RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
SPICE: 🔥🔥🔥

Ama subscribes to the philosophy of "those who refuse to marry plans them." It's a good thing that she happens to be an excellent wedding planner. When the perfect opportunity to skyrocket her small wedding-planning business lands on her lap, it comes with a steep price: To work with her ex Elliott, whom she has avoided since they split two years ago.

Grumpy Elliott is not too happy with the arrangement -- pun intended -- either. Or much about his life for that matter. He inherited his father's floral business and had to abandon his dream of becoming an architect. Now he has to work with the woman who shattered his heart.

This was a great second-chance romance read. I love the adversarial-to-romance arc that Ama and Elliott go through, even though it took a while to get there. I just don't mean slow burn, but it takes a long minute for the characters to engage as we get the full scoop of their history. When it does get to that point, we hit the ground running.

I really like the main characters, though Elliott does give me pause sometimes with his grumpiness. (WHO IN THE WORLD HATES DONUTS?). But I am soft when it comes to Mentos MMCs - broody guys with a squishy inside, and Elliott is the best of them.

As a Type-A personality, I felt really drawn to their struggles with commitment and lack of control. I love their own personal journeys as well as the development of their relationship. That is really the star of this read, even though I also enjoyed the other components.

** I am voluntarily reviewing an advance copy of this book. Thank you to Julie Soto, Forever, and NetGalley for providing an ARC. **

So as a wedding planner this book gave me serious anxiety, but it also gave me all the swoons and feels! The tension was incredible and I absolutely loved watching these two find their way back to each other. The steam was top notch and I also really enjoyed the side characters. One of the most realistic wedding planner books I've read!

ARC REVIEW

Forget Me Not
By Julie Soto

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Publishing date:7/11/23

Wow. This book was SO UNEXPECTEDELY GOOD! This is a romance that I will DEFINITELY  be recommending when someone says "I need a good romance book!"  READ THIS ONE!

Ama is an emerging wedding planner. After branching out and starting her own business, she is approached to coordinate a celebrity wedding. This is a great opportunity but there is one pretty big problem....the florist for the wedding is her ex who proposed 2 Years ago. Ama  broke up with him immediately after the proposal because she didn't believe in MARRIAGE. Will they be able to come together and co plan this high profile wedding? While trying to not fall in love....

Ok. ELLIOT? UM. Elliot was SEXY. I reaaaaaaaally liked his character.  Elliot is definite book boyfriend material!
I loved Ama as well. I could really feel the chemistry and the unexpected spicy moments were *CHEFS KISS *

This book also made me realize I'm REALLY liking the wedding vibes! My husband and I are renewing our vows in Vegas next April on our 10 year wedding anniversary, so I will take more wedding themed books please!

Make sure you add this to your tbr. IT WAS SO GOOD!

Thank you @netgalley and @readforeverpub for the chance to read this early!

*I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

THE GRUMPYxSUNSHINE ROMANCE OF MY DREAMS!

I'm so in love with this book. I was obsessed from the first chapter, and honestly would've ditched everything else going on in my life to finish this book had my very responsible husband not told me I had no choice but to go to work.

She's the sunshiney wedding planner who doesn't believe in love. He's the grumpy, tattooed florist who does. She works too hard and won't accept help from others. He just wants to help her and protect her and make her happy. Two years ago, something destroyed their fledgling relationship and they haven't spoken since. But they never stopped feeling for each other, and now circumstances have brought them back into each other's orbit. As you can imagine, something has to give...

This book was so tender, so raw, and so wonderful. Like I said, I couldn't put it down. These two had me in a full-on romance reader flail as I rooted for them to just LOVE EACH OTHER ALREADY.

I've already recommended this book to my friends. My local bookstore. Strangers on the internet. And now, too, I shall recommend it to NetGalley. Because holy HELL did I love this book.

!! SPOILERS AHEAD !!

I went into this book last night, <i>knowing</i> that I would stay up and read the whole thing before going to bed. What if I'm running on only 4 hours of sleep this morning? I have no regrets. None.
Forget Me Not is a lovely debut. I loved the juxtaposition of Elliot's character: borderline rude, short, get-to-the-point, suffers no fools, man of few words handling a florist's business. I loved how he added his own to the business and molded it into something for himself, despite inheriting it from his father.
Ama, on the other hand, is not typically the type of character that I love. While I can appreciate a woman who takes the reins, sometimes it felt like she was steamrolling over everyone (read: Elliot) and doing whatever she thought was best, although I know that it was coming from a good place and that more often than not, she indeed had the best way of it.
I see how Ama and Elliot were a match though. Their love story told on a double time-line had me hooked. Usually not a fan of those, but here it worked really well. The past was told from Elliot's pov and the present from Ama's, which is dang effective in the telling of this story, especially when you realise that <spoiler>Elliot was all in and his feelings never changed, and that Ama was the one who needed to realise that she needed him</spoiler>.

I really enjoyed this story, and looking forward to whatever the author writes next!

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Ama and Elliot are the perfect example of the grumpy-sunshine trope. Ama is so driven and sure of herself, which she should be considering how much success she’s had as a wedding planner. Elliot is such a grump, but he completely owns it. He’s an amazing florist that incorporates his architecture into his work. Naturally, Ama and Elliot used to be intimately acquainted after collaborating on weddings. However, things went wrong, they didn’t talk for a while, and now they are back in each others orbit. With plans to throw an amazing wedding for an influencer, Ama is depending on Elliot and their chemistry… wow! It’s so palpable and I love how it completely pops in both the flashbacks and present time. The book was so well planned, and the plot line was executed perfectly. I loved the supporting cast of characters, and I only wish we got more depth from all the characters. Granted, Ama and Elliot had a decent amount of depth, I just wanted to know more. I’m still in love with these characters, no matter what, and I really look forward from seeing more from this author. 4.25⭐️, 2.75🌶

When Ama is presented with the opportunity of her life-time, there's only one downside: she has to work with her ex, Elliot. Ama is organizing a celebrity wedding that she's hoping will give her endless opportunities, but she almost turns it down because working with Elliot is too painful. However, she's convinced, and spends the next several months working near her ex. Despite the fact that things didn't end well, Elliot and Ama are able to create magic when they're together.

I so enjoyed this book, and I will highly recommend it to friends and patrons. Elliot is a lovable grump (although he's *thisclose* to bordering on mean), and Ama is powerful and wonderful and so relatable in her vulnerabilities. Whitney makes a great villain, honestly.

I don't think I've ever read a book before where I went from hating the love interest to absolutely LOVING him so quickly. At first, I thought Elliot was so rude to AMA but then...THEN I kept reading and learned why and I fell hard for him and kept falling until the very last page. Between great chemistry, a strong and ambitious main character, a grumpy leading man with a heart of platinum and so much love for the MC, and a celebrity wedding as the backdrop, there was a lot to like about this book. I would love to see a follow-up with Mar (and maybe Xander - I feel like there was a reason he was introduced and he's grumpy which I can tell will be this author's signature.) Whatever it is, I'll be reading it.

A great read! Good characters and plot with some spice. I like Julie Soto's writing and recommend this book!

Thank you NetGalley and Julie Soto!

This book is EVERYTHING. I’m upset that I waited so long to read it?? I literally loved every second?! It has everything. Grumpy/sunshine, second chance, dual timeline, a wedding planner who doesn’t believe in marriage or long term commitment but somehow ends up a label-less exclusive…thing with a HOT tattooed florist who FALLS first and has no idea why this girl makes him so happy??! I loved it so much!

I loved the way the story was told. Seeing the past only through Elliot POV made perfect sense to me. And watching Ama SQUIRM in the present having to work with him again made me so happy?? Because even though she’s the one that called it all off, she was CLEARLY not completely over him. In denial? ABSOLUTELY. Over him? Definitely not.

I loved them so much. They were both so complicated and contradicted each other so much. But somehow they WORKED. They believed in each other, loved each other the best way they knew how, they were FUN together. I just love them.

I was about 15% in and I went and preordered a singed copy because I KNEW I was going to love it and needed it in my hands in a couple of weeks.

Thank you so much to Forever for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I am GRATEFUL!

