book review – Page 2

Thoughts While Reading: When We Left Cuba by Chanel Cleeton

April 19, 2019April 18, 2019Leave a Comment

April 10, 2019 at 7:57 p.m.

Winning! Very rarely do I pre-order books. I typically add a release I am standing by for to my Amazon Cart and just let it sit there until it releases..I can count on one hand how many pre-orders I’ve actually done. When We Left Cuba by Chanel Cleeton is one of the few. This beauty arrived yesterday and I started it last night. I feel like I totally scored with this one because I logged into Overdrive last night and my local library had the Audiobook available, NO HOLDS!

Ever since finishing Next Year In Havana, I couldn’t wait to get Aunt Beatriz’s story. In that one, she just came across very beautiful and powerful. Like she didn’t really care how beautiful she was, she preferred intelligence and making change. She seemed so radical and revolutionary. Having this gem in my hands right now has me feeling an excitement for a book I haven’t felt in a long time. I have been patiently waiting for this story and am thrilled it’s finally here.

The prologue ending to Beatriz’s story is Everything:

“When did she get so old? There is no note in the basket, but then again there’s no need. Who else would send her such a gift: extravagant, poignant, perfectly her? No one but him.”

I need to find out who ‘him,‘ is.

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April 16, 2019 at 9:18 a.m.

I have been making my way through When We Left Cuba since it arrived in the mail, but last night we made the four hour trip to Dallas, Texas and I got. good chunk of the audiobook listened to.

I’m currently about 63% of the way through and I have tons of feels.

“I wish I’d never met I’m at all, so I wouldn’t know what I’m missing.”

“Is this love? Who has time to worry about such things? At the moment it is everything and that’s all that matters.”

“It turns out, missing you is the most exhausting thing of all.”

I now know who “him,” is..Nicholas. I am anxious to see what becomes of the relationship between him and Beatriz. With how it started and what it basically was, I don’t think I can really see it being anything other than…

The pacing of this book takes me back to Next Year In Havana. Cleeton’s story telling feels very slow moving while at the same time having so many moving pieces. Beatriz is a force to be reckoned with. She is a very head strong, intelligent heroine and I love her. Beatriz paints the perfect picture of what being a woman during her time was like and how difficult it could be if you were a woman who didn’t want to conform to societal norms.

The main theme I am feeling from this book thus far, is “do something.” Beatriz has this strong urge, that drives from loyalty to her brother, her country..to act now, to do something about what her people have went through. All while being in love with a man who can never truly be hers, and having a man in love with her, who she realizes has been in love with her for years.

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April 18, 2019 at 7:17 p.m.

I finished the book this afternoon. I couldn’t give it anything less than 5 out of 5 stars, it was so damn good. Firstly, if you’re not a fan of slow moving stories..I say stick with this one. It’s very much worth it in the end. When We Left Cuba is very political. I loved that Cleeton set it during the time period she did, because it was so easy to imagine how tense the world was at the time. The time period also played heavily into Beatriz’s character. She was a young woman during a time when society’s expectations, her family’s expectations were for her to marry and start a family. Attending school, voicing her opinions..were totally opposite of what was expected of her. It was truly the love of her family and her love for Cuba that wouldn’t allow her to sit idly by as things were happen. She needed to do something.

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The thing about the romance between Beatriz and Nicholas is, it starts off totally wrong and with all the odds against it. Despite that, the love between these two only grows stronger with time. They always find their way back to each other. This books ending won’t be your favorite happily ever after, but it works once you get to know Beatriz. I honestly couldn’t see the ending being any other way. She was a woman who did things on her terms, when she wanted to, so the ending made total sense to me, and I absolutely loved it.

I can’t recommend this book enough. If you want a good historical novel, rich with history from a time period I think gets overlooked a lot, I definitely think you should check it out.

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Midnight At Wandering Vineyard by Jamie Raintree

April 16, 2019May 3, 2019Leave a Comment

Hello Friends. Spring Reading is in full effect. I am determined to enjoy this season as much as possible, because I feel like it’s the season I’ve shown the least amount of love to in the past. I love beautiful spring flowers and as I reflect on it, cozy romances give me all the perfect for Spring vibes. I recently finished a semi cozy romance which was my first ever read by Jamie Raintree, Midnight At Wandering Vineyard.

Midnight At Wandering Vineyard by Jamie Raintree

Published March 26, 2019 by Graydon House

Average Goodreads Rating: 3.77 Stars

My Rating: 3.5 Stars

“Maybe no one entirely gets over their first love.”

