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elijah_renz's review
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
it was a light read, not my usual style or genre, but a decent book overall. filled with modern culture references
books_by_the_bottle's review
4.0
When Josh and Maggie accidentally end up with each other’s rental cars, they realize maybe it wasn’t an accident after all. As their relationship grows, not only do they realize that their paths have crossed multiple times in the past (unbeknownst to them at the time), but they also keep coming back to the small stuff. Those little moments, when you shift your perspective, can be the moments that end up mattering the most. Once you focus on the small stuff, maybe then everything else will just fall into place. This was a very sweet and funny rom-com; when I read the first sentence of this book, I literally laughed out loud. Although it has some serious moments, I kept laughing all throughout at Josh and Maggie’s easy banter. The cover is also cool and there are plenty of great song lyrics referenced throughout. Frankly, any story that quotes “Dirty Dancing” is a must read for me! And I felt like at its core, this story illustrated that there are no accidents; everything happens for a reason. It was a refreshing read that left me feeling hopeful about the little things in life. Thank you to Paul Davidson for sharing this copy with me! This review will also be posted to my Instagram blog books_by_the_bottle.
The Small Stuff will be released on April 12, 2022.
The Small Stuff will be released on April 12, 2022.
brittanneb's review
4.0
This story has a really cute concept and had a unique take on the standard love story. As I am not the greatest with remembering names, I did struggle a little in the beginning, as the book is written to tell small pieces of many people's story. Due to this, I felt it was somewhat of a slow start, but I enjoyed this book quite a lot overall.
Received in a Goodreads giveaway.
Received in a Goodreads giveaway.
whiskeyinthejar's review
3.0
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
“It takes a village,” someone at a wedding once said.
The Small Stuff tells the story of how circumstance, fate, and all those little choices, we and others make, work and conspire to bring together Josh Allen (no, not that one Bills fans) and Maggie Mills. We start off getting introduced to a young 4yr old Josh and the moment his childhood innocence is killed off when his mother tells him just because he wants something, doesn't mean he'll get it and not to have unrealistic expectations out of life. This, along with a kindergarten friendship gone awry will become Josh's baggage that he takes through life and keeps him working at the same job for years when he is first rejected from his dream job. Maggie's upbringing is different with a father that is more supportive and she has a personality that has her wide-eyed asking “What, I was just being honest?” because she hasn't learned that sometimes honesty needs tact. We don't fully learn the big piece of Maggie's baggage until later in the book but her philosophy regarding love is that soulmates don't exist so why bother looking.
The small stuff, it seemed after the fact, wasn't so small after all.
The first half had a beat that was a little tough to get into, after we're introduced to Josh, the second chapter jumps to his parents and we get an abridgment of their lives, giving us that trail of all the little choices that bring Josh and Maggie together that is the theme of the story, and this jumping to secondary/side character synopses continues throughout the book, heavier in the first half. This ended up giving the first half more of an uneven beat as it kept breaking up the connection I was trying to build with Josh, Maggie, and their relationship starting to build. I know numerous flashbacks can be tough for some, but since I kept in mind the underlining theme of the book, I worked harder to stay engage with these seemingly intrusive side-characters, looking for how they could be connected and/or help Maggie and Josh come together in the future (I also had fun flipping back to the cover to see if I could find if the illustrated characters on front to match who I was reading about, A+ cover art connection).
They had been simply waiting for each other.
I thought the story hit it's stride around the 45% mark and the jumping around beat smoothed out as the focus settles more on Maggie and Josh. As far as their romance, they get a meet-cute at the most romantic of places, an auto-body repair shop, numerous teasing fun moments, Easter egg past moments, fade-to-black bedroom scene, that third act angst moment, and ultimately their HEA. They were a couple that showed how finding that certain someone can support and give you the strength and courage to go after what you want in life, in this case their dream jobs. It takes a little while for them to emerge from some of the side-character synopses that seem a little butt-in unless you keep in mind the underlining theme and numerous Gen X pop culture references that were at turns fun, nostalgic, (I'm of the wonderfully named elder millennial group so I could bond with vast majority of them) but also too much. I missed some of the emotional thoughts and feelings that lead to romantic leads picking each other because, at the end, they had that easy fall back to physically be able to point to the signs that, yes, the universe obviously wanted them to be together and I felt like some of the work was missing at that ending moment.
If you're a linear reader, this would probably feel like an ADHD nightmare but if you can handle time jumps (the latter half has a couple paged chapter that jumps 31yrs into the future only to return to present in next chapter) and off-shoots that have some Easter eggs, then this would be a fun off-beat romance beach read to pick up.
“It takes a village,” someone at a wedding once said.
