This is book 1 in the series, which means great things!

A family of brothers, former NFL player brothers at that, buys a town.

Who can just buy a town? A town called Sheet Cake at that...

They're met with some resistance.

Pat had a career ending injury and is down in the dumps - until he comes up with the idea that he's going to win Lindy back - the one who got away.

Lindy is living the dream, not hers but someone's. She's stuck in this small town, caring for her niece, who she loves, instead of traveling the world as her heart desires.

Pat woos her every step of the way and Lindy is finding it very hard to not fall in love with him.

I enjoyed reading this book and look forward to the rest of them.

Many thanks to NetGalley - I just reviewed The Buy-In by Emma St. Clair. #TheBuyIn #NetGalley

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the beginning of this book. Grammar puns, well written, cute small town? Yes please. I liked the end - a solid HEA, a lot of love (and not just romantic love, friends, family and place are all included.) The epilogue is not stupid. I had some issues with the middle of the book, many of which I think are just about me and things that annoy me.

1) the representation of addiction was trite and dismissive. Rachel (Lindy's sister and Jo's mother) is represented as irredeemable. Her addiction is because she is bad.

2) Lindy thinks she is the best parent for Jo. She lives is a house that is literally condemned, she feeds Jo donuts for breakfast because she couldn't get her act together . Apparently she cannot cook at all. Nutrition matters. She also cannot do the five year-old's hair.

3) Lindy's uselessness is not cute. It's depressing. She literally needs a man to rescue her.

4) I'm not sure why Lindy doesn't have time to help out at the school. She doesn't cook or do housework. She only visits her mother when it suits her (and don't get me started on the representation of dementia). The mothers who do help out at the school are presented as bitchy, horrible people. It's a weird, unpleasant stereotype.

5) Lindy and Pat have lots of in-jokes, which are explained to the reader in painstaking detail. If you don't know that something is a movie reference, does it help to have that explained? No.

So, other than my issue with representation, I think that this book could have had 100 pages taken out of the middle and be a stronger, tighter book for it.

And at the end of all that, will I be reading the next book in the series? Almost certainly!

Pat really messed up when he let Lindy go when they were in college. He has a lot to prove that she is still the one for him when he comes back to the small town of Sheet Cake, Texas where she lives.

Seeing Pat show his love and devotion to Lindy were what made me really root for him. He had to overcome a lot of her misgivings and prove he was a changed, caring man. The way he respected her, didn't rush her, let her know he would always be there, and took care of her and her niece was so special.

Lindy's niece, Jo was an integral part of the reason that Pat and Lindy became a couple. Her child perspective was funny and sweet. With the introduction of Pat's brothers and Lindy's friends, I can see the next books in the series will be fun to read.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of the book. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own. This was posted to Goodreads on 02.14.22. I was not able to post to Barnes and Noble or IndieBooks, although I tried.

I actually put off reading this book because I saw the reference to schitt’s creek and I had tried one episode of it and just didn’t get on with it- so I wasn’t sure if I’d feel the same about this… HOW WRONG I WAS! I loved it so much I’m now wondering whether I need to go back and give the tv show another chance!
I thought this was genuinely a fab story. The sheet cake community were amazing, the Graham family were a beautiful unit and the support network Lindy had around her was incredible. It was a fun, fast paced story with plenty of laughs and also some touching moments. I raced through it and am eagerly anticipating the sequel!

What a super fast, hilarious romcom! I flew through this so quickly and enjoyed it a lot. The premise was really interesting (I‘m guilty of watching all of these house flipping shows) and I guess second-chance romances are one of my favourite tropes, so this checked a lot of boxes from the very start.

I absolutely adored the dynamic of the Graham family. They were so supportive of each other and had each other’s backs. I liked how openly they talked about everything and just had a great relationship with each other.

Pat was an absolute sunshine, but he also showed a lot of depth and emotion and I found him to be a very well balanced character. It was clear that he had grown from the mistakes he made in the past, and made conscious efforts to do things right in the present. That meant he didn’t get all that much character growth in the present timeline itself and seemed rather perfect then, but the way he took responsibility for his past actions and tried to win Lindy back showed that he really did go through a lot of personal development.

