I love this author and have loved almost all of her books. This one was good but I didn’t love it to the level that I usually love her books. Hard to put my finger on why, but there are still a lot of plusses, like a strong female character.

Everything I love about a LucyfreakingScore book.....funny enough to make me chortle with glee and still packed full of heart and a healthy heaping of spice! EXACTLY the way I like it!! There is nothing else quite like a found family/small town romance as done by Lucy. Always guaranteed a good time, plenty of feels and that lovely little book hangover when it is over cause you just don't wanna let go. This little gem will leave you smiling like a loon and perhaps having a hankering to get your HGTV on. A little this old house meets sassy FMC meets cute handy landscape guy meets hot mess of a pup, what more could you want?

I usually like Lucy score's book but this one was very formulaic. The characters were cute if unrealistic. It was a simple easy read that won’t be one I reread.

The premise of the book seemed better than when I got down to reading the book. Maggie a YouTube sensation is in Idaho for a Victorian house flip, but Silas the man she is working with is not on the same page. I thought it was going to be more of a back-and-forth between the two of them but at times it just felt more like a struggle to read the banter. This was probably me and I am sure others will enjoy it. I do know that it takes a lot to write a book so there are moments where everything is good with the story but then it just falls off.

Lucy score always seems to give us a well-worth read. I went into this knowing I’d enjoy it and I definitely did! It was slow to get into but Score’s writing helps keep you engaged all the way to the end. I read this in one sitting, with just a tad but skimming in the longer parts but had a great time reading this.

Damn it! I was hoping to love this one but that guy rubbed me the wrong way. He wasn’t funny and was an idiot! Loved the dog though!!

I'm horrified at how long it took me to read this because this was so fun! Love a good flip and the banter and chemistry between these two is great! It has a nice found family element, a great puppy sidekick and I'm so happy they found their way to a HEA! A great read to add to your summer tbr!

Now excuse me while I go read my way down Lucy Scores backlist 😂.

A huge thanks to Forever and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This novel features a protagonist, Maggie, who shines with her independence and capable demeanor. However, the romantic subplot with Silas, though charming at times, felt rushed and undermined by his possessive tendencies. While the book succeeds in portraying Maggie's journey of self-discovery and the warmth of found family dynamics, such as with Dean and Cody, it struggles with overly predictable conflicts and moments of forced romance. Despite its engaging side stories and humorous moments, the overall execution left me wanting more depth and authenticity, particularly in the development of the central relationship.

I really loved Maggie, and the dog (of course) but Silas was not my favorite book boyfriend. This will work great for some readers, but others may find it a miss.

I'm so conflicted because I loved a lot of this...home reno romance, small town, meddling town/family, etc. But the MFC fell victim to the MMC and I despised him. I was rooting for her😫
The way he spoke was extremely concerning and eventually flipped to triggering...if you've ever been in an abusive relationship of any kind, I'd be cautious reading any of the dialogue from Silas

A moving and thoughtful relationship fiction novel about moving on from a traumatic past and moving forward with hope

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher and am leaving an honest review.

I will fully admit my bias of loving pretty much any Lucy Score book ever written. The banter is always hilarious and clever, the characters are dynamic and sweet, and she writes excellent chemistry and all the steam! I could live in Blue Moon. This book is another small town story, and the hero of this book is adorable. I love that he falls first. I like the set-up of flipping a house, of them working together, and of course, I’m totally taken by the dog. :-) Another feel-good Lucy Score read!

^ Left the review in June of '22. Forgot to post it here, as well.

I LOVE Lucy score!! She never disappoints. This had one of my favorite tropes in it and was just incredible. She’s one of the funniest authors and her writing just puts you in a good mood.

Loved, loved, loved this book! Characters and setting were awesome, would love to revisit in future books!

I have read everything by Score and there is a definite difference between this and the others. I appreciated the brevity of Maggie Moves On in comparison but the voice was different in my head. 3.5 stars

I do love a good forced proximity with a super adorable pet trope!
The friction was decent. The characters - Silas annoyed me as a typical man. I was hoping for more - but a good read.

