Cover Image: Real Men Knit

Real Men Knit

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Member Reviews

I love knitting and reading about knitting shops but, this story just didn’t cut it for me. I found it a little too sickly and predictable which spoiled the book for me entirely. I guessed the ending very quickly and some of the dialogue between the characters left me cold. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

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Strong Knits is a staple landmark in the neighborhood; people come to socialise, buy yarn and learn a new craft. Its owner, Mama Joy, is as much part of the fun as the store in itself - until she unexpectedly dies, leaving 4 handsome adoptive sons behind. Initially, they want to sell the store, but one of them, Jesse, an avid knitter, insists that he can save the store with the help of Kerry, who has worked there part-time for most of her life and also loved to knit. Being a knitter myself, I felt like this story was perfect as a concept; I absolutely had to read it.

I read it, and it fell a bit short of my expectations. It was a nice story, but the dynamic between Jesse and Kerry is somewhat strange; they're a bit awkward around each other, having had a secret crush for each other since childhood, then suddenly - and I mean, really suddenly - it changes, and then it changes again out of the blue, and so on. I couldn't quite relate to them as a couple because it felt like there was a huge build-up, all so that what it was building up to happened without the necessary transition.

A few more chapters focussing on this transition between each change of dynamic could've perhaps helped. Jesse also stressed me out a bit with his reluctance to believe in anything positive about himself; the character growth that I was expecting, where he would gradually come to terms with his failings and embrace who he was completely never happened, which makes me question how healthy a relationship can be when you constantly believe you're a total fuck up.

All in all, there was a lot of room for improvement, but I did like the story behind it and diversity is as abundant in this story as it should be in every book out there. I think, with time, Kwana Jackson will write some really awesome books.

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When I saw this book I was excited. Romance, tick. Knitting, BIG tick.

The truth is I have such a soft spot for knitting romance books, like the Blossom Street series.

However, for me, this book missed the mark. The knitting aspect felt a bit shoehorned in. The romance was definitely the main focus here.

It had a nice slowburn, which I appreciated. However one of the reasons I like a slow-burn romance is that it gives the characters room to grow and develop alone. Add this to the sizzle and anticipation of a blossoming romance and you're on to a winner. But again, I felt like this book fell short.

The characters felt a bit flimsy and I didn't really understand their motivations, or find them particularly likeable.

Sadly, not one for me.

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Loved this! Adored the characters and the writing, flew through this in one afternoon. The Strong boys were by far my favourites and I’d love to read more about them. I laughed and I cried, so many emotional moments for me. I would happily read a sequel as I think there is so much back story I’d be excited to learn about.

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‘Real Men Knit’ is the latest book by Kwana Jackson.

Kerry Fuller has worked at Joy Strong’s knitting shop – Strong Knits – for years. And she’s had a secret crush on Joy’s son, heartbreaker Jesse Strong, for even longer. When Joy unexpectedly passes away, Jesse vows that he will keep the shop open, no matter what. And with no idea of where to start, he reaches out to Kerry for help. Soon Kerry is teaching Jesse all the knitty-gritty parts of the business – all the while trying to keep her heart from getting broken. The longer they spend together, the closer they become. But Kerry doesn’t believe their relationship can last longer than she can knit one, purl one. It’s up to Jesse to prove her wrong.

This was the perfect book to curl up with this morning, a story of love and friendship set in New York.

The story is seen through the narrative of Becky and Jesse, as they deal with the aftermath of losing their foster mother, Mama Joy. A huge spirit who helped many children including Jesse’s other brothers Damian, Lucas and Noah find a stable and loving home. With her passing, the brothers and Becky are determined that her knitting shop will continue.

Jesse and Becky are great characters. Jesse is a bit of a womaniser who leaves a string of broken hearts in his path and is adamant that Mama Joy’s knitting shop will be a success with him in charge and determined to prove his brothers wrong. He’s always had a bit of a soft spot for Becky but she’s completely oblivious whereas Jesse always had a piece of her heart. But when she has to move in with him when her apartment is being renovated, it’s interesting to see the dynamics between the pair of them. Becky witnesses the women coming and going and Jesse has to deal with new feelings with Becky as well as process his own grief over Mama Joy. I loved Becky’s spirit and her passion and she made for entertaining reading. The dual perspectives are also a great addition to the story as they interacted with each other and misinterpreted actions and words.

