This book was everything. Truly is such a relatable FMC, a romantic who desperately wants her own happily ever after while also trying to come to terms with the fact that it might be different than she imagined. The way that she and Colin went from antagonizing to being vulnerable with each other to being there for and supporting each other was everything. There were multiple moments that their attraction had me giggling and kicking my feet.

Alexandria Bellefleur does such a beautiful job of crafting a queer world in such a subtle way where straight is not the default and where you can tell that Truly finds women, as well as men, attractive without saying it out loud until 40% into the book. Queer m/f romance is such a needed and underrated thing.

The ending does fall a little flat since there is so much build up to their first “I love you” and then a sudden epilogue jump to a year later, but that doesn’t affect how much I loved this.

Thanks to Avon and NetGalley for my copy to review.

The last time I read an Alexandria Bellefleur romance novel, I was sorely disappointed. I actually hadn’t put it together that the author of Written in the Stars (one of my least favorite recent contemporary romance reads) was the same author as the book I’m reviewing today. I’m incredibly glad for my own oversight, because, free of any negative preconceptions of the writer or her writing style, I went into this with an open mind. And, dear reader, I loved it.
There’s something about bi4bi romance that just… ugh, it’s so good. Maybe it’s because it’s sadly still so rare in the romance landscape: if I, a bisexual woman, want to read a romance novel, my options are incredibly limited. And m/f bi4bi romance? Why would you write that when you could just make them both heterosexual instead? (eyeroll). All of this to say: this is a romance novel with two bisexual, (likely) neurodivergent leads.. and it’s so good. It’s so, so good, y’all.
Our two leads are Truly (the titular Truly) and Colin. Both are bisexual, both are heavily implied to be neurodivergent (Colin’s Wikipedia hyper-fixations were a tad too relatable. Get out of my journal, Alexandria Bellefleur), and both were incredibly complex, dynamic, and relatable characters. I loved their dynamic, and moreover, I loved that we naturally learned more about the characters as they learned more about each other. Their dialogue was funny and upbeat without being corny, and most of my notes are some variation of “aah!” “omg” or “squeal.” This book turned me into a giggling, blushing, undignified mess.
I’ve been circling around the plot until now, and, I’ll be honest, that’s for a reason: there. er, isn’t one. The first ten percent or so introduces a potential conflict in the form of Truly’s stint on Colin’s sister (Caitlin)’s podcast, but that’s quickly resolved. Normally, I’d complain about conflicts being resolved too early, but let’s be honest, none of us are really here for dense plots when it comes to romance novels, are we? No, we’re here for characters, dialogue, and relationships, and on those three fronts, Alexandria Bellefleur knocks it out of the park. I’m not sure if it’s obvious from the way I’m struggling to write this review, but I truly (ha!) don’t have very much to say about this one. It’s short, it’s sweet, it’s charming — the perfect read for the start of spring.
So, to wrap things up: if you’re a fan of smart, witty dialogue, characters that feel so real you almost expect them to leap off the page, and a sweet, swoon-worthy queer love story, don’t hesitate to check this one out. Personally, I think I may have found a new romance novelist to add to my “automatic reads” list.
(Post will go live on April 16)

The premise: romance author and divorce lawyer fall in love (excellent)
The execution: disaster bisexual and slightly less disaster bisexual fall in love (even more excellent)
🌟🌟🌟🌟 // 🌶️🌶️.5

This book was so cute and had so many great things going for it. Highlights include: interesting and weird families being interesting and weird (and problematic families being problematic); family lawyer having to consistently explain that he’s not *just* a divorce lawyer; queer historical romance author; discourse about internalized biphobia; trying to pull off an irl Parent Trap; she’s obsessed with his moles.

Truly’s story is an exploration of the way we think love and relationships *should* look and how that outlook is often naive and leads to more problems as relationships progress and change. She grew up idealizing her (incredibly weird, theatre people) parents’ relationship—characterized by slow dancing and never fighting (a red flag from the beginning)—and used that model as an approach to her long-term relationship with her ex-fiancé and her best-selling romance novels. When she meets family lawyer Colin, he presents a realistic outlook on love and relationships that she’s not ready to accept, but clearly needs to hear. While their first interaction is heated and fraught with animosity, his persistent approach (and incredible hot-ness, if we’re being honest) allows Truly to slowly come to terms with the fact that she isn’t as much of an expert in relationships as she may think.

This should have been a five star read for me, but there were a couple of things that held me back. First, the pacing of Colin and Truly’s love story seemed… off. I still can’t tell exactly what it was that hit me wrong, but I think it had something to do with my second issue, which is the fact that it was single POV.

I think there are a lot of books that work best as a single POV (and many that could work equally well), but this was definitely not one of them. I started every single chapter wanting to see Colin’s POV and learn more about him, and by the end of the book, I still felt like I didn’t fully understand him as a character. I wanted this to be Truly AND Colin’s story, and I came out of it only understanding Truly’s story. STILL LOVED IT THOUGH.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I could cry, I loved this book so much! It was so funny, so much fun, and so, so swoony! Colin McCrory might just be my new favorite book boyfriend, because— damn!

