4.0

Thank you NetGalley, MacAudio, and Vi Keeland for the chance to listen and review this ALC.
Overall, I really enjoyed this audio. I thought the narration was well done and engaging.
The story was also keeping me locked in. I’m usually not a fan of the accidental pregnancy trope but I didn’t mind it here. I also usually find long distance relationships to be hit or miss, but again - this one kept me entertained. I did find the dynamic between the niece of the FMC and brother of the MMC situation to be awkward and almost unnecessary. All in all though, I enjoyed this one.

My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This was a fast and cute read with a happy ending.

Listen, is this basically the exact same storyline as Vi Keeland’s book, The Baller? Yes. Is it a great formula for a romance? Absolutely. So thank you to the author for knowing your girlies. I will say that I have an issue with the female narrator (she’s very popular so must be a me problem) but she somehow makes the banter so stiff and weird. Again, a me problem.

Thank you to PRH audio for this ALC 🫶🏻

3.5 ⭐️
Our FMC is a bride left at the altar, but also she writes profiles about weddings. She meets a handsome groomsmen at a wedding and he’s smitten! She’s on a break from men and thinks they won’t meet again.

When he convinces her boss to cover all of his friends’ weddings for the year. She can’t avoid him and he only wants her. He has to impatiently wait for her because she’s been hurt pretty recently.

I really liked the MMC until one of my least fave tropes shows up and he handles it poorly. I didn’t think it was necessary to the story. The HEA is great though!

Oh no. This started out as a four star listen for me, but kind of went downhill until I alternated between irritation and indifference by the end.

So the story started off pretty cute. I thought it was a nice mash up of instalove, but slow burn; quasi-enemies, but friends. I generally think that referencing different romance tropes without completely relying on them can be a romance novel sweet spot. But then as the story went on, I realized it was less a beautiful mixture and more like throwing every single trope at the wall to see what'll stick. Along with the aforementioned tropes, there's the sports thing, rich guy thing, forced proximity thing, jilted bride thing, and don't even get me started on the surprise baby. And I feel like these tropes were all there because the characters didn't really have personalities.

I think I started leaning towards disliking the story when the fourth or fifth sexist and/or dated thing happened. I can usually take one or two things like that in stride and I don't expect a perfect novel. But when it becomes a theme, I start getting annoyed. And when there was the big reveal at the end about the MMC and the "lying woman trapping a man" trope, I was like, welp, there goes that star. Also, that storyline made literally no sense. It's like she and her partner made fraud part of their family planning strategy. That's almost hilarious?

Besides all that, I think this may have been poorly edited. At least two examples come to mind where the characters learn something and then learn it again later. These aren't dramatic plot points or anything, but still.

Lucas was MVP. Probably telling that I always liked the story best when he was present and annoying his brother.

The narrators were fine. They're both known for their romance novel narrations and did capable jobs. This is probably an unpopular opinion, and while I don't avoid Andi's narrations, I don't seek them out either. Aidan has a lovely voice, but I got second hand embarrassment for him during his line reading during the sex scene(s).

I loved, loved, loved Hate Notes. And I always want to check out other audiobooks by Vi Keeland, but so many are only available on Audible, and I'm stubbornly opposed to supporting their anticompetitive practices. So when I saw Jilted available on NetGalley, I was like, ohhh, I should request this! Although it does look like this book will be available on Libby and elsewhere as well. This hasn't turned me off to the author entirely, but this was a miss for me. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, nonetheless.

Please give me all the books about weddings! I love them. It was a treat to get the chance to listen to Vi's story Jilted on audiobook. I liked the flow and the narration. The story is a bit predictable, but I still had a fun time with it. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨✨✨ (4.5/5)

“I wanted to watch your show but it’s not because I’m sweet, Sloane.”

“Sometimes you get lucky and something perfect falls into your lap.”

Thanks to Macmillan Audio (Bramble) for my #gifted copy of this audiobook.

I loved both MCs from the jump. The chemistry was on point. The flirtation was on point! Sloane is so relatable and Wilder will make you swoon all day long. Wilder is just cocky as hell and super charming.

The banter between Sloane and Wilder was so much fun. I loved his questions during her show and how she didn’t pull any punches calling him out on it. I even loved his stalkery vibes. I also love how anti-cheater Wilder is.

Loved how he picked her up at the airport. Adorable but not cheesy.

Only thing I wasn’t a fan of was the in & out accent for Wilder. It was a little distracting in the audiobook. When in doubt throw the accent out 😂😂.

Elijah as the bestie is so much fun too.

The “leave room for Jesus” during the dances scenes made me laugh.

I also loved Sloane’s wedding rules. All brides and bridesmaid should read it.

Sloane infuriated me from time to time…girl just enjoy the moments. You can still protect your heart and live in the moment.

Tropes:
💙second chance at love
🩶rugby player hero
💙journalist heroine
🩶diabetes rep
💙banter
🩶boss’s son
💙accidental pregnancy

Jilted was an entertaining and fun read to listen to.
This is the story of Sloan and Wilder. I loved both characters from the very beginning.

The FMC, Sloan, had been left at the alter about 6 months ago, and is currently not dating nor looking for anything to do with men right now. Sloan and does not care for weddings even though she is currently working for BRIDE magazine. She meets Wilder at a wedding, and at several more through the season and then learns he's the boss's son .

The mmc, Wilder, is a famous rugby player who has been living in London for the past 10 years. He is known as a bit of a playboy that really doesn't do relationships. Wilder knows of Sloan's no men for a year plan and is willing to wait for her. Wilder is a bit on the cocky side which fits his persona and image.

