Happy Friday, everyone! I’m so glad the weekend is here again – I have a lot of good books in my TBR stack! I hope you have plenty of time for reading this weekend! 🙂 Today I’m linking up with Hoarding Books for another First Line Friday, and sharing from Jessica Kate’s second novel, A Girl’s Guide to the Outback.

“Samuel Payton was an idiot.”

A Girl’s Guide to the Outback by Jessica Kate

The Basics

Title: A Girl’s Guide to the Outback by Jessica Kate

Genre: Contemporary Christian Romance

Publication Date: January 28, 2020

My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

From the Back Cover

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?

My Thoughts

I wasn’t crazy about Jessica Kate’s first book, Love and Other Mistakes, but I’m glad that didn’t keep me from reading this one! We met Kimberly and Sam in the first book, but this one can definitely be read as a standalone. The seamless way Australian culture and vocabulary were included added interest and uniqueness to the story, and I thought the characters were more compelling in this book. Kim and Sam look like opposites on the surface, but as their friendship grows, they find that the past hurts they’re both dealing with help them understand each other better. I also really enjoyed the secondary storyline that focused on Sam’s sister Jules and her former fiance, Mick. Overall, a solid story about family, purpose, and overcoming obstacles, with a little humor!

Now it’s your turn! Please share the first line of the book you’re reading in the comments below, and don’t forget to head to Hoarding Books to see what first lines other bloggers are sharing or to share your own!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.