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Hot & Hammered #1
Fix Her Up
New York Times bestseller Tessa Bailey launches a super sexy new series featuring the blue collar men who work for a HGTV-esq house flipping business.
After an injury ends Travis Ford’s major league baseball career, he returns home to start over. He just wants to hammer out his frustrations at his new construction gig and forget all about his glory days. But he can’t even walk through town without someone recapping his greatest hits. Or making a joke about his… bat. And then there’s Georgie, his buddy’s little sister, who is definitely not a kid anymore.
Georgette Castle has crushed on her older brother’s best friend for years. The grumpy, bear of a man working for her family’s house flipping business is a far cry from the charming sports star she used to know. But a moody scowl doesn’t scare her and Georgie’s determined to show Travis he’s more than a pretty face and a batting average, even if it means putting her feelings aside to be “just friends.”
Travis wants to brood in peace. But the girl he used to tease is now a funny, full-of-life woman who makes him feel whole again. And he wants her. So damn bad. Except Georgie’s off limits and he knows he can’t give her what she deserves. But she’s becoming the air he breathes and Travis can’t stay away, no matter how hard he tries...
After an injury ends Travis Ford’s major league baseball career, he returns home to start over. He just wants to hammer out his frustrations at his new construction gig and forget all about his glory days. But he can’t even walk through town without someone recapping his greatest hits. Or making a joke about his… bat. And then there’s Georgie, his buddy’s little sister, who is definitely not a kid anymore.
Georgette Castle has crushed on her older brother’s best friend for years. The grumpy, bear of a man working for her family’s house flipping business is a far cry from the charming sports star she used to know. But a moody scowl doesn’t scare her and Georgie’s determined to show Travis he’s more than a pretty face and a batting average, even if it means putting her feelings aside to be “just friends.”
Travis wants to brood in peace. But the girl he used to tease is now a funny, full-of-life woman who makes him feel whole again. And he wants her. So damn bad. Except Georgie’s off limits and he knows he can’t give her what she deserves. But she’s becoming the air he breathes and Travis can’t stay away, no matter how hard he tries...
388 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 11, 2019
About the author
Tessa Bailey
99 books61.1k followersNew York Times Bestselling author Tessa Bailey can solve all problems except for her own, so she focuses those efforts on stubborn, fictional blue collar men and loyal, lovable heroines. She lives on Long Island avoiding the sun and social interactions, then wonders why no one has called. Dubbed the “Michelangelo of dirty talk,” by Entertainment Weekly, Tessa writes with spice, spirit, swoon and a guaranteed happily ever after. Catch her on TikTok at @authortessabailey or check out tessabailey.com for a complete list of books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 16,440 reviews
July 8, 2019
This book is five years behind its time, as seen in its creepy, overprotective, easily-angered love interest and an air-headed, literal clown main character. My list of things I disliked about this book was vast, but I just couldn’t shake the feeling that I cannot BELIEVE this book was published in 2019, especially through such a massive publisher. For me to have enjoyed this, I think it would need a huge facelift in how the love interest treats the main character, the descriptions were written, and how childish the characters came off. Here’s a breakdown of everything I didn’t like:
The writing style
From metaphors and similes that literally made no sense to cringey dialogue to sexual descriptions that made absolutely no sense, this book needed an editor, bad. Some things I let slide more than others but the phrasing of this book was just SO awkward and I didn’t vibe with the writing at all.
Travis’s personality
Travis was..... the worst love interest. He considers Georgie his little sister for half the book but still sexualized the hell out of her in literally every single scene she’s in. He was also SO jealous and overprotective of her even when they weren’t even together, and Georgie let him get away with doing super sketchy stuff like sabotaging a date just because she thought he was ~so hot~.
The pacing
I can’t tell you if this book took place over 3 days or 3 weeks. It was so messy and the author would throw in random scenes with random side characters to make it look like the book wasn’t just focusing on the two main characters, but those scenes were so dry and pointless and you could tell they were included just so a token POC could have some time on the page. I was so confused why these women made a “club” whose focus was hating men and yet all they did was get together and talk like...... friends do. I skim read anything that wasn’t the main drama because it was so boring and half baked.
The cringeworthiness
The main problem in this book that made me cringe was the fact that Georgie is literally a clown as her career, which is a fact that the author brought up—i shit you not—almost every page. From there being so many references to her clownery to the terrible dialogue (especially during sex, or telling her things like “You’re about to meet your God” in reference to his dick), I was cringing so often while reading this. I cannot believe this author has dozens of previous books because this was so unpolished and needed a lot more editing or at least someone to point out when dumb lines should’ve been cut.
Dumb/childish main character
I mentioned before that this main character is a clown, and I cannot emphasize that enough. She is completely stupid in a way that makes me ashamed that this book was written by a woman. From letting herself be walked all over by Travis to enduring a “whoAAAaA i didn’t know i was hot!” transformation to literally being considered a child by everyone around her, it was just unbearable. Her entire conflict in the book was trying to be more legitimate so that people would take her seriously, but I still considered her a joke by the end of the book because her actions and dialogue were so ridiculous.
The sex
Yikes. Any enjoyment that could have been gleaned from the sexy scenes was ruined by Travis’s completely disgusting/cringey/terribly written dirty talk and the author’s absurd descriptions. From both a storytelling/craft perspective and the actual situations themselves, the sex was horrid. It didn’t help that Georgie was a virgin, which Travis glorified really creepily and then the author later glossed over unrealistically. There’s public sex at a baseball field which definitely is a felony, and the rest of the scenes were either so absurd or so badly written that it was difficult to get through them like Travis fucking her wedgie or something equally as groan-worthy, and not in a good way. Also, the entire book Travis calls Georgie “baby girl” every other word, which quickly became a sure way to induce vomiting.
This book just wasn’t for me whatsoever. I feel like I read a 2014 Colleen Hoover romance. If that’s your jam, then go for it and enjoy it, but I could not get past its issues in order to read this story for what it is. It just read SO childish and corny and borderline creepy and abusive. The title should have warned me away from it, but I thought I would at least hang around for the smut. Spoiler alert: the smut is uncomfortable and cringey at best.
For screenshots of cringey quotes and my reactions, see my full thoughts here: https://mobile.twitter.com/whittynove...
The writing style
From metaphors and similes that literally made no sense to cringey dialogue to sexual descriptions that made absolutely no sense, this book needed an editor, bad. Some things I let slide more than others but the phrasing of this book was just SO awkward and I didn’t vibe with the writing at all.
Travis’s personality
Travis was..... the worst love interest. He considers Georgie his little sister for half the book but still sexualized the hell out of her in literally every single scene she’s in. He was also SO jealous and overprotective of her even when they weren’t even together, and Georgie let him get away with doing super sketchy stuff like sabotaging a date just because she thought he was ~so hot~.
The pacing
I can’t tell you if this book took place over 3 days or 3 weeks. It was so messy and the author would throw in random scenes with random side characters to make it look like the book wasn’t just focusing on the two main characters, but those scenes were so dry and pointless and you could tell they were included just so a token POC could have some time on the page. I was so confused why these women made a “club” whose focus was hating men and yet all they did was get together and talk like...... friends do. I skim read anything that wasn’t the main drama because it was so boring and half baked.
The cringeworthiness
The main problem in this book that made me cringe was the fact that Georgie is literally a clown as her career, which is a fact that the author brought up—i shit you not—almost every page. From there being so many references to her clownery to the terrible dialogue (especially during sex, or telling her things like “You’re about to meet your God” in reference to his dick), I was cringing so often while reading this. I cannot believe this author has dozens of previous books because this was so unpolished and needed a lot more editing or at least someone to point out when dumb lines should’ve been cut.
Dumb/childish main character
I mentioned before that this main character is a clown, and I cannot emphasize that enough. She is completely stupid in a way that makes me ashamed that this book was written by a woman. From letting herself be walked all over by Travis to enduring a “whoAAAaA i didn’t know i was hot!” transformation to literally being considered a child by everyone around her, it was just unbearable. Her entire conflict in the book was trying to be more legitimate so that people would take her seriously, but I still considered her a joke by the end of the book because her actions and dialogue were so ridiculous.
The sex
Yikes. Any enjoyment that could have been gleaned from the sexy scenes was ruined by Travis’s completely disgusting/cringey/terribly written dirty talk and the author’s absurd descriptions. From both a storytelling/craft perspective and the actual situations themselves, the sex was horrid. It didn’t help that Georgie was a virgin, which Travis glorified really creepily and then the author later glossed over unrealistically. There’s public sex at a baseball field which definitely is a felony, and the rest of the scenes were either so absurd or so badly written that it was difficult to get through them like Travis fucking her wedgie or something equally as groan-worthy, and not in a good way. Also, the entire book Travis calls Georgie “baby girl” every other word, which quickly became a sure way to induce vomiting.
This book just wasn’t for me whatsoever. I feel like I read a 2014 Colleen Hoover romance. If that’s your jam, then go for it and enjoy it, but I could not get past its issues in order to read this story for what it is. It just read SO childish and corny and borderline creepy and abusive. The title should have warned me away from it, but I thought I would at least hang around for the smut. Spoiler alert: the smut is uncomfortable and cringey at best.
For screenshots of cringey quotes and my reactions, see my full thoughts here: https://mobile.twitter.com/whittynove...
Shelved as 'will-not-finish'
December 2, 2020nope, can’t do it. i picked this up from the library on a whim & it is about to single handedly undo all the lovely progress i’ve made with the romance genre this year.
there are already so many little things that don't sit right w/ me in this book, and after that first sex scene...i gotta go.
-the infantilization of the main character by her love interest is making me suuuuper uncomfy. i get that she’s his friend’s younger sister and they grew up together, but the age thing is *really* taking the forefront in his mind. (definitely not helped out by the “little sister tit” scene)
-tessa bailey loves some gendered language. “girly” this, and “male” that. genuinely haven’t seen the phrase “feminine outrage” since the last time i read a SJM novel, and i wish i had never seen it againnnn.
-the ridiculous emphasis placed on georgie’s virginity makes this feel like an early 2000s book, except it was written in 2019 lol
-i literally can’t quote all the things that made me cringe in that first sex scene. let's just say that if good ol' two bats travis is trying to get a job as a sports commentator, he's really gonna need to up his game, because the narration in the bedroom made me want to remove my own eardrums
-the amount of baby girls???? sir????? do you know your love interest’s actual name??
this is a shit review & there's probably stuff i'm missing, but i don't really care because i don't really care about this book.
there are already so many little things that don't sit right w/ me in this book, and after that first sex scene...i gotta go.
-the infantilization of the main character by her love interest is making me suuuuper uncomfy. i get that she’s his friend’s younger sister and they grew up together, but the age thing is *really* taking the forefront in his mind. (definitely not helped out by the “little sister tit” scene)
-tessa bailey loves some gendered language. “girly” this, and “male” that. genuinely haven’t seen the phrase “feminine outrage” since the last time i read a SJM novel, and i wish i had never seen it againnnn.
-the ridiculous emphasis placed on georgie’s virginity makes this feel like an early 2000s book, except it was written in 2019 lol
-i literally can’t quote all the things that made me cringe in that first sex scene. let's just say that if good ol' two bats travis is trying to get a job as a sports commentator, he's really gonna need to up his game, because the narration in the bedroom made me want to remove my own eardrums
-the amount of baby girls???? sir????? do you know your love interest’s actual name??
this is a shit review & there's probably stuff i'm missing, but i don't really care because i don't really care about this book.
