Today for Fiction Friday I’m sharing my book recommendation for Aussie author Jessica Kate’s new romcom – Drive You Crazy – that’s releasing next week with a super-cool leap year book birthday on February 29.
Here’s the Book Description:
Fans of Emily Henry and Gilmore Girls will adore this swoon-worthy enemies-to-love romance about how faith, family and small towns are never as simple as they seem.
Bubbly newspaper editor Ashley Anderson is ecstatic to finally call this small town in Washington State ‘home’—until she accidentally angers her newspaper’s biggest advertisers, and they boycott. Her neighbor Justin has the family connections to get the town back on her side—but asking for help from the man she’s nicknamed ‘Dracula’ is a last resort.
Living next door, rebel-with-a-cause teacher Justin Hastings can’t escape Amity Creek fast enough. But when a good deed goes awry, it’s his fault that Ashley’s car is out of action, and they’re forced to carpool until he can make things right.
Thrust into one another’s daily lives, Ashley and Justin learn that little is black-and-white—not small town life, not family, and not each other. But there’s a fork in the road, and these two are destined for separate paths. Can the road less travelled ever lead them back to love?
Don’t miss the chance to immerse yourself in this must-read inspirational romance about the complexities—and the beauty—of true love in all its forms.
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I enjoyed reading Drive You Crazy, an enemies to love romcom set in a fictional Washington small town. Ashley is struggling to fit in and find her place in the world. From a distance, Amity Creek looks like a charming small town where Ashley can start over after her mom’s passing and put down roots.
Appearances can be deceptive, and the backlash Ashley receives for buying the town newspaper, and daring to switch the format to online in an attempt to make it profitable, is horrible. The Hastings’ family, and their matriarch, rule the town with an iron fist.
Ashley bought the house next door to Justin, and his initial impressions of her aren’t great. She’s a journalist who’s nosy and noisy. He dislikes her loud conversations that he can’t help overhearing and her loud musical theatre soundtracks that aren’t his jam. Ashley thinks Justin is grumpy and she tries to avoid him.
Justin regrets temporarily moving back to Amity Creek. His parents’ marriage is in tatters and his mother is now living in Australia. Next year, when Justin’s substitute teaching contract is over, he’s leaving behind the town that’s ruled by his domineering father and paternal grandmother.
When a neighbourhood tree lopping activity goes pear-shaped, Justin and Ashley are stuck spending a whole lot of time together. They start to see beyond external appearances and question their initial assumptions about each other.
Justin is adorable and his love language is baking to-die-for cakes. Ashley’s love language is conversation, and Justin gets to see the real Ashley who’s warm, caring, and struggling with abandonment issues.
Their sweet romance has many LOL moments as they negotiate difficult family relationships and move from enemies to friends to more-than-friends. I recommend Drive You Crazy to contemporary romance readers who like small town romcoms with depth that include fish out of water and ‘I hate you’ romance tropes with a relevant faith element in the story.
Many thanks to the author for the advanced reader copy.
Learn more about Jessica Kate’s books at her website.
Thank you for the review.
This sounds like a book I would love. I haven’t read any of Jessica Kate’s books yet, but they are on my (very long) to-read list. I’ll add this one to it as well.
Hi Rochelle, You’re welcome. Definitely add Drive You Crazy to your TBR! I totally relate and have a ridiculously long to-read list. I hope you’ll have a chance to read Jessica Kate’s books soon. Thanks for commenting. 😊