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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
3⭐️ Elizabeth O’Roark is and will always be one of my favorite authors, I love her writing and how she creates relatable stories with characters from all different backgrounds. So this is nothing towards her as an author.
Overall, this book was just okay to me. I was excited about this book and Drew’s story after reading book 1 in the series. I liked Josh and the whole premise with this story. I loved Beth and how she became the mother Drew never had. She was my favorite character in this book; I loved all the scenes with her and I was grateful that her storyline ended the way it did.
The plot was good enough that I wanted to continue and see how it ended, but where it fell flat was the pacing. I usually love a slow burn and would choose it over an insta love any day, but this book really dragged it out. There were a lot of moments with Josh and Drew for the first 75% where nothing really exciting happened except normal vacation adventures. We finally get some forward movement in the relationship in the last 25%, but by that point it seemed to move too quickly and didn’t have enough time to flesh out many of the story points sufficiently. I ended up skimming a lot just to finish it. Such a bummer, but not every book in a series can be your favorite.
Overall, this book was just okay to me. I was excited about this book and Drew’s story after reading book 1 in the series. I liked Josh and the whole premise with this story. I loved Beth and how she became the mother Drew never had. She was my favorite character in this book; I loved all the scenes with her and I was grateful that her storyline ended the way it did.
The plot was good enough that I wanted to continue and see how it ended, but where it fell flat was the pacing. I usually love a slow burn and would choose it over an insta love any day, but this book really dragged it out. There were a lot of moments with Josh and Drew for the first 75% where nothing really exciting happened except normal vacation adventures. We finally get some forward movement in the relationship in the last 25%, but by that point it seemed to move too quickly and didn’t have enough time to flesh out many of the story points sufficiently. I ended up skimming a lot just to finish it. Such a bummer, but not every book in a series can be your favorite.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
5 stars. I loved how their relationship progressed. This might just be a new favorite romance author
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
super average read. nothing memorable
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Bit of a disappointment for me, unfortunately… Whilst I loved the tension of being in love with the brother of the horrible man the FMC was dating, I think the romance was way too much of a slow burn. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t condone cheating. But I also don’t mind it in books, especially when the guy that’s being cheated on is an absolute douche-nozzle, like Six/Joel was. I also don’t think it was a particularly sexy read either, because it had this big emphasis on male pleasure, rather than having any great on-page scenes for Drew. But the reason why it gets three stars instead of two is because it was a deeply emotional story. I loved the exploration into all the feelings Drew and Josh needed to unpack, both in relation to each other and their own toxic situation in the past and present. I liked how they had to work through these things together, but also on their own. I also really loved just how protective Josh was of Drew - that was a fabulous addition. But anyway… A fairly mediocre romance for me because it didn’t really feel like there was enough time actually dedicated to building the romantic relationship between these two.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
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
This author is something special! This book was another good one. While I did enjoy it, these two have NOTHING on Tali and Hayes for me. That's not a dig at the writing or the story either, I just didn't connect with Drew and Josh like I did Tali and Hayes. Either way, this book was still a great read. If you read the first book, you know Drew is on again / off again with her rockstar boyfriend Six. In this book, she's supposed to be going on a family vacay with him and his fam only he gets arrested and isn't there for most of the trip. She gets to know his asshole brother Josh during that time, and they are way better suited for each other. It was clear in the last book and now, she stayed with Six because it's who she thought she deserved. She never thought she was worthy of the good guy and never wanted to be until Josh. I don't usually like the dates one brother and ends up with another type of book, but in Drew's case, it was absolutely necessary. Again, they have nothing on Tali and Hayes, but compared to Drew and Six, Drew and Josh are pretty electric. In fact, the whole book is just foreplay and friendship because they don't actually do much of anything until the end. With the family dynamic issues and their current living situations, they're basically star-crossed lovers who can't be together. Overall, I did really enjoy this book! Just not as much as book one lol though that book did really set high expectations. The first 75% of the book is spent on vacation so it's a great little escape as we get to know Josh and Drew. After they leave Hawaii, everything is kind of chaotic and stressful. They can't be together, they're both working things and in places they'd rather not. Again, it's very stressful to witness. In the end, everything ends up happily ever after as it should. Basically this book was well written, had likable characters, but is no match for book one. Either way. I'll definitely be back for the next book.
Spoiler
I feel like the apology for being so rude to Drew when she showed up in Somalia the first time wasn't as good as it should've been, but I get it, he was just worried about her. At the time, it didn't really seem that way. The second time she's in Somalia obviously goes much better when she's there with the fam. I feel like that really solidified how they felt about each other and the fact that those feelings weren't just going to disappear.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
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:
Yes
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I am so desperately trying to find my first five star read of the year and I had high hopes for this because the “shitty ex’s amazing brother” trope is superior haha. The first 1/3 of this book I struggled with being annoyed by almost all of the characters; they were all so judgmental! But I truly adored the love between Josh and Drew, Josh is such a good MAN!!!! Also, I was surprised at how dramatic and emotional this book was, I definitely wasn’t expecting it! Overall I really enjoyed this book it just slightly missed the mark for 5 stars.