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A review by danisbooksmut
The Grumpy Billionaire by Annika Martin
4.0
I will be honest and admit that I struggled a little bit at the beginning of this story. The characters, especially Hugo, came across as awkward and jarring, and I originally put that down to the author's writing, but as the book progressed and both the characters and their relationship developed, it became clear that the awkwardness was actually a personality trait of Hugo's, and my whole perception and enjoyment of the story changed.
It's a rather cute story that meshes the brother's best friend trope with enemies to lovers, but it turns out the enemies weren't an organic emotion but were orchestrated by others to keep them apart because they've both had feelings for each other since childhood. There was lots of push and pull in their relationship as they both fought their feelings. Although the story was not massively angsty, there were a few moments that stood out for me. One is the moment when Stella finds out why she lost her job opportunity, and another involves a bottle of cologne.
Although it originally started as an office-based romance with stolen moments, the majority of the real story happens outside of that, and while there were some passionate moments, it was the other moments that stood out to me. Their communication skills were terrible, but little things like the perfect gift or eating pineapple portrayed more than words ever could.
It's a rather cute story that meshes the brother's best friend trope with enemies to lovers, but it turns out the enemies weren't an organic emotion but were orchestrated by others to keep them apart because they've both had feelings for each other since childhood. There was lots of push and pull in their relationship as they both fought their feelings. Although the story was not massively angsty, there were a few moments that stood out for me. One is the moment when Stella finds out why she lost her job opportunity, and another involves a bottle of cologne.
Although it originally started as an office-based romance with stolen moments, the majority of the real story happens outside of that, and while there were some passionate moments, it was the other moments that stood out to me. Their communication skills were terrible, but little things like the perfect gift or eating pineapple portrayed more than words ever could.