No Judgments audiobook

This was a fun, flirty, feel good story just what I was expecting from a Meg Cabot book. Small town Romance, delightful setting, witty banter, and loads of adorable animals, yes please! Bree has fled to Little Bridge Island (a small island off the coast of Florida) after a bad break up. Little Bridge is just as quaint and quirky as you would want from a small town. When a category five hurricane is approaching Bree decides to hunker down with the long time residence and ride it out. She and her cat Gary find themselves at the home of her boss because her apartment is in a flood area. She also finds herself catching feelings for the island heartbreaker Drew. can Drew really be all that bad? He is an animal lover after all. What follows is a fun sweet will they? Won’t they? Romance that had me humming the song “ Kiss the Girl“. 🧜🏻‍♀️ Not going to lie Gary the cat was the star of this book for me. No teeth but all Cattitude! Bree and Drew were likable and I enjoyed the back-and-forth between them. There was some serious subject matter in this book and I do believe it was handled very well, however I’m not sure it was necessary to the book? There was a scene in the story that I felt was a bit out of character , and I’m not certain if I feel good about it or not? But I’m going to take a cue from the title of this book “No Judgment“ and not judge. Love tower Bree and Drew help take care of all the animals that were still on the island after their owners had evacuated. This was a good start to what looks like will be a fun small-town romance full of lovable characters and cute animals!This book in emojis: 🐈 🐕 🌊 🌬 🌴 🧜🏻‍♀️ 💏

Story 🌟🌟🌟🌟Sometimes you have moments in your life where you feel overwhelmed, but in a bad way. And sometimes this feeling only gets worse with more things that pile up on you. You feel like you want to flee, somewhere far away, maybe to a beach. But most of the times you don’t run away. But Sabrina (now Bree) ran away. She fled to a little island with a beautiful beach and a small town full of nice people. But then a hurricane is said to come, people evacuate, her mother calls her all the time to force her to evacuate too. But Bree stays and something beautiful and unexpected happens. Oh, that was such a cute book. I loved the location, the kind people and the little drama in this book. I enjoyed it a lot. Character 🌟🌟🌟🌟I love Bree so much ♥️ she was this animal-loving, kind and loyal person who helped everyone around her as much as she could. Everyone loved her and tried to take her into evacuation with them, but she stayed. She not only loved her cat, she also loved every animal she came across. It didn’t matter to her which breed of dog, which cat, how many birds or turtles there were. She loved and cared for all of them, when the evacuated residents couldn’t do it. Such a kind, heartwarming person is so rare and i would love to know more people like that ♥️Drew was a handsome guy with a big heart for animals and also really good at helping Bree with her new mission - saving the animals. He was also a kind person, even though sometimes he was also a little bit sassy. He made the whole story a lot more entertaining. Relationships 🌟🌟🌟Bree fled from a relationship where her boyfriend told her that the sexual assault she suffered was nothing and she overreacted. She left him and what can I say? That was absolutely the right decision. I loved that even though so many people told her she was overreacting, Bree had her doubts, yes, but in the end she understood that all these people were wrong. That wasn’t nothing. And when she met Drew and after trusting him, she told him what happened and he was supportive of her, told her she did the right thing (maybe threatened her ex-boyfriend and the friend who assaulted her), Bree finally felt understood. Also he helped her with her animal rescue mission and always supported her and made her laugh. Ugh, he was such a sweetheart in the end and I loved those two together. Writing style 🌟🌟🌟🌟Well, I never read the princes diaries (only saw the movie - shame on me), but now that I finished this book... maybe I should read the book. Not now... but sometime. The writing style of Meg Cabot was addictive, fun, cute and sometimes funny. I had a lot of fun reading it and it was the perfect book for me right now. Maybe I should also flee to a beautiful island and be a waitress? Hm 🤔

This is super cute book. I remember Miss Cabot book, The Princess Diary. It was a very entertaining YA novel. No Judgments is a NA book. And it is delicious. I like the chemistry of that small town romance. Drew and Brie are animal lovers who defided ti rescue every pets when their town get hits by hurricane. I love how Brie character grows frim timid woman into a strong kick ass heroine. Drew is brooding type of hero. I like how slowly he opens up to Brie and falls for her. There is no steamy naughty thing in this book. Just a whole lot heart warming story. 4 stars

I haven't read a Meg Cabot book in ages so I thought why not?! WELL, it's been a while and I remember her books being amazing. This one was good but not as good as some others she's written. I did enjoy the main character she seemed pretty relatable. Just didn't seem as fluid as it could've been. Meg Cabot is still a queen in my world though!

