e-Audio, 09:26:07
Narrated by: Carly Robins
Release Date: June 8, 2021
Published by: Simon & Schuster Audio
Read from: July 8-9, 2021
Stand-alone
Source: Overdrive Audio
TW: Generalized Anxiety Disorder, OCD, Clinical Depression
For Readers Interested In: Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Romance, Mental Health, Weddings, Fictional Foodie, YAA wedding harpist disillusioned with love and a hopeless romantic cater-waiter flirt and fight their way through a summer of weddings in this effervescent romantic comedy from the acclaimed author of Today Tonight Tomorrow.
Quinn Berkowitz and Tarek Mansour’s families have been in business together for years: Quinn’s parents are wedding planners, and Tarek’s own a catering company. At the end of last summer, Quinn confessed her crush on him in the form of a rambling email—and then he left for college without a response.
Quinn has been dreading seeing him again almost as much as she dreads another summer playing the harp for her parents’ weddings. When he shows up at the first wedding of the summer, looking cuter than ever after a year apart, they clash immediately. Tarek’s always loved the grand gestures in weddings—the flashier, the better—while Quinn can’t see them as anything but fake. Even as they can’t seem to have one civil conversation, Quinn’s thrown together with Tarek wedding after wedding, from performing a daring cake rescue to filling in for a missing bridesmaid and groomsman.
Quinn can’t deny her feelings for him are still there, especially after she learns the truth about his silence, opens up about her own fears, and begins learning the art of harp-making from an enigmatic teacher.
Maybe love isn’t the enemy after all—and maybe allowing herself to fall is the most honest thing Quinn’s ever done.
*MY THOUGHTS*
Once I saw that this book featured a wedding, it was a wrap. Add on the fact that it was written by Rachel Lynn Solomon and it could be part of my Foodie Favorites list, and I was sold before I even cracked the book open. It WAS deeper than I was expecting tho, so be mindful of that.
Quinn and Tarek once had more than their families’ businesses in common. The two worked together as a wedding harpist and a food caterer to bring more happiness to the best day of people’s lives. But after Quinn tells him she likes him through an email that doesn’t get a response, she decides to stay as far from him as possible. But things don’t always go as planned. The more they try staying away, the more they seem to have bringing them together.
I picked this up because as some of y’all may know, I’m a sucker for a good wedding setting! And this one had several. I loved seeing all the different ideas that people had for their special day and how the characters played a part in it. It always seems more interesting when its a YA book since its usually not the characters getting married and the wedding plays a different part in the story.
I was a bit gobsmacked when I came across the mental health mentions in this book. I also have generalized anxiety disorder and I was not ready for when it was shown in the book. I had to put it down for a bit because I found myself spiraling, but just giving myself some time away was ok. So in other words, the anxiety rep in this was accurate. I can’t speak on the depression, but it did seem accurate from an outsider. The best part of the rep from these, was the fact that there was more to the characters. They were more than their illnesses and as someone with one of them, I apprecitated that.
The romance was a slow burn, but completely believable. I did wish they had more time together, but it wouldn’t have been true. Ahhhh the struggle lol The epilogue was welcome and I appreciated it more because of this. I also like how Solomon made both of them admit their struggles before getting together. Too often (in books and in real life) one person admits to things being their fault and they should work on things. It was refreshing to see both parties accept responsibility. Even if it took one party a while to get there.
Solomon’s YA books are a great escape for me. I love seeing her explore the things she does in her writing. I see she’s got more YA on the way and I can’t wait to get my hands on them!
Overall, I give this
