REVIEW:

Seasonal readers, get your lists out and mark this one down for Halloween!

Let’s pretend it’s October. You’ve just come back from a pumpkin patch, poured a cup of apple cider, settled into your favorite chair, and are looking for a light rom-com to read as a palate cleanser from all the horror you’ve been bingeing. How Sweet It Is, Dylan Newton’s debut novel, is a “forced proximity” romance that fits that bill.

34-year-old event planner Kate Sweet (get it, her name is Sweet so the book is called How Sweet It Is 🙄) lands a gig organizing a book launch party for a famous writer named Drake Matthews. (Side note: Drake has two brothers names Zander and Ryker. So yes, this is the type of contemporary romance where the characters are called Drake, Zander and Ryker. 😬)

Anyway, the plot is essentially “The Queen of Happily Ever Afters” meets “The Knight of Nightmares.” Their meet cute walks the line between funny and silly, Drake’s character is pretty charming, and the ending is satisfying. (Speaking of satisfaction, there’s one fairly spicy chapter that was a little too much for my taste but may be tame for others. 🙈)

How Sweet It Is isn’t groundbreaking literature, but I don’t think anyone expects it to be. While I thought many of the plot elements were ridiculously unrealistic, I’d still recommend this to rom-com readers who love all those Hallmark-type holiday movies and will get a kick out of a Halloween setting instead of Christmas.

3.5 stars

My thanks to Forever and the author for my gifted advance copy to review via NetGalley. 🎃 👻💀

PUBLISHER SYNOPSIS:

What happens when the queen of romance falls for the king of horror — you get "a hilarious rom-com comp," perfect for fans of Beach Read. (Kirkus, starred review)

Event planner Kate Sweet is famous for creating the perfect happily-ever-after moment for her clients’ dream weddings. So how is it that her best friend has roped her into planning a bestselling horror writer’s book launch extravaganza? But the second Kate meets — or rather, accidentally maims — the drop-dead-hot Drake Matthews, her well-ordered life quickly transforms into an absolute nightmare.

Drake Matthews is tired of the spotlight and tired of his reputation as the Knight of Nightmares. He's really a nice guy! But he’s not prepared for Kate, a fearless agent of chaos in steel-tipped stilettos, or for that sweet sting of attraction he feels for her. She’s inspiring him to take his writing in a whole new direction — one that no one expects. Because now Kate and Drake are changing up the rules, and this plot twist might just surprise everyone . . . including themselves.