4 ⭐️

I really wanted to like this one, but I had a hard time getting through it. I started it in August, got about 85% through it, and then put it aside for about a month before circling back to it.

It's a great comfort/summertime/vacation read if that's what you're in the mood for, which maybe I wasn't at the time. I appreciated the themes it tackled but I just didn't find myself wholly invested in the romance.

For most of the buildup of the relationship, I had a hard time buying into how their opposite personalities attracted, outside of physical chemistry, especially when they both had so much growing to do personally to overcome past/current traumas. I'm also not a huge fan of an MC being reserved, quiet, and insecure around people but then being completely different in the bedroom.

There was no third-act breakup which is always really nice (and even refreshing in romances), but I think it lent to my neutral feelings about it overall.

Mostly, this was a miss for me on vibes compared to Icebreaker, but I acknowledge that maybe it was just the wrong book at the wrong time.

Tropes:
Cinnamon Roll MMC
Forced Proximity
Insta Love/Lust
Workplace Romance
Opposites Attract
Forbidden Romance