From #1 New York Times bestselling author S.C. Stephens comes a complex romance about finding your purpose, living your dreams, and loving your soul mate.Valerie would never do anything to hurt her sister, but when the man of Valerie’s dreams turns out to be her sister’s new boyfriend, remaining loyal to her family becomes increasingly difficult. Valerie knows nothing can ever happen between her … ever happen between her and Jake, but that doesn’t prevent her from growing hopelessly fond of him.
By keeping her distance, Valerie is mostly successful in pushing her feelings for Jake aside, but when she struggles to land a job after culinary school, it’s Jake who offers her the opportunity of a lifetime working with a world-renowned chef…and also, working with Jake.
Valerie’s heart twists with indecision. Does she take the job of a lifetime cooking and sailing around on a yacht, but torture herself in an isolated situation with a man who is perfectly made for her yet absolutely off limits? Or does she reject the offer that could get her so much closer to making her dreams come true?
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Valerie just finished culinary school. Now she needs a good job to be able to save enough money to one day open her own restaurant.
Jake is on his way to becoming a cruise ship captain. For now he’s apprenticing on a yacht.
And the yacht needs an assistant cook.
A job that would be perfect for Valerie.
And she accepts when Jake tells her about it.
BUT.
Jake is her sister’s boyfriend.
They didn’t know that when they met.
There were sparks.
But Jake was very happy in this new relationship with Kylie – so nothing ever happened between Valerie and Jake.
But the sparks haven’t gone away. And now they’ll be on a ship together for two weeks??
Let the fun times begin ….
WHAT WiLL HAPPEN TO VALERIE & JAKE?
WILL THERE BE A HEA?
READ THE BOOK TO FIND OUT!
I’m such a huge #KellanKyle fan – he’s still my number one book boyfriend of all time – so anything that follows in his footsteps will have a hard time with me …
And I started reading this with the hopes of getting a cute and beachy romance. Like the cover suggests. The blurb didn’t really grab me, because I HATE love triangles. That was the only thing I hated about Kellan’s story. And this was basically the same. At least a bit like it.
Kylie and Jake have been dating for three weeks when he meets Valerie in a coffee shop. Insta attraction for Valerie. And Jake is super intrigued too. But he wanted to give this new thing with Kylie a chance.
Jake is a really great guy.
Nobody wants to hurt the sister.
But it’s still horrible! I just hated the situation! I HATE cheating – and we just know that it’s going to happen here.
And then they’re on the yacht together and of course the attraction only grows. Which makes us sad for Kylie. But we also want Jake and Valerie to get that happily ever after. Which might not be as easy as it might sound. Just a little cheating and poor Kylie will forgive them one day? Maybe. But that is SO not the biggest problem we’re facing. I’m not telling you more, but it’s getting even worse than all that. LOL!
This was a really great and exciting love-triangly adventure romance. I loved reading it. It wasn’t too long. I might’ve wanted a bit more of things. More details, more of everything. And I definitely would’ve wanted to cut the triangly part. The story would’ve been enough without Kylie’s part. Most readers hate love triangles and they definitely hate cheating. I would just cut Kylie out of the book. First of all, it’s completely unnecessary and then it’s way too close to Kellan Kyle for my tastes!
We could also cut out the 2nd drama part of the book and have just the love triangle as the drama. But I would prefer it the other way ’round!
Anyway. I really liked reading it. It was just a bit too much. Both drama parts were not my kinds of drama and I again judged a book by its über pretty cover. There were sweet moments and sunny and beachy ones. But there was too much drama! But I really loved Jake – he was very Kellany. And the story – or at least the middle adventure part – was kind of the exact opposite of SC Stephens’ last book with the snow stuff. LOL!
I want something really NEW and super amazing next please! (Why do you always go for the cheating/triangly things in otherwise amazing books?)
SOMETHING LIKE PERFECT was a sweet & exciting love-triangly adventure romance!
Run to your nearest amazon for your own Jake – this one is MINE!
Tiny info for people scared about the cheating part. Yes, we have cheating…but if their defense I have to say that it’s understandable … they waited a long time and then they thought it was okay due to circumstances in their lives at that moments. I can’t say more without spoiling the whole middle part of the book. READ IT. It’s not that bad!