A new Meg Cabot is always going to catch my eye because I know I'll have a decent story well-told. And this didn't disappoint, though for a while there, I was worried. Bree spends the first, oh, two-thirds of the story lying to everybody (starting with herself) and vacillating between foolhardy obstinacy and we're-all-going-to-die! freak-outs.I kept wanting to smack her and tell her to pick a lane. Either you're willingly riding out a dangerous hurricane or you're scared and seek safety. For example, she turns down a handful of offers to shelter with some nice people she already knows and trusts in favor of staying in her apartment that she knows is in the flood zone. Add that she fobs-off the very attractive Drew with blatant falsehoods and I was wondering what it was that Cabot expected to draw readers through to the good stuff. It doesn't help that her motivation during this part is a reflexive negativity* in a way that had zero internal support.I kept going because, as I said, Cabot is an excellent storyteller and I loved the setting and all the side characters, and I even liked Bree when she could get out of her own way long enough to appreciate the awesome people who obviously cared about her. I was so glad, though, when things started turning around. I liked her concern for abandoned pets and I liked how much thought Bree put into helping others. And I liked how Drew not only fell in line, but had great things to contribute that let you know he wasn't just humoring a woman he wanted to please.So for those first two-thirds, I was thinking three stars and I hoped the next book would be better. But things shaped up so well after the turn-around that I'm happy to up that to four. The confrontation scene with the selfish ex I had been cringing for turned out so very fantastic that it almost merited the bump all on its own. But really, Drew is the man and I just loved that guy and his steady resolve and care and that protective thing that I find so very attractive.A note about the Cover Copy: What idiot wrote this cover copy? I hate it when books include details past the midway of the story and the stupid ex showing up happens almost at the end. And it's a lie, too! There's no question of her having anything to do with the jerk and implying otherwise is cheap.A note about Steamy: There's a single explicit sex scene putting this on the low end of my steam tolerance. It's very well-placed and well-done, so bonus for that.* Negative Motivations: I kind of hate that the term "negative motivation" isn't widespread, yet. Since it isn't, I'm going to save off this little jag to append to my reviews that feature the term. Jennifer Crusie blogged about it a bit back (or, if that link doesn't work, here's a cache of the original) and it changed how I understand story. The problem with the term is that if you've never heard it before, you'd assume it meant motivations that are harmful or immoral. Not so. What it refers to is motivations not to do something. The thing is that many of us are motivated to not do things for a lot of different, perfectly valid and reasonable, reasons. The problem is that in a story motivations to not do things are a huge drag on the plot—particularly considering the fact that most negative motivations are overcome by the character simply deciding they don't care any more (or, rather, that they do care and are now motivated to do the thing). So not only do you have a counter to action but you also have a situation where to overcome it, all a character has to do is change their mind. Which means eventually, the reader is rooting for the character to get over him/herself already and do the thing we want them to do. Conflict drives story. Conflict between a reader and a main character drives readers away from story.

3.5 Stars! (rounded up)Cute, breezy, and atmospheric.No Judgments is not my favourite Meg Cabot novel but it is an easy, quirky, quick read if you're looking for something light.

