ARC REVIEW!!!
2.75⭐️

I’m sad to say I wasn’t a big fan of this book. I think the plot wasn’t really for me I just bored me a little bit. I also felt as if the two main characters didn’t really have much of a connection it seemed more forced. Someone else might enjoy this one more but I just couldn’t seem to get into it☹️

The fmc, Juniper, isn’t having the best luck after her mother’s death. She loses her job and, at thirty-two, moves back in with her dad. But then, out of the blue, she gets invited to audition for the audio drama adaptation of a popular vampire romance series. Turns out, her co-narrator is James Neely—the guy she knew in college, the one who hurt her.

This is my first book by Ashley Schumacher, and I’m so glad I discovered her writing! The characters spend a lot of time at work, and I have no idea if all these audiobook recording details were accurate, but they were so interesting to read about! I have many favorite moments, but I don’t want to spoil anything—I’ll just say that James is absolutely incredible! At the start of the book, he’s closed-off and quiet, but with every chapter, he opens up more, and I fell for him even harder.

I also liked Juniper. I’m going through something similar in my own life, so her struggles felt very personal to me. And her dad? He’s amazing—I smiled every time he appeared on the page.

This book left me with such warm and happy feelings. There’s no actual magic here, but there are magical coincidences. And if you’re a Twilight fan, you’ll love this book because the series they’re narrating feels so much like it!

𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬:
✓slow burn
✓cinnamon roll mmc
✓forced proximity
✓grief and healing
✓audiobook narrators
✓Twilight inspired

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group (Del Rey) for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

In spite of my score, I’m hopeful Ashley Schumacher keeps writing adult fiction because I would love to read more books by her.

I really like her writing style. I think she did a good job incorporating parallels to Twilight - both directly (e.g., them going on twilight themed dates) and discretely (e.g., the progression of their relationship). And I liked that the characters felt unique and not just fitting key tropes.

However, I couldn’t get over my issues with Juniper. Now this is just my opinion…but I felt she was very immature for her age (e.g., being that upset about something that happened 10 years ago, blaming James for ending things when she begged him to fake date, etc). There were also a lot of times she didn’t take responsibilities for her actions, instead blamed ‘bad magic’. And since a lot of this story was about Juniper floundering and trying to find herself, it was hard to get into it since I spent most of the story put off by Juniper.

Thank you to Ashley Schumacher, Random House/Del Rey, and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

i wish that i could say out loud my thoughts about this book but i can’t and so u’ll have to read it here :)

this book my very first book written by ashley schumacher and what a delightful and whimsical time i had while reading the story of juniper and james <3!!
so… yes i’ll be tuned for her next book!

say it out loud’s that kind of story that captures you since the first pages because of how intimate and relatable can be and i can say this because guess what? i could relate to juniper and while reading certain quotes i felt understood in a very deeply way and i think won’t be the only one for sure because among some things talked we have a main female character that talks about her love for books in such a lovely way that if u’re a book lover i know that you’ll connect with juniper instantly because this is the end one of the many power of reading the connection you make with stories,characters and other people with the same feelings and different stories about what they have felt while reading a book…

i loved reading about juniper development with herself, her feelings for james and it was truly amazing to read about her friend and her father they were truly funny and adorable!

in the end what can i say more? well besides the obviously twilight inspiration that u can see already from that very stunning cover … if u are a fan of fake relationships and second chance romance well u should definitely pick this one!

a lot of thanks to netgalley and random house publishing - del rey, random house worlds, inklore for sending me the e-arc of this whimsical book in exchange for my honest opinion!

This book is for all the fangirls out there....and it's AMAZING! As a teen, I too was obsessed with a certain love story between a vampire and a human (and then the love triangle that included a werewolf) and it honestly held such an important place in my heart, it's the reason why I still love the paranormal romance genre to this day. This author did an incredible job of demonstrating what it means to be a fangirl and how important it is for young girls to have these things in their lives (and not to be mocked over it). Without getting emotional, because this book moved me quite a few times, but the storyline about how Juniper and her mother bonded over the books/films and how it made their connection even stronger, honestly the same thing happened with my mother (not over books, but over music instead), but it was such a beautiful plot point that I know will resonate with so many readers. Schumacher did a stellar job of including so many easter eggs and cheeky nods to pop culture, I loved it! I thought both main characters were likeable and I really was rooting for them to get there in the end. My only critique is that please stop calling him 'James Freakin' Neely' it was amusing the first few times, but then it just got cringe. The main takeaway from this book for me is that it's totally a love letter for older fangirls (like myself as I turn 30 this year) who loved to love books/films/music groups but got made fun of for it. This book validates the fangirl feelings and actually makes me proud to say I loved a book like that with such passion and it's okay to recognise how much things like books/series can change your life (hopefully for the better)! I read in the blurb that this title is Schumacher's debut into adult fiction, well brava! It's a fantastic debut full of laughter, relatability and heartfelt moments that is sure to strike a chord in every reader (especially us older fangirls) - I cannot wait to see what this author does next.

