I loved this one so much! The chemistry between the characters had me swooning. I loved it so much I had to pick up a physical copy of the book to add to my collection. Highly recommend.

5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was a phenomenal romance that really provided a lot of different emotions. It had humor that actually had me laughing out loud (not just the little puffs of air we do when we find a funny meme). It had me tearing up for a number of different reasons, the bittersweet moments, and especially the last line of the book. This book also had me nearly raging because of a specific character.

Forget Me Not had a great flow for a romance novel. The Dual POV were set in two different timelines and I felt like that was a really great choice because the merge between the two towards the end was amazing. I also have to say, I found myself loving Elliot’s POV a lot. I normally prefer single POV and usually with the FMC but I loved being inside Elliot’s head.

The Dual POV also helped support the story in my opinion. It allowed for the build up and romance to carry through one timeline while the other showed the consequences and furthered the plot.

This was a fantastic story and probably my favorite RomCom of the year. I can’t wait to see what Julie Soto writes next!

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<i>Thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC of this book. All opinions are completely my own!</i>

This one was a daaannnnnng book-not only was it a surprise it was soo good. It also has a lot of f bombs and good old steam. We get flashbacks as well as present with these two. Wedding planner and grumpy florist - what could go wrong?!. We get grumpy hot rare flower loving Elliot and hates marriage wedding planner Ama. I devoured this one and was so glad I picked it up!

3.5 stars
𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗠𝗲 𝗡𝗼𝘁 is a cute, second chance, grumpy-sunshine offering about an exuberant wedding planner, Ama, and a gruff florist, Elliott. Both have known each other for years working the wedding circuit, and things went from professional to sexy times years back. Then it went south when Elliott proposed to her and Ama, despite her chosen career, doesn’t want marriage. In the present they’re forced to work together on a high- profile wedding that gets more outlandish by the day.

I liked the behind-the-scenes peek at wedding planning - the chaos, creativity and excitement of it. I also liked Sacramento as a setting. Ama and Elliott have great physical chemistry and those scenes were 🔥 You know who their personalities remind me of? Roy and Keeley from Ted Lasso.

I only wish that I could’ve gotten to know more about them outside of the wedding arena to see more character depth. For example, Ama is averse to marriage for herself because of her mother’s multiple marriages and divorces. The impact of that on her isn’t really explored which I think would’ve been beneficial considering it affected her relationship with Elliott in the past that led to their abrupt and painful breakup. Neither one still not over it in the present.

In the end I liked this book. Anyone who loves weddings, the suspense of things coming together and HEAs will enjoy this easy to read, delightful story!

Thank you @netgalley & @readforeverpub for my ARC in exchange for an honest review. 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗠𝗲 𝗡𝗼𝘁 is out now.

I have to say before reading this book; I hated second-chance romance. However, I felt like that until Elliot Bloom. He is such a top-tier MC. I’ve never been so happy to be proven wrong. This book made me eat my words, and I’m definitely a lot more open to reading this trope now!

This book gave me all the feels! It’s hard to believe this is a debut novel, but this book deserves high praise. This book is extremely well written and the characters will suck you in from beginning to end. I have never found flower tattoos so interesting, but that’s another change of opinion I can thank Elliot Bloom for.

I love reading romance books from Dual POVs, and the male perspective really enhanced the angst and longing felt throughout the story. The grumpy sunshine vibes gave me life! Elliot is rough around the edges, but he has a beautiful spirit and it clearly shines in his work.

I also enjoyed Ama’s character. She’s hardworking, quirky, and followed her dream! It was easy to understand her fears of relationships. Plus, a wedding planner that doesn’t want to get married is honestly one of the best conundrums ever! The dual timelines in this book made things come full circle, and I loved the character growth of Ama in the end.

Overall, I could not sing my praises enough for this book!

