I enjoyed reading this. I love how the love interest is introverted because of some mysterious past and the main character is totally relatable. The romance was so sweet and adorable. I was and am rooting for them through the end. The small-town romance trope worked nicely with the eery settings.

3.5⭐️ Beautiful romance, okay storytelling.

This was absolutely adorable. Their romance was so sweet and honest.. I adore them. I LOVE that it started through phone calls about books.

My problem with this book.. There were so many chapters that I was confused as to what was happening. When the chapter ends so does the scene entirely.. but it’s done in such a confusing way. I feel like I spent half the book trying to figure out what was going on. Literally my only complaint but it took a lot away from the book for me.

~Cady adores the bookstore left to her from her late aunt but she’s never connected to one her customers before. Until the elusive and secretive Fox. He calls every Thursday.. until her shop is broken into.~

*I received an ARC of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review with my honest opinion.*

ARC Review! I received an arc from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I am unsure what to say about this book. It started off pretty strong, and I was really enjoying the whole idea of it. But all too quickly, that enthusiasm dwindled a little. It wasn't that this book was bad. In my opinion, it's not a bad book. It's decent.

I'll start with the story. It progressed pretty naturally, I think, until about the 70% mark. Then it was all just very rushed. The conflict resolved itself a little too smoothly. I mean for her to just forgive everyone for all that they did, and there were no consequences? Didn't sit right with me.

I liked the side characters more than the main characters. I didn't hate the main characters, but they weren't shining stars.

Fox or Fawkes or Bob was so weirdly attached to Cady so quickly? He was spying on her from outside her window? He completely deceived her while he posed as Bob? Just what?

Overall, despite my issues with this book, I will say that it was fun to read! I genuinely laughed so hard at some points. And it did make me a little emotional at certain parts. I will probably give it a re-read just to see if it was more me than the book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kerrigan Byrne, Cynthia St Aubin, and Oliver Heber Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this ARC because of the description and cover, but I had not read anything by the authors before. I really got to like all the characters and I thought it was very funny. The story was cute and entertaining. However, I thought the beginning was very confusing, and I wish the authors had gone in more detail about Fox’s initial contact to the store and why he decided to do that in the first place. I felt like that should be set up early on. I also felt like all the characters weren’t fleshed out enough to understand motivations, which were quickly wrapped up in the end.

I really thought the themes of PTSD and chronic pain, both mental and physical, were very well done, and I learned something new about a disorder that I had never heard of before. The themes of loving each other through each other’s pain and supporting each other was very nice.

Overall, I thought it was a very cute read, and I would definitely recommend this book to others. I would love to know more about this universe and the people that occupy the town.

Nevermore Bookstore is a fun, slightly spooky read with a couple of twists. I adore the setting of the PNW, with its gray, damp fall days and the salty sea air, it's the perfect backdrop for a bookstore named after Poe. Cady and Gemma are the best type of friends, not afraid to be honest and always willing to do whatever you need. Fox is a mystery initially, charming and smooth but trying to hide his suffering from some serious PTSD. The tension and chemistry between Fox and Cady is explosive. They're both incredibly stubborn and the banter is complete foreplay. I feel like there's more to the Ethan/Fox story than we know yet and I'm hoping it comes back in the other books. Myrtle and Vee, I need more of them, they brought so much hilarity. I'm also shipping Gemma and Ethan, I think they had a moment and I'm sure he's a SBD, I would love confirmation though. The chronic pain and PTSD representation are amazing. I have one single issue with this book and it's the Colin Kaepernick comparison. I get it, but there are so many other things that could have been picked. It gave me a little bit of ick, but overall I really enjoyed this book and I'm super excited for the rest of the series.

This book is soooo not for me. I can’t get invested. So far this month I’ve read 16 books (that averages to more than 1 a day) and yet I’ve been trying to read this for 3 days now and I’m only 5% in.

I just can’t stand the voice and the characters aren’t relatable to me. Yes, I realize I could give it more time to get better but I just don’t want to. I can already tell the writing style isn’t for me (it simultaneously feels lazy and like it’s trying too hard to be smart). The premise and cover held so much intrigue but it just doesn’t hold up as you read the book.

Im sure it’s a great read for some, but not for me.

Thanks to Oliver Heber Books and NetGalley for the ARC. This review is honest and all opinions are my own.

I'm going to get my knee-jerk innate Victorianism out of the way: I was a bit taken aback by the language in this book. I more than fill my quota of profanity on any given day - but 99.2% of it is either internal or to myself. I don't talk to others like this, and no one has ever spoken to me like this, even amongst friends. I'm all for realistic levels of swearing, but this - for me, this was unrealistic, and a distraction. Maybe I'm just old, I dunno.

That being said, I may have to start using "shit-snacks".

Anyhoozles ...

“Maiden, mother, virgin, whore.
They don’t write our stories anymore…
Vampires, lairds, pirates, earls—
we’re taking smut back for the girls”

In between and around the profanity, some of the writing is utterly lovely. The way Fox describes Cady to herself is almost literally stunning, and should be provided to <s>men</s> everyone at puberty as an example of how to woo. Because ... wooooooo. Wow. Also Fox: "A woman was everything. Everything. Everything. The smallest could be the strongest. The largest could be the most sensitive. The gentlest heart could have the toughest walls built high around it."

