4 stars

This was fun! I really enjoyed seeing the MMC come out of his grumpiness and I loved the storyline of the FMC leaving behind law and starting from scratch as an intern. The early steam to then working together to falling in love while simultaneously finding/rediscovering their passions and tackling their fears was a good progression and felt relatable. My only qualm is they never mentioned the concern about dating in the workplace from an HR standpoint and from the obvious power imbalance with her being an intern. And I wish we learned more about the MMC's first marriage.

Regarding the audiobook, the narrators were great and the acting felt perfect for the story. The production was great as well, never felt like there was a major volume or speed change.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ALC!

Thank you NetGalley and Hatchette Audio for allowing of me to listen and review this book!! I want to start off with the narrators and they were truly top notch 5/5 stars! I always listen to books at a higher speed so I can’t attest to the speed or anything but the voices, defection, emotion and all of the above were great! They truly helped tell the story! I really did enjoy this book! The author did a great job with a grump-sunshine office romance! The witty banter and sparks even from the beginning between the two main characters was top notch! I loved the relationship and how both MCs seemed to grow throughout the book and become who they are meant to be. I wanted to fully love this book and the reason I can’t love it completely is that the whole calendar project seemed completely out of character for the FMC. The issue at the end between the two MCs at the end was kind of ridiculous too and did not seem necessary at all for the story. It really did NOTHING for the story. I did truly enjoy the story as a whole 4/5 stars!!

Thanks NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this book. From the very beginning, I enjoyed the broodiness of Jonathan. (I always love an emo broody MMC!) I don't LOVE the FMC, but I did love the banter and chemistry between the two main characters. I love Jude. I loved the idea of "online dating" to find the calendar men. It was funny and cute and hot. I hope there's a next book! I like the author's writing style a lot. A great summer read!

Thank you @NetGalley and @HachetteAudio for the ALC. The narrator was great for this book. I enjoyed reading about Holly wanting to start all over in a new career after being betrayed in her last one. Holly has to come up with a way to make money for charity to get the chance to work abroad. With the help of a reluctant partner she sets out to make a pin up calendar with hot men and cute dogs. Sign me up to be an assistant.

Super fun and spicy rom com. I loved the plot of the characters working for a non profit and using the interns to raise money to get their permanent positions. The grumpy photographer was done well. Overall a lovely romantic read!!

As a dog lover, I can't resist a book with dogs. Holly is an elder intern as she is starting a new career. As an intern there is a challenge that she must compete to earn a spot in Glasgow. She ends up asking help from the office grump, Jonathan. Office romances are a lot of fun and they had great banter.

The story sort of lost my interest when they started looking for models. I am not sure why they didn't use a message board or go to a dog park for potential models. I felt that they both acted a bit immature for people in their 30s.

The 3rd act breakup felt over the top and made me dislike Holly. Despite some things I didn't enjoy, the dogs added a cute aspect. I really liked Sir Leonard.

Lauren Enzo did a good job with the narration with different voice for the male parts.

Thank you @reasforeverpub @hachetteaudio for a copy of this.

𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁:

A romance with dogs, that’s an auto yes for me! I loved Anna’s last book and this one was just as great. As a PNW girlie myself, I loved all the local vibes this book has. It’s so fun when books are based near you. I really enjoyed the relationship dynamics of all the characters in this book, just felt like you’re hanging out with friends. Loved the concept and so fun watching Holly trying to convince 12 hot guys and their dogs to join her cause.

𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬:

Holly is starting over after an incident with an ex ends her career as a lawyer. She has found passion and loves working for an environmental nonprofit, there is an opportunity to be a program liaison for the Glasgow office. If she gets this job she’ll be working on preservation of the Celtic rainforest and leaving the Seattle office behind.

But before she gets the job she has to win the office competition, she’s facing off against four others. Holly has 6 weeks to plan and execute a fundraiser. She gets a limited budget and can team up with one creative from the office. The only problem is her competition took all the good creatives and she’s stuck working with the office grump, Jonathan.

Holly comes up with the idea of a calendar featuring a dog and a guy each month. Now she has to get 12 guys to commit to being featured and the pictures to the printer in 18 days. Thankfully Jonathan has a messy job past of his own and is secretly an amazing photographer. They are the perfect duo and if anyone can pull this off it’s them. But as they spend more and more time together the chemistry between them flares and lines are crossed. But time is ticking the printer deadline is near and Holly will be moving to Glasgow.