April 30, 2022
this book had me in a fucking headlock y’all. if there’s one thing i go feral for it’s a broken man becoming unbroken because of a girl. i ate that shit up.
there’s something really poetic when the love interest tries to deny for better part of the book how much they love the main character but everyone can see CLEARLY they gave their heart to the mc from the very first day 🥵🥵🥵
Now usually i’d stay 10 miles from a man named Travis but the Travis in this book had me blowing my hairdryer threw my damp tshirt. 🥵 the fucking dirty talk he did?! “don’t do that. don’t talk to me in that innocent voice. not when all your sweetest parts are pressed up against me in that cock-tease dress” SIR?!? bitch i was squealing like a seagull. 😩😩😩 i was in a state of shock. i’m not taking my eyes off Travis 🫦🫦🫦
Georgie is one smart motherfucker. Ma’am knew exactly what she was doing by reverse psychology-ing Travis. Make him realize his self worth and boom he’ll fall in love with you. lord have mercy i’m about to bust.
this book was wildly entertaining. now it’s not something out of the box and extraordinary but i thoroughly enjoyed it. it’s the vibes honestly. i loved the plot just as much as the romance. it was giving the rom and the com in rom-com.
this is my first Tessa Bailey book and i’m telling you all that she’s the white woman i fucking needed. i know she’s writing these books for me, i can feel in from the bottom of my toes to the top of my fucking scalp.
there’s something really poetic when the love interest tries to deny for better part of the book how much they love the main character but everyone can see CLEARLY they gave their heart to the mc from the very first day 🥵🥵🥵
Now usually i’d stay 10 miles from a man named Travis but the Travis in this book had me blowing my hairdryer threw my damp tshirt. 🥵 the fucking dirty talk he did?! “don’t do that. don’t talk to me in that innocent voice. not when all your sweetest parts are pressed up against me in that cock-tease dress” SIR?!? bitch i was squealing like a seagull. 😩😩😩 i was in a state of shock. i’m not taking my eyes off Travis 🫦🫦🫦
Georgie is one smart motherfucker. Ma’am knew exactly what she was doing by reverse psychology-ing Travis. Make him realize his self worth and boom he’ll fall in love with you. lord have mercy i’m about to bust.
this book was wildly entertaining. now it’s not something out of the box and extraordinary but i thoroughly enjoyed it. it’s the vibes honestly. i loved the plot just as much as the romance. it was giving the rom and the com in rom-com.
this is my first Tessa Bailey book and i’m telling you all that she’s the white woman i fucking needed. i know she’s writing these books for me, i can feel in from the bottom of my toes to the top of my fucking scalp.
July 21, 2021
Re-read 7/20/21: I needed a pick me up and Georgie DELIVERED. I love this boooooook.
Re-read 4/18/20: I stan Georgie so hard, wow. This book makes me so!!!! happy!!!!
Re-read 7/13/19: I know this book doesn't do it for everyone, but it really, REALLY does it for me. It's SO CHARMING and SO FUNNY while also being SO SEXY and I just really fucking love it. Also I would 100% die for Georgie, she's just SO CUTEEEEEEEEE. Honestly y'all everything about this book makes me grin from ear to ear and I'M NEVER GONNA BE OVER IT
Original read 6/13/19: Do not let this adorably unassuming cover fool you: this book was NAUGHTY AS HELL and I loved it SO MUCH. Brb while I immediately re-read this bc I have a mighty ass need. Holy shit, y’all. READ DIS BOOK
Re-read 4/18/20: I stan Georgie so hard, wow. This book makes me so!!!! happy!!!!
Re-read 7/13/19: I know this book doesn't do it for everyone, but it really, REALLY does it for me. It's SO CHARMING and SO FUNNY while also being SO SEXY and I just really fucking love it. Also I would 100% die for Georgie, she's just SO CUTEEEEEEEEE. Honestly y'all everything about this book makes me grin from ear to ear and I'M NEVER GONNA BE OVER IT
Original read 6/13/19: Do not let this adorably unassuming cover fool you: this book was NAUGHTY AS HELL and I loved it SO MUCH. Brb while I immediately re-read this bc I have a mighty ass need. Holy shit, y’all. READ DIS BOOK
June 26, 2019
edit: if you're going to be offended enough to shit talk me in a group chat and get all of your friends to block me because of this review, that's a bit immature. 1 star reviews and people's opinions aren't a direct attack against you. grow the fuck up.
The best thing about this book is my reading of it got multiple people to remove it from their TBR's and lower their ratings.
I've read a lot of romance books in my time. I've seen as many descriptions of a man's genitals as you could imagine. I've heard the vilest things from a male's perspective. But this book might be one of the worst. I only read this because I heard the sex scenes were phenomenal, but I was literally crying laughing throughout them. It felt like a joke I wasn't privy to. Were they part of Georgie's clown routine?
Georgie is over her family and friends not taking her - or her job - seriously. As a clown who performs at parties, it's difficult for her to find someone who views her as an adult, instead of a little kid. Travis has recently injured his shoulder after a successful baseball career and is now in remission. His team no longer wants him, and he can't find a purpose anymore. After he's offered a position as a sport's caster and discovers they're looking for a man who's settled-down, Georgie proffers they fake date. Not only will it help with the job offer, but she desires to expand her business, and having a man by her side may make that easier.
Something I want to point out that irritated me personally was the depiction of Travis' shoulder injury. I also have a torn rotator cuff, except I'm not a professional athlete and have been denied treatment or surgery to dull the pain. I've endured eight-hour shifts in complete agony, been told the pain is in my head by my own parents and doctors and forced to just live with it. However, poor little Travis is given multiple surgeries because he's an athlete, and a little bump from Georgie makes him feel the need to rest for hours. Not to mention, he takes Advil for the pain. Anyone with an actually torn rotator cuff can tell you that regular pain killers do absolutely nothing to dull the agony it leaves you in. Absolutely nothing. This is such a dramatic thing to be annoyed with, but I haven't lived with this chronic pain since I was two years old to see a male act like it's no big deal, even after he was privileged enough to receive treatment. I'm fuming even thinking about the things I've withstood while he rests for hours after a little pain. If you believe this is an insignificant thing to criticise a book for, imagine being in agony for hours and withstanding it because people dismiss your pain. Imagine a man getting treatment for it, getting knocked a tiny bit, then resting for hours. Not to mention, it was a pretty shitty representation.
Where do I begin with my critiques of the romance? Firstly, Travis literally isn't interested in her until she 1) gets a haircut and wears tighter clothes and 2) another man takes an interest in her. I don't understand how that's romantic in the slightest? It takes him a significant amount of time to realise his opinion should've been the same before she changed, but I still thought it was gross behaviour.
Y'all were really thirsting over a man who referred to a girl as his "little sister" during sexual acts. He literally grabs her boob early in the book and says "little sister tit". LITTLE. SISTER. TIT. Then, during a sex scene, he proceeds to think about her as a little sister again. It's disgusting and I don't understand why it's supposed to be sexy. Please read the above quote and acknowledge that he thought of her in a young, sisterly way while TOUCHING HER BOOB and LIKING IT. Again, how is this romance? Why does everyone think it's sexy?
In addition, I hated how Travis would constantly point out Georgie was a virgin and he was the first man to participate in sexual acts with her. Even the thought of kissing her "virgin lips" and being the "first man to claim her mouth" had me cringing so hard, I think I have a kink in my back now. I despise the notion that all women in romance books have to be virgins and only have sex with one man in their lives, while their male counterparts have slept with the entire population of a small country.
My dinner came back up my throat multiple times while reading this book. The sex scenes - that everyone said were phenomenal - were the most cringeworthy things I've ever read. I sat in my bed with tears streaming down my face, cackling uncontrollably because none of this was steamy. It made me never want to read a romance book ever again. The above quote wasn't even the worst of it.
If I discovered a man had these thoughts about me, I would fucking floor it to a separate country. It's disgusting. The sheer amount of references Travis made towards his hard dick was disgusting and off-putting. These characters are both constantly objectifying each other, though, I'll balance it out. I don't think anything that seriously utters the phrase "concrete buttocks" should get more than 1 star. I'm serious. Read the first chapter.
DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE FUCKING "BABY GIRL" PET NAME. I gagged. It wasn't cute in the slightest. It additionally helps that he always refers to Georgie as a "little sister" and a fucking "baby" girl. What are you trying to tell us, Travis?
Romance aside, this book was fucking boring beyond words. The fake dating aspect doesn't begin until 40%, with Travis being an absolute asshole the entire time, only just learning from his mistakes. The only thing I could appreciate about this was Georgie and Rosie's characterisation, otherwise, it was an absolute hellish experience. My eyes are sore from rolling them back into my head so often. This book has honestly put me off reading romance books. And that's a lot coming from me.
I'm sorry if this review is abrasive and informal, but I'm genuinely mad people advertised this as the best romance book of our time, and it absolutely sucked ass. I wish my expectations weren't so high for it, then I would've at least given it a 2 star rating.
The best thing about this book is my reading of it got multiple people to remove it from their TBR's and lower their ratings.
I've read a lot of romance books in my time. I've seen as many descriptions of a man's genitals as you could imagine. I've heard the vilest things from a male's perspective. But this book might be one of the worst. I only read this because I heard the sex scenes were phenomenal, but I was literally crying laughing throughout them. It felt like a joke I wasn't privy to. Were they part of Georgie's clown routine?
me before this book: i can't wait! i've finally found another 5 star romance book! i can't wait for the steamy sex scenes!
me after reading the first chapter:
Georgie is over her family and friends not taking her - or her job - seriously. As a clown who performs at parties, it's difficult for her to find someone who views her as an adult, instead of a little kid. Travis has recently injured his shoulder after a successful baseball career and is now in remission. His team no longer wants him, and he can't find a purpose anymore. After he's offered a position as a sport's caster and discovers they're looking for a man who's settled-down, Georgie proffers they fake date. Not only will it help with the job offer, but she desires to expand her business, and having a man by her side may make that easier.
Something I want to point out that irritated me personally was the depiction of Travis' shoulder injury. I also have a torn rotator cuff, except I'm not a professional athlete and have been denied treatment or surgery to dull the pain. I've endured eight-hour shifts in complete agony, been told the pain is in my head by my own parents and doctors and forced to just live with it. However, poor little Travis is given multiple surgeries because he's an athlete, and a little bump from Georgie makes him feel the need to rest for hours. Not to mention, he takes Advil for the pain. Anyone with an actually torn rotator cuff can tell you that regular pain killers do absolutely nothing to dull the agony it leaves you in. Absolutely nothing. This is such a dramatic thing to be annoyed with, but I haven't lived with this chronic pain since I was two years old to see a male act like it's no big deal, even after he was privileged enough to receive treatment. I'm fuming even thinking about the things I've withstood while he rests for hours after a little pain. If you believe this is an insignificant thing to criticise a book for, imagine being in agony for hours and withstanding it because people dismiss your pain. Imagine a man getting treatment for it, getting knocked a tiny bit, then resting for hours. Not to mention, it was a pretty shitty representation.
Where do I begin with my critiques of the romance? Firstly, Travis literally isn't interested in her until she 1) gets a haircut and wears tighter clothes and 2) another man takes an interest in her. I don't understand how that's romantic in the slightest? It takes him a significant amount of time to realise his opinion should've been the same before she changed, but I still thought it was gross behaviour.
