e-Audio, 09:58:41
Narrated by: Summer Morton & Will Peters
Release Date: September 6, 2022
Published by: Macmillan Audio
Read from: September 3-5, 2022
A Brush With Love, #2
Source: LibroFM AAE
TW: Pregnancy, Abortion Discussed, Unplanned Pregnancy, Sexual Assault, Internalized Ableism
For Readers Interested In: Contemporary Romance, Realistic Fiction, Neurodiverse Rep (ADHD), AdultLizzie has made endless mistakes. Kitchen fires, pyramid schemes, bangs (of the hair and human variety), you name it, she’s done it… and made a mess of it too. One mistake she’s never made is letting anyone get closer to her than a single hook-up. But after losing yet another bakery job due to her uncontrolled ADHD, she breaks her cardinal rule and has a two-night-stand that changes everything.
Once burned, twice shy, Rake has given up on relationships. And feelings. And any form of intimacy for that matter. Yet something about charming, chaotic Lizzie has him lowering his guard. For two nights, that is. Then it’s back home to Australia and far away from the pesky feelings Lizzie pulls from him. But when Lizzie tells him she’s got an unexpected bun in the oven, he’ll do whatever it takes to be a part of his child’s life… except be emotionally vulnerable, obviously. He’s never going to make that mistake again.
Through a series of mishaps, totally “platonic” single bed sharing, and an underground erotic baking scheme, Lizzie and Rake learn that even the biggest mistakes can have the most beautiful consequences.
*MY THOUGHTS*
As soon as I saw that Mazey Eddings was coming out with another book, I added it to my TBR. I didn’t think twice or anything. Because she’s an author I’ve already read and loved, I didn’t even read the synopsis. So imagine my surprise when I figured out what the mistake was lol I didn’t mind because I don’t mind the baby trope and it wasn’t a secret between the two, so I was ok. But I can’ t lie it still caught me off guard.
First things first, the dual narrators. I LOVED that they got two different narrators. I don’t know when they do books with something as simple as dual narrators or even something as complex as a full cast or background noises, it just gives the listener a better experience. and this one did just that. I’m almost positive it’s because (sorry there isn’t a nice way to say this because I don’t know her….) Summer didn’t have a good Australian accent to do for Rake. But the Peters had an excellent one. I remember trying to Google where he might be from, but from a brief browse I couldn’t find anything. But yes, that’s just how good he was.
The ADHD rep was spot on. My sister has ADHD and she did some of the exact things he did. Again, another instance where I was questioning if Eddings also had ADHD because the rep seems so spot on. (The power of own voices y’all) But whatever the case may be, I can only speak on behalf of someone that is a sibling to someone with ADHD and someone who once had a dr worried because of her hyper fixation.
The plot itself was cute. It followed as Lizzie progressed in her pregnancy and how the world and people around her (close and not close) reacted to it. Now this felt way too close to home as I was just pregnant for most of 2020 and a small bit at the beginning of 2021. I felt all the things she did about people’s reactions, and eating, and all the things. Now don’t get me wrong. That’s not the only place for people to relate to something. Like the interactions with her mom and how they’ve never gotten along. There’s a lot to love and relate to in this.
The romance was hilarious. Anyone with eyes knew they were never going to make it out of that pregnancy apart lol I don’t know why they tried lol They were so into each other the first night they met, I don’t understand why they thought that would magically disappear. But as things progressed, I liked the way they were together and how Rake was 1000% ready to step up to the plate. I know Lizzie was scared, so I know as much as she hated to admit it she was happy to have him around. Now I did feel like they both still had some growing up to do tho. Because they had some of the dumbest arguments. That always ended up with them in the bed. (As someone who’s not a fan of enemies to lovers, I can definitely say this always pissed me off lolol)
Basically I enjoyed my time with this one, and I loved seeing her old friends from a new perspective. Lizzie was a lot more fun than I anticipated. I can’t wait to see what else Eddings has in store! (Especially her newest YA novel that she just released!)
Overall, I give this
