Tropes/Themes:
♥️m/f contemporary romance
♥️best friend’s brother
♥️second chance
♥️hate to love
♥️grump x sunshine
♥️she falls first, he falls harder
♥️small town
♥️slow burn
♥️dual pov
♥️book #1 in a new interconnected standalone series

A huge thank you to The Author Agency for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 stars (rounded up to 4 on Goodreads). LJ Shen has been a hit or miss author for me in the past, but I ended up liking this one quite a bit! All of the characters had such great chemistry with each other, whether it be romantic or platonic. Row and Cal felt like such a natural pairing, and their HEA felt inevitable even when faced with the trials and tribulations they had to go through. It was a little frustrating how much Cal would get in her own way and hurt others as a result, but I liked that she was finally able to get out of her own head by the end. Of note, this was quite a bit darker than the cover or synopsis would suggest, but wouldn’t be that shocking if you’ve read other books by LJ Shen.

While I liked this overall, I definitely have a few critiques. The random pop culture references were a little jarring and unnecessary. I also felt like the payoff of their HEA would have been just as effective had this been like 100 pages shorter. Regardless, this was still a solid romance overall and would recommend picking it up!

CWs for androphobia, child abuse, bullying, physical assault, violence against a teenager, sexual harassment, cyber bullying, discrimination/hate speech, emetophobia, animal death (more specifically use of an animal carcass/roadkill), attempted murder, infidelity (not involving the MCs)