What a great debut! The love story here was so beautiful with such a great mental health representation that I greatly appreciated. I am very excited to check out more by Mathews!

This book was so cute! I love a single dad trope! I would definitely read a book by this author again! Such a cutie romance book.

After years of living away Johanna returns home when learns her parents business is on the cusp of closing down. This is a shock to Patrick who had been her childhood best friend turned to lover. After having had one night with each other and her taking off the next day Patrick is both weary and excited to see her. trying to focus on incorporating updated systems and ideas to make the joint families business thrive she tries to keep her wall up. With spending so much time together their friendship turns into more once again. Patrick still is questioning why she left ll those years ago but treads carefully just to have her back in his life. When events trigger her anxiety and depression the answers the questions to her abrupt departure. I thought Patrick was very compassionate and no judgmental when all is revealed. With leaning on him and their combined families she is ready to live again and able to manage her issues by voicing them knowing she has a support system to lean on when there are hard times going forward. I thought the subjects of mental health were written well that lead to a great book. thank you to Natgalley for this free advanced copy> I am leaving this review voluntarily

*4.5

This was really sweet. Jo and Patrick are so clearly made for each other. They had time apart but I think it was good for them. She was so cute with Lottie and I wish there was more of that. Also the book told us that they talked a lot but I wanted to see it more. I enjoyed the sex scenes but I want a balance of those to domestic scenes.

I received an arc through netgalley.

This book is a deeply emotional and thought-provoking novel that beautifully explores the power of words, love, and second chances. The author creates vivid, complex characters who grapple with personal struggles and the weight of their pasts, making their journey compelling and relatable. The writing is heartfelt, with moments that tug at the heartstrings and make you reflect on your own life. Although the pacing slows down at points, the depth of the relationships and the emotional resonance of the story shine through. A touching read for anyone who enjoys character-driven, emotional narratives.

What a stunning debut!

Honestly, I was shocked to find out that this was Ronnie’s debut because of how beautifully and well it was written. The story was like a comforting hug from home. So many emotions, so much heartache. I felt so connected to the characters and thought that the sensitive topics were handled so well and in a really gentle way. All of the character’s feelings, emotions and actions felt very real and raw; it felt like they could have been real people.

Single dad, small town, childhood friends to lovers, mutual pining, slow burn, HE BRAIDS HER HAIR!! I believe that microtropes can truly make a book, and seeing how caring Patrick was towards Johanna and how he showed it in the smallest but most impactful ways made me swoon and fall completely in love with him.

There was something so special and sweet when learning about their childhood friendship and how they grew up together, and also how those moments and that relationship contributed to how they are as adults. I would absolutely recommend this book and can’t wait to read more of Ronnie’s work.

Those Two Words by Ronnie Matthews was a great romance novel. I truly enjoyed it. A five star read! Pick it up!

Guys one of our own is a literary genius 🥹

Our Ronnie, who is @wordstoescape is also @author.ronniemathews AND THIS IS HER DEBUT GUYS!! And let me tell you, it does not read like it’s a debut. She knocked it out of the park and I’m in love 🤍

Those Two Words is a single dad, second chance, small sea side town, childhood besties to lovers and it was utter perfection. It was emotional and paced well and I fell for all the characters and the MMC’s daughter was also written very well!

I literally do not have a single bad thought to think about this one AND IM SO PROUD OF OUR GIRL!

Patrick has always had it bad for our girl Johanna. Something happens and Jo leaves town and takes his heart with her… only to come back six years later to help save their two families struggling restaurant 🥹

HOW CUTE RIGHT?!

Watching them come back together and hash out all of their problems and come back stronger than before was a delight. Also some of the best anxiety rep I’ve read in a book before!

Ronnie, I love you and I am so happy for you.

*please write me as the love interest for the brother, YOU KNOW WHICH ONE*

I can’t wait to read more in this series and you’re world

those two words by ronnie matthews 🌄☀️🌲🧩

🌄 “sometimes, the heart wants what we’re not ready for. we have to heal first before going after what we want.” 

