Love, Julie

Thank you @booksgosocialgroup and @netgalley for the eARC of Love, Julie by @jandersonwrites in exchange for an honest review!

📖📖 Book Review 📖📖 While rhis book jumps off from characters in an earlier novel, it is definitely a stand alone (I really want to go back and read Someone to Kiss now though). Trust me when I say, I had no problem jumping right in! Julie’s life has been a bit of a mess lately and she had a bender after seven months of sobriety. She is trying to get things back on track but definitely starts off the book a hot mess express. Jamie Anderson creates beautifully realistic characters that experience the whole spectrum of emotions from embarrassment to joy, all of it shared with a strong support system that brings a sense of comfort to the reader and a boat load of laughs. I truly appreciate that this book allows humor to shine through difficult and emotional situations because it is such an important part of life. Love, Julie is an unapologetically relatable and hilarious novel about going through the hard stuff to heal and learn to live with grace and humility.

Review is posted on Goodreads and will be on Instagram ahead of the publication date.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

Despite the heavy sounding plot following Julie's struggle with alcoholism, this was such a funny book with real characters. Luke is everything you want in a man. I loved the writing. I hadn't read the other book by this author (Kate's story) so this can definitely be read as a standalone. Having read this, I don't feel the need to go back and read about Kate and Ben, however I will absolutely read more by this author in future. This was a delight.

loved this book because it had my name lol but it was her story to sobriety and finding love with Luke while helping plan her friend and brother's wedding. loved her friend Quinn and that she stood up for herself.

I was pleasantly surprised by this moving, keenly observed romantic comedy. It features Julie, a middle aged recovering alcoholic on her journey of self-acceptance, redemption, and finding healthy love. I’m living an essentially sober life and I found the author’s descriptions of the challenges of being sober in today’s society totally relatable. Her love interest, Luke, is a genuine, emotionally intelligent, sunshine, single dad. I was completely invested in their grumpy-sunshine, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, slow burn romance. It didn’t hurt that the setting is Regina, Saskatchewan, an hour from the family farm where my father grew up. I’d recommend for readers looking for a complex, mature romance. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

What a fantastic read. This was such a down to brass tacks look at the reality of addiction. I think Julie was a great representative of how the female mind can make us have self doubt and therefore create self sabotage. I feel that Luke and several other people that were new to her life helped break the cycle. I liked that Luke had more of a dad bod and wasn’t an alpha male. He was the Labrador to her black cat . Letting people in , letting your guard down and learn to trust can lead to your best life! Thank you to NetGalley for the free advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Ok. Wow ! 😍 I knew I’d love this one. But I didn’t think I’d love it THAT much. As someone who’s lost quite a few close ones to alcoholism, I admit that was somewhat worried. This book paints such a realistic picture of alcoholism. But not only the illness itself but the understanding or lack of understanding of the aforementioned illness. It’s groundbreaking really. I’m quite difficult to please when it comes to such touchy topics as often, the authors forget to build characters that operate in nuances of grey rather than black or white, wrong right, addict/non addict, good/bad, enabler vs non enablers…but this one nailed it on the head.
Very realistic fictional characters. Finished it in a day. Kind of hope there’s a sequel of some sort. . Thank you so much NG and Jamie Anderson for this gem. 💎 . Once it releases, I shall recommend it to my mother. I’m sure she’ll be touched by this book too. 🥹

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

I thought this book was so lovely and poignant. It was nice to see a main character who wasn't twenty but still hasn't gotten it all together yet. Julie was wonderfully flawed and while I know the author doesn't have personal, first hand experience with substance abuse, Julie's struggle with alcohol was portrayed in a realistic but also thoughtful way.

This book had so much more depth than I anticipated! As a woman in her late 30's I enjoyed reading a novel where both the MFC and MMC are in their 40's - not the usual 18-25. The challenges they faced were ones that I was able to connect with better, because of this I was more invested in the story overall. I loved the ending and did not see the twist coming - based on how the author wrote I thought for sure we saw the ending from the start. I could have done without the epilogue, however, I felt that made the story a little "overdone".

