I probably won’t remember much about Dry Cry now that I’ve finished it. It’s not breaking any new ground for romance. But it’s a straightforward story that kept my attention.

Nene starts the book determined to be a chef, defying her controlling father’s expectations that she go to law school and follow in his footsteps. When he refuses to support her dream of owning a restaurant, she decides to strike out on her own, which means leaving the family home, her family credit cards, and her father’s money. But that was where my sympathy started to wane, as it became clear she has never worked a job, and would have no idea how to manage her life without her friends.

I struggled to sympathize when Nene is forced to—gulp—sell some of her couture clothing, especially painful because, you see, couture is “like a pet. Not like a dog or cat but a pet you put on the shelf and show your friends when they come over — like a goldfish.” And if that wasn’t terrible enough, her father callously sends someone to repossess her Mercedes while she sobs inconsolably and describes herself as a a bird whose wings he is trying to break “to limit how far and wide I’m able to spread my wings and fly.”

Now, I love me a wealthy maverick who turns their backs on privilege and falls for a member of the proletariat. But that’s not Nene. Our girl seemed to lack both perspective and planning skills since it’s her BFF who explains she needs money to open a restaurant.

Luckily, she can cook. The food porn m alone kept me reading. And things start to look up when Nene runs into a hot guy she flirted with once at the airport. Rowan DaCosta is the owner of a coffee shop chain. He’s made his interest in Nene plain, even after she turns him down because she has a boyfriend (a workholic who seems more interested in networking with her dad than Nene). But when Rowan offers her a clearly made-up job as a personal chef, she doesn’t question this gift horse and jumps into a job that gives us plenty of delicious forced proximity.

My favorite parts of Dry Cry were Nene’s hilarious and loving friend group, and her passion for cooking. This book will definitely make you hungry. It even references the viral Marry Me pasta recipe, so you can easily recreate dishes at home. I don’t usually like love triangles but Nene’s boyfriend is such a nonentity that it didn’t bother me. Rowen is clearly superior in that he appears to actually like Nene. Other than than, we don’t really get to know much about him.

Dry Cry is set in a wealthy community in Houston, where people eat at amazing restaurants and play golf, one of the most boring games to read about. There’s a lot of wealth porn in Dry Cry which didn’t really work for me, but I think others readers would love.

Nene’s Mom mysteriously abandoned her as child and the subplot around her disappearance adds a bit of angst to the story. However, despite the name, I didn’t find Dry Cry to be a heartbreaking or melodramatic romance. It’s a straightforward love story where Nene learns to build a happy life for herself outside of her father’s shadow.

This was a great book and a windy story of love. Their first meet-cute was by chance and I guess their second one too! I loved the story of Ione and Rowan and how she didn't have to sacrifice any of her dreams for her love. She wasn't ready to love him fully at first, but it turned out amazing in the end!

Ione has never had to work for anything, but her charmed life comes with strings: she has to follow her father's plans for her, which do not align with what she wants for her life. When he dad kicks her out and cuts her off after a fight, she finds herself in need of a home and a job. Her friend provides the first...and the handsome stranger she met in the airport a few weeks ago provides second. Rowan is gorgeous, and in need of a personal chef, and he pays enough that she can save up for a place of her own. But the meals she makes for him aren't the only thing bringing the heat...

I often found myself really frustrated with the decisions Ione was making and some of her thought processes--but they were so realistic and understandable for someone in her position that that frustration only made me root for her more. It's a fine line to walk, and Joanna Kimber absolutely nailed it. I wanted so badly to see Ione have the life she deserved, and I loved Rowan and all of her friends. I'll definitely be reading the other books in the series!

Book 2 in the Golden Peaks Country Club series following Ione as she tries to find her own way in life without the help of her father or boyfriend, Aaron.

Ione wants nothing more than to be a chef but her father wants her to go to law school and join the family law business along with her boyfriend. When she refuses to do what her father wants, he kicks her out and cuts her off, telling her she is just like the mother that abandoned them when Ione was only 7yrs old.

One day she meets Rowan and they have an instant connection but because of Aaron, Ione keeps him at arms length but accepts a job to be his personal chef. Spending every day together, Ione realises what is lacking in her relationship with Aaron - all he's interested in his career and instead of supporting her dreams of opening her own restaurant, he tries to talk her into doing what her father wants and moving back home, studying law before they get married and she becomes a stay at home mum.

I enjoyed the story but Ione's naivety and constant need for validation got a little annoying at times. At least her friends could see that she was making a mistake and tried to give her some good advice even if she did ignore it. Even though it was fairly obvious how Rowan felt about her, it still would have been good to have this told from a dual POV.

