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mlbnbrit 's review for:
All Grown Up
by Vi Keeland
Vi Keeland’s All Grown Up is a fun and flirty take on the forbidden age-gap romance, filled with steam, wit, and just the right amount of drama. While I usually like my novels to cause me a little more pain (I’m a sucker for damage and tragedy), I thoroughly enjoyed the light-hearted and romantic nature of Val and Ford’s story. Their chemistry, paired with the unique conflicts, made this a 4 star read for me.
All Grown Up is the perfect steamy beach romance to touch on all of your emotions.
Vi Keeland did a great job crafting All Grown Up’s main characters, and they were just as enjoyable individually as they were together. I love when book characters have well-rounded, dynamic personalities, and Val and Ford are just that.
Valentina Davis (nee Di Giovanni) is strong, intelligent, compassionate, and ambitious. She has lived the last twenty years entirely for her son and her husband, and after divorcing her high school sweetheart, Val is finally learning how to be independent and live for herself. Her determination to become a teacher is empowering, and her struggle to open herself back up to love after being hurt is humbling.
Ford is mature, protective, confident, and sexy-as-sin. The man is HOT. His attitude has just the right amount of cockiness, he’s a smart and successful business owner, and after losing both his parents at 19, he’s also the caring and protective guardian to his younger sister. Ford is a seriously swoon-worthy hero.
Oh, and did I mention that he’s equal parts ROMANTIC and ALPHA? Yep. *swoon*
Though Val is 38 and Ford is 25, their personalities mesh really well together, and their chemistry is HOT. Seriously steamy. And after twenty years with her douche-canoe of an ex, Val definitely deserves the sexy, sensual romance that Ford offers.
Val and Eve’s friendship is another thing that I really enjoyed about this novel. The dynamic between these two women was exactly what you would hope for from two people who have been friends since childhood. Eve is hilarious, and she acts as Val’s witty, feisty hype-man who speaks the truth when necessary and always has her friend’s back. And Val’s My Turn List that Eve helps create? It is *perfect*. The goals on the list seemed to authentically fit a woman in Val’s situation. It was just the right combination of serious (become a teacher, plant a flower garden) and silly (wear sexy lingerie, have a threesome) to be believable, and it went a long way in making Val a relatable and realistic character.
I loved all of the above things, but I think what ultimately made this novel a 4 star read over a 3 star read for me was the unique conflict woven into the plot. I really appreciated how the conflict was NOT typical of other age-gap romances. Is Val bothered by the age difference? Yes. Does she try to deny her feelings for Ford because she thinks he’s “too young”? Yes, of course. It’s to be expected in the age-gap romance trope. HOWEVER, the central conflict of the novel is much more complex and unique, and it was expertly crafted.
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While I wasn't 100% in love with the ending, and the novel didn’t wreck me in the way I usually crave, the unique conflict, steaminess, and likability of the characters earned All Grown Up 4 stars from me.
Check out my blog for more reviews like this one! http://britsbooksandbevs.home.blog
Bookstagram: https://www.instagram.com/brits.books.and.bevs/
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All Grown Up is the perfect steamy beach romance to touch on all of your emotions.
Vi Keeland did a great job crafting All Grown Up’s main characters, and they were just as enjoyable individually as they were together. I love when book characters have well-rounded, dynamic personalities, and Val and Ford are just that.
Valentina Davis (nee Di Giovanni) is strong, intelligent, compassionate, and ambitious. She has lived the last twenty years entirely for her son and her husband, and after divorcing her high school sweetheart, Val is finally learning how to be independent and live for herself. Her determination to become a teacher is empowering, and her struggle to open herself back up to love after being hurt is humbling.
Ford is mature, protective, confident, and sexy-as-sin. The man is HOT. His attitude has just the right amount of cockiness, he’s a smart and successful business owner, and after losing both his parents at 19, he’s also the caring and protective guardian to his younger sister. Ford is a seriously swoon-worthy hero.
Oh, and did I mention that he’s equal parts ROMANTIC and ALPHA? Yep. *swoon*
Though Val is 38 and Ford is 25, their personalities mesh really well together, and their chemistry is HOT. Seriously steamy. And after twenty years with her douche-canoe of an ex, Val definitely deserves the sexy, sensual romance that Ford offers.
Val and Eve’s friendship is another thing that I really enjoyed about this novel. The dynamic between these two women was exactly what you would hope for from two people who have been friends since childhood. Eve is hilarious, and she acts as Val’s witty, feisty hype-man who speaks the truth when necessary and always has her friend’s back. And Val’s My Turn List that Eve helps create? It is *perfect*. The goals on the list seemed to authentically fit a woman in Val’s situation. It was just the right combination of serious (become a teacher, plant a flower garden) and silly (wear sexy lingerie, have a threesome) to be believable, and it went a long way in making Val a relatable and realistic character.
I loved all of the above things, but I think what ultimately made this novel a 4 star read over a 3 star read for me was the unique conflict woven into the plot. I really appreciated how the conflict was NOT typical of other age-gap romances. Is Val bothered by the age difference? Yes. Does she try to deny her feelings for Ford because she thinks he’s “too young”? Yes, of course. It’s to be expected in the age-gap romance trope. HOWEVER, the central conflict of the novel is much more complex and unique, and it was expertly crafted.
Spoiler
The only thing I didn't like was the fact that the novel ended with a pregnancy. Personally, I felt like a pregnancy wasn't necessary for the HEA. The wedding was a great note to end on. The way Val announced to Ford was adorable, though, and I LOVED his reaction, but I still could have done without it.While I wasn't 100% in love with the ending, and the novel didn’t wreck me in the way I usually crave, the unique conflict, steaminess, and likability of the characters earned All Grown Up 4 stars from me.
Check out my blog for more reviews like this one! http://britsbooksandbevs.home.blog
Bookstagram: https://www.instagram.com/brits.books.and.bevs/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/britsbooksandbevs/