A Girl’s Guide to the Outback

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:

Welcome to the Land Down Under. Books are a fun way to travel the world and this one will take you on an adventure of a lifetime to the Australian Outback, home of kangaroos, koalas, deadly brown snakes… wait, what!!

A Girl’s Guide to the Outback is a rom com, but that doesn’t mean that it lacks depth. While humorous, the novel still delves into some personal struggles that will break your heart and make you pull for that characters as they strive to make their dreams come true. You get two romances for the price of one!

The most enjoyable part of this book for me was learning the Aussie vernacular. It’s so interesting to see the differences between American English and Australian English. We supposedly speak the same language, but in reality, we don’t! Honestly, I’m still laughing about “trakkie daks.” If you want to know the American translation, you’ll have to look it up or better yet, read the book!

In the beginning of the story there are a few times when Kimberly, an American, uses a word or phrase that felt more Australian. I’ve never heard an American use the word, “backflipping,” to mean “changing one’s mind or opinion.” The author is an Australian, so I say she did a fantastic job otherwise in creating an American character.

I was frustrated by the character of Sam. He’s supposed to be a youth pastor and yet, we see him swear several times through-out the book. I expected better from a preacher. However, I loved how the character’s disability plays into the story and gives depth to Sam’s personal struggles. When his dyslexia caused a very expensive mistake, my heart broke for him. I cried!

Words like “sexy” and “hot” are used, and there is one case where Sam is trying not to think about whether Kimberly has clothes on under her robe. There is some focus on their physical bodies and how that makes them feel towards each other.

Overall, it was a fun book and I recommend it for anyone who likes contemporary romances. Readers of Bethany Turner and Denise Hunter will find this book right up their alley. I don’t recommend this book for anyone under 16.

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.