Perfect book to pick up when you're looking for something fast-paced, funny, easy to read romance with a HEA!
The play on words made me giggle ('climax' town, 'come again' bar, baby Percy pronouncing his name as 'p-ssy', as well as the unhinged cuss word replacements Avery uses because she's trying to stop swearing0, very funny.

My only downside is i wish there was more of a build-up and more tension before the two MCs got together.
That said, if unlike me you're one for insta love, this one is for you!

Thank you to Netgalley for my ARC copy.

This book is a sickly sweet, cute, instant-lovey romance with all the charm you can pack into a small town romance.

The story follows Avery, the delightful and quirky sunshine heroine that runs the towns 'Parks + Recs' program after taking over for her mother, who is suffering from the longterm effects of COVID. When meeting the ever pragmatic Josh who has moved to town to manage the town's budget, her program included, she feels and instant connection. While falling in love with the newly widowed Josh, she also falls in love with his two adorable children. With both parties struggling with real-life problems, managing the work/life balance, grief, family, while being surrounded by the usual small town gossip.

This is one for those who love all the hallmark movies and the drama in small town romance novels with all the cuteness of a HEA.

This book was a fun read and it totally gave Parks and Rec meets Schitts Creek vibes and I was all for it.

Avery, who is from the small town of Climax, is trying hard to save the playgroup that her mother created at the community center and Josh is the new VP of the company that is trying to make big changes at the center that will shut down some of the programs. They have to work together to figure out a way to save the center.

Along with trying to save the program, Avery also takes care of her parents and Josh is a widowed, single dad trying to adjust to his new life in the small town. They both have a lot of responsibility and don’t want to burden others with their baggage. Their love story unfolds with flirty banter, heartache and the grand gesture to their HEA.

3.75⭐️

This is the ideal book to pick up if you’re wanting something that’s funny and easy to read!

I really enjoyed this book, the humour throughout the story kept me hooked. I loved both the characters on their own, reading about what they both were going through/had already been through and how they learned to be there for each other was wholesome. I loved the relationship that Avery had with Josh’s children, and how they got along so quickly given what they’d already been through with others.

Josh and Avery are fun together, they bring out the best in each other. The only thing I would’ve wanted was a bit more tension before they got together, it felt it bit insta-love at the beginning of the story.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and I’m looking forward to reading more from this author in the future!

The Single Dad’s Guide to Recreation is such a cute rom-com with opposites attract characters. The story follows Avery and Josh who are working on opposing teams and struggling to deny their attraction to one another.

This story is one for the book people who love a good small town/single-dad/forced proximity romance!

The Single Dad’s Guide to Recreation is so . . . so . . . so Karen Grey. If you are a long-time fan like I am, you’ll see it right away. It’s not that all her stories sound alike, they most certainly do not, but it’s an almost indescribable feeling you get. The story just seems to blossom and unfold before your eyes: the setting becomes alive and vibrant, the characters are developed dimension by dimension and the plot just rolls along, gathering emotion, humor, will-they, won’t-they to its very satisfying conclusion.

We come to Climax, New York via author Grey’s contribution to the Bedd Fellows Farm four-book series. Familiar characters and animals and we had just a little peek at Josh Harmon.

Josh’s life blew up about a year and a half ago when his wife Lisa died. He’s still overwhelmed and he’s come to Climax so his parents can help with his two small children. Avery Mills was born and raised in Climax but left to work in the big city. After a brutal betrayal she came back to heal, and when she realized the state of her parents’ health she stayed to care for them. When they meet, it’s typical Grey: touching, sweet, funny. Josh has been stumbling and slumbering through his life, more asleep than awake until the first time he sets eyes on Avery, or more accurately when she literally falls into his arms. It’s like a bucket of ice water to the face – he’s awake now. And Avery? It’s as if she looked up and Prince Charming was standing there, except instead of curtsying like a princess would she tripped and fell into him. One look, and one feel of those arms around her, and her life is suddenly Before Josh Times and After Josh Times. She sees a ring and thinks he’s married, then that he’s still wearing the ring because he’s still grieving, but her pesky subconscious won’t let that attraction go. What is wrong with her? And Josh wonders what is wrong with him. He can’t decide whether to take that ring off or not, but there was a lot of turmoil and sadness in his marriage and these emotions he’s feeling around Avery are new to him. Maybe he has Before Avery Times and After Avery Times?

Josh needs his job. Avery needs her job. And Josh’s job is to get rid of Avery’s job. This isn’t going to be conflict-free, is it?

His job is the only thing Josh feels certain of, capable at, and he needs it to support his family. Avery’s “big city” dreams went away when she decided to stay in Climax and her job at Climax Parks & Rec, her friends, her family are everything to her. And especially important to her is the parent-toddler class called Playgroup, created and run by her mother before she became too ill to continue.

Josh works for Trede Corporation, founded by Elijah Ransom (maybe a little hook there for the next book?) who spent time as a young man in Climax and decided to establish headquarters there and invest in the community, but part of the deal is to upgrade facilities and programs and make improvements to serve the entire community. Playgroup is very valuable and very popular – but serves only a tiny portion of the community, and logically it should be first on the list of cuts. This makes Josh and Avery enemies – but they’re not. Not when those clock tower bells ring whenever they are close together. In fact, they are very, very compatible except for the Playgroup thing.

Grey expertly populates the story with colorful family and friends, relationships that have gone awry, tough decisions that have to be made and with humor and tenderness and a whole lot of spice running through it all. Imagine those bells, Avery’s hilarious word substitutions to avoid using naughty words around the toddlers, an exciting, sexy work trip (yes, you heard me) and scene after scene of pure reading enjoyment. If you can only take one trip this year, take it to Climax. You will love your time there as much as I did. I received an advance copy of The Single Dad’s Guide to Recreation from the author. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own.

I think it’s been established that I really like Karen’s style of writing. She writes true-to-life fiction that isn’t angst driven nor sexually driven. Just a normal relationship development with shenanigans on the side of course, and I love it! It is always a pleasure to be inside one of her worlds!

The town of Climax (yeah, you read that right lol) is an absolute hoot! I cannot wait for this town to develop into a much bigger series! As I mentioned before, I like Karen’s style because of the levity she brings to her stories even when dealing with serious circumstances. She did that really well with this story and I found myself smiling even when the story wasn’t being humorous at all. I don’t know what it is, but she just makes me feel good when I’m reading her stories! The story of Avery, Josh and of course, little Percy & Mable was entertaining with excellent banter. Circumstances relatable and realistic with a sprinkle of smalltown shenanigans at almost every turn! There was nothing ”dramatic” about any part of their journey which very much added to my enjoyment! It’s a story full of laughs, hope and love! I honestly can’t wait to see what Karen has in store for the audiobook! Eeepppp!

The story was fun and lighthearted and I had a good time reading it.
This was a wonderfully written romantic comedy.
I absolutely loved these characters and really enjoyed getting to know them.
A sweet, funny and heartwarming read!
I can’t wait to read book two!

SDGTR gets 5 ⭐️ and 1 🐈‍⬛

This was such a sweet (and spicy!) story. I empathize with Avery on so many levels, and she felt like such a real, relatable character. I love her professional journey, which pairs so perfectly with her love story with Josh. Josh is the cutest single dad, doing his best to take care of his littles along with himself. Definitely going on my comfort reread shelf!!

😍 insta-love
🛝 small town magic
🩷 single dad
😏 only one bed getaway
🥹 HEA

This book did exactly what it came here to do because all I want to do now is read more about the quirky characters of Climax and their love stories!!!

Avery, a caregiver for her sick parents, with a traumatic past in love and life, and Josh, a widower father of two who questions if he's capable of loving someone how he truly wants to, come together as in a professional setting and are kind of, almost working against each other...but it certainly doesn't get in the way of their chemistry.

Karen Grey did such a wonderful job letting us into these characters lives and giving us just enough of the supporting characters to feel hooked in finding out what happens to them as well.

