Was this a banana pants crazy premise? Yes...yes it was. Did I still enjoy the ride? Yes...yes I did. That said it started off a little rocky and I was worried I wouldn't be able to get into it. Also, while I appreciated the dual POV it was a bit uneven and I would have preferred more of a balance.

Once the K90 plan started though it went on a very steady pace. I loved all the celeb cameos that were dropped throughout the book and they made me laugh every time.

I also loved Dawn and hope we get a story about her. I don't necessarily want her to end up with the guy she had chemistry with at the end (no spoilers) but she was an amazing friend to both Lu and True.

This was a fun book to start the year off with and I'm glad I did.

I really enjoyed this book. The sweet romance that bloomed between Dahlia and London was wonderful to witness. I think that the way they both were able to move past the first initial and wrong impressions was believable and that helped to start it off strong.

I'm not a huge fan of reality shows overall although it's not a subgenre I actively avoid. That said, I found the cooking show was a perfect setting since a lot of people cook to provide substance, comfort, and support. And that is what Dahlia and London were to each other.

Also, the steamy scenes are exactly that; I may have clutched my imaginary pearls at how London would do the things they would do. *fans*

Great book and highly recommend. Can't wait to read more from this author and what else they have in store for us.

I have mixed feelings about this one. The premise was interesting but fell through for me about halfway through (when she went to the retreat). That said it was engaging enough for me to finish to find out who did it and I would read something else by this author. But this was one and done for me.

Overall it was a good solid fantasy book. The first 'restart' was a bit info dump-y but that ended for the most part after that cycle. However, when more instances of info dumping came up it was very long and a bit tedious to get through. I know that was this was transcribed from a podcast so that could have been part of the issue but there were parts my eyes did glaze over. And some of the restarts seemed unnecessary to the point where it felt like some things were being put in just to increase page counts. There was a fair amount that could have been cut and it likely would have been a stronger story all around.

Also, it's subtitled ARC 1, which means it ends on a cliffhanger. And it is a doozy.

All that said it was still enjoyable and one I could conceivably re-read but there are many parts that I would skip over on that since I don't feel it adds anything to the main story itself.

This was my first Sherry Thomas book but rest assured it won't be my last. I did enjoy this second chance romance between two people who were (almost unapologetically) flawed. They both made mistakes in the past. I think Leo more so than Bryony but she wasn't without her flaws either. And they both realized on their own that their marriage could have been saved the first time around had they simply communicated and acknowledged it to themselves and each other.

I also appreciated having Bryony being a doctor and Leo a professor because it showed that they also had an intellectual connection in addition to an emotional and physical one. The background of the story was a par of history that I didn't know so I also enjoyed learning about that as much as I could considering what it was.

However, there were a few drawbacks the biggest one of which is that both parties had an issue with consent and what it actually was. Leo more so than Bryony although she wasn't without her...I'll say missteps...it was still jarring and took me out of the story whenever it was referenced or mentioned on the page. And Bryony's stubbornness and short-sightedness about something is what caused them to get in the middle of the conflict that was the second act of the story. But it was still engaging enough for me to finish and I would re-read it again. It was one of those that yeah it took away from the overall experience and rating. But I've DNFed books for less which to me shows the strength of Thomas's writing skills.

First thing I want to say is to take the synopsis with a grant of salt. It gives a surface description of what the book is about but it makes it seem like the podcaster aspect is a larger part then what it is. This is the story of Ella Louise, Jessica, and poor Amber who was drawn into their story by a fame hungry stage mother.

And....wow. This book was amazing. The last two pages literally made my jaw drop since I was not expecting it but the way it all came circled back around was amazing. I didn't even catch the layers to this story until then and then it all hit me at once just how this was much more than a story about an urban legend and the attempts to make two movies out of it.

Ella Louise and Jessica's story is sad but so is Amber's since she wouldn't have even been brought into the sphere had it not been for her own mother. There is just so much to this book than meets the eye at first and I'm looking forward to how future re-reads of it will play out for me. Highly recommend.