I loved absolutely everything about this book, the twilight references, the sense of humour, the way that grief was handled (especially normalising that it lasts longer than 6 months or some nonsense).

I read this immediately after a Wild Side by Elsie Silver which I gave 5 stars and I usually am somewhat disappointed with anything I read after a book by one of my favourite authors. But this was 100% on par with Elsie Silver which is HIGH praise from me.

I read it in under 24 hours, had a huge smile on my face at least 90% of the time and wept the rest of the time because it was either sad, poignant or really happy.

I am not normally one for highlighting in my books but I found there were so many quotes or conversations that I really related to and felt seen by. I also just highlighted all the bits that made me snort with laughter.

I loved Juniper and I loved James, it was an absolute delight and now I want to read everything by this author.

If all you need in a romance is the hero being hot, falling first, and chasing the heroine (plus being consistently patient and thoughtful), this might be a good one for you to pick up. Bonus points if you are a Twi-Hard. You'll love the references sprinkled throughout (even the heroine referring to herself as "un-swan like" when she trips over her own feet at one point), and appreciate the book-in-a-book experience. For me, though, it wasn't the most successful. I think this book has a great premise, but I really struggled with the self-deprecating heroine, the pretentious way the hero speaks and the writing in general. To begin, the heroine is 32 years old in present day and despite having previously launched a successful podcast, now landing a great job as an audiobook narrator for a Twilight-coded book series and being consistently romantically chased by a seemingly hot actor, her internal dialogue is a never-ending stream of how she is unworthy. It's mildly grating at the beginning of the book when she is a 21 year old, but at 32 it's borderline insufferable to read. James, the hero, is not-like-other-girls. For example, he doesn't want to do a social media run to promote their new audiobook release and he doesn't want to be a famous movie star despite starring in blockbusters. Because of art, evidently. (R-Patts vibes). Finally, the writing was often a struggle for me. First, take a shot every time you read "James Freakin' Neely." Actually, do not. You will be hospitalized. Additionally, there were long swaths of writing where I think we were meant to be a way for us to gain important background information, but I would often lose interest, especially when the heroine was unnecessarily negative towards herself or her life. Despite these things, I did finish the book quickly and found it to be compulsively readable, mostly because of James's consistently interested in Juniper presence, making the romance itself a fun time.

The story follows Charlotte, a shy, theater-loving girl who struggles with a speech impediment. While she prefers to express herself through the anonymous letters she leaves for others, an impulsive decision sets off a chain of events that forces her to step outside her comfort zone. As she navigates friendship struggles, first love, and the power of speaking up, Charlotte learns that her voice matters—both on and off the stage.

What I loved about Say It Out Loud were Charlotte's struggles that felt raw and real. She went through so much but her growth throughout the novel was really well developed. Her character was so loveable, and it felt really good to read her pov.
As an anxious girl, i really related to it, and the fact that it was also related and talked about around friendships, and how anxiety shapes us and our relationships, made it more enjoyable. These are themes that are often used and explained in books, but they aren't done as well as in this one. :)

I also loved the found family, as always, and Ashley Schumacher's writing was so good. This is my first book form her, but i am really excited to read some more!! :)

Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for giving me an arc of this book in exchange of an honest review!

From the first chapter I knew I’d love this. The writing is amazing and so full of personality, and the characters are lovable. It had been a while since I really cheered for the main characters to get together in the end, and this did not disappoint. Maybe it’s just me being a hopeless romantic, but the “magic” motif throughout tied everything up in a pretty red bow.

I absolutely could not put this down, while at the same time I wanted to live in this story for a little longer. The dialogue was great and the chemistry was even better.

It’s safe to say, James is my new favorite book boyfriend.

This is an insanely human, honest and vulnerable book. While it is romance, there is a huge self-awareness and growth that happens. I'm honestly in loveee with Juniper's vulnerability and authenticity. She doubts herself often, she panics a lot and she grieves. Her humanness was so well depicted, I was rooting for her finding her way even without James.

For some people, the character can read as whiny and a little juvenile. The writing ends up reading like a upper YA, not a 30 year old. But that can also be a matter of taste and the character itself! Another element that I didn't particularly enjoy but tolerated is the mixed signals!!! The will they, won't they. The denial. The doubts. Like their denial and mixed signals towards each other was so palpable, it pissed me right off. Again, coming from someone who is usually pretty forward with her feelings.

Overall, a pretty solid book with lovable characters and a compelling character arc!!

As an og twilight girlie who’s teen years literally revolved around those books and movies this book sounded like it would be right up my street and I had added it to my tbr when it was first announced so I was so happy to get approved for the arc!

The writing and pacing is great and it’s extremely obviously that the author was a huge twilight fan too because there’s a lot of references and quips added in throughout that call back to the original work. But other than the pure nostalgia I didn’t really enjoy it.

this book could have been 50 pages shorter, there is a lot of monologue-y moments thrown in and it becomes exhausting at times trying to just get through it. I’m also not a huge fan of when the fmc continues to use the mmc’s full government name every 5 pages to hammer home how great the guy is. We get it.

