rashmitha_books's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
amandari93's review
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for an honest review in exchange for an E-ARC of this book! I voluntarily read and reviewed this book, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
I have realized I really love reading about single parents finding love. It doesn’t always work, but in Rachel, Out of Office, it is just about perfect. Rachel Gibson is a single mom to twin boys, Kellan & Brady, while also owning her virtual personal assistant company. She’s very much the usual type of heroine we see in romcoms with a type A personality - ambitious, obsessed with her job, a perfectionist, has her shit together (mostly), but in Rachel’s case, she’s doing all this while raising her kids (with minimal help from their dad, Gavin Frank). Enter Travis Frank, Rachel’s ex-brother in law. He’s described as “a hottie. The worst kind of hottie - the kind who knew it, embraced it, and owned it.” Picture Superman/Clark Kent with a Southern accent. Rachel avoids him as much as possible even though he’s very involved in her kids’ lives, but after Gavin drops out of a family trip to go to Boston with his fiance, she’s dragged into spending time with the Frank family at their lake house. As she struggles to keep up with her work and her boys, she finds herself more and more drawn to Travis and falls for him despite a meddling ex-mother in law trying to keep them apart.
Rachel is hilarious. Travis is dreamy. The dialogue was so funny and sexy, but the details in the narrative were possibly my favorite part. “There was no doubt about it, he was falling tart over toaster for Rachel.” This line and so many others just tickled the heck out of me and I found myself actually laughing out loud a couple of times. I really loved a majority of the characters, and, I know I say this for just about every review I’ve written this year so far, but the female friendships were so fun to read! I’m not sure if the author is planning on writing a series, but I would love to see more of all Rachel’s friends in their own love stories. This book reminded me a lot of Nicole: A Sweet Romantic Comedy that I previously reviewed - the dynamic of the friend groups of both these books were so strong and supportive, and I am here for more of this!
The one thing I did not like about this book? I wish there was more of it to read. I felt like it was a little short at the time, so even with the two POV’s between Rachel and Travis, I breezed through the book and was so sad when it came to an end. It was sweet with some heat and I seriously loved it. Even the characters I didn’t like I would read more about. I personally think it would be interesting for Gavin and Molly, Rachel’s ex husband and one of her friends, to end up as love interests…. Hint, hint?? I really do hope Christina Hovland is planning on revisiting this world and bringing back these characters. Her writing is very vivid and really sucks you in, and it really helped me out of the reading slump I was in.
My rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars.
I have realized I really love reading about single parents finding love. It doesn’t always work, but in Rachel, Out of Office, it is just about perfect. Rachel Gibson is a single mom to twin boys, Kellan & Brady, while also owning her virtual personal assistant company. She’s very much the usual type of heroine we see in romcoms with a type A personality - ambitious, obsessed with her job, a perfectionist, has her shit together (mostly), but in Rachel’s case, she’s doing all this while raising her kids (with minimal help from their dad, Gavin Frank). Enter Travis Frank, Rachel’s ex-brother in law. He’s described as “a hottie. The worst kind of hottie - the kind who knew it, embraced it, and owned it.” Picture Superman/Clark Kent with a Southern accent. Rachel avoids him as much as possible even though he’s very involved in her kids’ lives, but after Gavin drops out of a family trip to go to Boston with his fiance, she’s dragged into spending time with the Frank family at their lake house. As she struggles to keep up with her work and her boys, she finds herself more and more drawn to Travis and falls for him despite a meddling ex-mother in law trying to keep them apart.
Rachel is hilarious. Travis is dreamy. The dialogue was so funny and sexy, but the details in the narrative were possibly my favorite part. “There was no doubt about it, he was falling tart over toaster for Rachel.” This line and so many others just tickled the heck out of me and I found myself actually laughing out loud a couple of times. I really loved a majority of the characters, and, I know I say this for just about every review I’ve written this year so far, but the female friendships were so fun to read! I’m not sure if the author is planning on writing a series, but I would love to see more of all Rachel’s friends in their own love stories. This book reminded me a lot of Nicole: A Sweet Romantic Comedy that I previously reviewed - the dynamic of the friend groups of both these books were so strong and supportive, and I am here for more of this!
