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A review by adogmomsbookishlife
Said No One Ever by Stephanie Eding
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book has it all! Fresh starts, tiny house Air BNB, elderly pranksters, cheeky farm animals, and so much more!
I was sold the moment the Old English Bulldog named Hilda was introduced in the very beginning!! Eding describes the bulldogs antics to a tee, and it was such a comical relief right out the gate.
This book has all of my favorite tropes: grumpy sunshine, enemies to friends to lovers, and fake dating! The characters are so lovable (aside from both main characters overbearing mothers - ugh!). There's a spicy old lady and her grumpy grandson. There's a strong woman trying to find her way through recent life changes and navigate setting boundaries with her family. In addition to the rambunctious bulldog, there's a couple of "not-so-smart" sheep and a single "way-too-smart-for-his-own-good" donkey!
While one of the overbearing mothers did redeem herself in the end, the reader doesn't see much of what happens with the other one. I think that is one thing missing from this narrative. The only other thing I would have liked more of is the romance between the two main characters. This was a closed door romance (which is more than fine), but I didn't really feel their chemistry either.
Overall, I loved this book. I want to frame the cover and put it on my bookshelf! I would recommend this one to many of my fellow readers. Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I was sold the moment the Old English Bulldog named Hilda was introduced in the very beginning!! Eding describes the bulldogs antics to a tee, and it was such a comical relief right out the gate.
This book has all of my favorite tropes: grumpy sunshine, enemies to friends to lovers, and fake dating! The characters are so lovable (aside from both main characters overbearing mothers - ugh!). There's a spicy old lady and her grumpy grandson. There's a strong woman trying to find her way through recent life changes and navigate setting boundaries with her family. In addition to the rambunctious bulldog, there's a couple of "not-so-smart" sheep and a single "way-too-smart-for-his-own-good" donkey!
While one of the overbearing mothers did redeem herself in the end, the reader doesn't see much of what happens with the other one. I think that is one thing missing from this narrative. The only other thing I would have liked more of is the romance between the two main characters. This was a closed door romance (which is more than fine), but I didn't really feel their chemistry either.
Overall, I loved this book. I want to frame the cover and put it on my bookshelf! I would recommend this one to many of my fellow readers. Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.