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Calamity Falls #1
The World's Worst Boyfriend
How’s he supposed to win back the love of his life when a text he sent goes viral and the whole world’s calling him the World’s Worst Boyfriend?
Six years ago Fin Bowie made a decision that cost him the love of his life. Now his ex is coming back to town for her brother’s wedding, and he can finally make things right. Except, right before the event, a text he sent goes viral. Overnight, he becomes an international meme. And it’s hard to win your woman back when the whole world’s calling you The World’s Worst Boyfriend.
The last thing on Calliope Bell’s mind is getting back with Fin. Not when her life’s just gone sideways, forcing her to spend the summer in her hometown. She can’t be away from the New York art world this long, so she comes up with the idea to turn the hottest pop culture event of the moment into a museum exhibition.
The two have every intention of avoiding each other—until the county judge sentences Fin to community service…helping her exploit the meme he's trying to make go away.
Six years ago Fin Bowie made a decision that cost him the love of his life. Now his ex is coming back to town for her brother’s wedding, and he can finally make things right. Except, right before the event, a text he sent goes viral. Overnight, he becomes an international meme. And it’s hard to win your woman back when the whole world’s calling you The World’s Worst Boyfriend.
The last thing on Calliope Bell’s mind is getting back with Fin. Not when her life’s just gone sideways, forcing her to spend the summer in her hometown. She can’t be away from the New York art world this long, so she comes up with the idea to turn the hottest pop culture event of the moment into a museum exhibition.
The two have every intention of avoiding each other—until the county judge sentences Fin to community service…helping her exploit the meme he's trying to make go away.
330 pages, ebook
First published April 3, 2018
About the author
Erika Kelly
42 books1,819 followersAward-winning author Erika Kelly writes sexy, passionate, and emotional contemporary romance. Married to the love of her life and raising four children, she lives in the southwest, drinks a lot of tea, and is always waiting for her cats to get off her keyboard.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 204 reviews
September 16, 2018
This book is not badly written, the story flows smoothly and the HEA was convincing enough for what it was.
It does unfortunately propagate a disturbing romance sub-trope that has pretty much been around since we had romance tropes.
The trope is that of the martyr h taking an unworthy partner back because everyone around her insists that the partner is a good person and deserves a fifteenth chance, no matter how badly he let her down before.
Maya Angelou said "When someone shows you who they are, believe them". Someone else said "Your first love is probably not your last love and when people break up, it usually is for a reason, so why revisit that?"
Going against that advice is the heart of this book. High school sweethearts break up because the male in the relationship needed acceptance and validation from his brothers more than he needed it from the h.
Supposedly the h was the great love of this guy's life, but he walked away because his family wanted him and he needed validation from his family more than he wanted to be able to find validation within himself.
So the h, while heartbroken, moved on. Now she is back and the male wages an all out campaign to win her back. Which, given that this is a romance and he is the hero and the entire world wants to see the two of them back together, eventually happens.
Then he goes and once again lets her down to get his validation from his brothers cause he has no sense of self worth without it.
Eventually he realizes he messed up again and he stalks the h until she relents and takes him back for the HEA.
That is not romance in my book. This man wasn't mature enough to BE in a romance. For all that the h cared about the hero and for all that she forgave, the woman deserved much better than what she got.
It is plotted out so that the hero makes his big sacrifice and lets go of his family to go live with the heroine. But somehow it is glossed over that in EVERY SINGLE MAJOR EVENT in the heroine's life, the hero has let her down.
It isn't that she can't handle her life events herself, it is that when SHE NEEDS THE SUPPORT a healthy relationship is supposed to provide, she is ON HER OWN, AGAIN. Yet the campaign to get the two locked into each other is massive.
Why is that? Why is it okay for a heroine to have forgo the benefits of a loving relationship to overcome her challenges and yet it is portrayed as a huge sacrifice for love when a hero has to rearrange HIS commitments if he wants to maintain a relationship.
That is utter tripe and this trope should be buried and eulogized. Because in general, life always has challenges and we all need support at one time or another to face them. In this instance it is once again shown to be a completely unequal relationship.
She has to give more and get less, simply because this a classic trope romance and the male is always given higher priority than the female.
I expect this in vintage romances, mainly because the goal of a vintage romance is marriage and babies and the heroine's ultimate outcome was that wedding ring and a honeymoon suite, not necessarily a deeply devoted and supportive man in her life.
I do NOT expect this in a contemporary romance. This heroine wasn't looking for a cottage and roses, she wanted an artistic career and someone in her emotional support corner when she rode out to fight her battles.
She did not get it and I wasn't satisfied by the outcome, cause no matter what HE SAID, his actions were extremely clear. She was NOT his priority and SHE DID NOT meet his needs for validation. He never met her needs either and that is a HUGE problem when the couple is supposed to be building a life together.
She will always be giving and he will always be taking and I cannot help but wonder how long will this HEA last, because people have a way of seeking out what they need and he can't provide it to her. Nor can she meet his needs either.
So despite the excellent writing and the smooth plotting, I don't see any long term HEA's or relationships here. She will be stepping up at every life challenge and he will be cowering down and running somewhere else to find cover from life's big blows.
Repeating the mistakes of the past doesn't make for romance, it makes for disillusion, anger and a whole lot of bitterness and that is not the destination I want for my voyages into Romance.
It does unfortunately propagate a disturbing romance sub-trope that has pretty much been around since we had romance tropes.
The trope is that of the martyr h taking an unworthy partner back because everyone around her insists that the partner is a good person and deserves a fifteenth chance, no matter how badly he let her down before.
Maya Angelou said "When someone shows you who they are, believe them". Someone else said "Your first love is probably not your last love and when people break up, it usually is for a reason, so why revisit that?"
Going against that advice is the heart of this book. High school sweethearts break up because the male in the relationship needed acceptance and validation from his brothers more than he needed it from the h.
Supposedly the h was the great love of this guy's life, but he walked away because his family wanted him and he needed validation from his family more than he wanted to be able to find validation within himself.
So the h, while heartbroken, moved on. Now she is back and the male wages an all out campaign to win her back. Which, given that this is a romance and he is the hero and the entire world wants to see the two of them back together, eventually happens.
Then he goes and once again lets her down to get his validation from his brothers cause he has no sense of self worth without it.
Eventually he realizes he messed up again and he stalks the h until she relents and takes him back for the HEA.
That is not romance in my book. This man wasn't mature enough to BE in a romance. For all that the h cared about the hero and for all that she forgave, the woman deserved much better than what she got.
It is plotted out so that the hero makes his big sacrifice and lets go of his family to go live with the heroine. But somehow it is glossed over that in EVERY SINGLE MAJOR EVENT in the heroine's life, the hero has let her down.
It isn't that she can't handle her life events herself, it is that when SHE NEEDS THE SUPPORT a healthy relationship is supposed to provide, she is ON HER OWN, AGAIN. Yet the campaign to get the two locked into each other is massive.
Why is that? Why is it okay for a heroine to have forgo the benefits of a loving relationship to overcome her challenges and yet it is portrayed as a huge sacrifice for love when a hero has to rearrange HIS commitments if he wants to maintain a relationship.
That is utter tripe and this trope should be buried and eulogized. Because in general, life always has challenges and we all need support at one time or another to face them. In this instance it is once again shown to be a completely unequal relationship.
She has to give more and get less, simply because this a classic trope romance and the male is always given higher priority than the female.
I expect this in vintage romances, mainly because the goal of a vintage romance is marriage and babies and the heroine's ultimate outcome was that wedding ring and a honeymoon suite, not necessarily a deeply devoted and supportive man in her life.
I do NOT expect this in a contemporary romance. This heroine wasn't looking for a cottage and roses, she wanted an artistic career and someone in her emotional support corner when she rode out to fight her battles.
She did not get it and I wasn't satisfied by the outcome, cause no matter what HE SAID, his actions were extremely clear. She was NOT his priority and SHE DID NOT meet his needs for validation. He never met her needs either and that is a HUGE problem when the couple is supposed to be building a life together.
She will always be giving and he will always be taking and I cannot help but wonder how long will this HEA last, because people have a way of seeking out what they need and he can't provide it to her. Nor can she meet his needs either.
So despite the excellent writing and the smooth plotting, I don't see any long term HEA's or relationships here. She will be stepping up at every life challenge and he will be cowering down and running somewhere else to find cover from life's big blows.
Repeating the mistakes of the past doesn't make for romance, it makes for disillusion, anger and a whole lot of bitterness and that is not the destination I want for my voyages into Romance.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 16, 2018
I had real hard time connecting with the hero.
His demise was of his own making and he STILL learned nothing.
He deserved everything that he suffered. I wish heroine didn’t have to suffer along with him for mistake HE made.
Heroine was absolutely right to be jealous of his relationship with his brother except the fact was she wasn’t. I saw a lot of reviews complaining about it and I just couldn’t understand those reviewers’ POV. I was thinking “are we even reading the same book???”. She wasn’t jealous. She was very realistic and understood perfectly that she played second fiddle to his family.THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE. That IS something to be jealous of. In fact in my book that is reason enough for break up. However this heroine kept giving him chances. And he blew them over and over and over UNTIL the last chapter. Losing her once wasn’t lesson enough for him.
His brothers were also not nice people. I have a feeling if we dig deep, we CAN determine that his father was an emotional abuser to his kids. NOT a magnificent team builder. Rather a tyrant.
His brothers were crude and almost lewd. They did like the heroine and respected her as an outsider. The moment they have to look at her as their brother’ girlfriend, they no longer felt the necessity to have any respect for her. They made crude jokes and comments and tried to reduce hero’s feelings for her as nothing but lust, if even that. Mostly childhood crush and unresolved past. They tried their best to deter him from pursuing her simply because they didn’t get it. They could very well be manwhores, I wasn’t even interested. Their motherly housekeeper who sees no faults in them openly unashamedly called them commitment phoebe cowards and immature men child.
