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dithkusu 's review for:
Love Around the Corner
by Sally Malcolm
This was very Christmasy, which was nice and wistful at this time of year, and the very rom-commy premise of these two guys in the We Got Mail hijinks misunderstanding situation bonding over their love of Jane Austen and literature is a lot. It didn't cross the line to saccharine but was just enough cute and sweet. It's a shorter book/novella format so the shortened timespan between the start to I love yous wasn't too jarring, and the concept of the mechanic and bookstore owner, with their described physical appearances and personalities, is adorable. I did like Leo and Alfie together, and even the Grand Gesture book puzzle hunt wasn't completely cringey to me in this heightened-cheesy-Hallmark vibe of the story. Even the public proposal in their small town hall square at the epilogue floated along with the atmosphere and worked--cute dog named Wentworth, happy ever after and all.
However, this would rate higher if Leo's personality and actions didn't bother me a little bit. Just the Pride and Prejudice style bad first impression meeting between Leo and Alfie already lent a bad image to Leo, honestly. He really is Grinch-like and comes across as snobby and rude while at that initial point Alfie's only sin was responding back in kind to someone who was belittling him. Leo finding out that his online love chatting pal was really the local town mechanic he thinks badly of, only to ghost him and not tell him while proceeding to fall into courtship with him, got inexcusable right at the moment they slept together. Of course it's the classic romance plot device, but it was still frustrating that Leo didn't summon up the courage and sense of personal responsibility to fess up before their relationship proceeded further.
Overall though, still highly enjoyable and cute, and I'm glad I got to complete this New Milton book series. Luca and Theo's book is still my least favorite of the bunch, but as a whole the four stories together are an overall good time and worthwhile reading.
However, this would rate higher if Leo's personality and actions didn't bother me a little bit. Just the Pride and Prejudice style bad first impression meeting between Leo and Alfie already lent a bad image to Leo, honestly. He really is Grinch-like and comes across as snobby and rude while at that initial point Alfie's only sin was responding back in kind to someone who was belittling him. Leo finding out that his online love chatting pal was really the local town mechanic he thinks badly of, only to ghost him and not tell him while proceeding to fall into courtship with him, got inexcusable right at the moment they slept together. Of course it's the classic romance plot device, but it was still frustrating that Leo didn't summon up the courage and sense of personal responsibility to fess up before their relationship proceeded further.
Overall though, still highly enjoyable and cute, and I'm glad I got to complete this New Milton book series. Luca and Theo's book is still my least favorite of the bunch, but as a whole the four stories together are an overall good time and worthwhile reading.