Requested and received an ARC of this book from NetGalley almost three months ago but only got to reading it now. The premise sounds similar to another book I have come across on Romance booktok, which also I have not read.

Deeply Personal revolves around an interior designer who is recently been diagnosed with a health condition and a physical fitness trainer. Both of them have had traumatic experiences with parents as children, which comes up often as something that brings them closer but is not really a narrative point.

The book is somewhere between a breezy read and a romance with angst or deep feelings and I think the writer has hit the sweet spot. There is enough feelings and emotions about their lives but also the romance is pretty sweet and fluffy and transitions from their fake dating to real dating smoothly. The book has no smut, which is a big change for me in romance books these days, but I enjoyed that more than I thought.

The only problem in the book for me is - she has a health condition, he is a fitness trainer - WHY is he not training her? I truly thought that would be the premise looking at the cover and the blurb.

I would definitely recommend this book - like I said it’s above, it’s a light read without being foolish. Thanks NetGalley and SplitRail Publishing for the ARC.

Deeply Personal – Review

This book is everything I love in a rom-com; heartfelt, hilarious, and packed with slow-burn chemistry, haha.

Jessica and Paul’s story starts with a rescue, but their journey is about so much more than just attraction. Their banter is sharp, their dynamic is relatable, and watching them trade skills (fitness for design) makes for some truly fun and flirty moments. This is something I feel like could happen in real life and that is what makes it hit so close to home. As someone who has watched a friend deal with health issues and then meet her love during a doctors appointment, it was an awesome experience reading this book.

If you love romance with lots of humor, cute moments, and characters you can’t help but root for, This book is a must-read! Perfect for fans of Tessa Bailey, Elle Kennedy, etc.

Deeply Personal is a lighthearted romance centered around the classic fake dating trope. Paul is hopelessly awkward around Jessica, leading to some amusing moments, while the story also touches on important health-related themes. Though the plot is enjoyable and clean, it follows a very familiar formula, making it somewhat forgettable. A fine read, but not one that left a mind blowing impression.

Ooof. This book was kind of rough. I probably would have stopped reading it. The pace was slow and the entire style of writing was just not for me. The characters were lackluster and I just kept waiting for something exciting to happen in the plot… but it never appeared.

Deeply Personal got off to a good start for me, but then it quickly petered out after that. I felt like I never really connected with the characters beyond surface level, and the opening YouTube quotes to start chapters drove me crazy.

Thank you to NetGalley for this, but, unfortunately, I couldn't connect to it. I was so EXCITED to read it when the description said it was " perfect for fans of PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT by Sara Adams, FIX HER UP by Tessa Bailey, and SET ON YOU by Amy Lea," which are three of my favorite books. It had elements I would normally love the elements - the meet cute, the fake dating, the forced proximity of working together. - but it just didn't feel like there was a strong plot and the actually writing felt choppy. So much of it felt like it fell off - conflicts didn't seem to pay off, things were resolved too easy, and I just didn't feel like these characters really hit for me the way I hoped they would. It didn't bring the energy of those three books and I think that's what set me up for disappointment, because I was looking for something specific and it just didn't fulfill the promise.

Deeply Personal by Suzanne Collier is the story of interior designer Jessica who has a medical emergency during her local Turkey Trot fun run. When she fainted, Jessica was whisked off to the medical tent by Paul, a local personal trainer. Soon Jessica discovers that Paul has a client that she is desperate to work for and Paul needs to update his condo and so they decide to pretend to be dating because doing so would be mutually beneficial. Of course this leads to a LOT of shenanigans and things become real for both of them as they get to know each other better.

This was a quick and fun read with nothing too extremely deep. There were some funny moments and it was a bit of a slow burn on the romance side with a little bit of a lack of chemistry described between our main characters. If you can look past that and if you enjoy a fun, HEA story with a little workplace romance and fake dating, then you'll enjoy Deeply Personal.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

If you like a double meet cute, no third act drama, fake dating, realistic love then this book is worth reading for you.

There is banter between the main characters which is always a must have in romance books.

Jessica meets Paul when she collapses from dehydration at the Turkey Trot fun walk in a small town in Tennessee. From there there is a slow burn relationship. Jessica is hurt from her past relationship and Paul is a commitment-phobic. In this book we follow their love story.

Honestly, i wanted to love this book. And the beginning looked like it had promise. But it wasn’t it for me.

Based on the description of the book, i thought it would be a romance that blossomed between a personal trainer and an interior designer, while they worked out together and she re-designed his home. Instead it brought in a completely unnecessary fake dating situation. I felt like it was just there to check off of a trope list.

The writing was pretty choppy, and there really wasnt much of a plot.


The good: they did have a good meet-cute. The story has promise. It’s cute if you’re wanting a pretty basic quick read. It does have a HEA.

Feeling a romcom vibe? Check out DEEPLY PERSONAL by Suzanne Collier

I really enjoyed DEEPLY PERSONAL - I found it full of emotion, complex characters and engaging writing.

Though there were some predictable elements, and the pacing was slower in some parts, the book themes were relatable and full of touching moments

Thanks to NetGalley and Splitrail Publishing for the ARC! Opinions are my own

This book started off strong for me but then fell a bit flat for me. I almost DNF'd because I felt like it didn't quite have enough substance. However, there are parts that I enjoyed, just not enough to keep me as engaged as I normally am for a cute love story. The second half of the plot didn't quite pace the way the first half of the book did, so it felt a bit disjointed/mismatched with the first portion of the book. I felt the characters need more development as well, they were one-dimensional and I couldn't feel their chemistry. I think this could be further developed so that it would be much better!

Cute romance! Loved reading about the interior design elements and also appreciated the emphasis on a healthy work-life balance and prioritizing your health above all!

