Zoe & Liam ❤️

🐣When Chris and Amie’s baby daughter Mira was born, they asked their respective best friends, Zoe and Liam, to be Mira’s godparents.

🐥When pro footballer Chris and Amie are killed in a drunk driving accident two years later, Zoe steps in to care for Mira. She already lives next door and has been a part of Mira’s life. But it’s not easy going for the toddler who can’t understand why her life has changed.

🐤When the lawyers call Liam in, he isn’t prepared for a child and family- the thing he has spent his whole life staying away from.

📚I have really enjoyed the few Karla Sorensen stories I have been reading, but really think Zoe and Liam tugged at the heart strings even more than Burke’s did, the first in the series. Wow. In a situation that could have felt creepy, the author just nailed the sensitivities around this beautiful story. Parenting Mira feels so realistic, the truce and relationship between Zoe and Liam is slowly revealed, and I love how Liam accepts counselling for both him and Mira. Love it ❤️

Read an eARC copy courtesy of Netgalley and the publisher
My rating 4.5/5 - ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫
Pub Date 16 Jul 2024

Rivals to lovers? We share best friends so we gotta coexist to lovers.
I love a grump with reasons. Liam is a dick. He doesn’t have feelings and he cannot be attracted to his best friends wife’s best friend.
Zoe’s marriage didn’t work out. Kids have not happened. But she has her best friends and their daughter. Even if their other best friend is a dick.
This is a true slow burn with big consequences. I loved the push and pull and watching Liam fall for Mira.
.

The Best of All hit all the right notes for a funny AND emotional romance. The chemistry between the characters was CHEF KISS—seriously, I LOVED them. Karla nailed the romantic tension, pacing and banter, making their connection feel authentic and swoon-worthy. The plot is engaging, with enough twists and turns to keep you hooked without going overboard and I very much appreciated the character development; they felt real and relatable, with flaws that added depth to their journey. But, the star of the show? MIRA. Oh, how I cried for her. She deserved her happy ending more than anyone.

This is a must-read if you're into heartwarming romances that deliver on both charm and emotional depth. It's the kind of book that leaves you with a smile and a warm fuzzy feeling—definitely worth a spot on your TBR list.

This might be my favorite Karla Sorensen book to date. Zoe & Liam are forced together when their best friends die in a car accident and leave them to care for their young daughter. Liam has always had a crush on Zoe, but when they met Zoe was engaged to another guy. That marriage ended badly. Zoe was all in on taking care of the young girl, but Liam was a little slower to get involved. He came from a neglectful upbringing from his father and has determined he would make a terrible father. The more time they spend together the more they let their guard down and get to really know each other. Great writing!

The Best of All was an emotional read filled with love, loss and family. While the premise is sad, the story is filled with love, life and building a home amongst tragedy.
When their best friends are tragically killed, Liam and Zoe are left to raise their daughter, Mira. Liam is a professional football player, and secretly had a crush on Zoe. Zoe thought Liam hated her and now here they are having to raise Mira together. Zoe is strong and determined. Liam doesn't think he can do it and be there. He has a past to contend with. Liam puts his walls up, but Zoe and Mira break them down brick by brick. Together they give Mira everything she needs and more.
Seeing Liam's soft side as opposed to his grumpy side, will melt your heart and seeing him with Mira will cement your crush on him.
Liam and Zoe were electric. Whether they were arguing, laughing, or just being, the two of them were magnetic.
I couldn't get enough of this story. I didn't want it to end. I just loved it!

NFL player Liam is grieving and angry after the sudden death of his best friend and teammate Chris, and Chris’s wife Amie. His grief turns to anger, shock and confusion when Chris and Amie’s lawyer informs him that he is now the guardian of their almost 3 year-old daughter Mira. Zoe has been neighbors and best friends with Chris and Amie for almost a decade and the loss of her best friends has left her devastated. Caring for Mira after their passing has helped her feel closer to them. Zoe is dismayed to find out that she has been appointed guardian of Mira alongside grumpy and brooding football player Liam. Over the past several years the two of them have had several contentious meetings; neither of them particularly liking each other. Now they need to work together despite not liking each other, and make sure Mira has the kind of love and future that Chris and Amie would have wanted for her.
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This was a gorgeous book that dealt with grief and grieving in such a lovely way. To see these two good people try and navigate through the awful situation of having their best friends die suddenly, then be put in guardianship of their young daughter, was sad and beautiful all at once. Liam and Zoe had a lot to work through to become partners in raising Mira, and had loads of sexual tension following them while they did it. This was a very slow burn that felt real and honest. Their tender vulnerability and laugh out loud interactions kept me rooting for them all the way through. Men accepting they need therapy. YES PLEASE. Mira may have been the cutest kid character I’ve read in a romance book. Her and Liam together were precious.