The Small Stuff tells the story of how circumstance, fate, and all those little choices, we and others make, work and conspire to bring together Josh Allen (no, not that one Bills fans) and Maggie Mills. We start off getting introduced to a young 4yr old Josh and the moment his childhood innocence is killed off when his mother tells him just because he wants something, doesn't mean he'll get it and not to have unrealistic expectations out of life. This, along with a kindergarten friendship gone awry will become Josh's baggage that he takes through life and keeps him working at the same job for years when he is first rejected from his dream job. Maggie's upbringing is different with a father that is more supportive and she has a personality that has her wide-eyed asking “What, I was just being honest?” because she hasn't learned that sometimes honesty needs tact. We don't fully learn the big piece of Maggie's baggage until later in the book but her philosophy regarding love is that soulmates don't exist so why bother looking.
The small stuff, it seemed after the fact, wasn't so small after all.
The first half had a beat that was a little tough to get into, after we're introduced to Josh, the second chapter jumps to his parents and we get an abridgment of their lives, giving us that trail of all the little choices that bring Josh and Maggie together that is the theme of the story, and this jumping to secondary/side character synopses continues throughout the book, heavier in the first half. This ended up giving the first half more of an uneven beat as it kept breaking up the connection I was trying to build with Josh, Maggie, and their relationship starting to build. I know numerous flashbacks can be tough for some, but since I kept in mind the underlining theme of the book, I worked harder to stay engage with these seemingly intrusive side-characters, looking for how they could be connected and/or help Maggie and Josh come together in the future (I also had fun flipping back to the cover to see if I could find if the illustrated characters on front to match who I was reading about, A+ cover art connection).
They had been simply waiting for each other.
I thought the story hit it's stride around the 45% mark and the jumping around beat smoothed out as the focus settles more on Maggie and Josh. As far as their romance, they get a meet-cute at the most romantic of places, an auto-body repair shop, numerous teasing fun moments, Easter egg past moments, fade-to-black bedroom scene, that third act angst moment, and ultimately their HEA. They were a couple that showed how finding that certain someone can support and give you the strength and courage to go after what you want in life, in this case their dream jobs. It takes a little while for them to emerge from some of the side-character synopses that seem a little butt-in unless you keep in mind the underlining theme and numerous Gen X pop culture references that were at turns fun, nostalgic, (I'm of the wonderfully named elder millennial group so I could bond with vast majority of them) but also too much. I missed some of the emotional thoughts and feelings that lead to romantic leads picking each other because, at the end, they had that easy fall back to physically be able to point to the signs that, yes, the universe obviously wanted them to be together and I felt like some of the work was missing at that ending moment.
If you're a linear reader, this would probably feel like an ADHD nightmare but if you can handle time jumps (the latter half has a couple paged chapter that jumps 31yrs into the future only to return to present in next chapter) and off-shoots that have some Easter eggs, then this would be a fun off-beat romance beach read to pick up.
smired_ink's review
5.0
It was my pleasure to review this elevated romantic comedy by @paulyd_71 . It was intelligent, witty, and had so much heart. The release is scheduled for April 12! I had a previous book hangover so it took me a bit longer to immerse myself, but once I was familiar with the characters, I didn’t want it to end! The humor was quick and use of irony was clever—akin to that of a British sketch comedy. I won’t soon forget the characters, Maggie and Josh. Both characters relatable in their ambition and the modern conflict between pursuits of work and love. Just as much a tale of Maggie and Josh as it was of the serendipitous circumstances sometimes required to reinforce our decisions. It was a book that was written differently from anything else I’ve read.
marishareadsalot's review
4.0
Thank you to Hadleigh House Publishing and Paul Davidson for the gifted copy of The Small Stuff in exchange for my honest review!
The Small Stuff is an adorable rom com about Josh and Maggie, two Angelenos who have historically struck out in the love department. After a chance encounter, they begin a new relationship, only to discover they've been randomly crossing paths almost their entire lives.
As someone who is fascinated by (and totally believes in) the Butterfly Effect, I loved this story! All the decisions made by those closest to Josh and Maggie ultimately led them to one another and I loved how intertwined all their loved ones' stories were.
Off the bat, I started keeping notes on characters and their respective backgrounds, thinking I wouldn't be able to keep up, but fear not! It quickly ties together and makes perfect sense.
The Small Stuff is an adorable rom com about Josh and Maggie, two Angelenos who have historically struck out in the love department. After a chance encounter, they begin a new relationship, only to discover they've been randomly crossing paths almost their entire lives.
As someone who is fascinated by (and totally believes in) the Butterfly Effect, I loved this story! All the decisions made by those closest to Josh and Maggie ultimately led them to one another and I loved how intertwined all their loved ones' stories were.
Off the bat, I started keeping notes on characters and their respective backgrounds, thinking I wouldn't be able to keep up, but fear not! It quickly ties together and makes perfect sense.
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