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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-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
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I’ve enjoyed everything Lacie Waldon has written. This book is VERY cheese but I found it delightful. The characters are cliche, the storyline is predictable, the ending is wrapped up in the neatest little bow, but somehow I wasn’t mad at any of it. I smiled a lot while reading. I want to see it in a made-for-tv movie format. I saw another review say it was like a hug in book form, and that ended up being true. There’s lots of hijinks and small town chaos (like a southern Stars Hollow). It was sweet and silly and fun. The only part I didn’t love was the totally bizarre and uncomfortable Ross/Nicki storyline.
A cute premise but I never felt like I was fully drawn in. Just ok to me.
Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this! This was such a fun read for me! The characters were amazing. I also liked the storyline. This was something I have never read before!
funny
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:
Complicated
3/5
- Synopsis: One small town, one big prize, one handsome stranger… Nothing ever changes in Redford, Georgia. That’s what freelance editor Jess Reid loves about her hometown—and part of what keeps her from leaving. Content taking care of her father, a car mechanic who singlehandedly raised her after her mom skipped out, Jess is resigned to a safe, unremarkable existence…until Jasper Wilhelm, the town’s eccentric benefactor, dies suddenly and leaves behind the opportunity of a lifetime. Financial advisor Carter Barclay has been too busy to visit his grandfather in Redford, but he’s heard countless stories about the town and its zany residents from Jasper. A small, insular town in Georgia is the last place Carter expects to be spending his summer—but it seems his grandfather had one final trick up his sleeve. At the funeral, it’s revealed that Jasper has devised a massive, high-stakes game for the people of Redford, with the winning duo taking home his entire fortune. The catch? He’s already taken the liberty of pairing them up. As tensions of all kinds rise between Jess and Carter, and the life-changing prize looms closer, the two must decide what they’re willing to risk to change their lives.
- Tropes: multi-POVs, small town, rivals, enemies to friends.
- Thoughts: definitely an interesting concept for the plot, I’ll give it that. The female MC might’ve been just a bit too quirky/cutesy for me, a bit childish, too (jumping up and down, giggling, clapping her hands in delight again and again, etc.). But the other characters were funny and the little town seemed sweet and picturesque. Though, the fact that a few different characters were given POV chapters made it kind of messy and jumbled. I think the author should’ve stuck to just the main two.
- Ultimately this was a cute, warm, and cozy - thought, it felt like less of a romance and more of a small-town story. It was easy and did have some good banter in parts, so I’d recommend it as a quick, fun, and enjoyable read that you can breeze right through without thinking about too hard.
- Synopsis: One small town, one big prize, one handsome stranger… Nothing ever changes in Redford, Georgia. That’s what freelance editor Jess Reid loves about her hometown—and part of what keeps her from leaving. Content taking care of her father, a car mechanic who singlehandedly raised her after her mom skipped out, Jess is resigned to a safe, unremarkable existence…until Jasper Wilhelm, the town’s eccentric benefactor, dies suddenly and leaves behind the opportunity of a lifetime. Financial advisor Carter Barclay has been too busy to visit his grandfather in Redford, but he’s heard countless stories about the town and its zany residents from Jasper. A small, insular town in Georgia is the last place Carter expects to be spending his summer—but it seems his grandfather had one final trick up his sleeve. At the funeral, it’s revealed that Jasper has devised a massive, high-stakes game for the people of Redford, with the winning duo taking home his entire fortune. The catch? He’s already taken the liberty of pairing them up. As tensions of all kinds rise between Jess and Carter, and the life-changing prize looms closer, the two must decide what they’re willing to risk to change their lives.
- Tropes: multi-POVs, small town, rivals, enemies to friends.
- Thoughts: definitely an interesting concept for the plot, I’ll give it that. The female MC might’ve been just a bit too quirky/cutesy for me, a bit childish, too (jumping up and down, giggling, clapping her hands in delight again and again, etc.). But the other characters were funny and the little town seemed sweet and picturesque. Though, the fact that a few different characters were given POV chapters made it kind of messy and jumbled. I think the author should’ve stuck to just the main two.
- Ultimately this was a cute, warm, and cozy - thought, it felt like less of a romance and more of a small-town story. It was easy and did have some good banter in parts, so I’d recommend it as a quick, fun, and enjoyable read that you can breeze right through without thinking about too hard.
Im a big Lacie Waldon fan tbh. While the romance wasn’t exactly central to the story, I feel like it was enough to keep me engaged. At first, i thought Carter and Jess would be paired together in normal romcom fashion (and was slightly sad when they weren’t), but i actually enjoyed Nikki’s character. While she was initially set up as the antagonist, I loved seeing her and Jess grow closer. I wish we got to see Bryce and Carter’s friendship more especially seeing how their pairing was mentioned in the grandfathers letter . Im not giving this five stars because of the initial weird dynamic between Nikki and Jess’ dad, Ross. The emphasis on her dad being hot and young and then Nikki’s behavior was just kinda weird. I know it’s not like superrrrr weird because they’re like 30 and 45 about but i just thought the dynamic was off. Also because Nikki cared a lot abt Kent (wish we actually saw them interact too) and i just forgot she was seeing someone unless he was mentioned. I did enjoy the more father/daughter relationship between Nikki and Ross that came later, but I wish it was set up like that from the beginning. It also could've been made to be Jess’ brother instead of dad if Lacie Waldon wanted to go with a more romance like thing there… I feel like it might’ve been less weird idk
funny
hopeful
relaxing
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
funny
lighthearted