REVIEW: Come Here Often? by Ellie Center

Come Here Often? by Ellie Center: Kat thought her Day of Change would only include going to the Great Fitness health club in Nashville. She was not one for exercise, but her boyfriend Sam had bought her membership and she had finally worked up the nerve to go. After having the tour of the upscale club and working up the nerve to try the stationary bike, her boss calls and fires her because of her attitude and patient complaints. Then her day gets worse when Sam, her boyfriend of five years, calls her and tells her he is moving out. Kat’s anxiety skyrockets and when she gets close to the door to leave Great Fitness, she starts having panic attacks.

The thought of leaving the club and going outside where anything can happen scares her and sets her panic attacks off. She realizes she should not have missed her appointments with her therapist lately but now she is stuck inside a health club. Since she couldn’t leave, she hid and stayed at the club when it closed. While she spends the next few nights hiding from security, she spends the days meeting people and taking advantage of all the health club’s amenities. Can she find the confidence to get through the door?

The synopsis and the cute cover are very misleading because there is no romance or comedy in the book. Kat’s anxiety was the main focus of the book which got to be boring after a while. The author does a great job of getting across the feelings, pain, and triggers that people with mental illnesses face. While there Kat does spend some time reflecting on her life, her relationships, and how she avoids responsibilities. Once she conquers leaving the club, she finally determines what she wants for her future and resumes her therapy.

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. It got to be monotonous after a while and I was disappointed since it was not a true rom-com.

Book Info:

Publication: May 23, 2022 | Bookouture |

Ever been in the gym, about to jump on a bike, when you get dumped and fired within minutes? Then you have a panic attack and you’re physically unable to walk out of the door, so you’re stuck there? Yeah, that.

I’m Kat and today is officially my Day of Change. Step 1: signing up to Nashville’s fanciest health club. My idea of aerobics is lifting Dunkin’ Donuts, so I thought the toughest part would be getting on a treadmill. Wrong! I didn’t count on being dumped over the phone and fired from my job in the space of minutes. Now, that’s how you work up a sweat.

As my world unravels, and I have visions of turning into Great Aunt Gladys with her surplus of cats, I’m paralyzed by a panic attack. I can’t physically walk out of the door.

Unable to step outside into the hot mess of my life, I secretly spend night after night sleeping on massage tables, avoiding security guards, hiding from my ex, and drinking a lot of green juices. I won’t lie, flirting with blue-eyed personal trainer Marcus, who’s carved like a Greek god and has a smile that makes my stomach flip-flop, definitely takes the edge off.

But it’s just a matter of time before I’m caught… Can I get my act together? Will Marcus forgive me if he finds out the truth? And how personal is too personal when it comes to personal trainers?