The audiobook of Not you Again had me laughing out loud at how ridiculous these two could be. Kit and Andie get married on TV at first sight. Only they realize they know each other and used to date. There's a reason they are no longer together. This book follows them through their first 8 weeks of marriage and at the end they have to decide if they will stay married or not. Old issues pop up as do new ones, as they try to navigate this strange situation. While the narration was great the only thing I found annoying about this book was when the female narrator tried to do the male voice, it really took me out of the story. I really wish the male narrator would have just done all the male parts.
I listened to this during my 2 hours of lawn mowing and other yard work. I found myself laughing, smiling and enjoying this book more than I realized I would.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy.

I don't usually read books like this, people doing reality TV but there was something about it that made me give it a shot and I am so glad I did!

Andie makes wedding dresses. She is looking to push her little business further but she needs capital. When her friend recommends signing up for a reality TV show and $100,000 if she makes it through, she thinks what the heck.

Kit cannot help signing up when his mother uses her illness as a weapon to get him to concede.

The show is you marry someone you just meet at the alter..... Trouble is Andie and Kit have dated before!! OOHHHH I got chills just remembering it.

It was so great. They have to spend weeks together in front of the camera but all the old feelings come to the surface. Andie knows of she falls for Kit again, she won't have the money she needs.

Its brilliant! Loved the characters and the plot! Great book

4 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape for this ALC!

Andie Dresser is an Atlanta wedding dress designer stretched to her limits with limited funds. Her best friend suggests she sign up for a Married at First Sight -esque reality show that has a fine print divorce payout of $100,000. All she has to do is marry a complete stranger and NOT fall for them.

Kit Watson is an architect recently relocated to Atlanta to help his mother through her health scare. His mother is really wanting him to settle down before she passes. To satisfy her, he signs up for a matchmaking reality show and gets matched to be married.

Flash forward, Kit is standing on the altar, cameras everywhere. Only issue is, the woman standing at the end of the aisle… his college ex-girlfriend… Andie.

Will they make it through the 8-weeks without falling in love so Andie can get her payout?

I LOVED this friends to lovers to strangers to lovers so much. The comedy, the angst, the longing… perfection.

I also really enjoyed the voice actors and their phenomenal performance!

I began reading this book because I had just watched a similar show to First Sight at Forever, and thought it could be a fun plot for a book.
I liked the characters, but they could really annoy me sometimes, especially when Kit did the whole “I am not good enough for her” thing.
I also liked that all the couples ended up together. I was hoping for that to happen because it wouldn’t have been as happy an ending if only Kit and Andy were happy.
The narrators were also great, and I think they matched both the main characters really well.
Overall, I liked the book, but it wasn’t anything special. However, it was a pleasant read, and I'm glad I gave it a chance.

3 stars

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

I am happy to have been chosen as an ARC for this book and it was a beautiful read. I encourage people to read it and have all the feel good feelings. It grabs you from the start.

Thank you NetGalley for this audio ARC

This book is a cute second chance romance book!

Starting off as a enemies to friends the embers of the past romantic relationship are stoked by the producers and the TV show makers.

This idea of meeting your perfect match on TV is widely known. But to meet the ex at the altar which turns out to be your soon-to-be was unique and made me pick up the book. And I was not disappointed.
Death glares and sparks were flying all over the place. Mixed with banter and undercurrent feelings that played peek-a-boo it was the perfect blend to make the story an enjoyable read.

One person is in desperate need of money to fulfil their dreams. The other person is willing to settle down as long as it makes the mother happy. However both of them didn't expect to see that one person at the altar that they will be bound to for their life. It's hard to sort out ones own feelings, managing the relationship as a newly wed couple while constantly being on camera. Will they manage to find back to each other and live according to their vows?

The book was very entertaining and kept me smiling all the time. It was so gripping that I listened to it in one go.
This book is for every second-chance romance lovers, who likes banter and a sweet happy ending.
Thank you to NetGalley and Ingrid Pierce for giving me the this ARC!

Andie and Kit sign up for a “Married at First Sight”-type reality show (both with their own ulterior motives) and are randomly paired together, only to find out they already dated in college (and it ended badly). This one was super fun! I liked the characters and the concept, and I enjoyed all the bridal designer aspects, because I used to work in a bridal shop. I also liked the ending 🥹 Such a cute new rom-com!
TW: cancer

Many thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to read before pub day! ALC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. NOT YOU AGAIN is out now!

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"We're in this together. You jump, I jump."


Not You Again was such a fun second chance at romance. In this, you will meet Kit and Andie. Now these two have a past and lots of baggage to deal with. Sure, they dated before and ended on horrible terms with one another. So, in a way, it's kind of funny that they ended up being each other's perfect match and married at first sight (on a show, that is).

