Rating: 2.75

So, I just finished reading My Kind of Trouble by L.A. Schwartz, and I’m kinda torn on this one. On one hand, I really loved the representation on areas such as plus-size main characters, autism, and LGBTQ+. But, honestly? The main character, Harmony, just didn’t do it for me.

It’s not her personality, I get that she’s a con-woman, and she’s not supposed to be the most likable person, but even aside from that, I just couldn’t connect with her. I’m not sure if it’s just her specific chapters but they often seemed like filler scenes or chapters and I think that’s what made me lose interest to the point where I’d just skim ahead to find scenes of her with preston. I was really interested in seeing more of her con play out and I understand that it hadn’t played out as planned due to her falling in love with preston but I’m not sure, things just escalated from one plan to another, the whole situation just didn’t deliver what I wanted it to unfortunately. Now, Preston? Absolute gem. I was obsessed with how sweet and caring he was, especially with his sister.

But, in the end, the book didn’t really stick with me. It was fun while it lasted, but I’m not sure it’s something I’d remember or recommend to everyone.

Anyway, huge thanks to NetGalley and Alcove Press for the ARC in exchange for a honest review!

My Kind of Trouble is a retelling of the show/movie The Music Man. I think the author did a great job of putting a spin of the story. The gender swap was a cool idea. It also created a nice dynamic between the characters.

Preston & Harmony were so much fun to read about. I liked how much of a cinnamon roll Preston was. I love a sweet man! Harmony is a con artist but she has a heart of gold I swear! These two have fun banter and chemistry. I really liked their scenes together. They were also surprisingly sexy!

I loved the references to The Music Man too. They were sprinkled in and not overdone.

The side characters were entertaining and I enjoyed the setting. The plot was interesting and engaging. The romance was well developed and had a nice blend of sweet and spicy.

100% recommend!

Loved this book! Well wrote and a fun book to read! I really enjoyed it and couldn’t put it down! I loved the characters and the development between them and the story had me hooked honestly im obsessed!

Rating: 2.5/5
While I love the premise of this book (autistic librarian MMC x plus size con-woman FMC) and I'm sure that there will be many that will love this book, personally I just found it difficult to get into. Where I normally click with a book straight off, this just didn't happen for me. In saying that, I think it is well written and the story is fun, and I love the diversity and representation in the characters.
I think my main issue that caused me to not vibe with the book was Harmony. I didn't find her likable at all, and as a plus-size confident woman myself I was excited to maybe see myself in some of her but instead I just found her to be overbearing.
I really did want to like this more. I'm sorry.

Some lovely neurodivergent rep, an amazing con plot that deftly managed a large cast of characters, and an ending that had me laughing out loud!

"My Kind of Trouble by L.A. Schwartz is the perfect rom-com for anyone who loves a sizzling enemies-to-lovers tale with a twist! Harmony Hale, the ultimate conwoman, meets her match in Preston Jones, a nerdy but incredibly hot small-town librarian. The chemistry between these two is off the charts from the moment they meet. Harmony's boldness and Preston's straightforward, no-nonsense attitude make for some hilarious and steamy interactions. What I love most is how the book tackles real issues like autism and selective mutism with sensitivity and depth, all while delivering a fun and captivating story. Plus, the whole 'con artist meets her nerdy prince' dynamic gives me all the feels. If you’re into books that are equal parts heartwarming and spicy, with a dash of small-town charm and musical references, you won’t be able to put this one down!"

As soon as I heard that this book featured a librarian hero and a plus-sized heroine, I was down to read it. But THEN you throw in the fact that there's a fantastic autistic representation within Preston and Lucy, and I was sold two-fold. This book was so much fun to read, and even though she's a con woman, Harmony is easy to root for, and you want her to win. She's like the Robin Hood of con artists, if you will. Preston was fun to get to know and read about because I could relate to all of the issues he dealt with as a librarian (especially being one myself), but it was also interesting to see him navigate life with autism and the ways he's "dealt" with it. The conflict was quickly resolved, which I'm ok with because it happened in such a cute way. I wish there had been more conversation about everything, but otherwise, I enjoyed this book!

This was very cute. I loved the dynamic and characters a lot, the story itself was easy to follow too. I do wish the ending was a bit more fleshed out as it felt very rushed and sudden

I couldn't put the book down, it was so fun and quirky in a good way! I loved that the plot was refreshing and that neither the autism of the MMC nor the FMC being plus size was hindering them more than just a characteristic as any other but without erasing those details.
their relationship was built beautifully and I loved the built-up.
not a 5* for me because I thought the story was wrapped up in a bit of a story and a bit too forced.

