I fell in love with Meg Cabot’s writing a long time ago. I’ve read her Princess Diaries series about 25 times. This novel is my first foray into Meg’s adult romances, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. No Words is an excellent rendition of a contemporary romance.
- Title: No Words (Little Bridge Island Book 3)
- Author: Meg Cabot
- Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks on October 12, 2021
- Genre: Contemporary Romance
- Pages: 368
- Formats Available: Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook, & Digital
- Rating: 4/5
Trigger Warnings: Talk of Bullying
Many thanks to Meg Cabot, William Morrow Paperbacks, and Netgalley for providing me with a digital Advanced Readers Copy of No Words with a request for an honest review.
About No Words
Meg Cabot, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Princess Diaries, returns to Little Bridge Island with a new story about a children’s book author with a case of writer’s block and an arrogant novelist who have to set aside their differences as they get through a weekend long book festival that just might change everything—including their feelings for each other.
Don’t Judge a Book by Its Author…
Welcome to Little Bridge, one of the smallest, most beautiful islands in the Florida Keys.
Jo Wright always swore she’d never step foot on Little Bridge Island—not as long as her nemesis, bestselling author Will Price, is living there.
Then Jo’s given an offer she can’t refuse: an all-expense paid trip to speak and sign at the island’s first ever book festival.
Even though arrogant Will is the last person Jo wants to see, she could really use the festival’s more-than-generous speaking fee. She’s suffering from a crippling case of writer’s block on the next installment of her bestselling children’s series, and her father needs financial help as well.
Then Jo hears that Will is off-island on the set of the film of his next book. Hallelujah!
But when she arrives on Little Bridge, Jo is in for a shock: Will is not only at the book festival, but seems genuinely sorry for his past actions—and more than willing not only to make amends, but prove to Jo that he’s a changed man.
Things seem to be looking up—until disaster strikes, causing Jo to wonder: Do any of us ever really know anyone?
NetGalley Description
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My Review
Jo Wright loathes Will Price. This guy arrogantly proclaimed that children’s literature isn’t a worthy type of writing, setting Jo off on a long road of hostility and passive-aggressiveness. But, it isn’t just that Will looked down on Jo’s chosen genre, but that now, Jo’s feelings are all wrapped up in this feud, and she suffers from debilitating writer’s block. Jo blows through deadline after deadline with nothing to show for it when the children’s librarian from Little Bridge Island’s library invites her to participate in their first book festival with an offer Jo can’t afford to refuse. But, escapades of every sort take place on the island and toss Jo’s world in a tailspin. Will Jo escape the island intact, or will her career plummet like a meteor?
I’m not going to lie. I didn’t like Jo. She is childish and self-centered, dwelling on her own misery while blaming her lack of ambition on everyone but herself. I found her whiney and not someone I wanted to share brains with for the full length of the book. She jumps to inane conclusions about everything and mistreats her friends. I had no sympathy for her at all.
However, I adored Will. The man has a brilliant mind and seems sincerely sorry for the slight against Jo’s work. From Will’s every movement and comment, you could tell that he felt horrid about what happened. I loved how he kept popping up on the scene to ruin Jo’s day. I laughed so hard every time he showed up driving the author’s van to haul the authors around the island. No matter how much Jo pushed Will away, he kept his cunning sense of humor intact.
Will’s winning personality held me captivated throughout the whole book.
The island itself was gorgeous. I could feel the seawater hitting my face when the group went out on the boat excursion. The dolphins were right there in my mind’s eye. Will’s stately home put me in the mood for relishing daiquiris in the moonlight. The big windows surrounding the exterior made me feel like I was in my dream home. The hotel felt quite charming. Meg Cabot has a wonderful way with words, and her descriptions of everything were glorious.
When I chose this book, I had no idea it was part of a series. I still didn’t know when I started creating this post. What this can tell you is that it works beautifully as a stand-alone novel. There was no information dump letting you in on past happenings in the series, nor any other hint that something came before. I did fall in love with the spunky, highly pregnant librarian, and it turns out her story was in the second volume of the Little Bridge Island series. Now, I will be picking up the other two novels to spend more time in the sweet little town.
I award No Words 4 out of 5 stars. If Jo had been a bit more likable, this would easily have been a 5-star book for me, but I couldn’t get past her childish behavior. I recommend this novel to anyone who loves romance in a sultry sea town full of charming and enticing bits of history. Pick this one up for a great weekend of romance reading.
About the Author – Meg Cabot
Meg Cabot was born on February 1, 1967, during the Chinese astrological year of the Fire Horse, a notoriously unlucky sign. Fortunately, she grew up in Bloomington, Indiana, where few people were aware of the stigma of being a fire horse — at least until Meg became a teenager, when she flunked freshman Algebra twice, then decided to cut her own bangs. After six years as an undergrad at Indiana University, Meg moved to New York City (in the middle of a sanitation worker strike) to pursue a career as an illustrator, at which she failed miserably, forcing her to turn to her favorite hobby–writing novels–for emotional succor. She worked various jobs to pay the rent, including a decade-long stint as the assistant manager of a 700-bed freshmen dormitory at NYU, a position she still occasionally misses.
She is now the author of nearly fifty books for both adults and teens, selling fifteen million copies worldwide, many of which have been #1 New York Times bestsellers, most notably The Princess Diaries series, which is currently being published in over 38 countries, and was made into two hit movies by Disney. In addition, Meg wrote the Mediator and 1-800-Where-R-You? series (on which the television series, Missing, was based), two All-American Girl books, Teen Idol, Avalon High, How to Be Popular, Pants on Fire, Jinx, a series of novels written entirely in email format (Boy Next Door, Boy Meets Girl, and Every Boy’s Got One), a mystery series (Size 12 Is Not Fat/ Size 14 Is Not Fat Either/Big Boned), and a chick-lit series called Queen of Babble.
Meg is now writing a new children’s series called Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls. Her new paranormal series, Abandon, debuts in Summer of 2011.
Meg currently divides her time between Key West, Indiana, and New York City with a primary cat (one-eyed Henrietta), various back-up cats, and her husband, who doesn’t know he married a fire horse. Please don’t tell him.