Navigating their relationship, with real-life problems, on a reality tv show was interesting. Sure, I've seen the shows that are sort of based on this, but we don't really get to see all that happens, you know? So, I really liked getting both points of view and seeing it through their own eyes. It was also adorable to watch them fall back in love with one another.

Things got emotional between these two and that really needed to happen. We needed to know what happened in their past to see how they could move on from it. Healing and understanding were a big part of these two moving forward with their lives. Then there's, again, navigating the now and how that will make them better too. Especially when we get some drama.

In the end, I really adored these two and their amazing chemistry. The narrators also did a great job! I definitely look forward to the next book Ingrid writes.

Andie Dresser, a wedding gown designer, participates in a reality show when her best friend encourages her to join for a prize of $100,000. When Andie is chosen for the show and matched up to be married at first sight, she is ecstatic. That is, until she sees who it is when she is walking down the aisle. Kit Watson. Andie’s ex. Will their newly married at first sight marriage last or go up in flames? This was adorable. An easy read that entertained me the entire time. This was a second chance, slow burn romance where I was rooting for both Andie and Kit to make it. I enjoyed how Andie and Kit both complemented each other as opposite types of characters. I loved the premise of the story. I listened to the audiobook and thought both narrators did a wonderful job.

I was really excited to read this one! I haven't watched a lot of reality TV shows but I have watched Married At First Sight so I was familiar with the style of show described here. I also lived in Atlanta where the show is set so that was fun too!

I had fun reading about Andie's wedding dress business and Kit and Andie did have a compelling connection. I struggled a bit with the level of angst and lack of good communication here. I also thought the spice read inconsistently. There is one very detailed scene and then the rest are fade to black. I felt like it wouldn't appeal to the people who prefer open door or the the people who like fade to black.

If you really enjoy the show Married At First Sight or really are into reality tv romances this one may be for you. I think reality TV romances have been a bit of a trend this summer so if you have been eating them up this is one to add to your tbr!

I listened to the audiobook version and thought Kelsey Navarro Foster and John William Maddux did a great job! Romance readers may know Kelsey from Megan Quinn's Vancouver Agitators Series however, John is a newer narrator.

I loved the concept for this book and the reality TV aspect was a lot of fun. The family relationships were complex and realistic, the cast of characters were very sweet and the romance was angsty which is right up my street. It's just a little unfortunate that even though the premise was so interesting, the execution wasn’t great. I liked the couple but I didn’t feel those feet kicking, butterflies that I love in a romance which probably means it will be a little bit forgettable for me.

I do think that my experience was probably impacted quite a bit by the fact that I wasn’t a huge fan of the narrators and I wonder if I had maybe read it with my eyeballs that I may have enjoyed it quite a bit more.

I would recommend it if you love a reality TV romance, particularly if you like Love is Blind or Married at First Sight.

Just rip my heart out why don’t you?

This book had everything I love. It was a fun storyline for a second chance love story. I am a big reality tv girl and loved the married at first sight angle. Both the FMC and MMC were absolutely lovable, and I found myself really rooting for them. Plus the spice was … spicy.

100% would recommend and would read again.

4.5 stars

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A wedding gown designer for the FMC? Swoon. I’ve always dreamed of that job so it’s so fun to read a book about it. I love that these two were forced together and he was basically her protector the entire time. He did so much for her while she was figuring out her feelings for him. He showed her every step of the way that he was a good guy and deserved a second chance again and she just had to take a little longer to figure it all out. I was super glad, in the end, she was also willing to do whatever it took to be with him though.

I was disappointed with the audiobook of Not You Again by Ingrid Pierce. First the narration was alright, but it came across a bit flat at times. But my biggest complaint with Not You Again was the lack of character development. I felt like you got very little background on the MMC and the FMC's was strictly dogmatic and lacked any depth. The lack of backstory was a major problem since this is a second chance romance. You don't get the necessary buildup or show of chemistry. It is a cute premise but the finished product didn't deliver the way it could have.

Thank yous go to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC of Not You Again, by Ingrid Pierce.

This book is a good choice for someone who loves the show Married at First Sight or enjoys a second chance romance. It was a fun book to read with good character development.

Some of the language is a bit vulgar, in contrast to the rest of the dialogue. There also a couple of spicy scenes.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to read and review this book prior to publication.

