Stick With Me was a debut book that had some super cute moments, but overall, it just didn’t fully work for me.

Let’s start with Hannah—she felt extremely immature throughout the book. Her insecurities and jealousy over the smallest things made it tough to connect with her, especially since she would say she wasn’t bothered, but her actions constantly contradicted that. The whole “woe is me” attitude got exhausting, and her constant comparisons to other women made it hard to root for her. And then the fact that she even considered giving up her literal life’s dream just because Ryan’s hockey contract was uncertain? That really didn’t sit right with me. Oh, and don’t even get me started on the unnecessary drama with her ex. He had sudden attempts to make amends after all the nasty things he said and did and I just did not care for that.

Then there’s Ryan—he’s been in love with Hannah forever, but instead of acting like an adult and saying something, he just… doesn’t. And honestly, neither of them do, which made their miscommunication frustrating rather than endearing. The fake dating aspect, which I was so looking forward to, didn’t even come into play for a huge chunk of the book, and when they finally started catching real feelings, they still refused to do anything about it. Also, Ryan had his own moments of insecurity that felt a little out of place, like when he questioned if he was even Hannah’s type after they kissed. WHY?

That said, there were things I enjoyed! Ryan was so gone for Hannah, and during the spicy scenes? He delivered. There was one in particular that was just perfect. The paper airplanes were adorable—I would’ve read every single one the second I got them. And the way Ryan defended Hannah like it was his sole purpose in life? Absolutely ate that up. Some of his spicy scene comments (especially the last name on her back one) were hot and made up for so much.

If you love slow burns, fake dating, and a “he’s always loved her” vibe, you might still enjoy this one. But for me, the frustrating characters and drawn out miscommunication made it fall flat.

Thank you to Love Notes PR and Nikki Callan for the eARC of this book.