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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
Going in I knew this one is a simple romance, but I hadn’t expected to finish it so quickly as it is a very thick book. It was a fun and lighthearted read with some nice spice. I must admit I am interested in continuing the series because I am in love with Sloane and Lucian’s chemistry. My only gripe is that the characters were quite simple and stereotypical (the queer characters mostly).
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-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
One of the oldest books on my TBR, now officially read ;)
This book. Was. The worst. I can’t understand how the author can manage to say throbbing cock- but then refers to Naomi’s vagina as lady parts. I never want to read “weapons of mass destruction” when referring to a dick ever again. Can we please just call a period a period? Riding the cotton Pony? WHAT? And Knox is the most controlling- overbearing, narcissistic man. SO MANY RED FLAGS. Why are we loving this book? WHY.
I will only give it two stars because the banter was meh and it was a relatively easy read. But honestly, I’ve never been angrier at characters in my life. Waylay was the only person who acted her age.
If I ask any of my friends to read this book it will simply be to make fun of it with me. Sorry not sorry. We’re doing females everywhere a disservice by putting men like Knox up on a pedistool and calling controlling behavior sexy. Uhm no. No. Absolutely not.
Edit: I changed this to one star because i forgot the male protagonist said “I knew you’d have a fuck me body” the first time the Heroine (Naomi) gets naked. I VOMIT.
I will only give it two stars because the banter was meh and it was a relatively easy read. But honestly, I’ve never been angrier at characters in my life. Waylay was the only person who acted her age.
If I ask any of my friends to read this book it will simply be to make fun of it with me. Sorry not sorry. We’re doing females everywhere a disservice by putting men like Knox up on a pedistool and calling controlling behavior sexy. Uhm no. No. Absolutely not.
Edit: I changed this to one star because i forgot the male protagonist said “I knew you’d have a fuck me body” the first time the Heroine (Naomi) gets naked. I VOMIT.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-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’m between 4 and 5 ⭐️ on this one.
I really enjoyed reading it, the characters and town jumped off the page and I felt really immersed in the story. I liked that the small town trope wasn’t a quaint country place but a rougher biker town.
The drop off came towards the end. Things got kind of crazy and very bad things weren’t realistically dealt with (aka why doesn’t anyone have any trauma from this situation?). Tina, the sister character, felt kind of murky to me- like one dimensional and I don’t understand her motivations.
Thing also got crazy in a good way- like all of a sudden everything just was so great and wrapped up very quickly on an epilogue #pacingproblems
One last question: why are so many of the names the way they are??? Do we need a Tina, Lina, AND a Liza…. and don’t get me started on Waylay/Waylun. We know the town is rough and tumble but does it need to be called, “knock ‘em out”?
I really enjoyed reading it, the characters and town jumped off the page and I felt really immersed in the story. I liked that the small town trope wasn’t a quaint country place but a rougher biker town.
The drop off came towards the end. Things got kind of crazy and very bad things weren’t realistically dealt with (aka why doesn’t anyone have any trauma from this situation?). Tina, the sister character, felt kind of murky to me- like one dimensional and I don’t understand her motivations.
Thing also got crazy in a good way- like all of a sudden everything just was so great and wrapped up very quickly on an epilogue #pacingproblems
One last question: why are so many of the names the way they are??? Do we need a Tina, Lina, AND a Liza…. and don’t get me started on Waylay/Waylun. We know the town is rough and tumble but does it need to be called, “knock ‘em out”?
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
I enjoyed this book for what it was. Bit too cheesy for me though but a good one to get me back into reading again.
I waited a couple of books before writing this to see if my feelings mellowed, but: nope. I honestly don’t get how this has over 4 stars on stroygraph and goodreads. Maybeeee with a caveat for the genre, but personally, this falls far short of top-tier rom-coms.
First, it’s way too long for no reason. Sometimes the story felt like the same book was written twice. Naomi pouts about coffee so often I wanted to throw the book out the window. The characters are immature, repetitive, and frankly cartoonish, acting more like teenagers than adults in their 30s and 40s. I read a review that said if you pretend the characters are 20 it makes it easier to reconcile, but I didn't see that until I finished. Plus, why do we have a random mafia/hostage situation pop up in the end? Not needed. And added to the length. Ugh.
First, it’s way too long for no reason. Sometimes the story felt like the same book was written twice. Naomi pouts about coffee so often I wanted to throw the book out the window. The characters are immature, repetitive, and frankly cartoonish, acting more like teenagers than adults in their 30s and 40s. I read a review that said if you pretend the characters are 20 it makes it easier to reconcile, but I didn't see that until I finished. Plus, why do we have a random mafia/hostage situation pop up in the end? Not needed. And added to the length. Ugh.
