Thank you SO MUCH to Forever, Netgalley, and Libro.fm for providing advanced copies of this! All thoughts and opinions are still my own

I knew the moment I laid eyes on this cover that I needed this romance in my life. And the insides were just as stunning. I think this book may be somewhat polarizing, but personally I loved every angsty moment.

This follows our 2 main characters who met working the wedding scene - her a planner and him a florist. But while the heroine loves weddings, she doesn't believe in love or forever. After a whirlwind romance, their relationship falls apart causing them not to speak for 2 year. Now with the wedding of their careers on the line, they have to find a way to work together. And maybe figure out a way to mend what went wrong 2 years ago.

This romance is messy and angsty and full of grumpy banter. And I loved every second.

This has some of my favorite tropes, amazing narrators, and characters you can't help but love.

The heroine is sunshine and optimism (outside of her own romantic holdups), while the hero is reserved, quiet, and grouchy at the best of times. But their connection is immediate and no matter how much they get on each other's nerves, they can't deny their chemistry.

This hero is also the epitome of grumpy exterior with a gooey, soft center who absolutely worships the ground the heroine walks on. But he'll deny it to his final breath.

But I think what I loved most about this book was the stylistic choice of past & present chapters.

Which seems to be an unpopular opinion but hear me out.

This book opens up from the heroine's POV. You first meet the hero through her lens as grumpy and extremely rude. You immediately side with the heroine and assume that hero is responsible for their demise.

But between the heroine's present day chapters, the hero is telling the story of their romance from the beginning. You get to see how they meet, connect, date, fall in love, and inevitably fall apart. And as you get these chapters, you grow to understand, empathize, and even side with the hero.

I thought it was such an amazing way to highlight the dynamics of relationship. That it truly takes 2 people to build a relationship or destroy it.

I don't think this is a romance that will be universally loved. Between the past/present chapters, miscommunication, and drama, I think there are definitely reads who won't find this nearly as endearing as I did.

But if you like chaos, and messiness, and complicated, imperfect characters - definitely add this one to your TBR! If fun, fantastically written, and steamy.

Overall I was really pleased with this story, it was a cute second-chance romance and the tension between the two main characters was great. There were so many sweet parts and I can really see how the Elliot was swoony. There were a few things that made it miss the 5-star mark for me, among them being that getting the backstory took a little too long (like, most of the book), and both main characters had some rather alarming (if not red, at least pink) flags. I did really enjoy the setting, and the idea of a wedding planner and florist was interesting. I especially liked having Ama be a wedding planner with her views on love/marriage. I also appreciated the fact that it was the girl who was wary of relationships. With a guy like Elliot one would think it would be him with that hang-up, but for all his gruffness he wasn't, and I liked that. These few things kept this from being an amazing read for me, but I'm by no means upset that I read this book. I will happily hand-sell this title to readers looking for a more light-hearted romance novel and I have high hopes for Soto and her stories in the future.

Okay, I can't get over the plot and drama behind the romance???? Julie Soto knows her wedding planning stuff, a major applause for that. The details from wedding planning to also being a florist. Spectacular!!!

Elliot was such a GRUMP that was absolutely besotted by Ama and Ama had significant commitment issues but couldn't stay away from Elliot. I was here for it, unraveling this second chance romance from then and now moments, while also being equally invested in Hazel and Jackie's marriage.

What's interesting about this book is that the third act break up is pretty much the THEN moment of why they broke up. But I loved the turnaround and the now. This book heavily goes into details of the wedding planning and I felt that the romance was a layer to the story/plot! And not vice versa.

Anyways, I do want a man utterly obsessed with you in many ways like our man Elliot, fr fr.

I just finished this incredible romance book, and I'm still swooning! It's all about Ama, a wedding planner, who has to team up with her grumpy ex, Elliot, who's a florist. The drama is off the charts! Ama's got this major celebrity wedding to plan, but guess what? Elliot is already booked as the florist. The tension between them is intense, and the two brides totally see it too. They're trying to set them up without knowing their messy past. With a meddling ex-boss and a reality TV crew thrown into the mix, it's a recipe for both disaster and steamy romance. I couldn't put this book down! The chemistry between Ama and Elliot is so delicious, and the writing style is unique. It's like getting two love stories in one with their alternating perspectives. The second half is a rollercoaster of emotions, and I fell hard for the grumpy hero who's secretly a softie. This book is heartwarming, entertaining, and filled with romance. It left me grinning like a fool!

Influenced by Ali Hazelwood’s giveaway, I immediately requested this ARC and now EVERYONE should add this to their TBR.

Elliott is our grumpy, insanely talented florist ex with tats and a man bun.

Ama is a wedding planner trying to get out of her mentor’s shadow in the Sacramento wedding game and the sunshine to our grump. Oh, and they’re being forced to work together on a high profile wedding.

