Bridal Boot Camp

Little Bridge Island series

Meg Cabot

May 28, 2019

Avon Impulse

Blurb: From #1 New York Times bestselling author Meg Cabot comes the first story in her Little Bridge Island series—which also includes an excerpt from her forthcoming new full-length novel No Judgments!

Looking for a tropical escape?

Welcome to Little Bridge, one of the smallest—and most beautiful—islands in the Florida Keys, home to sandy white beaches, salt-rimmed margaritas, stunning sunsets, and some of the quirkiest—but also kindest and most resourceful—people you’ll ever meet.

Physical trainer Roberta “Rob” James moved to Little Bridge hoping she’d found paradise, but things haven’t turned out quite as she’d hoped. The closest Rob has come to her “happily ever after” is happy hour at the Mermaid Café with her buddy Bree, the bartender slash waitress who’s got romance problems of her own.

But Rob’s situation suddenly changes when sheriff’s deputy Ryan Martinez accidentally enrolls in her bridal boot camp class. Turning mush into metal in time for the big day is Rob’s passion (because even the happiest bride could use a little toning).

But what happens when a guy who’s all mush meets a girl who’s all metal?

They discover they have a lot to learn . . . about each other, themselves, and the island paradise they’ve come to call home.

Buy Links:

Amazon | B&N

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SASCHA DARLINGTON’S REVIEW

First, let me get this out of the way:

WOOT!!!! Meg Cabot has a new series!!! Yay! Over the moon! So excited! Can’t wait! Yahooooo!!!! 🎉🎈💃🍸🙌🏻🎇🎂

Okay, now that that’s done. 😉

At some point in time, I realized that it was okay for me to read young adult novels despite the fact that I was years beyond being a young adult, and that opened new book adventures to me that I continue to follow to this day.

One of the first young adult writers I read and then proceeded to devour every book my library had to offer was Meg Cabot. I loved listening to the audiobooks of The Princess Diary series, although I have subsequently fallen behind. I also discovered my love for her contemporary romance and paranormal novels. Just so it’s clear, I will pretty much read and enjoy anything Meg Cabot offers. When I saw she had a new series, I jumped on the opportunity to read the ARCs of the novella and the first book in the series, the latter I will review here closer to its publication date.

Bridal Boot Camp is a novella. It says so on the cover, which is why I was surprised when reviewers were commenting on how short it was. Now, I’m sure I’ve harangued on this topic before, but I’m not a big fan of novellas. Many writers try to capture too much story in too short a period of time–and it shows. Bridal Boot Camp didn’t do that. Perhaps it’s Meg Cabot’s engaging style of writing or the characters she created that I felt satisfied with this novella. It calls itself a 90-minute read and I was happy for all 90 minutes.

Rob is a bit prickly after her last boyfriend stole from her and then left the island with another woman. Her parents’ relationship wasn’t all a bed of roses either so she’s hesitant about taking a risk on a new relationship. Enter Ryan Martinez who is not only hot, but he pushes a lot of Rob’s buttons that make her actually feel things she didn’t know she was capable of feeling.

As usual, Cabot writes characters who are interesting and charming and her writing exudes extra charm. It’s personable, quick-paced, and you happily just want to turn off the phone, prop your feet up, drink tea and devour this little novella. Which I did. All of the above. Except the phone part.

Bridal Boot Camp is short. It is a novella. It is not going to be an extremely layered story. However, I was very happy with the characterization and the background stories of the characters. They weren’t flat. They both changed. And I liked all of the characters I met so I am looking forward to the next entry in the Little Bridge Island series.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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rating:

4 butterflies and a ladybug out of 5 butterflies

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