I’ve read and loved several books by Max Monroe over the years—their trademark humor and romance always hit the spot. So, naturally, I jumped at the chance to read their latest ARC. But, fair warning: this is not your typical Max Monroe rom-com. I probably should have paid closer attention to the disclaimer that this book would pull on my heartstrings like no other. 💔

The story starts out with all the lighthearted charm of a rom-com. A runaway bride, Norah, ditches her wedding and winds up in a small Vermont town. She soon finds herself in a banter-filled, enemies-to-lovers dynamic with the town grump, Bennett Bishop, a broody, muscled-up artist. Their snarky exchanges were hilarious, and I was ready to settle into the classic Max Monroe vibe.

But about halfway through, the book takes an emotional turn I didn’t see coming. The story shifts to focus on Bennett’s relationship with his young daughter, her illness, and eventually her death. It’s beautifully written, deeply poignant, and explores love, loss, and healing in a way that will wreck you emotionally. 😭💔

While the emotional depth is undeniable, I felt the overall tone of the book could have been more consistent. Balancing rom-com banter with such heavy subject matter is tricky, and at times, the shift felt abrupt. I also think the story could have benefited from more time—either a longer book or more focus on Bennett and Norah’s romance. Their relationship takes a bit of a backseat to the other, equally compelling relationships in the book, like those between siblings, parents, and friends.

This is a heartfelt, gut-punch of a story about life, love, and loss. While it wasn’t what I expected from Max Monroe, it’s a testament to their ability to write with emotional range. Just know going in that this isn’t a lighthearted escape—it’s a journey.

Thank you to Max Monroe and NetGalley for the ARC! If you’re ready for tears, resilience, and emotional growth, this one’s for you. Pink heart sunglasses forever. 💕🕶️💖

The cover of this book is very deceiving. It looks like a fun summer beach read, with the beautiful sherbet colors and fun sunglasses. It could not be further from the truth with this book. This is an angsty, enemies to lovers, and it will make you cry. The themes in this book are all very heavy, so please find trigger warnings before reading. While I do understand the relationship that Norah had with Thomas, I think the details of that story line, as well as the details of the story line with Norah's mother Eleanor didn't really move the story along. I think the authors could have chosen a different conflict and it would have worked better. I also wish we would have seen more between Josie and Clay throughout the book. I feel like their story line should have carried through the book more. I know that we are getting their story in the next book, but it feels like they didn't start setting up their story until halfway through this book. If you are in the mood for a good cry, this is the book for you. If you are looking for a light and fluffy beach read, I would suggest looking elsewhere. All that said, I am looking forward to reading Josie and Clay's story. #WhatIShouldveSaid #NetGalley

This is a good book. The two main characters are Norah and Bennett. Norah is a runaway bride, who goes to her sister’s house. When she gets to the town where her sister lives, she meets Bennett as she gets off the bus. He tells her how to get to her sister’s house. Bennett is an artist and needs an assistant. He hires Norah for the job. She does a great job as his assistant. There is an attraction. They fall in love.

This one has been overdue on my Netgalley Shelf - admittedly I have been slack in getting to some of my reads and reviews.

I had zero indication of what was in store for me with this book. I hadn’t read any other reviews so was blindsided with the heavy topics it covers, particularly when the actual cover for the book gives a lighter ‘summery’ feel. It really isn’t a true depiction of this book at all.

Whilst I enjoyed (and was simultaneously devastated by) this book, I felt it was guilty of trying to do too much, and it all became a little bit fantastic. Thomas the ex was a douche and Norah’s mother was just the worst, but I felt they could still have been without so much stuff!

The depiction of Norah and Bennett’s relationship, and their relationship with Summer was just so evocative, and potentially for some who don’t know the plot, could be quite distressing.

Overall I enjoyed this book - I just felt it got a bit busy and had a little identity crisis - rom com, contemporary, romantic suspense … it just needed to be a little more defined I feel.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley.

I have listened to a few Max Monroe books and I always enjoy them and this was no different. Once again my heart was breaking but it was definitely worth it. If you are sensitive to certain subjects please check trigger warnings before reading this book. This book isn't all tears it will also have you laughing as well. You will definitely go through all of your emotions. Norah is a runaway bride who lands on her sisters door step in the small town she once lived in. Bennett is a broody and grumpy man with secrets. This is a slow burn that will stay with you long after your done reading this book. This book will give you runaway bride vibes, small town, Enemies to lovers, found family, and grumpy sunshine. I would definitely recommend this book and any other Max Monroe book.


Thank you NetGalley and Max Monroe LLC for allowing me to read this ARC for my honest opinion.

I've read a good number of books by Max and Monroe, and this was the most unexpected. I got approved for an ARC months back but I've been putting off actually reading it after learning it's gonna be super emotional from other reviewers. The book's got a very rom-commy bubblegum pink cover and considering the authors usually write steamy romances, no one expected this heartbreaking story. There are zero trigger warnings and though I get that some would've been spoilers, it's better to be aware There's a lot of on page and off page content about terminal illness, death, grief, sexual abuse, parental abandonment, etc.

I saw the end coming from the first few chapters, so the anticipation was there. What I didn't like though, was the unsuccessful attempts to take away the attention from the difficult themes of the book by adding snippets of romance and humor. It felt like the book was attempting to be two things at once with inconsistency in the sentiment. The authors' writing style was encaptivating, however, so getting through the book wasn't a struggle for me. I did love the cast, including the MCs, and side characters. Gotta love the supporting (quite literally) characters.

