Member Reviews
I’m new to this author and what a joy it was to read this book! Such a perfect cozy, fall read. I was immediately hooked by the first chapter. So excited to see what else this author writes!
"That I love you. So thoroughly and unmis-takably. I've known I loved you, the person you were, your soul, before I knew what you looked like, but I didn't want to simply write it down on a piece of paper. It seemed too important to be read. I wanted you to hear it from me. I never got to say it, and I hated you for a very, very long time for it."
-small town romance, second chance, forced proximity
-pen pals who finally meet 5 years later after a fall out to film a docuseries
-so much unfinished business between the two and the amount of mutual pining was >>
-thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for this ARC
3.7⭐️
The dual timelines with the past and present got a little overwhelming, but otherwise I really enjoyed this!
3.5/5
I personally am not a huge fan of the past and present back and forth chapters, but I really did enjoy this story. It's a wonderful second chance for two people who missed their first chance due to unforseen circumstances.
This book was so cute! The story was adorable and the main characters were so sweet together. I would highly recommend this book!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
💚 Pen-pals (handwritten letters!)
💚 Friends to strangers to friends to lovers
💚 Camping
💚 Second chance
💚 Only one tent
💚 Slooow-burn!!
This book is so wholesome and so sweet! Obsessed with the cover also!
I’ll write a better review soon, while I go through the massive amount of annotations
Thank you NetGalley for this arc!
This was such a great second chance romance. At first you're like how could I ever forgive the MMC for not showing 10 years ago when they fell in love as pen pals!! But not just when you find out why also just who the MMC is as a person you get it and you love him.
The outdoorsy aspects of this book were so interesting. Such a great plot premise to have them both as nature journalists on a combo work assignment and I loved that background adventure. Also created the best forced proximity when you are shouting at them TALK IT OUT while they slowly build something back up with each other. Speaking of slow this is technically a slow burn but credit to the author that I barely noticed, it totally made sense and the spice pay off was totally worth it.
I'd absolutely recommend this and thank you to the author for the eARC! I'm excited to read more by them.
This was a book I didn’t want to end.
This story follows a dual timeline where Charlee and Oliver who were pen pals through a college program become reluctant colleagues with independent goals after not talking for over 5 years. I absolutely loved the concept of their earlier years being told through letters at the time.
Second chance romance has become one of my favourite things to read and I actually loved this book more and more as it progressed. (I have to be honest I was pissed off at Charlee a lot near the beginning). One tiny criticism I have is the initial chapter because although I understand the sentiment behind it I felt it was unnecessary.
This year is honestly the year where I’m seeming to fall in love with the male main characters predominantly. Oliver was a ball of sunshine wrapped up and honestly (alongside Emile) the highlight of this book for me.
I was 100% drawn to this book by the gorgeous cover and I think this captured the vibes perfectly. If you’re looking for a cute yet hurtful autumn small town romance book please judge this book by the cover.
I didn't know much about this book going into but I can honestly say I have been pleasantly surprised. If you like:
- feisty FMCs
- cinnamon roll MMCs
- the outdoors/nature references through and through
- forced proximity (so much in this book!)
- spicy scenes
- the slowest of slow burns (in a good way though)
- a LOT of miscommunication
Then you'll like this book.
It was a very fluid read that kept me wanting to turn to the next page. I loved how short the chapters were and the time hops from when Charlee and Oliver were writing to each other during college and where they were at in present day. It kept the story fresh and wanting more. I will say, I am not a fan of miscommunication (I don't actually know anyone who is) but this one did it fairly well. I say fairly because it was drawn out a whole lot and I didn't like that Charlee wouldn't allow Oliver to explain himself until after their trip was over. Seemed silly to me. But what do I know.
Other than that, this is a great modern romance perfect for any outdoor enthusiast (like myself). Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I liked the premise of the book, long lost pen pals is a cute idea. I enjoyed this book for the most part and loved learning about spirit bears and the Great Bear Rainforest. I didn't really like how all of this issues in their relationship stems from miscommunication, though. That is one of my least favorite tropes but I can see other people being fine with it. It just seemed really unrealistic to me that after all that time they never exchanged phone numbers and solely relied on letters to communicate/make plans with each other. The ending to the book felt really abrupt, too. Overall I wasn't blow away by this book but it was a good time and if you like nature and wildlife in your romances, this will be up your alley.
