ohthatmomglow's Reviews (850)

This book is incredibly easy to read and feels like a warm hug. I think some could consider this book boring because there is no huge drama or big issues. It is two average, everyday people meeting at random and figuring out life as they go. Nothing is over-the-top or unrelatable. I could picture all of this happening in the real world. The characters feel real and easy to understand. They each have their own internal battles, but the battles are those of an average human with a good life. This book isn't going to leave you feeling emotionally drained. It is an adorable little palate cleanser with a teeny amount of spice.


I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

If you have any admiration or love for Shakespeare, read this book. Honestly even if you don't give two craps about Shakespeare, read this book. It has sadness and beauty and its so freaking cute. I find myself smiling and giggling while listening to the banter in this book. There's a sadness in the characters' history, but they are wonderful and well-loved characters who haven't let their traumas kill their personalities. The way in which each character discovers a love for the other is just so beautifully slow and painstakingly written to perfection. There isn't an immediate fire between the two, but this wonderful friendship that blossoms. Also, normally I hate it when small kids are in romance books. They draw attention away and interrupt the story, but that is not at all the case here. I find myself in love with the little girl and wish to see more written like her. This is an adorable Holiday book that I may read over and over again each December.

FYI - This does deviate from my normal reading in that there is literally zero spice within the book.

Quotes:
“Somehow a little bit of lunacy is creeping into my life, and I quite like it.”

“She does that - speaks before she thinks. She will say ‘you cannot rely on Belle Wild for much’ but that’s not right. You can rely on Belle Wild for so many things that she doesn’t seem aware of. To have your back when it's needed. To make each day fun. To make the most miserable bugger, and yes I include myself in this, laugh in the depths of winter. And she’ll always tell the truth, even though sometimes it pinches. Sometimes it pinches a whole damn lot.”

“I know I should be comfortable being me, but it's hard to break down three decades of feeling inadequate overnight.”

“If people know you, they love you. It's impossible not to.”

“I remind myself that this is the year I am letting go of baggage. I am accepting him as he is, flaws and all. I will only ever have one dad, and I should be mature enough to make the most of it.”

“There’s nothing he loves more than a little external validation from another man.”

“That maybe, just maybe, it isn’t me that is the only failure in my life. Maybe my parents have let me down a little…. Just because nothing I do is good enough for them, doesn’t mean I’m not good enough for me. ”

“I look under the table for an escape and then picture myself crawling on the flocked carpet on my hands and knees, like all heroines in rom-com movies ever. Although, without the rom, and not really feeling the com.”

A perfect sugary Christmas read with a little spice thrown in for good measure. (The spice has a fair amount of detail but there is not a lot of spicy scenes. I had a hard time deciding if this should be a 2 star or 3 star spicy book.) The characters were fun to learn about and the romance was between two lifelong friends. You're definitely rooting for them to figure it out. They are sweet and warm and lovely. I'm looking forward to moving on to the next book in the series.

I think this might be a case of "It's not the book, it's me".

This book is Groundhog's Day meets Hallmark Christmas movie and since I am one of the 4 people on the planet that doesn't like either of those things this just didn't do it for me. (Yes, I know. I am an AVID romance reader who doesn't like Hallmark movies. I don't understand it either.)

Also, I spent 3/4 of the book terrified that she was going

Spoiler

to have sex with both brothers. I'm very grateful that she didn't, but I thought the book was going to be about her and Theo and when we took a right turn to Andrew I was confused. I just kept expecting her to end up with Theo. It is mentioned several times throughout the book that family members think Theo is in love with her...and then all of a sudden no one mentions it again? That just never resolved.

So, that just really put a wrench in my enjoyment of the book.

At first I thought this was so cute, but there was just not enough to this book for me to fall in love with it. It moved so quickly and there was not enough story there for me to connect and believe their love story. I wanted much more.

I SQUEALED reading this book. It is the most perfect "You've Got Mail" retelling and I'm in love. There is more tension than spice, but Chloe Liese really brings home the spice to literally finish the book with a bang. Loved it!

This was the slowest slow burn I've ever read. I enjoyed the level of detail and the way in which this story was told. It was as if Vanessa was telling us the story from years in the future. I tend to read books with much more spice, but this was still a fun read. At the beginning, I truly didn't understand how I would ever end up liking Aiden but of course by the end, I really did!

I read this because literally everyone on booktok told me too, and damnit I loved it! Aaron Blackford is my favorite type of hero: sweet, madly in love, protective, feminist, supportive, and he doesn't give up. Swoon!!!

This may be Elena Armas' first book, but she'll be sticking around. This is a solid gold first book!

Okay, I almost never cry reading books. In fact, I avoid that shit. But I teared up 3 times reading this book, and I loved every second of it. This book is a beautiful work of love and understanding of differences and the various forms of grief that life can throw our way. I loved reading this book, and I was recommending it to friends before I even finished reading it. In fact, I was recommending it before we got to any spiciness -- and that is truly saying something amongst my friend group. Chloe has launched herself to the top of my must-reads list and I am immediately picking up book two in the series -- even though I know it's going to make me feel feelings. Gross. ;)


“With what ifs also comes hope, and with hope comes the possibility of disappointment. Its scary to hope and dream.”

“I watch his hands grip and wipe the towel, then unbutton the cuffs and slowly fold the fabric along his arms. Its another damn forearm striptease as he rolls up soft, warm flannel. This one’s christmas tree green, checkered with white and wine red. Its festive as hell. He looks like a Yuletide wet dream.”

“My voice is husky. I sound like my panties are drenched and the lace of my bralette is about to curl off my burning skin because -– thems the facts.”

“I’d rather be afraid with you, than fearless with anybody else.”

“I think that’s what it means to love, the way I love you. To love so much, you feel broken open and at the same time, healed. Maybe that’s what it means to be vulnerable. Maybe that’s intimacy. Whatever it is. Whatever it means. I don’t want it to ever end.”

As a person who has been married for over a decade, this book really hit home. There's such raw honesty about the struggles of marriage (especially when one spouse deals with anxiety). My husband has never read a romance novel, but I have already discussed this one with him. I love how well they learn to communicate within this book and how much they learn and grow as a couple. There is spiciness, love, mental health, therapy, growth, and heartache all wrapped into this book. I have never truly binged a book series the way I am bingeing Chloe Liese's books. We are 13 days into January and I'm starting my FOURTH Chloe Liese book of the year.... I just.can't.help.myself.

“Whereas I’m a feeler, Aiden is a thinker. I’ve always internalized this pressure in our relationship to handle my emotions more like him. To be reasonable, when I’m upset. To be rational, when we argue because I want my perspective to be taken seriously. And when I sound cerebral, Aiden seems to listen. When I sound calmer than I feel, I don’t risk triggering Aiden’s anxiety beyond the point where he can actually hear me out.”