3.75*s

There were so many characters to love in this story. Jax for his wooing of Abbey, Caroline for her support, Magda for her no nonsense attitude, and Abbey for her journey to seeing her true worth.

It’s hard to be a bigger girl, especially during those formative teenage years. Kids can be cruel and those wounds from our youth can leave long term scars. There are so many moments of “I’ve been there” in how Abbey views herself, how she interacts with others, and how her insecurities are laid out so baldly. There are some sweet moments and a lighthearted touch here and there, but it’s not easy for Abbey and takes pretty much the entire book.

**minor spoilers ahead** But I felt like it would have been better for Abbey to grow a little more earlier in the story. She could have really embraced who she was, learned to look at herself in a more positive light. I also feel like there needed to be more resolution to Abbey’s relationship with her sister. There is A LOT to unpack there and we just don’t get that. It’s a throw-away in the epilogue and really needed more to feel like it had been addressed. And as much as I love Jax and his patience in pursuing a relationship with Abbey, I’m surprised that he was willing to keep coming back. I get why she felt the way she did but she sure did not give that man a fair shake. He was almost too perfect but it’s a woman’s fiction novel not a true romance so as such the focus, rightly, was on Abbey.

While there were a few things that I think could have been handled either differently or with more detail, I enjoyed Paris’s newest. She gives readers supportive friends and a kind hearted beau, to allow Abbey to slowly work her way to seeing herself the way they do. And it all leads up to a deliciously feel-good HEA.

(I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)