A fun, enemies to lovers romantic comedy! Perfect for anyone who enjoys this genre or is looking to experiment outside of their comfort zone. A slow build featuring fantastic relationship building between the two main characters. There is just enough tension and movement through the plot to keep the reader engaged without feeling rushed. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to review this ARC.

Katie's had enough! She's had enough of being passed over at work, of her love interest John being clueless, and generally of everything in London. SO, she takes herself to Sheffield, where she opens her own galley. And meets Kit. Kit's an artist with attitude and these two have amazingly fun repartee as Katie works to get him to show at her galley. This is a friends to lovers rom com (well, they aren't friends at first but you know what I mean) but it's also about Katie taking charge of her life. It's a fun light read. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. This will make you smile.

I've been in the mood for simple rom-coms recently, I think it's a sign of the times we are living in at the moment, that I need something light and diversionary.

This book fit the bill perfectly. It covers the story of Katharine who is passed over for promotion at work for the third time and realises that she's had enough of the London art world and decides to relocate to Sheffield to open her own art gallery. She leaves behind her on/off relationship and never really looks back.

Of course every rom-com needs it's romantic hero, which is where Christopher / Kit comes in, a moody, cantankerous artist who Katharine is determined to work with. It's more of a love / hate relationship story and includes an emotional rollercoaster and a couple of red herrings as they realise their feelings for each other.

Overall this is a great book, written with good pace and full of likeable characters. There is more emotion than comedy, each of the characters with their own issues to work through. I really enjoyed it, and it was just the ticket for me at the moment.

“A beautifully and realistically written laugh-out-loud romance."

Katherine’s ideal world in London comes crashing down when she is passed up for promotion, and she quits to show her discontent. A couple of days later, she breaks up with her not really boyfriend, John, for his utter lack of respect for her and her work. A visit to her Dad’s house in Sheffield and Katherine realizes what she’s been missing all along. Kit, aka Christopher.

I loved the chemistry between Kit and Katie. There wasn’t just passion and lust; there was mutual respect, understanding for each other’s work, and a mature outlook. The effortless writing was complemented with intelligent humor, and I was entertained thoroughly. Katie had her flaws, but who doesn’t, and she knew what they were and worked on it. That’s my favorite part when it comes to female leads.
In most romance novels I’ve read, the leads when they separate just keep missing each other and sulking and doing nothing about it. I wonder why they don't talk to each other about their issues. But here, Belinda Missen has kept things so real when she makes Katherine decide to talk about the issues arising with Christopher and her best friend, Lainey. I loved that so much. Why can’t all authors follow suit and make woman characters practical?

I loved the book's pace, although Kit did not have a significant appearance until well into the middle of the story, I loved every buildup that led to him. I kept turning pages and frankly only realized I read 300 pages so quickly when I sat down to write this review.
Books like these make me glad I review because, without that, the opportunity to read this book would never have come my way. In short, I loved Accidentally in Love immensely.
Other than a couple errors, I found no other editing mistakes, these too, did not hinder my reading experience in any way.

To talk about the negatives, the first and last thing that pops up in my mind is Katherine's name. I am truly sick of all the Katherines and Elizabeths in romance novels. Think of new names, please authors. These common names make the characters forgettable for me.

Sharp and witty dialogue between leads always wins my heart.

Romance buffs must read this; those looking for steamy passionate scenes will be disappointed. Read it for the creative story-telling, witty dialogue, and laugh-out-loud moments that’ll have you smile when you turn the last page. Happily-ever-after story fans, here’s another one for you.
Thank you Netgalley and HQ Digital for the reviewing opportunity.

Happy reading!

This was a fun, mostly light read that I thoroughly enjoyed. It made me laugh in several places as well as had me holding back tears in others. The main character definitely had her fair share of angst, but was a very likeable character. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good romantic comedy.

