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Member Reviews

Thanks NetGalley for the read!! I enjoy Lori as a writer and I enjoyed this book. The characters were well written and the story was enjoyable and fun! This is a book I will pass along as you should read to my friends. This was one of those boy has a crush wrong side of town girl has no idea he exist they grow up she thinks she is going to marry someone else plot twist!!!! What??? You think how dope is this, but hang in there, believe me, you will truly find this a fun read, I'm not going to tell you the story but there is a dog and cat involved and GOATS!! There are are all kinds of things going on and you don't want to miss this storyline. As always read the book, enjoy....

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I really loved this book. I am from Kentucky - so having a book set in Kentucky was so much fun for me. The love story in this book was breathtaking and I loved the character development throughout. I cared about everyone in this novel - which is hard to do. I can’t wait to read more Lori Foster!

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This is a cute read about finding your own happiness..with or without your family’s support. Callie inherited her uncle’s property in a small quaint town. She is determined to make it work. Her mother wants her to still marry her now ex fiancé…but that’s the last thing she wants to do. What she is not expecting is to find neighbors that are extra helpful and teach her how to run her new property. Especially her neighbor Tanner. Tanner went through a lot as a child and he now gives back as much as he can. Callie and Tanner have fun banter and perfect chemistry. These two definitely belong together…they just took the long bumpy road to get there. This is a well layered read with a lot going on. A great introduction to a family I can’t wait to get to know better. This first book was definitely a great start to a new series. I’m ready for this journey to continue…bring on the next book.

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Heart warming romance of returning to a small hometown in Kentucky after inheriting a farm. Starting your life over in every possible way. I loved the farming aspect to this story. Too many inheritance stories are about life on the beach.

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Running from a cheating fiancé and the high society wedding she doesn’t want; Callie moves to the home her uncle left her in Hoker Kentucky. Her immediate goal is to fix it up and sell but mainly to give herself time away from all the pressure of her family and the wedding they are pressing her to have. Little did she know the condition the house and grounds were in, much less that she had animals to take care of, so to say she had a surprise in store is an understatement!
Tanner, her neighbor, remembers Callie from high school as a pampered princess but he always had a crush on her. He can hardly believe she has come back to the small town, much less to her uncle’s run-down house. Add in a couple of brothers that are nothing but trouble and they both have their hands full.
Tanner, his brother Kam and their adopted Mom Addie jump into action to help Callie and her cousin Glory fix up the house, but Tanner isn’t about to let Callie know how he has felt about her all these years, well at least he is going to try.
The growing relationship with Tanner and his family is a far cry from what Callie is used to but the longer she stays the more she enjoys all aspects of small-town life. From the quiet of the country side to feeding the animals, it all starts to grown on Callie but even all that is nothing without having Tanner in her life.
You won’t want to miss a minute of this book! Lori Foster has once again brought out all the feels and I loved every minute!

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Let Me Be the One is about Callie and Tanner, both of them trying to find themselves in different ways. I loved both of them, as well as Kam, Addie, Liam and Nell from the start, but I had a little more trouble with some of the other characters - especially Callie's parents.

Moving to a house she inherited from her uncle, to get away from a failed relationship and starting anew, Callie was full of good intentions. Tanner had other ideas for her uncle's house, though, and he was a total grump - even as he recognized Callie as the girl he had crushed on ever since he was a teenager.

A good, light read, touching on how to find yourself through a change in scenery and hard work - and believing in yourself as well as learning how to trust again.

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Let Me Be the One is a sweet and spicy small town romance from Lori Foster. Book 1 of her new Family Ties series is set in small town Kentucky and is a story of redemption, resilience, and finding oneself. Callie catches her finance cheating and takes off to the one place she can be alone to process, the house left to her by her late uncle. Only problem is, it’s unlivable. Enter next door neighbor Tanner who had a massive crush on Callie back in the day and now resents the pampered princess that he believes she has become. With a little bit of hard work and elbow grease, Callie cleans up and puts her own stamp on her new house and breaks down the walls Tanner has built up in the process.

I truly enjoyed this story by Lori Foster. I loved that Callie may have started as a pushover princess but she found her spine and wasn’t afraid to get dirty. I have a lot of respect for how she made some major changes in her life to do what made her happy for once. Tanner started off grumpy but it didn’t take him long to come around. I hope his ideas for the teens comes to life in future books because I love that premise. I love that the Garmet brothers had a redemption arc and hope to get their story as well as Kam’s. And if we don’t get Nell and Liam by the end of this series I will cry. Lori Foster does an amazing job breathing life into these characters that readers can’t help but fall a little in love with them as well. Can’t wait for the rest of the series.