3.75/5 ⭐️ 🌶️🌶️.5

🌄 i loved the story line of this book! i was honestly so close to crying a few times during it as well 🥲 the author does a good job of representing mental health struggles through johanna the fmc and it really tugged at my heart. to hear all of johanna’s thoughts and the reasoning behind her past and present actions gave so much insight and at times even was a little punch to the gut lol because of how much i could relate to her. patrick is a single dad and the relationship he has with his daughter lottie is so sweet and wholesome. lottie lights up every single moment she’s in and i adored her, esp how she and johanna interacted.

☀️ friends to lovers
☀️ second chance romance
☀️ mental health rep
☀️ coastal small town
☀️ mutual pining
☀️ single dad
☀️ no third act breakup

🌲 seeing all of the character growth, healing, mental health rep, and side characters too made me adore this book. i did confused occasionally at times with the timeline or not realizing we were in a flashback when we were, but also don’t let that deter you from reading this book. this was a debut book and i honestly really enjoyed it.
thank you ronnie for sending me this as an arc ☺️ i loved the story so much

tw- talks about panic attacks, mental health, grief of parents

A very good start for the author.
I enjoyed reading it, even though at first I felt detached from the characters.

The romance between Patrick and Johanna was beautiful. I loved the bestfriend childhood to lovers trope with its second chance.
I found Patrick very resilient, despite the cold shower he took on Johanna's return. He's patient, attentive and gentle. Everything for Johanna.
I loved Johanna, who I think is my favorite character in the novel. The way anxiety is dealt with through her character is perfectly executed. And I'd never read about characters with this kind of anxiety before, and found it incredibly well written in relation to this subject.
Anxiety is something that comes in many forms, and here we get a glimpse of it with Johanna.

Thanks to the author for representing anxious people, and what they can go through on a daily basis.

"It's okay to not be okay."

I was lucky to receive an ARC of Ronnie Mathews's debut novel, Those Two Words (book one in the Sutton Bay Series). It follows the story of Johanna and Patrick.

I loved Johanna and Patrick's story. I enjoyed learning more about them and their history together.

I saw pieces of myself in Johanna, which made me relate to her so much, especially when it came to her anxiety disorder and depression. I felt seen.

I had a love-hate relationship with Patrick and how he initially treated Johanna but I could also understand why he was the way he was towards her.

Seeing Patrick help Johanna with her panic attack and how he cared for her was everything. Despite what happened in their past, he still wanted to be there for her. That man has a heart of gold and the patience of a saint.

Everyone deserves to have their own Patrick in their life. Someone who stands beside you during your bad days, but also makes your good days even better.

I enjoyed Those Two Words and thought it was a good debut novel.

I cannot wait to read the next book in the Sutton Bay Series!

Thank you so much to Ronnie Mathews and Net Galley for this ARC 💚

When Johanna left Patrick six years ago, he was devastated never understanding what had happened for her to walk away after the one night they spent together. However, he has had to move on and raise his daughter and run the family restaurant, which is now struggling. And then Johanna walks back into his life, to help him save the restaurant in coastal New England. For Johanna, walking away from Patrick wasn’t easy, but she knew it was for the best. At some point, she knows that she will need to confront their past and explain her reasons for leaving, if they are to have a second chance.
A beautiful second chance romance, with plenty of angst as Johanna and Patrick, struggle with their feelings. The involvement of family added another dimension to this story which also carefully explores the issues of an anxiety disorder. I look forward to more books in this series.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I’m a sucker for a single dad! And Patrick did not disappoint. His daughter Lottie was adorable.
I loved the story between Patrick and Johanna. It was very sweet, cozy, and low angst!

This had one of my favorite microtropes… Patrick brushed AND braided Johanna’s hair! Why is that just the sweetest thing?!

Johanna deals with anxiety, and as a fellow anxious gal, I think it was handled really well. Very realistic and so relatable.

This was a debut romance book and I can’t to see what’s next from this author!

This was a cozy, wholesome + sweet love story, but also a brilliant representation of anxiety and grief. A bunch of loveable, authentic characters, the slow burn spice and the banter + quips alongside a super easy to read writing style made for a really fun and engaging book.

Our MCs Jo + Patrick had so much history, and so much undeniable chemistry— I love the nostalgia of a childhood friends to lovers trope + this one was done perfectly. I adored both characters but Jo’s character really resonated with me: her growth throughout the book was beautiful and I really related to the effect her anxiety + grief had on her. Patrick was one swoony single Dad, who bought out the best in Jo + knew just how to take care of her and obviously… Patrick’s daughter Lottie was just super loveable🥹

This plot will pull at your heartstrings for sure.. it elicited a lot of emotion from me and it’s so evident how much time + care has been put into this debut novel. There were so many precious elements, from the significance of the puzzle piece and the way he calls her “love” to the pool table+ truck scenes and the little moments of Patrick watching Jo and his daughter together.

