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3.09 AVERAGE
3.09 AVERAGE
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A small town, second chance romance with an abundance of literary references and I'm sure I didn't catch them all. Paying homage to those classic romances,
There is witty banter sometimes bordering on sarcastic with almost anyone Athena interacts with. Unfortunately I waffled with whether I liked Athena which is hard in a romance.
But if you are a fan of classic romances, you should give this one a try.
There is witty banter sometimes bordering on sarcastic with almost anyone Athena interacts with. Unfortunately I waffled with whether I liked Athena which is hard in a romance.
But if you are a fan of classic romances, you should give this one a try.
Athena is back in her hometown after running into some issues at the college she works at. She wants to write a book on the secret author, CL Garland in hopes of regaining the respect of her collegues so she sets off back to her hometown in search of her story.
When she gets there, she has a job set up at Ricki's Cafe, but when she arrives, she learns that the job Ricki promised her is now in the hands of her Ex boyfriend Thorne, who has swooped in and bought the cafe. All she has to do is survive the next few weeks, get her story and she can be back on her way to San Fransisco.
Thorne isn't keen on having Athena work for him after their rocky past, but he hopes they can at least mend fences and become friends. Athena has always been under his skin, but he knows she's better off without him and he just has to rememeber that.
What I loved about the book were all of the literary references and the times where Thorne pines for Athena. What didn't work for me was the fact that people with the past they had (soulmates who both thought they would marry each other at one point) they thought they could just move past things and be friends with benefits. I didn't like that Thorne didn't tell any of his secrets either and hid so much for the entirety of the book. I could tell that is what the conflict would be at the end, but it still made me a bit sad that nothing came out at all and Athena was left to feel stupid.
I really did enjoy the ending and the reasoning for the pen name of the author. I like hidden gems like that.
Thank you to Forever, Annie Sereno and Netgalley for an early copy.
When she gets there, she has a job set up at Ricki's Cafe, but when she arrives, she learns that the job Ricki promised her is now in the hands of her Ex boyfriend Thorne, who has swooped in and bought the cafe. All she has to do is survive the next few weeks, get her story and she can be back on her way to San Fransisco.
Thorne isn't keen on having Athena work for him after their rocky past, but he hopes they can at least mend fences and become friends. Athena has always been under his skin, but he knows she's better off without him and he just has to rememeber that.
What I loved about the book were all of the literary references and the times where Thorne pines for Athena. What didn't work for me was the fact that people with the past they had (soulmates who both thought they would marry each other at one point) they thought they could just move past things and be friends with benefits. I didn't like that Thorne didn't tell any of his secrets either and hid so much for the entirety of the book. I could tell that is what the conflict would be at the end, but it still made me a bit sad that nothing came out at all and Athena was left to feel stupid.
I really did enjoy the ending and the reasoning for the pen name of the author. I like hidden gems like that.
Thank you to Forever, Annie Sereno and Netgalley for an early copy.
slow-paced
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
*Actual rating is 2.5 stars*
I received a copy of this from netgalley in exchange for a review. I tried reading it months ago, before it was released, and I just could not get into it. However, since it was an ARC, I decided to try again.
It took me a shorter time to get into the story this time around. It’s a second chance romance, which I typically don’t enjoy. I feel like with most second chance romances, the couple broke up for a pretty specific (and usually good) reason.
The storyline had potential for sure. An associate professor returns to her hometown to uncover the identity of an erotica writer to save her own career, and instead is met with an ex-boyfriend she is still in love with. I just think it fell flat. I wasn’t really impressed with Athena’s personality, for one. There was something about her that was just unlikeable for me & I can’t put my finger on it. I also think there was waaaay too much focus on the love lives of literally everyone else in that town. I get that she was accumulating gossip while trying to figure out this author’s identity, but it got to the point where 70% of the book was focused on everyone else’s love life. Which, then, left little time to develop the rekindling of Athena & Thorne’s relationship.