I enjoyed Valerie and Jake’s story, it just didn’t blow me away. I did like that the blurb didn’t give away the biggest twist and I was surprised with the direction their story went. While it left the characters in a happy place, I thought it lacked the emotional connection I usually feel with Ms. Stephens’s stories.
This book was different. If you don’t like cheating this isn’t the book for you.
Valerie never thought the man of her dreams would be her sisters boyfriend. She is fresh out of school and looking for a job. Jake tells her about the yacht he works on.
Things definitely take a turn and get interesting. This was a pretty quick read.
When sisters fall for the same guy one sister gains his heart while the other gains his love. What seems obvious to her isn’t obvious to him. Then time and tragedy changes the outlook and perception of the relationship.
Overall:
The awkwardness of the situation with the expressed feelings made this off-limits relationship difficult to connect with.
I had hoped for more angst and more of a love triangle trope. The premise of two sisters falling for the same guy gave me the impression a cat fight was going to happen.
I wasn’t prepared for the direction this story went. The circumstances for developing a friendship was too simplistic.
The story was written from Valerie’s point of view. In most cases this was a disadvantage. Jake’s actions and words led me to believe he was unobtainable making it seem as if her feelings were one-sided.
The focus was mainly about how these sisters were close. Basically proving that a man couldn’t come between them. Sisters were stronger than the love of a man. While Ms. Stephens illustrated that part exceptionally well something was lacking. The fight was missing with the forced relationship built out of tragedy. It wasn’t a natural attraction warranted from the initial connection. With obstacles removed from the equation and temptation removed the relationship was built off of circumstance. This bothered me. The concept had the potential to be something excellent but the execution was lacking and unconvincing. It no longer felt felt like a fight between two sisters.
I did like that this was a light hearted romance. The positivity from Jakes character was an unexpected treat given that most characters nowadays have dark negative thoughts. The sisterly bond was sweet. I love how close knit the family was. The story was a quick easy read.
Narrator:
Vanessa Johansson was the solo female narrator performing all character scenes. However, the voice of Valerie wasn’t what I envisioned from Vanessa’s performance. I didn’t feel like the emotional tones fit the plot. Vanessa did perform the scenes using different pitches and sounds. The pacing of the performance lined up perfectly with the story. Vanessa’s performance didn’t enhance my reading experience, but it also didn’t take away from me enjoying it. Mainly the story was average with an average narration.
This was an unabridged audiobook. I was able to follow along with the ebook without a hitch.
I totally enjoyed Something Like Perfect by S.C. Stephens. It is a well-written novel, with richly developed characters that are authentic, compassionate, and very likable. The originality of the book blurb captured my attention immediately, and as a result, I ended up devouring this romance from cover to cover in less than a day. The synopsis is a real teaser, yet it is only a small part of what the story is truly about.
Valerie, a Los Angeles native and recent culinary school graduate, is looking forward to owning her own restaurant in the foreseeable future. In addition, she is hopeful that one day she will find true love. Her heart beats wildly after meeting Jake, a soon-to-be sea boat captain in a local coffee shop. They share a moment and an attraction that they both find wonderfully surprising. Unfortunately, Jake’s brand new girlfriend turns out to be Valerie’s sister, so friends is all Valerie and Jake will ever be.
With Jake’s recommendation, Valerie secures a sous chef position on a billionaire’s yacht. The job is an amazing opportunity for Valerie, and a real jump-start to her future as a restaurateur. Jake is the assistant to the captain. They agree to keep their distance from each other, which at times is a bit difficult due to their lustful attraction. Hurting Valerie’s sister is not an option.
Something Like Perfect is quite a page turner, and the author’s writing style is both fluid and easy to understand. I am typically not an adventure fan, but this book is an impassioned roller coaster ride. In addition, this story is chock full of hope, seductive scenes, and two characters that I loved getting to know.
Complimentary copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley.
After reading the blurb I was under the impression this was a love triangle but unfortunately in my mind it wasn’t and I’m not a fan of cheating so this was a DNF for me. I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC for NetGalley.
Valerie meets the perfect man while getting coffee. Though their meeting is brief they immediately click with one another. But she’s disappointed when he tells her he just started seeing someone and they part ways, not expecting to see each other again. The surprise is on her when her sister Kylie brings home her new boyfriend Jake – her mystery coffee guy.
