Actor Jake Newman has the chance to achieve his dream of landing the leading role in a huge action film. But he needs to get his abs in gear in order to make it a reality. So he sneaks off to his hometown and the new high-end health resort to do so out of the public eye. What he didn’t anticipate was the very cute former gymnast Rayah Summers to be his trainer.
Rayah has sunk everything she has into the resort in order to help others shape their bodies and their lifestyles. Unfortunately, a string of bad luck is threatening to send her into ruination—until heartthrob Jake Newman makes his appearance with the money and publicity that could turn her luck around. The pair are depending on each other and not even some fiery chemistry is going to keep them from reaching for the stars…
This story was a fun, quick read for all the romance enthusiasts. The chemistry between the pair is obvious from the get-go and it’s fun to watch as they dance around each other. In addition to the two main characters, there is a great found family at the resort that Rayah has clearly curated as a replacement for the family she never had as a child and they are truly so endearing.
While it was a fun romp overall, there were definitely pieces of the story that were “because romance reasons” level of unbelievable. The most egregious, in my opinion, was Jake’s health condition and his friend’s willingness to help him cover it up knowing full well that it could, and likely would, cause issues while training. It is something that I could never imagine happening in real life because of the liability (and also because decent human beings want to keep each other alive), but it’s played off in the story as just a minor hurdle. What I did appreciate about that particular storyline was the responsibility that was quickly assumed when it inevitably came to light—that was definitely much more believable!
Where the story shines is definitely the character work and relationships. Rayah’s relationship with all her trainers is built upon mutual love and respect and it was honestly so lovely to see “tough” characters want to throw down for those they care about and actually show emotion. In addition to the relationships within the resort, there is a beautiful relationship between Jake, his grandparents, and one of his co-stars that really brought to life how easy (and also important!) it is to build your community.
The cherry on top was how Siedler was able to demonstrate the importance of male/female platonic relationships. Both Rayah and Jake have very strong and very deep relationships with individuals who they love deeply…and platonically. Those individuals have a different idea of what they want their relationship to be and make it known, only to be gently rebuffed. But the great thing is that Siedler allows these characters to have their emotions and cope with them in healthy ways in order to come back and strengthen their bonds even further. We need more strong platonic relationships like this in media.
Overall, go into this story ready to suspend your disbelief and you'll likely find yourself having a good time. The overall story is lighthearted, funny, and sizzling chemistry, but Siedler balances it with some heavier topics such as sexual abuse and panic/anxiety attacks so please take care of yourself while reading.
WORK IT OUT by Eva Siedler is available now and you can pick up a copy for yourself here.
Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher for free and have voluntarily written this review. If you purchase a copy using my Amazon affiliate link above, I will receive a small commission which will fuel my coffee and tea addiction and help to keep me up all night reading more books to recommend to you.