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This was almost a second chance romance, only they never got their first. He's known who she was at school but he went unnoticed by her.
A decade later Callie is fleeing from a broken engagement to her uncle's home that she inherited. Callie is from a rich family and Tanner was the poor, abused kid taken in as a young teen by Addie. Tanner loved her from afar and she may just wake up and see what's under her nose.
I really enjoyed their story, the characters and location. This is a sweet small town romance with all the feel good moments...well not always. Someone wants her scared off, will Tanner get to the bottom of these incidents before someone is hurt?
What a wonderful read, I loved it.

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An interesting new series for Ms. Foster.

Callie inherited her uncle's house and property. After a disastrous engagement, she is glad to have this house as a way to figure out who she is today.

I so enjoyed the give and take in this story. Reading how Callie grew as a person and how she helped Tanner get over some of his preconceived notions about her and others was refreshing.

I enjoyed the story and wonder where she is going next!

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This was a typical, easy read romance. Nothing special but a good beach read.

Thank you #netgalley and #htp #canarystreetpress for the eARC.

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4 star

The story has laughs, secrets, second chances, and sweet love.

This is Callie and Tanner’s story. He wanted her back in high school, but she was out of his league. When she comes back to town, he thinks he still does not have a chance with her. She had big plans after leaving town. But some of those plans didn’t work out. Now she is back and determined to build a future on her uncle’s farm. She does not know how to handle the chickens on the farm or work the tractor, but she is going to figure it out and build her future. With some help from Tanner, she is making it work. Small town feel with a very slow relationship building.

I recommend this book.

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

This was a cozy, heartwarming, wonderful book. I loved it!

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Let Me Be the One by Lori Foster is a charming, heartfelt romance that beautifully blends second chances with small-town charm. Callie McCallahan returns to her roots in Hoker, Kentucky, hoping to start fresh after a series of personal setbacks, including a painfully public breakup. Inheriting her uncle’s farm seems like the ideal opportunity to reboot her life, despite her complete lack of farming know-how.

Enter Tanner Patrick, the ruggedly appealing neighbor who has quietly carried a torch for Callie since their high school days. Watching her navigate—and often stumble through—her new life, Tanner finds himself drawn irresistibly closer. Foster excels at crafting authentic, relatable characters whose vulnerabilities and humor create irresistible chemistry.

Full of endearing moments and sweet, sizzling attraction, this novel captures the essence of rediscovering oneself and embracing unexpected love. Readers seeking a feel-good, romantic escape will find Let Me Be the One delightful and refreshingly genuine—a perfect pick for fans of second-chance romances with a healthy dose of humor and heart.

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I loved this story, it was inspirational and romantic, I hope there might be another? All the characters were amazing .

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A sweet romance that will leave you wanting more! Thank goodness this is the start of a new series. Callie has been betrayed by her fiancé, make that ex-fiancé. With pressure on all sides to forgive and forget, from her parents, cousin and the ex to carryon with the wedding plans. She runs away to her uncle’s house that she inherited. Away from the traitors and to decide what she wants in life.
Tanner is shocked, his boyhood crush is back in town and she is messing up his plans on buying his deceased neighbor property. As he tries to talk her in selling while holding in check all those feelings that never went away it gets harder as he finally gets to know the real Callie. She is definitely not the fantasy of his mind and she doesn’t remember him from those early days when she lived there. When strange things start to happen surrounding Callie his protective instincts kicks in and he is falling in love with the real Callie.
I was drawn into the story from the beginning. Great character development, great storyline, can’t wait to read the next book. Thank you #NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions expressed are my own. #LetMeBeTheOne

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Oh my goodness! I LOVED this book! It was just a great read, with wonderful characters (and some super crazy ones as well!), a lovely (and twisted) storyline and a budding relationship!

When Callie has an ugly break-up and decides to move back to the town where she grew up and was left a home by her recently deceased uncle…she had no idea she would end up next door to Tanner, a boy who crushed on her in high school. Unfortunately, they grew up with two different social and economical statuses, so there was no way anything would have progressed back then…or now for that matter. You really can’t pair together a hard-working tree farmer with a Princess, now can you?

Callie’s character is very strong-willed and determined…maybe even a bit stubborn. HAHA. Tanner knows she is in way over her head with the property left to her, and he is even more frustrated by her will to revive her uncle’s home because he wanted to purchase the property for a charity investment.

I loved all of the side characters in this! Addie, an older woman who raised Tanner and his brother Kam, has a heart of gold! Kam…what a character! Glory (Callie’s cousin) has a wonderful backstory that we learn in this book! Glory, Dirk and Lang, Nell and Liam….Callie’s parents……….Gah!!! Such a great book!!!!

