✔️ Second chance romance✔️ Sexy athlete hero✔️ Hot, passionate–all the feels! Six years ago Fin Bowie made a decision that cost him the love of his life. Now his ex is coming back to town for her brother’s wedding, and he can finally make things right. Except, right before the event, a text he sent goes viral. Overnight, he becomes an international meme. And it’s hard to win your woman back when … your woman back when the whole world’s calling you The World’s Worst Boyfriend.
The last thing on Calliope Bell’s mind is getting back with Fin. Not when her life’s just gone sideways, forcing her to spend the summer in Calamity, Wyoming. She can’t be away from the New York art world this long, so she comes up with the idea to turn the hottest pop culture event of the moment into a museum exhibition.
The two have every intention of avoiding each other–until the county judge sentences Fin to community service…helping her exploit the meme he’s trying to make go away.
Six years ago Fin Bowie made a decision that cost him the love of his life. Now his ex is coming back to town for her brother’s wedding, and he can finally make things right. Except, right before the event, a text he sent goes viral. Overnight, he becomes an international meme. And it’s hard to win your woman back when the whole world’s calling you The World’s Worst Boyfriend.
The last thing on Calliope Bell’s mind is getting back with Fin. Not when her life’s just gone sideways, forcing her to spend the summer in Calamity, Wyoming. She can’t be away from the New York art world this long, so she comes up with the idea to turn the hottest pop culture event of the moment into a museum exhibition.
The two have every intention of avoiding each other—until the county judge sentences Fin to community service…helping her exploit the meme he’s trying to make go away.
Previously published as The World’s Worst Boyfriend
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Hilarious shenanigans while teaching a lesson to many men but to the wrong one in this case.
Interesting how we place pressure on ourselves to seek approval from people regardless of our own self worth and how a text message was taken out of context but most important how those we considered friends don’t step up and correct a misunderstanding
Intresting plot, quick reading. I highly recommend!
Too many of the same scenes over and over and needs more character development. cute story but only ok.
Read the book marveling at the authors original story events. Enjoyed characters and story line. Enjoy , I recommend you read it, full of fun.
I really enjoyed this book. The storyline was original and refreshing. Witty banter that made it hard to put down!
Greatest love story that finally got told. Loved the push and pull of this young couple, coming back together, finally figuring it out again, to only fall back in the old pattern, then with each of them finally figuring out the greatest thing…love. Thanks for the beautiful read
Love isn’t safe. It’s messed up and crazy and it hurts like hell.
Fin and Callie were high school sweethearts who were like 2 magnets around each other. They had a lot of intensity and shared a joy for life but they had two different paths lying ahead of them after graduation. Fin believed they could have it all, but a really bad decision on his part and a severe overreaction on her part led to 6 miserable years apart. She cut him out of her life entirely without giving him an opportunity to explain and blocked every means of communication.
Now her brother is getting married and Fin is the best man. so he is seizing the opportunity to get her attention again for at least a few minutes. Except that Traci, the only female member of his expedition team, is injured on the side of a mountain and he is in danger of missing his flight home as he and the team race to get her to a hospital. After being assured the guys have it under control and her family is on the way, he is just able to catch a charter flight home and send off what would turn out to be an ill-advised text to Traci as he leaves.
That text takes on a life of its own as it goes viral, and Fin finds himself in the uncomfortable position of being vilified for a misunderstanding while being unwilling to defend himself at the expense of someone who was injured in his watch. Things go from bad to worse as he discovers Callie at her brother’s wedding with a new boyfriend using her full name “Calliope” since it sounds more sophisticated trying to look and sound like a New York socialite. I say trying because it doesn’t take long for peeks of his “wild thing” to show through. The NY snob Julian doesn’t take it well, and Callie finds her life imploding too. She latches on to reading the stories associated with the meme as a source of comfort and an idea takes hold to salvage her future and her dreams. The only problem is that is might cost Fin his dream too.
I have to admit, I really didn’t love Callie as either version that presented itself. The NY socialite wanna-be was just a front that she put up to try to fit in and land her dream job, but even the version that reappeared once she was back in her hometown wasn’t really a favorite for me. She was still a lost high school kid in a lot of ways because she chose to push down the pain and try to put it in a box never to be opened after Fin abandoned her in her mind.
