3.5/5.

vibes: body positivity, slow burn, friends to lovers, modern romance

Heat Index: 7/10

Approaching thirty, Aaliyah is facing pressure from all sides--pressure to get married from her family, pressure in particular to lose weight (in order to get married) from some, and pressure to live up to her departed sister... which may be, in many ways, internal. Setting out to find a serious boyfriend, she embarks on a journey of online dating at the prompting of hot and helpful bartender Ahmad. Though the apps are a haphazard, she's thinking of Ahmad more and more. Could her determined dating be taking her further away from her actual soulmate?

Mixed feelings on this one. The writing is good, the voice is great (and I listened to this in audio--loved the narrator, she imbued everyone with so much personality and individuality), and the story is in many ways relatable and authentic. Maybe, when it came to the apps, a little too authentic. Aaliyah and Ahmad have a great chemistry, and there's a lot of heart.

So... why am I not in love with it? Some of it is probably me--I'm not exactly a lover of the slow burn. However, I think that the lack of solid obstacles in Aaliyah and Ahmad's way, especially when she is SO motivated to get off the apps, doesn't really track to me, and comes off as a bit contrived. I kept on thinking... Why aren't they just... together? It's the kind of story that would play better onscreen, I think, where we can take note more of the microexpressions and little moments that suggest the struggle.

That being said, it is, again, a solid book. The pressures surrounding Aaliyah's weight feel really authentic, and I liked how the book dealt with fatphobia without making it the center of the story (something I find a lot of stories fall into, unfortunately). I also really loved how sex positive the narrative was throughout, and the way Aaliyah's conflicted feelings about her sister's death were handled.

I mean, I'm 29 and feeling the heat from turning 30. A lot of what Aaliyah goes through feels painfully real--right down to the perils of the apps. And who knows? Maybe it hit a little too close to home for me, and maybe that affected my perception of the pacing. But, while I'd recommend this to many readers seeking out a summery, hot (in many ways) contemporary romance, it didn't QUITE hit the mark for me.

The Sex:

Super hot--Danielle Allen knows how to write a sex scene, and despite the slow burn, you get a good bit of it in this one. In fact, the novel opens with a sex scene that is NOT with the hero. I found this pretty bold for the romance genre (which, as we all know, often rejects on-the-page sex with anyone who isn't the main love interest, especially for women), and it made Aaliyah feel way more like a real person who lives in our real world.

If you're looking for a beach read with a good bit of heat and heart--I'd recommend checking this out. The back copy compares it to Bridget Jones; and I'd say that's accurate. Which, hey, is a pretty great compliment in my book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with a copy of this audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

“I want you to know that my happiness isn't tied to being with a man or racing to the altar or having children. My happiness is tied to me living a life that I love and am proud of. My happiness is centered around me and what I want."