Arc was given by William Morrow via HarperCollinsPublishers in exchange for an honest reviewThis review is being published before the release date (September 24, 2019) Content/Trigger Warnings: Toxic relationships, sexual assault, manipulation, alcoholism, animal abuse, death/loss of a loved one, anxiety, trauma/PTSD, substance/drug abuse, talk of fertility issues A hurricane is the last thing on Bree Beckham’s mind. She’s already escaped one storm, what’s one more to add to the list?! However, she is extremely worried about all the animals that end up abandoned due to the hurricane. And when she finds out many pet owners are going to be cut off from the Little Bridge Island for a while, the lives of innocent animals fall onto Bree’s shoulders. But with so many animals scattered all throughout the island, she’s going to need help – help she reluctantly accepts from the broody, yet devilishly handsome Drew Hartwell, the island’s most notorious heartbreaker or at least according to the rumors. And just when Bree thought thing couldn’t get more complicated, suddenly her true identity is revealed and her remorseful ex shows up out of the blue! The real question is will she be able to weather the storm and find paradise in the end? Only the secrets of this book can tell you…Friends, this is just the kind of book I needed to pull me from falling into a really bad reading slump! After reading a really good high fantasy book, it’s so easy for me to fall into a reading slump, but the sassy, broody, tension rising contents of this book kept me high on cloud nine! And I kind of love it?! It’s been a hot minute since I’ve been so excited about a romantic read, but this book was so good and it was incredibly hard not to fall in love No Judgments! Now let me tell you all about it! “I hurried into the kitchen, trying not to freak out over the fact that Drew Hartwell-Drew Hartwell-was in my apartment, shirtless, being nice to my cat.” No Judgments follows our main character Bree Beckham who is full of sweetness, family complications, and one adorable rescue cat named Gary who thinks the world of her! Oh yeah, there’s just one thing about Bree Beckham…she’s riddled with secrets and everyone is dying to know them. No seriously, there’s more than one skeleton in her closet and only Drew Hartwell can peel back the layers that is Bree Beckham. Drew Hartwell is Mermaid Cafe’s notorious heartbreaker. Some say he’s crazy, others say he’s a playboy, but the truth is a lot more simpler than that. And dogs, lots of dogs! When Drew ends up catching the full on phone call Bree has with her mother, he can only assume she’s a “Fresh Water” or tourist and will soon flee to the safety of the main land. But when the hurricane hits in full force and Bree finds herself in too deep trying to take care of all the abandoned pets on the island, Drew immediately jumps in to help! With both of them working as a team, they’ll not only become a beacon of safety for all the animals, but they’ll soon discover that they’ll slowly becoming each other’s sanctuary.Honestly, I loved the tension and boiling chemistry between Bree and Drew. They’re both these two stubborn forces coming together and boiling so much sexual tension between them. Some of the time I didn’t know if I should be laughing or clutching my pearls. The banter is so good and as someone who loves reading banter between two characters, I was living for it. It’s definitely one of the many things that really get focused between these two characters. So if you’re not a fan of banter being a big focus of two love interests, it might be a bit bothersome. I do want to add about a moment Drew and Bree shared together though. I loved how the author normalized confining in someone so intimately about the trauma a person can suffer. I don’t find many books that will have a causal scene where the main character talks about the trauma that they’re dealing with. Often times in books, I find a lot of moments when characters talk about they’re trauma it’s very intense, but I loved the way Bree and Drew were slowly and peacefully talking about the things they’ve been through, and the weight they carry on their shoulders every day. But other than that, can I just say this is the animal obsessed romance I have been waiting for?! We rarely get to see a romance between two animal lovers in romance, in smut, in fantasy, books in general rarely give us two animal lovers who turn into love interests. And this has added twenty years onto my life for just that factor. The way Drew and Bree not only feel so passionately about their own pets, but about others could warm even the coldest heart. And watching them to come together and put that love into action, not just for their own pets, but to help others – it’s so wholesome, heartwarming, and it’s one of the key points that bring these two so close together. I will forever screech into the void about how precious they are, the how and why to their relationship developing, and how freaking adorable their pets act towards the other person. It was too cute and you should be prepared for cuteness overload. “I could feel the heat coming off his body through his damp clothes, heard his breath quicken as our hands touched, and when I looked up, I could see that his gaze was on mine.” Aside from how much I adored the relationship of Drew and Bree, I was very drawn to Bree’s character. I think for a lot of readers, Bree’s character is going to be a little hard to understand or handle because there are times where she’s overly snappy or abrasive towards Drew. Unfortunately, I think the only way someone reading about her character could truly understand why she acts the way she does towards Drew, it isn’t just for her developing feelings for him. Sadly, that reason is a lot deeper and in my opinion, if you haven’t gone through the kind of trauma that Bree experiences then it might be one of those things that might get overlooked or pushed to the side. And for myself, I was instantly drawn to her character because she reminds me so much of myself. Obviously, the very big secret gets revealed at a certain point in this book, but I definitely think if the reader puts how her trauma plays a key part in everything in this book to the side, a lot of readers are going to be frustrated with her character, might not like her, or think that she’s being immature. I think I’m the odd one out because I found Drew’s character