The STUNNING cover 😍 doesn’t hurt and this story was fun. Elliott was very grumpy at first, but he grows on you I swear!

And the story behind the tattoos 😊

Thank you to the author, publisher and @NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A second chance romance between a wedding planner against relationships and a tattooed flower shop owner?! Yes please! I was immediately drawn to this story because of the beautiful cover. Isn’t it absolutely amazing?? I also liked that the story took place in Sacramento, a place I spend some time in. Another element I enjoyed was how Ama’s mom and Elliot’s dad both had an effect on how they approach relationships now. I found it interesting how this romance novel touched on how childhood patterns and experiences still can determine what choices you make in adulthood. Forget Me Not had me feeling all of the emotions and I can’t recommend it enough!

A huge thank you to @readforeverpub via @netgalley for the e-arc. It in no way influences my thoughts. Forget Me Not is out now so make sure to get your copy!

Read if you like:
🖤 open door romance
🖤 alternating timelines
🖤 second chance romance
🖤 swoony can’t-catch-your-breath moments

Ama is a wedding planner, trying to make it on her own when she finds herself given the opportunity to plan the Hazel Renee’s wedding. This could be exactly the big break she needs….except it comes with a catch. Her ex, Elliot, is the florist.

I was sold on this book from the second I heard about it. First off, this cover is absolutely gorgeous. It definitely is going down as one of my favorites from 2023. Then secondly, it’s a grumpy/sunshine romance!

Ama and Elliot were both amazing, lovable characters in their own way. Although I did tend to prefer Ama’s POV, I loved them both. The narration style was great as well. The level of steam was perfect in my opinion, it definitely had some open door spice to it but it wasn’t constant spice.

This was a fantastic debut, I will for sure be keeping my eye out for future books!

P.S. Get ready to crave donuts, I’d have a few on hand before you start reading 🍩

Thank you Forever Pub for my ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Highlights:

Second-chance romance
Opposites attract
Grumpy/sunshine
Wedding planner

Ama Torres, a talented wedding planner, scores the wedding of the season, but if she agrees to plan it, she will have to work with Elliot, a grumpy florist who happens to be her ex. A few years ago, Ama and Elliot had a passionate six months relationship, but Ama broke Elliot's heart when she broke up with him because of her fear of commitment. This wedding will make or break Ama's career, but working with her ex-boyfriend is not going to be easy.

I adored Forget Me Not. It's a sweet and sexy second-chance romance with likable characters and a lovely setting. Ama and Elliot have sizzling chemistry. Second-chance romance is one of my favorite tropes, and Forget Me didn't disappoint. I highly recommend this book to all romance readers.

I loved this book! I pretty much read it in one sitting, no surprise. I actually almost missed my stop on the train because I was so tuned in to the last 3 chapters.

Read forget me not if you love: angst, dual timelines, and a fast paced plot.

I found myself acutely engaged the entire time, I was equally swooning at the previous timeline and holding tension in my jaw with the current one as the two MC deal with the consequences of their fallout (this is a good thing for me)

I'm a big romance girlie, and I had seen some buzz about Forget Me Not, the debut by Julie Soto so I was THRILLED to get an ARC from NetGalley and Forever Publishing. And what a gift it was, because I LOVED it and it is out TODAY!

Not gonna lie - I have been going THROUGH it, between work and home renovation drama, and this book was the PERFECT escape. It even managed to keep my migraine at bay - not an easy feat!!

It's the story of wedding planner Ama, who comes to the industry with a VERY interesting path - her mother has been married sixteen(!!!!!!!!!!) times. So while she may not believe in marriage, she believes in the event and the party of a wedding. She worked under the Queen Wedding Planner of Sacramento for years before starting her own shop, specializing in lower budget weddings where she can really be creative. She gets the opportunity of a lifetime when she nabs a high profile client - and she is escatic until she realizes the one vendor they have locked in his florist Elliot Bloom - who she has a long, and painful history with.

The story is told with dual timelines and perspectives, which I enjoy whe done well - and it is here. I loved Ama and Elliot. I am a sucker for a brooding but sensitive leading man - and Elliot hit all the right notes for me. Using the wedding that forces them to work together for the first time in years was the perfect device.

And the chemistry!!!! All the fire emojis.

I finished it this morning and have already texted several group chats that they need to pick it up. Happy Publishig Day, Julie!!! Can't wait to read your next one!

Will post this review on goodreads, my bookstagram @scottonreads, retail sites, twitter @sarahncotton.

An absolute slump-buster and debut all in one delightful book! I seriously could not put this one down. Ama and Elliot dated for around 6 months but broke up a few years ago (Elliot could tell you the exact amount of time since Ama broke his heart). They are now reconnecting through their businesses as Ama lands a dream wedding featuring a internet celebrity and her fiancé. As a wedding planner trying to hit it big, Ama knows she cannot turn this opportunity down but is not looking forward to working with Elliot again even though she knows he is the top florist in Sacramento.

So there's a bit of forced proximity here mixed with second chance romance, but what I really loved is that Elliot is the grumpiest of grumps and Ama is pure sunshine. I love me a grumpy-sunshine trope and Soto understands that assignment better than most. Elliot grunts more than speaks and yet you can tell exactly how much he cares for her. His actions speak louder than any words. In addition, Soto takes us back in time at points throughout the book to see inside how these two initially connected and where it all went wrong. I laughed throughout this whole book and smiled at all the sweet moments. The characters are truly loveable. You cannot help but hope that it all works out in the end for all involved.

If you are a lover of romance, this is a quintessential contemporary done right. You need to read this one now! I have no idea how Soto got it right her first time at bat but I am here for it. I cannot wait to see what this author brings us in the future!

This book was the perfect blend of so many romance troupes, the grumpy sunshine and second chance romance. I loved how the author provided us with both Ama and Elliot's points of view and I did like that we got to see their relationship now contrasted to how it started. It was almost un-put-down-able because I could not wait to figure out how they ended up at the end of the book. It was swoon worthy at times. It was also very romantic, which was probably helped by the wedding planning aspect of the story. I felt like I knew the characters of Ama and Elliot so completely that they played out in my mind like a movie. Overall, simply a fun and steamy romance that I will be recommending to all my friends!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

You need to read this book. Forget about book buying bans and incredibly long TBRs, this book is so, so, SO good.

I absolutely adored how Soto wrote these characters. We have Ama, a ray of sunshine and positivity who does incredible work but struggles to acknowledge just how good she is. And Elliot is grumpy on the outside, but an absolute sweetheart who cares deeply about those closest to him. His emotional depth too? I can’t. The story about his tattoos had me in tears.

The plot was brilliant, I loved being a part of all the wedding plans, whether they were going well or not. And the dual timeline that told the romance of their past alongside the angst of the rekindling of their new relationship had me hooked.

I could seriously go on forever about this book. Go pick it up now!!

Now that I've had a few days to think about this book I can safely say it's going to be my favorite romance of 2023. This was the perfect amount of smut and plot. It wasn't overly done, which I appreciate, but it still gave me exactlyyy what I was looking for.

Ama is a wedding planner who doesn't believe in love (classic). Elliot is a florist who hates arranging flowers (who could've foreseen this coming?!?!?). When these two meet it is fireworks! The only issue is that Ama has never had a serious relationship in her entire life and Elliot is into forever. What could've been the best relationship either has ever had ends in complete and utter disarray. Nowadays they're both into avoiding each other at all costs and pretending the other doesn't exist, until the wedding of the century arrives where they're forced to work together again. Will they keep this professional or will they give love a second-chance?

I really liked this book. I liked the dual POV and the timeline changes. I’m usually not a fan of second chance romances, but I did lie this one. I think because of the way the past was told at the same time current events were unfolding it didn’t really seem like a true second chance romance. I do think the characters could have used a little more development. Sometimes the conflict between Ama and Elliot seemed like it came from nowhere and was just happening as a plot device. I felt like parts were rushed and then the plot would slow down and nothing would happen for a while. The “twist” at the end was somewhat predictable, but I didn’t hate it. Overall solid book.

REVIEW FOR FORGET ME NOT

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars

Thank you to @netgalley and @readforeverpub for the gifted copy!

WOW. Just WOW. I loved this book so much. I finished it in a day- I couldn’t put it down. The emotion, the love…just everything about it was incredible.

𝕊𝕐ℕ𝕆ℙ𝕊𝕀𝕊:
Ama Torres believes in weddings, not marriages. As a wedding planner her focus is giving her clients budget friendly parties that they will remember forever. When an opportunity to work on the wedding of her career appears, she is ecstatic…until she learns that her former favorite florist, collaborator, and ex is contracted to do the flowers. Elliott Bloom is the opposite of Ama- brooding, direct, and knows what he wants. This event could make or break both their careers- can they put aside their differences enough to work together? Or will they find that sometimes love is about second chances.