Thank you NetGalley, Home Cooked Books, and Karen Grey for an eARC of this story!

The Single Dads Guide To Recreation is a cute, sweet easy read starring Josh and Avery. It’s an opposites attract romance that was captivating, witty, entertaining and well written. It’s book one in the Welcome to Climax Series.
Josh is a single dad trying to do the best he can for his kids and Avery is new in town trying to get a fresh start and take care of her elderly parents. When Avery fights to keep her mums community program alive she finds herself fighting the man she is extremely attracted to….. and that’s when the fun and games begin.
I laughed, I giggled and I smiled a lot throughout this entertaining read.

I loved Everything About This!!!

Avery Mills had a bad breakup - we learn about it more as the book progresses. She is helping her parents who both have medical issues, and working at CPR (Climax Parks & Rec). Gotta love a town called Climax.

Josh Harmon from Trede is to analyze programs at CPR and make suggestions. He is a widower with two small children. Lots of small-town quirkiness (in the best way), witty banter, and also some real-life issues.

Special town bells, family, community, a matchmaking mayor, romance, and some personal revelations. A delight to read from first page to the last!

Rating: 4.5⭐️/5

A sweet, small town romance touching on grief and loss with some realllll spicy scenes and witty banter. I really enjoyed this one! There wasn’t as much slow burn for the initial romance and I’m not a huge fan of the third act breakup, but I did really enjoy the love story between Avery and Josh. I think Josh being a widow really added to the complexity of his character and gave some strong character development!

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This is an easy, engaging read that balances some serious themes with small town sweetness and a heartwarming romance. Avery and Josh have an instant connection (possibly even fated…), but both are beholden to family commitments and job-related pressures that seem certain to keep them apart. I really liked how those everyday issues are depicted and more importantly, how they are resolved entirely realistically without resorting to unnecessary drama. The chemistry between the main characters builds up beautifully and there’s also a well-rounded supporting cast (definitely setting up at least one more instalment) who provide both empathy and humour. I did wonder if Avery’s creative approach to profanity would get wearing, but it’s so well integrated into her point-of-view chapters that I found myself smiling at the phrases she deploys. In fact, I ended the whole book with a smile on my face, and I’m definitely looking forward to the continuation of this series.

Absolutely loved this read! It pulled me in from the very first page and kept me turning pages late into the night. The writing was smooth, engaging, and full of heart. A truly enjoyable experience that I’d recommend to anyone looking for a great escape.

A great read, the story of Avery and Josh. A great setting, and I liked how it was told from both points of view. Can't wait to read the rest of employees series!

Living in Climax might have its perks. Or so you would think. But the three years spell for Avery, after have her broken and returning to her parents home, is not funny. Add to the mix a widower with two small children and his job is to take her job away. What can go wrong? Avery and Josh’s story is sweet, cute but also full of deep feelings, tough topics and great chemistry. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC copy. This is my honest review.

3.75 Starts

small town | single dad | grief/trauma | workplace romance

Triggers: death, post natal depression.

This was a nice easy read. A fast paced romance that explores finding love when you’re a busy single parent juggling the complexities of life.

Josh and Avery had an instant connection but having just moved to a new town with a new job, Josh was hesitant to make a move. Avery spots a wedding ring and puts the idea of any kind of relationship in the trash, until she discovers he’s a widow. They both put their worries aside to embrace their romance. A chime in time makes them think that maybe their meeting was in fact fate.

A charming, heartfelt rom-com with the perfect mix of heat, humor, and heartache. Sparks fly when a playful Parks & Rec pro clashes with a hot single dad out to "re-org" her world. Enemies-to-lovers meets small-town feels in the best possible way. Total must-read!

Thank you Netgalley for the Arc!

Avery has semi-recently moved back to Climax after a breakup, and to help take care of her aging parents. Josh is new in town and is working for a company that wants to help revitalize the town and the rec center.

What follows is a sweet, quirky, romantic story of two people falling in love while navigating life's challenges.

I really enjoyed this story, and the town bell was a fun little twist.

Tropes:
Small town
Forced proximity
Single dad x caregiver