"With a handful of little-sister tit.
'Christ, Georgie.' He let her go like she'd caught fire, but not before registering the fullness of her breast, the way it tucked into his palm like a sweet little peach, her nipple tightening on contact."
Y'all were really thirsting over a man who referred to a girl as his "little sister" during sexual acts. He literally grabs her boob early in the book and says "little sister tit". LITTLE. SISTER. TIT. Then, during a sex scene, he proceeds to think about her as a little sister again. It's disgusting and I don't understand why it's supposed to be sexy. Please read the above quote and acknowledge that he thought of her in a young, sisterly way while TOUCHING HER BOOB and LIKING IT. Again, how is this romance? Why does everyone think it's sexy?
"Virgin or not, you've thought about riding this dick or you wouldn't have dropped your skirt for me. Tell me I'm right."
In addition, I hated how Travis would constantly point out Georgie was a virgin and he was the first man to participate in sexual acts with her. Even the thought of kissing her "virgin lips" and being the "first man to claim her mouth" had me cringing so hard, I think I have a kink in my back now. I despise the notion that all women in romance books have to be virgins and only have sex with one man in their lives, while their male counterparts have slept with the entire population of a small country.
"Sexual pain slashed across his face, his body growing rigid. 'Baby girl. I pump against this pussy one more time and I'm not coming anywhere but balls deep. Those panties are history. You hear me? You see how fucked up I am?"
"An earthquake. Her orgasm obliterated her, twisting her loins like a pretzel and squeezing while her legs fought for purchase against the overwhelming nature of it."
My dinner came back up my throat multiple times while reading this book. The sex scenes - that everyone said were phenomenal - were the most cringeworthy things I've ever read. I sat in my bed with tears streaming down my face, cackling uncontrollably because none of this was steamy. It made me never want to read a romance book ever again. The above quote wasn't even the worst of it.
"But he'd get over that part. They hadn't engaged in the main event, so he probably just had some extreme form of blue balls. If it meant spraining his fucking wrist, he'd handle the problem sooner or later."
"She was the epitome of wholesome. Until he got her on her back, apparently. Nothing wholesome about how she came. His dick pushed against the front of his fly and he cursed."
If I discovered a man had these thoughts about me, I would fucking floor it to a separate country. It's disgusting. The sheer amount of references Travis made towards his hard dick was disgusting and off-putting. These characters are both constantly objectifying each other, though, I'll balance it out. I don't think anything that seriously utters the phrase "concrete buttocks" should get more than 1 star. I'm serious. Read the first chapter.
DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE FUCKING "BABY GIRL" PET NAME. I gagged. It wasn't cute in the slightest. It additionally helps that he always refers to Georgie as a "little sister" and a fucking "baby" girl. What are you trying to tell us, Travis?
Romance aside, this book was fucking boring beyond words. The fake dating aspect doesn't begin until 40%, with Travis being an absolute asshole the entire time, only just learning from his mistakes. The only thing I could appreciate about this was Georgie and Rosie's characterisation, otherwise, it was an absolute hellish experience. My eyes are sore from rolling them back into my head so often. This book has honestly put me off reading romance books. And that's a lot coming from me.
I'm sorry if this review is abrasive and informal, but I'm genuinely mad people advertised this as the best romance book of our time, and it absolutely sucked ass. I wish my expectations weren't so high for it, then I would've at least given it a 2 star rating.
June 27, 2019
pros
- proposal
cons
- "baby girl"
- he calls his dick "two bats"
- dude don't deserve her
- proposal
cons
- "baby girl"
- he calls his dick "two bats"
- dude don't deserve her
Read
June 15, 2019DNF @ CHAPTER 14
After several starts and stops, its official, I’m pulling the plug on my first Tessa Bailey. I kept telling myself that if I just pushed through a little further, at some point the story would really grab me. At 182 pages, that little exercise has proven futile. So, in the name ofliving reading my best life, I think it’s time to cut my losses and move on to something more worthy of my time.
I can’t deny, the uber-cute, smile-inducing cover made it darn near impossible to stop the runaway train of possibility in my brain. But, as we all experience at one time or another, the cover—no matter how great—is in no way indicative of the journey that awaits the reader. It all comes down to the combination of words and the feelings those words happen to inspire.
I found Fix Her Up to be a recycled mix of one too many romance tropes, told through a cast of characters I couldn’t take seriously, and sorry to say, all done with a bland delivery. Bailey’s words lacked the charisma necessary to keep this finicky reader engaged.
And while there are bound to be hoards of readers who find virginal 23-year-old Georgie quirky, I’m not one of them. How was I supposed to take the girl seriously when (1) she’s a clown (are there even any children on planet Earth that like clowns anymore?), (2) she’s never been on a date (say what?) and (3) she just realized after a childhood of hand-me-downs that she could shop somewhere other than the thrift store (insert eye-roll here)? In Georgie's defense, *fix her up* correlates to the growth she strives for in multiple facets of her life—career, home, and physical appearance improvements—not only the fake relationship that she lands herself in. Yawn.
Those who know me best, know my inner giddy girl is not one to shy away from the steamy scenes. BUT when that seems to be the only part of the story that’s managing to hold my interest, it’s time to cut and run. Although, I’ve gotta say, good ole “Two Bats” really knows how to make a girl blush. *wink*
As always, this is simply the opinion of one reader; and a picky one at that. You shouldn't let my thoughts hinder your own experience or keep you from delving into Georgie and Travis’ little scheme. You never know, this might be your next favorite.
*Thank you to Avon Books for sending a review copy. ♥
After several starts and stops, its official, I’m pulling the plug on my first Tessa Bailey. I kept telling myself that if I just pushed through a little further, at some point the story would really grab me. At 182 pages, that little exercise has proven futile. So, in the name of
I can’t deny, the uber-cute, smile-inducing cover made it darn near impossible to stop the runaway train of possibility in my brain. But, as we all experience at one time or another, the cover—no matter how great—is in no way indicative of the journey that awaits the reader. It all comes down to the combination of words and the feelings those words happen to inspire.
I found Fix Her Up to be a recycled mix of one too many romance tropes, told through a cast of characters I couldn’t take seriously, and sorry to say, all done with a bland delivery. Bailey’s words lacked the charisma necessary to keep this finicky reader engaged.
And while there are bound to be hoards of readers who find virginal 23-year-old Georgie quirky, I’m not one of them. How was I supposed to take the girl seriously when (1) she’s a clown (are there even any children on planet Earth that like clowns anymore?), (2) she’s never been on a date (say what?) and (3) she just realized after a childhood of hand-me-downs that she could shop somewhere other than the thrift store (insert eye-roll here)? In Georgie's defense, *fix her up* correlates to the growth she strives for in multiple facets of her life—career, home, and physical appearance improvements—not only the fake relationship that she lands herself in. Yawn.
Those who know me best, know my inner giddy girl is not one to shy away from the steamy scenes. BUT when that seems to be the only part of the story that’s managing to hold my interest, it’s time to cut and run. Although, I’ve gotta say, good ole “Two Bats” really knows how to make a girl blush. *wink*
As always, this is simply the opinion of one reader; and a picky one at that. You shouldn't let my thoughts hinder your own experience or keep you from delving into Georgie and Travis’ little scheme. You never know, this might be your next favorite.
*Thank you to Avon Books for sending a review copy. ♥
September 1, 2021
Don’t listen to this average rating of 3.58 😒 go read this book it’s amazing and will have you sweating ITS SO HOT
June 2, 2019
Once you read a Tessa Bailey romance, there is no going back... And FIX HER UP is not an exception because you will fall in love with Travis and Georgie instantly...
Instantly you are drawn to this marvelous cover, and then you read the synopsis and you think... "WOW GIVE ME THAT BAD BOY RIGHT THIS MOMENT! Let me just start this review by saying that if you have not read a book by Tessa Bailey then why are you even here? I mean, why are you waisting your time by reading this review? (Totally kidding... maybe not... I don't know...) But in all seriousness, if you have not read a book by Tessa then I HIGHLY recommend that you start as soon as you can. There is no denying that Tessa's writing is unique in its own way. The best kind of way that will have you drawn to the page, making you crave more and more through every turn of the page, every swipe you make, every word you may listen. With FIX HER UP, she has gained so much more respect than what I original had towards her, because of how she describes the female main character—Georgie.
When you are first introduced to Travis and Georgie, you do not expect the scene that you read. That's how Tessa bring the BAM to the beginning of the story. Known from their childhood, and been neighbors who live in Long Island (which is where I am from **squeals**), and grew apart because of their own differences. Travis becoming a professional baseball player, whom throughout out ends up getting injured and his career comes to an end. Georgie has known him since she was little, the youngest sister of Travi's best friend Steven. Always running around and following them as a child. She always attended all his games, Travis' biggest cheerleader, Georgie became enamored by him. To him, Georgie has always been Steven's little sister that no one pays attention to. But after one hangover morning, Travis' perspective towards her changes in the best of way. She is now all grown up, has bought her own house, is a clown for a living... YUP! You read that correctly, one of my favorite female characters of 2019 is a CLOWN FOR A LIVING!
Georgie is a clown for a living ladies a gentlemen, it does not get better than this. And I am not being sarcastic at all. Seriously... I am NOT! I love that Tessa has created a female role in which she enjoys the perspective of entertainment for kids. Yes, it is a fictional story in a fictional world but I just adore how unique her career is in comparison to other careers we read about in romance novels. She is an independent individual, in which is also another shot of perfection about this novel. She is all grown up now, but grown up in the best of way that Travis slowly learns to adore and love most about her. The affection he has towards her charisma and attitude really warms your heart. You just want to hug Travis, you want to ravish him! Of course in the best of ways... **wink wink** But he is not only sweet, he is this possessive, jealous, delicious and scrumptious of a specimen. Seriously ladies (and gents, depending on your taste) you will be enthralled at how lovable Travis truly is. Especially when he is in awe of Georgie;
The story plot itself continues after agreeing to a deal of being in a fake relationship for the sake of his career and hers as well. Pretending turns into wanting more between them both when it comes down to the emotional and physical side of a relationship. Travis' restraint is at its thread or truly wanting Georgie, while she is virgin who is still enamored with her childhood/teenage crush. Once they are together however, everything around dissolves and it's only them two. The witch craft that Tessa has with her writing is one that always fascinates me and truly does leave me flabbergasted. And once you read their story, your heart will forever be melted with Tessa's writing.
Overall, FIX HER UP is a comedic romance novel that will forever be engraved to your heart. Once you read Tessa's writing, there is no going back. There is no thinking "Oh should I read it?" There is only thinking "adding to my TBR and my bank account is going to hate me." (**laughs at own joke) Thank you to Tessa for always being a sweetheart, Long Island girls have to stick together in the best of ways ;)
ARC galley kindly provided by Tessa, in exchange for an honest review...
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Instantly you are drawn to this marvelous cover, and then you read the synopsis and you think... "WOW GIVE ME THAT BAD BOY RIGHT THIS MOMENT! Let me just start this review by saying that if you have not read a book by Tessa Bailey then why are you even here? I mean, why are you waisting your time by reading this review? (Totally kidding... maybe not... I don't know...) But in all seriousness, if you have not read a book by Tessa then I HIGHLY recommend that you start as soon as you can. There is no denying that Tessa's writing is unique in its own way. The best kind of way that will have you drawn to the page, making you crave more and more through every turn of the page, every swipe you make, every word you may listen. With FIX HER UP, she has gained so much more respect than what I original had towards her, because of how she describes the female main character—Georgie.
