Mary Jayne Baker

Oh, Mary Jayne Baker. It's like you wrote this book just for me! It's 100% British and took me back to my youth when my Dad used every British slang word and saying he could all day, everyday. Meanwhile, it's a cute, comedic romance that reminds me I'm an adult. It's safe to say, this book was a nostalgia trip for me and a half!

If I had to pick one word to describe this book, it would be quirky! It doesn't totally fit into one category for me, and that's totally okay. It has a lot of comedy, a pinch of romance, some epic drama and lots of fictional heists to follow. Just labelling it one of those words (or genres) would be a tragedy! This book is just too good to be put into one little corner.

So, down to the meat of it: Lana Donati is our lead, but her brother Tom, friends Yolanda, Gerry, and Sue, a sexy television star named Hunter, and the love interest/former pro cyclist Stewart all take part in this story too. This book starts out seeming like it'll be your typical romance: Lana and Stewart have a date but then... oh yes... the date goes sour. Stewart doesn't call Lana and life goes to the pits. Her Father passes away and leaves the siblings his restaurant and the Tour de France is coming to town! Big things are coming Lana's way...

For reference, I'm Canadian (half British, but good ol' Canada is my home) so I don't have many British references to give you. If I had to pick one that the masses from North America and the U.K. would understand, I'd relate this book to Coronation Street. It has the fun and quirky characters, the dramatic plot and British-ness I love about the show. But, sometimes that show can get depressing so imagine the funny and romantic storylines.

The banter itself is golden. I started highlighting all of the hilarious comments on my ecopy and I almost highlighted half the book (whoops!).

Since I don't want to deal with too much copyright, here's two excellent comments that made me laugh hysterically and giggle and chuckle and all of the fun laugh terms:

"Scott Spen, 26. Looks like a sheep, sounds like a sheep, may actually be part sheep." Like, dude, who doesn't look at dating profiles and think stuff like that?! Just me? Cool.

"A honking good pair." Without context, sounds brutal. Read the book and you'll be giggling along with me.

Comedy like THIS is what gets me laughing. Witty sarcasm is the best kind of humour, so I absolutely loved this novel.

Did I have negative? Of course I did! No book is perfect.

In some places online, this book was marketed more like a romance, and it's not a pure romance. It's more comedic romance, not Hallmark or Harlequin style romance at all. If a reader comes specifically for that romance, they will be let down. But... does that ruin the book? Heck no! That's just my point of view.

Overall, this book is an absolute delight and totally fits into my wheelhouse! I love Mary Jayne Baker's writing and will definitely be sticking around for the long haul. This book was marvelous!

Five out of five stars!

I received a book for free from the publisher (Mirror Books) in exchange of an honest review.… (altro)

Mary Jayne Baker's hit The Perfect Fit is an amazingly British story that brightened up my day!

Mary Jayne is one of my newest, most favourite authors around. Her stories are full of romance and comedy, as well as so much British slang and jokes that I can't help but be addicted to them! My childhood was full of family members from England, so I absolutely dig all of the British-ness packed tight into this story. Let alone, the fact that this story has an awesome plot and continues the story started in A Bicycle Made for Two.

This time around, Becky Finn is putting on a pantomime for charity! She came up with the idea after taking a special little girl to a special little production of Peter Pan ("Why are pirates called pirates? Because they arrrrrrre." Seriously, this book is a gem, people!). Becky is engaged to a wonderful man but is feeling left out. She wants kids but he wants to get married first and he is always away. In walks Marcus - a friend who she may have some feelings for. Who will she end up with?! Will the pantomime be successful? Will there be more cheesey jokes? You will have to read to find out.

Although, I promise there are LOTS of cheesey jokes. Lots of innuendos too! My gosh, the innuendos were amazing...

This book definitely far exceeded my expectations. I find that most sequels are hit and miss, but this book did the impossible! It grew the story and made me love it just as much as the first one! I definitely want to continue picking up books by Ms. Baker (Mrs. Baker? Dr. Baker? Whatever). I feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside after reading books like this.