I just really, really loved this book and teared up a few times and swooned lots too. Highly recommend! Read after reading The Best Laid Plans (book one).

Tropes- slow burn, forced proximity, co-guardianship, grumpy NFL player, hate to love

Thank you to Montlake and Karla Sorensen and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Romance books has always been my life; my go to. I live and breathe them. Over the last year or so, I’ve felt like almost every romance book became redundant no matter the trope. It seemed like they all bleed together. I couldn’t figure out why. I thought, Maybe it’s because I’ve read thousands of books and there’s only so many different scenarios. No, no, Nope. I was wrong and Sorensen proved it. I needed an actual story. One filled with a depth so deep, I could barely crawl out.

-This book is phenomenal with a capital P.

I’ll be honest, I’m at a loss of words and that’s because my feelings are so BIG right now, like I can’t even articulate them because they’re in overdrive. BUT, I’m gonna give it my best shot.

-MY top read of 2024.

Sorensens ‘The Best Of All’ is a once in a lifetime book that had me so enraptured, I could barely come up for air. The slow-burn that is Zoe, Mira, and Liam’s story is filled with so much depth and development that I could see everything so visually. I for one, am so down for this book to be brought to the big screen. This authors delicacy to such a profound plot and subplot made this book what it is; unique, inspirational, and remarkable.

If I am honest, Zoe and Liam are now the top contenders to beat. The bravery and strength these characters portrayed was top notch. Their ability to take punches and keep going was staggering. I thought Tristan would always be my number one man, but Liam is Tristan on steroids. The work that he put in, hit me in the solar plexus.

‘The Best Of All’ has everything, heck it IS everything. Thank you Karla for something new, something fresh, and something that gave me back my love of reading. I without a doubt recommend this book.

I spent a lazy Sunday reading this book, and I have absolutely no regrets. Trust Karla Sorensen to grip you with her storytelling and not let up until her main characters get their HEAs.
The Best of All delivers on all aspects: an emotional journey where Zoe and Liam are suddenly co-parenting Mira, thrust into a delicate and complicated dynamic. The stakes run high and Liam especially is forced to face his demons, no matter how much he resists.
I loved everything about The Best of All. The light-hearted and the deep moments, the depictions of relationships all around (friendships, found family, guardianship, relationships within the football team, and the love between Liam and Zoe), and especially the bonding moments between Liam and Mira. The concept of this story brings forth trauma and the need for Liam and Zoe to resolve their own issues, and they, together with little Mira, do all of it beautifully.
I felt like it was a well-rounded story, balancing the sweet and the emotional.
Always looking forward to the next Sorensen!

Thank you to the publisher for an ARC. All opinions are my own.

I didn't enjoy the first book in the series but since I love Karla Sorensen's writing I decided to request an ARC of book #2 in the series and I'm so glad because The Best of All is such an answer book!

As a single mom of twins, I felt I could really relate with Zoe's feelings and I loved the fact being a mom isn't described as perfect without talking about the hard parts.

I kept highlighting parts of the books that really spoke to me.

From the blurb (which I didn’t even read before starting the book):
" A decade-old animosity is the only thing Liam Davies and Zoe Valentine have in common. Until their mutual best friends pass away and they’re appointed co-guardians of the trusting couple’s precocious toddler, Mira."

Zoe take her responsibility of being Mira's guardian very seriously while Liam is very against the idea of being a father figure to Mira. He never planned to have children because of his tough childhood but after trying to escape reality for a short time he understands that he got to respect his late friend wish and help Zoe with raising Mira.

The Best of All is a very slow burn romance but since I enjoyed the plot so much I didn't feel like it was a problem. I truly enjoyed reading about Zoe, Liam and Mira.

Seeing how they all change throughout the book, while learning to co parent and help one another made me truly believe in their romantic relationship.

Perfect. This book was PERFECT.

Thank you so much to Karla + her team at Montlake for an ARC of this book via NetGalley. These are my honest thoughts.

I fell HARD for Burke Barrett last year year in The Best Laid Plans, and the *hints* and briefest of *moments* with Liam in that book made me SO EXCITED for the second book. AND IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT EVEN A LITTLE BIT.