No. I don’t blame heroine for using hero’s misfortune as an opportunity. She owed him nothing. Nada. And as she has pointed out it was beyond him by then. Even his brother had to agree that heroine is doing what she has to, and he should let her. It was no longer about him.
I also don’t blame heroine from moving on or cutting her past life off. They didn’t get it and they couldn’t support her the way she needed. Sure enough, everyone including her bff thinks she shouldn’t have taken THAT big an offence that she’ll always come second to his family. They wanted to balance and show her both sides and make her see logic. What she needed was unbiased and non judgemental supporters and that was impossible to find in her town. Even her family kept saying “look he made mistakes, big ones, but....”; whereas heroine didn’t need to hear about the “but” because there was no “but”!!!! What he did was unforgivable.
Also let’s make it very clear in case you compare this with other reviews. Heroine never EVER wanted the hero to give up his career and change into something he wasn’t. That was once again on HIM. Her career was in NYC, she HAD to go there. Even the first time around. She’d have been able to juggle long distance relationship if he went to MSU. HE chose not to. And he never even given her the impression he didn’t want to move to NYC with her or he’s making compromises or has regrets. Even at 17 she was incredibly mature woman who would have made their relationship work. ONLY if he talked. His family really treated heroine and hero’s feelings towards her callously. They knew she’d break up if he changes things LAST minute and that’s what they were banking on. They wanted him to be free. Not bound to a woman or stability at his early life. In fact his father suggested he should whore around in his 20’s and settle down in 40’s when he achieved everything else. A stable relationship was a burden in his opinion, not an achievement. What neither him or the brothers banked on was hero was not as shallow as any of them and that heartbreak turned him into an adrenaline junky to their utmost horror.
Even the second time around, heroine was very much ready for compromise. In fact she is the one who pushed hero to put his career ahead of everything.
So no, at no point of time has the heroine been selfish and wanted to change him.
Any manipulation, stubbornness and regrets were in him, and him alone. Unless his family is now adult enough to own up to their mistakes and share some of those blames. Which btw, they were NOT.
I wish heroine blocked him out BECAUSE what he did was unforgivable not for the “real reason” she provided. I hated that part. That hero was clueless. He was still wondering after six years “I have broken your trust, I abandoned you, I chose my brother over you, but why did you break up with me, and blocked me from your life?” Those weren’t reason enough???
He also kept telling heroine she was more than enough for him and was surprised/pissed/shocked when she assumed he’d have pursued OW. Emotional infidelity isn’t just limited to ow/om! He wanted to know what gave her the impression she wasn’t enough. Well may be dropping her the minute his brothers needed him may have been the reason for insecurities?
I also wished she had a genuine OM in her life. Of course the author had to make the OM something of a nasty SOB so that he leaves no lasting impression in heroine’s life.
I’d have liked the book if the OM was at least decent with whom h would have fond memories and no t contempt so that hero would have to fight to assure himself he doesn’t play second fiddle to other memories. As heroine pointed out, he wasn’t even jealous, he was just confused.
And of course the OM has to be a complete douche so heroine can go to the hero for her HEA without any holdbacks.
Safety: not safe for safety gang.
Both H & h were each other’s first.
Hero completely celibate. He didn’t have a dating life. Any OW he was seen with was friends/colleagues etc at social events or casual hangout.
Heroine not celibate. She was in a committed relationship with the OM.
No cheating, not even emotional. The OM actually could have had the heroine if he was a decent man.
We can argue hero’s love was stronger than heroine. Bit I’ll dispute that by saying he was the one who hurt and destroyed her. She was hurt and destroyed. Not due to lack of communication. But he chose someone else over her. So her love was actually truly destroyed. Don’t expect the same kind of devotion he had for her. He wasn’t on the receiving end. She was. She needed and should have moved on.
His actions were motivated at least half by guilt. It was NOT all love. Guilt is a greater motivation than love. So I’m unable to give him too many brownie points for remaining faithful to her. He had something to prove. She didn’t. And if she did, that needed her moving on.
His demise was of his own making and he STILL learned nothing.
He deserved everything that he suffered. I wish heroine didn’t have to suffer along with him for mistake HE made.
Heroine was absolutely right to be jealous of his relationship with his brother except the fact was she wasn’t. I saw a lot of reviews complaining about it and I just couldn’t understand those reviewers’ POV. I was thinking “are we even reading the same book???”. She wasn’t jealous. She was very realistic and understood perfectly that she played second fiddle to his family.THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE. That IS something to be jealous of. In fact in my book that is reason enough for break up. However this heroine kept giving him chances. And he blew them over and over and over UNTIL the last chapter. Losing her once wasn’t lesson enough for him.
His brothers were also not nice people. I have a feeling if we dig deep, we CAN determine that his father was an emotional abuser to his kids. NOT a magnificent team builder. Rather a tyrant.
His brothers were crude and almost lewd. They did like the heroine and respected her as an outsider. The moment they have to look at her as their brother’ girlfriend, they no longer felt the necessity to have any respect for her. They made crude jokes and comments and tried to reduce hero’s feelings for her as nothing but lust, if even that. Mostly childhood crush and unresolved past. They tried their best to deter him from pursuing her simply because they didn’t get it. They could very well be manwhores, I wasn’t even interested. Their motherly housekeeper who sees no faults in them openly unashamedly called them commitment phoebe cowards and immature men child.
No. I don’t blame heroine for using hero’s misfortune as an opportunity. She owed him nothing. Nada. And as she has pointed out it was beyond him by then. Even his brother had to agree that heroine is doing what she has to, and he should let her. It was no longer about him.
I also don’t blame heroine from moving on or cutting her past life off. They didn’t get it and they couldn’t support her the way she needed. Sure enough, everyone including her bff thinks she shouldn’t have taken THAT big an offence that she’ll always come second to his family. They wanted to balance and show her both sides and make her see logic. What she needed was unbiased and non judgemental supporters and that was impossible to find in her town. Even her family kept saying “look he made mistakes, big ones, but....”; whereas heroine didn’t need to hear about the “but” because there was no “but”!!!! What he did was unforgivable.
Also let’s make it very clear in case you compare this with other reviews. Heroine never EVER wanted the hero to give up his career and change into something he wasn’t. That was once again on HIM. Her career was in NYC, she HAD to go there. Even the first time around. She’d have been able to juggle long distance relationship if he went to MSU. HE chose not to. And he never even given her the impression he didn’t want to move to NYC with her or he’s making compromises or has regrets. Even at 17 she was incredibly mature woman who would have made their relationship work. ONLY if he talked. His family really treated heroine and hero’s feelings towards her callously. They knew she’d break up if he changes things LAST minute and that’s what they were banking on. They wanted him to be free. Not bound to a woman or stability at his early life. In fact his father suggested he should whore around in his 20’s and settle down in 40’s when he achieved everything else. A stable relationship was a burden in his opinion, not an achievement. What neither him or the brothers banked on was hero was not as shallow as any of them and that heartbreak turned him into an adrenaline junky to their utmost horror.
Even the second time around, heroine was very much ready for compromise. In fact she is the one who pushed hero to put his career ahead of everything.
So no, at no point of time has the heroine been selfish and wanted to change him.
Any manipulation, stubbornness and regrets were in him, and him alone. Unless his family is now adult enough to own up to their mistakes and share some of those blames. Which btw, they were NOT.
I wish heroine blocked him out BECAUSE what he did was unforgivable not for the “real reason” she provided. I hated that part. That hero was clueless. He was still wondering after six years “I have broken your trust, I abandoned you, I chose my brother over you, but why did you break up with me, and blocked me from your life?” Those weren’t reason enough???
He also kept telling heroine she was more than enough for him and was surprised/pissed/shocked when she assumed he’d have pursued OW. Emotional infidelity isn’t just limited to ow/om! He wanted to know what gave her the impression she wasn’t enough. Well may be dropping her the minute his brothers needed him may have been the reason for insecurities?
I also wished she had a genuine OM in her life. Of course the author had to make the OM something of a nasty SOB so that he leaves no lasting impression in heroine’s life.
I’d have liked the book if the OM was at least decent with whom h would have fond memories and no t contempt so that hero would have to fight to assure himself he doesn’t play second fiddle to other memories. As heroine pointed out, he wasn’t even jealous, he was just confused.
And of course the OM has to be a complete douche so heroine can go to the hero for her HEA without any holdbacks.
Safety: not safe for safety gang.
Both H & h were each other’s first.
Hero completely celibate. He didn’t have a dating life. Any OW he was seen with was friends/colleagues etc at social events or casual hangout.
Heroine not celibate. She was in a committed relationship with the OM.
No cheating, not even emotional. The OM actually could have had the heroine if he was a decent man.
We can argue hero’s love was stronger than heroine. Bit I’ll dispute that by saying he was the one who hurt and destroyed her. She was hurt and destroyed. Not due to lack of communication. But he chose someone else over her. So her love was actually truly destroyed. Don’t expect the same kind of devotion he had for her. He wasn’t on the receiving end. She was. She needed and should have moved on.
His actions were motivated at least half by guilt. It was NOT all love. Guilt is a greater motivation than love. So I’m unable to give him too many brownie points for remaining faithful to her. He had something to prove. She didn’t. And if she did, that needed her moving on.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 8, 2018
4 #WorldsWorstBoyfriend #Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟
How do you win the love of your life back when a text you sent to another girl has gone viral..... you are now a meme... #WorldsWorstBoyfriend girls all over the Internet are telling stories and substituting their boyfriends name with yours and using the above #.... The thing is the text you sent wasn’t even to your girlfriend she was just a friend, but nobody seems to care or believe this.... this is what Finn is up against when he is trying to win back his high school sweetheart Callie....
