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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
informative
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:
Complicated
emotional
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
When the man she has always been in love with starts dating her best friend, Serenity makes a deal with her brother’s best friend to gain some experience and move on.
I find it hard to come across a brother’s best friend story I don’t enjoy and mix that with an age gap, secret dating and lists on lists, and I am hooked. While there was so much to love (Maura’s writing is outstanding), my favorite part was the upfront honesty between the two main characters. The forbidden element of their relationship made it hard for them to fully embrace their feelings, so I felt all the angst and tension and loved the push/pull. During the “conflict” Catharina made me feel so much that I was CRYING (which never happens to me).
Read if you like:
-Brother’s best friend
-Age gap
-Billionaire hero
-Boss x employee
-Painting and artwork
-Forced proximity
-To-do lists
Thank you Bloom for the ARC!
I find it hard to come across a brother’s best friend story I don’t enjoy and mix that with an age gap, secret dating and lists on lists, and I am hooked. While there was so much to love (Maura’s writing is outstanding), my favorite part was the upfront honesty between the two main characters. The forbidden element of their relationship made it hard for them to fully embrace their feelings, so I felt all the angst and tension and loved the push/pull. During the “conflict” Catharina made me feel so much that I was CRYING (which never happens to me).
Read if you like:
-Brother’s best friend
-Age gap
-Billionaire hero
-Boss x employee
-Painting and artwork
-Forced proximity
-To-do lists
Thank you Bloom for the ARC!
emotional
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:
No
emotional
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:
No
So for awhile I was liking this story. I loved the secret artist angle and the MMC was down bad for the FMC, which I’m always a fan of. Well, that was quickly ruined when the MMC called his ex girlfriend the SAME NAMES he gave to the MFC right in front of her! Immediate ick, immediately disliked him from there. He completely disrespected her left and right and acted confused as to why she was pulling away. Sorry she doesn’t jump in excitement seeing you while she’s up all night listening to you whisper sweet things to Tyra. Also why didn’t he tell her that him and Tyra has broken up before she went on the trip? He talks about needing strong communication and then sucks at it when it matters most.
I also wasn’t a Tyra fan. I know we are supposed to empathize with her but why couldn’t she lean on Ezra? He was supposidly her best friend? The only props I’ll give her is that she agreed with me, she also thought she was selfish.
When I have to remind myself characters aren’t real because I’m getting so animated while reading a book that to me means the author did something right so kudos for that. I think this story concept had real potential but ultimately it fell flat for me.
I also wasn’t a Tyra fan. I know we are supposed to empathize with her but why couldn’t she lean on Ezra? He was supposidly her best friend? The only props I’ll give her is that she agreed with me, she also thought she was selfish.
When I have to remind myself characters aren’t real because I’m getting so animated while reading a book that to me means the author did something right so kudos for that. I think this story concept had real potential but ultimately it fell flat for me.
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
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
I didn’t hate this book, but it left me feeling… a little off? The romance had its moments, but the plot didn’t quite hook me. This was my first Catharina Maura read—picked up randomly from Target—and I think that might’ve been a factor. I felt like I was missing context, especially since it ties into her Windsor series, which I have never read.
I finished the book in a day, so it’s not like I couldn't stand it, but the love triangle—or whatever you’d call it (everyone seemed to love everyone?)—felt like a lot. On top of that, the business Archer and Ezra ran was so vague. I got the basics, but I wanted more detail, and it just wasn’t there. Maybe that’s explored more in the Windsor series, but I don’t feel compelled to dive into those books to find out.
The MMC felt underdeveloped too, which was disappointing. His swoon-worthy inner monologues about Serenity were great, but outside of that, he didn’t seem to have much of a personality or purpose beyond driving her story forward. It was frustrating, especially when the side characters also felt pretty bland. There was also a brief side story from Archer’s POV involving Zane and Celeste, which felt like it came out of nowhere. I’m guessing it ties into the Windsor series because there was barely any context or resolution to that subplot. While it makes sense that the author didn’t expand on it if it’s meant to connect to the other books, it left me feeling frustrated as a first-time reader of this world as it kind of took me out of Archer and Serenity's story by trying to understand it lol
That said, the writing itself was fine—easy to read and engaging enough for a quick escape. If you’ve read the Windsor series or just want a light, fast read, you might enjoy this. For me, though, it just didn’t quite click.
I finished the book in a day, so it’s not like I couldn't stand it, but the love triangle—or whatever you’d call it (everyone seemed to love everyone?)—felt like a lot. On top of that, the business Archer and Ezra ran was so vague. I got the basics, but I wanted more detail, and it just wasn’t there. Maybe that’s explored more in the Windsor series, but I don’t feel compelled to dive into those books to find out.
The MMC felt underdeveloped too, which was disappointing. His swoon-worthy inner monologues about Serenity were great, but outside of that, he didn’t seem to have much of a personality or purpose beyond driving her story forward. It was frustrating, especially when the side characters also felt pretty bland. There was also a brief side story from Archer’s POV involving Zane and Celeste, which felt like it came out of nowhere. I’m guessing it ties into the Windsor series because there was barely any context or resolution to that subplot. While it makes sense that the author didn’t expand on it if it’s meant to connect to the other books, it left me feeling frustrated as a first-time reader of this world as it kind of took me out of Archer and Serenity's story by trying to understand it lol
That said, the writing itself was fine—easy to read and engaging enough for a quick escape. If you’ve read the Windsor series or just want a light, fast read, you might enjoy this. For me, though, it just didn’t quite click.