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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I absolutely LOVED this book! I loved the characters. The setting. The backdrop. The pacing. The witt and banter. It was just perfect- it was SUCH a good small town feel good book. We had two characters who had wanted to get out of this town when they were younger. They had even set a plan up to do that together. But plans change and time moves on. Now Shay is back in town after a disaster of a wedding and sees Noah. The boy she made said plans with. Noah is the literal definition of a grouch who happens to be a complete cinnamon roll on the inside. He can't seem to say no to like ANYONE. He has been thrown into an impossible situation with his niece and is now single parenting. The way these two wind themselves around each other is perfect. Noah had crushed on Shay back in the day and though he hates it, the crush has come roaring back. Neither of them say that they want anything but then they experience each other, and it's everything they ever wanted. Noah shows Shay how a relationship SHOULD work and how she SHOULD be made to feel all while supporting her and wanting her to chase her dreams. Shay is in AWE of EVERYTHING that Noah has accomplished with the hand he has been dealt. The chemistry between these two was great. I loved reading Noah's parts and seeing how much he was trying to hold back. It was obvious to everyone BUT Shay that the dude was CRUSHING on her. I also loved the reality of the challenges that both of these characters had faced. There were some hard topics discussed in this and Kate did a great job with those.
Shay has hit rock bottom. Her fiance didn't show up at their wedding. He left her to clean it all up. Now she gets the will of the woman who basically raised her, and to her shock she has left her her farm back home. She claims that Shay will know what to do. There are stipulations like she has to live there for a year and be married in order by the end of that time to truly inherit it. Which is how Shay finds herself back in Friendship. And how she runs into Noah Barden. Her best friend in high school. Who has grown into a HOTTIE. And become a successful businessman in the area. Who has become the full time guardian for his niece so is also a single parent. Oh and he is an EXTREME grump. The one that really catches Shay's attention is his niece, Gennie. She needs help before going to first grade and Shay offers to help because why not. The more time she spends with Gennie and Noah though the more she can envision a future here. This is how she comes up with a plan to fake marry Noah so that they can keep the farm. Of course there are no actual feelings involved. But it does feel like there is MORE going on between them. He doesn't seem to want to acknowledge it but Shay can't help but poke at it every now and again. And she really likes when she gets a reaction out of Noah. When things finally come to a head between them she realizes how much she has really been sacrificing of herself to make other people happy. He treats her like a queen. He is everything she could ever want in a REAL husband. The question is if this jaunt into small town life could become her forever for real.
Noah has worked hard to get to where he is now. He has had to make sacrifices and deal with some very painful things but that's ok because it has led him here. The guardian to his niece while his sister is in prison. The owner of a very famous farm. The man who puts everyone above himself. But all of that changes when Shay Zucconi moves back into town. HIS Shay. The woman who he was in love with in high school but she never reciprocated his feelings. Now she is here as his next door neighbor. As much as he doesn't want to help her, he finds himself saying yes constantly. Yes she can come over or dinner. Yes can she please help Gennie this summer so she doesn't fail kindergarten. Yes he will be her fake husband so that he can get more land. That one was harder to swallow because he feels things for this woman. Because she is a woman now. And she doesn't seem to understand how much her leaving back in the day affected him. So he leaves his walls up. For as long as he can. But the more she is around the more he wants this to be real. He wants to sleep with his wife. He wants to enjoy her and see where this could go. Does she want that too? He knows they could be so good together if she just gave into this feeling and could show him that she wanted to be here. And then they do what he has been dreaming about since he was 16 and it is more than he could have hoped for. And now he knows that he will actually beg her to stay because he can't imagine living another day without her as his actual wife.
NOAH!! OMG THIS MAN. We knew he had been pining for Shay from afar back in the day. But the way that he pampered her in the now and tried to shrug it off like all of these little gestures he did weren't a big deal. The way he kept her letters!! I am not going to say the big one but omg IYKYK. He was just such a softie and needed the space to be able to prove to Shay that they could be a sure thing. Watching these three become a family unit was so adorable. I laughed out loud at Gennie and all of her shenanigans! A lot of that was just so on point haha. I found myself smiling almost this whole book because I couldn't wait to see how everything would unfold. I can't WAIT to see more characters in this series. I also can't recommend it enough if you haven't read it yet!!
