2.5 stars rounded up

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an advanced copy to read!

Love, Accidentally follows the ups and downs of A&E nurse Tilly’s adventures in love. The first half of the book is spent on her relationship with fellow A&E doctor Luke, but the second half is an about face with a new relationship.

Throughout reading, I kept thinking I was on the cusp of being pulled in. I almost DNF’d several times, and looking back I wish I had. Typically I can read a book this length in a couple of days, but this one took me an entire month because I just wasn’t that interested.

I don’t understand why the author spent so much time on Tilly’s relationship with Luke. It felt like she had multiple plot ideas and was trying hard to force them together. I wish we’d have gotten a recap of Tilly’s relationship in the first couple of chapters, maybe a flashback or two, and spent the rest of the time focusing on the relationship between Tilly and <spoiler>Will.</spoiler>

I also felt like the struggles from her relationship with Luke and her new boyfriend’s past relationship were manufactured. I just didn’t buy it. It would’ve made a lot more sense if he was having trouble because he was dealing with the loss of his mom, or something else altogether for Tilly - maybe her overbearing mom? Who knows.

The plot was all over the place, and while that was frustrating enough, I just didn’t like the writing. I didn’t understand why certain scenes had so much page-time dedicated to them, while other points in the plot involved time jumps. There was also a lot of “telling” instead of “showing,” especially at the ends of chapters. It felt like the author didn’t know how else to show character development or struggles other than spelling out the thoughts Tilly was having. That’s a big pet peeve for me in books, and it happened a lot here.

I hate rating books less than 3 stars because I know authors put so much into writing a book, but this one was just a struggle for me.

I'm undecided about Love, Accidentally by Phoebe MacLeod. I like the fact that, apart from the major plot twist, there are no stupidly unbelievable and overly dramatic turns. Tilly talks a good romantic game but her actions don't match. She's very slow to catch on to Luke, and the whole denouement of that plotline is ridiculous. I also found it hard to warm to the main characters but enjoyed the minor ones. Not Phoebe's best, I feel, but not terrible.

This was a cute and easy read, but it did not fully. hit the mark for me. The characters were likable, and the setup had potential, but it felt a little rushed. With that said, facts of light rom-coms would enjoy this book for a quick escape.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of Love, Accidentally by Phoebe Macleod

Felt a little all over the place at times and I wanted more concrete development of the characters and relationships but I thought the author did a good job of handling pretty sensitive medical topics.

Spoiler alert but not sure what the relevance of the guy with the penis issues was? Such a random side note and the fact that he came back again toward the end?? Why?

A quick read. I honestly skimmed a lot because I was bored and the emotional connection was lacking.

It had potentially and I was excited for another Doctor romance but this did not do it for me.

I loved this book—stayed up way past my bedtime to finish it in one sitting! The story was funny, heartfelt, and completely absorbing. I adored all the characters, especially Tilly, and found myself hoping she wouldn’t end up with Luke… but I never could’ve imagined just how spectacularly that would wrap up!

The supporting cast was just as charming and added so much to the story. And the zany tales of hospital injuries? Hilarious! They brought in a fun, quirky energy that made this book stand out.

Highly recommend if you’re looking for a lighthearted, feel-good read with great character dynamics and lots of charm.

25% in and I had to DNF. The romance here felt forced and the story itself was flatter than my chest.

From Good reads
2.75 stars

Summary:
Tilly is single (just ask her mom!) and looking for love. She works shifts as an emergency room nurse and so it can be hard to get out there.
That is until Dr. Luke starts working at the department. Sparks fly but so do flags.

While drama ensues... maybe love is waiting in the wings?

I was really drawn to this book because I'm a lover of Grey's Anatomy and work in healthcare. Tilly seems like she could be a friend of mine and I could be her sister counselling her through the ups and downs of single girl life.

Where this book got me was (minor spoiler ahead), you don't really meet the TRUE love interest until like 60% of the book and their relationship seemed kind of thrown together and not that believable.

My favourite part of the book was her relationship with Jonathon <3.

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for a copy of the ARC!

Love accidentally follows the life of ED nurse Tilly as she navigates shift work and trying to find love. I went into this one believing it was a feel good romance but doesn’t there have to be actual romance for that to be the case???

Unfortunately for me this one fell short in more aspects than I would have liked. Only being single point of view felt as though there was so much of this story I was missing out on. Both relationships that Tilly has within this book are both quite bland and fluffy. There isn’t much real development to any of the characters and I didn’t really connect with them.

Parts of the book felt quite rushed and were kinda skipped over. Just as I felt like I was delving deeper into the emotions of Tilly’s new love interest and his family it quickly moved onto the next scene.

It felt like this book was more focuses on the ED aspect rather than the romance, which wouldn’t bother me so much as I’m an emergency service worker myself, but that’s not the way it was sold.

Overall a bit of a slow page turner with minimal spice and a lot of fluff. 2.5 stars

Love, Accidentally would have to be in my top five least favourite books. It started off horribly, got slightly better, and then completely ruined itself again—causing me to DNF at 87%, when the characters began referencing sperm in an utterly bizarre way. I stuck with this book for so long because I was curious to see if it would redeem itself at some point, but unfortunately, it didn’t.

The author’s writing style wasn’t the problem; rather, it was the content she chose to write about. There were multiple moments that had me physically recoiling and thinking, “Are you serious right now?” One example: the main character’s sister constantly refers to her young child using satanic references. She repeatedly calls him the devil, which I immediately had an issue with. I found it disturbing and quite inappropriate. I also strongly disliked one of the main tropes in this book. I won’t go into detail to avoid spoilers, but it’s a trope I find horrible and always try to avoid.

Another issue I had was with the characters themselves—they were simply insufferable. One of the male characters is revolting, both in how he behaves and in how he treats the women in his life. He and the main character had absolutely no chemistry (and you eventually find out why), and reading their interactions was painful. He was weird, slimy, and sneaky—definitely one of the most repulsive and vile characters I’ve come across. I also didn’t like the female lead’s mother, who was completely unhinged, lacked any moral compass, and left me thinking, what the … !?

There were also insensitive comments made about mental health and suicide, which deeply bothered me. These are topics I care about deeply and believe should be handled with the utmost care and respect.
That said, I’d still be interested in trying another book by this author. Her writing style is quite readable, so I’m hoping she just really missed the mark with this one—and that her other works are a lot better.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgallery for the advanced copy.

Full of heart, humour, and heat, this fun hospital-set romance follows nurse Tilly as she navigates chaotic nightshifts, meddling family, and her own growing desire to fall in love. When the handsome new doctor starts turning heads, Tilly’s intrigued—but is he everything she’s been looking for, or just a distraction from something more meaningful, and possibly closer to home? A joyful and heartfelt story about unexpected connections and finding love when you least expect it.

The setup for this one really drew me in— I love a medical romance. I have to admit I DNF at 35% - the plot at times was fast paced and then it was slow as molasses. I didn't connect with the characters and there were a few side plots that didn't go anywhere so why bother?

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

HMMM, where to start with this? I really really hated that it felt like two different stories. I could've done away with 50% of the first 3rd of the book, summarizing what happened into 2 chapters and felt more for the 2nd part. I just couldn't love the MMC by the end because WE DIDN'T GET ENOUGH of him and her interacting. I FELT MORE CHEMISTRY WITH THE FLATMATE.

It just sadly fell flat in some regards. I liked the sister relationship but did not understand the parents dynamic or what it had to do with Tilly or her relationships, so that seemed odd.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood for the ARC.

I read the ARC of this book and it was cute. A lot happened and the male character was a walking red flag. I did not like the suggestion of the main character’s mother in a particular situation that happened. Also, the gaslighting and the twist were annoying. The development of the story is fine, i liked the rest of the story and the things that occurred were cute. I must say I had a good time and enjoyed it; it was okay, so for me, it was a 3 star read.

Tilly is a nurse and falls into a relationship with Luke, a new doctor. However, something doesn’t add up with him. At the same time, she meets Will when his dad attempts suicide and comes into her ER.

This book had a lot of different plots and I found it bouncing around a lot. I think it had an interesting twist, but it fell a little flat for me.

1.5★

Well, unfortunately I was disappointed by this one.

This definitely had the potential with it being a workplace rivals-to-lovers situation with the new doctor, and the A&E nurse, however it did not deliver.

I’ll start with what I liked. It was an easy and fast read, and the humour was enjoyable in some parts, as was the glimpse into hospital life.

Onto things I disliked.

I thought the pacing of the story was odd, and it gave me whiplash. It was fast paced and then slow. It was not consistent.

The romance with Dr Luke was very chaste and not fleshed out. I thought it was an odd side-plot and very unnecessary. And then Tilly’s new found romance with someone else was also a disaster. There was no emotional connection between them and they never had deeper conversations that went beyond surface level topics. I did not see the chemistry between them, and it was honestly all too fast. They suddenly kissed and then were married in the epilogue.

There were far too many side-plots that distracted from the main story and romance.

Again, this is all a pacing issue and issue with prioritising certain plots.

Thank you NetGalley and boldwood books for the arc it was good and easy read it was a medical romance we first seen the main character dating a coworker turns out he lied about something big (no spoilers) and when after healing and a emotional journey she ends up meeting up with other person it was a cute rom com romance with medical humour in it overall 3.5 🌟🌟🌟

This book was so different to any other romance book I have read. I had no idea who the love interest was going to be until about half way into the book. The book had so many twist and turns.

I really enjoyed the character development plus the side characters made me laugh so much with their banter.

The setting of this book was amazing! I loved the hospital setting and showing what it is like as a nurse in A and E. Overall would definitely recommend for a unique romance.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

This one fell a bit flat for me and I was getting lost in the plot. I believe there are people who will get enjoy this but it wasn't for me.

I'm grateful for the ARC and will keep my eye out for other books busy this author