While she stayed stuck in a past of hurt and acted like a petulant child at every possible turn while living in Denial-land, Fin was determined to win her back. He has had 6 years to contemplate the error of his ways and he is not going to screw it up again… hopefully. He is absolute in his conviction that she is the only woman for him, and they definitely still have sparks. But their problems are rooted in one thing that really hasn’t changed over the years: his relationship with his three older brothers. Fin has always wanted to be respected by them from the time he was just 5 years old, and he has worked hard to be included by them ever since then although it has been to the detriment of everything else in his life. If they ask him for help or offer to include them in their plans, he drops everything and everyone to be there. Oh, and those brothers? Yeah, major jerks in my opinion. Fin needs to learn to put Callie first and make his brothers work for HIS attention for a change if they have any shot of working.
“What we have? It’s rare, wild thing. Are we perfect? Nah. No one is. But together we’re magic, and that means it’s worth figuring out how to be right for each other.”
All in all, The World’s Worst Boyfriend was a story that I enjoyed despite my reservations about Callie. I loved how the author took the meme and turned it into a character all its own and how Callie recognized it for the unifying healing power it turned out to be. As for Fin- well, he is the definition of a great guy with good intentions who unintentionally gets in his own way at times. He has a mountain of determination to follow the path that his heart tells him is right, and there are some VERY heart-melting and swoony moments courtesy of Fin Bowie in this book. Hopefully his brothers learn to take a lesson or two from him when their turns come around to be knocked on their butts by their other halves because they are going to need it based on what I have seen so far!
Many layers and all the feels
This was my first book by this author, so I didn’t know quite what to expect. Second chance stories can be a little iffy for me, but this one had me sucked in and pulling for Fin in about 2 pages. In fact, I was so far in Fin’s corner, I had a hard time warming up to Callie at first, but I got there, and I was cheering, and my heart was breaking, for both of them.
As for the story itself, I thought, second chance story, right? There’s usually a standard kind of progression to those kinds of stories, so I loved that this one took so many turns I didn’t expect. This story isn’t just about Fin and Callie, it’s about heartbreak, loss, regret and forgiveness, about family, growing up and following your bliss, but most of all, it’s about love.
A story with so many layers all the feels that ended with a great hook for the next in the series. I can’t wait to find out which brother it will be. 5+ stars
B2B Kelly
I totally fell in love with Becket Jones and I have been waiting for his story! Becket is the whole package. Fun, sexy, he gives back to the community ten-fold, does anything and everything for his friends and family. Becket is not out looking for the next hook-up, he’s looking for the woman who could be the ONE. He’s the ultimate dream guy.
Ivy is not relationship material and she is in no way looking for the ONE. She runs a company called Ditched and helps people to make their way out of the relationship that no longer works for them. There is a lot to Ivy, yet not too many people know the real her. Ivy’s walls are built tall and are extra thick to keep any closeness of a potential relationship at bay.
Yet once Becket and Ivy meet, he seems to take those walls down brick by brick. But when Ivy’s past comes into their future, all bets are off on who is really about to get Ditched.
I truly enjoyed every minute of this book. Becket is the dream guy, plain and simple and I loved how he took his time with Ivy and seemed to know what she needed to feel safe and loved. The banter between them was funny, sexy and the chemistry was simply perfect. At some points though, I was extremely aggravated with Ivy as I thought we’d never find out what was the underlying issue of her not be able to get close to Becket. When it finally came to light, WOW.
Ditched is the perfect read with a ton of heart with just a little bit of angst that will just make your heart so full in the end!
This was a seriously addicting read! It was an emotional, angst filled, fun and sexy ride. I just couldn’t put it down. Awesome story!
This was such a fun emotional roller coaster to go on. This is the story of Fin Bowie and Calliope (Callie) Bell. They are teenage sweethearts who broke each other’s heart with one decision years ago. Callie left and made a new life in New York. Fin stayed with his extreme sports brothers in Wyoming. Now Callie is back for her brother’s wedding. And the feelings between the two are strong as ever. That is enough information not to spoil this story. It is worth reading from the start to finish. Their story is packed with raw emotion. I felt like I was a part of it! The bond these two have is strong and nothing can stop it. Except for their own doubts. Fin knows what he wants and what he has always wanted. Callie feels she has lost that girl she was and she feels she can’t trust Fin to not break her heart again. Especially after a misunderstanding has made him an internet sensation as The World’s Worst Boyfriend.
This is more than just a love story. This is a story about finding yourself. About recovering from a heart break. About forgiveness. About one mistake doesn’t determine your whole life. Also about how important our family and where we come from can be.
This author does an amazing job pulling the reader into the story. The way she writes made me feel like I wasn’t reading someone’s story. I felt like it was my story too. I am glad to hear this will be a series. I can’t wait to read more.
