Take a photo of a barcode or cover
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
If you’re the author, you probably shouldn’t be reading reviews but seriously please don’t read this one.
Is she gone? Okay.
My husband bought two copies of this book for us to read together because it “had a guy fishing on it.” Solid point.
In concluding our discussion of the book, I told him that I needed to go change my review from three stars to two because the more that I thought about it, the less I thought that it deserved three (I have no true system, it’s just a vibe).
His response:
“For what it’s worth, I would never read a book like that again.”
“What, a romance?”
“No, no. I’ll read another romance if you’ve read it but nothing you’d give any less stars than what you’re giving to this one.”
I vow to never recommend any one star romance novels to this sweet man.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Big town girl falls in love with a small town fishing boy - will it work? *spoilers*
Parts I liked, but it didn’t flow as a whole to me.
Good in concept, but the pacing was off. I couldn’t understand why they were “enemies” at the start, then switched so fast to in a relationship and then a third act breakup that’s resolved with minimal effort.
Big town girl falls in love with a small town fishing boy - will it work? *spoilers*
Parts I liked, but it didn’t flow as a whole to me.
Good in concept, but the pacing was off. I couldn’t understand why they were “enemies” at the start, then switched so fast to in a relationship and then a third act breakup that’s resolved with minimal effort.
emotional
funny
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:
Complicated
emotional
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
2.5 ⭐️ Sadly, this was not for me.
"Fake dating always leads to true love. Fact. I don't make the rules."
WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ small town romance
✨ a not so meet cute
✨ she’s a big influencer from Boston
✨ he’s a small town fisherman in Nova Scotia
✨ city girl x small town guy
✨ dislike to lovers
✨ grumpy x sunshine
✨ fake engagement
✨ forced proximity
✨ opposite attract
✨ 2.5/5 spice
✨ third act breakup
✨ HEA
✨ POC rep - FMC is Chinese
✨ cameos from characters in previous books
✨ TW: death of parent, death of family member, grief, depression, estranged parent, family strife, near drowning,
*There are some slight spoilers in this review so read at your own risk*
My Thoughts:
After reading the previous books, Set On You and Exes and O's, I was really excited about Melanie’s book. And while the premise is fun, I was ultimately disappointed.
This type of story has been done so many times and I was bored with how it was done here. So here's the thing, I really did like the premise of a high maintenance, big city influencer going to a small town where she's roped into becoming the fake fiance of a grumpy fisherman who lives in a dilapidated inn. However, this really gave me It Happened One Summer Vibes by Tessa Bailey. And while, yes, I know the details of the stories are different, it just didn't feel that original to me.
My biggest issue is that I didn’t really like either MC, nor was there any chemistry between them.
First, let's talk about Melanie. She is just so overly dramatic. For example, she has a phobia of spiders (and any other bug really), and the way she would react was childish. There's a moment where she's freaking out about a spider and says "the eight-legged monster can't escape and plant eggs in my face." I have phobias and I know there isn't always logic to them, but surely a grown woman can realize spiders do not plant eggs in human faces. Also, her referencing horror movies 10 times throughout the story was overkill. We get it, she would not survive a horror film scenario. Again, she's just being dramatic.
Now, onto Evan. Look, I really tried, but I just did not like him. He's a grumpy fisherman who plays guitar and struggles with grief. That's his whole personality. He was such an asshole and the reasoning wasn't good enough. And his anger and irritation towards Melanie felt so forced. I also didn't understand why he softens towards her eventually. Because she's 'charming'? The girl who legitimately says she doesn't connect with people and has a hard time making friends and has a resting bitch face is . . . charming? Doesn't make sense. I feel like this story would have been better if we got his POV.
There was no chemistry between Evan and Melanie. It's all 'I hate you' for the first few days and then when he takes her to go hiking, they actually talk to each other like regular human beings and suddenly, everything changes. What? This guy was such a fucking asshole and now, because he got you to open up (which you never do) you go, hmmmm maybe there's more to this guy. No babe. No. And even when they talk, there's no spark. It's just conversations anyone would have with someone they're spending time with. I did not feel any chemistry.
At the end of the day, these characters were just too opposite from one another and mean to believe that in a week, they went from immensely disliking each other to lovers. And by lovers, I mean feeling like they were 'the one'. Their relationship is just so ridiculous and far-fetched.
