This is a hard review to write. On the one hand, I enjoyed the overall story. I liked the premise that the female main character was career-focused and didn't want more than two dates. But the execution just fell flat for me for a lot of reasons.

I found it very difficult to connect with Willa. I really think she needed to be seeing someone professionally for her anxiety and my own anxiety was actually made worse reading about the way she reacted to so many things.

The subject matter started out pretty light and rom-com-like, but quickly upped the ante into way more serious territory. It just felt out of place and like I was reading two different books sometimes. And it was also about 100 pages too long... the first few times of "this isn't a date because..." were funny, but it started to get drawn out.

That said, Grady was the star of the show. He was fun and playful, living by the seat of his pants, and just wanted to have fun. And I felt that his growth at the end was perfectly done - not too drawn out, just the right amount of attention. If only Willa could have gotten the same type of arc.

Overall, I don't think it was a bad book - the writing was good, it was a fun premise... I just don't think it was one of my favorites. If you don't mind some serious topics in your rom-com (or if you aren't expecting a rom-com at all) perhaps this is just the book for you. There are some steamy scenes straight out of the gate - but they're not done in an insta-love cringey type of way. So I say give it a shot, just don't be expecting a cutesy rom-com and maybe you'll enjoy it more!