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever for an e-arc of Forget Me Not in exchange for an honest review!
I really enjoyed reading this book and learning about Elliott and Ama, two very different characters who share a passion for their professions and…each other.
Being someone who watched lots of wedding reality tv shows as a teen, it was cool to see the process of Ama’s wedding planning and her constant dedication to make things work no matter the challenge. I was on the edge of my seat near the end because of how stressful the wedding planning was and it only further confirmed it is NOT the job for me😂
Although I loved seeing Elliott and Ama interact and work together, I don’t feel like I ever truly understood them and their relationship. Near the end, their relationship felt a bit rushed to me and the deeper issues of why things didn’t work out in the beginning were never really resolved.

I love Julie Soto's stories, and Forget Me Not is no exception. Like a rose, there was layer after layer to go through with both Ama and Elliot, but both of their story arcs became that much sweeter with each petal that was examined.

Professionally put together and on the path she always wanted for herself, Ama is, quite frankly, a total mess when it comes to her personal life. That juxtaposition between a calm exterior and a chaotic, self-doubting interior is, really, a goal for anyone in their mid-twenties, and Ama carries it so well. Ama is a blur of contradictions: she loves weddings, but doesn't believe in marriage; she remains close to her former step-siblings, but not to her former step-fathers; she wanted Elliot in her life long-term, but didn't want any commitments between them. Ama's surety in what she wanted - even to her own detriment - made her an entertaining, if a bit predictable, character.

This story has the grumpy/sunshine dichotomy twofold: once between people-pleasing Ama and the gloomy Elliot, and again within Elliot himself. It's rare for me to love the male perspective more than the female in a m/f romance, but Elliot's chapters truly shined bright in regards to temperament, thoughts, and feelings about the world (and people) around him. Elliot was such a complex character, and it took both his and Ama's perspectives to really see that and highlight who he was as a character. It's hard not to love a grumpy, tattooed main character who falls first.

Soto made a great choice in making this story both dual POV and dual timeline. I loved getting both perspectives and watching the events of the past slowly collide with the present. Both Ama and Elliot brought so much to the story that it was hard to say whose perspective I looked forward to reading more. I thought the story flowed nicely, even by alternating past and present and both points of view.

Forget Me Not was an easy five star read from me. Even when main characters aren't ready to commit to each other, it was easy to commit to reading, and falling for, this romance.

This was my first Netgalley approval and it did not disappoint, I devoured this in a day! I loved the main characters Ama and Elliot, their chemistry was just *chefs kiss* and the spice, so good 🔥this book had me laughing, crying and kicking my feet. I enjoyed every second of it…I didn’t even realize till the end that Julie Soto wrote some of my favorite Dramione fanfictions 🤦🏻‍♀️ probably why I liked her writing so much.

Thanks to NetGalley and Julie Soto for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought the book was very cute, decent spice, but it also didn't seem like a lot of the subplots/story were developed very well. The main conflict stopped being an issue so randomly that it really didn't make a lot of sense to me.

There were so many unanswered questions, and not enough writing about how they ACTUALLY felt about each other. It was a strange take on second chance in my opinion.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars
🔥🔥🔥(4 detailed spicy scenes)

[ Thank you @readforeverpub for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own! ]

PUB DATE: July 11, 2023

THOUGHTS:

So thankful I was able to read this book! I enjoyed every single minute of it! ❤️

Read if you like:
•grumpy/sunshine
•second chance
•enemies to lovers
•dual pov & dual timeline

I loved the dual pov with Ama and Elliot. Ama’s chapters were told in the present time and Elliot’s were all told in the past. This gave so much tension that I was dying to know what happened between them!!

Ama loves donuts, Elliot doesn’t. She’s happy and sunshine-y and he’s very grumpy and doesn’t hardly say anything when she’s around. He’s just a man of few words. And they both are so amazing at what they do! That wedding for Hazel & Jackie sounded stunning.

I loved their chemistry. It was hot, hot, hot. 🔥 and it broke my heart each time when they both knew the exact date it’s been since they seen each. Like down to the years, months, weeks, and days.

