If you are a lover of Romantic Comedy movies, this is the book for you. The heroine and her friends love romcoms and frequently watch them and refer to them. Sally is a coffee shop owner and is in need of a flatmate to pay off some bills and Harry needs a place to stay because his ex-girlfriend refuses to believe they are over (after her cheating) and won’t leave his house. So yes, when Harry meets Sally he decides she’s a little strange but he can deal with her short-term. Nobody Puts Romcoms in the Corner was filled with romantic comedy scene reenactments, a grumpy man who doesn’t believe in love living with a woman who wants the whole package; love, marriage, and family. Filled with humor, heat, and hilarious dialog, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

One night after a few too many drinks Sally convinces her flatmate Harry to try “the lift” from Dirty Dancing and he agrees; it doesn’t quite go as planned and when she uploads it to TikTok it goes a bit viral prompting Sally to convince Harry to reenact more romcom scenes in hopes they get some sponsors and earn some cash for them both.

I enjoyed this story and really like Harry and felt like his life was in turmoil. His parents are planning on divorcing but until they do they are living in their home and have divided up the house and use Harry as a go between. His parents are pretty horrible people not only to each other but to Harry as well. He was way nicer than I would have been and that’s his problem. Harry is a nice guy and I love nice guy heroes, but Harry was a pushover which made him not all that attractive to me. His ex-girlfriend still living in his house and refusing to leave; file paperwork to evict her and get her out especially considering she was paying NO rent. WTH? I felt Harry had good reason to not believe in love, he had no experience with it and the one time he tried living with someone she cheated on him. I loved his relationship with his friends and co-workers and was glad he had good friends in his corner to help him through the tough times. I loved seeing Harry grow and change throughout this story.

Sally’s character was developed really well; she’s had some strife in her life and had to grow up fairly quickly when her parents passed away. Her friends are great people who have her back always and her sister was a bit of a spoiled brat for a good portion of this book and Sally was a pushover when it came to her. Sally believes in love which is why she loves romcoms so much; her parents set the example of a good and loving relationship and it is something she has always wanted. My problem with Sally was that she was stuck on that and refused to even give a little on her stance or to see Harry’s side even after meeting his mother. Her character was stagnant which was a bit disappointing.

As Sally and Harry do more reenactments they grow closer and there is a spark between them and they end up involved “for as long as it lasts.” Problem is Harry told her he didn’t believe in love and Sally still got involved with him when she wants the whole package and when things get a bit rough she just shuts down.
The cover and synopsis of this book lead the reader to believe this is going to be a light and fluffy story but in all honesty there was a lot of heaviness to this book. The heaviness was balanced with some fun moments, but just a bit of warning that it isn’t all fun and games.

Nobody Puts RomComs in the Corner was interesting, quirky, and a bit of fun, but there were loads of emotional moments as well. Overall, a good read for a debut novel.

I wouldn't say I had high expectations here but I did think I would enjoy it more than I did.
The concept sounded fun, cute and cheesy.
While I did think it was all of those things at times. I also found I wasn't all that invested in the couple as a couple. I was more interested in the scenes they were recreating
The writing felt a little slow or maybe it felt that way since I struggled to stay focused on the book at times.
I didn't fully enjoy the characters but didn't dislike them either.

Nobody Puts Romcoms In The Corner by Kathryn Freeman

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

Sally is a classic romantic and Harry is a classic cynic, but when a drunken bet leads the new flatmates to (badly) recreate ‘the lift’ from Dirty Dancing, and the video goes viral (#EpicRomcomReenactmentFailure), they both realise there’s potential financial benefit in blundering their way through the romcom lexicon for their suddenly vast social media following.

Now, as Harry and Sally bring major romcom moments to new life – including recreating that classic diner scene – their faking it turns to making…out and suddenly they’re living a real life romcom of their own! But like all the greatest love stories, the road to happily ever after is paved with unexpected challenges for this hero and heroine…

My Opinion

This was a nice entertaining read. Harry needs somewhere to live when his ex refuses to move out, he ends up lodging with Sally. Sally and Harry re-enact some scenes from famous movies on TikTok - so no doubt your favourites will be included. Sally and Harry are great characters that I loved. This will appeal to fans of romcoms and will leave you giggling.

Rating: 4/5

This book was super super super charming. Harry says he doesn't believe in romcoms. He's a blunt, burly builder who moves in with a sweet as candy owner of a cafe. All her furniture is pink and soft. They seem like opposites, but opposites are the steamiest. There's such delightful banter between these two. What was wonderfully surprising is how deeply Freeman dives into romcom stereotypes and scenes. I loved the way she really broke them down, and used them to help the characters navigate their complicated and real reasons for believing in love or not. It would actually be a thrill if this book was made into a romcom. I loved it. I'd watch it. I would read it again!

Thank you, NetGalley, for the digital ARC of this book.

I thought this was a very fun read. It reminded me a bit of Beth O'Leary, who is one of my recent faves. I liked the humor, the characters, and the writing and I know several patrons off the top of my head that will also really enjoy it, so we will be purchasing several copies.

A hilarious romcom story! The characters are awesome! It is just a very enjoyable read.

