2 Stellar Blue Jay Stars⭐️
Spicy Level: 🌶️/5

This book had so much potential, it set up for having one of my favourite tropes of all and then it went and HAD MY LEAST FAVOURITE...

𝙎𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨:
Kelsey has just found out that her long-term boyfriend has maxed out her credit cards and cleared out their savings account. She has given him a week to return her money or she will go to the authorities. She moves out and temporarily moves in with a friend to deal with the complete disaster her life has become. One night on a girl's night while she is drinking away her sorrows, she runs into the sexy Dominic who immediately goes goo goo guys for her and he wants one thing from her... no strings attached sex.

𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨:
I should have DNF'ed this when someone asked me at 34% what the book was about and I had no clue how to explain it... I was still trying to figure out where the plot was going and didn't know how all the characters fit together.

Then I should have DNF'ed when I realized Kelsey was "not like the other girls" as she had every man she met lusting after her like a cartoon wolf with heart eyes... THERE WAS NOT 1 MAN (Her Ex), NOT 2 (Her Other Nice Ex From Highschool)... BUT THREE SEPARATE MEN (Dominic)... but she was pretty plain and boring. She is an accountant who doesn't have much going on for her personality except that she stress cleans. She's walked over pretty easily and doesn't want to inconvenience anyone with her drama. Now she is dealt a bad hand... her Ex is terrible - he is a manipulative emotionally abusive gaslighting ass but it was a little confusing how someone who doesn't typically stand out would have all these men so obsessed with her.

Then we have Dominic... who is the other reason I should have DNF'ed. He is a walking red flag and after about the 5th red flag, I was questioning what Kelsey saw in him and am I being gaslit about him being this amazing MMC. You should not have the MMC of a romcom have any red flags...this is the man who you imagine as your fictional boyfriend. But he was bossy, demanding, jealous and did not listen at all to what Kelsey wanted... Now this is a great type of MMC in a dark romance but not in something that is meant to be light and fluffy. He constantly tells her that he wants nothing from her but sex and I didn't see any real growth in his character.

THEN the book fell really flat when it went in the direction of my worst trope. Now my worst trope is not one, but actually two tropes combined and I hate IT! When the first sprinkling of the potential combo trope made itself known, I actually told my husband if it did happen I would throw the book across the room. Now I didn't wanna damage my Kindle but metaphorically I did!

The trope combo was Third Act Breakup with ACCIDENTAL PREGNANCY. It feels like a cop-out to the relationship and such a cop-out to the reconciliation of a relationship. You should not have to have a baby PULL PEOPLE together. I do not mind either of those tropes separately but TOGETHER... it's just not for me

𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▶ Strangers to Lovers
▶ Age Gap
▶ Panic Attacks
▶ Bachelor Competition

▶ Miscommunication
▶ Third Act Breakup
▶ Accidental Pregnancy

Overall I don't think this book was for me... It didn't play into my happy tropes and I kept wanting her to end up with her ex... Not the gaslighting one but the sweet farming one from high school who was just a gentleman and sweet!

Thank you Water's Edge Publishing and Netgalley for my gifted copy... I am sorry I didn't like this