You definitely don't need to read the first book to understand this one. Yes, there are some characters present from the other book in this series, but it doesn't affect the story. As a reader, you are given all of the information you need to understand and read your little heart out! That being said, I would highly recommend reading the first book because it's funny and romantic like this one!

But... you may be thinking... this review is way too positive! There must be some negatives! And there absolutely are. While I think this book is definitely amazing and worth reading, it falls flat with some of the character development. It felt very stereotypical, but that doesn't bother me too much. I didn't come for an Oscar-winning movie-esque book. I came for funny jokes, a splash of romance and lots of British slang. If you're looking for the next Notebook, you've come to the wrong place. This book is all about fun! I was smirking most of my way through it because it was such a treat.

On a side note: I did enjoy that there was a lot of realism in this book despite all of the comedy. This book features a gay couple who adopts a beautiful, little girl named Pip and it felt very fitting. It wasn't used as a joke or a gag, it just fit right in. Throw in the parenting struggles about adopting to begin with (since a straight couple is also trying to adopt) and having life pass adults by. All of those struggles are super real but addressed very well in this book. I applaud Mary Jayne for adding these. It felt really good to see them.

Overall, this book gets five inflatable boobs out of five inflatable boobs.

If you don't understand the reference, read the book to find out!

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.… (altro)

Mary Jayne Baker is proving to be a Queen of romantic comedy, let me tell ya!

I've been enjoying books by Miss Mary Jayne and couldn't resist when I saw this book floating around on NetGalley. Because it's so good, I even bought myself a copy too! I can't get enough of these super sugary sweet romantic comedies because they are just so feel good! And full of laughs! Man, it's been a long time since I've been able to consistently find romantic comedies that have me giggling!

So, we have this group of friends who named their little get together group. The Marry, Shag, Kill Group became so many other titles, but finally settled on The Never Have I Ever Club! So a new group is formed and is gonna try to do something new that they always wanted to try! A fair amount of these folks are elderly, and we all know they will have time left in life to learn. This all came about though because Robyn's ex broke up with her, and now she appears to be falling for his twin brother, Will. Did I mention Will's a hot doctor? That totally helps.

This adorable pair slowly begins to fall for each other, and they lean on each other in tough times. They are quite the pair! I liked watching this slow burn romance develop over time, to be brutally honest. It was a great change from the sudden love at first sight books I've been picking up recently.

There's so many fun pop culture references in this book that it has me grinning. Honestly, I think these books are just a barrel full of fun (or monkeys, whatever quote you want, really).

My only potential negative is that this book could be a little bit shorter and the story wouldn't have changed. But, that's just my opinion! I still think the book is an absolute delight and it doesn't affect my enjoyment at all.

If you like romantic comedies, this is a fun book to pick up! It's a laugh out loud funny kind of book with a wonderful friendship growing into romance trope that will melt your heart away. I couldn't get enough of this book and I know I'll be following Mary Jayne Baker in the future because I think her books are just fantastic. I am definitely in her reader base! What a talent!

Four out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Aria for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.… (altro)

Yet another wonderful romantic comedy full of British humour by Mary Jayne Baker.

I seriously adore Mary Jayne Baker and her books. I'm British by blood, but Canadian by birth, so hearing the British comedy and trills in my head when I read brings me back. It reminds me of my Dad a lot, which makes me smile. The fact that I can bring my love for reading, romantic comedies and British humour all into one place? Golden.

This is another hit in my books. The story is fast paced, full of beautiful twists and turns, and feels like a great 2000s comedy. The theme of facing hardships and getting past them is also a really nice touch that will make you smile or cry (or both, you never know). Kitty and Jack are quite the pair, and make for a really good couple in this book.

Overall, I highly recommend picking this book up! If you like tv shows like Coronation Street but want more romantic comedy in it, this book is for you.

Four out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Aria for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.… (altro)