When Harry rents a room from Sally, all the fun starts. Sally loves watching romcom movies with her friends - an odd group of people that are so loveable. Harry doesn't want anything to do with the movies. However, after a few drinks one night, they end up doing "the lift" from Dirty Dancing -- Sally catches it on video and decides to post to social media. They're an instant hit as fans ask them to continue - so they work their way through romcoms re-enacting their famous scenes. It's a fun book, but there are serious undercurrents in the story. It's well crafted!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a digital, temporary ARC in return for my review.

Nobody Puts Romcons In The Corner by Kathryn Freeman didn't exactly feel inspired but don't judge this book by it's silly book cover. This book is far deeper than the title or the cartoon cover would illustrate.

Kathyrn Freeman's writing drew me in she does intrigue and mysterious well and the book had a great opening. A tall hunk of a man, 6'4" to be exact, Harry, shows up in her doorway being led there by a mutual friend to look at a room she has for rent. He becomes her "lodger". The book takes place with a lot of charming British words and a woman, Sally, who owns a charming heart-themed cafe in town. Sally's character starts off strong, loveable and loving, strong, and capable. Sally at sixteen years old lost her parents and had a young ten-year-old sister to take care of. After she aged eighteen she bought a small house and started a charming cafe. She loves romcoms and seems a bit too obsessed with them. Losing her parents who deeply loved each other she set her bar for that to be her relationship standard without really ever getting a chance to talk to her parents about their relationship just as an observer.

What put me a bit off about this sweet love story is her bar was so high that when she entered a relationship with Harry who was in my opinion a fantastically developed character by Kathryn Freeman Sally couldn't fully see the damage that was done to him by his parents who never showed love to him and quite possibly didn't love him at all. His parents are too awful, selfish parents and did damage to him psychologically not just in never felt love but in my personal opinion the story would have benefited from this deep topic to Harry exploring this not just being a cynic toward romcoms and a HEA. Because that's realistic and Sally just seemed to be a bit clueless in understanding the depth of his childhood. Harry basically came from an emotionally abusive household and that wasn't truly addressed by the writer of this story. It was a bit skimmed over in the course of writing a romance novel. I would have had him directed to a bit of therapy and for those around to understand how a thirty-year-old man who finds a fantastic person why can't commit to more. Sally in her own way is also not committable because her bar is so high that when she enters into a relationship with him she becomes insecure and clueless that a man is truly bending over backward for her. It just had me rolling my eyes a bit around 3/4 s in when the man obviously has shown how he feels about her and it felt a bit draggy and clueless. But this is a great anti-romance hero and Kathryn Freeman wrote a beautiful character in this man Harry. Sally not so much but she's still loveable but just not to my taste in what I would say is most admirable.

The book felt like it missed the mark a few times but it certainly hit it enough that I am going to give it four stars. Four points where this story is strong, 1) the slow burn is well done and by the time Harry and Sally are in the shower together reenacting a scene from The Notebook, you feel the burn, the lust they have for each other, and the writing in this scene is spectacular. 2) The relationship with her sister and the anguish and the actions from Harry is spot on. 3) Her friend Vince just gave an absolute feel-good to this love story 4)And this is the absolute best Harry has a happy ending. He has found true love and now gets to experience Sally's complete devotion and love. With all that is missing and can feel a bit silly with the romcom enactments at the heart of it a man learns to love and heal. That is worth all the silliness from Sally. Kathryn Freeman has written a spectacular hunk of a man in Harry and you can't help feeling this is Harry's story more than Sally's even though I felt the writer could have gone deeper with this premise it was still a worthwhile read.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher Harper CollinsUK for the opportunity to read and review Nobody Puts Romcoms In The Corner by Kathryn Freeman.

The rom-com lover in me is SCREAMING. How could you not love a grumpy x sunshine romance with threads from Dirty Dancing AND When Harry Met Sally?? I mean come on. Pure heaven.

This was super cute, sweet and fun. Sally needs money and Harry needs a place to stay what a perfect combination! Sally’s need for money results in her getting Harry to star in TikTok videos recreating iconic RomCom scenes. How. Freaking. Cute. And totally believable. People on TikTok get famous off of nostalgia alllll the time.

I loved this, and you will too!

Nobody Puts Romcoms in the Corner is set to be published on February 27, 2023. Thank you to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, NetGalley and the author for the advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A great read for fans of classic rom-coms, if a little overdone with all the references and easter eggs, to the point that some felt forced. I do love a grumpy/sunshine romance though, so I'm always on board for that!

Nobody Puts Romcoms In A Corner - KATHRYN FREEMAN.

House mates, Harry and Sally (love it!) have a drunken evening, where it seems like a good idea to recreate the famous lift from Dirty Dancing.
It all goes spectacularly wrong, but the video proves a massive hit on Tiktok.
Both in need of some extra cash, the pair set about re-enacting classic scenes from iconic romcom films and sharing them to the world via Tiktok.

Harry and Sally are total opposites. Harry is maybe a bit of a grump and cynic, but really very sweet and loving.
Sally is a bit of a handful. Loud and bolshy, but her heart is in the right place. And she was a lot of fun.

