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brittnysbooktalk's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
marnie725's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
tyeshaah12's review
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.25
Parker I loved! I personally am not a fan of the pregnancy trope so that was already not my favorite. Then bluebonnet just drove me crazy! But Parker was amazing so that is where all my stars are!
randikaye's review against another edition
5.0
More Than a Silly Crush is the fourth book in the Cowboys of Stargazer Springs Ranch Rom Com series. This can definitely be enjoyed as a standalone if you haven't read the previous books in the series.
More often than not, when I hear 'marriage of convenience' my mind automatically goes toward history. I think we see that trope used much more there, and frankly, it can be hard to make that work believably in a more contemporary setting. But in this story? It absolutely works, and I couldn't get enough. Part of that definitely has to do with Parker. I love how attentive and sweet he is towards Bluebonnet and I couldn't help but root for them to get their happily ever after. These two together were just perfection (even when I wanted to knock some sense into them to get them to communicate!)... and the side characters just helped to bring the story to the next level too.
Content warning (potential spoiler): Do you ever start to read a book blurb and find the beginning part so intriguing that you don't really read through the rest of it in its entirety? Yes, this was me with this book. From the very first sentence, I was in and couldn't wait to read it... and while that's not always a bad thing, had I read further I might have been a little more prepared for some things that happened throughout the story. Simply put, this story takes on the difficult topic of miscarriage. As someone who has dealt with recurrent miscarriages, this is a topic that I am all too familiar with and one that can be a little triggering for me if I'm not expecting it. Again, it's hinted at in the blurb, so that was all on me but definitely wanted to point that out for anyone else who also needs that heads-up. That said, I think this book handled the topic very well. It felt very genuine and thoughtful, and I very much appreciated that. I think this definitely could have been a make-it-or-break-it moment for me in this book, and it made it.
It's also quite clear from the description that the main character here is having a child outside of marriage (hence the marriage of convenience), and that definitely might not appeal to all readers. I will say that I didn't feel like that topic was glorified in any way at all. The romance in this story is clean/closed door with nothing beyond kisses happening on the pages.
Overall, I really loved this story. It was a quick and often time entertaining read, with the realities of life's hardships blended in and handled with grace. I can't wait to read more in the series!
**I received an ARC for consideration. All opinions are my own.
More often than not, when I hear 'marriage of convenience' my mind automatically goes toward history. I think we see that trope used much more there, and frankly, it can be hard to make that work believably in a more contemporary setting. But in this story? It absolutely works, and I couldn't get enough. Part of that definitely has to do with Parker. I love how attentive and sweet he is towards Bluebonnet and I couldn't help but root for them to get their happily ever after. These two together were just perfection (even when I wanted to knock some sense into them to get them to communicate!)... and the side characters just helped to bring the story to the next level too.
Content warning (potential spoiler): Do you ever start to read a book blurb and find the beginning part so intriguing that you don't really read through the rest of it in its entirety? Yes, this was me with this book. From the very first sentence, I was in and couldn't wait to read it... and while that's not always a bad thing, had I read further I might have been a little more prepared for some things that happened throughout the story. Simply put, this story takes on the difficult topic of miscarriage. As someone who has dealt with recurrent miscarriages, this is a topic that I am all too familiar with and one that can be a little triggering for me if I'm not expecting it. Again, it's hinted at in the blurb, so that was all on me but definitely wanted to point that out for anyone else who also needs that heads-up. That said, I think this book handled the topic very well. It felt very genuine and thoughtful, and I very much appreciated that. I think this definitely could have been a make-it-or-break-it moment for me in this book, and it made it.
It's also quite clear from the description that the main character here is having a child outside of marriage (hence the marriage of convenience), and that definitely might not appeal to all readers. I will say that I didn't feel like that topic was glorified in any way at all. The romance in this story is clean/closed door with nothing beyond kisses happening on the pages.
Overall, I really loved this story. It was a quick and often time entertaining read, with the realities of life's hardships blended in and handled with grace. I can't wait to read more in the series!
**I received an ARC for consideration. All opinions are my own.
emileereadsbooks's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Thanks to Remi Carrington for the free digital copy of this book! All opinions are my own.
Bluebonnet finds herself pregnant with a broken engagement. But Parker, her best friend's little brother, and the boy who followed them around her whole childhood steps in and proposes so she doesn't have to face being an unwed single mom in their conservative Texas town, she accepts despite the guilt she feels at ruining his chance at real love. But even though they are just friends, this is the best relationship she has ever been in, maybe a happily ever after with Parker is possible?
I flew through this book in a day. Which in this season of my life is very impressive! A captivating sweet rom com, it made me swoon over sweet Parker who is thoughtful and kind and, except for the cowboy part, reminds me of my own sweet husband.
My only slight quibble I have with this book is that it can be a stand alone book but I could feel the holes in my knowledge from not reading the rest of the series. I wish there had been a little more context about some of the side characters to flesh out my understanding a bit more.
This is a closed door romance.
Content Warning: <SPOILER> miscarriage <SPOILER>
Bluebonnet finds herself pregnant with a broken engagement. But Parker, her best friend's little brother, and the boy who followed them around her whole childhood steps in and proposes so she doesn't have to face being an unwed single mom in their conservative Texas town, she accepts despite the guilt she feels at ruining his chance at real love. But even though they are just friends, this is the best relationship she has ever been in, maybe a happily ever after with Parker is possible?
I flew through this book in a day. Which in this season of my life is very impressive! A captivating sweet rom com, it made me swoon over sweet Parker who is thoughtful and kind and, except for the cowboy part, reminds me of my own sweet husband.
My only slight quibble I have with this book is that it can be a stand alone book but I could feel the holes in my knowledge from not reading the rest of the series. I wish there had been a little more context about some of the side characters to flesh out my understanding a bit more.
This is a closed door romance.
Content Warning: <SPOILER> miscarriage <SPOILER>
bookwormwordnerd's review
4.0
This whole series is sweet and swoony cowboy romcom, set in a small town. This book in particular is a unique twist to the marriage of convenience and best friend’s brother tropes. Parker is an amazing guy—he was so attentive and loved Bluebonnet so well.
Things I Loved:
-Tea
-Goldie’s story
-More Mason
-The necklace
-Empty Lego box
-Ginger candy
-Singing in the shower
-Clementines & pickles (iykyk ♥️)
-“The funny thing is, John feels like a lifetime ago. And Dumplin’ feels like forever.”
-The end and the epilogue—so good.
I will admit that I was a little hesitant going into this one for reasons mentioned in the content and and trigger warnings, but aside from feeling like some reactions were a little stilted at the beginning, I ended up really enjoying this story and how things unfolded. It wasn’t too heavy and it was really heart-warming. I love the found-family aspect in both the ranch and in Parker’s family, and how both MCs grew and learned through hard circumstances.
Content: This book starts with our FMC realizing that she is pregnant by her fiancé, who she quickly realizes is no good. Pre-marital sex is not glamorized and after marriage there is totally closed-door, not even fade-to-black, intimacy once.
Trigger Warning: Unplanned pregnancy, miscarriage
Things I Loved:
-Tea
-Goldie’s story
-More Mason
-The necklace
-Empty Lego box
-Ginger candy
-Singing in the shower
-Clementines & pickles (iykyk ♥️)
-“The funny thing is, John feels like a lifetime ago. And Dumplin’ feels like forever.”
-The end and the epilogue—so good.
I will admit that I was a little hesitant going into this one for reasons mentioned in the content and and trigger warnings, but aside from feeling like some reactions were a little stilted at the beginning, I ended up really enjoying this story and how things unfolded. It wasn’t too heavy and it was really heart-warming. I love the found-family aspect in both the ranch and in Parker’s family, and how both MCs grew and learned through hard circumstances.
Content: This book starts with our FMC realizing that she is pregnant by her fiancé, who she quickly realizes is no good. Pre-marital sex is not glamorized and after marriage there is totally closed-door, not even fade-to-black, intimacy once.
Trigger Warning: Unplanned pregnancy, miscarriage
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