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I loved everything about this book from the cover to the title. The story was another winner by a favorite of mine, Lori Foster.

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Lori Foster’s Let Me Be the One is a heartwarming tale of second chances, personal growth, and the transformative power of love. Set in the quaint town of Hoker, Kentucky, this novel introduces readers to Callie McCallahan, a woman seeking a fresh start after a failed engagement and business venture. Inheriting her uncle’s farm, Callie returns to her roots, aiming to rebuild her life and career.

Tanner Patrick, her neighbor and former high school admirer, has built a quiet life focused on his family’s tree farm. When Callie reenters his life, old feelings resurface, leading to a rekindling of past emotions and the possibility of new beginnings.

When Callie McCallahan takes over her late uncle’s farm, it feels like the perfect escape—a chance to leave behind family expectations, an overbearing ex-fiancé, and the exhausting need to meet everyone else’s standards.

Despite her “princess” upbringing, Callie is anything but pampered. She’s practical, hard-working, and incredibly easy to root for. And Tanner? He captured my heart instantly. Once the scrappy kid from the wrong side of town, he’s grown into a man who’s loyal, grounded, and absolutely swoon-worthy.

Tanner’s family plays a strong supporting role—from the woman who took him in and raised him, to the brother he’s chosen through love, not blood. The family dynamic in this story is rich and emotionally satisfying.

If small-town romance is your thing, this book has everything you crave—nosy but lovable neighbors, heartfelt moments, and that cozy sense of belonging. Callie has her share of struggles—from family guilt and unsettling neighbors, to the chaos of backyard animals. The chemistry between her and Tanner is magnetic with witty banter that brought a constant smile on my face.

Notable Quotes:

“She’s more than the girl next door. She’s the one who got away.”
“Could this be the do-over each of them didn’t know they needed?”
Themes and Highlights:

Second Chances: Both protagonists confront past regrets and explore the possibility of new beginnings.
Community and Found Family: The novel emphasizes the importance of community support and the families we choose.
Personal Growth: Callie’s journey from city life to embracing rural challenges showcases resilience and adaptability.
Final Thoughts:

Let Me Be the One is a delightful read that combines romance, personal growth, and the warmth of small-town life. Foster’s engaging storytelling and well-developed characters make this novel a standout in contemporary romance. Highly recommended for fans of heartfelt love stories and tales of personal transformation.

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Callie has left her cheating fiance in the dust! She’s moving into her uncle’s ramshackle cabin and starting over. Little does she know that her new neighbor might not want her there. Tanner loves his family and his community. What he doesn’t love is the city woman who moved into a property he wants to own. Can two people from different backgrounds and with different life plans make a future together or will their differences end them before they begin?
CONTAINS MINOR SPOILERS
Callie starts the story as a silly character out of her element with no apparent plan. The author allows her to grow and develop slowly through the events of the story. By the end, she is part of the community and strong enough to stand on her own. Her former fiance is a cheating jerk. Her family is cruel to her and on a journey of their own. I like that her family was pushing her to marry Sutter because it would help their business and community standing. Tanner is a bit of a loner. He is serious about his business and family. He had a rough childhood and that has determined his path in life. The woman that took him in became his “mom” in every sense of the word. I like that he understood his “mom” was taking a chance on him when he moved in with her and he has never done anything to make her regret her kindness. I like that the author gave him a good reason for wanting Callie’s property. His program for young people in trouble is a great reason for him to be the way he is. As their relationship developed, I believed that they were a good match. I like the side characters. They each add a little something unique to the story.
There is a bad guy and another bad guy. The obvious bad guy is Callie’s cheating ex fiance. Of course, he appears in the story and tries to get her back. He has nefarious reasons for his actions. Her parents are also bad guys. They treat her like a possession they can give away to gain something in return. By the end, I felt like they actually valued Callie. Then there are the bad guy next door neighbors. That is a more interesting part of the story. They have a long standing feud with Sutter. That feud ends up spilling over onto Callie. I thought the author did a good job with this part of the story. It took a few fun twists and turns.
This story takes place in Kentucky. The two main characters went to high school together but ran in two different circles. This is a story about resilience and kindness. I enjoyed this story and will read more from this author in the future.

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Every Lori Foster book is a must read for me and this new series is a winner. I’d call this a “Wholesome “ story with a little sex thrown in. You have two families, foster kids needing help, questionable neighbors, a nasty ex, a dog, a cat, chickens, and 4 goats, a lot of chaos, and a lot of love all put together to make an awesome story. Don’t miss this wonderful book.

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