Overall, loved this one. One of my top favorite romances for this year!! 💜

The book is told from two point-of-views and they come from Ama and Elliot. Elliot’s are mostly in the past as the reader is shown what happened in the past between the two. I thought it was an interesting way to understand the turmoil between them, especially after you learn they had something between them.

Ama is a wedding planner and it’s definitely a job I like to read about. It’s probably because I loved the movie The Wedding Planner with Jennifer Lopez in it. Such a classic! It was cool to see how her job status progressed over time and why she chose to part ways from a company that she started out at. She learned a lot along the way.

The romance between her and Elliot was cute but I just never fully connected to their romance. I do think that he truly cared for her since he seemed to be the one who always believed in her and took a flower out of his shop because it reminded him of her. He definitely never forgot about her.

The problem for me with this one was not finding a connection to it. It was a popcorn read for me. I went on vacation for a week and half and didn’t pick it up once or thought about it.

Overall, this was okay. I can see the appeal for it and I do think that it will work well for others. Sadly, it just didn’t work for me.

I needed this couple to plan my wedding! If you are looking for an 2nd chance romance and a Grumpy/Sunshine book then this is what you want.

Ama was the cutest wedding planner who just always seems to be in over her head! She worked under a witch of a boss for years and finally decided to break off on her own. While trying to meet vendors under her own company, she stops by a floral shop call Blooming. This is where she runs into Elliot or should I say truly notice him for the first time. Now Elliot has had his eye on Ama from the day he had to start helping his father in their family run floral shop. His father was ill and Elliot stepped in to help him with weddings and running the shop. Elliot eventually inherits the shop around the same time Ama starts her friendship. They work together on a few weddings and the sparks fly. The only problem is that Ama doesn't believe in happily ever afters! This book rotates between their past and present relationship.

I loved watching their relationship grow and I loved that Elliot was shy and awkward, but also attentive. It shows that now every guy in the book has to be the outgoing one. His small gestures and willingness to assist showed Ama how much he truly cared about her. Such a cute love story and that ending had me cheesing but intrigued at the same time!


I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for sending me this free Arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc of Forget Me Not in exchange for an honest review.

I already knew going into this book that I was a fan of Julie Soto's writing style. As an avid fanfic reader, I am well acquainted with her previous works online. So I was very pleasantly surprised in seeing her growth as a writer when her talent is showcased with a traditional publishing lens.

I am not usually a huge fan of second-chance romance, so I did go into the story itself with low expectations, more so for my enjoyment. It's hard for me to believe people can come back together after being broken up for years. The story has to be done well for me to believe it, and thankfully, this was done well. I do think a lot of this was because we get a strong sense of who our FMC is before we are introduced to our MMC. I think it was smart to not introduce him right away. I do also like that his pov is mainly done in flashbacks. So we get to see what happened to them previously while our present is with them reconnecting.

Overall I really enjoyed this. I think the pacing was great. I loved the focus on wedding planning. It brought so much more depth and tension to the characters by having them work together for a common goal. There was so much angst I wasn't expecting. Both of the characters were likable in their own ways and blended well together. Definitely grumpy sunshine vibes from their first interaction until the end.

“Why begin, when it will end?”

I was creepy-smiling throughout this whole book. It was funny, sad, and spicy, everything I look for in a romcom!

“I think this is where I’ll die. I think I’ll just lie down and wait for death. He can use me to fertilize the flowers.”
This book is about Ama, a wedding planer who doesn’t believe in weddings, and Elliot, a florist who likes flowers more than people. Honestly, same, Elliot.

“And I almost hope there was someone after me, someone who broke him differently. Because I’m not worth three years of someone’s life.”

Ama is reasonably traumatized about weddings considering her mother has been married, what, 16 times!? I DIED reading that LOL

Elliot’s internal monologue is super funny, it was a highlight of the book for me!

“I wonder if she’ll look up The Language of Flowers and figure out I just told her, You are immature and I resent you. Go away.”

He was blunt, awkward, sometimes (most times) rude, but underneath was a little gooey center of amazing-ness. He reluctantly took over his father’s flower shop after he died but learned that all they really needed was water, light, and attention.

“Flowers are better than people.”
“Yes, Dad, they are,” I say to the empty shop.

