Chasing Perfect is a fun, flirty read with a good mix of steamy romance and emotional moments. Sienna is super confident and knows what she wants, which makes her really easy to root for. Liam’s your classic grumpy, guarded guy, but their chemistry is instant—and honestly, the banter and slow burn between them is so satisfying.

That said, I seriously felt for Sienna when everything blew up with Liam and she found out her friends were total snakes. Those two were so fake and clearly jealous and full of insecurities. Honestly, I was glad when she cut ties with them—good riddance.

Also… fair warning: this book is full of spicy scenes. Like, I definitely had a few “my innocent eyes!” moments. 😂

If you’re into opposites-attract romances with cowboy vibes and some real heat, this one's a great pick.

Huge thank you to Victoria Jax, NetGalley, and Cranthorpe Millner Publishers for the e-ARC.

#NetGalley #VictoriaJax #ChasingPerfect #CranthorpeMillnerPublishers #eARCreview

2.75 Stars

I hate to say this, but oh my goodness, I finally finished this book. It was a struggle to get to the finish line. I really wanted to find something redeeming about this book, I tried, I really did. The storytelling just wasn't for me, but I kept going because I wanted to see how it ended. Then I got to 79% and I was hit with a MAJOR RED FLAG from the MMC and the FMC became a doormat after being so self-confident, or at least appearing to be, the entire book and I rage-read the rest of the book. The reader starts the book with Sienna on LinkIn looking for profiles of potential mates because her love life has been lackluster. She happens upon Liam's profile, he's a software engineer who happens to do well financially. While that may have been the initial draw, after they meet real feelings begin to develop. Liam has just ended a very serious relationship, so he's hesitant to jump into something serious with Sienna. Now, I get it, being cautious and taking things slow... it was only two weeks after all. However, he fought his attraction and kept her at arm's length for so long and then all of a sudden girlfriend starts eating a popsicle and it's game on?! *sigh* Listen, I love trying new authors and giving debut authors a chance, but this book was just not for me, sorry.

Thank you to NetGalley and Cranthorpe Millner Publishers for providing access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

I did enjoy the plot of this book, however I found it hard to relate to the FMC as she seemed just a bit oblivious. There was a lot of unnecessary drama and back and forth which I found hard to read. Ultimately I did enjoy the book though and loved the ending.

Chasing Perfect is somewhat an example of modern dating, perhaps unattainable expectations, and two people who seem so opposite but definitely spark some steamy, emotional responses in each other. Sienna is a strong woman with opinions to match. She’ll go after exactly what she wants in a man. Liam is quieter, recovering from heartache, yet finds something in Sienna that draws him in. Theirs is a tumultuous relationship, sensual to extremes, and slowly builds to a love that is believable, for them.

I liked Chasing Perfect by Victoria Jax. It’s a short read that packs a powerful punch. You may not love Sienna, yet despite her sometimes brashness, she knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go all out to find it.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley, and I sincerely thank the author or publishing house for their trust. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

this book was such a fun and quick read!! I loved the chemistry between liam and sienna and loved seeing their relationship evolve through the book these two were so cute!! Thank you to the author and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read the book in advance :)

Book Review: Chasing Prefect by Victoria Jax
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
Genre: Romance

Chasing Prefect by Victoria Jax is a fast-paced, heartwarming romance that delivers an engaging story and endearing characters in just 155 pages. Despite its brevity, the novel manages to create a compelling connection between the leads, making it easy to root for them from start to finish.

The storyline moves quickly—perhaps a bit too quickly at times—but the emotional payoff and chemistry between the characters more than make up for it. Jax’s writing style is accessible and full of warmth, making it a great pick for readers who enjoy diving into a romance that gets to the heart of things without unnecessary filler.

While some readers might crave more depth or development due to the short length, Chasing Prefect does exactly what it sets out to do: deliver a satisfying, swoon-worthy escape in one sitting.

Recommended for: Romance readers looking for a quick, feel-good love story with a strong emotional core and fast-moving plot.

I truly think that this book is not ready to be released.

It is very lacking in character development, and is very surface level.

I feel like this book could be so much stronger than it is, but the author needs a lot of strong character building and scene building. It felt very slow, and then very rushed about half through.

