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emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Infidelity, Sexual content
Moderate: Chronic illness, Cursing, Alcohol
Minor: Medical content, Gaslighting
emotional
reflective
sad
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
Loved this series, and so sad it’s over, but this final book just didn’t hit for me in the same way that the others did. Rio felt like a different character than in previous books, and Hallie was harder to connect with. Also the pacing and timeline of this book felt like the flashbacks dragged in out so that the current timeline had to be rushed. Still highly recommend the series tho!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cancer
Minor: Infidelity
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
4 ⭐️s
3.75 🌶️s
3.75 🌶️s
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Cursing, Infidelity, Sexual content
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
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:
Complicated
So sad to see this series finish but so so happy Rio finally got his happy ever after
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cancer, Infidelity
emotional
hopeful
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
rio mf deluca!!!!! watching him grow from a boy to man throughout not only this series, but this book was one of the most beautiful parts of this world. him and hallie’s story was a kidney x gut x KO punch- absolutely painful. but like in the best way. i love them and how intricate their connection, relationship and HEA was. this has been one of the only second chance romance x dual timeline that i absolutely obsessed over. the microtropes in this one hit all the vibe checks!!!
ps: THE RYAN MOMENT AT THE END HAD ME SOBBING
megan wicks and conner crais duet narration was the best way to round out this perfectly imperfect family. i cannot recommend this series enough!!!
ps: THE RYAN MOMENT AT THE END HAD ME SOBBING
megan wicks and conner crais duet narration was the best way to round out this perfectly imperfect family. i cannot recommend this series enough!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content
Moderate: Cancer
Minor: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Grief, Gaslighting, Alcohol
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Minor: Cancer, Infidelity
funny
hopeful
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:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Infidelity, Sexual content
Moderate: Terminal illness, Medical content
Minor: Alcohol
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
4.75⭐️ Fair warning to anyone who reads this, including my future self: My ADHD brain is running wild here
I LOVED this last book 🥹 I cried multiple times and teared up multiple times. I would say this book is somewhat darker than the other books. All the characters have trauma and personal issues they have to grow past and resolve, but something about Rio and Hallie's history is particularly heavy.Probably the fact that her mom and his dad have an affair, especially right when Hallie's family learns he has cancer. Her mom can eat dust. I can't believe she manipulates Hallie by saying "if you tell Rio and Mia about this, your father will die". What kind of fucked up shit is that?? I don't know if she was acting out in fear, or was really that manipulative all of Hallie's childhood. Regardless, there's no excuse for putting your child in that position. My heart absolutely broke learning that that's why she didn't tell Rio and Mia sooner. And my heart broke for them, too, that Steph wrecked the relationship Rio, Mia, and Hallie had out of pure selfishness.
I'm not sure if Tomforde planned out each character's arc from book 1, or if she realized she could do more with Rio's character to surprised us all since he fooled us into thinking he's an immature goofy, lovable guy who has 0 game. Learning he did that as a deflecting tactic was good! Honestly, I didn't know what to expect from Rio and Hallie's book, but this surpassed all my expectations. I was fully expecting to read a book watching Rio grow up to become the guy Hallie needed. And, that definitely was part of it, but I didn't realize that there would be so much history to their story. I think if Tomforde had taken the route I thought she would, that would've been too obvious and would've set up the book for a third act breakup. As it happened, there was 0 third act breakup, and instead, we see that Hallie and Rio have grown so much over the 6 years they're apart. Of course, they had to grow together too after being reintroduced into each other's lives. I also didn't realize the reason they stopped seeing each other was because of their parents' infidelity. I thought the cliche would be that they had miscommunicated about something, or one of them had been unfaithful. But wow wow wow.
