A review by bookedinsideout
If You Love Something by Jayce Ellis
4.0
I’m not usually the biggest fan of second-chance romances, but it was a square on the Reading the Rainbow challenge and this one sounded pretty good to me. It was definitely a good one for a “starter” — not too much angst, no big hurt or anything, just wanting different things and not to get in each other’s way. The friendship between their dogs was adorable, the food and restaurant environment was a great place to “live” for 300 pages, and they grandma was a delight. (They were both really loveable too.)
As much as I love the fake dating trope, sometimes the way it comes about is from family members pushing boundaries, setting unrealistic expectations, and not letting the people they love just be and figure things out for themselves. Grandma wasn’t like that at all (she was actually in on the “fake” part), just being there for the two of them to talk and gently guiding them where she knew they were heading because she actually listened to them.
As a reader I loved how little angst there was and how it was clear that both still loved and were attracted to each other, so one niggling thing was that they were both afraid to tell the other that they wanted their relationship to continue after the timeline was up. I’d get why they might not know for sure if their relationship was mainly in the public eye for fake dating purposes, but they had been living together, cooking for each other, giving each other massages, and moved from the guest room into one bed for weeks! I don’t think their dogs would forgive them if they went their separate ways! This was my first book by Jayce Ellis and now they’re definitely on my list!
As much as I love the fake dating trope, sometimes the way it comes about is from family members pushing boundaries, setting unrealistic expectations, and not letting the people they love just be and figure things out for themselves. Grandma wasn’t like that at all (she was actually in on the “fake” part), just being there for the two of them to talk and gently guiding them where she knew they were heading because she actually listened to them.
As a reader I loved how little angst there was and how it was clear that both still loved and were attracted to each other, so one niggling thing was that they were both afraid to tell the other that they wanted their relationship to continue after the timeline was up. I’d get why they might not know for sure if their relationship was mainly in the public eye for fake dating purposes, but they had been living together, cooking for each other, giving each other massages, and moved from the guest room into one bed for weeks! I don’t think their dogs would forgive them if they went their separate ways! This was my first book by Jayce Ellis and now they’re definitely on my list!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness and Cancer
Minor: Death