4⭐️

This summer romance hit all the feels! It was full of love, betrayal, loss, laughter and well developed characters.

The only reason I have this 4/5 and now 5/5 is because of some the storylines. There was a lot going on which was great, but would need a follow up to tie up some loose ends that were dropped on the reader (and characters) but then never resolved.

The narrator was great at capturing Julia’s character. I can’t even is a must read/listen this summer ☀️

This book…..I am not sure where to start. I am often one to judge a book by its title or cover, but I can honestly say, this book was not what I expected, but I mean that in the best of ways. I thought it was going to be a fun, lowkey, bubbly, carefree and silly read. But alas, silly me!

While fun and entertaining, this book is also big. It tackles big feelings and big subject matters. It is a mix of emotions and is packed full of heartache, self-discovery, redemption and second chances. It takes an up-close look at relationships of all types (parent/child, siblings, friends, lovers) and the flawed and messy ways in which they are perfectly imperfect. But don’t get me wrong. It is equally packed full of laughs, clever dialog and spice. (For the non-spice readers, you can read around these parts and not miss out on any of the story line).

I listened to the audio version of this book and really enjoyed it. The narrator, Dara Rosenberg, along with the production team did a wonderful job. It was so fun to listen to the portrayal of the different characters and the witty banter and the range of emotions throughout was spot on. There was a lot going on in this book. I found it to be an all-around enjoyable read/listen that I liked more and more as I digested and unpacked it all.

Thank you so much to Dreamscape Media for the ALC of this book. I really enjoyed it, and it left me with a lot to think about once it was finished, which I always appreciate. The gift that keeps on giving.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Julia Blumer loves her sisters, Sophie and Emily, but despises her mother, Babs. After a giant fight, Julia left home at 18 years old and never looked back. She went to college on the east coast and was enjoying her life as a website developer when, one day, her sisters contact her with the most bittersweet, surprising news: Babs is dying. She would like to see you. Julia rushes home to SoCal to witness the last moments of her mother's life. Upon her mother's death, at the reading of the will, it is discovered that the fortune and the grand house is left to the three sisters. However, they MUST stay at the house every night for the next 3 months together. If they break the rules, the entirety of the trust is given to their evil cousin, Paisley. Of course, coming back home means reuniting with Julia's high school sweetheart, Liam. She feels the exact same way for him that she did all those years ago, but Liam is absolutely furious with her for leaving him high and dry without any explanation. Will she be able to re-kindle their love? Will the sisters be able to keep the house?

I actually enjoyed this book quite a bit. I enjoyed the sisterly bonds and I thought the plot twists scattered throughout the book made it interesting. I think the only flaw was that there were a few places it could have ended... but it kept going. Overall, super cute book with a good story.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

This book started out emotional then explicitly spicy. There was a lot of family drama and secrets. I was a tad confused about the best friend Jessie. The snarkiness from Julia was a tad overtop and mean. Describing every woman as big boobs and no brains was ridiculous and made me feel like the author hates women with big boobs. I enjoyed the narration just not the words in the book. I totally wanted to read this book due to the cover and but was definitely put off by the book itself.

“He wasn’t looking to reconnect
He was looking to fuck, and forget”

I don’t even know how I feel about this book.
I was mad, so many times at the characters. And then I would come around, and like them again believe in everything they were giving me only for it to be flipped upside down once again. A yo-yo, it felt like a yo-yo.
It almost felt too much like a reality show? Like it wasn’t believable, but it was almost too believable? I don’t know!

The narrator did a fabulous job.

I was impressed with the different difficult topics that were addressed in this book. I wanted to keep reading to see how it all played out, there was so much calamity throughout that it was hard to fall in love with it.

Oh Jenn.... I love your cozy mysteries and was so excited to read an adult novel from you. But this was not for me. The main male character had very little redeemable qualities besides what the FMC told us about him from the past. Although he has every right to be angry about the way they ended when they were 18, his actions and words are overly harsh and the first sexy time scene was ridiculous... "I'm so angry at you, so let's have rough sex?" I can't even.
I did appreciate the attempts at discussing grief and the different ways people deal with grief. The sisters' story was much better than the Liam romance story. But since so much time was spent on lamenting Liam in the whiney narrator's inner monologue, the other two sisters' stories feel unresolved and under developed. And don't get me started on Paisley. She was a caricature, not a character. Same with Liam's ex. I can't even with the ridiculous descriptions. Just because a woman likes make-up and Starbucks does not mean they are a whore. Yes, that word was used to describe one of these women. They are so alike and unremarkable I can't even remember which one.
There are many side plots that are completely unresolved. And other ones that are so ridiculous, they are unbelievable. Why not call the police when the urn is thought to be in the ex's house? Then they could cut Paisley out for good for tampering? I can't even.
The romance between Liam and the FMC (I honestly can't even remember her name - something with a J?), felt undeserved and it flip-flopped so much I don't understand how they managed to forgive each other. The fact that J didn't tell Liam why she was leaving in the first place was also ridiculous. And although I love the inclusion of LGBTQ characters, this one felt like it was thrown in just to have one - "I got disowned" Oh well - let's focus on getting you laid, J. What??
Overall, if you haven't guessed - I can't even believe I didn't DNF this one.