The one thing I did not like about this book? I wish there was more of it to read. I felt like it was a little short at the time, so even with the two POV’s between Rachel and Travis, I breezed through the book and was so sad when it came to an end. It was sweet with some heat and I seriously loved it. Even the characters I didn’t like I would read more about. I personally think it would be interesting for Gavin and Molly, Rachel’s ex husband and one of her friends, to end up as love interests…. Hint, hint?? I really do hope Christina Hovland is planning on revisiting this world and bringing back these characters. Her writing is very vivid and really sucks you in, and it really helped me out of the reading slump I was in.
My rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars.
ashleyreads713's review
4.0
Rachel, the character who feels like she’s lost her touch in life as a single mother of eight year old twin boys. Her one night stand turned children’s father can’t bother to be there for important moments in the boy’s lives and she needs a break. Luckily, Rachel feels she has this break... the children will be gone on a summer long vacation with their grandparents. But, as luck would have it, Rachel winds up having to go. Christina Hovland takes readers in a journey to discover who Rachel is and how she can let her hair down.
This novel allows readers to realize that there is sunshine on gloomy days and what you may need is actually right in front of you. Full of romance and laughter, “Rachel, Out of Office” is one I will recommend to anyone needing a break and the mom who needs a laugh. Christina Hovland does a fantastic job of inserting mom quotes into every chapter’s heading. As a reader, I wish I discovered more from the setting and boys characters. However, maybe there will be a follow up so we can see how Rachel is doing in five years, twenty. Christina, if you are spreading, I hope you build Rachel into just a glimpse of a future tale.
This novel allows readers to realize that there is sunshine on gloomy days and what you may need is actually right in front of you. Full of romance and laughter, “Rachel, Out of Office” is one I will recommend to anyone needing a break and the mom who needs a laugh. Christina Hovland does a fantastic job of inserting mom quotes into every chapter’s heading. As a reader, I wish I discovered more from the setting and boys characters. However, maybe there will be a follow up so we can see how Rachel is doing in five years, twenty. Christina, if you are spreading, I hope you build Rachel into just a glimpse of a future tale.
berls's review
4.0
I am so glad I decided to pick up this series! While I enjoy the books with the young new love, it's nice to get into a book that feels more familiar to my life. This was so relatable and fun!
I loved Rachel. I GOT Rachel. She's a single mom of Twins (that part I can only imagine) who is trying to do it all. By herself --> that's the part I really got. There's this scene where it's time to cleanup from the twins birthday party and people are offering to help her clean up and she's resistant. Because if she does it, it will be done right. Otherwise, it might be done wrong. And I am SO guilty of that. But she grows so much over the course of this book and I really enjoyed watching Travis help bring that growth out of her.
The relationships -- the friendships, the ex, his family, the mom-in-law, the twins -- were what made this book. The interactions were so fun and I laughed out loud quite a bit. The mom-in-law with her fake cat was particularly hilarious. You have to read it to understand but OMG.
Just a really sweet, fun, funny story and I'm really looking forward to reading the next book.
The narration by Petrea Burchard was really good - she delivered solid, distinct character voices. I listened at my normal 2x speed and it was a really enjoyable listen.
I loved Rachel. I GOT Rachel. She's a single mom of Twins (that part I can only imagine) who is trying to do it all. By herself --> that's the part I really got. There's this scene where it's time to cleanup from the twins birthday party and people are offering to help her clean up and she's resistant. Because if she does it, it will be done right. Otherwise, it might be done wrong. And I am SO guilty of that. But she grows so much over the course of this book and I really enjoyed watching Travis help bring that growth out of her.
The relationships -- the friendships, the ex, his family, the mom-in-law, the twins -- were what made this book. The interactions were so fun and I laughed out loud quite a bit. The mom-in-law with her fake cat was particularly hilarious. You have to read it to understand but OMG.