Really liked Finn he was just a down to earth good guy.... Callie really bothered me in the beginning of this book although she did grow on me by the end.... she just seem very jealous of Finn’s relationship with his brothers.... and also she wanted to take a complete outdoorsy guy and put him in the middle of New York City... just so she could pursue her dreams.... nobody should need to give up every aspect of who they are just to be with you, it’s called compromise.....
I really liked Callie‘s pop up heartbreak museum and I think she learned some valuable lessons from it.... I also think it would be a really cool place to visit..... loved how the book ended and I’m so glad there was so much character growth in both Finn and Callie.... curious to see what brother the next book is about?
Recommend to all lovers of romance with a side of winter sports....
~~~ i’d like to thank the author for a copy of this amazing book ~~~
When I was seven months pregnant with my first child I went to the hospital with a kidney infection and Finn left me there to go golfing #WorldsWorstBoyfriend
How do you win the love of your life back when a text you sent to another girl has gone viral..... you are now a meme... #WorldsWorstBoyfriend girls all over the Internet are telling stories and substituting their boyfriends name with yours and using the above #.... The thing is the text you sent wasn’t even to your girlfriend she was just a friend, but nobody seems to care or believe this.... this is what Finn is up against when he is trying to win back his high school sweetheart Callie....
Really liked Finn he was just a down to earth good guy.... Callie really bothered me in the beginning of this book although she did grow on me by the end.... she just seem very jealous of Finn’s relationship with his brothers.... and also she wanted to take a complete outdoorsy guy and put him in the middle of New York City... just so she could pursue her dreams.... nobody should need to give up every aspect of who they are just to be with you, it’s called compromise.....
I really liked Callie‘s pop up heartbreak museum and I think she learned some valuable lessons from it.... I also think it would be a really cool place to visit..... loved how the book ended and I’m so glad there was so much character growth in both Finn and Callie.... curious to see what brother the next book is about?
Recommend to all lovers of romance with a side of winter sports....
~~~ i’d like to thank the author for a copy of this amazing book ~~~
When I was seven months pregnant with my first child I went to the hospital with a kidney infection and Finn left me there to go golfing #WorldsWorstBoyfriend
April 21, 2022
Ok I’m not 100% sure how to rate this one.
It’s well written as in the story flows and it’s all fine from a grammar perspective, however some things about the actual story really pissed me off. In a big way.
I feel like Callie was gaslit and basically blamed for things that she shouldn’t have been.
The initial breakup. I can’t believe how blasé Callie’s family was about it all. This is a guy who basically bailed on your daughter/sister 3 HOURS before they were supposed to move to NYC together. Not only that, she missed major high school events because he bailed on them the last minute because of family stuff. And not important family stuff either.
I totally understand why Callie was heartbroken and WHY she was so angry.
I don’t get why everyone in town seemed to take his side. And when she's home they are like "he lives here. get over it". I felt no one actually cared about Callie's feelings at all.
Everyone was angry that she “didn’t come home”. It’s like the girl was going to collage undergrad and postgrad, working 2 jobs and building a life for herself. She was busy! It’s not like she ran away! That was always her plan! Why was everyone so pissed that she didn’t move home?!?!
As for Fin being like I expected her to come back to me and basically get over it was a f’ing joke.
Fin although acknowledged what he did, didn’t really seem to have an issue with it. Until the end he truly didn’t think he was in the wrong. He was sorry he hurt her, but not enough to change his behaviour.
PLUS Fin having this full on relationship with her family, I don’t think that was ok at all. Her brother, fine, they were BFFs, but her parents. Hell No.
Callie’s family not telling her important things, like her Dad’s health, but Fin knew all about it. That’s so wrong. They made her feel like crap for “not being there” when they knew that she was trying to live her life and do what she ALWAYS PLANNED TO DO.
Callie not once lied about what she wanted to do with her life. It was Fin that constantly kept changing his mind and backing out.
Then to have the audacity to say that she was “lost”. Girl was heartbroken but she wasn’t lost.
I felt like she was gaslit by Fin, by her brother, by her family. Basically by everyone that should have been in her corner.
I read other reviews, and I have to say Callie wasn’t jealous of his relationship with his brothers. She was sad, hurt and angry that he continuously broke his promises to her. He even said he had every intention of going to Prom, moving to NYC etc but then the last minute felt pressure to bail on her.
That’s not jealously of his brothers, that’s disappointment and angry at having her trust and love taken for granted.
AND his brothers basically admitted that they wanted him to not move to NYC and not be with Callie because they didn’t get their relationship and didn’t think it was important. WTF?!?!
Also Fin DID NOT CHANGE. In 6 years, he kept doing the same thing over and over again. In was insane.
I felt the brotherly connection between the 4 guys, BUT I did think at times that they were really shitty brothers to Fin. They didn’t seem to care at all about things that were important to him and did make him feel like he was less than.
I was really glad he said everything he did at the end to them and I’m glad they seemed to get it. BUT as far as everything with Callie, honestly I felt their relationship was toxic and if she were my friend I would want Fin to do a lot more to prove that he would actually be there for her moving forward.
It’s well written as in the story flows and it’s all fine from a grammar perspective, however some things about the actual story really pissed me off. In a big way.
I feel like Callie was gaslit and basically blamed for things that she shouldn’t have been.
The initial breakup. I can’t believe how blasé Callie’s family was about it all. This is a guy who basically bailed on your daughter/sister 3 HOURS before they were supposed to move to NYC together. Not only that, she missed major high school events because he bailed on them the last minute because of family stuff. And not important family stuff either.
I totally understand why Callie was heartbroken and WHY she was so angry.
I don’t get why everyone in town seemed to take his side. And when she's home they are like "he lives here. get over it". I felt no one actually cared about Callie's feelings at all.
Everyone was angry that she “didn’t come home”. It’s like the girl was going to collage undergrad and postgrad, working 2 jobs and building a life for herself. She was busy! It’s not like she ran away! That was always her plan! Why was everyone so pissed that she didn’t move home?!?!
As for Fin being like I expected her to come back to me and basically get over it was a f’ing joke.
Fin although acknowledged what he did, didn’t really seem to have an issue with it. Until the end he truly didn’t think he was in the wrong. He was sorry he hurt her, but not enough to change his behaviour.
PLUS Fin having this full on relationship with her family, I don’t think that was ok at all. Her brother, fine, they were BFFs, but her parents. Hell No.
Callie’s family not telling her important things, like her Dad’s health, but Fin knew all about it. That’s so wrong. They made her feel like crap for “not being there” when they knew that she was trying to live her life and do what she ALWAYS PLANNED TO DO.
Callie not once lied about what she wanted to do with her life. It was Fin that constantly kept changing his mind and backing out.
Then to have the audacity to say that she was “lost”. Girl was heartbroken but she wasn’t lost.
I felt like she was gaslit by Fin, by her brother, by her family. Basically by everyone that should have been in her corner.
I read other reviews, and I have to say Callie wasn’t jealous of his relationship with his brothers. She was sad, hurt and angry that he continuously broke his promises to her. He even said he had every intention of going to Prom, moving to NYC etc but then the last minute felt pressure to bail on her.
That’s not jealously of his brothers, that’s disappointment and angry at having her trust and love taken for granted.
AND his brothers basically admitted that they wanted him to not move to NYC and not be with Callie because they didn’t get their relationship and didn’t think it was important. WTF?!?!
Also Fin DID NOT CHANGE. In 6 years, he kept doing the same thing over and over again. In was insane.
I felt the brotherly connection between the 4 guys, BUT I did think at times that they were really shitty brothers to Fin. They didn’t seem to care at all about things that were important to him and did make him feel like he was less than.
I was really glad he said everything he did at the end to them and I’m glad they seemed to get it. BUT as far as everything with Callie, honestly I felt their relationship was toxic and if she were my friend I would want Fin to do a lot more to prove that he would actually be there for her moving forward.
April 3, 2018
4.5 stars
The first time I read Erika Kelly several years ago, I knew we were going to have a long lasting author/reader relationship, there is something so pure about her writing and that continues in The World’s Worst Boyfriend, the first book in her new Bad Boyfriend series. I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect when I started reading this book as I hadn’t seen or read anything about this series, so I was thrilled to see this was about a group of brothers who are into Olympic/extreme sports and that the series is set in Wyoming at the foot of the Grand Teton Mountains. The setting, the characters, the plot were all exceptional and I am so enamored with the Bowie brothers that I can’t wait to see what happens next in this series.
Fin Bowie is a good guy hero and I adored him, like wanted to pinch his cheeks and pat him on his head adore him. That being said, despite his success, despite being sought out by extreme athletes everywhere including his brothers, Fin is insecure and that led him to making the biggest mistake of his life six years ago, one he intends to rectify as soon as he gets home. Unfortunately unbeknownst to him an incident has him trending as #worldsworstboyfriend by the time and his plans for getting his girl back are waylaid not only by that, but by the fact she has brought home a guy that wants to marry her.
The last thing Calliope (Callie) Bell wants is a confrontation with Fin at her brother’s wedding so she brings along her boyfriend of 6 months with her from New York to Calamity, Wyoming. She thought it would be a good thing, so everyone could see she’s not the same wild and free girl she use to be, she just didn’t expect for her friends and family to call her out on it or for the only man she’s ever loved to make a public declaration in front of her new boyfriend or the craziness that follows.