Although not blood brothers, Jesse and his brothers are always there for each other. Sweetly written with great characters, ‘Real Men Knit’ is a great story, that no matter the gender, everyone can knit and and it’s a powerful message that you don’t need to be connected by blood to be family.

You can buy ‘Real Men Knit’ from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.

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I would like to thank Netgalley, Harper Collins UK and Kwana Jackson for the e arc copy of this book.
We meet the four Strong bothers, Damian, Lucas, Noah and Jesse. Their adoptive mother has passed away and they must decide what to do with her knitting and yarn store Strong Knits. All four brothers are opinionated and Jesse’s brother don’t think much of him – he has never really settled to anything. When he persuades them that he can run the store and make it a success they are very sceptical. With his brothers help and that of Kerry, a friend who has work in the shop since childhood, they get the store ready for re-opening. As we meet not only the brothers and Kerry but the people in the neighbourhood, we learn what the store means for many people. We also see Jesse learn more about himself and to develop as a person. He helps people and in particular a young boy. His relationship with Kerry changes but can the new relationship last?
A lovely read.

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Romance, humour and knitting, how can you possibly resist Kwana Jackson’s delightful new novel, Real Men Knit?

Kerry Fuller cannot remember a time when she didn’t have a secret crush on her employer’s son Jesse Strong. Heartbreaker Jesse is the man of Kerry’s dreams, but sadly it looks like her love for him will remain unrequited. Kerry has long resigned herself to the fact that Jesse will always see her as being nothing more than his mother’s employee. However, when tragedy strikes and Jesse finds himself needing help to keep his mother’s store Strong Knits open, he realises that he doesn’t have the first clue about running a knitting shop. Jesse is desperate. He needs help and he knows the right person to help him out of the hole he has found himself in: Kerry!

Having worked at Strong Knits for eons, Kerry knows the business like the back of her hand. Spending time with the man she has been in love with for years might not exactly be ideal, but Kerry owes it to her late employer to help her son out in his hour of need – even if it means getting her heart broken in the process all over again. Finding herself thrust in very close proximity to Jesse, Kerry knows she should focus on teaching Jesse the knitty-gritty of the business, but it soon transpires that they’ve got a whole lot on both their minds than dropped stiches and yarn!

As the two of them become closer and closer, will their professional relationship give way to a love that could last a lifetime? Or will there be more heartache and disappointment for Kerry?

Real Men Knit is an absolute delight from start to finish! Kwana Jackson has written a cosy, uplifting and heartfelt contemporary romance that readers will absolutely love as it sparkles with warmth, wit and pathos. The chemistry between Kerry and Jesse is absolutely electric and you will certainly not need any cable-knit sweaters while reading this book as their love story will certainly get your temperature rising!

A compulsively readable tale romantics will not want to miss, make sure you add Kwana Jackson’s Real Men Knit to your auto-buy list!

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An interesting concept but this book wasn’t really for me. As a keen knitter I normally enjoy fiction books based round this subject, but it took me a bit too long to get into this book.

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I saw the sweet cover a while back and knew I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to participate in this blog tour. Of course I was guilty, as I often am, of judging a book – this book – by its cover.

Real Men Knit presents itself as a cute, sweet romance with the added extra of knitting. Upon reading this book, though, I discovered that there is more to it than that. The book begins with the aftermath of the death of the matriarch, Mama Joy, who has not only nurtured the very different Strong brothers’ but she has also run the knitting shop — Strong Knits alongside. Yes, it is about how these boys — and Kerry — get the shop up and running, but this book is a sharp, emotional showcase of how it feels to lose someone who meant to much to so many (something I think a lot of us will have experienced over this past year).

Admittedly, the book felt as if it took a long time getting started but — I will say — I did enjoy it once it did.

It was a bit predictable, and the romance wasn’t as electrifying as I thought it might be, but it was an easy, family filled story which filled me with comfort…even if I know I’d be hopeless at knitting!

