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4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
“You bought all my favorite books for your library?” “No, trouble. I bought all your favorite books so I could read the endings, see how those swoony motherfuckers turned shit around, and get a clue about how to win you back.”
atlas. whew the man that you are, my god. this man is so down bad for his girl, even though he doesn’t want to be.
this is the first book by brighton walsh that i’ve read and it definitely will not be the last! this starts with a one night stand between atlas and sutton, picking up when sutton shows up in atlas’ hometown. atlas is such a grumpy human being and i was here for it the entire time. sutton is such a bad ass and i love her dearly. i thoroughly enjoyed this book and the found family that sutton created when moving to this town.
thank you to hambright PR and the author for the ALC!
atlas. whew the man that you are, my god. this man is so down bad for his girl, even though he doesn’t want to be.
this is the first book by brighton walsh that i’ve read and it definitely will not be the last! this starts with a one night stand between atlas and sutton, picking up when sutton shows up in atlas’ hometown. atlas is such a grumpy human being and i was here for it the entire time. sutton is such a bad ass and i love her dearly. i thoroughly enjoyed this book and the found family that sutton created when moving to this town.
thank you to hambright PR and the author for the ALC!
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
🎧 Narration
The narrators were excellent and embodied the characters really well.And did i mention it's a dual narration!!!!
To be honest,this is a book you will enjoy more if you listen rather than read.The audiobook brings the story to life in a way that the text alone doesn't quite manage.
🌶 Spice Level
Three scotching hot peppers...The sex scenes were well balanced within the overall plot;not too many that you would roll your eyes by the final one but also not so few that you would forget it's a romance novel.
📝Storyline and Plot
Now here's where i have some thoughts.
The author included content warnings, so I went in expecting that these sensitive topics would be explored with depth and nuance. Unfortunately,they were only mentioned and not meaningfully unpacked and that pulled down my rating of this book that had started out very high because these supposed "issues" were the fundamental reasons these characters acted the way they acted.All this just dulled the overall plot and got me bored 80% in.
⏱ Pacing
The pacing was great 50% in but after they hooked up in starlight cove everything moved so fast...it's almost like the author just wanted to explore only the relationship between the main leads and everything else took a back seat so when these "issues" come back close to the end, they are so rushed and poorly resolved that the ending felt anticlimactic.
👫Main characters
Sutton and Atlas were solid, well written main lead characters even with a large cast of strong side characters around them, and that's one thing I will credit the author for doing really well.
👥 Side characters
The female characters are pretty forgettable, and I don't know if that was intentional or not. However, I am very curious about the rest of Atlas's brothers, especially with that ending!!
⭐️ Overall rating
3.5 stars.
The stellar narration,steamy moments, and strong leads kept me going to the end however, the underwhelming exploration of the serious topics highlighted in the content warnings ultimately led to this less than 5 star rating.
The narrators were excellent and embodied the characters really well.And did i mention it's a dual narration!!!!
To be honest,this is a book you will enjoy more if you listen rather than read.The audiobook brings the story to life in a way that the text alone doesn't quite manage.
🌶 Spice Level
Three scotching hot peppers...The sex scenes were well balanced within the overall plot;not too many that you would roll your eyes by the final one but also not so few that you would forget it's a romance novel.
📝Storyline and Plot
Now here's where i have some thoughts.
The author included content warnings, so I went in expecting that these sensitive topics would be explored with depth and nuance. Unfortunately,they were only mentioned and not meaningfully unpacked and that pulled down my rating of this book that had started out very high because these supposed "issues" were the fundamental reasons these characters acted the way they acted.All this just dulled the overall plot and got me bored 80% in.
⏱ Pacing
The pacing was great 50% in but after they hooked up in starlight cove everything moved so fast...it's almost like the author just wanted to explore only the relationship between the main leads and everything else took a back seat so when these "issues" come back close to the end, they are so rushed and poorly resolved that the ending felt anticlimactic.
👫Main characters
Sutton and Atlas were solid, well written main lead characters even with a large cast of strong side characters around them, and that's one thing I will credit the author for doing really well.
👥 Side characters
The female characters are pretty forgettable, and I don't know if that was intentional or not. However, I am very curious about the rest of Atlas's brothers, especially with that ending!!
⭐️ Overall rating
3.5 stars.
The stellar narration,steamy moments, and strong leads kept me going to the end however, the underwhelming exploration of the serious topics highlighted in the content warnings ultimately led to this less than 5 star rating.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
funny
lighthearted
fast-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
This was so much better than I expected it to be! I loved the banter between Sutton, Atlas, and Laurel so much. The girls and Atlas are very reminiscent of the relationship between the girls and Luke in Gilmore Girls, especially with Atlas being known as such a grump. I loved how he showed his love through his actions and by caring for the people he loves. This was definitely very spicy right off the bat. My only disappointment with this book is the fact that it literally just came out and the second book doesn’t even have a title yet and I am beyond ready to dive into Xander’s story…and also maybe someone should look into all of the plumbing problems in this family.
fast-paced
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-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
Ohhhh okay, okay! I actually enjoyed this a lot more than I expected. The smut was absolutely smutting, but it also had enough story and plot that I enjoyed it. The characters were developed nicely even in such a quick read. Overall, very enjoyable!
emotional
funny
hopeful
This is my first book by this author and it will not be my last! I absolutely loved this book. I devoured it!
Atlas is a top tier grump. He takes all his responsibilities seriously and his family is the most important thing to him. He craves his privacy and doesn’t let anyone get close to him. He doesn’t have time for that sort of thing. He meets Sutton at a hotel and they have steamy one night stand. He knew from the start that she was trouble. He thought that would be the only time he sees her. Jokes on him!
He’s got a new tenant in his guest house. It just happens to be Sutton, his one night stand and her teenage daughter, Laurel.
Sutton and Atlas bump heads constantly. But they keep getting forced together. Add in a little fake dating to keep Sutton safe from creeps and their feelings blossom. Their chemistry is off the chart. Sutton is used to moving around due to her job as a travel nurse and Atlas is used to people leaving him. They have a beautiful slow burn spicy relationship.
The best part of this book is Atlas and Laurel’s relationship. Laurel dubbed him Daddy Grump and it fits too a tea. He’s got a soft spot for Sutton, Laurel and a little furball he never wanted. Atlas is protective and supportive, just what the girls need.
The banter and chemistry was top tier. This was a great small town, found family, grumpy x sunshine book. Cannot wait for the next book in the series!