3.5 stars

This is an entertaining, witty story about 3 friends and 3 brothers. I enjoyed the characters and the humor that each brought, however, it was hard to connect with them. This story was just a fun, fluffy read for me. I am curious about the brother's books though and would continue this series.

I just loved Anyone But Rich. It was such a fun, entertaining, lighthearted and witty RomCom. When best friends Kira, Miranda and Iris made a pact to never ever date any of the King brothers (twins Rich and Cade, and Nick) they weren’t to know that seven years later when the brothers sauntered back into town that their resolve would be tested. Seven years later the King brothers are still hot and gorgeous but they’re now billionaires and they return to their sleepy little hometown of West Valley, NC to bring business and growth to the town. Kira is the first person Rich seeks out when he arrives in town. Kira knows she’s supposed to hate Rich. Rich knows he is going to have to do a lot to win her heart and he’s not sure if that is even possible. There are the times when she forgets about hating him, and then they get along just fine. Even if she wanted to give him a second chance she’s worried she’ll be a traitor to her friends if she forgives him. If only he was Anyone But Rich... It was a great read and even though the story centres around Kira and Rich, it had an all star supporting cast of family and friends including the hilarious and often inappropriate Iris and Cade. This is the first book in the Anyone But... series, and I can’t wait for the next book to be released!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming  Could not put down nor did I want to.

Anyone But Rich is the first book in Penelope Bloom's Anyone But... series. This series follows the three King brothers and the three best friends who promised to never go near them again.

Any But Rich features Rich King and Kira Summerland. Rich and Kira's past was the catalyst for the promise Kira and her two best friends, Iris and Miranda. Rich comes back to town after seven years to build an east coast headquarters of the technology company he created with his brothers Nick and Cade. Since the brothers are back in town, the girls reconfirm this promise. What starts as Rich seeking forgiveness quickly turns into Rich seeking more from Kira. There is plenty of drama with Kira's friends as well as meddling family members.

I really enjoyed this book, which is the first I have read from Penelope Bloom. It was a great kickoff for the series. I absolutely cannot wait for the next two books in the series! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is an odd mixture of a book. On the one hand, I did like it. You get the catharsis that Aristotle banged on about. On the other hand, like much romance we’ve seen before, it’s becoming outdated with the way their male leads, and even their female leads, behave. I try to avoid spoilers as much as I can, but, nonetheless, there might be one or two.
 
Kira and her friends have made a pact. They will never, ever, come anywhere near the King brothers. Ever. 
Again, that is.
The pact they made in high school is easy to hold, considering the Kings are away from their small town and with no chance of ever coming back.
Until they do come back, that is. 
Now, Rich King has everything. He has a great business, a lot of money, a private jet and a beautiful, well-bred, girlfriend. But he has unresolved feelings for his high school crush, Kira. Intending to close that chapter of his life, he goes back to his native town to make amends.
So far so good, right? Nothing like a going-back-home story.
The problem comes when Kira tells him to go fuck himself, and he doesn't. Rich King forces his way into her life, regardless of what she says. With arguments such as 'if you don't do what I am asking now, it's only going to get worse' and a grin on his face, he gets her to agree to go with him to dinner, etc. Luckily, it doesn't extend to more intimate situations, but that doesn't eliminate the problem.
Yes, Rich ends up being a good guy, but that's no justification for ignoring her very clear wishes to have him get out of her sight. We are yet again confronted with the charm that trumps the stalker behaviour. Because we hadn't had enough with Edward Cullen and Christian Grey. All these male characters are telling people is that it's fine to be a creep as long as you have a six-pack and you're rich. 
If I imagine that behaviour in real life, it makes me cringe, body and money non-withstanding, and a lot of women will recognize it for what it is. But there are a lot of younger women who might swoon at that idea and find that their Rich/Edward/Christian is not so nice at the other end of the tunnel. In fact, he is a psychopath.
Now, don't get me wrong. I have faith in most women and their ability to recognize this as simply a fantasy and not take it too literally, but it's just that I've met this guy so many times now, in so many different books, whether romance or not romance, that it's just becoming a bit... blah.
Also, I must say that this is not an erotic novel at all, though there are a couple of sex scenes. Let me tell you this: pulling out is a very poor contraceptive method and a disastrous prophylactic. There are worse things in the world than unintended pregnancies. I have read erotic novels that involves condoms. It can be done. I am going to have a t-shirt made with the words 'Condoms, people!' written on it.
Now, do I recommend this book? Is it entertaining? It is, I'm not going to lie. Am I going to read 'Anyone but Cade' and 'Anyone but Nick'? Yes, I am. I am just hoping they'll be a bit more #metoo friendly.
Kira is lovable and her group of friend is intriguing. Iris and Miranda have strong characters that I am looking forward exploring in the sequels. On the King side of things, while Cade is a dumbass, you end up finding him funny in an endearing sort of way. My issues with this book are philosophical rather than literary.