frustrating at times or found myself face-palming because of something Drew did. His character was really hard for me to get into. I think the first time his character impressed me, a little, was with the whole Socks situation. That was the first scene where I felt like I had to give credit where it was due. However, throughout the book it was very hot and cold with my feelings for Drew’s character and his development.Now the reason why this wasn’t a five star read for me was due to a bunch of little things. For example, it felt like Bree was constantly fighting her mom throughout the book (which she was) and at times it became a bit too much with everything else going on in the book. And then, there was the “Me Too” moment that almost knocked me out of my chair. I had to reread it to make sure I wasn’t misinterpreting things, but there was definitely a “Me Too” moment added into this book and that caused a lot of internally turmoil for me. I don’t want to go into details, but that whole bit dragged me through a loop because I am one of those people who have a lot of mixed feelings about that whole movement. There's also a lot of animal abuse throughout this book. I won't go into details, but a lot of it made me cringe. There was also a brief moment where the author used dog breed stereotypes to make the dogs seem aggressive because of their breed. And I also don’t like that in this particular moment the dogs were used as a means to instill fear especially since anyone who is reading this might get a very wrong message and think it’s okay to use dogs in that manner.However, my biggest issue that really bothered me out of this whole book was near the end of this book and even now I’m still shaking my head at how it was all handled. To prevent myself from going into spoilers, I’m going to keep this as vague as possible. This bit bothered me to know end and I wish I could say I was proud of the main character and how the situation was handled, but I’m not. The whole entire situation changed the entire mood. Even the after events of this one whole scene weren’t able to make me forget what happened in this section because it felt so out of place. Most of this book is very light, fluffy, a fun time, but you get to this part and it’s like a huge mood switch. I feel like this scene could have been written in so many ways and what the author chose…it was very out of place, the situation takes a dark concerning turn, and the whole entire thing felt so unnatural and realistic. In my opinion, physical violence, especially pulling a gun out on someone (no matter if they’ve done good or bad things in their life), should be used as a last resort. Unless the person has physically put their hands on you in that moment, you have no business going into a mode of survival if your life is not in immediate danger. As someone who has gone through extreme trauma in their life and has sat face to face with some of those people who have inflicted that trauma, I have never once found it necessary to put my hands on someone or go to such extreme measures because at the end of the day, no matter how much I wish I could hurt them back or make them suffer, violence is never the answer or a solution. So when that whole scene happened in this book, it felt like I had been hit with a ton of bricks because of all the things that could have been put into this book, it felt like the author went with one of the most extreme actions a person could take in that situation when there was no threat/danger to the main character’s life. Not to mention, in reality, most victims of sexual assault who suffer trauma or PTSD from that particular moment in life usually end up having flashbacks, a build up of anxiety and panic, or they end up flee the scene when they come face to face with with their previous attacker. Also, the main character had every opportunity to turn around and walk away from the situation because she shouldn’t have to face her previous attacker if she’s not ready or evern want to, but instead she chooses to instigate it. So the fact that our main character has a completely sound mind when she follows through with her actions, it’s unrealistic and it’s the most troublesome thing I read out of this whole book. Also, most sexual assault victims only go to such extreme measures if their previous attacker has physically put their hand on them in the current situation. I don’t know if this is how the author thinks someone who has suffered from the trauma of a sexual assault, but let me be the person who has gone through this situation to say this is not realistic or accurate in any form. The fact the author wrote our main character pulling a gun out on an unarmed person who has done nothing in that current moment, it blows my mind away because there is nothing that indicates she has a reason to be doing that or acting that way. I truly wish this scene had been written any other way, but for whatever the reason the author felt this scene was necessary and it kind of ruins the mood for the rest of the ending of the book. It paints the main character in a really bad way and it left a really sour taste in my mouth that I wish I could mind wipe from my memory. “Whatever the reason, instead of replying, I found myself flinging my arms around his neck, pressing my body against his, and kissing him full on the mouth.” Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book. It really gives me some nostalgic feels of missing my hometown. I am from a small town and this book definitely reminded me of what it means to have a community come together after a tragedy. But even so, there were many other elements that I loved like the passion and love for animals woven throughout this book. For me, my reading experience was mostly positive because it felt like little pieces of me were woven throughout this book and I loved that. However, that one scene was definitely hard to process and if you have similar values like I do, I think it will be very challenging to get through that one scene. I think many readers are going to enjoy this book, but I can definitely see how many readers may not enjoy this book due to a lot of elements threaded in this book. Either way, I do think this book is worth the read. There’s a lot of warm moments and so many animals! And who doesn’t love animals?!The quotes above were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.|Blog|Instagram|Twitter|YouTube|

