This is a personal preference, but I really hate it when books open with a scene where the protagonist catches their ex cheating. It’s boring and has been done to death. Also, all the talk about sex early in the book was just distasteful to me. If I’d known that “dating advice” meant “discussions about oral sex,” I wouldn’t have requested this ARC. DNF.

This book was laugh out loud funny, tender and sweet, sexy and swoony and everything in between. Colin is not afraid to tell Truly exactly what he wants to do to her and with her and I love that for them. I wouldn't really say it's a traditional "enemies to lovers" because they aren't really enemies but it starts off with her disliking him. It quickly moves from dislike to flirty banter and the rest is history as they say.

I am Truly, Madly, Deeply in love with this one. I think readers that like books by authors such as Christina Lauren and Emily Henry will enjoy this one. I will definitely be adding Alexandria to my must read authors.

This was so cute! I really enjoyed their chemistry and banter. This was definitely enemies to lovers. Loved the romance author and the divorce attorney, they had differing viewpoints and it caused lots of banter and fun text threads.
There were also family relationships that were messing with their mental health. Dang not a fan of Muffy and I've never met a Muffy but this seems on brand. Trulys parents were cute with their theater royalty status and only talking in show tune lyrics at certain places.

Tricky to review this one. I really did not enjoy the first half. At all. The characters acted like they were in highschool but they were late 20s early 30s? The dialogue was cringey and it felt like it was trying too hard to be quirky cute (I've seen comparisons to Steve from stranger things but I don't see it). I didn't love the parent trap plot at all. Girl you're a grown ass woman. Let your parents be.

Around 65% it picked up big time. It felt like an entirely book (also cue the spice which literally exploded out of nowhere). The conflict finally conflicted. There was more development of the characters. A little more depth to the story.

Spice was pretty hot for the most part. Towards the end some of the dirty talk made me go 😬😬😬.

Overall - it wasn't my favorite by this author. I think some plot editing would have made it a smoother read for me. But I can see how a lot of people will adore the characters.

This is an adorable novel that fits the cover so well. Belle flier has a way with words, and I love how all of their books have queer characters. This was a breath of fresh air.

Read if you like:
🏳️‍🌈 Queer Characters
🤣 LoL Banter
🥵 Tension
🌶️ Female Pleasure Focused Spice
💋 He Falls First
😠 Enemies to Lovers

If you want to read something that felt like the banter and tension we got from RLS with The Ex Talk- but make it Queer- you need to read this book!

I loved the banter, it was oh so good! And I truly loved the texting back and forth- something about written communication and flirting gets me every time!

And the fact that she was afraid of love that won’t last and needing the safety and security of feeling like a relationship won’t fail and that our MMC was a patient king that fell first and kept coming back and supporting her through her irrational freak out when she learned her parents whom she has put their relationship on a pedestal were separated, of course that’s gonna make you lose your marbles a bit when what you thought was dependable and forever, was crumbling in front of you.

Also, as a millennial, yes please to the parent trapping and TSwift references 🤣

Also, who doesn’t love a cute scene of bonding with the person’s family you are falling for and yelling bullshit (a nod to how to lose a guy in 10 days????) while playing a card game?

All in all, this book has the enemies to lovers, banter, spice, and everything nice to make it my most recent 5⭐️ read! & I can’t wait to read more from this author!

Thank you to Avon Books for my ARC & finished copy in exchange for my honest review! Also, how freaking cute is the cover art?

Everything Alexandria Bellefleur touches is gold. I fell in love with her writing with written in the stars and I have ate up everythingggg since. Loved the bisexual rep so much. I will be swooning over these two forever! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

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Review: Truly, Madly, Deeply by Alexandria Bellefleur

May 1, 2024 by Melanie 1 Comment


Truly, Madly, Deeply by Alexandria Bellefleur
Contemporary Romance
April 30, 2024 by Avon

Review by Melanie

It is no secret that when a romance novel touts itself as a romantic comedy these days, I immediately give it massive side eye. Having been burned way too many times by rom coms that were neither romantic nor comedic, that particular pairing of words automatically makes me back away. However, Alexandria Bellefleur’s Truly, Madly, Deeply is one banger of a rom com, both delightfully romantic and ridiculously comedic. The book made me laugh intentionally multiple times and that is a very rare feat.