Both main characters have baggage that makes them apprehensive to start a brand new relationship relationship, but this was a slow burn and they took it slowly. The banter between Sloane and Wilder was so much fun to listen to and their chemistry was great.

The narration by Andi Arndt and Aiden Snow was great. Andi is one of my favorites to listen and I think Aiden was great, although I have not listened to tons of his books..

Overall, this was an enjoyable and fun book to listen to.

The premise of Ms. Keeland’s upcoming novel had lots of potential, with its fresh take on weddings, breakups and how journalism treats the wedding industry. Sloan, a journalist who works in the business, has been recently jilted and is trying to balance her near obsession with a picture perfect wedding she nearly had, and the challenge of mending her broken heart. A former rugby phenomenon and current groomsman Wilder crashes unto the scene, putting Sloan’s plan into a tailspin.

The list of trigger warnings is long, and I think the plot could have stood on its own without throwing so many potentially distressing narratives into the mix. None of this content was bothersome to me, but the pervasiveness seemed unwarranted. This book is advertised as spicy but Wilder’s unnecessarily crude language seemed to constantly be at odds with his other character attributes and the “boys will be boys” stereotyping was distracting.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the early copy in exchange for my honest review.

Sloan works for a high end wedding magazine, covering elite weddings all over the world. It was her dream job growing up as she has always been obsessed with weddings. Unfortunately, her own wedding was anything but a dream when she was left jilted at the alter.

At a recent wedding gig, she finds herself forced into the wedding party when a bridesmaid was unable to attend. The bride under no circumstances *gasp* could have an uneven bridal party! It is here Sloan lets loose and has a little fun with a groomsman name Wilder who has the most beautiful eyes she has ever seen. She figures it is a one and done kind of thing but circumstances keep bringing them together and we have the beginning of a cute friends to lovers trope. Or is it? Sloan has sworn to not dating for at least a year and Wilder has a reputation of being a player.

This was a great contemporary romance read. It had humour, emotion and two main characters I absolutely loved. The character development was superb in this novel and I was rooting for them to find their way together the entire time. There is a bit of spice in here but the book really focuses around their relationship and the chemistry brewing between them.

A perfect beach read or book to read/listen to when you need a break from your usual genre. The duo narration by Aiden Snow and Andi Arndt was phenomenal!

I wanted to like this really but it felt like the author made a list of interactions for them to have back to back before they could have a happily ever after but none of those felt significant, there was no real spark or chemistry other than attraction and they had such big emotional attachments without anything baking it up.

All the cupcakes! Jilted by Vi Keeland was a sweet and swoony strangers-to-lovers romance that did deliciously good things to my heart. I loved the bridal vibes this book brought, putting a huge smile on my face. Sloane and Wilder’s instant connection was magnetic from the start, and I adored the way this man pampered her and wooed her to the fullest.

Andi Arndt and Aiden Snow performed this audiobook in dual narration, and both embodied Sloane and Wilder to the fullest. Andi’s performance emphasized Sloane’s graceful and sophisticated demeanor as she figured out her true feelings for Wilder. Aiden’s deep, warm timbre gave Wilder the perfect touch of confidence and charm, making this man simply irresistible. Both narrators created a slow-burning longing and chemistry between these two that quickly became explosive when they finally gave into their desires.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. If you are a fan of a jilted bride romance with a hot hunky retired pro rugby player, a sassy passionate journalist for Bride Magazine, witty banter, wedding meet cute, coat closet kisses, he falls first, family owned bars, he spoils her, a supportive family, truths about past relationships, first class trips to London, fancy hotel suites, he shops for her, surprises, and a HEA that will do blissful things to your heart, then you will love Sloane and Wilder’s story. I always look forward to more from Vi Keeland.

Jilted was an entertaining and easy listen. It was a pretty typical contemporary romance featuring tropes like: forced proximity, opposites attract, billionaire (or at least very, very rich), etc. It had some cute moments, but I never really felt like we got to truly know Wilder or Sloan. They each have baggage that makes them nervous to start a relationship, but I liked that they didn’t rush into things (even though the instalust was there). Repeatedly being reminded of Wilder’s sexual history wasn’t fun though. Seriously, is there anyone he hasn’t slept with?!? The third act drama felt forced and the big reveal about Wilder’s past fell pretty flat, but the epilogue was sweet.

The narration by Andi Arndt and Aiden Snow was great. I do wish there was a bit more variation in the voices Aiden Snow uses though. Overall, this was an enjoyable listen, but there wasn’t anything that made it stand out from any other contemporary romance.

CW (possible spoilers): diabetes, death of parent (past), Parkinson’s disease, grief, cheating ex, accidental pregnancy, mentions of secondary/minor characters with: dementia, death related to drug overdose, cancer

*I voluntarily listened to an advance review copy of this book*

ARC review • pub date 05.06.25

Okayyyy Vi - I see you 👀

As an already HUGE fan of her thrillers, this is my first romance book from Vi Keeland and she was gooooood.
I would much rather listen to a romcom than read the book, and I thought the narrators (Andi Arndt and Aiden Snow) were absolutely perfect for this. 👌🏻

Sloane is still healing a year after being stood up at the altar. At a wedding, she meets the Wilder and finds out she will be working with him on and off through the season. He has already fallen hard for her, but she makes him promise to wait six months.

The story is packed with humor, tension, and second chances. Vi Keeland has such a way with words that you never want her stories to end. I loved Wilder and his ambition, and Sloane is the type of female you just want to root for! If you loved the movie 27 Dresses, you’ll devour this book 💛

4.5⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for my ALC