A review by teabr
Build You Up by Claudia Ambrose

3.0

3.5 ⭐️

Cute, Autumn Vibes/ Halloween romance novel!

This book was such a cute read for this time of year. The Book is set in a small town called Falling Leaves. The town is decorated with fall and Halloween decor giving you all the fall feels while reading. If you are looking for something sweet and cozy to read this would be a great option for you :)

This book is your typical small romance, second chance love trope, which I enjoy! The book started off a bit slow for me.. the begining didn’t catch my attention too much, a slow burn-ish. I was ready for the romance to start. Most of the chapters in the beginning focused on the past, the businesses (the pumpkin and elis and daughter) and the pagent. As a personal preference I hoped that there would be more focus on the second chance romance rather than other events occurring in the book. There were some parts that were suspenseful and made me a bit nervous haha (not in a bad way, you’ll see why).

I enjoyed the characters. Sabrina and Brandon were great mains. Sabrina is a Tom boy , the contractor and wood worker the daughter of the dad’s business. She is funny and gives off some attitude not letting people walk all over her. Unless it is her mother. Brandon is her childhood ex boyfriend.. he struggles with grief and loss and hates Falling Leaves.. he is a genuinely caring guy who cares for his friends , family and staff.

Overall, I think this book is a great read. I loved the ending and it made up for the slower beginning. It would be cute to see what happens after and perhaps at story about her brother Caleb.

Closed door spice.

Topics and Tropes:
- childhood boyfriend
- firsts
- ex lovers
- second chance
- small town
- enemies to lovers
- autumn / Halloween setting
- loss and grief
- Inn
- Suspense/ Creepy events
- Pageants
- Family & Friends
- Small town gossips
- heartbreak


Thank you Sunny Babe PR & Claudia for the ARC