I LOVED Hallie and Rio just as much as the other couples. I feel like the spice in this book was also so different, not just the same as the other couples'. What they do with the whiskey and the shower scene??? 🌶️🥵🔥 I loved watching them grow up together! It was so fucking cute. I was with my high school sweetheart for 10 years total. We didn't end up getting married; we're both very happy with other people, and remain good friends to this day. So in a way I related really well to Rio and Hallie, but I also remained a healthy amount of detached and can recognize how frickin' rare it is to still be compatible with someone from pre-puberty to a very fully formed, has-gone-through-a-ton-of-shit adult. I could appreciate how special their story is, but also, it wasn't without having to work through their shared trauma. I'm glad that the period of beating themselves up for their past mistakes (including Rio's mother's doing so) doesn't get drawn out too much. That can get a tad tedious, and I'm so glad Rio also has the 4 gals to kick him in the pants when he's feeling sorry for himself. Especially Miller coming in with the bluntness and then Indy coming in with the softer wakeup call haha I'm usually not a fan of "this person just knows me", because that can be a slippery slope when people think their partners should just be able to read the other's mind, AND it totally worked for me here with Rio and Hallie. There was really almost 0 miscommunication -- the one that caused their split was all because of her mom, and not because they made (too many) stupid assumptions. Tomforde is really good at clearly indicating that fight or flight caused both Hallie and Mia to react how they did, and then Rio wants to protect his mother. Mia is also so good at acknowledging her role in tearing Rio and Hallie apart. She explains herself so eloquently and she takes full responsibility for reacting out of fear and hurt; it does wonders in healing her relationships with Hallie and Rio. When Rio and Mia aren't talking and their's tension, I was SO SAD. Seriously, I think I probably teared up every time I felt the tension between them, whether from Rio's perspective or Hallie's. Honestly, I cried and teared up at so many parts of this book that if I think I cried or teared up, I probably did.
I love that Hallie and Rio chase their dreams and don't let the other person hold them back. When Rio chooses to stay in Chicago, it truly feels like he's picking what's right for him. He loves Boston, his dream was to play for their hockey team. But he realizes, and we realize, that dreams can change! Rio loves his mother, and he loves his found family. While Mia is super important to him, she's the main reason he would be going back to Boston. At least, I feel like that was the reason, and he happened to also want to play for the Boston Bobcats since his childhood. However, when he takes in the full picture of his life at 27, he sees that things have changed and he reevaluated his priorities. I think that's a lesson that took me a while to learn as an adult too. It's ok if goals, needs, and priorities change. Hallie doesn't want to leave the firm she's done good work for and the chance at being hired by a very prestigious brand, but she is willing to move back to Boston eventually once she's more established if Rio wants to play for the Bobcats. And he's not going to ever pressure her to move for him. They're both willing to make compromises; are they ideal? No, but neither of them is willing to compromise their career goals if that's not what they truly want. So healthy!
I think I always felt like if I made a commitment to something I HAD to stick it through, no exceptions. And I think that's a valuable lesson, not to flake, but I gave myself 0 flexibility. I didn't want to disappoint anyone. Rio doesn't want to let his mom down, and I totally relate to that. But when she explains she's happy, she has her own found family and she has Uncle Mikey!! Omg, when it's suggested that he was probably in love with her the whole time she was with her dick ex-husband, that made my heart so warm. Like obviously, we have no idea if that's actually true, but I'm so glad they found each other anyways! She deserves to be loved and to trust a partner again.
I think the only miscommunication thing that happens is when Hallie overhears Rio talking to Indy in her office and Hallie thinks he's moving back to Boston. Fortunately, this miscommunication actually makes things better, which is a refreshing twist on the trope. It could've gone horribly wrong, but I had faith my girl Liz wouldn't revert back to the third act breakup trope because I think she stopped that after Ryan and Indy's book. Somewhat related to the miscommunication, Rio's taking Hallie's side no matter what, and Zee pointing out that Rio is a grown man who can't let his mom dictate his life's decisions anymore was a really good wakeup call. It broke his heart, but Rio knowing that Hallie is his priority as an adult man was super important. He would not allow his mother to mistreat Hallie because Mia refused to hear Hallie out.
lol, I forgot what a cocky bastard Zanders is in his book, and Hallie does say that he's different in private from how he projects himself to the public. I always know Zanders was a sweetheart below that exterior. And when he buys the space for the shelter, hires Hallie, and surprises Stevie, my heart almost exploded! It was a very sweet homage to their book (which everyone hates and I don't know why!!!!) Zanders is one of the most generous people! He buys Stevie clothes she will feel comfortable in because he knows she struggles with her body image, without her asking for them! So the fact that he buys Stevie a new space for the shelter was so on brand! It all just comes so full circle!
I love that all of Rio's friends promote Hallie's work on their pages, and her following goes from a few hundred to nearly 30K. She fucking deserves that free marketing. She worked her ass off! Like yeah it's a bit idealized, but also, holy fucking shit. She spent so long putting her life on hold for her dad, and she's finally getting back everything she deserves. I also love that her boss Tyler isn't an asshole. Yes he is business oriented, but he apologizes when he sets Hallie up with a married guy, he truly wants her to succeed, and he allows her to grow into her professional self, while also keeping her accountable and giving her constructive criticism for how to succeed in the interior design world. The fact that she's able to bring the firm so much business, and be so cared for by Zanders, Ryan, Miller, etc. and of course all the gals!
