Exes and O’s Review

Rating: ★★★★★

Read if you like:
・ Forced proximity
・ To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
・ Open door romance
・ Grumpy, tattooed hero
・ Disney references
・ Slow-burn romance
・ Friends-to-lovers

“I can barely breathe when I think about living my life without you.”

This is one of the easiest five star ratings I will ever give a book. Thank you so much Amy Lea and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this absolutely fantastic romance early💕

The female main character is a bookstagrammer! C’mon, if that isn’t an automatic “add-to-cart,” I don’t know what is! Seriously though, I love the bookstagram representation in this book. I loved hearing Tara talk about tropes on her channel and about the stacks of books she’d leave lying around after shooting content. It is very comforting to read about a character with the same passion as you, especially one that is as near and dear to my own heart as the booksta community.

Alongside Finn Beckett and Aaron Blackford, Trevor is one of my favorite book boyfriends. The Cheetos, the hot tub, the dinner date meant for Daniel, Angie, the Bachelorette, the alphabetized books, the epilogue…how could you NOT love this man?!? He is the most swoon-worthy grump with a soft side for his lady:)

I absolutely love all the tropes in this book. Trevor and Tara’s “meet-cute” is absolutely hilarious in the grand scheme of their love story, and I love how it paves the way for this fantastic forced-proximity, friends-to-lovers romance. Tara’s ex-search and overall extroversion make for such entertaining banter between her and Trevor. There is no surprise as to why this is a “he falls first” romance because Tara is everything readers will ever want in a female main character: goofy, relatable, generous, family-oriented, and a book worm.

I have nothing but the highest praise for Exes and O’s. From here on out, Amy Lea is an auto-buy author for me! Now, do yourself a favor and buy this book💕

In Amy Lea's second book, we meet nurse and book influencer Tara Chen just as she moves into a new apartment where she'll be roommates with her soon-to-be brother-in-law's firefighter BFF, Trevor. Of course, she doesn't expect her first time meeting Trevor to be walking in on him having relations in the kitchen. But after they bond over shared Cheetos, the two begin a friendship. Meanwhile, Tara decides to force a second-chance romance by reconnecting with all her exes. Trevor thinks the idea is wild but helps with her plan.

I absolutely love, adore, and ship Tara and Trevor. Roommates and friends to lovers is a wonderful trope (better than second-chance imo) and I loved to see their connection develop. While Set on You was amazing, this book is even better and reading it was a great way to kick off the new year. Full of pining and tension, this book has all your favorite elements, plus an acknowledgement of how miscommunication is the source of nearly all romance novel woes, making it meta and self-aware.

Thanks to Berkley for my eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 9/10

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 that 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 Exes and O’s as this lyric becomes Tara’s catchphrase. Some trigger warnings include broken engagements and sick children.

Firstly, I appreciated that Crystal and Scott (the main characters in Set On You) made regular appearances in Exes and O’s (Tara is Crystal’s sister and Trevor is Scott’s co-worker) 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 you pick-up Exes and O’s; in my opinion, both stories can be read as complete standalones.

I really enjoyed Exes and O’s by Amy Lea, I actually liked it even more than book 1 in the series, Set On You. Furthermore, I felt like I connected more to the main character in Exes and O’s, Tara, since, like me, she is also an avid book lover and Bookstagrammer. My favourite part of the novel was the scene where Tara and Trevor dressed-up as Disney characters for a special someone’s tenth Birthday party; I love Disney and I thought that this moment was so sweet and heartfelt.

On the downside, I found that the main plot, Tara seeking out all her exes in an attempt to reconnect and/ 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 slow burn romance and, overall, I found the pace of the story to be rather slow as well.

Overall, I enjoyed Exes and O’s and would recommend it to fellow book lovers who enjoy romance tropes like second chance romances and “room-ances”.

This story is so sweet, entertaining and hilarious, it had me hooked from the first pages and I couldn't put it down for a single second.