Such a fun book! I was immediately intrigued by the main male character being autistic, as I am also autistic. I was also intrigued because the plot gave me the same vibes as the tv show Leverage, which I love. The characters are loveable and I absolutely adored Harmony's character. I especially love Preston's little sister and how precocious she is. I am also obsessed with how fiercely Preston will fight for his sister. He is a quiet man, but he will fight to the ends of the earth for her.

Harmony is a conwoman who has come to this small town in California to finally get revenge on the man who stole her father's music-streaming algorithm and ruined his life. She is all set to take him down with a fake music festival, but the final piece she needs is the cooperation of the man who owns the property she wants to use for her fake music festival.

Enter Preston, autistic librarian and piano teacher who is overwhelmed with fighting book challenges while also raising his 4th grade sister. He doesn't have time for romance, and he definitely doesn't have time for the beautiful festival promotor who speeds into his life.

But when they start to work together, they learn they might be able to help each other. As they get closer, feelings begin to develop.

The MMC made me laugh, made me smile, gave me oh that reminds me of .. thoughts, I enjoyed this book very much, the way the story was written made me happy! :) will definitely reread this book

I liked the representation of so many different communities in the story, and I feel they were well portrayed.

I loved the interactions between Harmony and Preston, and I feel their chemistry is very obvious throughout the book. However, I didn’t connect well with Harmony, and I found myself detached from her story.

It was a fun read though, and I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a fun, light read that has a happy ending.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVED AND ADORED THIS OMG
From the first pages, there is such a wit and warmth to this story and I love the rep so so much. I literally read this in one sitting, it brought back the easy joy of escaping into a romcom!

I'm sure that romance readers will absolutely love this story. A powerful plus sized woman and an autistic gent are your main characters here, and it's refreshing to see something other than a big and burly dude and a tiny blonde he can pick up with one arm.

But the story was formulaic, and I wandered away in the middle. Took me 2 weeks to read it because I just couldn't get into caring about either character.

DNF at 60 percent and skim read to the end.

This book was fine. I just don't think I was the target audience. I loved the autism rep in this book, found it to be very realistic. It's just that the story didn't grab my attention. Would definitely read more books by this author.

A solid 3 star

CUTE, FUNNY, AND SPICY. One of the most entertaining books I’ve read recently.

The story follows Harmony, a conwoman who, in revenge for her father, targets the mayor of Brookville, the cause for her father’s downfall. This time the scam requires her faking a music festival in town which, at last minute, will require a large sum of money to move forward. All she needs to set this plan in motion is the land where this potential festival will be in who belongs to the town’s librarian. Preston, the librarian, spends his days fighting people who want to ban books and make his life harder. Taking care of her selectively nonspeaking sister and having autism himself, he will defend the right to showcase books that talk about inclusion. Once these two meet, it’s all fireworks. They both experience a romance they never thought would have happened to them. Eventually, Harmony will have to decide between revenge or the happy and quiet life she secretly craved.

“It wasn’t just a kiss pushing toward anything more, or to forget everything but that moment, like so many. It felt like being known, and home, and belonging right there”

I love the characters. Harmony, Lacey, Preston… They are so sweet and deep and caring and deserving of all that’s good in the world. Harmony and Preston together are fire, they are funny and sweet and make the other so happy I was swooning throughout the whole book. The plot was so good also. I couldn’t stop reading.

This book deserves a 5/5 stars and if I could give it more I would. It was light, funny, spicy, deep.

I *really* enjoyed Preston's POV chapters. He was such an interesting and thoughtful character and I appreciated hearing his experiences with being on the spectrum and raising his sister who is also ASD. They had such a kind relationship and it kept me wanting to read more. I knew lying was going to be a big part of the book, but maaaaan Harmony was sometimes hard to read. I really struggled with the middle of the book because I was so fearful of the inevitable. But that's a personal bias. The two had some serious chemistry and the steamy scenes had steam! I could easily recommend this book to a variety of romance readers and I like how the representation felt integral to the character, and not some box to check off.

This is a cute role reversal update of the Music Man. The homage runs deep, starting with Preston's name (the two main actors in the movie musical).

What I loved:
Great, realistic portrayal of people diagnosed with autism. Who are just people. Living normal lives, with normal human wants.
Curvy FMC portrayed as beautiful and capable
Queer characters
Social justice issues woven throughout

What I didn't love:
The "bad guys" were one dimensional and Zach seemed unnecessary
Slow start
Con wasn't necessarily fully formed
I wanted more of Dani

A worthwhile easy read for anyone who loves movie musicals and likes diverse romance. 3.75 stars
Thanks to Net Galley and Alcove Press for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I want to start by thanking the author and publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book. I will be honest, I don’t know the best way to describe this book other than middle of the road. I genuinely can’t describe it any better. I didn’t dislike it, but I didn’t really love it.

This was a fun and cute story, focusing on a FMC of plus size and a MMC who has autism. I thought the story was cute.