I highly recommend this book!
Ahh, if only we were all lucky enough to have The World’s Worst Boyfriend. Because, if that’s what we’re labeling Fin Bowie, then sign-me right up! Sexy, sincere, and sweet – this adrenaline junkie hero was easy to love – even if sometimes that love hurts.
I loved Fin and Callie together. Their sometimes-hostile, but always sparky banter was addictive to read and I loved the way they found their way back to each other. Their story is emotional and a little bit bigger than just the romance in that both characters undergo some significant growth and development over the course of the story. The story dug a little bit deeper than I was expecting, but was still a delight to read.
That said, there were some things that didn’t quite hit home for me. I felt like the conflict was a bit repetitive – that is they kept re-visiting the same issues over and over again and it became frustrating for me after a while. It took me a while to warm up to Callie – whose protective outer shell kept even the reader from getting too close emotionally. And there was that one point where I literally wanted to knock Fin in the head for acting like a big dumb animal.
But, at the same time – I think that’s how I was supposed to feel which means that, while occasionally frustrating for me, this storyline was ultimately well executed.
In the end, The World’s Worst Boyfriend was every bit as fun as it looks like it would be. What a fantastic introduction to the Bowie brothers, and Fin – in particular – was a real treat. There’s a teaser for the next book tucked in here and I’m already hungry to know so much more!
In today’s society, social media can be both a blessing and a curse, and for someone like Fin Bowie, who others emulate and are jealous of, an ill-timed text goes viral, destroying any opportunity Fin has to make amends and win back the girl he should have never let go in the first place.
After six years, Fin and Callie find themselves back in their hometown, and while they attempt to avoid one another, leaving their past exactly where it’s meant to be, fate has other ideas for the exes, which leaves Fin hopeful for a second chance and Callie unwilling to settle for anything less than she deserves, which is why Fin’s mission will be difficult but not impossible because it’s obvious that Callie still loves the man who broke her heart all those years ago.
Fin and Callie are two flawed characters, which will definitely be a point of contention for some readers. It’s frustrating to stand on the outside and witness the push and pull between them, and while Callie’s attitude and hesitation makes perfect sense given what happened with Fin before, Fin doesn’t seem anything like the young man he was, which seems to only reinforce the fact that Fin’s moniker, infamous meme, and hashtag hold little truth to the man he actually is.
Second chance romances is one of my favorite tropes, especially when it’s beyond obvious that Fin and Callie’s feelings for one another are still as strong as ever despite the time and distance between them. But what’s also clear is that Callie isn’t going to put herself in a position to get her heartbroken again without some kind of confirmation that things won’t turn out the way they did 6 years ago, so if Fin wants to win her back, he has his work cut out for him, especially after the media maelstrom that doesn’t seem to want to let up.
I do have to admit that I didn’t like how immature a lot of the characters acted, given their ages, and I also didn’t understand the reasons Callie used what she did to advance her career, given the nature of why it was created., even if the effect of the meme actually seemed to have the opposite effect of what was intended, bringing Fin and Callie together instead of pushing them further apart.
Fin may have been the one to destroy what the couple had when they were young adults, but his mistakes were the result of being young and dumb; there was nothing malicious about his actions, which is what I wanted Callie to see right from the start, but given that her heart was so invested in what she shared with Fin, that wasn’t going to happen, which is why it takes them a bit to get on the same page as the story plays out, regardless of how much readers want and need their reunion to speed up.
What I found most interesting about Fin and Callie’s story is the fact that Fin is anything but the world’s worst boyfriend…did he have some growing up to do? Absolutely. Did he act without thinking? Most definitely. But the Fin of the past and the Fin of the present are strikingly different, which is what he needs Callie to recognize in order to reclaim the only girl who has ever owned his heart.
4 Poison Apples
With his friends impending nuptials, Fin is looking forward to reuniting with not only his friends but also the woman who stole his heart years ago. The grooms sister just so happens to be his ex-girlfriend, one the he wronged and left brokenhearted, and now he has plans to use this time with her again to right the wrongs of the past, and get his girl back. But unfortunately for him she has no interest in what he has to say…
Everything in Callie’s life is darn near perfect, she’s living in New York City, received her grad and undergrad degrees, and is about to start working at MoCA if all the stars align right. In addition to that she has a wonderful boyfriend, so being around her ex-boyfriend at her brothers wedding should be no problem, he’s part of her past, and she intends to keep him there. Problem is he doesn’t agree, he wants to be part of her present and future…
The World’s Worst Boyfriend comes equipped with a story line that’s very addictive and some well crafted characters that will steal your heart! I have no doubt readers will love this story, it has moments that will melt their heart, moments that will curl their toes, and moments that will get the emotions swirling. Highly recommend you take a chance on this second chance romance, you will not be disappointed with that you find!
I requested an advanced copy of this title from the publisher, and voluntarily read and reviewed.
So, this is a new to me author, and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, going into this book. I mean, the title and cover kind of just jumped out at me, and grabbed my attention. It sounded like something that was a sure fire way to get me laughing, which was just what I was looking for. Then I started reading. And I was right. There were a lot of laughs in this book. But there were also a lot of serious, meaningful events in there too. It wasn’t just a second chance romance, or a rom com.
This book is about a man, who doesn’t really know who he is in life, except that he just has to keep up with his brothers. And he really loves a girl, that he lost. It’s also about a woman, who is just finishing college, getting ready to start the career of her dreams. But she has to go home for a wedding, which will put her in the same place as the ex that she left behind, the ex that broke her heart and let her down. That sounds like it’s going to turn out great!
This book had me in stitches, and brought me to tears. There were a lot of tense moments, and some very light-hearted moments. It wasn’t exactly what I expected, but was exactly what I needed. It was a fabulous book, and the ending was everything I could have hoped for the main characters. It also ended with a little surprise, that I’m looking forward to finding out all about in the next book!
3.25 stars–THE WORLD’S WORST BOYFRIEND is the first instalment in Erika Kelly’s contemporary adult THE BAD BOYFRIEND romance series. This is twenty –three year old extreme sporting athlete Fin Bowie, and art specialist Calliope ‘Callie’ Bell’s story line.
Told from dual third person perspectives (Callie and Fin) THE WORLD’S WORST BOYFRIEND follows the rekindling romance between two twenty-three year olds, whose live went in opposite directions, six years earlier. High school sweethearts Callie and Fin had their lives ahead of them but in an instant Callie watched as the young man that she loved walked away without a backwards glance. Fast forward to present day wherein Fin Bowie, all-star extreme sports athlete comes home to Calamity Wyoming for his best friend’s wedding, hoping to rekindle with the woman he has never stopped loving. Enter Callie Bell, an art specialist, whose love/ hate relationship with our story line hero is tantamount to the emotional upheaval of the seventeen year old she was when Fin walked away. What ensues is the rebuilding love and romance between Fin and Callie, and the potential fall out as Fin renews his previous habits forcing Callie to walk away with another broken heart.
Fin Bowie’s life in the public eye is rising thanks to a text that has grown into a world-wide meme of epic proportions. A fellow teammate wanted to destroy a little of Fin’s popularity and in doing so pushed our hero into the spotlight as the ‘World’s Worst Boyfriend’. Growing a life of its own, Callie Bell uses the meme as an art installation hoping to recoup an art fellowship she lost because of secrets from the past. As Callie struggles to move forward with her life, Fin does everything in his power to make Callie his own.
The relationship between Callie and Fin is one of second chances but Callie is unable to let go of the past; of the way in which Fin walked away at seventeen years old leaving Callie to move forward without the boy that she loved. For six years Callie redesigned her life towards the woman she would become revealing someone Fin and his brothers no longer recognized. The pain and heartbreak of her broken relationship with Fin left an indelible scar upon our heroine’s soul-a scar she continues to nurture to the present day. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and intense without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.
We are introduced to Fin’s older brothers-all extreme athletes: Will, Brodie and Gray Bowie, as well as a number of fellow snowboarders including Traci Allen-whose most recent injury sets off a meme that could destroy Fin’s future; Callie’s brother Ryder Bell, her boyfriend Julian Reyes, and her childhood friend and yoga instructor Megan.
THE WORLD’S WORST BOYFRIEND was a bit of a struggle, for me from beginning to end: from the back story about the ‘world’s worst boyfriend’ meme, and how jealousy prompted the potential destruction of Fin’s career, to our heroine’s immature reaction towards Fin’s involvement with his family, and his life as an extreme sports athlete. Fin becomes ‘the face’ and star of every relationship heart break known to man, and our heroine exploits the situation to further her own career. The premise is interesting; the characters are colorful but immature; the romance is a second chance at a happily ever after.
Erika Kelly has a talent for presenting characters that are heavily flawed but likeable nonetheless. Fin and Calliope are like oil and water. At times they don’t mix. The back and forth bickering, love, hate, lust relationship and social media all serve as a stepping stone on their road maturity. Mistakes are made, hearts are broken and lessons are learned. With a realism that is humorous, heartwarming and so very tempting.
OMFG!! Erika Kelly Blew My Mind Out of the Water and she is a New Author for me!! The World’s Worst Boyfriend was/is OUTSTANDING and So Intense with Chemistry Off the Charts!! This Book Has All the Feels you ask for in a Second chance Romance! But One Wrong Text Message Can Snowball into A Hot Mess!!
Fin Bowie is Such a Guy, that you KINDA feel sorry for him but DO NOT!! He is the Baby of 4 Brothers and always feels left out! At a very Young age, he met a girl Callie and became instant best friends. Then as the years go by, they decided to take their friendship to next level which is Dating & becoming boyfriend/girlfriend. After a decision they agreed on after Graduation….Well Cue in Worst Boyfriend Ever!!
Calliope Bell is Sweet young girl who shared her childhood with her best friend then was left High & Dry several times. She always thought she had to compete against Fin’s brothers which were always a tight knit bunch.
No Spoilers because this Book is NOT what you expect and it’s So Funny & Heartfelt! Fin & Callie connected at an early age and Never Stopped! They are so Compassionately in tune with one another that they have a very interesting banter Then AND Now! Their Chemistry is OFF the Charts HOT and leaves you wanting more! This is a Standalone but at the Ending of this Book makes your JAW Drop & WTF Moment!! DEFINITELY A MUST READ BOOK AND CANNOT WAIT FOR MORE FROM ERIKA!!!
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“In kindergarten, when I was five,” Fin began. “I got put in time-out for not sitting still during the morning meeting. Ryder Bell left that hell called circle time, scuttled off to his cubby, and pulled his Game Boy and a little bag of Goldfish out of his backpack and brought them to me.”
“Of course , he ran right back to the circle and crossed his legs like the good little kiss-ass he is, but still.”
“Hey.” Ryder grinned.
“A friendship was born. When I was eight, I tried to flip my dirt bike and wound up breaking my wrist. Ryder came to my house every day after school and brought me food from the diner.” He glanced at her parents, seated on the other side of her brother. “I suppose you could’ve slipped him some coin to do it, but I think maybe you just raised him right. And, by the way, Mr. Bell, your beef stew’s still the bomb.”
He turned back to the audience.
“When I was fifteen, I challenged Marc Krasnow to a duel.”
A bark of laughter rang out. Marc shouted, “I remember that.”
“Ryder said, Dude, this isn’t the fifteen-hundreds. You don’t have to defend her honor. She can do that on her own.” His gaze slid over to Callie. “Of course he was talking about his sister, Callie. And, of course, if you know her, you know she definitely didn’t need me to kick someone’s ass for her, let alone Marc Krasnow’s.”
“Hey, now,” Marc said.
“In fact, she kicked it so hard he missed a week of school.”“In my defense,” Marc said. “It wasn’t exactly my ass she kicked.”
Callie closed her eyes against the image of kneeing Marc in the balls after finding out he’d told everybody she slept with all the Bowie brothers “on the regular.”
“From the time we met, Ryder’s been a fifth brother.” Fin’s lips pressed together, and he stared unseeingly across the yard. “Until I was seventeen . When I screwed up.” He looked miserable. “And he stopped talking to me.”
A sickening wave of heat washed through her. He wouldn’t go there. Not at a rehearsal dinner. No, no, no.
“I did a stupid thing.” He scrubbed his jaw.
Dammit, Fin. Shut up.
“It took him a while to forgive me, but I’m glad he did , because Ryder’s the best man I know. And it makes me damn happy to know he’s found the best woman for him.”
“And that’s coming from the World’s Worst Boyfriend,” someone shouted.
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“You know that big bang theory Mrs. Summerville taught us in Astronomy?” he asked. The fluttery feeling in her heart made it hard to respond. She barely nodded.
“You and me.” His casual slouch belied the intensity of his tone. “We’re two particles that got split in half. And no matter how far away you are, I feel you .” He tapped his heart. “In here. You’re my sun. And you could be in New York or on Jupiter, and I’m still going to feel the pull. The closer you are, the stronger the pull.” He shrugged. “It is what it is.”
Her heart punched the lights out of its jailor and broke free. “Fin.” Emotion saturated her voice.
“Yeah, wild thing. I’m right here.”
When he pushed himself up to a sitting position, she took off, skin tingling from the rush of affection for this man.
He had just enough time to get to his feet, when her body hit his. He grunted with the impact, but those strong arms came around her, enveloped her.
“Callie.”