Daphne is a writer who is tired of being rejected! She decides to use the name Zane, to see if using a man's name will get her book published. Well it works! Now she has to figure out what to do next. She meets Chris who will pretend he wrote the book. They get off to a rough start but then sparks start to fly. What does this mean for her writing career? And is she open to falling in love?

I have been an huge fan of Kelley Armstrong since her Rockton series.

While not a big romance reader, I found the story so endearing, I was on the edge of my seat waiting for that happy ending. The characters were real and relatable, and the story being written in the Yukon took me back to a familiar place. It took me a while to read this book so I am now getting ready to listen to the ALC for the sequel.

Thank you to the author, to the publisher (Forever (Grand Central Publishing) | Forever), and to NetGalley for granting access to a digital ARC of this title. I am very appreciative for the opportunity to share my honest take on this novel. I wish the writer well with this endeavor.

Kelley Armstrong has extraordinary talent. She can write any genre and it is perfection! Finding Mr. Write is a fun Rom Com of a woman writing under a male pseudonym and the man she hires to be the face of the book for the book tours. I binged this in like one day I just could put it down!


Thank you to netgalley for an arc.

I ate this book up!!! This was such a cute romance book and I was giggling and kicking my feet the whole way through! It was such an easy read and I finished it in one sitting. You absolutely should read this if you’re looking for a feel good book!!

Overall: 3
Light rom-com with a clever twist on the fake-relationship trope. It follows Daphne, a writer using a male pen name, and Chris, the guy she hires to play her public persona. The story is full of humor, awkward moments, and behind-the-scenes publishing drama. The romance is sweet, though a bit predictable, and the banter is solid.

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley.

Funny and smart with an amazing setting and characters. Beautiful cover too.

A super cute story! I loved the characters and the road they traveled. Hits some important and hard truthes too.

This was a fun, light-hearted read and I enjoyed the premise of the story but wanted so much more from it. I wish the dynamic between Daphne and Chris reeled me in more and had more depth, because I didn't feel super engaged with their budding relationship. The themes of [fighting the] patriarchy and identity felt more engaging to me than the MC's romance, which still helped my overall feelings of the book. This didn't have the quippy banter that I've grown accustomed to in another romance books but it's perfect for the soft romance reader!

Definitely not what I expected from Kelley Armstrong but we'll written. I'm not really a contemporary romance reader but this was cute and funny.

This is the book I didn't know I needed but am overjoyed that I found. Filled with laugh-out-loud humor and overflowing with heart, it gave me that "I love this book so much I'm going to read it five times then place it front and center on my keeper shelf so I can revisit it every time I need a warm book hug" kind of feeling. Okay, so I haven't actually read it five times. I've only read it three. So far.

If you've seen Sandra Bullock's hilarious movie, The Lost City (and if you haven't, that's something you should correct immediately), this book is going to give you the same kind of vibe, though without the maniacal kidnapper and life-or-death chase through the jungle. Set primarily in the Yukon (and an assortment of book tour cities), this story has its fair share of adventure (there be bears) and comedic fish-out-of-water situations (for Chris) but also endearing moments and emotional depth. And it has Tika: best caring, protective, judgmental dog ever. And Sakura: best caring, protective, efficient, judgmental publicist ever.

Daphne's experiences with the publication of her book (women in all professions should be able to relate) and all that entails when its post-publication popularity skyrockets is a dilemma many people-shy people face. I enjoyed watching her gradual evolution during the course of the book and how she learns to handle that. I really loved this character and was cheering her on the entire way.

Then there's Chris, a delicious, good-hearted, cinnamon roll of a hero (he bakes brownies) who learns important lessons as well. His evolution journey is hilarious in some places and hopelessly male in others (why did he think that was the right thing to do?!?), but overall so endearing that I couldn't help but fall in love with him too. And he and Daphne together? So meant to be.

Armstrong also offers readers a clear-eyed look behind the curtains of the publishing industry in this book in ways that are enlightening, humorous, and, at times, incredibly frustrating. As a book blogger, I especially appreciated the revolving door of publicists.

If you're looking for a book that will tickle your funny bone, warm your heart, and have you begging Kelley Armstrong to write more books in the rom-com genre (I'm begging!), I recommend adding Finding Mr. Write to your summer reading list. It's a gem.

This book was so fun! It balanced the idea of romance with some very complicated feminism, exploring the place of women in a world dominated by men. Could be fun for an Emily Henry lover -- the concept of a romance about a romance writer is very reminiscent of her style!

I have been an ardent fan of Kelley Armstrong since her first books, and finding out she was writing an actual rom-com about the book industry? I could not wait to read Finding Mr. Write. And I was not disappointed. While not a big romance reader, I found the story so endearing I was on the edge of my seat waiting for that happy ending. The characters were real and relatable, and the way the story and setting were written left me craving the chance to go live in the Yukon wilderness. My favourite part, however, was how holistically the relationship grew between the characters and how much it felt like the kind of relationship I would want.

Quick Summary: A fake identity rom-com

My Review: Finding Mr. Write by Kelley Armstrong is a 2024 contemporary women's fiction novel.

About the Book: "Daphne McFadden already knows that as a female author, the cards are stacked against her. Now she knows just how much. Because her sudden whim to pose as an 'outdoorsy hunk of masculinity' male author for her new book just resulted in the unthinkable...