Romance author Truly Livingston who writes under the name Truly St. James (what a fabulously perfect name for a romance author, btw!) is having a very bad day. She caught her fiancė cheating, has a massive case of writer’s block, and as a guest on a very popular podcast, she gets into a heated argument with family attorney Colin McCrory about relationships and what it really means when one person wants to take a break. As that particular topic hits a little too close to home for Truly, she is unable to hold it together and thus, a disastrous meet cute is born.

Truly is reeling from her own personal breakup and also the subsequent revelation that her parents, happily married for over 3 decades, have decided to separate. As a romance writer, her whole belief system is guided by the principle that love is the most important thing there is so when these two massive upheavals happen in her life, she is no longer sure she can trust in love.

Colin, on the other hand, is a family lawyer who, through his line of work, knows firsthand how ugly it can get when a marriage ends. He is a realist, having seen all the ways that relationships can fail. While Truly is dealing with her own relationship woes, Colin has a pretty toxic family situation of his own with parents who don’t appreciate him or know how to love their son unconditionally. However, what I really like about his characterization is that in many books, the character with a tough family life or in a line of work that showcases the ugly sides of relationships, also swears off relationships and love. Here, it’s almost the opposite in that romance writer Truly is having trouble believing in love while Colin has a more realistic but also optimistic view of things.

To say sparks fly when these two meet would be an understatement. After their first meeting goes off the rails, Colin persuades Truly to give him and the podcast another chance and thus begins a charming friendship full of flirty banter and innuendoes and IG stalking gone wrong. I adored their texts, the way they tease each other and bicker back and forth. And let me just say, Colin McCrory is one of the most delightful dirty talkers I’ve ever encountered in a romance novel. He is pretty upfront that he is all in when it comes to Truly. But Truly, reeling from a recent breakup, is understandably a little gun shy. However, Colin isn’t one to give up, telling Truly not only what he wants but that he’s willing to wait until she figures out what she wants.

There really isn’t a third act breakup in this story, just a short scene where Truly feels overwhelmed and doesn’t think she can really do a relationship but comes to her senses pretty quickly. And while I loved Truly, it’s fair to say that Colin is the real star of this show, absolutely devoted to caring for Truly’s every need (EVERY. SINGLE. ONE.). He simply wants to worship at the altar of Truly. Colin is one of my favorite romance hero archetypes, the soft and gooey hero so completely besotted with his love interest with a real caretaking and nurturing bent. ‘

It’s a delightful queer romance (both Truly and Colin are bisexual and there’s a great conversation the two of them have about bi-erasure and biphobia), filthy and funny and tender and sweet. It’s truly the perfect little rom com (sorry, I couldn’t help myself) and I highly recommend it.

Content Notes: toxic family vibes, on page separation

This is a solid 4 stars and if i hadn’t been in a reading slump I bet it could’ve been a 5 stars, this is how good it was!
I’m utterly obsessed with Colin and Truly and their banter. I loved how fast it was for me to read it even in a middle of a reading slump. It was cute and funny and the smut was divine! I already bought the physical copy you can be sure to see a lot of pictures of it in the near future !

TRULY, I could not have adored this more.

This book confirms all the reasons why Alexandria Bellefleur is an auto-buy author for me. Her books sparkle with sharp banter, beautiful prose, relatable but unique characters and delicious, will have you biting your lip, sexual tension.

Written in Truly’s POV, the reader relies on witty dialogue and meaningful interactions between the pair to further the romance and gain insight into Colin’s feelings. Prepare to swoon because Colin is great with his mouth. Like, really great 😉 and totally gone for Truly.

It sounds silly, but if I don’t know the character’s coffee order after the book, I feel like I don’t know them well enough. I want to know all the small details without being told all the details. I want to know their eccentricities, likes, dislikes, etc. and be inside their head. I always finish Alexandria’s books feeling like I know the characters inside and out.

