Amanda

Y'all need to grab this book ASAP!!
I loved it.. it was so good.. if I can have Peter (I practically wish I CAN!!) I'd snap him in a second 😁
This was more than romance.. it's about the difficulties we face in real life which sometimes ppl don't understand but no matter what .. we'll get through it with loved ones on our side and God's love.
It's beautiful ❤️
It feels like blessedness to find such a fine romcom author.. the romance and comedy and life and truth .. everything was spot ON!!
I'm currently having all the others books by this author download 😁.. making my budget cross.. who cares though!! It's Books 😉

You know sometimes we need books to escape the reality and just want to in indulge a good read.. Ahh!! Nothing better than that feeling and this author or this series have been ranked first into my list

Well , nothing like a Christian romcom to life up mood on a odd feeling day

I highly highly recommend this whole series!!
Trust me.. it'll be worth every penny and every minute you read

Amanda suffers from an undiagnosed, invisible autoimmune disease that has led to her family regarding her as a hypochondriac. In the absence of an official diagnosis, she has called it Dolores and tried to hide its/her existence - including breaking up with Peter lest she hold him back. But now she has to work with him, and he's gradually getting under her skin again. Peter learned about Dolores by accident, and isn't happy that she broke up with him without giving him a chance - so when they have to work together, he sets out to show her that she can (and should learn to) rely on others to have her back. Will he be able to get through to her, or will Dolores win out again?

I wasn't altogether sure what a book with a character like Dolores would be like, but decided to give it a go because I enjoyed the previous book I read in the series. Well, I was pleasantly surprised. She certainly comes into things, but not inappropriately or in an over-the-top way. It's made clear that a health disorder can make it difficult or impossible to achieve things at times, but Dolores wasn't blamed for any and everything that ever went wrong, which was good. Aside from all that, the writing was good and I enjoyed getting to know Amanda and Peter and watching their interactions, as well as seeing a little more of the other members of the sewing circle. The two proposals were each somewhat too flamboyant for me, but I'm sure others will love them... All in all, a fun read, but a book that's more than just fluff. A good book, and I hope to read more of the series in future. Recommended.

Note that I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review and this is my considered opinion of the book.

4.5 stars
This was such a sweet book and a fun addition to the series. I read it in one day and I would definitely recommend it! Amanda is the fourth book in Sarah Monzon’s Sewing in SoCal series about a group of friends who fall in love. They are all quirky and fun.
Amanda has been keeping a secret from her friends. She has an undiagnosed autoimmune disorder, named Delores, that has made her life miserable. However, she is afraid to tell her friends, because her family believes that her autoimmune disorder is all in her head. But Peter Reynolds has a way of changing everything. When Amanda is assigned to Peter to help with his social media, she suddenly finds herself losing her battle to control her heart. She had let Peter go because of Delores years ago, but now that he is back in her life, Peter isn't going to be easy to shake. Can he show Amanda that he will love her no matter what and that letting her friends in will not be such a bad thing?
Amanda was such an interesting character. She was a lot of fun, but she was also vulnerable. I felt so bad for her. She wanted her friends to like her and stick by her so badly that she pretended to be someone else. I also felt like she was so strong. She learned to overcome her disorder by leaning on her friends. And I loved seeing her open up to Peter and let him back into her life.
Peter was such an awesome guy! I loved how he cared for Amanda and stood by her even when she tried to push him away. He was steady when she was weak and he helped her learn to be herself, the person she had been hiding. Peter had his fair share of hardships though, he didn’t grow up in a good home and was struggling to figure out the balance between his old life and the fame that football brought him. However, one thing he knew, he was going to stand by Amanda.
Peter and Amanda’s relationship was super sweet, and I liked reading about them falling back in love. They had always liked each other, but now they had to figure out how to let each other back into their lives. Secrets have a way of keeping people apart so that they also have to figure out how to let the truth free, even on social media. It was fun to see old friends again and to read about their interactions.
Amanda was such an interesting book, I really enjoyed it! I would definitely recommend it! It is a clean inspirational romance with characters that make you laugh and cry. These characters quickly become and feel like your friends.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher through Netgalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion, a positive review was not required.