💭 ᴍʏ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛꜱ:
A solid 5 star read. You need to read it. That's it.
I fell in love with Oliver and Charlie from page one! I adored their characters. They feel so relatable and Oliver's hypersensitivity is heartwarming. The letters were perfect; it added such a deep layer to their story that I couldn't get enough. It's safe to say I devoured book 3 of the "It's Always Been You" series and ignored all my responsibilities in the process. I'll say it again. Read it! You will love it.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🤓 ʀᴇᴀᴅ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ:
Multiple POVs
Flashbacks
Short chapters
The Outdoors
Second change romance
Good Character Built
ꜱʏɴᴏᴘꜱɪꜱ:
𝗔 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗳𝗲𝗹𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀. 𝗔 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝘄𝗿𝘆. 𝗙𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.
𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦. 𝘚𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘛𝘰𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘮𝘱𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘥𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘪𝘢'𝘴 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘙𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵. 𝘜𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘦'𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩.
𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘖𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘙𝘦𝘺𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘵. 𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴, 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴. 𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵. 𝘐𝘧 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘺 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺’𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘨𝘰. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢 𝘩𝘦𝘧𝘵𝘺 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘢 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘵 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘸 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘥𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘢, 𝘖𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘤𝘦. 𝘈𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘦'𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩.
4.75 ⭐️ 2 🌶️
Read As An Arc
⛺️ Second Chance
⛺️ Slow Burn
⛺️ Forced Proximity
⛺️ Cinnamon Roll Hero
⛺️ Cuddles To Stay Warm
⛺️ Dual Timeline
⛺️ Takes Care Of Her
⛺️ No 3rd Act Break-up
⛺️ British Columbia
⛺️ Pen Pals
⛺️ Miscommunication
⛺️ One Bed
I need to take a moment to fully show my appreciation for this cover. It is stunning, adorable, and giving all the vibes for me.
The setting is in B.C Canada! A place where it's already bringing warmth to my heart imagining this couple, cuddling by the fire, roasting, marshmallows like HOW CUTE ????!!!!!
Charlie and Oliver are college penpals, to form a connection that obviously turns into something more, and then fall out of touch. Then… They have to work together!! Get ready for it!!
The characters have emotional depth, and I think they are just amazing.
It has the perfect amount of everything for it, being a cute and cozy, contemporary romance. Most of this book explores why they didn't work out the first time around, but takes up a huge portion of the story, miscommunication and angst at its finest. I didn't really mind this, but I would've love to see how they work on the relationship and rekindle with one another.
Again with the dual timelines that I’m not a huge fan of, but it works out for the purpose of the story so I can override my feelings of that one because I actually really liked how this worked out!
Overall, I am loving the vibes I got from this book! I am telling you, this is a must read! I loved this book, and can't wait for September 3 for the physical copy of it.
Hits pre-order!!
* Thank you to NetGalley for the arc!
** post will be released on Goodreads on aug 28 @ https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/170879374-bee?shelf=read
unbearably yours was a cute, fluffy romance perfect for those cold and rainy autumn days. it had the laughs, the tragedies and the pining.
overall, I found this book really easy to read and I was hooked from the start and eager to learn what happened to charlee and oliver. it was so so enjoyable to watch their slow progress towards realising they needed each other.
plot ―୨୧⋆ ˚ I did enjoy the plot and it was perfect for a fluffy romcom with plenty of conflict to keep you on yours toes. Although, it felt a little bit underwhelming and by the end the resolution just felt like a bow that needed to be tied. this did take away from the charm of the story a bit. possibly with less conflict and less to tie up at the end this book may have flowed better.
charlee and Oliver ―୨୧⋆ ˚ despite the plot letting me down a bit the characters did not disappoint. Oliver was so sweet and sincere and unlike any of the MMC I've read this year which was such a breath of fresh air. I must admit Charee infuriated me in parts but I came to understand her viewpoint and the reasons behind her actions (although I didn't always understand them).