I loved every crazy, twisted, funny, emotional minute of this book! Fin and Callie had a lot of history and all Callie can remember is the bad, but being home she is faced with all of the good that happened between them and with Fin there to excite all of her senses, she finds it hard to fight the feelings once again. I don’t even know where to begin with Finn, I adored him from the beginning and he isn’t perfect, not by a long shot, but he’s one of those heroes whose heart is in the right place, he just loses his way because of his insecurities. It took me awhile to fall in love with Callie, she was trying so to be someone she obviously wasn’t and it almost hurt to watch as she realized how much she’d hurt her family and friends by shutting herself off and changing everything that made her real. Rekindling the relationship between these two wasn’t easy and they had a lot of start and stops, but getting there was so damn good.
I’m firmly in the camp that romance novels should make you feel, but make you happy and that is exactly what author Erika Kelly provides in The World’s Worst Boyfriend. I started this book and I could not put it down until it was finished!
March 21, 2018
Ahh, if only we were all lucky enough to have The World's Worst Boyfriend. Because, if that's what we're labeling Fin Bowie, then sign-me right up! Sexy, sincere, and sweet - this adrenaline junkie hero was easy to love - even if sometimes that love hurts.
I loved Fin and Callie together. Their sometimes-hostile, but always sparky banter was addictive to read and I loved the way they found their way back to each other. Their story is emotional and a little bit bigger than just the romance in that both characters undergo some significant growth and development over the course of the story. The story dug a little bit deeper than I was expecting, but was still a delight to read.
That said, there were some things that didn't quite hit home for me. I felt like the conflict was a bit repetitive - that is they kept re-visiting the same issues over and over again and it became frustrating for me after a while. It took me a while to warm up to Callie - whose protective outer shell kept even the reader from getting too close emotionally. And there was that one point where I literally wanted to knock Fin in the head for acting like a big dumb animal.
But, at the same time - I think that's how I was supposed to feel which means that, while occasionally frustrating for me, this storyline was ultimately well executed.
In the end, The World's Worst Boyfriend was every bit as fun as it looks like it would be. What a fantastic introduction to the Bowie brothers, and Fin - in particular - was a real treat. There's a teaser for the next book tucked in here and I'm already hungry to know so much more! ~ Shelly, 4 Stars
I loved Fin and Callie together. Their sometimes-hostile, but always sparky banter was addictive to read and I loved the way they found their way back to each other. Their story is emotional and a little bit bigger than just the romance in that both characters undergo some significant growth and development over the course of the story. The story dug a little bit deeper than I was expecting, but was still a delight to read.
That said, there were some things that didn't quite hit home for me. I felt like the conflict was a bit repetitive - that is they kept re-visiting the same issues over and over again and it became frustrating for me after a while. It took me a while to warm up to Callie - whose protective outer shell kept even the reader from getting too close emotionally. And there was that one point where I literally wanted to knock Fin in the head for acting like a big dumb animal.
But, at the same time - I think that's how I was supposed to feel which means that, while occasionally frustrating for me, this storyline was ultimately well executed.
In the end, The World's Worst Boyfriend was every bit as fun as it looks like it would be. What a fantastic introduction to the Bowie brothers, and Fin - in particular - was a real treat. There's a teaser for the next book tucked in here and I'm already hungry to know so much more! ~ Shelly, 4 Stars
Want to read
January 11, 2023🎁 FREE on Amazon today (9/5/2019)! 🎁
April 3, 2018
“I’ve loved you as far back as my memory goes. My wild thing, she was my best friend, my heart, my everything.”
The World’s Worst Boyfriend is the first book in a new series from Erika Kelly and we’re getting giddy with excitement as we fell in love with the Bowie brothers, who’ll each get their own book. Whilst this was Fin Bowie’s story we get glimpses of his brothers’ and have a feeling it’s going to be quite the ride for these extreme sports men who shy away from commitment.
‘She could smell the mountain air on his skin. He was sun-warmed meadows and bracing snow-covered summits. He was tangled sheets and calloused hands. Bone-melting kisses and thrilling gropes in public places. He was abject heartbreak.’
We loved the premise of this story; how social media can both be a curse or a blessing. How quickly a simple post can snowball out of control and how it can have a devastating or negative impact on someone’s life. How easy it is to wrongly judge and come to conclusions based on little or no facts. Or turned on its’ head how a post of familiarity can bring comfort or even healing.
‘She wanted to be free. She had to get over Fin. The betrayal. How though? How do you heal?’
‘She’s take this ride with Fin, confront the memories, and then she could finally let them go. Let him go. She’d finally be free.’
You know those angsty books that get you really wound up, taking sides and wanting to shake things up? Well this is one of them. At the heart of it is a second chance friends to lover’s romance which ended abruptly when our characters were just seventeen. A fierce and passionate love knocked on its head by distance, miscommunication and misunderstanding.
“Find something good and real to tell her every day. Tell her you love her. Tell her she’s beautiful when she first wakes up.”
Fin Bowie utterly and completely stole our hearts with his huge heart and the intensity of his love and herein lied part of the problem. He had his flaws and his own insecurities which yes had him partly at fault in his and Callie’s romance and friendship reaching an abrupt halt. However, when Fin Bowie loves, he loves with everything he is and his good intentions completely overshadow everything else. He knows what he wants and what he wants is Callie back.
“I only know that Callie was confident, strong. Fearless. Everything a woman should be.”
Callie is hurt, so damn hurt which has her reinventing herself in pursuit of her end goal in the art world. When faced with the boy who broke her heart who is now a man she is forced to re-examine just what happened and how two people can go through an experience together yet draw their own different conclusions. Through a chance opportunity comes new dreams and possibilities but how will that mend two parts of a whole who have been separated?
“If you felt like the most special woman in the world, it’s because you are. You’re my heart, Callie.”
We have to say that the cover does not do this story justice at all nor do the cover models bear any resemblance to the characters. We were quite baffled. So if like us you’re a bit of a ‘cover snob’ and like the characters to be truthfully portrayed, ignore the cover and enjoy the story within. If you enjoy second chance love, a lot of angst and passionate heat, you’ll love this romance!
“You trying to save me, wild thing?”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
Available to purchase below
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Come visit and follow us at:
✲ TotallybookedBlog
✲ TB on Facebook
✲ TB on Twitter
✲ TB on Pinterest
September 15, 2018
Whoa, ladies! What a joyful story, awesome book with such a great characters!!!
It was my first book from this author and will not be the last!! I promise you, I will read more of her books just this damn week!
So, we know some crazy people could make a snowball just from one tiny snowflake... Just on the internet that things doesn't go away quickly! That's just happened to Fin in this story! Although I don't understand why in first place he sent this message to this girl... And what a crazy girl she turned to be.... WTF?!!
Callie... Sigh, I didn't like her ex bf, his family or her hot pursuit for NY currator position at some prestigious museum.... This Hamptons people are just snakes, why fight with stupid people??!!
Chicas!! This hero was celibate for 6 years!!! Didn't have one kiss or BJ or... Nothing!! He was virgin before meeting our heroine and he only was with her!!!!
Our heroine was NOT celibate after she broke up with Fin. She had a bf!
It was my first book from this author and will not be the last!! I promise you, I will read more of her books just this damn week!
So, we know some crazy people could make a snowball just from one tiny snowflake... Just on the internet that things doesn't go away quickly! That's just happened to Fin in this story! Although I don't understand why in first place he sent this message to this girl... And what a crazy girl she turned to be.... WTF?!!
Callie... Sigh, I didn't like her ex bf, his family or her hot pursuit for NY currator position at some prestigious museum.... This Hamptons people are just snakes, why fight with stupid people??!!
Chicas!! This hero was celibate for 6 years!!! Didn't have one kiss or BJ or... Nothing!! He was virgin before meeting our heroine and he only was with her!!!!
Our heroine was NOT celibate after she broke up with Fin. She had a bf!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 5, 2023
I had such high hopes for this one, as I used to read this author when she had that rock star romance series and I ADORED those books. But this book just felt like a hot mess. It was all over the place and I just wasn't enjoying it that much but I pushed through it. I just found this one to be such a disappointment and I am not even wanting to read the rest of the series, so I might try looking through her backlist and see if she has other series that might appeal to me more. I know she can write great things so I think I just had such high hopes for this one here. And I expected so much from it and it just didn't work for me. So many aspects of it just made no sense to me. But I will try some other books. But I am more picky about books these days and just won't stick with a series if a book isn't doing it for me. It might have been a "me" issue.
Read
August 11, 2019 DNF
It was boring, and I cant even remember any details to review it 😂 so no rating either
It was boring, and I cant even remember any details to review it 😂 so no rating either
April 2, 2018
“I’ve loved you as far back as my memory goes. My wild thing, she was my best friend, my heart, my everything.”
The World’s Worst Boyfriend is the first book in a new series from Erika Kelly and we’re getting giddy with excitement as we fell in love with the Bowie brothers, who’ll each get their own book. Whilst this was Fin Bowie’s story we get glimpses of his brothers’ and have a feeling it’s going to be quite the ride for these extreme sports men who shy away from commitment.
‘She could smell the mountain air on his skin. He was sun-warmed meadows and bracing snow-covered summits. He was tangled sheets and calloused hands. Bone-melting kisses and thrilling gropes in public places. He was abject heartbreak.’
We loved the premise of this story; how social media can both be a curse or a blessing. How quickly a simple post can snowball out of control and how it can have a devastating or negative impact on someone’s life. How easy it is to wrongly judge and come to conclusions based on little or no facts. Or turned on its’ head how a post of familiarity can bring comfort or even healing.
‘She wanted to be free. She had to get over Fin. The betrayal. How though? How do you heal?’
‘She’s take this ride with Fin, confront the memories, and then she could finally let them go. Let him go. She’d finally be free.’
You know those angsty books that get you really wound up, taking sides and wanting to shake things up? Well this is one of them. At the heart of it is a second chance friends to lover’s romance which ended abruptly when our characters were just seventeen. A fierce and passionate love knocked on its head by distance, miscommunication and misunderstanding.