I posted on Goodreads, Bookbub, and Amazon

This was a book I throughly enjoyed and I could feel her pain. I suffer with fibromyalgia and autoimmune conditions so I knew exactly how she was feeling. Well written and quite a quick read. Great at bringing awareness of invisible diseases.

Amanda
A Sweet Romantic Comedy (Sewing in SoCal Book 4)
by Sarah Monzon
BooksGoSocial
Christian | Romance
Pub Date 22 Apr 2021


I am reviewing a copy of Amanda: A Sweet Romantic Comedy (Sewing in SoCal Book 4) through BooksGoSocial and Netgalley:





“The Devil made me do it” it’s a phrase that I will never let pass my lips. Why would it when I have Delores, my undiagnosed autoimmune disorder, to make all my decisions for me? (I named her myself since the doctors couldn’t do it for me.) If I have a get together with my friends and Delores says no, I don’t go. Instead I’ll have my prescheduled daily afternoon fever and fatigue at that time.





There are two biggest regrets I have with having Delores direct my fate? One, my family thinks my illness is all in my head. And two, I set the love of my life, Peter Reynolds, free from my anchoring tether so he could fly. I never thought I’d see him again, but five years later he’s soaring in the limelight as one of the most talked-about defensive players in professional football. And did I mention he also happens to play for the team my boss just assigned me to as a social media manager?


If you are looking for a fun, often comedic Christian Romance to read let me recommend Amanda :A Sweet Romantic Comedy (Sewing in SoCal Book 4).


I give Amanda:A Sweet Romantic Comedy (Sewing in SoCal Book 4) five out of five stars!

Heartfelt. No other words to describe this book <3

I just loved reading about this tight-knit group of friends and how they step in for each other when others can't.
Sarah Monzon shows how's it is not easy. She brings real struggles into her story while weaving in hope and joy.

“I’d never gotten it before, Mr. Darcy’s appeal. How was a man always scowling at you at all attractive? Now I knew. It wasn’t so much the frown—although Peter’s furrowed brow somehow caused a visceral reaction low in my gut—as the depth behind the intense look.”

Beautiful. Inspiring. Heartfelt.

Amanda and Peter’s love story came to a blinding halt when Amanda broke things off due to a secret. Years later they are being given a second chance, but can Amanda let him in enough for a fresh future? This intriguing story is really about letting go and letting God use our weaknesses to bring Him glory.

“This tearing down of one thing to be built into another? Was it really worth the pain to be able to experience the joy of flying?”

I truly felt Amanda’s hurt, fears and struggles with chronic pain. I appreciated a story that I related so well with and hope others are inspired by it, too. I felt her rejection, and the questioning when others turned away. Monzon shows how much hurt is caused by others’ rejection and when you’re afraid to be authentic because of how others might react. I loved seeing Amanda learning to value her worth and trading in her fear for joy with Peter. Another beautiful lesson was her learning to trust others and not going through struggles alone by trusting her group of friends, the SoCal sewing girls.

“a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.”

Of course, Monzon throws in a lot of humor in the midst of this story. Updates on all the friends’ lives was really fun, too. If you love stories with real life issues, dashed with humor and guys you’ll just fall in love with, grab this series! She always weaves a thread of God’s acceptance, grace, and love that will capture your heart, too. I know it did with mine!

I was given a copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own and have been given honestly.

*this review is copied and pasted from goodreads*

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Overall, I think this one is between a 3.5 and a 4 star review. I still, to this moment, cannot decide where I'd like to place it. While I felt like it was the cutest pretense, it didn't really grip me. I really enjoyed Peter as a person and I felt like Amanda was really relatable as a character, but their relationship felt kind of rushed? I also thought the secondary characters weren't well developed but they were often included in scenes, so those scenes were left lacking. The beginning was a little slow but it picked up pretty well, and then there was a little bit of a lull towards the end, however it concluded very nicely.

My one BIG complaint, and it's really a miniscule thing to be complaining about, was the overuse of the word "nuzzling." WE ARE NOT HORSES. Horses nuzzle. They also graze. Do we graze? Do we munch on grass out yonder when it's ripe and the pasture's grown? I'm being melodramatic, please excuse that. Some of the phrases were simply repetitive but that's easily overlooked, so it's a small complaint in the grand scheme.

Otherwise, the story flowed well, it was a quick read, I enjoyed its lighthearted nature and I thought the character growth was very, very good.

