Who Would Like This Book:
If you're a fan of small town romances with heart, plenty of humor, and a dash of spice, In a Jam is your kind of book. Kate Canterbary nails the grumpy-sunshine dynamic with Shay and Noah - she's the quirky, kind-hearted teacher picking up the pieces of her life, and he's the loyal, secretly swoon-worthy farmer-lawyer raising his pirate-obsessed niece. The banter is sharp, the chemistry sizzles, and the supporting cast (from sassy friends to a show-stealing kid) adds genuine warmth and fun. It's perfect for readers who love slow burn, found family vibes, and a hero who pines HARD.
Who May Not Like This Book:
If you're not a fan of precocious kids in your romances, wish the steam stayed a little lower, or get frustrated with characters working through long-standing insecurities, this one might not be your jam. Some readers felt the book dragged in spots or relied on tropes like the marriage-of-convenience for inheritance, which may stretch believability. And, for those who want their romance drama high-stakes or action-packed, the story's low-key, slice-of-life tone might feel a touch slow.
About:
In "In a Jam" by Kate Canterbary, the story revolves around Noah and Shay, high school friends who reunite in a small Rhode Island town under unusual circumstances. Shay inherits a tulip farm with the condition of getting married within a year, leading Noah to propose a fake marriage to help her out. Alongside navigating their complicated past, they also bond over Noah's spirited niece, Gennie, and gradually realize their deep feelings for each other. The writing style of the book is praised for its humor, heartfelt moments, and steamy romance, with a focus on themes of abandonment, friendship, and personal growth, all expertly intertwined by the author.
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Notes:
Has Romance?
Yes, the romance is a significant focus of the story, exploring deep emotional connections between the main characters.
From The Publisher:
When Shay Zucconi's step-grandmother died, she left Shay a tulip farm-under two conditions.
First, Shay has to move home to the small town of Friendship, Rhode Island. Second-and most problematic since her fiancé just called off the wedding-Shay must be married within one year.
Marriage is the last thing in the world Shay wants but she'll do anything to save the only real home she's ever known.
Noah Barden loved Shay Zucconi back in high school. Not that he ever told her. He was too shy, too awkward, too painfully uncool to ask out the beautiful, popular girl.
A lifetime later, Noah is a single dad to his niece and has his hands full running the family business. That old crush is the farthest thing from his mind.
Until Shay returns to their hometown and turns his life upside down.
CW/TW: absentee parent(s), brief mention of parent death, brief mention of parent chronic illness, mention of incarceration, mention of temporary foster care placement, reference to teenage teasing/bullying (not detailed, not explicit), brief incidence of fat-shaming, living with a neurodivergent child
Ratings (81)
Incredible (16) | |
Loved It (27) | |
Liked It (23) | |
It Was OK (12) | |
Did Not Like (3) |
Reader Stats (193):
Read It (87) | |
Currently Reading (1) | |
Want To Read (67) | |
Did Not Finish (8) | |
Not Interested (30) |
5 comment(s)
I loved the MFC but I found the inner dialogue of the MMC such a turn off. It was… yuck. Couldn’t get past the first 3rd.
Karakterlerin yer yer içsel çatışması, güvensizlikleri yüzünden geri çekilmeleri, kendilerini aşırı değersiz görmeleri canımı bir tık sıksa da sevimli bir hikayeydi. Küçük bir kasaba, eskiye bir dönüş, altı yaşında ve asi bir kız çocuğu renk katmış içeriğe. Özellikle ağzı bozuk Gennie
It could be better. It was unnecessarily long
This book would've been a solid four stars, but it started dragging something terrible toward the 70% mark. I found the only way I could continue to read after that was through some pretty heavy skimming, so that was a bummer considering how much I enjoyed it before then!
Shay and Noah's relationship was toothache-sweet (I loved seeing all the small ways he was considerate of her), and her dynamic with Gennie felt genuine and entirely believable. I was surprised to see how much development Gennie got as a character considering that kids in these types of books are used more as placeholders or plot devices.
There's not a lot of "plot" going on in this book, but if you want to step into a Hallmark movie vibe with some additional spice, this book is for you.
This is a really lovely story.
Shay and Noah make a really cute couple. As for Shay, the author managed to strike a pretty good balance between a woman whose dream is to have a family and live in a small town, and a strong main character who can take what she wants. Noah is a very complicated man. But I think most of the time the author managed to pretty well combine his more dominant and decisive nature with his shyness. It didn't seem as schizophrenic as you might think.
I usually don't like children in my books and here I had mixed feelings at times. Overall, Gennie didn't bother me and I understand how important she is to the story. I'm normally not a big fan of jokes of what a little kid said, in this case I thought they were rather good and really amused me at times. Every now and then I felt like there was a bit too much of this girl in the story, I was a bit tired of her, but overall I didn't have any major problem.
I'm not a huge fan of small town romance stories, but in this case all the typical themes in such stories were not very elaborate and intrusive. The jokes about always bumping into your friends / family / ex and the constant gossip in small towns was kept to a minimum. It worked pretty well for me.
I'm definitely at the point where I needed a story like this. I won't be surprised if I come back to this book someday. It was really warm feeling.
What can you read after
In a Jam?
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