𝕎ℍ𝔸𝕋 𝕀 𝕃𝕀𝕂𝔼𝔻:
• Ama. I really resonated with her. Until my husband, I was not sold on the idea of marriage. As a kid of divorce, I was convinced that it wasn’t in my future. I related to Ama so much
• grumpy/sunshine dynamic of Ama and Elliot
• I dream of being a wedding planner so living vicariously through this story was amazing
• loved how Ama maintained her relationship with her former step siblings
• I don’t usually like second chance romances, but this was almost a lovers to enemies to lovers that was done really well
• I liked the alternating chapter POVs and timelines

𝕎ℍ𝔸𝕋 𝕎𝔸𝕊ℕ’𝕋 𝕄𝕐 ℂ𝕌ℙ 𝕆𝔽 𝕋𝔼𝔸:
• honestly there wasn’t much I disliked- a few side characters here and there but I understood their purpose

𝕆𝕍𝔼ℝ𝔸𝕃𝕃 𝕋ℍ𝕆𝕌𝔾ℍ𝕋𝕊:
I’ve been thinking about this book since I finished it Sunday. Genuinely it was so beautifully told and written and I cannot wait to see what else Julie Soto writes.

Did I want to read this for the cover? Yes, yes I did, and I’m so glad I did because it’s one of the best books I’ve read so far this year.

Grumpy/Sunshine is my catnip and it’s so good in this one. Ama is a ray of sunshine and donuts (as long as they aren’t peanut butter) and Elliot is one moody, broody, swoony, broken boy, but they HAVE to work together for a celebrity wedding that will benefit both of them.

Because it’s a second chance, and things didn’t end well between them in the past, any time they had to be together in the present, there was banter, there was tension, there was chemistry, and it was all off. The. Charts. It was sweet, spicy, and slightly more angsty than I normally like, but I was here for it.

Ama’s chapters are all in the present and Elliot’s chapters are all in the past, gradually catching up with the present, so we’re simultaneously watching them get back together as we watch how they fell in and out of love in the past. It’s really well done.

I absolutely LOVED this book! It also has me second guessing my disdain for second chance romance, it’s that good! Such a great debut from Julie Soto and I cannot wait to read more from her.

Thank you to Forever Publishing and NetGalley. I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

Happy Pub Day!!
Forget Me Not by Julie Soto

Thank you @readforeverpub for the early review copy.

This one is probably one of my favorite books this year. It’s a great summer read - the floral and wedding vibes are perfection.

Ama Torres is a wedding planner with amazing artistic talent. She doesn’t actually believe in marriage, but she loves creating the perfect day for her clients. She gets her first high end celebrity client and she is determined to make their wedding one for the ages. One problem? Her ex is the florist that her client has already decided to work with. Elliot is broody but also insanely talented. Ama broke his heart two years ago and they haven’t worked together since. Will they be able to now? Forget Me Not is angsty, romantic and funny - I couldn’t put it down.

POV: Dual
Spice: 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️

I devoured this book like Ama (FMC) devours donuts every morning because it really was such a treat to read! I mean, based on that gorgeous cover alone I was going to read the book regardless, but what was inside was just as beautiful. It's been about a week since I finished Ama and Elliott's story and I'm still thinking about them!

Elliott is such a lovable character; he is broody but so sweet, which goes perfectly with how he looks like a tattooed bad boy who is also a florist. While I admired Ama and her drive, and how she really had no fear except in love, I just couldn't get past how she could stay away from Elliott for two years after breaking his heart! This book spends a lot of time in the past, showing how they met and how they started their relationship, but the present day timeline is really more about the wedding planning Ama is doing and less about romance. I would have loved to see more of them together in the present, and more of Elliott's POV then as well.

As a romcom lover, I was going into this one expecting it to be a little more angsty, but I was actually pleasantly surprised that it wasn't, although I still felt all the emotions and shed some tears, both happy and sad. Beautifully written, it is also funny and steamy, and I loved the entire wedding planning aspect and how we get to see both of the characters really succeed both professionally and personally as well when they get their hard earned HEA.

Forget Me Not is as funny as it is heartbreaking. The grumpy-sunshine trope hides two people irrevocably changed by their past relationship. Ama, once cynical about relationships, remains hesitant to be in one but maybe not for the same reasons anymore. When a high-profile wedding forces her to work with Elliot, a florist in the area who also happens to be her ex, she has to set aside her lingering feelings for him. Being the untalkative grump that he is, it is slightly more difficult to discern if Elliot still feels anything for her. What is clear is that he was in love with her before it all fell apart.

Julie Soto strategically alternates between the past and present through Ama, whose point of view is usually in the present, and Elliot, whose point of view is usually in the past. It allowed me to connect better with both characters. Giving Elliot a voice in the past helped me understand why Ama was not quite over him, no matter what she claimed in her chapters, and it gave me a chance to fall for him. His adoration of and patience with Ama showcased a man more vulnerable than he portrayed himself to be. Furthermore it hinted at what his grumpy nature was hiding from everyone in the present.

The cause of their breakup is hinted at early on. It does not take away from the story but helps create a fair amount of speculation and foreboding leading up to that pivotal moment. Soto wrote it so well that Elliot breaking broke me--it hit me so hard.

Read this if you're a fan of
⭐️ grumpy sunshine
⭐️ second chance romance
⭐️ weddings/wedding planning