Super cute novel. This was exactly what I expected going in. Jonathan and Lucy are the grumpyxsunshine troupe to a tee. They are cute and work well together. I love how their relationship grows as they survive different problems in the wilderness. I really enjoyed this.

This book just wasn’t my cup of tea.

I wouldn’t say it was bad, but even though the author tried to make the characters dynamic and three-dimensional, it still came across as flat/robotic to me.

I liked the hiking and camping descriptions, because it sounds like the author really knows her stuff. However, it was a bit boring at times.

I didn’t feel the chemistry between the FMC and MMC. It pretty much seemed like they were both there so why not sleep together. They didn’t fit together in my opinion.

The title was clever, I will give it that.

*An ARC was received in exchange for an honest review.

This is a cute romance between a woman working to find herself after getting lost in a relationship and a man that has been unwilling to deal with the trauma of his wife's accidental death.

The scenery and plot were great, immersing the reader in the story. It made me want to schedule a trip to Leavenworth (only a few hours away) as soon as possible.

I saw that there is a second book in the works and I think it would be cool to have some minor characters become the focus.

Thank you to Net Galley and K.L. Parsons for the eARC!

Title: Love by a Landslide by K. L. Parsons
Stranded in Leavenworth, Book 1

Release date: June, 4th, 2024

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Stars

A Delightful Wilderness Romance with Emotional Depth!

"Love by a Landslide" by K. L. Parsons is an enchanting debut novel that takes you on an unforgettable adventure filled with laughter, love, and a touch of danger.

Lucy O’Malley is determined to reinvent herself after a disastrous thirtieth birthday, heading to Leavenworth, Washington, for some much-needed beer, bratwurst, and backpacking. What she doesn't expect is to be paired with the meticulous and risk-averse Jonathan Miller, owner of Off the Beaten Adventures.

Jonathan, still haunted by a past rafting trip gone wrong, is less than thrilled to have his carefully planned excursion thrown into chaos by the spontaneous and spirited Lucy. But as they navigate the rocky terrain, both literally and emotionally, they find themselves irresistibly drawn to each other.

K. L. Parsons masterfully describes the breathtaking scenery, making you feel like you're right there in the wilderness with Lucy and Jonathan. Their chemistry sizzles, and their banter is both charming and poignant. Despite their initial reluctance, the freak landslide that strands them forces them to work together, revealing their vulnerabilities and strengths.

The novel skilfully balances humour and emotion, offering moments that made me laugh, cry, and even blush a little. Lucy and Jonathan's journey is filled with thigh-clenching tension and heartwarming moments that kept me thoroughly engaged. However, while the story is mostly delightful, the third act break-up and grand gesture felt a bit forced. I would have loved more details about their lives post-adventure.

"Love by a Landslide" is a captivating read that blends romance and adventure in a way that keeps you hooked from start to finish.

It's a story about finding love when you least expect it and discovering strength within yourself. If you're looking for a cute, emotional, and adventurous romance, this book is a must-read. Highly recommend!

Thank you to The Author K. L. Parsons & NetGalley for an advanced reader copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest review.

- Debut Novel
- Forced Proximity
- Grumpy X Sunshine
- One Hammock
- Hurt/Comfort
- Third Person POV

Love By A Landslide follows Lucy on her journey to finding herself again after her terrible ex-boyfriend breaks up with her on her birthday and kicks her out of the apartment shortly before they were supposed to take a couples hiking trip together. Jonathan is the guide tasked with leading the backpacking trip. He is meticulous planner with a traumatic past. So when Lucy shows up alone to what he planned out as a group trip…well that’s just the start of their troubles.

This is a super cute debut novel that packs an emotional punch. The author did a fantastic job at describing the scenery in a way that it felt like I was right there with Lucy and Jonathan taking in the beautiful views. Both Lucy and Jonathan have their struggles and I enjoyed their banter and their tension while they both worked together to make it out of the woods.

While I enjoyed the overall story, I was not a fan of the third act break-up or the grand gesture. I wish we would have gotten more details on Lucy and Jonathan after.

This is a beautiful, realistic love novel and I felt all of the emotions reading this book. I really loved the setting of the story and the describing of all the hikes and it is the perfect book to read through the summer months and I highly recommend this for anyone who wants to read a romance with adventure vibes! I cant wait for the next book!

Thank you Netgalley and K.L. Parsons for this arc!

What a wonderful book! Thoroughly enjoyed. Loved the scenery of this book and the character's journey too, with some depth added through topics such as mental health. Would definitely recommend to to others.

I am not the target audience for this book. The description sounded really interesting, and the prologue immediately draws you in, but I prefer books without explicit language and other content that makes me uncomfortable. I wouldn’t have requested this book had I realized that’s what would happen right from the beginning.

I received a free copy from the author through Netgalley.

I DNF'd this book at 13%. I really wanted to like this one, I like stories with a focus on nature and I like grumpy sunshine romances. I wanted to give this one a fair shot, but I just got bored. It felt very trope-y and typical. It reminded me of similar books I've read and it had nothing that really stood out to me or wanted to make me keep reading.

