"Work It Out" by Eva Siedler is a delightful and quirky romance perfect for fans of Amy Lea and Talia Hibbert. Actor Jake Newman sneaks off to a health resort in his hometown to prepare for a film role, hoping to keep his secrets hidden. Meanwhile, former gymnast Rayah Summers struggles to save her resort from bankruptcy with Jake's help. As sparks fly between them, Rayah must navigate business challenges, staff drama, and her growing feelings. Despite some bumps along the way, it's a heartwarming read about love and second chances.

Thanks to @entangled_publishing I had the opportunity to read Work It Out, the debut book from Eva Siedler.

There’s tons of humour, tenderness, patience, and compassion throughout this book as the MCs deal with some heavy issues. These include an MMC with POTS who needs to learn how to manage his disability while achieving his goal of bulking up for a movie role; a FMC who was an elite gymnast and is a survivor of sexual assault and dealing with blackmail from her father; and uncertainty over whether the FMC’s business will survive.

There is immediate chemistry between Rayah (FMC) and Jake aka Chris (MMC) from the get-go, but there is space to let their attraction build, with interest on both sides, as well as an awareness that jumping into bed together ASAP may not be the best way to go.

I liked how they became increasingly honest and vulnerable with each other, sharing their pasts, their worries, their goals. They believe in one another, and provide support and encouragement. And they have some spice in the bedroom once they get there!

Overall, this was a fun read but IMO, tried to do a bit too much and could have been edited down. I think there were some sub-storylines that weren’t really needed and only seemed to serve one or two key scenes that could have been included in a different way. There were also some scenes with one side character that gave me the ick when he declared his love for the FMC and that he was first attracted to her when she was underage and he was in his 20s.

The author, Eva, is an excellent writer, wrote some strong banter and humourous scenes (the hamburger scene was a delight!) and I’m excited to see what she writes next.

This is a sweet and funny read. Rising star Jake returns to his hometown to bulk up for the chance to play a superhero away from the limelight. He signs up to an intense fitness retreat owned by Rayah and is immediately smitten with her. This was a great premise but at some points things got a bit messier than they needed to be. I loved the small town setting and the funny characters, but there were A LOT of them - kind of hard to track or stay invested at times. Jake is a hilarious and endearing character though, and I totally rooted for him throughout and certainly did laugh out loud!

What to expect:

- small town romance
- celebrity romance
- PT and client
- forced proximity
- he falls first
- quite spicy

This one follow Rayah, who is trying to get her wellness resort to be something, and movie star Jake who needs to get fit, quick, for a role. Jake is just the break Rayah needs to help reach her dreams.

This one is full of hilarious, vulnerable and heartwarming moments. This cover for this one definitely pulled me in and I am so glad I judge this book by the cover. 😉

I cannot wait to see was Eva has up her sleeve next.

Jake is a television star desperate for his big into motion pictures. He see’s his chance to star in an superhero action film. The only problem is Jake has POTS. So training and bulking up is not only difficult but dangerous. After winding up in the headlines over a hug with his MUCH younger costar, Jake decides to leave Hollywood for a while to hide from the press and train for his chance at the new role.

Rayah is a former Gymnast who after being a part of an olympic scandal cuts her ties as a professional athlete and opens a state of the art training facility. The last thing she wants is to get involved with a Hollywood star or be involved in another lawsuit.

Of course just like the unpredictable Monsoons, Jake and Rayah are flooded with feelings with each other that they don’t really want to fight. Can Jake continue to keep his illness a secret from her, and can they both weather the storm of jealousy when others are fighting for their attention?

You’ll just have to give it a read and find out.

Thanks entangled publishing for the chance to read and review this book.

DNF, I really wanted to like this book but, it just wasn't for me, I just couldn't relate to any of the characters and felt it fell flat. Thank you to Entangled for the chance to read this book :)

Jake is an actor up for a role but he needs to get into serious shape in 90 days. He ends up at Rayah’s gym keeping his medical disability a secret from her. Great story! I love books that have medical disability representation.

Thanks you for the ARC for my honest review.