This was a cute read. It is also very shot. Amanda has an unknown illness that is taking over her life. Peter is a football player that she used to know. Amanda has now been task with helping Peter have a social media presence. If you want something heartwarming, this book is great.. I just wish it was longer and talked more about issues both main characters are dealing with. That is the only thing that stopped this from being a 5 star read for me.

I volunteered to give an honest review after getting a free copy on NetGalley.

This was a fun uplifting book with lots of laughter, tears and joy.Sarah Monzon does a fantastic job of describing the life of someone with an autoimmune disease. I loved the storyline and the wonderful cast of characters. This book is highly recommended.

Secrets never stay hidden. Amanda is a Public relations guru and is being assigned to Peter a football hero who has no digital footprint and needs to become more accessible to his fans. The downside to this is that Amanda & Peter were once a couple years ago, but Amanda didn’t want to burden him with her ongoing medical issues.
Amanda has a autoimmune disorder and along with this type of disability comes fatigue and depression and her family was thinking it’s alll in her head because there is no specific name for it. Peter on the other hand donates all his funds to charity because he grew up in foster care homes. He does not talk about his benevolent works because he does not want to involve those kids.
The book is written with a good storyline and the characters are likable.

I received a free advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions..

Another fun book in the "Sewing in SoCal" series. Having read the first 3 books earlier this year, it was nice to catch up with Molly, Joceyln and Nicole again and learn more about Amanda. If you haven't read the other books, this story will stand alone, but you'll see relationships whose back-stories you don't have and maybe not fully grasp the dynamics of the sewing group girls. But this story can still be enjoyable on its own. I look forward to hopefully reading Betsy's story one day as well!

This book follows Amanda, who is a sports social media manager and is dealing with an unknown auto-immune disease that she is trying to keep quiet. Her old college flame, Peter, is an up-and-coming star on the Condors, the team that Amanda is tasked with getting out there and Peter (and his social media) have become her new project. While romance is not my favorite genre, I do always appreciate it when the characters have history and that makes it feel like the relationship doesn't move quite as fast, and I appreciated that about this one. While this book was a bit more serious than its predecessors, there were still plenty of laugh-out-loud moments and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I'd definitely recommend this one to fans of contemporary romance.

Special thanks to the author and NetGalley for an e-copy of this book. I was under no obligation to provide a review and the thoughts contained herein are my own.

This is book 4 in the So-Cal series by Sarah Monzon - I have really enjoyed all four titles. Amanda does not appear very often in the earlier three titles. When we read Amanda's story, we find out why. Her undiagnosed autoimmune disease forces her to cancel plans. Due to disbelief by her family, she decides to keep her health problems a secret. But her former boyfriend, Peter, finds out the truth. Will his support help her to move forward despite her limitations?

I do know people who suffer from autoimmune diseases. I cannot imagine how much of that struggle that must be. The symptoms are invisible to everyone but the one who is suffering. Author Sarah Monzon does a wonderful job of relating the reality of this limitation. For me, I hope that it will help me to be more sympathetic and ask how I can support those who deal with unseen pain.

The romance side of this story is definitely a sweet one. I love how positively Peter is portrayed. I also appreciate the fact that he comes to recognize that sharing how he has overcome his past is different than profiting from his personal tragedies. The characters that surround Peter added a lot to the story.

As for the SoCal group, they definitely add some fun to the book. Especially Nicole. These ladies demonstrate how to be understanding friends. I look forward to the next book featuring these diverse women.

I read this book through Kindle Unlimited. Then I requested it through NetGalley, so that I could share my opinions with more people because I really liked this book. I want more people to know about this series. The review (including the 5 star rating!) is definitely my idea.

I loved this book!! It was a fun read full of laughter and a few tears. It's one of those books you hate to see end. I highly recommend this book. Thank you BooksGoSocial via NetGalley for the complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

As someone who has had my own Delores for the past decade, I loved this story! An actual heroine who lives and loves life AND has health issues AND a Man who loves her enough to love ALL of her! (Notice Man has a capital M…not some romance book hero who works his way up from man to Man) I have my own Peter so it was beautiful to see their story play out in the pages. This is true Romance with a capital R, beautiful world-building, and phenomenal character development. I would love to read their college days, just getting to know one another story, as well as stories from the other players!! I’ll definitely be looking into this author for more quick summer reads!
Pippa

What do you do when your boss forces you to work with the football player whose heart you broke five years ago and all you wanted to do was put the past behind you? Well, you would do your job, of course, even if that means realizing you might still be in love with him.

