The premise of this book was intriguing and sounded promising to me, but overall it unfortunately ended up falling mostly flat.

I liked the concept of Haylie’s ability to catch glimpses of people’s futures and using that to help guide their lives in a positive direction. It did open up the wonder of if this was something someone could genuinely do, is it possible that it’s better not to interfere and let things play out how they’re meant to?

I didn’t connect to the romance between Haylie and Warren. I never felt the pull or tension of attraction between them. The rivalry and antagonism between them early on was well done but it felt like being told more than seeing when things shifted to attraction. Some of this may have been a result of having a hard time following the changing POVs in the book. It was first person dual POV, but it would shift from Haylie to Warren and back within the same chapter with nothing to note the shift. Sometimes this happened multiple times in one chapter. It was so distracting and jarring to me as I was reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and Canary Street Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

CW: Infidelity (minor); references to cancer; death of a sibling; grief; veiled references to suicide

I’ll admit I was a bit skeptical of this book when I started reading it. It didn’t hook me right away, and there were a few things that didn’t necessarily work for me. But I’m so glad I didn’t put it down, as I ended up invested in the romance between Hailey and Warren.

The romance was definitely the standout feature of All Signs Point to Malibu, as it was giving some rom-com vibes. I loved that Hailey and Warren have a bit of a complicated relationship dating back to high school. They’re definitely not fans of each other at the start of the story, but you could feel the underlying sexual tension in their arguments. I wouldn’t say they had banter, but they definitely knew how to push each other’s buttons and get enjoyment out of it – I truly loved the dynamics of their relationship. The romance developed at the perfect rate for me and felt natural. I loved that they both were wrestling with their attraction toward each other and the potential deeper feelings there. The romance was perfectly balanced with the main plot of stopping Hailey’s ex’s wedding, and I loved how that inherently added tension and conflict to Hailey and Warren’s relationship. My one complaint with the romance was that I wanted one extra scene at the end as the resolution to the romantic conflict was wrapped up so quickly! I think an epilogue would have worked really well here to show that and make the ending feel a little less abrupt.

Now, when it comes to the characters, I have mixed feelings about them. Both Warren and Hailey felt a bit one dimension to me – I feel like we’re told a lot about them, but we don’t actually know them? I also really struggled to connect with Hailey, and I think some of that is just on me as I couldn’t get over her being an influencer life coach – that felt so superficial to me, and I kind of hated being reminded of that was her job. I did enjoy her psychic abilities, and I thought they worked really well in the story and didn’t feel out of place. I appreciated that Hailey felt like she had emotional growth throughout the story. In the beginning, I was frustrated that she felt like she was entitled to meddle in her ex’s love life (she justified it very, very poorly to me), but I felt like she learned her lesson by the end that sometimes you have to let fate take its course in some things in life.

I liked Warren and felt he was a very empathic character, which made him a little easier to initially connect with. However, I felt like some things in his past – like what happened with his brother – weren’t fully fleshed out. I wanted to know about him, what motivates him, and what has shaped him, but some aspects of his character felt very surface-level.

One area I struggled with in this book was the writing. It’s written in first person present, alternating from Hailey and Warren’s point of view. I find present tense to be a bit awkward in romances and definitely noticed that a bit in this book. Sometimes the writing felt a little choppy, and I feel like this book suffered a bit from too much telling and not enough showing. That made a lot of things, especially when it came to the characters, feel surface-level. I also wished that when we switched from Hailey to Warren’s POV, it had labels above it, as I definitely got tripped up a time or two, especially in the beginning.

Despite some of the issues I had with the writing, I did really enjoy the plot. I liked the framing of the story and how it opened with Hailey ruining a wedding, but we don’t know exactly what she did. I was very curious to know what she did and uncover the journey she went on to get to that point. As I mentioned, I also really liked the romance as well. Once I got invested in that, the book picked up speed for me, and I flew through the end of it.