Synopsis:

The follow-up to Raintree’s sparkling debut Perfectly Undone, MIDNIGHT AT THE WANDERING VINEYARD brilliantly meshes the provocative relationship fiction of Jennifer Weiner with the nuanced family dynamics of Karen White in this story of a young woman who reconnects with her estranged best friend to complete their teenage bucket list, but the man who came between them years ago reappears to challenge their bond once again.

A young woman at a crossroads in her life returns home to her family’s vineyard in California when tragedy strikes and reconnects with her estranged childhood best friend. They decide to complete the bucket list they created the summer they were 18, the summer that saw their friendship torn apart. But when the man who came between them all those years ago reappears, it challenges their fragile new bond and pushes each woman to confront past hurts and buried truths.

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My Thoughts:

Midnight At The Wandering Vineyard was a good book. I liked it. It was okay. I couldn’t give it more than 3.5 stars because it wasn’t anything more than just okay for me. I didn’t realize this book was a book two, or follow up book to another until I was already too far into it to turn back. I’m not sure if had I read the first book that I’d feel differently about this one or not, but I wanted to love it more than I did.

“That’s the thing with Sam. He’s always been able to either make me feel like the most important person in the world, or like I don’t exist. But never in between.”

I think my experience with reading this book was that I went into having expectations, yet not really.. I feel like this “review,” is going to be a bit all over the place, but that’s honestly how my thoughts on it are. Beautiful cover, the cover to this book is absolutely stunning. The descriptions of Mallory’s (the main character) family vineyard are breathtaking.

Honestly, I couldn’t tell you what happened in the first half of this book. Have you had the experience of reading something while also being easily distracted because the story isn’t holding your attention? That was me with Midnight At The Wandering Vineyard.

Mallory returns home and it’s super tense. She is hoping to rekindle the long lost friendship between her and her ex best friend Kelly. Once upon a time, nothing could come between these two..until it did, in the form of Sam. It didn’t really hit me until further into the book that regardless of how swoon worthy Sam may be, he is also a tad bit of a douchebag.

The friendship between Mallory and Kelly felt a little over the top. I feel bad for saying that because each woman her their stuff going on..but it just felt over the top at times. I had my moments where Kelly felt a little too needy for my liking. Then there is all this tension about Mallory never coming home. I have never been to neither California nor New York, but knowing Geography, I know they are on complete opposite coasts. So I’m assuming that unless you’re financially capable, that very few are constantly making the trip back and forth between the two.

I did have a favorite part though, and that was advice Mallory’s Dad gives her about relationships. I won’t go into all the details, but I will share what his specific advice is, because I loved it:

“the first thing I think it’s important to do is let go of expectations. I’ve seen a lot of good friends divorce because they had unrealistic expectations of their spouses. But this is true in friendships, too. Take what people give you and let that be enough. Because people usually give all they’re capable of giving, the way they’re capable of giving it, and expecting more than that is just setting the relationship up to fail.”

“Don’t be afraid to ask for help.”

“Relationships are the most important thing. It can take a while to figure that out, but if there’s anything I’ve learned from talking to people older than me, we all get there eventually. At a point in everyone’s life, after all the titles have been earned and the money has been made, we look around and realize none of those things have given us the happiness we’ve been searching for. But when you’re surrounded by the right people, a ten-minute conversation, walking through a vineyard with someone you love, can mean everything.”

Overall, this was an okay book. Maybe I will go back and read it’s predecessor to see if maybe I missed something. I wanted to Love it more than I did.

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Thoughts While Reading: The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves

April 5, 2019April 4, 2019Leave a Comment

Hello Friends! It is a chill Sunday night and I just got cozy in bed and read chapter three of The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves. I “started” this book about a week ago, but the way last week was set up: hardly any reading got done. I am determined to get it finished this week though because it releases April 2. I thought instead of a typical review, I’d just do check in’s every few chapters or so and share my feelings and thoughts…

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Sunday, March 24th at 7:33 pm:

I am very early into the book but already, only three chapters in, the tension is building up for me. I really want to know what the heck Annika did to Jonathan.

So far I am enjoying the way the book is formatted. It appears that we will flip flop between Annika and Jonathan’s narration, so I’m hoping we are privy to what happened from both of their perspectives.

Also, I tabbed a few things Annika says in chapter 3 that has me curious as to if she is autistic..