Accidentally in Love is much more than an enemies-to-lovers rom-com. It explores one young woman’s journey from being an employee passed over for promotion to being the owner of her own art gallery. The inside look at the art world and what goes into opening an art gallery were very interesting. Another theme was family - moving back to her hometown of Sheffield versus staying in London. I loved her family members: Dad, brother Adam, and stepmother Fiona. Her love interests were very different: John the London lawyer and Kit/Christopher, the Sheffield artist. I did think the switch from enemies to lovers with Kit was a bit abrupt, as was the ending. I enjoyed the banter between Kit and Katharine and I loved that they could relate over art and that it was more than just a physical attraction.

I love rom com reads and enjoy both the high brow and low brow kind. This one started with an interesting concept, but kind of dragged for me and then felt super rushed in trying to wrap up the story. I think this book might find lovers from other, but I wasn't the biggest fan.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, really funny at times and it was just a fun easy read. Perfect for anyone who loves a slow burning enemy-to-lovers romance. Katherine is such a strong character and I love how she takes no bs and follows her dreams even when everything in her life seems to be falling apart. Makes you appreciate that if you want something so bad and work hard at it then anything is possible so never give up on your dreams!
I will definitely be checking out more of Belinda
Missen’s work. Thank you so much for allowing me an advanced copy.

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was a decent slow burn romance that slowly builds up to heartwarming story. Kat decides to open her own gallery after quitting her job and wants to feature Kit’s art work. Of course he refuses and inadvertently begins a complicated dance with Kat. This is in no way a romantic comedy more of a temperate artsy love story much more emotional than comedic.
Nonetheless worth the read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review

I went into this book anticipating a really light hearted fluffy romance, and it delivered.

Overall I really enjoyed how this story developed, it is the perfect cheese fest if you’re after a nice easy read. The cover is gorgeous and is something I’m instantly drawn to in romance. Our main character Katherine overcame multiple obstacles during the course of the story and I was really rooting for her and her gallery opening. I also loved the depiction of her relationship with her brother and step-mum, as someone who has both of those in her life I think it showed how complex these relationships can be and added a lovely family element to the story.

I would add that there’s a slight trigger warning for death and grief as Katherine and Kit both lost people very close to them and discussed this in conversation. Although these were tough topics to discuss I felt it was done well and added to story, adding complexity to the characters without making them martyrs.

I had two issues with this book though – one the romance was ridiculously fast. While I can appreciate a whirlwind romance, Katherine and Kit went from effectively despising each other to getting engaged within a month. With the trauma both of them have experienced in the past with bereavement, grief and fuckboys I was quite surprised that both of them took the relationship so easily. That being said, it was incredibly sweet and I did enjoy their happy ending (think the proposal was a bit much but that’s me)

The second was the relationship Katherine had with her best friend, Lainey. Lainey is the worst friend ever, is incredibly selfish and demanding and when they have a big fight she calls Katherine to tell her all the terrible things she’s done. Does she apologise when they make up? No. I found this very strange especially as the MC comes across as really strong and no nonsense. This to me is super problematic and is the reason I gave the book 3 stars instead of 4 unfortunately.

If you’re after a feel good book this is perfect, it just fell a little bit flat for me with the friendships and the very fast paced romance.

Katharine is sick of being passed over again and again for promotions at work, so she leaves the comfort of her stable job in London to open her own art gallery. And there's a hot local artist she's looking to feature. And I mean hot as in popular AND hot as in physically.

I love Katharine's supportive family, especially her relationship with her step-mom. I am also so glad to see an ambitious woman portrayed going after her dreams in this novel. I especially loved the Mr. Darcy vibes I was getting from Kit.

Accidentally in Love is a little bit of a boy-meets-girl, modern day fairytale.

The characters were likeable and had a detailed backstory to them. This made them relatable and kept me wizzing through the pages to see if it was a 'happily ever after' ending, just like any good fairytale. And also, just like any good fairytale, there are 'villians' to add a little bit of spice to the mix.

All in all, this was an enjoyable, light-hearted read which gave me a bit of a break from my normal heavy reading.

Accidentally in Love is a lovely warm and feel good romcom and the perfect poolside summer read. The writing is good and the author has developed some great characters, all of whom are engaging and realistic. I loved the family dynamics, the wonderful relationship Katharine has with her family and the way they all support each other.

Some of the more romantic scenes are depicted really well, particularly the scene in the darkroom with all the simmering sexual tension! Although I enjoyed the progression of the romance between Kit and Katherine, I felt Kit initially came across as downright rude and I can’t believe Katharine put up with the way he spoke to her. He did, however, redeem himself and I grew to like his character as the story progressed. As a lover of art and drawing, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about all the art references, Katherine’s job as art curator and Kit’s art school, and I loved the connection their relationship had through art.

The end felt a little rushed and it all seemed to escalate rather quickly, unfurling it over another chapter would have lessened the seemingly hurried pace.

A quick and easy read if you want a quick fix, with a good story line, great characters and a cosy romance.

Thank you to the publisher via Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley, HQ and Belinda Missen for gifting me an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
After being passed up for a promotion at work for the third time, Katherine knows it’s time to move on. She breaks up with her “are they, aren’t they” guy and decides that moving home is the best way to see her dreams of opening her own gallery a reality. There she meets Christopher, a local artist and friend of her fathers. He runs a local art school which brings them together.
This starts as an enemies to lovers plot line. Christopher gives fresh and funny banter that keeps the chemistry going between the two characters, but his hot and cold attitude got old fast. I think he was crazy immature for being in his thirties and some of the things he got himself into had me rolling my eyes. Their romance throughout the book was pretty tame and this could be classified as a clean romance! I think maybe if we’d seen their story play out a little longer I would’ve felt a connection between them, but I just feel like we didn’t quite have enough info to really fall for these characters!

An enemies to lovers story that didn't quite mark that tally for me with characters that you may or may not be indifferent to depending on your preferences for MCs.
The start of it is catching but as it moves on with Katharine and Christopher a.k.a Kit, it fell flat and predictable.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book received from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A cute romance which is exactly what i need sometimes to feel refreshed and dive back into reading so thank you Belinda Missen for making this wonderful romance. The only negative part was that the book seemed a little slow i feel like it took me forever just to get through one page with that being said I did not connect well with the characters either. It almost felt like the author tried to do an enemies to lovers type novel and i dont feel like that worked well for her, had she just stuck with the happy hallmark romance i believe i would have liked the book more.

Accidentally in Love by Belinda Missen is a story about Katharine, a longtime gallery curator at a fine arts gallery in London, who was completely fed up about being passed over for a promotion and was on an undefined relationship with a lawyer. She then leaves London to return back to her hometown to fulfill her artistic dreams, and possibly find the person she’ll spend her life with.

Katharine is very relatable. Sets aside passion for something that will pay the bills, but still holds out hope that one day she’ll be given the opportunity to show the world her talents. But not too far that she forgets about it. She instead took a curator job, which is still a dream job for her. And yet somehow, the time she spent learning and working for her craft, it simply was not enough.

This novel is definitely written for a millennial audience. Why, you ask? Calligraphy, photography, and drinking – the trifecta of millennial hobbies. Plus, the never-ending career frustrations and failed relationships.

It’s been a while since I’ve read a chill novel. It’s definitely a breath of fresh air. Katharine is a wonderful character and I haven’t really laughed while reading a book the entire year. When she checks out Kit, I suddenly burst out laughing because that definitely isn’t something I usually read in books. Which now I think I’ve been reading the wrong ones.

The title clearly says it’s a romantic novel. But that’s not what I got 80 pages in, and I’m not saying like that is a bad thing. What I’m saying is, Ms. Missen prioritized Katharine’s career realizations over her romantic interests. And that is exactly what I like about this novel. It’s more about Katharine’s success than her finding a suitable partner. Sure, finding a person you’d spend your life with is important, but not as important as having a career and being your own person. Katharine is the type of person I aspire to be.

Ah, Ms. Missen. Thank you for this wonderful book. Thank you for writing Katharine as a strong woman who knows what she wants, what she’s worth, and isn’t afraid to ask for what she deserves.