All Signs Point to Malibu was a bit of a mixed bag for me – I didn’t hate it, but I also didn’t love it. It’s a true 3-star read for me. That being said, it was a cute romance and a fairly quick read, so if the premise intrigues you, I think it’s worth picking up. Plus, that cover is so cute – perfect end-of-summer vibes!

Thank you to Sparkpoint Studio/Canary Street Press for the ARC! All thoughts, ideas, and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Thank you to Harlequin for the review copy of All Signs Point to Malibu by Jennifer Snow. This book had a lot of potential, with some fun tropes and plot devices, but it never quite came together for me. Part of my disconnect may stem from a growing disinterest in main characters who are influencers—I struggle to connect with the inherent fakeness of that lifestyle, and I found it especially hard to relate to a protagonist with a background in psychology choosing this route as a means of enacting support and change.

The magical realism element also felt out of sync with the standard enemies-to-lovers storyline. While intriguing on its own, it seemed misplaced here, and underdeveloped. Had it been the main focus—something more akin to a Heather Webber-style plot—it might have worked better. Instead, it muddied the character development and detracted from the romance.

Overall, I found it difficult to get into the rhythm of the book. The plot felt sluggish, the pacing uneven, and the writing a bit clunky, leaving me unexcited to see what would happen next.

2.5 stars.

Unfortunately, this book was a not a hit for me. There were quite a few things that I did not enjoy that just kept surfacing. It took me much longer to read this book than I should have because I just wasn’t enjoying it.

The characters were juvenile to the point that I had a hard time relating to them. A successful career coach derails someone’s plans by telling airport security that they have a bomb/drugs? Seriously?

The title was pretty misleading. There was no real focus on Malibu or getting a main character to stay in Malibu. And while there was some “fortune telling”, the title just missed.

The beginning of the book that shows a glimpse of Hailey running away calls the bride a bridezilla…but she wasn’t. We only saw one scene in which she became demanding, but she was under a lot of pressure. I was expecting more on this front and it didn’t deliver.

And I thought the conflict at the end was ridiculous. Hailey gets kissed by the groom and everyone is mad at her?! Even the cop said that if you watched the video, you could tell that’s what happened…so millions of people are just roasting her for no good reason…and no one really ever comes back around to apologizing to her for that.

I really appreciate the ARC of this book even if it was miss for me. I will not be posting this full review on Goodreads, as I really do value authors and their works.

after giving this book a second chance, i found it was a quick and easy read but it didn't sweep off my feet. The mystical and paranormal elements made it interesting and the chemistry between Hailey and Warren was cute. I also enjoyed the dual POV aspect of it.

Overall it was a book that was a bit hard to get to it the first time around, but it was a fast and mindless not too crazy read.

Thank you NetGalley & Harlequin Trade Publishing for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

I enjoyed reading "All Signs Point to Malibu". It was fun, refreshing and quick summer read. There is a good mix of banter, spice and comedy,

A rom-com mixed with a little mysticism and feel good story. Hailey is a successful life coach, who can see into the future. Is messing with fate helping her clients find the path to success or is it to her detriment. She holds a big secret, unwilling to open up and trust anyone with her friendship. Although, she is a successful, popular and a well know influencer, she is often lonely and wondering if she can trust anyone to open up.

Hailey gets mixed up with newly engaged ex-boyfriend, Liam and his is best friend Warren. If you liked "My Best Friends Wedding" you are sure to like this one.

Thank you to Jennifer Snow and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are mine.

I really enjoyed this book! The character development was great. I loved the banter between them. Overall a great quick read.

