⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Rayah pours her life savings into opening a wellness resort. Jake is an actor and just landed the lead role in an action movie. He temporarily moves back to his hometown in Arizona to train and build muscle. He and Rayah start to fall for each other, but he’s also keeping a major secret about his health from.

I loved the relationship between the two of them! They had great chemistry! Also, it was nice to see the MMC in more of a vulnerable role for a change. I thought the spoke did a great job touching on his illness.

This was such a sweet and heartwarming book. Exactly what I needed to read. This book started out really fast, but then slow down a little bit. I still had a hard time putting it down. It definitely kept my interest and I really enjoyed this book!

📘: Work It Out by Eva Siedler
🗓️: January 29, 2024

Thank you to NetGalley, Eva Siedler, and Entangled Publishing,LLC for this ARC!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

*Reviewed on NetGalley, Amazon, and Goodreads.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of ‘Work it out’ by Eva Siedler. I am always so excited when I see a romance book come out with female athletes in it and was keen to dive in.
This story wasn’t for me, honestly a big part of it had nothing to do with the story at all and was actually related to the off putting language in the dedication at the front of the book and the repeat of the phrase during the story that kind of put me off and things never quite recovered for me.
The story is about a fancy gym in a small town called Explosion and the other staff from the gym will likely make up the next main characters in what I assume will be a series.
The main characters are an ex-gymnast who owns the facility and a Hollywood actor who grew up locally. There is instant attraction from both sides and a large focus on her past trauma guiding her actions and behaviour.

It had potential but just fell flat for me.

The constant comments about the physical appearances was painful.

The storyline started strong but just fell apart 25 % in and there were too many side plots and things going on to keep me engaged:

Thanks for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

Initially, I found this book to be quite promising. The dialogue was engaging, the humor was fun, and the setting was interesting and new to me (I don't often read gym/workout books). However, my enthusiasm waned as the story progressed. The pacing felt off—rushed, and overloaded with too much information.

The dialogue was often overly cheesy, and some elements seemed forced rather than earned. And really, cheesy was better than the sometimes annoying or immature-sounding inner monologue that would come from the characters.

Also, the povs were also hard to follow sometimes. While I generally appreciate third-person narratives, in this instance, incorporating simple identifiers like character names at the beginning of chapters could have enhanced reader understanding.

Overall, the humor is delivered well and the overall plot holds promise. Unfortunately, this particular book did not resonate with me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for this book.

The story, plot, setting and characters were good, hoemwever the book felt a bit rushed to me. The humor was brilliantly done and I did find myself invested in the story, but jyst felt thete should have been more.

Overall it was a good read, but not top if my go to list.

Three stars for me.

This rom-com had its hilariously funny bits and some spicyyyyy bits too! I enjoyed the forced proximity romance between Rayah and Jake. I always enjoy when both of the main characters have flaws, secrets, or things they have to overcome in the story. That piece gave the story a bit more. There were times that the story or pacing felt a bit all over the place. This made me loose interest midway through the book, but picked back up and I did enjoy it overall.

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for approving the request for this book.

Thanks a lot even though I didn't enjoy this. I read romance for chemistry not for both MCs who keep drooling over each other bodies and can't get their eyes off of each other's asses. I understand that the author was supposed to write it as spicy but nahh I got irritated.
To be honest, I couldn't focus on what was happening in this book, sometimes it felt too slow, and other times I felt like I missed some pages in between and honestly I wasn't even that invested to read it properly. I DID read 70 pages of the start with a lot of interest but I couldn't keep up with too many people who kept appearing out of nowhere and then again MCs with their traumas.

Anyway, it might be perfect for some people so ill tell everyone to give it a try. It wasn't just for me.

This book started off really strong - the first 25% was witty, cute, and definitely had rom-com potential.

Then it all started to fall apart. There were so many side characters and side plots that it was hard to understand what was happening in the story. I got the vibe that the author was going for a Gilmore Girls style town - with all these cooky neighbours and a festival devoted to hunting aliens. However, it just bloated and it was hard to follow the narrative or really invest in the main characters.

