Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

Alli Frank and Asha Youmans have done it again. I devoured this book in one sitting. Toni was such a great character and I enjoyed the fresh setting of those who work behind the scenes at the airport. This book was funny, poignant (I definitely teared up at the end), and the romance felt appropriate to Toni's almost forty-year-old self.

What I loved: the great supporting characters! Toni had a fantastic support system and I loved her relationship with Mrs. Eisenberg and what they both took from it. I also enjoyed that the main characters were more mature in age. It's nice to see realistic, mid-life representation in a romance story. This feels like a rarity (outside of romantasy "midlife woman comes into her magic and enters her crone years" type stories) and it shouldn't be.

That said, I think it's a disservice and slightly misleading to call this a romance, although there's definitely a romantic storyline. There was much more focus on Toni's journey of self-growth than on her love life, which felt appropriate given the premise and description. But it took me a while to get pulled into the story, Toni has a lot going on and a full life but something about the storyline just felt flat for me for most of the book. There's some conflict and misunderstandings along the way that will keep readers' interest, especially with her ex-husband. Mild spoiler: I got frustrated with her regarding the conflict(s) of interest surrounding her participation on the show, mostly because what did she think was going to happen? I kept waiting to see the conflicts of interest take more of a main focus earlier in the story and be addressed, and while some were noted they just didn't impact things in the ways I was expecting. Watching for the resolution of those also took me out of my enjoyment of the story a bit. Not a bad story overall and it was a quick read, but it ultimately left me feeling a bit unsatisfied. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars. Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this story in exchange for my objective opinion.

Thank you Montlake and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this ARC of Boss Lady by Alli Frank and Asha Youmans.

Right off the bat when I saw that that this was a collaboration between two female authors I was so happy to get to review it. The Blurb had me very intrigued. At its heart yes, it is a love story, but it's also a tale of the joy of female friendships and how having a great friend is often so much more than a sum of its parts.

I loved this story, the humour and banter, the pace of the plot and I have already bought the author's other books.

Unfortunately, this book just wasn't my cup of tea. I wasn't able to fully connect with the main character enough to dive into the narrative. (I'm sure plenty of readers will enjoy this book, and it definitely has an interesting premise. I'll try to give it another read in the future.

Boss Lady by Alli Frank & Asha Youmans was more than I expected. This was pretty much a rags to riches story, with an emphasis on strong female characters. This was a very inspiring read & I would recommend to friends.

Thank you NetGalley & Montlake for the ARC copy of this book.

While the main character, Toni, had moments of promise, there were times were her actions drove me insane. Despite rooting for her at times, these setbacks hindered my ability to fully connect with her journey.

The relationship between Toni and Ash, the main couple, lacked depth and chemistry. It felt forced and abrupt, as if it was hastily inserted into the story without proper development. Their interactions often seemed strained?

The premise of the book was really promising but the execution fell short. The subplot involving Toni's almost-ex-husband felt out of place, and the meandering plot left the main storyline unclear until the very very end. While the writing was solid, the overall narrative could have benefited from tighter focus and better pacing.

A contemporary rags to riches story, this book centers around a strong FMC, Toni, who works hard for everything she has in life - including her relationships with family and friends. I loved how the book centered around many strong female characters, Toni's mother, daughters, and her found family friends, Zwena and Sylvia. I liked the concept of the book and seeing her product start from her heritage all the way through the fulfillment stages. However, I felt the storyline felt a bit jumpy and never quite smooth between timeline jumps and even sometimes between chapters. Thank you to Net Galley for providing the ARC copy.

I did not like the main character. Throughout the book, there were many times I found myself rooting for her and starting to like her but then she would make a decision or a side comment that would make me lose all the progress I made. Her thoughts made it seem like she thought she was better than the other women in the book because she was school and career driven rather than caring about looks. This was especially irritating since she chose to start a business dependent on women who like to take care of themselves and care about appearances. This happened when she was talking about her mother or her more girly daughter rather than her nerdy daughter. She also frequently took things as a personally attack which got frustrating. For example, one time Ash (love interest) asked if she got to his house okay and in her head she said that she has Google Maps and a brain so of course she did. It was just small comments like this throughout the book that got frustrating and annoying.
I was not really rooting for the main couple. They really had no interactions and half the time, the main character seemed to dislike everything about Ash that wasn’t his appearance. It kind of felt like it was just thrown in at the end when they really could’ve just been friends.
I thought the main story of a mother abandoned by her husband to raise two girls alone while also pursuing her dreams was inspiring. The main character did have some character growth, but overall I felt like she was frustrating to read about.

