JJ Knight is an author I always enjoy! This is an age-gap romance where Kelsey goes on a road trip targeting small towns in an effort to find her own meet-cute scenario. Zachery is her best friend who tags along to play wingman but to the surprise of no one, our man Zac has been pining after our leading lady.

It has just the right amount of spice, and I love a road trip romance. I think it lends to some really interesting storylines and that definitely happened here.

This book is unapologetic about the kind of fancy lives the lead characters lead ( to different extents, but they do have ‘finer’ tastes). At the same time, they are not empty – headed although the entire plot is a little crazy. It is treated with the level of seriousness that makes sense.

Kelsey is practical most of the time but her love of rom-coms along with her singledom has her thinking about how to find her happily-ever-after. With a little nudge she ends up making a crazy list and tries to fit herself into the mould of the chirpy protagonists books/ movies need to focus on.

I’m not sure how well I think the plot sat with me. There were times I enjoyed it and other times I thought it didn’t work as well but the story kept moving at a good pace. Zachery is more set in life but he started the whole mess and is left to deal with it. There are a few explicit scenes but they are set in certain parts of the narrative. Overall this is a quick read with a different spin on the usual meet cutes while doing it knowingly.

I think fans of the genre will have fun with this book.

I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

*2.5

I tried but this book just isn't good. I don't understand why she thinks about the price of everyones clothes all the time. I also just don't get what she wanted to get out of this road trip. She was trying to find a man but that doesn't make sense because she lives and works in la.

I received an arc through netgalley.

I really appreciated the opportunity to read this book, the blurb had me wanting to read.

It was cute. Was it memorable? Not so much. The storyline itself was good, but I just couldn't connect with the characters like I wanted to.

It drags a lot in the beginning. It feels like it takes too long to gain real momentum as far as the story goes. I don't especially love it when the main characters are obviously perfect for each other, but are dragging their feet. I would have liked there to be more to the ending as well.

The story of Kelsey and Zachary. A fun read as we follow Kelsey across the country as she hunts down love.

Not Exactly a Small-Town Romance is a playful road trip rom-com where Kelsey, obsessed with finding the perfect meet-cute, drags her charming coworker Zachery across the country in search of love—only to realize it might’ve been beside her all along. Funny, sweet, and full of feel-good moments.

This was such a cute romcom book! Road trips between two coworkers and alottt of swoon worthy romance!

Get ready for a road trip that’s equal parts hilarious, heartwarming, and swoon-worthy! In this delightful rom-com, Kelsey Whitaker knows exactly how every romantic comedy should unfold. As a casting assistant to a boss called "the Demon," she’s the mastermind behind chemistry and perfect meet-cutes—but somehow, when it comes to her own love life, she’s completely off-script. Enter Zachery Carter, her charming (and secretly smitten) best friend who may just be the perfect co-star for her happily-ever-after.
As they hit the back roads from Hollywood to Alabama, Kelsey’s mission is clear: find her very own rustic, flannel-wearing hero. But little does she know, the love story she's writing might need a few rewrites. Zachery is right by her side, trying his hardest not to point out that the perfect guy might have been in front of her all along.
The author does a great job in delivering a rom-com with all the right tropes, a dash of humor, and plenty of heart. If you’re into road trips, flirty banter, and the thrill of falling in love when you least expect it, this book is your next must-read. This is one charming, feel-good adventure adventure you don't want to miss!
I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

This is a good book. The two main characters are Kelsey and Zachery. They both work for a casting agency. There is an attraction. They go together to a party where there are lots of actors. They see a woman who is giving out fortunes. Kelsey takes a reading, the fortune teller says she has to take a trip to find her future husband. She decides to go on her trip. Zachery decides she needs him to help protect her. Every guy she meets has something wrong with him. She keeps comparing them with Zachery. Until one day they declare their love for one another.

Kelsey is on a mission—she wants her own ‘Hallmark’ movie moment, complete with a picture-perfect small-town romance. So, what does she do? Embarks on a road trip, stopping in charming little towns in search of her ‘meet-cute’ dream guy. But here’s the twist—her work bestie, Zachary, insists on tagging along to keep her safe. What could possibly go wrong?

Cue the hilarious adventures, quirky town locals, and ‘just friends’ slowly realizing they might actually be so much more. Watching Kelsey and Zach navigate their growing feelings while she searches for "the one"—only to discover he’s been right beside her all along—was just so fun!

I adored their friendship, their playful banter, and that magical moment when the truth finally hits them both. If you're a fan of friends-to-lovers romances with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments and heart-melting chemistry, this book is a must-read! I’ll definitely be picking up more from JJ Knight.