Now she's in big trouble.

...as the hype circus gets more out of control, it's just a matter of time before someone discovers... [her] little write lie . . ."

In My Own Words: Sometimes a convenient idea to make things better can turn into something entirely quite different.

My Final Say: This novel was a stop and start read for me. The premise of the book got me. I was entirely hooked by the idea of a Remington Steele-esque approach for this couple. In truth, however, I had a challenging time locking in.

Other: I alternated my reading between an e-book and a paperback, but this story may be best served via an audiobook approach. Perhaps the pacing and vocal expressions of narrators may help this novel come alive in the way the author intended. I may revisit it at a later time.

Rating: 3/5
Recommend: Yes +/-
Audience: A
Status/Level: 👍
Formats: Digital, Paperback

Thank you to the author, to the publisher (Forever (Grand Central Publishing) | Forever), and to NetGalley for granting access to a digital ARC of this title. I am very appreciative for the opportunity to share my honest take on this novel. I wish the writer well with this endeavor.

This was such a charming, meta delight. I loved the author/main character angle—it was like a romance novel about writing romance novels. Super clever, with lovable characters and a cozy feel I didn’t want to end.

What are the odds that I read two books back to back where the main character is named Daphne?

Really cute book! I always enjoy reading about authors. The setting in Yukon is beautiful, I wish we could have seen even more of it.

Chris was such a cute love interest, the chapters from his pov were great, I don't think we could have known who he really was just from reading Daphne's pov.

I wish there had been some more chapters after Daphne came out as the author of the book, it just felt rushed.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced review copy of “Finding Mr. Write” by Kelley Armstrong. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have read many books by Kelley Armstrong so of course I wanted to pick up this one. The cover is so cute and I enjoy a good contemporary romance. Unfortunately I tried to read both the eARC and the audiobook and had to DNF. This didn’t feel like a Kelley Armstrong book.

Excessive texting in contemporary books has worn out its welcome for me. When I switched to the audiobook there was also sound effects with each message which were so grating I then tried to switch back to the ebook.

The premise of this story is annoying and feels like it would fall apart so fast in today’s world. A female author hires a man to be the face of her books. The actual premise of the fake book sounded more interesting than what I ended up reading of this romance.

The “meet cute” was confusing and didn’t make me like Chris at all. It actually made me dislike him and he continued to rub the wrong way. I feel like the author was going for Chris Helmworth himbo (his fake name is Chris Ainsworth for goodness sake’s) but I just did not like him nor buy his actions as genuine. He came across too sleezy. Like the brownie thing was so sleezy and not cute.

I’m sorry for this unhappy review. I am a fan of this author’s other works but this feels like hopping on the contemporary romance train without any thought except cashing in and it showed in the story. I can’t believe this is the same author whose books I’ve enjoyed in the past. What even was this?

DNF

DNF @ 25%

I could not move past the fact that he was acting like the biggest jerk ever and instead of having mature adult conversations centering around what she would like him to act like, he just did whatever. And took control over interviews. There's nothing romantic about men being dicks, even if they're just acting like it.

I was really disappointed too, because this premise was so interesting. I just... can't.

Started off rally funny with an interesting premise I hadn't read before. I thought the golden retriever/black cat flip was really cute and pulled me in. However, this DRAGGED majorly.

At one point, I thought they were finally about to get together and I was nearing the end of the book, only to see I was at the 30% mark. Entirely too long and repetitive. I also found Chris to be a little *too* perfect. Man written by a woman in a bad and unconvincing way. Not badly written, but needed another run through the editing machine. Absolutely no reason for this story to be 400 pages long.

We have all heard that it’s hard to break out in the publishing industry, and even harder as a woman. So after continued rejections, Daphne decided to do a test, she took on a masculine pseudonym. Little did she realize how that would change the game, and what it would fully mean for her career. With the book taking off, touring and in person events would be a problem… since she is indeed not a man. So, she hires an actor to play the part, but he may be more than she signed up for! This story has forced proximity, “enemies” to lovers, grumpy/sunshine and more! It was a fun read, and a deviation from what I’m used to reading from Kelley Armstrong. Highly recommend.

**DNF'ed @ 67% ~ review reflects only the portion read**

Finding Mr. Write by Kelley Armstrong is a romantic comedy about a writer using a pseudonym and the guy she hires to play the role publicly. Daphne is tired of rejection after rejection so she decides to submit it under a male pseudonym, and soon her book baby becomes the next big hit before it has even released. Now her publisher is wanting her to do a book tour, but they don't know that she is a SHE and not the man she pretended to be. Enter Chris. Chris looks the part of the persona Daphne created for her pseudonym: a survivalist who chops wood and lives off the grid. The only problem is Chris doesn't know how to do any of that. He's an accountant. Hilarity ensues as the two embark on a very public book tour.

I wanted to like this one, and I enjoyed the first half of the book. The banter was spot-on. The funny moments were laugh out loud, and the romance was sweet. It all fell apart for me when they left for the tour, which was over half-way through the book. Suddenly, Daphne acted like she couldn't trust Chris, and Chris was trying really hard for her approval. At some point, I put the book down with the intention of coming back to it, but never did. I lost all interest after they had a cute start and then went their separate ways.