Scan barcode
iridescentkila's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
chloreads03's review
3.0
i received this book an an ARC copy, and all thoughts are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me this book!
this story was a really cute friends to lovers romance. it wasn’t bad by any means but i feel like the plot was pretty redundant and there wasn’t a lot of meat to it. the MMC has been in love with the FMC forever but of course she doesn’t realize it. Everything was introduced pretty instantly and it didn’t feel like there was much tension because literally everyone knew except for her and it was more annoying than anything. Alex was such a good guy and was so sweet with Hazel & of course looking back, she's realizes he did so many things because of his feelings for her, but it was sooo obvious to everyone he was in love with her.
if you’re looking for a fun, easy, fluffy romance i think this is a good recommendation, but nothing too crazy is going on and it’s a closed door romance if that's something you're into! Overall, the book was fun and I enjoyed reading it!
this story was a really cute friends to lovers romance. it wasn’t bad by any means but i feel like the plot was pretty redundant and there wasn’t a lot of meat to it. the MMC has been in love with the FMC forever but of course she doesn’t realize it. Everything was introduced pretty instantly and it didn’t feel like there was much tension because literally everyone knew except for her and it was more annoying than anything. Alex was such a good guy and was so sweet with Hazel & of course looking back, she's realizes he did so many things because of his feelings for her, but it was sooo obvious to everyone he was in love with her.
if you’re looking for a fun, easy, fluffy romance i think this is a good recommendation, but nothing too crazy is going on and it’s a closed door romance if that's something you're into! Overall, the book was fun and I enjoyed reading it!
wishuponsarah96's review
An infinity out of 5 stars for me!!
Where to even begin with this book. First off this is my first ever Madison Wright story and can I just say I am HOOKED!!! I need to read her other two stories in this series now. Going through Hazel and Alex's love story was so beautiful to read. This story was beautifully written that it had me giggling like a little girl at times and then sobbing at work during that scene at the lake & during the last three chapters! If you want to know what I am talking about I HIGHLY encourage you to add this book to your TBR. If you love friends to lovers, slow burn, and he loved her first this story is a MUST READ for you!!!! To Madison thank you for the ARC and I cannot wait to read more of your work you have EASILY made it into my top 5 all time FAVORITE authors!!!
Where to even begin with this book. First off this is my first ever Madison Wright story and can I just say I am HOOKED!!! I need to read her other two stories in this series now. Going through Hazel and Alex's love story was so beautiful to read. This story was beautifully written that it had me giggling like a little girl at times and then sobbing at work during that scene at the lake & during the last three chapters! If you want to know what I am talking about I HIGHLY encourage you to add this book to your TBR. If you love friends to lovers, slow burn, and he loved her first this story is a MUST READ for you!!!! To Madison thank you for the ARC and I cannot wait to read more of your work you have EASILY made it into my top 5 all time FAVORITE authors!!!
casuallyreadingx's review
3.0
3.75 stars!
Well wasn’t this the cutest thing ever?? This is the first time I’ve read anything for this author and she has the sweetest writing. I didn’t realize this was part of a series but it could be read as a stand alone.
What I enjoyed;
• Alex <3
• i adored the small town charm. You could imagine the location and actions.
• angst, friends to lovers, pure, honest, cute
• fake dating, he falls first, I mean what else do we need??
What could have been better?
• I did feel like some moments were a tad random. One in particular, but I won’t say it bc I don’t want to spoil anything. I do wish the plot had a bit more depth with each character and their ending.
Well wasn’t this the cutest thing ever?? This is the first time I’ve read anything for this author and she has the sweetest writing. I didn’t realize this was part of a series but it could be read as a stand alone.
What I enjoyed;
• Alex <3
• i adored the small town charm. You could imagine the location and actions.
• angst, friends to lovers, pure, honest, cute
• fake dating, he falls first, I mean what else do we need??
What could have been better?
• I did feel like some moments were a tad random. One in particular, but I won’t say it bc I don’t want to spoil anything. I do wish the plot had a bit more depth with each character and their ending.
lolovesbooks3's review
3.0
I have mixed feelings. I liked Alex and Hazel and I think their story was sweet, but there was a lot of repetition (how many times does someone suck their lip between their teeth - oh gosh, I realized that I wrote that same complaint in my review of every one of this author’s books so apparently lips and teeth are her go to) and a LOT of inner monologue about their “attraction” to each other. Sometimes there was so much inner monologue that I forgot what they were doing in reality. Overall, it was just okay. The bones were there, but it sacrificed good storytelling trying to build angst through telling instead of showing, which wasn’t necessary.
myreadsjournal's review
4.0
Gosh, this book was so cute and sweet and adorable 🥺
I’m a sucker for a good friends-to-lovers trope, honestly there’s just something about it that warms your heart and makes you want to jump from happiness. 🥹
Alex is so sweet! This book isn’t spicy but the things this man said, and did, and thought gave me goosebumps and made me smile and warmed my heart. I love him!
