Series: A Sweet Mess, #3
Traits & Tropes: friends to lovers; longing; I've loved you for years; soul searching; third act separation; anxiety rep; self discovery
Publication Date: 07.26.22
Genre/Setting: Contemporary; Weldon/Los Angeles, California, USA
Heat Level: 2
Rating: 4/5
Narration Rating: 4/5
Lizzy is so close to making partner in her law firm and finally fulfilling the dream her parents had for her life in L.A. She may have won her first trial, but the panic attack that caused her to pass out at the start of it was definitely not in her trial prep routine. Acknowledging her burnout, Lizzy decides to head to Weldon for a three-week vacation to get her head on straight and spend some time with her best friend since childhood, Jack Park.
Jack is surprised to see overachieving Lizzy in his small town, but he’s eager to spend as much time as possible with her over the next three weeks. He just has to make sure she doesn’t find out that he sees her as much more than a friend. He knows he’s not good enough for her and doesn’t want to risk their friendship on the unlikely chance that she would reciprocate his feelings.
When Lizzy decides to devote her vacation to giving the local bookstore an overhaul, Jack helps so he can spend time with her. But the more time these two spend together, the clearer it becomes that there is far more between them than a mere friendship.
This was a really cute friends to lovers romance. I’m a sucker for the ‘I’ve loved you for years’ pining and I really liked the narration. Lizzy’s tendency toward anxiety and living for the expectations of others was painfully relatable, as were Jack’s feelings of inadequacy. I loved that these two decided to take the jump together, but I do wish they’d had a more open discussion of their feelings sooner. They both had excellent finding themselves character arcs, but I would’ve loved it so much more if they’d undergone at least some of that growth and discovery together rather than apart. I found it very interesting that it was the male lead’s insecurities that wound up derailing the relationship, rather than the female’s; I think it’s nice to see a man humanized, to show that men struggle with self-esteem sometimes just as much as women do. We don’t see that too often in the alpha hero dominated world of romance, so I thought it was worth noting here. I think Jack and Lizzy brought out the best in each other and I found it very satisfying when they realized this too. I think they made an adorable couple and I especially loved that this book read like a love letter to romance books in general.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/1886717938
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4617111463
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