Thanks to NetGalley and Random House/Dell Publishing for the digital advance reader copy of this title.

There were quite a few things I really liked and enjoyed about this book and a couple things that didn’t work for me. First, the positives.

I liked that both of the main characters were strong and outspoken. Theo and Ellie each had tough exteriors, were a bit cutthroat, and could hold their own, but they each had a softer side as well. The banter between them was great and it had me laughing out loud a few times. I appreciated that there were some tropes in this one that would ordinarily make me roll my eyes, but they were quickly turned on their heads and became something I wasn’t expecting. That element of surprise is always fun for me as a reader. I also liked that Ellie and Theo were both grieving and that their “rivalry” turned eventual alliance to keep a big box specialty grocery store out of their small town was held together because of their mutual love of family and spaces that reminded them of those they’d lost. There were some solid connections between the characters.

So what didn’t work? Although there was a lot to connect Ellie and Theo, I found their communication and emotional depth lacking. The story moved quickly into what I found to be very casual open door scenes, and I would have liked for them to express more of their feelings beforehand. I see why the story was framed this way and realize it is likely not problematic at all for many other readers. To each their own! Ellie’s lack of honesty with herself was a big focus of the book, but it left me feeling very frustrated with her, especially in her handling of Theo’s very not jealous ex-girlfriend. My other minor gripe was that Ellie seemed adamantly dismissive of the wealthy without us getting a whole lot of background on why. Her cousin Bella had dated Theo in high school and I wish she’d vouched for him more a little bit earlier in the story.

The bottom line: I liked but didn’t love this title. I had fun reading it, but there were a couple of plot points and stylistic choices that just weren’t well-suited to my personal taste.

— NOTES —
Genres: romantic comedy
POV: first-person, singular
Content: strong language; past loss of loved ones (grief)
Romance: open door in chapters 15 and 21

— MY RATING CONSIDERATIONS —
(all out of 5)
Pace: 5
Enjoyment: 3.5
Craft: 3.5
My Gut Feeling: 3.5
Total Stars: 3.875