Maggie Moves On follows Maggie, a house flipper with an uber-popular YouTube channel, and Silas, a local landscaper. I wanted to love this book--I love the fixer-upper and small-town romance angles--but I think this book sealed the deal that insta-love just isn't for me. I need a more tension and build-up to get invested in a relationship that feels real and believable for me.

Maggie Moves On was such a lovely read. I enjoyed everything about this book. Sylas was the perfect hero, charming, smart, and oh so sweet.
Kinship provided the perfect setting for this small town romance. You will fall in love with all these characters.

Engaging Characters, Snappy Dialogue, Cozy Mystery

Maggie Moves On is about a snarky, funny, inclusive, goal-oriented popular house-flipper who falls for a creative, patient, family-oriented handsome landscaper – and he really “gets” her! I really enjoyed this book. Both Maggie and Sy are strong likeable characters. One of my favorite things about Maggie is that she’s a diplomatic negotiator who seems to collect people (and animals) and lets them to her close-knit world like family. My favorite things about Sy are his patience and creative ability for solutions. I also enjoyed all the ways the title of the book reveals itself as the main character experiences growth.

Here are some subjects covered that didn’t bother me but may be possible triggers for some:
a child feeling unloved; child/teen abandonment; a parent who’s hooked on drugs.

Heat level: 3 out of 5. Detailed scenes but not over the top; lots of heated looks.

Grab your cozy blanket and hot tea/cocoa/coffee/wine. This slow-burn romance is funny and engaging entertainment with a cozy mystery thrown in.

Let me start by saying some of Lucy Score's more recent works have been a bit of a miss for me, so I was a little apprehensive going into this one, especially with it being her first that wasn't self-published. I'm so glad I decided to read it because this is quite possibly her BEST work yet. I devoured it from start to finish and just didn't want it to end. Everything about it--the town, the house, the cast of characters (from the swoony hot landscaper to the goofy dog)--just drew me in and made me want to live in the story. It's definitely earned a spot on my 2022 favorites list as I couldn't love it more!

Thanks Netgalley for this Arc!

2.5 ⭐️

Small Town Romance

It felt a little underwhelming for me. There were some cute scenes, especially when Kevin was there. It’s like the trope ‘He fell first but she fell harder’. Some scenes were kinda cringey were Sy was calling himself ‘boyfriend’ and stuff, but I did like the when he called himself “future husband” that was way cuter than when he called himself her boyfriend even though he was the only one flirting. It’s alright. The plot was kinda messy because there was too much going on. Especially the mystery, I don’t even know what was happening I just pieced it together when Maggie was telling the whole story about it. The gold didn’t really intrigued me much. It was also kind of wattpad-y because of the big house, mystery, when she kinda adopted Cody, the whole family dynamic of Silas,it gave me very much wattpad vibes.

This is an excellent book with a fun premise and well drawn characters. Maggie finds rundown houses and fixes them up for her popular You Tube channel. She stays in a location for several months, then moves on to the next project.
Silas Wright owns a successful landscaping company, and he’s been hired to do the outside of the house, a beautiful Victorian with lots of potential. This house has a mysterious history. Gold from a well known robbery was never recovered, and rumors put it at the house. Maggie is interested but thinks it’s unlikely.
As the rehab goes on, Maggie is accepted by the small town and by Silas’ family. Her family isn’t close, and she’s enjoying being accepted. She and Silas are getting serious, and Maggie is wondering whether she’ll move on or not.
I loved the relationship between Maggie and Silas, it’s a great example of opposites attract and found family. It was interesting reading about the house remodel, and the treasure hunt subplot was a lot of fun.
The writing flowed and I couldn’t put it down once I started. 5 stars.

Synopsis:
Can these opposites turn up the heat… without burning down the house?

House-flipping sensation and YouTube star Maggie Nichols can’t wait to dig into her next challenge. Arriving in tiny Kinship, Idaho, with only a cot and a coffeemaker, Maggie is prepared to restore a crumbling Victorian mansion in four months or less. She has her to-do lists, her blueprints, and her team. What she doesn’t have is time for sexy, laid-back landscaper Silas Wright.