Truly, Madly, Deeply is her spiciest book yet. Truly hates how attracted she is to Colin and Colin is just willing to take anything she will give him. She calls him a menace (a favorite micro-trope of mine) and he likes her better rude. The spice was scorching. 🥵

I devoured this book. I can’t remember the last time I flew through a book as quickly as this one, finding every spare minute to squeeze in another chapter.

Overall rating: 5🌟

Read if you like:
📖Character driven books
🥵TENSION
🏳️‍🌈Bi rep
❤️‍🩹Caretaking
💬Text exchanges
😍He falls first

Thank you so much to @avonbooks for an early copy of a new favorite; all thoughts are my own.

Is it too early to say this is my favorite book of the year? Can I give it six stars?

What a fantastic romance book. The pacing. The character development. No third act breakup, but enough tension and "what if?" to keep you on the edge. The BANTER!! Alexandria Bellefleur's banter SHINED. Seriously some of the best banter I have ever read between characters. I was giddy. Giggling. Having TOO much fun, if possible.

Initially I'd worried that the plot with Truly's parents would be to quirky or distracting - or not relevant necessarily? But everything tied together just so so perfectly.

I almost opted to not finish Truly, Madly, Deeply but finally decided that I liked the banter enough to push through. I like Alexandria Bellefleur’s books. She writes some really excellent disaster gays and disaster bisexuals. What almost made me quit though was Truly’s plan to Parent Trap her newly separated parents. I have never in my life met a divorced couple that shouldn’t have gotten a divorce and a whole bunch of them that hung on to their marriages much longer than was healthy for anyone. I’m too young to have an emotional attachment to the Hayley Mills version of The Parent Trap, and too old for the Lindsey Lohan version. While I thought much too much time was spent on that subplot, I still loved Colin and Truly, and how horny they were for each other.

Truly Saint James writes queer historical romances. Colin McCory is a family law attorney who handles divorces and can spot a red flag a mile away. The book begins with Truly finding her fiance in a sexual situation with another woman and then defending himself by saying they are on a break. Truly goes from that incident to be a romance expert on a podcast called Unhinged and meets Colin McCory, who is on to provide the “realist” perspective. Truly and Colin clash, and Truly ends up walking out of the taping.

I swung between 2 stars and 4 stars on this one. Bellefleur’s characters have great sparkle and banter. I would have liked a lot more of Caitlin and Lulu and a lot less of trying to get the parents back together. I am generally of the opinion that we should believe people when they tell us they aren’t ready to date or interested in a relationship. And having her 6-year relationship end the way it did, it seems reasonable to me that Truly wouldn’t want to date immediately afterwards. It speaks to the skill of Bellefleur’s writing that Colin doesn’t cross the line from charmingly persistent to pushy. But even so, I would have liked a longer timeline in the romance. It ends up landing as a solid three because the bedroom (and not so bedroom) scenes were fantastic.

I received this as an advance reader copy from Avon and NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.

This book is an irresistible blend of humor, heat, and heart. Following Truly Livingston and Colin McCory, two contrasting souls entangled in a podcast project, the narrative explores the messiness of love through a queer lens. Their initial friction quickly transforms into a captivating connection, weaving a tale that's as thought-provoking as it is steamy. Bellefleur captures the complexities of navigating love amidst personal turmoil, making the characters' journey deeply relatable. The witty banter and genuine moments of vulnerability between Truly and Colin added layers to their romance in contemporary queer fiction. It is a delightful, heartfelt read that's entertaining and emotionally resonant.

Genre: contemporary romance

Only hours after catching her fiance with another woman, historical romance author Truly Livingston (pen name Truly St James) agrees to be on a podcast where she meets divorce lawyer Colin McCory. Some of the relationship advice Colin gives out during the recording hits a little too close to home for Truly, and tempers flare. But Colin (and his sister Caitie, the podcast host) aren’t willing to give up on Truly, and Colin begs her to come back on the show. Soon, they find themselves texting, and b the time Colin asks Truly out, she’s more worried that she shouldn’t like him than the fact that she dumped her ex recently. 