The book was good but I had issues with all 3 characters. I wasn’t crazy about all the selfish things they did that ended up hurting each other. The storyline was different and I’d say in a sense there was cheating, but due to the plot maybe it’s not classified as cheating. It’s refreshing to read a book like this with it’s unique and interesting twist.
“Something Like Perfect” is a love triangle with a unique and interesting twist, which really grabbed my attention. There are extenuating circumstances surrounding the so-called cheating, so for me, this is a non-issue. It’s the quick and easy resolution, all wrapped up in a pretty bow, that I found a bit disappointing. However, it does make for a fast summer read if you don’t have the time to devote to a lengthy novel. All in all, I enjoyed “Something Like Perfect,” even if the novel itself is slightly “imperfect.”
This book isn’t for everyone. If you can’t handle cheating in a book, then you’ll definitely want to avoid this one.
Valerie meets Jake at a coffee shop and from the moment she saw him she was smitten by this mysterious man, only to find out that Jake is also her sister, Kylie, new boyfriend. Jake is also smitten with Valerie, but also cares about Kylie. Valerie just graduated culinary school and looking for a job, until Jake brings up a position on the yacht he works on. This is where things start to take a turn….
Valerie and Jake are forced to rely on each other for survival. They continue to fight the connection for most of the time they are together. However, three months into their ordeal and the chance of leaving the island becoming slimmer they cave.
Jake and Valerie do have LOADS of chemistry and they are so many similar interests. You can’t deny the fact that sparks were flying off the pages from the moment they met. They did try to avoid being together as much as possible. They did feel guilty for being together and what it would do to Kylie.
This was a fairly quick read, there is loads of drama with the Valerie/Kylie/Jake triangle and the shipwreck, but there are some sweet scenes mixed in. This book isn’t for everyone, but despite the cheating aspect of the story it was still enjoyable.
Something Like Perfect is not my first book from this author so I wont lie. I had high expectations for this story and it’s characters. After finishing this story I was a little disappointed. Everything turned out to be just OKAY. I thought Valerie, Kylie and Jake, the main characters were okay but there was nothing about any of them that made them stand out to me. There was nothing that made me think or say “I love this character”. It wasn’t hard to figure out which direction the story would go in and although I knew how things would turn out, I just expected more. I kept waiting for that one special thing or moment to make me fall in love with this story and it didn’t happen. I expected it to be better than what it turned out to be. Everything in this story came too easy. There was no real struggle. The hardest thing these characters faced was whether or not to do the right thing and in the end it went just as I expected. Everything was wrapped up in a nice bow. With that being said, it was okay. I just expected more from this author from having read other books from her that I fell in love with.
I had a hard time rating this book. The writing was good but the choices Valerie and Jake made had shaking my head. Well, mostly Valerie’s decisions and how she kept thinking about Jake, had me shaking my head. Jake’s initial decision to not go out with Valerie I understood but the decisions they both made on the night of at the bar, was suspect and just dumb.
4.2 stars,
I have to start this review, with the acknowledgment of some poor reviews based upon the “cheating” in this book. I am disappointed in those that leave a review like that without even truly giving the book a chance. Especially for some of those people that left the reviews, hadn’t even gotten to the crux of the moment where “cheating”, if you can even call it that, happened when there is not much more of the finality of a relationship than what Val and Jake experienced. Did Val fantasize? Yes, she did. Hell, I am pretty sure I would have too. Val and Kylie both met Jake within days of each other. When Val first started fantasizing she didn’t even know he was dating her sister. I would have found it hard to just stop when for weeks before I had no idea who he was to my sister. I know I have done it in real life, with a friend’s boyfriend, not knowing who he was. I think what frustrates me the most is that the people are not even taking into consideration the hard work that went into this book. Instead, they are basing the reviews off of hypothetical cheating.
I wouldn’t even call this cheating as they were in a situation that they didn’t even know if they would ever find that “life” that they had left. Not giving spoilers, but there isn’t much more isolated than these two could find themselves in. I actually liked that they tried to fight this attraction for each other as long as they did. They discussed the ramifications of this. It wasn’t willy nilly and to just get their rocks off, and screw whomever they hurt.