The man takes flirtation to a whole new level. And he does it shirtless…sometimes pants-less. He and his service school-dropout dog are impressively persistent. But she’s not interested in putting down roots. Not when fans tune in to watch her travel the country turning dilapidated houses into dream homes. A short-term fling on the other hand could fit nicely into her calendar. After all, Maggie remembers what fun is like. Vaguely.

As their summer gets downright steamy, Silas manages to demolish the emotional walls she’s spent years building, sending Maggie into a panic. He’s the wrench in her carefully constructed plans. With the end of the project looming, she has a decision to make. But how can she stay when her entire career is built on moving on?

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Maggie Moves On was a really fun read!! I enjoyed reading the renovation aspect, and loved all of the characters (especially Kevin!)

Silas is playful and swoony, I loved his confidence and flirtatiousness. There were times he was a little overkill, but he was a good match for Maggie. She had such a hard shell in the beginning, it was neat reading her walls start to crumble a bit and letting people in. I do wish this romance was about 100 pages shorter. It was a bit long! But it’s a lighthearted romance that is a perfect summer read!

I was drawn to this book for the cover! I love stories that include dogs, but the story itself I struggled with.

What I liked:
- I liked that Maggie was flipping houses and doing construction work herself and not just the decorating type work.
- Kevin! He was hilarious and provided great entertainment.
- Silas family. I love that the siblings have a group chat and look out for each other.

What I didn’t like:
- I couldn’t stand Silas. He was kind of a jerk. I hated how he would order Maggie to do things. It just felt more abusive than flirty or loving. It just irritated me.
- The book tended to drag on.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an advanced ebook in exchange for my honest review.

I'm beyond thrilled that this romance did not take place in NY or LA nor was the heroine in advertising, public relations, or a chef.. For once an author has heard me and wrote a cute story about a woman who is running from herself by running across the US only to eventually find that there is home in the most unlikely places: IDAHO!

When Silas Wright came on the scene, with his obnoxious flirtation, I thought his almost criminal pursuing of Maggie would drive me crazy but it's hard to not fall in love with someone who is not only confident with themselves but they also are confident who they are. Si's obvious attraction to Maggie, which is evident from day one of the story, doesn't present Maggie as desperate or harassed. She takes it in stride and seems even amused with Si's pursuit. BUT, I could see where it would be easy for Si to step over the line and I'm glad that Score reigned Si in a bit.

Maggie's relationship with her ex-husband and business partner was interesting. But the added of his being gay didn't seem necessary.

Maggie's relationship with her father and half-sister built up why Maggie is afraid of being close to people but her father being a billionaire didn't really add to the story.

Overall, a fun book. One that I have been recommending.

OMG! This book was amazing!!my first Lucy Score book and let me say it did not disappoint! Maggie is such a badass! Building her company from the ground up with her hard work and dedication to it and props to her for just being a women in a male dominated field! Now bring Silas into the mix! OMG! Silas is a dreamy book boyfriend that will everyone swooning over him. The angst and the banter that they had going on was amazing! It added so much to the story and made me love the dynamic between them. It was so worth seeing them work things out. The only reason it’s missing a star is because I would’ve loved to see more of Silas and Maggie’s ending and seen a peek into their lives. I also loved all the other characters like Cody and Wallace. The way Maggie looked out for Cody and cared for him was so heartwarming! Overall a great book that I’d definitely recommend!!

I've heard of Lucy Score but this was my first Lucy book ever, as I'm a major sucker for the home improvement trope. Well, let me tell you, Lucy Score just gained a new fan! Maggie Moves On is in the running for the Best Book of 2022 and I'll definitely be keeping Lucy on my Must Read Authors list.

I first realized I was totally hooked by page 32, when I laughed audibly for the 3rd time (this is rare for me, I am not an audible giggler) but was having some plot anxiety as the book went on. You see, Maggie moves on. . . yes that's the title but also just what she does. Never staying in one place long enough to grow roots, I was extremely worried we would end up with a break-up-make-up scene at the end but now I know to trust Lucy Score.

Maggie Moves On has the added bonus of a stagecoach mystery AND a gay brother finding true love PLUS a nice dash of everyday diversity (sometimes our moms are Black, sometimes our brothers are gay) which I really appreciate.

Huh. I could go on and on about this book, that's how much I liked it. I'll stop now, because I'm literally heading to the bookstore to get more Lucy Score.