**Review: *I Can’t Even* by Jenn McKinlay**
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Publisher: Dreamscape Media

Julia Blumer fled her home at 18, leaving behind her family—and her boyfriend—without a word. Now, ten years later, she returns when her formidable mother, Babs, is critically ill. Hoping to repair their fractured relationship before it's too late, Julia is instead confronted with grief, complicated family dynamics, and the unexpected terms of her mother’s will.

What unfolds is a thoughtful exploration of sisterhood, second chances, and the enduring bonds of friendship. At the heart of it all is Liam Murphy, the once-boy-next-door and the man Julia left behind. Now a successful local businessman, Liam hasn’t forgotten the past—and neither has Julia. Their unresolved history adds depth and emotional tension to the narrative.

While a few plot threads remain uncomfortably loose by the end, they don’t detract from the core themes of love, loss, and finding your way back home—both literally and emotionally.

Thanks to Dreamscape Media for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great listen! The story was engaging and the characters were likable and memorable.

When I first saw the cover, I was expecting a light-hearted rom com. However, the story was much more emotional and focused around the main character’s loss of her mother and the way she and her sisters dealt with their loss and grief. It read more like contemporary fiction, but I’m not complaining. The storyline involving the death of the mother and the sisters’ grief was deep and heartfelt. The relationship between the sisters and the complicated family dynamics made the book great!

The romance left a bit to be desired and wasn’t the main focus of the book. It is a second-chance romance with a hefty dose of miscommunication. The MMC was relatable and likable. The part that threw me off was the over-the-top lust the FMC was consistently feeling anytime she was around the MMC. She would be in the middle of a serious scenario and would stop to ogle his body. That part didn’t feel believable and took me out of the story. Also, the characters use of slang was a bit cringey.

Despite those few critiques, I genuinely enjoyed this audiobook and would definitely recommend it to someone who likes women’s fiction or contemporary fiction!

Thanks to Dreamscape for the ALC!

This book is not for me. I don’t appreciate the internalized misogyny directed at other women by the fmc. I think we should do better than judging people with implants and filler for being “inauthentic” particularly with the ending of this book.

I’ve read and enjoyed other books by this author, so I’m hopeful for future books.

Thank you NetGalley, Dreamscape Media and Jenn McKinlay for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5⭐️ I listened to this audiobook and enjoyed it.

There are a lot of situations and storylines but it didn’t get too messy.

Second chance romance, previous pain/heartbreak, family drama/toxicity, so many secrets, grief, neighbors and lots of changing in front of windows.

The reason this wasn’t a 4 ⭐️ read for me was some of the language was odd “my soft girl parts and his hard boy parts” made me literally pause, rewind to make sure I hadn’t dreamed it and then cringe when I heard it again. I was a little let down the mom aspect didn’t get resolved although I don’t know a way it could have been done justice without it adding a lot of pages.

The miscommunication and lack of communication was just too frequent yet they kept ignoring it. I completely understand the pain and heartache but the MMC and FMC were pretty immature and had some strange behavior.

Julia has been essentially on the run from her family for a long time. Her mother, Babs, is a self-involved woman who has not launched any of her three girls well.
Julia comes reluctantly home to California when her sisters Sophie and Emily call her to say their mother is not well.
This is not an easy book. The relationships are dysfunctional with a capital D. Really some of the worst human behaviors are represented excluding murder. I don’t feel satisfied with the storyline or with the ending, but the book is potentially representative of life that people may face in this broken world.
Kudos to the author for tackling so many difficult human emotions and situations.
The narrator does a good job.
Thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to listen to this book. I would never have finished otherwise.

