NO ONE DOES IT LIKE YOU

College sweethearts reunite to restore more than just an old inn

In No One Does It Like You, author Katie Shepard tells the tale of two college sweethearts who married then divorced and haven’t seen each other in ten years when, during a harrowing rescue attempt, the lost Broadway actor hero leaves a last-minute voice message on the heroine’s phone. It takes Rosie a bit to hear it, as she doesn’t often check the messages from that number, but once she does, she decides to use it to her advantage by getting her ex, Tom, to agree to help her renovate her aunt’s rundown bed and breakfast. Yeah, this book is as messy as it sounds. So, let’s dive in and talk about it.

BOOK REVIEW

In No One Does It Like You, a divorced couple gets a second chance at love when they work together to renovate her family’s poorly maintained, recently flooded bed and breakfast on Martha’s Vineyard. Now, that isn’t all that happens in this story, but that’s the main crux that brings them together again.

In all honesty, this book isn’t quite what I expected when I signed up to read and review it. I thought it was a contemporary romance or romantic comedy, but it’s more of a literary or women’s fiction romance instead. Which threw me for the first few chapters, I admit, but something about the story and the characters kept me reading, and I’m really glad that I did.

Rosie and Tom are two vastly different people. She’s independent and used to doing things for herself and Tom is more laid-back, used to having things done for him. In the ten years they’ve been divorced, some things about Tom have changed but others have remained the same. He still forgets things, and Rose still makes a list of things that need to be done. It’s quite the contrast and yet, they work well together. Filling in the missing parts in each other while also giving each other different ways of looking at things.

I love that this book mentioned fandom and shipping. That was a fun find for me, and I love that the characters, especially the theater actors, embraced their creativity and devotion to their characters and pairings.

If you’re looking for a slow burn romance with great characterization and writing, No One Does It Like You is a good book to pick up. It’s a little bit different as far as character archetypes go, but that isn’t a bad thing. Instead, it affords readers the chance to view the world through another lens, one that may not fully make sense at first but definitely becomes clearer the further into the story one dives. And it’s a good dive.

This book has a mild heat level, so if you’re looking for a read with a lot of steam, this one doesn’t quite reach that level. But what this book lacks in steam, it makes up for in character emotion and vulnerability in the face of adversity. So maybe keep that in mind because it’s a great read, and if you love women’s fiction novels, you’ll, for sure, enjoy this one.

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BOOK INFORMATION

 

I received an advanced reading copy (ARC) or advanced listening copy (ALC) of this book from the author, publisher, or publicist. The receipt of this ARC or ALC did not influence my choice to review the book on this site. It also did not influence how I felt about the book or its characters, storyline, and overall feel. The opinions expressed in this review are my own. As such, they only deal with what is written on the pages of the book and how what is written and otherwise presented made me feel during and after my reading of the book or how the book is presented in audio format and the narrators perform the book.

No One Does It Like You by Katie Shepard
Published by Berkley on September 3, 2024
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance
Pages: 384
Format: E-Arc
Source: Netgalley, Publisher
Buy: Amazon | B & N | Kobo | Goodreads
Rating:

When’s the best time to tell your ex that you want them back?

Probably not in the middle of a Category 3 hurricane. But when Broadway actor Tom Wilczewski is about to dive into the floodwaters to rescue his co-lead, he calls the ex-wife he hasn’t seen in ten years to swear he still loves her and ask for a chance to make things right.

Two months later, Rose Kelly is tired of seeing pictures of her ex-husband Tom rescuing Hollywood darling Boyd Kellagher. Not that she’s jealous. Of course not. She’s far too busy taking care of her elderly aunt and worrying about the storm damage to the family B&B on Martha’s Vineyard to miss the love of her life. But after belatedly hearing Tom’s voicemail, Rosie asks him to follow through on his promises for once by helping her fix the inn. Thinking this is the perfect way to win her back, Tom agrees.

When they get there, things are…less than ideal. Rosie expected the inn to be in better shape. She expected it to have more beds. And she expected more help from her actual family—not from Tom and the rest of his Broadway cast. But Rosie begins to wonder if maybe the life she expected isn’t the one she really wants. If she and Tom can repair the inn together, can they possibly repair the damage to the relationship they both thought was long gone?

Read this book if you like:

• Second Chance Romance
• Working Together
• Renovation

 

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