oh. my. gosh. This book was perfection! When needing a place to live, Tara moves in with her brother in law's roommate Trevor. He is a sworn playboy and Tara is down on her luck in the romance front after being dumped by her fiance. Trevor and Tara become best friends, and act as each other's wingmen, until the stakes get too high and things take a turn. Afraid of commitment and being hurt, Trevor refuses to get into a serious relationship, and Tara is focused on reuniting with her exes to see if they'd be compatible at this point in life. An "accidental" kiss heats things up in their relationship. Will it be enough to stay friends or will they need to move to the next level?

Tara is a heartbroken, romance obsessed nurse/booksagrammer, who has just come out of a horrible relationship, and unfortunate meet cute turned subway mugging when she moves in with Trevor. Trevor is her best friend Cyrstal’s finance’s, best friend who does opposite shift work to Tara has a firefighter. . After a disastrous first meeting (involving a lot of unexpected nudity), Tara and Trevor strike up a tenuous routine as they learn to cohabitate.

These two could not be any more different. Tara is effusive and full of joy and leaves a trail of books wherever she goes. She imagines herself in increasingly romantic scenarios at the slightest of provocations and her sexual awakening is simultaneously Devon Sawa from Casper and Zac Efron from High School Musical (it’s at this point in the book where I started to wonder if we were in fact the same person). Trevor is intensely private, speaks only when necessary, detests clutter, and is constantly alphabetizing Tara’s books with a judgmental scowl on his face. He’s also what the historical romance novels refer to as a bit of a rake, bringing new women back to their apartment regularly for hook ups.

Tired of being alone and feeling heartbroken by the new men in her life, Tara decides to go back through all her exes to try and find her perfect life match in one of them. Trevor reluctantly agrees to give her dating advice as she makes her way through her past one iffy decision at a time. One of the best parts of this book for me was the increasingly ridiculous scenarios Tara imagines herself in. I was reminded of Sarah Hogel who always manages to create the most absurdly hilarious images that often cross over into the completely outrageous. Lea manages to toe the line between hilarious and absurd and I could not get enough.

As Tara is disappointed by one ex after another, it’s Trevor who she continues to turn to for advice and support. The two get closer and closer until they realize they’ve got feelings for each other. After weeks of Trevor giving her advice to say less and not lay all her cards on the table from go, Tara is understandably a bit terrified to do anything to scare him off. I loved that this sort of misunderstanding was the root of their conflict because it was so perfect and believable. As I read along I found myself saying, “No Tara, don’t text him. Play it cool. Wait and see what he does first.” But that’s silly because while love isn’t a fairytale, it certainly can feel like one when you’ve found the right person who loves you exactly how you are and is willing to put in the effort to make things work.

Their reconciliation was therapeutic as both are forced to confront their true selves and how they’ll make things work with each other despite their enormous differences. Exes and O’s is fantastic with the swooniest grand gesture. It’s steamy and sweet and delightfully tropey. Thanks so much to Berkley for this early copy to review. This one comes out on Tuesday (2/10) and I highly recommend.

In Exes and O's, an avid romance reader and Bookstagrammer Tara decides to reconnect with her exes to see if one of them could be a potential for a second chance romance. Her quest veers off course when she starts falling for her roommate, a hot firefighter, Trevor.

This book started a little rough but got better in the second half. Exes and O's has first (Tara's) POV narration, so we don't get Trevor's perspective at all. We don't get many clues as to what Trevor thinks or feels about Tara for most of the book. Also, I found Tara's obsession with her exes a bit too much. Most of her exes were douchebags, so I didn't understand her quest. The girl needed to have more respect and love for herself. The book's title implies many O's, but there are no O's until eighty percent of the book, and once they appear, there are very few.
I loved that Tara is a romance reader and, even better, a Bookstarammer!

I went into Exes and O's with high expectations, but unfortunately, it didn't live up to them. Many readers loved this book, so maybe it's just me.

I loved this even more than Set On You. Amy Lea’s characters truly are wonderful and you’ll love the time you get to spend with them.

Exes and O’s made me feel fluffy inside. There’s no other way to explain it. I was left giggling and smiling pretty much the whole time.

I can say with confidence that Lea will have a reader out of me for life. I love the way she tells a story, and you will, too!

You don’t NEED to read Set On You before reading Exes and O’s, but I’m glad I did because I had fun with both.

