All the interns for an environmental agency are pit against each other in a challenge of who can fundraise the most net money with a project of their own creation. When the oldest intern teams up with the quiet and withdrawn web designer the race begins to win the permanent job position and heal the past all at once.

This book looked a little unassuming at first. I’d read a book by Anna Collins before and wasn’t super impressed—but I’m so glad I gave this one a chance! The cover (with the dogs!) and the title—especially perfect for July—totally drew me in.

This is a workplace romance following Holly, who left her law career after it went up in flames. She takes an internship at an eco-nonprofit she’s passionate about, and while she’s there, she meets Jonathan, a graphic designer who turns out to be a former award-winning photographer.

They get assigned to work on a project together, and slowly a relationship begins to grow. This was such a great grumpy/sunshine romance! I loved the emotional depth between them. While there was miscommunication and conflict at times, they actually talked through things, owned their mistakes, and apologized—which you don’t always see in romance novels.

What started as passion and attraction developed into a caring, tender relationship that genuinely moved me. I wasn’t expecting to love this as much as I did, but it completely won me over.

I really loved the concept of this book. Finding men with hot dogs to pose for a calendar? The recipe for a perfect swoon worthy romcom. However, it often felt like that was the secondary story and I’m still not really sure what the main point was? This was so boring and confusing. Dnf at 45%

A great audiobook—the narration was fantastic, and I am definitely adding Lauren Ezzo to my list of favourite narrators! Her single narration performance was brilliant, the balance with the voice of the MMC was really well done.

This book is at its best in quiet and intimate moments—the prose is absolutely gorgeous. I’ll be happily picking up anything else this author writes!

The only reason this wasn’t a 5 star came down to the conflict not quite hitting for me (the FMC is very single-minded and doesn’t really reckon with that), the stakes and beats felt unbalanced at times which would throw me out of the story. But having said that, the quality of the writing and immersion during scenes with romantic connection was so fantastic (I really can’t overstate how lovely) that overall I loved the book and would highly recommend it.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for special access to this adorable listen!

Lauren Ezzo’s narration was FANTASTIC! So engaging and full of heart. I was instantly drawn into the grumpy-sunshine tension between Holly and Jonathan as they teamed up to create a calendar featuring hot guys and their dogs (yes, please!).

The forced proximity, slow-burn chemistry, and emotional depth kept me hooked. And honestly? It brought back college flashbacks. If you’ve ever survived a chaotic group project with someone who drives you insane but also might be cute, you’ll feel seen.

Highly recommend for romance lovers who enjoy humor, heart, and a little heat. This was the perfect summer audio for hanging by the pool. Thank you again for this special treat!

This book was so stinkin’ cute and exactly what I needed…an easy read with a lot of heart and witty banter that had me smiling and laughing out loud as I read! I mean, who doesn’t love a book with a high stake fundraiser, a hunt for 12 dog-owning hot guys, themed photo shoots, and a pile of puppies? A single POV, opposites attract, workplace romance and starting a new career later in life because it’s never too late to follow your dreams.

This is a new to me author, I requested it because of the fun cover and synopsis that sounded like a cute summer read…which it was! I enjoyed the intriguing relatable plot and the well developed characters. I love when the MCs are closer to my age making it easier to relate with them. I also adored the side characters, specifically the FMC’s older brother and niece. So many things resonated with me that it was easy to connect and get fully immersed into the story. The work fundraiser competition and romance were predictable but still enjoyable. The sacrifices the MCs were willing to take for their relationship was heartwarming, but the sacrifices her brother was willing to make to take care of their aging parents was so heartfelt that my eyes filled up with tears.

This was my first audiobook by Lauren Ezzo, and I think I’ve been missing out on another fantastic narrator. She’s energetic, enthusiastic, easy to listen to, and captures the character’s sunshine personality perfectly!

Thank you @readforeverpub, @hachetteaudio, and @netgalley for the #gifted ARC and ALC.. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved this romcom by Anna Collins about a second career intern trying to win a contest for a permanent job. The main female character was likable and I rooted for her throughout. Some aspects were a bit predictable but it didn’t take away at all from the enjoyment of the storyline.

The audiobook narrator was excellent too.

Thank you NetGalley and hachette audio for this audiobook arc!

This is a great example of a romantic book that's not so cutesy, well written and lighthearted. A fun work to lovers, grumpy meets sunshine later in life romance.

I think if this book would have been a little shorter it would have been better. The middle lagged and made me almost DNF, but I knew the ending was going to be worth it.

Holly is the oldest intern in a non profit organisation and in the beginning it's insinuated that she has the parent role of the group of 5 intern but somehow acts very immature. It's also mentioned multiple times that she likes planning but she can't even plan a calendar?

But with that said I enjoyed the rest of the book. Jonathan was an amazing MMC. He was grouchy at the beginning but very sweet when Holly and Jonathan really got to know each other.

The narrator was also very good.

This was a light summer read. Cute concept of coworkers battling against one another to win a promotion by creating a revenue generating project.