Maggie Moves On is a romance and a mystery. Which gave this novel a lot to do. And the cast of characters kept growing every chapter. To the point where I didn’t even know who the hell one of them was in the epilogue. I liked reading this novel, but felt it was trying to accomplish too much for one book. I also struggle with the fact that this was an open door romance but because there was so much to cover, the steam was just kind of lost.

But I really loved all of the pro therapy discussions, the positive influence one character had on another to prevent the other from burn out, the healthy conversations and relationships that I believe should be the standard.

I also struggled with the setting and cast of fully white characters. The town in Idaho was filled with southerners? Or they spoke like someone from Tennessee. I’ve been to Idaho, and know that’s not the case. And I’m fine to suspend that fact, but then why not add some diversity to the cast of an insanely long list of characters? I know there is only mostly white people in Idaho, but if they are going to sound like they don’t even live there then why can’t the cast be diverse?

Read if you like:
M/f romance
Insta-love
Found family
Western mysteries
Small town romance
Female girl boss

Maggie Nichols lives for a challenge. And when it comes to her career flipping houses and filming it all for social media, the older the house the better. She knows that her current, dilapidated fixer-upper in Idaho might just be the one to put her over a million followers. With pressure mounting to provide for an ever-growing production team, the last thing Maggie has time to even think about is a love life.

Enter Silas Wright. He’s Maggie’s hot, charming landscaping guy on her current project, and he knows that he’s the one to make Maggie rethink her whole outlook on love. Not only is Silas the eye candy Maggie needs to boost her ratings, but he’s also the caring, down-to-earth romantic who knows Maggie is the one for him. But with plans in place for Maggie to pick up and move on as soon as the current fixer-upper is done, the countdown is on for Silas to prove that it’s time for Maggie to stop running and build a solid foundation with him instead.

what drew me to this book

My love of fixer-upper shows goes way back to watching episodes of This Old House with my mom. That love has extended to books with any type of remodelling or redecorating theme. And Maggie Moves On might just top my list of romances featuring a house remodelling theme.

review

I have to first address my love of Silas Wright. If I ever needed a book boyfriend to be real for pure practicality’s sake, it would be for Sy. Sure, Sy is tall, chiseled, and charming – but most importantly, he’s handy around the house. Brooding males are fine, but can they help you renovate the inside of your house, plant and maintain a gorgeous lawn? And admit to being the first one to fall in love?

Silas admitted to falling for Maggie so early on, I spent most of the book waiting for the other shoe to drop. Surely a gorgeous, considerate family man with a heart of gold and a lovable dog can’t be the endgame from the very beginning. But clearly Lucy Score loves her readers, and she gave us a construction worker’s body, that golden boy smile, and a heart that doesn’t stray. Sy is definitely swoon-worthy book boyfriend material.

I also found a lot to love in the titular Maggie, but for completely different reasons. Maggie was such a complex character. She’s part adult who has to shoulder the responsibility of providing for her production family; part inner child who is still running from her past and the love she never received from her father. Maggie often chose professional success in lieu of personal fulfilment. If not always relatable to every reader, Maggie is at least a very understandable character. She repeatedly either denies or tries to self-sabotage her own peace and happiness.

Try as Maggie might to pretend there isn’t a thing between her and Silas, this is a Lucy Score book so all that pretending only leads to some pretty spicy scenes. I loved these scenes between Sy and Maggie. Sy had confessed really early on that Maggie was The One for him, so in spite of the steam in these scenes, they often showed just how much Sy loved Maggie – whether she was willing to admit it or not. Their evolving relationship was fantastic to watch, though to be completely honest, I was invested mostly because of Silas.

in conclusion

If a story featuring a swoon-worthy man, a wayward woman finding her way, and plenty of spice isn’t enough to tempt you, then you need to read Maggie Moves On for Kevin, Sy’s pet dog who is definitely a character all his own.

Lucy Score is one of my favorite authors, but unfortunately this story fell flat for me. I couldn’t get myself invested in the story or characters.

I loved the atmosphere and the characters in this story. Lucy Score's storytelling always grabs my attention and brings me into fold while smiling. It was the perfect feel good read.