Thanks to NetGalley and Cranthorpe Milner Publishers for access to the ARC in exchange for this honest review!

“I’ll remember this summer forever. The summer we fell in love”.

The chapters flip between Sienna, a Pilates instructor with high values and even higher standards, and Liam, who’s just had his heart broken by “the one who got away”. Sienna is full of self-confidence and enthusiasm for life. Liam is a true gentleman, cautious of rushing into something and a little bit grumpy. Their chemistry is instant, the flirting comes naturally and they prove that opposites do attract. This book focuses on navigating adult friendships, money and love with plenty of spice. The ending was great, and it rounded off the book perfectly. I found Sienna’s character a little too self-centred at times, especially around her friends who don’t have a life as “perfect as her”. Overall a great summery 'city girl meets country boy' romance.

I wanted to like this, and I'm really conscious that this is an author's debut so I'd normally like to be positive, but the execution just didn’t land for me. The writing felt stilted and awkward, the characters lacked depth, and the plot never found its rhythm. Sienna meets Liam via LinkedIn/Insta (salary filter first, naturally), but despite constant claims that she’s not motivated by money, she lets him pay for everything without question and is totally caught up in his farm/city lifestyle. I found it hard to care about either of them – especially Liam, who apparently thinks nothing of leaving his dog alone for days at a time. Their relationship jumps from oddly sexless to unrealistically sexualised - I'm normally here for the smut, but this felt wholly out of place. Even the side characters – Sienna’s friends in particular – felt flat or just unpleasant. I feel like a terrible person saying that I couldn’t connect with any of it, and despite a few glimmers of something interesting, the whole thing felt like it had been written by a teenager, and gave me the ick.

Chasing Perfect is a summery romance featuring a slow burn, friends-to-lovers story with tropes like "one bed" and "opposites attract." The male lead is charmingly old-fashioned—he opens doors, cooks, brings gifts, and wants to take things slow for the first time in his life. The female lead is confident, loyal, selective, and clear about what she wants.

The chemistry between the characters is natural and the writing style is engaging, with descriptions that beautifully bring the setting to life.

However, a few scenes and certain character behaviors felt uncomfortable and borderline toxic, which impacted my overall enjoyment.

This book would appeal to readers who enjoy soft romance with a touch of spice, great atmosphere, and a focus on emotional connection.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

1.5 stars – A Disjointed Romance That Misses the Mark

I wanted to like Chasing Perfect—I really did. The premise had potential: two wounded souls navigating past heartbreak in search of something real. Unfortunately, the execution fell flat in almost every way. The writing lacked flow, the character development was painfully thin, and the plot hinged on unrealistic choices that made it difficult to connect with or care about the outcome.

Sienna is a Pilates instructor with a rocky dating past and little financial security. Instead of taking actionable steps to improve her life (like picking up more classes or finding a second job), she inexplicably turns to LinkedIn to search for a wealthy man and ends up messaging Liam via Instagram. That’s not cute—it’s desperate, and it sets the tone for a romance that felt superficial and unearned from the start.

Liam, a young software engineer/future farm inheritor, has his own baggage. He’s supposedly cautious and emotionally guarded after a failed relationship… yet somehow still falls under Sienna’s spell in record time. The attempt to portray slow-burn chemistry is completely undermined by an out-of-nowhere sexual scene involving a popsicle and some truly cringe-worthy dialogue. Their later encounters, like road head on the way to meet Liam’s family, read more like forced spice than genuine intimacy.

A few things really took me out of the story:

Sienna insists she doesn’t see Liam as her "way out," but everything about her behavior says otherwise.

Liam’s hangups about sex seem to vanish with no real explanation.

The inheritance subplot (he gets the farm, his brother the lake house) is introduced with zero context and doesn’t feel believable.

I struggled to find anything redeeming here. Even the friendships in Sienna’s life were frustrating—her inner circle includes women who are petty and unsupportive, and it’s never really addressed or resolved.