The negatives in this book though are too prominent to be ignored. How does a 6-year-old with limited vocabulary string together such comprehensive sentences. The pacing of the story is very off and keeps changing as and when its convenient for narration, just skipping over moments that I wanted to see as a reader. And by this I mean at times there are entire weeks/months jumped just to get the story moving. This may be a spoiler, but the grief duration of the story was glossed over way too quickly, and I'm definitely not happy with how quickly the MCs move on.

So much more than I was expecting. I was thoroughly enjoying an engaging rom-com when the story opened up and I found my heart opening as well. Beautiful story, beautifully told. However, there should be some trigger warnings for susceptible readers so they aren't taken by surprise.

Love love loved this book. Great redemption arc for the fmc. Liked the journey she went on personally and how her romance developed. More please!

I did enjoy this book. I thought it was well written, but I thought the plot was doing a bit too much.

I thought the ending with the mother and Norah’s ex ended a little dramatically and there were a lot of different storylines going on, which took away from other storylines that were done really well.

Summer’s storyline really broke my heart and I thought it was incredibly well written. Summblebee was just the cutest and Bennett’s relationship with Summer was just perfect. I also enjoyed Norah rebuilding her relationship with her sister.

Overall, I did enjoy the book, but I didn’t love it because I think too much was going on.

This book while looking like a light summer read dealt with some pretty heavy topics. I felt as though the authors needed to dig deeper into their characters and rework some of the plot points. Some of the plot could have been much more poignant had some others been cut. There was a lot of melodrama in this book and again if it hadn’t been so many plot points and they could have spent more time developing them I think it could have worked. This book wasn’t for me, but I have read and seen many other reviews with people who loved it. So don’t be deterred! Maybe this book is for you.

If you enjoy emotional stories with all the feels, then this book is a must read! It’s a roller coaster ride of love and loss. It will tear you apart and put you back together, make you laugh then cry. I could not put this book down, a five star read! Highly recommended.

What an emotional read! I could not put this book down. I devoured it in one sitting. Norah Ellis is on the run from an overbearing mom and an unhealthy relationship with a man she realizes she does not love. With no money or job, she asks her estranged sister for help. Norah answers an ad for an assistant to a local artist, Bennet Bishop, a single father. Norah and Bennet's chemistry is off the charts, but there are obstacles to their relationship, including an angry ex-fiancee and a controlling mother. Bennet's daughter Summer made this book and stole my heart. This book stayed with me long after reading the last page. I had such a book hangover I could not even pick up a new book for days after. I can't wait for the next Max Monore book. A big thank you to Netgalley and Max Monroe for the advance copy. #WhatIShouldveSaid #NetGalley. #MaxMonoe

It took me months to read this book because the cover didn't appeal to me at all. Readers shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but let's be honest, we all do. However, once I got into this book, I was obsessed and couldn't stop reading. The writing, the plot, the characters, the dual perspective.... I actually ate it up!! I will definitely be looking for more from this author.

4/5 stars


I would recommend checking the TWs before you start this book (or any book in particular, they are always there for a resaon!)



Very nice and sometimes very sad, read. It got me hooked until the very end and i wanted to read more with every page. Friends to lovers are not usually my thing but i didn't mind it here.
Small town romance, single dad are also some of the tropes that await you here.
I wanted to give this a try after the cover catched my eye, i went like really blind into it and i am glad i did.
If you are looking for a good book to break your heart a little, you should definitely check this one out.

This book was funny, poignant, sad and tragic. I never cry at books and. I was tearing up at certain scenes. Summer was the best character, and made the book for me. I also enjoyed the secondary characters and look forward to the next book in the series.

Amazing book. Well written, heartfelt and emotional. Definitely recommend this book just be prepared.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book! While it was an emotional book, it had just enough humor to balance it out which I really appreciated. Perfect summer read with a little more depth than the average beach read! I would definitely recommend this to my customers and my friends.

Couldn't put this book by Max Monroe down! What I Should've Said is steamy, emotional, heartwrenching, funny and bittersweet. Norah runs away from her toxic mother and fiance to stay with her estranged sister, where she encounters grumpy Bennett who seems to hate her for no reason. As the story unfolds, Norah embarks on a discovery of her real self, reestablishes her relationship with her sister and finds love where she least expects it.

Couldn't put this book by Max Monroe down! What I Should've Said is steamy, emotional, heartwrenching, funny and bittersweet. Norah runs away from her toxic mother and fiance to stay with her estranged sister, where she encounters grumpy Bennett who seems to hate her for no reason. As the story unfolds, Norah embarks on a discovery of her real self, reestablishes her relationship with her sister and finds love where she least expects it.

It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book that I couldn’t put down. I’ve been a Max Monroe fan since the very beginning and I have to say this is hands down my favorite of their books. I felt so many things!

Bennett is a grump but with good reason (which we don’t find out for a while) and Norah was running away from her fiancé that was full of his own problems. And their chemistry, in my opinion, was off the charts!

Summer. My heart. I loved Summer so much and I think she is the reason this story is 5 stars for me. No spoilers, but you’re going to need an entire box of tissues for this one. 😭😭

Thank you so much, Max Monroe and NetGalley for allowing me the read and review! Definitely putting this one on my “Ripped My Heart to Shreds” shelf 😭