This was my first Lucy Score book and if the rest of her books are like this one I am officially a fan!

I adored the flirting and banter…the small town…the dog…the friends that become family. It is hard to find a book that is sweet and fun but also has steam and this book delivered on both!

Cannot wait to read more books by the author!

This was such a great story. There was great chemistry, a lot of found family that I adored and a really great arc for Maggie. There was also a ton of laughs and a few steamy scenes. I adored the animals in the book way more than I probably should have but they were just too endearing. The house renovations and landscape changes were also really well done and I enjoyed reading about them. The only thing I love was how macho Silas had to be all the time. It was a bit too much at times. Overall though it was a really good read!

4.5 rounded to 5 Stars.
I absolutely adored this book. I am not always a fan of small town feels tropes but Lucy Score nailed this one (pun intended).
Maggie Nichols does not stay anywhere for long, jumping from one house reno to the next but landscaper for her current project has other ideas. Maggie cannot deny that Silas is easy on the eyes and great for her show but she has not intentions of staying in town once the house is complete. The more Maggie spends with Silas in Kinship she finds so much more than she anticipated. Lucy has a scores of (another one, I'm sorry) amazing side characters that take this book to the next level. I wanted to stay in Kinship and just watch all their lives unfold.

Loved it! Cannot wait for more from Lucy Score!

I love HGTV and this book hit the stop for it!

It has sweet and funny moments that made my heart swoon and laugh out loud.

I liked Silas but didn’t love Lucy- which is normal for me. Most female MCs annoy me haha!

This book was a little too long and spicy for me but I still enjoyed it.

The latest book from Lucy Score is such a fun romcom! I binged the book in a day last month and it gets all the stars from me.

I was laughing out loud from the start and the whole book just made me so damn happy. The banter between the main characters as well as the friends and family was romcom gold.

I couldn’t get enough of Maggie and Silas’ flirty relationship and I was rooting hard for their HEA. Maggie was a terrific main character, although just reading about everything she was up to exhausted me. I would never have the energy or patience to flip a house, especially a historic one!

The book also had excellent supporting characters that were well detailed without overtaking the main storyline. I love when side characters have a little mini journey of their own.

Something else I loved about this book? It takes place in IDAHO! Woot woot! Although the place is fictional (I’m pretty sure?!), I could completely envision the town Score described. But where can I find a cutie home goods store like the one in the book?!

The little bit of mystery in this book added a fun element to the book, but the house rehab and the romance were my favorite parts. And of course the dog Kevin and the kittens!

Thank-you NetGalley and publisher for the chance to review this ARC.

I'm a big fan of Lucy Score so I was so excited for this one I mean just look at this adorable cover!
This did not disappoint! It was cute and fun and it had a lot of heart with wonderful characters. The social media aspect here was really well developed a lot of times books try to use this and it falls flat but it worked here.
I can't wait to read what's next here!

House flipping is a lot of work. Maggie has a tall order in front of her, but determination will be her strength. The problem is that when you aren't looking for love, it generally tends to find you. Silas is ready to renovate Maggie's heart. I can tell you that he is certainly melting mine... Or maybe that's something else?

Of course, when this happens, decisions must be made. I always say to trust your heart (or your gut), but Maggie's is currently a puddle, right?

If you were rehabbing an old home what features would you hope to have? Easy for me - front porch, stained glass windows, a gorgeous staircase, and pocket doors.
.
Maggie Moves On follows Maggie and Dean who have a YouTube home improvement series, and go from improving one home to another, without stopping to live in between. They find themselves in Idaho, restoring an old home with ties to a stagecoach robbery and an author. Maggie and Dean entrench themselves with the locals and suddenly the idea of not having roots is no longer something they want. Cue the hot landscaper (romance!), an adorable dog, kittens, a high schooler, a curmudgeon, a town of characters, and a mystery!
Thank you to @netgalley and @readforeverpub for the ARC, I apologize for the review after publication…

This is my first book by Lucy Score and certainly won't be my last! The romcom combines two of my favorite things - home improvement and reality TV - with a delightful small town setting, a kooky dog, fantastic secondary characters, excellent queer rep and some believable drama. So so good! 4.5 stars

Thanks to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for the copy to review.