“Find something good and real to tell her every day. Tell her you love her. Tell her she’s beautiful when she first wakes up.”
Fin Bowie utterly and completely stole our hearts with his huge heart and the intensity of his love and herein lied part of the problem. He had his flaws and his own insecurities which yes had him partly at fault in his and Callie’s romance and friendship reaching an abrupt halt. However, when Fin Bowie loves, he loves with everything he is and his good intentions completely overshadow everything else. He knows what he wants and what he wants is Callie back.
“I only know that Callie was confident, strong. Fearless. Everything a woman should be.”
Callie is hurt, so damn hurt which has her reinventing herself in pursuit of her end goal in the art world. When faced with the boy who broke her heart who is now a man she is forced to re-examine just what happened and how two people can go through an experience together yet draw their own different conclusions. Through a chance opportunity comes new dreams and possibilities but how will that mend two parts of a whole who have been separated?
“If you felt like the most special woman in the world, it’s because you are. You’re my heart, Callie.”
We have to say that the cover does not do this story justice at all nor do the cover models bear any resemblance to the characters. We were quite baffled. So if like us you’re a bit of a ‘cover snob’ and like the characters to be truthfully portrayed, ignore the cover and enjoy the story within. If you enjoy second chance love, a lot of angst and passionate heat, you’ll love this romance!
“You trying to save me, wild thing?”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
Available to purchase below
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Come visit and follow us at:
✲ TotallybookedBlog
✲ TB on Facebook
✲ TB on Twitter
✲ TB on Pinterest
January 2, 2022
All in all, this is a pretty sweet CR. There are flaws, sure, but I felt pretty satisfied overall, and I haven't really connected with this author's work yet. When I was reading, I was reading this-which at the moment is more than I can say for most books.
If I had to name an issue here, while I enjoyed the central conflict because I thought it was reasonable I sort of couldn't get on the bandwagon of where the blame lies. The hero makes a very human, family-centric choice at 17, when the heroine is choosing her future and career. Fin remains family-centric and never gives up on his high school girlfriend, six years passes, and she returns.
So they are 23 or so, and I liked how they read believably, and yet I couldn't shake the notion that her expectations were a little "off" for their age and stage in life, and that his confidence in her was unwavering. I suppose that was part of the appeal of the book, but it left me a little cold that it felt like she was afforded all her own choices and he was expected to ride along - or that they'd compromise simply because of their choices.
It's a good foundation, but for me, it wasn't enough to see very little give in her idea of careers and relationships.
I know that is all a criticism, but it really was sweet and angsty, even comforting to read. I thought she built lovable characters and look forward to reading on about these brothers. 3.6
If I had to name an issue here, while I enjoyed the central conflict because I thought it was reasonable I sort of couldn't get on the bandwagon of where the blame lies. The hero makes a very human, family-centric choice at 17, when the heroine is choosing her future and career. Fin remains family-centric and never gives up on his high school girlfriend, six years passes, and she returns.
So they are 23 or so, and I liked how they read believably, and yet I couldn't shake the notion that her expectations were a little "off" for their age and stage in life, and that his confidence in her was unwavering. I suppose that was part of the appeal of the book, but it left me a little cold that it felt like she was afforded all her own choices and he was expected to ride along - or that they'd compromise simply because of their choices.
It's a good foundation, but for me, it wasn't enough to see very little give in her idea of careers and relationships.
I know that is all a criticism, but it really was sweet and angsty, even comforting to read. I thought she built lovable characters and look forward to reading on about these brothers. 3.6
June 13, 2020
Nice. I realized that I feel the same after reading every one of her books...after the middle of the book there is too much dithering on choices and it gets to drag... otherwise the stories are quite original and cool occupations and settings. Well done.
April 3, 2018
This was a seriously addicting read! It was an emotional, angst filled, fun and sexy ride. I just couldn’t put it down. Awesome story!
Fin and Callie were great characters that I loved and wanted to throttle all at the same time. There was so much tension and animosity between them but this crazy attraction and chemistry as well. I loved learning their history and what happened between them and where they are now in their lives. There were so many ups and downs and mistakes on both of their parts. I loved Fin, I was rooting for him right from the beginning. I liked Callie a lot and understood where she was coming from and why she made some of the choices she made, however took stubbornness to a whole new level which made me stress out. The thing is, for as much as Callie and Fin could frustrate me with their choices, I loved that build of all the tension and angst as they worked through their problems. I couldn't wait for that moment when everything clicked for them.
A bit about the title of the book and the meme: I like how it was explained and I love how everything spiraled from the meme and what came out of the it, and what it ended up meaning. I know that's cryptic but I don't want to spoil anything. I just know a lot of the emotion I felt stemmed from this and I really love what the author crafted out of it. That being said, I wish there would have been a bit more closure when it came to the original reason the meme came to life.
I really liked the writing, I thought it flowed nicely, and the descriptions were great. It had a very New Adult feel because of their ages and all the angst. NA isn't normally a go-to for me but I really enjoyed it, I was hooked on the story and the build to their relationship. I’m excited to see where the series will go, there was a heck of a teaser at the end of the book that makes me anxious for more! Fantastic series starter!
Complimentary copy received for honest review.
Fin and Callie were great characters that I loved and wanted to throttle all at the same time. There was so much tension and animosity between them but this crazy attraction and chemistry as well. I loved learning their history and what happened between them and where they are now in their lives. There were so many ups and downs and mistakes on both of their parts. I loved Fin, I was rooting for him right from the beginning. I liked Callie a lot and understood where she was coming from and why she made some of the choices she made, however took stubbornness to a whole new level which made me stress out. The thing is, for as much as Callie and Fin could frustrate me with their choices, I loved that build of all the tension and angst as they worked through their problems. I couldn't wait for that moment when everything clicked for them.
A bit about the title of the book and the meme: I like how it was explained and I love how everything spiraled from the meme and what came out of the it, and what it ended up meaning. I know that's cryptic but I don't want to spoil anything. I just know a lot of the emotion I felt stemmed from this and I really love what the author crafted out of it. That being said, I wish there would have been a bit more closure when it came to the original reason the meme came to life.
I really liked the writing, I thought it flowed nicely, and the descriptions were great. It had a very New Adult feel because of their ages and all the angst. NA isn't normally a go-to for me but I really enjoyed it, I was hooked on the story and the build to their relationship. I’m excited to see where the series will go, there was a heck of a teaser at the end of the book that makes me anxious for more! Fantastic series starter!
Complimentary copy received for honest review.
May 1, 2019
3.5 stars. A surprisingly enjoyable read, with relatively young protagonists (23) who are really struggling to find their way in life. A nice element of steam in it too, in fact, it was probably a bit OTT at times. They just couldn't keep their hands off each other!
The dynamic between the hero Fin and his brothers was interesting and quite realistic. It is often hard to outgrow the habits of years and move from the shadow of siblings and family to find your own purpose and place in the sun. I swear I wanted to kick him a number of times before he finally got it. It was very frustrating for most of the book -he would promise her (and himself) that he would do better, only to fail her again. I couldn't believe how selfishly and insensitively he behaved, sometimes.
His brothers need a good kick up the butt, too!
The heroine, Callie, was also very conflicted, but definitely more mature than Fin was in the beginning. Although she went to extremes to reinvent herself and make her own life, and had to dial it back a bit when she realised she had compromised too much of her own personality, I loved the way she stuck to her guns. She was not going to be the one always hoping that this time he would come through for her, only for Fin to let her down. I loved that about her, and in the end, it was this refusal to accept second place in Fin's life that caused him to re-examine his own behaviour and arrive at the truth: she could not depend on him.
No question, she was more mature than he was, but I think that is usually the case for 23 year old women and men- the girls are way ahead of the boys at that age! Well done on the author for packaging it all up in an interesting and funny bundle- the meme and then the exhibition around the meme was amusing yet also moving.
A modern story about growing up and getting your priorities right..
The dynamic between the hero Fin and his brothers was interesting and quite realistic. It is often hard to outgrow the habits of years and move from the shadow of siblings and family to find your own purpose and place in the sun. I swear I wanted to kick him a number of times before he finally got it. It was very frustrating for most of the book -he would promise her (and himself) that he would do better, only to fail her again. I couldn't believe how selfishly and insensitively he behaved, sometimes.
His brothers need a good kick up the butt, too!
The heroine, Callie, was also very conflicted, but definitely more mature than Fin was in the beginning. Although she went to extremes to reinvent herself and make her own life, and had to dial it back a bit when she realised she had compromised too much of her own personality, I loved the way she stuck to her guns. She was not going to be the one always hoping that this time he would come through for her, only for Fin to let her down. I loved that about her, and in the end, it was this refusal to accept second place in Fin's life that caused him to re-examine his own behaviour and arrive at the truth: she could not depend on him.
No question, she was more mature than he was, but I think that is usually the case for 23 year old women and men- the girls are way ahead of the boys at that age! Well done on the author for packaging it all up in an interesting and funny bundle- the meme and then the exhibition around the meme was amusing yet also moving.
A modern story about growing up and getting your priorities right..
April 4, 2018
He may be the worst but he’s also the best!
I loved this unexpected treat by Erika Kelly! I had no expectations when I opened this story and Fin and Callie – and their clans – bowled me over with humour, heart and angst to spare…
Callie grew up in the midst of the Bowie brothers but her heart had room only for Fin. When life had them parting ways, their years apart were spent building careers they were meant for but neither envisioned going alone. Their break up was not uncomplicated and that soon became crystal clear when family has them crossing paths, and hearts, once again…
Fin and Carrie were great characters – both as a love-torn couple and as strong, driven individuals. They loved each other then and maybe they still did but the problems they had haven’t gone away. Instead, experience hasn’t really helped them figure things out, perhaps only making answers that much harder to navigate. Ex-lovers, complicated family, careers that took them in different directions meant a lot of soul-searching and realizations that may have come too late…
It really was a roller coaster ride that had me clinging to my kindle right to the very end. Even when I thought a calm and happy ending was assured a twisty ending has me wondering anew! I’m looking forward to the next instalment in this series. I wonder which Bowie brother has himself in hot, hot water?