Three stars.

It was a interesting description—love, magic and twilight... Despite my initial enthusiasm, I found myself feeling rather disengaged as I progressed through the pages. The prose displayed a remarkable quality, yet the extended inner monologues tended to drag on, becoming somewhat repetitive as the narrative progressed.

Juniper was a very relatable character! The protagonist's inner turmoil resonates deeply, making her struggles not only relatable but also profoundly inspiring. These challenges, though common, often remain unspoken, adding a layer of authenticity to the narrative.

The element of "magic" in the narrative fell short of expectations, presenting itself more as a series of coincidences rather than a truly enchanting experience. Despite being prominently advertised, it only surfaced a few times, leaving a sense of disappointment regarding its overall presence in the story. The Twilight references I LOVE as a die hard fan but the tropes in the books was overdone.

Overall, this book presented a challenge to complete, yet it was beautifully crafted, and the opening narrative was truly engaging.

Thank you to Netgalley and Del Rey books for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is for anyone who ever fell in love with a fictional vampire, mourned their Twilight-era Tumblr, or just wants a romance that angsty, passionate yet tender.

One thing Ashley Schumacher does well is to give the main characters either a sort of instant affinity or a specific emotional connection from the past, and I feel like that was successfully implemented in this book. However, I got increasingly annoyed with the characters as the book progressed and they kept treading the same "we shouldn't do this" when they both clearly want to and know the other does also. The plot contrivances were also SO contrived that I had a hard time accepting them as reasons for the characters' actions - Juniper pushing to do social media when they didn't have to and she could have obtained her salary otherwise, the reasons the two of them couldn't be together, the need for fake dating, etc. I did like their dynamic when the plot didn't frustrate me, and I will say I appreciated the lack of miscommunication-caused drama.

This was objectively cute but really not for me.

I struggled to connect to either of the characters. The twilight references felt a little heavy handed and the fake dating trope felt force.

That being said, I know many people that would love this!! Twilight die hards especially will have a great time with this one.

This was my first arc so I was super excited to read this! I really enjoyed this, the story line was really fun. I wish there had been a little more of the “magic” that was described in the description instead of mainly just coincidences. I really liked Juniper I found her character very likable and relatable. It took me about 50% of the book to start to like James. He seemed to me, a little too grumpy. I wasn’t really feeling his side of the attractive personally. Overall I did enjoy the story and the characters (some more than others). Thank you for the opportunity to read this advanced readers copy!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC, I loved every second.

The chemistry between the characters is so off the charts great that I wouldn’t even mind if they stayed friends and I got to just read about their interactions forever.

The writing is incredibly funny, light - but not without some well-handled heavy topics - and sweet. I had a full smile most of the time, openly laughed at many remarks, got teary-eyed at others, and felt so excited it was difficult to fall asleep.

This book is why I love reading so much. Nothing felt out of place, everything had a purpose. It was beautiful.

As soon as 23rd September comes, I'd recommend running to get a copy.

Juniper a sus 32 años, ha perdido la fe en la magia de la vida después de la muerte de su madre, la quiebra de sus sueños de carrera y el fracaso de su podcast. Vive en la casa de su padre, preguntándose si alguna vez fue feliz o si lo será. Pero su vida da un giro cuando recibe una invitación para audicionar para el papel principal en una adaptación en audio de The Meadow, una exitosa saga de vampiros que marcó su adolescencia. El problema es que su compañero de reparto es James Neely, el actor que rompió su corazón años atrás y desapareció de su vida.

