Description
Everyone knows Miz Poppy, the vibrant reviewer whose commentary brightens the New Orleans nightlife. But no one knows Hollyn, the real face behind the media star…or the fear that keeps her isolated. When her boss tells her she needs to add video to her blog or she’ll lose her job, she’s forced to rely on an unexpected source to help her face her fears.
When aspiring actor Jasper Deares finds out the shy woman who orders coffee every day is actually Miz Poppy, he realizes he has a golden opportunity to get the media attention his acting career needs. All he has to do is help Hollyn come out of her shell…and, through their growing connection, finally find her voice.
Details
- Rating: ☆☆
- Title: Yes & I Love You
- Author: Roni Loren
- Narrator: Desiree Ketchum
- Genre: Romantic Comedy
- Time: 11 hours and 19 minutes
- Publisher: Dreamscape Media
- Release Date: March 2, 2021
My Thoughts
Hollyn, the main character, suffers from Tourette’s syndrome and severe anxiety. When she confides this to Jasper, the new office barista, he offers to give her one-on-one improv lessons to help her manage her anxiety for an upcoming work project. But when by accident he discovers that she is a popular reviewer, whose identity has been kept secret, he ends up trading a review at his improv show for Hollyn’s lessons.
The story started out quite interesting, but the more I listened to the audiobook, the more I was worried that it was heading way off track for me. For me, the plot swerved off course when it headed straight toward the bedroom. After all, wouldn’t it also help Hollyn’s anxiety if Jasper helped her with having sex too? No, this isn’t Jasper coercing the distressed lady. This request comes from Hollyn, the anxiety-ridden lady herself. I don’t care how good looking she thought he was, this felt nothing like severe anxiety.
Steamy sex thrown into a story may be fine for some who are expecting and even happy to have it show up. But for me the sex immediately starting down-playing two serious issues. I began to wonder if those issues were possibly thrown in so Hollyn would be a little more needy of Jasper’s attention, who I might add has problems of his own.
Anyway, from that point on I wasn’t really sure where the story was headed. I had been excited to see a relationship blossom, but this felt wrong. Sex and the improv were just used as more or less teaching tools. At least that was how it started out.
I’m very sorry to say that what started as a fun book, in the end, just didn’t work for me.
My Concerns
Perhaps I should have done my homework and known that this author was more of a steamy romance writer. So that part’s on me. Many readers are just fine with that, but I’m not, especially when it doesn’t seem appropriate.
What I really was disappointed about was adding in rather glibly two very serious issues and not treating them with enough respect. I would have felt much happier had the author tagged her heroine as shy or even an out-and-out extreme introvert.
My Conclusion
If you find yourself on the side of steamy romances (which many are and that’s okay) and you take everything about the book lightly and don’t over analyze, I think this is a story you’ll really like. If on the other hand, you read my review and found my issues things that might concern you too, I would give a pass to this book/audiobook.
Though I haven’t mentioned the narrator, I felt the reading was very good. In fact, her reflections and various voices added to the story.
My thanks to #NetGalley for the ability to listen to this book and post a review without any stipulations. This review is nothing more than one person’s honest opinion.
Rating
I feel a bit sick to give low reviews.
But this had some real problems for me.
About the Author
Roni wrote her first romance novel at age fifteen when she discovered writing about boys was way easier than actually talking to them. Since then, her flirting skills haven’t improved, but she likes to think her storytelling ability has. She holds a master’s degree in social work and spent years as a mental health counselor, but now she writes full time from her cozy office in Dallas, Texas where she puts her characters on the therapy couch instead. She is a two-time RITA Award winner and a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author.
Roni Loren – Goodreads
Thanks for being honest in your review! I SO appreciate it.
Thank you. I labor over writing a review like that. I appreciate your thoughts.