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I’ve Got My Mind Set on Brew by Stephanie Jayne
Genre: Romance
Pages: 320
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Buy: Bookshop.org
This post contains spoilers.
Book Blurb
A down-on-her-luck craft beer brewer and her privileged new boss clash as they work together to save a quirky brewpub in this enemies-to-lovers workplace rom-com, perfect for fans of Rachel Lynn Solomon’s The Ex Talk.
Kat Malone is left cash-strapped after a job loss and a bad breakup (pro tip: never offer to pay living expenses for a freeloading poetry major) when she discovers a surprising new career path: craft beer brewer.
When the brewpub is sold, the new owner places his light-on-experience son in charge of the pub. Ryan is as basic as a pale lager and aims to turn quirky Resistance into a run-of-the-mill sports bar. Worse, he won’t consider Kat for the position of brewer’s assistant—the job she’d been promised by the previous owners.
Despite clashes between Kat and Ryan, he confides that Resistance is in financial trouble and that drastic changes will be needed if the pub has any hope of survival. Forced to collaborate, Kat realizes Ryan isn’t as bland as she assumed—he might even be exactly what she’s been craving.
But just as Ryan promises Kat a true partnership in the face of his father’s opposition, Kat is offered the opportunity of a lifetime. “Marrying the beer” used to be Kat’s only goal, but can she craft a brew for her life that allows her to have it all?
Fans of Kate Clayborn and Mariana Zapata will be raising a pint to this crisp, satisfying, slow-burn romantic novel.
My Thoughts
I’ve Got My Mind Set on Brew ended up being a very different romance than I expected. I picked it up hoping for a fun romance to cross off my TBR bingo before spring ended, but this is definitely a slow-burn, closed-door romance. In fact, halfway through the book the main characters still weren’t remotely romantic, which made the pacing feel much slower than I was hoping for.
One thing I struggled with from the beginning was the workplace dynamic. Ryan is Kat’s boss, so I found their relationship a little inappropriate at first. On top of that, Ryan wasn’t exactly easy to root for. He’s not intentionally a bad person, but he’s incredibly out of touch with how most people live. He fully acknowledges that he’s been handed every opportunity in life and wants to prove himself by turning the pub, Resistance, into a successful business, which I appreciated. Still, it was hard to overlook just how disconnected he was.
The differences between Ryan and Kat felt almost too big to overcome. Ryan drives three blocks instead of walking, while Kat takes a bus, a train, and then walks without thinking twice. He can’t even imagine walking that far. He lives in a free condo overlooking a sliver of Lake Michigan with underground parking, and after college he moved back home where his mom still cleaned his room and cooked all his meals. It’s obvious he comes from incredible privilege.
Even if the money technically belongs to his billionaire father and Ryan wants to build something on his own, I had a hard time picturing someone like Kat realistically ending up with him. Their lifestyles and worldviews just seemed so different that I kept questioning how a relationship between them would actually work long-term.
Kat also had a habit of constantly saying she might be overthinking things, and after a while that started to get repetitive.
When the first kiss finally happened around page 185, it almost felt surprising that it had taken that long. Then Kat immediately told her sister they might be dating after a single kiss, which felt out of character for someone who had otherwise seemed much more level-headed.
One unexpected highlight of the book was how much I learned about beer. I had no idea gluten-free beer even existed. Since I can’t drink regular beer, that was actually a fun discovery. I used to enjoy beers like Oktoberfest and crisp summer lagers before going gluten free, although I’ve always preferred wine or cocktails anyway. While I probably learned more about brewing and beer than I personally wanted to, readers who enjoy craft beer will likely appreciate all of the details.
By the time I reached the last twenty pages, I genuinely wasn’t sure how the story was going to bring Ryan and Kat back together. Thankfully, the ending wrapped everything up in a sweet way. I do think Ryan became a better person because of Kat. He grew, became more self-aware, and seemed to understand the world outside of his own experience a little better. I’m less convinced that Kat really changed because of Ryan. She finally had the difficult conversation with her mom, but that felt more like the result of everything happening in her own life than something Ryan inspired her to do.
Overall, I’ve Got My Mind Set on Brew is an easy, enjoyable read with likable moments and an interesting look into the brewing industry. The romance just wasn’t quite what I was looking for at the time. If you enjoy extremely slow-burn, closed-door romances with plenty of beer knowledge mixed in, this one may be exactly your style.
Final Thoughts
I’ve Got My Mind Set on Brew is a cozy, character-driven romance that leans just as heavily into craft beer as it does the relationship itself. While the romance moved much slower than I would have liked, I still found it to be an enjoyable, easy read with a satisfying ending. Readers looking for a sweet, closed-door romance and a behind-the-scenes look at the brewing world will likely have a great time with this one. If you’re hoping for lots of spice or a fast-moving romance, though, you may want to adjust your expectations before diving in.
If this review has you interested in ‘I’ve Got My Mind Set on Brew’, consider purchasing a copy through Bookshop.org and support both independent bookstores and the blog at this same time.
Read my interview with Stephanie Jayne
Check out other Romance Reviews:
An Academic Affair by Jodi McAlister
The Cactus by Sarah Haywood
Improbably Yours by Kerry Ann King
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