Thank you Anna E. Collins, Hachette Audio, Forever and NetGalley for this ARC. This book is a fun workplace romance that revolves around Holly and Jonathan. Holly is on a second career after being forced to step away from being a lawyer due to an ex; Jonathan is the moody graphic designer with a past whom she is forced to work with on her one shoot to launch her non-profit career.

A drunken night leads to some questionable new feelings and its own difficulties with the project; we spend the rest of the novel with cute funny banter and a wondering if Holly will find what’s she’s really after and that’s happiness.

The audiobook was great; the narrator suited the story well.

Holly is in the midst of starting her career over and needs to prove herself as the oldest intern in her new company. To be part of a team in Scotland, she needs to create an ad campaign for the company, executive, and earn the most money. Along the way she learns more about herself and her missing half.

This was cute. I always appreciate a romance that has a storyline (other than the romance) that grabs my attention and this one was fun and different. I liked Holly and Jonathan's banter and the way the calendar came together. I enjoyed the side characters as well - although I wanted to know more about what happened with them too. I also thought that the narrator did a great job!

This narrator put on a PERFORMANCE! 👏🏻 The inflection and emotion! I felt like I had a movie going on in my head. 😍 A narrator can make or break an audiobook and she slammed it out of the park.

Holly is a former lawyer, working at a non-profit as an intern. She soon learns that she is vying for a permanent position in the company against her fellow interns. Holly must team up with the grumpy, Jonathan who seems standoffish after their awkward first encounter. During the ups and downs, they develop a friendship that has potential to morph into something more.

If you like coworkers falling in love, dogs, a sassy best friend and navigating family dynamics, this book is for you. I will say the book title gives away a part of the story; but that’s why it hit docked a bit in my opinion.

This book started out so amazing. The banter was awesome, the characters seemed great, and we get hunky guys with dogs? Heck yeah.
Around the halfway mark I started to get bored and struggled to stay interested.
The spice felt dull and awkward to me.
The MC’s seemed to be older but felt quite immature and childish.
The third act, I guess you could call it, breakup wasn’t necessary and made the story drag on.
What I did enjoy:
- the banter
- Grumpy X Sunshine
- He plays piano for her
- Single pov
- Hot guys with dogs
The audio itself was done well. 4/5 to the audio.
Thank you Hachette Audio for the copy of this ALC. This review is solely of my own words and opinions.

I loved Holly's selling point of "Who wouldn't want a calendar of shirtless men, in nature with dogs?"😂

This book was a fun listen for sure! The narrator was fantastic!

I had a few issues with the book - some out of character plot points and the 3rd act shenanigans felt unnecessary HOWEVER even with those, it was still a delightful read!

Big thanks to NetGalley and Hachette for my ALC!

4 stars
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Thank you so much for this arc!

OH MY GOD, I was giggling, smiling and just freaking out. I think the plot is great and I love Johnathan and Holly so much! Their characters are both so great.

The voice actor, Lauren Ezzo, did such an amazing job narrating this book! She was able to portray the main characters emotions so well, you could really hear and feel it in the voice! She also did an amazing job voicing the male characters. It was really engaging!

I need a book on Holly’s brother and Rachel!

Spice: 🌶️🌶️

This fast paced, hilarious, workplace romcom is a great summer read. Having the four-legged furry characters was a fun addition to the storyline. I enjoyed this sweet romance. #FindingMrJuly #NetGalley

Lauren Ezzo did an excellent job on the narration with different voices and inflections.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hatchette Audio for the opportunity to listen to this book in exchange for my honest review.

4 stars

I really enjoyed this book. Perfect for anyone who enjoys a workplace romance with some dogs thrown in! I thought the concept was interesting and entertaining with the workplace contest. It was a fun twist on a traditional workplace romance. Both the MMC and FMC also had some of their baggage to deal with along the way which I thought made both characters more relatable.

Tropes
- Workplace romance
- Enemies to lovers
- single POV
- starting over after 30

I thought the side characters were fun too and the MMC and FMC had great chemistry. They helped each other become their best selves which is always my favorite in a romance. I have recently been preferring dual POV but I think this book worked well as single POV. This is my first book from this author and I will definitely be reading more from her!

Audio - I did enjoy this narrator and thought she did a great job really capturing Holly.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc and alc.

If you loved Worst in Show by Anna E. Collins, or are even a new fan of hers, I highly recommend Finding Mr. July! The best part? There are even more adorable dogs (and men!) featured in this book! Furthermore, Lauren Ezzo dazzles as the sole audiobook narrator, and her voice is truly mesmerizing. If you are looking for a swoon-worthy book to read this summer, look no further than this book!

A fun and cute grumpy sunshine situation…with dogs! I had a good time listening to this audiobook. The characters were interesting and I loved their dynamic. The overarching premise was different and fun. The narration was good and brought life to the characters. I found myself dreading the 3rd act breakup and getting frustrated with the miscommunication trope but the ending more than made up for it.

I would give this book a 3.5, it was a light and easy romance. Holly and Jonathan were both very likable and relatable characters and I really enjoyed their relationship development. The story line with the photo shoot was cute, but Holly starting over and being an intern was maybe too much of a life change. Going from a successful attorney to an unpaid intern just rubbed me the wrong way. If Holly had so much drive, why did she just give up and not fight for herself? I did get some good chuckles out of Holly's misfortunes while looking for guys with dogs. Jonathan's transition from Mr.Grumpy to totally smitten was pretty cute, but I wanted to learn more about him, his first marriage and his life as a photographer.