February 10, 2018
I've been a huge fan since her first book, and I can honestly say this is Erika Kelly at her very best. No one is better at building the perfect setting, taking you to a new place and filling it with characters you will absolutely fall in love with. This story sucked me in from the very beginning, had me pulling for Fin and Callie from the start and kept me enthralled until the last page.
Fin Bowie is going to steal your heart, that's a guarantee. He's the book hero I'm always searching for... humble, romantic, sexy AF, head over heels in love and determined to fix what he broke. I love a hero who's willing to acknowledge his mistakes, work for his second chance and do whatever it takes to win the girl, even if it costs him. That's Fin. He's by no means perfect, he has his flaws and his insecurities, which make him real and believable. And he's trying so hard to do right by Callie, I couldn't help but empathize with him and fall for him a little more with every page.
Callie is the character that surprised me. I didn't get her at first, she was so cold and uptight, I was sure I would never warm up to her. I couldn't picture her and Fin having ever been a couple. But as her layers peeled back and their history was unveiled, I began to not only get her, but to feel her pain and to understand her deep need to protect her heart. By the end, I loved Callie for being strong and most importantly, for not being willing to settle for less than she deserves. It's so rare to see that in a book heroine and it made me love this one even more.
A great hero and heroine make for a good book, and The World's Worst Boyfriend has both. But this book has all the extras that make a book truly great. The depiction of scenes that are so vivid you feel like your right in the middle of it, whether it's the welcoming comfort of a small home town or the high class art world in New York. And supporting characters that are so real you feel like you know them, from the Bowie brothers that will have you swooning, yelling and LOL, to the old-timers in the small town diner that will make you smile, to the art world snobs that will have you flipping off your ereader. Erika Kelly nails the characters, the emotions and romance. In this book she gets everything right.
I was sad to see the end of her Rock Star Romance Series, but now I'm excited to jump into the Bowie Brothers. I have a feeling they are going to be one hell of a ride.
April 10, 2018
4.5 stars
Quite awhile ago, Erika teased me on Twitter, telling me that she was working on a new series about four brothers who would knock my socks off.
She was right.
The World's Worst Boyfriend kicks off her new Bad Boyfriend series, and it does, indeed, provide a good introduction to the Bowie brothers, each of whom are beautiful, athletic, and totally stupid when it comes to women and priorities. But, it's not their fault. They were raised by their loving father who doted on them and provided for their every need and want with his billions of dollars. He taught them the importance of family. Apparently, youngest brother Fin took that lesson a bit too far.
Because many years earlier, he proved to the love of his young life that she would never come first. His priority has always been and will always be to his brothers. And, she couldn't live with that (rightfully so). So, Callie left him - and not only him. To escape the devastating hurt she felt, she left her town, her family, her friends - everything that was tied to him - behind as she pursued her own dreams.
Now, Callie is back in town for her brother's wedding and forced to see Fin for the first time in more than six years. But, before Fin arrives, a text to a friend goes viral, the meaning is interpreted all wrong, and Fin becomes a living breathing embodiment of douchebag exes everywhere.
Both Callie and Fin have to learn how to embrace things you can't change and move on from them in healthy ways. That's something they haven't been able to do. In her effort to escape her heartbreak, she cut herself off from everyone who loved her. She transformed herself into someone she's not. It took her longer than it should have for her to realize how much she cost herself by doing that. But, she did eventually figure it out and set out to make amends. I loved the growth I saw in her and appreciated how difficult it must've been.
Fin can't change how the meme snowballed or how it might affect his career. He also can't change the bad choices he made. But, he is determined from the very beginning to do better now. Especially since he never stopped loving Callie. But this man is clueless. He might say and feel totally devoted to Callie this time around, but it's impossible to change 25 years of conditioning overnight. His first instinct is to be with his brothers, and Fin has to learn the hard way that he can't do that and be with Callie the way she needs at the same time. It's about balance, and that's something Fin has always struggled with. And, as a result, as much as I loved Fin, I struggled with my desire to yell at him to stop being a dumbass.
None of the remaining Bowie brothers seems to be much better at organizing priorities correctly - particularly in regards to the bomb that's dropped at the end of this book, which will undoubtedly lead us into the next book and the next brother's story. Can't wait to see what's in store for these boys next.
Quite awhile ago, Erika teased me on Twitter, telling me that she was working on a new series about four brothers who would knock my socks off.
She was right.
The World's Worst Boyfriend kicks off her new Bad Boyfriend series, and it does, indeed, provide a good introduction to the Bowie brothers, each of whom are beautiful, athletic, and totally stupid when it comes to women and priorities. But, it's not their fault. They were raised by their loving father who doted on them and provided for their every need and want with his billions of dollars. He taught them the importance of family. Apparently, youngest brother Fin took that lesson a bit too far.
Because many years earlier, he proved to the love of his young life that she would never come first. His priority has always been and will always be to his brothers. And, she couldn't live with that (rightfully so). So, Callie left him - and not only him. To escape the devastating hurt she felt, she left her town, her family, her friends - everything that was tied to him - behind as she pursued her own dreams.
Now, Callie is back in town for her brother's wedding and forced to see Fin for the first time in more than six years. But, before Fin arrives, a text to a friend goes viral, the meaning is interpreted all wrong, and Fin becomes a living breathing embodiment of douchebag exes everywhere.
Both Callie and Fin have to learn how to embrace things you can't change and move on from them in healthy ways. That's something they haven't been able to do. In her effort to escape her heartbreak, she cut herself off from everyone who loved her. She transformed herself into someone she's not. It took her longer than it should have for her to realize how much she cost herself by doing that. But, she did eventually figure it out and set out to make amends. I loved the growth I saw in her and appreciated how difficult it must've been.
Fin can't change how the meme snowballed or how it might affect his career. He also can't change the bad choices he made. But, he is determined from the very beginning to do better now. Especially since he never stopped loving Callie. But this man is clueless. He might say and feel totally devoted to Callie this time around, but it's impossible to change 25 years of conditioning overnight. His first instinct is to be with his brothers, and Fin has to learn the hard way that he can't do that and be with Callie the way she needs at the same time. It's about balance, and that's something Fin has always struggled with. And, as a result, as much as I loved Fin, I struggled with my desire to yell at him to stop being a dumbass.
None of the remaining Bowie brothers seems to be much better at organizing priorities correctly - particularly in regards to the bomb that's dropped at the end of this book, which will undoubtedly lead us into the next book and the next brother's story. Can't wait to see what's in store for these boys next.
April 3, 2018
Fin Bowie came from a family of champion athletes.
As the youngest of the troupe, he wanted to show his value. He was backcountry snowboarder. He was famous and had been away from home for six years.
Six years away from the girl he always loved.
But he had a chance to meet her again. And fix everything he did in the past.
His best friend, Ryder, was getting married and Fin was the Best Man. And Callie could not run away from Fin because she was Ryder's sister.
For Callie it would be almost impossible to face Fin.
The way they broke up 6 years ago still burned in her chest, even if she had a new boyfriend and swore to the family that her life was amazing.
But when Fin arrives in the city, he brings with him a new stigma.
Shortly before traveling to meet Callie, a person from his team, Traci, a maniac for social networks, in particular Instagram, had an accident.
Fin left Traci in the care of his friends and went to take his flight.
An IG post from Traci was enough for Fin to win the fame of "the world's worst boyfriend."
Now, Callie would not only have to meet her ex-boyfriend (and the great love of her life), but she would have to deal with a mess from media.
Even if Fin wanted to get Callie back, he would have to prove to his girl that she was more important than any competition, any ego, any dream of greatness.
Who will lose this game?
5 stars
ARC provided by Book Tour team
As the youngest of the troupe, he wanted to show his value. He was backcountry snowboarder. He was famous and had been away from home for six years.
Six years away from the girl he always loved.
But he had a chance to meet her again. And fix everything he did in the past.
His best friend, Ryder, was getting married and Fin was the Best Man. And Callie could not run away from Fin because she was Ryder's sister.
For Callie it would be almost impossible to face Fin.
The way they broke up 6 years ago still burned in her chest, even if she had a new boyfriend and swore to the family that her life was amazing.
But when Fin arrives in the city, he brings with him a new stigma.
Shortly before traveling to meet Callie, a person from his team, Traci, a maniac for social networks, in particular Instagram, had an accident.
Fin left Traci in the care of his friends and went to take his flight.
An IG post from Traci was enough for Fin to win the fame of "the world's worst boyfriend."
Now, Callie would not only have to meet her ex-boyfriend (and the great love of her life), but she would have to deal with a mess from media.
Even if Fin wanted to get Callie back, he would have to prove to his girl that she was more important than any competition, any ego, any dream of greatness.
Who will lose this game?
5 stars
ARC provided by Book Tour team
April 7, 2018
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of the book.
This book stirred up so many emotions in me that I don't even know where to start. It is definitely one of my favorite books of the year - it was absolutely outstanding. From the pacing to the the length, the even way Erika Kelly developed and shared these amazing characters, to the depth and realness of the emotions they felt, to the families, and that ending - it was perfection. Reading about Callie and Fin made my heart ache, rejoice, burn with desire, and hope - all in equal measures. I'm not sure I've ever read such a well-balanced book. That seems a paltry way to describe how much I loved it but I don't really think I know any words that can come close to explaining it. I can not wait for the rest of this series - the Bowie brothers are guaranteed to rock my world. I'll be pre-ordering each and every one of them as well as buying every other book Erika Kelly has written and will write. This book won her instant entry on to my "Must-Read/Auto-Buy" author list. ALL OF THE STARS.