This easily just jumped to the top of my favorite romance books.

4.75 stars! This is my first book by this author & I loved it! Thank you netgalley, Harper collins & Alexandria for providing me with this ARC. To say I loved this book is an understatement tbh. I loved how desperate Collin was for truly, how he chased her, begged for her, fought for both of them. I loved the conversation regarding bisexuality & the sex scenes *insert southern lady fanning herself*. I really enjoyed the banter between the two as well. So perfectly flirty.

I don’t have much criticism for this book but three things. First, I wanted to see Caitlin finding out that truly & Collin were dating & see how that developed on the podcast & I actually would have liked to see the whole family interact just one time. Secondly, I wanted to know more about what was happening between truly’s parents. I don’t know if it was intentional by the author that we don’t really know why they separated (because it really was not truly’s business) but it was such a significant plot in the book that it felt unresolved. Finally, I feel like lulu was just dropped from the storyline & I loved her! Now I think Al of these problems could have been solved in one way: making the book longer. I wish this book would have just been a TAD bit longer.

My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Enemies to lovers with a Parent Trap thrown in.

The banter was witty and I enjoyed the dynamic between the main couple. I think things outside of the main couple and their interactions, like the internal conflict for both characters, has room to be developed but I found myself reading through this book quickly for more snippets of the couple.

Truly madly deeply review

10/10. I could not put this book down. It is so well written. I’ve liked all of this authors books but holy crap this one hit a high. I don’t know how she will top it for me. Not a lot actually happens in this book but that added to its charms for me. Genuinely major family issues do not get resolved in a bow. They are left messy. This book felt real to me in that way.

I loved both characters. I loved their relationship. I loved how it developed and how they communicated with each other. This book is also easily one of the hottest books I’ve read in a LONG time. I cannot wait for everyone else to read this and join me in raving about it.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an early copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I am a simple girl, you put a one direction song title and a man that is basically Steve Harrington on the cover of a book and I will be reading that. Add in the fact that I have read and loved a book from this author before, AND both main characters are bisexual, and you have yourself a recipe for success. And boy was it. Successful, that is.
This book had so much potential, and I went in with pretty high expectations, and I am so glad all of them were met. I will definitely be buying myself a copy for my trophy shelf (aka book shelf) when it releases because I have so many quotes I highlighted that I just NEED to annotate in a physical copy.

This book had me literally kicking my feet and giggling at some parts, and it doesn't help that I was definitely picturing Steve Harrington/Joe Keery as Colin. I can't help what my brain does.
Speaking of Colin, he was ultimate book boyfriend. Definition of golden retriever energy and I loved every minute of it. He was so sweet and caring, and was not afraid to be open and honest and vulnerable with Truly. Some of his lines were super corny but I didn't even care, he had me SWOONING.
And the spice? 5/5 stars for the spice. There was a hint of kink that added a nice level of spice, but not too much where it would take away for other readers. It wasn't too much, perfect for people who are unsure about kink/bdsm in books.

I knocked one star off the rating because Truly could be pretty whiny at times, but it wasn't too much to really hinder my enjoyment. I also wanted some more development and details about her best friend. I loved the interactions we got with her and I just felt like I wanted more throughout.

Invited to give romance advice against a divorce attorney REALIST on a fun podcast session, Truly meets Colin where he gives his take on love (when he's sworn off of love). His comments hit a little TOO close to home for her, after receiving some bad news from her relationship, and Truly swore Colin as her enemy.

Colin doesn't take this lightly and finds her soon after trying to amend things. The banter and the pining in this book are TO DIE FOR. His ability to be honest, sweet, and keep AMAZING banter with you is sooo sexy. Colin baby, you’re doing FABULOUS sweetie. The humor in this book was amazing as well. From the first page, I was hooked, and the writing keeps you engaged and wanting more. One of my favorite additions in books are emails & text message elements because they make the book seem more real and a light, quick read. I have nothing bad to say about this book and believe everyone should read it.

And for my spice lovers, this one IS FOR YOU. A man that cares for his woman, and her pleasure FIRST, OMG sign me up.

Read this if you love:
-Enemies to lovers
-Witty banter
-OPEN DOOR ROMANCE
Taylor Swift references
-LGBTQ+ Rep
-He falls first

If this author writes it, I will read it. If you add in some disaster bisexuals and great spice, I will devour it. I liked both main characters separately, so I loved them together.

Were there parts of this book that were probably supposed to be to be cringe? Yes. Did I love them anyway? Yes.

Alexandria’s writing style and banter is superb. Love this.

Can’t wait for the audio version of this one to come out either.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

dnf at 50%. I tired to love this, but I couldn’t. The fmc came off as entitled and childish and it was a bit annoying to read. I enjoyed the banter but it dragged on too long in each chapter. I loved Lulu and Caitlin. Maybe I’ll give this another chance in the future.