Hazel is amazing. She’s such vulnerable character and I loved watching her grow and become this confident woman. 🫶🏼
I loved Alex and Hazel’s dynamics and relationship. I love how close they are, their relationship is so loyal and pure and I enjoyed so much every moment between them. I wish they were honest with each other sooner, but I’ll also be honest and say that I loved the slow-burn in this book. 🔥
Madison Wright did an amazing job with this book, and I’m so grateful to her and NetGalley for providing me an ARC. 💖
I’m a sucker for a good friends-to-lovers trope, honestly there’s just something about it that warms your heart and makes you want to jump from happiness. 🥹
Alex is so sweet! This book isn’t spicy but the things this man said, and did, and thought gave me goosebumps and made me smile and warmed my heart. I love him!
Hazel is amazing. She’s such vulnerable character and I loved watching her grow and become this confident woman. 🫶🏼
I loved Alex and Hazel’s dynamics and relationship. I love how close they are, their relationship is so loyal and pure and I enjoyed so much every moment between them. I wish they were honest with each other sooner, but I’ll also be honest and say that I loved the slow-burn in this book. 🔥
Madison Wright did an amazing job with this book, and I’m so grateful to her and NetGalley for providing me an ARC. 💖
chelseadenn34's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
5.0
Oh my gosh this was just the absolute cutest friends to lovers book and such a sweet ending to Madison Wright’s Nashville is Calling series. I adored so much about this book and it had me grinning and laughing so much.
I loved the prologue and getting to see how Alex and Hazel became friends. Alex is the brother of Ellie, the FMC in Book 2; and Hazel is the sister of Cam, the MMC in Book 2. So I loved that we got to go back a bit and see their friendship form 2 years prior to where the story takes place.
Alex was fantastic and I just adored him. He stole my heart and is on my list of favorite book boyfriends. His thoughts and feelings for Hazel will just have you swooning. And I loved Hazel. She’s the girl I would want in my friend group. This is a definite slow burn, but was so worth it and completely valid. I felt like Hazel’s reasons for being afraid to risk the friendship were valid for her, even though everyone else knew that what she believed about herself was far from the truth.
So one of my biggest issues with friends to lovers books is that the reason they don’t want to get into a relationship is because they don’t want to lose the friendship. The reality of it is that the only way they get to stay best friends is if they get married; otherwise their new spouse will be their best friend. I feel like this never gets addressed in friends to lovers books (Kortney Keisel’s Complete is the only one I’ve seen address it). But this one did! Hazel’s friend Lucy brought it up twice to Hazel that she would in fact lose Alex in some capacity one day and that is real and true and I wish more friends to lovers books acknowledged this.
I absolutely adored this book. The last chapter and epilogue had me swooning and gave me some strong Jim and Pam vibes. I have loved going back through Madison’s backlist and I am so excited for book 2 in her Mountains Are Calling series!
This is a closed door romance with minimal language and mild innuendo.
melanie_books's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Hazel has not had a lot of luck in love. Her last boyfriend was a cheater and she's not felt like putting herself back out there...until now. Seeing her brother & his new wife in love as well as her friend and his wife has made her want to try again. So she has enlisted Alex - her best friend - to help set her up on blind dates. The problem is that Alex is in love with her and the idea of setting her up on dates with other guys sounds like the worst thing ever. But he wants the best for her, even if it's not with him. So he agrees, reluctantly, and even lets her set him up on his own blind dates. But as they go on their blind dates, and while Alex grows in his certainty that Hazel is who he wants, Hazel begins to wonder if Alex is who she wants.
I love a good friends-to-lovers romance and this one was excellent. Hazel & Alex were so fun as friends and the way their relationship changes throughout the book was so lovely. It was such a slow burn but it kept me hooked through the whole story. Again, the visit to Hazel's hometown was super fun as was their interactions with their friends, who I loved from books 1 & 2 of the series. All in all, a cute series and an author I'll read again.
I love a good friends-to-lovers romance and this one was excellent. Hazel & Alex were so fun as friends and the way their relationship changes throughout the book was so lovely. It was such a slow burn but it kept me hooked through the whole story. Again, the visit to Hazel's hometown was super fun as was their interactions with their friends, who I loved from books 1 & 2 of the series. All in all, a cute series and an author I'll read again.
aepompu's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Solid 4 star romance. It was really sweet and super easy to read, but lacked a lot of depth. I devoured it in less than a day because it was so easy and I didn’t have to think very hard.
The characters were pretty one dimensional, but it worked for the type of story this one is.
🌶️/5
The characters were pretty one dimensional, but it worked for the type of story this one is.
🌶️/5