This was really cute. It's also what I was craving at this exact moment in time. Something light-hearted and easy to get into. Holly is super relatable. And I loved it. The Relationship seemed super realistic. Yes, it’s super tropey and cliche, but in the best way. It was also a clean romance which isn't usually my go to but it worked for this book.

If you're looking for a feel-good, friends to lovers romance, The Quit List is it.
I enjoyed Jax and Holly and the way that their relationship progressed. The banter between them. I smiled and laughed and sighed.... You could feel the sizzling chemistry between them but it's super clean content - The kissing it HOT.

Beginning to realize that I really like Katie Bailey's books, and I'm super excited to see what she has for us next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing for this ARC in return for my honest review.

Pub Date: 05 April 2024

I started this one reading and then finished up by listening to this one in audiobook. I loved the storyline. I already knew Jax because he’s a minor character from Season’s Schemings and I was truly excited for his story. I love his character. He's protective of the people he loves and fiercely loyal. I was excited for him to fall in love. Then we meet Holly. She’s a fun character who I instantly loved. In the book Holly is definitely on a mission to find the one but throughout the story she finds so much more including discovering things about herself and who she is as a person. I enjoyed her journey and when you add Jax to the mix you’ve got a fun love story with lots of banter and some amazing heat without all the spicy scenes. And if you love audiobooks the narrators were really great too.

Things I loved
Jax protective side
Their Meet Cute
Getting to see characters from Season’s Schemings was a bonus for me.
Their first Kiss
The Sasquatch sighting/incident
One Tent
They are total opposites but they fit together so well.
Some tropes include: opposites attract, only one tent, he takes care of her, dating coach, & forced proximity.

Thank you NetGalley for the Ebook arc for The Quit List. A wonderful romance book a nice refresher with little spice, but wants a he fall first touch and die vibes. The MFC Holly is serial dating a line of losers and after being saved by the bartender from her favorite date spot, after a date come back to yell at her for not putting out on date one. The MMC steps in and pretends to be her date for the evening, and saves her from the dates backlash, after talking for a bit she decides to ask the bartender for dating help since he can spot her date’s red flags. After he helps her grow and learn from her past dating mistakes and makes her look on the inside and understand what she wants in a SO, she makes a list of all the things in a perfect guy with he promptly throws out and teaches her that she isn’t’t going to find perfect.
Then in exchange for his help she decides to help him out with his new business of outdoor survival guide, and being the first guest along with aid with the online advertising.

🔹He falls first
🔹Touch her and die
🔹serial dater

The Quit List is a cute, easy romance read that will be a perfect addition to any summer reading list! 



Read if you love: 

-Dual POV 

-Clean/Low Spice Romance

-Slow Burn
-Banter

-“screw it” moment

-Character Development

-Opposites Attract

-Forced Proximity

-Friends to Lovers

-Relatable MC leads



After accepting that her relationship is over with her ex - Holly is determined to find her true soulmate. The dating pool is hilariously relatable - and after a particularly bad date - the hot bartender offers up to be her dating coach. What does she have to lose?

I love the "help me find a man" trope ala Bridgerton and The Quit List had it in spades. I will say, however, that I can't help but be disappointed when I have two characters that have fantastic mature chemistry only to have the door slammed in my face. This is a closed door romance and while I can appreciate that, it takes away from the overall feel of the book. A sex scene can be written and not be pure smut.

The characters were entertaining and the banter was great.

I loved this slow burn romance. Jax encouraged Holly out of her comfort zone and to be herself, all the while she was slowly working her way into his heart. Neither of them try to change the other. These two communicate well, tease and have fun. This is such a fun, laugh-out-loud book.

A really fun, heartwarming romance ft. bad dates, a cabin, and a gorgeous friends to lovers plot. An easy read but a genuinely lovely book with well-rounded characters, interesting side plots, and a delightful ending.

The Quit List is the latest low spice romance novel from author Katie Bailey. This was my first time reading anything from the author and it was a cute generally low-angst easy read, perfect for the summer months.

Told through a dual POV narrative, The Quit List explores the dating coach trope as unlucky in love Holly seeks help finding ‘the one’ from bartender turned wilderness mountain man Jax. Holly and Jax had brilliant banter which added a nice element to the story as we followed them from strangers to friends to lovers. I’m a sucker for a ‘Screw It’ moment and there’s a brilliant one that I went absolutely nuts for. There’s also an ‘Only One Tent’ moment which is a great variation on the typical ‘Only One Bed’ trope.

