This book was sweet without being saccharine. The characters felt down to earth and there was just the right amount of a magical premise without making the whole book feel unrealistic. Solid read and cute to boot.

A sweet rom-com story about a woman whose high school crush returns to town after the death of his father. Lots of steamy scenes ensue. Imogen looks back at her past heartbreaks with men in little interstitial sections and I enjoyed those best - they had good humor. I also liked seeing how she grew as a person and developed self-esteem.

Imogen gives of herself, from boyfriends to her mother who needs near constant care, only to find no one thinks to put her first. Ever. Until her first love, Elliot, returns home from his world travels. Thing is, I LIKED Imogen. I liked her spirit, the way she approached life, and the way she worked so hard to get back the things she loved like her art. But Elliot...oof. It took him way too long to get it together.

The ending missed the mark by a WIDE margin. All that character growth out the window, with just a sliver in the final paragraph.
Ugh.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very good book. I enjoyed reading it. The characters and plot kept me interested. I would read another book by this author.

Cute story but nothing special for me. I didn't really connect with the characters or feel much for them throughout the story so didn't fall in love with them falling in love.

I received a ARC copy from Netgalley, with my first book from Jacqueline Firkins. Imogen believes her mother's prophecy is dead on. She will never come first. Fast forward to double digit breakups....she is feeling doom that she will never be anyone's first. Suddenly her past comes back to her present, her childhood friend Eliot returns...shortly.
He knows her 'curse' and hasn't seen her since left after graduation, not keeping in touch.
I found this story sweet until Eliot comes back, then the angst.... and you want him to be her person... You start wishing he can change his DNA and stay and put her first.
I ended up really liking the story, but found the ending too rushed for me. I wanted a little more for their story.
4.5 stars!

This book was a cute romance. This was a quick read with a very enjoyable storyline that kept me hooked from start to end! I loved the characters in this book. They were so lovable and sincere that you can't help but root for them and want the best for them. The romance between the two main characters was so sweet and beautiful and felt very realistic and true to the characters and their personalities/ situations. This book was an emotional rollercoaster that I thoroughly enjoyed, definitely recommend reading this if you love a fast heartfelt romance.

Really enjoyed this book! Has a lot of my favorite tropes, and I enjoy the premise. The writing worked well for me and I found the characters really compelling.

I liked Imogen a lot, she's easy to root for, and her plight is one that many of us have experienced. Never being first at anything, or for anyone, is a lot. Biiiig millenial energy here re: imposter syndrome. Imogen's hang-ups are very real, and I love how her issues are informed by her experiences and feed into her being closed-off. I also loved Eliot, his trauma is also informed by his past. I could easily imagine a guy with such a bad childhood chosing to turn away from material possessions and become an extreme loner, far away from everyone he loves.

I really liked the texture created with the town, Pitt's Corner feels very concrete and provides a strong anchor to the narrative. I also enjoyed the complexities of the side characters, even ones who do not appear on the page. Eliot's dad is dead in the whole book, and he has a notable presence through Eliot's grief and feelings surrounding his parents. Imogen's mom was also a favorite for me.

Imogen and Eliot do have a great connection, and I liked that they help each other move past some issues. They have kind of opposite problems, which is a fun mirror.

CWs: Childhood neglect (off-page, past), parental death, cognitive decline

I tore through this book in a day. I adored it. It was unique and original, while still having the comfort of your typical romance novel. Friends to lovers and small-town tropes are favorites of mine. Eliot and Imogen complimented each other in a lovely way. I love how they knew what the other needed and gave them the space to have that in life. Both have different things that drive their life decisions... Imogen's need to be in town for her mom and Eliot's need to not be tied to a town that has so many bad memories. It was a beautiful story, full of heart.

The book was way more emotionally heavy than I was expecting it to be.

***spoilers ahead***
Imogen in the end stayed with someone that still didn't put her first. She was second to his travels. And she could've have had someone that was always going to put her first. So the story didn't end with a broken curse; she was still in it.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and publisher for the ARC.

I read Jacqueline Firkins's last book, Marlowe Banks Redesigned and loved it. I wish I felt the same way about Imogen Finch. I had to skip to the end of the book because I really did not like many of the characters. I got what Eliot wanted to do with his life but he was so wishy-washy.

I did enjoy the growth that she goes through and how the book ends. I guess I'm more of a hopeless romantic where things fall where they need to without a shake up.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the e-ARC of this book. This review is my own opinion.

This was a fun take on the classic second chance romance. Honestly, a lot of the story was really about personal growth and learning how to advocate for one’s self in a relationship more than a classic romance. Our main characters grow a lot and I really liked watching their growth.

The only thing I wanted more of: the quirky townspeople that were apart of their lives.

I don’t read a lot of woman’s fiction but I throughly enjoyed this one. I loved Imogen finch she is such a selfless person always putting the people around her first. Going thru 17 heartbreaks is a lot to say the least. I loved that she finally got a happily ever after.

Thank you st Martin’s press and netgalley for an arc.

A good adult romance novel, with great characters and writing!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

Oh my gosh, this wrecked me.

Imogen is cursed to always come second. In everything. Destined to never be anyone's main priority. And man, did I feel that right down to my bones. This felt so authentic and dynamic, and was honestly a joy to read (even though it did make me tear up). Imogen is a delight of a character. Eliot is complex and darling. Even the secondary characters are vibrant.

This felt like the perfect balance of self-discovery and romance. It definitely tugs at the heartstrings while still being cute, and charming, and a little silly.

I loved everything about this one.

I am so glad I was able to read this one! It was such a sweet book and I loved the characters. I loved the back and forth dialogue and the writing kept me hooked.

What a precious second-change, friends-to-lovers storyline! It was such a lighthearted and sweet rom com that I read in one sitting. I loved it so much! I look forward to more from this author.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the gifted ARC of this title!

This story had more depth to it than I thought it would have. When I picked it, I thought it would be a fluffy rom-com, but it was so much more and I absolutely adored this book. I loved all the characters in the book, especially Imogen, that lady is a saint compared to me.

There were parts that I absolutely hated her having to go through but in the grand scheme of it all I knew she had to go through for her growth, and I was so sad when the story ended because I wanted to know more about what happened with every one.

This is a really strong book. But I can’t decide what I liked better, the romance or the character growth. And I don’t mean one sided character growth. I think every character in this book went through some sort of inner reflection at some point in this book. If that sounds like a bit much, it really isn’t. It’s just that every character is so well-rounded and thought out. And while you don’t really see the inner monologue of every character self-reflecting, it’s still there on the sidelines and it adds to the story in some way.

But aside from that, the romance was just so heart-warming. I wanted it to work…but also I didn’t. And that’s a tough spot to be in as a reader and it’s a challenging spot for the author to put the reader in. But Jacqueline Firkins does this so gracefully and you can’t help but feeling like the heartbreak was needed for everyone. I couldn’t help but fall in love with every aspect of this book. I was so sad when it ended. This is more than just a romance book. It’s almost a healing self-help book as well. I devoured this book in two days, and with that I think I am on a reading high. I highly, highly recommend this book.

This is a second chance love story. Imogen has been through quite the ringer with exes, but when her high school crush returns to their coastal town... can he cure her heartbreak? The answer is... read the book to find out! This is definitely a cute story.