The first few chapters are all about showing Lucy in her old relationship which obviously isn't working for them and it just makes me sad to read about how she made herself smaller and adjusted to him while not getting anything in return. And I just don't get why these two stayed together this long as I couldn't see any glimpse of why they were together in the first place. I just wanted to get on with the new romance and it took till this far to just have Lucy arrive at the Leavenworth vacation spot and by then I realized I wasn't invested and didn't want to continue. So decided to DNF this one.

I love grumpy romcoms. This book was great. I loved the witty banter. It was great. Pick it up! Don’t miss out!

I really enjoyed this book!! It has grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, and adventure vibed. Lucy and Johnathan wear such a fun couple to read. K.L. Parsons did such an amazing job weaving in suspense with spice. Such a great story.

This starts out enticing. Lucy is dumped. On her thirtieth. A birthday her friends and partner missed. Lucy starts out a bit cold and doormat like, it is in the outdoors in the poor weather and along the paths she comes alive. The natures and flora is amazing, I felt drenched by Lucy and Jonathan’s bad weather. The poor karma the comes to bite them has a humorous twinge toit, but there is also sadness as they risk their lives marching through the wilderness for days. The mantra of ‘just hang on’ seeps through and the message and conclusion are uplifting.

This was such a fun, well written romance! I appreciated how the plot line and character development was a main focus of the book instead of an afterthought just added to fill space. Would recommend to my romance loving friends. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!!

I really enjoyed reading Love By A Landslide by K L Parsons. It was a grumpy sunshine rom-com done really well. However, I will admit, it doesn’t make me want to go hiking anytime soon. 🤪

A big thank you to KL Parsons and NetGalley for the complimentary ebook. All opinions expressed above are my own.

Received as an arc from NetGalley

What if the only one bed trope involved a hammock? Lucy misses out on her old outdoor ways but after a break-up she decides to go on the couples hiking trip she had planned with her ex. This is where Jonathan the adventure guide comes in.

I really enjoyed reading this one, I found both characters likeable and their banter very enjoyable. For a first time author I was very intrigued. I will definitely be looking into the second book in this series when it's released.

I LOVED this book so much! What an adventure. I appreciated the anxiety representation and how realistic it was. This book made me want to pick up and go on a trip so bad! I felt so immersed in the setting and scenery. Lucy and Jonathan were absolutely PERFECT together. I loved Todd so much too!!

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and author for the chance to read this ARC for my honest review.

This is K.L. Parsons debut novel and it was a delight.

What I liked:

-The MMC and the way his anxiety was portrayed. This was an excellent view into anxiety especially surrounding loss and I think the author did a great job.

-dual POV even without being in 1st person. Normally I really only like 1st person POVs but this was done in a way that I barely noticed.

-the freaking location and scenery. I LOVE the PNW as an Alaska human myself and this book makes me wanna go to Leavenworth.

The only thing I didn't really like was that this book did feel like it was dragging on in some places.

Overall, good debut novel and I'll be reading book 2!

I can’t believe this is a debut! KL Parsons has written a wonderful story, with relatable and fun characters, The romance between Lucy and Jonathan developed at the perfect pace and I loved the outdoor setting. I felt like I was on the trip with them, so beautifully was it described. Lucy was funny and Jonathan was gruff and manly but in a cool way. They had to work together to survive and also work through their pasts. Really enjoyable read that I’ll be recommending to everyone. Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this.

Lucy's thirtieth birthday was not a great one. Her boyfriend dumps her and kicks her out of the apartment. On a path to rediscover herself, she heads off to an already paid for a romantic getaway on her own. Jonathan is the owner of an outdoor guiding company, left traumatized after a terrible event 4 years ago, and is Lucys' guide for a hike. They are forced to spend time together when a landslide blocks their path home.

I usually like books where the main characters meet each other relatively on in the novel. However, even though it takes a while for Lucy and Jonathan to actually meet, when they do, it is the best little moment ever. I finished the book in two days, but would have gladly done it in one. The way the story is written is so vivid and detailed, positively portraying the outdoors. It feels like I'm there, seeing and feeling it all. Every event and every conversation seems so important, so genuine, and so real. You will be rooting for them once they meet because they feel so real and relatable.

Lucy is feisty and sassy in a cute way. The way she is afraid to talk back really portrays a strong FMC. Lucy's self-discovery and experience after her break up was encouraging, reminding you to go and experience things on your own, to not be afraid. Her growth was just amazing. Jonathan's growth is also encouraging and real. I love the people that he has in his life, especially his sister. He has a certain charm to him that makes him very likable from the beginning. The characters each go through so much emotional and mental growth.

Such a good story, I really enjoyed it! Lucy and Jonathan are really cute together, and after everything they've been through, both separately and together, you can't help but root for them. And their love for the outdoors is contagious, I would love to go for a nice hike in the mountains now (without the landslide, please). I will be looking forward to the next book in the series.

Huge thank you to the publisher for providing me with this ARC.