Instead of laughing like I usually do while reading a Pippa Grant rom com, I found this to be kinda tedious. It never felt “romantic” to me in any way, and the relationship felt incredibly surface level – especially for a book that’s NOT short. This series starter is Grant’s first traditionally published work, and the tone is definitely very different than her usual. It’s a little bit Schitt’s Creek, a little bit It Happened One Summer, and a whole lot long-winded. It felt endless to me, and I found myself tuning out a lot. There are too many characters, and I didn’t particularly like any of them. Which… isn’t quite how I thought this would go. Her books usually pull me in within a few pages, and this took about 150 before I even started to settle in. I do think there’s potential in the series, but this was a miss for me.
The story follows Phoebe, a city girl who finds herself temporarily living in a small town with her family. The reasons are complicated, so I’ll skip the details. But Phoebe’s appearance in town has Teague off-balance. He’s a divorced dad who loves his laidback, small town lifestyle, and the last thing he wants is a spoiled socialite to mess up a good thing. As the two spend more time together, these two opposites can’t help but attract.
I do think there’s a lot of unfulfilled potential in the story – I enjoy a fish out of water romance, an opposites attract dynamic, and a sexy single dad – but something about this just didn’t work. There’s a LOT of time spent on things other than the relationship, so that felt like it was short-changed. And the focus on the large cast of characters overwhelmed and bored me, so I zoned out while reading countless times. There was nothing that held my attention – no chemistry, no swoons, no lovable hero or heroine, nothing to liven things up. There’s some great potential in this eclectic group of characters, but I just didn’t feel the love.
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3nWinYd
Audio Note:
The audio is great! With Sebastian York and Savannah Peachwood in dual narration, the audio is probably what made me avoid skimming as long as I did. The audio is well done and very relaxing to listen to. Maybe too relaxing, since the story put me to sleep, lol. But it works well in audio, and the small town vibes translated well to the format. It makes a solid workday listen, with a slower burn story and a light tone. The runtime is longer than I would’ve liked (11 hours), but it would’ve been fine if the story was more compelling. I do recommend listening to the audio if you decide to dive in.
Audiobook: https://amzn.to/3RwGl9R
Blurb:
From USA Today bestselling author Pippa Grant comes a fabulously sharp-witted romantic comedy about a socialite’s fall from elitist grace to backcountry purgatory—and her accidental tumble into love.
If the Upper East Side had an evil twin, it would be Tickled Pink, Wisconsin. This run-down, backwoods town isn’t worthy of the footprint of my Louboutins, never mind all of me.
But when my grandmother has a near-death experience and realizes we Lightlys can’t buy our way into heaven, she relocates the family to Tickled Pink to work on improving our souls. And that’s how I trade my heiress existence for gigantic bugs, dishwater coffee, and a cranky single dad named Teague Miller.
Teague spends his days fishing, raising his spunky teenager, and after an unfortunate incident involving cheese curds, living rent-free in my head. The one thing he and I can agree on is that I don’t belong here. He’s willing to help me escape—until the unexpected happens.
I kind of like him. I might even more than like him.
But am I ready to give up the life I adored for a man I love to hate?
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3nWinYd
About the Author:
Pippa Grant is a USA Today Bestselling author who writes romantic comedies that will make tears run down your leg. When she’s not reading, writing or sleeping, she’s being crowned employee of the month as a stay-at-home mom and housewife trying to prepare her adorable demon spawn to be productive members of society, all the while fantasizing about long walks on the beach with hot chocolate chip cookies.
AUTHOR LINKS
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pippagrantromance
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ThePipsquad
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ReadPippa
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/pippagrant
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/pippa-grant
Website: http://www.pippagrant.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/pippa.grant
Follow Jeeves on social media!
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases
Jeeves Reads Romance 