I enjoy collections like these with several authors providing the stories, giving me a taste of writing styles that may be a bit different from each other but mesh well enough to harmonize. Once again I'm reading a series out of order, with this being my first read of Smitten, but the coziness of the town and the loyalty of the community members came through strongly. The group of women lead the town as they rally behind Molly in her time of need, and a search for the town's legendary treasure connect the stories as they pass the vintage book to each other in search of clues. Heather, Abby, Lia, and Molly all have very distinct personalities and personal issues they work through while helping the others. The first three were interesting but didn't quite flow with me. My favorite story was the last one featuring Molly, by Denise Hunter, because I love her writing style and felt connected to the emotions of the characters as well as strong tension and chemistry between Molly and Gage. I look forward to reading the other collections to revisit Smitten and get to know more townspeople!

Disclosure statement: A complimentary copy of this book was provided from a tour group, publisher, publicist, or author, including NetGalley, OR was borrowed from the library, including OverDrive, OR borrowed from Kindle Unlimited, OR purchased. A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are unbiased and my own.

Like several others, I got about halfway through the first novella and felt like I had moved to a small town full of people who already knew each other and had a ton of inside jokes and I was on the outs and would never get in. The writing was good, but I think I would have enjoyed it much more had I known it was part of a series and known to start from the beginning. I would not say that this stands alone well at all.

This was just what I needed to feel like I can indeed finish a book in a reasonable time. I've read another (maybe 2?) of these Smitten books before and they are a real cute read. Four novellas written by four authors-- each one taking the storyline of one member of a small-town book club, with a mystery that weaves its way through each of the girls' story.

In this remarkable collaborative novel, besties Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck, Denise Hunter, and Diann Hunt tackle the tale of the Gentlewoman’s Guide by writing for one book club member apiece. Smitten Book Club is a hopeful, hilarious story of friendship and healing, written by friends for friends.

Having different authors for the four main characters really gives the book depth of perspective and gives each character her own voice, which is fun. Each little romance had a sweet little meet cute, and while it is indeed unlikely that four friends would find love consecutively, I was able to suspend my disbelief and enjoy this book in just a few days' time.