Title:Boss Lady By Alli Frank & Asha Youmans

Release date: July, 2nd, 2024

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Stars

This story tracks the adventure of Antonia "Toni" Arroyo, a woman set on breaking away from her mother's conventional expectations and chasing her own aspirations.

Despite facing financial struggles and the challenges of single motherhood, Toni remains resolute in her ambition to become a successful inventor and entrepreneur. Along the way, she receives support from her mentor Sylvia Eisenberg and forms a connection with venture capitalist Ash. With a groundbreaking business idea in the works, Toni seizes the opportunity to pitch it on TV's Innovation Nation.

However, her plans are complicated by the reappearance of her self-absorbed ex-husband.Toni is resolute in pursuing her genuine ambitions as she bravely confronts the intersection of her past and future.

Toni, our spunky main character, flips the script on society's rulebook, blazing her own unique trail through life.

The book delves into themes of grit, big dreams, and the magic of staying true to yourself. Toni's quest to chase her aspirations and conquer challenges is a true power-up for the soul!

A witty, engaging, and ultimately inspiring read that celebrates the power of determination and self-discovery.


I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A book about the power of positive female friendships. Toni is a smart woman who is trying to move her life forward. She’s had many setbacks that have kept her from her dreams. She is struggling to find the courage to believe in herself and not fall back into the rut of putting her dreams on the backburner. This is a fun book with lots of great scenes of friendship and family. I enjoyed the scenes with her coworker and friend Zwena and also her customer turned friend Mrs Sylvia Eisenberg. This is a fun and quick read that I could enjoy with a snack and a drink. It felt like watching a JLo romcom.

What I loved:

Female positive friendships, great messages for working toward a goal, the humor, plenty of back story for all the characters, the writing was great

What I didn't love:

The putzy, almost ex-husband who never feels quite fully authentic for this story, the way the plot seems to get side tracked by yet another one page anecdote, the plot that was never really clear until past the half way point

I wish the plot was arranged in a more linear way and focused more on Toni's business goals rather than meandering all over the place. I wasn't sure if the main point of the story was about Simon, or a new love interest or her dream of running her own business. The writing was good but the story only started to come together in the last three or four chapters. Tbh, I think an editor should have seen where to tighten up the focus of the plot or move things around to make the flow work much better.

I wish I would have loved this book more because I can see what this novel should have been.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Boss lady has it all: authentic characters, well-timed humor, and an irresistible emotional pull. I highly recommend this one and look forward to more from these authors.

Boss Lady by A. Frank and A. Youmans, published by Montlake is a stand alone romance novel. I have to be honest, finishing this book was a challenge for me.
I read the blurb and was intrigued.
Toni's life is all mapped out by her overbearing mother. Only she has other plans - so far soo good. What I didn't expect was the pace and the one dimensionaity, the slow pace.
First I wanted to give three stars because I was bored at times but I trecked on and somehow I just can't, so here it is, I give 3,75 stars and hopefully someone else loves this story better than I.
Blurb:
In this funny and inspiring novel from the authors of The Better Half, a mess of a heroine is desperate to resolve her past so she can finally rediscover who she was always meant to be.

Antonia “Toni” Arroyo’s protective mother has outdated notions for her daughter’s life: employ her natural beauty and marry young. But Toni has wholly different aspirations.
A promising inventor and budding entrepreneur, she fights to keep her passions alive as a financially strapped mother of twins with a job in airport transportation services that has her going in circles. One treasured frequent passenger is elderly traveler Sylvia Eisenberg, Toni’s sage but unofficial adviser and cheerleader. When Toni meets Sylvia’s grandson, Ash, a striking venture capitalist, luck just might bend her way.
With a game-changing new business endeavor in development, Toni hustles an opportunity to pitch her idea on TV’s Innovation Nation. Toni’s unexpected challenger? Her very own recently resurfaced, self-aggrandizing not-quite-ex-husband. As Toni’s interrupted past collides with her future, she is more determined than ever to follow through on her delayed dreams.

Amazing book!
I was thoroughly engaged throughout this book and I didn't want to put it down! The author captured my attention from the get go! Five stars from me :)