A great slow burn rom com perfect for anyone who loves dogs, workplace romance, and grumpy X sunshine! The banter is hilarious and the story was incredibly cute and surprisingly sweet/emotional.

Finding Mr. July is a cute romcom that had me chuckling and rooting for the main characters throughout. I was hooked from the beginning and finished in only a couple of days. My only critique would be that it felt a little repetitive in the middle and drug on a little bit. 4.5 stars and will definitely be checking out this author's other books.

At 35, I was excited to read a romance featuring a more mature heroine, and I loved the premise of Finding Mr. July: a former attorney turned reluctant intern tasked with curating a fundraising calendar featuring shirtless men—and their dogs. Holly’s journey, navigating the fallout of an unexpected career derailment and the lingering wounds from a past relationship, was both unique and relatable. While I appreciated her vulnerability, I sometimes found her reactions didn’t fully align with her age or professional background, which occasionally pulled me out of the story. Still, the book’s charm, humor, and heart carried me through, and the dogs were a delightful bonus. This may not have been my favorite read of the year, but I enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone looking for a light, fun, and slightly offbeat romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the privilege of receiving this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book! I didn’t like the social/political commentary slid into a chapter or two, though. Too bad; that knocked a star off.

•𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 (𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨) 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.•

This book started out really strong. I found the premise really interesting - having a "disgraced" lawyer finding her new way with a new career, and then finding out the main male character had a similar "fall from grace". For about the first 40% of the book I was all in. I loved the banter between Holly and Jonathan, I thought his character was compelling, I loved Holly's relationship with her family and Rachel.
Where it started to fall off a little for me was the hot guy calendar. I realize that it makes me sound like early Jonathan, but I felt like the emphasis on finding "hot guys" was just over done. My biggest issue overall was the 3rd act conflict felt really immature and easily avoidable. Overreactions happened, some of the dialogue felt out of character on both ends and it really just felt forced. I also didn't love that Holly basically insinuated through most of the book that she didn't have a ton of respect for Jonathan unless he was his prolific photographer self. Instead of feeling supportive, it felt like a condition? I just wish there had been a bit of a deeper dive in their relationship.

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for access to this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Set in Seattle, Washington, Holly is vying for the coveted Scotland position among the interns and gets help from the office grump with a fundraiser calendar. Holly's law career didn't go as planned, so she takes an internship at the non-profit her friend Rachel works at. A full time job at the new office in Glasgow opens up, but only for the intern who wins a fundraising competition. Racing against her twenty something counterparts, Holly works with Jonathan, who slowly starts to open up to her. As they work to get 12 men posing shirtless with their dogs for the annual calendar she has planned, Holly begins to question what will actually make her happy in the end.

These two had great chemistry (the tequila aftermath!). Their romance is sweet and tender (with spice!), and their struggles felt natural to their stage of life.

I loved seeing all the settings around Seattle! The variety of the calendar was super fun to see unfold.

I also enjoyed seeing Holly interact with her brother and niece, as well as their side story. I would have loved a little bit more about Jude (maybe a spin off?).

Read for:
✨ Cute dogs!
✨ Workplace romance
✨ Grumpy x sunshine
✨ (Shirtless) Men who love dogs
✨ Thirty somethings with career adjustments
✨ Slow burn

Open Door / Spicy

3.75 / 5

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for this eARC!

⭐️5 stars!

Things to expect:
♦️ grumpy x sunshine
♦️ office romance
♦️ slow burn
♦️ sweet, romantic spice🌶️
♦️ FMC in her 30s

Summary: Holly is a 34 year old trying to start over. Working as an intern at a nonprofit, she is competing against 4 others interns for a paid position in Scotland: the catch? She is forced to work with the brooding office grump, Jonathan, to pull it off.

✨I really loved this book! It’s a feel good read that kept me engaged the whole time.

The slow burn between the characters was well done and kept me hooked in the story. The chemistry felt genuine and believable. Spice was tasteful, sweet, romantic which was refreshing to read!! Ultimately the relationship between the characters was a blend of sweet, soft, and passionate which is my FAVORITE kind of romance.

I also appreciated seeing a FMC in her 30s navigating both career and personal growth. Holly’s journey to rediscover herself added emotional depth to the story without making it feel heavy.

