A rock star and a ballerina have been friends for decades.... Both are in love with each other but life, careers, time got in the way.... They get together only once at new year.

Love Gloria and Jacob together. So happy whenever they are getting close! A terrific holiday read.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

*Digital copy | provided by NetGalley and Victory Editing in exchange for an honest review.*

I think I have an unpopular with this one because I didn’t love it … It’s pitched as a friends to lovers romance but I don't think you can really call it that.

The two main characters don’t speak for 364 days of the year and we essentially just jump from New Year’s Eve to New Year’s Eve for 10 years! The constant and total lack of communication between Gloria and Jacob in this story really got under my skin and unfortunately made it unenjoyable to read.

I don’t know if you would consider someone a friend who you intentionally ghost for 364 days of the year only to meet up for one night and ignore each other most of the time anyway. The potential for something great was there but I think it fell short on the execution unfortunately. The childhood friendship was established well, however as adults it was’t what I would call a maintained friendship by no manner of means.

Two or three times Gloria or Jacob would make the wrong assumption about the other so they would just completely cut contact for the whole year only to pick up right where they left off the following NYE?! It just wasn’t believable to me - I’m sorry. It felt juvenile and it lacked substance for me. I would have preferred they just confront each other like normal adults and sort it out.

I'm sorry but this was definitely not a believable romance for me.

[digital copy provided by NetGalley and Victory Editing in exchange for an honest review]

Initially, I thought this would be good because it’s pitched as best friends to lovers — one of my favourite tropes in a romance book — but it’s not. At all.
This is written in a way where the reader is just supposed to believe that there’s all this chemistry with nothing to show for it.
How are you supposed to be “best friends” when you don’t even talk to each other for several months to a year, and only ever see each other for one night, on New Year’s Eve, because your large group of friends have a standing tradition? And even then, you still ignore each other like the plague?!

Mutual pining and tension, where?! This was the least believable romance I’ve ever read.
It was so juvenile. The large cast of side characters all blended together and cluttered what could have been good development between Gloria and Jacob, but there was nothing. No progress, no development. So many time jumps to the next NYE and the outcome was the exact same every time.

The text message thread a year after they kissed? Literally what the fuck was that. They had no compatibility or chemistry whatsoever.
And the misunderstanding after they were finally intimate? What fucking bullshit. Nothing irks me more than total lack of communication.

“I need her like I need air” — okay? But yet again, you two repeatedly don’t even talk to each other for an entire year? Not believable.

I should have DNF this when I read:
1. “Everly takes over for Daisy and pulls me up the stairs while my demented family cheers.” why. They don’t have dementia. They might be overbearing but there’s no reason for that.
2. “Will his Frankenstein fingers even fit on the piano keys?” Is that supposed to be funny? Are you implying that only people with delicate and skinny fingers can play the piano?
3. The second, third, fourth, fifth + times I had to read “Pooper Palace”

- dual pov
- ballet dancer x famous singer
- “childhood best friends”
- NYE and hide and seek traditions

This was a quick, easy read. I enjoyed it. A fun, light hearted book. Very fun and cute. I'd definitely watch it if it was made into a movie.