I see why this was classified as YA, but the characters are 18 and 20 and definitely have very adult conversations. This is a closed door romance though, and Ali Hazelwood can do no wrong in my eyes. There has not been a bad book by her, and I don't think there ever will be. I LOVED this book! I wasn't sure if I would, because I'm not a YA fan but this was great. I also don't know anything about chess, but the author did a great job explaining everything and really making me feel like I was a part of it. It was just fun, with the right amount of banter, romance, competition and obstacles to overcome for the characters. I really loved that both Mallory and Nolan were prodigies but both had different jouneys to get there and both had faced adversity in their personal lives when it came to their families. I loved their rivalry, but also how they supported each other and recognized each other's greatness without feeling jealous or superior. I love how Ali Hazelwood always touches on important topics, like LGBTQ+ and gender discrimination. These are issues that are important to acknowledge and talk about and to write about and I absolutely love that she never shies away. I know her books are not for everyone but I love them! They are so well written, have great characters, solid plots, funny banter with laugh out loud moments, obstacles to overcome and happy endings. What's not to love? I'm looking forward to her next book. 

I don't think this series, or this author, are for me. Once again, it fell flat and there is literally no depth. It's just a instalove story with rainbows and unicorns and nothing really goes wrong and then a happy ending. I need MORE. I guess for escapism, you might enjoy it but I'm not. 

This was just okay. I was excited for a single parent trope romance from this author, but it wasn't anything too special. Been there, done that and I just felt no spark and like it fell flat. What kind of name is Marlow Hennessey, by the way? That was... something. That was a choice. Honestly, Dakota stole the show for me (as the kids in these books often do) but that's really my only highlight. It was so formulaic and predictable and didn't go deep enough for me. It was just surface level where it's all happy and all works out. And honestly, one surprise pregnancy is enough but to add ANOTHER ONE?! WHY?!

Just no. So she was celibate for years and waited for him but he was sleeping around and said it's just because he "couldn't get her off of his mind"? Why is always like this? I truly hate this aspect of second chance romance. I'd say skip this one. 

It was cute, and had potential, but I really didn't feel the chemistry between Jamison and Scarlett. I also didn't feel like this was enemies/rivals to lovers at all. It was more of just a misunderstanding, some awkwardness and then right into being together. I don't know, but it was just lacking SOMETHING. I can't quite put my finger on it but it just wasn't anything special. 

I was very underwhelmed with the first two books in this series and quite frankly, didn't understand the hype. But this book? This book is a masterpiece. I loved absolutely everything about it and I cannot stress enough how good this book is. This is such a wonderful single mom book, which is one of my favorite tropes. Adam Lockwood, the man that you are! What a unicorn of a man he is and I loved how he stepped into the role of dada with Connor. They are both so precious. The way Adam LOVED Rosie and all of the flaws and imperfections she thought she had. I swooned every time he talked about her strecth marks and scars and breastfeeding boobs, like that man is EXQUISITE. I think these two were the perfect fit for each other, because they both had similar backgrounds but were both so strong and brave and made their lives better, and were determined to be better parents than the ones they were born to. The banter was top tier, the smut was perfection, there were laugh out loud moments and I may have (definitely) cried at that last 10%. It was beautiful and so fitting. I really want Jaxon's story now! 

He literally sleeps with the neighbor right after saying he's so in love with the FMC. Big nope for me. 

This was cute and fun, but also problematic and cringe. I think parts of this were something I liked, but some glaring problems: Carter is annoying because he won't take no for an answer and it comes across as predator behavior, Olivia is short and we hear about this 1000x, there really was no plot, it was SO long (about 100+ pages too long), and a ridiculous plot twist. The smut was pretty good but I need more than that. I need actual substance and so much more than the potential this had but just never reached. 

The banter and smut in this were top tier! I do think the book was longer than it needed to be but it was really fun and festive. I am anxiously awaiting the next book in the series! 

My only complaint is that this wasn't LONGER! I loved this so much. This was such an interesting and unique concept and I loved how it worked. Cameron (Macn'please) is an adult audio erotica recorder and Hannah is one of his listeners. She has... ahem, made herself feel good to his voice and his scenarios he has recorded for his large audience and huge fanbase, so imagine her surprise when he shows up to her family Christmas, a guest of her brother's. I thought this was equal parts sweet and SPICY, which made for a really good book. I loved Cameron and Hannah SO MUCH and just want more from them. Cameron is such a sweetheart and I loved how he explained that he isn't the character he plays; he isn't a womanizer, a manwhore, and really does just want to be with Hannah and loves her. I also loved Ryan and Kayla, and Ryan and Hannah's parents. It was so laugh out loud funny sometimes! I thoroughly enjoyed this and am looking forward to reading more from this author.