Thank you @netgalley @dreamscape_media for the opportunity to listen to Dara Rosenberg read @mckinlayjenn story, “I Can’t Even” - I listened to this story so quickly. I laughed and cried it was so good!

The plot twists. Man oh man. Finally finding out the secret with Jesse and about Liam’s new girlfriend, not to mention Julia’s mom. You definitely won’t be bored with this one! I hope to see more from the author about this family.

3.5

Julia left home at 18 and has not been back. She has a tumultuous relationship with her mother. But when her sisters call her home- their mother is sick- she reluctantly goes. It is clear that her mother is actually sick this time. All kinds of emotions come flooding back. Then she sees him. The boy next door, the love of her life, the man who has to hate her for leaving suddenly and without a word.

For a book that has some serious topics in it, this one was very funny. All three Blumer sisters (and Liam) all have pretty real experiences and it feels honest. I liked all the characters and pretty much read this straight through.

It did get a bit campy at the end with the cousin. It lost a bit for me, and right at the end. I was thinking four stars the whole time up until then.

Dara Rosenberg narrates the audiobook.

I received an advance audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

Jenn McKinlay is NOT a one trick pony. While I love her cozy mystery series, her rom coms are just as entertaining! Julia who was considered the black sheep of the family for constantly rebelling against her mom, Babs returns home as her mother’s health is failing. Family drama ensues and add in a former high school boyfriend for good measure. A delightful story full of twists and turns.

I couldn’t get pass how annoying the FMC is. Her inner monologue regarding every single woman she encounters is so full of criticism and misogyny. The way she became obsessed with getting her ex boyfriend back even when they only dated in their teen years, even when he told her he was dating someone else. They hadn’t seen each other in years, YEARS, and just like that they just went back to being madly in love? No. There was no connection other than physical, I don’t buy they were in love, they were just horny. Since we’re in her POV, she seemed the horniest of the two. Girl, get up.
The family story seemed like needed a more serious treatment. I’m all for some more serious plot in romance books, but the kind of dynamic this family had, needed a lot more discussion than what we had and the was everything was just resolved when clearly all sisters had some trauma to deal with.
Couldn’t even enjoy the smut when the FMC talked about her ‘girl parts’.

The narrator was honestly what kept me going. She did a great job, but the source material should’ve been better.

I was excited to start I Can’t Even—the cover art is fun, and the narrator does a fantastic job—but I had to bail early when the FMC described another woman like this:

“A bottle blonde with a faux tan and fake tatas, platypus lips and well, you get the picture. Simply put, Paisley was a whore.” (As alluded to above, I listened to this novel, so I apologize if the quote is not transcribed as it is written in the book.)

Yikes. There’s no narrative pushback against this kind of internalized misogyny, and the book seems to think slut-shaming is a personality trait. Maybe Paisley gets redemption later, but I’m not sticking around to find out. Life’s too short for regressive nonsense, especially when the FMC’s judgmental ranting is framed as quirky or justified.

I hope Paisley gets the hot ex, a thriving career, and a better-written universe. The narrator and illustrator deserved better material.

This fun summer romance is so good. Julia moves home to take care of ill domineering mom . Once home, she notices her old boyfriend, Liam is home too. This story is fun, sweet and romantic. Loved it and highly recommended!