The Whaler family was fine at first but then it got weird. They're way too in each other's business. But what gave me the ick was when Evan and Melanie do the deed, and then shortly after the family comes into the room, sits on the edge of the bed while they are naked and sweaty, and proceeds to chat with them. WHAT??? So gross . This family has no boundaries, oh, and they hold massive grudges. I would legit be running for the hills if this is the family of the guy I was screwing. Sorry, but dysfunction isn't cute or charming.
Melanie's child stalker was so creepy and should have been left out of this story. This twelve(?) year old lives in her building, is in love with her, follows her around, stalks her IG, writes her poem, and tries to flirt with her. And what was weird is that while Melanie also finds this creepy, she puts up with it and sometimes find amusement with his infatuation. Someone makes a joke about how she might need a restraining order against him but then she laughs about it. But really, it's not funny. It's weird. This kid is so inappropriate. I would ignore this kid and have a serious conversation with his father where I'd threaten to get an actual restraining order against him.
What's even weirder, is that Melanie has her breakthrough moment of realizing she wants to be with Evan while having a heart to heart with this child! Seriously? Melanie doesn't open up to people ever but she's going to talk about her love life with a child stalker? WTF? I just . . . I don't understand why this kid needed to be in the story AT ALL.
I was a full time travel influencer and photographer for six years, so I’m very familiar with that world, and there were a lot of things that happened that weren’t 100% realistic or didn’t make sense.
1. Melanie getting an offer for an all expense paid trip would not have been a shock. She has 500k followers. If anything, she would have laughed at the offer because someone with her amount of followers would be getting paid an insane amount on top of the free trip. No lie, influencers with 500k followers charge anywhere between $5,000 - $10,000 per post (depending on engagement)! So yeah, her getting a free trip and being excited about it is ridiculous.
2. Melanie decides to stay in Cora's Cove because paying for another flight would have been too expensive. But I'm here to tell you that flights from Boston to Halifax would not be more expensive than staying at an Airbnb for an entire week. In all honesty, it probably would have been more expensive.
3. When Melanie moves Evan's boat equipment for the shot. I know there are influencers who might do this without asking but the fact she asked, he said no, and still decided to move it didn't seem realistic to me.
4. Melanie canceling her work trip to just stay with Evan did not make sense. She says she needs this job, but this hard working girl is going to throw that all away for some dick? No, this doesn't align with her character.
I also want to note that the writing itself was perfectly fine. The story was easy to follow and well-written. However, I did end up skimming a lot of the non-dialogue just because I had lost interest in the characters and overall story
Thank you Netgalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review! As always, all opinions are my own.
Favorite Quotes:
I'm not sure if he wants to choke me out or give me a swift kick to the shin. Probably both.
_______
Turns out, being fake engaged to Evan sucks, but kissing him isn't half bad.
_______
There's beauty in holding on . . . as long as you're not trapped in the past.
_______
"You're never alone in this world while I'm in it, Mel."
_______
"Fake dating always leads to true love. Fact. I don't make the rules."
WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ small town romance
✨ a not so meet cute
✨ she’s a big influencer from Boston
✨ he’s a small town fisherman in Nova Scotia
✨ city girl x small town guy
✨ dislike to lovers
✨ grumpy x sunshine
✨ fake engagement
✨ forced proximity
✨ opposite attract
✨ 2.5/5 spice
✨ third act breakup
✨ HEA
✨ POC rep - FMC is Chinese
✨ cameos from characters in previous books
✨ TW: death of parent, death of family member, grief, depression, estranged parent, family strife, near drowning,
*There are some slight spoilers in this review so read at your own risk*
My Thoughts:
After reading the previous books, Set On You and Exes and O's, I was really excited about Melanie’s book. And while the premise is fun, I was ultimately disappointed.
This type of story has been done so many times and I was bored with how it was done here. So here's the thing, I really did like the premise of a high maintenance, big city influencer going to a small town where she's roped into becoming the fake fiance of a grumpy fisherman who lives in a dilapidated inn. However, this really gave me It Happened One Summer Vibes by Tessa Bailey. And while, yes, I know the details of the stories are different, it just didn't feel that original to me.
