Talk Bookish To Me by Kate Bromley - Book Review

I picked this novel for the main reason that our protagonist, Kara, is a successful romance novelist with seven books under her belt. And I love writing romance and hope for one day to be like Kara Sullivan and be a well known published author. I also wanted to read this novel as Kate Bromley is a new author, and this is her debut novel. As someone who wants to become a published author, I believe I should be supporting new and upcoming authors as that’s the type of support that I need when I publish my first novel.

Now, this novel is a cute romance, and from reading the blurb, you know that Kara and Ryan will end up together - it wouldn’t be a romance if they didn’t.

Before starting this novel, I knew what to expect from it due to the blurb, and that’s one of the reasons why I enjoyed this book. The way they promoted this novel was done correctly and was not misleading. 

If you are like me and enjoy the romances about second chances, then this is the book for you. Kara and Ryan were once together in college, but something happened, and they broke up, only to bump into each other ten years later at their friend's pre-wedding party. Not only is it a second chance, but it is also an enemies to lovers' romance. I won’t tell you how they broke up the first time, but I will say it is nothing too bad but more of a misunderstanding. 

I thought it was clever how Bromley linked Kara’s novel, which she was writing, to Kara’s romance, which she was sharing with Ryan. I loved what was happening in Kara’s novel, reflected what was happening in real life.

I absolutely adored the dialogue between Kara and Ryan; it felt realistic and not forced. Meaning, if you had just opened the book on a random page of them talking to one another without knowing their background, you would automatically be able to tell something serious had happened between them. They had that witty banter that commonly develops between couples. 

However, saying all of that, there were some areas that I, unfortunately, was not fond of. Between the middle and end of most books is where you would find the climax, and in romance, this scene is normally the time where the couple, for some reason, split apart. Throughout the book, you knew Ryan was hiding something. During the wedding, you find out what it was during the climactic scene; unfortunately, I did not like it. 

(This will spoil it, so continue if you want to). During their first break-up ten years ago, Kara thought he cheated on her; we learn that he didn’t. However, what we do learn is that in the present-day, Kara is actually the other mistress as he is engaged with the woman that Kara thought he was cheating with all those years ago. Now, Ryan states that this relationship was nothing, that they only got engaged because one she asked and two because all of her friends were getting married. On top of that, he was going to break up with her when seeing her again. This is something big to come back from, and I still can’t get over the fact that Kara ended up with him. 

In my opinion, I feel that Bromley should have used something else for the climactic scene. For example, Ryan could actually have a five-year-old daughter with the woman Kara thought he was cheating with all those years ago. Not only would this make Kara annoyed that he didn’t tell her the truth, but it wouldn’t seem too shocking for her to go back with him.

Stating all of this, I will have to give this book 2.5/5 stars due to the climactic scene. However, I believe Kate Bromley will grow into a great romantic novelist, and I am interested in reading Here For The Drama by her, which should be coming out in June 2022.