Gabe is the CEO of the family-owned Beach Island Amusement Park in Ohio. He is very much safety conscious and a little on the grumpy side. His former girlfriend gave him a DNA test and it did send it in; now the results are back.
Sunny is Hollywood royalty even if she is a little bit over the top sometimes. She quits her job in NYC and is driving home to LA when her Mercedes breaks down. She goes to work at the local DNA lab contacting people about their results.
When she contacts Gabe about him having 2 brothers and a sister in Las Vegas he doesn't want to believe it. With his parents dead and since they never told him he was adopted he wants to just shut the message from the lab down.
Sunny decides to deliver the information to him personally. This start the adventure of a trip to Vegas with Sunny driving.

I really liked this book it would be something I would re read in the future but I don't love this book so I gave it 4 stars. Loved how the characters relationship grew and you could see from both point of views when they started really liking each other I loved how you could see the chemistry grow between then and they were a help for each other when Gabe was learning about his biological family.

Gabe and Sunny's story was super cool. The way they met was so different, I just couldn't stop reading to find out more about Gabe's family. I felt bad for him as we learned more about his childhood. And then we really got to know Sunny's family, wow! But they need a big hug to wrap it all up.
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What a rollercoaster of feels! The main theme being about family is really cute and I enjoyed that aspect of the story and the drama. Sunny is the cutest name ever for a nosey girlie that’s shakes up a man’s world like she did all while not knowing what she really wants in life either. Very cute easy read.

Thank you Michelle and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy!

OH MY ACHY BREAKY HEART!!!!!!!! 23 And You And Me written by Michelle McCraw was beautiful, raw, personal, pure, honest, deeply moving, and heart breaking. When I saw that beautiful cover, I knew I had to get my hands on this book immediately and I'm so honored I had the privilege to read this book because it was absolutely amazing. Even though this book was a slow burn, I sobbed my entire way through 23 And You And Me. I didn't think I would ever make it to the end of the book, but by some small miracle I did with tears pouring down my face, the puddle of tears and pile of tissues I left behind was surreal. Michelle McCraw has a way with words that just stab you in the heart, then proceeds to piece your heart back together, then halfway down the page, breaks your heart all over again. There's not many books that change my life, but I can say with great pride 23 And You And Me changed my whole life. No matter how much this book broke me, the banter between the characters had me giggling and kicking my feet up in the air nonstop. The snot bubbles were bubbling like a bubble machine. I can't recommend this book enough, please do yourself a huge favor and grab a copy of this beautiful book immediately. 23 And You And Me will remain in my heart forever. To the next person who reads this book, I hope it changes your life.

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND CITY OWL PRESS FOR AN ARC OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW!!!!!!!!

"Stand up for yourself. No one else will do it for you."

"The path to moments of greatness in your life will be paved in part with your spectacular failures."

"You want me to drive your Miss Daisy ass across the country?"

"Family is a funny thing. They are always yours. The good and the bad. But it's not because of the blood in your reins or even the DNA. It's because of the..... the love."

Sunny Lafortune, oh girl, where do I even begin? I absolutely loved Sunny more than words will ever describe. Sunny was such a relatable character, she was so real and she made me feel so seen as a human. Sunny was a people pleaser, always wanting to make her parents proud even though in the end she knew it would hurt. Happily ever afters are the story of Sunny's life. Sunny quit her acting lifestyle after it went up in flames on the New York Bomb Squad set. The producers wanted to kill off Odile, one of Sunny's good friends, but Sunny wouldn't them them, so Sunny walked off the set. When Sunny stood up for Odile, it destroyed her acting career, no one wanted Sunny in gigs anymore. After her acting career went up in flames, Sunny became a DN-YAY representative for DNA company. Sunny soon then quit her job as a representative because she got written up for doing her job helping someone look for their birth family. After quitting two jobs, Sunny is now jobless for the second time in just four months. After learning about Sunny's childhood, I just wanted to reach into my kindle and give her the biggest hug. During her days of being a DNA representative, Sunny meets Gabe Armstrong. Sunny, my girl, I love you so much. Thank you making me feel seen as a people pleaser.

Gabe Armstrong has worked at Beach Island which is an amusement park, since he was just a little kid. Now, Gabe holds responsibility for the entire theme park as a chief executive officer. Gabe is a huge stickler in following rules and safety precautions. One day, Gabe decides to take a DNA test because he just feels like something if off, but when the test confirms Gabe is adopted, he insists they screwed up the results because he knows for a fact he was an only child, but the DNA test confirms that Gabe has two brothers and one sister. Nine years ago, Gabe's parents died on Fright or Flight which is a roller coaster at Beach Island. Fright or Flight is the best ride, it was Gabe's parents favorite ride, they were doing a test run when the cart broke off killing both of his parents. One day Sunny and Gabe come in contact. Sunny offers to drive Gabe to Las Vegas, Nevada to meet his biological family. Sunny doesn't even know Gabe and he wants to know why Sunny would do that for him. Sunny knows how important family is and she wants to give Gabe the closure of finding out the truth of why he was adopted. Gabe offers to fix Sunny's car for free if she decides to drive him to Las Vegas. Gabe even offers to pay for hotels and gas since he can't drive and Sunny is taking the time out of her day to do this for Gabe.

Gabe can't even drive or fly on an airplane without having white knuckle because of the trauma he has endured after losing his parents in a tragic way. Gabe has a very hard time trusting Sunny during their journey across the country because Gabe just wants to feel safe. Together, Sunny and Gabe name her car, Cinderella because it's blue like Cinderella's dress, ugh that was just so stinking cute. During the car ride to Las Vegas, Sunny and Gabe open up to each other, sharing their childhood and life stories with one another. Gabe and Sunny's vulnerability was so powerful, inspiring, heart breaking, and deeply personal. One night when Gabe and Sunny stop for the night, they sing karaoke together at a bar/diner which was just a wholesome moment to witness, and better yet they decide to sing "Shallow" by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. Gabe made me swoon so much, ugh he was just so perfect, he had me giggling with his smartass remarks but he also made me cry after he shared his childhood stories with Sunny. Sunny and Gabe both deserve the world, they will both remain in my heart forever. After their heart breaking stories were shared, I just wanted to reach into my kindle and give them the biggest hug. I just absolutely love how patient they were with each other.

A grumpy and sunshine romance, the story of Sunny and Gabe. They are strangers, but on a road trip together to meet the family he didn't know he had. What will happen when they get to their destination - will it be everything they hoped for? A great read.

Like My Favorite Thai Chili Sauce -Sweet with a Bit of Spice.

This was a fun read and like my headline claimed, kind of like my favorite Thai Chili Sauce. The story was satisfyingly sweet with enough heat to keep my brain tingling.
Gabe is a grump and extremely safety conscious. As the CEO of his family’s amusement park, his need for control is understandable. He’s also experienced tragedy which exacerbates his need to make sure everything is perfect.
Enter Sunny, who lives up to her name in every way. She’s an actress whose sense of justice leaves her unemployed. She runs into Gabe through his DNA results.
To her, he has the chance to connect with the kind of family she’s always craved. To him, the results are the source of an identity crisis and threatens his future. They embark on a cross-country road trip- with Sunny chasing her acting dream back to California, and Gabe trying to figure out who he is.
Needless to say, the banter and dynamic between these two is golden. They are opposites in every way, yet they balance each other. Like their cross-country adventure, this book was a journey to unpeel the layers of these two characters.
All in all, a well written, easy to read, fun ride.

After her car breaks down on the road from NYC to LA immediately following a dramatic exit from her role on a mid level TV police procedural, Sunny doubles down and rage quits her dead end job at a DNA lab after she is reprimanded for overstepping when delivering results of a retest to client Gabriel, which revealed that nine years after their tragic deaths that the mother and father he’d known and loved weren’t his biological parents. Her compassion for Gabe and this revelation compel her to personally deliver the names, ages, and addresses of his three siblings.

In the almost decade since the death of his parents at the family’s amusement park, Gabe has been compulsively and vigilantly anticipating and trying to prevent all manner of calamity, often to an unhealthy degree, often not trusting anyone else to assist in the work necessary to achieve maximum safety throughout the park. It’s so bad, he refuses to fly or drive, and will not ride in a vehicle traveling over 55 mph. When his DNA test is repeated and again indicates he’s not the biological son of his beloved late parents, he’s hurt and angry and can’t hang up quickly enough with Sunny, the person delivering the message.

When Sunny shows up at Gabe’s home with the contact information of his biological siblings and diesnt allow him to refuse to accept it, he’s angry, When she offers to drive him to Las Vegas to meet his remaining family, he’s incensed and tells her to get lost. However, after some soul searching and a bit of recon with his cousin, aunt and uncle Gabe decides to take the intriguing and infuriating strawberry blonde up on her offer.

This is a great road trip romance with all the tropes: grumpy (grieving) - sunshine, one bed, fake marriage, found family, complicated MCs, and more. Michelle McCraw manages to evoke sympathy and likability toward a privileged FMC while in less talented hands that character might come off as abrasive and spoiled.

This was so satisfying and fun, in spite of the heavy themes of loss and complicated family dynamics. It was funny, steamy, and touching without veering into maudlin territory.

I was fortunate to have received an advance reader copy from NetGalley and the author, and I’m pleased to share my honest impressions.

Looking for your next romance novel? Try 23 and You and Me. This was a fun romcom with a grumpy guy.