Ultimately, Chasing Perfect felt like a rough first draft that needed deeper character work, a more cohesive plot, and a clearer emotional arc. The bones might be there, but the story never came together for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book honestly. it was a super cute, fun, and easy read! i liked how short it was and it was easy to follow. i enjoyed the way their relationship developed overall- but the fights occurred a little too much for me. it felt a bit rushed at the end as well, and the conflict wasn’t overall fixed the best. but i absolutely loved these two as characters - just some small aspects that brought it to a 3 star

I wanted to like this book. And it was so poorly written, with so little character development, that I just couldn't.

Sienna is a pilates instructor who's been taking a hiatus from love after a bad experience with her ex-boyfriend. She lives in some unspecified town with few, if any public transportation options, which is unfortunate because she doesn't have a car. She has a core group of three friends, two of which are petty and jealous of her. She lives is a small studio apartment and doesn't have much money to her name.

After another failed dating attempt, Sienna decides to drop the apps and use LinkedIn instead, doing a search for handsome men in her area with good jobs with high salaries. When she finds Liam, she messages him on Intagram, and they arrange to meet for coffee.

Liam, a software engineer set to inherit his parents' farm in the next few years, has been burned in love too - most recently by his ex-girlfriend who took a job in Chicago and told him not to follow her. He's a little gun shy when it comes to Sienna, but with his habit of falling in love quickly, he soon finds himself under Sienna's spell. But he's determined to move slowly this time.

Parts that just didn't work for me in this novel:

- Sienna's constant focus on wanting land and financial freedom and how she says she doesn't see Liam as her ticket to a better life, but she clearly does. She has lots of other options - pick up more pilates classes, take another job, etc.

- Liam didn't have sex with his last girlfriend, which was a hangup for him, and he wants to go super slow with Sienna (who also hasn't had sex with anyone for a while and wants to go slow) but then out of nowhere she hears an ice cream truck and goes and gets one firecracker popsicle (but nothing for Liam) then does this weird sexy faux blowjob on it. This starts their sexual relationship which includes dirty talking that doesn't feel convincing and her giving him road head on the drive to meet his family at their lake house.

- Liam, in his early 20s still, is set to inherit his parents' farm when he's 25. His brother will inherit the family lake house. There's no context of why - his parents don't seem old and there's no reference to them wanting to leave and go travel or anything - so it doesn't make sense.

- Liam has a dog, Zoe, who he leaves at home all the time, including when he goes to the farm. Any true pet owner would bring their dog along to places like these.

This book - and its author - could have used an editor willing to point out plot holes and where dialogue among the characters is not convincing. Nothing in this story felt believable. None of the characters were likeable. This just seemed like an excuse for the author to write some not great erotic scenes. No need to waste the reader's time with the rest of this.

This is definitely one of the worst books I've ever read. As a professional book editor, Jax should know that you can't always edit your own work clearly and should have pulled in at least a decent editor to help her.

This book was such a great summer read. I really liked the strong chemistry between the main characters and how well the story was written. Here, both characters felt real and respectful, and I was rooting for each of them as individuals and as a couple. The writing kept me hooked from start to finish. I didn’t want the story to end. Definitely a refreshing and enjoyable read. Thank you so much to the author and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read the book in advance, I received this for free and I'm leaving a honest review

Such a fun summer read! I loved the chemistry between the main characters and thought this was really well done.

i was so excited to read this book after hearing what Victoria was trying to do with her characters, mostly the male. There are tropes i love in romance. but some i fear have been clinging to a line barely a step from sexist even misogynistic lines and its become uncomfortable. except they call it "broken" or "grumpy" or blah blah blah. when really the men treat the woman like poo and its allowed for some sort of cultural rubbish that the girl wants to change him, heal him, or suddenly he sees her. no!
i do want to add many many arent. but there are a few more ive seen squeezed into the shelves recently that concern me.calling something a dark romance doesnt make some behaviors ever ok!
but off my soap box. so anyway when i stumbled across this author, her social media page and her writing on what she wanted to do against the worrisome trope. i was all in. and im so glad. what a refreshing read. i was in for both characters. i was rooting for both of them as individual and apart. they both had different things i loved in them. and boy did i root for them together.
fab read. so glad i got the chance to read this one.

First of all thank you for approving my request!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The authors writing style had me hooked throughout this book.

I didn't want it to end, a book I really couldn't put down.