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k_huskic's review against another edition
4.0
I've enjoyed all the books I've read from this author, and this was no exception. This story was a lot of fun!
Fred is silly, though there's definitely more to him than he lets people see. Harper would love to resist him and his ways (and his collection of loud shirts) but it's just not that easy. The whole 'casual' thing never works, these two were meant to be together!
This book had chapters with flashbacks (I always love those) providing the history between these two childhood besties before they lost contact. They'd been through a lot together, and the loss of contact affected them both.
I enjoyed this! And I would love to read Shelley and Roman story.
Fred is silly, though there's definitely more to him than he lets people see. Harper would love to resist him and his ways (and his collection of loud shirts) but it's just not that easy. The whole 'casual' thing never works, these two were meant to be together!
This book had chapters with flashbacks (I always love those) providing the history between these two childhood besties before they lost contact. They'd been through a lot together, and the loss of contact affected them both.
I enjoyed this! And I would love to read Shelley and Roman story.
acac1012's review against another edition
4.0
So glad I got the chance to ARC read this book. Absolutely loved it, as expected, loved all of Lauren’s books. Fred and Harper’s journey was just amazing. The ups and downs just had me keep reading. Couldn’t put it down. Can’t wait to see what Lauren writes next.
araley3111's review against another edition
3.0
I genuinely don’t know how this has a 3.9 rating. It’s barely 3 stars. The characters were honestly meh. I found the book to be 100 pages too long (it’s 291 pages and did not need to be). I was mostly bored the entire time but only kept reading/skimming because I knew something was going to happen to one of the characters being a stunt person. Overall I won’t be reading the rest of the series
seahagbookclub's review against another edition
5.0
hilarious, heartfelt and sexy
This book blew me away I love the way Fred loves Harper and the long journey they had together in their love.
Speaking of journeys... you have the hero's journey and then the *romance* hero's journey. Connoly takes us along with Fred as he experiences the latter because at the beginning (lets face it) he is just not hero material. The thing that's special about Fred is that he KNOWS what his flaws are and when he's presented with the chance to reconnect with the women he fell in love with as a kid, he refuses to miss the opportunity. Of course, fate has other plans and even as Harper is leaving him (again) he does what he can to help her from afar.
Now for the (second?) time jump...
Harper and Fred are reunited for the third time... and you know what they say about third time's the charm....
Harper is a badass, motorcycle riding stunt woman who is tired of being hurt and let down by her former best friend but is finding him as irresistible as ever. Despite initially trying to keep things only physical, Harper and Fred slowly but surely grow their relationship into something deeper. I also love that there is no third act breakup, because this couple goes through enough!
Tropes, Tags, CW, TW (may not be complete)
Second chance romance, bi heroine, childhood friends to lovers, light fdom, banter, heroes journey, he'd do anything for her, golden retriever hero, bodyguard trope, stuntwoman, Hollywood setting. Death of parent(s) (past), Grief, undiagnosed ADHD, perilous situations
This book blew me away I love the way Fred loves Harper and the long journey they had together in their love.
Speaking of journeys... you have the hero's journey and then the *romance* hero's journey. Connoly takes us along with Fred as he experiences the latter because at the beginning (lets face it) he is just not hero material. The thing that's special about Fred is that he KNOWS what his flaws are and when he's presented with the chance to reconnect with the women he fell in love with as a kid, he refuses to miss the opportunity. Of course, fate has other plans and even as Harper is leaving him (again) he does what he can to help her from afar.
Now for the (second?) time jump...
Harper and Fred are reunited for the third time... and you know what they say about third time's the charm....
Harper is a badass, motorcycle riding stunt woman who is tired of being hurt and let down by her former best friend but is finding him as irresistible as ever. Despite initially trying to keep things only physical, Harper and Fred slowly but surely grow their relationship into something deeper. I also love that there is no third act breakup, because this couple goes through enough!
Tropes, Tags, CW, TW (may not be complete)
Second chance romance, bi heroine, childhood friends to lovers, light fdom, banter, heroes journey, he'd do anything for her, golden retriever hero, bodyguard trope, stuntwoman, Hollywood setting. Death of parent(s) (past), Grief, undiagnosed ADHD, perilous situations
alejandra_guerrero's review
5.0
I liked Harper and Fred. I like that their romance wasn't easy, and they had a lot of problems, but they finally got over all that and had their happy ending. I am a person with ADD, so I could relate to Fred a little. I'm not hiperactive, but it's hard to concentrate on one thing and I know what it's like to be seen as a failure because of something you can't control. So yeah, this hit the feels for me. And I love the energy that Lauren Connoly puts into her characters, the chemistry between the MCs and everyone around them. Can't wait to read about Roman and Shelley.
thisisabooktracker's review
2.0
What a goofy book (derogatory).
Fred and Harper were best friends growing up until Harper moved away at 17. Ten years later they are reunited when Fred's sister plans a "family vacation" that includes both Fred and Harper. Feelings are revisited, yadda yadda yadda. I literally got bored instead of finishing that sentence.
Fred is a lovable fuck up that is still pining after Harper and Harper is still mad at him but decides to give into their attraction and hook up. They fall into sex so quickly that it's kind of jarring with Fred not seeming to care that the relationship is going nowhere. Then their vacation hook up abruptly ends when Harper has to go and then they don't talk for a year. It would be so, so cool if they could just suck it up and communicate but of course not.
When Fred comes back into her life a little more grown up, Harper can't seem to let go of the goofy version of him she knew when they were kids. They knew each other for 12 years and have been out of each others' lives for 11 at this point. Maybe she should try to wrap her head around the fact that she doesn't know him anymore. But instead! she makes a scene and adamantly proclaims he's not qualified for the bodyguard position he's been hired to do. Once again, YOU DON'T KNOW HIM. I really cannot get over how much she doubts him and it made it hard to watch him be in love with her while she makes so many assumptions.
