by: Catherine Bybee
Series: Most Likely To Series
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: April 19, 2016
Source: Montlake Romance via NetGalley
Voted Most Likely to Succeed, Melanie Bartlett ended up anything but. The down-on-her-luck single mom wants a complete do-over—is that too much to ask? With her family long gone from River Bend, strong, independent Mel is as surprised as anyone to end up in the quaint small town she once called home. But with her friends, Jo and Zoe, by her side, and a comfortable room at Miss Gina’s quirky bed-and-breakfast, she just might have turned the corner on a new life.
Wyatt Gibson never liked the big city. River Bend suits the ruggedly handsome builder just fine. Wyatt knows he’s home, even if that means being charmed by the appearance of Melanie and her spunky, adorable daughter. Is Wyatt’s calm devotion—even amid a coming storm—enough to convince Mel she may have found a home to call her own, a family that never leaves, and a true love to last a lifetime?
Praise for Doing It Over
“The romance between fiercely independent Melanie and charming Wyatt heats up even as outsiders threaten to derail their newfound happiness. This novel will hook readers with its warm, inviting characters and the promise for similar future installments.” –Publishers Weekly
“This brand-new trilogy, Most Likely To, based on yearbook superlatives, kicks off with a novel that will encourage you to root for the incredibly likable Melanie. Her friends are hilarious and readers will swoon over Wyatt, who is charming and strong. Even Melanie’s daughter, Hope, is a hoot! This romance is jam-packed with animated characters, and Bybee displays her creative writing talent wonderfully.” –RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars
Hi Catherine. Welcome back to Read Your Writes Book Reviews. How are you?
Crazy busy...not enough hours in the day... You know, the usual.
I understand. Doing It Over is the first book in your new series, Most Likely To. What can readers expect from this book and series itself?
This series has a familiar feel with characters everyone who picks up the books will be able to relate to. Parting from my uber rich characters and stepping into a smaller town has its own rewards with Doing it Over and the series in general. You can expect close-knit friends and a community of welcoming characters you will fall in love with.
Tell me about River Bend and the people who live there.
River Bend is a small, somewhat coastal, town in Oregon. The boarders are plucked straight from my imagination and woven with a hint of reality.
Tell me about Melanie Bartlett and Wyatt Gibson. And of course juicy details are always appreciated.
Well, Melanie is returning to River Bend to attend her high school reunion. And instead of returning with a long list of high achievements, she returns with a dumpy broken down car, no job...and a lovely seven year old daughter. Mel isn't looking for love, or even the occasional hook up, she simply wants to get her life together and be the best mom ever. Wyatt, good looking (of course) tan, muscular...construction worker, moved to River Bend a few years back...loves the small town and all the stupid stuff they do, isn't against falling in love, but let's face it...small towns don't have a lot of nightlife or potential for much of anything. The skittish and amusing Melanie drops into town and decided to stay...and suddenly Wyatt has someone he wants to spend more than a night with.
What surprised you about them?
I think it's how real they are. How very tangible they became as I developed their characters and story. Every motion, action, word spoken...everything feels perfectly right for who they are at that given point in the book. I thought they would be more difficult to write. They weren't.
Are there any fun facts about Doing It Over you would like share?
Sure... Grants Pass killed my car, too. Yep, that was pulled right out of my life. I wasn't on my way to Oregon, but on a trek from Washington State to California in an old beat up Toyota. I was 18...I ignored my engine light... Turned up my radio when the noise from the engine dying made it hard to singalong. So there you go... A tiny bit of truth woven into the opening pages of Doing it Over.
I am laughing with you. What do you think Melanie and Wyatt would say about you as their author, creator and possible tormentor?
Good question. In all reality, there is a lot of things in this series that are loosely based on real life happenings in my world. Divorced parents, not having the feeling of 'home' to go home to. The weight of expectations given to young adults that are hard to face when you don't meet them. I think Melanie and Wyatt would trust that I would put them through hell and let them come out okay on the other end. Cuz life is like that. Everyone of us have days they think they simply can't manage to get through, but we do...and we prevail.
That’s true. Thank you so much for joining me today, Catherine.
Thanks for having me, Kim. Enjoy Doing it Over and all the characters I am bringing to you in this new series.
Happy Reading!
Okay, people. You seriously need to get this book. I loved it. I even lost sleep because of it.
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Great interview. The new book sounds really good.
ReplyDeleteIt so is. Catherine was one of the first authors I read, when I got into reading. She's one of those authors you can always depend on to give you a really good story.
DeleteI haven't had the chance to read any of her books yet. But I have only heard good things, like what you said.
DeleteYou have to be prepared to loss sleep, because you aren't going to want to put the books down. The Not Quite series is on sale for $2.00 each, but that's only at Amazon. I haven't read any of the books before. I've read all of the Weekday Brides books. I started reading them when she first came out, and you could get the digital copies from Barnes & Noble.
DeleteThanks for letting me know
ReplyDelete