So Into You by Kathleen Fuller, 336 pages. Thomas Nelson, 2024. $18.
Language: PG (5 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: G
BUYING ADVISORY: ADULTS - ADVISABLE
APPEAL TO: SEVERAL
Making videos about art from her studio at home—where she still lives with her mother—is the perfect job for socially anxious Brittany (28yo). Her mother, Amy (47yo), is still in pain from her difficult marriage and divorce from Brittany’s father, Daniel (48yo), and resists her friend’s attempts to get her to mingle with other singles. When Hunter (30yo) discovers Brittany’s videos online, he finds a peace he hasn’t felt in years, but his entrance into Brittany’s life brings all their personal and family issues to a head.
The number of ways that these two families are tangled around each other is comical, making the moment of collision when they all come together spectacular. This romance includes two separate love stories—further fueling the melodramatic relationships. Fuller’s characters have difficult pasts, uncertain futures, and all the decisions to make today as they try to make the future different from the past. These relatable struggles ground the story just enough to enjoy the truths within the exaggerated drama.
Brittany is described as having “pale” skin, Amy is described as having “moderately tanned” skin, Daniel is described as having “lightly tanned” skin, and Savannah is implied Hispanic. The mature content rating is for alcohol use, kissing, partial nudity, innuendo, and mentions of illegal activity, drugs, and sex.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

#SoIntoYou #NetGalley

Threading connections between characters is what this author did best in this book. The writing style, however, is a bit stilted. When she refers to her Mom in the first chapters not in dialogue but in the narrative form, it was a bit odd. Still, plot driven so able to read it to the end.

This ARC was provided by the publisher, Thomas Nelson Fiction, via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Dear Kathleen Fuller, I think I am So Into You....(see what I did there?!) or more accurately, I am sooooo into this book!

So Into You features a wallflower artist and reformed bad boy who form an unlikely friendship over art that eventually turns into more. And oh boy, it's as fantastic as it sounds!

From the first chapter I was internally squealing, Hunter and Brit had dynamic chemistry that kept me turning the pages. And that first kiss scene......whew that was cute and swoony!! I read the entire book in two sittings, I just couldn't get enough!

I loved how tender and sweet Britt was, even when she was struggling, she had an undeniable gentleness that she brought to the story. Hunter was equally gentle with Britt, I loved how patient he was with her and yet so confident in his pursuit of her! I love a male lead who isn't afraid to share how he's feeling and pursue the female lead. Hunter's story of redemption was so real but at the same time never made the story feel too heavy or preachy.

We get a second romance (I don't want to give anything away) in the book where we see more messages of redemption, forgiveness, and second chances.

I teared up more than once throughout the book, especially the we got to read the letter from Hunter to Britt (you'll have to read it to find out!).

Excellent read, an easy five stars! If you love sweet and clean romance as much as I do then So Into You needs to be at the top of your TBR!

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas Nelson Publishers, and Kathleen Fuller for the advanced copy, all opinions are my own.

So Into You

2.5 ⭐

I really liked the beginning and the initial premise of the book. I was super interested in the idea of seeing a FMC struggling with social anxiety meeting a MMC trying to redeem himself in the eyes of his family. Ultimately, the story fell a little too flat for me and left me wishing there was more of the MCs’ relationship developing in a better way versus so much focus being put on the secondary subplot of the FMCs’ parents. I really like this story could have had so much more potential had the focus been solely on the main characters themselves. I would have liked to see more scenes of them bonding and the sweet spot of them learning to fall in love with each other instead of everything happening all at once.

Britt Branch was a step in the right direction for introducing characters with mental health disorders and illnesses. Her experience with social anxiety may not be exactly the same for everyone, but it could reflect on at least one person out there who might be feeling something so similar to her. And I think it’s important to see that more in books in general, especially contemporary new adult romance. I thought she had a cute personality with her passion for art, yacht rock, and the 70s to 80s. I did feel like she was a little childish for her age? She was twenty-eight, but sometimes her interactions with her parents made her feel like she was still a child. And it’s understandable if someone has been coddled or almost hindered by their own personal struggles, in her case her anxiety. But it never really got resolved by the end of it? Her whole motivation of the book was to get her social anxiety in check so she could do what she wanted by supporting her best friend as maid of honour at her wedding, but then she backed out completely and never made good on her promise to her.

