This book starts with a bang! A bride leaves her rich groom at the altar after receiving a mysterious envelope and moves back to the small town of her childhood.
I do have to warn, this book ends up being a surprising tear jerker! I had no idea what I was getting into and it destroyed me.
I really enjoyed the way Norah was written. Her chapters and the conversations she had with herself were just the right amount of jokes that it felt like you were hearing the information from a friend.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend!

I. LOVED. THIS. BOOK. It literally just ripped my heart out, but it was so so so good. Max Monroe, a dynamic writing duo, always creates a good story, but this one gripped me right from the cute little opening paragraph, and after an almost entirely sleepless night, I can honestly say that this is their best story yet. I don’t think my broken heart will soon get over the love and loss in this book. 5/5 and the best book I have read in 2024.

Max Monroe opts for a double POV in first-person narrative, which can be a hit or miss for many readers. Personally, I found myself on the fence. While the first-person perspective usually invites a raw portrayal of characters' thoughts, I felt the abundance of descriptions and metaphors sometimes a bit too much, a bit inauthentic. Thankfully this changed by the second half of the book and I found myself fully immersed into the characters.

The story follows the journey of Norah, a runaway bride who flees her controlling mother and fiancé in New York to seek refuge in her hometown of Red Bridge. Norah's decision to leave her wedding behind is not just a whim, but rather a response to a mysterious letter that suggests her fiancé is not who he seems. As Norah settles in Red Bridge and reconnects with her estranged sister, she unexpectedly crosses paths with Bennett, a local artist with a complex personal life.

I wouldn't go so far to say that this is an enemies-to-lovers story but I must admit that I truly enjoyed the bickering and banter between Norah & Bennett. The tension and chemistry felt real. I was also surprised to see that there were some truly enjoyable spicy moments in between.

I also appreciated the author's ability to balance more serious themes with moments of humour.
While the 'insta-love' trope and perfectly fated romantic moments are not my typical preference, I found the book to be an entertaining and enjoyable read that I finished within a day.

Thanks to NetGalley for granting this ARC. This review reflects my own, honest and unbiased opinion.

Oh my word. This book is so good. I cried, I laughed, I swooned.
This is a little different than most Max Monroe books, but is just as good if not better. It is heavier but in the best way. I don't want to ruin anything as you should go in blind.
It is the story of Norah who is about to walk down the aisle when she gets an envelope that changes everything. She runs away to the town she grew up in until her dad died. What ensues is perfection. I love everything about this story and can't wait for Josie's story. I can't recommend this enough, get it now!

Thank you NetGalley for the ebook in exchange for an honest review.

For most of this book, I was going to give it 1 star. It was almost painful to read and I was physically cringing at times, especially at the very start. But the ending was nice and despite the fact that I didn’t enjoy the writing style, it managed to get me emotional during the parts involving Summer, her relationship with her dad and with Norah as well.
Breezy is a character I loved. Probably my favourite character in the book. She’s smart, and seems tough, but so caring deep down you can’t help but like her.

This book was beautifully poignant. It will take you through the wringer and have you feeling all the emotions. I bawled like a baby. The beginning is shrouded in mystery. I kept wondering what was in that envelope Norah received that made her dodge the bullet of marrying Thomas. I was extremely curious about Bennett as well and what he was hiding from his past. The push and pull between them was evident that they were feeling this attraction but afraid to see what would happen. Norah was not letting him get away with his grumpy attitude. Once Summer came into the picture, I fell hard for this story. It was so heartbreaking but glorious at the same time. Through all the tears, I loved this book. Max Monroe craftily broke your heart but managed to put it back together. I loved Summer, Ben, and Norah. This was extremely well written with the utmost care. The epilogue was beautiful as well!

What a beautiful, hilarious, and absolutely heart wrenching story all wrapped into one love story. I could NOT put this down even when my heart was breaking into a million pieces and I couldn't stop the tears from falling. It was so, so beautifully written.
This book will take you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. One minute I'm laughing hysterically over sheep and the next I'm crying and reminded how lucky and blessed I am to have healthy and happy children. How unfair life can be. To never take a moment for granted. To live every day like it's your last. To get through the scary stuff to get to the good stuff.

Even though this book is different from Max Monroe's typical rom-com style of writing, they did an amazing job at bringing all the feels to it. I will forever think of this book when I see breathtaking pink sunsets in Summer and changing leaves in Autumn.

Thank you to Max Monroe and Netgalley for this ARC

I firmly stand by the claim that Max Monroe’s books get better with every release. I loved this one so much. I bawled. The moment where I realised where this story was heading I removed my eye make up in preparation. Devoured in 5 straight hours. 1am and I am emotionally wrecked, in love with small town Vermont and HERE for the two MC’s.
Thank you netgalley for an ARC of this book, I’m not sure I’d have emotionally survived listening to the audio 😂

Wow, this book broke me and put me back together again in a matter of hours.
This writing duo struck gold again, with a wonderful story from start to finish. The characters were amazing, lovable, and loving; the story flowed so beautifully that I couldn't wait to see where it would lead.
I'm not always a fan of kids in books, they usually take too much time or not enough, but Summer was perfect and heartbreaking in everything she did.

The reason I gave it 4 stars? There are two:
- The plot line of Norah's mother was messy, underdeveloped, and frankly unnecessary.
- I'm not a fan of what happened to Ben and Norah in the last chapters. I won't say what it is so I don't spoil it, but I felt like they weren't in the best place for it to happen and it seemed just a substitution. I would've preferred for it to happen later, in the epilogue it would've been perfect, but literally weeks later? To me, it seemed cheap and distasteful.