Thank you JJ Knight, Montlake Publishing and NetGalley for the gifted ebook arc. All opinions expressed are my own.

Not Exactly A Small Town Romance by JJ Knight is a delightful, humorous rom-com that plays with the tropes of love and cinematic clichés. Kelsey Whitaker, a casting assistant and rom-com expert, sets out to find her own perfect love story by searching for her “all-American” man in small-town Alabama. With the help of her best friend, Zachery, she embarks on a series of charming misadventures. As Zachery quietly falls for her, the story expertly weaves friendship, romance, and self-discovery. It’s an entertaining and heartwarming read for fans of quirky characters and slow-burn romance.

Kelsey works as an assistant to a Hollywood casting director alongside Zach, who is a faded movie star that has moved into casting but they look out for each other which helps them both deal with their demanding and mean boss.

One night at a party, Kelsey sees a fortune teller who tells her she needs to find love and soon, before she stops believing in it, so she decides she needs to take a road trip across the country to try and find her small town romance. Just like all the rom-coms she watches.

After her first night away when things don't go quite to plan, Zach drives through the night to get to her. He decides he needs to stay with her to protect her but really it's because he's in love with her. Though he thinks he's not right for her, due to the fact he's 11yrs older than her and he's a bit of a playboy. He does want her to be happy though so no matter how he feels about her, he wants to put her happiness above his own which is actually quite sweet.

I liked Zach, but I didn't really connect with Kelsey as a character. She's 25 but for someone who hasn't had the easiest childhood and now lives in Hollywood, dealing with actors and other industry people, she seems a bit naïve about life and love. She also comes across as desperate and throws herself into a relationship with a guy she meets at a Christmas farm, helping his family from day one and then talking about marriage and kids only 6 days in. At least he showed who he really was at that point, but still - who does that after 6 days?!

I would have liked to have seen Kelsey and Zach's boss get her comeuppance after she fired Kelsey and blackballed her in LA but I guess they got their own revenge when they moved to New York and started a casting agency there.

Overall it was a cute little romance, only one spicy scene though in the middle.

Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Not exactly a small-town romance is a cute bingeable rom-com. The banter between the MMC and FMC was fun and I adored their friendship,

Perfect for those who enjoy;
- friends to lovers
- road trips
- he falls first
- coworkers romance

Thank you @netgalley and Montlake for a copy of the e-arc to review.

The blurb of this story intrigued me as it sounded right up my alley. It started off really nice. I liked how Zachary and Kelsey seem to just get each other. They were really good friends and I can see the potential for something more. However, there weren't many scenes between the two where I can see that happening. I understand that this book was about finding the love of Kelsey's life so scenes with other suitors was expected but I also wanted her to have the same amount of time with Zachary. And because of those limited time together I couldn't be all in when they finally got together at the end. I just wanted more with Zachary and Kelsey. The writing was fine and I've read the author before and I liked her work. This story just fell short for me.

This book had me hooked right away and I could not put it down. There was not a spot in the book that lulled or became boring. It was all non stop enjoyment from the beginning.

The development of characters was incredible. I love how each character kept getting built on the more the book went on. You kept discovering something new about each character.

I loved the meet-cutes. They were incredibly entertaining. I also loved how sweet Zachery is to Kelsey. What an incredible show of romance that he would follow her on her trip to protect her.

Overall, the writing was excellent, and this book was incredible.

I do enjoy a good road trip love story, however, I felt like this one didn't quite hit the mark for me. I didn't really connect with the characters and the romance didn't like it was really there. It was an interesting concept for a love story, but fell a little flat.

I did not enjoy this book at all. I did not want to finish it, but I did. I do not recommend reading.
1/5 stars

This was a super cute read. Kelsey is trying to find her perfect one. She has to go home to Alabama, but the trip home is going to filled with stops in all the small towns. Kelsey is going to find her flannel wearing hero by staging her meet cutes in all the right spots, like coffee shops and bookstores. She is going to try everything, like "accidentally" spilling her drink, tripping and falling into her man, picking up the wrong drink, all this to find her "one."
Zachery, knows his one is Kelsey. He just does not think she feels the same way. He is trying to encourage her but at the same time he is wants his shot at being more than just someone he works with. He stays supportive and when it gets to be too much, he decides he is going to help her. This can only go one way, right?

Thanks to NetGalley, Montlake, and the author for the chance to read this book.

This was a light-hearted and satisfying romance story with ALL the tropes and meet-cutes. It was easy reading, and the descriptions of the scenery were enticing. I thoroughly enjoyed the way the author created the scene in my mind. The banter and friendship between Kelsey and Zachery was quite funny at times, too.