This sounded like a heart wrenching, tear jerker of a book. Nowhere at all in the blurb does it mention that this book contains paranormal elements, and in no way does the cover show this. While I have no issues reading stories with paranormal elements, in this case ghosts, I was under the impression I was signing up to read a straight up romance. Perhaps if the blurb or cover had indicated this in any way, it would have made the addition of ghosts less of a ‘what the…’ moment.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

The blurb for this book makes it sound like your typical angsty new adult romance—until ghosts show up. Yep, apparently, the supernatural decided to crash the party, and I was not ready for that plot twist. I haven’t read the previous books in the series, and while this one technically works as a standalone, I kept wondering if the whole ghost thing had been better set up earlier. As it stands, the supernatural felt out of place, and it overshadowed the central romance. Parker and Hope's connection got lost in the shuffle, and honestly, I just couldn’t get invested. I’ve enjoyed Kage’s work before, but this one didn’t hit the mark for me.

It was a fine book! Hard for me to get into, though. Didn’t realize how critical the previous books would be. Eventually got into it and largely liked the banter and relationship building but overall not my kind of book.

Share just enough of the plot (or facts, if nonfiction) to hook the reader without giving too much away, and without veering into book report territory.

What happens when you read the 4th book in a series without realizing it? You fall a little in love and commit to going back to the beginning.
Just This Once was unexpected to say the least. Elements felt quite strange at first (paranormal aspect) but realized there is a history I need to catch up on. It was fascinating and dare I add, realistic given the conversations I've had with many different people over the years.

Hope is likeable, even loveable at times, but her immaturity did bother me. As a reader, something was missing, and I think I wanted more interaction between her and Alec. That sibling dynamic needed a better base. Her emotional scars felt real as did the road she traveled to fall in love with Parker.

Parker was the perfect asshat, because unraveling his layers felt like a gift.

Certain times, the story felt as if it was moving laterally instead of forward, but at the 3/4 turn, whoa. This book had me in TEARS. (the good kind) The hopes, dreams, and hardships had wormed their way in without my knowledge.

It is well written but has potential for improvement.

This author has a new fan.

Loved this book from the start, grippen emotionnally and the romance in this book was amazing.

Definitely recommend to read the series ans this author in 2025

Overall an okay story. It was not one of my favourites from this author but it was okay. I did have a difficult time to get into the story about Hope who has a bucket list for fulfill. Told in a dual pov.

The blurb for this book sounds like a straight forward angsty new adult read. It is missing a key element of the plot, the supernatural including ghosts and those who can communicate with them. I was not all prepared for that part of the story. I haven’t read the previous books in this series and while this works as a standalone, I wonder if the supernatural aspect had been set up better so I would have found them less jarring. As it stands, they did not work for me at all and took away from the central story which was already also competing with the foundations being laid for future couples in the series. Parker and Hope got lost in it all and their connection never really developed for me. I have enjoyed books by Kage before but this was a disappointment for me.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review..

I enjoyed the idea of the story and thought it was emotional at times. Made for a quick read. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Hope necesita un trasplante de hígado urgente y, dado que sabe que es poco probable encontrar un donante, decide pasar sus últimos días con su hermano. Además de estar con sus seres queridos, tiene una lista de cosas por hacer, y para cumplirla le pide ayuda a Parker, un amigo de su hermano con quien nunca se ha llevado bien, pero con quien se siente atraída.





Había dicho que no iba a leer nada sobre universitarios, pero es un libro de Linda y no pude resistirme.

Sentí que los temas tratados, como el abandono y el alcoholismo, no fueron explorados a fondo, lo cual es una lástima porque el libro tenía muy buenos elementos. Por otra parte, fue interesante la inclusión de lo sobrenatural.

Tengo mucha curiosidad por la historia de Nova y Thane. Espero que, si la teoría de Hope es cierta, Nova haya buscado ayuda psicológica y que, aunque duela estar lejos de Thane, intente seguir adelante.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.