This part hit me so hard! Don’t worry, I wouldn’t say this is a spoiler, you know it’s gonna happen.

“There are exactly four of his flowers that are still kicking, ones that I brought to his funeral when I thought he’d maybe like more flowers than people there.”

Elliot was a really great character for me. I loved his personality, his sassiness, his love for flowers and architect, and how he worked passionately and tirelessly. But his anxieties also spoke to me. Some were big and some were tiny ones that you’d never expect to be bothered by, and yet, you are.

“I posted a picture of a deconstructed floral arch ten minutes ago, and I’m already checking on Twitter to see if Instagram is broken. After five minutes, I finally get a set of likes. But because my self-worth is now intrinsically tied to this picture, I’m thinking of deleting it, then myself.”

Elliot’s clear romantic awkwardness is what completely won me over in the end. It was adorable and I love him. He is so rough but loving, ugh, I could gush all day. Here are some quotes.

“There’s no room inside of her, but I fuck her like I belong there.” More spicy quotes at the bottom!

“I’m Cynthia, Ama’s mother.” Well, fuck. “Hi, good. I mean, good to meet you.”

“But I don’t know how to make it happen other than just…hanging around. I’ve asked out exactly four women in my life, and statistically, I’m not great at this.”

“Did I just kill her with a peanut butter donut?” “Sir, I’m sure she’s not dead.”

“Nice to know you can keep a cool head under pressure.” I feel like today was anything but “a cool head under pressure,” but I guess we’ll leave that between me and Josephine, the 9-1-1 operator.

The past and present (and when you realize WHY the past times are so specific!!!) blend really well together. I’m not normally a fan of different timelines, but this was done so well! Ama and Elliot’s back and forth, their banter, their interactions, their work, it was so well done. I was laughing out loud at some parts, and like I said above, I found myself just smiling crazily at some parts. Funny parts, awe-moments, spicy parts, all the parts.

“His hair is long again. He has half of it tied back, out of his face. I called it a man bun once, and he gave me the silent treatment for the rest of the day.”

The ending was so great and I think it was just what Ama and Elliot needed, and it showed a lot of growth on both of their parts.
. . . .

This review was basically a little fan-girl essay, so sorry if it wasn’t helpful but definitely read this book!

“Are you fucking kidding me with this car?!”
“It’s drivable! It’s fine!”

There is exactly one thing that would have made this book better and it was if her car had broken down when Elliot was in it, just so he could rub it in her face! IYKYK

“After cleaning up the mess as best I can and returning to my car, every single warning light turns on—more than usual. Apparently my tires are flat, my oil needs changing, and my window washer liquid is low. The only thing going for me is the needle pointing to a half tank of gas, but even that is questionable with the low fuel indicator glaring at me. As my engine putters, I consider just how bad it would be to drive twenty blocks in a car that is clearly screaming for death.”

One final thought, to leave you all on a high: Elliot’s love for Ama is top shelf. That’s all.

“I nod. I agree. I listen. But I’ve accepted the fact that I just drove fifteen miles at two thirty in the morning to squeeze into this bathtub and listen to Ama wheel-spin. It’s fine. I may fall asleep, slip under, and drown. But it’s fine.”

Some spicy quotes:

“You can help me set up sparklers,” she says in a silky voice, as if sparklers means something else entirely. “Is it really setting up sparklers? Because you know how I feel about you needing an assistant—” “I mean, come back and I’ll fuck you in your truck.”

“What’s wrong?” I grip her hips. “Fucking god, Elliot,” she whimpers. “I forgot how big you are.”

“You’ll have to forgive me forgetting,” she says, reaching forward to finger the button at my collar. “You were in those skinny jeans and that plaid shirt. It made you look like a missionary come to save my filthy soul.”

I love a good grumpy main man! And Elliot is the definition of grumpy and Ama is the perfect sunshine to his grumpy. Ama was born to be a wedding planner and florist Elliot was ment to be her perfect balance. This was a perfect fluffy (which I LOVE) romance with drama. Second chance romance and grumpy, sunshine are not my go to tropes but oh my word! This was fantastic! And I can't wait to recommend this to everyone!!!