A favorite romance of the year!!! The tension/steam, past/present POVs, broody MMC, and wedding elements were PERFECT. The second-chance felt so real and the flawed main characters complimented each other very well. The depth of each character made me so invested in the story. Since I’m planning my own wedding rn I especially related to that part of the plot. It was fun to read about that side of wedding planning!

Loved it!!!!

Thank you netgalley for this arc to review.
What a spicy fun read! The tension and chemistry between this ray or sunshine and grumpy sunshine. Loved this second chance romance and the dynamic between these two!
An easy 4 star read!

Easily one of my favorite romance books of the year. I read this book because it came so highly recommended from Ali Hazelwood, and it lives up to the hype! The banter was incredible and the dual POV was *chef's kiss.* The parallel timelines were beautifully done, and Elliott was a Darcy-esque male lead who did NOT disappoint. Impeccable pining and love to be had by all. Love love love this book!

After breaking his heart, wedding planner Ama vowed to never work with her florist ex, Elliot, again. But when she gets the opportunity of a lifetime, the kind of opportunity that can really put her wedding planning business on the map and help it grow, and the brides want Elliot as their florist, Ama can’t say no. Now Ama not only has to navigate a celebrity wedding, but also working with her ex, and the chemistry that even the brides can detect between them.

I LOVED this book. From the very first page I was hooked and I could not put it down. I love wedding planner romances and this one was done perfectly. We got two points of view here, but done with a bit of a twist. While Ama’s chapters were in the present, Elliot’s chapters started when they first met and gave us their full backstory. I truly loved everything about this book. Elliot and Ama were incredible together and their chemistry was amazing. I loved the wedding planning and all of the side characters from the brides to the other people working the wedding. I can’t really do this book justice but know it was SO good and you should read it.

Thank you to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for the advance copy.

You know when a book comes highly recommended by friends yet you still set it aside for a while, then when you read it, you wish you had picked it up sooner? That was me with this book. Every time I posted on my bookstagram about this, someone would message me about how much they loved it. And now I understand why! This book was absolute perfection. The way Julie Soto time jumped and switched POVs made me want to keep reading because I NEEDED to know what happened next. I binged this in a day while traveling and I have no regrets. The way both Ama and Elliot were written made me feel what they were feeling, and I definitely finished with an emotional attachment to both of them.

My only question is: WHEN WILL JULIE SOTO DROP THE NEXT BOOK?? I will be (not so) patiently waiting for more.

Thank tou to NetGalley and to the publisher for an arc of this book!

Forget me not was, overall, a really enjoyable read! I liked the professional space in which the novel developed ( her as a wedding planner and him as a florist). I was not aware that the book was dual timeline, which is something I think most readers enjoy in a romance book in order to know the main characters’ romantic history.

I think Ama’s motives and family are portrayed in a very interesting way. I think it gave depth to the conflict of the story instead of making an issue that arrives out of nowhere and that’s only present for the sake of the third act breakup - which is often the case in romance books.

As for Elliot, I think he was so understanding and thoughtful that it was inevitable to not root for them in the end. I really liked the author’s writing style as well. I started reading and couldn’t put it down so I’d recommend this for anyone who loves second chance, grumpy x sunshine, and slow-burn romance!

A second chance romance that is grumpy sunshine will always have a special place in my heart. Throw in dual POV and you have me hooked. This story was right up my alley. Ama was giving everything she needed to give. I loved the uncovering of their relationship throughout the story it made the ending so satisfying. I would love to see this story adapted into film. 10/10 would recommend.

Ama has scored the biggest celebrity wedding of her wedding planning career and she should be over the moon. If only the brides weren’t adamant about working with her floral designer ex Elliot…

What I loved:
-dual timelines
-wedding/floral scenes
-Elliot! My new favourite book boyfriend
-grumpy/sunshine trope

This was such a sweet read. I adored this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the advanced reading copy.

Review: Forget me not
Author: Julie Soto

Rating: ⭐️⭐️ ⭐️ 3/5

I really wanted to love this. I generally love everything Ali Hazelwood recommends but this just wasn’t it for me.

I felt no connection to present day Elliot and Ama. Their past POV had some sweet moments which is why I gave 3 stars but I just struggled to root for their present.

I also found the surrounding plot lines to not be engaging enough to hold my attention.

I honestly was so bummed out by this book. I was so excited to read it :(

This was the contemporary romance novel of my dreams!

I had a suspicion that I was going to love this book when I first heard what it was going to be about and I'm happy to report that I loved it even MORE than I thought I would.

This book was incredible. I'm finding it hard to believe that it's a debut but with that being said, this author does have a lot of previous writing experience.

