BLOG TOUR: No Judgments by Meg Cabot @officialmegcabot @williammorrowbooks @TLCbooktours #nojudgments

Is there anything better than a sweet contemporary romance set in a small town and with tons of cute animals? I was so excited to read No Judgments by Meg Cabot. I’ve read some of her earlier works but nothing recent. In No Judgments, we meet Sabrina—who goes by Bree—a woman in need of a fresh start in life and in love. I thought this book was a sweet love story with a dash of some real issues that added some realistic edge to an otherwise light story!

About the Book

The storm of the century is about to hit Little Bridge Island, Florida—and it’s sending waves crashing through Sabrina “Bree” Beckham’s love life…

When a massive hurricane severs all power and cell service to Little Bridge Island—as well as its connection to the mainland—twenty-five-year-old Bree Beckham isn’t worried . . . at first. She’s already escaped one storm—her emotionally abusive ex—so a hurricane seems like it will be a piece of cake.

But animal-loving Bree does become alarmed when she realizes how many islanders have been cut off from their beloved pets. Now it’s up to her to save as many of Little Bridge’s cats and dogs as she can . . . but to do so, she’s going to need help—help she has no choice but to accept from her boss’s sexy nephew, Drew Hartwell, the Mermaid Café’s most notorious heartbreaker.

But when Bree starts falling for Drew, just as Little Bridge’s power is restored and her penitent ex shows up, she has to ask herself if her island fling was only a result of the stormy weather, or if it could last during clear skies too.

Reflection

This is the first in a new series by the beloved Meg Cabot called Little Bridge Island. I actually read after I finished that there is a short novella that kicked this new series off called Bridal Boot Camp that I definitely want to read!

Bree fled to Little Bridge Island after a break up with her boyfriend, prompted in part by his disbelief and lack of support after a friend of his tries to sexually assault her. This was a particularly deep issue, and one that I was glad Cabot handled well. Bringing to life the reason why survivors of these incidents often don’t tell anyone, Cabot touched on the shame and doubt that survivors can experience. A thoughtful inclusion in an otherwise light and fun novel!

In Little Bridge Island, Bree is healing. She’s waitressing at the adorable Mermaid Café, making friends, and becoming one with the quirky local scene of the island. When the hurricane heads towards the island, Bree decides to stay through it. I actually assign this as an exercise when I teach decision making, about how people reason through why they do or do not stay when a natural disaster is pending. It’s more complicated than many realize! In Bree’s case, she stays because of her cat Gary. Others stay because of break ins (the crime statistics during a natural disaster would blow your mind), access to medications, and a number of other reasons.

I thought the hurricane would be the grand finale of the book, but actually it’s in the first half, and the bulk of the book covered the aftermath of devastation to the community and rebuilding it. I enjoyed seeing through Bree’s eyes what it is like to experience that type of event firsthand and also see how a community such as Little Bridge Island comes together to repair and help one another.

Bree is also an animal lover, which I think will appeal to many readers. She finds her calling in rescuing stray animals—left behind because their owners thought they would be able to make it back to them. Bree meets Drew as she’s working to set up a helpline for stranded pets to be rescued, and I really enjoyed them bonding over their love of animals and the welfare of their community.

I loved the theme—no judgments, as the title says. I felt that Meg Cabot handled a lot of issues in the book without judgment, such as people leaving without their pets in a storm or even choosing not to leave. Such as Drew having a reputation as a heart-breaker and seeing different women every night. Even Bree leaving her life in New York to work as a waitress in a small town. I thought that everything was handled with dignity and respect. A perfect theme for the book!

Altogether this is a fast read and a lot of fun! It touches on some real issues and is handled with care. And there’s a steamy central love story to top it all off!

Thank you to TLC Book Tours and William Morrow for my copy. Opinions are my own.

About the Author

Meg Cabot was born in Bloomington, Indiana. In addition to her adult contemporary fiction, she is the author of the bestselling young adult fiction series, The Princess Diaries. Over 25 million copies of her novels for children and adults have sold worldwide. Meg lives in Key West, FL, with her husband.

Find out more about Meg at her website, follow her blog, and connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.