Review by kerrythefire - Melt for You

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kerrythefire 's review for:

Melt for You by J.T. Geissinger

4.5

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Oh my gosh this book! I loved it and laughed so many times - at Joellen and Cam's banter and especially at Joellen's inner monologue. It was truly too funny being inside her head.

This book was also the most delicious slow burn, even if

we did get teased with a few steamy "practice" kisses along the way

. I really enjoyed the evolution of Joellen and Cam's relationship and how they were able to just be authentic and open with each other in ways they couldn't with anyone else, and how that came out in fierce back-and-forths and somewhat caustic banter. The whole book was just a bunch of foreplay 🥵 🥵 🥵

I enjoyed both their characters, even Joellen with her insecurities and horrible self-esteem (and ten-year longing for her boss). Her family sounded terrible, so it was clear where she was coming from, but it was also gratifying to see her come along in her journey of reshaping how she thought about herself and her body... with Cam's "help" and absolute refusal to let her get away with negative self-talk in front of him. I loved him a little more each time he got serious and refused to enable that behavior when she tried to make offhand or direct comments about herself. Overall, because we got to hear some of Joellen's inner monologue, she was a really fun character to watch evolve and grow from start to finish of this book. Even if where she started was tough.

And Cam. What do we say about Cam? As we learn,

he's smitten with Joellen the first time he meets her, so there's that

... but it was just so endearing how he just kept showing up for Joellen. I mean, he did insert himself into her life to start, but at the same time he was always giving to her as well. And I really enjoyed how open he was with her about his past - which was absolutely tragic - and his present situation. It was refreshing to have such an open and willing to be vulnerable lead man... especially a burly and physically hyper masculine man. And that pink frilly bathrobe... I mean, c'mon. Also... he's a Scotsman. That is never not hot.

Michael was

a douche and scumbag - which we knew he was eventually going to be because we needed a villain -

but the story evolved in such a way that it wasn't obvious in story. So it wasn't like we were yelling at Joellen for being an idiot the whole book. Even Cam said

Michael was kind of charming over email

.

All in all, I had a really good time with this book. I liked the reverse (slight) age gap dynamic as well. The narrator, Pippa Jayne, also did a very good job - including with Cam's Scottish accent. And I'm not gonna lie, some of those sonnets weren't half bad either.

Content Warnings