The writing style was light and engaging, with witty dialogue and great pacing. I also adored Jude, Holly’s brother, and would love a spinoff featuring him!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Finding Mr. July was such a fun, warm, and surprisingly emotional read. Anna E. Collins delivers a workplace romance that has some of my favorite tropes and themes: grumpy/sunshine dynamic, reluctant coworkers turned late night tequila confidants, and a calendar full of hot guys and cute dogs? Say less.

Holly is thirty four, fresh out of a toxic relationship and an exhausting legal career. She’s starting over as an unpaid intern at a nonprofit and vying for a life changing position in Scotland. She’s smart, ambitious, and delightfully chaotic. Enter Jonathan, who is her broody, closed off coworker that gets reluctantly paired with Holly to create a fundraiser for their office competition. He’s grumpy. He’s guarded. He’s also extremely attractive. And did I mention he’s good with dogs?

Their banter is hilarious and really works for them as characters, their partnership messy but effective, and one tequila fueled night leaves them questioning whether something more happened between them. As they hustle toward the deadline, sparks fly, walls come down, and the calendar isn’t the only thing heating up.

I loved the emotional depth. Both characters in this book are carrying baggage, but the way they challenge and support each other was beautiful. Plus, the side plot with Holly’s BFF and her widowed brother adds just the right amount of drama and sweetness (I needed that slow burn resolved!).

Read if you enjoy:
✨ Workplace romance
✨ Grumpy x sunshine
✨ Men who love dogs
✨ Thirty something characters starting fresh
✨ Slow burn with great payoff

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the eARC of this book.

Grumpy coworker. Woman leaving a bad relationship, job and trying to change it up. Hot guys and cute dogs. Mix in a BFF listing after Holly's widowed brother.

Jonathan gets teamed with Holly to create a fundraiser to win a coveted role in Scotland. A night of tequila shots leads to a did we or didn't we. The attraction is hard to resist as they get closer to their deadline.


Thanks Goodreads for the ARC.

This was such a fun read!

It features a work place romance with conflict, men with dogs, lots and lots of dogs and humor.

Holly is 34 years old and is reinventing herself by working as an intern. There's a competition at work and whoever wins the competition will get a permanent position. Holly ends up having to work with the deep, dark brooding Jonathan who didn't want to work on the project. Eventually he ends up working with Holly. Their working relationship involves lots of mishaps and chemistry.

As the story progresses you can really see how both characters develop and change. The supporting characters are great additions and really add to the development of the story.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars!! Holly leaves her career as a lawyer to become an unpaid intern at an enviornmental non-profit. She needs to put together a fundraising proposal that will earn her a position at the non-profit. She’s forced to work with Jonathan Summers, her aloof coworker that she can’t quite figure out (minus finding him attractive).

Read if you love:
*** Workplace romance
*** Grumpy/sunshine
*** Men who love dogs
*** Age 30s romance

Okay, this was super cute! (And I am in love with this cover). This was my first book by this author and I’m definitely going to look into her previous novels. The chemistry between Holly and Jonathan was sizzling in this! Loved the premise, loved the back history of the characters, just a fun read that flew by for me!

Definitely recommend this one!

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and Netgalley for the ARC of this novel; all opinions are my own.

A really good read that was engaging. Holly is in competition with her co-workers in an attempt to raise funds. Jonathan is a photographer who used to be an award winner in photography until his severe anxiety hindered it. They both work together really well and you will be cheering them both on by the end of the book.
Thank you to NetGalley and read forever publishing for allowing me to read and share my thoughts.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Holly is competing with other interns to win her dream job and enlists the help of Jonathan as she produces a calendar filled with handsome men and dogs in a fund-raising attempt. Jonathan has a history of struggling with anxiety which has devastated his career as an award winning photographer. As they work together, a friendship begins and passion follows. It is a delightful and fun filled book that brings hope and possibilities.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Holly is in need of a fresh start. After leaving her law firm and taking an internship at a non-profit, she finally feels like she’s on the right track. When the opportunity to win a position at the Glasgow office she jumps in headfirst. Too bad she’ll have to team up with the office grump.

I really enjoyed this cozy novel. Both Holly and Jonathan are extremely likable, and it was fun to see their friendship develop. Jonathan has some baggage from his past that has closed him off, but he slowly reveals himself the more he trusts Holly. I really liked the two of them together and enjoyed watching them team up to create a fundraiser that will cement Holly’s position at the Glasgow office. They each bring out the best in each other and despite the heartache Jonathan knows he’ll experience when she wins, he champions her and supports her vision wholeheartedly. Underneath his grumpy exterior is a teddy bear. Even though Holly is determined to win, I liked that the author didn’t make her too hyper focused on the prize. She allowed Holly to fully immerse herself in the budding relationship.