It isn’t rocket science to figure out where this pair are headed, but it is a very sweet and sometimes fiery journey to get there.

Nobody Puts Romcoms In The Corner, is a cleverly written and light hearted read.

If you’re a fan of classic romcoms, this book will not disappoint. It’s full to bursting with romcom references. You won’t fail to have the time of your life reading this fun and nostalgic tale.
It certainly left me with a big smile on my face and a warm glow in my heart.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

With grateful thanks to Netgalley, Harper Collins Uk and Rachel’s Random Resources for a digital arc of this title.

Oh how I loved this book! And honestly, it wasn’t love at first sight.
Can you believe I even thought about DNF’ing.

When new roommates Sally and Harry film their reenactment of the memorable Dirty dancing scene, they very unexpectedly go viral. And this sparks the idea to continue to reenact popular rom com moments on tik tok.
So you get the vibe of this book, just with this short subscription. But honestly Kathryn Freeman nailed it. This book could be a rom com movie. (And honestly I can’t hardly wait to see it as a romcom movie. It has everything it needs, the humor, the sexual tension, the butterflies, the misunderstandings….
And apart from that I Fell in love with our main characters Sally and Harry. Especially Harry because he reminded me so much of my own husband. So I was doomed to fall head over heels with him. But Sally is the type of female character I loved to read about. Bubbly, strong, independent, smart, funny….
And their chemistry was of the charts! And when we finally got to the actual sex scenes, these were so well executed. I loved how they were hot and steamy, without being to explicit!
Absolutely would recommend this book and now I am off to read more of Kathryn Freemans books!

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for the E-ARC. This book had all the feels and I was here for it all everything. I really loved the attitude of Sally when usually happy people are not my thing. I loved Harry and how cynic he was and watching him grow was really something. I loved every video they did. I even stayed up late because I needed to know what happens and it did not disappoint.

Harry needs a place to stay and Sally has a bedroom to let... and if that's not the way you remember When Harry Met Sally, you don't need to worry - this isn't Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan at Katz's but a British coffee shop owner and a construction worker who don't like the same things but really like each other. To make a little money, they start filming scenes from classic RomComs and they are a hit... and there's something about acting like you're in love that makes you... fall in love.

Just pure fun and nostalgia for all the guilty pleasure movies you watch on repeat... but with a little extra spice.

DNF @48%

I won't lie, title and the cover sold me on this book immediately, and who doesn't love a grumpy/sunshine trope? And while the book started quickly and got right into the story, it didn't live up to its potential.

While I loved the idea of their first Tiktok video (failing THE LIFT from Dirty Dancing after too many margaritas is hilarious), the instant shift to "let's recreate rom com scenes seriously so we can make money" really put me off. First, one viral video does not guarantee future content success, so putting hope in Tiktok to make money seems short-sighted. Second, they were attempting to make serious recreations but didn't take them seriously?? They claimed their audience wanted steamy when it was comedy that blew up. It just didn't make sense.

Tiktok aside, I also couldn't get into the characters. At 50% through, they still barely knew each other and I just can't fathom living with someone and never asking any personal questions. It was all just too surface level, and no one ever communicated. And okay, while I know Sally is the sunshine character, I found her to be way too naive and inauthentically ~ quirky ~.

All in all, there's a lot of promise, but I don't think the heavy Tiktok plot will help this book age well, and these characters could definitely benefit from more up-front back stories.

*arc generously provided by the Publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

This was adorable!!! It's super cheesy but I fully expected that. I just love a man who doesn't think that he is capable of love and watching him fall head over heels. The plot of them recreating romance moments was cute. I really enjoyed the fact that he helped her rebuild her relationship with her sister and I kind of want a book about her sister.

I received an arc through netgalley.

This was a good, sweet romance. It didn't wow me per se, but I enjoyed the book nonetheless. Not sure what I was expecting, but it was good.

I’m not gonna lie, I immediately wrote this one off as being way too cheesy, but before I knew it, I was smiling from ear to ear at the chemistry between Harry and Sally. So yea, this was cheesy as all get out, but it was romantic, light hearted and fun! A must read for any romance lover!

The dirty dancing title automatically had me intrigued. I knew I wanted to see what this was all about. As a lover of romcoms, this did not disappoint. So cute and loved the characters. Great read, might pick up a physical copy for my shelf!

Honestly i went into this blind without know anything and to be honest i thought it was an okay novel. I dont remember anything that i read sadly so. It didnt grow on me and i pushed through si i gave it 3

Thank you to Net Galley and One More Chapter for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Nobody Puts Romcoms In The Corner!

Wow. This book surpassed every expectation I had. It was my first book by Kathryn Freeman, and I cannot wait to read more. This book was cheesy but in the absolute best way possible. You can’t help but smile a long with Harry and Sally as they go through a will they or won’t they situation. I loved seeing all of my favorite rom com movie scenes recreated.

I think another reason I vibed so well with this book is because the characters are so relatable as a romance book and movie lover I dream of all the romance all the time, and my fiancé is very much a Harry. The manly man who expresses his love in his own unique way. If you’re looking for a light-hearted, steamy romance - this is it!