Can't Buy Me Love was a book that was right up my street, gorgeous, light-hearted and everything a romance could be.

Not really my cup of tea but I'm sure other people would enjoy this book!

As sweet as the title of this book is, the content itself did not quiet evoke the same feeling when reading it.

This book had me cringing from the beginning, which I really had not expected at all. Cheesiness (adorable cheesiness, mind you), sure, but for it to be cringe-worthy?
Not quite.

Okay, so I will try to delve into the ridiculousness without giving anything away, though it’ll definitely be hard.

Anyway, first thing I have to mention, is how much I could not stand the MC, Willow. I went back and forth between thinking she was either naive, or just plain stupid. I really tried to give her the benefit of the doubt – as a woman falling in love – but she made such
stupid decisions, or ignored so many obvious things, that I wasn’t very sympathetic when things didn’t go so well for her. Honestly, I’m not sure I have a single good thing to say about her…she was nice to others…does that count?

Now, when it came to the two romantic interests, they were both very different in their roles, and very different in how they treated Willow. It didn’t take very long for me to figure out which guy was the better of the two, but it was pretty obvious…to everyone but Willow, that is. Mostly because she’s an idiot, but I think I’ve already established that.

Really, I just didn’t like any of the characters, and none of them were all that memorable for me, which was really disappointing.

When it comes to the story itself – seriously, I hate that I’m continually saying this – I really didn’t end up liking it. It’s supposed to be centered around the book’s title, Can’t Buy Me Love, about how money can’t buy a person’s love, and yes, money does come into play, but the way it does is so stupid! It’s just another indication of how stupid the MC is, and I have MTV’s Catfish: The TV Show to blame for my thinking that everyone is now suspicious, and especially when it comes to people and money.
Anyway, tangent aside, I just wasn’t a fan of how this story played out, and because I’d had a hard time finding any interest in this book at all.

So now that I’ve stated how much I disliked this book in general, what did I like?
The ending.
Not only because it meant the book was over, but because it was admittedly satisfying. I won’t say how, because that would be a bit too spoilery, but though it was cheesy, it’s an ending that wasn’t open-ended, so I’ll give it that.

Can’t say I’d recommend this one, purely because I just didn’t like it.

Willow and her mates, Jazz and Katie, are hanging out in their local pub one night, when they run into Luke, an old college classmate. In college Willow had a huge crush on Luke, but he never seemed to notice her existence at all. So she's pretty thrown when he's now happy to see her and promptly asks her out. Willow is a fun, self-deprecating narrator. She has lots of siblings who wander in and out of her story, all of whom (including her) seem to be at a stage in life where they are floundering slightly. At first I thought Jazz was going to be the cliché gay best friend that was all the rage for awhile, so I was relieved when that wasn't the case. Instead she has a gay brother, but he was fairly normal and not at all cliché. And then he introduces her to Cal, who she gets to know, before discovering she didn't really know him at all. He was one of my favorite characters. She often refers to him as being weird, but he was weird in a good way.

Willow, despite being in her early thirties, was a little naïve in the beginning, letting Luke's attention sweep her off her feet. The plot was a little transparent, although if I hadn't read the synopsis it might've taken me longer to become suspicious. And Willow of course did not read the synopsis, so maybe I should expect it to take her longer to realize something wasn't quite right. There was a nice little, not exactly a plot twist but more a veering of the storyline that I did not see coming, which, while I'm not sure it was completely realistic it was quite satisfying.

Ms. Lovering definitely writes quirky stories. Sometimes too much quirk can come off as campy or over the top, but Ms. Lovering infuses her stories with warmth and humor and characters you'd like to be friends with. A fun read with some amusing banter and wonderful characters.

What a fabulously funny read! The humour was a prominent feature of the storyline and was something that I particularly enjoyed. Some of my favourite amusing moments included: a vomit-filled pocket, a picnic by a stream, a child birthing entourage and a plan for revenge!