This is your typical good girl falls for cocky jerk romance. The story was like a drug and I was hooked. I could not get enough. A lot of these stories are the same old crap. Sometimes that's what I want. While I wouldn't say this was crap, I would say that the romance factor was great. The cocky jerk/good girl trope is one of my favorites. This is the start of a series and I look forward to what is coming up next!

Penelope Bloom is a new author to me and I'll definitely be looking into reading some more of her books. This book had just the right amount of humour and drama to keep me interested. I loved the wit and banter that was shared between the brothers and the 3 friends. Cade and Iris had me cracking up at times with some of their comments. I liked the story line of enemies to lovers but would have liked a bit more from the reason why Kira hated Rich and a bit more of a resistance towards him at the start. Overall I really enjoyed the book it kept me engaged and I'm looking forward to reading Cade and Iris's story next

Unfortunately this book fell short for me. I really loved her Objects of Attraction series. I had a hard time getting through this book. To me the Characters had the maturity of a grade schooler and the brothers parents are just ridiculous moochers that didn’t even really parent their kids.  @netgalley thanks for the chance on reading this before it released

4 Stars
Review by: Alysia
Late Night Reviewer
Up All Night w/ Books Blog

Anyone but Rich by Penelope Bloom was a quick and easy read. It was good but not five-star good in my opinion. It was a story that is every small town girls fantasy, to win the heart of a billionaire. 

Rich King and his brothers would melt the hearts of every girl around when they were teenagers. They broke hearts as much as they changed clothes. Kira was one of their victims. Once the King brothers moved away Kira and her besties made a vow to never let another boy get between them and to never have a friendship with a King. Easy enough when they are in another state. Right? 

Many years later, Rich can’t get Kira out of his mind so, when his brothers pitch the idea to expand their multi-billion dollar business back home he agrees. He will finally get the chance to apologize. If only it were that easy. Kira has stuck to the vow she made back in high school and won’t listen to his apology. He has to work for forgiveness.

Kira and Rich are the definition of forbidden love. His parents will stop at nothing to keep them apart. They are from “old money” and want their son to aid their reputation in that world of class. Will Kira and Rich let them win? 

I loved how funny and realistic the characters were. Kira and Rich both had best friends that would keep them entertained and on their toes. 

This story was in dual POV depending on the chapter. 

***ARC received in exchange for an honest review.***

Kira has made a vow with her 2 best friends.  Never, ever get involved with a King boy.  Rich, Cade and Nick have single handedly ruined their collective lives, well as much as a teenager’s life can be ruined.  They vow to never give those boys their attention again, ever.  Which is easy to do since the boys hightailed it out of town to the left coast after graduation to make themselves billionaires.  

Rich King is returning to his hometown on the East Coast knowing he will have to eat some crow sooner rather than later.  He has one person in mind that he knows he will have the hardest time with.   He is hopeful that Kira will forgive him but you never know.   Heading back with Stella (his fake girlfriend) on his arm gives him strength to face not only Kira but his parents and their overbearing ideals.

Kira just wants to get through her first day of teaching, conveniently at her old high school.  Once Rich King was done making a fool of her and ruining any chance she had a bettering her station, this was what she could obtain.  She is determined that life will not win this time.   Determined that is until her classroom door opens and in walks Rich King.

Kira used to have no problem telling twins Rich and Cade apart but now that they’ve been gone from town all these years, it gets a little more complicated.  Cade she liked, he was no nonsense, more relaxed and she actually dated him briefly.  Albeit while trying to make Rich jealous but that’s beside the point.   Rich and Kira have a lot to work out from both their past and their present.  But each is hoping they can use this opportunity to have a fresh start.  Maybe once they get past a few things though.  

A good first book to start off this 3 book (I’m assuming) about 3 brothers and the girls they left behind.  I enjoyed the push pull that Kira and Rich experienced both in the past and what can be their future.  I’m excited to see how the friendship dynamic changes in the other 2 couples interactions.  Solid 5 stars for this book I voluntarily read and reviewed.