Thank you to Net Galley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC for this fabulous read!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

My rating: 2.8/3 stars. This book was a simple and quick read. There were some funny and cute moments. I actually ended up liking Elliot much more than Ama. That being said, the writing was nothing special and at some points kinda cringy. What I enjoyed most were the intimate scenes. I typically don't like to read an excessive amount, but I did like the way it was done in this book. I wish we saw more of Mar in the novel. I was really curious about her and liked her personality.

Seriously ALL the stars!! I loved this book!! It was new author for me & I’ll be here for all her books now! It was so well written! I loved the present with Ama and the past with Elliot! Their chemistry leaped off the pages! Elliot is so swoon worthy! Ama is a no relationship, wedding planner girl! Her mother has been married way too many times! Ama is a people lover, hard worker, and donut connoisseur! Ama meets Elliot at a wedding, as he is the flower placement guy! They really worked well together to make weddings perfect! Elliot wanted to be an architect but ends up running his father flower shop. He had lots of flower tattoos, doesn’t do hook ups, and had a heart! I loved seeing these two come back together after their break up! And seeing how sweet and caring Elliot is after seeing him so gruff! I can’t say enough good things about this book! Definitely give this a read if you love grumpy/sunshine second chances! Can’t wait for what’s next!

Extremely charming and immersive, Forget Me Not is a very solid grumpy/sunshine romance with convincing details regarding its locale and subject matter, all together makes for a story that's emotional yet fully grounded in reality.

Other than the tendency of overplaying its running gags (I was getting more annoyed than amused at the mentioning of donuts and the broken car as the story went on), the plot strikes a commendable balance between comedy, as well as more serious subject matter (such as familial trauma). In many ways, Forget Me Not reminds me of my experience reading Emily Henry's Beach Read, as well as Ashley Poston's The Dead Romantics — all contain additional emotional weight beyond the romantic fluff, for which I thoroughly appreciate. As someone who works in the creative industry, I love reading about the design process, how things come together behind the scenes, which Julie Soto goes in great detail here regarding each protagonist's profession — but I can also foresee criticism for wanting more romance on page, rather than what they do in their day job. The ending does feel slightly rushed, but it's such a good time overall, this becomes a pretty minor imperfection in comparison.

Forget Me Not doesn't break new ground, but offers everything one's looking for in a contemporary romance (even the steam). Julie Soto will definitely be an author on my radar from now on!

This was THE cutest book ever! It was the romance I've been craving for a while now.
It had

-second chance romance
-workplace romance
-grumpy/sunshine
-slow burn
-forced proximity

all of the tropes that I love in a book!

The tension between Ama and Elliot was felt in every page and Julie Soto did an AMAZING job with that. I loved that we got a "past" timeline through the POV of Elliot, while the "present" storyline was through through the POV of Ama.

Their banter was hilarious, their tension was on point, and their moments together was everything.

First of all let’s talk about the cover. This is probably one of my favourite covers of the year so far, I love it!

Forget Me Not is a second chance romance following our FMC, a wedding planner and the MMC a florist. It is told in Dual POV and past/present timelines, with Ama’s POV in the present and Elliot’s POV in the past.

I loved the premise of this book and was really excited to read it and while there were some parts that I did like, it just didn’t quite live up to the hype for me. I wasn’t really invested in the romance so I wasn’t rooting for their second chance, I also didn’t really like Elliot which didn’t help. I did enjoy the wedding planning aspect of the book though and I liked Ama.

I would read another book by this author, I think this one just wasn’t as amazing as I thought it was going to be.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review

Wow! Just wow…this book is my favorite book for July and definitely a top contender for the year! I absolutely loved everything about this book. And the cover - so gorgeous!

This book is full of banter and spice! I was pulled in from the very beginning. I love this book couple!!! Ama & Elliot had a chemistry that exploded off the pages. This book has several laugh out loud moments with the perfect balance of ! I absolutely love dual POVs and with Elliot's POV starting in the past moving to present day helping fill in blanks from Ama’s POV it was the chefs kiss.