“When I was a child, I would rock and hum, but as I got older, I learned to keep my self-soothing methods hidden.”

“He smelled faintly of chlorine, and while I hated most smells, for some reason that one didn’t bother me.”

But I had a very sensitive nose and I knew what it was the moment she introduced us. Janice understood that the memories it triggered were something I simply couldn’t handle.”

“It would take me hours to fully unwind, but being home allowed me to relax slightly and my breathing to grow deeper.”

“Janice had had three years to learn how to communicate with me, and to her credit, she’d mastered my native language like an expert linguist.”

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Saturday, March 30th at 5:24 pm:

I did some catch up reading of The Girl He Used To Know this morning while sipping a delicious latte at one of my coffee spots. I didn’t get very far, but it felt so good to jump back into the story. For real, it has been a while since a book has had me highlighting and underlining like crazy and I am nowhere near even halfway through this book. It’s so good. The chapter I read today was from Jonathan’s perspective and my heart has broken for him, both due to his recent divorce and for whatever the heck Annika did to him!

When thinking of his recent divorce:

“It’s funny how the very trait that attracts you to someone is the same trait you can’t stand when you’re untangling yourselves from each other. And not funny ha-ha. Funny like how in the world could you not have seen it?”

“That’s the thing no one tells you about divorce. No matter how much you and your spouse agree that the relationship is broken, it hurts like hell when you go to your separate ways, and the pain follows you around until one day, it doesn’t. It’s only recently that I’ve noticed its absence, and I have no desire to gamble on replacing it with more heartbreak.”

Jonathan agrees to have a coffee date with Annika where they make basically small talk and nothing from the past gets resolved. So as it comes to a close, Jonathan thanks her for the coffee and tells her he should get going. He can tell it bothers her:

“When she comprehends that one coffee date I the extent of our reunion, she looks crushed. Thought is isn’t intentional and it’s certainly not retaliatory, I have the fleeting thought that this is the first time I’ve ever done anything to hurt her. And it feels awful.”

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Wednesday, April 3rd at 7:18 pm

It’s been a few days but I have been taking my time with this book. Savoring it yet devouring it piece by piece. It is beautiful. I finally got the answers to my questions I had when I initially started the book. Annika’s therapist believes she lives is on the high functioning spectrum of autism but Annika has never taken the steps to finding out for sure. I love how in a way, rather than put a name or label on something, the author chose to just create this complex character and her quirks and leave it at that. Jonathan is now a favorite hero. He truly lives up to the word.

Something crazy, what in the world plot twist just happened that I wasn’t expecting and my heart is a little broken at the moment but wow. I feel like this is going to be one of those books I never shut up about.. it has my emotions all over the place.

Thursday, April 4th at 6:57 pm

Hello loves. I finished the book this morning. I gave it 5/5 stars on Goodreads. It was so good. I enjoy second chance romances, especially when the writer writes the story where you are time hopping between then and now. That’s how The Girl He Used To Know is written and I couldn’t imagine it being written any other way. You really get to see the evolution of Annika with the time hopping. She is a very intelligent, beautiful woman but there’s a lot of things she doesn’t know how to do, a lot of things she’s uncomfortable with doing. Jonathan comes into her life and tries to ease things for her which I loved but she really did need to see that she could do life on her own at the same time. I liked that. I liked that Annika needed to figure life out and how she personally can navigate the world before getting her happily ever after. In the end, she really had to be bold, be brave, to find the man she loves and I was so proud of her.

This is a wonderful romance for lovers of second chances. If you enjoy those stories of two people who are perfect for each other, making their way back to one another, I think you’ll really enjoy this one.

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Sin and Ink by Naima Simone

March 28, 2019March 24, 2019Leave a Comment

Hello Friends! I finished my first ever Naima Simone romance and don’t mind me as I casually binge my way through everything I can find with her name on this year.. I read Sin and Ink which is a romance I have heard nothing but raving reviews on. Did it live up to all of the hype it gets? Absofreakinglutely!

Sin and Ink by Naima Simone

Published October 15, 2018 by Entangled Publishing, LLC (Scorched)

Audiobook narrated by Rock Engle & Mackenzie Cartwright

4/5 Stars

“Sex with Knox, my employer, my friend, my brother in law, is about 31 different flavors of crazy. Inappropriate doesn’t even begin to cover it. But forbidden and practically incestuous does.”