3.75 for me. I thought this was a really cute. I think the idea was a fun one and it was for the most part an enjoyable read.
What I liked:
-the tension between Hailey and warren. so many times, I was just kiss each other already! In a fun way because any moment where they almost kiss gets interrupted.
-I liked the antics that they were getting into.
-I liked how these two actually care about the people in their lives. Warren with the kids he coaches such as with Marcus and how he wants to do right by him but doesn't want to be like his father. Hailey who yes has a social media lifestyle and seems superficial but truly just wants to see her people successful but starts to struggle with the idea that success doesn't always mean happy, and she worries if she is truly helping people.
-I liked how it ended and there was even a moment where I get choked up

Personal annoyance
-I am the type of person who believes you can only lead a horse to water you can't make it drink and sometimes as long as no one is in true physical or mental harm you have to let them make mistakes. So, while I think the whole premise of this book of trying to stop your old boyfriend from making a mistake because it will result in a divorce or unhappiness later in his life was cute. I did eventually as I was reading it get a little irked because yes, these two are really rushing things and aren't talking about things and are not setting themselves up for success as a married couple so all you can do as a friend is voice your concern and then you have to let them make their own mistake.

In the end this was a fun and cute read and I did like Hailey and Warren together.

This book is about Hailey who has a unique gift of seeing the potential futures of those she touches the lifelines on their hand with hers. She has been able to turn this into a successful business of being a life coach. A lonely one but still a successful one. Then one day following an earthquake tremor where there is some damage to her pool. So, she calls the man who while he is the father of her ex has because a stable influence in her life. So, when she opens her door expecting the older man, she is surprised to see her ex standing there wanting to check out her pool's damage. But opening seeing him on her doorstep also opened the door to old feelings that make her wonder if this a sign for a potential 2nd chance at love with him. That is until his fiancé comes out of the car... Rethinking the possibility of a second chance she decides to check his future something she has never been able to do before due their relationship. So, when she sees heartbreak in his future, divorce and possibly career failure she decides that she needs to break up this couple and prevent the marriage that will only end in doom and what better way that to do that than to "help" plan and host their engagement party. However, her plans keep getting wrecked by the best man her nemeses Warren who they have a shared and bumpy past to say the least and he seems very suspicions of her motivations for helping out her ex. But as they are forced to work together, they start to see new sides to each other, and she starts to wonder what his future could possible hold?

I recieved an ARC copy from netgalley and HTP in exchange for an honest review.

Ok, this book was actually pretty interesting and entertaining. I think what initially intrigued me was that there was a psychic, almost fantasy take on it. Hailey is a life coach who uses her psychic abilities to help her clients but struggles to have a normal balanced life outside of work. Warren is Hailey’s ex’s best friend who’s had history with Hailey’s certain skill set. (It’s kinda giving that’s so Raven, where Raven tries to save everybody’s terrible future but never sees the bigger picture so she ends up making more of a mess lol) and they both are forced to work together to save her ex’s future. It was cute and cheesy at times. Enemies to lovers, and forced proximity so like, it was fun! The spice was minimal but I think I liked that it wasn’t just about romance, but about self discovery as well. We love self growth! I will be checking out more of Jennifer Snow’s books, because I did enjoy this. *Thank you to NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review.*

I enjoyed this book. By the end I still wasn’t sure why the title was picked. Some of the supernatural aspects were a bit out there, the main being the earthquake bookends. It checked the boxes for an enemies to lovers, summer read!

A quirky novel about a woman with a special talent that helps her clients go forward in their lives, takes a turn when her ex boyfriend comes back into her life. Haley is sure he is back for her, but in fact he is engaged to another. And as much as she wants to dislike her, Haley likes the girl.

So when Haley is asked to throw a party for the couple, along with her ex’s best friend, things can certainly get tossed around!

A fun, rom-com read set in the rich, luscious world of Malibu.

Hailey is a life coach / social influencer. When her ex comes back into her life and she finds out he’s getting married, she’s on a mission to stop the wedding. In comes her ex’s best friend to put a wrench in her plans. This was a fun, sweet romance that I really enjoyed. Hailey and Warren are the perfect match! I’ll be checking out more of Jennifer Snow’s books.

*ARC provided but NetGalley for an honest review.

If you are looking for a fun, light romance to read in a couple of hours, then I would recommend this book for you. However, this is not a perfect book. It did nothing wrong, but this formulaic story is not breaking ground on a unique plot. Adding the aspect of Hailey's psychic ability is interesting in theory, but in reality it just lent itself for an over explanation as to why the characters do what they do.

This book is a bit forgettable, but it was a quick, fun read.

