The only thing stopping Baggage Claimed from being a 5 star novella for me is the awful twist that happens about 80% into the story. I was super invested in the instalove meet-cute of Ryan and Will, all for it to go straight to hell. I sat with the book for a second thinking, "Why did Alexandra Warren do this?" I've only read one of her previous books, I know she has a huge audience in the Black Booktok community. I was left fuming because I thought I was sold yet another bad Booktok recommendation. However, after sitting with the book for a little while, I can only assume that Warren wanted to bring something to Baggage Claimed

that made it a bit more realistic and also to drive home the point about not settling, experiencing real love, and yada yada yada

. I suppose the author accomplished what she set out to do did that but I think she sacrificed the story for it and it wasn't necessary.

I listened to the audiobook, read by [the illustrious] Winston James and Wesleigh Siobhan, who are a literal match in audiobook heaven. They're the perfect narrators for Baggage Claimed and they really bring the story to life.