Hunter Pickett was very interesting to read about. I’m a sucker for MMCs who try so hard to redeem themselves from their past mistakes. In his case, Hunter really did change for the better and overcome his struggles with drug use and alcoholism. He was living independently without support from his family after being practically disowned and supporting himself with his own job after getting his GED. I liked that he was always very respectful with Britt and her social anxiety, and he never pushed her to do anything she wasn’t comfortable with. He always checked in with her and all his motives behind his actions were always to make sure she was okay with it. It was very refreshing to see a very green flag of a character. That being said, there wasn’t much resolved with his character either. I really wished he was able to make real amends with all of his family. It felt very hollow seeing his conversation with his mother about how he had changed when the rest of the family’s relationship with him hadn’t been showed by the end of it. He spent so much time dwelling on making his family less disappointed in him, but he never really got closure by the end of the book with them.

The premise felt like a false advertisement of some sort; almost 50% of the story was focused solely on Britt’s mother and father’s love story despite not being mentioned at all in the blurb? There were so many unnecessary chapters about them to provide background info on Britt and Hunter. There were chapters were it showed Britt’s mother’s foray into dating as a middle-aged woman, and lots of chapters where Britt’s father tends to pine and reflect so much on what he and her mother had. It would show dates that her mother would go on, and the conversations her father would have with his boss repeatedly. I skimmed quite a lot of it. And I know it must’ve been added and expanded on to give context into Britt’s issues with attachment, but to have it completely overshadow the two MCs? Sometimes it almost felt like the two MCs were secondary characters in their own story?

Britt and Hunter had so much potential together. They started off so wholesome and pure with Hunter reaching out to Britt through her art channel, and then becoming fast friends as Britt began to give Hunter art lessons. They were very go-with-the-flow with each other and respected the others’ boundaries. But then maybe 60% through it when all the drama ensues between them and Britt’s parents’ own separate love story, there was so much miscommunication and misunderstandings that it was almost painful to read. Because both of them knew they had both lied and were expecting not to deal with the consequences properly? And then one trying hard to reach out and the other giving silent treatment back and forth was honestly a little too much that I couldn’t believe they ended up together by the end of it.

However, I think the most beautiful quote in the book that everyone deserves to hear more often is this:

<i>“You have to give yourself the freedom not to be perfect.” ☀️ </i>

<b>Tropes:</b>
- Shy artist/influencer FMC x reformed bad boy MMC 🎨🏍️
- Third person POV 🗣️
- Friends to lovers
- Mental health rep: social anxiety 🧠
- Closed-door romance 🚪

<i>Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for my honest review!</i>

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction. I'm voluntarily leaving a review, and all opinions are my own.

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance, Sweet Romance, Christian Romance
Spice Level: Kissing (sex is mentioned and alluded to from the past)
Format: 4 POVs

SO INTO YOU digs into forgiveness, change, and second chances. It's 100% a romance. (Multigenerational even.)

Several characters experienced alcohol addiction, and each is at a different stage of life. I liked how this showed the readers a continuum of progress and change and hope.

This book is also about family relationships. It's an interesting dynamic in Britt's nuclear family, with her often caught in the middle. The enabling or stifling behavior is called out—otherwise, that would be irritating, but instead, it showed the why and how behaviors can be grounded in love.

I enjoyed this book. It's a tiny bit on the overly sweet side because of the resolution and how everyone handles alcoholism (at least to me). But it is a fresh look and a great conversation starter for a book club.

Happy reading!