This book was so entertaining! I absolutely loved the author's humor. Rayah was a powerhouse. That woman was sassy and feisty. What made it even better was those were the traits that Jake admired in her. He had so much respect for her. I absolutely adored these two together. Not only was their chemistry off the charts but they also supported one another.! 3/5 stars
Special thanks to the author and netgalley for the arc copy of this book in exchange for my honest review

I enjoyed reading this cute small-town romantic comedy. I liked the chemistry and banter between the main characters but also the surrounding characters were interesting which made the story more complete. The storytelling was nice and I will look for other books by this author.

Work IT Out by Eva Siedler

Jake and Rayah

Jake, a TV star wanting to work around his POTS ( related to reduced blood volume when standing up) to become buff for a superhero movie role

Rayah- spa/gym owner trying to overcome a traumatic past as a top gymnast with no support system

There is a delicate balance including serious issues in a romantic comedy. Did this story deal with the issues with the levity they deserved? yes

Were the leads likable, strong and have chemistry together? Mostly yes, hot stuff, yes

Did the comedic elements and supporting characters blend and aid the story realistically and seamlessly? No

I had trouble getting into the story. The premise for the story and the auxiliary characters were overblown, annoying and most times unnecessary. I had to wade through convoluted to get to the real.

Jake had some clever lines that made me laugh but stuff that was supposed to be small town quirky and well meaning, outrageous family and friends, not funny.

If you like extra extras, misunderstandings, clearly labeled bad guys with good leads, important issues and steam, this is for you. I would like to thank Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled for the eARC! I was initially drawn in by the cover of this book and the description. The humor is top notch and the dialogue was really clever and humorous.
However, the MMC became so unbearably cheesy. The plot felt all over the place and it was hard to follow. I kept reading but I struggled to pay attention throughout, and this highly un-engaging. Maybe this perfect others, it had a lot of potential and I enjoyed parts, but unfortunately this book is not for me.

Work it Out by Eva Siedler is a contemporary romance featuring a b-list actor and a former gymnast.

I initially picked this up because the publisher blurb mentioned it was perfect for fans of Amy Lea (who I've been meaning to read) and Talia Hibbert (one of my favorite contemporary romance authors). Unfortunately, I found the plot pretty meandering and I DNFed the book at 70%.

There's some interesting diversity here in the form of a character with POTS--postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome--a condition that causes your heart to beat faster than normal when you transition from lying down to standing up. This is a kind of silent disability that I hadn't heard of before, and I'm glad to have learned more about it.

This romantic comedy was so cute! Full of a fun cast of characters that make up Rayah's found family in this adorable little town of Bigbone, a hottie celebrity with POTs, and a pig?? Too cute! This book had me laughing out loud and blushing a few times because of how big of a flirt Jake is. I enjoyed it!

I will say that I wanted more! More backstory into our characters both the main characters and supporting cast! I could have stayed in that little town for another 300 pages learning all the deets and getting more adorableness and maybe finding out if some random side character ships i had going would be reality!

Despite this being a fun rom com I will say that it does talk about some heavy topics so I highly suggest reading trigger warnings before reading this book.

Also because I have to mention it THE SLOW BUN AND MISCOMMUNICATION TRIED TO KILL MY SOUL!!!! If you know me you know those two tropes are hard for me because I just want all the cute sweet moments between the MCs lol

4/5 stars

I loved seeing the POTS representation in the MMC it's not something you usually see depicted for men. The story was fast paced, the reveals were revealing and the romance was romancing lol

Read this book if you want to get out of a reading slump and you want to see wholesome heartwarming moments coupled with funny laughing out loud scenes

In Work It Out, we see Hollywood star Jake fall head over heels - literally - for Rayah, gym owner and trainer extraordinaire. Jake is desperate to get into superhero shape for a role, but he has a secret condition that could hold him back.

Rayah has built a business with a crew of very dedicated - and muscular - friends, some who witnessed her at her lowest. One in particular held my heart more than others. I hereby petition Blaine to get an HEA and that I get to read it 🤣. That poor man. I know he and Rayah weren't meant for each other, but a tiny part of me wanted them to be together!

“Buck those traditional gender roles, cupcake. Haul your man back to your cave and take what you want! I’m totally down. One hundred percent consent here.”