When Tara roommates with Trevor, her brother-in-law's co-worker, she knows that Trevor is a womanizer who only wants one-night stands, but she can't help but feel attracted to him, or that little by little after living with him, her physical attraction would become a little crush on him.

I loved the way the author narrates the story, the easy friendship with which both begin to treat each other, the friendly relationship they develop, and despite Trevor is a very closed and private person and he doesn't share what he feels with anyone, not even his closest friends, his walls slowly start to come down and he opens up to Tara, and they become best friends, I love all the angst and mutual pining, gahh the slow burn and tension could be cut with a knife. I love Trevor and how sweet he is with Tara, love all their scenes together, they made me laugh and sigh, swooned so hard with them.

Addictive, cute, emotional, Exes and O's is a sweet, slow burn romance that will give you all the feelings, now I am so obsessed with this series and can’t wait for the next book

highly recommended if you're a fan of
Roommates
Forced proximity
Grumpy/sunshine
Slow burn
Mutual pining
Sweet

Amy Lea's follow-up to 2022's Set on You is utterly delightful. Tara Chen is finally at a place where she is over her ex-fiancé. She's moving off her sister's couch and in with her soon-to-be brother in law's former roommate. Trevor Metcalfe is a firefighter, and a playboy. He's convinced that romance leads nowhere. Inspired by her grandmother's second chance romance with a childhood sweetheart, Tara sets out to reconnect with exes in hopes she finds her one true love.
The chemistry between Trevor and Tara is great. Their banter, and humour were incredibly enjoyable. This is a proper romantic comedy. With likeable leads, and great momentum and pacing, I would absolutely recommend this read to fans of the genre or to readers getting into contemporary romance. Lea continues to be an author to watch.

This was the perfect rom-com. I loved this book. It was everything you could ask for in a romance. It had steam, forced proximity, perfectly developed characters. What else could you want?

Unbelievably, I think I loved Amy’s sophomore book even more than her first. And this comes down to one thing - TREVOR!! Oh this man - a dream. Also, it was a ton of fun that Tara was a bookstagrammer - Amy knew exactly how to write that part from experience!

What to expect::
•Roommates
•Enemies to friends to lovers
•Opposites attract
•Tattooed, closed off, playboy firefighter hero
•Nurse, bookstagrammer heroine who is on the look out for true love
•Surprising depth of story and characters
•Great banter and swoony moments
•Pop culture references
🔥Open door steam

If you like grumpy x sunshine, forced proximity with great banter and Crocs - you shouldn’t miss this one! Another great book from @amyleabooks !

What do you do when you read the book you know os going to be your favorite of the year on the very first day of the year? I'm open to suggestions because Exes and O's has already sent the rest of my reading year down the toilet. I will never again feel the feelings I felt while reading this book. It was the first book in a while I wanted to be constantly reading. When I had to put it down to go do something else, I was upset! I just wanted to read!

Exes and O's is a romcom for the romcom girlies. Amy Lea is single candidly bringing about the resurgence of the true romcom era unlike anything seen since the 1990s. The book is funny, sweet, heart-warming, and just gooey. Now you may be thinking, all of those words mean more or less the same thing, but oh no, that is where you are wrong.

It is funny in the way that I was actually laughing out loud. Full on belly laughs. I may snort or chuckle at a book in passing, but Exes and O's is consistently funny in a way that will make you actually laugh, not just make you feel like you want to.

The book is sweet. From Tara's relationships with her friends and Angie to some of the more tender moments between Tara and Trevor. I could have gotten a cavity from the sweetness. It was well balanced sweetness as well, it was not overdone.

It was very heart-warming. It was amazing to have a romance heroine that I so thoroughly related to. I think that Tara will be relatable to most 20-30 year olds who have had trouble with their romantic lives. She is a character for the romance lovers in a way that only romance readers will be able to appreciate. It was so thoroughly reassuring to be able to have my own experiences reflected. To not have to feel like I am less of a person because of my romantic history. To know that it is not a bad thing to be a tad clingy or over the top. Tara Chen will go down in history as one of my favorite romance heroines ever.

Every single moment of this book was perfect. I will never be able to perfectly quantify how much I loved it and how much it meant to me. This book also had the most perfect slowburn and chemistry between two characters that I have seen in a while. I was literally screaming anytime there was the least bit of tension between Tara and Trevor.

The perfect blend of everything I love in a romance book. Thank you Amy Lea <3

Thank you to Netgalley, Amy Lea, and Berkley Romance for this advanced copy of Exes and O's in exchange for my honest review. Get your copy of Exes and O's January 10, 2023.

4.5/5⭐️

I am SQUEALING!!! This was the perfect book to start off the new year!! I’m a sucker for second chance romances, and I’m even more of a sucker for close proximity romances!! And, this book, COMBINED THEM TOGETHER! *Swoon* there was just the right amount of smut that I was content and kicking and squealing and giggling. I THOROUGHLY enjoyed this!!!!

Exes and O’s by Amy Lea is number two in her Influencer series, but can be read as a stand alone. Tara is a pediatric nurse who is also a bookstagram influencer. She wants to see if the second chance romances are for her and searches out her exes. Trevor is a Boston firefighter with baggage and a kind heart. He is a great friend, but not big on long term commitment.

I loved this slow burn romance with its witty banter and laugh out loud funny scenes. The author writes engaging characters that have depth, have wonderful personalities, and mature throughout the story. I enjoyed Tara searching out and meeting her exes, and how Trevor helped her.

This fun story with great chemistry, a bookstagram influencer and relatable characters was a pleasure to read. I recommend Exes and O’s by Amy Lea.

I was SO excited to be approved for this book! After reading Set On You earlier in the year, I became the BIGGEST fan of Amy! Honestly, if you are a romance fan and haven't read either of these books, RUN, don't walk, and get these books! You won't regret it.

Exes & O's follows Tara and Trevor, who become roommates when, essentially, Tara and Scott (Tara's sister's fiancé) switch apartments. Tara is a romance novel connoisseur on a mission. She is actively searching for her own second-chance romance by tracking down all the boys who broke her heart. Reluctantly, Trevor agrees to help Tara find the love she so desperately craves. However, on their journey, Trevor is confronted with his own demons with loss and relationships when he starts to desire something he never thought he would, and Tara discovers that Trevor might be the only man who truly accepts her intense, authentic self.

There is nothing that I didn't love about this book. Tara's character is so relatable to me, with her high-strung emotions and desire to be loved. She tries not to read into Trevor's kindness towards her, despite his confusing actions, as she searches for the love she knows she deserves. She is a bookstagrammer and her reading goals and piles of books laying around after a book stack challenge and obsession with tropes resonated with every part of me. I loved her growth throughout the novel and her eventual realization that she doesn't need to change for any man. Trevor is an absolute dream! Even as a playboy with commitment issues, he is desirable due to his caring nature and devilish handsome looks. Also... he is a firefighter. Like, please, say no more. His love for his family and friends radiates through his every action, and his determination to help Tara (even after it becomes pretty obvious that he is catching feelings) is admirable. He genuinely just wants to make her happy, even when he doesn't believe he can accomplish that himself.

Amy's writing brings every word on the page to life. I became immersed in this contemporary, forced proximity, friends-to-lovers romance right from the first page and I didn't want it to end. I cannot wait to read more of her work.

Thanks to Berkley for an advanced copy of Exes and O's by Amy Lea!

This had a cute premise of trying to find romance by looking at all of your exes and the tie in to a romance reader whose favorite trope is a second chance romance but yikes Tara was so over the top and a stage 5 clinger that it ruined this book for me.