This may be the horniest book I've read all year. This heats up fast, and it stays hot.  Look I can’t do this review any more justice than @stephreadsallthebooks who said “my full review for it was ‘this Ken’s job is oral’ so take that as you will.” That sums up Colin in a nutshell. I loved every moment of banter and pure passion on the page, with Bellefleur keeping the mood fun and quippy. Since Truly is a historical romance author, she’s good at analyzing her own banter, and the self-awareness throughout adds to the total charm. 

It’s also delightfully low angst. Colin falls first, and so very head over heels for Truly, and he’ll do anything to get her to catch up to his feelings, but he’s open and honest about everything. Sometimes you need a book that is a total breath of fresh air filled with the hottest steamy scenes you can imagine, and this book does exactly that. Colin and Truly are both bisexual, and they have an open and honest conversation about it early on that helps Truly pinpoint her imposter syndrome of having only ever been with a man. All of the side characters are well-developed, and if Truly’s parents are a little quirky for quirk's sake, it still works really well. And a perfect utilization of one of my favorite tropes - last name as a pet name, for both characters!

I thought this book was cute. It started off really well and after that I was hooked. I really liked the writing as well. I thought some things were a bit cheesy but nothing that took away from the story.

Alexandria Bellefleur’s queer romances are always a pleasure to read. Truly, Madly, Deeply (not to be confused with the fabulous Alan Rickman movie) is a very sweet enemies-to-lovers romance between queer historical romance author Truly and family (divorce) lawyer Colin, whose meet-cute takes place when they spar about relationship advice on his sister’s top-rated podcast. The chemistry between them, masked by flirty bickering and sexual innuendo, is really hot and the sex is steamy and raw. However, it’s Colin’s kindness, devotion, and protectiveness towards Truly and the way she both challenges and defends him that make this such a special love story.

This is a slow burn, somewhat enemies-to-lovers romance featuring two bisexual characters (although there is a discussion between them where Truly questions whether she can legitimately call herself that if she’s never acted on it with any woman). Honestly, the only things that keep it from a 5* rating are the overabundant scenes where Truly and her musical theater-loving parents talk about serious stuff using song titles and lyrics. It was cute at first, but then became absurd. I also started getting annoyed by how many times (six) Bellefleur mentions Colin’s moles. Otherwise, I definitely recommend reading it.

I DEVOURED this book in a matter of hours cover to cover, and have quite literally nothing but amazing things to say!

I'd only read Bellefleur's debut prior to this, and I definitely enjoyed it, but this has reminded me of how badly I need to get to her backlog. From the first page, I was already in love with Truly, and I fell for Colin just as fast once Truly meets him. These two have absolutely electric chemistry, as well as the kind of relationship where they genuinely are constantly making each other better. Their beginning is very rocky, but not in a way that makes you want to dislike either of them, and their antics on Caitlin's podcast are hilarious and feel so very genuine. They spend some time in a limbo space where they are both flirty and trying to feel the other out, and sometimes this part in a rom-com can get boring if not done well, but Bellefleur was able to give me the butterflies-in-your-stomach, excited by everything this new & interesting person is letting you learn about them kind of feeling. Their banter is hilarious, and their eventual physical connection is absolutely off the charts sexy & romantic. All of this put together made for a romance that I couldn't put down unless someone pried it out of my hands.

I loved the balance of serious and playful in this story. Truly has just faced a sequence of events in her life that left her questioning everything she previously believed about love, making her job as a historical romance author incredibly difficult, and making her doubt herself as she explores the possibility of being more with Colin. Colin has a some difficulty with family, that we eventually get to see play out on the page with Truly as backup to support him. Both of these characters are openly bi-sexual, and they both have faced some level of difficulty navigating this within families and/or social spaces, but this struggle is nowhere near being the central focus of the book, and rather something that just exists & colors their experiences in beautiful ways. All of the topics within are handled with absolute grace and don't bring the story to a place that feels too serious for a rom-com, and rather gives it that perfect amount of depth I'm always looking for in the genre. We also have a cozy lakehouse setting for a good chunk of the book, making it translate very well to a summer romance if you find yourself in the market for it!

