Late Love

Firstly Thankyou netgalley, Victory editing co-op and Scarlett Hopper for the review copy of this lovely book. Let me say this now .. don't we all hope for love and understanding from our people the most? That exact element is so well portrayed in this very book.

This is quite a common trope in a novel but what set this book apart was that the emotions were linked throughout all the characters who were mentioned in the book. Every feeling touched deep and the description of the desparate circumstances were highlighted in a bittersweet way.
I could connect to this story as a woman, I have a read of books focusing on problems but the familial support, the friends, the external family here just takes my breath away. In tomes where even speaking our minds can lead to violent outcomes .. the threat that we should not talk back even when we were wrongly pushed is constantly hovering on us our lead Lottie just takes up a life changing experience.

The male lead Owen is the person most of us will swoon over. Being in Lotties life who is drastically messed up isn't a problem and he is a proud mama's boy and a movie freak just like me !! Go Marvel fan !! I loved the overall and intimate reach of Owen's personality and respect this book a lot for this very aspect where the women are respected so much. Even parents treat the kids like adults trusting them and lending a comfort hand and that resonates a deep impression on me.

As always some of us expect the worst when things get good so you'll also see a lot of drama of you pick this book up 😂. I was a little disappointed in the landscape descriptions an the accent which didn't match the place the book was set it, other than it I liked the book. Thankyou for the ARC again.

This book is perfect for quick readers who love a good romantic drama and deep ingrained emotions. #latelove #netgalley

Full review: https://www.inabookshell.com/2020/10/review-late-love-by-scarlett-hopper.html

“We spend the rest of the night on opposite ends of the couch walking a movie, pretending that we don’t want each other as much as we do.”

I was introduced to Owen, Charlotte(also known as Lottie), and her big secret in Never Now. I have been wanting to read their story ever since. Owen and Charlotte were so much more than I expected. Owen is sweet, kind, and ‘good people’ as stated by Stan, Charlotte’s cousin. Lottie considers Owen an extremely caring person which is his best and least-best character trait. For some reason, I assumed Lottie to be this sweet, vulnerable woman who is going through a lot. I was wrong. She was so tough and had a great spunk. She’s also not a movie person. She moves away from Edinburgh to move on from her piece-of-s**t ex-boyfriend, Beck. Since Lottie is Stan’s cousin, Stan is Owen's best friend’s girlfriend. Yes, very F.R.I.E.ND.S-Ishq(if that’s a word) Lottie and Owen meet and become good friends. Owen is aware of Lottie’s situation and tries to help her in different ways. They both want more from each other but will Lottie’s issues from her past destroy their chance of a happily-ever-after?

There are a lot of amazing things about this book and what stood out to me the most was the casual tone and ensemble characters. Evie, Owen’s lovely mom, a surrogate parent to Ali and Em makes an appearance. Reeve’s presence was short but meaningful. I liked Stan and Lottie’s friendship and her role in Lottie’s life, unlike Em who didn’t have much significance in this book. I also loved the epilogue. I enjoyed Owen and Lottie’s relationship. Ironically, in the blurb, it is mentioned that their feelings towards each other are anything but platonic but in the novel, during most of it, their relationship felt quite platonic to me. But as the novel nears its end, the friendship phase wears off.

“It’s funny, I think so many people look at Owen and see this big sexy goofball, and sure, he definitely is, but there are so many layers to that man, I could start peeling them back today and I don’t know if I’d ever get to the center.”

Late Love is written in the first person in Lottie’s perspective and is slow-paced. Never Now was my first exposure to Scarlett Hopper and her writing was more engaging in this book. It took me a while to get into the mood of that book but Late Love’s an easy read. She is a brilliant writer, especially how she ends the phrases of the final, ending paragraph(s) in chapters. I still can’t believe they call the metro ‘the tube’, like what? But other than that, the British slang didn’t throw me off.

I haven’t read saint street so I’m looking forward to reading that. I also bought a free copy of brief encounters, the copy was free during that time, so I do wanna read and review that but I don’t know when I’ll be able to or when I’m gonna get to read Scarlett Hopper’s other books because I’m currently drowning in my stack of arcs, on that note, I better get to it. Late Love is recommended to all readers in the mood for a cozy, slow-burn romance. Read Never Now before you read this since Reeve's story sub-plot is revealed in this one. ARC provided by Scarlett Hopper and thenextsteppr via NetGalley. Thank you.

Owen was everything I’d hoped he would be in this book! He didn’t run away, didn’t back down, didn’t push too hard, and was there every step if the way with Lottie. Heck, he held Lottie together before she even knew she needed holding, and when he doubts and old hurts projected onto him, he didn’t pull a dumb man move. Oh, no. He did what he could to reiterate just how much Lottie and Rosie meant to him and just how permanently he wanted them both in his life.

Lottie was sometimes a little harder to love, but I got it. She was badly burned, stuck facing a great new world alone, and truly felt that Owen could and should do better than her. It’s a good thing she finally got past her hurts and realized just what Owen truly meant to her, because he wasn’t about to walk away without a gigantic fight.

I loved their road to happy and adored seeing Owen as the guy I thought he was in the first book of this series. This one definitely did both him and Lottie justice.

This is the third book in the "Saint Street" series, however this book could be read as a stand alone but then you wouldn't know the story behind the other two couples. From the previous book "Saint Street" we learned that Lottie was pregnant and Owen was the only one that knew until she fell and was hospitalized. "Late Love" starts from where Lottie left cheating Beck and moves back to London not realizing she is pregnant with his child. Strong, determined, self reliant Lottie has a hard time letting anyone in or trusting again. Owen, the strong, patient and supportive man knows Lottie better than she knows herself through her rollercoaster pregnancy. Owen knows what she needs and when. I enjoyed reading how Lottie and Owens friendship gradually turned into something more.

✨Late Love✨

Thank you to Netgalley and Scarlett Hopper for the e-arc
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Summary: this story follows 25year old Lottie who leaves her cheating boyfriend with more baggage than she bargained for. She meets Owen, an Adonis like Drummer with everything to offer, he soon discovers Lottie’s biggest secret. A bond is formed but the past keeps rearing it’s ugly head and insecurities run deep. Can Lottie get past this to embrace a life she never thought she’d have?
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Rating: (out of 5)
Overall:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
Romance:❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Swoonability:😍😍😍😍

Review:

Firstly, let me just say this is not my usual kind of read. I’m a fantasy girl and it takes a good looking book and a catchy blurb to sway me and this had just that. This is a book that I’ll recommend to anyone that will listen.

Lottie is a strong mc, watching her progression (and regressions) throughout the book provided for an entertaining, yet realistic read. There were moments you wanted to just giver her a hug and other moments you wanted to shake her.

Owen, well theres not much to say about him other than I wish he was real and I want one. (Anyone that knows me know that Drummers are my thing 😍)

Having grown up in a similar situation to the one Lottie fears, I can completely understand her reservations and anxiety when embarking on her journey. This book resonated with me on a deeply personal level and was everything I didn’t know I needed.

The only reason it didn’t get 5⭐️ from me was due to the overuse of the words “bloody” and “lad” I’m from London myself and whilst we Londoners obviously do say these words, I’ve never heard them said quite so much but that’s a purely personal thing.

This story teaches that you can be strong and independent and still need people. You can let people in, show vulnerability and that in itself can be a strength. It shows that it’s better to be single than in the wrong relationship. It teaches that you can recover from heartbreak and betrayal and come back stronger and wind up in a situation so much better than you could ever envision for yourself.

Overall this book made me laugh, cry and want to scream and swear. An utterly compelling and emotive read that had me captivated from the first page. I could not put it down. I did think there would be a bit more steam to it but overall it didn’t detract from the story. I’m so glad I had the opportunity to read it.