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4.23 AVERAGE
4.23 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
medium-paced
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Head Over Heels was Karla Sorensen's writing at its best. It starts out with a fun meet cute and then builds into a more emotional romance than I was expecting. Ivy was this prickly, rich woman who was figuring out that the life her father had maneuvered her into might not be the one she wanted and that the love he gave might not be enough. Cameron upped the ante when it comes to Wilder men. He was kind, patient, and an overall great person. His family life was in upheaval due his father living with a terminal cancer diagnosis. These two were going through so much emotionally. Meeting and falling in love only added another thing to their plates, but it was a good thing. The way they supported and loved each other felt even more special due what they were going through. I shed some tears throughout this one, but it was well worth it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death of parent
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
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:
No
emotional
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
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
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
💫𝓗𝓮𝓪𝓭 𝓞𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓗𝓮𝓮𝓵𝓼 - 𝓦𝓲𝓵𝓭𝓮𝓻 𝓕𝓪𝓶𝓲𝓵𝔂 𝓫𝓸𝓸𝓴 2 - 𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀💫
Author: Karla Sorensen
Couple: Ivy & Cameron Wilder
Tropes: Small Town Romance, Opposites Attract , Reverse Grumpy Sunshine , City Girl x Small Town Hero, Forced proximity, big family dynamics, cinnamon roll hero
Review: Head Over Heels is the perfect blend of reverse grumpy sunshine and city girl meets small town boy! Karla wrote Cameron’s story to perfection and I was not prepared to fall in love with this small town hero as hard as I did. Cameron and Ivy are a kismet romance and their differences in character are what make this book so hard to put down. From the meet-lust-hate to their second meeting to all the pages until the end, I was enthralled with this stoic Wilder man as he fell hard for his woman!
“I’d hold her there forever if she’d let me, and that was the scariest part of falling in love with someone.”
I have to preface this to say that I adored Cameron’s character from his previous appearances in the Wilder siblings’ romances. Karla outdid herself with this book and I can’t decide if his book sucked me in more than Greer’s or if they are evenly matched. Being able to get his POV and read real time how hard he was falling for Ivy while still trying to prevent his own heartbreak made me want to hug him often. I found myself rooting for him to show her how amazing she was and also for him to learn that it was okay to lean on others. His story had so many areas of turmoil and heartache since Karla had more of the father’s presence in Cameron’s book and I found myself loving how Cameron’s book had a lot more of the other Wilder siblings in it.
“That was probably the scariest part about shifting from I could love this person to the fall itself. It wasn’t messy or painful or loud. It was quiet moments like this”
Ivy’s character was complex and appeared very cold at first when we met her. I found that Karla developed her character and story in a way that made my heart ache for the little girl who just wanted her father’s approval but also cheering for the strong female she became. I absolutely LOVED the way her “punishment” led her to Cameron, who was a man dead set on showing her what she was worth and proving to her that she was a force to be reckoned with. I found that her softer sides were the ones I wanted more of since they allowed me to see how she was growing and adapting to her new found “feelings”. The conflicting parts of her emotions and goals added just the right amount of tension as she fell harder for Cameron and Karla was able to truly encompass everything her character was meant to be from beginning to end!
I found that while this book was spicier than Greer and Beckett’s, that the attraction was not the main point of their story. I enjoyed the way Karla built up their fiery chemistry but found that the thawing of Ivy’s heart to be my biggest draw to their romance. I LOVED how Cameron went after her with everything he had and when they finally gave into their attraction that he went even harder to prove that he wanted IT. ALL. From the way Ivy began to believe in herself again to the way the Wilder’s adopted her into the fold, this book blew way past all my expectations! I cannot wait for the net Wilder to fall!
Rating: 5/5, Cameron Wilder…all your fantasies come to life!
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
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
4.5 stars rounded up because of Cameron and how this story squeezed my heart
Note about interconnected standalones: some side characters in this book have been main characters in prior books. This does standalone, no prior reading necessary to appreciate.
Both Head Over Heels and this review address a topic that could be triggering for some readers. I want to put it at the top of this review because one aspect of the story that spoke strongly to me was this side plot line. It’s not the primary focus of the book, but it strongly affects the main characters.
Emotional part of the review over and switching focus, Cameron (H) was such an emotionally stable, caretaking and bossy type who got walloped the first time he set eyes on Ivy (h). He’s a builder and good with his hands so yay for blue-collar too. Ivy was a put together heiress who’s finding the life she was groomed for isn’t entirely acceptable, but she’s also butting up against years of training in how to act and be, along with her father’s expectations. She’s just as affected by Cameron though. They share a vulnerable and steamy moment stuck in an elevator and while Cameron would have pursued something right away, Ivy squashes the moment. She’s used to being controlled so for her to feel like she was precariously imbalanced, she was quite the prickly and reserved character to start.
Then these two end up doing business with each other after Ivy’s sent to Cameron’s part of Oregon as a punishment from her father for the rejection of his plan for her. Ivy’s walls are sky high, while Cameron and others in his small town are warmly curious and inviting. I loved the growth that came about as Ivy saw how others lived in contrast to the way she was raised to function. The timeline is on the shorter side (a couple of weeks), but the depth of the feelings and the insights that occur, the changes that are brought about, I loved the slow progression of who Ivy allowed herself to want to be and Cameron’s careful support. Written in first person, dual POV. No ow/om drama (though h is pressured to be engaged to an om at the start but this is what she’s not ok with; an ow tells the h how interested she is in H; and the H does get territorial over a random om just talking to h in a bar) and neither are virgins (h had one prior experience that wasn’t great; H appeared to have been celibate as he didn’t date and wasn’t a ONS type).