This book was so sweet, I loved the characters, the different POV‘s was very unexpected. I adored Brett and Hunter, but something about their romance fell a little short for me, it was hard for me to see these two people as adults, because at times the book makes them appear very young. Brit suffers from social anxiety, and she feels that this hinders everything in her life, so Hunter decides that he wants to help her overcome that….. I think that’s the cutest thing ever, but then again I felt like these characters were teenagers instead of grown adults damn near 30….

Overall, I like how everyone is somehow connected, I don’t want to give anything away, because I feel that those parts were the parts that made me want to continue reading, because I wanted to know what happened at the end, but I am a sucker for a happily ever after, so the ending was the cutest thing.

So the review was a little mixed, but overall, I will recommend this book, because regardless it is a sweet little romance, and it is very inspirational, I love romance novels that give me a little bit of that.

4.5☆ read

I enjoyed my first full-length romance novel by Kathleen Fuller (I read her latest Christmas novella last month), but must say I haven't read a 4-person POV in a while, if ever.

This contemporary romance had women's fiction "vibes" as the story not only weaved romance(s), but it dealt with the underlying pain and life obstacles of each main character.

The story was seen through the eyes of 28yo Britt, her divorced parents, Amy and Daniel, and her potential love interest, Hunter. I loved how the author knit their worlds together from different angles, pulling each thread to bring them all closer, even in the midst of pain and heartache.

There were some serious themes in this story (i.e. debilitating anxiety, abandonment, divorce, drug and alcohol abuse, broken families and estrangement), but they were handled with tact and grace. Although I didn't love all the main characters 100% of the time, I was invested in this story and where it would end up.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

She has severe social anxiety and he is coming up three years sober. What they don’t have is a traditional meet cute but something deeper.

I liked how the author tackled the difficult subject matters. These people were still capable and ready for love and she showed that.

Thank you Thomas Nelson Fiction and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I had high expectations for this book, but, unfortunately, I was left disappointed. My biggest issue was the characters. None were lovable, realistic or relatable. I appreciated the sensitivity with which the author handled social anxiety, but Britt was not an accurate representation of someone coming out of her shell. It was an abrupt and sudden turn. Amy was, frankly, unbearable to read. Daniel was bland. Hunter was underdeveloped as a character with flaws presented, but never resolved.

Additionally, the writing was underwhelming and simplistic. The plot was predicable and quite stagnant with repetitive plot lines masked as new complications. I ended up skimming about two thirds of the book (a generous estimate).

Overall, I was left disappointed and bored throughout.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable and very unique romance. Brittany has severe social anxiety and still lives with her mother, and Hunter is a recovering alcoholic who has been completely cut off from his family. That's how things start out before author Kathleen Fuller weaves this rocky start into a clean romance that deals with tough issues in an understanding but not overly heavy way. The main characters, as well as the supporting ones, are well-developed and likeable. I especially loved how Hunter was so understanding and was willing to make the extra effort required to have a relationship with Brittany. Maude and X are great quirky characters that own an art store where Brittany and Hunter get to know one another. The story flows at a good pace, and the dialogue seems natural for the characters and the situations. There's a great HEA. Kathleen Fuller is a new-to-me author, and I would definitely read more books by her and would highly recommend So Into You.
I received a complimentary copy through NetGalley from the publisher and am sharing my opinion of this very well-written and interesting romance.

So into you by Kathleen Fuller is a romance that brings together opposites-attract and second-chance tropes in a heartfelt story of self-discovery, recovery, and unlikely love.

What I liked :
The way the author depicted social anxiety and addiction recovery was well done—Britt’s anxiety issues felt genuine and relatable. I also appreciated the decision to keep this story spice-free; it didn’t need it, and that choice kept the focus on the characters and their journeys.

What I didn't like:
This story started very slowly for me. I almost considered DNFing in the first few pages, but I continued out of respect for the effort authors put into their work. After a few chapters, I started to get into the story, though I wouldn’t say I was fully invested. Another issue was the multiple POVs—they sometimes felt scattered and could have been more structured.

Overall, So into you is a good work of fiction, and and interesting and somewhat unique story of romance. It may not be my cup of tea, but totally see someone else adores it!

