Series Name: New York Friendship, #1
“His presence seemed to fill up the entire room. Jake had this magnetism. He seemed so confident and yet friendly and easy-going, radiating a zest for life. She needed to pinch herself to make sure that this was happening.”
Partner Pursuit is a fun, charming love story set in the city that never sleeps.Â
When a workaholic lawyer meets a fun-loving music marketing executive for opposites attract, friends-to-lovers adventures, which partnership will she choose?
Workaholic lawyer Audrey Willems is not going to take any chances with her bid to become a partner at her New York law firm—especially with only six months until the decision.
Until she bumps into Jake—her new neighbor. Jake is a fun-loving music marketing executive who might just be The One.
He’s funny, caring, supportive—and able to kill water bugs in the bathroom.
But Jake will never date a woman married to her job. His father was a workaholic lawyer who never had time for family.
And she’s just got the case of a lifetime—the one she needs to win to make partner. Working 24/7 at the office may not even be enough hours to pull off a victory.
If only she had not met him now.
Audrey is determined to prove that she can juggle work and romance—even if managing court cases, candlelit dinners, and bike rides around Manhattan is a lot harder than it looks. She keeps canceling dates for yet another case crisis.
But when making partner is like a game of musical chairs and the last seat is a business-class alone, which partnership will she choose?\
This book was just what I needed to read after reading some darker, heavier books for work. I ended up reading this whole book in one night; it was that good! To be honest, I really can’t think of anything that I didn’t enjoy about this book. It has that charming rom-com vibe with the bonus of seeing what the corporate legal world looks like in New York City.
Let’s start with Audrey and Jake and the adorable chemistry that existed between these two. Their relationship reminded me of Jake and Amy’s relationship in the show Brooklyn 99. Their conversations and interactions with each other were fun, witty, and had me laughing. If you are a fan of puns and fun antics, then you will fall in love with these two characters. I just loved the silly, playful packages they were sending to each other throughout this book. It was so much fun and made me wish I could be that witty and creative, LOL. Kathy did one hell of a job at building that will they, won’t they feelings in her readers. Every time I thought these two would get together, something would happen to prevent that from happening. Which meant I needed to keep on reading because I wanted to know if they would get together in the next chapter. Probably the reason why I ended up reading this book in one night. So, if you are a fan of that slow-burn, neighbours to lovers tropes, this book is definitely for you.
Personally, one of my favourite scenes with these two was the water bug scene. I felt this instant connection with Audrey and her aversion to having bugs in her house. I had to google what a water bug was, and I have to say that I would have been freaking out as much as Audrey was in the book. I have similar reactions with centipedes; they have way too many legs and move much too fast. YUCK!
I was a little surprised at how much I enjoyed reading the scenes that focused on Audrey’s work. My knowledge of the corporate legal world is non-existent, so I also felt like I was getting my first real glimpse into how this world looks. The law firm that Audrey works for is a cutthroat world, especially when it comes to competing for those coveted partner spots. There were some characters in Audrey’s workplace (cough, Malaburn, cough) that I just wanted to throw a heavy stapler at. That man embodied all those negative stereotypical jerk boss qualities that you could imagine, and he made Audrey’s life a living hell—just thinking about that man, me so angry, LOL. Watching Audrey research and put together cases was interesting. I also was getting some major Elle Woods vibes when she was cross-examining a suspect in court. All she just needed was that fabulous pink dress to complete the picture. One of the many things that made Audrey’s character so appealing was that she didn’t let all those underhanded tactics that occurred in the office change who she was. Audrey never stooped to the level of making another colleague look bad for herself to look good. I loved that about her. This positive message that Kathy weaved into Audrey’s work life was that women don’t have to see each other as the enemy. Kathy tried to spread this message that women should work together and lift each other instead of undermining each other to succeed.
Books that take place in New York are starting to become my favourite reads. It always feels like the city that never sleeps is another character in the story. Kathy did a great job at bringing the city to life, and I felt like I was with Audrey and Jake as they biked through Central Park or found cool underground music venues or those fabulous small restaurants.
Partner Pursuit is a vibrant, fun rom-com that will leave you feeling all those wonderful good feels.
Thank you Strawbundle Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