Shay has hit rock bottom. Her fiance didn't show up at their wedding. He left her to clean it all up. Now she gets the will of the woman who basically raised her, and to her shock she has left her her farm back home. She claims that Shay will know what to do. There are stipulations like she has to live there for a year and be married in order by the end of that time to truly inherit it. Which is how Shay finds herself back in Friendship. And how she runs into Noah Barden. Her best friend in high school. Who has grown into a HOTTIE. And become a successful businessman in the area. Who has become the full time guardian for his niece so is also a single parent. Oh and he is an EXTREME grump. The one that really catches Shay's attention is his niece, Gennie. She needs help before going to first grade and Shay offers to help because why not. The more time she spends with Gennie and Noah though the more she can envision a future here. This is how she comes up with a plan to fake marry Noah so that they can keep the farm. Of course there are no actual feelings involved. But it does feel like there is MORE going on between them. He doesn't seem to want to acknowledge it but Shay can't help but poke at it every now and again. And she really likes when she gets a reaction out of Noah. When things finally come to a head between them she realizes how much she has really been sacrificing of herself to make other people happy. He treats her like a queen. He is everything she could ever want in a REAL husband. The question is if this jaunt into small town life could become her forever for real.
Noah has worked hard to get to where he is now. He has had to make sacrifices and deal with some very painful things but that's ok because it has led him here. The guardian to his niece while his sister is in prison. The owner of a very famous farm. The man who puts everyone above himself. But all of that changes when Shay Zucconi moves back into town. HIS Shay. The woman who he was in love with in high school but she never reciprocated his feelings. Now she is here as his next door neighbor. As much as he doesn't want to help her, he finds himself saying yes constantly. Yes she can come over or dinner. Yes can she please help Gennie this summer so she doesn't fail kindergarten. Yes he will be her fake husband so that he can get more land. That one was harder to swallow because he feels things for this woman. Because she is a woman now. And she doesn't seem to understand how much her leaving back in the day affected him. So he leaves his walls up. For as long as he can. But the more she is around the more he wants this to be real. He wants to sleep with his wife. He wants to enjoy her and see where this could go. Does she want that too? He knows they could be so good together if she just gave into this feeling and could show him that she wanted to be here. And then they do what he has been dreaming about since he was 16 and it is more than he could have hoped for. And now he knows that he will actually beg her to stay because he can't imagine living another day without her as his actual wife.
NOAH!! OMG THIS MAN. We knew he had been pining for Shay from afar back in the day. But the way that he pampered her in the now and tried to shrug it off like all of these little gestures he did weren't a big deal. The way he kept her letters!! I am not going to say the big one but omg IYKYK. He was just such a softie and needed the space to be able to prove to Shay that they could be a sure thing. Watching these three become a family unit was so adorable. I laughed out loud at Gennie and all of her shenanigans! A lot of that was just so on point haha. I found myself smiling almost this whole book because I couldn't wait to see how everything would unfold. I can't WAIT to see more characters in this series. I also can't recommend it enough if you haven't read it yet!!
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was a 10/10 for me.
• small town, slow burn
• grumpy sunshine
• banter
• pining
• marriage of convenience
• friends to lovers
I loved both MC's, and Gennie with her pirate personality had me laughing the whole time.
Shay and Noah knew each other in high school, he's always loved her and she never knew. 10 years later she finds herself back in their small town... only to be surprised by Noah being her neighbour, except now he’s hot, runs a farm and has guardianship of his niece.
They now have to navigate a year that started with a fake marriage.. but everyday it starts to feel real. Shay has to decide if she's going to run or stay.
Noah... he's a filthy man in the sheet but the perfect cinnamon roll outside of the bedroom.
Plot 4/5
Characters 5/5
Spice 2/5
I would absolutely recommend this book.
• small town, slow burn
• grumpy sunshine
• banter
• pining
• marriage of convenience
• friends to lovers
I loved both MC's, and Gennie with her pirate personality had me laughing the whole time.
Shay and Noah knew each other in high school, he's always loved her and she never knew. 10 years later she finds herself back in their small town... only to be surprised by Noah being her neighbour, except now he’s hot, runs a farm and has guardianship of his niece.
