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A review by nickartrip102
Once Upon You and Me by Timothy Janovsky
3.0
I was provided with an eARC of One Upon You and Me by Timothy Janovsky. I’m a big fan of Janovsky’s romances, so I was super excited about this book, probably because of the age gap element in particular. I mean, who doesn’t love a hot, single dad? When Taylor Frost’s boss, Amy Lu, flies him to across the country to help prepare for her daughter’s sweet sixteen at Storybook Endings Resort, he jumps at the opportunity to take on more responsibility. He didn’t expect the resort manager and Amy’s ex-husband, Ethan Golding, to be quite as handsome, caring, and cuddly as he turns out to be. After his divorce, Ethan thought maybe he wasn’t meant to have a storybook romance. When he meets Taylor, however, he begins to wonder if a second-chance at happiness might be within his reach after all.
I was definitely invested in Ethan and Taylor as a couple which is a pretty key element to enjoying any sort of romance novel. What I really liked, with Taylor in particular, is that Janovsky really considered the character’s backstory and how that influences adult Taylor’s personality. I found his relationship with Samara, Ethan and Amy’s daughter, to be particularly sweet. I had a few misgivings about the way Amy was written in a few scenes, but I really enjoyed the overall family dynamic and thought it was an interesting approach to the story. And Ethan! I definitely wanted to be swept away by this sweet daddy. I’m all about plus-size representation in romance and I’m glad there wasn’t any dreary introspection over this facet of his character.
I thought Once Upon You and Me was a very sweet read and the perfect sort of romance to distract myself from the world with. I really enjoyed the premise and there were several moments that really endeared me to Ethan and Taylor as a couple. I may have craved a touch more angst during the final act of the story, but ultimately I was very satisfied with the book as a whole. There were a couple of moments that induced actual laugher, which is always a nice treat. Janovsky writes consistently good romances, so I always know that I’m in for a treat when reading one of his books and I definitely wasn’t disappointed here.
I was definitely invested in Ethan and Taylor as a couple which is a pretty key element to enjoying any sort of romance novel. What I really liked, with Taylor in particular, is that Janovsky really considered the character’s backstory and how that influences adult Taylor’s personality. I found his relationship with Samara, Ethan and Amy’s daughter, to be particularly sweet. I had a few misgivings about the way Amy was written in a few scenes, but I really enjoyed the overall family dynamic and thought it was an interesting approach to the story. And Ethan! I definitely wanted to be swept away by this sweet daddy. I’m all about plus-size representation in romance and I’m glad there wasn’t any dreary introspection over this facet of his character.
I thought Once Upon You and Me was a very sweet read and the perfect sort of romance to distract myself from the world with. I really enjoyed the premise and there were several moments that really endeared me to Ethan and Taylor as a couple. I may have craved a touch more angst during the final act of the story, but ultimately I was very satisfied with the book as a whole. There were a couple of moments that induced actual laugher, which is always a nice treat. Janovsky writes consistently good romances, so I always know that I’m in for a treat when reading one of his books and I definitely wasn’t disappointed here.