That is exactly what happened to Amanda Murphy in Sarah Monzon’s fourth novel of the Sewing in SoCal series, Amanda. Amanda had walked away from the man she loved in what she thought was a selfless act. To her, holding on to Peter Reynolds as she faced an unnamed autoimmune disease would only stifle his dream as a future football star. To him, she had acted selfishly by not trusting him with the truth and allowing him to decide what he wanted.

I honestly surprised myself by how quickly I flew through this story. It was such an easy read, and I couldn’t put it down, but I hadn’t expected to see that I’d reached 70% before taking a break. Not once has Sarah Monzon disappointed me with her SoCal girls, and Amanda’s story is just as amazing as those that came before her.

As I read, my heart went out to Amanda as she struggled daily with Dolores, the name she gave the disease that had no other name. Doctors tried and failed to give her a real diagnosis, and because of that, she lost her relationship with her family. “It’s all in her head,” they believed. But it wasn’t all in her head, and she knew it.

I personally have no experience with this issue, but as the author continued to write, I could tell she was writing it for those who did as a way of showing her support. How many times do we expect a story to be tied up with a neat little bow at the end? In this case, a diagnosis. But Sarah Monzon kept it real by never giving Amanda the diagnosis she had longed for. And I think that made a big impact.

But she did give Amanda a supportive group of friends (gotta love her sewing girls!) and a second chance at love.

Peter Reynolds. Oh my goodness. What a sweet, caring, loving man he was. Even though he had been hurt, Amanda never left his heart. And when their jobs brought them together, he didn’t let the past define their future. Peter also acted as Amanda’s spiritual support, something she desperately needed.
Both Amanda and Peter were able to give each other some tips about life and opening up to others. They were the perfect pair.

And that ending! Nah, I won’t go there. You’ll just have to read it for yourself.

I received a copy of Amanda thanks to Sarah Monzon and NetGalley.

Amanda by Sarah Monzon is a fun, quick read perfect for a long weekend or beach trip. I adore this Sewing series and was so excited to read this next installment. Ms Monzon sets herself apart as a writer with her distinctive voice. From the very first page, her words will draw you into the story and keep you engaged and reading until the very end. Amanda’s story and her struggles with her health are so relatable and well portrayed. I loved this book and recommend it highly. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

3.5 Stars

This book was super short and sweet. A second chance romance between a star NFL player and his college ex-girlfriend who works for the team. Will they be able to overcome their past and get back together, despite Delores who is keen on making a daily appearance?

While this book is part of a series it can be read as a stand alone, the main characters are introduced well and the side characters are introduced enough to get the picture. The writing was good and the characters were funny as well. The plot really highlights the importance of family, especially found family, and being authentic. Overall a light and quick read!!

The only thing that I didn't really like was that some of the tweets/social media that was at the end of the chapters didn't really make sense or relate to anything? I understand the concept but I just didn't think some of the early ones made sense to be honest.
Thank you for the opportunity to review!

This is the first Sarah Monzon book I have read, and I now have added all the rest of her books to my TBR! I have never read a book where the title and main character share my name, so I was so excited to dive in. Let me tell you, this book did not disappoint! I devoured this book in one day because I simply could not put it down!

I really appreciated how Monzon tackled the topic of autoimmune diseases and let the readers get insight into how that impacted every aspect of the main character’s life. I adored Amanda as a main character. Peter may now be on my list of book boyfriends 😍 he was so tender and caring while also being manly and just straight up attractive!

I absolutely loved this novel and cannot wait to go back and read the first books in this series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Radiant Publications for the complimentary copy. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Amanda by Sarah Monzon

Rating 4 out of 5 stars
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Really enjoyed reading this one by Sarah. She dealt with a tough topic for people to discuss sometimes and did it in a humorous way. I loved the spicy but sweet romance that built well throughout the story. I love a good second chance story and this one was definitely a good one in all ways. My only issue with it was that I wanted it to be longer.....that's just the way it is with a fun read, never enough pages to keep going forever!

I received this temporary complimentary E-book from the author and publisher in order to provide a fair and honest review. I will receive no fiscal compensation for this review and the opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.

Another sweet read by Sarah. Nice and light with a predictable ending. But still enjoyable. Looking forward to more from her.

Amanda is the fourth book in the Sewing in SoCal series. While I would highly recommend reading the rest of this sweet series too, this can definitely be read as a standalone. I had only read a few of the books in the series and had no troubles understanding what was going on, as each book focusses on just one member of the sewing group. That said, you might get some spoilers by reading them out of order.

This book focusses on Amanda, who has been living with an undiagnosed autoimmune disorder that has impacted her life and her relationships. As someone who also struggled with yet to be diagnosed chronic pain and health issues, I so appreciated Amanda's character! I related to her on the difficulty of living with an unnamed and often unseen illness that can be hard for others to understand. I feel like many others dealing with the same can appreciate the story, but also that perhaps it can shed a little light on that for those who don't have that same experience.

Beyond that though, this was also just a really sweet romance story. I so enjoyed the chemistry between Amanda and Peter, and found Peter to really be the perfect romantic hero! Overall, this was a very good read and one that fans of sweet, contemporary romances is sure to enjoy!

**I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley for consideration. All thoughts are my own.

This was the best RomCom Real Tear jerking book I've read this year.
This has autoimmune disorder representation, which was a but shocking, I never really saw that represented in books. Amanda and Peter are such an amazing couple, I love them, I love their relationship, their friendship, their second chance at love and everything! And the humor!
I really liked the concept of this book. I wish it was more informative about it but that wasn't annoying in any way, I wanted the book to be longer and a tiny bit more engaging but I still enjoyed it so much!
Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for the opportunity to read and review this book. Ok so this Christian Romantic Comedy went deeper than I ever could of expected it to. Theres a lot of discussion with chronic illness and how people could not believe the patient or just can't find what is causing the pain. Theres also representation of someone being in the foster system that we definitely need more representation in adult romance that is done very well. The social media aspect was also done right, although I was hoping for it to be a little more realistic at points. The love was so deep and emotional that I almost cried at a couple of parts. I loved the music that they shared with each other and profound words.I have to say at this point, this is my favorite book in the series. The second -chance romance aspect was so beautiful. I do however, have two things that I wanted to present not necessarily negative things but they do need to be said. I will warn you that this book in the series does have the most religious influence because of some Bible passages and music. However, in this aspect, it amplified the story because of the emotions that are already present. The other aspect that I was actually annoyed by was that this book felt a lot shorter than the others previous with more of the other couples (the other couples weren't bad buttt......) I wanted more from this particular couple and to make this one shorter was a tragedy. Overall, I loved this book and am curious if the last single lady will get a book or not. Because of these points, I have to give this book a 4 out of 5 stars.

Amanda has "invisible illness" that dictates her life. She calls it "Delores" and she dictates Amanda's life. Amanda dated Peter, but then ended with him because Delores told her so.
Years later, they meet again and work together. Peter finds out about autoimmune disease and tries to convince Amanda to give him another chance..


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I love second chance romances and so was with this one. It was something unique reading about unknown disease and Amanda's copying. I liked the fact that Peter tried and didn't want to give up on them.
I enjoyed this book. It was a quick, light read.

I've chosen it because it was something new to read about heroine with illness.

Okay, so I picked up this book because it's rare that there is a main character who shares my name (why is that? it was a trendy name in the late 80's. lol). I enjoyed the writing style and the story!

A delightful second chance love rom-com, with lovable characters and a cute, but compelling plot.

A wholesome romance with sizzling chemistry. I loved how the author did a great job of showing the realistic struggles of someone with a invisible illness. Amanda is a strong and intelligent woman, with an amazing group of friends. She is a social media whiz brought in to help Peter Reynolds up his online presence as an NFL player. She is strong and used to bearing her burdens alone, I liked how Peter didn't let her push him away and was there with understanding and support when she needed him.

Overall, this was a quick and enjoyable read with a compelling storyline that pulled me in and brought a smile to my face. A wonderful addition to the series, but also an excellent standalone! I also loved catching up on my favorite couples from the previous books!


I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.