When you are first introduced to Travis and Georgie, you do not expect the scene that you read. That's how Tessa bring the BAM to the beginning of the story. Known from their childhood, and been neighbors who live in Long Island (which is where I am from **squeals**), and grew apart because of their own differences. Travis becoming a professional baseball player, whom throughout out ends up getting injured and his career comes to an end. Georgie has known him since she was little, the youngest sister of Travi's best friend Steven. Always running around and following them as a child. She always attended all his games, Travis' biggest cheerleader, Georgie became enamored by him. To him, Georgie has always been Steven's little sister that no one pays attention to. But after one hangover morning, Travis' perspective towards her changes in the best of way. She is now all grown up, has bought her own house, is a clown for a living... YUP! You read that correctly, one of my favorite female characters of 2019 is a CLOWN FOR A LIVING!
Georgie is a clown for a living ladies a gentlemen, it does not get better than this. And I am not being sarcastic at all. Seriously... I am NOT! I love that Tessa has created a female role in which she enjoys the perspective of entertainment for kids. Yes, it is a fictional story in a fictional world but I just adore how unique her career is in comparison to other careers we read about in romance novels. She is an independent individual, in which is also another shot of perfection about this novel. She is all grown up now, but grown up in the best of way that Travis slowly learns to adore and love most about her. The affection he has towards her charisma and attitude really warms your heart. You just want to hug Travis, you want to ravish him! Of course in the best of ways... **wink wink** But he is not only sweet, he is this possessive, jealous, delicious and scrumptious of a specimen. Seriously ladies (and gents, depending on your taste) you will be enthralled at how lovable Travis truly is. Especially when he is in awe of Georgie;
"He wanted to give her pleasure. Wanted to protect her. And fuck the consequences, he wanted to turn himself into her addiction..."
The story plot itself continues after agreeing to a deal of being in a fake relationship for the sake of his career and hers as well. Pretending turns into wanting more between them both when it comes down to the emotional and physical side of a relationship. Travis' restraint is at its thread or truly wanting Georgie, while she is virgin who is still enamored with her childhood/teenage crush. Once they are together however, everything around dissolves and it's only them two. The witch craft that Tessa has with her writing is one that always fascinates me and truly does leave me flabbergasted. And once you read their story, your heart will forever be melted with Tessa's writing.
Overall, FIX HER UP is a comedic romance novel that will forever be engraved to your heart. Once you read Tessa's writing, there is no going back. There is no thinking "Oh should I read it?" There is only thinking "adding to my TBR and my bank account is going to hate me." (**laughs at own joke) Thank you to Tessa for always being a sweetheart, Long Island girls have to stick together in the best of ways ;)
ARC galley kindly provided by Tessa, in exchange for an honest review...
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June 23, 2020
right from the start i have to tell you that i am aghast that this is a published book in 2019. i understand that this is an adult romance and a lot of books in this genre have problematic elements. i don't understand, however, why it is necessary to include them in a 2019 release. the possessiveness, the sexism, all of it is just so wrong and just plainly bad.
first of all, travis literally isn't interested in georgie until she changes her style (haircut + tighter clothes) and another man takes an interest in her.
travis seems to have a very bad possessive streak. but not only him. everyone else seems to be of the opinion that women belong to men. in this case georgie either belongs to stephen, georgie's brother (who can honestly CHOKE) or travis himself. travis always seems to be apprehensive about getting physical with georgie becaue she's his best friend's little sister and because he might have a problem with it. like, boy, she is her own person, she is 23, she knows how to make her own decisions. in the end he says:
where do i even begin explaining what's wrong with this?
stephen also almost punches travis because of his relationship with georgie (at this point, they are still only fake-dating, but obviously, stephen doesn't know that) and says stupid shit like "i think you know i have to", like no, you literally don't??
this "woman belongs to man" thing also appears when they are in bed together.
and this is so important. travis still doesn't see georgie as her own person, but still as someone who belongs to stephen. he apparently thinks that he needs stephen’s permission to be "between her legs" when no, that's not the case. she gave you her consent and that is the only thing you should worry about right now. she wants this. give it to her. start thinking of her as a human being and not as a property of someone else.
travis also seems to be of the conception that georgie needs his help and that she can't be around other men when he's not around because she can't protect herself, or, i don't know, i have no idea what that boy thinks half of the time. she talks FOR her when she is standing directly next to him. like, shut the fuck up and let HER talk. he seems to have the priority to keep other men away from her and that is just one step too much over the line; his jealously (that really is unreasonable because georgie's been in love with him for, like, forever) really got out of hand here. he feels SO threatened by other men, it's not healthy.
georgie mentions a lot how her family and the town they live in still see her as the child, the little sister she was when she was younger. travis assures her that he sees more than that. but he destroys his case when he calls her "baby girl" constantly. i probably missed a few, but i have counted 49 times. i can get behind the concept that he calls her that during sexy times, but outside of bed it's mostly inappropriate. if you see her as an adult, don't call her BABY girl all the time.
what i found a bit questioning was the repeated mention of georgie being a virgin. hear me out, it's totally okay and realistic for a 23-year-old woman to be a virgin, yes. georgie, howevery, is incredibly sex-positive so she definitely doesn't wait until marriage, and she masturbates frequently with the help of her vibrator dale (a fact that travis still doesn't seem to get behind and also feels threatened by??). of course, none of these are reason why she couldn't be a virgin, i just find it a bit unrealistic and it only seems to be an added feature to make her that "wholesome woman" travis can "deflower". travis thinks a lot abut her being a virgin and it's a motivation but also a reason for him to back away, i really don't get him.
travis is supposed to be this very mature guy who has all this sexual experience. if he really would have had all this experience, one could think he'd have his sexual arousal a bit more under control. he doesn’t. travis is literally a 16-year-old teenager. there is not one chapter where he doesn't have a boner, thinks about sex or imagines a very normal situation in a sexual context. this boy is horny ALL OF THE TIME. he gets a boner from a hug. this is so incredibly ridiculous.
i'm also very confused if he call his dick "two bats" or himself (because he has two bats: his baseball bat and his dick)??
we start this book off with travis basically being depressed because he lost his position as a pro baseball player due to a shoulder injury (that's never really talked about?), in the end he says that without georgie he never would've gotten out of that hole. he just seems very dependent on her, like, if she would leave he would just crumble back into his little cave. that, to me, seems very unhealthy because it sounds like "i'm better BECAUSE of her" and not "she helps me getting better".
let's come to the writing. it wasn't particularly bad but also not good.
there were a lot of ... treasures that i have to share with you.
honestly, i'm gonna kill myself if i have to read any of that one more time.
this just sounds like he's a vampire and wants to drink her blood, why.
the sex scenes were ... an adventure. in general, they weren't too bad, the best one is probably is still the first one (at least they do the do in the bed). all of them are rather ridiculous instead of steamy, but to be honest, i have read worse.
the only thing i wish to unsee is "with a handful of little-sister tit.". i am honestly crying because what the hell is that supposed to mean, please do not refer to her breast as LITTLE. SISTER. TIT. you have to see how wrong that is.
"sweet girl. so beautiful." "sweet man. so strong." at this point, i was mostly laughing, what even is that. (but can you see the difference how the refer to each other. girl. man. girl - not woman. but apparently he sees her as an adult, hmm)
aside from the problem with the amount of possessiveness there's also a hell lot of sexism (looking at you, stephen):
last but not least, the fucking proposal. what the hell was that. he proposed to her on PUBLIC TELEVISION. i honestly couldn't believe what i was reading. i just wanted to die and not in a good way. why the sudden change of heart? don't tell me georgie just changed your whole personality, wtf wtf wtf no i'm throwing up and crying and just BYE
this all sounds very negative, which it also is. but not everything was a total disaster. the Just Us League was great. women supporting women? hell yes, that's what i want to see. especially, since their goals weren't male related. they wanted to achieve their goals and dreams, and that was really nice to see.
also georgie in general was a good protagonist. yeah, she is a bit naive, but she grows and it mostly her own person with strengths and insecurities.
the pacing of this book was good. even if i had a lot of problems with it, i didn't want to put the book down. i just continued reading.
i wouldn't reread this book because honestly, i couldn't take another 400 pages of travis and stephen.
(i also just really hate the name travis)
1.5/5
first of all, travis literally isn't interested in georgie until she changes her style (haircut + tighter clothes) and another man takes an interest in her.
travis seems to have a very bad possessive streak. but not only him. everyone else seems to be of the opinion that women belong to men. in this case georgie either belongs to stephen, georgie's brother (who can honestly CHOKE) or travis himself. travis always seems to be apprehensive about getting physical with georgie becaue she's his best friend's little sister and because he might have a problem with it. like, boy, she is her own person, she is 23, she knows how to make her own decisions. in the end he says:
“some part of me still thought of you as my friend's little sister. not anymore. you're all mine now. i'll take you how i want.“
where do i even begin explaining what's wrong with this?
stephen also almost punches travis because of his relationship with georgie (at this point, they are still only fake-dating, but obviously, stephen doesn't know that) and says stupid shit like "i think you know i have to", like no, you literally don't??
this "woman belongs to man" thing also appears when they are in bed together.
"i've got no fucking right to be between these legs."
"you do. i gave it to you."
and this is so important. travis still doesn't see georgie as her own person, but still as someone who belongs to stephen. he apparently thinks that he needs stephen’s permission to be "between her legs" when no, that's not the case. she gave you her consent and that is the only thing you should worry about right now. she wants this. give it to her. start thinking of her as a human being and not as a property of someone else.
travis also seems to be of the conception that georgie needs his help and that she can't be around other men when he's not around because she can't protect herself, or, i don't know, i have no idea what that boy thinks half of the time. she talks FOR her when she is standing directly next to him. like, shut the fuck up and let HER talk. he seems to have the priority to keep other men away from her and that is just one step too much over the line; his jealously (that really is unreasonable because georgie's been in love with him for, like, forever) really got out of hand here. he feels SO threatened by other men, it's not healthy.
georgie mentions a lot how her family and the town they live in still see her as the child, the little sister she was when she was younger. travis assures her that he sees more than that. but he destroys his case when he calls her "baby girl" constantly. i probably missed a few, but i have counted 49 times. i can get behind the concept that he calls her that during sexy times, but outside of bed it's mostly inappropriate. if you see her as an adult, don't call her BABY girl all the time.
what i found a bit questioning was the repeated mention of georgie being a virgin. hear me out, it's totally okay and realistic for a 23-year-old woman to be a virgin, yes. georgie, howevery, is incredibly sex-positive so she definitely doesn't wait until marriage, and she masturbates frequently with the help of her vibrator dale (a fact that travis still doesn't seem to get behind and also feels threatened by??). of course, none of these are reason why she couldn't be a virgin, i just find it a bit unrealistic and it only seems to be an added feature to make her that "wholesome woman" travis can "deflower". travis thinks a lot abut her being a virgin and it's a motivation but also a reason for him to back away, i really don't get him.
travis is supposed to be this very mature guy who has all this sexual experience. if he really would have had all this experience, one could think he'd have his sexual arousal a bit more under control. he doesn’t. travis is literally a 16-year-old teenager. there is not one chapter where he doesn't have a boner, thinks about sex or imagines a very normal situation in a sexual context. this boy is horny ALL OF THE TIME. he gets a boner from a hug. this is so incredibly ridiculous.
i'm also very confused if he call his dick "two bats" or himself (because he has two bats: his baseball bat and his dick)??
we start this book off with travis basically being depressed because he lost his position as a pro baseball player due to a shoulder injury (that's never really talked about?), in the end he says that without georgie he never would've gotten out of that hole. he just seems very dependent on her, like, if she would leave he would just crumble back into his little cave. that, to me, seems very unhealthy because it sounds like "i'm better BECAUSE of her" and not "she helps me getting better".
let's come to the writing. it wasn't particularly bad but also not good.
there were a lot of ... treasures that i have to share with you.
