It works as a standalone even though it’s #2 of a series. I liked how calm and lovely it was, especially without a giant mess of a giant dramatic ending. I did find a lot of the on-page sex felt gratuitous rather than intimate and forward-moving. However, the story overall was sweet and I was definitely rooting for Kat and Chris.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC.

4.25/5 - my goodness the verbal sparring between those two at the beginning had me gasping they went for BLOOD. and when they eventually (and hesitantly) started putting their walls down around each other? so so so soft. filled me with all the warm gooey feelings. i’ve said this before and i’ll say it again: i love the way chloe writes the rawness and tenderness of falling in love while dealing with internal battles. it’ll do it for me every time.

kate’s struggles and internal dialogue regarding her family had no right hitting me where it hurts like wtf. and christopher is up there with my favorite men chloe has written like he’s just so fucking fine??? he was so considerate and patient with kate it genuinely made my heart ache. the home-cooked pasta, the flowers, the pastries, the bath… me when.

i also appreciated how communicative they were with each other. like i literally want to kiss chloe for not putting in an unnecessary third act conflict i love it here.

my only complaint that stopped this from being 5 stars is that i wish we saw more of certain things. specifically more of them struggling to navigate their newfound dynamic, and more of them just being with each other after he said he’ll wait instead of skimming over it.

also where was the family/friends reaction to them getting together i was robbed???

overall, i still enjoyed the book and characters sooo much. i will say though that i do love the bergman books more TO ME they just hit harder for some reason. wilmot sisters still my babies though <3