DNF - I attempted to start this book and it just did not hold my interest. This may be a book I come back to in the future.

I love Ana Huang. If We Were Perfect is a deliciously emotional and captivating romance that explores love, imperfection, and the journey of self-discovery. One of the standout features of this book is Huang's ability to tackle complex emotional issues, including self-doubt, personal growth, and the struggles of navigating relationships. Overall, the pacing of the story is well-balanced, with enough tension and heart-flipping moments.

I am kind of sad that this is the last in this series. They have all been so good. I loved getting to the read the stories of each of the friends. I have been dying to get Olivia and Sammy's story since book one. I was just so curious to know why they were no longer together. The spice and tension between the two was just perfect. I did not want to put the book down. I needed to know if or when they would finally get together. This book has some of my favorite tropes, second chance romance and family drama. I will be reading more by this author. Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you, to NetGalley and the publisher, Bloom for the opportunity to read this book.

Ana Huang, you did it again. This was a beautiful ending to this series that I absolutely devoured from the very beginning to the end. This entire series was so well done and the love stories were beautiful and even a little heartwrenching at times.

This book was the perfect combination of second-chance romance mixed with a little bit of forced proximity. Olivia and Sammy have a history that they would both rather forget. However, a string of unfortunate happenstances led them back to the same area and into a shared living situation that neither one of them expected or planned.

This was spicy. This had banter. This had heartbreak. This had a lot of laughs. This book had everything and I genuinely had a great time while reading it. Ana does such a great job at immersing you into her world with her words and I always enjoy reading her novels.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of If We Were Perfect by Ana Huang!

A tasty forced proximity and second chance love story! Thank you to Netgalley, Ana and the best team at Bloom Books (Sourcebooks) for the eARC! You have a new Ana fan!

What to expect:
⭐ Asian MCs
⭐ Second Chance Romance
⭐ Forced Proximity
⭐ Forced Roommates
⭐ Some spice! Loads of tension!

My thoughts:
I didn't read these in order as I got this one in the series as an eARC. I actually hadn't read anything from Ana before! All that to say I really enjoyed this one and I am definitely going to read the others in the series! That said you can 100% read it alone and feel as thought you have not missed any of the others in the series. Also Ana writes similar to Lauren Asher who I absolutely adore!

The main characters (Sammy + Olivia) are a former couple who run in to each other in LA. She ends up calling him for help not knowing many others in the city. Long story short they end up living together, growing close once again and eventually falling back in love. The journey is wonderfully written, the 3rd act breakup sucks like all others because we just want that straight "happily ever after" BUT it all comes together in the end.

There is loads of tension, some spice but not over the top and all of it very well written. The characters you fall in love with, the secondary characters (from others in the series) have a cameos. All characters are all well written, have great depth and you feel as thought you're a part of their friend group.

All in all I'm looking forward to reading the others to complete the series. Maybe I will do it backwards LOL.

Synopsis:
Olivia had a plan: MBA, Wall Street VP by thirty-two, marriage and two children (preferably twins because #efficiency).

Not in her plan? Losing half her belongings in an apartment flood and being forced to turn to her ex for help.

Definitely not in her plan? Moving into said ex's house and watching him walk around shirtless, bake her cupcakes, and look at her with those smoldering—

Wait, what was she talking about again?
***
Between his bakery and meddling family, Sammy had enough on his plate without bringing the ex he'd never been able to forget into the mix.

But when Olivia asks for his help, he couldn't say no. He could, however, make her regret breaking his heart—as long as he doesn't do anything foolish, like sneak into her room and kiss her senseless…

As passion slowly replaces their dislike for each other, Sammy and Olivia discover their past isn't what it seems and their future is anything but certain. Can they overcome their pride and give love a second chance, or is history doomed to repeat itself?

I found this book to be incredibly superficial, and hard to like, since Olivia (the FMC) was incredibly unlikable. Though the book was well written, I found I couldn't get invested in the love story between Sammy and Olivia.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebook Bloom Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really do adore a second chance romance and this one was especially adorable. It was clear to me throughout the whole series that this couple was meant to be!!! I love these books. This author knows how to keep you coming back for more no matter what.