𝑳𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒀𝒐𝒖’𝒍𝒍 𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒅:

* Fundraiser Competition For Dream Job
* Ex Lawyer FMC - Starting Over
* Ex Photographer MMC - Office Grump
* All the Dogs! 🐾
* Claustrophobia Rep
* Forced Proximity - Work Calendar Project
* Opposites Attract
* Seattle, WA - PNW Vibes
* Slow Burn w/ Spice
* Single POV

🐾📸🗓️💕 🐾📸🗓️💕 🐾📸🗓️💕🐾

Thank you to #NetGalley and #HachetteAudio for an advance listening copy of #FindingMrJuly. Enemies to lovers workplace romance. Really sweet. 4stars

i love me a book that features dogs!!!! this was such an adorable read. the two main characters had great banter and chemistry. i also enjoyed the career growth aspect as someone who is at the beginning of their career over here. i will say the middle slowed down a bit and had me struggling a little bit but still a fun read! i do think dual pov would have made this even better because who doesn’t love a grumpy male who’s lowkey not as grumpy as he appears lol.

holly works as an intern at a nonprofit who has to compete with her grumpy coworker jonathan in a fundraising competition. the winner will get a job offer in scotland (dream job for them both). early on, the two of them have a brief, accidental encounter which creates tension as they work together to create a calendar that features puppies for the fundraiser on a tight deadline. sparks soon begin to fly and feelings develop deeper.

audio: i enjoyed the narrator; the pacing was a bit slow so i did have to speed it up a bit. after doing so, it was great! i do prefer dual narration for both parts but overall enjoyed!

tropes: workplace romance, opposites attract, forced proximity, starting over after 30, ex photographer mmc, ex lawyer fmc, accidental sleepover, single pov

The book overall is pretty good but the main character is pretty unlikable. I get why she was written that way because we all have moments of panic and react badly but Holly needs to learn from previous experiences. Luckily, Jonathan (MMC) and the dogs make it worth while. I totally want a book for the brother and best friend. The world the author created is full of great characters and I hope there are more books exploring new characters.
The narrator did a great job telling the story and injecting emotion into the story. The pacing and voice acting are well done.

Finding Mr. July is a fun, feel-good romance with the perfect mix of charm, heart, and a little heat. Holly is an intern competing for a once-in-a-lifetime job opportunity in Scotland—and doing everything she can to escape her ex and the chaos she left behind.

To stand out from the other interns, she and her best friend come up with a unique idea: a charity calendar featuring hot men and their dogs to raise money for their nonprofit. The plan is genius—but she needs help-Enter the grumpy, mysterious coworker who reluctantly agrees to help. As they work together, Holly starts to see a softer side to him—and discovers he’s also carrying a difficult past.

This story is sweet, funny, and packed with heart. I loved Holly’s determination, the creative calendar idea, and the slow-burn romance that built with just the right amount of tension. A perfect pick if you enjoy workplace romance with emotional depth and adorable dogs.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

As someone relocating to Seattle for grad school soon, this book made me excited to go, and gave some great recommendations of sights to see. It did a great job of showcasing Seattle's nature-based charm, and didn't focus on the rainy weather being a downer. The cast of supporting characters were fun and funny. I'd be interested to have a book from Rachel's POV. I think Jonathan and Holly were a cute pair. And Leonard and Morris were the goodest of boys. If you like romance and dogs, this is a great pick! My only real note would be that I wish there was more lead up to Holly and Jonathan getting together. They gave in pretty quickly. Overall a 3.5/5 for me.

Finding Mr July is a really cute grumpy sunshine, workplace romcom with plenty of hot men, cute dogs, witty banter and steamy romance. I am a mood reader and this is perfect for those times you just want to read something fun and easy. It’s a quick read that, despite the title and July 1 pub date, is not holiday specific. I thoroughly enjoyed the main characters Holly and Johnathan but I also loved their friends Jude and Rachel and I hope we get a book with their story.
I enjoyed this book as an immersive read thanks to Hachette Audio and Forever Pub.
I prefer a duet narration but for a single voice audio, this narrator did an excellent job. The pacing was a little slow but that was easily remedied by speeding up the player.

This book had a strong start that truly captured my attention. I found the premise intriguing. A disgraced lawyer is reshaping her life with a new career, only to discover that the main male character also experienced a similar fall from grace. Initially, I enjoyed the witty exchanges between Holly and Jonathan, and I found his character engaging. I also loved Holly's relationships with her family and Rachel. However, as the story progressed, it failed to maintain its momentum for me.

The plot began to falter with the introduction of the hot guy calendar; the focus on finding "hot guys" felt excessive. The idea of using a dating app to search for these individuals seemed odd and immature—why waste people's time? My primary concern was that the conflict in the third act felt childish and easily avoidable. There were overreactions, and some of the dialogue seemed out of character for both individuals, making it feel quite forced. Additionally, I was disappointed that Holly often implied she didn’t respect Jonathan unless he was in his role as a renowned photographer. Instead of coming across as supportive, it felt conditional. I just wish there had been a more profound exploration of their relationship. Cute premise, but the execution fell short for me.

The narrator, Lauren Ezzo, had a great performance despite my not loving the book as much as I could have. She did a good job of bringing Holly to life and keeping it as engaging as possible.

⭐️4.5

I really enjoyed this book! The grumpy to everyone except her vibe that Jonathan has was so cute to read and made me wish I could hear a few of the chapters from his point of view. I appreciate the real world problems that are included throughout (e.g. anxiety, grief, career changes) without letting the trauma or sadness take over the story. Sometimes I would lose track of all the different characters with 12+ calendar focused characters to keep track of, but the details of each of the pictures made me feel like I could really see the calendar images. All in all the book was sweet with a handful of steamy moments and was a fun, quick read!