Holly was a likeable FMC who I was really rooting for. But I did find that she generally read as a younger character than she actually was. Jax was my personal favourite character (bartender AND rugged mountain man? YES PLEASE) and I loved seeing his growth over the course of the book, becoming someone who was open to love and understood that he deserved to be loved. The way he takes care of Holly throughout the story was wonderful to see.

However, the main thing that I think let the book down was the fact that the narrative skips over the majority of their time in the wilderness, which is where most of their relationship building happens. We’re told afterwards how significant it was for their relationship and how it gave them the opportunity to really get to know each other on both a personal and romantic level, but as readers we’re not given the opportunity to witness this. Taking us out of these scenes really impacted on how emotionally connected we were to the characters and their relationship, particularly when we’ve already skipped over other important relationship building scenes such as when Jax dropped Holly off at her house. These frequent jumps forward in the timeline and abrupt endings to chapters did also affect the flow of the narrative which made it less engaging overall.

We do also have to go through a good 70% of the book before we get any real romance. I do like a slow burn romance but I will admit that this started to really drag. Personally, I think the narrative would have worked better had we got to the wilderness section much earlier. That would also have given us the additional page space needed for the relationship building scenes to have been explored in greater depth.

If you are looking for a cute low-angst romance which is packed full of your favourite tropes without any spice, you will like The Quit List.

Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice Level: 🌶️ / 5 (Kisses Only)

I have posted my review on my blog www.yourschloe.co.uk

*Thank you to NetGalley, Katie Bailey and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op.

I freaking loveddddddddddd this book. The teach me trope just hits every time!!

I felt consumed by this book and wanted to rush right through and finish it but I also wanted to Savor it. I loved seeing Holly become more happy and confident in herself. She spent so long, longing after a guy who didn’t deserve her. Thankfully, all those years weren’t wasted because they lead her to him.

I felt captivated by the writing. I enjoyed both of the povs. Watching Jax work through his emotions was also just a joy. I also really liked how they were both working on bettering themselves and working towards careers that made them happy.

This story is filled with banter, love, humour, and adventure. I can’t think of anything I didn’t like. Definitely a must read!


Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with an E-ARC. All opinions in this review are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really liked this one. It was a super cute and funny closed door romance that had a little bit of everything.

Jax was definitely a Mountain Man Daddy and Holly was so relatable. Their chemistry was undeniable and I genuinely felt them both overcome their issues and the love for each other.

The pace was steady and there was so many funny quips that had me LOLing. I enjoyed the side characters and have my eye on a few that I wouldn’t mind another book about!

Book Review:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

After accepting there is no future with her ex, Holly embarks on a journey to find her soulmate. Unfortunately, online dating is full of men looking to hook up not settle down. When one particular date goes awry, the hot bartender offers to be her dating coach. Will his help lead Holly to the man of her dreams, or will she give up looking all together?

After seeing this book all over Bookstagram I knew I had to get ahold of a copy. I am so glad I did as it was a fun, quick read. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys:
-slow burns
-witty banter
-opposites attract
-forced proximity
-friends to more
-low spice

* The book references several side characters in a way that made it feel like their stories had already been told. After some quick research I learned that there is a book called Season’s Schemings that followed Maddy’s (Jax sister) love story. While I wish I had known this prior to reading, I like to read all of the books in a series, it was not necessary.

Special thanks to Netgalley, Victoria Editing, and Katie Bailey for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Holly is almost thirty years old and is ready to discover her future husband. She has wasted her entire twenties searching for a man. As a serial dater, she turns to the world of internet dating but finds that every date is worse than the last. On one of the numerous horrible online dates, her world collides with Jax, the attractive bartender at the restaurant she visits every week. Jax is excellent at reading people, but he has no interest in getting married or being in a relationship of any kind. So good that he becomes Holly's dating coach.

I really enjoyed how Holly's character developed in the story. As she learns to let go of her lists and be more spontaneous, she grows in confidence and enjoys having fun. It's heartening to see how Jax has impacted her, and reading about their experiences together was a lot of fun. This story's pacing was excellent. It kept me interested and invested in the characters' journey.

It's the ideal balance of romance and humor, with a lesson about embracing change and venturing outside of your comfort zone. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone searching for a fun and entertaining read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Katie Bailey for allowing me to read this ARC!

If you are looking for a cute and fast read, this is probably one of the books I would recommend. They are practically strangers that strike a deal to help her find the perfect man, but the i'm-not-looking-for-commintment-guy ends up falling head over heels for her, and first.