Lindy was a very relatable character in the way that she felt and acted. I adored her relationship with Jo, but that leads me to a point of criticism: if you can’t write a 5yo child (highly intelligent or not) without turning them into a mini adult, maybe you should just not write them. Smart kids are great, but I never saw Jo as a 5yo child but rather as an (at least) 10yo, very premature kid. And I kinda don’t see why that isn’t a way that could have been chosen. Why not say that Lindy‘s mom took care of little Jo until dementia set in and then Lindy had to take over all the responsibility? That would still allow for her sister to be absent, Lindy being the primary caretaker and her being so close to Jo, who would become a much more convincing character.

Anyway. I adored the relationship between Jo and Pat (and also Tank). And I really like the way the relationship between Pat and Lindy was developed. It’s an interesting take to not have any physical intimacy between the couple during their first relationship period, and I very much liked that. It really brought a focus to how Lindy and Pat bonded on an intellectual level, and that continued to be developed throughout the book. There were no really steamy scenes, but I actually preferred it that way for this story.

So all in all, I though that the plot was very well developed and the ending was wholesome though rather anticlimactic. I would have expected a clash with either Jo‘s birth mom or the Waters family, but neither ended up happening. I hope at least the problems with the Waters clan will be developed more in the sequels, which I am very excited to read.

4.5/5 stars.

This is so cute. Its a rom-com about Lindy and Pat. Pats dad, Tank, buys a small town as a project for his family and a place to house their brewery and the town just so happens to be the home of Pats ex Lindy. Lindy is in a bit of a tough place, she has been caring for her niece for the past 5 years after her sister abandoned her and now her sister is trying to regain custody after getting her life together. There are so many good tropes done rom-com style, faking dating, a grand gesture or two and even one bed. I usually have an issue getting into rom-coms because I am bad with secondhand embarrassment or I find them too slow but this one was incredible. Highly recommend!!

While I’m a huge fan of rom-com movies, I’ve never really been a big reader of romances. And even when I do read them they are usually holiday oriented. (Yes, I’m a complete sucker for Christmas romances. Half my DVR is Hallmark holiday movies.) But over the last year to so I’d actually begun to branch out a bit, reading more romances…still sticking with rom-coms but moving beyond the holiday niche.

I must admit given the initial set up of the first few chapters the actual story of The Buy-In was nothing like I expected. I mean when the story starts with Pat finding out his dad has purchased a rundown town in need of repair, I guess I was just expecting a lot more handyman mishap scenes. That being said, I enjoyed the heck of the story of Pat trying to win back the love of his life that he foolishly let slip away. Pat and Lindy where great characters, and how could you not love little Jo. Heck, everyone from Pat’s family and Lindy’s friends were great. In fact I enjoyed the writing so much I wasn’t even a quarter of the way through the book before I ended up adding several more of Ms. St. Clair’s books to my kindle, and I was thrilled when I reached the end of The Buy-In to learn there would be more books coming in this series. If you are looking for a sweet, clean, and fun rom-com then look no further.

Thanks to Emma St. Clair and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of The Buy-In.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R27ZNW7VINOKVJ/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

When an injury booted Pat from his NFL career, he came home to Austin to regroup. And after years, he still hasn’t found a place to plant his boots. He changes jobs and apartments so often his brothers and dad have started to wonder if he has a serious problem. His sister Harper seems to understand—after all, she recently realized her autism has kept her from relationships and commitment.

When his dad, a retired NFL player, buys a small town in Texas, Pat wants nothing to do with the project. Until he finds out his dad bought Sheet Cake, the hometown of the only woman he’s ever loved.

When Lindy stops at the local diner to pick up her niece, Jo, the last person she expects to run into is Pat Graham. The man broke her heart back in college, and Lindy wants nothing to do with him now. But when Pat offers a marriage of convenience to help Lindy gain permanent custody of Jo, Lindy reluctantly agrees. With a falling-apart life, and a house near collapse, Lindy can’t see anyone sticking around. Especially a guy who left her before.

But household disasters, flaming squirrels, Pat’s ankle-tracking devices (part of Judge Judie’s sentence) and city block’s worth of asphalt start to chip away at Lindy’s resolve to stay out of love.

What I Loved About This Book

St. Clare has a comedian’s perfect timing and delivery. Readers will laugh (and maybe even snort coffee through their noses) at the Graham family’s hijinks. Jo’s precocious but innocent (and embarrassing) questions keep readers wondering what she’ll say next.

Readers will relate to both Lindy and Pat as they struggle to put their past decisions behind them and create a future filled with hope. If you love RomCom and clean romances, you won’t want to miss The Buy-In.

A new author to me, I really loved this story of second chances by Emma St. Clair. Both Pat and Lindy were relatable and often hilarious. There are plenty of genuinely funny moments, balanced with sweet and often heart-achingly poignant ones. I also enjoyed the interactions between Lindy and her friends, and the rest of the Graham family.

My one negative, I found the pacing very slow at times, with a lot of the jokes and names over-explained (particularly in the first third of the book). At almost 450 pages, the extra pages just don't add anything to what is a pretty straightforward 'kinda fake marriage' rom-com trope. As such, I think this would have benefited from another edit, with a good 50-60 pages cut to sharpen the remaining plot up. But that's perhaps just my personal opinion, and i'm really glad I persevered, as I loved the connection between Pat and Lindy.

I adored Pat's nervous/awkward moment giggle, as that's also one of my own quirks, and both the scene in the jail, and the one with the squirrels had me in tears of laughter. I do think that Lindy could have put Pat out of his misery sooner, but we can't have everything we want, and ultimately I was more than happy with the ending. That gardening moment? Still crying swoony tears of joy!

I can't wait to see the other Graham brother's meet their matches... Perhaps they already have? 😉

*Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to leave an honest review*

Overall Rating: ❤❤❤❤
Heat Rating: 🔥
Emotional Rating: 😂😂💓💓😢😍

(I have also uploaded my review to Amazon UK but am awaiting moderation) Many thanks.

This is my first book by Emma St. Clair, and I just loved her writing! She makes the characters feel authentic with situations that really could happen. I fell in love with not only the people in this one, but also the little town of Sheet Cake.

When Pat’s dad, Tank Graham, buys a town, Pat is initially against it, but quickly gets on board when he discovers the girl that got away lives in the town. I loved the premise of a bunch of ex-pro football guys moving in on this small Texas town. The characters that we meet in town are hilarious and unique. I couldn’t get enough of the interactions between them. The town’s people don’t immediately accept the Graham family, and they get into some pretty tricky situations that had me laughing over and over!

I loved the chemistry between Pat and Lindy. Pat is the big hearted, huge gesturing guy, and his whole person is invested in making up to Lindy for the way he left her years ago. This is a second-chance romance, which I’m usually not a fan of, but it also had that fun enemies to lovers element, so it all worked for me!

Pat and Lindy’s characters are obviously the main storyline here, but there are so many side-characters that really round the plot out and make this feel like a story coming to life. I can’t wait to see how these people come back for the next story, and I can’t wait to read it!

This one was really cute!! I don’t normally read rom-cops but I enjoyed it. Loved the banter between the characters and the ending 🥺🥰 it was cheesy and there was absolutely no steam, but it had me crying and giggling throughout. A really cute, easy read! 📚 • http://Instagram.com/whatkelsysreading

When Pat’s father decides to buy a whole town “Schitts Creek style” Pat was skeptical. His skepticism changed once he realized this town held the one thing his heart had been pining over for the last 5 years: the woman that got away. Between the cute small town charm and the rekindle of a second chance romance, this book was a fun read! I enjoyed the many quirks to not only the main characters, but the many lovable side characters. My only personal complaints where the various pop culture references and the lengthy internal monologues. When added together, the two issues sometimes took me out of the moment of the story. Aside from that, the overall cozy feel of the story and characters made it an easy read for me!

I really liked the start of this book! The idea of buying an entire town intrigued me and I loved the ‘schitts creek’ feel to it!
I also really enjoyed the dual POV, I love being able to get a feel for what multiple characters are feeling rather than just following one person, and the author pulled it off without it becoming confusing. The writing style was also very easy to read. The chapters were a good length without being TOO long and the story flowed really well.

Unfortunately I did feel like it fell a bit flat in the middle, for me anyway. The fact they had bought a village was hardly mentioned and the story was really focused on the two main characters relationship (which I guess you would expect from a romance story but I just felt like I wanted more of a storyline about the purchase of the town) and parts of the story also felt really far fetched and unbelievable. I also felt like I wanted more of a storyline with lindys sister, as I don’t feel like that part of the story line or her sisters character were really shown very much.

It did pick up again for me towards the end, although the latter part of story did feel a bit rushed, but I loved the ending!

All in all, even though I felt parts were lacking, it is a great read if you just want a laid back, easy to follow, slightly cringey romance!

I have enjoyed several works by this author, and I add this one to that list!

While this story begins with a similar story line to the TV show Schitt's Creek (admitted by the author), I appreciated the way the Graham family rallied around their father, and his vision. Several parts of this story are really entertaining! I found Patrick and Lindy interesting characters that are easy to love.

