bookouture – GoodeyReads

Rating: ★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 344 pages
Author: Melissa Wiesner
Publisher: Bookouture
Release Date: August 22nd, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

An absolutely unforgettable and heart-shattering romance, perfect for fans of Colleen Hoover, Lucy Score and Carley Fortune, that does keeping secrets destroy true love?

Anna works two jobs to get herself through college and never, ever talks about her family. It’s easier to keep her distance from everyone until she can finally leave her old life behind. That is, until chance throws her together with Gabe …

Gabe is top of the class, in a fancy fraternity, and has a big, perfect, warm-hearted family. He is everything Anna is not. Their connection is undeniable. His silver-blue eyes pierce right through her, and he makes her laugh in ways she never thought possible. But Anna would do anything to stop Gabe from discovering her darkest secret, and the real reason she goes home every night to a cold, silent apartment…

When Gabe and his family get close to the truth, Anna runs, vowing to never see them again. But forever is a long time…

Years later. Tragedy brings Anna back to the town she grew up in—a place she escaped a decade ago. When Gabe wraps his strong arms around her, it’s like finally finding home.

But when the truth comes out after all these years, will both their worlds come crashing down? Gabe is the one person Anna trusts but what if he has secrets, too? And how much pain can two hearts endure, before they are torn apart forever?

It All Comes Back to You will make you laugh, cry with both joy and pain, and hold your loved ones tight.

Thank you to Nerd Fam and the author for a gifted copy.

HERE WE GO.

I went in with best intentions on this one. I was excited to try a new author and the initial premise was good. Consider me intrigued.

And while plenty of the book is fine. I had one glaring issue. The FMC, Anna. Based off of her past and situation I could understand why she ran away the first time…and maybe the second time too. I’ll give you that one. But then, that became the whole plot. Anytime that Gabe wanted to have a good conversation, maybe a hard one too, or was telling her something she absolutely needed to hear, Anna would run. And I’m talking, take a plane, I’ll see you in a few years run and it was exhausting.

The timeline went from the “past” for half the book and then jumped three years every chapter in the second half. The whiplash created by this made the romance feel lack luster. I appreciated that there was no romantic entanglement when they first met, but I would have loved more true swoony moments to actually feel some chemistry between them.

All of the supposed reveals and turns are nothing you weren’t expecting from the beginning. My will to keep going felt dashed and I kept waiting for this book to wrap things up.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: mild
Romance: fade to black
Violence: low
Content Warnings: child abandonment, domestic violence (side plot/character), drug use/addiction

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Holiday Romance
Length: 384 pages
Author: Catherine Walsh
Publisher: Bookouture
Release Date: November 1st, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Megan is dreading going home for the holidays. She’s the village pariah, the she-devil who left local golden boy Isaac at the altar four years ago and ran away to the big city. She could really do without the drama. Particularly as he’s engaged again, and she’s just been dumped for the fourth time this year.

Christian’s fed up of being on his own every Christmas. He doesn’t mind being alone , but he hates his family’s sad eyes and soft tones as they sit around coupled up. Because he’s actually, totally, fine.

So when Megan literally bumps into Christian in a Dublin pub, they come up with a pact to see them through the holiday season. They’re going to be the very best fake dates for each other, ever .

Rules are drawn up, a contract is signed on a wine-stained napkin. They will sit through each other’s family gatherings and be outrageously in love until freed from their annual obligations. After all, it’s only for a few weeks.

But with everyone home for the holidays, two big families to deal with alongside old friends, old flames and old feelings, things are bound to get messy. And when a snowed-in cabin and a little Christmas magic are added to the mix, anything could happen…

A swoon worthy and utterly gorgeous romantic comedy that will make you laugh out loud and fall completely in love. Fans of Emily Henry, Sophie Kinsella and Abby Jimenez won’t be able to put this down!

Thank you Bookouture Audio for the ALC.

GREAT FOR THE SEASON.

I binged this one in a day and had a good time reading it. It took me a little to get into (which may be my own issue with reading one too many fake dating tropes), but once I started to feel the connection between Christian and Megan I was involved.

There were plenty of cute forced proximity moments and once again I adore the setting. I was feeling all of the winter and holiday vibes and was easily swept away. I liked the build between Christian and Megan and that it was dual POV!! I think we definitely needed both sides to the story to really understand all of the feelings. I thought the families were wonderful and I always love seeing those aspects. There’s some good growth and I just genuinely enjoyed this!

I do think the spice felt a little off to me. As if there was more than necessary? I didn’t love the forced vibe, but if you’re looking for a spicier holiday romance, this is Walsh’s spiciest book to date.

Overall audience notes: