This started out strong. Fox and Hannah were likeable supporting characters in the first book in the series, and I was certain their romance would be epic. Instead, it was epically…not great. Not bad, but not great. Fox is a mess. He has so many emotional and unhealthy viewpoints about romance, women, and sex. This was truly his coming-of-age story as he dealt with the deeply unhealthy thoughts and habits he had woven into his psyche over the years. I don’t mind a tortured protagonist, and his issues were certainly valid and worth exploring, I just didn’t expect it to be explored in what I considered a light hearted romance. I also hated, HATED, how dismissed he was by everyone, especially his mother and Brendan. I get Brendan is not someone interested in diving deep into feelings, but his constant berating of Fox and Fox's potential relationship with Hannah just rubbed me the wrong way.
Hannah’s story arc was much more dynamic than Fox’s story. She had always felt like a supporting character in her own life so her learning to put herself out there, both for herself and her professional goals, was enjoyable. What was not enjoyable was her essentially becoming a woman with little to no flaws. Fox constantly talked about how sweet and wholesome and good Hannah was and, sure, I agree. But toward the end it was like Hannah had conquered all of her unique flaws to become this saint. She dipped her toe out of a sainthood for a minute during the last 10 percent, but then she sprang back to sainthood again.
I don’t know, I’m certainly rambling on. I expected a sweet, lighthearted romance between two adorable characters. I got a not lighthearted romance that explored some dark places with little to no progression of the main male lead’s issues until the end of the novel. I’m glad I gave it a shot on its own merit by reading it several years after the first book, but it just did not have the charm or spice to make it memorable on its own.
✋ Disclaimer: ARC approved and provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Read if you like: 🏠 Small town setting | ❤️ Friends-to-lovers | 🎣 Fishing
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