Pretty sure I’m still on the verge of tears while writing this, and that’s because of how emotionally invested I was in the relationship. Jimenez is so skilled at writing these playful, chemistry-filled romances that make me smile one minute and have a churning in my gut the next. This one really put me through my paces emotionally, with these gorgeous, sunshiney moments juxtaposed with an undercurrent of heartache and pain. These two fell for each other in such an effortless way, even though that was never the plan. Our sweetheart of a hero was swooning from the start, and I LOVED how adorably smitten he was. So freaking adorable, this man. Our black cat heroine put up a good fight, but she didn’t stand a chance against him. The relationship was bright and easy, which contrasted perfectly with the chaos swirling around them both. Neither was in the right headspace to fall in love, but it found them anyways – even though the road to HEA was filled with landmines. Such a compelling and complex read, EASILY my new favorite from the author.
The story follows Emma, a woman who is constantly on the move. She didn’t have the best childhood, so she prefers to take temporary jobs and travel around the country with her best friend. One day, Emma reads an AITA post and relates to the guy – every time he dates someone, the next person they meet ends up being their soulmate. The same thing seems to happen to Emma every time, so the two bond over DMs and text messages. It’s not long before Emma and Justin make a plan – they’ll go on a few dates with each other and break both of their dating curses. But once they meet face-to-face, that plan begins to crumble. Not only do they get along way better than either could’ve anticipated, but keeping things fun and easy is impossible to do when both of their messy families get involved. Soon, Justin and Emma are falling for each other in a very real way, which could cause trouble for them both.
I loved the concept of two strangers who bond over DMs and messages before connecting in person, and the epistolary element was great. Justin and Emma both know they’re not in the right headspace for something real, but that’s not what they ever intended to be for each other. Their relationship developed so naturally, and it was easy to see how perfect they were for each other. I was laughing, smiling, and swooning right along with them, especially since Justin is such a fantastic man. He’s so steady and cuddly and adorable, even though he’s barely keeping his head above water. It’s definitely a case of meeting the right person at the absolute worst time, which ratchets up the tension in a major way. Emma is such a complicated character, but I loved her too. After six books, I’m never surprised when Jimenez emotionally devastates me with her twists and turns, but I was still taken aback by how much it hurt this time. It’s not a story I’ll be forgetting anytime soon, it’s both entertaining and impactful. I loved it!
Amazon: https://amzn.to/4aekxbO
Audio Note:
The audio is fabulous, highly recommended in the format! The epistolary element at the beginning is almost duet-style, so I had my fingers crossed that it would be that way throughout (it’s not), but both narrators give excellent, emotive performances. I’m not familiar with Christine Laken, but I loved her voice and the emotion she was able to infuse into the story. There were a couple of instances where it was difficult to tell who she was voicing, but that would be my only complaint. This is the best I’ve ever heard Zachary Webber, he gives an incredibly strong performance. The runtime (11-12 hours) was just slightly more than I could get through in a single day, but I could not wait to dive back in. There’s a very minimal amount of spice, so no worries there if you plan to listen at work – just be aware that you might start crying at any time, lol. All in all, I’m very glad I was able to experience the story in that format.
Audiobook: https://amzn.to/3VMdRxl
Blurb:
A sharp and scintillating summer novel that will make readers laugh out loud and cry happy tears from the New York Times bestselling author of Yours Truly.
Justin has a curse, and thanks to a Reddit thread, it’s now all over the internet. Every woman he dates goes on to find their soul mate the second they break up. When a woman slides into his DMs with the same problem, they come up with a plan: They’ll date each other and break up. Their curses will cancel each other’s out, and they’ll both go on to find the love of their lives. It’s a bonkers idea… and it just might work.
Emma hadn’t planned that her next assignment as a traveling nurse would be in Minnesota, but she and her best friend agree that dating Justin is too good of an opportunity to pass up, especially when they get to rent an adorable cottage on a private island on Lake Minnetonka.
It’s supposed to be a quick fling, just for the summer. But when Emma’s toxic mother shows up and Justin has to assume guardianship of his three siblings, they’re suddenly navigating a lot more than they expected–including catching real feelings for each other. What if this time Fate has actually brought the perfect pair together?
Amazon: https://amzn.to/4aekxbO
About the Author:
Abby Jimenez is a Food Network winner, USA Today and New York Times best-selling author, and recipient of the 2022 Minnesota Book Award for her novel Life’s Too Short. Abby founded Nadia Cakes out of her home kitchen back in 2007. The bakery has since gone on to win numerous Food Network competitions and has amassed an international following.
Abby loves a good romance, coffee, doglets, and not leaving the house.
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Jeeves Reads Romance 