I see this being an absolute favorite romance of the year for me, and cannot wait for the whole world to get their hands on it and become just as obsessed with it as I am. Thank you so very much to Avon & Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the eArc of this!

He's a realist, she's a romantic, opposites (seemingly) attract and turn friends to lovers

I liked this book in theory, I think there were some really nice parts, the banter was top tier, their discussions were moving and important and the T Swift references hit every time. However, I didnt love the way it was written/some of the word choices (mole covered skin? no thanks)

I got so scared when this book tried to throw a third act breakup at me 96% INTO IT but IT’S OKAY WE’RE GOOD! This book has been marked SAFE from a third act breakup!! I love when romance books realize you can have conflict without one, it’s so refreshing!

Anyway, onto other things. This book was so cute!! I was drawn in by the man who looks suspiciously like Steve Harrington on the cover and I’m so glad I judged this book by its cover, because it was such a fun read. I did not know going into it how much it was going to speak to me as a theater kid, but Truly, named after Truly Scrumptious, and her theater kid parents were so much fun to read about.

I understood a lot of the struggles Truly had with her parents’ separation. As someone who’s been there I know how it can mess up your whole perspective on life and I always love seeing that explored in romance books, but it’s even more interesting to see when the character navigating it is a romance author. I’ve seen that explored before, definitely, but I never get tired of it, so I loved it in this.

The best part about this book, by far, was THE BANTER. This was straight up some of the best banter I have ever read? Like, it was just so good I’m kinda shook over it actually? Literally amazing. The chemistry between these two characters was just off the charts.

Also, Colin is so dreamy I’m obsessed. So kind and selfless but also funny and stubborn and as someone with anxiety he’s exactly the kind of man I need tbh, I love him.

The only issue I had with this book was the writing style got a little millennial cringe sometimes– not all the time– and while I thoroughly enjoyed some of the spice scenes, there were some I enjoyed less than others, so they just didn’t quite all hit. But this was not enough to take away enjoyment of the book.

It was an amazing read and I’m really glad I read it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon & Harper Voyager for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

2.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for this advanced copy. You can pick up Truly, Madly, Deeply on April 30, 2024.

This book will definitely appeal to romance readers who enjoy witty banter, steamy romance, and rivals to friends to lovers. Alexandria Bellefleur does a great job introducing these characters and incorporating bisexual representation. But I personally found a lot of issues with the writing, and some of those choices turned me off to the book in a big way.

I found myself outwardly cringing at times when two characters engaged in conversation, especially about sex or pop culture. Several dialogue scenes just felt unrealistic and almost unnecessary? I wish we had more of a driving plot for this book because these conversations otherwise felt like filler. I understand that we're learning more about the characters' personalities, but so many conversations felt repeated or just so cringy that it made me dislike the characters more than appreciate them.

I read the words "pink, plump lips" way too many times. Same goes for "stripped his cock" and "prowled up her body." These specific choices just weren't my cup of tea.

I also found myself frustrated with the FMC's choices and attitude toward other characters. Every time she brought up her parents' perfect marriage and refused to accept their decision to separate, I wanted to throw my Kindle at the wall. Why is it her business? What if two people ultimately aren't right for each other? I can't believe the MMC, a divorce lawyer, never at any point brought up how some couples HAVE to get divorced for reasons their kids might not understand. It felt like the FMC and author were so set on a "happy" ending for the parents and main couple that the book felt unbelievable. It didn't feel like the FMC ever truly grew over the course of the story because she got everything she wanted! She didn't face any consequences!

While I was drawn in by the cover of this book, I'm sad to say it ultimately wasn't a great reading experience for me. Other romance readers will definitely find things to love about it, but it just wasn't for me.