Overall, this missed in places for me and it definitely isn't my favourite read of the year but it was fluffy, cute and gave all the autumn vibes.
4⭐️
**ARC provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**
I want to start this review by saying that I love the giftedness representation! We all know that representation is very much needed for everyone out there, and this is a very special community that is, unfortunately, not very seen.
I was pretty scared considering that this is a second-chance romance, which means that there was some kind of reason their relationship failed.
I really loved the connection they had. I think they complimented each other, and both of them have character development. Not only that, but I also liked them as characters, although I'll admit that Charlee's stubbornness annoyed me at times. She kept skipping steps and just jumping to conclusions instead of facing the truth.
But, overall, it was fun, cute, a little spicy, and even informative. Also, the small-town setting always delivers. I know that some of the characters in this book have their own story, and it made me curious about them. I think I want a copy of this book!
Also, I see room for more books about some other characters 👀. And let's just say I like what I see.
Wow. What a beautifully painful, stunningly written book about heartache and loss and the coming together of two people who never thought they would, told through old letters and a current storyline so breathtaking it feels almost magical. The scenery is wonderful, the side plots always funny, and the main characters so lovely.
Thank you to the author for the ARC of this book! Wow! I just loved it so incredibly much!! I love second chance romance and this was done so well! I devoured this one! The concept of the book reminded me a lot of You've Got Mail but with regular letters and who doesn't love a 90s chick flick throw back?
Charlee and Oliver are assigned as own pals for a college project. They never meet but fall in love through letters. They plan to meet but it doesn't go as planned and they are both devastated. Five years later they get assigned together as journalists for a nature documentary. While working together they forge a bond again and realize that all they had before is actually not lost. The letters are beautifully written and it was fun to read them interspersed with the present day storyline. Their connection is beautiful and I just loved their love story. I will immediately be going to read the rest of Elodie Colliard's books. Loved this one!!
I don’t even know where to begin with how much I love this book! The story just flowed so well together and I think Elodie did the tropes so perfectly.
Charlee & Oliver’s second chance (sorta) romance was an incredible story about reconnecting after years no contact. The the neurodivergent and bisexual aspects were portrayed beautifully and contributed to their love story in a way I can’t even describe. both of the characters journeys with grief and loss were really interesting to read and how they brought the characters together was amazing.
More in my review on goodreads!!
A year of falling in love via letters. A failed attempt at meeting in person. Five years of festering silence and then Oliver and Charlee come unexpectedly face-to-face for the first time. Somehow they need to get past the resentment and misunderstanding for the sake of the project they've been assigned to, and the way that plays out is just wonderful. The original letters are interspersed with the present-day plot, which adds an extra layer to the building tension of forced proximity in a beautifully-described rainforest setting; the reader sees how they fell for each other the first time while they struggle with being drawn to each other all over again. Charlee is such a well-drawn character, fierce and flawed and vulnerable and desperately aware of it, and Oliver is her perfect foil, willing to push when necessary and forgive openly. Their chemistry together is spectacular, and the whole book drew me in and left me with a big smile on my face.
This was such a cute & cosy read! Perfect for the autumnal months.
I’m not usually a big fan of second chance romances but this book hit the nail on the head. It was written so well with the right amount of tension and angst, it was nice seeing the main characters reconnect.
There was a dual timeline for this book which I didn’t mind. I feel like it works really well for some books which it did for this one.
Overall, I really enjoyed this & would recommend to other readers.
I read this while on holiday in Scotland and it gave me all the cosy adventure feels. It was the perfect book for the setting I was in.
”I was chasing after the person I was when I had you. I was chasing the happiness I knew with you.”
Charlee and Oliver have been pen pals for a year, writing letters to one another and slowly falling for each other. They plan to meet but Oliver stands her up and Charlee never forgives the hurt and pain he caused her. Five years later, they are thrown together by chance and all the feelings they have tried to bury deep come bubbling back to the surface. The setting, the characters, and the deep feelings they have for each other are magical and this book is one to be read!
The cover looks gorgeous too!
Many thanks to the author & netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review