One thing I could have done without was some of the dialogue between the MMC and FMC. While they are more mature characters, their self-awareness during conversations felt "Dr. phil-ish" and I often skimmed these parts.

overall, I loved this book and will be recommending to my reader and non-reader friends alike,

Love, Julie hits all of the right boxes for a easy and delightful romance read. The book heavily features strong character growth from the main character, and while usually I found myself rooting for Julie, at times her low self-worth and emotional journey felt a little redundant...but what is a good romance book without wanting to grab the main character's shoulders and shake them a bit. Luke as the romantic interest was beautifully written, sweet, warm, and someone you want to pull out from the pages. The book occasionally lacked description of the main characters and sometimes the pace felt a little jumpy, but overall it was rewarding page-turner.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this as a Read Now choice.

Wow, what a book.

Julie is in her 40s and a recovering alcoholic who has just fallen off the waggon. She is full of self-loathing and decides to act as a wedding planner for her brother Ben and her best friend Kate who want to get married in a year, to prove to them that she can be relied upon. Suddenly she is stuck with her brother's friend Luke who wants to be a co-planner. Julie is annoyed. Luke gets on her nerves - he is simply too cheerful for her.

This is an effortless read about real people with complicated feelings of depression, anxiety and worthlessness but also love and friendship.

The romance is slow-burn which is the only way this could have worked. Julie needs to learn to trust herself again, to stop pushing people away and to understand that she is a good person who deserves romance, commitment and love. It is fantastic to see her opening up to Kate, Ben, Luke and new friend Quinn, to address her self-destructive behaviour with men and to distinguish between self-preservation and self-sabotage.

I loved this book and couldn't put it down. All the characters have such depth. I loved Julie from the moment she let rip in the first AA meeting - she is such an authentic hot mess, and she was completely right to be pissed off with the God guy!

Luke is fantastic as a single dad love interest who is kind, warm and non-judgmental. His emotional intelligence shines off the page.

I have also just realised there is an earlier book that detailed how Kate met Ben. It's called Someone to Kiss and I trawled my library and e-book library apps in vain - only to find I'd got it as a free Kindle book a year ago, LOL. It's now on Kindle Unlimited and I shall read it shortly!

The writing was engaging and entertaining with a serious side to it. Throughout the story there were emails from the present day, which encouraged me to keep on reading so that I could find out exactly what had happened to result in such correspondence.

The chapters were fairly long so you got a good chunk of story before moving on. Every so often (as mentioned above) there would be a present day email, followed by a chapter detailing how far back in time we were about to go. Despite going back and forth in time it was easy to keep a track of where we were and I was desperate to know what had happened to result in those emails!

There was a good flow to the book which made it easy to read. I looked forward to picking it up at each reading session and was surprised by how much I managed to get through each time.

The characters were great. I loved the many layers to the main character and really felt for her. There were some really thought provoking conversations and situations which made me enjoy the story more. As someone who doesn't drink, it was interesting to see things from the perspective of someone who has and then decided to stop.

I think that the main character and the situations that she finds herself in are relatable to so many people. I enjoyed being on her journey through the highs and the lows. The characters surrounding the main character really highlighted how important support, love and acceptance are. It was lovely to read about.

Lastly the settings. We only touched lightly upon the settings, but when we did it was integral to that particular part of the story.

Overall a lovely, thought provoking book.

4 ⭐️
This is not a book I would usually go for but I really found myself enjoying it! As I was reading I wasn't prepared for how heavy some of the subject matter was but I really loved how the fmc was able to reflect on her behaviours and the attitudes of people around her and grow as a person outside of her relationship with the mmc. It's definitly alot more mature than my normal type of book but I thought it showed great vulnerability and personal growth. Very surprised

Lovable human meets teddy bear dad and all grows right in her world.

In the past, I’ve struggled with “unlikeable” characters. And on the surface, Julie is one. However, she is written so well that you get to see everything that goes into her personality. She is a woman who has lived, been wronged, sabotaged and hurt herself, but she is also strong, beautiful, and determined. It’s almost impossible not to root for her.

I really whooped reading this book. So much so, that I read it in less than 24 hours. The romance felt multidimensional and if she wasn’t in her 40s, I would have said this felt like a coming-of-age story.

#NetGalley #LoveJulie

I truly enjoyed reading this book! While the topic of alcoholism can be tough, it was dealt with concern and empathy in this story. I loved the back and forth between Julie & Luke. I found myself rooting for them as a couple long before it happened. But - then - the twist!! I couldn't read fast enough to find out what happened in the end.

I laughed, I sighed, I teared-up a little - I got all the "feels" from this story. I would definitely recommend it and hope others will take the time to pick it up and read it.

Thank you to Books Go Social - @booksgosocialgroup and NetGalley - @netgalley for the eARC of Love, Julie by @jandersonwrites in exchange for this honest review of my thoughts.

A beautiful but heartbreaking story following middle-aged recovering alcoholic Julie on her journey of self-acceptance, redemption, and finding healthy love. The MMC is Luke, a sunshine golden retriever and an emotionally mature, single dad.

The are pushed together to plan their mutual best friend's wedding while planning what is meant to be an extremely romantic occasion while dealing with her own feelings of love and romance.

This was such a emotional story with a beautiful ending.

I read this as an ARC and didn't realize the couple getting married is the main love interested in Someone to Kiss which I had read before but would recommend reading beforehand.

Before I even knew what this book was about, I was drawn to the cover. This is such an eye-catching cover. After focusing on the cover, I'm so glad I decided to explore the book further and read the contents. The book is real, transparent and can be a very relatable subject. Intertwined with humor, jokes and good times is a serious matter, addiction. The addiction focused on here is alcoholism.
Julie is in her mid-forties and still doesn't have it all together yet. This isn't at all how she envisioned her life when she was in her twenties. The way the author portrays the stops and starts, fails and wins sounds realistic in Julie's journey to sobriety. From self-help classes, to winning it and then falling off. The elations and falling low. My son is a police officer and has told me of some very sad cases where people were not able to get the help they needed with such sad results. Admitting you need the help and taking that first step is so important to your road to recovery. There is no smooth sailing, there will be good days and bad. I really loved Luke's character, he and Julie are working on wedding planning her best friend's wedding together. Luke is Julie's biggest supporter in her recovery journey, so incredibly supportive. When she doesn't believe in herself, he's there to pick her up. She's not looking for romance her recovery journey is her main focus. Luke has a daughter he's raising so he has to be completely sure of who he hooks up with and how she will perceive them. Will his sense of humor, understanding and kindness break down her fences as she continues her healing journey? I loved this impressive and moving story. One to remember.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

LOVE, JULIE is a humorous take on life and second chances. .Julie, an alcoholic, hasn't had the easiest life and instead of dealing with her demons she turns to one night stands and alcohol to numb the pain, but after an embarrassing event she resolves to be a better Julie by getting sober. Throwing herself head first into planning a wedding for her brother and best friend while trying not to drink isn't the easiest thing especially when the man who completely annoys her is involved, but as they get together to plan the wedding, Julie finds a friend who is both understanding and accepting.....but will she let her past ruin her future?

I loved that while a serious topic, Anderson was able to tackle addiction with grace and sensitivity and Julie was a refreshing character that made me both feel for her but love her take on life and her sense of humor. With a storyline featuring second chances, a single dad and a dog, what more could you want?

📚 Review: Love, Julie by Jamie Anderson

Love, Julie is an enchanting blend of romance and contemporary drama. Jamie Anderson weaves a heartfelt story of Julie, a woman navigating loneliness and self-recovery. When she meets Luke, the cheerful best man at her friend’s wedding, sparks fly. Their friendship blossoms, but Julie’s past threatens their chance at happiness. Anderson’s writing captures the power of healing and hope, making Love, Julie a must-read for romance fans. 🌟

I hope you enjoy the book! 😊📖

Read from April 26th, 2024 to April 28th, 2024. Written on April 30th, 2024.

NEW BOOK RELEASE ALERT!!!

It's got slow burn, it's got character redemption arc, it's got a cute dog and a cute kid, romance, friendship! I mean, it's a little big soup of it all!

First off, I love that I wasn't focused on the main character, Julie, and her love interest. It focused more on her recovery as an alcoholic, her new job, new friends and new life. The love part came second; up until a part of the book, obviously. Nevertheless, it was sweet, it made me laugh, made me mad at characters for things they did or said (Julie included) and, in an overall, I ate this book so fast because I was genuinely enjoying it.

Now, I know the characters are in their forties but...sometimes the characters, Julie especially, made stuff or said something that made them look more like a twenty something, which was weird at times. I felt like I was reading not the story of a forty-something year-old woman, but a twenty-something year old; some things were just a bit cringe, to be honest.

Overall, I don't really know what to say, I loved the growth that the main character has throughout the whole book, plus the e-mails before some of the chapters were very enticing; it just made me want to keep reading to see what had happened.

Love it or not, it's a great story and I am very happy I got to read it ahead of its release.

(Free ARC from NetGalley and BooksGoSocial that I chose to review after reading)

Love, Julie is an engaging story about a woman finding sobriety again after an emotional breakdown. Julie is hard to love at times, and beautifully flawed, and you can't help but root for her. Her friendship with Luke grows on her and it's expected but an unusual journey nonetheless.

I love a good personal growth and redemption story and highly recommend this book.

#LoveJulie #Netgalley

This is an emotional story of self-discovery and second chances. Through the eyes of Julie, you live a story filled with humor, heartache, and hope. Anderson's writing captures the complexities of addiction and recovery with sensitivity. While addressing serious themes, the story maintains a lightness through Julie's witty observations and humorous encounters. It is is a touching and relatable novel that will resonate with fans of heartfelt romance and stories of personal growth.

I received this book from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions included here are my own.

The sequel to Anderson’s debut is a really thoughtful look at a woman’s struggle with alcohol, with relationships and with herself. The balance of romance and this incredible character arc is spot on and I applaud the author for her thoughtful, delicate but authentic approach to writing this story.

Julie is watching her best friend Kate prepare to marry her brother Ben (spoiler if you haven’t read the first book) and she offers to help out. And by help out, she basically takes over wedding planning with Ben’s best friend Luke. It’s a fairly obvious set up but the relationship doesn’t take center stage as Julie is also struggling to stay sober in a world and society fuelled by alcohol.

What a lovely contribution to the canadian romance scene!

This book has such a beautifully illustrated cover and I went into it expecting a story as light and airy as the cover itself, but that was far from what I got. This story is real! It has the real life situations, the romance, the grumpy x sunshine, the humor.. it has it all!
I will admit, I wasn't the biggest fan of Julie at the beginning of this book. Her attitude, her negative view of things, her moody ways.. I didn't like it at all. I found myself constantly questioning "Why is she like this??" But I guess that's the point. Julie has dealt with a lot, and it shows. She was unhappy and disappointed in herself, especially after having a slip in her 7-month sobriety streak. She was not where she thought she'd be by her mid-forties. Watching Luke come into her life and being such a breath of fresh air, one she never knew she needed, was so refreshing. Him being that extra support she needed, along with having her brother Ben and her best friend Kate, added to the character development we got to see from Julie. As the book progressed, I found myself enjoying Julie's character more and more and actually rooting for her! I love a book where you see a major turnaround, and this gave us exactly that!

Thank you NetGalley, BooksGoSocial, and Jamie Anderson for such an inspiring read!

As a 50-year-old woman who is just getting her life together and dealing with all of the trauma in my past, this book was just what I needed. So real but done amazingly.

I completely adore this emotional and unique romantic comedy. It’s not something you read often in contemporary romantic comedies, but it focuses on our FMC Julie who is a recovering alcoholic, I liked the fact it was different and covering a character so many will relate to via themselves or family, friends.

Luke, is a such fantastic MMC completely genuine, sensitive, cheerful single parent . He is such the perfect match and I completely fell in love with him myself. I love a slow burn romance and this is just perfect, with elements of grumpy/sunshine and forced proximity I knew it was my kind of read. If I could give it 6 stars I would, perfect for those looking for a romantic comedy with a more mature aspect, brilliant !

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book explores alcoholism and self esteem in a really respectful way.

Julie who is an alcoholic has one drink at her brothers and best friend engagement party which leads to her being drunk. Julie then decides to plan a wedding with her brothers best friend whilst trying to stay sober.

It was super easy and enjoyable to read.

4.5 ⭐️

Love, Julie is a sweet romance, but that’s not really what the book is. At its core, it’s actually a book about self-acceptance, learning how to live life after trauma, and realizing that the people who truly love you will be there for you through your lowest lows and highest highs.

Julie went on a truly beautiful one-year journey of sobriety and proving herself capable (to others and, more importantly, to herself). She was incredibly likable, even when she was totally unlikable in sabotage mode. She was exactly the type of character that I cheer for when all of the lessons finally settle in and she realizes that she wants to be in love with someone else because she’s finally started loving herself. She deserved a cheerful and loving guy like Luke, a man who would protect her from herself and encourage her to keep with her goals when they felt hard.

I think everyone could learn a few things from Julie and Luke, even if their story doesn’t revolve around sobriety.

Thank you to NetGalley and TRM Publishing for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.