Book Blog Tour

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Published Date: November 13, 2024
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press, Inc.
Pages: 329
Genre: Contemporary Romance | Romance | Fiction
Warnings: Used God’s name | Light sexual content | Some swearing
Purchase: Amazon
Bookshop.org
Book on Goodreads

Book Summary

Rylee dreams of moving to California, writing literary fiction, and pursuing her late father’s dreams. But until her younger brother fully recovers from cancer, she’ll stay in Bemidji, MN. It’s all good, except for when she runs into her BFF’s older brother, Carson. Back in high school, Carson rejected Rylee and she’s still humiliated.

Ten years ago, Carson’s Harvard plans were dashed by his girlfriend’s unexpected pregnancy. So he stayed in Bemidji. Now he’s a single dad/high school teacher. He loves his son–yet, he wants more.

Rylee is shocked when Carson enrolls in her graduate fiction course. Despite their unresolved past, they become writing partners and take on a secret side project – a passionate-no-strings fling that must end with the class. Otherwise, hearts will be broken and secrets revealed. Yet, as their feelings grow, Rylee and Carson are faced with a difficult decision:

Should they risk everything for a chance at happily-ever-after?

Rating

5/5

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My Thoughts

Last year I was so busy building two businesses and putting my blog on pause a bit, that I read one book. ONE BOOK! I still can’t believe it because I usually read way more than that. At the end of last year, I decided to break my reading drought and sign up for the book blog tour for The Side Project by Laurel Osterkamp and I’m very happy that I did.

Even though I have a Proofreading brain and found a few errors I was still able to completely get into this story unlike some of the others. I loved all the characters. Laurel did a great job of making me dislike and like Dana and brought it all to a tumbling halt when truths were told. I love how the story revolves around different types of family dynamics, relationships that people sometimes put themselves through when they don’t actually know who they are or what they want because they’ve always had someone in their life moulding them into what THEY want. I love the different friendships, old and new, lies and secrets kept, and second chances.

I went through so many emotions reading The Side Project. I felt joy at reading about an author and her journey. I felt anger and frustration at choices made and sometimes wanted to smack the characters upside the head and tell them to come right. I felt happy when they were fully enjoying their feelings for each other. I felt pain for Dana because…oops not saying because this will give some story away (wink, wink). I also felt pain for Rylee, Brandon, Summer and Carson with the various situations that they had to navigate through in life. I was sobbing at some points in this story.

I like how the author showed what romance authors have to put up with in the writing industry as well as self-published authors. All the different relationships were such a mess at one stage and I was so there for it! It showed how relationships can be but that right choices can help fix and mend fences and bridges. And that sometimes you need to be alone in order to get your life on the right track so that no one can derail you again.

A great story! Well done Laurel Osterkamp, I thoroughly enjoyed your romantic masterpiece. I will definitely be looking out for other books by this author. If you love romance novels where the woman in it gets her life together and not with the help of a man (a little foreshadowing…sorry, I couldn’t help it) then you will absolutely love this book.

Author Bio

Laurel Osterkamp is the award-winning author of roughly a dozen novels, including Favorite Daughters and the #1 Amazon bestseller, Beautiful Little Furies. In addition to her novels, she has short fiction published in literary journals all over the web.

When she’s not writing (which is rare) she’s often teaching adult ESL or middle school enrichment classes, going running while listening to audiobooks, or educating her daughter about the OG teen soap opera, Beverly Hills 90210. She lives in Minneapolis with a family who loves to argue, and their cats, who love to hiss at each other. Ramona Quimby is her spirit animal. Follow her on Instagram @laurel_osterkamp.

Author Links

Laurel’s Website
Instagram
Facebook
Twitter
BookBub

Have you heard about this book? Would you like to read it?
What do you think about it?

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