This was such a fun, quick, summer read! And there's dogs. I love dogs!! 🐶
I also love the grumpy/sunshine trope. This book was a lot more fun than I originally imagined!! ❤️ I think I want to get a physical copy of this one for my bookshelves!

Puppies and grumpy sunshine vibe? Sold!
This was a fun, easy read that kept my attention throughout! I would recommend this for fans of a fast paced, quick book or romance and fun.

4.5 stars

I had not read anything by Anna E. Collins, but after this one, she is being added to my TBR indefinitely! This was such a fun and unexpected workplace enemies-to-lovers romance. And with puppies? Even better! The chemistry between Jonathan and Holly is perfectly palpable, and their banter just takes everything up a notch. I was worried when the story began with a one-night stand, but was glad to see it actually helped drive the story forward. I absolutely loved the writing style, and found myself smiling during multiple parts. All the characters in this are developed extremely well - even the supporting characters - and I really got a feeling for who they all were.

Thank you Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

Finding Mr July by Anne E Collins
Contemporary romance.
After a bad experience at a law firm, Holly King changes direction and takes an unpaid intern job at a nonprofit. Hoping to win a coveted job in Scotland, Holly joins a fundraising contest. She needs to partner with a photographer to be a success, but the only person left at the firm is grumpy Jonathan Summers. She convinces him to help with her pitch of hot men and their dogs on a calendar and the steamy photo shoots lead to a growing attraction between Holly and Jonathan. If she wins, she’ll go to Scotland. Which means leaving Jonathan. Is that still what she wants?

🎧 I alternated between an ecopy and an audiobook narrated by Lauren Ezzo. The performance is filled with discernible angst, passion and uncomfortable tension as the two work their way through the relationship, all of which is clearly heard and felt in the performance. There are distinct voices for the two main characters and the audiobook helps make clear their emotional journey. I did speed up the playback to 1.5 and slightly higher to be able to read along with the ecopy.

I didn’t understand her walking away from her career as a lawyer. Why not sue the law firm for defamation? But that would be a different story. Not a fan of some of the unfortunate arguments and spoken words that can’t be taken back. Forgiveness is inherent in a romance so they figure it out, but it was a bit angsty there at the end.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and Hachette Audio.
3.5

3.5 ⭐️

This was a cute quick read, but there wasn’t a ton of depth to the characters as the book progressed. I enjoyed it while reading but don’t think it’s one that will really stick with me beyond today.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to review in exchange for my honest review!

I was so excited to get my hands on Finding Mr. July by Anna E. Collins.
This book was so much fun with plenty of emotional depth.
It was pure delightful. The romance is sweet, the banter is fun, and the setting is perfect.
So charming and sweet, with likable characters, sweet romance, and a rich setting.

This was such a fun and quintessential rom-com!

Our FMC, Holly, is working as an unpaid intern at an environmental nonprofit after a scandal at the law firm where she was an attorney left her jobless with no references, single, and maybe just a little jaded. Now nearing the end of the internship, Holly and the five other interns will compete to host the most profitable fundraiser, determining which of them will secure the job as program liaison at the company's new office in Scotland. Holly decides to make a calendar featuring nature, men, and their dogs. Even though she only has a few weeks to find 12 attractive and willing models, her most daunting task is getting Jonathan, the office recluse, to help her with the project. But once she has him on board, the irony is, the closer she gets to pulling off the fundraiser, the more reasons Jonathan is giving her to stay.

I really enjoyed this book! I thought it was super cute and had such a fun premise. I loved all of the photoshoot scenes and how each of the models and their dogs had different personalities. It added a lot of levity to the story. I also loved Holly and Jonathan's relationship! The attraction was clearly there from the beginning, but the way they slowly opened up to each other and realized how similar their stories were was so precious to me.

A third-act break-up is never going to be my favorite trope, but I weirdly felt like it actually fit this story. There are a lot of themes of starting over, and not being afraid to take risks, and so it made sense to me that Holly and Jonathan couldn't really start their relationship until they were both ready to take that risk.

I would recommend this book if you are a fan of workplace romances, bad first impressions, and, of course, hot men and their dogs!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This sweet and spicy romcom will delight any time of year. I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I loved that both main characters were a bit older and trying to figure things out after some unexpected bumps in life. Plus, there’s lots of romcom delight and crackling chemistry, balanced with real-life concerns. The writing was descriptive without slowing down the pacing and the characters have great depth. Highly recommend!

😘 Thanks to ReadForeverPub and NetGalley for the gifted digital advance reader copy (ARC) of this book. All opinions are my own.

Read FINDING MR. JULY for
💼 Workplace romance
🥊 Opposites attract
🔥 Tension, spice, and feelings
💞 Second chances in life, love, and career
🐾 Dogs (and puppies!) galore
🎆 Cheeky fireworks, iykyk
🍂 Fall in the Pacific Northwest

A fun, quick read.
Does what it says on the tin - workplace romance, grumpy collegue, forced to work together on a project. check, check, check.
cute puppies and a calendar fundraising project. check, check.

that's what worked for me.

everything else - Holly's reasons for leaving her old job, her need for the promotion, the way she kept going about trying to find models, heck even the way she approached Jonathan to ask him for favors (twice, might I add) - were just annoying to me.

And that third act breakup just straight pissed me off. what was the reason.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Forever for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own

This was an entertaining, lighthearted book! Some spicy scenes, but not overdone. I liked how the relationship between the characters developed, and I think the epilogue was the right "update" for the characters. Overall, a very fun and quick read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this book. Some predictable moments but when reading lots of romance back to back that will happen. I still had a fun time with it and loved that it was a different concept than other books I’ve read.

Holly is a corporate lawyer but currently working as an intern at an environmental nonprofit. She and two co-workers are challenged to compete in a fundraising competition. The winner gets a full time position in Glasgow, Scotland. She settles on a calendar featuring steamy men with dogs. To take her photos she needs office worker Jonathan. He is grumpy to her sunshine. I really enjoyed their banter and barbs in the first half of the book.

This is written to be light and fluffy but a few things were cringe. Looking for hot guys on dating apps only to bait and switch to asking them to pose did not make me think Holly was mature enough to be a lawyer. Also the whole thing of a fundraiser challenge, while fun, seemed an odd way to determine who gets a coveted job offer. Did that one thing matter more than their performance as an intern? Also the brief third act break up was just annoying.

Overall if you want a light read, that doesn’t tax your brain, this works. But I only finished this last night and already the characters are fading away from my memory. (3.5 Stars)

This is a super sweet rom-com with great side characters, cute main characters, and so many dogs!!!

It was really cool to read about the photographs. The descriptions were very visually written and I could visualize what each month looked like.

It was a predictable (I was cool with that), quick read that was a great palate cleanser.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I enjoyed this book!
I loved it for what it is, a quick, fun summer book. I read it very quickly and even found myself laughing out loud.
Holly and Jonathan were cute characters. I enjoyed them so very much. I found them to feel so "real," and their romance was so relatable.
Our FMC, Holly, is starting over. New career. She left the legal field and now wants to be an environmentalist.
Our MMC, Jonathan, is also trying to start a new chapter, but more so in the sense that he is trying to heal.
Add in an environmental not-for-profit photo shoot of men and their dogs. This is where the two MCs come together. I thought this was a cute and unique meet cute.
Holly and Jonathan go down the tunnel of workplace romance, forced proximity, starting over, and a slow-burning romance.
I thought this was such a fun and cute read.
The characters were decently developed. Lots of surface, but in-depth enough to relate.
The plot was well structured, and the pace was a slow-burn.
The dynamic between Holly and Jonathan was so great.
This book is a sure add to anyone's summer TBR I think you will enjoy it!
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book!
Happy Reading!

Addendum: I also received a copy of the audiobook, and I still stand with the above review! Loved it!

This was an adorable book! Holly is an intern at a non-profit (but she’s in her 30s because she’s switching careers). She is competing against the other interns for a job in the Scotland office. Unfortunately, the only person left to help her in the competition is grumpy photographer Jonathan Summers.

Holly and Jonathan had great chemistry and easy banter right from the beginning. I loved watching their relationship progress. I also appreciated that both main characters had thorough backstories and great character development. The competition aspect made the story exciting and fast-paced, and the romance was so sweet.

Thank you to Anna E. Collins, Forever, and NetGalley for this e-ARC; opinions are my own. I highly recommend this sweet and summery story!

Read if you like:
💕 Grumpy x sunshine
💕 Workplace romance
💕 Adorable puppies
💕 Photography

I enjoyed reading Finding Mr. July by Anna E. Collins. You will fall in love with all the characters. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy Reading!

A delightful opposites-attract romance, Finding Mr. July follows two driven individuals with wildly different methods as they’re forced to team up in pursuit of their dream careers. Sparks fly, banter ensues, and chemistry builds as they navigate both personal goals and unexpected feelings. Perfect for fans of Rachel Lynn Solomon and Sarah Adams, this charming romcom is full of heart, humor, and just the right touch of slow-burn tension. A feel-good read that leaves you grinning. Perfect pool day read

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

I liked the first half much better than the second. I didn't particularly like Holly, the FMC, and thought she was kind of immature for her age and career background. She seemed to blame everyone and everything except herself when anything went wrong in her life. I really loved the characters of her brother, her niece, and her best friend. They were more interesting to me than either main character. Part of what drew me from the description was the dogs, and sadly they were a very small part of the story.

Finding Mr. July was just what I needed for my mid-year mind—a sweet, feel-good romance that hit all the right notes. Anna E. Collins delivers a delightful story filled with charm, heart, and just the right amount of heat.

The premise is an instant win: a nonprofit fundraiser calendar featuring sexy men and their dogs to help fund forest conservation. Honestly, what’s not to love? The book is the perfect blend of flirty fun and meaningful purpose.

The characters were easy to relate to—Holly, with her determination and quiet strength, and Jonathan, the gruff photographer with a soft side, felt real and grounded. Their “will-they-won’t-they” dynamic had me completely hooked, keeping me flipping pages and rooting for them the entire time.

With sexy men, adorable dogs, and a cause worth fighting for, Finding Mr. July is the ultimate fundraiser romance. I laughed, swooned, and smiled my way through this book—and now I need more!

“Finding Mr July” by Anne E Collins was a book I was really excited to read. It’s got a really interesting plot about Holly, an ex Lawyer turned unpaid intern at an environmental non profit, that needs to win a fundraising competition to land a job abroad. Jonathon works for the company as a creative associate and is the resident director five grump. After a drunken romantic encounter she manages to coerce him into helping with her calendar project and discovers he was a photographer. She helps him rekindle his passion while he helps her try to win the competition. But are they working on borrowed time and will their growing feelings get in the way of the end goal?

There are many parts of this book that I really liked. The plot was original and I loved all the different photoshoots. The secondary characters were really fun and helped enhance the storyline. The chemistry between Holly and Jonathan was great but what I struggled with was how temporary their relationship always felt and how much they struggled to trust each other. I get that this is because they had both been hurt in the past but it made it hard to believe that they might be ready to move across the ocean together in the end. The final conflict also felt very drawn out. The way the conflict was resolved was good and overall it was an okay read but I found I had to force myself to read on at times.