There’s a particular kind of disappointment that comes from picking up a book expecting cozy, romantic charm—something light yet meaningful—and instead finding yourself slogging through a mess of underdeveloped conflicts, contrived resolutions, and extraneous subplots that seem to exist purely to frustrate. Deeply Personal by Suzanne Collier promised a heartwarming romance about two professionals learning from one another, healing together, and perhaps—just perhaps—falling in love along the way. Instead, what I got was a book that lacked depth in all the places that mattered most and was, ultimately, a fairly forgettable read.

I liked Paul and Jessica as a couple. Their banter was genuinely enjoyable, and when they were together, the book had a spark that suggested it could have been something more. The idea of them exchanging expertise—Jessica shaping Paul’s chaotic man-cave into a livable space while he helped her with her health—was promising. If this had been the book’s sole focus, it might have worked better. However, Jessica never actually works out with Paul. She becomes Vegan and reduces her caffeine intake and starts taking walks. Great stuff, but not how the book was marketed.

Paul’s relationship with his grandparents also had some nice emotional beats. I liked the warmth of those scenes and even the explanation regarding Paul’s fear of commitment without over-explaining it. It was one of the few things in the book that felt organic rather than force-fed.

But that’s where my praise runs out.

Jessica’s entire arc revolved around her struggling business, her inability to trust love, and her significant heart condition. The business stress? Conveniently resolved at the last minute consistently. And her literal medical emergency? Oh, don’t worry, the power of romance and some walking apparently made it all better. No lasting consequences, no real struggle—just a neat little bow on top.


Paul, on the other hand, had pointless side stories competing for attention. There was the weirdly intense client who clearly wanted him in ways that had nothing to do with personal training. There was his ex, whose only real personality trait was being his ex. And then there was another ex whose child Paul had inexplicably bonded with before running for the hills. And of course, because we needed even more unnecessary drama, the stepfather the child ends up with is clearly a bit of a douchebag. When Paul runs into the kid later, the child snubs him, which is played as this big emotional moment for Paul… but why? What was the point? Was it intended to make us get the ick for Paul, because that seems to defeat the point of a romance book.

If Deeply Personal had focused on what it did well—the genuine chemistry between its leads, the idea of their mutually beneficial partnership—it could have been a sweet, solid read. Instead, it overstuffed itself with half-baked subplots and character arcs that resolved in ways that felt too easy, too tidy, and ultimately unsatisfying. I didn’t hate it, but I certainly didn’t enjoy it enough to recommend it.

📖 Read it if you love: Low-stakes, no-conflict resolutions, really convenient storytelling, interior design talk.
🚫 Skip it if you dislike: Forced drama, medical issues being magically healed, unresolved ex drama for the sake of it.

This book was slightly underwhelming for me. I love the fake dating trope to serve a purpose, but I felt like there were aspects that didn’t make total sense. I thought the romance as a whole was a little underwhelming since a majority of the novel focused on both the MCs business aspects and not truly the romance. I also think the cover and title are misleading because you would think since the MMC is a personal trainer and the FMC goes through her health scares and needs to turn her diet and exercise habit around that it would be obvious he would help with that. Alas, he doesn’t. I think for me personally I would have just liked to see more romance overall. I received this as an arc from Netgalley and the publisher so thank you for that opportunity!

This is a pretty cute book. Both main characters are somewhat afraid of compromise, so you get to see how they fall in love and try to overcome their fears.

My problem with this book is that I was expecting something very different. First of all, the cover implies that a lot of gym training happens throughout the story, which was not the case; and I was really excited to see how they would train together.

Furthermore, I think the synopsis misled me in a similar way to the cover, as it gave me the impression that something would play a significant role in the story when, in reality, it didn’t.

In conclusion, if I hadn’t had those expectations, I think I would have enjoyed this story much more because it is cute and has a simple, easygoing plot.

2.75 stars

The book was an okay read. I liked the fake dating element of it but otherwise the story felt bland? Upping the tension and chemistry would have made this so much more enjoyable.

Unfortunately I DNF.

I don’t know why but I couldn’t connect with these characters. I really liked the description and thought I would drive in but I felt myself getting distracted and never picking it back up:/

I really enjoyed this book. It was fun and witty and kept me engaged. The writing was wonderful and the storyline was exceptionally done. I love the dynamic and connection between the FMC & MMC.

Thank you to the publisher and Suzanne Collier for the advance copy.

Deeply Personal is a light-hearted, closed-door, modern day romance written in the third person POV that begins with a truly original meet cute between Jessica and Paul, our main characters. The first few pages of the book and the anticipation were wonderful and based on Paul's profession and the cover of the book, I assumed Jessica would become his client and their romance would kindle through their workouts.

Instead, they devise an unnecessary fake-dating plot to further Jessica's career and somehow the romance seems to spontaneously happen. While the writing wasn't bad and I appreciated the spin on typical romance tropes, I didn't find myself enjoying the banter between Paul and Jessica or excited about the romance itself. I was confused by the cover and the build-up of Jessica's health needing a personal trainer and just....nothing ever happening with that.

Likewise, I found a lot of discussions in Paul's chapters focused unnecessarily on food or calories or diet culture. Even though he's a personal trainer, I also read books and do not expect to (not subtly) have diet culture shoved at me, so those aspects took me out of the story. Jessica's relationship with her brother also made me uncomfortable at the end, and also made me think "wait what" while I was reading.

Overall, it's an easy, short read and if you like light-hearted romance with basically zero spice, this could be a good pick for you. 2.5 stars.

Absolutely loved the story light hearted fake dating was a easy read! I enjoyed the characters and the story line. Definitely worth picking up