The authors comfortable writing style drew me in and made it easy to keep flipping the pages and become involved with the storyline. Willow was just brilliant - funny, real and utterly relatable! Cal was also a fun character, I totally 'got' his teasing sense of humour and this quickly made him one of my favourites, especially when I found out more about him.

Willow's large family provided plenty of entertainment and drama, I loved this side of the storyline as I'm from a fairly big family myself and I guess these characters reminded me of us. I'd love to see a whole series of books based around her family, they're fabulous!

This book had me so engrossed in reading that I somehow managed to tip my drink all down my front - I started tipping but I couldn't pull my eyes away from the Kindle screen and actually concentrate on what my hand was doing. I ended up soaked. Oh well, it was worth it 😊.

This was a fun, drama-filled read with wonderful characters who were easy to take to heart.

Can't Buy Me Love is another definite "must read" by author Jane Lovering. This is the third book that I have read by this author, and once again, it exceeded my expectations and then some.

Willow lives a quiet life and works for the local paper. When she's not at the family home or at work, she's hanging out with her best friends, Jazz and Katie. Willow hasn't exactly been lucky when it comes to love, and is totally surprised when she runs into an old crush, Luke. Luke confesses to Willow that he has always liked her, but was just too shy to approach her. They start dating, and Willow is living on cloud nine. The relationship moves along rather quickly, and they begin talking about getting married. However, there is one major problem that everyone can see except for Willow...Luke is only using Willow for her money. During this time, Willow is introduced to Cal, a friend of Willow's twin brother, Ash. Cal is everything Luke is not. Cal isn't the strong, sexy, athletic type...he's basically a computer geek with an awesome sense of humor. It's obvious that they have a connection, but since Willow's brother is gay, she assumes that Cal is, too. They begin to spend more time together, and Cal finally tells Willow that he is suspicious of Luke. The story that unfolds is definitely entertaining.

Jane Lovering knows how to weave a wonderful story. The colorful cast of characters are well developed and well-written...quirks and all. I absolutely fell in love with Cal...loved his witty humor and just felt he was so adorable and charming. Luke definitely knew how to get what he wanted, and I'm surprised he didn't need to keep notes on the lies he told so he wouldn't trip himself up. Willow was naive when it came to Luke, but that's what made this story believable. She finally got the guy she had a crush on, so she was blind to his deceit. Once she started having feelings for Cal, I couldn't help but laugh because initially she believed he was gay. Trust me, that made for some humorous moments. Overall, this was a fun, witty, and heartwarming read. I would strongly recommend this book.

I was given an advance digital copy of this book from Choc Lit and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Can't Buy Me Love is a great book, it is one of those books I could not put down. It has a great storyline and believable characters. This is my first book by this author and I really enjoyed her writing style.

Like many other reviewers here, I also was incredibly excited to see a new book by Jane Lovering! Her writing always has me laughing at her interesting characters, and this book was no exception. I loved Willow, her friends, and her family but it was Cal who stole my heart. When he and Willow got together, the witty banter flew off the page and had me wanting more! I would definitely be interested if this were to develop into a series.

Willow is reunited with the boy she had a mad crush on at university. She is flattered by his attention, but is it sincere? Ah...revenge is sweet.

When Willow meets an attractive man she likes, she suddenly becomes nauseous and vomits, so when Luke, a man she fancied from university, turns up at the pub she is at, she rushes outside to be sick.

Luke tells her he had feelings for her at university but was too shy to talk to her and as Willow has thought about him for the last ten years she decides to take a chance and pursue a relationship with him, although everything is not as it seems. Willow has just come into some money and Luke needs some to help with his business so Willow gives him a majority of it to help.

Willow’s brother Ash introduces her to Cal, a slightly sarcastic computer geek who she thinks is gay, and helps her find out what kind of person Luke really is.

There are an interesting cast of characters in this book from Katie and Jazz who are Willow’s best friends, to her eccentric family especially Ash, and Cal who Willow vomited over when she finds out he is not gay.

A good entertaining read with some funny moments. I could sense that something about Luke was too perfect, and that he was hiding something. This was a great read and I looking forward to more.