The supposed “sunshine” female lead is irritatingly co-dependent, helpless, and obsessed with coffee, while Knox (the male lead) is kind of a toxic mess: controlling, misogynistic, foul-mouthed, and fragile in all the wrong ways. His behavior is glorified as romance, and the supposedly “sexy” bickering between them is exhausting. I guess it was supposed to be cute but... he renamed her Daisy and immediately was calling her "baby" in kind of an ick way. And then HER nickname for HIM is VIKING? PLEASE SPARE ME.
The book also includes Naomi's gay bff as over-the-top, and the spice here has cringe-worthy sexual descriptions that felt juvenile rather than steamy or romantic. JUST SAY PENIS. I can't. Examples: ”long, thick weapon of mass destruction inside me.” ”a thick, purple-headed leader in the world of erect penises.” ”magical wand that cast orgasm spells” SOS!
Oh and I got this far without mentioning that Naomi meets Knox at the coffeeshop IMMEDIATELY after having climbed out a church window at her wedding which good call bc that guy sucks and was even more toxic than Knox. He was a caricature disney villian. meh. And Knox is like 43? And he's a lowkey millionaire lottery winner who owns a bunch of property and businesses (including a bar Naomi can work at) and is a barber in that shop too. Sure. Okay. Don't forget his conveniently central, private office for them to bang in eventually!
Oh and I got this far without mentioning that Naomi meets Knox at the coffeeshop IMMEDIATELY after having climbed out a church window at her wedding which good call bc that guy sucks and was even more toxic than Knox. He was a caricature disney villian. meh. And Knox is like 43? And he's a lowkey millionaire lottery winner who owns a bunch of property and businesses (including a bar Naomi can work at) and is a barber in that shop too. Sure. Okay. Don't forget his conveniently central, private office for them to bang in eventually!
There are glimmers of charm (some side characters and a few tender moments) but they are drowned out by the book being too long, poor maturity, and repetitive plot devices. I can buy into SOME of the events for the sake of the plot, but the whole rescue my twin sister (Naomi's twin, Tina) and find out she dumped her priorly unknown 11 year old nieve Waylay (WAYLAY ughhh why!!!! poor girl!) and also for how much of a mess tina is, how did she wait until Way was 11 before the family finding out about her? I'd have thought she'd be hitting them up for money and dangling the girl in their faces. Liza J, knox's grandmother; Justice the cafe owner is sweet. I like the librarian,. Sloane, (I don't know if I will read more in the series, but obviously Sloane and Lucian (who is Knox/his brother the cop/Lucian their rich-rich childhood bestie) deserve a story. and I liked Naomi trying to navigate socially for her niece.
And really, why is Knox's dog Waylon the basset hound? is that necessary? Waylay and Waylon?
And really, why is Knox's dog Waylon the basset hound? is that necessary? Waylay and Waylon?
A frustrating, over-hyped, and almost exhausting read. Two stars for it hit basically every pet peeve I have about rom-coms and then some. This is not a rom-com for readers who value nuanced adult interactions or realistic relationships. Side note, not sure where the title comes from? What does things we never got over mean? And WHY is the town called Knockemout. I know the book says it's a reference to how the local resolve arguments but really. May be worse than Waylay.
PS Did you know how quirky Naomi is? She needs her coffee guys!
Additional post script: I was looking through my notes and highlights on kindle and can't believe I wrote this without mentioning the ENTIRE town of Knockemout's OBSESSION with Naomi's mediocre vocabulary. She said the word ABSCONDED
Here are some examples that had me rolling my eyes.
PS Did you know how quirky Naomi is? She needs her coffee guys!
Additional post script: I was looking through my notes and highlights on kindle and can't believe I wrote this without mentioning the ENTIRE town of Knockemout's OBSESSION with Naomi's mediocre vocabulary. She said the word ABSCONDED
Here are some examples that had me rolling my eyes.
- She rolled her eyes. “I mean, look at us, Knox. We both know this is going nowhere, yet we’re still literally entwined.” God, I loved that fancy vocabulary of hers.
ENTWINED??? That's the fancy vocabulary? And it's not just him. His grandmother also is all like "fancy pants rich mcgee over here" about her FANCY vocabulary words which are very middle school in a public school level words, despite Knox literally calling it "prep school vocabulary."