No other book will do!! - Really liked this book by Penelope Bloom, she's introduced new characters with a fab and wicked theme to it. 3 school friends make a pact to never have anything to do with the 3 King brothers but when they're all grown up, not everything goes to plan when the King brothers return to town as billionaires and ready to stir things up. I loved Kira and Rich's romance but I think it's the additional characters that bring the story together so well. Absolutely love Cade and Iris and I'm bursting for their story which I'm hoping is next. 
I voluntarily received an ARC for a honest review.

This was a Rich start to a new series💕

Penelope Bloom is one of my favourite authors who I instantly one click when I see she has a new release. I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy of Anyone but Rich via Netgalley, and want to thank Montlake and Penelope for the chance to review for this new series and voluntarily leave my honest review❣️

This book was fabulous! I instantly fell in love with the characters, the humour by the characters and the overall story which was well developed🤩

Kira and her two best friends, Iris and Miranda make a pact to never give the King brothers a chance in the future, even if they are super wealthy or even famous. Fast forward seven years and the King brothers are returning to their small home town. Rich, Cade and Nick are eager to start their expansion in their home town but Rich first wants to set things straight with Kira. Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite go how he expects and soon obstacles are being encountered in their personal as well as professional lives😭 One thing I have to say is that I absolutely loved Cade and Nick and their shenanigans and also the obsession Rich has with some prehistoric creatures....wink wink 😉 I’m not saying a thing but I would recommend you read this story, as you won’t regret it! I eagerly await Cade and Nick next😍

Anyone But Rich is a book by Penelope Bloom about a long-held promise between three friends to stay away from the 'King' boys. 

Hurt by their actions in the past the girls make a vow to stay clear away from the three boys but when they return to town Kira finds it difficult to remain loyal to the promise as Rich vies for her attention. 

I absolutely loved the characters in this book and it was full of witty banter which at times had me laughing out loud! My issue was with how the characters seemed to be able to flip between strong emotions easily. It made the book less believable and also less enthralling. 

Overall I enjoyed it though. 

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to review this ARC.

I couldn't wait to start reading this story and I absolutely loved every bit of it! This second chance romance was everything. There was plenty of laugh at loud moments and steamy romance. This was ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐! Thank you NetGalley for my copy!

I'll admit, I was super excited to read this because I love Penelope, and I was not disappointed. I loved this book a lot. Every character made this story. Rich's brother Cade is probably my favorite. His humor made this book better. I can't wait to read his book. Definitely a must read if you love second chance romances with humor.

Thank you Netgalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

OMG, this book was AMAZING!! It's a second chance romance about two people who let others decide what was best for them in high school. Now, years later, they meet again and Kira cannot stand the sight of Rich. However, Rich is determined to make things right. Even if it means losing lots of money. When you throw in two absolutely quirky besties, two mischievous brothers and two sets of parents dead set on running their kids life's, you get one totally hilarious book! You won't be disappointed. I voluntarily received an ARC copy of this book and am leaving an honest review.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. This is the first book of a new series.
Everyone knows the King brothers but Kira and her friends made a pack in high school to never get involved with any of them.
Now with the King brothers moving back into town. Kira is having a hard time avoiding them. Rich is going out of his way to make sure Kira can't avoid him.
I loved this book and can't wait for the next King brothers books.

This was a cute book. Quick read, easy topics, the book was funny and happy. I thought it was well done. The characters really stood out to me, they felt real and honest. 

Would read another book by this author in a second. Might go look at her list on good reads now. 

I was given this book in exchange for my honest review from Netgalley.

Although this book doesn’t stand out amongst the overladen genre that is contemporary romance, it is relatively lighthearted and fun, with a cast of amusing, if slightly deranged at times characters. Making this an enjoyable tale of a second chance romance.

At times, the plot felt a little too convenient, like the “machiavellian plots” of Rich’s parents, and it did seem like much of it was blown out of proportion, like the reason for hating Rich, when she had a safety net, not to mention three grown-ass women reaffirming then falling out over a 7 year old pact. 

Nevertheless, I will be settling in to read the sequels, and can see this being a good pack for a holiday at the beach.

I loved the blurb on this book and hadn’t read anything by the author before, so went in with a completely open mind. I’ve seen some fabulous reviews on Goodreads, but unfortunately this one just wasn’t for me.