I did really like the disability representation of a MMC with POTS but it kind of got buried beneath all the other things happening in the book. Similar to the FMCs plot line about gymnastics - it didn’t have the resonance it really deserved because so much other kept happening.

Overall, I would be willing to read other books by this author. The humour was great and i think this sort really had potential - it just needed some thinning.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Entangled for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun read! It kept you entertained throughout the entire story.

The FMC is Rayah. She's a short girl with big heart and even bigger attitude. As a former gymnast turned gym owner in a small town, she does not put up with your crap. She also has to manage multiple "meat head" man trainers, who are not only eye candy to all the older ladies of this town but also treat her as a little sister.

The FMC is Jake. He was raised in this small town but left to further is acting career. When he was up for snagging a superhero roll, he needed to show that he could look like a superhero. His best friend, best friend who works at Rayah's gym, took him on as a client. Jake is very charming and well.. an actor and is hiding a secret.

Cue pretty much everything that could go wrong, went wrong, but it was also oh, so right!

I really loved all the "Chrises", MCU and DC universe jokes!

If you like a good ol' small town romance with chronic illness rep, forced proximity, good banter, some steamy sessions, tons of buff protective men protecting, then you will love this! I would say it's around 2 🌶!

Even though this story is a happily ever after, make sure you check your trigger warnings as there's content that could be sensitive to certain individuals.

**3.75

TLDR: Recommend! But check TW.

The cover and title gives off easy going vibes, but this book packs a punch with some heavy topics. The author easily takes you from battling with the limitations of a disability when you expect more of yourself to steamy scenes to PTSD from sexual abuse with ease. Not to mention that there were definitely times I was laughing out loud.

Sometimes this book felt a bit long, but I think you really needed the extra pages to give these characters the development they deserved. There are a lot of characters, but they all play an important part in the story and in Jake and Rayah's lives. And the little sidekick that shows up later on - I can just picture it when it's first introduced! So freaking cute!

If you're looking for a lighthearted romance, I'd say save this book for another day so you can give it the attention it deserves.

TW: There are scenes of sexual and physical abuse.

Rayah and Jake story was quite fun. I loved the chemistry between these two characters and the banter they share is sharp and clever. Plenty of laughter and a bit of heartstring tugging to be enjoyed as the story unfolds.

Work It Out had one of my favorite tropes- I'm a sucker for celebrity romances, but unfortunately this one was just not for me.

The characters were fun, I liked the setting & dialogue but there were a lot of plots and subplots for a contemporary romance book. Also, I love books that talk about fitness but there were some talking points about health and fitness that were borderline fat phobic and that really disappointed me.

All in all, it had a lot going for it but I think it needed a little more adjusting as well as some sensitivity readers.

This was a good read, it had witty banter and a cute baby pig. The beginning of the book was great and pulled me in. I loved all the various characters, but sometimes it did get a little cluttered. About halfway through the pacing started to feel a little bit off. Some subplots made the story unnecessarily complicated and took away from the main plot. I enjoyed the town's festival and wish there was more about it in the book.

I do believe this is a good book to read, and I would like to see what else Siedler publishes in the future.

I love a book that has great disability representation, especially invisible disabilities. Being someone with an invisible disability myself, it was almost motivational to read about Jake (or Chris) really putting so much effort into getting in shape despite his disability as well as seeing a gym with such a good supporting and accommodating people that they didn’t let his disability hinder him getting the care that he wants. I loved the banter and the humor between Jake and Rayah and seeing their relationship grow through all the secrets and insecurities. The way this book handled serious topics and trauma was really well done and I appreciate how everything was handled and how the characters were supported through their found family. Plus the little town lore about aliens was hilarious and the references to ever after were perfect (especially the visual of Rayah carrying Jake the same way Drew Barrymore’s character carried the prince away from the Gypsies lol). Overall this book was a fun quick read with a hint of spice, I loved it!

I enjoyed this more than a typical "hollywood romance," and it had plenty of fun twists! Do definitely check out the content warnings, although I can see how if they had displayed them all at the onset (its a link to them listed elsewhere) it would partially compromise the plot. I had to push past the first 20% because I was afraid it was going to be not very body positive. There is a lot of time spent on physical appearance of the characters with muscley being the spoken goal, but it is contrasted with coverage of POTS. I loved the small town setting and the quirky towns-people. Jake is a swoony book boyfriend, with a tiny bit of touch her and die energy.

I really enjoyed the beginning of this book! I was locked in... and then as the chapters went on, I felt myself putting this down longer and longer between reads. It was nice to read a contemporary romance, my only gripe is teh second half did not feel as polished and fresh at the beginning.

In this captivating romantic comedy, I was immediately drawn into the story of Jake Newman, an actor on a secret mission to bulk up for a film role at a secluded Arizona health resort, and Rayah Summers, the resort's struggling owner. Their budding romance, peppered with endearing nicknames and heartfelt moments, was both sweet and genuine. The inclusion of Jake's battle with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) added a unique layer of depth, providing valuable insight into a lesser-known condition. While the narrative flow had its ups and downs, the humor, the chemistry between characters, and thoughtful portrayal of disability left a lasting impression. This book struck a perfect balance between lighthearted romance and meaningful storytelling.

This was a fun debut and I think the author has a great grasp on banter and chemistry.
The luxury all-inclusive wellness gym/resort in Arizona was a unique setting and new to me. I also enjoyed the disability representation as the MMC, Jake, has POTS and frequently has episodes that lead to fainting, dizziness, and illness. He is a movie-star training for a new upcoming role, and Rayah, is a former gymnast and now gym owner. Jake has golden energy retriever energy with a sunny disposition, dimples, witty jokes, and ability to predict/read Rayah's needs. Rayah is small in stature but big in determination, work ethic, and fitness knowledge. She has also cultivated a found family vibe for the gym's employees. Both mains characters have past demons to battle, but it was easy to root for them on their journey to a HEA. I thought their banter and chemistry was well-written! My only complaints were with the book pacing (fell off-pace, got chaotic with a local town quirky festival).

I don’t even have words to describe how much I love this book. This was exactly what a romance book should be- funny, passionate, and emotional. The main characters had a bit of insta love; but honestly, it made sense considering how goofy and lovable Jake was. It also had chronic illness representation. Jake has POTS syndrome, and I thought it was done really well. He didn’t magically overcome his syndrome; but he was still able to be strong and do what he needed to do. I loved his and Rayah’s relationship; there was a small moment of miscommunication at the end, but it was minor and overall I wasn’t frustrated at any point with their relationship. The book did talk about Rayah’s sexual assault as a minor. I thought it portrayed that really well and brought attention to the topic really well too. I also loved all the side characters. It was really enjoyable to see side characters that felt fully fleshed out instead of the two-dimensional side characters we see in a lot of romance books. Overall, I loved this story and would recommend it to anyone.

I love a good romance set in the world of fitness and gym life and Work it Out delivered. 👏 It’s a sweet, slow-burn spicy, and heartfelt treat between actor Jake and trainer/business owner Rayah set in small town Arizona.

Jake needs to bulk up to be in consideration for the latest superhero film and is determined to keep his POTS at bay to succeed. Rayah continues to deal with fallout from the way adults failed her she she was a young gymnast. They might not seem like a match, but they see the strength and resilience and help the other heal. I adored the way they slowly got to know each other and showed up for the other throughout the story.

There are lots of extra characters at the gym to keep track of, which makes me think this might be setting up a series? I’d love to read more about the Explosion crew.

I recommend this book to fans of fitness romances with strong characters who aren’t afraid to eventually show their vulnerabilities. There are some triggers (publisher has a link in the book), make sure to check those out!

I Received an advanced reading copy, receipt of which did not impact my review.