to all the guys i loathed before

Rating: ★★★★
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: 270 pages
Author: Gracie Ruth Mitchell
Publisher: Self published
Release Date: February 27th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The man I met in the holding cell is my new boss.
Holding cell.
New boss.
Nightmare.
Roman Drake is younger than me, inconveniently gorgeous, and way too good at pushing my buttons. I don’t need a playboy like him in my life, especially because I’m already plagued by my poor taste in men.
Case in point? I’m currently working with my ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend…at a matchmaking company. To make matters worse, my first love has just dumped a pile of debt in my lap, leaving me scrambling for an extra job. Good thing I can take care of myself; I’ll shoulder this burden on my own. But when my problems keep piling up, it’s none other than Roman freaking Drake who rides to my rescue, offering a solution too tempting to resist.
So I’ll work with him for a while—just long enough to rejuvenate my bank account—and then I’ll move on, leaving him and his laughing eyes in the rearview mirror.
Except the more time I spend with Roman, the more I realize I was wrong about him. It’s not his flirting I need to watch out for; it’s the way he looks at me. Somehow he sees what I’m trying to hide. He’s delighted by the things that have scared other men away.
I’ve sworn off love, and I refuse to soften now. I’ve had too many bad experiences in the past to go down that road again. If only the man from that stupid holding cell didn’t make it so difficult to stay away…

Thank you to the author for the eARC.

LIGHT AND SWEET.

Oh I needed a book like this. Something quick, on the lighter side and filled with sweetness. I love the sibling relationship between Aurora and her sisters. I long for those kind of bonds and the way they take care of each other is just my favorite. This also included Roman and Denice’s relationship too!! Give me all the good family vibes pleeeease.

And I LOVED that she was older than Roman??? The dynamic between them was perfect. I loved how Roman played with Aurora and the slow but sure way he showed Aurora how to let her walls down a bit. The slow burn was just right and I couldn’t get enough of them in each other’s orbit. Both characters with flaws they were working through showed wonderful growth and willingness (even if stubborn willingness) to change and adapt for the better.

Overall audience notes: