It was really clear pretty early into this book that it was going to be a good one. The characters - even the side characters - sort of grow on you instantly and there's this witty sense of humor that makes you laugh out loud. It had a real comedy-of-errors feel to it at times that was thisshy of being too corny but never really crossed that line into eyeroll worthy. 

We have Melody, who is fresh off a break up & returning to her small hometown to move in with her bachelor-esque twin brother after living in a busy city for ten years, being in a relationship for 6 of those years and having a real Big Girl job/apartment/wardrobe. She comes off as super relatable because I think we've all had a point in our lives where we felt like we were going backwards, or even at a standstill and everything felt sort of embarrassing and hopeless. Add to that she's desperately trying to avoid her ex-almost, Zac - her brother's best friend from high school who rejected her ten years prior. 

Zac is a perpetual grump who's nothing like the fun-loving guy he was ten years prior. He's coaching a losing football team, the town who used to worship him for being a star football player is now hating him for being a "bad coach" and the girl of his dreams hates his guts. This especially sucks (or... the opposite?) when they wind up stranded at a campground during a storm of epic proportions. 

Throughout the story, we get to see a lot of really amazing things happen - Melody's perspective of her six year relationship with her ex shifts now that she's allowed to talk to her friends and brother again (did I mention her ex was a controlling jerk?); Zac and Melody stumble (blindly, through a really dark and stormy forest with lots of things to trip over) back into one another's lives; dreams are discovered and "What's Really Important" becomes apparent - for side characters as well, not just our main two. However, all of that to say this is a SLOWWWWWWW BURNNNNNNNNN. 

The spice was also really.... spicy! I don't know why I went into this thinking it would have one or two decently written smut scenes, but no. Our girl Melody is a little brat and Zac has ZERO issues handling that. (Also.... he's a munch.)

My only frustration with the book is that sometimes it felt TOO drawn out. By 45% in, I was starting to get a bit bored and ready for the story to get a move on. It pulled me back in, of course, but that's not to say there weren't bumps in the road. 

All in all, I really enjoyed this one and it's my first five star read since November 2024.