I feel like I need to go back and re-read Ryan and Indy's book because I loved them so much in other people's books. Their book were definitely my least favorite book, though I still LOVED it. (Please note: None of these books have received lower than a 4.25⭐️ and that's pretty phenomenal. Even the Off Campus series by Elle Kennedy was great, but at least 1 book got "only" 3⭐️ -- same with Elsie Silver's Chestnut Springs series). I feel like Rewind It Back is tied with Caught Up for my favorites of the series. (Honestly, I kinda want to re-read this whole series already. It's actually been kind of a long time since I read the first 3. Ok I just looked it up and I've read the whole series within the last 9 months. So clearly my sense of time is completely warped.)
I can't wait until we get Wren + bros' books! I think that's where we're going next after Monty and...Reese's book? I kinda had a feeling Wren being introduced was because her story was coming up in a spinoff. I'm excited for the series to come to Northern CA!! And it's hinted that there's a guy she maybe has some history with too?
This has become one of my favorite romance series! I'm so glad I'll also own the original covers, as Tomforde's website is saying the skyline covers are going out of print when the deluxe covers come out. I'll have OPE's!!
I LOVED this last book 🥹 I cried multiple times and teared up multiple times. I would say this book is somewhat darker than the other books. All the characters have trauma and personal issues they have to grow past and resolve, but something about Rio and Hallie's history is particularly heavy.
I'm not sure if Tomforde planned out each character's arc from book 1, or if she realized she could do more with Rio's character to surprised us all since he fooled us into thinking he's an immature goofy, lovable guy who has 0 game. Learning he did that as a deflecting tactic was good! Honestly, I didn't know what to expect from Rio and Hallie's book, but this surpassed all my expectations. I was fully expecting to read a book watching Rio grow up to become the guy Hallie needed. And, that definitely was part of it, but I didn't realize that there would be so much history to their story. I think if Tomforde had taken the route I thought she would, that would've been too obvious and would've set up the book for a third act breakup. As it happened, there was 0 third act breakup, and instead, we see that Hallie and Rio have grown so much over the 6 years they're apart. Of course, they had to grow together too after being reintroduced into each other's lives. I also didn't realize the reason they stopped seeing each other was because of their parents' infidelity. I thought the cliche would be that they had miscommunicated about something, or one of them had been unfaithful. But wow wow wow.
I LOVED Hallie and Rio just as much as the other couples. I feel like the spice in this book was also so different, not just the same as the other couples'. What they do with the whiskey and the shower scene??? 🌶️🥵🔥 I loved watching them grow up together! It was so fucking cute. I was with my high school sweetheart for 10 years total. We didn't end up getting married; we're both very happy with other people, and remain good friends to this day. So in a way I related really well to Rio and Hallie, but I also remained a healthy amount of detached and can recognize how frickin' rare it is to still be compatible with someone from pre-puberty to a very fully formed, has-gone-through-a-ton-of-shit adult. I could appreciate how special their story is, but also, it wasn't without having to work through their shared trauma. I'm glad that the period of beating themselves up for their past mistakes (including Rio's mother's doing so) doesn't get drawn out too much. That can get a tad tedious, and I'm so glad Rio also has the 4 gals to kick him in the pants when he's feeling sorry for himself. Especially Miller coming in with the bluntness and then Indy coming in with the softer wakeup call haha I'm usually not a fan of "this person just knows me", because that can be a slippery slope when people think their partners should just be able to read the other's mind, AND it totally worked for me here with Rio and Hallie. There was really almost 0 miscommunication -- the one that caused their split was all because of her mom, and not because they made (too many) stupid assumptions. Tomforde is really good at clearly indicating that fight or flight caused both Hallie and Mia to react how they did, and then Rio wants to protect his mother. Mia is also so good at acknowledging her role in tearing Rio and Hallie apart. She explains herself so eloquently and she takes full responsibility for reacting out of fear and hurt; it does wonders in healing her relationships with Hallie and Rio. When Rio and Mia aren't talking and their's tension, I was SO SAD. Seriously, I think I probably teared up every time I felt the tension between them, whether from Rio's perspective or Hallie's. Honestly, I cried and teared up at so many parts of this book that if I think I cried or teared up, I probably did.
