A review by thereadinghammock
Keyed Up by Sarah Estep

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A fantastic debut novel from Sarah Estep!! The number of times I laughed out loud reading this book was far higher than average for me. Eloise and Graham's banter and the overall humor laced throughout the book was top notch. Even reading my husband passages after he asked "what was so funny" got chuckles out of him, and he doesn't often get the humor of the books out of context of the whole story!!

I love enemies-to-lovers as a trope. Sarah delivered one of the best transformations of "I hate you so much. I hate that you're so damned attractive. I hate that I want you. I want you so bad. I hate being without you." evolutions I think I've ever read. Both Eloise and Graham go through such a journey coming together. Their attraction to each other is almost immediate (once they meet in person after coming to hate each other via email), but they both rail against that attraction SO HARD at first that it's almost comical.

And the unwavering support of their respective friend groups is honestly #goals. Sybil and Connor are ride or die for Eloise; and Sam, Peter and Jordy have Graham's back like no other male friend group I've ever read (or seen for that matter) and I want to read more male friendships like that! The rest of the Crane Cove cast are thrilled to watch the "Will they? They will, but WHEN?" of Eloise and Graham and the rampant wagers around town were hilarious.

I'm already so excited for more books in Crane Cove! I can't wait to dive back in and read HEA's for everyone else and see how Eloise & Graham, the rest of the gang, and the hotel come along!
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