Synopsis:

There’s sin, and then there’s literally going-straight-to-hell sin…

Being in lust with my dead brother’s wife pretty much guarantees that one day I’ll be the devil’s bitch. But Eden Gordon works with me, so it’s getting harder and harder to stay away. I promised my family—and him—I would, though.

My days as an MMA champion are behind me. But whenever I see her, with those wicked curves and soft mouth created for dirty deeds, it’s a knock-down fight to just maintain my distance. “Hard Knox” becomes more than just the name of my tattoo shop. However, surrendering to the forbidden might be worth losing everything…

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My Thoughts:

Sin and Ink had my emotions here there and everywhere. Simone has created this back story to Knox and Eden’s romance that is a complete ode to how forbidden and wrong their attraction to each other. I love a grieving hero story and reading Sin and Ink made me realize it’s been a while since I’ve read a grieving widow story. I liked how in this romance though, Eden lost her husband two years ago, so when we meet her in the book, she is at the point where she is ready to stop grieving and move on. She makes an important point in the book which is basically that she didn’t die with her husband.

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I liked that Knox and Eden didn’t immediately jump each others bones. As the reader we really get a much needed glimpse into the guilt that both of them feel about their attraction to one another. I liked that the author explored this and didn’t have them just going for it. Besides these two grappling with both their guilt and this love and lust that’s ready to explode, there is this constant feeling of walking around on egg shells when it comes to Knox’s family.

Knox’s Mother is still really grieving the death of her son and blames Knox for his death. In the story she spews out some pretty hurtful words his way. I liked the way that his Mother was written. Her still grieving and accusations toward Knox only added to the conflict surrounding the romance.

I listened to Sin and Ink on audio while following along with the ebook and there were a few parts early on in the book that felt a bit slow. These slow parts I will attribute to the male narrator and me having to get use to his narration style.

Not to end off on a negative though, I loved this book. I was addicted to the attraction between Eden and Knox while at the same time listening with my eyes closed and sneaking a peek every once in a while. It felt so wrong but the love between the two was undeniable. Simone did a great job of of writing what it must feel like the surviving spouse but rather than dwelling on that and focusing the story around it, I loved how our surviving spouse is ready to move on with her life.

Overall this was an emotional roller coaster. It’s very, very sexy. Very descriptive. If that’s not your thing, you’ve been warned..

“My love for him is that of a woman who has experienced the suffering of life and has come out stronger, forced into unbreakable steel. A woman who understands that she doesn’t need a man by her side to complete the picture of who she is but chooses to want him there. My love for his is with the knowledge that heroes aren’t shiny, golden-haired, perfect Gods. They’re men. Scarred, battered, wounded men with feet of clay…and hearts of the purest, most precious gold.”

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Some Sort of Crazy by Melanie Harlow

March 19, 2019March 18, 2019Leave a Comment

Okay Friends, I haven’t read many series, trilogies or whatever else is out there. Until I started reading romance, I cringed at the thought of continuing on with a cast of characters in multiple books. I was a one and done kind of girl. I am so glad my love of romance has changed my perspective on this crazy way of thinking because I would totally be missing out on trilogies like Melanie Harlow’s, Happy Crazy Love trilogy. Thanks to a couple of friends on Instagram, I went into book two, Some Sort of Crazy a little aware that I was going to love it..and I did.

Some Sort of Crazy by Melanie Harlow

Published November 17, 2015

4/5 Stars

Narrated on Audiobook by Nelson Hobbs and Lucy Malone

“The entire night was just ours, like we existed outside of time, in our own little world.”

Synopsis:

When a psychic tells Natalie Nixon her life is about to be upended by a mysterious stranger, she laughs it off. After all, she has everything she’s ever wanted—a successful bakery, a the perfect boyfriend, and the keys to her dream house.

Who could possibly make her want to throw all that away?

Then Miles Haas comes back to town.

But he’s no stranger—they’ve known each other since high school. Plus, he’s only around for the summer, he’s still a shameless playboy, and he makes a living writing articles for a men’s magazine with titles like ‘Should You Bang the Boss’s Daughter? A Flowchart’ and ‘Butt Stuff for Beginners: A Field Guide.’

He’s not the man of her dreams, and she’s not about to abandon everything she’s worked so hard for just for a little fun. Except he makes her laugh like no one else, smells like heaven, and looks sexy as hell in those panty-melting glasses.