• “the pleasure of the flesh” (which only sounds like a really bad band name)
• “classic sign of AN AROUSED MALE”
• “the giant appendage that made Georgie feel like she was sitting on a full aluminium foil roll” (I MEAN WHAT IS THAT? WHY IS SHE USING THESE WORDS TO DESCRIBE TRAVIS’S DICK WHAT)
• “his flesh” (a synonym for his dick? c'mon)
• “the organ in his chest” (you know, his HEART)
• “a cornered male”
• “the look of pure male exasperation (how does that differ from normal exasperation, please tell me)
• “contentment spread like JAM ON BREAD in her belly” (why do use these words for this comparison, I have so many questions)
• “male rapture”
honestly, i'm gonna kill myself if i have to read any of that one more time.
"he couldn’t help speculating on how her neck would taste. or the inside of her wrist."
this just sounds like he's a vampire and wants to drink her blood, why.
the sex scenes were ... an adventure. in general, they weren't too bad, the best one is probably is still the first one (at least they do the do in the bed). all of them are rather ridiculous instead of steamy, but to be honest, i have read worse.
the only thing i wish to unsee is "with a handful of little-sister tit.". i am honestly crying because what the hell is that supposed to mean, please do not refer to her breast as LITTLE. SISTER. TIT. you have to see how wrong that is.
"sweet girl. so beautiful." "sweet man. so strong." at this point, i was mostly laughing, what even is that. (but can you see the difference how the refer to each other. girl. man. girl - not woman. but apparently he sees her as an adult, hmm)
aside from the problem with the amount of possessiveness there's also a hell lot of sexism (looking at you, stephen):
• “what he said yesterday wasn’t arrogance talking – it was simply more common for women to get attached when sex was part of the equation. basic science, right?”
• “there’s something up with the womenfolk”
• “by georgie’s third attempt to back into a parking space, travis was shaking his head.”(this is funny because women can't drive???)
• “typical feminine urge to squeal to her friends”
• stephen not allowing bethany, his sister, more freedom in their company when both of them inherited it because he’s a traditionalist?? wow, no, women can’t take on more responsibility than men or what I DON’T GET YOU, STEPHEN, HONESTLY
last but not least, the fucking proposal. what the hell was that. he proposed to her on PUBLIC TELEVISION. i honestly couldn't believe what i was reading. i just wanted to die and not in a good way. why the sudden change of heart? don't tell me georgie just changed your whole personality, wtf wtf wtf no i'm throwing up and crying and just BYE
this all sounds very negative, which it also is. but not everything was a total disaster. the Just Us League was great. women supporting women? hell yes, that's what i want to see. especially, since their goals weren't male related. they wanted to achieve their goals and dreams, and that was really nice to see.
also georgie in general was a good protagonist. yeah, she is a bit naive, but she grows and it mostly her own person with strengths and insecurities.
the pacing of this book was good. even if i had a lot of problems with it, i didn't want to put the book down. i just continued reading.
i wouldn't reread this book because honestly, i couldn't take another 400 pages of travis and stephen.
(i also just really hate the name travis)
1.5/5
April 18, 2020
confession - i was completely prepared to hate this book. truly. ive read pretty much nothing but bad reviews for this but, like a car wreck, i just couldnt stop myself from looking.
so imagine my complete shock when it turned this wasnt a total car wreck of a story, but a story that gives you the same feeling you get when you hit every green light. just a constant go, go, go feeling of everything great. humour and banter and love and friendships and woman empowerment and crazy hot baseball players. like, athletes have never really been my thing, but wow. travis could seriously get it.
the idea of the story isnt super original - ive read countless variations of this story across multiple romance novels - but thats why i liked it. its familiar, wholesome, entertaining (albeit sometimes cringy), and comforting. the writing/storytelling style actually reminded me a lot of ‘the bromance bookclub,’ which i also adored. so im excited to see what this series will offer next!
↠ 4 stars
so imagine my complete shock when it turned this wasnt a total car wreck of a story, but a story that gives you the same feeling you get when you hit every green light. just a constant go, go, go feeling of everything great. humour and banter and love and friendships and woman empowerment and crazy hot baseball players. like, athletes have never really been my thing, but wow. travis could seriously get it.
the idea of the story isnt super original - ive read countless variations of this story across multiple romance novels - but thats why i liked it. its familiar, wholesome, entertaining (albeit sometimes cringy), and comforting. the writing/storytelling style actually reminded me a lot of ‘the bromance bookclub,’ which i also adored. so im excited to see what this series will offer next!
↠ 4 stars
June 28, 2019
calling your dick two-bats isn't cute 😣 Travis is a dummy bitch
is he trying to be batman??? baby boy, you could never 🙄🙄🙄🙄
also, Georgie from this book reminds me of Georgie from IT and the Georgie in this book is a clown but the Georgie in IT got eaten by a clown 🤡🤡🤡
this book was boring and the only thing giving me motivation to read this were the sexy scenes 🤷♀️
Travis is the actual clown 🤡
I also cannot get over how he said “My dick aches so bad. Make it stop.” LMAOO it's just so.... funny. Your dick is always aching. It will never stop 😪
this book was trash
buddy read w a Sol
is he trying to be batman??? baby boy, you could never 🙄🙄🙄🙄
also, Georgie from this book reminds me of Georgie from IT and the Georgie in this book is a clown but the Georgie in IT got eaten by a clown 🤡🤡🤡
this book was boring and the only thing giving me motivation to read this were the sexy scenes 🤷♀️
Travis is the actual clown 🤡
I also cannot get over how he said “My dick aches so bad. Make it stop.” LMAOO it's just so.... funny. Your dick is always aching. It will never stop 😪
this book was trash
buddy read w a Sol
April 1, 2019
4.5 stars
Georgie Castle is the youngest sibling and is never taken seriously. It doesn’t help her cause that she’s not in the family business, but instead is a professional clown (yes, you read that right). She loves kids and it’s her passion but it makes her family take her less seriously than they already do.
Travis Ford is Gerogie’s long time crush and her brother’s best friend. He is a former MBA player who is home after an injury got him out of the game. He’s a bit depressed about it and needs someone just like Georgie to get him out of the funk he’s in. Georgie does exactly that. And while doing that, she finds herself a little along the way.
I loved watching Georgie come into her own and start to believe in herself. That was my favorite part of the book. It wasn’t about her appearance changing some or her new clothing etc, it was about her finally feeling comfortable in her own skin. I also loved the ‘Just Us League’ and I’m dying for Rosie and Bethany’s books! I’m sure they’ll be just as great as this one was!
This started out with a girl with a long time crush. It turned into a friendship. Then the fake dating came to play. And then… then… the crazy hot sexy times. Then the falling in love. Travis started to see himself through Georgies eyes and develop more self worth as well. It was a beautiful thing.
I loved both Georgie and Travis. Georgie especially was so fun and sweet. Her personality made her so darn lovable. Travis is an alpha male, but in a good way. He started out a little rough for me, but I grew to really love his character. And every time he called Georgie baby girl I melted a little.
If you’re a fan of brother’s best friend books, the fake dating troupe, or your just looking for a hella hot and feel good romance, pick up Fix Her Up. This is probably my favorite Tessa Bailey book I’ve read to date!!
“Dammit, Georgie. You had to be exactly what I need, didn’t you?”I love the illustrated cover trend, but I have to start this review by saying that the cover of Fix Her Up doesn’t quite match the story. I thought I was jumping into an uber cute rom-com, and though this did have some cute and fun moments, it was a bit emotional and a crazy hot brothers best friend story.
Georgie Castle is the youngest sibling and is never taken seriously. It doesn’t help her cause that she’s not in the family business, but instead is a professional clown (yes, you read that right). She loves kids and it’s her passion but it makes her family take her less seriously than they already do.
Travis Ford is Gerogie’s long time crush and her brother’s best friend. He is a former MBA player who is home after an injury got him out of the game. He’s a bit depressed about it and needs someone just like Georgie to get him out of the funk he’s in. Georgie does exactly that. And while doing that, she finds herself a little along the way.
I loved watching Georgie come into her own and start to believe in herself. That was my favorite part of the book. It wasn’t about her appearance changing some or her new clothing etc, it was about her finally feeling comfortable in her own skin. I also loved the ‘Just Us League’ and I’m dying for Rosie and Bethany’s books! I’m sure they’ll be just as great as this one was!
This started out with a girl with a long time crush. It turned into a friendship. Then the fake dating came to play. And then… then… the crazy hot sexy times. Then the falling in love. Travis started to see himself through Georgies eyes and develop more self worth as well. It was a beautiful thing.
I loved both Georgie and Travis. Georgie especially was so fun and sweet. Her personality made her so darn lovable. Travis is an alpha male, but in a good way. He started out a little rough for me, but I grew to really love his character. And every time he called Georgie baby girl I melted a little.
If you’re a fan of brother’s best friend books, the fake dating troupe, or your just looking for a hella hot and feel good romance, pick up Fix Her Up. This is probably my favorite Tessa Bailey book I’ve read to date!!
“What you’ve done for me, baby girl . . . bringing me out of the dark? It’s a miracle. Not a thing. You’re a miracle.”
August 9, 2019
How about this radical idea for a 2019 best friend's little sister romance trope - he meets his best friend's younger sister after years of being away, finally gets to know her as a person, appreciates her maturity and all her great qualities, doesn't need her to go through a waxing/clothing makeover and show her ass in a tight skirt to get his attention, or bring him food, or clean his place, falls in love with her and DOESN'T CALL HER "BABY GIRL" AND BRING UP HER FATHER DURING SEX?
I didn't entirely hate this (there is an attempt to write a sex-positive, open about her self-pleasuring virginal heroine and a group of women who help each other out) , but from all the hype I had expected something much more progressive and deliciously explicit. What I got was a retrograde romance with a lot of off-putting dirty talk and eww, male-pleasure-centered, woman-as-a-prop sex described with words like “pounding" and "milking."
And, sorry, but I couldn't get past the clown thing. Maybe this should have been a straight up clown erotica? No shame in that. It would have been more honest that way.
And just in case you forgot - Georgie is a clown.
I didn't entirely hate this (there is an attempt to write a sex-positive, open about her self-pleasuring virginal heroine and a group of women who help each other out) , but from all the hype I had expected something much more progressive and deliciously explicit. What I got was a retrograde romance with a lot of off-putting dirty talk and eww, male-pleasure-centered, woman-as-a-prop sex described with words like “pounding" and "milking."