After her fiancé ends their relationship because she’s too “clingy”, bookstagrammer and nurse Tara—whom we are briefly introduced to in the first book in Amy Lea’s Influencer series, Set On You—decides to create her own second-chance romance. So, with the help of her new roommate, a handsome commitment-phobe firefighter named Trevor, Tara attempts to publicly reconnect with her exes. Along the way, Tara eventually breaks down Trevor’s walls and discovers the more sensitive side that Trevor keeps hidden…should Tara give up her search for a second chance romance in the hopes of having a “room-ance”?

Exes and O’s features the reformed playboy, forced proximity, opposites attract, and “roommates to lovers” tropes. Exes and O’s would be ideal for fans of rom coms like The American Roommate Experiment by Elena Armas, Thank You, Next by Andie J. Christopher, Under One Roof by Ali Hazelwood, Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake by Mazey Eddings, Mr. Wrong Number by Lynn Painter, and Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey. I also think Taylor Swift fans will enjoy this book—in addition to having a good amount of Taylor Swift references, the lyric “can I ask you a question?” (from “Question… ?” by Taylor Swift) was stuck in my head the entire time I was reading as this lyric becomes Tara’s catchphrase. Some themes present in Exes and O’s include communication (or lack thereof), companionship, family, love and heartbreak, losing hope, sickness and vulnerability, and loneliness. In my opinion, the moral of this story is that if you want something, you can’t just wait for it to fall into your lap, you should go out and search for it.

Firstly, it was great to see Crystal and Scott (the main characters in Set On You) make regular appearances as Tara is Crystal’s sister and Trevor is Scott’s co-worker, especially as I enjoy seeing what my favourite characters are up to post happily ever after. I also appreciated that you didn’t need to read or remember Crystal and Scott’s story before picking this one up and both are standalones.

Exes and O’s seemed even better than Set On You, particularly as I connected more to Tara since she is also an avid booklover and bookstagrammer, which will likely be a hit with many other readers too! My favourite part of the novel was the scene where Tara and Trevor dressed-up as Disney characters for a special someone’s 10th birthday party, which came across so sweet and heartfelt.

On the downside, the main plot of Tara seeking out all her exes in an attempt to reconnect or get some closure was a tad repetitive and not very unique. Additionally, even though there was some spice towards the end of the book, Exes and O’s was very much a slowburn romance with a slow pace.

Overall, Exes and O’s was an enjoyable read and would recommend it to fellow booklovers who enjoy second chance romances and “room-ances” tropes!

I’m not going to lie, I had a very hard time connecting with Tara at first. I consider myself a romantic at heart, but she gave that a whole new meaning 😂 she seemed incredibly naive especially for a 30 year old woman. I also feel like it took long for Trevor to make regular appearances considering he was the love interest. The second half however totally turned it around for me. The third act breakup was somewhat relatable and both Tara and Trevor had. Impeccable growth. Just go into this knowing that Tara is the most romantic person that has ever existed lol

THIS BOOK Y’ALL 😮‍💨🥰🥵This book was perfection!!! I loved the concept of a book influencer on the search for her second chance romance 🥰 This book was laugh out loud funny, had amazing banter, and had me swooning the entire time. Tara was a super relatable mc and loved the dynamic between her and Trevor. ALSO, THE EPILOGUE 🥹 I CAN’T IT WAS PERFECT!! This book really solidified my love for Lea’s writing and I can’t wait to read her future works! If you’re looking for the perfect Valentine’s Day read, this is it! 💕

Read if you like:
⛅️ Grumpy x Sunshine
🏡 Forced Proximity/ Roommates
📸 Bookstagrammer as the MC
🌶️ Some Spice
❤️ Swoon Worthy Romances

This one just made me fall in love with Amy’s books and just solidified her as an auto-read author for me!

I love how she truly is making all of us reviewers and book lovers on bookstagram feel like we are getting our main character moment…

This one was just so swoon worthy and I ate up every second of Tara and Trevor’s slow burn romance as she dug through all of her exes trying to find her own second chance romance when really her forced proximity and roommates to lovers plot was under her nose the whole time.

Do yourself a favor and grab yourself a copy to read next month as this one will make the perfect valentines pick! Thank you Berkleyromance for an ARC of this one in exchange for my honest thoughts!

Thank you to @netgalley @berkleypub and @berkleyromance for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to @prhaudio for a free download of the audiobook. And thank you to @berittalksbooks and @dg_reads for including me on this buddy read.

I loved Lea’s first book Set on You, and Exes and O’s did disappoint.