And if you are into these tropes:
🎨 Opposites Attract Romance
🖌️ Social Anxiety Representation
🎨 Addiction (Alcohol) recovery
🖌️ Multiple POV
🎨 Slow Burn
🖌️ Zero Spice
🎨 Second Chance Romance
🖌️ Artist × Reformed Bad Boy
Then give this one a try!

Thank you to Author Kathleen Fuller, Thomas Nelson Fiction, and NetGalley for this ARC! I received a complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review, and all opinions are my own.

The way that their lives are interconnected without their knowledge is fun, especially as it begins to be revealed. Although Britt’s experience with anxiety is different from mine, I appreciate the anxiety representation. I like the characters and the message about second chances. The writing style wasn’t from me though. I think that having so many POVs really stunted the story because it made the story move sideways instead of forward. Britt and Hunter’s POV were the only ones we needed, in my opinion, and doing so would’ve allowed the focus to be more on them. It would also help to develop their relationship more because I feel like we didn’t have enough scenes with them just being together and the scenes we did get were not long enough.

Britt & Hunter

When I saw this one pop up on NetGalley, I knew I had to read it!

I loved the multi-romance story line, the redemption, and just the way that both Britt and Hunter grew. The little connections between Hunter and Britt’s families made for some great suspense. All four main characters had to learn about the consequences of keeping secrets and not owning up to their mistakes.

I really enjoyed the gentle element of faith in Hunter’s storyline. I think it was really neat, and special, that his dad was able to form a connection with Britt’s dad, and offer him a second chance, and I think that Hunter’s past really helped with the offer of redemption for her dad.

The theme of anxiety and worry was very well done. If you’re looking for a book that addresses social anxiety, Kathleen does a wonderful job in this one!

Big thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the chance to read and review early!

This was my first contemporary Kathleen Fuller book but it won’t be my last! Britt Branch loves art and her online art channel, especially because her severe social anxiety keeps her from meeting a lot of new people. When reformed bad boy Hunter comes across her video channel, he discovers a newfound interest in creativity-and the artist who can teach him more and more. What starts as a tentative online friendship soon blossoms into in-person instruction and a romantic attraction. This book is a wonderful picture of second chances and learning to live outside of your comfort zone! There is also a side plot involving Britt’s mother and it was really fun to watch the way Fuller weaved all of the storylines together. I thought the main characters were unique and different from a lot of the clean fiction stories out there, which was nice. Overall I recommend this book!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley and was not required to give a review. All opinions expressed above are my honest opinions.

I didn't love this book. I enjoyed the romance plot of Hunter and Britt but did not enjoy the mom's storyline nor the contrived climax and ending - it just didn't ring true for me.

I have so many thoughts on this book. First, I don’t need this many POVs. I really could have done without Amy and Daniel. It makes sense based on what ends up happening in the book but really I was just obsessed with Hunter and Britt and wished it was just their POVs. Their relationship was so sweet, although very cheesy at times I often forgot they were 28 and 30 I think? Either way, it was so sweet to see Hunter care for her and truly help her through her anxiety struggles. Their relationship developed genuinely. Amy and Daniel on the other hand….. nope nope nope nope. I loved Maude too. Such a fun character that balanced the story out well.

"So Into You" by Kathleen Fuller is advertised as a book about Britt and Hunter, but in reality this book has a dual storyline with Britt's mother Amy and father Daniel, as well. The tagline for the story seems to indicate it's Britt and Hunter's story and it's a rom com but it's more than that for sure. There are several side characters as well that enhance the story, especially Maude and X who play a central part to the story. I liked the use of Britt's art talent in the story and how it's used to bring Britt and Hunter together.

This book is a very good book and I didn't want to put the book down. I read it in a day and I want to make it clear that I really did enjoy the story, even the tough parts. This book deals a lot with social anxiety, alcoholism (from the point of view of recovering alcoholics) from a few main characters, family trauma and divorce 20 years ago between Britt's parents. All of these things play a central part to the story and provide a rich, storyline. This book may trigger some that have a hard time with those topics but others like me, they may find the topics intriguing. These topics shape the characters and cause behaviors that are difficult to read at times.