Also, this is a personal preference but I can’t stand when nicknames just drop one letter. Like it doesn’t save you any time saying Thena instead of Athena. It’s like shortening June to Jun or July to Jul. It’s literally one letter.
spice level:
I received a copy of this from netgalley in exchange for a review. I tried reading it months ago, before it was released, and I just could not get into it. However, since it was an ARC, I decided to try again.
It took me a shorter time to get into the story this time around. It’s a second chance romance, which I typically don’t enjoy. I feel like with most second chance romances, the couple broke up for a pretty specific (and usually good) reason.
The storyline had potential for sure. An associate professor returns to her hometown to uncover the identity of an erotica writer to save her own career, and instead is met with an ex-boyfriend she is still in love with. I just think it fell flat. I wasn’t really impressed with Athena’s personality, for one. There was something about her that was just unlikeable for me & I can’t put my finger on it. I also think there was waaaay too much focus on the love lives of literally everyone else in that town. I get that she was accumulating gossip while trying to figure out this author’s identity, but it got to the point where 70% of the book was focused on everyone else’s love life. Which, then, left little time to develop the rekindling of Athena & Thorne’s relationship.
Also, this is a personal preference but I can’t stand when nicknames just drop one letter. Like it doesn’t save you any time saying Thena instead of Athena. It’s like shortening June to Jun or July to Jul. It’s literally one letter.
spice level:
I wanted to like this one, but I felt like the author was trying to hard to be clever. Yes, I get that the main characters are super brilliant literary nerds and therefore the author is doubly brilliant and doubly nerdy and ai am super impressed. Really.
The FMC annoyed me. I could tell this was going to be a way too long book about an obvious mystery and two adults that can't communicate. I don't have time for this kind of nonsense.
The FMC annoyed me. I could tell this was going to be a way too long book about an obvious mystery and two adults that can't communicate. I don't have time for this kind of nonsense.
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The story was engaging and had its moments, but there were just a few things that didn't quite click for me. I mean, don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it, but it just didn't blow me away. Maybe if the pacing was a bit smoother and the characters' choices made more sense!
Overall, this was a fun, rom-com! If you're into cozy romances set in small towns with literary vibes and second chances, this book is perfect for you!
Overall, this was a fun, rom-com! If you're into cozy romances set in small towns with literary vibes and second chances, this book is perfect for you!
thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc!
i enjoyed this rom-com! i loved all of the classic lit references, and athena was a great main character. she and thorne were written really well, and i enjoyed their banter and relationship. the side characters were also fantastic! i loved all of the cafe customers (and finn!), and seeing athena’s interactions with all of them; it added to her character depth, and made the story much more interesting.
the writing in this story wasn’t very fast-paced, but it was well written and remained interesting for the most part, so it worked. there was a bit too much miscommunication between characters (a lot could have been resolved by just talking to each other about it), which was a bit annoying, and some of the plot fell flat, but overall, the story was pretty light-hearted and fun, and I would recommend it! :)
i enjoyed this rom-com! i loved all of the classic lit references, and athena was a great main character. she and thorne were written really well, and i enjoyed their banter and relationship. the side characters were also fantastic! i loved all of the cafe customers (and finn!), and seeing athena’s interactions with all of them; it added to her character depth, and made the story much more interesting.
the writing in this story wasn’t very fast-paced, but it was well written and remained interesting for the most part, so it worked. there was a bit too much miscommunication between characters (a lot could have been resolved by just talking to each other about it), which was a bit annoying, and some of the plot fell flat, but overall, the story was pretty light-hearted and fun, and I would recommend it! :)
This was not my favorite but am giving it three stars because I think it's just that I don't love Wuthering Heights at all and so a story that leans on it a is probably not going to be my favorite. I didn't get invested in the chemistry between Thena and Thorne and I thought the side characters were a little superficial and shallow in characterization. I wanted to love it but it was just okay for me.