It was meant to be a one-night stand, not “I do.”Joe Kaminski likes to go with the flow, a good trait to have as a young artist living in London. His laidback approach to life makes him a fish out of water when he’s hired at P&B Designs, a high-powered PR agency. The money’s good, but with his poor planning skills, he doesn’t see it lasting.Harry Byrne likes his life the same way he likes his … same way he likes his PowerPoint presentations: structured. Known for his dynamic personality, Harry suffered a blow when his seven-year relationship fell apart, souring his mood. The last thing on his mind is getting into another relationship, especially with a man who can barely make it to the office on time.
They’re not even supposed to like each other. But five years later, Joe and Harry are getting ready to tie the knot. They should’ve known it was only a matter of time before everything starts to fall apart: obstructive friends, well-meaning but meddlesome family, a hovering ex, international incidents, fires, pregnancies, and an airport chase. It seems their “I do”s were doomed from the start.
more
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book. The review I’m leaving is being done voluntarily and contains my own thoughts, views, and personal opinions.
I wavered a bit with my star rating on this novel, as there were bits I loved and bits I cringed over. I settled on a 3.5 and am rounding up.
So… where to begin. I think I’ll start with the areas that didn’t work, just to get them over with. Firstly, Joe was a painfully childish character. I get where the author was trying for humor, but in many places, I had that cringey feeling where you feel sorry and uncomfortable for someone because they’re trying too hard and really just making a fool of themselves. That happened more often than I’m willing to admit. In fact, quite a bit of the humor in this gave me that queasy feeling of being embarrassed for the character (and the author).
Then there was the flashbacks/time hopping. I get where the author was going with it, and it KIND of worked, but really it just irritated me. I can’t stand when I’m reading a book and it’s written like a movie. Yes, in movies, time hops like that work as a story telling tool. But books are a different medium that require a different and personalized approach.
Now, to discuss what did work for me, which was mostly everything else. I loved the side characters the most. While they did have their own moments of cringe, they were mostly delightful and unique and fun. I also found the storyline to be delightful and just fresh enough to keep me turning the page despite frustrations that might’ve ended my read had the rest of the book not been so wonderful.
It’s a real thing when a reader says, “It’s not you, it’s me.” Honestly, not every read is for everyone, and what one person might fawn all over, another might spend hours finding new ways to throw it under the bus. I think this book definitely came out the end as more positive than negative for me, but it might be something others will love beyond measure. So, I encourage you to give it a shot if it seems even remotely likely to be something you’d enjoy!
Marry Him caught my eye with its cute, simple cover and the promise of a romantic comedy. I love opposites attract romances and the start of Marry Him felt like it was going to be a cute, fun ride filled with some silly bobbles. While I definitely got a lot of that, Marry Him ended up being a bit of a mixed bag for me.
It honestly felt as though the author tried too hard to make this into a comedy of errors rather than let the silly misadventures and missteps provide a more balanced humor. Additionally, the timeline shifting back and forth created a less cohesive storyline and kept me from really getting to watch these two come together, fall in love, and then move toward their happily ever after. I’m not usually one that gets stuck on these details, but I think this aspect combined with the uncertainty regarding Harry’s actions leading up to the big day, and the random occurrences that disrupted the couple’s plans made things much more chaotic than they needed to be. All that said, I did like these two together. I loved that Harry saw all the good in Joe, looking over the silliness that he and his friends often got into and embracing the person beneath all the misadventures. And while some of the stylistic choices didn’t work well for me, the overall style and character development was solid. I think fans of misadventures and silly comedic moments might enjoy Marry Him and all the craziness that leads up to Harry and Joe’s big day.
*eARC received via Netgalley*