Blaine aside, the romance between Jake and Rayah was very sweet. He was persistent but respectful and had no issue with the fact that she could literally carry him up a hill. There was a big surprise when things finally heated up, but I think both the author AND Jake handled it well!

“ 'What am I going to do with you?' Love me."

I do believe this is my favorite microtrope now 😍. It always happens when there's a cinnamon roll MMC and a weary FMC, and man does it pack a mighty punch!

Work It Out was such a fun and hilarious novel!! I had a difficult time putting it down to act like a productive member of society. 5 stars. Highly recommended!

Thank you, Eva Siedler, Entangled, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!

This book was so much fun to read! While it does have some darker situations that could be considered triggering, I loved this romance story from start to finish. Work It Out is a grumpy/sunshine, chronic illness rep, he falls first romance between Rayah, a reformed gymnast running a high end training facility, and Jake, the hometown actor returning in order to get in shape for a movie role.

These two hit it off immediately and I seriously loved the chemistry between them. I thought the romance story was really well-written and I felt like these characters had real dimension! I loved Rayah and Jake but every character in this book had something special about them. Learning Rayah’s history and seeing how strong she still carries herself really hit home and the fact that Jake saw right through it had me swooning!!

The found family between all these characters who came together was a really sweet addition and how all these people would do anything for each other no matter where they came from. I loved the friendships, the plot, the relationship between Rayah and Jake… ugh just an overall amazing romance between two people who fit together too well to be ignored💜

This badly written Chris (insert your favorite Marvel Chris last name) fan fiction that somehow got traditionally published should have heavy revisions because it is too heavy on the big man small woman must protect from other 🐓 toxic behavior..... It's going to be a no for me.
I will however not post any bad reviews because just because I don't like it does not mean it won't be someone else's cup of tea.

Actor Jake Newman returns to his hometown to train for a new superhero role. He joins a health resort owned by Rayah who is a former gymnast. Sparks fly between these two. But when Jake hides his health condition from Rayah, will it burn the relationship that was building between them?

This book was so entertaining! I absolutely loved the author's humor. Rayah was a powerhouse. That woman was sassy and feisty. What made it even better was those were the traits that Jake admired in her. He had so much respect for her. I absolutely adored these two together. Not only was their chemistry off the charts but they also supported one another.

It had a homey feel to it because of the lovable and quirky characters. The side characters added so much and the dynamic between them made this book fun. I had such a great time reading it. Great humor with a lot of heart.

4.5 stars

Work It Out by Eva Siedler is an intriguing romance between a television star trying to get in shape for the next big superhero film & the owner of the fancy gym he’s training at. There’s two people with secrets, pasts & a running chemistry between the pair…can they work it out?!

I highly recommend checking out the content warnings because this covers some difficult topics.

Work It Out is great for fans of…
💪 Celebrity Romance
💪 Forced Proximity
💪 Disability Representation

I was ecstatic to see that this book has POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) representation because I only know of two books with it. I was also super excited because there was a hero with POTS, which I’ve never seen before. I loved how that played an integral part into the story. & I could relate heavily to the beginning aspects of his journey. Disability representation is so important & one of my greatest passions. I’m so grateful that it exists, especially in romance.

I see a lot of potential with this author. I sometimes struggled with the hero & the things he said. I really appreciated the authenticity of his Dysautonomia though.

If you’re looking for a cheeky, forced proximity romance to work out your blues, I recommend checking out Work It Out!

Massive thanks to NetGalley & Entangled Publishing for the gifted copy, which I voluntarily read & reviewed.

Content Warnings: This book mentions &/or contains past sexual abuse.

Work It Out is a super mature and interesting novel. I confess that I was a little scared because of the setting of the story, because I had never read a book where the protagonists are involved in the gym environment. It's not something that appeals to me, but although it was a big part of the story, it didn't bother me one bit. I found the community very fun and the protagonists didn't irritate me like they do in some novels. In fact, I loved the prota. Jake is so light and kind, everything Rayah needs to overcome some ghosts from the past. I found the progress of the novel a little physically fast, but in general I really liked the story and Eva Siedler's writing.