Ama is a wedding planner really just starting out and she scores a big wedding for a social media influencer. She has such great plans for this wedding but none of them included working with Elliot Bloom - a highly regarded florist who is also Ama’s ex-boyfriend. This wedding could make or break Ama’s career so she has to put her big girl panties on and get to plan a superstar wedding! Elliot is a talented florist/designer who is grouchy where most people are concerned but Ama caught his eye and she very well could be the one that got away.

Ok so Ama was a little annoying to me at times BUT Elliot completely made up for that. Grumpy yet a complete cinnamon roll when it comes to Ama. Plus he has some amazing tattoos! I adored how Elliot really came through for her when it was really needed. The wedding settings were delightful - I enjoyed visualizing these events coming together. The cast of side characters were a fun, diverse bunch…most of them anyhow.

I absolutely LOVED the ending! I would definitely put this book on my re-read list (which I don’t typically re-read). What a fabulous debut novel that was a pleasant surprise! I look forward to reading any future books by Julie.

This is a perfect summer read!!!

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞…
Enemies to Lovers
Workplace Romance
Second Chance Romance
Grumpy x Sunshine
Dual Timelines/POV
LGBTQIA rep.
Wedding Settings/Drama

𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: July 11, 2023
𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬: 352

Thank you to @netgalley, @readforeverpub, & @juliesotowrites for the Advanced Readers Copy of this book for my honest review!

🪷BOOK REVIEW🪷

Forget Me Not - Julie Soto
Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐️

“A wedding planner and her grumpy ex must work together to plan a celebrity event in this deliciously spicy and funny novel from Ali Hazelwood's ‘favorite writer.’”

Oh, Elliot Bloom. You just might have taken my place as favorite book boyfriend ever. I loved his grumpy, brooding, protective demeanor and all of his flower tattoos and his passion about his job. I loved that the story was not only told in dual perspectives but also focused on the past and the present. Ama and Elliot’s tension and chemistry felt very real. I enjoyed Ama’s friendships/step siblings and thought that added a complexity to the story, as well. Ama’s final interaction with her previous employer was *chef’s kiss!*

This was a steamy, sweet second chance story - I just had trouble believing two people would just break up and just like, not speak for 3 years. No getting your stuff back? No real closure? Especially when you work together? But outside of that little miscommunication hang up, this story was perfect.

Recommend if you like:
- Second chance romance
- Grumpy/sunshine
- Dual POV
- Spice 🔥
- Amazing descriptions of flowers!

Published July 11, 2023 so check it out now! ✨

Thank you to @netgalley, @readforeverpub and @juliesotowrites for the copy!

I happy-sobbed and ugly-sobbed throughout this book, I loved it so much.

💫 The book is split into a unique past/present chapter switch situation, which is explained at the end (and yes, the explanation will make you cry 😭).
💫 Second-chance grumpy/sunshine romance, and the reconnection at the end was so wholesome
💫 Did I already mention the sobbing? Coz, the breakup had me super ugly sobbing. It's probably something I'll reread and cry just to experience the hea again 🥲
💫 The wedding planner plotline was so so good, the MC's energy and creativity legit made me want to start working enthusiastically 😭

TWs - death of parent, estranged parent, child growing up in an unstable situation since her parent keeps remarrying, divorce (secondary character)

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

What I love so much but Julie Soto's writing is her uncanny ability to paint such a vivid picture without making you feel like you are drowning in details. The story is alive!

The characters feel so real! When I look up from the page I expect to see them sitting there. I really feel like I know them.

The tension! OMG! The book is dripping with sexual tension, humor, wit, and heart!
The spice! If you like spice you'll love this! It's written so well!