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My Thoughts:

Some Sort of Crazy was a fun roller coaster ride while also being sexy as hell. Where with book 1, Some Sort of Happy, the vibe felt very dark, the vibe in Some Sort of Crazy felt very light hearted and just completely different. I liked that although following one of the sisters of the main character from book 1 and still feeling pretty invested in this world and characters, this book was able to stand on it’s own. You can totally skip book one and read this one without it..but don’t!

I liked Natalie as a main character. She gives you the good girl vibes without feeling ridiculous. I love that she owns her own coffee shop. She’s been in a relationship with her boyfriend Dan for forever and long story short, things happen and they break up. This is shortly after Miles, a long time friend of Natalie’s has come home. After Natalie thank you next’s Dan, she allows herself the liberty of hanging out with Miles.

Miles, oh Miles. Miles is a single guy, living the single guy dream. He does what he wants unapologetically but has always secretly been in love with Natalie. He is a blogger with a blog dedicated to different sexual situations he has found himself in with women.

Total friends to lovers. Guy finally gets the girl kind of story. I liked that Natalie’s cutting Douchebag Dan off had nothing to do with Miles and everything to do with the strength she realized she had. I was happy to not have any moments where she regretted cutting him off. That is mostly thanks to Miles, but despite the reputation he has built for himself, I respected that Miles respected Natalie enough to not allow anything initially to happen that she may regret later.

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I really enjoyed the family aspect you get in this one. It was there in book one too, but I felt like we got more insight into the relationship between the 3 sisters in Some Sort of Crazy. Even Sebastian, the love interest from book one. He has obviously become part of the family, and I liked seeing him written into certain scenes as one of the family members.

In true Harlow fashion, this book was sexy as hell. Very descriptive sex scenes that will leave you breathless. In this story though, during each sex scene I found myself rooting for Natalie. She deserved each and every moment of it after what she had been through with Douchebag Dan. Miles was crazy about her and wanted to make her happy and make her feel good. When Miles begins to realize he is feeling something he’s never felt before, it truly felt earth shattering. I had to laugh at him, because as he begins to realize and question his feelings for Natalie, he thinks he’s getting sick.

Now, I will forewarn you-this romance does have a twist that I know many people aren’t fond of. I typically roll my eyes at it as well, but in Some Sort of Crazy, it worked. It made sense, and I honestly can’t imagine the twist having went any other direction and actually working.

Onto book 3 I go. Let me know if you’ve given this trilogy a go, or anything by Melanie Harlow. Until next time, take care of yourselves. We will chat again soon. xo

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Some Sort of Happy by Melanie Harlow

March 15, 2019March 15, 2019Leave a Comment

What’s up Friends? I have been slowly but happily, making my way through Melanie Harlow’s bibliography. Back in December of 2018, I participated in round 2 of Smutathon hosted by two booktubers, Lainey and Riley. I made this whole tbr that in the end I didn’t stick to. A friend on Instagram posted the cover of a Melanie Harlow novel, and being the curious being that I am, I took to Goodreads to investigate. Long story short, your girl is hooked on Harlow. This addiction I have to her books is a real thing. Here are my thoughts on Some Sort of Happy which I finished on Audible yesterday.

Some Sort of Happy by Melanie Harlow (Happy Crazy Love, Book 1)

Published September 22, 2015

4/5 Stars

Narrated on Audio by Nelson Hobbs & Lucy Malone

Synopsis:

Skylar Nixon is a twenty-seven year old failed actress with no Plan B. After a humiliating stint on a reality TV show crushes what’s left of her childhood dream, she finds herself back in her hometown with no money saved, no college degree, and no confidence she’s anything but a joke—a small town starlet who couldn’t hack it in the big city.

When she runs into former classmate Sebastian Pryce, she can’t believe the hot body and chiseled jaw belong to the shy, troubled loner she knew ten years before. He’s not exactly friendly at first, and she’s heard the rumors about his tragic past, but something in his sad eyes intrigues her. She only wants to get to know him better.

Until the night she wants more—and takes it. (Hard and deep. Twice.)

Are they just two lonely people seeking solace? Or can a disgraced beauty queen and flawed, frustrated man find some sort of happy ever after?

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My Thoughts:

Wow! What a ride. Melanie Harlow sure knows how to tug at a girl’s heart. From the very beginning of this book, I knew I’d be on a roller coaster ride. I liked how when we are introduced to Skyler she is down on her luck. Everything isn’t perfect for her. She has honestly in a lot of ways, hit rock bottom. I liked that the hit had already happened, so we meet her, and the focus is on how do I move past this and on from here? Also, when it comes to Skyler, her insecurities felt very real and genuine. She is the perfect example of not judging a person by appearance. She is a pretty girl who is insecure because she feels she doesn’t have a lot going for herself in comparison to her sisters. One of which is a doctor (I think) and the other is a business owner. Skyler was on a reality show and with a lot of editing and manipulation, painted as the bad girl. Especially after the shows airing and all the of the edited words in Skyler’s mouth, it causes a lot of doors to close in her face. I loved this reality tv backstory.

Sebastian, oh my heart! He’s not broken, I don’t want to say that, but oh my goodness he has his own insecurities he has to work through. Sebastian lives with a form of OCD. He and Skyler went to high school together, but didn’t run in the same crowd. In fact, Sebastian’s high school experience sucked! Sebastian has always secretly had a thing for Skyler and I was totally here for it. He gets the girl in this one! But in true Melanie Harlow fashion, he has to work through his issues before that happens, which I love and appreciate.

I liked how Sebastian as the love interest wasn’t perfect. I loved seeing how he lives with his OCD and we get to see the constant up and downs he experiences. We get to see how he goes a little too far in the deep end when he’s not taking care of himself like he should. I thought the author did a really good job of writing him. You want so bad for him to just be okay. And I loved how Skyler loved him regardless of his OCD. He truly thought he wasn’t good enough for her. I love when a hero doesn’t think he’s worthy. Hah! Skyler begins to learn his ticks and triggers and I just adored their relationship. It truly is team work and takes work.

I think out of the novels I’ve read by Melanie Harlow so far, this one felt the sexiest. I haven’t read one yet that didn’t include some sexy time, but Wow! Sebastian and Skyler’s sex scenes are like embedded in my brain at the moment. Onto book two I go..

xoxo,

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Catastrophe Queen by Emma Hart

March 7, 2019March 4, 2019Leave a Comment

“I wanted to find love and keep it and not set anything on fire or cause any natural disasters in the process.”

Catastrophe Queen by Emma Hart

Published January 29, 2019

4/5 Stars

Synopsis:

One hot mess. One hot boss. One too many hot encounters…

It’s not you. It’s me.
No, seriously. It is me. Not only does my name literally mean “unfortunate,” but that’s the story of my life.

Everything I touch turns to crap. An apartment fire—that I swear I was not responsible for—means I’m living back at home with my sex-mad parents. Yay, me!

Which is why I need my new job as personal assistant to Cameron Reid to get back on my feet. Three months in this job and I can move back out and, hopefully, remember to turn off my flat iron once in a while.

Ahem.

On paper, my job is easy. Make coffee. Book appointments. Keep everything in order.

Until I walk in on my boss, half-naked, wearing nothing but the kind of tiny white towel that dreams are made of.

Now, nothing is easy—except our mutual attraction. But he’s my boss, and you know what they say about mixing work and pleasure: unless you do p*rn, it’s just not worth it.

Or is it?

My Thoughts:

Catastrophe Queen is my first Emma Hart romance, and I really enjoyed it. This book is less than 200 pages, yet I felt it did all it needed to do in a short amount of time. I will say, if errors are a thing that bothers you as you’re reading, you’ve been forewarned: this book could’ve used a bunch of extra editing, but I was having so much fun reading it, I was able to look past it.

This book is hilarious. I was sitting at a coffee shop reading the last few chapters and laughing so hard. There is so much funny banter between characters: Emme’s family for one is a hot mess. Emme lives with her parents and currently her Aunt Grace and Grandpa are living with them as well. I lived for the fussing between Aunt Grace and Grandpa. Emme’s Mom is so stressed at having these fussing family members under the same roof that she usually has a glass of something which contains alcohol in her hands. On top of Emme being a klutz, her dysfunctional family was the icing on the cake.

I loved the set up of this book. Emme literally walks while daydreaming into traffic and is saved by her soon to be boss, Cameron. Once she starts the job, you’re on edge the entire time hoping she doesn’t make a fool of herself. I loved that Cameron found her klutziness adorable and the two were able to joke about it together.

Another aspect to the story I enjoyed was once the feelings between Cameron and Emme were put out there, how easy it was for them to enjoy each others company. I loved how they would just chill with some food and watch serial killer documentaries. Their relationship felt very realistic.

Overall, I think if you’re looking for a fun, quick read, you should check this one out. It didn’t leave anything to be desired. It did what it needed to do in a short amount of pages, and I am always in aw when an author manages to do that!

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