And, sorry, but I couldn't get past the clown thing. Maybe this should have been a straight up clown erotica? No shame in that. It would have been more honest that way.
And just in case you forgot - Georgie is a clown.
February 9, 2020
3.75*
It’s quite possible I’m still blushing!☺️
I read all the reviews! I heard it was a steamy read! Yet I failed to believe a story revolving sweet little innocent Georgie having a long standing crush on a washed up baseball player could be a hot read!
Well ladies and gentleman…the gloves are off! Yikes! Heed the warning!
I listened to the audio which gave it that much more of a steamy air!
If this is your cup of tea... I recommend the audio! The narrators were a perfect match for the characters. They did a fantastic job!
I have the follow up Love Her Or Lose Her on hold at the library! Just need to recover a bit from this one before diving back in! (Is it hot in here?)💁🏻♀️
It’s quite possible I’m still blushing!☺️
I read all the reviews! I heard it was a steamy read! Yet I failed to believe a story revolving sweet little innocent Georgie having a long standing crush on a washed up baseball player could be a hot read!
Well ladies and gentleman…the gloves are off! Yikes! Heed the warning!
I listened to the audio which gave it that much more of a steamy air!
If this is your cup of tea... I recommend the audio! The narrators were a perfect match for the characters. They did a fantastic job!
I have the follow up Love Her Or Lose Her on hold at the library! Just need to recover a bit from this one before diving back in! (Is it hot in here?)💁🏻♀️
June 30, 2019
Well, it's official: Tessa Bailey is my love language. That was so incredibly satisfying, and I'm thrilled to see that a sequel featuring Rosie and Dominic is in the works! Also? I highly recommend doing yourself a favor and snagging the audiobook if you're the listening type, because Charlotte North is a confirmed angel.
*Audiobook borrowed from the library via Hoopla.
*Audiobook borrowed from the library via Hoopla.
July 28, 2023
The fmc is a clown…..just letting you know in case like me you didn’t read the freaking book summary lol. Very easy read and fun. Did cringe a bit too much but I do that with ever Tessa Bailey book so oh well
September 6, 2021
DNF at 69%
"Look at me while I'm teaching you how to fuck" is when I quit this book.
This book is run amuck with misogyny, like to the point where I'm convinced it had to have been ghost written by a man.
The main female character is Georgie, a woman defined by her virginity, her clown career, and her unexplained crush on her brother's bestie Travis.
Travis is a well known womanizer and retired baseball player, also known as "two bats" because his dick is also a bat I guess, which must explain the many, many times the author tells you it's getting hard. I kid you not, if I had a dollar for every time Travis gets an erection I could buy a couple copies of this book.
Georgie frequently complains about people not taking her seriously or treating her like an adult and 'business woman' but she's a freaking clown for a living. She doesn't mind Travis calling her baby girl though, which is literally the most infantilizing nickname a man could call a woman. Travis sometimes realizes Georgie is a person with feelings but mostly he sees her as a sexual object and is obsessed with "breaking in" her pussy cause ya know she's a virgin. Georgie is obsessed with losing her v card to Travis because... he's hot? I guess he's super hot because women shamelessly offer themselves up to him throughout the book, in fact he's SO HOT that a man tells Travis he can sleep with his wife because he's on her 'hall pass'... Did you just throw up in your mouth? I probably should have told you to grab some water earlier, sorry about that.
I could go on and list more offenses but I'd rather stop thinking about this garbage.
"Look at me while I'm teaching you how to fuck" is when I quit this book.
This book is run amuck with misogyny, like to the point where I'm convinced it had to have been ghost written by a man.
The main female character is Georgie, a woman defined by her virginity, her clown career, and her unexplained crush on her brother's bestie Travis.
Travis is a well known womanizer and retired baseball player, also known as "two bats" because his dick is also a bat I guess, which must explain the many, many times the author tells you it's getting hard. I kid you not, if I had a dollar for every time Travis gets an erection I could buy a couple copies of this book.
Georgie frequently complains about people not taking her seriously or treating her like an adult and 'business woman' but she's a freaking clown for a living. She doesn't mind Travis calling her baby girl though, which is literally the most infantilizing nickname a man could call a woman. Travis sometimes realizes Georgie is a person with feelings but mostly he sees her as a sexual object and is obsessed with "breaking in" her pussy cause ya know she's a virgin. Georgie is obsessed with losing her v card to Travis because... he's hot? I guess he's super hot because women shamelessly offer themselves up to him throughout the book, in fact he's SO HOT that a man tells Travis he can sleep with his wife because he's on her 'hall pass'... Did you just throw up in your mouth? I probably should have told you to grab some water earlier, sorry about that.
I could go on and list more offenses but I'd rather stop thinking about this garbage.
July 29, 2019
Holy Steamy, Explicit Sex Scenes! Do NOT let that cutesy cover fool you, 😉.
3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ for the story, definitely 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for the steam (sorry, not sorry! 😘) so I'm going with the in-between rating of 4!
Georgette Castle may be a professional clown (hmm, can a clown make for a sexy leading lady? I had some trouble accepting that but I digress) but as the youngest in her family, all she wants is to be taken seriously. Travis Ford is forced into early retirement from baseball due to a career ending injury. In order to pursue a different career in baseball he has to ditch his "bad boy" image. Can a
"staged" romance help both of them achieve their goals?
Here's the thing - this is not a serious book. It's fun, it's flirty and yes, it's ridiculous at times (can I just mention that Travis' nickname is Two Bats! Two BATS and one is not referring to his baseball bat! 😉) and it's chock full of steamy sex scenes. So if that's the type of read you love or are simply in the mood for - pick it up! 😘
3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ for the story, definitely 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for the steam (sorry, not sorry! 😘) so I'm going with the in-between rating of 4!
Georgette Castle may be a professional clown (hmm, can a clown make for a sexy leading lady? I had some trouble accepting that but I digress) but as the youngest in her family, all she wants is to be taken seriously. Travis Ford is forced into early retirement from baseball due to a career ending injury. In order to pursue a different career in baseball he has to ditch his "bad boy" image. Can a
"staged" romance help both of them achieve their goals?
Here's the thing - this is not a serious book. It's fun, it's flirty and yes, it's ridiculous at times (can I just mention that Travis' nickname is Two Bats! Two BATS and one is not referring to his baseball bat! 😉) and it's chock full of steamy sex scenes. So if that's the type of read you love or are simply in the mood for - pick it up! 😘
September 29, 2021
4 Making a Difference Stars ⭐��
Travis Ford is back in his hometown after an injury ends his baseball league career. Seeing his future implode before his eyes, he has no immediate plans apart from drinking himself into a coma.
Georgie Castle is Fort Jefferson’s resident party clown extraordinaire. Being the youngest of the Castle siblings, she's used to being belittled and overlooked by her family. Even with a promising party planning business, no one really takes her seriously. That's until Travis Ford returns.
With everybody handling Travis with kid gloves, Georgie takes it upon herself to draw him out of his slump. Even though he doesn’t appreciate her meddling, he can’t help but be impressed by her even if it's evident that nobody else is.
They could be friends, him and Georgie. That’s what was wrong. He didn’t want one, especially her. She was too young, too positive, and too related to his best friend.
When they both realise they have questionable reputations, they decide to enter a fake relationship to achieve their lifetime goals. There is no questioning that Travis and Georgie have undeniable chemistry, but can they overcome their hang-ups and commit to something real?
“I want your hands all over me. Your mouth on mine. And next time you get out of bed without giving me both, I’m going to find you, pull your pants down, and backhand that little tush you had tucked up in my lap all night. We clear?”
Fix Her Up is a friend to lovers’ romantic comedy but with unexpected depth. Both characters were witty, compassionate and hot together. With Travis’s dirty talk and Georgie’s laugh out loud personality, these two were totally likeable.
Travis Ford is back in his hometown after an injury ends his baseball league career. Seeing his future implode before his eyes, he has no immediate plans apart from drinking himself into a coma.
Georgie Castle is Fort Jefferson’s resident party clown extraordinaire. Being the youngest of the Castle siblings, she's used to being belittled and overlooked by her family. Even with a promising party planning business, no one really takes her seriously. That's until Travis Ford returns.
With everybody handling Travis with kid gloves, Georgie takes it upon herself to draw him out of his slump. Even though he doesn’t appreciate her meddling, he can’t help but be impressed by her even if it's evident that nobody else is.
They could be friends, him and Georgie. That’s what was wrong. He didn’t want one, especially her. She was too young, too positive, and too related to his best friend.
When they both realise they have questionable reputations, they decide to enter a fake relationship to achieve their lifetime goals. There is no questioning that Travis and Georgie have undeniable chemistry, but can they overcome their hang-ups and commit to something real?
“I want your hands all over me. Your mouth on mine. And next time you get out of bed without giving me both, I’m going to find you, pull your pants down, and backhand that little tush you had tucked up in my lap all night. We clear?”
Fix Her Up is a friend to lovers’ romantic comedy but with unexpected depth. Both characters were witty, compassionate and hot together. With Travis’s dirty talk and Georgie’s laugh out loud personality, these two were totally likeable.
July 30, 2019
*4.5 stars*
Fix Her Up was my first book by Tessa Bailey and, to be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect. Reviews from my friends are all over the map, and people seem to love this book or hate it.
Frankly, I was expecting to hate it. But I didn't. I actually adored this one and wanted MORE.
I have issues with contemporary romance, especially those that most people seem to love. Don't get me started on the uber-popular Kristen Ashley books (no shade, they just don't work for me), and some of my lowest ratings are on over-hyped contemporary romances.
But I'm a sucker for humor, and Fix Her Up made me smile. Like, a lot.
Dominate men don't always work for me, and this book is a book for those who like the more alpha male, super-masculine type of guy. I do, however, like a dominate man IN BED, and I found the sex and the dirty talk to be suuuuuuuuper hot, which is actually pretty rare for me in contemporary romance.
I really enjoyed everything about the story. I can see why my friends didn't like it, but I smiled, laughed, and was turned on pretty much the whole way through, which for me is a big win. Fix Her Up is way, way steamier than that cute cover would suggest, and I was HERE FOR IT.
Read with caution, as feelings on this book are very polarizing, but if you like dirty-talking, lightly kinky, dominate men, and you like humor, a fun female MC (I loved her too!), and a super romantic HEA, then try this book. I'll be reading more Tessa Bailey from this point on.
*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*
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Fix Her Up was my first book by Tessa Bailey and, to be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect. Reviews from my friends are all over the map, and people seem to love this book or hate it.
Frankly, I was expecting to hate it. But I didn't. I actually adored this one and wanted MORE.
I have issues with contemporary romance, especially those that most people seem to love. Don't get me started on the uber-popular Kristen Ashley books (no shade, they just don't work for me), and some of my lowest ratings are on over-hyped contemporary romances.
But I'm a sucker for humor, and Fix Her Up made me smile. Like, a lot.
Dominate men don't always work for me, and this book is a book for those who like the more alpha male, super-masculine type of guy. I do, however, like a dominate man IN BED, and I found the sex and the dirty talk to be suuuuuuuuper hot, which is actually pretty rare for me in contemporary romance.
I really enjoyed everything about the story. I can see why my friends didn't like it, but I smiled, laughed, and was turned on pretty much the whole way through, which for me is a big win. Fix Her Up is way, way steamier than that cute cover would suggest, and I was HERE FOR IT.
