Five out of Five Stars
One sentence summary: While seeking adventure, Maggie unknowingly stumbles upon her brother's best friend-- can the two work out their feelings, work on them selves, and avoid pissing off some people in the process?
First thought: I don't even want to review this book because I loved it so much. Sometimes, you just want to hold on to something and keep it for yourself. But I won't be greedy.
Why I read it: The cover. And I really like Amy Daws. In fact, after this read, she's in my top 5!
POV: First Person, Alternating M|F, Present Tense
Setting: Boulder, CO
Tropes: Brother's Best Friend-- and boy do I need to read another in that trope like yesterday!
Our Heroine: Maggie. I loved her. She's a little nutty and I found her charming. While she did somethings I didn't always agree with-- like giving up so much of your life for a boy, I accept that she's much younger than I am, and I was probably a lot like that too. She had a great sense of adventure and I liked rooting for her.
Our Hero: Sam. When Sam explains to Maggie that he's not passionate about Tires and what he is passionate about, I was swooning! He was a super sweet MC and a perfect introduction into the brother's best friend trope.
Overall thoughts: I didn't want to read this at first because honestly, I'm not into fishing. But ice fishing is COOL! I'm basically ready to pack up and move to Boulder so I can do all the cool shit Maggie and Sam did together. I really liked this read, so much so that I didn't take any review notes. At all. I'm here for Amy Daws' Rom Com style. There were so many moments that had me laughing out loud.
I also really like meta parts of this book. We'd get to see our MCs talk about romance novels, and Amy defiantly joked with her readers. I mean, I feel like we're pals after this. To me, that's one of the best things an author can do. Make you care about the book, the writer, and of course of MCs.
The sexy scenes: Both of our MCs had their hang ups, but it didn't get in the way of their amazing chemistry. While I wasn't mad blushing, I did think the scenes were super sweet and certainly enhanced by the setting.
The best part of the book: What I liked the most about this book is that it wasn't just a romance. It was also an exploration of Holland's love for her family, her strained relationship with her college best friend, and what it really means to find yourself. I'm not sure if I'd like more romance like that, I just think Christina Lauren did an incredible job with this one.
Worst part of the book: I have zero complaints.
TLDR: I loved this book. So much so that I'm already reading Wait with Me. I know you're thinking, Damn it Kay-- you did it again! But this one SAID STAND ALONE. And the cover model is hot. I love when we can see just a bit of his face and have to imagine the rest! Sorry for rambling in my TLDR section.
How I read it: Read for free with my Kindle Unlimited subscription.