I love that Hallie and Rio chase their dreams and don't let the other person hold them back. When Rio chooses to stay in Chicago, it truly feels like he's picking what's right for him. He loves Boston, his dream was to play for their hockey team. But he realizes, and we realize, that dreams can change! Rio loves his mother, and he loves his found family. While Mia is super important to him, she's the main reason he would be going back to Boston. At least, I feel like that was the reason, and he happened to also want to play for the Boston Bobcats since his childhood. However, when he takes in the full picture of his life at 27, he sees that things have changed and he reevaluated his priorities. I think that's a lesson that took me a while to learn as an adult too. It's ok if goals, needs, and priorities change. Hallie doesn't want to leave the firm she's done good work for and the chance at being hired by a very prestigious brand, but she is willing to move back to Boston eventually once she's more established if Rio wants to play for the Bobcats. And he's not going to ever pressure her to move for him. They're both willing to make compromises; are they ideal? No, but neither of them is willing to compromise their career goals if that's not what they truly want. So healthy!
I think I always felt like if I made a commitment to something I HAD to stick it through, no exceptions. And I think that's a valuable lesson, not to flake, but I gave myself 0 flexibility. I didn't want to disappoint anyone. Rio doesn't want to let his mom down, and I totally relate to that. But when she explains she's happy, she has her own found family and she has Uncle Mikey!! Omg, when it's suggested that he was probably in love with her the whole time she was with her dick ex-husband, that made my heart so warm. Like obviously, we have no idea if that's actually true, but I'm so glad they found each other anyways! She deserves to be loved and to trust a partner again.
I think the only miscommunication thing that happens is when Hallie overhears Rio talking to Indy in her office and Hallie thinks he's moving back to Boston. Fortunately, this miscommunication actually makes things better, which is a refreshing twist on the trope. It could've gone horribly wrong, but I had faith my girl Liz wouldn't revert back to the third act breakup trope because I think she stopped that after Ryan and Indy's book. Somewhat related to the miscommunication, Rio's taking Hallie's side no matter what, and Zee pointing out that Rio is a grown man who can't let his mom dictate his life's decisions anymore was a really good wakeup call. It broke his heart, but Rio knowing that Hallie is his priority as an adult man was super important. He would not allow his mother to mistreat Hallie because Mia refused to hear Hallie out.
lol, I forgot what a cocky bastard Zanders is in his book, and Hallie does say that he's different in private from how he projects himself to the public. I always know Zanders was a sweetheart below that exterior. And when he buys the space for the shelter, hires Hallie, and surprises Stevie, my heart almost exploded! It was a very sweet homage to their book (which everyone hates and I don't know why!!!!) Zanders is one of the most generous people! He buys Stevie clothes she will feel comfortable in because he knows she struggles with her body image, without her asking for them! So the fact that he buys Stevie a new space for the shelter was so on brand! It all just comes so full circle!
I love that all of Rio's friends promote Hallie's work on their pages, and her following goes from a few hundred to nearly 30K. She fucking deserves that free marketing. She worked her ass off! Like yeah it's a bit idealized, but also, holy fucking shit. She spent so long putting her life on hold for her dad, and she's finally getting back everything she deserves. I also love that her boss Tyler isn't an asshole. Yes he is business oriented, but he apologizes when he sets Hallie up with a married guy, he truly wants her to succeed, and he allows her to grow into her professional self, while also keeping her accountable and giving her constructive criticism for how to succeed in the interior design world. The fact that she's able to bring the firm so much business, and be so cared for by Zanders, Ryan, Miller, etc. and of course all the gals!
I feel like I need to go back and re-read Ryan and Indy's book because I loved them so much in other people's books. Their book were definitely my least favorite book, though I still LOVED it. (Please note: None of these books have received lower than a 4.25⭐️ and that's pretty phenomenal. Even the Off Campus series by Elle Kennedy was great, but at least 1 book got "only" 3⭐️ -- same with Elsie Silver's Chestnut Springs series). I feel like Rewind It Back is tied with Caught Up for my favorites of the series. (Honestly, I kinda want to re-read this whole series already. It's actually been kind of a long time since I read the first 3. Ok I just looked it up and I've read the whole series within the last 9 months. So clearly my sense of time is completely warped.)
I can't wait until we get Wren + bros' books! I think that's where we're going next after Monty and...Reese's book? I kinda had a feeling Wren being introduced was because her story was coming up in a spinoff. I'm excited for the series to come to Northern CA!! And it's hinted that there's a guy she maybe has some history with too?
This has become one of my favorite romance series! I'm so glad I'll also own the original covers, as Tomforde's website is saying the skyline covers are going out of print when the deluxe covers come out. I'll have OPE's!!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Infidelity
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A perfect ending to the series! Rio deserves all the love and this book was worth the wait😭💕🥰🥹
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cancer, Infidelity, Sexual content