This book stirred up so many emotions in me that I don't even know where to start. It is definitely one of my favorite books of the year - it was absolutely outstanding. From the pacing to the the length, the even way Erika Kelly developed and shared these amazing characters, to the depth and realness of the emotions they felt, to the families, and that ending - it was perfection. Reading about Callie and Fin made my heart ache, rejoice, burn with desire, and hope - all in equal measures. I'm not sure I've ever read such a well-balanced book. That seems a paltry way to describe how much I loved it but I don't really think I know any words that can come close to explaining it. I can not wait for the rest of this series - the Bowie brothers are guaranteed to rock my world. I'll be pre-ordering each and every one of them as well as buying every other book Erika Kelly has written and will write. This book won her instant entry on to my "Must-Read/Auto-Buy" author list. ALL OF THE STARS.
April 8, 2018
Prepare to fall in love with the world's worst boyfriend with Erika Kelly's sexy new release that is angsty enough to convert you into an addict!
I'm new to Kelly's works and it was an utter joy when I knew I discovered another gem in the vast world of contemporary romance, I hung to each word like a true fangirl and fell hopelessly in love with Fin and Callie and their history.
Like any good romance, the chemistry between Fin and Callie was insanely explosive and my heart FLUTTERED whenever they appeared. I have to admit that the plot was pretty creative (international meme, that's a first for me!) and humorous at some points, but they are also filled with drama and emotional ups and downs that you just have to get to the bottom of the story.
TWWB is a great start to a series, one that I would surely be looking out for!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book generously provided by Inkslinger PR and the author. Thank you for the reviewing opportunity!
I'm new to Kelly's works and it was an utter joy when I knew I discovered another gem in the vast world of contemporary romance, I hung to each word like a true fangirl and fell hopelessly in love with Fin and Callie and their history.
Like any good romance, the chemistry between Fin and Callie was insanely explosive and my heart FLUTTERED whenever they appeared. I have to admit that the plot was pretty creative (international meme, that's a first for me!) and humorous at some points, but they are also filled with drama and emotional ups and downs that you just have to get to the bottom of the story.
TWWB is a great start to a series, one that I would surely be looking out for!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book generously provided by Inkslinger PR and the author. Thank you for the reviewing opportunity!
June 10, 2020
3.25 stars
ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date April 3, 2018
Six years ago Fin Bowie made a decision that cost him the love of his life. Now his ex is coming back to town for her brother’s wedding, and he can finally make things right. Except, right before the event, a text he sent goes viral. Overnight, he becomes an international meme. And it’s hard to win your woman back when the whole world’s calling you The World’s Worst Boyfriend.
The last thing on Calliope Bell’s mind is getting back with Fin. Not when her life’s just gone sideways, forcing her to spend the summer in her hometown. She can’t be away from the New York art world this long, so she comes up with the idea to turn the hottest pop culture event of the moment into a museum exhibition.
The two have every intention of avoiding each other—until the county judge sentences Fin to community service…helping her exploit the meme he's trying to make go away
•••••••••
REVIEW: 3.25 stars-- KEEP ON LOVING YOU (originally titled THE WORLD’S WORST BOYFRIEND )is the first instalment in Erika Kelly’s contemporary adult CALAMITY FALLS (originally titled THE BAD BOYFRIEND) romance series. This is twenty –three year old extreme sporting athlete Fin Bowie, and art specialist Calliope ‘Callie’ Bell’s story line.
Told from dual third person perspectives (Callie and Fin) KEEP ON LOVING YOU follows the rekindling romance between two twenty-three year olds, whose live went in opposite directions, six years earlier. High school sweethearts Callie and Fin had their lives ahead of them but in an instant Callie watched as the young man that she loved walked away without a backwards glance. Fast forward to present day wherein Fin Bowie, all-star extreme sports athlete comes home to Calamity Wyoming for his best friend’s wedding, hoping to rekindle with the woman he has never stopped loving. Enter Callie Bell, an art specialist, whose love/ hate relationship with our story line hero is tantamount to the emotional upheaval of the seventeen year old she was when Fin walked away. What ensues is the rebuilding love and romance between Fin and Callie, and the potential fall out as Fin renews his previous habits forcing Callie to walk away with another broken heart.
Fin Bowie’s life in the public eye is rising thanks to a text that has grown into a world-wide meme of epic proportions. A fellow teammate wanted to destroy a little of Fin’s popularity and in doing so pushed our hero into the spotlight as the ‘World’s Worst Boyfriend’. Growing a life of its own, Callie Bell uses the meme as an art installation hoping to recoup an art fellowship she lost because of secrets from the past. As Callie struggles to move forward with her life, Fin does everything in his power to make Callie his own.
The relationship between Callie and Fin is one of second chances but Callie is unable to let go of the past; of the way in which Fin walked away at seventeen years old leaving Callie to move forward without the boy that she loved. For six years Callie redesigned her life towards the woman she would become revealing someone Fin and his brothers no longer recognized. The pain and heartbreak of her broken relationship with Fin left an indelible scar upon our heroine’s soul-a scar she continues to nurture to the present day. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and intense without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.
We are introduced to Fin’s older brothers-all extreme athletes: Will, Brodie and Gray Bowie, as well as a number of fellow snowboarders including Traci Allen-whose most recent injury sets off a meme that could destroy Fin’s future; Callie’s brother Ryder Bell, her boyfriend Julian Reyes, and her childhood friend and yoga instructor Megan.
KEEP ON LOVING YOU (THE WORLD’S WORST BOYFRIEND) was a bit of a struggle, for me from beginning to end: from the back story about the ‘world’s worst boyfriend’ meme, and how jealousy prompted the potential destruction of Fin’s career, to our heroine’s immature reaction towards Fin’s involvement with his family, and his life as an extreme sports athlete. Fin becomes ‘the face’ and star of every relationship heart break known to man, and our heroine exploits the situation to further her own career. The premise is interesting; the characters are colorful but immature; the romance is a second chance at a happily ever after.
Copy supplied for review.
www.thereadingcafe.com
ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date April 3, 2018
Six years ago Fin Bowie made a decision that cost him the love of his life. Now his ex is coming back to town for her brother’s wedding, and he can finally make things right. Except, right before the event, a text he sent goes viral. Overnight, he becomes an international meme. And it’s hard to win your woman back when the whole world’s calling you The World’s Worst Boyfriend.
The last thing on Calliope Bell’s mind is getting back with Fin. Not when her life’s just gone sideways, forcing her to spend the summer in her hometown. She can’t be away from the New York art world this long, so she comes up with the idea to turn the hottest pop culture event of the moment into a museum exhibition.
The two have every intention of avoiding each other—until the county judge sentences Fin to community service…helping her exploit the meme he's trying to make go away
•••••••••
REVIEW: 3.25 stars-- KEEP ON LOVING YOU (originally titled THE WORLD’S WORST BOYFRIEND )is the first instalment in Erika Kelly’s contemporary adult CALAMITY FALLS (originally titled THE BAD BOYFRIEND) romance series. This is twenty –three year old extreme sporting athlete Fin Bowie, and art specialist Calliope ‘Callie’ Bell’s story line.
Told from dual third person perspectives (Callie and Fin) KEEP ON LOVING YOU follows the rekindling romance between two twenty-three year olds, whose live went in opposite directions, six years earlier. High school sweethearts Callie and Fin had their lives ahead of them but in an instant Callie watched as the young man that she loved walked away without a backwards glance. Fast forward to present day wherein Fin Bowie, all-star extreme sports athlete comes home to Calamity Wyoming for his best friend’s wedding, hoping to rekindle with the woman he has never stopped loving. Enter Callie Bell, an art specialist, whose love/ hate relationship with our story line hero is tantamount to the emotional upheaval of the seventeen year old she was when Fin walked away. What ensues is the rebuilding love and romance between Fin and Callie, and the potential fall out as Fin renews his previous habits forcing Callie to walk away with another broken heart.
Fin Bowie’s life in the public eye is rising thanks to a text that has grown into a world-wide meme of epic proportions. A fellow teammate wanted to destroy a little of Fin’s popularity and in doing so pushed our hero into the spotlight as the ‘World’s Worst Boyfriend’. Growing a life of its own, Callie Bell uses the meme as an art installation hoping to recoup an art fellowship she lost because of secrets from the past. As Callie struggles to move forward with her life, Fin does everything in his power to make Callie his own.
The relationship between Callie and Fin is one of second chances but Callie is unable to let go of the past; of the way in which Fin walked away at seventeen years old leaving Callie to move forward without the boy that she loved. For six years Callie redesigned her life towards the woman she would become revealing someone Fin and his brothers no longer recognized. The pain and heartbreak of her broken relationship with Fin left an indelible scar upon our heroine’s soul-a scar she continues to nurture to the present day. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and intense without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.
We are introduced to Fin’s older brothers-all extreme athletes: Will, Brodie and Gray Bowie, as well as a number of fellow snowboarders including Traci Allen-whose most recent injury sets off a meme that could destroy Fin’s future; Callie’s brother Ryder Bell, her boyfriend Julian Reyes, and her childhood friend and yoga instructor Megan.
KEEP ON LOVING YOU (THE WORLD’S WORST BOYFRIEND) was a bit of a struggle, for me from beginning to end: from the back story about the ‘world’s worst boyfriend’ meme, and how jealousy prompted the potential destruction of Fin’s career, to our heroine’s immature reaction towards Fin’s involvement with his family, and his life as an extreme sports athlete. Fin becomes ‘the face’ and star of every relationship heart break known to man, and our heroine exploits the situation to further her own career. The premise is interesting; the characters are colorful but immature; the romance is a second chance at a happily ever after.
Copy supplied for review.
www.thereadingcafe.com
January 26, 2023
It took me 3 tries to finish this book because the beginning was just too cringeworthy for me.
Now at 34%, I just didn’t like Fin and Callie. Fin was just so insecure that he broke Callie’s heart when they were younger because he wanted to make his older brothers’ proud. Callie was just immature and really placed her boyfriend, Julian, in a uncomfortable spot. Usually I wouldn’t agree with Julian’s action, but I felt Callie deserved everything he did (I have no doubts that Julian will be the villain). Fin makes a play for Callie in his best man speech at her brother’s wedding rehearsal dinner which prompts Julian to do something panicky, it doesn’t go well. Then she tried to flip the script on Julian on, asking why he didn’t ask specific questions about her family and home town when she made sure not to reveal any details about her past. Julian ends up breaking up with her and asks where to send her stuff (since they live to gather); the thing that got me is that Callie was still waiting for an apology from Julian, I’m still not sure for what. The woman who didn’t share any real feelings with Julian, is also upset because he knows she has 2 summer jobs in NY, how dare he kick her out of his apartment after everything. Lady what? Not mention I kind of get the feeling she was just with Julian for the connections his family could get her.
Fin regretted hurting Callie 6 years ago, but decided now was the right time to finally apologize; I’m still not sure what the big revelation was that he needed her back now.
After finishing this book, I can honestly say I still didn’t like Fin and Callie, I had hoped it would progress, but these two just didn’t work for me. How does Fin spend the whole book saying he wouldn’t abandoned Callie for his brothers again, just to do again in the end? He honestly didn’t see what the problems was when he decide to go to Chile with his brothers instead of helping Callie set up their life in New York, to him he defined it as nothing important. Then he couldn’t figure why she was mad and broke up with him again; was also surprised she wasn’t willing to listen when he decided to show up a few days later to apologize.
As I predicted Julian was made the villain who used his family connections to get Callie blocked from the fellowship. Let’s be honest with each other Callie used Julian for his family connections to fellowship which made Julian angry when he finally figured it out. But enough about Julian let’s focus on Callie, Callie actually earned a little respect from me when she fought for her fellowship position by going to the source. After fighting for it and playing dirty, what does she do? Decides she doesn’t want it anymore and moves back home for Fin (she says her family, but all she was thinking about was Fin and making it work).
And what happened with Megan and Callie? They were supposed to be partners for the exhibition, but Callie left that behind too when she went to New York. That’s another thing Callie just dropped people/things when she didn’t need them anymore or they were no longer useful.
It was all just so high schoolish and immature, I was glad it was finished. There is a cliffhanger ending about unknown Bowie child, but I was just glad that it ended and I won’t continue this series.
What happened with Desi and Helen?
Now at 34%, I just didn’t like Fin and Callie. Fin was just so insecure that he broke Callie’s heart when they were younger because he wanted to make his older brothers’ proud. Callie was just immature and really placed her boyfriend, Julian, in a uncomfortable spot. Usually I wouldn’t agree with Julian’s action, but I felt Callie deserved everything he did (I have no doubts that Julian will be the villain). Fin makes a play for Callie in his best man speech at her brother’s wedding rehearsal dinner which prompts Julian to do something panicky, it doesn’t go well. Then she tried to flip the script on Julian on, asking why he didn’t ask specific questions about her family and home town when she made sure not to reveal any details about her past. Julian ends up breaking up with her and asks where to send her stuff (since they live to gather); the thing that got me is that Callie was still waiting for an apology from Julian, I’m still not sure for what. The woman who didn’t share any real feelings with Julian, is also upset because he knows she has 2 summer jobs in NY, how dare he kick her out of his apartment after everything. Lady what? Not mention I kind of get the feeling she was just with Julian for the connections his family could get her.
Fin regretted hurting Callie 6 years ago, but decided now was the right time to finally apologize; I’m still not sure what the big revelation was that he needed her back now.
After finishing this book, I can honestly say I still didn’t like Fin and Callie, I had hoped it would progress, but these two just didn’t work for me. How does Fin spend the whole book saying he wouldn’t abandoned Callie for his brothers again, just to do again in the end? He honestly didn’t see what the problems was when he decide to go to Chile with his brothers instead of helping Callie set up their life in New York, to him he defined it as nothing important. Then he couldn’t figure why she was mad and broke up with him again; was also surprised she wasn’t willing to listen when he decided to show up a few days later to apologize.
As I predicted Julian was made the villain who used his family connections to get Callie blocked from the fellowship. Let’s be honest with each other Callie used Julian for his family connections to fellowship which made Julian angry when he finally figured it out. But enough about Julian let’s focus on Callie, Callie actually earned a little respect from me when she fought for her fellowship position by going to the source. After fighting for it and playing dirty, what does she do? Decides she doesn’t want it anymore and moves back home for Fin (she says her family, but all she was thinking about was Fin and making it work).
And what happened with Megan and Callie? They were supposed to be partners for the exhibition, but Callie left that behind too when she went to New York. That’s another thing Callie just dropped people/things when she didn’t need them anymore or they were no longer useful.
It was all just so high schoolish and immature, I was glad it was finished. There is a cliffhanger ending about unknown Bowie child, but I was just glad that it ended and I won’t continue this series.
What happened with Desi and Helen?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 5, 2018
Sweet read! Loved Fin and Calli's characters and the chemistry between them.
April 9, 2018
Dnf 27%
August 13, 2018
DNF 68%...dragging on way too much. Callie hasn’t matured at all and still acts like she’s 17.
March 27, 2018
What can i say about this book? About this author? It's the first time that i read a book written by Erika Kelly, and it was the blurb that drew me in. That and the cover. I'm a huge fan of MC genre novels, and can't get enough, and i'm always open to discovering new authors of the genre. So you can imagine my surprise when there was NOTHING about MC 's in this book whatsoever. And that did make me laugh because it goes to show how much of an impact a cover has on a reader.
Needless to say that this book was about extreme sports, and the man, Fin, who abandoned the love of his life to reach his goals - or rather, found himself having to chose between family and Callie 6 years ago. Since their break up, Fin has grown as an athlete, same with his followers, and Callie has found herself trying to remake herself so that she can attempt at mending her broken heart. There were parts that were funny and made me chuckle, and other parts that made me realize just how powerful social media really is.
Imagine one single text was posted online and then created the latest 'fad' - in this case, Fin became the #WorldsWorstBoyfriend. It made me see how something so small can blow up to become something huge. What i enjoyed was how Callie reacted to this phenomenon. She created an exhibition of those who had been wronged by horrible boyfriends and helped them heal from the pain and maybe even helped them move on.
While the pace was a bit slow for my liking, it did help me put myself in these characters' shoes and helped me appreciate the story. I can only hope that i'll get the opportunity to read more from Erika Kelly and this series in the future.
*ARC provided by Author in exchange for an honest review. Reviewed by Kathleen, The Small Girl from A small girl, her man and her books
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March 25, 2018
4.5 stars
This plot was definitely unique in that it taps into the social media aspect of being viral. This is one hash tag you don't want as boyfriend especially one trying to win back the one who got away. I like Fin's devotion to Callie, it has the young love gone wrong scenario but the ultimately trying his all the win her back.
This meme as you will in a way was capitalized by a lot for their own gain which does happen. While unfair to Fin when it spirals out of control and becomes a placeholder of sorts it's cathartic for some. I can feel the angst the strain and hurt of Fin's young choices that broke him and Callie. It's not gonna be easy to fight for her but as the only girl he's loved he is willing to do it.
Fin loves fierce though and he does his all to show Callie, both lost in their ways before they find in one another again years later. They learn what they need to do, to be better together this time and hopefully stick this time. Plus they got a time constraint to get it fixed. Add a little family issues and you've got one great second chance romance.
As always Erika Kelly brings out aome angst factor with swoony heroes and spitfire heroines. World's worst boyfriend is relatable and heartfelt. Callie and Fin are steamy and oh so right for one another. Fin Bowie is one extra athlete to swoon for. I liked this intro to the Bowie brothers and to end it on that hint I want the next book!
*** ARC provided for an honest review ***
This plot was definitely unique in that it taps into the social media aspect of being viral. This is one hash tag you don't want as boyfriend especially one trying to win back the one who got away. I like Fin's devotion to Callie, it has the young love gone wrong scenario but the ultimately trying his all the win her back.
This meme as you will in a way was capitalized by a lot for their own gain which does happen. While unfair to Fin when it spirals out of control and becomes a placeholder of sorts it's cathartic for some. I can feel the angst the strain and hurt of Fin's young choices that broke him and Callie. It's not gonna be easy to fight for her but as the only girl he's loved he is willing to do it.
Fin loves fierce though and he does his all to show Callie, both lost in their ways before they find in one another again years later. They learn what they need to do, to be better together this time and hopefully stick this time. Plus they got a time constraint to get it fixed. Add a little family issues and you've got one great second chance romance.
As always Erika Kelly brings out aome angst factor with swoony heroes and spitfire heroines. World's worst boyfriend is relatable and heartfelt. Callie and Fin are steamy and oh so right for one another. Fin Bowie is one extra athlete to swoon for. I liked this intro to the Bowie brothers and to end it on that hint I want the next book!
*** ARC provided for an honest review ***
March 29, 2018
Erika Kelly has a talent for presenting characters that are heavily flawed but likeable nonetheless. Fin and Calliope are like oil and water. At times they don't mix. The back and forth bickering, love, hate, lust relationship and social media all serve as a stepping stone on their road maturity. Mistakes are made, hearts are broken and lessons are learned. With a realism that is humorous, heartwarming and so very tempting.
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