The story is about Holly King, who's been burned by a former boyfriend who got her fired from her last job. Scorned, she's trying her hand at something different and she's looking for a change of scenery by way of a job promotion in Scotland. In order to make this happen, she needs to come up with a competitive project that generates enough revenue to win the spot. The only thing that is standing in her way is her grumpy co-worker Jonathan Summers, who has no interest in helping her achieve her goal: creating a calendar of men and their cute dogs. Jonathan is a photographer who too, was burned at a previous job.

Reluctantly, both Holly and Jonathan must set aside their differences and learn to lean into each other to create the calendar and win Holly the promotion. Along the way, both learn how to collaborate on more than just work!

Special thanks to Net Galley and Hachette Audio for this ARC. I really thought the audio was adapted well and I enjoyed Lauren Ezzo's performance! She did a great job with the narration.

3.5 Stars

Finding Mr. July had what I call "good bones." I enjoyed the premise a lot, and really liked both of their individual redemption stories after some horrible romances and workplace flops. I though the process of finding new calendar guys was great as well and it was fun to see the different characters she brought in.

Personally, I don't think I was convinced by the romance. The chemistry sparked for me at the beginning, but I don't feel like I saw the transition from something casual to something more serious where he would move across the ocean for her. I also wish we could have seen more of Rachel beyond her being someone to complain to.

It was an easy read and I didn't feel like it was unnecessarily long and wrapped up nicely. I just didn't find that it wowed me or made me root for the main characters' romance.

The narrator did an amazing job! She had a well rounded performance! The author did an amazing story. I loved the characters being lawyers as I worked as a paralegal for many years so that was a fun little connection. The author did great with the s*x scenes by not making them awkward at all (sometimes these light hearted romances make those scenes super uncomfortable 😅)

Overall, great book!!

This one was really cute. I loved the humor & banter. It made me smile. Additionally, the MMC is pretty swoon worthy. The audiobook was very enjoyable. The narration was perfect for the roles of both main characters. If you are looking for a feel-good summer read, this one is perfect for that!

Well, this book has all the puppies and who can resist that. This was a quick read, although parts did feel very repetitive with the calendar shoots. I liked how our FMC was so ambitious and career oriented, but also able to grow throughout the book.

That was an entertaining and pleasant romcom!
I'll be honest. I didn't love the cover and was afraid the book would be cringe... especially because the last two romance ARCs I read weren't great. But I got swooped in as soon as the book started. And I'm glad I did! I was almost afraid of being in a cycle of meh romances.

I loved the writing: the prose and the rhythm were both on point and mastered.
The narrator was amazing. I ended up listening to the whole book in one day.
I enjoyed the fun and lightness of it all.

And yeah, there are things that leave a lot to desire (ie the pet dating app, like why? First be honest in the profile, second post something on a FB group too. It'd be easier and clearly better without taking away the tension or jealousy...) and could have been a bit more realistic.
But I let that slide because I was entertained and wanted to know where the book would lead. And I'm happy with where it lead (I had two ideas in mind for the ending and one was used, but I thought the author would go with the other ^^)

For the spice afficonadas –or haters 🌶️ The book is spicy. You'll get a few open doors scenes 🥵

Cute story. Parts go on to long but a great listen.
Actors read it well.
Easy listen, kinda want a part two.

This was a very cute story. I loved the pet calendar aspect. It was well written with solid characters. Both the FMC and the MMC had great goals and growth throughout the story. I enjoyed the spicy scenes.
I struggled a little bit with Holly in the beginning. I completely understand that sometimes a character isn't very likable in the beginning of the story because you need to see solid change and growth. I think I just didn't connect as well with Holly as I did with Jonathan. Holly had solid reasons in her back story therefore her actions made sense to me. She was just a bit harder to like than other characters in the story. The author did a great job making the backstories believable and relevant to the character struggles. I thought Lauren Ezzo did a great job narrating this story. I enjoyed listening to her voicing all the characters. It was a quick, fun summer listen. I received this book from Hachette Audio and Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

This was a cute read but not my favorite. I enjoyed Holly sometimes but at other times she was pretty obnoxious. She tends to blame everyone for everything wrong which is annoying. I also felt that Holly and Jonathan went from complete strangers to a couple so quickly. There was minimal build up to their relationship.

But the thought the concept was really cute and I wish I could see the calendar for myself!

Thank you to, Hachette Audio and NetGalley for this ARC!

Holly is basically starting over in her career after leaving her job as a lawyer under unpleasant circumstances. Now she’s an intern at some sort of nonprofit and competing with the other interns for a coveted permanent position. And in order to do so, she’s working on a fundraising project involving men and their dogs. Her grumpy co-worker Jonathan is the only person available who hasn’t been claimed for another intern’s project, so she’s stuck with him. And then it turns out he has his own issues, having formerly been an award-winning photographer and having his previous career implode. These two are delightfully flirty and bantering and I enjoyed watching them fall in love. Great cast of supporting characters with Holly’s best friend and work mentor, her brother, and niece. I listened to most of this book on audio, and loved the narrator.