I have never read anything by this author, but I will be looking out for other books they write in the future. I really enjoyed the story as well as the pacing of the story.

I was so excited for this couple when I first started this series, and they didn't let me down.

Olivia and Sammy were so interesting for me from the very beginning and their relationship was amazing to watch. Sammy was the greenest flag you could have ever seen and I think he was exactly what Olivia needed. In reality, they were perfect for each other. Ana does an amazing job at writing stories about two people who are pining for each other but refusing to see that they could easily have what they want if they simply were to talk things out. Throughout this entire story, I was pulling at my hair because they were frustrating me while I was also grinning at seeing the two being jealous of each other. Once they finally got together, I was so happy, but knew it wasn't going to be that easy.

I wasn't the biggest fan of this third-act breakup, but I was happy with how things ended up. They didn't simply get together because they realized they loved each other, which they both knew anyway, but rather Olivia held back until she worked on herself. So much happened for her that was out of her control, and for a girl who thrives by having all control, it made sense that she needed to get herself in order before allowing herself to move forward.

This is the final book in the series and I was so happy with how things ended up!

I have instead decided to purchase this book with the beautiful sprayed edges 🩷🩷 I will leave my review on Goodreads once I have finished it!

I enjoyed this second-chance romance that centered on Olivia and Sammy. You knew where the story was going but I enjoyed the journey with these characters. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of If We Were Perfect in exchange for an honest review. This book is available now.

I really appreciated the growth in this couple. Usually I am not a fan of second chance romance, but Olivia and Sammy were just so real and raw! And usually I hate 3rd act break ups... but this really didn't feel like one! It was simply space so they could become the people they needed to be and COMMUNICATING ABOUT IT!!! For once the couple TALKED to each other!! I also really appreciated how it wrapped everyone's story up in a nice bow!!

Diving into If We Were Perfect felt like snuggling into a soft, cozy blanket with a few unpleasant patches. Olivia and Sammy's story had all the elements of a fun second-chance romance: an unexpected roommate scenario, plenty of tension, and that delightful angst we all crave. Sammy, with his adorable culinary talents and irresistible personality, stole the stage!

However, I found myself hoping the characters had more depth. Olivia's perfectionism was occasionally aggravating, and while their banter was amusing, I hoped to see more of their personal growth. The ending was a frenzy of events that felt rushed, leaving me seeking a more satisfying conclusion. Despite some minor setbacks, I quite loved this read. Ana Huang's ability to create intriguing romances keeps me coming back for more, and I can't wait to see where the series goes next!

This was the first book I read by this author. Although this was the 4th book I’m the series, it’s considered a standalone. I was not a fan of the third person writing. The conflict between the MMC and FMC was underwhelming. I can appreciate the second chance at love though. After every thing they put each other through, they finally got their happy ending

Love the angst from a second chance romance!! And the close proximity 🤌🏼🤌🏼 this was an enjoyable read!

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for giving me the opportunity to read If We Were Perfect.

It was a cute romance. I liked the characters and the plot was interesting in a good way.

I very much enjoyed this story by Ana Huang, just the second I have read from this author. As the first one was a mafia type of book, this story, featuring baker Sammy and Olivia, a woman who is forced to hide part of herself due to a difficult Asian parentage.., was quite different. Overall, I liked the look into an Asian family (and saw similarities in my upbringing in an Asian family). There were moments of humor and some angst though I thought that the issues the couple faced towards the end was quite overdone. That said, I look forward to reading more books by this author!

3.5 ⭐️

This one pains me a little because I love Ana Huang but I feel like this second chance romance didn’t need to turn into a third. Was the 3rd act breakup necessary when they started off a mess? Evil cousin was a bit much too in my opinion.. Overall enjoyed it enough though but like other books of hers more. Might read the other ones in the series.

I'm new to Anna Huang books and as a first book of hers to read i have to say i will quickly be purchasing all her others to dive right in. I loved Sammy and Olivia and their whole dynamic as a couple and really wanted the best for them.

Highly recommend!