I loved this book! If you are in the mood for a light-hearted "beach read", this is a great choice. This book is like picking up a "People" magazine. This has zero connection to my reality and I was here for it! *I received a complimentary e-ARC from the author/publishing company via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

I’ve just finished “Both Things Are True” by Kathleen Barber, and what a wonderful, sweet romance! If you’re a fan of the second chance romance trope, you’ll likely enjoy this one.

It’s about a yogi social media influencer engaged to a trust fund baby, cryptocurrency company owner. He skips town amidst fraud charges and the collapse of his company. As she tries to rebuild her life, she bumps into her ex from 5 years ago and sparks fly.

Unfortunately, they suffer through a number of miscommunications, one after another, before they figure it all out.

The ending was satisfying, although the book was a tad too long. I appreciate romance books on the low end of the spicy scale, and this book had about a 2/5 spice level, which was just the right amount of spice.

It was an enjoyable romance and earned 3 stars from me! This book published yesterday and is available on Kindle Unlimited. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Lake Union Publishing for the Advanced Reader Copy.

#bookstagram
#NetGalley
#BothThingsAreTrue

Both Things Are True by Kathleen Barber is an exciting romantic comedy.
A sweet, light-hearted romance. That I simply couldn’t get enough of.
The character development was extremely satisfying and the story so vivid, she truly does an incredible job at bringing her characters to life. They just jump off the pages.
They are truly memorable characters and unforgettable story.
The writing is witty and engaging.
I just love her writing style. It’s fun and welcoming.

Thank You NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Just okay for me.
This is a second chance romance with good banter.
However, I found the characters to be lacking.
The FMC was not someone I found myself wanting to root for.
The MMC was boring.

It is not the worst book I have ever read, and the right reader might like this if you are looking for a book to turn off your brain. I just wanted more from the story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Union Publishing for the ARC.

I was really excited to read this book but ultimately it ended being just ok. The pace was so slow and there was a focus on things that just weren't important in the grand scheme of things. Think you for the opportunity to read this arc.

This book follows Vanessa after her fiancé goes into hiding after his business is accused for fraud. She’s forever been hung up on her ex, Sam, and lo and behold, bumps into him again once she’s moved back in with her sister.

I think this book was *okay*! I overall did like the story and felt it had a bit more substance than other books of this genre can have, however the beginning especially really dragged with many pages going on and on about her past feelings for Sam! I also felt a lot of this book could have been solved with more communication that it began to annoy me!

I think I would recommend to others for a fluffy romance.

This is a different direction than Kathleen Barber's previous books took, but it is a good one! This romance, with Vanessa finding herself and who she is without the men in her life, plus reconnecting with the most important ex of her life at a time of absolute personal crisis, has a lot of bittersweet nostalgia and growth. I really liked this, and I'm hoping for more from this author.

Both Things are True is a propulsive and intriguing romance. It's so millennial - from smoothies to a yoga influencer to bitcoin, alongside a green energy startup, it's a great immersion class in all the things millennials care about. Initially, I kept reading because even though Vanessa is a hot mess – maybe even a train crash – she is chatty and plucky. The premise is fun: Vanessa is engaged to Jack and thinking about breaking it off because she's still in love with Sam. Before she can, Jack blows up his life and his bitcoin company and flees the country. When Vanessa loses her job and her privacy she heads back to Chicago to room with her sister, and who should be living in the same apartment block? Yes, it's Sam. I love that the reader knows how Vanessa feels about Sam from the very beginning, which made me believe in their romance.

There were some pinch points though, so I rate it three stars and not four. We hear way too much about Vanessa's dicky knee, which is ultimately unimportant. There's a journalist who stirs the plot, but again, she's not material. There's a floppy middle when Vanessa lurches about on her sore knee, second guessing herself over and over again. Events gather steam toward the end and I was so pleased to see these two end up together but let's face it, Sam will have his hands full with Vanessa!

Recommended as a light low-angst romcom. It's too earnest to be a satire, but there's plenty of observation about how the media cycle works and what's needed to make a product successful, as well as a charming opposites-attract romance.

Thank you Kathleen Barber and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

You know how sometimes you pick up a romance thinking it'll be your next obsession, but it ends up being more like that relative who overstays their welcome?

So there's Vanessa, this yoga influencer living her best life in New York until her crypto-bro fiancé Jack turns out to be a complete fraud and literally runs away to another country. Classic, right? She has no choice but to pack up and move back to Chicago with her sister Faith. And guess who she bumps into? Sam, her college ex-boyfriend whom she once accidentally married in Vegas (because apparently that's a thing people do).

Now, I'm all for second-chance romances. Give me those awkward encounters and old sparks flying any day! But arrey yaar, these two adults communicate worse than my neighbor's Wi-Fi connection. The entire plot revolves around them not talking to each other like normal human beings. At one point, Faith literally tells Vanessa to just TALK to Sam, and I wanted to reach through the pages and shake both of them.