This book was so unserious. I don't even know how to adequately explain it. I hated Harper, I hated them together and I hated their dynamic. I could only manage some interest because I wanted Fred to get redemption.
It had the bones of something interesting and I say that because I have read these core plot beats before. I imagine what would set this book apart is the writing style and the characters themselves. Unfortunately this was a big miss for me and I enjoy Lauren Connolly's Folk Haven series. Perhaps the quirkiness works for me there because I already have to suspend my disbelief with the fantasy/paranormal elements.
It's on Kindle Unlimited if you want to taste test. It's not for me (obviously) but there are also 5 star reviews so it's for someone.
Fred and Harper were best friends growing up until Harper moved away at 17. Ten years later they are reunited when Fred's sister plans a "family vacation" that includes both Fred and Harper. Feelings are revisited, yadda yadda yadda. I literally got bored instead of finishing that sentence.
Fred is a lovable fuck up that is still pining after Harper and Harper is still mad at him but decides to give into their attraction and hook up. They fall into sex so quickly that it's kind of jarring with Fred not seeming to care that the relationship is going nowhere. Then their vacation hook up abruptly ends when Harper has to go and then they don't talk for a year. It would be so, so cool if they could just suck it up and communicate but of course not.
When Fred comes back into her life a little more grown up, Harper can't seem to let go of the goofy version of him she knew when they were kids. They knew each other for 12 years and have been out of each others' lives for 11 at this point. Maybe she should try to wrap her head around the fact that she doesn't know him anymore. But instead! she makes a scene and adamantly proclaims he's not qualified for the bodyguard position he's been hired to do. Once again, YOU DON'T KNOW HIM. I really cannot get over how much she doubts him and it made it hard to watch him be in love with her while she makes so many assumptions.
This book was so unserious. I don't even know how to adequately explain it. I hated Harper, I hated them together and I hated their dynamic. I could only manage some interest because I wanted Fred to get redemption.
It had the bones of something interesting and I say that because I have read these core plot beats before. I imagine what would set this book apart is the writing style and the characters themselves. Unfortunately this was a big miss for me and I enjoy Lauren Connolly's Folk Haven series. Perhaps the quirkiness works for me there because I already have to suspend my disbelief with the fantasy/paranormal elements.
It's on Kindle Unlimited if you want to taste test. It's not for me (obviously) but there are also 5 star reviews so it's for someone.
timap's review
4.0
Harper and Fred, the lead characters, grew up together, happy as friends and maybe edging to something more until their fathers died in a car crash and Harper’s mother moved her to another country in their late teens. They were still talking with each other until one day Fred cut off contact.
At the story commencement, a decade later, Harper is a professional stuntwoman and Fred is currently training for yet another new job, having never settled into a career. When Fred’s sister invites Harper along on a family holiday, they reconnect and have a quick fling before Harper goes back to help a friend in need.
A year later, Fred is a qualified bodyguard assigned to protect the actress for whom Harper is stunt double. Now they’re seeing each other every day and that attraction hasn’t gone away… now Fred just needs to convince Harper she really does want to keep him…
This story is dual POV, well written, and an emotional but funny, awkward moments romance. I enjoyed Harper’s physical strength and appreciated her determination to not get hurt again. I empathised with Fred’s myriad issues and appreciated the work he’d done to overcome his challenges. I enjoyed the fact that he never pretended he didn’t love Harper as well as the fact that he was always working towards a relationship with her. I’ll admit this story was not quite my speed; it’s a GOOD story. It just didn’t quite click for me initially but I’m glad I persevered because I really enjoyed the ending. I also really liked the secondary character cast and I’m hoping for future stories for several of them. I also enjoyed Fred’s sense of humour and his sentimentality.
I received a complimentary copy from the author and this is my voluntary honest review.
At the story commencement, a decade later, Harper is a professional stuntwoman and Fred is currently training for yet another new job, having never settled into a career. When Fred’s sister invites Harper along on a family holiday, they reconnect and have a quick fling before Harper goes back to help a friend in need.
A year later, Fred is a qualified bodyguard assigned to protect the actress for whom Harper is stunt double. Now they’re seeing each other every day and that attraction hasn’t gone away… now Fred just needs to convince Harper she really does want to keep him…
This story is dual POV, well written, and an emotional but funny, awkward moments romance. I enjoyed Harper’s physical strength and appreciated her determination to not get hurt again. I empathised with Fred’s myriad issues and appreciated the work he’d done to overcome his challenges. I enjoyed the fact that he never pretended he didn’t love Harper as well as the fact that he was always working towards a relationship with her. I’ll admit this story was not quite my speed; it’s a GOOD story. It just didn’t quite click for me initially but I’m glad I persevered because I really enjoyed the ending. I also really liked the secondary character cast and I’m hoping for future stories for several of them. I also enjoyed Fred’s sense of humour and his sentimentality.
I received a complimentary copy from the author and this is my voluntary honest review.
juchan's review
funny
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
That was surprisingly good. Fast paced as always but the author tried to make ist plausible and it worked pretty well. The chracters were lovely and the story goes over several years and is told from both characters which I personally liked a lot.
There was just enough spice, romance and sass sprinkeld with a lot of drama (in this case shitty things that keep happening not eyerolling emotional drama)
There was just enough spice, romance and sass sprinkeld with a lot of drama (in this case shitty things that keep happening not eyerolling emotional drama)
fangirl829's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
bexxx13's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0