It's very cliche and over the top, but that was kind of the vibe I wanted when I picked this up, so I had a good time.

For me, too much time was spent on the "will they, won't they" bit of their relationship (like 90% of the book) even though it was abundantly clear the entire time that they both desperately wanted to. I can do a bit of that, but at some point it just gets to be too much.

Some of the side characters were flat caricatures who didn't seem like real people. Particularly when it came to Derek's grandmother, who was meant to be a prim and proper southern lady from old money who was big on manners and behaving in a ladylike fashion, but spent her time calling strangers nincompoops and saying whatever. Or the cartoonishly evil exboyfriend.

Definitely some cringey bits, like when Derek gets beaten up and Ashtyn administers first aid because apparently her "female instincts" are kicking in. There were a few more, but to be honest I've mostly forgotten any specific examples.

Like this wasn't fantastic, but it satisfied the vibe I was desperately craving and I devoured it in an afternoon. Not a terrible romance and I was very happy for the main characters to finally get together. I had a fun time despite the flaws.