Just a really sweet, fun, funny story and I'm really looking forward to reading the next book.
The narration by Petrea Burchard was really good - she delivered solid, distinct character voices. I listened at my normal 2x speed and it was a really enjoyable listen.
nomomstayandread's review
4.0
This was charming.
She’s a busy, single mom of twins and has a surprisingly solid coparenting relationship considering how flaky he is. You know who isn’t flaky and always shows up for her boys though? The hot ex-brother in law. Whoopsie.
Ok so the remix where she took another brother out for a spin was grand. He helped her set boundaries, thought she was awesome, and has a whole slew of abs considering he works for the family pop tart business.
God I love romances.
She’s a busy, single mom of twins and has a surprisingly solid coparenting relationship considering how flaky he is. You know who isn’t flaky and always shows up for her boys though? The hot ex-brother in law. Whoopsie.
Ok so the remix where she took another brother out for a spin was grand. He helped her set boundaries, thought she was awesome, and has a whole slew of abs considering he works for the family pop tart business.
God I love romances.
storieswithsoul's review
5.0
What a delightful little read. I loved every minute. The story is interesting, characters are amazing, and it has enough drama and romance to keep the readers wanting more. I'd definitely recommend this book to all romance lovers. As far as I'm concerned, this is a must-read.
Rachel is a single mom who is trying to raise her twin sons well. Her ex-husband shares custody, but the truth is he isn't much help. However, his brothers help whenever possible, because she's considered a part of the family. Her kids are a handful, her job is a headache, and she's having difficulty juggling everything. So when her ex's family insists that she go with them to their summer house, she is reluctant. And it seems that her ex is going to let her down once again.
Then Travis swoops in like a prince and promises he would do everything to make her life easier. She isn't ready to accept his help, as tempting as it is. But in the end, she relents, and that's how their story takes a turn for the better. One thing leads to another, and now Travis has become far more important to her than he should be. What will happen when her ex finds out that she has fallen for his brother? Even worse, what if they didn't work, and it affected her twins? There is too much at stake, but for the first time she feels she has met someone worth the risk.
This is an adorable story, and I loved all the characters so much.
I recieved a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley.
Rachel is a single mom who is trying to raise her twin sons well. Her ex-husband shares custody, but the truth is he isn't much help. However, his brothers help whenever possible, because she's considered a part of the family. Her kids are a handful, her job is a headache, and she's having difficulty juggling everything. So when her ex's family insists that she go with them to their summer house, she is reluctant. And it seems that her ex is going to let her down once again.
Then Travis swoops in like a prince and promises he would do everything to make her life easier. She isn't ready to accept his help, as tempting as it is. But in the end, she relents, and that's how their story takes a turn for the better. One thing leads to another, and now Travis has become far more important to her than he should be. What will happen when her ex finds out that she has fallen for his brother? Even worse, what if they didn't work, and it affected her twins? There is too much at stake, but for the first time she feels she has met someone worth the risk.
This is an adorable story, and I loved all the characters so much.
I recieved a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley.
bookscoffeephotography's review against another edition
3.0
I was excited to read this book, but I found I didn’t love it as much as I thought I would. This is the first book in the Mommy Wars series. I will probably check out the next book in the series to see where it goes. I liked reading a book through the point of view of a single mom and all her drama. There were definitely a few laugh out loud moments in this book. I am curious to see how the rest of the series is!
Thank you Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
saschadarlington's review
4.0
Perhaps because of the amount of time writer-mothers have been spending time with their off-spring lately, we seem to have a proliferation of single mother, chaos romances. Of the two “romances” I’ve read this year, both have followed this trend. At least, however, Christina Hovland’s Rachel, Out of Office has some actual romance amidst the chaos and some genuine laugh-out-loud moments.