Read with caution, as feelings on this book are very polarizing, but if you like dirty-talking, lightly kinky, dominate men, and you like humor, a fun female MC (I loved her too!), and a super romantic HEA, then try this book. I'll be reading more Tessa Bailey from this point on.
*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*
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July 8, 2019
It's been a while since I hated a book from start to finish, but WOOOOW. This was not even on my radar until I saw people starting to give it 5 or 4 stars and raving about it. I respect that everyone is entitled to their opinion, but y'all done LIED to me. I'm so annoyed that I don't even wanna type this review and I'm certainly not gonna say all that needs to be said, but here we go.
First of all, the writing. My god. I should have known that a book that starts with "No freaking way" was going to be cringe-worthy, but that line was nothing compared to everything that I actually had to read with my own two damn eyes. I'm going to be doing a video that goes into way more detail because I have a whole list, but from "baby girl" to things be described as male for no reason??? Like a male sigh, male sweat?? Or sometimes even lady stuff, like a lady shrug and lady brain. W H Y. Don't even get me started on some of the similes this sis tried to use. Stuff that just does not make sense. Other descriptions too, like when she said something about a koala bear doing flips inside of her?? The tick tock of hips??? And this isn't even including the way they'd talk to each other, mostly Travis, during sex and even not during sex. It was not cute. It was not sexy.
Oh, and did we really needed to be reminded on every other fucking page that she's a clown? We GET IT SHE'S A GOD DAMNED CLOWN OH MY GOODDDDDDD.
Okay, so the writing? Terrible. But one of the biggest problems for me was the pacing and the way events were placed in this story. From the very beginning, shit was just off. The first scene we're given feels like it should have been further into the book, not the introduction. The whole Just Us League (which is literally just women hanging out??? and having drinks????? IT'S NOT A CLUB IT'S JUST HANGING OUT GOOD GOD) should have been something that was introduced way earlier on if it was supposed to be the "heart" of this book or whatever. It was literally just a way for the author to introduce Rosie so that she could get us interested in a spinoff. Narrator voice: it did not get me interested, I skim read most of these parts because they did nothing for the plot and felt so randomly thrown in. If it was introduced way earlier, it'd be different. But nope.
Things like this just made the entire novel feel off. It felt like a first draft, where you just get it out and then adjust as you go along, moving around scenes to make the story flow. This story had no flow. It was just oh I love this dude hehehe I'm a clown ugh I am angry caveman for no reason wait what is a feelinG????? These characters were like aliens trying to be humans at times. There was so much extra inner monologue explaining that just did not!!! need!!!! to be there!!!!! SHOW not TELL! All this did was tell and it made for a complete disconnect from the story and the characters.
There is certainly more I could say about this. The sex scenes? Ugh. Nope. The very last one was fine, but because of how awful everything else was it didn't matter. Little scenes in this were swallowable but everything around it made it unsalvageable. There is a bare boned story in here that could be alright, but it needed so much editing and arranging to get there. I'm shocked this was a book published in 2019 because it feels so outdated. The ~drama that happens during the last 20 pages? HATED IT. Travis as a character? HATED HIM. Georgie? Fine I guess but tell me you're a clown and act immature then complain about being treated like a child one more time!!!! These characters had so much growing to do, and if that was shown in a complete, complex, thought out, well developed arc, this could have been great, but alas, it's trash. It was fun to hate read because I read it with my best friend, but had I been alone? Probably wouldn't have even finished it. Don't give this book the time of day if you love yourself.
First of all, the writing. My god. I should have known that a book that starts with "No freaking way" was going to be cringe-worthy, but that line was nothing compared to everything that I actually had to read with my own two damn eyes. I'm going to be doing a video that goes into way more detail because I have a whole list, but from "baby girl" to things be described as male for no reason??? Like a male sigh, male sweat?? Or sometimes even lady stuff, like a lady shrug and lady brain. W H Y. Don't even get me started on some of the similes this sis tried to use. Stuff that just does not make sense. Other descriptions too, like when she said something about a koala bear doing flips inside of her?? The tick tock of hips??? And this isn't even including the way they'd talk to each other, mostly Travis, during sex and even not during sex. It was not cute. It was not sexy.
Oh, and did we really needed to be reminded on every other fucking page that she's a clown? We GET IT SHE'S A GOD DAMNED CLOWN OH MY GOODDDDDDD.
Okay, so the writing? Terrible. But one of the biggest problems for me was the pacing and the way events were placed in this story. From the very beginning, shit was just off. The first scene we're given feels like it should have been further into the book, not the introduction. The whole Just Us League (which is literally just women hanging out??? and having drinks????? IT'S NOT A CLUB IT'S JUST HANGING OUT GOOD GOD) should have been something that was introduced way earlier on if it was supposed to be the "heart" of this book or whatever. It was literally just a way for the author to introduce Rosie so that she could get us interested in a spinoff. Narrator voice: it did not get me interested, I skim read most of these parts because they did nothing for the plot and felt so randomly thrown in. If it was introduced way earlier, it'd be different. But nope.
Things like this just made the entire novel feel off. It felt like a first draft, where you just get it out and then adjust as you go along, moving around scenes to make the story flow. This story had no flow. It was just oh I love this dude hehehe I'm a clown ugh I am angry caveman for no reason wait what is a feelinG????? These characters were like aliens trying to be humans at times. There was so much extra inner monologue explaining that just did not!!! need!!!! to be there!!!!! SHOW not TELL! All this did was tell and it made for a complete disconnect from the story and the characters.
There is certainly more I could say about this. The sex scenes? Ugh. Nope. The very last one was fine, but because of how awful everything else was it didn't matter. Little scenes in this were swallowable but everything around it made it unsalvageable. There is a bare boned story in here that could be alright, but it needed so much editing and arranging to get there. I'm shocked this was a book published in 2019 because it feels so outdated. The ~drama that happens during the last 20 pages? HATED IT. Travis as a character? HATED HIM. Georgie? Fine I guess but tell me you're a clown and act immature then complain about being treated like a child one more time!!!! These characters had so much growing to do, and if that was shown in a complete, complex, thought out, well developed arc, this could have been great, but alas, it's trash. It was fun to hate read because I read it with my best friend, but had I been alone? Probably wouldn't have even finished it. Don't give this book the time of day if you love yourself.
June 6, 2022
I have become quite a fan of Tessa Bailey! She knows how to do romance and boy oh boy, can she bring the steam!!! This book definitely gets 5/5 for the steam factor!!! The storyline all together though, I would give a 3.5! It's not bad but it's not overly impressive, either. It was a fun, cute story with lots of steam and spice blended in. There are 2 more books in the series, and I may check them out because I feel slightly involved in the characters now and want to see what the future holds for Rosie and Bethany!
October 15, 2020
I honestly didn’t quite dislike this book as much as I thought I would when I first started it and immediately got weird vibes, but a lot of my issues with it are that it is so over the top.
This is a fake dating romance between a “good girl” who is the baby of the family and not taken seriously (not helped by the fact that she’s an actual professional clown) and a “bad boy” former baseball player who has a history of hookups. They have known each other since childhood and she has always harbored a crush on him.
When I say over the top, I mean numerous things. Georgies career as a clown is a bit much, considering she owns a house with that career. Travis calls her “baby girl” so much that if you made it into a drinking game every time he says it, you’d be dead. The miscommunication at the end is dramatic (although most romance books don’t quite hit the mark there for me). And the quick ways the Travis changes his mind about life plans is also a bit unbelievable.
I’ve heard a lot of complaints about Travis being a bit alpha and possessive which is definitely true. Something I noticed while reading is that the book almost reads as a dom/sub relationship without fully taking it there. There’s a fair number of sex scenes (so be warned), and the language used by both parties reads more kinky than I would have expected from a mainstream romance. There are moments where the language veers into some virgin or even little kink (as Georgie is a virgin and it’s made a big deal of and she also comes off as very innocent). I honestly think if the author embraced that a bit more and made it more explicitly kinky, people might have had less issues. But since it’s not discussed by the characters, it comes off a bit weird.
Overall, not my favorite. I might consider reading more books in the series, particularly the one with Georgies sister, but I’m in no rush and would mostly use it as a filler read.
This is a fake dating romance between a “good girl” who is the baby of the family and not taken seriously (not helped by the fact that she’s an actual professional clown) and a “bad boy” former baseball player who has a history of hookups. They have known each other since childhood and she has always harbored a crush on him.
When I say over the top, I mean numerous things. Georgies career as a clown is a bit much, considering she owns a house with that career. Travis calls her “baby girl” so much that if you made it into a drinking game every time he says it, you’d be dead. The miscommunication at the end is dramatic (although most romance books don’t quite hit the mark there for me). And the quick ways the Travis changes his mind about life plans is also a bit unbelievable.
I’ve heard a lot of complaints about Travis being a bit alpha and possessive which is definitely true. Something I noticed while reading is that the book almost reads as a dom/sub relationship without fully taking it there. There’s a fair number of sex scenes (so be warned), and the language used by both parties reads more kinky than I would have expected from a mainstream romance. There are moments where the language veers into some virgin or even little kink (as Georgie is a virgin and it’s made a big deal of and she also comes off as very innocent). I honestly think if the author embraced that a bit more and made it more explicitly kinky, people might have had less issues. But since it’s not discussed by the characters, it comes off a bit weird.
Overall, not my favorite. I might consider reading more books in the series, particularly the one with Georgies sister, but I’m in no rush and would mostly use it as a filler read.
June 3, 2019
4.5 STARS
This was so stinking cute! A lighthearted and steamy romance full of laughs and sizzle the likes of which only Bailey can write. I read it with a smile on my face from beginning to finish.
Georgette Castle is the perfect amount of quirky that I love in my heroines. She's the youngest sibling in her successful siblings and a bit of a black sheep. Her older siblings have their careers and life together, and Georgie is a professional clown. I mean, c'mon! How often do you read that? She's incredibly endearing and loves her job entertaining kids. But she also wants her family to finally see her as the woman that can do something right in their eyes.
There's a dash of unrequited love when it comes to her and Travis. She's always harbored a secret crush on her older brother's best friend but she never had a hope in snagging his attention outside of being the annoying little sister that tagged along and mooned after her brother's friend. Travis is a professional MBA player whose career comes to a crashing halt after a bad injury. Now he's back in the small town he couldn't wait to get away from and dealing with his new reality.
I loved the relationship development between Georgie and Travis. They start as unlikely friends and confidants that soon leads to something more when Travis finally sees the woman Georgie always was. I loved that it wasn't about Georgie changing herself to be seen in a different light by him but rather just coming into her own and comfortable with it. I loved the way that Travis brought her strength and helped her bring out the best version of herself and have her family finally see her. I loved that Georgie was a strong heroine outside of everything too. She didn't need Travis to help her, but she also brought out the best version of him.
This was such a cute, endearing, and sweet romance. I loved the women's friendships and Georgie's brother's kooky wife. I loved the secondary characters and the dynamic they bring to this story and I seriously can't wait for more in this series!
ARC courtesy of author in exchange for an honest review
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One second, laughter kindled in his throat, and the next, it was tight. Just tight. Because flushed and looking up at him with her bright green eyes, Georgette Castle was the most beautiful thing on the planet.
This was so stinking cute! A lighthearted and steamy romance full of laughs and sizzle the likes of which only Bailey can write. I read it with a smile on my face from beginning to finish.
Georgette Castle is the perfect amount of quirky that I love in my heroines. She's the youngest sibling in her successful siblings and a bit of a black sheep. Her older siblings have their careers and life together, and Georgie is a professional clown. I mean, c'mon! How often do you read that? She's incredibly endearing and loves her job entertaining kids. But she also wants her family to finally see her as the woman that can do something right in their eyes.
There's a dash of unrequited love when it comes to her and Travis. She's always harbored a secret crush on her older brother's best friend but she never had a hope in snagging his attention outside of being the annoying little sister that tagged along and mooned after her brother's friend. Travis is a professional MBA player whose career comes to a crashing halt after a bad injury. Now he's back in the small town he couldn't wait to get away from and dealing with his new reality.
I loved the relationship development between Georgie and Travis. They start as unlikely friends and confidants that soon leads to something more when Travis finally sees the woman Georgie always was. I loved that it wasn't about Georgie changing herself to be seen in a different light by him but rather just coming into her own and comfortable with it. I loved the way that Travis brought her strength and helped her bring out the best version of herself and have her family finally see her. I loved that Georgie was a strong heroine outside of everything too. She didn't need Travis to help her, but she also brought out the best version of him.
This was such a cute, endearing, and sweet romance. I loved the women's friendships and Georgie's brother's kooky wife. I loved the secondary characters and the dynamic they bring to this story and I seriously can't wait for more in this series!
ARC courtesy of author in exchange for an honest review
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July 25, 2019
I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t love this one because everyone seems to think this book is so sexy and steamy but I personally thought it was super cheesy and annoying.
-Started off really promising, loved the characters and their chemistry
-This story features some things I love: a baseball player, fake dating trope
-It also has a trope that I don’t typically enjoy: when he was her childhood crush and now she gets the chance to be with him (idk why I never tend to truly love books with this plot line)
-Their banter is hilarious though
-Travis Ford is a bit too much of a hot-head controlling type for my personal taste in male love interests. And he’s cocky to the point where it’s annoying as fuck, they call him two bats for fucks sake. And when he’s in bed with her he’s like: “you’re about to meet your god” about his dick like bitch pleasssseee stop
-Along the way I feel like the story started to fall into the “one sex scene after another” and the plot doesn’t go anywhere trope
-Too many “baby girls” it was cute the first time but when he says it three times every single page I start to roll my eyes
-Of COURSE Georgie is a virgin and that only makes him want her more because she’s so innocent~
-The dirty talk is sooooo cheesy and cringe worthy and I honestly don’t get the hype with this book
This is my third book I’ve finished for the Reading Rush and this completes the challenge for read a book with purple on the cover! 💁🏻♀️
-Started off really promising, loved the characters and their chemistry
-This story features some things I love: a baseball player, fake dating trope
-It also has a trope that I don’t typically enjoy: when he was her childhood crush and now she gets the chance to be with him (idk why I never tend to truly love books with this plot line)
-Their banter is hilarious though
-Travis Ford is a bit too much of a hot-head controlling type for my personal taste in male love interests. And he’s cocky to the point where it’s annoying as fuck, they call him two bats for fucks sake. And when he’s in bed with her he’s like: “you’re about to meet your god” about his dick like bitch pleasssseee stop
-Along the way I feel like the story started to fall into the “one sex scene after another” and the plot doesn’t go anywhere trope
-Too many “baby girls” it was cute the first time but when he says it three times every single page I start to roll my eyes
-Of COURSE Georgie is a virgin and that only makes him want her more because she’s so innocent~
-The dirty talk is sooooo cheesy and cringe worthy and I honestly don’t get the hype with this book
This is my third book I’ve finished for the Reading Rush and this completes the challenge for read a book with purple on the cover! 💁🏻♀️
April 15, 2021
0.5★| This is one of the worst books I've read so far this year. Even Shadow and Bone was better than this. This was:
Amazing at first, sick in the middle, and cheesy in the end.
The quiet got too loud once you’d come and gone. How dare you.
I've actually never read the "in-love-with-brother's-best-friend" trope and I think the trope sounds great and I was so excited for this esp. because I hadn't read any romances lately and my other current read had zero romance (as a subplot) in it too.
I'm not going to go much in detail over this stupid ass of a book. I'm not here to offend anyone, my rating obviously tells I didn't like it so if you love this, good for you. But don't come asking, "How could you say that?"
So, let's get to the point.
This relationship was sickening. (why? I'll tell)
This isn't a standalone. I got to know it later. Dumb me, didn't see what I was getting into.
synopsis
And then there's Georgie, his best friend's sister, who is not a kid anymore. [•••] But the girl Travis used to tease was now a funny, full-of-life woman and there's nothing fake about how much he wants her.
↓
Now, what happens is, Travis treats Georgie like a kid, not only that, he never spends a single extra minute with her unless it's about something important. Finally, Georgie realizes she needs to get a life rather than dying-in-love with Travis. Which btw starts from discarding the over-sized sweaters and the rough old jeans she used to wear and start looking like a mature woman by wearing sexy dresses like a pencil skirt which shows the curves of her hips and her beautiful, freshly-waxed legs. Not to forget, her haircut.
When Travis sees her with the haircut, and that same day while maybe slightly, side-ways hugging her, he gets hard.
Later when he sees her legs, he can't think of anything else.
When she walks the stairs ahead of him, he looks at the shape of her hips and wants to grab them.
The Acceptable part
I get it. She used to never take care of her, always dressed like she didn't care what people thought, and was considered a child by almost everyone, including her big brother, so obviously Travis treated her like one too. And seeing the change in her, seeing she's beautiful, he couldn't resist her.
—I can accept the part where he's getting attracted to her by noticing she's a woman and not a little girl anymore.
—I can accept the part where he gets hard seeing her curves, I think any man would.
—I can accept the part where he thinks of Georgie as the girl who actually saved him from being a complete mess all the time. Because that's true. Because she did/say some things that helped him.
—I can accept that Travis started found her beautiful and fun-loving.
The Sickening part
—i can absolutely NOT accept this (and nobody, not even the synopsis told me this.) I can NOT accept that Travis got attracted to Georgie after, not just treating her like a kid, but also considering her like his own sister ALL his life. This part was just sickening to me. I get it. She's not really his sister so it doesn't matter. No. I can't just accept the fact that he actually got attracted to a girl he always thought of as a sister. JUST by seeing the change in her outlook? I can't believe he wanted to touch her legs and see her breasts when he still thought of her as a sister. I can't believe he got hard hugging her when he still thought of her as a sister. I can't believe he suddenly wanted to fuck Georgie so hard. I just can't believe it. How can you ever have those weird thoughts for your sister? How? I can't process it.
There's a lot of problems with the other Characters, the plot was there just for the sake of it, to keep Georgie and Travis together. The Just-us League was weird. The friendships were bland and didn't seem real. There was no depth to anything whatsoever in this book. Guess what the next book is about?
A couple who's relationship problems were discussed in this book.
Just, Hate it. It put me in a reading slump I fought to just finish my reread of chain of gold and connected stories. After finishing that, the slump is back again and has been staying here from over a week. I'm glad to have finally written a little review to get over with this.
Amazing at first, sick in the middle, and cheesy in the end.
The quiet got too loud once you’d come and gone. How dare you.
I've actually never read the "in-love-with-brother's-best-friend" trope and I think the trope sounds great and I was so excited for this esp. because I hadn't read any romances lately and my other current read had zero romance (as a subplot) in it too.
I'm not going to go much in detail over this stupid ass of a book. I'm not here to offend anyone, my rating obviously tells I didn't like it so if you love this, good for you. But don't come asking, "How could you say that?"
So, let's get to the point.
This relationship was sickening. (why? I'll tell)
This isn't a standalone. I got to know it later. Dumb me, didn't see what I was getting into.
synopsis
And then there's Georgie, his best friend's sister, who is not a kid anymore. [•••] But the girl Travis used to tease was now a funny, full-of-life woman and there's nothing fake about how much he wants her.
↓
Now, what happens is, Travis treats Georgie like a kid, not only that, he never spends a single extra minute with her unless it's about something important. Finally, Georgie realizes she needs to get a life rather than dying-in-love with Travis. Which btw starts from discarding the over-sized sweaters and the rough old jeans she used to wear and start looking like a mature woman by wearing sexy dresses like a pencil skirt which shows the curves of her hips and her beautiful, freshly-waxed legs. Not to forget, her haircut.
When Travis sees her with the haircut, and that same day while maybe slightly, side-ways hugging her, he gets hard.
Later when he sees her legs, he can't think of anything else.
When she walks the stairs ahead of him, he looks at the shape of her hips and wants to grab them.
The Acceptable part
I get it. She used to never take care of her, always dressed like she didn't care what people thought, and was considered a child by almost everyone, including her big brother, so obviously Travis treated her like one too. And seeing the change in her, seeing she's beautiful, he couldn't resist her.
—I can accept the part where he's getting attracted to her by noticing she's a woman and not a little girl anymore.
—I can accept the part where he gets hard seeing her curves, I think any man would.
—I can accept the part where he thinks of Georgie as the girl who actually saved him from being a complete mess all the time. Because that's true. Because she did/say some things that helped him.
—I can accept that Travis started found her beautiful and fun-loving.
The Sickening part
—i can absolutely NOT accept this (and nobody, not even the synopsis told me this.) I can NOT accept that Travis got attracted to Georgie after, not just treating her like a kid, but also considering her like his own sister ALL his life. This part was just sickening to me. I get it. She's not really his sister so it doesn't matter. No. I can't just accept the fact that he actually got attracted to a girl he always thought of as a sister. JUST by seeing the change in her outlook? I can't believe he wanted to touch her legs and see her breasts when he still thought of her as a sister. I can't believe he got hard hugging her when he still thought of her as a sister. I can't believe he suddenly wanted to fuck Georgie so hard. I just can't believe it. How can you ever have those weird thoughts for your sister? How? I can't process it.
There's a lot of problems with the other Characters, the plot was there just for the sake of it, to keep Georgie and Travis together. The Just-us League was weird. The friendships were bland and didn't seem real. There was no depth to anything whatsoever in this book. Guess what the next book is about?
A couple who's relationship problems were discussed in this book.
Just, Hate it. It put me in a reading slump I fought to just finish my reread of chain of gold and connected stories. After finishing that, the slump is back again and has been staying here from over a week. I'm glad to have finally written a little review to get over with this.
July 10, 2019
i would recommend this to anyone who is on the brink of orgasm and needs that final push.....everyone else should just skip it
June 24, 2019
★★½ /5
This was very fast, summery read. The main character had a big personality and was fun to follow her around. The love interest wasn’t that interesting as I hoped he would be. The plot was nothing special; it hadn’t a lot of depth and didn’t reach its potential, because the premise sounded a lot more intriguing. The writing style was simple and easy to understand. For my this book was very average, but I am not mad about it, I do not regret reading it. I would recommend this book for people who just want to have fun afternoon reading a book.
This was very fast, summery read. The main character had a big personality and was fun to follow her around. The love interest wasn’t that interesting as I hoped he would be. The plot was nothing special; it hadn’t a lot of depth and didn’t reach its potential, because the premise sounded a lot more intriguing. The writing style was simple and easy to understand. For my this book was very average, but I am not mad about it, I do not regret reading it. I would recommend this book for people who just want to have fun afternoon reading a book.
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