It's a wholesome story, with great banter and really cute moments between every single character. It's all what a rom-com should be.

Seasons Schemings is still my favorite book by Katie Bailey but this one was a close second— I LOVED Jax and Holly’s story, it was freaking adorable and so funny!

Holly is a creative girl looking for her perfect man in all the wrong places and Jax is a bartender turned wilderness guide now turned dating coach and their chemistry was everything!

I loved the dating coach storyline in this (as well as the hints at other possible future couples in this series!)
Also the sharing a tent was such a squeal-worthy take on the one-bed trope and I was cheering for it! The transition between dating coach to feelings was so natural and I just was feeling all the butterflies as they were!

Favorite quotes:

“Gray works for him as well as black does… but I genuinely think this guy could dress up like a Tellytubby and I’d think it was sexy.”

“Jax was just helping me with something totally not urgent,” I add to let her know that I’m not encroaching on what may be her territory. Jax smirks at me. “I’d hate to see what your drink of choice would be for an urgent issue.” “McDonald’s vanilla milkshake, of course,” I retort. “I like to save the hard stuff for when I’m in times of dire crisis. You know, job losses, natural disasters, celebrity deaths.” “I can see how that would be a smart avenue. You get fries to dip, too?” “What do you think I am, an amateur?”

“You’re everything I want, Jax. I know what I really want now, and it’s you.” I smile up at him, my eyes still teary but my heart soaring. “You’re my perfect man.” “The perfect man still doesn’t exist, Hollywood, so I can’t promise perfect. But what I can promise is to be your partner. Your co-pilot. Your equal. To choose you, every single day, always.” “I choose you too, Jaxon Grainger.” 😍😍😍

Katie Bailey delivers a novel full of tension, yearning, and passion fueled kisses. Pairing the lighter elements of the romance with the drive to go after your own dreams and surrounding yourself with people who believe in you. After witnessing a disastrous date Jax convinces Holly to let him be her dating coach in exchange for help getting his new business off the ground. The moment Jax goes from being her friend who is helping her to find a good man to wanting to be the man for her is just perfection.

Dual POV, Closed Door Romance, Outdoorsy Guy x City Girl, Dating Coaching, Jealous MMC, Opposites Attract, Only One Tent

I loved this so much! You can never go wrong with a Katie Bailey book!

She had me hooked at the beginning and the characters complimented each other perfectly. So so cute and fluffy!!

Honestly dating sucks and the beginning is how it really is for girls to date. I wish I would have a Jax come save me on a date!
The humor in this book is stuff I literally say so it was so good!
“You’re totally hitting that.”
“I’m about to hit you if you don’t shut up” hahah

I really enjoyed this book! Was easy to read and get into!! I’ve been in a book slump so this really helped!!

What to Expect:

⭐️ “Hollywood” City Girl
🪵 Mountain Man Boy
🏕️ Forced Proximity
🔥 Slow Burn
🚪 Closed Door
🐶 Rescue Dog
🧲 Opposites Attract
🏕️ Only One Tent
👨🏻‍🏫 Dating coaching
👩‍❤️‍👨 Strangers to Friends to Lovers

Holly has wasted all of her 20’s waiting for a man (boy) and now that she is almost 30, she is ready to find her future husband. She turns to the online dating world as a serial dater only to find each date to be worst than the previous. Her world collides with Jax, the hot bartender at the restaurant she goes to every week, during one of the many awful online dates. Jax has no interest in marriage or any relationship for that matter but is very good at reading people. So good in fact he helps Holly by becoming her dating coach. What could possibly go wrong?

The Quit List by Katie Bailey might take the cake for being the perfect low stress, feel-good, adorable romance ever! Holly and Jax were total opposites yet their chemistry just complimented the other so well. Their back and forth witty banter kept a cheesy smile plastered across my face the entire book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Katie Bailey for allowing me to read this ARC! All opinions are my own and freely given.

FMC Holly meets bartender-come-wildman Jax while she's on a bad date. He helps her make a list of what she exactly wants in a man. He becomes her dating coach...what's the worst that could happen? Will Holly stop lusting after her old flame now boss Dylan?
OMG! Cutest Rom Com with a HEA!!! Katie Bailey really makes you fall in love with the characters along the way!!! Jax is just the sweetest, most handsome guy and the way he treats Holly is something any woman would look for in a man. A nice smooth easy read that has the reader feeling all the feels! First book by Katie Bailey but I will be reading more!