2.5 stars

This story is about a girl who breaks up with her boyfriend and spends a month in Hawaii in an AirBnB run by a hot guy.

It’s a cutesy romance. It definitely has a specific audience. I liked the beginning, but it did lose me pretty quickly.

Pros

- I love the cover. It screams “summer read”

- I really enjoyed how it started. The first line, “The thing about traveling by yourself is you literally have to do everything by yourself”, hooked me in. It reminded me of all of the times I traveled to different places on my own and the challenges that you face that you don’t necessarily thing of until you are in that position.

- The setting…duh. Who hasn’t thought about running away to paradise?

Cons

- I didn’t really like the characters. The main female character rambled a lot and was a bit ditzy. She seemed younger than what she was. I just couldn’t connect to her. The male lead was mostly dull with super jealou streaks. It just wasn’t my thing.

- The plot was also flat. There wasn’t much depth. It was just a lot of cooking and eating. I skimmed through a lot of it by the end and I still didn’t miss much of the storyline.

Overall, it was ok, but it’s not a book I would pick up again. However, I do think that romance readers who do not like spicy books would enjoy this as a beach read.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review of the ebook.

More like 3.5

This was just as cute as I thought it would be with some of my favourite tropes! Fake dating, small town, grumpy/sunshine, looks after when they’re I’ll, nightmares, sad boy. Loved them all!!

This wasn’t my favourite read though. I felt like the relationship was a little rushed and just just a little cringey at times. There was a few repetitive times like the mc is a talker and she got alone with everyone and it just seemed like it was mentioned a bit too often.

Despite this, I really felt so sorry for John and could really relate with the anxieties of being around a lot of people and it being overwhelming.

I’m happy that the author included really hard topics which was really hard to read and I really felt bad for the characters. It seemed really realistic.

If you’re interested in a quick cute but sad read, this one will be right up you’re street.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this early!

3.5/5!! I was lucky enough to get an ARC and I really enjoyed this book. I loved Mia and John as two separate people and who they were together. I have not read a book with the main male character who showed emotion like John in a long time and I found that really refreshing. I loved Mia's bright personality and how she brought out the light, happy side of John. I also like how she encouraged therapy for him but I was frustrated that it wasn't considered before Mia got there. Overall, it was a sweet insta-love book, I personally like more of a slow burn and have to work for it though.

Unfortunately this one wasn’t for me and I didn’t end up finishing it. The prose were too simplistic and the characters were very one dimensional. I did really like John though.

I had high hopes for this. I've been wanting a light hearted fluffy romance. This was mostly that.
It fell a bit flat for me. Conversations seemed robotic, I was being told what was happening a lot rather than experiencing it through the protagonists.
Pleasant enough and heart-warming in the right places.

Mia rents a cottage in Hawaii after breaking up with her boyfriend, where she meets John. very quick, easy read, enjoyed the story.

I really enjoyed this one! It was cute, sweet, compelling, and like a breath of fresh air! Highly recommend!

This is was an enjoyable and easy, light-hearted page turner that I read in almost one sitting.

Mia who is getting over a breakup goes to Hawaii and stays at an Airbnb, the Ohana Cottage, where she gets to know the host and experience life on the island.

The plot was entertaining and fun, with intriguing characters. I did find the dialogue a little clumsy at times but this did not detract from the novel. Overall an enjoyable book that is perfect when you want a quick and light read.

Charming and sweet. The book started out slow and awkward for me, but the author gained momentum in the middle/end. Dual POV (my favorite) and a setting in Hawaii makes this a perfect, happy, quick read!
Mia is the sunshine to John’s storm. Yes, Mia is on her own journey after a breakup, but John’s story is the heart of this novel. This is a great start to a series and I am genuinely excited to read her next books! (Matt and Paige?!)

2.75

NetGalley gave me the opportunity to read this book as an ARC and this is my unbiased review.

This book is the typical 70% of the way through breakup and then the last 30% goes so quickly you don’t get that attachment.

The author narrates way too much. “I got into the shower” “I worked at the cafe” most of it was copy paste with no actual plot line. It would work better as a movie.

The author name dropped Uber so Mitch I felt maybe she had a contract with them.

It kinda bothered me that the only Native Hawaiian representation was learning that John’ mother is Native Hawaiian. It would have been nice to have seen more appreciation to Hawaii and it’s history.

This part bugs me only because I too, am a Midwesterner (the author lives in Minnesota so it genuinely confuses me) but the university of Minnesota, the college the mc says she graduated from, is commonly called “U of M” and I get there’s other U of M’s but to call it UMN just got me so confused.

Cute, easy read! As someone from Minnesota, I can appreciate the escapism this book brings. I love the idea of Mia renting an Airbnb for a month in Hawaii and the romance that ensues. Great premise for a book. I enjoyed it!

I thought this was a super cute quick read. It was well written and engaging. This book is for you if you love romance, beachy reads and faking dating troupe. Please note there are trigger warnings for PTSD, depression, night terrors, war etc.

I really wanted to love this book! However, it just didn't hit right for me. I thought the writing was overly simplistic and not very natural. There wasn't much character development, but I didi like the characters in general. I have no idea how many pages this was but it realy could have been longer. There was no real plot, and no conflict. Everything just came together too neatly for me. I liked the PTSD rep, it was realistic, but could have been expanded on more.
And finally, Mia wasn't all that realistic or relatable. She moved across the country for him with not much consideration, no job plan?
Anyways, for a debut, it wasn't bad, but I have a feeling this author will definitely improve!

Thank you to Netgalley and the author, Megan Reinking, for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Ohana Cottage by Megan Reinking was a breath of fresh air! This story paints the picture of John, an Army vet, struggling with bouts of PTSD, insecurity, and low self-worth so vividly. Following Mia’s attempts to bring John out of his gray and gloom, we see a man begin to resist the expectation that feelings and emotions ought not be expressed. I think one of the biggest strengths of this book is watching John’s internal battle with himself as he navigates this bubbly, chatty girl whom he can’t get enough of. Similarly, through their budding relationship, I felt the giddiness, excitement, and electric feeling of their love. While romance books have the reputation for being predictable, I found this book was a refreshing love-story that battles difficult themes with fun and unexpected twists. If you’re looking for a quick, heart-warming romance about coming to terms with one’s past and letting go of the baggage attached to it, The Ohana Cottage is the one for you.

What a beautiful story of love, family, and friendships!

Mia goes to Hawaii to escape a breakup and find herself only to discover she’s fallen in love with her AirBNB owner, John. Not only is this a romance, but there is an underlying story of PTSD, how it effects their lives, and how John learns to manage it. It also touches on depression and how dark it can be and how effects someone. I really connected with this part of the story. The characters of Mia and John, as well as Julie, Hazel and Page, are fantastic and beautifully written!!

The scenes described thru out this book of Hawaii have left an impression on me and I hope to visit there some day! I would highly recommend this book to take on a beach vacation or anywhere tropical!!

A very light and easy ready!! Highly recommended if you like romance or the fake dating trope. I would love to see a second book that follows Paige’s story and character development and Mia and John as sub characters.

⚠️ Review trigger warnings for PTSD, night terrors, Iraq, depression, etc.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Megan Reinking for allowing me to read an ARC of this book. Thank you!!

3.5/5
This was a simple and cute romance and I really enjoyed it for the first 70% of the book but the last 30% felt like it was dragging on and making conflict for no reason. I loved the banter and chemistry between Mia and John up until they actually got together. I'm not sure what happened but it's like they lost all their chemistry when they became a couple. The characters were average, not great but not bad. I liked how the author tried to show PTSD with John and I've never been around someone with PTSD so I'm not sure if it was accurately written but with what I know about PTSD it seemed to be written fairly accurately. Overall this was a cute and short read and as I said earlier in the review I enjoyed it up until that last 30% if you're wanting a simple cute simmer romance then I would suggest maybe giving this book a try.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eArc in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book!
I found the beginning to have a little bit of a slow start, the initial contacts and background information about Mia specifically was a little bit lackluster and didn't really pull me in in the beginning. I really like the introduction of Paige her best friend and her mom flying to Hawaii to see her during her month-long trip. I found the integration of outside elements so far away from home to really add a complex character and added in that fake relationship trope.

