Gail Haris is a new to me / debut author so when I decided to read “worth a shot” it was kind of having a double meaning … I thought the plot was worth a shot and as it turned out … I was right.

When it seems like it’s a debut I am reading I always pay especially close attention to details. And in total I was pleasantly surprised. But let’s dive into the critical details …

The cover ….I am not a fan of the type of cover used here and – if at all – it only works for a certain kind of books. Had it been me in a bookstore I am pretty sure I wouldn’t have taken the book from the shelf to read the plot. I have to admit – I would have missed out on something good – but the thing is – cover sell books – at least in physical stores so there is that.

The plot … well that brings me back to my issue with the cover – in my reading world it’s the romantic comedy books where people don’t take themselves too seriously where this cover is used (still not a fan of the style). But the Blurb promises a plot that does not sound like a comedy and I think when I first came across the book there was no cover – otherwise I would remember frowning at the different vibes the blurb and the cover give.

Romantic comedy I can only digest when presented in a certain style – so when I started reading the book. The plot felt like a romantic comedy but then as the story went on the tone became more serious while still the banter went on with the characters. And at a certain point I felt that the characters banter and the plot got separated.

I am not sure how to explain that without giving the story away. It could be a very personal style of the author and if so it would definitely be a unique one I think. Still, I am not totally convinced I love it. The chemistry between the leads was beautiful I could have gone on for hours just reading their dialogues and at certain points, I was almost willing to mention “if you like the style of the writing duo Penelope Ward and Vi Keeland than you will like the writing of Gail Haris too”

… but then I felt that the plot didn’t run with the characters. When it was just the leads talking to each other everything was perfect but the second the backstory came into view I felt that a very serious topic was taken not as serious as it needed to be. Or it was presented to strong for a comedy? Or maybe it was ambitious to try to fit this kind of story into a comedy at all? Not sure and I really cannot explain without details all that well.

The writing … as mentioned before – I love love love the banter between the leads – it is perfect… the opening – how they get to know each other and all – simply perfect and if you love Ward/Keeland this will be your style too. Dialog wise this author is a winner.

The book I read was not the final copy I assume because it still had some typos in it – I am not taking them into consideration as I usually do not correct grammar (not my strong suit because I am bilingual and mix languages a lot) and they did not really disturb the reading. But there were enough for me to notice and I only mention them in case it was the final version and they were overlooked.

My thoughts….. I was blown away by some of the dialogues and loved the banter – but the plot itself did not runs smoothly with the tone that was set by the charters. – The character development – banter and setup are a 5 Star cast in my book but the plot had me shaking my head especially towards the end and only made it to 3 Stars. I know it sounds critical and maybe it is but it is meant in a good way because this writing style really has potential just for my taste it needs to be better balanced with the plot but because it is so special

Great debut with room for improvement