And when it's not being ridiculously beautiful, it's being delightfully clever. "I am the mediest-of-ocre chefs" ... "Roy stood with all the alacrity of tree Ent" ... etc.

I lost some respect for Cady when she proclaimed her teenaged love for Johanna Lindsey novels - but to be fair I don't think I ever read any. My nemesis was Catherine Coulter (same era). Still, this almost cancels out the previously noted Tolkien reference. But wait - there's a lovely Sense and Sensibility reference later. OK, that's better.

What is done with this clever, beautiful, profane writing is something kind of remarkable. It has the underpinnings of a typical romance novel, but it goes deeper than most. The FMC has a physical disability (not to mention a hard history) that makes her life a constant challenge; the MMC has trauma from his past. And it's handled beautifully. For each, their history amps up their empathy, and each works to protect the other from more unnecessary trauma. It's a bumpy road, well navigated by the authors. The ending ... <spoiler>there is no Happily Ever After here, which frankly would have negated all the good the rest of the book did. No, it's a Happy For Now, and We're Working on After ending - and it's beautiful.</spoiler> It's a bookish, sweary, romantic, vulgar, sweet, smart, sexy book, and I loved it.

The usual disclaimer: I received this book via Netgalley for review.

Oh, in case you're as clueless as I am, the Sally Fields sound bite is from Mrs. Doubtfire, and a torbie is a tortoiseshell tabby cat.

This was cute. I loved the setting, small town by the water with a cute bookstore and super colorful side characters - what more could you want? I appreciated the representation of chronic physical and mental illness - however, I’m not sure how truly realistic that representation was. I do feel like it was a little bit disjointed - I liked Cady’s POV but the MMC’s POV just didn’t seem to fit. Honestly at times, Fox came across a little bit too much - borderline stalker-like (not in a cute way, in a “why don’t you just talk to her and tell her who you are??” way). The whole survivalist thing felt off to me. There were also quite a few things that happened off page that are mentioned so briefly it feels odd. It felt like this book couldn’t decide if it was a sweet, rom-com, cozy kind of romance or if it was a hard, aggressive, smut-y type of romance. If it had gone the rom-com way, I think this would’ve been better. Honestly, if the FMC had ended up with Ethan and Fox didn’t exist - this may have been better for me.

I absolutely loved this fabulous, sexy, mystery romance with the gorgeous, haunted Fox and kind, feisty, pain-filled Cady. It has a gothic feel, especially the first third, and the sections that deal with Fox’s PTSD are haunting (and possibly triggering). The small town is vividly drawn and Cady’s bookshop becomes almost another character.
Cady’s kindness and insight, and her clarity make her feel so real. And I love her bestie, and all the older women in this small town… and the profanity and oh, the phone calls. Steamy and utterly delicious. Thoroughly recommend.
Perfection!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Oliver Heber Books for the ARC.

Well that was…just a hot mess really. I give it two stars for the beginning, because I thought this was going to end up being a really cute read. The heroine was funny, I loved the illness rep, and the pacing was good. But once the POV switched to the MMC, it got weird and felt like a totally different book. And not in a spooky, paranormal way but more in the fact that I thought I had somehow skipped pages…or entered a different book. The main issue here from my perspective is that there were so many gaps in the story. I didn’t understand how this man was getting boxes of books delivered while he lived in a literal cave. He has obvious PTSD but the way his episodes are described are so confusing. It was difficult to get through. He also just came off as a weirdo rather than a hunky, grumpy sort of dude. The relationship between the two MCs was awkward, mainly from there being basically zero development between them as a couple.

I’m not sure if it’s this writing duo, since normally I love Kerrigan Byrne. But unfortunately, this was a big flop for me. I think with an editor, maybe it could have worked, as they would have helped the story flow better. Not to mention worked on the MMC’s character and actions.

Right off the bat, I thought this book was going to fall into supernatural territory based on the cover. I was not opposed to that, and I enjoyed the suspense while reading it even though it wasn't fantasy.

"Nevermore Bookstore" follows Cady who newly inherited her Aunt's bookstore in a small PNW town. Every Thursday, she receives a phone order from the mysterious "Fox'. These conversations vary in length and subject.
Although Cady wants to meet Fox face to face, he continuously refuses. That is, until there is a break-in while they are on the phone together. After the break-in, we witness the length's that Fox is willing to go for her.

This book touches on mental and physical issues that aren't presented overbearingly. .The only time I cringed was when the characters are discussing with each other and it comes out forced.

Thanks to the publisher for an eARC via NetGalley. All opinions are honest and my own.

𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘵’𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩, 𝘊𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘦. 𝘗𝘭𝘶𝘴, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴, 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘢𝘥𝘺’𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘛𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭/𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘢𝘴 “𝘍𝘰𝘹.” 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘣𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘮𝘦𝘵? 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘢 “𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘪𝘯” 𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘱, 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭, 𝘍𝘰𝘹 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘊𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳 “𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥.”

