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4.24 AVERAGE
4.24 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
hopeful
inspiring
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
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
★★★★☆ 4.5/5 stars
💙 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 :
-redemption stories
-dual timelines & short chapters
-sweet romance from a male perspective
-'90's nostalgia
-storm watching
-second chance romance
-deliciously written culinary descriptions
-addiction/recovery representation
-rescue dogs 🐶
💙 𝙈𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 :
A second chance romance... written by a man?! I wasn't expecting to love this as much as I did, but wow-what a story.
This book deserves way more buzz. It's beautifully written & so full of heart. Colton's journey is raw—he's hit rock bottom. But his story reminds us we're never out of chances. It touches on grief, addiction, depression, & regret, but never feels too heavy. There's also humor & hope. I didn't always love the miscommunication & self-sabotage (just talk to each other!), but even with that, I was fully invested. I was rooting for Colton & Luann the whole way through.
I love the idea of finding redemption in the kitchen. For me, cooking is a form of escape. There’s something so grounding about getting lost in the process. And the reward? Watching the people you love enjoy something you’ve poured your heart into. I was absolutely drooling over the vivid food descriptions & found myself wishing I could snag a reservation at Field to Flame.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Gun violence
2.5 stars. I don’t think I like romance books by men. The woman was the manic pixie girl trope. I’m not a country fan. Also it felt really conservative and traditional in its values. And it wasn’t really fun reading about a guy who hated himself and had a sad life.
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
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
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I felt, at times, like the author utilized a thesaurus heavily and unnecessarily - the word choices didn’t fit with the characters, or the rest of the writing.
hopeful
reflective
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
This is like chick-lit written by a man. I liked the focus on Colton's growth and his journey. I felt like Louann was too hard on him at times, he broke up badly with you in high school, you were kids, get over it! but ultimately, I think it was a good read. The narrator did not do a great job with female voices- I think that made my opinion of Louann lower than it would have been otherwise. He made her sound really shrill. It was interesting to set the bulk of the novel in 2015- I am not sure the author nailed the time period, especially when talking about clothes. The stuff with alcoholism and it being a continual struggle throughout the book felt very real- he didn't just go to rehab and then was fine, it was something he dealt with on page throughout the book. Overall, it was a feel-good read and a good reminder you can change your path.