My review of Not the Marrying Kind by Kathryn Nolan

I’m so excited to offer you my review of Not the Marrying Kind by Kathryn Nolan as my very first romance novel review.

This book was hard to put down. It has all the feels, all the love, and two adults who bare their souls and hearts to each other.

Fiona was raised in a free thinking, punk rock family. She loves her family but she craves organization and predictability. She becomes a lawyer and continues to feel odd within her family; she knows her parents and sister love her, she isn’t sure of her parent’s support.

Enter Max Devlin, a transient mechanic who has been traveling the country, picking up jobs and never putting down roots. He lives day to day, never really maintaining relationships with anyone, including those he left behind in New York. Max’s Dad, affectionately known as Pop to everyone, calls Max home to help him with a business problem. Max is told by Pop that his Punk Rock establishment, The Red Room, is in danger of closing; Pop owes back rent, and it’s due in only two weeks. Max visits old friends, and lots of revelations hit him, and he begins to question his lifestyle, a lifestyle adopted from his Mother who left Max and Pop when Max was ten years old, and she never looked back. She was a cursory parent at best, and this is a real challenge for Max in the book.

Max has a surprise meet-cute with Fiona on the fire escape of The Red Room when Fiona’s parent’s band is playing there, and while sparks fly, they are clear about what they are looking for; Fiona wants a husband and home, Max wants a one night stand. So, moving on, Fiona agrees to help Pop with his rent issue and further agrees to plan a benefit to raise funds.

I highly recommend this novel. The story is relatable and feels good, the secondary character adds so much richness to the story, and this book is just overflowing with all kinds of love; couples, family, and community. This author has given us a beautiful, imperfect hero who isn’t afraid to cry.

I laughed, I cried, I cheered and I yelled (mostly at Max) and at the end, it was a great big YES GIRL to Fiona. This book will have you thinking about your own family, friend, and community ties because this is such a beautiful community to spend some time and we can all use that about now.

Reviewed from an ARC.