- “Just tell him where you absconded it, and he’ll send his men to go get it,” Tina said, enunciating slowly. That was definitely not the right use of the word absconded.
- “Your benevolence is astounding.” I shook my head. Even exhausted, her vocabulary still hit high on the SAT scale.
ENTWINED??? That's the fancy vocabulary? And it's not just him. His grandmother also is all like "fancy pants rich mcgee over here" about her FANCY vocabulary words which are very middle school in a public school level words, despite Knox literally calling it "prep school vocabulary."
- “Just tell him where you absconded it, and he’ll send his men to go get it,” Tina said, enunciating slowly. That was definitely not the right use of the word absconded.
- “Your benevolence is astounding.” I shook my head. Even exhausted, her vocabulary still hit high on the SAT scale.
One of the things I will never get over is how much of a trash goblin Knox is. There. It's out there. This story was SO good and had the potential to be 4 stars, but Knox was a 1 star man, which brought everything down. With that being said, there were plenty of great things I enjoyed about this book.
I was head over heels for Naomi and Way's relationship! It was so beautiful, redemptive, pure, complex, and all the other adjectives. I wanted all and more of that story. Watching Naomi struggle to find out what it means to mother a preteen, figuring out her complex relationship with her twin, undoing all the mess that Tina left in her wake, navigating the waters of love, and coming back from such a tumultuous previous relationship was alot for one person to handle. But she did it so incredibly.
The ongoing drama and mystery with Tina was a great plot element, and when it all comes together for the climax, it's a heck of a ride. The setting was such a quintessential Southern small town, and it truly felt like home to me. Everyone knows everyone, and everybody is all up in your business 24.7. But at the same time, they would be there for you in a heartbeat if you needed them. The side characters were top notch, and I am so happy to know that we get more of Nash and Lucian in the coming books. Personally, I wish Naomi has chosen Nash...
*sigh* And now to the part people will hate me for...To me, the romance with He Who Must Not Be Named could have easily been a side plot, and if that had been the case, I might have been more on board. He was just such an a-hole. Yes, he'd had tremendous issues in his past that affected and shaped him, but he was still incredibly angry, tyrannical, rude, arrogant, and just plain awful to everyone...Naomi included. And I'm supposed to be won over by that? No.
Yes, Knox had moments where he let his guard down and did nice things, but even while he was doing it, there was an undercurrent of anger going the whole time. Nash also went through similar hardships (and more, I might add), but he still manages to keep a good attitude and demeanor when we see him. This, to me, was not grumpy/sunshine. This was a terrible man and a girl who deserved better.
Now I will say, Knox was redeemed in the epilogue. But you shouldn't have to read a bajillon pages to only have him be a good person at the very end...
Overall, I liked the story itself, but Knox ruined it. I plan to read the second because I want more of Nash!
I was head over heels for Naomi and Way's relationship! It was so beautiful, redemptive, pure, complex, and all the other adjectives. I wanted all and more of that story. Watching Naomi struggle to find out what it means to mother a preteen, figuring out her complex relationship with her twin, undoing all the mess that Tina left in her wake, navigating the waters of love, and coming back from such a tumultuous previous relationship was alot for one person to handle. But she did it so incredibly.
The ongoing drama and mystery with Tina was a great plot element, and when it all comes together for the climax, it's a heck of a ride. The setting was such a quintessential Southern small town, and it truly felt like home to me. Everyone knows everyone, and everybody is all up in your business 24.7. But at the same time, they would be there for you in a heartbeat if you needed them. The side characters were top notch, and I am so happy to know that we get more of Nash and Lucian in the coming books. Personally, I wish Naomi has chosen Nash...
*sigh* And now to the part people will hate me for...To me, the romance with He Who Must Not Be Named could have easily been a side plot, and if that had been the case, I might have been more on board. He was just such an a-hole. Yes, he'd had tremendous issues in his past that affected and shaped him, but he was still incredibly angry, tyrannical, rude, arrogant, and just plain awful to everyone...Naomi included. And I'm supposed to be won over by that? No.
Yes, Knox had moments where he let his guard down and did nice things, but even while he was doing it, there was an undercurrent of anger going the whole time. Nash also went through similar hardships (and more, I might add), but he still manages to keep a good attitude and demeanor when we see him. This, to me, was not grumpy/sunshine. This was a terrible man and a girl who deserved better.
Now I will say, Knox was redeemed in the epilogue. But you shouldn't have to read a bajillon pages to only have him be a good person at the very end...
Overall, I liked the story itself, but Knox ruined it. I plan to read the second because I want more of Nash!