3.75/5 stars

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this book and it was my first ARC to review! The first thing that brought my attention to this book was how she marketed as inspiration from Zutara from ATLA. I was (and still am) always a firm believer that Zuko and Katara should have ended up together. The plot of the book was definitely different from the TV show, which really gives its own identity. The FMC, Koraine is from the Kingdom of Morwen, which is basically the water nation in my head. She is portrayed as a very independent, badass who is constantly trying to defy those who want to control her. She may seem like a brave and strong woman, but deep inside all she cares about is her family and kingdom. The MMC, Bellamy from the kingdom of Abelon, is very much Zuko coded. He has a temper and an attitude that adds in to the enemies dynamic. Although they both try to hide their feelings and attraction from one another, the angst is just so strong they can’t fight it for too long.

The only thing that I did not really care for was how fast everything went down. It is only about 300 pages, so it is a quick read. I think I would have enjoyed a little more backstory from both Koraine and Bellamy, to see where their personality traits took root. The world building is pretty simple to follow, but took a while to remember which kingdom was which.

I am a sucker for anything and everything about enemies to lovers, plus when you add in Zutara inspiration it hooked me in. I would recommend this read for those who also love enemies to lovers and inspiration from ATLA.

3.75/5 stars

This book was an absolute fun read for me, I was giggling and kicking my feet the whole time. I love how the author portrayed both characters to be extremely relatable in terms of mental health issues. I knew prior to reading that I would enjoy this book just from the tropes that she mentioned to grab people’s attention. I think my favorite trope from this book was the forced proximity.

The FMC, Lacey gave me major black cat energy and I loved her sharp tongue. She is still trying to get over the death of her mother and work through problems with her estranged father. Most of her mental health issues seem to come from the absence of her father and how he left her to pursue his own career. She struggles to see past all of her trauma and it prevents her from really putting herself out there. The MMC, Drew was a drummer in a popular boyband, but now still lives in his fantasy of being a pop star again. I think they helped each other out in more ways than one. Whenever Lacey was struggling mentally, Drew was always there to help and vice versa.

I loved how easy it was for them to fall into such an easy going friendship, especially after a one night stand. The tension and angst between the two was absolutely immaculate for me. Overall I had an absolute blast reading this book and super grateful to have received an ARC copy.

I honestly didn’t expect to like this book as much as I do. The beginning was a little slow for me, but that might be my fault (stupid reading slump). It was quite honestly refreshing to read a story that represented older adults rather than the typical college age romance story. While this book may seem very heart warming and cozy, it does deal with heavier topics that I haven’t really seen in other books. Like as we see in Emery’s back story of her divorce, losing a job she loves, and becoming estranged with her parents. I wish we could have gotten a little bit more information in regards to her family issues to really understand, but the way Allie writes such emotions, you can almost feel it yourself. Trevor, our lovely MMC is a golden retriever down to a tee and honestly made me feel optimistic with him. I loved the forced proximity and tension between our main characters, like right off the bat you could feel the chemistry dripping through the pages. Overall, it was a very enjoyable book that made me feel so many emotions and really gave a relatable feel to it.

**When You Left Me Speechless**

**3.75/5 Stars**

I was very excited to receive this ARC and have a chance to review for this author! I really loved the representation of mental health in this book and showing the actual struggle of school and entering the “adult” world. The MMC is a super sweet and supportive man that anyone would want to have in their life. Our FMC Poppy shows us her struggle of panic attacks and how she can get them when she’s stressed which is so very relatable! Poppy is so smart and determined with her career path and how she wants her future to go.
The chemistry between the two is so undeniable and can feel the tension right away. Especially the angst in the beginning when it seemed to be forbidden to them. I love a book and author that can pull off tension and banter between their characters!
Overall great story for a debut novel and so excited to see what is next for her!!

**Hypothetical Heart**

**4.25/5 Stars**

I was so excited to be given an arc of this book and to jump back into the world of Fairwood. Winnie and Logan are childhood friends who have been attached at the hip and almost everyone in town wonders why they aren’t together. Even though they are quite obvious about their feelings for each other, we are shown a deeper meaning for the two to remain friends. I would highly recommend reading the first book in the series, To Lose or to Love, just so you aren’t lost when diving into this book with so many characters and how they’re connected through relationships.

Winnie and Logan’s relationship is something many people dream of, in terms of being childhood best friends before they begin their relationship. We all want for our significant other to be our best friend and someone we always want to be around, even through the hard times. I could literally feel their love for each other flowing out of my screen while reading this book. Logan is a perfect book boyfriend and I definitely wish I could have my own irl.

I read this book in one sitting and I was kicking my feet in the air the whole time. It was a quick and easy read that didn’t require much brain power from me. I really liked how flashbacks were included to just see more of Winnie and Logan’s relationship and how it grew. It gave a lot of different perspectives on why they were both holding back for so long. I am a sucker for childhood friends to lovers and will pick up any book with this trope, so if you are the same way I would highly recommend this one. Such a cute and fun read!

**When You Had Me Adapting**

**4/5 stars**

This was my first read of the year and it did not disappoint! I really enjoyed the first book in the series and was very interested to see where this book would take us. I really enjoy Jess Christine’s writing because of all the emotions that you feel flowing from the pages. It is genuinely very realistic and such an amazing representation of mental illness and other major life events. I think what made me really connect with our main character, Lacey was that she wanted a love that was real and lasting.

My only bone that I have to pick with this book was the miscommunication, but I really appreciated that it was not the main focus and was cleared up very quickly. I also love a man that is yearning and literally will be on his knees begging for her back. Jace, the MMC was the epitome of a man that has only loved one girl for his entire life. While it is so sad to read both sides and to explore what they went through separately, I really enjoyed the journey of them making their way back together.

Would highly recommend this book to all of the second chance romance and friends to lovers fans. It is also starting to become a found family and can’t wait for the next book, which I really hope is about Tanner because I think there is so much more to him than he appears. Overall great read and enjoyed my time while reading it!

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