Don't Tell Me You Love Me by Holly Kerr

Don't Tell Me You Love Me Reviews

• 
  InD'tale Magazine

  Rating: 4.5/5.0
  
  “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me” opens with exciting insight into the ‘vlogger’ life of Shae.
  
  Read full review in the
  2021 February issue of InD'tale Magazine.
  
• 
  Sofie Haller

  I enjoyed reading this book while I was reading it, but it you asked me now what it was about.... I couldn't tell you a thing
• 
  Reading Lush

  Sweet, easy read...
  
  Nice and sweet, but a little lacking in a believable, complete, story. I did enjoy the book and felt the instant connection between Shae and Emmet. However, the ending felt rushed. Everything just came together all too neatly and happily in the last 15% of the story. I found that hard to digest with all the building prior.
• 
  Rebecca Hill

  Don't Tell Me You Love Me is the first book in Kerr's Don't sweet romance collection. This contemporary romance features Shae Sullison and Emmett Pike.
  
  When Shae was 14 years old, she was diagnosed with a terminal illness and told she had between 7 and 10 years left. She started a bucket list of things she wanted to do before her time was up, and ended up starting the Expiry Date vlog with her best friends Neely Scalzo and Dawson Jacinto. The three traveled the world, sharing their adventures, and becoming social media stars.
  
  The three return home to attend Neely's brother's wedding and that's when Shae crosses paths with Emmett. Emmett's sister, Ellie, is marrying Neely's brother, James. This is the second time Emmett has crossed paths with Shae and there's something about her that he finds captivating. It has been about 3 years since he's been interested in a woman - 3 years since his wife, Alex Tang, died from a brain tumor. Emmett did not deal well with his loss, but Shae might be his second chance at love. Only he doesn't know that Shae's living with an expiration date. And while Shae is just as captivated by Emmett, she is reluctant to open her heart to anyone because she knows the pain of those left behind, and she wants to protect others from suffering that pain once she's gone.
  
  This sweet story has a lot going on. Both Shae and Emmett have experienced loss which has stuck with them, and influenced their perception of the world. They both need to heal in order to see what is right in front of them. In addition, Kerr introduces us to other characters who make appearances in the collection, including Shae's best friends, Neely and Dawson, Grayson Grant, Emmett's best friend, Pepper Grant, Grayson's sister, Reuben Stuart, and more....
  
  Once you pick up one book, you'll want to keep reading to learn who's love story comes next.
• 
  Nati

  A beautiful, sweet, funny, tough, sad love and life story. She is going to die young so she isn’t trying to make her life the fullest she can have. But can she avoid to fall in love with Emmett when he is been badly hurt? A lesson to enjoy your life as the present day will be the last one but always giving your heart away because without love life is not worth living. Holly Kerr at her best.
• 
  Kristen Lewendon

  This book wasn’t just an emotional roller coaster ride, it was the whole darned carnival. Both Shae and Emmett know that love hurts, though only one of them is prepared to take the chance of letting it happen again. Right from the beginning, this story was going to be a collision course between destiny and two wildly differing world views. I loved seeing Shae’s “seize the day” attitude in action, but her belief that it was better to have never loved at all than to have lost made my heart ache. I thought Emmett was sweet and charming and just about everything that makes for perfect book boyfriend material. When things were good between this pair, I was on cloud nine. When the inevitable rough patches hit, I wanted to scream and rage. One thing I can say with certainty, is that this author is greatly skilled at handling family, particularly parental, drama. On a side note, I think it’s so much fun that we also get the opportunity to check back in on some of our favorite characters from the Love & Alliteration series while we’re here.
  I received a complimentary advanced copy of this book through Booksprout.
• 
  Faye

  This book focuses around a disease that affects a young girl called Shae who got diagnosed with Batton Disease and how no one can have her heart. The book goes through her life, showing off her adventures as a social media influencer and living life to the fullest and I think this is an important message to get across. You only have one life and you should live it to the best you can
  
  I loved Shae and Emmett as a couple ! It did take them a while to get there because they were both scared for different reasons which revolve around death. Shae is a loveable character with support friends such as Neely and Dawson. But there was a lot of back and forth with commitment between shae and emmett and it was just like get together already!!!
  I personally found Rufus very annoying and didn't have a purpose except to be annoying with his weird inputs that didn't need to be said. The ending was rushed as Shae discovered that she was misdiagnosed and the story was abruptly wrapped up. I wish the ending had more to say like more about Shae and Emmett, and what Shae is going to do now knowing she isn't going to die sooner than usual.
  Overall, the book was enjoyable and I'm glad there was a happy ending!
• 
  Maura

  DON'T TELL ME YOU LOVE ME is described as a sweet, first love, second chance, love story. It was indeed that.
  
  Told through dual POV, the reader is clearly taken on a journey that at times seems realistic and others seemed completely unrealistic. There were a few parts of the story that I had to sit back and wonder... "Would he really have been that xxxx after xxxx?" "How have xxxx never met or know who xxx was?" They were brief moments and didn't take me too far out of the story.
  
  Because I read this blind, I had to think back about language and sexy times to write the review. It wasn't until I actually looked at the title that I realized I hadn't read a single word related to either topic. WELL DONE!!!
  