Without giving spoilers, I will say I like the support everyone gave to Jo. The town (and townspeople) is adorable.

This is a cute, fun, entertaining book that is easy to read. The HEA is wonderful! Can't wait for the next one in this collection!!

The Buy In was a fast paced story, a town named after a cake and one day just bought by Tank, the famous pro football player and happened to be his son's ex town.

What a small world really it is, everything happened so fast that they had the wedding and everything but they never really had the time to discussed what they've felt for each other. Pat's been doing everything to win her over, but Lindy is pushing and pulling that I'm also having mixed feelings of what she felt for Pat.

I love the Graham family, how supporting they are to their family and how they fight for each other.

I love the story of Pat and Lindy, I love the sweetness and purity of it. I'm looking forward to the story of James and Winnie.

Another book that caught my eye because of the cover, how I love these cute covers, I can never resist! 🤭
This was my 1st contact with this author, and I really liked the writing, enjoyable with descriptions in the right measure, engaging plot that leaves you with a cozy feeling. A writing that hooked me from the beginning which made me read this book in just 2 days. The whole story revolves around the small town of Sheet Cake and, being from a small town myself, I could relate immensely to most of the events, which made me love this story even more. I just hope the people in my town never think to create an app for sharing information in the community like they do in Sheet Cake, I can already imagine the chaos that would be, I guess it's only funny if only sticks to the pages of the book ahahahah One of the other strong points of this book are the amazing characters! Well-built and complex, each one with their own particularities that are well marked in the narrative which allows us to know what is necessary about them as well as to create a connection, they are characters that get into our heads to stay! Lindy and Pat, the two main characters, make a lovely couple! From the beginning when Lindy fights tooth and nail against Pat, to the way she gradually melts and gives in to her feelings. The development of this relationship was so rewarding to follow! And what about the Graham family? I only have one thing to say...can they please adopt me? 🤭 The way they include Lindy and Jo, so adorable! But little Jojo is definitely the star of this book! The way everyone relates to her, her interactions always left me with a smile on my face and caused some good laughs. The trio Lindy, Pat and Jojo is definitely the cutest little found-family in the history of romance books!
The plot had some repetitive moments and the ending, in my opinion, unfolded a bit fast, it could have been better explored, but all in all, this was a read that I loved. A book that surprised me in a positive way, a sighing romance that gives us a few good laughs and a constant silly grin. In short, the RomCom we all need in our lives!

Plot | ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Characters | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ease of Read | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Quality of Writing | ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Overall | ⭐⭐⭐⭐,5

Review to be soon published on my bookstagram account @direadsomebooks!

Loved this book so much! The tropes, the emotions, and of course, the cute writing style. The cover was also enticing and the summary was just as riveting.

Thank you to NetGalley and Emma St. Clair for the opportunity to receive an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion and review!

Overall this book was CUTE. Sheet Cake is an adorable town full of adorable people, and I really felt for Lindy and she dealt with the situation with Jo.

I almost wish that it hadn't been quite as clean of an ending as it had been - <spoiler>I almost wish Rachel had actually shown up for the trial and that there has been a little more drama with that.</spoiler> I also had a bit of a hard time with some of the banter and the tone of Lindy and Pat's internal dialogues. Jo was adorable, but I'd love to read about a kid that ISN'T too smart for their own good and quite so precocious - most kids in rom coms are all pretty similar at this point.

I really love exploring new authors and good thing I came across Emma St. Clair.

One thing that I love about this book is when they verb a noun. It's sooo freaking hilarious and it makes me laugh. I love reading this kind of genre because it lightens the heaviness of my heart. Romance pack with so much comedy. Just the way I like it. I laughed and swoon a lot of but the s*xual tension between Pat and Lindy is out of this world! like pleeeeease I want action on the bed sooo bad 😂
This book deserves all the hype! Pat and Lindybird deserves all the love!
A must read and perfect for Valentine's day! 💕❤
I am so excited to explore more of Emma's books and read more of her stories.

The Graham family is my new favorite book family. I love the bond they all have and when ever their together craziness happens. There were so many laughable moments. I love Pat and that he didn't give up pursuing Lindy and proving what a mistake he made 5 years ago. I love Lindy and how guarded she was against Pat and eventually letting him in, and JoJo. She's the cutest. I absolutely loved the ending and I can't wait to read about the rest of the brothers. I hope their dad Tank gets his own story as well. He's the best big teddy bear.
I received a copy of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for a review. Thank you Emma and NetGalley.