3.5 stars rounded up. The narrator kind of killed this one for me. She was too flippant and trying to be funny when the writing was already funny so that was hard for me, but the writing alone, 4 stars. Loved the love story, the sisterhood and even the damaged way their mom handled things and they learned to forgive/move on. Hated the miscommunication but really enjoyed this one

I loved this book.
Sit back because this book is packed full. The perfect summer rom-com.
I enjoyed this book so very much. It felt to me as if I was part of three big storylines, and they were all melded perfectly together by very well-written characters.
Julia and her sisters were so enjoyable.
The family dynamics with their Mother's passing were done so well in this book.
I went through the whole continuum of emotions. I cried, I laughed, I fell in love, I felt heartbreak, and I hardcore rooted for characters.
For me, I felt as if I was in 3 storylines of the same family, but all 3 held to the main characters and how these storylines show their growth and development.
You had the passing of Julia's Mother and how she and her sisters dealt with those emotions and grief. Plus a big family secret/revelation.
A second-chance romance between Julia and Liam. The surfer whom she grew up next door to and consequently fell in love with before they were torn apart, and Julia had to leave home.
Last but not least, the joint efforts of the sisters to keep the family estate in their hands rather than their crazy, greedy cousin!
Such a ride!
The plot is so well written and beautifully structured. Even though the book was packed so full, it was done so well that the flow was ideal, and you didn't want to stop reading so you could find out what happened next! The pace is perfect.
This was my first book by Jenn McKinlay, and it will not be my last.
Do yourself a favor and give this book a shot.
Perfect for your summer TBR.
Thank you to NetGalley, Jenn McKinlay, and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!
Happy Reading!

Audiobook Review – I Can’t Even by Jenn McKinlay, narrated by Dara Rosenberg

I’ve recently stumbled across Jenn McKinlay’s romcoms, and I’m officially hooked. Her stories are always fun, smart, and full of heart, and I Can’t Even might be my favorite one yet. It’s set in a lively, memorable location (something she always does so well), and the characters are just the right mix of messy and lovable. There’s also a bit more steam in this one than I’ve seen in her other books—and I was absolutely here for it!

The audiobook is fantastic. Dara Rosenberg’s narration is spot-on and brings the story to life beautifully. She handles both the female and male voices with ease, which makes the whole listening experience feel really immersive. It honestly felt like I was right there with the characters. And I have to say, she absolutely nailed the spicy scenes—they’re done with just the right balance of heat and emotion, which isn’t always easy to pull off in audio.

If you love romcoms with great characters, fun banter, and a little extra heat, this is definitely one to check out. I laughed, I swooned, and I didn’t want to hit pause.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC—this was such a fun listen, and I’m so glad I got the chance to experience it early!

Here's a honest review to ALC of "i can't even" from a girl loves to read tension between characters,great communication trope and lovee romantasy and murder mystery. I do love to give romance a chance sometimes when i crave some soft cozy romance and this is what i expected when i request this. HUGE DISAPPOINMENT. i regret listening to every single chapter cause I don't DNF 😭 i need that super power.
Anyways, those girls should be bonding over their gried (which they didn't had any). one is coping it with clinging, stalking and just getting laid every chance she gets with her ex-boyfriend and other dyed her hair and wearing mini dresses??? becoming a Instagrammer?? i won't say anything to the older sister she had his own twins and husband to deal with.
These are grown up women we're talking about. Lets talk about how low ego our FML had or even the ML with zero communication. they just met after how many years again? I don't care but start making out with out any explanation?? more than making out and constantly doing it so. ughh i hate how worse ML was. He had coffee shop in town and he's a surfer and ride a bike and always pop up where we don't even need him. I don't think he had dialogue more than 2 pages. To be honest i stop focusing what's happening in book and left it playing. I have soo many other things to say but i think that's enough you get the idea 😭

I’m all about family dramas and this one featuring the sister dynamic caught my attention immediately. Bonus points that it’s also a second chance romance.

Julia returns to her Southern California home due to her mother’s failing health. She has an incredibly complex and traumatic relationship with her, and it gets no less so after her mother’s passing. A shocking and devastating secret comes out. In the aftermath Julia and her two sisters contend with their grief, a greedy cousin, and their personal lives in disarray. Julia also faces her ex who lives next door. Liam barely speaks in the first couple of chapters. It’s all lust and grunts, and it’s kind of hot! Julia won’t reveal why she abruptly left 10 years ago and broke his heart. And he’s not ready to forgive her just yet.

I finished this in 2 days! It pulled me in, and I lapped up all the banter and antics. I’m impressed by how McKinlay nicely balances grief, romance, and thorny relationships. Somehow this comes off more romcom-like to me despite the sensitive topics. And boy was I entertained by Julia and Liam! Years apart didn’t erase any chemistry. They are a whole sexy vibe!

Highlights:
🏄 Single POV, family drama, romance
🏄 Second chance, boy next door
🏄 Strong spice, open door
🏄 Funny banter

Be aware of: parent death (early on), unloving mother, queerphobia (towards a side character)

I enjoyed Rosenberg’s narration. She brought out the characters’ personalities and set the right tone for specific moments. This is my first time reading this author, and I have no way to compare this to McKinlay’s other books. I liked this so much that I’m going to check out her catalog. I say yes to adding this to your TBR!

Thank you @dreamscape_media for my ALC in exchange for an honest review. 𝗜 𝗖𝗮𝗻’𝘁 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻 is out Tuesday!

Such an amazing story
This is by far one of the top stories I have had the pleasure of reading this year.
I loved everything about it from the sisters who were all loveable but mixed up and imperfect in so many ways, to the mother that ruled their lives and did not apologise for doing so.
Jules and Liam’s messy history and secrets added angst, sadness, frustration and lust to this story.
Loved the sister’s antics along with Jess and Dante and was so sad for the hurt Liam endured over the years never knowing what happened to those he loved.
Fantastic storyline that I would gladly give more than a 5 Star review.
The narrator of this audiobook Dara Rosenberg was perfection to listen to bringing the story alive.
Thank you to Jenn McKinlay, Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for this audiobook.

This book is a second chance romance full of mess and plot twists and I was here for it! It had me at the title tbh. Excellent on audio, narrated by Dara Rosenberg. This is the story of Julia, returning home to coastal Southern California from New York for the first time in nearly ten years and having to confront the past she abruptly left behind, including her surfer boy next door, Liam, the adolescent love of her life who she had zero closure with and who somehow still lives next door lol. She has to unpack a lifetime of a very fraught and complicated relationship with her recently deceased mother after learning a huge bombshell secret that both of her parents kept from her, revealed to her only in her mom’s will. On top of that, she has to reconcile a new, adult relationship with her two sisters while they all grieve the loss of their mother and while also carefully navigating the conditions required of them in order to gain their inheritance. And all while a villain cousin tries to literally steal their inheritance from them.

Lots of spicy mess and lots of messy spice and officially out today!

4.5 stars!

Thank you for Dreamscape Media for the ALC! ✨

🎧Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for letting me listen this ALC. 🎧

Hmmmmmmm, quite unsure how to feel about this one even a few hours after finishing it. It was ok. Nothing spectacular but more bizarre than good.

This story follows Julia, who starts off living alone in NYC with her cats as a web developer (who can afford this??) but swiftly flies to California to be with her older and younger sisters because their mom is dying. Julia and her mom have always had a tumultuous relationship and her mom basically admits she never loved her on her deathbed (ummmmm ok lol.) At the will reading, the Blumer sisters find out their mom left them her house and a ton of money but they can only get it if they follow her specific rules, otherwise, their inheritance will be given to their equally-hated cousin. Julia also finds out the real reason why her mom never loved her, making it harder to abide by the inheritance rules (which would have been a better title.)

Along the way, Julia realizes her ex bf, Liam, that she left (reasons only explained at the 90%+ mark) is still her mom’s next door neighbor. They have some neighborly interactions (voyeurism through the windows) before having sex that ends with the love interest leaving and saying he just needed to get her out of his system and make sure he was really over her (again, you don’t find out why till 90%+… a lot of people would dnf right there in a romance.)

Firstly - this was NOT a romance (which it’s labeled as.) This was general fic/women’s lit with a very small, horribly executed, side plot romance.

I would have enjoyed the overall story a lot more if it wasn’t marketed as a romance. I spent half the book thinking, “This is the MMC!? This is going somewhere???” Because it was that unbelievable that these people would get back together after what they’ve both done to each other. His behavior is warranted once you learn everything but her reason for leaving him in the first place made very little sense and Liam deserved better.

This one is a great summer read! It is giving me a blend of Elizabethtown, Persuasion, and Always Be My Maybe vibes. When the FMC comes home to care for her dying mother (and smooth out their relationship while she can), she is thrown back into memories of what her life was like long ago – and the boy next door she used to share it with. Then you learn another deep truth about why the FMC and her mother had a falling out in the first place. (Not really a spoiler, you won’t love the mother in this story.)

The story focuses (to me) an equal amount on the romance as it does the family aspect. The grief and regret are pretty hardcore emotions in this book. There is deep complication with the FMC’s mother, and you can tell there is a lot of work to be done there (on both sides). There are moments of regret with her former romance, and a deeply emotive moment with the FMC and her best friend when her friend tells her parents about her life choices. This is not an emotionally light read. There is equal amount of laughter as there are tears in this story. I do love the family aspect though when it comes to the sisters. I feel that they become closer together, which is exactly what each of them needs. I do think though that, if there had been a bit more conversation, then there would have been a lot less heartache.

It is a wild emotional wide, but a good one. Highly recommended.

The narrator is great! Her pacing - slow and fast when necessary - is perfect for such an emotive story. She embraces the FMCs sarcasm and gives her anger depth.