Recent widow of  three children, Kelsey O’Henry has a lot on her plate. On top of the possibility of losing her bar and restaurant, her mother’s alcoholism continues to take a toll on her, and she may be developing feelings for her best friend?!

TRICKED IN OCTOBER by Starla DeKruyf is the second book in the Pineridge series (can be read as a standalone!) and is my first read by this author. 

It will come as no surprise that I was drawn to this book by that cute-as-heck cover! BUT that’s about where my love for this book ends… this one is flaunted as a ‘best-friends-to-lovers’ romance, but I felt no sense of friendship AT ALL. It felt more like, ‘I sat next to this guy in 4th grade once, and now we sometimes run into each other in our small town…and then we banged.’

There were also several instances of MCs losing loved ones in freak accidents, which just felt like an exceptionally bizarre way to create a plot point. Speaking of main characters, our leading lady, Kelsey, was both annoying and a teenager??? I honestly get so irritated when characters who are meant to be in their late twenties/early thirties are as emotionally mature as a high-schooler. 

I don’t know, y’all. This one felt messy and under-developed, and just completely missed the mark for me… THAT COVER THOUGH! 

Thanks to NetGalley and City Owl Press for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. This one is out now!