Vanessa spent so much time crying and feeling sorry for herself that I lost count. I get it, breakups are hard, but beta, at some point you need to pick yourself up! And Sam? He was just... there. Like furniture. Nice furniture, maybe, but still just existing without much personality.
The book has this interesting premise about grief for people who are still alive, which I actually loved. The author gets that messy, complicated feeling when someone hurts you but you still care about them. That part was beautifully written.

But honestly? The pacing was slower than Mumbai traffic during monsoons. I kept waiting for something exciting to happen, and it just... didn't. The characters felt flat, like cardboard cutouts of people rather than actual humans I could root for.

The verdict: It's not terrible, but it's not great either. If you want a mindless beach read that you can finish in one sitting without thinking too hard, go for it. Just don't expect it to change your life or become your new favorite book.

Rating: 2.5/5 stars (and that extra half star is purely for the author's ability to write about emotional messiness)

Would I recommend it? Only if you've literally run out of everything else to read and need something to pass time during a long flight. Otherwise, maybe skip this one, dost.

#BothThingsAreTrue #NetGalley

Very fun second chance romance. Vanessa and Sam, who were once in love, both end up in Chicago after Vanessa's fiancé goes on the run for embezzlement. Vanessa, a yogalebrity, is dealing with reporters while trying to get back on her feet. Sam is trying to launch his new green energy product. But how can they be together with journalists hounding her? I loved Vanessa's journey back to Sam, and I loved her support system. Such great friends in this story!

2.5 Stars

This story is about Vanessa. She’s a big-hit yogi on the internet and lives in New York. Her fiancé, Jack, runs a crypto scam and flees the U.S. So what does Vanessa do? She ends up moving in with her sister, Faith, in Chicago and tries to start anew. That’s where she gets a second chance with Sam.

This is a story of grief; just because someone is still alive doesn’t mean you can’t grieve them. The end of a marriage or relationship is like a death of sorts. I like how the author shows how complex love can be; just because he was a bad guy doesn’t mean Vanessa isn’t hurt. She is completely conflicted but is still trying to move forward. The book shows the complexities of that. I liked how emotional the writing was without being too sentimental or saccharine. I liked the messiness of Vanessa’s troubles, and I cheered on her wins. But I didn’t like the lack of communication. These are grown-ups, and they should have learned to speak by now.

As much as I liked what I mentioned above, the book doesn’t deliver on its potential. While I loved the premise and the sweet writing, the pacing dragged like molasses in January—in Canada! Some of the characters lacked depth to make the story and their journeys really resonate with me. But the author’s ability to write about emotional messiness (which I love) has me giving it an extra half star. I just wish it had impacted me the way it promised.

So which is it?
I enjoyed this book.
This book isn’t great.
Both things are true.

Both Things Are True is a wonderfully chaotic, laugh-out-loud, and surprisingly tender story about learning to grow up without losing who you are. Vanessa is messy and flawed, but she’s real and her journey of reconnection with Sam is full of banter, heart, and those frustrating-but-delicious slow-burn moments.

I adored the pop culture touches (hello, Dolly), the complicated but loving family dynamics, and the way Barber explores the idea that you can be both totally off-track and exactly where you’re supposed to be.

Both Things are True by Kathleen Barber✨🤍

*arc*

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks so much @netgalley & Lake Union Publishing @amazonpublishing for the arc of this one🫶🏻
Unfortunately this wasn’t really a huge hit for me! I do LOVE a second chance romance, everything about the history & old sparks is normally a hit. However there is miscommunication and I HATE the miscommunication trope… I find myself wanting to scream at them😭
Overall, I just felt a bit like this was okay? Not awful, not amazing, just okay? I think one of my main issues was that I struggled to connect with the characters and so didn’t really find myself rooting for them… 🤷🏼‍♀️
HOWEVER… despite this, Both Things are True is your PERFECT easy beach read! It’s a light, reasonably quick read and the happy ending is lovely🫶🏻✨

🗓️‼️ Released September 1st ‼️

—————————
Vanessa is a yoga influencer living high in New York. But after her crypto-entrepreneur fiancé ruins both their lives by fleeing the country amid fraud allegations, Vanessa’s only choice is to start over—by flying home to Chicago and moving in with her sister.

Just as Vanessa puts her life back together, she bumps into Sam. Years ago, they fell hard and too fast. Their relationship ended in heartbreak after an impromptu Las Vegas wedding officiated by a Dolly Parton impersonator—and an annulment that was just as sudden. Now Sam is co-owner of a solar company with a promising future, a future Vanessa wants to be included in. But she can’t shake the whiff of scandal from her AWOL fiancé, and to protect Sam’s reputation, she’s keeping her distance. Then again…

If anyone can turn a negative into a positive—and a first love into a second chance—it’s a young woman with influence.

