Reviews

I appreciated how the author covered grief in such a different and fresh way. Lainey's journey was both heartbreaking and enlightening and I think one many would relate to, which isn't necessary, but grief is so universal.

Adam's storyline didn't disappoint either and I loved how strong he was in his convictions. Watching him open up to the possibility of more again was brilliant.

Together these two had me swooning like mad. I loved how they were as friends and how they navigated from a safe place to one that put both their hearts on the line.

I cannot wait to dive into Sparks Still Fly because I am not ready to walk away from the world Cristina

Santos has created just yet.

Content Warnings

katiedermody's review

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Ooo I was late to the Cristina Santos fan club but I am here now and loving it! I didn't hear about this author until her second book was recently released, so I went back to read this one first and it was wonderful. Adam and Lainey have such a great instant attraction but "we're just friends" to lovers story. Their connection is obvious in both POVs, he is so gone for her (swoon!), and I loved the progression of their relationship. There's forced proximity (is it forced if it's your idea?), fake dating, and a great friend/family group. They also both have traumas in their pasts that provide realistic reasons for why they fight their feelings, especially Lainey, whose loss of her first love was so delicately handled with such care since the author went through something similar herself. I always feel honored when someone chooses to write something from experience and share it with the work (and me), and this is no exception. Thank you for sharing, and for creating a story filled with love and humor and real people! Also, I am just always unreasonably happy when I find out an author is also from Canada so BONUS!

readingoveradulting's review

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5.0

Absolutely yes

the_booket_list_by_lyn's review

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emotional hopeful inspiring 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? No

5.0

nerdy_gurl_reads's review

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

𝙇𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙁𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝘾𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙖 𝙎𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙤𝙨

❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️

4.5/5

Elaina aka Lainey lost her first love, and her dad a few years later. Since then, she hasn’t trusted easily. She doesn’t believe she deserves more than one love in a lifetime.

After having eye surgery, her best friend makes her come over for her New Year’s Eve party. Lainey meets Adam that night, and they instantly hit it off. She doesn’t even know what he looks like, or what he does for work. They agree to be friends and continue to text for the next month.

Both Lainey and Adam end up in the same place, and have to navigate their new friendship. They talk often, and hang out when they can. One day Adam’s publicist suggests to Lainey that they should fake date and she agrees to help. As they continue to “date” lines begin to blur. They both have to learn to trust again, but can they let go of old hurts?

This is such a cute story, it had me laughing a lot. I even cried more than once. I absolutely loved Lainey, and really connected with her character. Adam is such a cinnamon roll, and I absolutely loved how he treated Lainey. There isn’t any spice until about 65% in, but once it starts, it’s good!

Includes

Friends to Lovers
Cinnamon roll mmc
He falls first
Instant connection
One bed
Fake dating
Some spice
Forced proximity
Found family
HEA

pendygal80's review

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4.0

This book started with a delightful meet cute and was overall a really sweet romance. Also, the hero was a bit of a dirty talker which was an added bonus in my opinion. Adam and Elaina formed a really great friendship, and their fake relationship never felt all that fake. They were just two dorks who wanted more but mistakenly believed for the longest that the other one didn't. There were some things in the third act that didn't completely work for me but for the most part this was just a really solid debut and I'm very excited about the books/pairings to come.

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