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The Roughest Draft
They were cowriting literary darlings until they hit a plot hole that turned their lives upside down.
Three years ago, Katrina Freeling and Nathan Van Huysen were the brightest literary stars on the horizon, their cowritten books topping bestseller lists. But on the heels of their greatest success, they ended their partnership on bad terms, for reasons neither would divulge to the public. They haven't spoken since, and never planned to, except they have one final book due on contract.
Facing crossroads in their personal and professional lives, they're forced to reunite. The last thing they ever thought they'd do again is hole up in the tiny Florida town where they wrote their previous book, trying to finish a new manuscript quickly and painlessly. Working through the reasons they've hated each other for the past three years isn't easy, especially not while writing a romantic novel.
While passion and prose push them closer together in the Florida heat, Katrina and Nathan will learn that relationships, like writing, sometimes take a few rough drafts before they get it right.
Three years ago, Katrina Freeling and Nathan Van Huysen were the brightest literary stars on the horizon, their cowritten books topping bestseller lists. But on the heels of their greatest success, they ended their partnership on bad terms, for reasons neither would divulge to the public. They haven't spoken since, and never planned to, except they have one final book due on contract.
Facing crossroads in their personal and professional lives, they're forced to reunite. The last thing they ever thought they'd do again is hole up in the tiny Florida town where they wrote their previous book, trying to finish a new manuscript quickly and painlessly. Working through the reasons they've hated each other for the past three years isn't easy, especially not while writing a romantic novel.
While passion and prose push them closer together in the Florida heat, Katrina and Nathan will learn that relationships, like writing, sometimes take a few rough drafts before they get it right.
336 pages, Paperback
First published January 25, 2022
1215 people are currently reading
107528 people want to read
About the author
Emily Wibberley
21 books2,246 followersEmily Wibberley attended Princeton University where she graduated Magna Cum Laude. She now lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Austin Siegemund-Broka, with whom she is author of The Roughest Draft, as well as several love stories for teens.
Visit her and Austin's website at www.emilyandaustinwrite.com.
Visit her and Austin's website at www.emilyandaustinwrite.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 9,316 reviews
May 12, 2023
✨A rough draft indeed.✨
Read this review if a. you’re thinking about reading this book or b. if you read and despised this book and need someone to understand the tumultuous thing your soul turned into after reading it. Also please read this review because it took me one (1) Lord of the Rings movie to complete. Two DVDs worth. This book robbed me of all happiness. Alms for the poor. Please give me alms.
This review is split up into different sections based on what I think you’d want to know about this book before going in. Or parts that really pissed me off that I think also really pissed off others. (Basically what I’d have wanted to know and the reason I finished this book. If not, I’d have DNFed at 10% and would’ve been a lot happier with the quality of my life.) Hopefully this helps you decide if this is a book for you because let me say now, this book is not about what the summary makes you think it’s going to be about.
- What actually happens in this book
- Characters
- Cheating (?)
- Relationship
- Romance
- Steam
- Genre
- Flashbacks
- Story within a story
- Writing style
- Concluding thoughts (you can start here if you want a short review)
What actually happens in this book (not the summary provided by the publisher because it left out *a lot*):
- This book is about two writers who never actually dated in the past. They were “best friends” but even friends have chemistry. I felt no chemistry. He always noticed her bee-stung lips and slender hands. Whoopie.
- This book is about two people who were in other relationships for most of the book. Nathan was married during every flashback (sans the one he was merely engaged). Katrina was engaged during most of the present scenes. More notes on emotional cheating below. Spoiler alert, it was cringey and I had a terrible time.
- These two authors do not write romance. The book they are writing in the present is about divorce, while somehow mirroring their… relationship? The couple gets divorced at the end but it’s… “so romantic?”
- Katrina only agreed to write the book in the present because her fiancé coerced her because he needed the book profits.
- This fiancé was also Nathan and Kat’s agent (he’s still her present day agent) so as along as they write the book, even if Kat breaks up with him, he still wins and gets money (I hate this more than almost anything).
- Personally, this book was a love story not a romance. Emotional cheating, amongst other things, ruined this book for me.
- Kat and Nathan are divorce and infidelity (this is self-proclaimed by them) writers, experiencing divorce and infidelity in this book.
Characters:
Nathan: He reminded me of a random dude lurking on Twitter trying to be profound about his opinions on love, tweeting at people who never asked for his opinion. He wears grey cowl neck sweaters he can’t pull off, slicks back his wet hair to look cool, and stayed in a marriage far too long when he was in love with another woman. I consistently called him Jeremy throughout this review and had to change it because I could never remember his name. I also don’t think he’s a Nathan because I like the name Nathan too much. I could not tell you what this man looks like. If he was walking down the street… I wouldn’t know a thing. But if he was driving down the street, I’d know he’s the asshole who rented a Porsche while temporarily in Florida. He loved talking about it. That’s really all you need to know about him.
Katrina: I technically liked Kat better than Nathan, but the bar was lower than dirt. I thought Kat was a very weak character. I was always just like… why are you doing the things that you’re doing???? Her fiancé was so terrible and she stayed with him far too long, for the worst reasons. I couldn’t trust nor respect her character after 10% of the book because she didn’t breakup with him right there. She chose to write the book for him and to also make him money. It was… so bad. I have no real opinions on the name Katrina but I did mix it up 50% of the time with Kristina during this review. I think she has curly hair? Definitely slender hands and bee-stung lips. Nothing else is coming to me.
Chris: Making a character so bad that it’s okay to cheat on him is just so confusing. Nuance? Never met her. Conflict? Uh. All his character did was make me question the heroine intensely and my relationship with her was never repaired.
Cheating(?):
Right off the bat, I had zero interest in a book where both characters were in separate relationships for the whole time. It was too close to infidelity, even in the flashbacks. Maybe I could have handled one character, but both just really wears me out. I would have liked her if she dumped the fiancé and wrote the book for herself from the beginning. That way they would have both been single in the present.
There was intense emotional cheating throughout the entire book, even a little bit of present day physical cheating (grinding against each other, kiss).
This book tries to convince you that as soon as Nathan discovered his feelings for Kat, he asked for a divorce before anything untoward could happen. False. The man literally confessed love before even letting his wife get an inkling that he didn’t love her. He said numerous times (I can’t quote directly from an arc, which is very unfortunate and difficult to show you the extend of just how clear his feelings for Kat were for the two years he was married) how he was struggling with these emotions and how he wanted to kiss her and how special she was, way before he asked for that divorce.
There are numerous scenes where Kat recognizes that he’s writing his love for her into their second book (the bestseller and book they write in the flashbacks) going so far as to describe her and what she’s wearing via the manuscript. There’s a flashback scene where they almost kiss but stop, but then he writes a mirroring scene for the book where the man doesn’t stop. Nathan then writes Kat a note saying this is what he wanted to happen in real life. Still properly married. Still much too long before he asked his wife for a divorce.
In the present, Nathan is finally divorced but now Kat is engaged to an utter fuck face. Kat is having all sorts of feelings in the present and one can argue she’s had them for 6 years. Me; I argue. It gets to a point where she’s still engaged but says fuck it and grinds all up on Nathan for “research” and kisses him. Nathan was pissed because she was using him and claims it “wasn’t” a kiss because he didn’t kiss back. This isn’t middle school. He didn’t prevent it from initially happening. It was a conscious decision by both to dance and go to the club and to eventually allow the kiss.
*spoiler* Technically her fiancé, Chris, gave her permission to cheat if it helped her write the book, but this doesn’t help. It makes it worse because a. that “permission” happened at 10% through the book and b. it took her 60% more to actually break up with him and c. she only kissed Nathan using the “permission” to spite Chris, before even breaking up with him while d. there was only one obvious and acceptable action and that was e. breaking up with the motherfucker at 10% when he told her she could cheat and that he’d get a different fiancé if she didn’t write the book and f. it gets revealed later on that she only started dating Chris to spite Nathan (in a vague wishy washy revelation).
Relationship:
Jeremy and Kristina should not have ended up together. They should have been alone and okay with it. Divorce is so pretty right?
Romance:
Well, there wasn’t much. I had no connection to either character and never felt their chemistry. The scene with them writing a sex scene managed to make me uncomfortable, not horny. I liked him buying books for her, but I hated that was him buying books for her. I want another couple in a different book to do this.
Steam:
I bet you’re curious about the sex like I was. Well, take note from above about tempering your expectations because y’all it was also just as disappointing as you hoped it wouldn’t be. I’ll give credit where credit is due: there was at least more than there could have been. She did go on top for a few seconds, but on top of what? Beats me because very *very* few words were actually used to describe this thing we’ve all been reading this book for. It was very impressive how the only words mildly sexual were “breasts,” “shudders,” “hardness,” and touched her “lower down.”
“Lower down.” They made her vagina sound like the underworld in a fantasy novel 😭 like “oh no we’ve got to go to the Lower Down in order to get the weapon to defeat the giant evil muskrat king.” This book did that to me. It broke me. A broken person thinks like this.
The authors made Kat say she wouldn’t want foreplay when they were writing so they wouldn’t have to write the words pussy or cock. This is live footage of me screaming FADE TO BLACK INTO A FLASHBACK OF THEM BREAKING UP AND THEN IT FADES BACK IN FOR MORE VAGUE CLIMAX LANGUAGE into the void.
Genre:
This book basically said that it’s a love story but also literary and commercial because that’s what sells. It said that Kat and Nathan write in that genre (no surprise why I disliked their “profound” and so “deeply insightful” books we got glimpses of). That line (although not a direct quote because it’s from an arc) also reveals what the actual authors of this book were trying to attempt. A love story that’s better than a mere romance novel because it’s so *literary* and profound and insightful.
This book is not a romance. It’s literary and commercial, with an unsavory love story that ended with me wanting the characters to end up without an HEA. It is fine that the authors wanted to write contemporary fiction (women’s fiction I guess, although this woman did not like this piece of fiction) but please call it what it is. It’s clear this book was trying to target way more than the actual readers of the romance genre. But hey there’s a cute cover so all is forgiven.
This book is a mix between Beach Read and People We Meet On Vacation, neither of which did it for me completely as romances. I like Beach Read and was compelled by the story; I liked the relationship in it. Even more so than Beach Read though, People We Meet on Vacation is a clear comp. Emotional cheating is another. I didn’t like the flashbacks, the “big” fight, nor the emotional cheating. If you liked PWMOV, I could see you liking this one as a lot of people liked that book. As you can imagine, I am unwell at the prospect. Literary, commercial, absolutely not for me.
Flashbacks:
Like PWMOV, this book is structured with present day and flashback chapters. Flashbacks range from four to six years prior. Like PWMOV, this is a book where the characters are in separate relationships, not with each other. Like PWMOV, there was a *huge* fight in the past that the flashbacks are leading to and the present chapters keep mystically shrouding with vague comments. Like PWMOV, the *huge* fight was not so huge at all. In fact, all it was was a weird overreaction, miscommunication, and nothing more. You get to the point where you’re like… the fight wasn’t just… *that* was it? No, it can’t be… please don’t let it be. And then you get to the point when you realize the fight was indeed just *that* and you make this face: 🥴. Safe to say, whatever you think the fight will be, it is far less interesting. Think of the most simple thing for them to get in a misunderstanding about and *boom* you’ve got it.
This book also included a second mini *huge* fight with a side character, Harriet. I was also very intrigued as to what their rift was. Finally, we’re going to have drama! Unfortunately, no. I really can’t believe Katrina shunned Harriet for… that. No wonder she’s still acting like a baby four years later. No wonder she’s fine with Chris and fine with being fine. No wonder this book warned me from the start that I’d be precisely in this position on the couch, taking too long to write this review.
Seeing Nathan meet Katrina for the first time at the end did nothing for me. I was done with flashbacks at that point, as each angered me more than the last. Again, the dude was married. These two wouldn’t know proper decisions or chemistry if it sat on their face. Oh wait…we don’t do that kind of sex here.
*spoiler* Why would they include a flashback of her getting with Chris? At 90% through the book? We’d literally been told 99% of what that scene represented and we could definitely guess that she only started dating her fiancé to hurt Nathan. A nice long con. These people suck I hate it here. I also don’t want that reminder when I’m trying to be okay with their relationship.
Story within the story:
Kat and Nathan wrote a veeery prophetic and so deeply profound book about the beauty of divorce, with what I can guarantee to be shitty and grasping sex scenes. No more than two. No explicit language. No foreplay. I disliked watching them write this book that was obviously just a parallel of them which made it worse. Because I did not like… them. I also don’t find divorce all that romantic.
Writing style:
The writing was clunky and tried to be too philosophical and inspiring and metaphorical and it ended up just being wordy, confusing, and exhausting. This is how I imagine Nathan would write (we do see him write exactly like this and basically get a boner because he’s so smart and such a good writer.) The metaphors and characters feel like b-list literary fiction with a romance subplot starter pack.
I hated whenever Nathan talked about his superior writing. He sounded like a pompous, arrogant ass with a penis the size of a pen cap and an ego the size of Alaska. The line about Florida heat feeling like after sex sweat? In a GOOD way??? Wow, so inspired. Inspired to vomit. He describes everything like he’s writing it in an ironically bad book… which would be this book. Unironically.
I get we are supposed to understand his personality through the writing and how different the two are but it just makes them bad humans and cringey writers. I don’t care for how he talks about women (seeing them, being with them) it’s not necessarily *bad* but it’s not attractive. I guess it’s real? But I don’t want him to be a real man because I don’t like real men. When he described the poor woman as a volleyball player and imagined all the ways they’d have sex if he wasn’t *inconveniently* in love with Kat. Or when Kat’s one piece swimsuit was eating her tits? So hungry for them? Wow.
Concluding thoughts:
Overall, I’m giving this book 1 star. I was moving between 1 and 2 but once I realized how many words I wrote to describe just how ROUGH this book was, I quickly realized I had my answer. Not even them writing a sex scene was hot. It actually made me uncomfortable.
The only good ending would have been them not publishing this book. Chris deserved none of their success. I’d love if they were secretly writing a different manuscript in an unreliable narrator way so we didn’t know and scratched the other fucked up one and made Chris zero money. They could have gone to a different publisher. THAT would have been interesting.
The authors hoped we can just ignore 63% of emotional cheating, actual cheating at 64% (I don’t care that Chris gave permission what the fuck. She should have broken up with him at 10%), her and Chris’s breakup at 71% and more kissing between Kat and Nathan at 75%. At 77% we get the flashback of Nathan finally deciding to get a divorce in the past, about 100% too late for decency. You ask why I hate a book that has both characters in a relationship not with each other for a majority of the book? This. All 1000% of this. Maybe if I loved this book more I’d be able to talk about it 50% less. (At 80% they kiss again and she was like wow I get to do this now and I’m like??? Girl you apparently got to do it before 💀 *checks notes* at 64%.) (At 83% they have sex and Nathan “shucks” off his clothes so naturally all my mind could think about was corn. Not euphemism cobs. Nope just plain old corn. So sexy… shucksy? shuxy?)
This is a book about divorce and infidelity writers experiencing divorce and infidelity and that’s just not a journey I’d pay $16.00 for. Hell I don’t even want it for free in exchange for a review.
If you want to read a book about two authors trying to be profound, writing about two authors trying to be profound by writing a book that’s trying to be profound, you have (pro)found the book for you.
The Roughest Draft was ONLY written because of Emily Henry’s broad appeal and general success rate and no one can convince me otherwise. The parallels are too obvious. I hope you don’t fall for the Cute Cover Con.
The only romance was between me and the last page of this book. I loved that I was done with it.
Disclaimer: This review was written by a petty person 😔
⭐️/5 🌶/5 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬*/5
*Because this book made me so mad my mom thinks reading is now unhealthy for me. Joke’s on her because she took me to the library every day as a kid.
Thank you to the publisher for this review copy. My opinions are honest and my own.
Read this review if a. you’re thinking about reading this book or b. if you read and despised this book and need someone to understand the tumultuous thing your soul turned into after reading it. Also please read this review because it took me one (1) Lord of the Rings movie to complete. Two DVDs worth. This book robbed me of all happiness. Alms for the poor. Please give me alms.
This review is split up into different sections based on what I think you’d want to know about this book before going in. Or parts that really pissed me off that I think also really pissed off others. (Basically what I’d have wanted to know and the reason I finished this book. If not, I’d have DNFed at 10% and would’ve been a lot happier with the quality of my life.) Hopefully this helps you decide if this is a book for you because let me say now, this book is not about what the summary makes you think it’s going to be about.
- What actually happens in this book
- Characters
- Cheating (?)
- Relationship
- Romance
- Steam
- Genre
- Flashbacks
- Story within a story
- Writing style
- Concluding thoughts (you can start here if you want a short review)
What actually happens in this book (not the summary provided by the publisher because it left out *a lot*):
- This book is about two writers who never actually dated in the past. They were “best friends” but even friends have chemistry. I felt no chemistry. He always noticed her bee-stung lips and slender hands. Whoopie.
- This book is about two people who were in other relationships for most of the book. Nathan was married during every flashback (sans the one he was merely engaged). Katrina was engaged during most of the present scenes. More notes on emotional cheating below. Spoiler alert, it was cringey and I had a terrible time.
- These two authors do not write romance. The book they are writing in the present is about divorce, while somehow mirroring their… relationship? The couple gets divorced at the end but it’s… “so romantic?”
- Katrina only agreed to write the book in the present because her fiancé coerced her because he needed the book profits.
- This fiancé was also Nathan and Kat’s agent (he’s still her present day agent) so as along as they write the book, even if Kat breaks up with him, he still wins and gets money (I hate this more than almost anything).
- Personally, this book was a love story not a romance. Emotional cheating, amongst other things, ruined this book for me.
- Kat and Nathan are divorce and infidelity (this is self-proclaimed by them) writers, experiencing divorce and infidelity in this book.
Characters:
Nathan: He reminded me of a random dude lurking on Twitter trying to be profound about his opinions on love, tweeting at people who never asked for his opinion. He wears grey cowl neck sweaters he can’t pull off, slicks back his wet hair to look cool, and stayed in a marriage far too long when he was in love with another woman. I consistently called him Jeremy throughout this review and had to change it because I could never remember his name. I also don’t think he’s a Nathan because I like the name Nathan too much. I could not tell you what this man looks like. If he was walking down the street… I wouldn’t know a thing. But if he was driving down the street, I’d know he’s the asshole who rented a Porsche while temporarily in Florida. He loved talking about it. That’s really all you need to know about him.
Katrina: I technically liked Kat better than Nathan, but the bar was lower than dirt. I thought Kat was a very weak character. I was always just like… why are you doing the things that you’re doing???? Her fiancé was so terrible and she stayed with him far too long, for the worst reasons. I couldn’t trust nor respect her character after 10% of the book because she didn’t breakup with him right there. She chose to write the book for him and to also make him money. It was… so bad. I have no real opinions on the name Katrina but I did mix it up 50% of the time with Kristina during this review. I think she has curly hair? Definitely slender hands and bee-stung lips. Nothing else is coming to me.
Chris: Making a character so bad that it’s okay to cheat on him is just so confusing. Nuance? Never met her. Conflict? Uh. All his character did was make me question the heroine intensely and my relationship with her was never repaired.
Cheating(?):
Right off the bat, I had zero interest in a book where both characters were in separate relationships for the whole time. It was too close to infidelity, even in the flashbacks. Maybe I could have handled one character, but both just really wears me out. I would have liked her if she dumped the fiancé and wrote the book for herself from the beginning. That way they would have both been single in the present.
There was intense emotional cheating throughout the entire book, even a little bit of present day physical cheating (grinding against each other, kiss).
This book tries to convince you that as soon as Nathan discovered his feelings for Kat, he asked for a divorce before anything untoward could happen. False. The man literally confessed love before even letting his wife get an inkling that he didn’t love her. He said numerous times (I can’t quote directly from an arc, which is very unfortunate and difficult to show you the extend of just how clear his feelings for Kat were for the two years he was married) how he was struggling with these emotions and how he wanted to kiss her and how special she was, way before he asked for that divorce.
There are numerous scenes where Kat recognizes that he’s writing his love for her into their second book (the bestseller and book they write in the flashbacks) going so far as to describe her and what she’s wearing via the manuscript. There’s a flashback scene where they almost kiss but stop, but then he writes a mirroring scene for the book where the man doesn’t stop. Nathan then writes Kat a note saying this is what he wanted to happen in real life. Still properly married. Still much too long before he asked his wife for a divorce.
In the present, Nathan is finally divorced but now Kat is engaged to an utter fuck face. Kat is having all sorts of feelings in the present and one can argue she’s had them for 6 years. Me; I argue. It gets to a point where she’s still engaged but says fuck it and grinds all up on Nathan for “research” and kisses him. Nathan was pissed because she was using him and claims it “wasn’t” a kiss because he didn’t kiss back. This isn’t middle school. He didn’t prevent it from initially happening. It was a conscious decision by both to dance and go to the club and to eventually allow the kiss.
*spoiler* Technically her fiancé, Chris, gave her permission to cheat if it helped her write the book, but this doesn’t help. It makes it worse because a. that “permission” happened at 10% through the book and b. it took her 60% more to actually break up with him and c. she only kissed Nathan using the “permission” to spite Chris, before even breaking up with him while d. there was only one obvious and acceptable action and that was e. breaking up with the motherfucker at 10% when he told her she could cheat and that he’d get a different fiancé if she didn’t write the book and f. it gets revealed later on that she only started dating Chris to spite Nathan (in a vague wishy washy revelation).
Relationship:
Jeremy and Kristina should not have ended up together. They should have been alone and okay with it. Divorce is so pretty right?
Romance:
Well, there wasn’t much. I had no connection to either character and never felt their chemistry. The scene with them writing a sex scene managed to make me uncomfortable, not horny. I liked him buying books for her, but I hated that was him buying books for her. I want another couple in a different book to do this.
Steam:
I bet you’re curious about the sex like I was. Well, take note from above about tempering your expectations because y’all it was also just as disappointing as you hoped it wouldn’t be. I’ll give credit where credit is due: there was at least more than there could have been. She did go on top for a few seconds, but on top of what? Beats me because very *very* few words were actually used to describe this thing we’ve all been reading this book for. It was very impressive how the only words mildly sexual were “breasts,” “shudders,” “hardness,” and touched her “lower down.”
“Lower down.” They made her vagina sound like the underworld in a fantasy novel 😭 like “oh no we’ve got to go to the Lower Down in order to get the weapon to defeat the giant evil muskrat king.” This book did that to me. It broke me. A broken person thinks like this.
The authors made Kat say she wouldn’t want foreplay when they were writing so they wouldn’t have to write the words pussy or cock. This is live footage of me screaming FADE TO BLACK INTO A FLASHBACK OF THEM BREAKING UP AND THEN IT FADES BACK IN FOR MORE VAGUE CLIMAX LANGUAGE into the void.
Genre:
This book basically said that it’s a love story but also literary and commercial because that’s what sells. It said that Kat and Nathan write in that genre (no surprise why I disliked their “profound” and so “deeply insightful” books we got glimpses of). That line (although not a direct quote because it’s from an arc) also reveals what the actual authors of this book were trying to attempt. A love story that’s better than a mere romance novel because it’s so *literary* and profound and insightful.
This book is not a romance. It’s literary and commercial, with an unsavory love story that ended with me wanting the characters to end up without an HEA. It is fine that the authors wanted to write contemporary fiction (women’s fiction I guess, although this woman did not like this piece of fiction) but please call it what it is. It’s clear this book was trying to target way more than the actual readers of the romance genre. But hey there’s a cute cover so all is forgiven.
This book is a mix between Beach Read and People We Meet On Vacation, neither of which did it for me completely as romances. I like Beach Read and was compelled by the story; I liked the relationship in it. Even more so than Beach Read though, People We Meet on Vacation is a clear comp. Emotional cheating is another. I didn’t like the flashbacks, the “big” fight, nor the emotional cheating. If you liked PWMOV, I could see you liking this one as a lot of people liked that book. As you can imagine, I am unwell at the prospect. Literary, commercial, absolutely not for me.
Flashbacks:
Like PWMOV, this book is structured with present day and flashback chapters. Flashbacks range from four to six years prior. Like PWMOV, this is a book where the characters are in separate relationships, not with each other. Like PWMOV, there was a *huge* fight in the past that the flashbacks are leading to and the present chapters keep mystically shrouding with vague comments. Like PWMOV, the *huge* fight was not so huge at all. In fact, all it was was a weird overreaction, miscommunication, and nothing more. You get to the point where you’re like… the fight wasn’t just… *that* was it? No, it can’t be… please don’t let it be. And then you get to the point when you realize the fight was indeed just *that* and you make this face: 🥴. Safe to say, whatever you think the fight will be, it is far less interesting. Think of the most simple thing for them to get in a misunderstanding about and *boom* you’ve got it.
This book also included a second mini *huge* fight with a side character, Harriet. I was also very intrigued as to what their rift was. Finally, we’re going to have drama! Unfortunately, no. I really can’t believe Katrina shunned Harriet for… that. No wonder she’s still acting like a baby four years later. No wonder she’s fine with Chris and fine with being fine. No wonder this book warned me from the start that I’d be precisely in this position on the couch, taking too long to write this review.
Seeing Nathan meet Katrina for the first time at the end did nothing for me. I was done with flashbacks at that point, as each angered me more than the last. Again, the dude was married. These two wouldn’t know proper decisions or chemistry if it sat on their face. Oh wait…we don’t do that kind of sex here.
*spoiler* Why would they include a flashback of her getting with Chris? At 90% through the book? We’d literally been told 99% of what that scene represented and we could definitely guess that she only started dating her fiancé to hurt Nathan. A nice long con. These people suck I hate it here. I also don’t want that reminder when I’m trying to be okay with their relationship.
Story within the story:
Kat and Nathan wrote a veeery prophetic and so deeply profound book about the beauty of divorce, with what I can guarantee to be shitty and grasping sex scenes. No more than two. No explicit language. No foreplay. I disliked watching them write this book that was obviously just a parallel of them which made it worse. Because I did not like… them. I also don’t find divorce all that romantic.
Writing style:
The writing was clunky and tried to be too philosophical and inspiring and metaphorical and it ended up just being wordy, confusing, and exhausting. This is how I imagine Nathan would write (we do see him write exactly like this and basically get a boner because he’s so smart and such a good writer.) The metaphors and characters feel like b-list literary fiction with a romance subplot starter pack.
I hated whenever Nathan talked about his superior writing. He sounded like a pompous, arrogant ass with a penis the size of a pen cap and an ego the size of Alaska. The line about Florida heat feeling like after sex sweat? In a GOOD way??? Wow, so inspired. Inspired to vomit. He describes everything like he’s writing it in an ironically bad book… which would be this book. Unironically.
I get we are supposed to understand his personality through the writing and how different the two are but it just makes them bad humans and cringey writers. I don’t care for how he talks about women (seeing them, being with them) it’s not necessarily *bad* but it’s not attractive. I guess it’s real? But I don’t want him to be a real man because I don’t like real men. When he described the poor woman as a volleyball player and imagined all the ways they’d have sex if he wasn’t *inconveniently* in love with Kat. Or when Kat’s one piece swimsuit was eating her tits? So hungry for them? Wow.
Concluding thoughts:
Overall, I’m giving this book 1 star. I was moving between 1 and 2 but once I realized how many words I wrote to describe just how ROUGH this book was, I quickly realized I had my answer. Not even them writing a sex scene was hot. It actually made me uncomfortable.
The only good ending would have been them not publishing this book. Chris deserved none of their success. I’d love if they were secretly writing a different manuscript in an unreliable narrator way so we didn’t know and scratched the other fucked up one and made Chris zero money. They could have gone to a different publisher. THAT would have been interesting.
The authors hoped we can just ignore 63% of emotional cheating, actual cheating at 64% (I don’t care that Chris gave permission what the fuck. She should have broken up with him at 10%), her and Chris’s breakup at 71% and more kissing between Kat and Nathan at 75%. At 77% we get the flashback of Nathan finally deciding to get a divorce in the past, about 100% too late for decency. You ask why I hate a book that has both characters in a relationship not with each other for a majority of the book? This. All 1000% of this. Maybe if I loved this book more I’d be able to talk about it 50% less. (At 80% they kiss again and she was like wow I get to do this now and I’m like??? Girl you apparently got to do it before 💀 *checks notes* at 64%.) (At 83% they have sex and Nathan “shucks” off his clothes so naturally all my mind could think about was corn. Not euphemism cobs. Nope just plain old corn. So sexy… shucksy? shuxy?)
This is a book about divorce and infidelity writers experiencing divorce and infidelity and that’s just not a journey I’d pay $16.00 for. Hell I don’t even want it for free in exchange for a review.
If you want to read a book about two authors trying to be profound, writing about two authors trying to be profound by writing a book that’s trying to be profound, you have (pro)found the book for you.
The Roughest Draft was ONLY written because of Emily Henry’s broad appeal and general success rate and no one can convince me otherwise. The parallels are too obvious. I hope you don’t fall for the Cute Cover Con.
The only romance was between me and the last page of this book. I loved that I was done with it.
Disclaimer: This review was written by a petty person 😔
⭐️/5 🌶/5 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬*/5
*Because this book made me so mad my mom thinks reading is now unhealthy for me. Joke’s on her because she took me to the library every day as a kid.
Thank you to the publisher for this review copy. My opinions are honest and my own.
March 15, 2022
i started to read the reviews before i went to write my own and i have got. to. stop. doing. that.
because i really, unabashedly, enjoyed this book. i hardly read the blurb and knew nothing of this author duo's YA titles so i went in with absolutely no expectations and honestly i'm glad for that. if i could guess, i would bet that the majority of the middling reviews for this book expected the summer romcom that the cover (and the blurb which i have now read lol) promised. but it really wasn't that.
this is an, at times, irritatingly literary take on a romance novel. i was fairly discontented myself at picking it up and realizing the font was just a little too small and the prose a little too inaccessible for the kind of book i was hoping to read when i picked it up yesterday. but i was pretty immediately assuaged by the angst and tension.
i fucking love angsty romances. more than pretty much anything.
i enjoy a giggle as much as the next bitch but the romances i tend to swoon for are the angsty kind. and this delivered. no it was not smutty. no the conclusion wasn't dramatic. but it felt real and raw and had elements of the kind of story i'd like to write for myself one day.
i don't think this will be on my best books of the year list but it is a 5 star read for me.
ps, this is a better take on Beach Read and i'm not afraid to say it
because i really, unabashedly, enjoyed this book. i hardly read the blurb and knew nothing of this author duo's YA titles so i went in with absolutely no expectations and honestly i'm glad for that. if i could guess, i would bet that the majority of the middling reviews for this book expected the summer romcom that the cover (and the blurb which i have now read lol) promised. but it really wasn't that.
this is an, at times, irritatingly literary take on a romance novel. i was fairly discontented myself at picking it up and realizing the font was just a little too small and the prose a little too inaccessible for the kind of book i was hoping to read when i picked it up yesterday. but i was pretty immediately assuaged by the angst and tension.
i fucking love angsty romances. more than pretty much anything.
i enjoy a giggle as much as the next bitch but the romances i tend to swoon for are the angsty kind. and this delivered. no it was not smutty. no the conclusion wasn't dramatic. but it felt real and raw and had elements of the kind of story i'd like to write for myself one day.
i don't think this will be on my best books of the year list but it is a 5 star read for me.
ps, this is a better take on Beach Read and i'm not afraid to say it
January 25, 2024
Wow! I TRULY LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH!
The blasting chemistry between Katrina and Nathan activated the smoke alarm at my house!
The way they pour their souls on the pages, sharing their intimate feelings by hiding behind the dialogues of fictional characters, the powerful and purely intense attraction they feel for each other made me hyperventilate and sigh for thousand times!
This book is a composition the author played by the strings of our emotional cords to present us the sweetest harmony!
At some moments I just only want to scream at Katrina and Nathan stop hiding behind the secure walls to protect their hearts and run to each other!
Is it too early to say this already became my favorite romance book of 2022 ? Okay, I’m sure it will be at my top 5 best romance books list!
Okay, let’s give a quick recap of the plot:
Katrina Freeling and Nathan Van Huysen met 6 years ago at the upstate New York’s writer workshop. Their ideas, their perspectives, their visions fit with each other! They are just match made writing duo of heaven. Their debut novel Connecting Flights worked just fine. Their friendship blossomed. There was a slightest attraction but Katrina knows her limits so well: Nathan was married.
But when they created their masterpiece which brought them more attention and appraisal they expected, something happened between them : they finished the book but they didn’t see each other’s faces : they didn’t even attend the book promotion tours together and the harsh words Nathan told about Katrina at his interview with Times burned all the bridges! Their partnership, friendship and whatever they have is permanently over!
Or this is what they thought!
Because four years later, Nathan’s solo career isn’t going so great. His last book ideas are rejected by the publisher. They want another Freeling- Van Huysen book!
Katrina is also retired, moving to LA, engaged with her agent Chris, still trying to forget the disaster she’s gotten through after four years later. But when her fiancée admits they’re financially struggling and he forces her to write another book with Nathan if she still wants to marry with him. I was expecting Katrina told him f*ck off and gave him his ring, enjoying her retirement. But she didn’t. There are so many reasons she accepted to write with Nathan and you have to read the entire book vividly telling us their collapsing past and present stories!
They return back to Florida house where they wrote their best selling book: their working schedule is so strict! They have to finish an emotional story about a couple’s divorce. But when they barely look each other, walking on eggshells, can they achieve to co-write an intense, genuine, heartbreaking story together?
And could they confront their own resentments, the words they didn’t say and bottle inside, unresolved issues? Could they also face their own heartbreaking, unfinished story?
This is truly sentimental, extremely heartfelt, incredibly addictive story of two! I loved each chapter, i loved to read about their pasts, I loved to see the characters’ evolving!
Oh boy… ( sniffing sound) My emotions are everywhere… I barely click the words to finish this review… this is the most incredible thing I’ve read lately earns more than my five stars!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
The blasting chemistry between Katrina and Nathan activated the smoke alarm at my house!
The way they pour their souls on the pages, sharing their intimate feelings by hiding behind the dialogues of fictional characters, the powerful and purely intense attraction they feel for each other made me hyperventilate and sigh for thousand times!
This book is a composition the author played by the strings of our emotional cords to present us the sweetest harmony!
At some moments I just only want to scream at Katrina and Nathan stop hiding behind the secure walls to protect their hearts and run to each other!
Is it too early to say this already became my favorite romance book of 2022 ? Okay, I’m sure it will be at my top 5 best romance books list!
Okay, let’s give a quick recap of the plot:
Katrina Freeling and Nathan Van Huysen met 6 years ago at the upstate New York’s writer workshop. Their ideas, their perspectives, their visions fit with each other! They are just match made writing duo of heaven. Their debut novel Connecting Flights worked just fine. Their friendship blossomed. There was a slightest attraction but Katrina knows her limits so well: Nathan was married.
But when they created their masterpiece which brought them more attention and appraisal they expected, something happened between them : they finished the book but they didn’t see each other’s faces : they didn’t even attend the book promotion tours together and the harsh words Nathan told about Katrina at his interview with Times burned all the bridges! Their partnership, friendship and whatever they have is permanently over!
Or this is what they thought!
Because four years later, Nathan’s solo career isn’t going so great. His last book ideas are rejected by the publisher. They want another Freeling- Van Huysen book!
Katrina is also retired, moving to LA, engaged with her agent Chris, still trying to forget the disaster she’s gotten through after four years later. But when her fiancée admits they’re financially struggling and he forces her to write another book with Nathan if she still wants to marry with him. I was expecting Katrina told him f*ck off and gave him his ring, enjoying her retirement. But she didn’t. There are so many reasons she accepted to write with Nathan and you have to read the entire book vividly telling us their collapsing past and present stories!
They return back to Florida house where they wrote their best selling book: their working schedule is so strict! They have to finish an emotional story about a couple’s divorce. But when they barely look each other, walking on eggshells, can they achieve to co-write an intense, genuine, heartbreaking story together?
And could they confront their own resentments, the words they didn’t say and bottle inside, unresolved issues? Could they also face their own heartbreaking, unfinished story?
This is truly sentimental, extremely heartfelt, incredibly addictive story of two! I loved each chapter, i loved to read about their pasts, I loved to see the characters’ evolving!
Oh boy… ( sniffing sound) My emotions are everywhere… I barely click the words to finish this review… this is the most incredible thing I’ve read lately earns more than my five stars!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
January 29, 2022
add this to emily henrys
‘beach read’
and colleen hoovers
‘november 9’
and you have the holy trinity.
i dont know what it is, but there is something about romance stories about authors using their writing as an outlet/parallel for their feelings. its such a niche trope but man, it gets me every time.
while i didnt quite find this as adorable as ‘beach read’ or as swoon-worth as ‘november 9,’ this still ticks all the boxes when it comes to romance and passion, tension and angst, heart and soul. i enjoyed how EW & AB portrayed different connections in their YA books, but this story and set of characters feel like the most genuine, most authentic one yet.
i really hope this duo decides to stick with writing adult novels because, based on this, their future is looking very bright!
↠ 5 stars
i dont know what it is, but there is something about romance stories about authors using their writing as an outlet/parallel for their feelings. its such a niche trope but man, it gets me every time.
while i didnt quite find this as adorable as ‘beach read’ or as swoon-worth as ‘november 9,’ this still ticks all the boxes when it comes to romance and passion, tension and angst, heart and soul. i enjoyed how EW & AB portrayed different connections in their YA books, but this story and set of characters feel like the most genuine, most authentic one yet.
i really hope this duo decides to stick with writing adult novels because, based on this, their future is looking very bright!
↠ 5 stars
May 15, 2022
Is this one of the most meta books to ever exist….only the co-authors can tell us 🤭
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 7, 2022
this book really said "communication? we don't know her!"
May 19, 2022
I'm a monster.
I know this about myself. I am neither a morning showerer or a night showerer: I am a midday showerer. I shower at like 3 pm, like a moral-less cretin. I never exercise and I make fun of people who do - if you're running in public I believe it's my right as an American. I eat dessert like it's a meal.
But one of my worst habits is this:
Sometimes, on occasion, if I'm reading an ebook, and I'm having a bad time, and I'm feeling bratty...
I will search up the number of times a book uses a certain word.
Most infamously, I did this to open up my A Court of Wings and Ruin review, the comment section of which has become such a heinous cesspool that I am forced to avoid it like the concept of Florida. But SJM used the word mate 202 times, and that is an unforgivable crime.
Similarly, this book contains 43 gentles and gentlys.
It also contains 24 calms, 24 wonderfuls, and 56 perfects.
This book is basic adjective city, population me, except I do not remember moving there and I will be attempting to move out at my own earliest convenience. (But I hate moving so it'll probably be a while.)
So...I did not think this was well written. I did not think it was particularly memorable. It had the cartoonishly villainous ex-boyfriend/girlfriend trope that I abhor. (Laziest writing ever.)
But the romance did work for me!
So what do we do here.
Three star and move on, I guess.
Bottom line: I am sorry for my sins.
----------------
pre-review
i've returned to my worst habits (using ebooks to count the number of words repeatedly used).
just going to say, for now: no book needs to use the word gentle 43 times.
review to come / 3 stars
----------------
currently-reading updates
romance quest resumes NOW
----------------
tbr review
a couple that writes books together...writing a romance novel about a couple that writes books together...
i wonder where the inspiration for this came from
(thanks netgalley for the copy)
I know this about myself. I am neither a morning showerer or a night showerer: I am a midday showerer. I shower at like 3 pm, like a moral-less cretin. I never exercise and I make fun of people who do - if you're running in public I believe it's my right as an American. I eat dessert like it's a meal.
But one of my worst habits is this:
Sometimes, on occasion, if I'm reading an ebook, and I'm having a bad time, and I'm feeling bratty...
I will search up the number of times a book uses a certain word.
Most infamously, I did this to open up my A Court of Wings and Ruin review, the comment section of which has become such a heinous cesspool that I am forced to avoid it like the concept of Florida. But SJM used the word mate 202 times, and that is an unforgivable crime.
Similarly, this book contains 43 gentles and gentlys.
It also contains 24 calms, 24 wonderfuls, and 56 perfects.
This book is basic adjective city, population me, except I do not remember moving there and I will be attempting to move out at my own earliest convenience. (But I hate moving so it'll probably be a while.)
So...I did not think this was well written. I did not think it was particularly memorable. It had the cartoonishly villainous ex-boyfriend/girlfriend trope that I abhor. (Laziest writing ever.)
But the romance did work for me!
So what do we do here.
Three star and move on, I guess.
Bottom line: I am sorry for my sins.
----------------
pre-review
i've returned to my worst habits (using ebooks to count the number of words repeatedly used).
just going to say, for now: no book needs to use the word gentle 43 times.
review to come / 3 stars
----------------
currently-reading updates
romance quest resumes NOW
----------------
tbr review
a couple that writes books together...writing a romance novel about a couple that writes books together...
i wonder where the inspiration for this came from
(thanks netgalley for the copy)
July 6, 2022
This book had *so* much potential to be a new favorite for me, but instead it ended up being probably my most disappointing read of the year and I am SAD. The entire time I was reading this I couldn't help but to feel like the authors were just writing fan-fiction of themselves????? Which honestly wouldn't have been too much of a problem except for the fact that every single character (except for Harriet, obvs) was insufferably unlikeable. They were trying so incredibly hard to be ~deep~ (for example, comparing the Florida heat to "after sex sweat" and BEING SERIOUS????) that I just kept thinking about the fact that I was reading about these annoying characters instead of actually being immersed in the story. With that being said, this WAS compulsively readable, but more in the way that I just couldn't look away from the mess than that I was enthralled by what was happening. Needless to say, this was not a book for me and I am BUMMED as heck about it. I would still definitely consider picking up more adult titles from the Wibbroka™ duo in the future because I have really enjoyed a few of their YA books, but this one was just absolutely not my jam. Womp x10000000
CW: divorce, emotional cheating
CW: divorce, emotional cheating
February 6, 2022
A book for lovers ❤️….and for lovers of books! ❤️
I was ENTHRALLED from page 1!
I have always been fascinated by author collaborations. How exactly does that work? Does one author write as one character, and the co-author pen the other? This collaboration by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka (a married couple) sheds light on that subject, in the most tantalizing way…
💕
Katrina Freeling and Nathan Van Huysen were the romance genre's co-writing literary darlings, topping the bestseller lists, with their novel, “ONLY ONCE” until the partnership ended on bad terms.
Neither would divulge the reason to the public, and they haven’t spoken since.
WHAT HAPPENED 4 YEARS AGO?!
Katrina hasn’t been writing at all, and Nathan has been writing without success until their Publisher decides to hold them to their contract-they signed a two book deal and they were paid an advance on the second novel.
Reluctantly, they reunite at the same Florida beach house where they wrote their first collaboration, barely calling a truce, and speaking to each other through their characters.
DOES LIFE IMITATE ART or DOES ART IMITATE LIFE?
An author can write themself into their character or the self they wish they were…or they can write pure fiction…and Katrina and Nathan must decipher what the other is really doing, and really saying.
And, I for one, definitely enjoyed seeing how it all played out.
I love a LOVE story ‼️ I don’t like the romance books that are only LUST stories. 🔥
You absolutely MUST be interested in the ART of writing to enjoy this one…but, IF you are, and if you also enjoy an intelligent, mature romance where the words are as enticing as the spice-though there is definitely some 🌶- I HIGHLY recommended this one!
I can’t wait to see what THIS duo comes up with next!
Available NOW!
I was ENTHRALLED from page 1!
I have always been fascinated by author collaborations. How exactly does that work? Does one author write as one character, and the co-author pen the other? This collaboration by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka (a married couple) sheds light on that subject, in the most tantalizing way…
💕
Katrina Freeling and Nathan Van Huysen were the romance genre's co-writing literary darlings, topping the bestseller lists, with their novel, “ONLY ONCE” until the partnership ended on bad terms.
Neither would divulge the reason to the public, and they haven’t spoken since.
WHAT HAPPENED 4 YEARS AGO?!
Katrina hasn’t been writing at all, and Nathan has been writing without success until their Publisher decides to hold them to their contract-they signed a two book deal and they were paid an advance on the second novel.
Reluctantly, they reunite at the same Florida beach house where they wrote their first collaboration, barely calling a truce, and speaking to each other through their characters.
DOES LIFE IMITATE ART or DOES ART IMITATE LIFE?
An author can write themself into their character or the self they wish they were…or they can write pure fiction…and Katrina and Nathan must decipher what the other is really doing, and really saying.
And, I for one, definitely enjoyed seeing how it all played out.
I love a LOVE story ‼️ I don’t like the romance books that are only LUST stories. 🔥
You absolutely MUST be interested in the ART of writing to enjoy this one…but, IF you are, and if you also enjoy an intelligent, mature romance where the words are as enticing as the spice-though there is definitely some 🌶- I HIGHLY recommended this one!
I can’t wait to see what THIS duo comes up with next!
Available NOW!
December 8, 2023
This was indeed a rough read for me.
Maybe it has to do with the fact that there’s a plot line in here that I hate. Maybe it’s the fact that Nate and Katrina are extremely fickle. Or maybe it’s just that the book was boring to me.
Maybe it has to do with the fact that there’s a plot line in here that I hate. Maybe it’s the fact that Nate and Katrina are extremely fickle. Or maybe it’s just that the book was boring to me.
March 21, 2022
I had been looking forward to reading this one for awhile and was very excited to start it! I got declined for an ARC :( so ordered a copy for myself once it came out. The storyline sounded interesting and I love the cover. But sadly, this one didn’t live up to my expectations. It was a decent read, but there’s nothing special about it or anything that stands out, it’s very forgettable. It was a slow burn, too slow sometimes, and it didn’t seem to go anywhere very fast. Overall, I would say it is an okay read, may be a good, light beach read for some, but it wouldn’t be a book I would think of to recommend to friends.
February 6, 2022
Oh… my God?
I wanted to write a coherent review but I’m a little speechless. I mean… what? How was this so good? Did we know this was an amazing book? Did everyone just forget to tell me?
I obviously love a writers-in-love trope, but HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW I WOULD HIGHLIGHT THIS ENTIRE BOOK??? The writing is spectacular, just heartfelt and emotional and incredibly specific to feelings we’ve all felt but maybe haven’t quite found the words to describe.
In this story, Katrina and Nathan were co-writers of two incredibly successful books. Nathan was happily married and Katrina was happily single, and they would travel around on retreats to work on their projects.
On the last day of writing their second book, they had an explosive - and mysterious - fight, causing them to not speak again for four years.
Now, Nathan is divorced and Katrina is engaged (to their former agent!), and they find themselves forced to go into a new retreat to co-write the final book their contract demands. Except they hate each other now, so. That’s bound to be fun.
The contrast between Katrina and Nathan’s past and present is so painful and exhilarating at the same time. They used to be best friends, and now they can barely stand to be in the same room.
The ending of Chapter 5 specifically was so powerful and really set the tone of the romance. I had to put the book down and smile manically!
Also, this book was co-written by a married couple, which I’m sure brought a lot of realism to Katrina and Nathan’s experience.
Again, this book is wonderfully written, super emotional, and you should RUN, not walk!!
I wanted to write a coherent review but I’m a little speechless. I mean… what? How was this so good? Did we know this was an amazing book? Did everyone just forget to tell me?
I obviously love a writers-in-love trope, but HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW I WOULD HIGHLIGHT THIS ENTIRE BOOK??? The writing is spectacular, just heartfelt and emotional and incredibly specific to feelings we’ve all felt but maybe haven’t quite found the words to describe.
In this story, Katrina and Nathan were co-writers of two incredibly successful books. Nathan was happily married and Katrina was happily single, and they would travel around on retreats to work on their projects.
On the last day of writing their second book, they had an explosive - and mysterious - fight, causing them to not speak again for four years.
Now, Nathan is divorced and Katrina is engaged (to their former agent!), and they find themselves forced to go into a new retreat to co-write the final book their contract demands. Except they hate each other now, so. That’s bound to be fun.
The contrast between Katrina and Nathan’s past and present is so painful and exhilarating at the same time. They used to be best friends, and now they can barely stand to be in the same room.
The ending of Chapter 5 specifically was so powerful and really set the tone of the romance. I had to put the book down and smile manically!
Also, this book was co-written by a married couple, which I’m sure brought a lot of realism to Katrina and Nathan’s experience.
Again, this book is wonderfully written, super emotional, and you should RUN, not walk!!
April 1, 2022
I'm so disappointed by this. The characters were... annoying. I think I was supposed to feel the angst and the heartache between them, but I felt zero sympathy and was kind of cringing the whole time I was reading. It wasn't a fun read lol.
March 26, 2022
I feel like the marketing of this book is what led to its mixed reviews. I've seen this book shelved next to romcoms, and its cover makes it seem like you're picking up a lighthearted romance. But that's not what this is. I would categorize it more as contemporary fiction than romance, hinting at literary at times.
If you liked Love and Other Words and Beach Read, you might enjoy The Roughest Draft. Despite being a fan of both those books, The Roughest Draft still felt a little short for me. I struggled to connect with the characters and be interested in the plot. But that doesn't make it a bad book, it's just not for me.
2.5/5 stars
If you liked Love and Other Words and Beach Read, you might enjoy The Roughest Draft. Despite being a fan of both those books, The Roughest Draft still felt a little short for me. I struggled to connect with the characters and be interested in the plot. But that doesn't make it a bad book, it's just not for me.
2.5/5 stars
February 6, 2022
Katrina Freeling and Nathan Van Huysen, literary darlings, whose books topped the best sellers list. Their books flew off the shelves. If they wrote it - readers wanted to read it! Until they had a falling out and parted ways. They never divulged why they ended their writing partnership. No one knew why they would walk away from their success. Both planned to NEVER speak to the other again! Nathan had some harsh words about Katrina and burned all their bridges.
But there is a final book written into their contracts. They walked away without writing it. See where this is going?????
Nathan is struggling. His latest book has been rejected by his publisher. He can't deliver a book that delivers like those he wrote with Katrina. Living in L.A. is engaged and happy. But then her fiancé informs her that if she wants to marry him, she will write another book.
So, you guessed it, Nathan and Katrina must put the past behind them so that they can write another best seller. Some things are easier said than done!
It’s all about the journey in romance/ rom-coms! These characters go on quite the journey in this book. Told in the present time and through flashbacks, this was an enjoyable book, but I can't say I fell in love with it. I would put this in the " I enjoyed it" category but do not feel I will remember it in months to come.
This book has a lot of polarizing reviews, and I can see why. This was on the slower side for me, and I didn't really connect with either character. But I do appreciate that like writing, taking care of your private life, working on your relationship, and moving on takes time.
This was an interesting and clever premise as this book about a writing duo was written by a writing duo. I am curious about what they will write next.
Thank you to Berkley Books and goodreads who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
But there is a final book written into their contracts. They walked away without writing it. See where this is going?????
Nathan is struggling. His latest book has been rejected by his publisher. He can't deliver a book that delivers like those he wrote with Katrina. Living in L.A. is engaged and happy. But then her fiancé informs her that if she wants to marry him, she will write another book.
So, you guessed it, Nathan and Katrina must put the past behind them so that they can write another best seller. Some things are easier said than done!
It’s all about the journey in romance/ rom-coms! These characters go on quite the journey in this book. Told in the present time and through flashbacks, this was an enjoyable book, but I can't say I fell in love with it. I would put this in the " I enjoyed it" category but do not feel I will remember it in months to come.
This book has a lot of polarizing reviews, and I can see why. This was on the slower side for me, and I didn't really connect with either character. But I do appreciate that like writing, taking care of your private life, working on your relationship, and moving on takes time.
This was an interesting and clever premise as this book about a writing duo was written by a writing duo. I am curious about what they will write next.
Thank you to Berkley Books and goodreads who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
November 20, 2023
This is a Romance. This is a romance between two writers that has a lot between them. This book as several flashbacks through out it. I have to say I did not like how the flashbacks was put in. It was hard for me to go from present day where they are writing a book together, and then go to past where they where writing their first book together. The setting was the same and they where doing they same thing, so it was hard to keep the two timelines apart. I love the present timeline, but I really did not like the flashbacks. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Berkley) or author (Emily Wibberley) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.
May 30, 2022
LOVED THIS BOOK!! 4.5 stars for me! Slow burns are usually not that great to me but this book did it perfectly! This book is about two coauthors that had a huge falling out right after writing their best-selling book. Now, 4 years later, they're reuniting to write another book even though they haven't spoken in 4 years and haven't bothered working through the differences that tore them apart in the first place. In order to write the book, they have to spend an entire summer in the same house, just the two of them. The tension in this book and the mystery behind why they stopped talking in the first place is AMAZING! Perfect summer rom-com!!
May 26, 2022
Sorry to steal your dress, he's scrawled. But you look nice.
I love books about book-loving people falling in love and loving books and each other
RTC
November 20, 2025
couldn't you both have just gone to couples therapy
May 11, 2022
just boring.
You can't put on Emily Henry's wig and think you can write a mix of Beach Read and PWMOV. this book starts off strong and then we get the dual timelines. the past timeline is a SLOG. its so boring. And the past timeline doesn't tell you anything you couldn't learn from the present timeline. They keep rehashing the same issue over and over. the two side characters Chris and Harriet are useless hollow vessels disguised as "obstacles" for our protagonist. And I guess most importantly this did not work as a romance. I feel uncomfortable when our couple got together. I never felt they had romantic feelings for each other. It just seemed like a friendship that needed healing
You can't put on Emily Henry's wig and think you can write a mix of Beach Read and PWMOV. this book starts off strong and then we get the dual timelines. the past timeline is a SLOG. its so boring. And the past timeline doesn't tell you anything you couldn't learn from the present timeline. They keep rehashing the same issue over and over. the two side characters Chris and Harriet are useless hollow vessels disguised as "obstacles" for our protagonist. And I guess most importantly this did not work as a romance. I feel uncomfortable when our couple got together. I never felt they had romantic feelings for each other. It just seemed like a friendship that needed healing
June 8, 2023
1.5 stars rounded up
To say this book is one of my biggest let downs of 2023 is an understatement. It's been sitting on my TBR for a long time, and because of the cover I was happy to read it the minute we hit summertime months. But instead of a cute rom com with authors, we got a pretentious, overly-written piece of crap with not a single likeable character. As I was listening, I remember thinking "my god these two characters over-analyze EVERYTHING" and "these people are exhausting". I can't explain it, but this book put a really bad taste in my mouth. It really shouldn't be marketed as a romance because it sure didn't feel like one.
I usually give authors a three chance rule, I read three of their books before giving up on them. This is my second book by them and I don't think I can take anymore...
To say this book is one of my biggest let downs of 2023 is an understatement. It's been sitting on my TBR for a long time, and because of the cover I was happy to read it the minute we hit summertime months. But instead of a cute rom com with authors, we got a pretentious, overly-written piece of crap with not a single likeable character. As I was listening, I remember thinking "my god these two characters over-analyze EVERYTHING" and "these people are exhausting". I can't explain it, but this book put a really bad taste in my mouth. It really shouldn't be marketed as a romance because it sure didn't feel like one.
I usually give authors a three chance rule, I read three of their books before giving up on them. This is my second book by them and I don't think I can take anymore...
January 27, 2022
This is probably my favorite out of the few romance books I’ve read. I love reading about writers or anything connected to books and reading. This was so cute I absolutely adored it.
Katrina Freeling and Nathan Van Huysen were quite the literary duo three years ago. Despite best seller lists and all their success, their partnership ended on bad terms. Even though they have one more collaboration in their contracts, they refuse to speak to each other and will not divulge what broke up their union.
Forced to reunite for one more best seller, they end up in the same home in the same Florida town they wrote their last book. Katrina and Nathan have a habit of writing their feelings in the pages of their books. This time it’s different. No more games. No more hiding. Can they separate from the pages of their new literary work and be honest with how they feel about each other for the first time?
Katrina Freeling and Nathan Van Huysen were quite the literary duo three years ago. Despite best seller lists and all their success, their partnership ended on bad terms. Even though they have one more collaboration in their contracts, they refuse to speak to each other and will not divulge what broke up their union.
Forced to reunite for one more best seller, they end up in the same home in the same Florida town they wrote their last book. Katrina and Nathan have a habit of writing their feelings in the pages of their books. This time it’s different. No more games. No more hiding. Can they separate from the pages of their new literary work and be honest with how they feel about each other for the first time?
March 18, 2022
I enjoyed the aspect of two authors writing a book together, but it wasn't enough for me to really like this one. The story is told from the alternating POVs of Katrina and Nathan, and toggles between present and four years ago. I didn't find the back story interesting enough to add much to the storyline though. Overall this was ok, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I'd expected.
January 9, 2023
i thought this would be another average 3 star romance for me (it’s been a struggle to find romances i really like lately), but i actually really enjoyed it. it has a similar premise to the iconic romance that is emily henry's beach read, but just make the 2 main characters ex-co writers who no longer talk to one another, but are (somewhat) forced to reunite to write another book together. if you like books about books, you’ll definitely like this one.
August 28, 2023
I tortured myself along with my friend Amanda who I buddy read this with.
Spoiler alert: nothing happens, it's boring as teletext pages (if you remember those) and the plot is snail paced.
Spoiler alert: nothing happens, it's boring as teletext pages (if you remember those) and the plot is snail paced.
January 23, 2022
The Roughest Draft by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka is a standalone contemporary romance novel. The story in this one is told by changing the point of view between the characters and alternating the current timeline with one from the past.
Katrina Freeling and Nathan Van Huysen had found success together after they had cowritten a book together but their working relationship had ended abruptly leaving the world wondering what had happened. Katrina had given up writing and Nathan wasn’t having the sales he had when he’d written with Katrina. With both needing a success again they agree to return to the home they once wrote in and try to pen another novel together.
The Roughest Draft by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka was a nice story of two authors trying to write together so being an avid reader I couldn’t help but be drawn in. However, my own complaint with this one was I often found the present and past blurring together with everything being so much the same, same location, same activity etc. I get the point of recreating the past but for a reader it would have been nice to have some variety to more distinguish the times leaving me rating this one at three and a half stars.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
Katrina Freeling and Nathan Van Huysen had found success together after they had cowritten a book together but their working relationship had ended abruptly leaving the world wondering what had happened. Katrina had given up writing and Nathan wasn’t having the sales he had when he’d written with Katrina. With both needing a success again they agree to return to the home they once wrote in and try to pen another novel together.
The Roughest Draft by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka was a nice story of two authors trying to write together so being an avid reader I couldn’t help but be drawn in. However, my own complaint with this one was I often found the present and past blurring together with everything being so much the same, same location, same activity etc. I get the point of recreating the past but for a reader it would have been nice to have some variety to more distinguish the times leaving me rating this one at three and a half stars.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
January 7, 2023
i only have one thing to say: this is certainly the roughest draft 🙃
June 5, 2022
i want to light this book on fire and have a celebratory party after i do it.
i can’t even go into detail about why i hated it so much. i just know that i never want to read this ever again. somebody burn my brain because this book is going to be in my nightmares.
i can’t even go into detail about why i hated it so much. i just know that i never want to read this ever again. somebody burn my brain because this book is going to be in my nightmares.
February 27, 2022
2.5 stars? This was a huge let down. I really liked the writing style but I freaking hated our main characters. Our hero is a pretentious prick and our heroine is a doormat. Her boyfriend is a gas lighting douche bag wanker who is clearly manipulating our heroine but she's so stupid to realize it. I also thought there was so much miscommunication, lack of communication, and emotional cheating. Also this book felt too meta. Our authors is a couple. This book is about two authors who writes books together and fall in love.
December 28, 2021
3 stars
I truly love Emily Wibberly and Austin Siegemund- Broka’s writing style. Their YA books are some of my absolute favorites. Unfortunately, this one didn’t quite work for me. It was something about the flashbacks and the actual conflict of the book.
Katrina and Nathan wrote a best seller years ago and had a falling out. Something happened and we don’t know what. It seemed like they would never write again, especially since Katrina had ‘retired’ but they are. We get scenes into the past to see how their relationship was before this falling out and then the present chapters showing us how it’s going. This format has really worked for me in other books, but surprisingly it didn’t work for me in this one. I struggled to stay interested in what was going on. It was more meh/okay for the actual story but the writing was truly great so I’ll go with a 3.
I truly love Emily Wibberly and Austin Siegemund- Broka’s writing style. Their YA books are some of my absolute favorites. Unfortunately, this one didn’t quite work for me. It was something about the flashbacks and the actual conflict of the book.
Katrina and Nathan wrote a best seller years ago and had a falling out. Something happened and we don’t know what. It seemed like they would never write again, especially since Katrina had ‘retired’ but they are. We get scenes into the past to see how their relationship was before this falling out and then the present chapters showing us how it’s going. This format has really worked for me in other books, but surprisingly it didn’t work for me in this one. I struggled to stay interested in what was going on. It was more meh/okay for the actual story but the writing was truly great so I’ll go with a 3.
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