They now have to navigate a year that started with a fake marriage.. but everyday it starts to feel real. Shay has to decide if she's going to run or stay.
Noah... he's a filthy man in the sheet but the perfect cinnamon roll outside of the bedroom.
Plot 4/5
Characters 5/5
Spice 2/5
I would absolutely recommend this book.
funny
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Wow! This book was pretty great.
I think the author has an outstanding strength for characters, dialogue, and world-building. The way in which the characters spoke felt natural, realistic, and honestly funny. She has an amazing talent for capturing the way humans act without making it feel stiff or like she was trying *too* hard to be funny.
I think the book was diverse, filled with so many different characters, and the diversity felt natural- not forced. In a world where people now are so divided and in an uproar over ‘forced diversity’, the way the differences in people was written felt natural. And, that’s beautiful. We, as readers and people, need to see realistic representations of people and be immersed in characters different to ourselves. I enjoyed seeing flawed, funny characters that didn’t necessarily fit the romance standard.
Our MMC, Noah, was plenty fun; he balanced charm and kindness with a rough exterior and a backstory. Our FMC, Shay, was so well-written and realistic. I enjoyed the inner dialogue (despite the miscommunication lol), and it was great to see the multitude of personalities in the form of her friend group.
My only critique is how long this book was… it truly felt hard to push past the 25% mark. The plot isn’t really super strong, but I did just take the book as it was and enjoyed it in portions over the course of a few weeks. I’m usually a reader who sits through a book until it’s completed, but I didn’t feel like that was a great way to consume this one.
I would say that this book is for people who really enjoy the slow burn of Marianna Zapata, alongside the character-heavy stories. I recommend picking this one up for the summer! Super worth it.
I think the author has an outstanding strength for characters, dialogue, and world-building. The way in which the characters spoke felt natural, realistic, and honestly funny. She has an amazing talent for capturing the way humans act without making it feel stiff or like she was trying *too* hard to be funny.
I think the book was diverse, filled with so many different characters, and the diversity felt natural- not forced. In a world where people now are so divided and in an uproar over ‘forced diversity’, the way the differences in people was written felt natural. And, that’s beautiful. We, as readers and people, need to see realistic representations of people and be immersed in characters different to ourselves. I enjoyed seeing flawed, funny characters that didn’t necessarily fit the romance standard.
Our MMC, Noah, was plenty fun; he balanced charm and kindness with a rough exterior and a backstory. Our FMC, Shay, was so well-written and realistic. I enjoyed the inner dialogue (despite the miscommunication lol), and it was great to see the multitude of personalities in the form of her friend group.
My only critique is how long this book was… it truly felt hard to push past the 25% mark. The plot isn’t really super strong, but I did just take the book as it was and enjoyed it in portions over the course of a few weeks. I’m usually a reader who sits through a book until it’s completed, but I didn’t feel like that was a great way to consume this one.
I would say that this book is for people who really enjoy the slow burn of Marianna Zapata, alongside the character-heavy stories. I recommend picking this one up for the summer! Super worth it.
Set aside at 52%
I really loved the first 30-ish percent of this so this isn't a hard DNF, I could see myself maybe coming back to it in the future but I'm starting to get pretty frustrated with how repetitive Noah's POV is and I'm getting kind of put off by how he's increasing in possessiveness and pushiness. Shay pushes back but it's just not doing it for me right now. Both of their insecurities and unwillingness to talk to each other about it is understandable but also frustrating. It is at least the first contemporary romance in awhile that I vibed with for a bit anyway, which is why it's not a hard DNF so much as a not for now situation.
I really loved the first 30-ish percent of this so this isn't a hard DNF, I could see myself maybe coming back to it in the future but I'm starting to get pretty frustrated with how repetitive Noah's POV is and I'm getting kind of put off by how he's increasing in possessiveness and pushiness. Shay pushes back but it's just not doing it for me right now. Both of their insecurities and unwillingness to talk to each other about it is understandable but also frustrating. It is at least the first contemporary romance in awhile that I vibed with for a bit anyway, which is why it's not a hard DNF so much as a not for now situation.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Cute story! A little bit slow at times, I think some parts could’ve been cut out. I liked all the characters tears though and their relationships with each other
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced