About the Book

Book: A Girl’s Guide to the Outback
Author: Jessica Kate
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: January 28, 2020

How far will a girl go to win back a guy she can’t stand? This funny, sweet, and romantic story proves that opposites do attract—and that God has a sense of humor.

Samuel Payton is a passionate youth pastor in Virginia, but below the surface, he’s still recovering from the blow of a failed business and insecurities he can’t shake. His coworker, start-up expert Kimberly Foster, is brilliant, fearless, and capable, but years of personal rejection have left her defensive and longing for a family. Two people have never been more at odds—or more attracted to one another. And every day at work, the sparks sure do fly.

When Kimberly’s ambitious plans for Sam’s ministry butt up against his risk-averse nature, Sam decides that obligations to family trump his work for the church. He quits the ministry and heads home to Australia to help his sister, Jules, save her struggling farm. As Kimberly’s grand plans flounder, she is forced to face the truth: that no one can replace Sam. Together they strike up a deal: If Kimberly comes to work on Jules’s dairy farm and lends her business brains to their endeavor, then maybe—just maybe—Sam will reconsider his future with the church.

As Kimberly tries her hand at Australian farm life, she learns more about herself than she could’ve ever expected. Meanwhile Sam is forced to re-evaluate this spunky woman he thought he already knew. As foes slowly morph into friends, they wonder if they might be something even more. But when disaster strikes the farm, will Sam find it within himself to take a risk that could lead to love? And will Kimberly trust God with her future?

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My Thoughts:

This book was so completely hilarious and absolutely swoon-worthy at the same time, it is one of the tales that genuinely deserves the title of rom-com. Of course, how can it be anything but with the four most stubborn young, single people in any kind of proximity together?

We have the lead couple, practical Kim the business woman come to get back the charismatic youth pastor, Samuel- even though they can't stand each other (despite the fact that they are both attracted to the other). Then there is Samuel's sister Jules, who takes the stubborn prize, as she tries to stay in control, and Mitch, her neighbor who once loved her... and still does, actually.

Throw all of them together onto a farm in the Australian outback where literally everything is trying to kill them and bankrupt the farm, and it was bound to get interesting. Especially as each of the characters were dealing with their own secret heart-aches: rejection, failure, surrender, and patience respectively.

It all ended just right, too. But if it hadn't ended, and just kept going- I wouldn't have minded that either. I need more rom-coms like this one in my reading list.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.

Reviewed by Jes

About the Author

Australian author Jessica Kate writes inspirational romances with wit, sass, and grit. Jessica is a screenwriting groupie, cohost of the StoryNerds vlog and podcasts, and her favorite place to be—apart from Mum and Dad’s back deck—is a theme park. She has traveled North America and Australia, and samples her favorite pasta wherever she goes—but the best (so far) is still the place around the corner from her corporate day job as a training developer. She loves watching sitcoms with her housemates and being a leader in a new church plant. Visit her online at jessicakatewriting.com; Instagram: jessicakatewriting; Facebook: jessicakatewriting; Twitter: @JessicaKate05.