This is an enemies-to-friends-to-lovers story of a grumpy British football player (the American kind) who becomes a Godparent to sweet little Mira with his co-godparent, Zoe, when their best friends die in a tragic accident. It's a slow burn, and I found myself screaming at my kindle when they wouldn't just KISS ALREADY, but in true Karla fashion, the wait was worth it. You'll just have to trust me when you're pulling your hair because the TENSION and their CHEMISTRY and their little mean banter with each other just claws at you and claws at you until they finally give in. It's worth it. For them. For Mira. For the little family they're building together.

This story is rooted in so much sadness and grief. Watching a toddler go through the emotions of losing her parents and wandering around trying to figure out what her new existence means, while both Liam and Zoe take different routes to figure out their new normal with this added responsibility is.. a lot. It's so emotional. The turmoil of heartbreak and conflict and past trauma and grief intermixed with the happiness and joy find in these little small moments of every day life that just keeps chugging along despite the other stuff you're going through is perfectly captured in the pages of this book. And then you add in the complexity of raising a toddler with your best friend's spouse's best friend... woo.

And I haven't even started talking about Zoe and Liam as individual people and their story arcs!

Zoe is a well-adjusted divorcee with a therapist mother and the best person to step in and immediately start taking care of Mira. Where Liam is resistant to the whole instant-family thing, Zoe embraces it and embraces Mira. She gets to know Mira in a deeply personal way, becoming the expert that knows how to take care of her.

Liam, on the other hand, is convinced because his own experience with "family" that he'd make a bloody terrible dad and acts like a complete jerk. He avoids Zoe and Mira, and he lashes out at his teammates and coaches when they try to talk about the loss of Chris. This is probably one of the best parts of the book, because Liam has decided football=family for him, and he allows himself to be helped by these brothers because that's his coping mechanism. He is emotionally intelligent, but dense when it comes to his own abilities because of the walls he's set up around himself to block out anything that isn't football. By channeling his emotions into football, he's been able to avoid the tough conversations he should've been having with his mom and a therapist for 20+ years of his life thanks to his own dad. When Liam finally lets Zoe and Mira in, he becomes the MVP for the girls. He takes care of them. He lets them have their tantrums and their tears, and he handles it with a swoon-worthy effectiveness (Karla could write a handbook on grumpy men learning to deal with stuff... it'd be an instant best seller).

When Liam + Zoe + Mira become an us, a we, a unit, a family, everything that's magical in the fictional universe is right. They're perfectly matched. Their balance becomes the most beautiful part of their relationship. And then, Liam freaking slays me by finally acting on those YEARS of pent-up feelings for Zoe, sends her off on a girls night, takes her on a very thoughtful first date, makes her wait, makes her feel valued and important and taken care of, and it's just... perfection.

I know this review is long, but here are some of the other things I LOVED about this story:
- Co-parenting a toddler in separate houses
- Mira's communication and story
- Ducks. Everywhere.
- Liam and his football teammates and their antics.
- Liam's leadership on the football field (can he be the coach in Karla's next football series, please?)
- HOW BRITISH LIAM IS. It was everything. It was perfect.
- He falls first :) :) :)
- The neighbor lady Rosa + her book club friends
- The WA Wolves cameo + sweatshirts with certain player's last names on them!
- The moments of honesty between Liam + Zoe + Mira.
- THERAPY. I lived for these scenes where walls crashed down and realizations were made + characters sought guidance from their closest personal relationships but also from professionals!

This obviously gets 5-stars from me. Karla wrote a story of a gruff, grumpy defensive footballer who is forced into feeling soft feelings by the death of his best friend, the responsibility of raising said best friend's toddler, and with the woman he never had but always wanted. Zoe's left with a gaping hole of grief in her heart, that gets filled slowly with loving moments with her bestie's toddler, and then with all the moments that Liam makes her feel seen, supported, and even loved. The tenderness between Liam, Zoe, + Mira left my heart in pieces on the floor, with tears in my eyes, and superglue in my hand so that all my pieces could be put back together again, maybe not perfectly the same, but perfect in their own way.

Definitely check it out when it drops July 16th, and let me know your thoughts when you do! :)

Not my favorite book of the series but I still enjoyed it! I love everything that Karla Sorensen writes so I was excited to read this book early. A great romance that had me turning the pages.

I voluntarily reviewed this book.

The Best of All is a sweet, heartwarming, instant family romance that will take readers on a rollercoaster ride of emotion as Liam and Zoe navigate their way through the cards life has dealt them.