I really loved how the story was told in a dual pov, one in the present one in the past. I was equally invest in both which rarely happens in dual pov, for me,

This book was so fun I ran and bought a copy as soon as it hit the shelves!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for this e-arc

4.25/5

I wasn't expecting to love this book as much as I did but it was so addicting. I loved the second chance romance aspect and I personally thought it was actually a good reason for a second chance. I feel like the ending was perfect because it was the perfect balance of the characters growing and it left the ending where you can see the characters will make it but will continue to grow with each other along the way.

Eliot is actually perfect and I loved Ama so much. I wish that she was able to develop more backbone from her old job but seeing her growth throughout the book about that was amazing. Also, the horse scene was cathartic (if you know you know). Overall, I liked the book a lot and am excited to see more of Julie's books.

This was such an entertaining and fun read. I was feeling the angst, the stress of the party planning and all the emotions of Ama and Elliot throughout the story. I only wish I could see the wedding and the floral arrangements that Elliot created in real life because they sounded amazing! And I just now read that this is going to be a series and now I am soooo excited and can't wait!

Dear Net Galley,

I would love to give this book a "proper" review. However, Julie Soto ripped out my heart and soul and while she put them back together again by the end of this book, I will never be able to express in word or deed what this book meant to me. As publishers, as editors, as readers, however the person reading this "fits" into the romance community, I'm sure you can understand. I know you have also read a book that got you so up in the feelings and the thinkings that when it was time to put your thoughts into words, it's almost impossible. You just know that the book in some way altered you forever and you've carved out a place in your heart and soul for the book and its characters. Right? This is a thing, yeah? I'm not the only one who's been left speechless by a book and feels nothing you say will do it justice?

I have been very active on Instagram talking about this book with any and everyone. I will push it in people's faces in bookstores (politely, of course). But asking me to detail it...IDK if I can. This book is without flaw. Ama is wonderful. She is everything I wish I was--most of the time. But Elliot...Elliot has my heart. Probably because Elliot is me. I am him. His surly attitude, his fearlessness at saying whatever he is thinking even if it is offensive because he (1) doesn't care or (2) doesn't realize, I could identify with so much. I loved his rudeness but also his inner kindness and sweetness--but only for Ama.

I didn't trust Julie at first, playing with the time jumps. And I can fully admit now that I was wrong. What a clever, clever way to show us how they fell for each other, how they hurt each other, and how they healed each other once more. I cried more times than I'd like to admit reading this book. Like painful crying that hurt my head after because I was so congested. But I would do it again in a heartbeat for these two dummies.

So, this is my attempt at a review. It's candid. It's raw. It's real. Thank you for reading.

4.5 rounded up!

you guys.... LovesBitca8 was a genius on AO3 and shes a genius again. i loved the setting of this book and i loved elliott. i L O V E D elliott. his tattoos i cant i will die. he is so obsessed w her and it makes me freak out. and the ending made me cry. i would highly recommend

second chance, pining, miscommunication (but not in a bad way), hurt/comfort, flashbacks, dual pov

The first thing that got me about this book was the personalities of these characters and how well they clicked with each other, how cheerful but real Ama was and how quiet but sweet Elliot was made me fall in love with them from the start.

I have this crazy need to know what all the characters are thinking at all times (especially the main characters) so I have to admit I got a little stressed out being in Elliot's head only in the "past" chapters.

I will never get over the fact that he is a florist and she is named after a flower, THAT IS WHAT I CALL FATE BABY!!

I'm a faithful believer that a person's situation explains their actions but doesn't justify them, but in situations like Ama's where she bears the consequences of her mom's actions, it makes me go into a crossroads where I want to blame her mom completely but I know better and then I get upset, ugh it's this whole thing that my brain unnecessarily creates every time I come across books like this.

The conversation Elliot has with Jackie destroyed me in the best way, and I can't stop thinking about it.

My biggest complaint is that I would have liked this book to be longer so I could have seen the development of their relationship in the "present" better because I feel like their dynamic evolved and I would have liked to read that.

(Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review)

I really enjoyed this book. I was looking for something light hearted and fun to read and this hit the spot. I look forward to reading more by this author.