Also loved that Jude and Rachel got their happy ending as well.

This is a fun, low angst, spicy read. Pick it up if you’re looking for a light read.

While I expected to enjoy what appeared from the cover to be a dog heavy romance, I wound up liking it far more than I'd expected. I was right in that a calendar played a role, too, and enjoyed Holly's search for twelve likely candidates and their dogs to pose for a non-profit calendar project to raise funds. Who knew it'd be so hard? While I wasn't amused by Holly's use of a dating app to find candidates under false pretenses,, albeit only after some persuasion, that was short lived and handled relatively well. Heck, she even found some guys willing to pose for no pay for the cause. Getting her "hot" brother, as her best friend and mentor describes him, took more effort, not to mention some sisterly bribery. Holly's unexpected career path has its ups and downs but she finds herself enjoying the project and, okay, working with the office's grumpy creative guy.

I won't detail the plot further other than to say it was fun to read about the various photo sessions done, including some quirks of the canines, and the different feels/moods created by the photographer, who is certainly model worthy himself. Oh, did I mention Jonathan, the initially grumpy and reticent to be involved, is an extraordinary photographer? There are reasons he isn't using that skill as the story opens which I'll leave for you to discover as you read. As it turns out, he's a rather complicated guy that Holly just can't help being curious about after their meet-cute, although not sure the word cute is accurate. As you discover more about Jonathan, you'll understand why and more about his reasons for being standoffish. I liked both, albeit it took me a bit to warm up to Holly. A former lawyer, she has her own story to tell, however, and you'll gradually root for her to find happiness. Love how that goal was emphasized later in the book. Nope. Not telling. You'll just have to read.

Bottom line, while an entertaining romance on the surface, I liked the fact that the main characters were multi-layered. My initial reaction to Jonathan was bewilderment, I must admit, albeit I sort of liked his willingness to help a virtual stranger initially in the book, Holly. Glad they fixed that pantry door, Holly. Her relationship with her brother and his daughter is close with amusing brother-sister banter between them. In fact, the dialogue flowed naturally, even in the spicier scenes. Nothing heavy duty, mostly just sweet and sexy to warm you up and bring a smile at their budding relationship. And, I liked her brother's budding relationship that may keep him in town long enough not to risk the eternal ire of a teenage dragged away from long-time friends on a parent's whim. My thanks to #Forever - #GrandCentralPublishing for this early peek at a book I wound up thoroughly enjoying. Loved Holly's discovery of what was probably her mother's stash of Holly's old school days memories.

Dogs and hot guys featured together in a charity calendar, need I say more? This was the perfect blend of a workplace romance between a grumpy photographer and a sunny intern starting a new career path.

Once Holly got to know Jonathan, aka the office grumpy shadow, she realized there was more to him and the more she learned about him the more she found herself wanting to spend time with him. Holly awakened something buried deep within Jonathan which reignited his passion and it didn’t hurt that there were adorable puppies involved.

I really liked that Holly and Jonathan were older MCs and that they had already had a big setback/shake up in their lives so they had a clear path they were moving towards. They certainly strayed from said paths but they did it with the right intentions for the better of themselves and others. All the side characters made for a great all around story and you really can’t go wrong with adorable dogs especially Sir Leonard.


Thank you @readforeverpub and @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback

I absolutely adored this book. I've read a few books from Anna now and I love how she builds her characters and their relationships but this one felt extra special. I loved the characters back stories and how they eventually connected. Trying not to give any spoilers but it felt honest and real. The quirkiness of the calendar plot and doggy photoshoots gave the book that nice rom-com feel without being too cheesy or too emotional. I'm not even a dog person but I love how each owner/dog relationship felt unique to the situation. Even the last adoption felt perfect for the plot.

Jonathan was the perfect brooding, MMC and I love his growth the most. A great book for a cozy, summer weekend.

Thanks so much to Forever, Anna E Collins and Netgalley for the widget. I attest that I am leaving my review honestly and voluntarily.

This was a really fun summer read! I really enjoyed the plot of this book, especially two grown up MC’s who are able to communicate with one another. One minor complaint was the secondary plot with the brother and best friend. I felt like it never really had any resolution. I would recommend this to all of my friends who are in the mood for a lighthearted romcom with dogs!

Are you a romcom fan? Check out Finding Mr. July by Anna E. Collins comes out this summer and it was a great read.