I liked it???!! The audiobook made it good but I'm sure I'll be pissed if I read the physical. I liked how cute they were and how they rescued pets.

Life inside a hurricane! A really darling romcom about a young woman looking for a new life in Florida, a super hot carpenter, and a bunch of animals who need rescuing. Had that Meg Cabot charm, and I was totally looking for a mention of Genovia and its Crown Princess, but definitely for adults. (Woo! Is it hot in here?!)

Meg's books never disappoint! This one made me want to drop everything and run to Key West -- even with a hurricane headed its way!

I feel like it's been a long time since I've read Meg Cabot, because really I've mostly read her adult contemporary romance as opposed to her YA books. This book was exactly what I loved about her books back in the day when I first fell in love with her writing. I loved the romance between Bree and Drew. It was a perfect rom-com/chick flick type of story. It was also fun to read this, well, not sure if fun is exactly the right word, but it seems as if it is the perfect time to read a love story set in a hurricane since it is right in the middle of hurricane season. There was a lot of fun stuff about the little island preparing to either evacuate or hunkering down to ride out the storm. All the quirky small town characters made for a great story as well. There was definitely the sexy scenes, if not quite as many as some of the other authors I read today, definitely still enough steam and chemistry to make it a perfect fit for my favorite type of read. Obviously it was a short time period that it took place since it was from a day or two before the hurricane until a day or two after, leading into an epilogue of several months after. Highly recommend this one, and hope to see more of this type of read again from Meg Cabot in the future.

When a major hurricane is about to hit Sabrina (Bree) Beckham’s newly adopted town of Little Bridge Island Florida, all she knows is that she will not be evacuating. After all, she has her special needs cat Gary to think about, and the Mermaid Cafe where she is employed is going to remain open. In fact, the hurricane may be just the distraction from the traumatic experience she left law school for and the reason she has sworn off men. It’s too bad,then, that’s she’s attracted to the Cafe owner’s nephew, Drew. He, too, is a distraction.This book is the first instalment in the Little Bridge Island series. It is classic romantic comedy set in a beautiful island community. I love the feel of the community support in the book as well as both Bree and Drew’s compassion towards animals. I did not, however, feel that the scene when Bree confronts Kyle and Caleb as belonging to the rest of this book. I got the sense that this was added after the fact which altered the flow of the story.Having said that, I enjoyed the book and will look forward to reading the second book in the series. I rate this 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4 stars/5).Thank you to Edelweiss Plus and HarperCollins Publishing for the ARC provided to me in exchange for the honest review I have provided here.

4.25 starsThis is my first Meg Cabot book and it certainly won’t be my last. It was an absolute delight to read. I loved the characters, the setting, the humor, and the message and mission within the story. No Judgements follows Bree Beckham who has transplanted herself from her home in New York City, and law school ambitions, to her childhood vacation spot on Little Bridge Island in the Florida Keys. Her plan is to take a break from some recent hurts and disappointments and reevaluate her life, in the comfort of a place that has always felt like home. When unexpectedly faced with a hurricane, she discovers new friends, a new romance, a new mission, and finds the courage to renew a long held passion. Though the story focuses very little of the actual hurricane, it touches on so many other important and also entertaining aspects with humor and grace. The story is light-hearted and sweet, but was also empowering and inspiring. All-in-all, No Judgements is a charming, quick and immensely pleasurable read.

5/5 stars for this adult contemporary romance! Hurricanes, animals, pink hair, and a cute romance! Loved it! Highly recommend!Narration was great!