This was such an adorable one! I loved the characters. The second chance, enemies to lovers romance. The banter was so enjoyable. The chemistry was amazing. I listened to this and the narrator was great. Kit and Andie dated in college, before both their world's drastically changed. They stopped speaking and their feelings towards one another are less than wonderful. They both are cast for a reality show to marry a stranger and end up in a surprise marriage for the world to watch. With individual baggage and still open wounds from their relationship, will they be able to move forward together or will they crash apart. I flew through this book. It was just a feel good book, despite some of the scary, sad and frustrating parts. I laughed, cried, screamed and squealed. A great beach read!

Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

What an amazing debut novel out of Ingrid Pierce! Huge thanks to Dreamscape Media for the ALC of this book! These are my honest thoughts!

I've been on an accidental second chance romance kick lately, and this second chance nearly broke my heart. These two main characters, Kit and Andie, come from such similar backgrounds. They dated in college, but Kit's dad died and he didn't cope well, then Andie's mom got divorced and she didn't cope well (we'll forgive both of them because their brains were still maturing), and ten years goes by before they get their second chance.

The premise of this story is similar to... Married at First Sight??? I think? IDK. I don't watch reality tv (because I'm too busy reading), but these two set their sights on each other for the first time at the altar, and they're married for 8 weeks before they have to decide if they want to stay married to each other. And boy, do we go on a rollercoaster of an emotional journey with Kit and Andie!

I appreciated so much the "structure" of the reality show they were on, forcing Kit and Andie to interact and spend a whole bunch of time in forced proximity to each other. Andie's in it for the money at the end, Kit's in it to please his mom who is sick, and yet we end up with two people so perfectly complementary to each other. Their balance and also their ability to see and love and care for the other person really shines throughout the book. I liked that there were therapy sessions, and sessions with the other couples from the show. And throughout it all, I appreciated the growth of each character to the very last page.

Overall, a very solid audiobook! I liked both narrators and their take on the characters. This book was progressive without feeling overly agenda-oriented. The characters were strong but fragile, motivated and driven without being overly ambitious, communicative and also reserved. It felt very organic, and by listening to the audio, it felt like the story came to life.

I do love a good reality show romance when it's done well, and this hit the spot. It's a second-chance romance (another trope I enjoy) between two exes who dated for a short period 10 years ago, in college. Now, in their early thirties, they're thrown together on the set of a reality show about finding love, where couples are matched by relationship psychologists and meet at the alter for the first time (a spin on Married at First Sight).

The connection between Andi and Kit was instant, and I enjoyed the way Kit was ready to go all in again from the start, whereas Andi was very much against the romance. Their individual goals and backstories were integrated into the story pretty seamlessly, but their indecision towards the end of the novel became too repetitive for my liking. Other than that, this was a very enjoyable, juicy read.

I've never read a male character that's so obviously written by a woman ever...

Longer review coming soon.

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Andie is a bright new rising star in the wedding gown business! She has a spot on the Atlants Fashion Week and has gained a pretty big following in TikTok. But...not everything is that rosy. She's struggling with money, so when her best friend tells her about a reality show where the only catch is if she divorces she'll gain 100,000 dollars Andie sees her opportunity. She gets a spot on the reality show where she has to be married to a stranger for 8 weeks. A stranger who is supposed to be her soulmate (according to the match-maker scientists). But Andie couldn't have dreamed that at the end of the aisle, she wouldn't find a stranger. Oh no...at the end of the aisle is Kit Watson, the guy who broke her heart 10 years ago and with whom she was completely head over heels in love. And now for the next 8 weeks, she has to live with Kit and put her old feelings aside to get the money she came for. So what else to say besides...lights, camera, ACTION!

***

I felt drawn to the book from the moment I read the synopsis. It seemed like a fun summery romance, basically a perfect book to read in July.
And in the end...it was just okay. Mostly it was due to the fact that I hated Kit. He was the most obviously written by a female writer male character EVER. I cringed so hard listening to the book since he was just Andie 2.0, but more bland. The tone of voice for both female and male characters was basically the same (but it mostly stuck out with Kit, since the book is in dual POV). I think the book should've just been from Andie's POV since Kit's POV didn't add much to it. So in general the book gets a no from me and my overall score would be 2 stars.

I want to thank Netgalley, the publisher and the author for giving me a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Spicier than expected but still a cute story. Was it predictable? Of course but all the best romance stories are. The spice level definitely surprised me but it wasn’t a lot.

As for the narrators- I liked the male narrator. The female narrator has a way of ending every sentence with an uptick in her voice that was very unpleasant to me. I absolutely could not listen on my earbuds. It took me out of the story. It didn’t sound like an accent more like every last word was said with italics. Idk how to describe it. This absolutely could be a me issue with my adhd. So don’t let my review and opinions dissuade you.