Overall, the book is nearly freaking perfect in everything, I absolutely loved it!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“the bride to be couldn’t remember the grooms face so she ran away instead”

my god, this book is so well written. the prologue at the start really does grip you in straight away. a bride running away from her own wedding, to find her way back to her hometown of red bridge. seeking a connection with her estranged sister but along the way meets a grumpy man, who snatches her attention. you cannot help but adore all the characters. the air of mystery, as to why norah left her husband at the altar lingers throughout the book.

this book instantly became one of my favourite books i’ve read this year. bennett and norah are so well suited to each other you can’t help but root for their love story.

i simply adore how they are both each other's rocks, in each other's difficult, yet vastly different situations. it’s very rare i have a feeling of being so emotionally invested in a story, that i never wanted it to end. lastly, make sure you bring tissues when reading!!!!

I just love a good spoiled fashionista meets down to earth grumpbheto Roman e and this did not disappoint! I highly highly enjoyed it and cannot wait yo share a full review and thoughts very soon.

Romcoms aren’t my favorite but this was so much more than that! It was surprisingly emotional and had me in my feelings. Norah and Bennett were perfect together!

Max Monroe has done it again! Such an amazing story between Norah and Bennett. I was hooked from the very first page. This book had me laugh, shedding tears and just feeling all of the emotions. Very well written. I felt like I got just the right amount of story without not wanting more, and not needing less. Can wait to read Josie and Clay’s story next.

What I Should’ve Said tore me apart and put me back together again. Max Monroe wrote a masterpiece that not only explores a story of an unexpected budding romance but also intertwines some heart-wrenching topics.

This novel explores the story of a young woman who would have done anything for anyone but herself… Until the day she decided to put herself first and ran out on her wedding day. The rollercoaster this book put me through, there are twists left, right, and center. I won’t spoil what they are but buckle in y’all. You need to add this book to your TBR immediately. 

Norah learning to come to terms with how the trajectory of her life went in a way she never could’ve fathomed, and being so emotionally raw hit me in the chest. The tension, longing, and passion between her and Bennett were written remarkably well. Summer-- Baby girl deserves the entire world.

There were so many laugh-out-loud moments. The sheep scene in particular. Oh. My. God. This book also has so many good tropes, including but not limited to:
- Grumpy x Sunshine
- Irresistible attraction 
- Found family
- “Enemies to Lovers” to friends to lovers
- Opposites attract
- Runaway Bride

I don’t know what I was expecting when I initially picked up this book, but, this whirlwind of a story was more than anything I could’ve asked for. 

I’m so excited to read the next couple’s book in this series, when you get to the end you’ll know who they are… I already know their book will ruin me. 

Thank you to the author, Max Monroe, and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this ARC. This is my unbiased opinion and is given with free will.

( ✩ three stars ✩ )

okay, that was actually an unputdownable (if that is even a word) read! i was invested from start to finish and for a first max monroe book i pick up, i think that was pretty solid!

book quote: "Shut up!" She shoves, a hand into my chest. "Just...shut up, okay? Shut up."
When I don't say anything, she closes her eyes and leans her head back against the wall. "And why do you even care?" she eventually asks, her voice quiet.
"Excuse me?"
Her eyes open again and lock with mine. "Why do you even care that I was talking to Tad Hanson? Why do you care what I do or who I do it with?"
"I don't." Liar. Norah stares at me. I stare right back at her. "I don't," I repeat but find myself stepping closer to her. "I don't care," I say, leaning down to meet her gaze at eye level. "Not one fucking bit." But the instant those words leave my throat, my mouth follows their path, and before I know it, before I can even make sense of it, we're kissing."

the story centers around our heroine, norah. through an envelope given to her on her wedding day, she finds out the truth about her fiancé which leads to her fleeing the ceremony and seeking shelter in her hometown “the red bridge” where her older sister lives. there, she meets our hero, bennett, and may i just say that they didn’t go off the right foot. from there, they both meet on several life happenstances until norah manages to land a job as an assistant to an artist in need of help. i’ll leave the rest to your imagination. (i loved the idea of her interview, it was so cool)

the book was emotional and well thought out. the author managed to craft both characters and give them personality and depth which is exactly was the story needed. i’m giving this three stars because at times, i felt like bennett and norah had better chemistry when they were fighting… and the plot with norah’s mother was bit messy.

₊˚⊹♡ what to expect in what i should’ve said:
· enemies to lovers
· grumpy/sunshine
· boss/employee
· different town, new start
· single dad

*thank you netgalley and max monroe for providing me with an arc in exchange for my honest review. <3*

Wow! I literally couldn't put this book down. I didn't want to stop reading and felt like the story flowed so easily and coupled with great character development formed a well-written book!

Norah flees her wedding after finding out some information about her fiance, deciding to head to Red Bridge where her sister lives. When she gets dropped off in the middle of nowhere and is forced to walk to her sister's house a grumpy guy, Bennett, decides to drive her but when she gets feisty makes her walk the rest of the way. This sets off various ways their paths cross, including him stepping in during a fight with her ex fiance. Norah soon realizes that Bennett has a daughter, Summer, who is sick. Norah starts working for him and after spending so much time with him and Summer she develops a love for them both, which is mutual. However, when tragedy strikes they aren't sure if the can weather the storm.

This book had all the feels in it from happiness to sadness to hope and love. I absolutely enjoyed reading about how Norah and Bennett went from avoiding each other to becoming lovers and how his daughter helped him discover his love for Norah when he felt lost. I laughed, I cried and I haven't read a really emotional, heartfelt romance in a long time! Would definitely recommend to those who love a good romance, with a little drama, some sad parts but with a lot of love! I can't wait for the next book!

Thanks to NetGalley and Max Monroe for allowing me to review this ARC!!