I want to take a moment to thank the publishing company as well as NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This books has enemies to lovers, forced proximity, and the continuing question of will they or won’t they?

This is definitely a fun read and I would recommend reading this while at the beach or by the pool. It was a fun time! Some parts of this book didn’t seem realistic but that did not stop me from kicking my feet out and giggling.

Thank you Netgally and Harliquin books for allowing me to read an advanced copy ahead of publication, in exchange ge for my honest opinion

enemies-to-lovers
forced proximity
a touch of magical realism
Banter

The blurb didn't give to much away but it was enough for me to request. Om glad I did I'm a fantasy roman e girl. Do this was a great read for me.

#allsignspointtomalibu #netgalley

So, here's the thing: this book was not for me, nor is Jennifer Snow an author I will ever revisit, and in any other circumstance I would have DNF'd and been on my way. (But sometimes you gotta write a review.) To say that I was surprised All Signs Point to Malibu wasn't a debut novel is putting it mildly. The prose felt stilted and too cliched, the plot was formulaic, the characters were either boring or unlikeable, and the paranormal twist which drives the entire plot was better done in Sarah Adler's Happy Medium . Literally, the only two things I enjoyed were the book's setting (I could feel the warmth ☀️) and the fact that I finished it in less than three hours. However, maybe you like everything I didn't and this will be the perfect read for you!

My first big problem was that Snow used first-person present tense but told more than her characters said. Both POV characters had incredible insight into their own thoughts and motivations, resulting in paragraphs of explanation but few lines of dialogue. Most of the novel felt like Snow over-explaining Hailey and Warren's decisions to the reader instead of just doing the thing in real-time. Reading a character think something (e.g. "chemistry sizzles between us") when you also just read how it didn't became repetitive and eye-rolling.

The other problem was how Hailey and Warren completely lacked chemistry. Most of the novel was Snow repeating how sexy and romantic they found one another as if she had to remind me of a fact I didn't believe. On top of an enemies-to-lovers arc (which is conveniently overcome in weeks), Snow also makes sure we're aware of why Hailey and Warren dating is such a taboo: she ruined his career! She used to date his best friend! They're both sexy but hate each other!! But I just did not care at all about Hailey's former relationship with Liam and I didn't care about Hailey's sexual fantasies about Warren's forearms or their eventual copulation (pages which I straight-up skipped because the whole scene was way too cringey). So, when Hailey or Warren were tiptoeing around their feelings or a big miscommunication happened to further the plot... I remained unmoved.

Ultimately, Snow failed to entice me with her writing, she bored me with her plot, and she gave me no reason or motivation to root for her characters.

All Signs Point to Malibu by Jennifer Snow needs to be on your summer TBR. This is a cute, easy read with the right amount of banter & spice. There is a small dose of fantasy thrown in. If you enjoy forced proximity, enemies to lovers, & a good romance this would be a great book for you!

Thank you NetGalley & Harlequin Trade Publishing for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This story is super sweet, with just the right amount of banter and bedroom spice. I loved that Hailey was able to have an impact on the futures she saw for those around her (like a less existentially frustrating That’s So Raven). Overall, I’d recommend this book to any fan of the romance genre.

Overall, I thought this was a cute story and enjoyed reading it, but I had a few hang-ups . I found that some things were overexplained throughout the book which slowed down the storyline. Also, I love dual POVs, but the book often changed POVs abruptly (even mid-chapter), so a POV label would've made it a lot easier to follow. I think this book has good bones but could use another round of editing to eliminate some things that don't add value to the storyline.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC!

All Signs Point to Malibu is for those who love a good romantic story with a dose of mysticism.
The story concentrates on Hailey Harris a successful life coach. I liked how Jennifer Snow incorporated motivational quotes as titles for each chapter.
Harris’s psychic visions are the boom and downfall of her career. There are lessons to be learnt, love blooms, friendships analyzed.
The ending is quick, maybe a little rushed – but for all those readers who like a romantic story you’ll be happy.

Thank you #netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.