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booksandmeforevermore13 's review for:

Christmas in Coconut Creek by Karissa Kinword
5.0

I absolutely adored this book and the characters in it. This book had me laughing out loud right from the first chapter and that continued till the end. Ophelia and Frankie's meet-cute was so hilarious and I was blushing just as much as Ophelia.

This book starts off with Ophelia wanting to try something different for Christmas and decides to spend it in Florida with her best friend. While waiting at the airport and being bored out of her mind, she decides to check out a dating app. Right as she enters the plane, she matches with Frankie and just as she's "checking him out" he shows up to sit right next to her. These two have a fun, flirty time on their way to Florida where they go their separate ways, thinking this is it.

However, when Ophelia meets up with her best friend for drinks, she comes face to face with Frankie of all people, who turns out to be her best friend's boyfriend's roommate. As her plans of spending 3 weeks of her vacation with her best friend gets altered, now adding her boyfriend and his irresistible roommate into the mix, Ophelia tries her best to keep her distance and not act on this attraction between them.

But as time goes by, they can't seem to ignore the growing attraction between them, so they decide to come to a mutually beneficial agreement, where Ophelia helps Frankie get the hang of the dating game again, and Frankie will show her what she's missing out on when it comes to sex.

The humor in this book was phenomenal. The banter between these two was hysterical and the sexual tension had me fanning myself. And though there were a lot of funny moments, there were also moments of vulnerability between Ophelia and Frankie. There was a lot of open, honest communication, healing, and self reflection. Sometimes you can't see things for yourself and you meet someone who just gets you and helps put things in perspective for you. That's what these two did for each other.

Frankie was perfect in every way. He came off as charming, cocky, direct, unabashed, unrelenting, but beneath all that act was someone who was emotional. Who wore his emotions on his sleeve when he let his guard down. One who took every crappy deal life threw at him and did what he needed to for the people in his life. For his family, friends, country, partner. He was loyal to a fault. Reading about everything he went through and his thoughts about feeling so lost made me wanna give him the tightest hug. He deserves everything good in life.

Ophelia has always felt like she was an after thought to her family. Always shifting between her parents after their separation. Feeling like an outsider once her parents got remarried and started new families. That made her try harder. To be her best for her parents and her step siblings. This vacation was supposed to be for her to give herself the priority and in her journey, she managed to let go. To not try too hard. That she'd still have a good relationship with her family but just a bit different from what it had been all this while.

What I loved was how we get so much insight into who Ophelia and Frankie are and why they are the way they are. Their background, their history, their upbringing, their struggles. They were open about these things. Even if it took Frankie more time to open up about his previous relationship and the lowest point of his life, he eventually did. They communicated a lot.

I love how their friendship grows over the course of the holidays. Though it was just weeks, you could see how they were just so connected and perfectly balanced each other. They were similar in many ways and got each other's crazy jokes. They also brought out a new side in each other that they hadn't explored or felt before. It wasn't just about the lust or them hooking up but also the moments they just spent together talking, poking fun, being sarcastic, being vulnerable, opening up. It all just made you root for these two and love them more as a couple. The dates, the gifts, the conversations, it was all sooo soo beautiful and you just feel like they are it for each other.

Mateo and Tally were absolutely amazing side characters and I loved them as a couple too. Nat said the weirdest things without any filter and I loved her. The whole Nat and ghost summoning jokes were top tier. I loveddd the four of them spending time together. It was chaotic and wholesome and you feel like you wanna join in on the fun.

This was a slow burn with a lotttt of teasing. They kept getting interrupted so many times, it was hilarious and also definitely edging the readers too. But their moments together were hot AF. My jaw was on the damn floor. And the moments when they almostttt had sex.... DAMNNN. The chemistry between them was off the charts right from the start. Godddd... Frankie and his dirty talking did such wicked things for me. And I loveddd that Ophelia wasn't shy but took charge and was bold. She didn't mind initiating and she fucking owned Frankie.