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Review

5 stars!

OMG. What did I just read?

• A fantastically fun friends-to-lovers romance that had me laughing out loud?
• A chemistry-filled love story between a fabulously snarky and sarcastic heroine and a smart-talking, witty, sweetheart hero who is absolutely irresistible?
• A heartaching story of a woman’s battle with infertility?
• A gutwrenching, angsty drama that had me in tears more than once?

Yes! To all of the above.

This stunning debut novel from Abby Jimenez captivated me from start to finish, and I felt everything. What an amazing story!

Kristen is my favourite type of heroine – smart, snarky, sarcastic and completely filterless. She is very matter-of-fact, especially when dealing with her near-debilitating health issues, and is dealing with the realities of an upcoming surgery that will mean that she is not able to have children. On top of all of that, she is preparing for her long-distance boyfriend to return home and move in with her for the first time, is helping to plan the wedding of her best friend in the world, and if her life isn’t complicated enough, it becomes even more so when she meets the best man, Josh.

Josh is new to town and is working as a firefighter/paramedic alongside his best friend, Brandon. When he meets Kristen he is immediately attracted to her, and when he unexpectedly ends up doing some part time work at her house, it pushes the two of them all up in each other’s lives, and the friendship that unfolds is absolutely fantastic. They laugh and banter, they tease and joke, they have everything in common, and it’s all just so easy for them. They become each other’s person, every moment between them is pure gold, and their chemistry just sizzles off the page. But due to Kristen’s relationship, they keep things strictly in the friend-zone.

She was like a unicorn. A mythical creature. An honest, no-drama woman who didn’t bullshit and drank beer and cussed and didn’t care about what people thought of her. She was a unicorn, tucked in the body of an attractive woman with a great ass.
And I couldn’t have her.

When their attraction becomes too hard to ignore, they finally reach a point where they can act on it, but there is another huge issue standing in their way – Josh is from a big family with dreams of having one of his own one day. That’s not something Kristen can have with him, and she refuses to stand in the way of his dream. And OMG, it hurt!

“Do you think discussing my deficiencies as a woman with a man that I’m half in love with is something I want to put myself through?”

Kristen’s battle was so incredibly heartbreaking and my chest actually hurt while I was reading this book. I could understand her decisions, her frustrations, and her heartache, and I was floored by her resilience in the face of such devastation. Did I agree with all of her decisions? No, and the story did become really angsty and there were times I wanted to just shake her, but I’m not in her position and it’s hard to judge what you would do in such a difficult situation, and her perspective on the whole thing is really well written. It becomes especially hard as her and Josh as their world is completely upended and they are left floundering in more ways than one. And there went my heart again, and I sobbed for all that they were going through.

“Why won’t you let me love you?”

Through the whole story, Josh just shines. He is a man in love who is fighting hard for his girl, and I loved his patience, understanding and acceptance of Kristen through it all.

I’d found my person.
She was the foundation. She was the thing that all other things are built on. Everything was secondary to being with her. It didn’t matter where I worked or if I liked my job, where I lived or how many kids I had. My happiness, my sanity, my well-being – it all started with her … I wanted everything.

The romance is just beautiful. It’s easy, natural, fun and playful, and though this book isn’t particularly steamy, you can feel their passion for each other. I fell in mad love with both of these characters and their amazing love story.

I cannot believe that this is a debut novel. The writing is crisp, witty and so freaking emotive! This book took me on a wildly emotional ride, and I laughed and cried and felt so much. It was hard to read in some places and I actually had to put my kindle down just to take a breath and try to deal with the emotion of it all, but it ends beautifully in a really great place, and with stories coming for (at least one of) the amazing side characters, I am so freaking excited to see what Abby Jimenez has in store for us next!

5 stars

An Advanced Reader Copy was generously provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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