DNF @ 15%
I want to thank Netgalley and the Publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

i REALLY was excited for this book because it seemed like a true friends to lovers book and that is by far my all time favorite trope to read but when i did read it the story fell flat and the characters felt under developed.

The pacing also didn't work for me.

This book started off really strongly for me. Vanessa, our main lead, is a yoga instructor who is unknowingly caught up in her ex's cryptocurrency scheme. He's disappeared, leaving her to pick up the pieces of her life. Where does she end up? In Chicago, living with her sister. As fate would have it, she runs into (and keeps running into) her ex, Sam, who she keeps referencing as ruining his life years ago, even though we don't know the context. Turns out, Sam happens to live in her sister's building.

As the book went on, a lot of the scenes started to feel really repetitive. There's a lot of interrupted moments between Vanessa and Sam to the point where it was like enough, we get it already! I also don't think Sam was developed enough for me to really care about him as a character- basically all we really know about him is about his business and that he says "Yeah, no" literally All. The. Time. We don't know much about his backstory at all until the very end.

And Vanessa, well, Vanessa was a bit of a hot mess. And not in the way that you want to root for her, but in the way that you're extremely frustrated with her. She acts a lot younger than she is, and instead of just talking to Sam about ANY of their issues, she either avoids it, tries to distract him, or runs away. Never once does it occur to her to just talk to him, despite it being her sister's advice. She spends a huge chunk of the third act of the book crying, and most of the reason is by her own doing.

I loved Vanessa's sister, Faith, I almost wish this book was about her instead. She's the only level headed person there, and she's a great support system for Vanessa.

I don't mind the miscommunication trope but it isn't appealing when it's done in such a repetitive way. Overall, this unfortunately was a miss for me.

3.5 The one who got away stars

This is the story of Vanessa and Sam, and there would be no story if they had just talked to each other years ago when they were together, and then later in the story!

But first, we need to talk about Vanessa and her fiancé, Jack, a crypto guru who is now missing amid allegations of fraud. So I guess there’s no wedding! It’s a good thing because she wasn’t really into Jack. Vanessa flees to her sister’s house back in Chicago.

And of course, Vanessa bumps into Sam again. We find out that they had a whirlwind romance and even got married in Vegas. Sam is really the one who got away, and Vanessa pines for him, but she feels like she could never reconcile with him. She has to protect her yoga influencer brand, and Sam shouldn’t be drawn into her crazy world.

There were parts of this book that I liked and parts that drove me crazy. A few plot points between Vanessa and Sam’s past relationship didn’t ring true for me. If you enjoy the misunderstanding trope, this one might work for you. For me, it was an interesting premise that didn’t quite deliver.

For two exes who meet again, moving on is harder than ever in a funny and heartfelt romantic comedy about starting over by the author of Truth Be Told, now a major Apple TV+ series.

Vanessa is a yoga influencer living high in New York. But after her crypto-entrepreneur fiancé ruins both their lives by fleeing the country amid fraud allegations, Vanessa’s only choice is to start over—by flying home to Chicago and moving in with her sister.

Just as Vanessa puts her life back together, she bumps into Sam. Years ago, they fell hard and too fast. Their relationship ended in heartbreak after an impromptu Las Vegas wedding officiated by a Dolly Parton impersonator—and an annulment that was just as sudden. Now Sam is co-owner of a solar company with a promising future, a future Vanessa wants to be included in. But she can’t shake the whiff of scandal from her AWOL fiancé, and to protect Sam’s reputation, she’s keeping her distance. Then again…

If anyone can turn a negative into a positive—and a first love into a second chance—it’s a young woman with influence.

Loved it. Will recommend to others.

A second chance romance, Vanessa and Sam were a thing (even married in Las Vegas) until they weren't (and the marriage was annulled). She built a life as a yoga influencer and a relationship with Jack but he turned out to be a fraudster and it all fell apart. So now she's back home at her sister's and Sam's there as well. This is all about miscommunication. Unfortunately. You, like me, might join her sister in saying just talk to him. More than once. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Over to others.

Both Things Are True by Kathleen Barber is a charming and heartfelt second chance romance filled with wit, warmth, and relatable characters. Vanessa’s journey of rebuilding her life and rediscovering love is both uplifting and engaging. I enjoyed this book and rated it five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Lake Union Publishing for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

(Look at me reading a book before release day!!)

Vanessa is a yoga influencer that has been with Jack forever - and they are in fact engaged. He's perfect on paper but he's a jerk, and he flees the country when accused of fraud. Vanessa ends up back home, and I THINK that if you take pity on her, youre gonna like this one much more. I was rather annoyed with her and her constant crying? Just no.

Meeting Sam - he seems like a good guy but the whole romance angle was based on their inability to communicate with one another, so it was just a fail for me. If you can take pity on and feel for Vanessa I think you would have an overall different experience with this book!