It was good to see Ione finally stand up for herself but I wish she'd had a bit more growth and development and maybe not made some of the decisions she did. But she saw the light eventually.

Thanks to NetGalley and Joanna Kimber for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

This is very nicely written tale which is the second in the series. It was nice to see the FMC be written as a fully realized character as well as having the opportunity to find out what is happening with her friend group. I am interested in reading books three and four.

I loved it.. Ione and Rowan made my heart break and made me smile, Ione is a woman like so many other who had the best life but nothing was really from her until she decided she wants to change that... And Rowan well he really knows he wants her and he's nor afraid of it

🥬 dry cry 🥬

I’m keeping this short. I don’t like giving bad reviews but I like transparency with all of you.

This books started so good - funny, sweet and the plot was great- until it wasn’t. I don’t even know what happened. The last chapters were so disappointing.

Until last chapters Ione had a great character development. Always fighting for her dreams. She against the world but the end? I was pretty upset with her. I can’t understand why she did what she did and then expected Rowan to apologise to her?!? Like you’re the one who did bad my friend 👀.

Everything she accomplished was thrown away with her decision.

Dry Cry has a HEA but I’m definitely think these characters shouldn’t be together. Rowan deserved better and Ione really should see a therapist.

Dry Cry is a beautifully well-crafted love story. It is not only a story about a man or a woman’s love for one another, but it’s a story about learning how to love yourself in spite of what others have done to you or have told you about who you are. It’s about learning how to be yourself in a world where everyone wants you to be someone else. It’s a story about deciding to longer wear a mask in the world and telling the universe, “Here I am…take it or leave it…but I am going to be me!” It’s a story of self-empowerment, resilience, and finding your true self through being vulnerable with others. From the writing, to the character development / growth, to the plot, and world building, Author Joanna Kimber did a phenomenal job!

Ione and Rowan's story was a burning, passionate love story. Though this is a slow burn, it is masterfully done by the author. As a reader, I appreciated the time allotted to the characters' individual growth and development. Throughout the story, the author takes her time to introduce us these characters, who are flawed, yet relatable. As the story advances, we see how through their friendship, they have a positive impact on one another, causing the other person to open up and grow and become a better person by the end of the novel.

I adored Ione. She was dealt a bad hand in life. When we meet her, she is surrounded by individuals who are trying to control her. From her father, to her boyfriend, to even a producer on a show she was in, everyone wanted Ione to be their little puppet. In addition to that, Ione is dealing with abandonment issues because her mother left her when she was young. It was so good to see that despite all the lemons she was given, she was able to make lemonade. She showed that she was strong and resilient, and she pushed through until the end. I loved her character growth and was so happy that she was able to drown out the noise and do what was best for her at the end of the day.

Rowan was just perfect! He really took care of Ione and looked out for her. I love that he was able to let down his guard and open up about his parents and take her around his family. This story was such a beautiful representation of black love; and the vivid description and representation of the Jamaican culture was the icing on the cake for me.

I also really loved the representation of friendship in the story. Though Ion’s parents turned their backs on her, it was good to see that she had a great set of friends who celebrated her wins and were there for her when she really needed it…they never sugar coded anything, making sure to let her know at every turn that she needed to drop the zero (Aaron) and get with the hero (Rowan)!

Overall, this was a great read! The plot was well executed, and the story is filled with well-round and dynamic characters. I would definitely recommend it!

This was a super cute slow burn, I adored both Ione and Rowan. I liked the aspect of Ione trying to find her rightful place in the world even if her father wasn’t on board. The nerve of her dad… but it’s something about getting it out the mud on your own that makes this success story even better. I also loved how Rowan and Ione were opposites as he clearly was already successful and had his life in order. I also loved how he advocated for therapy and healing. The ending to this story was perfect! I understand that this can be a standalone but I will be reading the first book to this series.

This such a good book.
It was emotional and romantic, I really liked it.
Ione believed that what she had was enough even if it meant being miserable her whole life. I loved how she left her father's house and not once asked him for help. She was determined to make it on her own. She loved cooking and she wanted to open a restaurant. So she did what she could to make that dream come true. When she and Rowan broke up, it was so sad. I wanted her to try harder and understand his point but she went back to her ex boyfriend. And I understand her too, she had been abandoned before and she knew he was a safe choice.
Rowan was perfection. That man never forced his feelings on her and everything that happened was at her pace. He loved her wholeheartedly and I was here for it. When they broke up, I understood his side too, he wanted all of her not just the crumbs she gave him.
They got together at the end and I loved it