I will refrain from writing this entire review in all caps (while ignoring the feral beast bouncing around my brain that is screaming gibberish about how good this was) but THIS BOOK WAS EVERYTHING. A gut punch in the BEST possible way. This was my first Ashley Schumacher book but definitely will not be my last!

I LOVED this from start to finish. I loved Juniper and James so much it was like a physical ache in my chest. I cried multiple times over their growing relationship and all the magical connections that brought them back together. The messages of grief were beautifully brutal and it made the story even more charming. There were moments of true hilarity (SHREK 2 YESSSSSS) and such genuine connection that I couldn’t help but be sucked in.

I adored Juniper’s relationship with Serena and her dad, and her uncertainty about life/career/love felt so relatable. The Twilight references were fun and as a theatre and audiobook girly, I just feel like this book was almost tailor-made for me. I can already see this ending up on my favorites of the year. Will be diving into Schumacher’s backlist now!

i’m afraid i didn’t love this. when i read the words “magical rom-com”, i assumed id be in for something akin to ashley poston’s work — largely your typical contemporary romance with something ~magical~ thrown in, such as a time traveling apartment or a small town straight out of a book. however, the “magic” i ended up with was something like the magical elements of the movie just my luck if it was only mentioned every once in a while and didn’t slay the way lindsay lohan and chris pine did. truthfully, i was a little confused as to why it was advertised as magical at all — i see how the author was trying to bring in the “magic” with the oh-so-convenient coincidences, but it felt a little slapdash to me, so i wasn’t sold. and as someone who loves a little magical realism, that was disappointing! either commit to doing it or leave your book as a rom-com and call it a day. don’t half-ass it.

otherwise, it was just okay. i liked the premise of the story, and the beginning was great — i found the follow through to be a bit lacking. it wasn’t the worst thing i’ve ever read, but wasn’t the best either, you know? i wanted a little more relationship development (fake dating randomly thrown in halfway through also caught me off guard) and a little more sparkle (where’s edward—ahem, william—when you need him). such is life!

This was such an entertaining second chance romance. I'm such a sucker for romance novels and this satisfied my desire to read a fun new romcom.

i have seen nothing but good things about this so far from author recommendations and i can’t wait to to see what i think! thank you for the approval!!! 💖💖