e-ARC, 416 pages
Release Date: November 10, 2020
Published by: Simon Pulse
Read from: November 13-27, 2020
Stand-alone
Source: Edelweiss (I received a copy of this book from Edelweiss and the Publisher in exchange for a just and honest review. This did nothing to influence my review.)
TW: Injury by fire (Told about on page but not in detail), Car Wreck, Underage drinking
For fans of: Contemporary Romance, Contemp, Romance, YA, Favorites, Realistic Fiction, Stand-alonesBudding photographer Josie Saint-Martin has spent half her life with her single mother, moving from city to city. When they return to her historical New England hometown years later to run the family bookstore, Josie knows it’s not forever. Her dreams are on the opposite coast, and she has a plan to get there.
What she doesn’t plan for is a run-in with the town bad boy, Lucky Karras. Outsider, rebel…and her former childhood best friend. Lucky makes it clear he wants nothing to do with the newly returned Josie. But everything changes after a disastrous pool party, and a poorly executed act of revenge lands Josie in some big-time trouble—with Lucky unexpectedly taking the blame.
Determined to understand why Lucky was so quick to cover for her, Josie discovers that both of them have changed, and that the good boy she once knew now has a dark sense of humor and a smile that makes her heart race. And maybe, just maybe, he’s not quite the brooding bad boy everyone thinks he is…
*MY THOUGHTS*
It’s gotten to the point now where I will read anything that Bennett has written. Her contemp romances give me everything I want in them. From the happy endings, to the admirable characters, to just everything. I love them all. There was only one thing stopping this from joining her others in my 5 star ranks.
“Beauty is a viper pit for people like us, Josie.” “Then don’t give them a reason to gossip.” “2%
Josie and her mother have moved from place to place and have finally settled in the place her mother grew up. Her mother’s there to run her family’s old bookstore and run as soon as her mother returns. Josie is on track to leave her mother and Beauty behind…. When all of a sudden her best friend Lucky comes back into her life. And he’s not the Lucky she used to know, he’s Lucky 2.0. As Josie is turning into a new person herself (by an unfortunate event) Lucky takes the blame. Was it because he’s trying to make sure he keeps up his appearances, or is it because of a different reason entirely?
“Always on the lookout for a good sign. They’re humanity’s communications, and I’m just the messenger with the camera.”“7%
I liked almost everything about this…. Except one thing. I’m not a huge fan of romance books where the entire plot can be fixed if the characters communicate. And this was one of those books. Literally the entire thing, from the events with her mom, to the ones with her cousin, to literally all her problems could have been solved by talking it out. Normally it makes me want to DNF or at least skim the book, but since this was YA I gave it a pass. Teens don’t always communicate with anyone, so I was ok with Josie not doing it, but it still bugged the shit out of me lol
“I thought book relationships were better than real-life?” I remind her. “They’re teaching me to have better real-life relationships,” she says.”“9%
Otherwise, I liked everything else about this book. The romance was very sweet and I loved watching the two of them come together. I’m not really an enemies to lover romance kind of person, so seeing this was more of an old friends to lovers one with the “bad boy,” I was so excited to read this. And Bennett didn’t disappoint. Even their “break-up and make-up” at the end was cute. I loved the way that one person apologized. And in true Bennett fashion, there is sex in this book, but not on the page. (I say this for my moms that always ask in the branches) It did show them using protection as well.
“We need art to remind us that the struggle is worth something. That will never change.” “29%
Another thing I liked about this was the setting. Being from a coastal town myself, I recognized some of the things, like the smell of salt in the air, and the love of seafood by the locals. So many things are true and I felt at home again. (It also helped that when I read some of the book I was at home for Thanksgiving to see my mom) It was super authentic and it made me feel like I had visited Beauty while I was reading it.
“Care to sit in the captain’s chair?” “Is that a nautical pick-up line?” “No. ‘Want to go for a ride on my dinghy?’ is a nautical pick-up line.”. “40%
This book had an issue, but the amazingness of this book was not the least bit overshadowed by it. In fact, this is one of those rare times where can admit it was a good use of the flaw, but it was still not something I cared enough about. The “it’s not you, it’s me” adage if you will. Definitely wasn’t enough for me to say I cared for this any less than I did her others.
Overall, I give this