I enjoyed this book for the most part. The writing was solid, the characters are interesting, and I do love stories set in the UK.

My biggest problem was that it seemed a little unbalanced. The beginning is a slow build-up between the two main characters, and I had no issue with that. It was then that the "dark moment" happened and suddenly it's a week later and things are rushed to a happy conclusion.

But I could easily imagine the setting, having visited London and the surrounding countryside a time or two. And I loved how Katharine handled her new lease on life. How many of us have wanted to look at our bosses and do the very same thing?

I look forward to more from this author in future.

After getting passed up for a well deserved promotion because she's not part of the boys club, Katharine decides to move back to her hometown and strike out on her own by opening an art gallery. She meets local artist Kit/Christopher and you can guess what happens. What I really liked about this book is how Katharine worked hard for what she wanted and the author didn't shy away from writing her with some flaws. I really enjoyed the dynamic Katharine has with her family, especially her brother Adam.

I had trouble with the pacing of the book. It started off strong for me but then there were so many other plot lines going on that I felt like I was reading 3 different books. The dialogue was broken up by such long chunks of inner monologue that I often had a hard time tracking the conversations which is unfortunate because there were some good barbs traded between Katharine & Christopher. Their relationship was a bit puzzling to me. One of my favorite tropes is an enemies to lovers romance but the progression of the relationship between Katharine & Christopher left me feeling a bit puzzled. I missed the banter, the slow burn, the simmering feelings. I wasn't rooting for them to become a thing and I felt like Christopher (and when did we suddenly switch from calling him Kit to Christopher in the book?) was largely absent for most of the story, even after he had been introduced as a character.

Each character in the book was well developed but in this case it was almost problematic because there is so much to absorb and take in. You want a chance to explore each of their situations (Lainey, John, Adam & Christopher all have a LOT going on in their stories that I won't spoil here) and I feel like I would have loved to have seen more of an exploration of that rather than a detailed description of Katharine picking out paint samples. The ending hit me out of nowhere and I was still left feeling like I didn't really have a grasp on the relationship between Katharine & Christopher.

I think this book will do well with those interested in the art & gallery world and Katharine is an inspiration for taking a leap of faith for anyone wanting to start their own business. Many thanks to HQ Digital & Netgalley for an ARC

Accidentally in Love was such a fresh, funny romcom. I love stories about self-discovery and following your dreams, and this was very much that, along with a story about family, friendship, and finding the type of love you deserve.

Katharine works in a job where she’s overlooked and underappreciated, she’s semi-dating a guy who never makes her a priority, and her best friend has shuffled her aside except for when she needs her to do something for her. She’s almost at her breaking point, so when the opportunity arises for her to quit her job and leave London, she takes a risk and jumps in head first. Katharine was so relatable. I think we’ve all felt like we weren’t a priority when we should be, whether it’s in a job, a friendship, a relationship, or in our own families. Katharine has it coming at her from all sides, so she decides it’s time to make herself a priority and do something that fulfills her, even if she fails. I loved her gumption.

When she meets Kit, they immediately rub each other the wrong way. She wants nothing to do with him, but they’re connected through her family and their small community, whether she likes it or not. They form a tentative agreement that slowly morphs into friendship and then something more. Even when things were good between them, these two still butted heads, but it provided for a lot of fun banter.

I loved the family dynamics in the book. Katharine had such a great relationship with her brother, Adam, and her dad and his girlfriend were a lot of fun. The friendship between Katharine and Lainey was painful to read at times, mostly because I’ve been in her place and related so much to feeling forgotten, taken for granted, used. I liked what it added to the story and that it tied in with Lainey learning to speak up and do what was right for her own life, even if it looked different than she thought or different from what others expected.

Overall, Accidentally in Love was a fun, lighthearted read. I could see this being made into a Hallmark movie - girl starting over in the small town she grew up in, quirky family, enemies to lovers - and I’d definitely watch it!