I stayed up until 1am because I had to finish this book. I absolutely fell in love with Emily and Jude. The writing was so good I was feeling every emotion. I rarely cry while reading a book, but this one had me crying multiple times. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did. I will immediately be adding more Jo Bartlett books to my TBR. Thank you Boldwood Books and Netgalley for the ARC.

Jude doesn't believe in love. His mom died when he was young, and his first stepmother was awful. When his editor told him that he needed to add something to his latest novel, he balked at adding some romance. Emily reads books for author's audio and has a wonderful family. When they get connected for Emily to help him, they both feel something. Jude fights against love, but he slowly learns to find out more about his past and open his heart. A sweet Christmas story. I received an advanced reader copy of this book, and this is my honest review.

This is such a sweet story! Emily is a ray of sunshine. She just loves romance stories and, quite accidentally, falls into doing audiobook narration for her favourite romance author. Jude is the ultimate grump. He doesn't like Christmas and doesn't believe in unconditional love. He believes 'love' is transactional. To be fair, he has some good reasons to feel that way. His agent suggests adding some romance into the crime novels he writes to boost his readership and, after his initial horror at the suggestion and then hearing Emily narrate, he asks her to help him see what love looks like. This is a wonderful, sweet friends-to-lovers romance. Some fun easter eggs pop up from the author's Cornish Country Hospital series too. Loved it!
Thanks to Netgalley, Boldwood Books, and Jo Bartlett for the free ARC. All opinions are my own.

It definitely delivers on what it promises. Absolutely lovely. Perfectly paced, achingly realistic, and simply beautiful. Makes you feel warm inside.

The characters’ stories are interesting and easy to follow. You root for them both as a couple and individually. Especially for the MMC, as he discovers more and more about himself. It's a slow-burn which makes you swell with emotions.

I don’t actually have much to say about it, because I don’t have any complaints, which is a big compliment in and of itself. Just, lovely. Ideal for a Christmas read.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me the ARC to review!

This was such a sweet Christmas love story. I loved the concept of crime novelist Jude, who doesn’t believe in love, having to work with romance lover and audiobook narrator Emily. This was a super slow burn dislike, to friends, to lovers story. In addition to the love story, there was a strong focus on challenges in the characters personal lives, particularly Jude, which they worked through. At times the focus on these issues took away from moments that could’ve better been used to develop chemistry between the two characters. Overall, still a very enjoyable and cozy read! Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood for the ARC.

This was the first book I have read by this author. I enjoyed this book it was a slow build up which kept me reading. I liked the strong female lead character who knew who she was and wasn’t afraid to voice what she thought. It was warm and cosy just as a romance should be. The only thing that disappointed me a bit was it was over too quickly. I read this book in a day.

There's something warm and comforting about Jo's books and this was no different. Emily, you can't help but love this audio book reader as she's meet Juce, a man who needs romance and to get his publisher off his face. There were times I was frustrated with the characters and others I was rooting for the main characters.

Although this feels all Christmas, in summer, it's still that perfect poolside or a lazy Sunday afternoon read with that Jo magic storytelling.

I have ready most of Jo’s books and was happy to receive this. Emily works as an audio book narrater on romance fiction ,usually and loves her job. Jude is a crime writer but is struggling to finish his book and is getting hassle from his publisher. They feel he needs to lighten the main character up and introduce a softer side to him. Jude can’t see this working and he doesn’t believe in true love. Emily gets introduced to Jude in the hope she can help him finish his book. Emily is going home to Cornwall to stay with her parents for Christmas. Her mum doesn’t keep great and her dad looks after her. Jude’s dad and step mother stay nearby but he never visits as he doesn’t get on with his dad. Jude’s Mum died when he was 12 and he hasn’t ever got over that. He was sent away to boarding school by his Dad and his second wife. His Dad remarried again and Viv is lovely and always inviting him to visit but he never does. When he finds out Emily is going to Cornwall he rents a flat nearby so he can work with her but there is an attraction which he tries to fight. I loved the book and didn’t want it to end,please read it to find out how Emily and Jude navigate their working relationship and spending time together. You won’t be disappointed.

Love Jo Bartlett books. Emily is a romance audiobook teller. She loves romance. Jude is a crime author who hates romance but has hit a block with his series of detective novels. He persuade Emily to try and help him put some romance in his books

Emily representa a la romántica empedernida moderna: una mujer que cree en los finales felices no porque su vida haya sido fácil, sino porque eligió encontrar belleza en lo cotidiano. Con una empatía natural y una visión esperanzada del mundo, Emily no solo busca el amor, sino una vida significativa. Su encuentro casual con su autora favorita, Sophia Wainwright, cambia su destino, dándole un impulso profesional... y sembrando las semillas de un futuro aún más inesperado.

Jude es un exitoso autor de thrillers que está perdiendo conexión con sus lectores. No cree en el amor. Su historia personal está teñida de abandono, desilusión y una visión amarga de las relaciones.


Jude es un exitoso autor de thrillers que está perdiendo conexión con sus lectores. No cree en el amor. Su historia personal está teñida de abandono, desilusión y una visión amarga de las relaciones. Lo que comienza como una obligación profesional (acercarse al romance para inspirarse) lo lleva al audiolibro de Emily, cuya voz y emoción comienzan a penetrar sus defensas. El cambio de Jude es lento, lleno de dudas y contradicciones, que me llegó a desesperar al final.


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