I really like John's character, specifically the complexity added to him. Having him as a more reserved character allowed for glimpses into his actual personality to really be thrilling and inviting. And I found that very entertaining and let me read a lot more wanting to get to know his character a lot better.

The time apart between Mia and John when she went back to Minnesota was slow for me personally, and I found there could've been a little bit more integration of Mia trying to move on from John. You as though there were added contacts about how many I was trying to move on from John specifically as he was really the only guy she ever dated aside from Sean specifically it would've added a little bit more personal growth from Mia specifically. I found her character to really like relationship experience, and overall interactions with other people. As she is a more extroverted personality by nature, especially when compared to John I've found it a little strange that she wouldn't move on or at least try to move on after her relationship with John had ended.

Overall I found the book to be very enjoyable and a quick read, it really pulled me out of a little bit of a reading slump and it was very entertaining for me personally so overall I give it a 4 to 5. I feel as if there was a little bit more personal growth on Mia's side after leaving John in Hawaii the book would've been a solid five out of five for me

2 stars. I think this book was cliché and predictable. There’s nothing interesting about John and Mia and I couldn’t care less about the side characters. I can see what the author was trying to do with John and how it’s supposed to give representation about PTSD but it failed to make me be invested on his story. The two leads’ chemistry was lacking and there’s nothing about them or their story that makes me root for them. They’re just… flat… I kept reading and waiting for something interesting to happen but then suddenly boom the epilogue. Well at least it was short!

Thank you NetGalley for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book is very endearing. John Byrd is an Army veteran from Hawaii that is struggling with PTSD. (**Trigger warnings for PTSD.**) Mia Taylor is from Minnesota and recently broke up with a guy she has been off and on with for many years. She's looking to put space in between them so they both can finally move on and ends up renting John's cottage in Hawaii.

We have several tropes in this book - opposites attract, fake dating, forced proximity, and grumpy sunshine. The characters could not be more different, but they balance each other out so well.

This is dual POV, which I think works out beautifully! John's inner monologue is what got me. To know what he was thinking, but couldn't quite form into words......MY HEART!!!

I wouldn't classify this book as spicy. The romance is very fade to black. I was okay with that in this book, though. The build-up for me was everything.

I loved the side characters so much and would love to read another book in the same setting. With all the characters, and all the shops/restaurants/bars. I love this town!!

& just a random side note - Mia talks about how much she loves papaya so much in the book. I've never tried papaya, so now I'm on a mission to try it! Is it really that good? I HAVE TO KNOW!!!

The Ohana Cottage releases on 6/2/22. Thank you SO MUCH to Megan Reinking, Netgalley, and Victory Editing for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Ohana Cottage is a debut romance novel that follows Mia as she moves to Hawaii for a few weeks to reset her life after the end of a long-term relationship. Mia rents an Airbnb-type cottage from John, and the novel follows the blooming relationship between Mia and John for the remainder of the novel.

I'm feeling a little conflicted about this book. On one hand, it was a very fun, short read that I was able to finish in one sitting. I thought Mia and John were fun characters, and I loved reading about their interactions during Mia's travels to Hawaii. On the other hand, this was a very short read, and it felt as such. At about 190 pages (from what I've seen on Goodreads), it tries to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Throughout the entire book, I felt like it was missing something. It was very dialogue-heavy at times, and it even refrained from adding a "he said" or "she replied" after a long series of back and forth quotes. The book almost felt like you're in the shallow end of the pool looking toward what could've been if the author added more details to push you into the deep end. Just about every paragraph could've used a few more sentences to really set the scene and push the reader further into the story. I feel like the way John and Mia first started talking and the way in which the conflict at the end was written felt somewhat out of character for the both of them, and it made it difficult to give this book more than 3 stars. The in-between plot points were fun and easy to consume, but even those felt very repetitive with frequent lines about going to work at the coffee shop, running back to the cottage for a quick shower, or other minor plot points. With all of this being said, I still did really enjoy the story. If this book was twice as long and gave a little more elaboration throughout, I think this could've easily become at least a four-star read for me.

I received a digital ARC of The Ohana Cottage from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.