My issues with this book were not the areas that others had issues with, it was in the details, such as carving out bowls, lack of concern with Pregnancy (which would have been a BIG issue for me considering where they were and that there wasn’t any medical help, the lack of encounters with natural wildlife, and finally the ridiculousness of Kylie. What did she really think was going to happen? I was expecting more of the details to be something along the lines of the book by Pepper Winters, Unseen Messages. That being said, I still really enjoyed this book and the characters. My advice on this book is that reading is a singular journey and is up to individual preferences. Those preferences don’t give someone the luxury to bash a person’s hard work, especially when they are doing something that the majority of people cannot do on a good day so if you are adventurous jump in and go on a new journey in finding love, even if that love is discovered in unexpected places.
First of all, I would like to say that I immensely enjoyed the story. The plot was truly well done. I read the whole story in one go, it kept me captivated until the very end. I would describe it as kinda “Cast away” meets culinary deliciousness. Valerie graduates from culinary school and is in search of a job to one day fulfill her dream of opening her own restaurant. She meets Jack…the man of her dreams in a coffee shop but he is taken. Taken by no one other than her own sister. What a mess. She tries to avoid him/them but her daydreams about him still continue. When he tells there is a job opening on the same yacht he is working, it´s the best opportunity for her to learn from the best. She just would have to avoid him some more. What she hasn´t predicted was the yacht sinking in the middle of a storm. Thankfully Jake rescues them both. When they land in the middle of nowhere on a tropical island they have to survive with nothing but the clothes they are wearing. They learn to depend on one another and survive. What they didn´t count on was fall in love with no idea if they ever will get rescued. What happens if they ever get rescued? Will they ever?
Find out for yourself. I loved every second of this story.
**3.75 Stars**
I went into this book blind like I do most books because I think it makes for a better reading experience, so this one turned out to be very intriguing. Valerie meets Jake in a cafe and they share a moment/connection that Valerie can’t stop thinking about. Unfortunately for her, she later sees him again, but it is when he brought to a dinner at her parent’s house as her sister’s boyfriend. While she is completed devastated, she knows he is off-limits at this point, aside from maybe in her dreams and fantasies.
Things get a tad bit trickier when Valerie takes a new job as an assistant chef on a boat that Jake also works on. Things go from tricky to traumatic to somewhat scandalous when there is a storm and Valerie and Jake have to fight for their lives, which simultaneously has the added effect of pushing them together, when perhaps they were both doing everything they could to maintain their distance and not blur any lines and boundaries.
I overall found the story line to be very interesting, even if maybe not fully realistic at times. But hey, I read to escape reality, so there is that. I think Jake and Valerie had some seriously amazing chemistry. I read the story in one sitting and was invested in the characters and finding out if they were going to get their HEA and how it was going to end.
Something Like Perfect by S.C. Stephens a five-star read that will spilt opinion. I will start off by saying that if you can’t handle cheating under any circumstance then this isn’t the read for you, but If you believe that circumstances and situations may lead further than anyone ever expected then give it a go as you will fall so deeply in love. This story took me on such an emotional journey, I was right there with Valerie wishing she didn’t feel the way she did, stuck between a rock and a hard place, love or your sibling, a choice you should never have to make, but we all know life doesn’t always go the way we planned it. Jake will break you, but in a good way, and that is where I will leave him. Honestly I didn’t know if I was going to enjoy this, I read a couple of the reviews and almost dreaded reading it, but then I started it and it took me to places I didn’t dream it would, and I ended up loving every minute. So if I can ask one thing, its put all of your pre-judged ideas aside of what this story will be, and forget all about siblings and falling in love with the same man, and just dive in and swim through this amazing story.
I really couldn’t put this one down. I was sucked in from the very start and couldn’t put this one down. Something Like Perfect is a phenomenal read. You feel the love, the heart break, the struggles and every emotion that Jake and Valerie go through. Valerie your heart goes out to her as she struggles over her attraction to Jake. You feel the chemistry from the start and want to scream stupid mistiming. You will feel how Jake is torn with all his feelings he has for Valerie and her sister Kylie. There is this incredible bond that Jake and Valerie share as they are isolated together. My heart hurt for everyone while reading. The emotions ran high and tears ran freely as I dug in deeper into Something Like Perfect. This book is perfection and should be one clicked.