Para que el proyecto sea un éxito, Juniper y James deben recuperar su química en el escenario y fingir que todo está bien, pero ¿qué pasará cuando los límites entre lo falso y lo real empiecen a desdibujarse?


~

Una lástima que James no tuviera povs, se me hizo un personaje interesante con una buena historia de fondo.

Me dieron risa las referencias a crepúsculo.





Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for the ARC!

A friend showed me this book, and I got curious, but we were both expecting magic romcom, which wasn’t really there (maybe we misunderstood)

It was a nice story; there were moments that made me smile and laugh. The writing style is light and pleasant, and I didn’t even notice how fast time flew by — it felt like I was right there, like I was watching a movie.

💬 A woman who lost her faith in magic after her mom passed away faces her shattered dreams of becoming a podcaster or working in publishing, and has to move back in with her dad. But then she gets a job and a chance to do what she wanted; the catch? Her project partner is the guy who broke her heart in college. To ensure their adaptation succeeds, Juniper and James have to reignite their chemistry and pretend in front of the camera. But can they draw the line between fake and real?

You might notice that the book they’re narrating sounds a lot like Twilight.

I really wished we had more insight into James's feelings since Juniper talked about herself the whole time. I get her, though — sometimes I don’t even know what I want. At times, she joked too much, and I felt like it was a bit overkill. Like, just let her listen to the guy for a minute! And just so you know, the characters are 30+

This book even made me cry! The trope of losing a loved one just hits hard, thanks...

Juniper is chatty, while James is the listener and the action guy (like carrying her clothes because she keeps spilling coffee everywhere)

Overall, it’s a nice read for those warm days when you're not sure what to do — you read it and realize there are loads of Junipers out there.

• Second chance
• Fake relationship
• Forced proximity
• Loss of a loved one (in the past)

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

Say It Out Loud follows Juniper Green, a woman who does not believe in magic anymore since her mom died. Her dreams of being a podcaster or in the publishing industry are crushed, and she’s forced to move back in with her Dad. One day she gets an email asking her to audition for the role of Arabella in a dramatic audio version of the book series The Meadows, an insanely popular vampire book series that encompassed her teenage years. It’s an amazing opportunity, until she learns that her co-star is none other than James Neely, her nemesis who broke her heart back in college. To make sure the audio book adaptation is successful, Juniper and James mist revive their chemistry and fake it for the cameras. But will the lines blur between what is fake and what’s real?

This book was everything! Ashley did such an amazing job with writing this book and making the characters so unique and have such AMAZING chemistry together! This book made me laugh, cry, and basically go through every single emotion (in a good way!). When I heard it would be about a main character who was doing an audio adaptation with her nemesis on a book series that’s essentially Twilight I was like sign me UP! Twilight was never just a phase for me (I seriously watch it all the time) so I knew I had to read it and this book did not disappoint! I adored all the Twilight references in this book! It made my heart so happy!

Juniper and James character dynamic was so amazing and I loved watching them grow throughout the book. I don’t want to spoil anything but their relationship is just SO good. This book was seriously un-put-downable and I’m so grateful that I was able to receive an early e-ARC of this book. Once it releases I will be RUNNING to the bookstore to purchase it!

This book releases on September 23rd and if you love Twilight as much as I do, I urge you to read this book! It’s so nostalgic of the magic of Twilight!

I LOVED this book so much. This writing style is what I live for, it reminded me a lot of Emily Henry’s books - a romance but with DEPTH. I found that I could really resonate with Juniper, the way she finds herself in books and looks for magic in her every day.

I found myself highlighting a lot throughout this, the way Ashley has represented grief, romance, friendship, and feeling ‘lost’ in your 30s - there’s so many beautiful quotes that I’ve taken from this book and will always think about.

‘It's a crystal ball and a photo album, good art. It helps you look in both directions.’

I couldn’t put this down, this is the perfect Summer read and I cannot wait to back-log some of Ashley’s work and for her future projects. Thank you so much for allowing me the opportunity to read this!

I was looking for magical romance but this wasn't it. Juniper is down on her luck, back with living with her dad, the years post college. She accidentally sold her successful podcast because she didn't read the fine print.

She ends up getting a job reading a set of books that sounds like twilight and this is her fresh start.... Except her co audio star is a guy she briefly knew from college who is actually now famous. She starts to wonder if the sparks are real or only for audio. A good book but not what I was expecting.

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.

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.