BOOK CLUB: Can I Steal You For a Second?

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Can I Steal You for a Second? by Jodi McAlister is a fun and hilarious romantic story. It’s about looking for love on a TV reality show during the COVID lockdown.

Meet Mandie Mitchell. She’s twenty seven years old, blonde, and an attractive mechanic who has had her heart broken.

What would be the best way to move forward? Apply to be a contestant on “Marry me, Juliet”, one of her favourite TV shows. Maybe her ex might even be jealous!

Mandie meets Dylan Gilchrist at the auditions. Dylan is the most stunning woman she’s ever seen. She is strong and confident, everything Mandie would love to be. They become friends straight away.

Mandie and Dylan are both chosen to be “Juliets”.

Let the fun begin, what could be more exciting than being in a mansion with fifteen “Juliets” all competing for the love of one “Romeo”?

Mandie’s confidence is at an all time low and her ex has constantly been putting her down. Dylan encourages Mandie to focus on her “best feature’s list”.

The show’s “Romeo” is Dylan Jayasinghe Mellor, an Olympic gold medallist in sailing. Mandie finds Romeo Dylan very handsome, with lovely eyes and a nice personality.

However it is Dylan G that Mandie has fallen for! But is the attraction mutual?

We are taken on Mandie’s hilarious journey of self improvement. The changing of Mandie Version 1.0, who lets impulses take her everywhere, to Mandie Version 2.0, who does her best to make good choices.

Mandie narrates the story with humour, showing the drama and personalities of the Juliet’s, the tricks used and the flaws of reality TV.

I could not put this book down. I loved all the characters. The style of writing makes it easy to read. The questions of, who will Romeo choose and does anyone find love, keep you engaged.

I am sure this book would make an entertaining movie.

This is the second book in the Marry Me, Juliet series, the first being “Here for the Right Reasons”. It is not necessary to have read it to enjoy this book. There is a hint that a third book is on the way too.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster and Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to read this fun book.

A selection of Beauty and Lace Club members have been reading Can I Steal You For a Second by Jodi McAlister. You can read their comments below, or add your own review.

9 thoughts on “BOOK CLUB: Can I Steal You For a Second?

  1. First of all, thankyou to the Beauty and Lace Club and Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to read and review Can I steal you for a second by Jodi McAlister.

    Set during the outbreak of Covid, Can I Steal You For A Second is a romantic comedy, it is the second in the Marry Me, Juliet series. Mandie Mitchell is trying to do anything to get over her ex so she signs up to a dating reality show. Upon being accepted as a contestant she meets a woman called Dylan and starts falling for her, despite the show being about Romeo and Juliet.
    This was such a quick and great read. I think my favourite character is Lily Fireball and I do hope to read more about her in future books.

  2. Thanks to Beauty and Lace and Simon & Schuster I was lucky enough to review “Can I Steal you for a Second” by Jodi McAlister.

    Amanda Mitchell decided she would apply for the TV show Marry Me Juliet. It was the start of the pandemic, her work as a mechanic had slowed down and she needed to get over her ex, Jac. What better way to go on a tv show and move on with life.

    Amanda meets Dylan G at the auditions. Dylan is a nurse and with the pandemic ramping up she wants an out of nursing and what is coming so she applied for the show. They go on the show and meet Romeo – Dylan, who is the kindest, good looking, most gentle guy anyone can meet.

    Amanda and Dylan become best friends over time and go into the show together still as best friends. Then Amanda starts to have feelings for Dylan, but the wrong Dylan.

    Dylan and Romeo Dylan are set to take out the show all the way to the end and be the fantasy ending that everyone dreams about.

    As the weeks go on Dylan and Amanda have some up and down but eventually agree to the same thing at the end.

    Both Dylan’s both end up in love and happy ever after.

    Another great little love story that I couldn’t put down as I needed to know what the outcome of this storyline was. This is a mirror version of “Here for the Right Reasons”. I suggest you read both stories so you get the story from both sides. You would read Here for the Rights Reasons first then Can I steal you for a second.