*Workplace Romance
*Grumpy/Sunshine

Format: audiobook, Lauren Ezzo did a great job with the narration!

from the banter to the landscapes. this bi=ook had a bit of everything. I really enjoyed reading about all the different dogs and their owners.

Thank you for this ARC.
If you’re looking for a light, heartwarming summer read—with plenty of adorable dogs—this book fits the bill. After a humiliating fallout with her boyfriend and colleague, Holly leaves behind a high-powered law career in Seattle to pursue a fresh start. Her new goal? Win the intern competition at her quirky new office. That means roping in the grumpy and mysterious Jonathan for help, and assembling a dozen dog-loving men to model for a fundraising calendar. Simple enough—until she hits a snag in July, both on the calendar and in her heart.

The charm of this novel lies in its characters. Holly and Jonathan feel authentic, their emotional hurdles just as believable as their chemistry. Their growth—not just romantic, but personal—adds depth to what might otherwise be a fluffy story.

I received an audio copy to review thanks to NetGalley and Hatchette and I was not disappointed!

Anna E Collins always writes great characters and the main character Holly was no different, she was bubbly but was reflective and she tackled topics that I haven't read in romance before like self discovery and identity issues. It was also great that she was not too young but not past menopause it made me feel like I could relate to her and the story she was telling.

The chemistry between Holly and her love interest was intense and so descriptive, the only issue I found was that I am not a fan of the third act breakup trope and it sadly made it's way into the story.

Other than that it was one of my favourite reads this year so far.

I loved it! A perfect lil rom com to listen to, AND with an older FMC 🙌 thank you Anna E. Collins! Lauren Ezzo truly brought each character to life, giving both main and supporting roles their own unique and memorable voices.
Thank you Hachette Audio for this ARC!

I enjoyed this listen (thanks Hachette Audio for the alc, ILY!!) through about 75% of the book and then Holly started to annoy me a bit.

It would have been less annoying if she was in her early 20s, and the third act miscommunication and major conflict was incredibly preventable as a project manager had she managed her project to the end 🙃.

The narration was lovely, the content was fast-paced and this was a unique concept for a workplace romance!

Another fun rivals-to-friends-to-lovers trope! One of my favorites.
Holly is clawing her way out of a rut, both in her life and in her career. Near 30, she went from being a successful lawyer to an intern at a non-profit, and is now gunning for a large promotion to take her out of Seattle and to Scotland to open a new branch of the environmental conversation firm. It's Holly verses the other interns, and when the fundraising competition begins, she finds herself left with only one person in the office she can ask for help. Jonathan, the tall, dark, grumpy and handsome web designer who perpetually looks like he'd rather be anywhere else. When he reluctantly agrees to help Holly, they have to figure out how to work together while creating a calendar of "hot guys and their dogs." Racing against the clock, and trying to not bicker constantly, the two find that maybe there's more to each other than they originally thought.
I give this book a solid B. Holly's constant withering and dithering of "but I'm moving to Glasgow!" starts to ger old by 3/4 of the way through, and no one seems interested in telling her that she needs to stop. Also, the title only truly makes sense around the same time, though it obviously works even without that plot point.
All-in-all, this book was enjoyable as a light, contemporary romantic lit.
As for the narrator and quality of the audiobook, it was great. Lauren Ezzo does a great job with tempo and cadence, as well as evoking emotion and bringing all characters to life.

Thank you to HachetteAudio for the ALC of Finding Mr. July in exchange for an honest review.

This was a charming and easy listen with a fun, creative premise. I am a big fan of small-town romance settings and loved the enjoyed the calendar guy angle, it gave the story a unique and playful feel. The main character had a great voice, and there were plenty of sweet and lighthearted moments that made me smile.

I felt some parts were a little rushed, particularly in emotional depth, I was hoping for more in the emotional romance aspect, I still found the story to be filled with cozy, feel-good moments that were lighthearted.

The narration was easy to follow. While it didn’t completely elevate the story for me, it was pleasant to listen to and kept the pacing smooth. I think this one might really shine for readers who enjoy rom-coms with a quirky twist.

Overall, Finding Mr. July is a fun, breezy romance that’s perfect for a weekend listen. If you like small towns, clever setups, and a bit of chaos mixed with heart, this might be a great pick for you.

Finding Mr July right out of a Hallmark movie theme. Making a calendar with hot men and dogs trying to win the coveted job. Story was fun and characters were lovable. However I would recommend the digital or physical book. I did not care for the overall narration of this one. Each individual narrator did a great job but the constant chattering and back and forth background noises were really distracting to me. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced listen of this audiobook.

I received an audio advance copy (alc) and had a lot of fun listening to Finding Mr July. I love the grumpy sunshine trope and it was a nice combo with the workplace romance trope.

The book itself had a fun premise, and there was good character growth and development. It’s nice to see older main characters finding love after heartbreak and career setbacks and struggles. I did find it a little slow in the second half, and thought there needed to be a bit more to the story perhaps.

The audiobook itself and narrator (Lauren Ezzo) was entertaining and I found her voice easy to listen to and follow the story and the different characters. I’d definitely listen to books read by her in the future!

Thanks so much Hachette Audio for the alc! All thoughts are mine.