Liam had to be one of the most frustrating characters I've encountered in a long time. While he's got his reasons, he's grumpy and extremely closed off. He comes across as a total jerk; the kind of guy you wouldn't want to bother unless you absolutely had to. So when he finds himself as one of the guardians of his friend's daughter, Mira, he's like a fish out of water and utterly clueless. But, as time goes on, Mira manages to break down his walls and bring out a side of Liam that no one knew existed. That brings us to Zoe. Zoe has always wanted a family, but it never seemed to be in the cards for her. It wasn't until after her divorce that she found herself as one of the caregivers of Mira. She provides Mira with the strength and stability she needs, however, it's tough doing it all on her own. So, imagine her surprise when Liam steps up and provides a helping hand.

I really enjoyed Liam and Zoe's story. It starts off utterly heartbreaking and consumes you right from the first page. As you get to know Zoe and Liam, you discover their relationship is anything but friendly. They rocked the enemies-to-lovers vibe like no other. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, Liam and Zoe's world gets turned upside down, and find themselves partners in a situation they never expected. Of course, the more time, Liam and Zoe spend together, the more you discover a delicious tension simmering beneath the surface. There is more to these two characters than meets the eye and I loved watching them navigate their way through the challenges set before them.

This book is the definition of slow burn. And while there isn't a ton of steam, what's there is satisfying. This romance is worth the wait and left me with a big smile on my face.

The Best of All is the 2nd book in the Best Men Series by Karla Sorensen and as much as I enjoyed the first book, I think I liked this one even better. This contemporary romance series is definitely different because of the underlying heartbreaking circumstances that bring these characters into the common story line of these books. I would suggest grabbing a box of tissues before diving into this one, though, because if you’re like me, it will grab your heart and pull it out of your chest. Obviously, the main characters are Zoe and Liam, but honestly, it’s little Miss Mira who stole the show for me. As the blurb indicates Liam is a hard-shelled football player and Zoe is the good friend who holds everything together in an amazing way if I do say so myself. But it’s the interactions between Liam and little Mira that gutted me. This was a deeply emotional read for me because of the unfortunate situation these 3 lovely characters find themselves in. Like the first book, this is a slow burn romance which is my favorite kind–I like the “getting to know” each other part of a romance–the parts that make you feel it in your bones their attraction for each other. Again, I would most definitely recommend this book if you’re looking for something a bit different in the contemporary romance genre but be prepared to fall in love with a darling little toddler and the 2 characters who are trying against all odds to hold it all together for her. I’m grateful to have been given an opportunity to read and review an advance copy of this book for NetGalley.

There is something about Karla Sorensen’s writing that generally works for me and that stood true for The Best of All. In this case, The Best of All is basically a book form of Life as We Know It, which is one of my favorite movies, so I was already pre-disposed to like this book. Plus, in case I haven’t said it enough, I am still in my single parent romance book era. I’m obsessed with the trope and cannot quit reading books with it right now.
Essentially, Zoe Valentine and Liam Davies do not like one another (well, technically that’s complicated, but that’s how it appears), but they are the godparents of Mira due to their best friend status with Mira’s mom and dad, respectively. Mira’s parents tragically die and they leave Mira to Zoe and Liam to raise. Except, again, Zoe and Liam do not like one another. The way this book manages to provide so much character depth for both Zoe and Liam is pretty incredible. They feel real in so many ways, which is why I don’t understand why this book wasn’t a knock it out of the park read for me. Don’t get me wrong, I really liked it, but there’s something about it that just didn’t quite hit. Here’s hoping it was a case of reading the right book at the wrong time and I’ll circle back to it again one day. But nevertheless, I love Sorensen’s writing and I would definitely encourage you to pick this one up!

The Best of All is beautifully haunting but also funny and heartwarming. You will feel the entire range of emotions when reading this book!

I'm not too proud to admit I bawled during the beginning. Even knowing the premise of the book, my momma heart broke for these characters. While there were more touching moments throughout the book, and a few more tears did escape, I wouldn't call this an angsty book. The Bad Thing happened. Zoe and Liam are forced to deal with the consequences, but they do it with very little brooding and instead rely on ribbing each other and growing as people.

There's a subplot involving Zoe's ex-husband that resonated with me. She could have given up on love completely after her marriage - and she may have tried had Liam not been so very Liam.

Liam is my favorite kind of grump. He grumps because he cares, and he shows that with his actions and his consideration for those around him. The way he thinks about Zoe will make you believe in love again (and may spontaneously cause you to ovulate so fair warning).

I could write page after page of reasons why you need to read this book. Karla Sorensen has become an auto-buy author for me because she writes such amazing, human characters you can't help but fall in love with.

Thank you, NetGalley and Karla Sorensen, for the opportunity to read this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Ever since reading The Best Laid Plans, I was excited for The Best of All. Mia, the toddler who lost her parents, was always in the background during the first book and I loved being able to see how she found her new family in Liam and Zoe. The timelines essentially ran parallel to each other, which was a treat.

Liam and Zoe had a decade of animosity that they had to put aside to become co-guardians of Mia. While the pair deals with their grief in different ways, I loved seeing how they came together for the sake of Mia and what was best for her, even if either of them didn't understand the why behind them being chosen as her guardian. There are heavy tones of grief, so read with care and bring a box of tissues.

I really enjoyed this one. Liam and Zoe had fantastic chemistry. It warmed my heart seeing Liam warm up to the idea of being a father, even though he had never saw that card in his future. Zoe didn't back down from his crap and helped him become the best version of himself. Plus, you have to love a grumpy pro-football player that has some issues to work out.

There were only two things I didn't love. One was how slow the slow burn was. The chemistry between the pair was off the charts and while I understood why they pushed off their temptation and feelings for so long, I would have liked to have them explore their relationship a little earlier. I also was sad that we didn't get the perspective of the Liam taking the trip to Michigan with Mia. It was hinted at toward the end of this book and The Best Laid Plans gave such good Easter eggs that I thought not including it was a missed opportunity.

I definitely recommend reading The Best Laid Plans prior to reading The Best of All. While they could be read as standalones, I feel like the books compliment each other so well that it's better to read them in order. While the first book was emotional, this one was much heavier, as the two main characters were in the thick of their grief throughout the entire book.

The Best of All publishes July 16.

The Best of All by Karla Sorensen was book 2 in a series. I didn't read book 1. Honestly I very rarely read F/M romances, I feel like they are all the same formula over and over. While this on was a trope thats been done before, the difference is that I liked Liam and Zoe and Mira had a personality. A big pet peeve of mine is kids in books just to have a kid in a book and she did right by Mira. That upped my star rating to 4. Would highly recommend.

It was a bit lackluster for me. I recently listened to book one and this book 2 take place in same timeline, there are overlapping scenes that happened in book one whereas in book two were only mentioned in passing. Like the phone call Liam makes to Burke, in book one we get both sides of the conversation with Burke wondering how this guy got his number. Book two Liam just casually mentions how weeks ago he called Chris’ best friend from university, with no other context.
It’s a slow burn, for more than 75% Liam is fighting his grief but also his anger towards his father. The romance with Zoe was in the back burner for most of the book.

I really enjoyed this! This is book two in the series though I think it could totally be read as a standalone.

This follows Liam and Zoe, who are named co-guardians to their best friends’ daughter Mira after their best friends tragically pass away. Zoe is immediately there for Mira, moving her in and accepting this adorable toddler into her life. Liam struggled a bit more, he never felt he should have a family or children after his own terrible childhood so a lot of the growth in this story is his, to accept love and family into his life. I loved watching his walls eventually fall down, all due to the little girl who melted his heart.

Liam is a grump, football is his life and he doesn’t need any other distractions, especially living with the woman he’s pined for for a decade. The forced proximity works its magic and the sexual tension between the two of them was intense, though this is a sloooowwwww burn.

Zoe was an easy character to love, she’s wanted her fairy tail ever since she was a kid and though this certainly didn’t follow the traditional path I love that she found her HEA in that broody football player who has secretly had feelings for her for years.

Much like book one, this is a story of grief alongside the romance, though this one didn’t feel as heavy to me. Both Liam and Zoe (and Mira) were grieving the loss of their best friends but they had Mira to look after which helped keep them afloat. I’ve been looking for a good romance like Life As We Know It and this is the first one I’ve ever read that I thought really worked.

I loved it!

4🌟🌟🌟🌟

Tropes:
🖤enemies to lovers
🩷forced proximity
🖤sports romance
🩷grumpy x sunshine
🖤slow burn
🩷angst
🖤emotional

This book had the vibes of the movie Life as we know it, which I also really enjoyed. Zoe and Liam know each other through their friends Amie and Chris. They dislike each other tremendously, and have since they met.
When Amie and Chris are killed in an accident and leave their daughter, Mira, in Zoe and Liams hands things become a bit muddled.

Liam is not thrilled with this " new" family as he's always said he'd never have one due to how his dad was with him.. Zoe, does want a family, however has kinda given up on that in her life.

Zoe and Liam were both devastated by the loss of their best friends. They both handled their grief differently. They both showed growth from enemies to lovers and this story did feel authentic and realistic. Liam was such a grump except towards the two girls in his life.

The side characters were great in this book and I loved Trey and the book club, Rosa and of course little Mira. They gave this story some much needed laughs.

Overall though, this was a nice change from a traditional romance and Karla is someone i enjoy.