I wish the description on the back cover was more encompassing of Britt's parents story since the book is split between several points of view including theirs.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson Fiction and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

I totally enjoyed this story of two people randomly finding each other through a "you tube" like channel on the internet. It is such an interesting story with so many interconnecting lines that bring a group of people together from all walks of life. I liked how the main characters are each dealing with life on a "one day at a time" level for completely different reasons. One of them suffers from social anxiety and the other is a recovering alcoholic. It was beautiful watching them help each other to reach a better place. It is also a book about learning to actually LISTEN to the people around you and not make assumptions or jump to conclusions without trying to ferret out the truth.

Marvelous characters and a great story!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for providing me with an ARC, in exchange for my honest review.

I loved the premise of So Into You and knew the story was going to be a cute fun read which it definitely was! We meet Britt who is a Youtuber who specializes in art, still lives with her mom, and has a few secrets she may be keeping from her. Although her mom says to not talk to strangers on the internet, it couldn't hurt if she knows who it is, right? But what if she doesn't? Enter Hunter, a recovered troublemaker (in many senses of the word) who has lost sight of where to go next. Stumbling onto a youtube video that calms his anxiety he begins to see a light at the end of the tunnel.

Honestly I did think the characters as well as the story did lack a little depth. I was just expecting a little more in terms of layers and situations that just didn't play out. With this in mind you can kind of see where this book is taking you before you get there - which isn't bad, I was just a little underwhelmed.

Before diving into this review, I need to say that I applaud the author for making anxiety an overall topic throughout the book. Millions and millions of people deal with what Britt deals with every day.

With that said, this review will contain mild spoilers.

I don’t think I was the correct audience for this book. It was my negligence that I did not research the author. However, I can appreciate and read a good romance.

When I read the description of this book, I thought it would be a sweet romcom book filled with laugh, love and a redemption arc. To a point, it was exactly that. We meet Britt who is a 28 years old art youtuber who lives with her mom and has severe social anxiety. Then we meet Hunter who is a 30-year-old reformed player and recovering addict.

However, what the description failed to mention was that not only would we be seeing Britt and Hunter’s POV (third person POV), but we would also only get Britt’s mother and father (and a few lines about Hunter’s father’s POV), which was somewhat confusing at times. As well, there were quite a few side characters introduced in the book that would make frequent appearances (Hunter’s family, roommate, best friends, Maude, X and even one named Max Monroe, who, ironically, are rom coms authors).

However, I think my biggest issue with this book is how Britt’s mom would baby Britt. The book described her as overprotective … but it was a LOT. It was like her mother did not see Britt as an adult or even Hunter (she even referred to him as a kid at one point). Throughout the book, I needed to remind myself that both the FMC and MMC were NOT teenagers. Another issue is the romance aspect of the overall book. I understand that this was a clean romance (just a few kissing scenes, nothing too descriptive), however, the romance between Hunter and Britt felt … off. Ironically, the two fell in love with each other over months, but I think it’s because the book focused so much on NOT their love (ex. mother’s journey to find companionship, the father’s building relationship with Britt, Britt’s anxiety, etc.) that when the FMC and MMC do fall in love, it was underwhelming. Also, I know Britt’s mother treated her like a child, but to be fair, Britt still needs to work on herself and to grow up a bit more (even by the end of the book).

Overall, the book was … meh. I wish the blurb would include that we would be seeing multiple POVs throughout the book and that it doesn’t mainly follow the FMC and MMC’s journey. Also, the book has a LOT of description. Sometimes, it seems there was too much description, and it took away from the overall plot. About 50% in, I debated to DNF as the plot was getting more and more predictable.

Again, I don’t think I was the correct audience for this book. However, if you’re looking for a clean romance with multiple POVs, I think this book is for you.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.