  3. Having enjoyed Jodi McAlister’s Here for the Right Reasons last year, I was pretty keen to read the follow up Can I Steal You for a Second?, and it didn’t disappoint. An entertaining, funny, dramatic and heart warming read set during the filming of a reality TV dating show, this second instalment predominantly follows the stories of contestants Dylan G and Maddie through filming. Once again, the characters are well drawn, believable and diverse (for a dating show!), and the background of the pandemic makes the story somewhat real and recent. It is an easy and enjoyable read and I would recommend for holiday reading or relaxation. While the first novel followed Dylan JM and Cece, it sounds like a third following the hilarious Lily Firecracker and Murray is in the pipeline!!

    Thanks so much to Beauty and Lace and Simon and Shuster for the opportunity to read and review Jodi McAlister’s Can I Steal You for a Second.

  4. Can I steal you for a second? is a fun book set in an Australian dating reality show. It’s quite a uplifting story about how the main character Mandie overcomes her low self-esteem and battle scars from her ex. It’s written with humour as delightful events unfold as part of the reality show with an amusing cast of characters and some plot turns to keep the reader entertained and guessing which characters will end up with whom. It’s light-hearted and will certainly appeal to those (younger?) audiences who like to follow reality shows or those who like easy-to-read romances to escape the mundane of “reality”.

    Even though I don’t follow dating shows like Marry Me, Juliet, I found it very fun and satisfying and will be looking out for more romantic comedy novels from this author. Thanks to Beauty and Lace Club and Simon and Schuster for the chance to read and review Can I steal you for a second?

  5. I cannot understand reality TV, but reality TV via book is awesome!
    Mandie has been dumped, her life has returned to her childhood bedroom, a pandemic is on the horizon and the guys that come to her workplace keep making crude suggestions. Is this as low as she can go, or is that moment reserved for her joining the reality TV show “Marry me Juliette”.
    Dylan is divorced, her son is a shared commodity with her ex and the pandemic has reassured her that nursing is not what it once was for her, she wants to help people but needs to be valued and respected too. Maybe “Marry me Juliette” is the opportunity to change her direction and life, the winnings would definitely help.
    Meeting at the auditions, these two women decide to stick together, support each other, despite competing for love. And oh what a whirl wind tale will come, they learn about themselves, about each other, about how harsh people can be and how the reality TV is anything but.
    LOVED this book, thanks Jodi McAlister and Beauty and Lace for the great read.

  6. Thank you for this book reading opportunity.

    The book was an enjoyable and light read.

    It made me laugh and was entertaining. The story takes place during Covid times and on the set of a reality dating show, so there’s lots happening. It was a fun read with likeable characters who were believable and were multidimensional.

    If you want a nice and easy romance with humour, this book is a good read. Thank you.

  7. Can I Steal you for a Second with main characters Mandy and Dylan was rather intriguing. I’m not a fan of reality shows but now I understand what can happen behind the scenes and how they are made to work. I didn’t love the story but I did like some of the characters from the soft personality of Mandy to the strong one of Dylan and the mighty of Lily Fireball!
    Being on a reality show at the start of the pandemic may have led some ofthis story down a different path but I’m guessing it is close to reality as it is. Romance, entertainment, friendship and real love all packaged in one.

  8. Thankyou for sending me this book. I would suggest this as an easy afternoon or beach read to enjoy. The whole story centres around and is set on set , of a TV reality show. Mandie..recently jilted by her Ex auditions for Marry Me Juliet, and ends up being part of the show…. she is there to capture the “romeos” heart but along the way finds her heart stolen by someone else.
    I’m not always a fan of stories that are really only set within one place…and I enjoy more backstop and character development..but it was a fun read, with some laughs and Mandie was a likeable character so I was definetly hoping for her to get her happy ending. As mentioned above…a super easy read for when you don’t want to have to think to much.

  9. Thanks to Beauty and Lace and Simon & Schuster I was lucky enough to read review Can I Steal you for a Second by Jodi McAlister.

    Set during the beginning of the Covid pandemic (which we can all relate to with a shudder) this story navigates a reality show being filmed under not so normal circumstances.

    I found myself getting so involved with the characters that I couldn’t put the book down!

    An easy, very enjoyable read!

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