3.5* rounded up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was the first book I'd ever read from Bellefleur, though I'd seen her books before. There were things I really liked, and a couple things I didn't or thought could use an extra edit. Firstly, I thought her writing itself was really nice. Sometimes romance books fall into a trap of being either too straightforward or too flowery. The writing in this book is the best of both worlds and you can tell that the author actually loves reading/has a good use of diction. A place that it kind of faltered however was that many of the characters talked the same and used the same words or phrases. It was a little strange. Especially a part at the beginning where Truly's friend Lulu makes fun of her for using the word conniption and then that word is used again later by someone else and there was no comment on it, which makes me think that's just how the author speaks. This happened with many words and phrases.

I love banter, and that's something that this book does really well, almost too well. In some chapters I was shaking the book and saying, "okay we get it." People don't naturally speak in banter ALL THE TIME, so in some areas it was a little much in my opinion. What we got was really fun and I loved it, so I guess if you also love banter you'll devour this book. One thing I thought was kind of silly was that for the first half of the book they call each other by their last names for no apparent reason other than to be quirky. It works in other stories in professional settings like with doctors or lawyers or something, but they met on a first name basis doing a podcast, they were peers, so it felt strange they would do that. Kinda nitpicky, but that's what I was thinking the whole time.

This book is a little raunchy, which is fine because it sort of sets it up early enough for you to be prepared, but the first half of the book is mostly bantering and such and then the second half is all spice. The plot worked and the resolution was nice, however I think I'm used to reading books that just have a little bit more plot. I thought there was going to be a little bit more than I got. Which is on me I suppose. I really liked the main characters and they were fun to reach. Overall I'd say I would read another one of Bellefleur's books.

I literally loved this book. I loved Alexandria’s writing so much I immediately read the fiancé farce. (Also a 5 star read)

I will 100% be recommending this to everyone I know along with my patrons.

Short summary - Truly is a romance author and Colin is a divorce attorney. In the beginning of the book Truly was cheated on by her fiancé (who she proposed to) and her parents announced they were taking a break. They navigate everything there is to do with her parents divorce, his shitty family, and end up falling in love with each other.

My goodness, I loved these two so much. I laughed out loud very early in the book and didn’t stop until the end. Their witty banter was one of the many highlights of this book. I also typically cry at sappy parts in books and I definitely cried a little at the end.

Truly’s family song lyric game was adorable. Even more adorable? The fact that Colin joined in!

I love the POV switch for the epilogue! It was in Truly’s POV the entire book until the epilogue when it was all of a sudden in Colin’s POV. I loved being able to see a little into his mind - this showed he truly loves her!

Truly, Madly, Deeply is one of the best contemporary romances that I have ever read. As a long time fan of Alexandria Bellefleur's writing, this novel was on a completely different level and I loved every single page of it. The two main characters -- Truly and Colin were an absolute dream from the moment they met and you immediately began to root for their shared happiness. What really endeared them to me as a reader was their witty banter and sarcasm. Their text messages? ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING! You could feel their connection popping off the page. Add in a cast of side characters like Colin's sister or Truly's best friend, and this was a story that made me laugh, had me in my feels, and had me needing to take a moment to fan myself. Alexandria Bellefleur hit this one out of the park and I cannot wait to gush about it to anyone and everyone who will listen.

Alexandria Bellefleur ✨never misses✨

I have been seeing this book all over my social media, and I have hit the lottery in being an ARC reader for this!🤩 huge shoutout to NetGalley🥰

Genuinely, cannot express how much I love this author! I’ve been a huge fan of her works, and this book was *chefs kiss*

10/10 banter, 10/10 flirting, 10/10 awkward cringe rom com moments. And the spice scenes🥵🌶️✨ screaming crying throwing up at how amazing everything was.

I could not set this book down, I was literally kicking my feet and blushing while reading it. The characters are well written and super relatable. I was entertained throughout the entire book.

The queer rep made me so happy too! The adult boutique and Lulu, the podcast banter, the scene swimming in the lake🫠😩 everything about this book was flawless.

Cannot wait to read future books! ♥️

I will say, the banter in this book is top-notch! I had seen people raving about this book so I was hyped to get my hands on it, but I think my expectations were a little too high. While I was definitely left wanting. I did enjoy the experience of reading it. I especially loved the bi representation and incredibly precious MMC.

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley!

This was super cute! Truly is a great FMC (but I didn’t love the name) and I enjoyed her development as her relationship builds throughout the story. The introduction is hilarious and sets up the story perfectly; how do I make an ex look like shit? Like that. The highlight of the book is the banter, so if you’re looking for flirtatious, silly, biting banter this is a blast. The sex is well-written and there should be more scenes where a dude just loves eating his lady out. The only problem I had is that I felt like the book could have been longer or spent more time on the relationship developing. I also think some of the side plot on Truly's parents could have been a bit stronger and I would have also liked a little more on the queer experience, though the sex scenes were great.

Thank you NetGalley for providing this book as an ARC!

I loved, loved, loved watching Truly and Collin's love unfold!
Enemy to lovers, the text threads that built their communications, the way he was so patient with her and their snarky banter were so fun to read.
I also enjoyed watching all the side characters and watching their relationships with Truly unfold.
Her mom and dad had a side story to follow that I was invested in...as well as Collin's sister, Caitlyn and Truly's best friend, Lulu, were all a fun to read when they came in.
Great, fun, steamy story!