𝘈𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘍𝘰𝘹’𝘴 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘊𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘦𝘳, 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘋𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 “𝘊𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘩" 𝘢𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘤. 𝘖𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵, 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘙𝘰𝘯 𝘚𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘐𝘯 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥. 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯. 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦. 𝘈𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥. 𝘊𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘺𝘢𝘭, 𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘷𝘪𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦.

Cady Bloomquist is a sweet girl who has taken over her aunt’s bookstore and is trying the best she can to keep it afloat. Fortunately, she has the help of Fox’s weekly purchases to keep the cash flow going. And there’s just something about Fox….his voice, his humor, his reliability…and she looks forward to his Thursday calls like nothing else. But he is an enigma, she doesn’t know his actual name or where he lives and he would like to keep it that way. Sure, Fox is also smitten with the store owner but he has a military past complete with PTSD that would ruin everything. And so he settles with just talking with her on the phone just once a week. That is until something dangerous happens during one of their calls and that changes everything. Because then Fox need to see her and protect her. He plans to do this from a distance, but can he really stay away? You’ll have to read to find out!

Thank you to NetGalley and Oliver Heber Books for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for my honest review.

I was given an Arc copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I had a very hard time with this book. The banter was cute. I liked Cady, Gemma and Ethan and they were great characters but honestly Fox was creepy. Not in a cute way like they tried to spin it but creepy in a stalker way and I definitely wasn’t enjoying it. I did finish it but I just didn’t enjoy it.

I give it two stars because I did like all the other characters except Fox.

Interesting overall, but struggled to get into this story. Liked the characters fine, but a bit creepy and stalkerish as a romance. Would recommend, as it kept my interest to see the ending.

Hands down one of the best romance books I've read and it completely absorbed me into the story. I loved this!
I just reviewed Nevermore Bookstore by Kerrigan Byrne & Cynthia St. Aubin. #NevermoreBookstore #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

Kerrigan Byrne writing a contemporary romance?? Yes please! While I am definitely used to her darker historical romances, this one took some time to get going. Eventually, I fell in love with these characters and I am looking forward to more!

Thank you for the ARC and the opportunity to read Nevermore Bookstore by Kerrigan Byrne and Cynthia St. Aubin. Unfortunately this book was not for me. The supposed hero of the story stalked and gaslight our female lead and this was considered romantic rather than predatory, toxic relationship should not be glorified in my opinion particularly when the behaviour is not called out or addressed. I did think the authors did a great job of demonstrating our leading ladies chronic pain and how debilitating that can be but also making her more than her disability.

Thank you for the opportunity to review! 4.5/5 stars

This book was an enigma! Nevermore Bookstore was a fun and quirky read. I loved that the main character Cady isn't expected, and that she's a sassy book nerd is just the cherry on top.

The downside of this read for me was that it became a little predictable, HOWEVER, that has never stopped me before, and it didn't in this case either. Weirdly, it made me like it more...? There were a lot of tropes at play so that became a little confusing too, but they did all pull together at the end.

I will definitely be recommending this read once it is available, and it was definitely something I'll be reaching for again!

I want to start off by saying I was so excited for this book. The blurb, cover, and title gave me the vibe that this would be a paranormal romance. It absolutely was not, so maybe that was my bad? But I believe others felt the same.

The first chapter had me hooked. I still believed it was a paranormal romance at this point. However, it immediately lost me in chapter two, but I pushed through thinking things would start to make sense again and fully believed in its potential. It had SO MUCH potential. While we did get answers about some things, this book was all over the place and I felt that there was a lot that didn’t add up or was left unresolved by the end. It felt rushed and dragged out at the same time.

Things I liked:

Decent rep for people with chronic pain. I don’t suffer from PTSD so I am not entirely sure if the rep for that was good. It seemed to be. I do love when mental health issues are addressed and worked on (though that got rushed and happened off page).

I liked Cady and I liked Fox. I loved Gemma and I even liked Ethan even though I was suspicious of him the whole time. Vivian and Myrtle were incredible.

I personally didn’t have an issue with some of the things that Fox did that others found creepy. I liked his protectiveness, even if a bit intense at times. But I read dark romance, so that was nothing. Maybe don’t take my advice on this. Though I definitely would not classify this as a dark romance. More like a confused rom com with a dash of mystery.

Things I did not like:

It was so cringey. Some of the jokes I found funny. And others I thought were really weird and / or horribly inappropriate. They compared her pubic hair to Colin Kaepernick’s hair. They made a joke of the Me Too movement. WHO thought these two things were okay?? There were two authors and I’m sure several other people, and no one stopped to say “hey, this is a really insensitive and a horrible idea.”

If you picture a republican trying to impersonate what they think a liberal sounds like, you would get this book. At least half of it.

There were parts I did genuinely enjoy, but overall it was too jumbled and weird and it was like a thesaurus threw up on every single page. There were also just a bunch of made up words trying too hard to make the characters quirky. But most of all those two “jokes” really bothered me. If it weren’t for that, this probably would’ve been a solid 3 stars? Maybe? And I probably would’ve read the sequel, but I just can’t see myself supporting this author after that.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.