Tropes: best friends to lovers, opposites attract

My second book by this author and it was very cute! Poe and Zwe are best friends who head to an island to reconnect with their friendship but end up being hunted down by a group of masked women. Even though this was a romance, the book also addressed issues such as industrialization and deforestation resulting in the displacement of the native island people from their homes. I thought it was a great way to bring awareness to this topic as we learn with Poe and Zwe about how the island and their people are affected.

Poe and Zwe are super cute together - they are opposites in many ways, but they always support each other in their endeavors and want to see the other shine. Even when Poe denies it, they are clearly meant to be together. Poe's personality and bouts of jealousy in the face of life and death DOES bug me at times (just because they are literally running for their lives at the moment), but the way Zwe handles it is perfect. As the events in the book get more intense, there are some great confession scenes that are *chef's kiss* and almost made me tear up. There's a lot of love there even before the romance, and it was beautiful to see that love change.

Favorite quote from the book: "There's nothing I want more than to be your hot wife in a nursing home."

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

What an interesting romcom!

I was drawn in by the premise and stayed for the characters. When I read the synopsis I was like what?!? I gotta know how this goes down. Plus I love friends to lovers trope. So this seemed to have the adventure/suspense and the sweet romance elements that I enjoy. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this! It was heartfelt, exciting and kept me hooked.

Would recommend!

This was a new-to-me author, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but her writing have captivated me from the very first page. The story is funny and engaging and the characters are great. I had a lovely time reading it!