Tara, an influencer and bookstagrammer, is determined to find her one true love. She decides to reconnect with her exes to see if perhaps they were “the one that got away”. Tara enlists her new roommate Trevor to help. She learns along the way that her exes all found her clingy, but there is one person who appreciates her authentic self…but is she too caught up in her plan to really notice?

This was a fun read and listen. I loved the snarky banter and the longing between he two main characters.

4 stars

#books #bookishlife #booklover #readingisfun #iowabookstagrammers #iowabookstagram #netgalley #berkleypub #berkleyromance #berkleybuddyreads #prhaudio #ltbreaderteam #berkelywritesstrongwomen #exesandos #amylea

This book was absolutely WONDERFUL. I didn’t think it was possible for Lea to outshine her debut, but she did it on these pages.

Tara and Trevor’s story had all my favorite things: forced proximity, some grumpy/sunshine action, a romance-obsessed heroine and an anti-romance hero.

Tara embarking on a mission to track down her exes and see if she can reignite the sparks with any of them is CHEF’S KISS. Reminds me a lot of the movie What’s Your Number? It was so refreshing and unique.

This book definitely out the “com” in rom com. Parts had be legit cackling. And I loved the sweet, quiet moments between Tara and Trevor, too. Baking together. Hot tub sessions. Curling up on the couch to watch The Bachelor or read together.

Every single page of this was utter perfection. HIGHLY recommend.

My first book of 2023 & it was super cute! I love our main character and how open she was about wanting to find love and being ok with who she was! The romance was cute but I wanted more yearning? I also wanted more of them actually being in a relationship. Overall cute and a good first book of the year.

Exes and O's was such a fun and flirty read! As a bookstagramming (former) NICU nurse, in a way I could really connect with Tara.

Sadly, I just didn't love the love interest which is such a bummer. The meet cute was the opposite of cute and Trevor never really redeemed himself in my eyes, especially because I didn't really feel the connection between him and Tara. I'm torn because parts of this story felt so authentic and genuine, but I don't like (possible spoiler) reading about the MMC with another woman in my romance novels, even if it is early days and the characters are just friends.

Hookups aside, this book was a lot of fun, and it will definitely make you laugh. It's a little cheesy but it's also sweet. I think I would have LOVED this book if I had been treated to Trevor's POV. Tara is such a fun and bubbly character and but I needed to get Trevor's side of the story, too.

"Exes and O’s" is a really cute forced proximity romance between nurse/bookish social media influencer Tara and her firefighter roommate Trevor. I loved both of these characters and I absolutely need to know where to get my very own Trevor.

Tara and Trevor as roommates was so enjoyable. Their chemistry was amazing and I loved the dynamic of their relationship. Even though we don’t get Trevor’s POV at all in this book, it’s so clear reading it exactly how he feels about Tara.

I had a lot of fun with the plot of Tara tracking down and reconnecting with her past exes, but I did have to kind of suspend my disbelief a little bit to get on board. I mainly loved this part of the plot for how it advanced her relationship with Trevor, and I just didn’t really believe she had any interest in most of the exes she was reconnecting with.

I didn’t realize when I started this book that it was the second in a series with "Set on You", which I haven’t read but is on my TBR. This book can be read as a standalone, but if you’re going to read both I would suggest reading them in order.

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Exes and O's by Amy Lea was my first read of 2023 and boy am I happy it was! This book reminds me a lot of To All The Boys I've Ever Loved for adults as well as Thank You, Next by Andie J. Christopher- except even better!

Tara Chen has gotten her heartbroken time and time again and unfortunately for her, she has been classified by quite a few of them as a Stage 5 Clinger. Quick to fall and passionately involved, Tara is a lot for some of these guys. With an impending gala to attend, Tara is determined to show up with a man on her arm so she sets off to walk down memory lane with each of her ten exes to figure out if any of them might just be "the one".

When her soon-to-be brother in law moves out of his apartment, Tara is in luck and takes his place. Little does she know, she's in for a doozy of a roommate. Steamy hot and perpetually hooking up with women, Trevor Metcalfe is a bit of an enigma. Although she's initially mortified when she walks in on Trevor in the midst of afternoon delight, soon Tara discovers he's the perfect wingman and sounding board for her missed connection walk down memory lane, which she is also sharing with her Bookstagram followers.

This is actually a bookish gal's romance book through and through. I loved the fun escapades Trevor and Tara embark on, watching Tara cross off her star-crossed lovers, and the wittiness of her reactions to her misadventures. I mean, don't we all want a hot tub to debrief in?!