I did wish that Cameron and Ivy spent more time on page doing date-like activities. This is a slow burn and not just for Ivy and Cameron, but also for Ivy to be open to spending time with others, like Cameron’s family, and connecting in general. Great for that feeling of growth, but it meant less on page time of them once they’re an established couple. I still loved the intimate moments they had and the connectedness they shared. They’re also pretty connected on the physical intimacy level with a few steamy times on page that also reflected that same change in Ivy as things continued.
I loved Cameron’s family and the warmth that they exuded (well, not Ian but he had his own charm). Ivy was completely overwhelmed and at a loss what to do with them for a good part of the book but I felt like she belonged with them and I loved that for her. I was so mad at Ivy’s father with his coldness and his manipulations. He does get confronted about how he treated her and I ate that scene up. Also, this story has an adorable animal sidekick in the form of a plant-destroying kitten who’s precious.
The latter part of the story is the most emotional so grab your tissues. I did wish that there was an epilogue showing Cameron and Ivy further out. The ending is still solid of them in a HFN but in love and making plans for their future. Past characters from other books that are members of this family continue to be side characters in other books so I’m sure Ivy and Cameron will be seen again, I just always want that epilogue and future scenes in their own book. I still loved this and it made my heart full even while my eyes leaked.
Note about interconnected standalones: some side characters in this book have been main characters in prior books. This does standalone, no prior reading necessary to appreciate.
Both Head Over Heels and this review address a topic that could be triggering for some readers. I want to put it at the top of this review because one aspect of the story that spoke strongly to me was this side plot line. It’s not the primary focus of the book, but it strongly affects the main characters.
Spoiler
One of the side characters has cancer and is under palliative and hospice care. This character does pass away by the end of the book and his family grieves before and after that occurs. On a personal note, my mother passed away almost two years ago and before that, she was under hospice care after years of steadily declining. I felt that the author treated this situation with the utmost care and the emotional layers that were added to the story were heartachingly lovely. The inclusion of this character and the moments spent with the family brought back many feelings for me, but in a way that made me feel as though my own personal experience in a similar circumstance was seen.Emotional part of the review over and switching focus, Cameron (H) was such an emotionally stable, caretaking and bossy type who got walloped the first time he set eyes on Ivy (h). He’s a builder and good with his hands so yay for blue-collar too. Ivy was a put together heiress who’s finding the life she was groomed for isn’t entirely acceptable, but she’s also butting up against years of training in how to act and be, along with her father’s expectations. She’s just as affected by Cameron though. They share a vulnerable and steamy moment stuck in an elevator and while Cameron would have pursued something right away, Ivy squashes the moment. She’s used to being controlled so for her to feel like she was precariously imbalanced, she was quite the prickly and reserved character to start.
Then these two end up doing business with each other after Ivy’s sent to Cameron’s part of Oregon as a punishment from her father for the rejection of his plan for her. Ivy’s walls are sky high, while Cameron and others in his small town are warmly curious and inviting. I loved the growth that came about as Ivy saw how others lived in contrast to the way she was raised to function. The timeline is on the shorter side (a couple of weeks), but the depth of the feelings and the insights that occur, the changes that are brought about, I loved the slow progression of who Ivy allowed herself to want to be and Cameron’s careful support. Written in first person, dual POV. No ow/om drama (though h is pressured to be engaged to an om at the start but this is what she’s not ok with; an ow tells the h how interested she is in H; and the H does get territorial over a random om just talking to h in a bar) and neither are virgins (h had one prior experience that wasn’t great; H appeared to have been celibate as he didn’t date and wasn’t a ONS type).
I did wish that Cameron and Ivy spent more time on page doing date-like activities. This is a slow burn and not just for Ivy and Cameron, but also for Ivy to be open to spending time with others, like Cameron’s family, and connecting in general. Great for that feeling of growth, but it meant less on page time of them once they’re an established couple. I still loved the intimate moments they had and the connectedness they shared. They’re also pretty connected on the physical intimacy level with a few steamy times on page that also reflected that same change in Ivy as things continued.
I loved Cameron’s family and the warmth that they exuded (well, not Ian but he had his own charm). Ivy was completely overwhelmed and at a loss what to do with them for a good part of the book but I felt like she belonged with them and I loved that for her. I was so mad at Ivy’s father with his coldness and his manipulations. He does get confronted about how he treated her and I ate that scene up. Also, this story has an adorable animal sidekick in the form of a plant-destroying kitten who’s precious.
The latter part of the story is the most emotional so grab your tissues. I did wish that there was an epilogue showing Cameron and Ivy further out. The ending is still solid of them in a HFN but in love and making plans for their future. Past characters from other books that are members of this family continue to be side characters in other books so I’m sure Ivy and Cameron will be seen again, I just always want that epilogue and future scenes in their own book. I still loved this and it made my heart full even while my eyes leaked.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes