Work It Out is an opposites attract, forced proximity romance. Author Eva Siedler offers a terrific premise, with quirky characters, grumpy sunshine vibes, and disability rep.

3.5/5 stars

Actor Jake heads home to his quirky Arizona hometown to train for a role in the latest superhero movie. Former gymnast Rayah owns an exclusive gym where his buddy works as a trainer, and it seems like the perfect place for Jake to train under the radar. Sure his POTS makes it difficult to work out intensely without passing out, but he won’t tell Rayah because he doesn’t want it released in the press. Meanwhile Rayah’s precarious financial situation makes her desperate for Jake’s transformation to happen. Can this plan actually work to get Jake the role of his dreams?

I really like the set up, and think this story has tons of potential. The characters are likable, and grumpy sunshine romances when she’s grumpy, he’s sunshine are my favorites. But the pacing was uneven, and there were too many secondary characters and subplots to keep track of. For example, I would have liked to see more of Jake’s grandmother, but she all but disappears partway through the book.

I understand that the main conflict is Jake wanting to keep his POTS diagnosis to himself, but it goes on long enough that it truly seems like he’s endangering himself by not sharing his health info with Rayah. I also understand that as a former gymnast, it makes sense that Rayah is described as small, but sometimes comments about her size feel mean spirited instead of cute.

Work It Out is a great premise, with tons of likable characters and potential. Some of the execution fell short for me, but I like the story. I’m definitely interested to see what Eva Siedler writes next.

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

This was funny, romantic, and cathartic all wrapped up in a nice little romcom package. I loved the way the characters were laid out and interacted. How easy it was for things to seem like something they aren't, but that's what made this one feel so real. Rayah runs her gym her way, despite it not being a great business plan. Jake is hoping to get in shape to land a big role, but he's got limitations of his own. This was a great disability rep, but more than that I just liked how grounded Jake was - maybe a little bit unrealistic for someone famous, but he was exactly what Rayah needs. She also brought out the best in him, which made everything else flow so nicely!

I was pretty excited to read this book, it gave me strong Set on You vibes from the cover. Rom-coms like Work it Out are heart-warming and fun. I really liked the premise and the banter between the two main characters. It did feel a little rushed at some parts of the story. I would still recommend this to people if they like rom-coms with good banter and premise. I appreciate the disability rep I don’t see a lot of that.

So so so wanted to love it, but I didn't.
I don't know what is ti, maybe is my, but I just could not connect with MC.
I am sorry for saying this but this was not a book for me. 2,5 stars.

A fresh fun take on a rom-com, as it actually has a MMC who has a disability & some vulnerability as a result. That’s definitely not something I’ve encountered in a romance book before, but I’m here for it and appreciate it. I will say that I kind of wish the author had chosen to keep it just like that and not have the FMC also have some vulnerability from past trauma…just because women are always portrayed that way. Regardless of my feelings on that, I really enjoyed this book exactly how it is.

Rayah, our FMC, is a physically strong bad*ss who owns/runs a fitness center. Jake/Chris, our MMC, is a successful actor looking to get into top notch shape for a dream movie role…but he’s hiding a serious health condition from the world. When these two collide, sparks & snark fly.

That’s it…that’s all I can give you without giving too much away. For me it felt like a perfect blend of snark, humor, spice & heart.

Humor/banter 😂😂
Spice level 🌶️🌶️ (only like 2 on page scenes)
Heart 💕💕💕

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the opportunity to read the e-ARC of this gem. All opinions are my own.

💖🩵 Work It Out ARC Review 🩵💖

Thank you so much to Eva Siedler and Entangled Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Work It Out is a standalone contemporary romance. Jake is an actor who is looking to train hard for his next role. When he signs up for an exclusive private resort in Arizona, he meets the Ray, the resort owner and realizes that he’s signed up for more than he expected with her

This was a fun read. I enjoyed Jake and his growth throughout this story. Ray was a strong woman and I enjoyed her dynamics with Jake. While I enjoyed the story overall, I did feel like some parts felt a little too long

Overall this was a solid three star read. Fun characters and interesting dynamics. There were some darker themes in this book so check triggers if you’re sensitive. This book was a smidge of a slow burn, but did have some spicy scenes later in the book, so overall two flames for spice

If you’re a fan of opposites attract, small town romance with found family vibes, then absolutely check this one out!

Please note: Review will be posted to Amazon upon publication

This was a fun RomCom, that had me cackling at times, but there were also several serious issues being dealt with as well. It also has a pretty cover and I am obsessed.

There will be some spoilers in the review, so please read on at your own risk

.

.

.

I LOVED the back and forth between Rayah and Jake. He was a shameless flirt, and I couldn't get enough of it. Jake was such a Green Flag (for the most part) I loved how respectful he was of Rayah, and when Rayah told him he needed to back off, he did. As someone who also has a chronic illness, I can see why he struggled with telling other people about it. For me, personally, I don't hide it on purpose, but it's not something you just casually blurt out in a conversation. I do think that he shouldn't have dragged it out as long as he did. Especially since the training he was doing was adversely affecting his health.

Rayah was such a strong character. I loved her and rooted so hard for her to get her happiness. She was hurt and let down by the people closest to her, and instead of letting it stop her, she managed to become successful, and she also took care of everyone around her. her little Found Family made my heart so happy.

I was so angry for Rayah. At her deadbeat father and the rest of the people who abused and took advantage of her. I really would have liked to see her confront him about everything, but you know what? I also like the way that it was taken care of.


I also really liked Blaine, and I'm glad that everything was able to work out the way it needed to. I literally giggled imagining Blaine and Jake taking a million pictures to find the one with JUST the right angle and lighting.

There was no big fight that let to their break up, but there was an issue of... forgetting to communicate about one thing, that happened at a very bad time, and while they didn't fight about it, it led to hurt feelings.


Did It Make Me Cry? Yes. Towards the end, when Rayah walks into the room of *spoiler redacted* She thought it was going to go one way, but I knew exactly what was happening.

Thank you SO SO much to Entangled Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.


*My review is currently posted on my blog and goodreads. I will submit it to Amazon once the book is out. I will leave the link to my amazon reviewer profile below.

A great read. Jake and Rayah meet when the Hollywood actor needs help.getting in shape to win a role. But he is keeping secrets that can change everything. I liked how it was told from both points to view.

I like Rayah a lot. She was a fun enjoyable character to read about and the writing was great. However, the way Jake behaved toward her, with his possessiveness, right from the beginning was not at all fun. It stopped me from enjoying the book at all really, because it just gave me the ick.

I really tried to like this one! It felt like there was so much potential and yet it was very rushed & confusing for me especially at the end. I will still be intrigued to see what Siedler does next because there was genuine humor here.

An enjoyable and fun read with celebrities, fitness, romance, health challenges, and healing from past traumas.

When a celebrity (Jake) has to shed pounds for a new role, while dealing with a secret health condition, he returns to his home town to stay at a fancy all-included multimillion dollar sports complex where his buddy works. He struggles to hide his health condition from the business' owner/trainer (Rayah) who has her own struggles (financial and past trauma) that she is trying to overcome. Rayah and Jake quickly dive into flirtatious territory and become more than just workout friends.

This book does a good job talking about what it means to be healthy, prioritizing your medical conditions and working with them, and how to embrace found family. It’s full of cutesy nicknames, small town characters and charm, and even a baby pig! Highly enjoyed, would recommend.

Overall, I thought this was a cute read!

I was hooked immediately from the beginning, and then sadly lost momentum during the middle of the book. I did feel a little disconnected because it felt too insta-lovey for me.

However, i felt that the humor was so fantastic throughout the book. Eva truly delivered with her witty writing and it made for an enjoyable reading experience.

I loved the POTS representation throughout the book. It was real, educational, and I loved that people who pick up the book will be able to learn about POTS.

Overall, there was a lot of potential, but fell a little bit flat for me. I am very excited to see where Eva's work goes from here!

Thank you NetGalley, Eva Siedler, and Entangled Publishing for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really loved this book! The premise was new and cute, and I loved the main characters, side characters, and even the goofy supporting characters. The found family Rayah has is so beautiful, and I loved how easily Jake/Chris was incorporated into that. I want books on all the Explosion family!!!

My only gripe with this book was that it was in third person. It was really hard to follow at first with the Jake/Chris name debacle, and I really have a hard time with third person POV. I’ll never understand why authors choose that route, but other than that, I really loved this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for providing the ARC.

I was initially drawn into this book based on the premise, but the more I read of it, the more I realized how much I disliked it.

I felt like the plot for this book was happening too quickly and so disjointedly that I had a hard time keeping things on track. Rayah seems a bit insufferable and naive about the people around her. Jake/Chris moved in way too fast for my liking and it felt almost like an instant love connection, just not as apparent.

Overall, not my favorite book.

Work It Out by Eva Siedler was such a delightful read!
I absolutely loved this book. It hooked me and kept me turning pages until I was done. Finished it in two days! The character development was strong, and the premise was unique. They were well written and the plot moved along at a great pace.
I loved the characters, setting and how it dealt with real life issues.
The romance was entirely addicting. I couldn’t get enough of Rayah and Jake’s interactions. The cuteness and yearning was all impeccable.
The writing was also so enjoyable in this book. Eva Siedler's writing style just flowed for me, and I loved every second.

Thank You NetGalley and Entangled: Amara for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book on #NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Work It Out is a cute RomCom story with lots of drama, passion, friendship, & some hilarious characters. There are actually so many different characters in this story it was hard to remember them all & their connection to the storyline.
Relationship goals are how I would describe this story. Overcoming obstacles & being able to lead a meaningful life on your own terms is what we all strive for, as well as finding a significant other that brings out the best in you, even when you thought there was nothing left to love.
This was my first Eva Siedler story & it definitely won't be the last.

I liked a lot about this romance between a B-List actor and a feisty woman running a fitness center in a small town who agrees to (hopefully) get him ready for a film role as a superhero. There are plenty of issues in the way: he has a medical condition that makes traditional training more difficult, she has family and past issues that keep catching up with her, his agent is a jerk, plus...they don't want to fall for each other but absolutely do. There were a lot of characters to keep track of - employees at the fitness center, townspeople who visited, friends - but overall it was a good read that tackled some tough topics.

This was open door, but not too spicy. Note that there is mention of past sexual assault of our main female character, so some readers may want to skip this one.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and netglley for letting me read and review.

Man, what a good book. Finally some disability representation in the male protagonist.
Here is a list of the things that I absolutely loved: the pig, Zandar, the accurate representation of getting in shape, the Hunt and of course CUPCAKE!

Also, I really want to read a book about Samuel and Vicky, they look so cute together. Samuel literally has my heart, he deserves the world.

This book is for the fans of Set on You by Amy Lea, and I would definitely recommend it.

Thank you netgalley and Entagled for the opportunity to read this book.
.
I loved the premise of this book but unfortunately the execution fell short.
.
The romance between Rayah and Jake just didn’t feel authentic. And by 37% I was completely over cupcake. 😬
.
This unfortunately was a miss for me.

I enjoyed the POTS expect, as someone who works in cardiology, it was nice to see it depicted in a book in the right way.

I found the story slow and a little dull. I wasn’t invested in the characters or the relationships. I didn’t care for the town or the gym enough to hope Rayah didn’t go under. I was missing the connections.