My one gripe is that I felt it could have been a bit shorter or explore more of Trevor's life. At times the plot felt redundant and I was ready for shifts to occur, but other than that, I really enjoyed this read!

This is a must read if you loved romance tropes like forced proximity and friends to lovers.

A huge thank you to PRH Audio for granting me access to the audiobook and to Berkley Romance for granting me access to the E-book via NetGalley for free! Partnering with both Berkley Romance and PRH Audio this year has been an absolute delight. My reading is up so much, because of the vast array of titles and diverse genres I have access to read/ listen to.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for an advance copy of this title for review. All opinions are my own and are honestly given.

When hopeless romantic Tara Chen convinces her roommate and bonafide love-skeptic Trevor Metcalfe to help her revisit all of her exes in the hopes of finding a date for an upcoming work gala, neither expects their own chemistry to ignite. But somewhere between homemade dinners, Bachelor/ette marathons, making their way through Tara’s Exes list, spending time with each other’s families, and a shared love of Cheetos, Trevor and Tara uncover a connection that they can’t deny. However, when it comes to building a future, can in-love-with-love Tara and commitment-phobe Trevor create something lasting?

I had so much fun reading Exes and O’s! Tara’s character felt like a love letter to the romance community, and I loved that she was so unashamed of her passion for all things romantic. For lovers of romcoms and romance novels, Tara is super relatable, and Trevor is a perfect MMC as a firefighter who is a great cook and loves his family but has issues trusting in a relationship. Roommates to friends to lovers is a top-tier relationship arc for me, and I loved seeing how these two characters grew together as a couple and individually as people over the course of the story. Exes and O’s was funny, sweet, and romantic and is sure to be a hit with contemporary romance lovers and fans of Amy Lea’s first book, Set on You. Definitely a must-purchase for us in digital and physical formats. 4.5 stars.

this was an amazing sophomore release from Amy Lea. It had snarky banter and the longing was just *chefs kiss* I can’t wait for book three!

Short synopsis: After another heartbreak, Tara is going through her list of Exes to find someone to be her plus one for a work Gala.

My thoughts: I absolutely adored Set on You, so when I saw a new book by @amyleabooks I had to jump on the chance to read it.

This one left my heart all a flutter! Perfect for any one who loves romances with all the best troupes, amazing HEA, and the sweetest (hottest… I mean he’s a firefighter) book boyfriends!

This was a slow burn romance, that you could see they both fell hard fast but wouldn’t admit to it. The search through the exes was somewhat cringe (as dating any ex would inevitably be) but I loved the self discovery Tara went through to realize what she truly deserved!

Read if you love:
- Strangers to friends to lovers
- Roommates to lovers
- Slow burn romance
- Bookstagram
- Firefighters
- Spin off books

Thank you to Berkley Romance, Netgalley and PRH audio for the advanced copy of this book! Publication date is

Tara is a romance obsessed Bookstagrammer, and she’s looking for love by revisiting her exes from the past with the help of her sexy firefighter roommate, Trevor.

This book was perfection! I loved Tara – she was a Bookstagrammer, obsessed with romance tropes and a true believer of a fairy tale romance. Trevor was sexy, caring, and the way he treated Tara just made my heart swoon. I loved every minute of this story and the ending was a booklovers dream come true. Just do yourself a favor and read it!!

Thank you to Berkley Romance and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy and to PRH Audio for the complimentary audiobook. These opinions are my own.

Tara Chen is a bookstagrammer who loves romance novels. That's all I needed to know to know I needed to read this book. I so love and appreciate the unabashed enjoyment of all things romance novels and tropes.

Following her grandmother's advice, Tara decides to get in touch with all her exes, hoping to reconnect and have a second chance romance. And she enlists her roommate, Trevor's, help.

I really liked Trevor, but I would have appreciated having his perspective as well. He was a great book boyfriend but could have been a bit more complex and nuanced.

This book has it all: forced proximity and roommance, accidental nakedness, and more. And it highlights each through the lens of a bookstagrammer and excerpts from her video transcripts. It was such a joy to read. And I appreciated the push back against the stereotypes of the "crazy" ex-girlfriend. I preferred it to Set on You, the earlier book in the series. This one can be read as a stand alone.

Natalie Naudus was an amazing narrator. I always appreciate her ability to voice all the characters.

Exes and O's is the second book in The Influencer series by Amy Lea and is unapologetically romantic and wonderfully whimsical.  I adored Exes and O's. with its intriguing characters and captivating storyline. Amy Lea has rocketed her way into my heart as a must-read author.