Member Reviews
Hannah Grace’s Maple Hill has become very popular. This is a good addition to the series. . I loved the friendship aspect of this book. Great characters. Great story.
Hannah Grace has done it again. I couldn’t put it down. There wasn’t a single point in this that I wasn’t cheesing or kicking my feet.
Henry has neurodivergent tendencies that made me feel so seen. Halle is the eldest daughter and family manager.
The Maple Hills series keeps growing on me as the author delivers an even better new book that I fell hard for! I've had a soft spot for my sweet boy Henry since the series began, and as soon as I received my ARC, I was over the moon. But expressing excitement at work has its consequences—like when colleagues walk in unannounced and catch you mid-handspring, causing you to lose balance, hit your knee on your favorite rolling chair, and land on the floor in a split! No exaggeration, something close to that happened to me. But it was totally worth it to get an ARC of one of the most anticipated romances of the year.
Firstly, the author's heartfelt, genuine, and honest letter at the beginning truly warmed my heart and increased my interest! Her creative writing has reached new heights with each book. Her connection with her true feelings also enhances her character development, making it easy for readers to engage with each character, embracing their flaws, mistakes, eccentricities, and unique antics.
In this novel, we not only witness Henry’s character evolving throughout three books but also see a perfect depiction of the author’s blossoming creativity. She gives us unforgettable, easy-to-love characters, each with a well-developed voice.
Henry and Halle are the best quirky, one-of-a-kind couple I've rooted for! I loved their slow-burn friends-to-lovers story: how they work on themselves, learn to communicate honestly, and form meaningful relationships, leaving behind their flaws.
Their meet-cute happens when Henry accompanies Aurora to her book club meeting to choose leadership books to become a great hockey captain, a consuming job he pours his soul into. Instead of picking a book, he crashes the book club to devour the cookies made by Halle Jacobs: an overachiever, the sweetest person, who struggles with saying “no” to anyone.
Henry is impressed not only by her baking skills but also by this pretty, quirky, sweet woman. He discovers she can help him with a class he's struggling in, using her unique teaching technique that worked wonders for her sister Gigi, who also has ADHD.
Henry wants to return the favor to Halle, who recently broke up with her egotistical boyfriend Will, a hockey player who gaslighted her into thinking little of herself. When Halle rejected sex, Will ended things.
Henry knows Will is a douchebag and that Halle never loved him. He also learns that when they broke up, Halle lost her mutual friends, making her more insecure. She’s always put others first, thanks to her overbearing mother who dumped all family problems on her. For the first time, Halle decides to do something for herself by joining a writing competition that offers a free course in NYC as a reward. This means she has to write the romance novel she’s dreamed of but postponed due to her responsibilities and people-pleasing nature. However, when she sits down to write, she’s blocked because of her lack of romantic experience.
Henry finds a way to help by offering to date her without crossing friend-zone boundaries, to help her break her writer's block. Halle agrees, and their "dating project" helps both of them break down their walls, exploring their true selves together. Halle starts writing, and the words flow onto the screen. But they had one rule: Halle couldn’t fall in love with Henry. She was sure she wouldn't, but what if their friendship turns into something more? What if Henry starts feeling the same way, feeling unhappy when other guys flirt with her? What if they abandon the rule book and take a chance on happiness together?
Overall, this is my favorite book in the series, earning five blazing hockey, quirky lovers stars! I also enjoyed the cameos of my favorite characters and seeing how their stories evolved. This is a must-read, one of the most unputdownable, sweet, and sexy reads of the year that I highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me this fantastic ARC, which made me cry and dance with happiness. I highly appreciate it in exchange for my honest thoughts.
This is perfection, truly.
I absolutely adored Henry before this but now I just can’t imagine a better book boyfriend. I cried and got emotional during a lot of this, if I’m being honest. As someone who has adhd and anxiety, who wasn’t diagnosed for a long while- I felt incredibly seen. Reading some of their inner thoughts, I found myself going “wow, that’s it. that’s exactly been me my entire life” and this was just a pure gem to read.
Thank you NetGalley and Atria for giving me access to this book. To say I enjoyed it would be an understatement. I’ve been waiting for Henry’s book since Icebreaker first came out and it was as amazing as I thought it would be. Finally getting to understand Henry and his process was really interesting and I enjoyed what representation Hannah Grace gave with his character. Halle was also a great character and the personalities between the MCs worked really well. Hannah Grace did a fantastic job with this book!
This is the first book I've read with specifically undiagnosed neurodivergent rep. It was a little painful, to say the least. I like that this choice was made because a lot of readers will relate, but it also frustrates me as someone who went through it and is on the other side now because it should not be that way(though reality is for many still). I liked the author's note about it at the start. I did relate a lot to Henry and equally liked our bookworm Halle. This is my favorite Hannah Grace book so far.
A good slow burn romance novel. I do wish that it moved a bit quicker and had more spice in it as I am not really a slow burn romance kind of person.