Thank you to NetGalley, Hachett Audio, and Anna E. Collins for this ARC audiobook to review!

I liked the overall premise of the book and the workplace atmosphere of it all and it was an enjoyable read however it felt like there was so much sexual tension where it was just them making out and giving each other “fuck me eyes” 24/7.

I liked the dogs and calendars aspect of it, that was very cute. However, there was some moment such a her brother and his “situation” about moving that felt very filler in the sense that the author just did it so the FMC had some “drama” or something other than her work to fill the void or some gap that was there.

Other than that it was a decent read and enjoyable

“Here in this moment, he is everything, my buoy to cling to, the reader of my soul…”

The book (and its stunning cover!) tells the story of Holly, an intern at a company who’s fighting for her dream job. The winner will be the one who organizes the most successful fundraising campaign for the company. Holly dreams of winning and landing a full-time job in Glasgow, far away from her awful ex. Her idea? A “Puppy Calendar” filled with photos of men and various dogs—and for that, she needs the help of her colleague, Jonathan, a guy who loves wearing black and talking as little as possible. Their collaboration has its ups and downs until they get to know each other on a much deeper level.

I really enjoyed this romance. It flowed at a quick pace, the plot was clear, and everything moved smoothly. For me, Jonathan was the standout character—interesting, intriguing, unique, and someone you can really relate to (and mostly root for). I loved following the calendar and discovering each new guy, his dog, and their backstory. Needless to say, this is a must-read for dog lovers. Another big plus was the narration—not only was the narrator professional and excellent, but I could actually imagine Holly’s voice sounding exactly like hers.

So why 4 stars and not 5? Besides Jonathan, I found the other characters less compelling, especially Holly, who wasn’t always easy to understand. I wanted to cheer her on to be more confident and stop blaming her failures on everything around her. I felt she had the potential to be a much stronger character.

The main plot was okay for me. There weren’t any big twists or surprises—but on the other hand, I wasn’t really expecting any, since it’s a light romance, and sometimes that’s exactly what you need.

In summary, if you’re looking for a fun, easygoing romance—especially in audiobook form—and you’re a dog lover, this is a book you’ll really enjoy

4.5 stars out of 5. This was such a random but cute story. A tribute to the kinds of zany side quests we do as adults when life feels as if it doesn’t quite fit and something weird needs to happen to snap out of it. The weird here was a fundraising calendar full of handsome men and puppies that becomes Holly’s entire focus as she tries to reroute her career. It’s such an endearing plotline I didn’t even mind the moments where it veered a bit too far into dramatics. Jonathan was attractively brooding in the way only an introverted computer guy (I don’t know what they’re called, he designs websites) with an artist’s soul (the man has a penchant for photography) can be. The spicy scenes were the randomest of all, in a good way. I wasn’t expecting them to be as enjoyable as that then bam, there they went being as enjoyable as that. Those alone bumped this up from a 4 stars to a 4.5 stars for me. Lauren Ezzo also does an amazing job of narrating the entire thing. Usually I get annoyed when a novel isn’t duet or at least dual narration but she handled Jonathan’s presence so well even though the book’s entirely from Holly’s POV. He felt compelling even without a male narrator bringing him to life, which I think is a big deal for audiobooks.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Audio for letting me in on this one.

Meh. Finding Mr. July was fine as far as being a contemporary rom-com that makes no real demands on the reader's attention. I think part of my lack of enthusiasm stems from my never really coming to like Holly, the female main character. She's career driven above all else, but her behavior as a betrayed wife and law associate (told through backstory) doesn't jive with the determination she shows in her current job. Nor does her commitment to her brother's motherless daughter; the author tries to convince us Holly's both a loving maternal stand-in to her niece while simultaneously preparing to leave the girl without a backward glance in order to advance her career. Jonathan is more sympathetic, but what he sees in Holly remained unclear to me, and their initial physical encounter seemed a bit far-fetched. And while I liked the dogs that populated the calendar the story revolved around, I won't be sharing this review beyond NetGalley. The narration was well-done, but I was so anxious to get through the story that I listened (for the first time ever!) at 2.5 speed.

I felt so lucky when I got the privilege of reading both the e-book and getting a copy of the audio book. I did a mixture of both reading and listening.
I really enjoyed this book and found myself devouring it.

I really enjoyed the narrator, I thought the pacing was well thought out.

Things I loved:
The MFC starting her life over and going after what she wanted.
Witty banter
The relationships between all the characters were well thought out. I especially loved Jonathan's relationship with his dad, Wayne. It was so sweet!
I really liked how the reader got to go through the whole process of the calendar process, which sounds kind of nerdy, but it was a well thought out experience that didn't just happen. You felt the stress and tension with Holly when time was running out and all the issues.
Jonathan's grand gesture was beyond sweet. Swoon worthy, really.

Things that I thought could have been different:

I didn't like how Holly went about getting her dates, it was weird. I'm not sure why she couldn't have put up a casting call or something for men with dogs. I don't know if I missed something but that part didn't make sense. I don't think the dates that she did go on really added to the story.