3.5 Stars! Cute contemporary rom-com with witty banter and two stubborn main characters, Lexi and Evan. I liked this book but had some issues with it too. I was confused at times, trying to figure out who is saying what since that wasn’t really indicated. The jumping scenes mid page was also confusing, I’m used to spaces between the ending scenes last paragraph and the new scenes first paragraph. Some people are mentioned, like they were important to the book, only to never really need to be mentioned at all. Wish there had been a longer epilogue, with more about CeCe meeting her family. All in all a good book that has a lot of potential to be even better. Also - Whatever happened to the grandmother’s bracelet? Did I miss what happened to that or was it discussed but never carried through?
*I received this at no charge & I voluntarily left this review.*

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

Trading Places is a cute enemies to lovers read! Also, as a Northern Virginian native it was great to see my area mentioned throughout the book.

Lexi and Evan are complete opposites. Lexi is a rich socialite who dropped out of college, lives off her trust fund, and does not know the meaning of the word budget. Evan is a mechanic who is raising his niece and living paycheck to paycheck trying to make ends meet. Their worlds collide when Lexi and Evan literally collide in a car accident. Following the accident the two end up in a wager to swap lives for several weeks to see who can make it in the other’s shoes. What neither Lexi nor Evan expect is to find that they have a bit in common…including steamy chemistry.

This book was a lovely and fairly lighthearted read. It felt like cozying up with my favorite romcom where you expect the twists and turns, but it is fun to see them play out nonetheless. I like that Lexi’s character is more than just a one dimensional party girl and we get to understand why she acts out. From the perspective of Evan we get to understand how sometimes life throws a curveball and we have to step up and do what is right for family. Even more interesting is that this takes place with Alexandria, VA as the backdrop. As all NoVa residents know, Alexandria and other close by areas are pretty expensive. This only adds to the difference in social status between Lexi and Evan.

Overall this book was such a cute and fun read and I highly recommend to any romance book lover!

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing, LLC, for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a dual-perspective redemption story that held my attention, and I completed the read within a day. The female main character, Lexi, is an entitled socialite with high public visibility who must endure life-altering changes to achieve her goal. The male main character, Evan, is a mechanic in his family’s body shop who is raising his niece while on a limited budget. Lexi and Evan’s unexpected pairing makes for an interesting enemies-to-lovers situation with a healthy dose of irritation and attraction.

The pacing of this book started off choppy with certain chapters difficult to comprehend but gradually smoothed out to a lovely conflict that was well-written and captivating. Lexi’s behavior in the first half of the book felt redundant and grating at times, but even so, it appeared she was the protagonist and Evan was the antagonist. However, during the crisis of the story, the roles appear to shift, and Evan seemed like he had a more complex dilemma than Lexi’s, which was not explored in depth (maybe there will be a book two?). I wanted more of Evan’s story in the end. I thoroughly enjoyed Lexi’s wit and personality, once given a glimpse into the real her, as well as the banter between her and Evan.

Overall, Trading Places was an enjoyable, dramatized read that left me wanting more. More insight into Evan. More insight into Mature Lexi. And more of their sizzling attraction. I cannot wait to see what Duvall brings to the table after this!

Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (3.5/5)

I actually loved this book. At first I wasn’t that keen on Lexi but she soon turned into my favourite. Yes she’s was a spoilt brat but her grown during the book was so well done you just felt for her and loved her. Evan actually done my head in at parts he starts off a cool normal guy but ends up a snob but goes back to the cool normal guy. Cece was adorable and showed Evan’s nicer side taking on and caring her his niece in his 20’s the ending was my favourite with them playing super Mario was so cute. This book is definitely is a unique romance story which I enjoyed and think others will too. It’s different and the characters have so much growth.

This book had me on a rollercoaster – particularly with the initial chapters. We start the book out in Lexi’s perspective and immediately she is unbearably snobbish and frankly, tacky. Every other sentence is describing designer this and money that and it was genuinely exhausting to read her perspective. When I first picked up this book, I was wondering if I’d locked myself into reading yet another poorly written romance with no substance. And I’m so glad to report that I was wrong in that early assumption.

The first chapter in the book is strangely written and hard to read, it felt almost like Duvall was struggling to find Lexi’s voice in those first few pages. The writing was a bit muddled, the character interactions felt bizarre and unnatural, Lexi’s rationale for her actions was hard to follow. But when you get past that initial chapter, you are rewarded a dozen times over with interesting characters, smooth-flowing dialogue, and a healthy dose of grumpy-sunshine romance.

As I continued reading this book, I went from feeling passive disinterest in the book and its characters, to keeping rapt attention on every page. It got to the point where I didn’t want to put the book down because it was such a delight to read.

What I appreciate most about this book is that Duvall doesn’t try too hard to force interactions with her characters that make you like them. Evan isn’t some doting, puppy-dog-eyed father to his niece, but he loves her deeply and it shows. Duvall doesn’t force the classic “he’s good with kids so he must be a catch” narrative. He has a personality and loveable qualities outside of caring about his niece, which is refreshing to read in the romance genre.

Lexi’s character also grows on you quickly, without the need for a tragic backstory that forces you to care about her if only because of the things she’s been through. Duvall does an excellent job at developing the characters and providing them with more depth as the story goes on. She has created characters that are imperfect in all the ways that real people are, and it was such a pleasure to read.

The teasing and the banter and the overall playfulness of the dialogue is such fun to read and this book is exactly what I needed for my summer reading list.

Is the premise of the story unrealistic? Yes. Were some of the character interactions unrealistic or bizarrely dramatic? Also, yes. But that’s the point. Not only does the book give you loveable characters, but you also get a fun plot that doesn’t try too hard to ground itself in reality. This book is the perfect escape, and if you’re capable of suspending your disbelief and don’t need plots to be firmly set in reality, then I absolutely recommend this book.

Trading Places was a charming and pleasurable read from start (mostly) to finish. I genuinely look forward to picking up more books by Emily Duvall, if only to dive back into the joy of reading something light and playful again.

2.5 stars. I really thought I would enjoy this romance more by reading the premise but I just didn't really like Lexi that much. I know she needs to be unlikeable in the begining in order for us to see her grow and mature near the end (which we do see), but the author somehow made her so unlikeable at the start that it kind of stuck with me.
Another thing that was a small bother was both the pacing which was way to quick for me (which is maybe why I didn't really understand Lexi suddenly becoming a decent person) and some of the writing seemed very premature.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for giving me an arc in exchange for an honest review!