Rachel is trying to do it all: run a business at home as a virtual executive assistant (who knew there was such a thing?!) and raise two rowdy twin boys and mostly she’s achieving it by working at all hours and finding an hour or two of sleep where she can. Her ex-husband, Gavin, is rarely in evidence buts sends his brothers Travis and Dave to stand in for him for sports events, etc. And, while Rachel gets along just fine with Dave, it’s Travis that’s the issue. Gavin told her all about worthless Travis, but despite that she finds herself thinking about him far too much.
All-in-all, I enjoyed Rachel, Out of Office. At the beginning though, I had a little whiplash as the narrator moved from the use overly cutesy-cutesy words, which had me pulling a face, to dropping sh*t and the f-bomb randomly. Fortunately, both vocabulary choices drifted away and a normal voice took over (mostly). I very much appreciated that.
The romance moved very quickly, which made me wish that it had stayed in the slow burn realm a little while longer. Anticipation’s half the thing. But I did like Rachel and Travis together. I liked Travis who seemed like he was finally deciding who he wanted to be in his life, perhaps because of his feelings for Rachel.
The Frank family was a hoot and it would have been fun to spend a little more time with those family dynamics. While matriarch Evelyn could have come off as a real–shall we go with– unpleasant woman, I liked that Hovland created her as a real person, which made her much more relatable.
A fun funny romance, Rachel, Out of Office would be very appreciated by young mothers who might see themselves in Rachel’s position; for others, your mileage may vary.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Rachel is trying to do it all: run a business at home as a virtual executive assistant (who knew there was such a thing?!) and raise two rowdy twin boys and mostly she’s achieving it by working at all hours and finding an hour or two of sleep where she can. Her ex-husband, Gavin, is rarely in evidence buts sends his brothers Travis and Dave to stand in for him for sports events, etc. And, while Rachel gets along just fine with Dave, it’s Travis that’s the issue. Gavin told her all about worthless Travis, but despite that she finds herself thinking about him far too much.
All-in-all, I enjoyed Rachel, Out of Office. At the beginning though, I had a little whiplash as the narrator moved from the use overly cutesy-cutesy words, which had me pulling a face, to dropping sh*t and the f-bomb randomly. Fortunately, both vocabulary choices drifted away and a normal voice took over (mostly). I very much appreciated that.
The romance moved very quickly, which made me wish that it had stayed in the slow burn realm a little while longer. Anticipation’s half the thing. But I did like Rachel and Travis together. I liked Travis who seemed like he was finally deciding who he wanted to be in his life, perhaps because of his feelings for Rachel.
The Frank family was a hoot and it would have been fun to spend a little more time with those family dynamics. While matriarch Evelyn could have come off as a real–shall we go with– unpleasant woman, I liked that Hovland created her as a real person, which made her much more relatable.
A fun funny romance, Rachel, Out of Office would be very appreciated by young mothers who might see themselves in Rachel’s position; for others, your mileage may vary.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
danicris's review
4.0
i absolutely adored this novel. since the beginning, i already knew i was going to love it; the mc is incredible and interesting to read and how the family and friends are portrayed kept me curious for more. however, i have to take one star out of the review because the chemistry between the main relationship diminished a little bit at the end of the book.
overall, i really liked and it was a fun, cute read.
*many thanks to netgalley and entangled publishing, LLC*
overall, i really liked and it was a fun, cute read.
*many thanks to netgalley and entangled publishing, LLC*
geauxgetlit's review
5.0
I’m so happy to have found this series. I actually received an arc of book 3 (before I knew it was a series); however, I’m a bit ocd about reading series in order.
The MC Rachel is a single mom of twin 8yo boys and she hasn’t had time to think about romance.
On her ex-in-laws yearly Summer vacation, she finds more than she bargained in an unlikely man.
Love the writing, completely relatable and the perfect amount of steam. I can’t wait to binge the rest of the series now.
The MC Rachel is a single mom of twin 8yo boys and she hasn’t had time to think about romance.
On her ex-in-laws yearly Summer vacation, she finds more than she bargained in an unlikely man.
Love the writing, completely relatable and the perfect amount of steam. I can’t wait to binge the rest of the series now.