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I really enjoyed this story and the character development. I am hopeful that we will get the other three brothers' stories in the future! There were lots of lump in the throat moments as well as laugh out loud ones. A really fun uplifting read that will completely enthral you as a reader

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I am a sucker for a good love story and this absolutely gorgeous cover caught my eye and was instantly one I have wanted to read.

This is a feel good read which I have devoured in just one sitting and really enjoyed. The plot had been unique to anything I’ve read previously and has really made this one stand out to me. The characters in this book are likeable and realistic. I have really enjoyed the journey through this one with them.

This has been more of a family fiction novel for me, with a slow burn romance thrown in. This hasn’t been a negative point as I have loved to see the relationships grow and develop. It has been easy to see the characters grow as I’ve read page after page.

The author has a great writing style, I have been completely pulled into the pages of this one and definitely not disappointed. This is a read that has left me smiling and I cannot wait to read more by this author.

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I didn’t get on with this book. It failed to grab my attention at the start which unfortunately meant I struggled to get into it and therefore didn’t get very far with it.

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You know that scene in me before you where he says to Lou Clarke she has so much potential? This is exactly how I felt about this book. It could have been a five star read but was just slow and the characters had no depth and I just couldn't get on with it.

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I tried my very best with this book, unfortunately it wasn't for me. I found the characters well written but I couldn't finish this unfortunately. This is not to say the book wasn't good just not to my taste
I give this 3 stars still. Thank you to Netgalley and the author and publishers for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review

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This book is very much seated in it's Harlem setting, with some points being a mystery to a white English reader like myself. As a story about handling bereavement and resolving relationship issues it is fine and different from most other romances. I could imagine it being made into a film.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book.

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This book was nothing at all like I expected. I thought it would be a typical ‘Chic lit’ book - boy meets girl in a knitting shop, a few misunderstandings along the way and a happy ending.

This book was much more than that. The Strong family consist of four men, All from different ethnic parents and all who were adopted by Mama Joy who has recently died. Add in Kerry, an avid crafter who helped Mama Joy in her knitting shop and who had, for years, been in love with one of the brothers, Jesse, Val, Kerry’s friend, and a host of other characters.

The book explores the changing relationship between the four brothers, especially Jesse who decided to run the shop with the help of Kerry. Jesse was always the 'wild boy' and now has to face up to his responsibilities. With the support (reluctant in some cases) of Kerry, his brothers and the local inhabitants he is determined to carry on Mama Joy's legacy and make the shop a success.

I didn't much like the occasional use of the 'F' word. Misunderstandings don't need swearing to get the message across and, in my opinion, this was totally out of place.

I was left wanting to read a sequel to see what happened in their future lives.

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I am afraid after 20%, I am finding this book incredibly boring and just not interested in continuing so I am having to stop reading and mark it as a DNF.

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In all honesty, I struggled with the pacing of this book and it felt like far too much of a slow burn. I put this down and had no inclination to finish it. I will try to at some point, but at the moment I haven't done and I'm considering just drawing a line under it.
It isn't badly written at all, it just hasn't worked for me on the couple of attempts I've had.

(Note: As I have not finished the book I won't share my review on social media)

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This book tells the story of Kerry and Jesse who work at a Yarn shop in NYC. As a crochet lover, I loved the concept of this book but it fell short on its execution. The pacing of the story felt all wrong and so many times I nearly gave up on it. The final 30% of the book really redeemed the rest but honestly a romance book that by 70% through they’ve not even held hands, you’ve got to be in this book for the long game. I totally understand the dilemma of friends to lovers but I just found it so frustrating that for the majority of the book nothing was really happening! I loved the ending (took it from 2⭐️ to 3⭐️) and there was hints of a sequel which I would consider reading.

Thankyou to NetGalley and HarperFiction for my copy of the ebook!

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When their foster-turned-adoptive mother suddenly dies, four brothers struggle to keep open the doors of her beloved Harlem knitting shop, while dealing with life and love in Harlem. Jesse Strong is known for two things: his devotion to his adoptive mom, Mama Joy, and his reputation for breaking hearts in Harlem. When Mama Joy unexpectedly passes away, he and his brothers have different plans on what to do with Strong Knits, their neighbourhood knitting store: Jesse wants to keep the store open; his brothers want to shut it down.

This is a contemporary family fiction, with heavy themes running throughout. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

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