2.5/5 (audiobook)

So, I did not love this book but I also did not hate it. It was a light, fun read for the most part, but I felt like the major plot points did not develop as much as they could, especially the romance.

I like Katrina's character, and I enjoyed her in the first book, as well, but I wish there was more development of her life, including her relationship with Jas and her experiences with her father.

Initially, I was intrigued by the story outline of a shy, private ex-model whose life gets turned upside down by two strangers who snapped a couple of pictures in a cafe. And the story even started off pretty good - modern, making a lot of what happened understandable and relatable to situations we would see today.

However, after things started to blow up on the internet, the story started to feel fake and exaggerated. It was hard for me to feel like Ross and Becca would be able to make this story go all the way to a morning talk show and carry it out as far as they did without pushback from the public.

On top of all of this going on with Katrina, we get a subplot with Jas and McGuire. And again, I wanted to learn more about this and understand what caused all the pain and PTSD Jas suffers from. Unfortunately, I feel like this fell short and there was not enough information about it for me to be truly invested in that part of the story.

I thought the romance was cute and real (though sometimes blush-worthy), but, similar to my feelings towards The Right Swipe, I did not feel like it was as developed as it could have been. I wish there was more personal connection shown and more development between the supporting characters. We received very little reaction from the family and friends, which I feel would not be realistic for a couple who have been working together for years.

I did, though, like the history behind Jas's family and his grandfather's farm. I have not done any research to see if this information is realistic, but it made the story feel more authentic. The family dynamic was tense, especially with Jas, his brother Bikram, and his grandfather.

Jas was unable to tell his family why he stayed away from the farm. After spending time back at the house and learning from Katrina, Jas is finally able to tell his family what has been stopping him from certain activities (like attending the parade that is honoring his grandfather) and really explain to his family what was going on inside his head. This felt raw and real, but still a bit underdeveloped because of the lack of development earlier with the story, including Laura and McGuire.

I have to say, one of my favorite parts of this book has to be Doodle. I am an avid dog lover and she sounds like a true gem. And, okay, when Jas calls her Death and she jumps into protection mode over Katrina when her father was trying to blackmail her, I was totally cheering Doodle on!

I am new to the world of adult romance, so I think that has an influence on my more harsh reviews, but I still want to read more and expand my reading palate.