first one to read this one.

I cannot wait for the 3rd book - I have been waiting for more about Thomas since the first one!

The book opens when Marissa is brought home after Prom night and her boyfriend dumped her. Fast forward sixteen years and Marissa is a hardworking career woman who decides to have a baby on her own. She runs into her high school love at the doctors office and nothing can be more embarrassing or less than what Marissa wants. This book is an enemies to lovers combined with boy next door wins girl's heart. Some of the things in the book are a little far fetched but it makes for an enjoyable read.

A heartwarming story that was quite entertaining and full of humorous moments.
The story is a duel POV rom-com that has engaging characters.
A beautiful story about second chances.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This just wasn’t for me. It’s a shame as I was really amused by the concept and it had a lot of tropes I like. The execution just didn’t work, in my opinion. The writing style was quite nice and flowed well, but I found the characterisation a little off. Marissa was a little irritating; she’s meant to be in her mid-thirties, but for me she behaved really immaturely and her anger towards John – someone she dated 16 years before the story started, who had since gone on to marry and have a child of his own – felt very childish.

I also felt like the timeline was a bit off – the opening chapter, set 16 years ago, read like it was happening in the later 2000s, with references to apps and technology that I don’t recall being that common or popular in the early 2000s, when I presume it was meant to be set. This might be a small thing, but it really distracted me in the first few pages!

Ultimately, it just wasn’t my cup of tea. I struggled to become invested in the plot or the characters. Still, I can see this working for a lot of people.

I love Camilla Isley, but this book? It’s really special!

Unique plot, extra special characters, loving families, and an impressive woman in STEM in a COO position with a doctor single father who are exes with a sad backstory and a really uncomfortable reintroduction.

I can’t say much about their background because you absolutely have to read this awesome book to get the details, but they were neighbors growing up and he broke her heart on prom night and fled town, only to return a dozen years later, showing up at the other end of the stirrups as her interim fertility doctor for her IVF treatment - the boy who broke her heart (irreparably) is now the one helping her to have a baby on her own…

There’s a huge twist that makes this book absolutely everything - and it’s not the circumstances of his being a single dad (but that’s great), nor that he re-bought his parent’s old house next door to her parents (which is also fantastic). Read to find out! It’s something that makes Christmas really awkward for both families! Mari (Marissa) and John are a riot! Connections back to book 1 characters, but reads as a standalone (Not in a Billion Years).

Definitely top of my favourite Camilla Isley titles - 4.5 stars!

I received an advance copy from NetGalley and Boldwood Books, and this is my honest feedback.