  I am now going to treat myself to a chocolate croissant at a local bakery. After you read the story, let me know if you feel the same...
• 
  Narci

  Social Influencer vlogger Shae embraces life by traveling with her two best friends Neely and Dawson after she received a life altering, life ending diagnosis. As we travel the roller-coaster of emotions, life changes, relationships and hope we see the growth and changes. Emmett is a wonderful uncle, amazing son helping his family and great friend to his former teammate also his childhood best friend Grayson. Emmett evolution through this story is amazing, he is such a rock to many, never giving up and always eager to help. Emmett life is turned inside out once he meets the happy, bubbly, outgoing, friendly, beautiful Shae, and he finally starts to live again after losing so much. Their connection is instant, but both must find a way to stop running because of fear and embrace their forever. I absolutely loved this story.
• 
  Victoria

  "...better than hitting any home run in front of a stadium of fans." - such a great line in the book!
  
  This was such a sad story and yet I laughed, smiled and felt happy through so much of it! The characters (all of them) were amazing and I loved how much a part of each others lives they were. It was just a lovely story which had a few twists, plenty of love, laughter, fun, support and strength. I want to be part of their friendship group, part of the family! This is a new author for me and I am looking forward to reading the rest in this series, I hope to see more of Shae and Emmett, oh and also Rufus as I just loved him! I am voluntarily leaving this review after receiving an ARC from Hidden Gems.
• 
  Elizabeth McDaniel

  Shae was a vlog writer and a social media influencer who travelled all over with her best friends experiencing life because secretly she had a disease and she was dying. Emmett was a recluse Interesting n his family farm who was a pro ball player at one time but the loss of his wife caused him to lose his position. When Emmett and Shaw met at the pastry shop and then later at his sister’s wedding they knew that their lives would never be the same. This fun and exciting romance was filled with such approachable, fun loving and friendly characters and emotional story line that it had me hook from the beginning and not wanting it to end. Good read
  
  I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
• 
  Emily Pennington

  Shae and Emmett . . .
  
  Shae is dying. This story will ramp up your emotions and scramble joy, sorrow, and everything else in the feelings arsenal as we see Shae trying to live the best life she can while fitting what’s important into the time she has left to her.
  
  Shae meets Emmett who unexpectedly lost his wife through an illness. It cost him the love of his life as well as his career. And he is not ready to put himself out there again. Will these two have a profound impact on each other as they deal with their issues? Grab your copy and see where life takes them, whether separately or together. No one knows the future and no one knows the time we are given. But maybe just being the best we can be is the best choice after all. No apologies are needed that way.
• 
  Pamela Devereux

  Shae and her two friends Dawson and Neely are travel vloggers. They've traveled the world together, getting sponsors and growing their influencer base. Emmett is a widow that has been living his life like a zombie. A chance meeting between the two at a Pain au Chocolate has them both wondering who they were. Only Emmett's nephew Rufus was just obsessed with Shae and her blog. Little did they know that a wedding would bring them back in each other's orbit. Each has a secret and each is trying to decide how to tell each other. Emmett has found his voice but Shae is running scared. When all that she has believed in her life is wrong, how do you figure out what you want in life. Mom to the rescue.
• 
  K Huskić

  A sweet story, that makes you think about what you would do in the same situation. Would you be open to romance, knowing that your time on Earth will shortly come to an end?
  
  Shae was diagnosed with a terminal illness as a teenager, and lives her life to the fullest, creating fun from every moment. Emmett lost his wife years ago, and hasn't given relationships a thought since. However, upon meeting each other, both start to question whether a relationship wouldn't be the worst thing.
  
  I love books that tug at your emotions, and this one definitely did that, but provided some laughs, and romance, too. This story also had characters we've come to know and love from other Holly Kerr books, which was a fun surprise. I can't wait to read the next one!
• 
  Sandra

  Shae is a young girl with a deadly disease and that's why she lives and enjoys her life to the fullest, together with her friends Neely and Dawson. She doesn't let herself fall in love because she saw how her mother broke down when her father died and she didn't want anyone to suffer the same.
  Emmett lost his wife 3 years ago and has shut himself off until his sister Emily gets married and that's where he gets to know Shae.
  
  I loved this story, the sad and tragic part as well as the fun ones but I didn't expect the turn of events for sure. Awesome book, Holly. THANKS!
  
  I received a free copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review.
• 
  Michelle

  Shae's life hasn't been easy. She was diagnosed with a terminal disease but she's determined to live life to the fullest, except for love. Emmett lost his wife to a brain tumor years before and he's closed his heart off. This heartbreakingly beautiful story is about two people from different worlds who find each other at the right time. This captivating story is filled with heartache, angst, romance, humor, and a great ending. This is one of those books that pulled me into the story and had me reading nonstop until the last page. The writing is well done, the characters are believable and I look forward to reading the next book in this series. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book.
• 
  Janet Graham

  Feel Good Romance!
  This is such a great 'feel-good' romance! It is the kind you want to savor and think about. This is the first book in a new series where the other characters also get to fall into forever love. This book deals with some topics that will create some waterworks for some readers, and that is a good thing. I love the way this author can easily transition a story from sadness to silliness in a flash. I received this ARC book for free from Booksprout and this is my honest review.
  
• 
  Jeffrey

  I loved the writing. How each chapter was broken down into 2 parts. Half of it was from the point of Shae, the other half from the point of Emmett. The characters were great, not sure if they were great enough to want want to relive that time period from a different perspective, like the 2nd book.
  
  However, I really wasn't a fan of the ending. It just seemed like a easy copout. It's amost like it was "we spent this whole book talking about this....how can we finish it. Oh I know."
  
  It was still a good read, just felt last 2 chapters were just kinda thrown together.