I didn’t think the “reason” the characters had a kind of “Rivals to lovers” thing going on was good enough either. At the end of the day he didn’t owe her anything, they weren’t together and they weren’t even friends but she felt this betrayal all the way into her 30’s and it just didn’t feel like a genuine enough reason for her to still harbour ill feelings towards him.

I do think some twilight fans will enjoy this because there are great moments but unfortunately it just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the arc!

This was such a fun read!! Juniper and James love story was so heartwarming and hard to put down. I loved the nostalgia of the Twilight call backs and memories of how the storyline went. The way those themes were reflected in James and Junis love story was also so clever and made the read go by so fast! I really liked this!

3.5 stars

Charming and sweet. Juniper was a relatable character, floundering about her future, forced to move back home at 31 after naively selling her podcast only to find herself replaced as host. Losing her mum a decade prior has made her feel the 'magic' has gone from her life. Meanwhile James also lost his mother, but deals with the pressure to take a big Hollywood role from his controlling manager father.

However, I didn’t quite get some of the set up and felt there were too many plot threads that distracted the main story, such as the social media part. Juniper and James were hired to be voice actors, so why are they responsible for social media management for a bonus? Given these books are Twilight level popular, I'd have thought the production house would've sprung for social media professionals. Also, the fake dating also seemed redundant and thrown in for the sake using that trope. I also felt like the characters were younger than 31, Juniper especially, and perhaps should've just lowered their ages to 24/25.

Overall, I enjoyed this and read it in one sitting.

Thanks to Random House/Del Rey and NetGalley for the ARC.

good romance and love seeing juniper and james recording a seroes like twilight . loved that they both had issues with their moms. it was a good romance.

Thank you to Del Rey and NetGalley for this ARC! I first learned about this book from a tiktok comment from the cover illustrator this past Christmas. When I heard “Twilight inspired”, I knew I needed it in my life. This book brought back all the memories I have about being a teen and becoming obsessed with Twilight. I had such a fun time finding all the subtle (and un-subtle) references to the series throughout the book! I felt the beginning was a little slow, but the banter was really good and I love fake dating (just wish it was introduced earlier than 50%)! I will be purchasing a copy upon release this fall and I hope all my fellow Twilight fans enjoy this just as much as I did! I also look forward to reading more from Ashley Schumacher.

This is a charming sort of second chance romance. Juniper is out of her dream job, still grieving her mother’s passing, and now living in her dad’s spare room. Things aren’t great until she scores an amazing opportunity to narrate her favorite book series. The only problem is that her co-star is possibly the one that got away.

Juniper is likable and it is easy to root for her. She is also very clumsy and somehow constantly spilling coffee on herself (I usually find this rom-com trope upsetting but the author does a nice job of making this an endearing quirk). James was hard to read, though I could see how he is a great match for Juniper. There is a fake dating plot that didn’t quite make sense but the sweet conclusion makes up for that. I think readers interested in a cozy romance with a hint of magic will enjoy this. 3.5 stars.

Thank you to Random House Del Ray and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

I will refrain from writing this entire review in all caps (while ignoring the feral beast bouncing around my brain that is screaming gibberish about how good this was) but THIS BOOK WAS EVERYTHING. A gut punch in the BEST possible way. This was my first Ashley Schumacher book but definitely will not be my last!

I LOVED this from start to finish. I loved Juniper and James so much it was like a physical ache in my chest. I cried multiple times over their growing relationship and all the magical connections that brought them back together. The messages of grief were beautifully brutal and it made the story even more charming. There were moments of true hilarity (SHREK 2 YESSSSSS) and such genuine connection that I couldn’t help but be sucked in.

I adored Juniper’s relationship with Serena and her dad, and her uncertainty about life/career/love felt so relatable. The Twilight references were fun and as a theatre and audiobook girly, I just feel like this book was almost tailor-made for me. I can already see this ending up on my favorites of the year. Will be diving into Schumacher’s backlist now!

i’m afraid i didn’t love this. when i read the words “magical rom-com”, i assumed id be in for something akin to ashley poston’s work — largely your typical contemporary romance with something ~magical~ thrown in, such as a time traveling apartment or a small town straight out of a book. however, the “magic” i ended up with was something like the magical elements of the movie just my luck if it was only mentioned every once in a while and didn’t slay the way lindsay lohan and chris pine did. truthfully, i was a little confused as to why it was advertised as magical at all — i see how the author was trying to bring in the “magic” with the oh-so-convenient coincidences, but it felt a little slapdash to me, so i wasn’t sold. and as someone who loves a little magical realism, that was disappointing! either commit to doing it or leave your book as a rom-com and call it a day. don’t half-ass it.

otherwise, it was just okay. i liked the premise of the story, and the beginning was great — i found the follow through to be a bit lacking. it wasn’t the worst thing i’ve ever read, but wasn’t the best either, you know? i wanted a little more relationship development (fake dating randomly thrown in halfway through also caught me off guard) and a little more sparkle (where’s edward—ahem, william—when you need him). such is life!

This was such an entertaining second chance romance. I'm such a sucker for romance novels and this satisfied my desire to read a fun new romcom.

i have seen nothing but good things about this so far from author recommendations and i can’t wait to to see what i think! thank you for the approval!!! 💖💖