My biggest issue is that I didn’t really like either MC, nor was there any chemistry between them.
First, let's talk about Melanie. She is just so overly dramatic. For example, she has a phobia of spiders (and any other bug really), and the way she would react was childish. There's a moment where she's freaking out about a spider and says "the eight-legged monster can't escape and plant eggs in my face." I have phobias and I know there isn't always logic to them, but surely a grown woman can realize spiders do not plant eggs in human faces. Also, her referencing horror movies 10 times throughout the story was overkill. We get it, she would not survive a horror film scenario. Again, she's just being dramatic.
Now, onto Evan. Look, I really tried, but I just did not like him. He's a grumpy fisherman who plays guitar and struggles with grief. That's his whole personality. He was such an asshole and the reasoning wasn't good enough. And his anger and irritation towards Melanie felt so forced. I also didn't understand why he softens towards her eventually. Because she's 'charming'? The girl who legitimately says she doesn't connect with people and has a hard time making friends and has a resting bitch face is . . . charming? Doesn't make sense. I feel like this story would have been better if we got his POV.
There was no chemistry between Evan and Melanie. It's all 'I hate you' for the first few days and then when he takes her to go hiking, they actually talk to each other like regular human beings and suddenly, everything changes. What? This guy was such a fucking asshole and now, because he got you to open up (which you never do) you go, hmmmm maybe there's more to this guy. No babe. No. And even when they talk, there's no spark. It's just conversations anyone would have with someone they're spending time with. I did not feel any chemistry.
At the end of the day, these characters were just too opposite from one another and mean to believe that in a week, they went from immensely disliking each other to lovers. And by lovers, I mean feeling like they were 'the one'. Their relationship is just so ridiculous and far-fetched.
The Whaler family was fine at first but then it got weird. They're way too in each other's business. But what gave me the ick was when Evan and Melanie do the deed, and then shortly after the family comes into the room, sits on the edge of the bed while they are naked and sweaty, and proceeds to chat with them. WHAT??? So gross . This family has no boundaries, oh, and they hold massive grudges. I would legit be running for the hills if this is the family of the guy I was screwing. Sorry, but dysfunction isn't cute or charming.
Melanie's child stalker was so creepy and should have been left out of this story. This twelve(?) year old lives in her building, is in love with her, follows her around, stalks her IG, writes her poem, and tries to flirt with her. And what was weird is that while Melanie also finds this creepy, she puts up with it and sometimes find amusement with his infatuation. Someone makes a joke about how she might need a restraining order against him but then she laughs about it. But really, it's not funny. It's weird. This kid is so inappropriate. I would ignore this kid and have a serious conversation with his father where I'd threaten to get an actual restraining order against him.
What's even weirder, is that Melanie has her breakthrough moment of realizing she wants to be with Evan while having a heart to heart with this child! Seriously? Melanie doesn't open up to people ever but she's going to talk about her love life with a child stalker? WTF? I just . . . I don't understand why this kid needed to be in the story AT ALL.
I was a full time travel influencer and photographer for six years, so I’m very familiar with that world, and there were a lot of things that happened that weren’t 100% realistic or didn’t make sense.
1. Melanie getting an offer for an all expense paid trip would not have been a shock. She has 500k followers. If anything, she would have laughed at the offer because someone with her amount of followers would be getting paid an insane amount on top of the free trip. No lie, influencers with 500k followers charge anywhere between $5,000 - $10,000 per post (depending on engagement)! So yeah, her getting a free trip and being excited about it is ridiculous.
2. Melanie decides to stay in Cora's Cove because paying for another flight would have been too expensive. But I'm here to tell you that flights from Boston to Halifax would not be more expensive than staying at an Airbnb for an entire week. In all honesty, it probably would have been more expensive.
3. When Melanie moves Evan's boat equipment for the shot. I know there are influencers who might do this without asking but the fact she asked, he said no, and still decided to move it didn't seem realistic to me.
4. Melanie canceling her work trip to just stay with Evan did not make sense. She says she needs this job, but this hard working girl is going to throw that all away for some dick? No, this doesn't align with her character.
I also want to note that the writing itself was perfectly fine. The story was easy to follow and well-written. However, I did end up skimming a lot of the non-dialogue just because I had lost interest in the characters and overall story
Thank you Netgalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review! As always, all opinions are my own.
