e-Audio, 09:15:51
Narrated by: Callie Dalton & Teddy Hamilton
Release Date: July 20, 2023
Published by: Hachette Audio
Read from: July 23-24, 2023
Stand-alone
Source: Audible
TW: Medical Trauma (Peanut Allergy), Death of a Parent, Grief, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Toxic Family Relationship
For Readers Interested In: Romance, Realistic Fiction, Enemies to Lovers, Grumpy /sunshine, AdultAn ambitious wedding planner must work with her grumpy florist ex, whose heart she broke, on the most high-profile wedding of her career, in this spicy and emotional romance from popular fanfic author Julie Soto.
He loves me; he loves me not…
Ama Torres loves being a wedding planner. But with a mother who has been married more times than you can count on your fingers, Ama has decided that marriage is not the route for her. But weddings? Weddings are amazing. As a small business owner, she knows how to match her clients with the perfect vendor to give them the wedding of their dreams. Well, almost perfect…
Elliot hates being a florist, most of the time. When his father left him the flower shop, he considered it a burden, but he’s stuck with it. Just like how he’s stuck with the way he proposed to Ama, his main collaborator and girlfriend (or was she?) two years ago. But flowers have grown on him, just like Ama did. And flowers can’t run off and never speak to him again, like Ama did.
When Ama is hired to plan a celebrity wedding that will bring her business national exposure, there’s a catch: Elliot is already contracted to design the flowers. Things are not helped by the two brides, who see the obvious chemistry between Ama and Elliot and are determined to set them up, not knowing their complicated history. Add in a meddling ex-boss, and a reality TV film crew documenting every step of the wedding prep, and Ama and Elliot’s hearts are not only in jeopardy again, but this time, their livelihoods are too.
*MY THOUGHTS*
This might be a little long because I have some thoughts about this. I know everyone gave this like 4.5 or 5 stars and I feel so bad to give this the rating I’m about to give it lol But I know the things that bothered me were probably small to others who actually like these specific tropes or things. But for the most part, it just wasn’t me.
The only thing I really liked about this book was the flowers and the flower shop. Not even the person who ran them. He was hot yes, but he actually really annoyed me. There was alot about him I didn’t like. But his tattoos and the reasonings behind them? That was so beautiful. And the time they spent at the flower shop and on the work bench!? Phew Chile I was fanning myself. Idk why the thought of them on the work bench in dirt and flower petals was so hawt to me lol But it was.
As for the characters, I just want to say, literally ALL of them needed therapy. I don’t think I liked a single one of them besides his dad. And he wasn’t really in the story. They all had some underlying trauma that they were trying to work through, but unfortunately they were trying to do it by themselves and it just wasn’t happening. Ama and the reasons she didn’t want a relationship, her mom and never wondering why Ama never brought anyone around, Elliot just for being him. We never really were told why he acted like he did to her. And if it was about their first ever interaction, bruh, you gotta let that go. Like he was mean to her as soon as he saw her at the first wedding they did. And if it was because she was with that one planner, I don’t know how he was mad at her for working for someone. Idk he was just so weird lol Definitely confirmed in my eyes why friends to lovers is my favorite trope.
Ama the FMC is also allergic to peanuts. Well, so am I. I spent the majority of my time so stressed whenever she went to get donuts because WHYYYYYY get a peanut butter one?! Just asking for someone to kill you smh And then of course that scene happens and I freaked out. I had tears streaming down my face and didn’t even know I had been crying. For some context, I have a friend who has a peanut allergy who can smell a Snickers bar across the room. Me personally if I eat anything with peanuts my throat immediately starts closing. There’s not talking or explaning, it’s like immediate. Her’s was a slow reaction yes, but the whole thing seemed so slow to me. And I’m sorry, as someone who has a peanut allergy and there’s peanuts in the vicinity, the first thing she should have done was TAUGHT HIM WHAT AN EPI PEN WAS. Like girl bffr. By the time she was done explaining all this to him I would have been gone. Idk it just wasn’t realistic and it actually scared me. Idk how to explain it. Anaphylactic Shock is way too scary for it to be treated like it couldn’t be fatal.
And don’t get me started on “that other planner” and Ama. Ama seemed oblivious. I don’t know what it was about the other one that made Ama unable to see anything, but girl, it was making me mad. Maybe I’m just jaded and don’t trust anyone because of things I’ve seen or things that have happened to me in the past, but her telling all her info was just crazy. At the very least you can tell whoever you want, just keep it from the opps. This girl went to the opps and told her entire plan, as if she wasn’t in the same business as her. I didn’t understand it at all.
The wedding planning and florist plans were great tho. As someone who loves weddings in books, I was so happy that she gave great descriptions of all the decorations and things. I remember even wondering if Soto was once a wedding planner or if she was a florist because she seemed so knowledgeable. Yes these facts that she used could probably be found in Google, but Idk I liked it. I went and looked up each flower and different things that might be included in the weddings. Soto taught me something without making it too teachy or preachy and I loved that.
This was a cute book that I hoped to love more. I wish I had loved it like everyone else, but I know I had some issues with some real things, so I’m ok with my review. I hope to love her next book as much as everyone else loved this one.
Overall, I give this
Rating 3.0 on Goodreads.