If you love a second chance romance with a single dad, an element of tension and plenty of spicy scenes, this is the book for you!🫶🏽

This book was an absolute delight to read! Friends-to-lovers is one of my favorite tropes, and this story nailed it perfectly. The characters were so well-written and relatable—I was completely invested in their journey and really cared about whether they’d end up together. The writing was beautiful, with just the right amount of detail to pull me into the story without overwhelming me. For a debut novel, this was seriously impressive, and I loved every bit of it!

I absolutely adored this book, it was so good.
My emotions were a rollercoaster and I din't want to get off the ride, I was in it until the end.
They were a case of right person wrong time. My heart broke for them in all the chances they lost, and they were some. But finally, after so many years, the time was finally right and they got to be together finally.
Johanna had left because she couldn't be there anymore. She was drowning and leaving was the only thing she could do. But I'm glad she did because it made her grow and love herself in a way that had she stayed, she couldn't. What she went through with her anxiety and depression is never easy and she found ways to overcame it and manage it in her daily life..
Patrick was the sweetest. It broke his heart when she left without saying anything and he was a shell of himself. When she came back, it was like a switch. His daugther brought the most joy but Johanna was his other person. When she came back, they could both breathe again.
Those years apart had to be lived because he gained a daugther and she gained herself again. They had to be apart to finally be whole for the last time.
It was an amazing book and I'm beyonf excited to read more in this series

[#adpr]

✨ B O O K R E V I E W ✨

Those Two Words

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Firstly, thank you so much to Ronnie and @authors.pr for the e-arc. My review is honest.

🫶🏻 review 🫶🏻

What a fantastic debut Ronnie has written. She has absolutely smashed it out of the park. I adored the characters in this book so much. Grumpy and guarded Patrick, and fierce but worried Johanna 🫶🏻 let’s not forget the absolutely sweetheart that was Lottie 🩷

The story focuses a lot of overcoming self-battles and I really loved the representation of anxiety, fear and grief. Ronnie explored these topics with grace and thoughtfulness and I really related to Johanna.

This book made me smile and laugh but also tugged on my emotions. I’d highly recommend this book to everyone who loves a good romance.

Read if you like:-
🩵 single dad
🩷 childhood friends to lovers
🩵 found family
🩷 no third act breakup

A stunning debut - I adored this romance between Patrick and Johanna and I thought the mental health representation was excellent. Will definitely be reading more by this author!

I truly cannot believe that this is Ronnie’s debut novel!

- Childhood friends to lovers
- second chance
- Single dad
- Small town

Jo and Patrick are childhood friends who grew up together and their parents even open a restaurant together. After two back to back unexpected tragedies, Jo ends up moving away. At least until six years later when her dad calls asking for her help to try and save the families restaurant.

Now when she comes home, she’s met with the news that Patrick is a single dad to four year old, Lottie, and they have to figure out how to work together and work through their pasts.

This is a fantastic debut novel! It is beautifully written and deals with some pretty heavy topics in a sensitive yet realistic way.

Those Two Words is a small town, second chance romance. Patrick and Johanna are childhood friends who are reunited when Johanna moves back to town to help manage the family restaurant. The story revolves around them trying to come to terms with and move on from the events six years ago that led to Johanna leaving town.

I very much enjoyed all of the characters in this book. Johanna and Patrick were both very relatable and the side characters were all great additions too. The author did a fantastic job of creating the cozy, small town setting as well.

I think the only negative I have about this book is that it felt slightly dragged out and a bit slow in places, but in a way this almost made the plot more believable and realistic. The damage to the relationship between Johanna and Patrick was not something that could be fixed quickly and easily with a dramatic grand gesture like is common in other romance novels. It took time, work and patience to get to know each other again and fix all that had been broken between the two of them.

This book is beautifully written, heartfelt and honest and was an absolute pleasure to read. I'm really looking forward to reading future books in the series!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Ronnie Matthews for this ARC copy.