Favorite Quotes:
I'm not sure if he wants to choke me out or give me a swift kick to the shin. Probably both.
_______
Turns out, being fake engaged to Evan sucks, but kissing him isn't half bad.
_______
There's beauty in holding on . . . as long as you're not trapped in the past.
_______
"You're never alone in this world while I'm in it, Mel."
_______
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
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
If Sandra Bullock starred in a movie mash up of While You Were Sleeping and The Proposal, you would get this adorable book!
Mel is an aging (in her 30s! crazy) influencer who is struggling to keep her Instagram brand relevant. She gets an opportunity to come to Nova Scotia Canada to stay at a 5 star report and report back to her followers on its amenities and the overall experience. There is a mix up on the weeks she is supposed to be there and when she arrives she finds her stay doesn't start till the following week. With everything already booked because it's fishing season, she finds a small B&B in Cora’s Cove to stay in until her hotel reservation is ready. Too bad the co-owner, Evan, is a grumpy fisherman and thinks she is a pretentious brat.
When Evan’s cousin Lucy steps in and tries to get Mel to see the beauty of Cora’s Cove, she enlists Evan to be her tour guide. When a whale watching trip goes awry, Evan ends up in the hospital and Mel says she is his fiancé to be able to go back with him and make sure he is ok. The family gets word of his “engagement” and are all elated. Now we have a serious troupe on our hands!!!
Since Evan and Lucy's moms haven't been able to get along in years, they decide to pretend to stay engaged to help them talk to each other and reconcile their differences.
The next part is romcom 101 and I loved it all! Was it predictable, yes, but it was super cute and I loved how they fell in love and battled to try and see if they could make it work, him being a small town fisherman and her being a high maintenance influencer from Boston. I also liked the banter between Evan and Mel and how neither one of them backed down from each other. They didn't have to compromise themselves and Evan allowed Mel to open up about things in her past and see her for who she really was.
Sidenote: his family had no boundaries and it was perfect for this romcom or should I call it a Fun-mance?
The first kiss in the rain!
The fake eyelashes!
The Flannel!
All he F*ing stars!
Notes:
This book was read through the Libby app from my local library
Author: Amy Lea- This is the third book on her influencer series and the first 2 were super cute.
Genre: Romance
Troupe: Forced Proximity, Fake relationship, Grumpy/Sweet, One Bed
Mel is an aging (in her 30s! crazy) influencer who is struggling to keep her Instagram brand relevant. She gets an opportunity to come to Nova Scotia Canada to stay at a 5 star report and report back to her followers on its amenities and the overall experience. There is a mix up on the weeks she is supposed to be there and when she arrives she finds her stay doesn't start till the following week. With everything already booked because it's fishing season, she finds a small B&B in Cora’s Cove to stay in until her hotel reservation is ready. Too bad the co-owner, Evan, is a grumpy fisherman and thinks she is a pretentious brat.
When Evan’s cousin Lucy steps in and tries to get Mel to see the beauty of Cora’s Cove, she enlists Evan to be her tour guide. When a whale watching trip goes awry, Evan ends up in the hospital and Mel says she is his fiancé to be able to go back with him and make sure he is ok. The family gets word of his “engagement” and are all elated. Now we have a serious troupe on our hands!!!
Since Evan and Lucy's moms haven't been able to get along in years, they decide to pretend to stay engaged to help them talk to each other and reconcile their differences.
The next part is romcom 101 and I loved it all! Was it predictable, yes, but it was super cute and I loved how they fell in love and battled to try and see if they could make it work, him being a small town fisherman and her being a high maintenance influencer from Boston. I also liked the banter between Evan and Mel and how neither one of them backed down from each other. They didn't have to compromise themselves and Evan allowed Mel to open up about things in her past and see her for who she really was.
Sidenote: his family had no boundaries and it was perfect for this romcom or should I call it a Fun-mance?
The first kiss in the rain!
The fake eyelashes!
The Flannel!
All he F*ing stars!
Notes:
This book was read through the Libby app from my local library
Author: Amy Lea- This is the third book on her influencer series and the first 2 were super cute.
Genre: Romance
Troupe: Forced Proximity, Fake relationship, Grumpy/Sweet, One Bed