I love that she is a bookstagrammer, but her portrayal of a romance lover was too intense.

Others might find this cute, but overall the whole book was too over the top for me.

This was fun! I personally love the roommates/forced proximity trope, so it definitely had that going for it. I really liked our hero, as well. I appreciated the message of all of our female MC's ex-es calling her crazy, and her overcoming that label. It was also kind of nice to see her going back through her exes and realizing the relationships were not as great as she remembered them in her mind. There were definitely times when the female MC made some questionable decisions, but overall I found this to be a fairly light and fun romance. It was the perfect amount of spice and I definitely felt the connection between the two love interests.

If love forced proximity or grumpy/sunshine I think this will be a win for you!

Exes and O’s was a delightful and funny romcom that will sure to be a hit in 2023.
.
I adored the lovable characters (a bookstagrammer/nurse 📚🩺 and a tattooed firefighter🚒), their banter, their chemistry, their friendship. It was a perfect combination.
.
Tara is on a quest for true love. Her plan; reconnect with all of her old exes and see if one got away. She enlists Trevor, her roommate, to help her.
.
What I loved:
💋Friends to lovers
💋 “roomance”
💋Forced Proximity
💋Opposites Attract
💋Slow Burn
💋 The bookstagram connection
.
This is the second book in The Influencer series.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkeley Books for the opportunity to read this book!

This book was delightful! Full disclosure- I have not read Set on You (although now I need to), the first book in this series. I didn't feel that I needed to go back and read Set on You prior to reading Exes and O's, but the characters show up a good amount in this book so it may be fun for those of you who like to read in order.

Exes and Os is a forced proximity, friends-to-lovers rom com (I felt that I simply needed to name the tropes because of the content of this book). Our MC is a book influencer with a modest following, while also working full time as a nurse. After getting out of a toxic relationship, she ends up taking her sister's fiance's old apartment, complete with a playboy firefighter roommate. The two become friends, and he ends up helping her as she seeks out her exes to figure out of she may have missed The One. Naturally, the two have a hard time denying their own chemistry and drama ensues.

I feel like most similar rom-coms use a dual POV to move the story forward, and this book deviated from that. We only get our MC's POV, which was actually really fun. I had to guess what our LI was thinking, feeling, etc. based on our MC's sometimes mistaken observations. It was fun, and different in a way that made this book stand out for me. It was also just super fun. I related HARD to our MC, enjoyed seeing her get everything she wanted.

Highly recommend to any rom-com readers out there. I would recommend that you read Set on You first though. It's not necessary for the plot of this book, but I personally like knowing when I'm meeting characters from previous books.

As this year comes to an end, let’s reflect back on all the books we have read this year.

At the last second I decided to take this week off to squeeze in some rest, relaxation, and books!

One of my favorites of the week was…

Exes and O’s

I’m bursting with the warm and gushy feeling as glitter flows through my veins.

This was the exact book I never knew I needed at this moment . Talk about laugh out loud funny!!! I was bellied over giggling way too often to count.

I am obsessed with Tara! If Tara existed in real life I could guarantee we would be besties ! Trevor? Ugh, I have no words as he stole my heart and left me speechless 🤤

When I read Exes and O’s, I had no idea this was part of a series so it could definitely be read as a stand-alone . However, having enjoyed this book so much I instantly went and purchased Set On You and equally loved it just as much as this one!!

I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to read and review Exes and O’s prior to its big release! I know without a doubt that this is only the beginning for Amy Lea and she will soon be a household name . I could see both of these books being made into a Netflix series .

I think close proximity / room-mance is my favorite trope because I enjoyed EXES AND O’S more than I did SET ON YOU. Both cute romances that have very different storylines (but of course are connected in a sense). Although this is a series, you do not need to read SET ON YOU before this to understand what’s going on.

This was simply delightful while being sweet, sexy, and entertaining all intertwined. It was a pretty honest take on today’s romance ways, with apps or trying to rekindle something with an ex. I will say, Tara is a bit on the extreme side with desperately wanting her happily ever after, to the point I got annoyed with how she was trying to rehash a week-long college romance claiming the guy didn’t want to get married. It was a bit rough having that level of immaturity, but I think it spoke to how Tara would do anything and everything for love.

My other warning? THE SLOWEST OF BURNS! But it pays off well. Overall, I really enjoyed this read and can’t thank Berkeley and Netgalley enough for this ARC! You can get your copy January 10, 2023. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series!

Content warnings: infidelity, sexism, mental illness, toxic relationship, gaslighting, ableism, death

Exes & O's is book #2 in The Influencer series.

This sequel can be read as as stand alone, and it features a #bookstagrammer!

What I loved:
New term - roommance
Forced proximity
Opposites attract
Witty banter
Chemistry
Tattooed hunky firefighter
And, its slow burn love story!

Grab your Cheetos, and follow Tara Li Chen, romance reader, as she finally finds her happily ever after.

Thank you Berkley Publishing Group for the complimentary copy.

Amy has somehow done the impossible--I loved this book even more than Set on You! I absolutely adored this set up and I loved how the heroine was a romance reader, it made all the tropeiness so much fun! I really felt all the pining and the forced proximity made the tension absolutely delightful. This was a really fun read from beginning to end!

The most common critique any lover of romance novels will likely hear is some kind of comment about how predictable said romance novels are. That they can be distilled down to tropes and beats and the same happy ending over and over again. But while there is definitely comfort in knowing that things will work out no matter what, I would argue that the real point of interest lies not in what happens, but in how and why. Another critique many seem to have is that too many romance novels skew the reader’s perception of what to expect from real life romance. These questions and more form the background, at least in my view, for Amy Lea’s delightful sophomore novel Exes and O’s.

As a follow-up to Lea’s debut novel Set On You, Exes and O’s follows Tara and Trevor, respectively a starry-eyed romance lover and a man who really doesn’t have the time or energy for a relationship. After Trevor’s roommate Scott moves in with Tara’s sister Crystal, Tara takes the spare room at Trevor’s place, and a beautiful, bantery friendship is born.

Ever the romantic, Tara rejects the notion of dating apps to meet her true love, and decides instead to track down her 10 ex-boyfriends to see if any of them would like to rekindle the flame for that most delicious of tropes: the second-chance romance. Concerned with Tara’s tendency to do things with her whole, trusting, romantic heart, Trevor unwillingly signs up to help her with the search, and you can all imagine where this goes.

Exes and O’s is a sweet love story, Tara and Trevor have great chemistry and it is full to the brim with the kinds of delicious romantic tropes that would make Tara herself very proud. But to me, the true heart of the book is what it has to say about romance as a whole.

Because for those of us who have yet to reach the HEA epilogue portion of our own love stories, it really is as bleak out there as Tara makes it out to be. Meet-cutes are few and far between, something that should be as personal and emotional as falling in love is too often reduced to a calculated numbers game. That might work for some, but it certainly doesn’t work for all.

Tara is someone who loves romance, romance novels and a good love story. She is obviously not alone: romance is the top-selling genre for a reason. But like her real world counterparts, she is often told she is being unrealistic in holding real-life men to the standards of the romantic heroes she reads about. As if a good chunk of the genre wasn’t based around the premise of “what if this man was nice to you and listened to you.” Or as Tara so succinctly puts it, someone who does more than the bare minimum.

I didn’t mean to turn this review of what is, truly, a lovely book into a rant against the state of modern romance. What I am trying to say by this is Exes and O’s confronts the cynicism so often faced by romantics in this day and age, and proudly declares that not only is there nothing wrong with having those ideals, it celebrates those ideals. Encourages them even. A must for the romance lovers out there.

Exes and O’s is out January 10, 2023. Special thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review purposes.