I loved this story and I truly loved these characters. Of course I absolutely adored the character of Elliot but Ama fully captured my heart through our own similarities. I think many readers will relate to either (or both) of these characters.

This book had spice, this book had humour, and this book had donuts...if that's not considered a success I don't know what is.

As an additional tangent: Fans of Ali Hazelwood, pick this book up! This author has their own unique writing style and authentic way of storytelling but I could not help but feel as if I was experiencing that same joy that comes from reading a Ali Hazelwood novel.

***Thank you to the publisher for supplying me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review***

Forget Me Not is a second chance romance that tells the tale of Ama, a wedding planner who believes in weddings but not marriages, and Elliot, the broody florist who believes in both.

This story is split into two timelines with Elliot’s point of view being in the past and Ama’s point of view being in the present timeline. This story-telling style allows readers a view into both characters’ minds but keeps some suspense alive since you don’t always know what each character is thinking.

I enjoyed this second chance romance more than I appreciate most second chance romance stories. I liked the Reylo vibes from these characters. I particularly liked Elliot. As a happily-ever-after enthusiast, I found Ama harder to love, but I came around in the end. Knowing her backstory definitely helped in understanding her.

4.5 stars!

This book gave me all the feels. Loved the dual pov and timeline! The steam and tension were top notch

This book was everything. Sometimes with books that I know there is heartbreak in some capacity, I tend to avoid because I don’t want to feel all of the feels. Forget Me Not gave me every single one of those feels on a silver platter.

I felt so connected to these characters. I felt their pain, longing, and the hope that things could be better. Ama is easily one of my favorite characters of this year. Her personality is just so fun and bubbly, she is someone I could see myself being friends with. I adored her sunshine personality and how she could just walk into a room and command everyone’s attention. Elliot had me cracking up, he isn’t a man of many words, but when he did manage to say something it was to be an overall grump. The grumpy x sunshine trope was real for this book. As was the enemies-to-lover trope.

This book is told in alternating timelines, which I thought would throw me off but didn’t. I actually appreciated the change in what was going on in the alternating chapters. We get Ama in the now and Elliot in the before. Towards the end of the novel the POVs and timeline change a bit, but I think that it was for the best reasons, and loved how the author worked this into the story.

On a side note: I really don’t like Ama’s mother, even though she isn’t featured in a majority of the story, I do truly believe that her thoughts on marriage and the fact that she has been married so many times were really the root of the problems that the main characters faced in this book. I get that her mother was essential for the story, I just really didn’t like her character.

I can not sing enough praises for this Forget Me Not. I thought I was going to have my heart ripped out of my chest but I was surprised. I finished this book with tears in my eyes. I loved every moment of it and can’t wait to read more from Julie Soto in the future.

My heart felt every word, every emotion that Soto has had weaved to spin this tale. l loved how due to the POVs we get to have into their respective heads and understanding and get the picture, it made things so intense. Everything felt lush and angsty. Emphasis on angst, is quite high here. The chemistry was palpable, and the character’s arc was top notch. I loved the ending, it was so cute.

Having watched her mother marry and divorce over a dozen times, Ama doesn’t believe in the institution but loves her job as a wedding planner. When the opportunity arrives to plan the wedding of a major influencer she agrees, the only problem is the couple insists on using Elliot Bloom’s florals. Ama and Elliot dated for several months three years ago but their relationship ended badly. The pair must now work together to throw the wedding of a lifetime in hopes of expanding their respective businesses, while the tension of their attraction and the past is still very present.

This book kept me up until 2:30 AM because I could not put it down other than google all the flowers that were referenced. I loved Ama from the start and Elliot grew on me until I loved him too. The structure of the book works wonderfully. Ama’s chapters are all present day leading up to the influencer wedding, while Elliott’s are in the past taking us through their relationship and leading up to the breakup. The tension (both the heat and animosity) levels were absolutely perfect throughout the book. There were many of the plot points I saw coming but it never felt predictable. I really enjoyed the side characters, especially Ama’s various former step siblings. Much like Lady Bird, this book is a love letter to Sacramento and made me really want to explore the city. I am very excited to see what Julie writes next.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a great debut!

I had so much fun reading this!

This book was filled with angst, flowers, and all the horny and tension laced moments.

I thought that this was such a fantastic debut from Julie Soto. I thought that her characters were compelling and there was a perfect amount of angst within the conflict of the plot.

I was laughing, I was sweating, and I was dreaming of my own perfect wedding. Ama reminded me of Jennifer Lopez's character in The Wedding Planner and I loved seeing her passion for wedding planning and design!

Let me tell you, I LOVED that this was both dual pov and dual timeline. Normally, I'm not a huge fan of a dual timeline, but I loved the way Julie perfectly balanced Ama and Elliot's past and current relationship status with one another.

Elliot is the perfect man and I love him so much. I loved how he took care of Ama and was there for her despite their tense past.

Overall, this was such a joy and I loved every second of it.

Thank you Julie Soto, Forever Publishing, and Netgalley for this eARC for my honest review.

This book was EVERYTHING.

Oh my god. The characters. The plot. The dual timeline. The dual POV. The side characters. The love story. The location. The flowers. ALL OF IT. So freaking amazing and perfect.

The dynamic between Ama and Elliot was *chef’s kiss.* Grumpy/sunshine is always an absolute favorite for me. This book had it and it was written perfectly! It had the whole “she is annoyingly pretty and happy and forcing herself into my life but I’m not mad about it but I’ll appear mad about it on the outside” thing going on. Oh my sweet Elliot.

Elliot. He’s the broody, grumpy love of my life. I swear. This man loves flowers AND is a grump??? Quite literally the perfect combination I never knew I needed so desperately. Having his POV be primarily for the past timeline was incredible. Seeing everything happen from his eyes was my favorite (it’s always the grumpy pov I love the most lol). He made my soul so happy and ache so hard throughout this entire book. I just wanted to kiss his tattoos to make him feel all better.

Ama. This girl: I loved her… but also wanted to grab her shoulders and shake her violently about 3000x throughout the whole book LOL. I completely understand where her stance on love and marriage came from which is heartbreaking. But come on girl. You’ve got ELLIOT. Despite me rambling about my “annoyance” with Ama, I genuinely did love her. Her heart for people is so big. You could seriously feel her love for her job and the people she worked with come off the page. She was written perfectly.

I adore this book with a passion. It had SO much plot within this story that wasn’t just about Ama and Elliot. Yes, ultimately the whole story was about them, however I always felt like there was always the perfect amount of focus on the wedding plot and the friendship plots. It was all balanced incredibly well and I adored every second of reading this book.

Overall, I feel like I have so much more I could say to express my love for this book, but right now I’m all in my feels about my love for Elliot and Ama and I totally want a novella about their future… and by want, I mean completely and utterly desperate for.

*Thank you Forever Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

All of this is a debut?! You’ve gotta be kidding! SO SO GOOD!

A passionate, heartbreaking and beautifully written love story! Combining enemies to lovers, grumpy sunshine and second chance romance in the best way, Julie Soto manages to create a really memorable story with alot of creative and unexpected moments which I adored!

I would recommend this one to lovers of Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka as it definitely gave “The Roughest Draft” vibes!

There were a lot of things I enjoyed about this debut by Julie Soto! The Wedding Planner is one of my favorite movies of all time and I love how versatile their jobs are, so Ama’s journey in owning her own planning business was so fun to watch. I was a huge fan of Elliot’s grumpiness and yet the tender ways he shows his affection. I also really liked the dual POV/timelines. But I just felt like I wanted more of certain storylines and less of others, which kept this from being a 5⭐️ read for me. I definitely think this is a fun read and worth checking out!

Thank you @readforeverpub and Netgalley for the advanced copy.

(4.5/5 stars) I ADORED this book! It was such a sweet, feel-good, laugh-out-loud rom-com.

Our main characters, Ama and Elliot, were fun to read about and the way their story was written kept me hooked. I loved the development of their relationship in the past, mixed with the angst and tension of the aftermath in the present. It keeps you on the hook, wondering what the hell happened to these two people who are so clearly not over each other.

I loved the side characters, even though we didn't get much of a glimpse into them, but they were funny, quirky, and endearing.

The only thing I would've liked was a little bit more insight into why our MCs are the way that they are. It was touched on briefly and then that was it. You have a wedding planner who doesn't believe in marriage and a florist who hates flowers. While the reason Ama feels that way about marriage is obvious in the grand scheme of things, it's the nuances that are missing. And Elliot is a florist who hates flowers... until he doesn't. What changes? Just small things that I wondered about and missed. I feel it would've added to the emotional connection for me. That's the half star deduction.

But overall, this book was an enjoyable read. There were times I was laughing, times my heart hurt, and times I thought I would need a cold shower. The tension of the split timeline was perfect in adding to this and building the anticipation of the reader.

And the ending....I LOVED the ending. It was perfect for this book (but I still want an epilogue 5 years down the road giving me a glimpse into their lives). If you like a feel-good romance with a HEA, I recommend this book!

Tropes: grumpy/sunshine, second chance romance, forced proximity

**Reviews will be shared to IG and TikTok by Wednesday, July 19th. I will add the links once they're up!