⭐⭐⭐.5

I received an arc copy of this from Atria Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Summary
Piper and Kyle had a life-changing, whirlwind romance 13 yeas ago when they were counselors at Camp Wawa. But after a terrible accident, Kyle mysteriously disappeared from Piper's life.
Now Piper is the Senior VP at her father's architecture company Calloway Group where she's struggling to enforce her authority and forced to work along side her obnoxious ex-fiancé. Things at work become even more complicated when Kyle suddenly reappears as the office's newest security guard. And he doesn't even remember her name.

Overview
➸ POV - This is told in 1st person in alternating timelines - Today and 2006 - from Piper's POV

➸ Piper Calloway - 29, Senior VP at Calloway Group being groomed to become President/CEO, Privileged, Counselor at Camp Wawa in 2006

➸ Kyle Stewart [Miller] - 30, Difficult family life, New security guard at Calloway Group, Counselor at Camp Wawa in 2006

➸ Content Warnings: Drug addiction, Divorce, I don't know how to word this without being spoilery- so read this at your own risk Brain Injury due to accident

My Thoughts
I won't lie I had pretty low expectations going into this book after reading all of the early reviews. But I was pleasantly surprised by how much I ended up enjoying this! This story gave me The Proposal/Hallmark movie vibes and I was all for it.

Piper is in a position of authority at a very young age and struggles with sexism and a general lack of respect from her peers and employees. I appreciated that this was highlighted without feeling over the top. Sometimes I feel like this theme can be overdone to make a point but K.A. Tucker handled it with such finesse that it felt very true to life. I hurt for Piper during some of the interactions and unnecessary battles she had to wage to prove her worth.

I really loved the flashbacks! I know this was hot button topic when this book was released because a lot of people were saying that too many of the steamy scenes occurred while they were underage. But I personally felt like it was handled really well. 1) People under the age of 18 have sex and 2) all of the scenes were fade to black. So it's not like there was much explicit detail at any point.

While the tension and chemistry between Kyle and Piper was absolutely palpable, I did feel as though their relationship lacked substance. They essentially see each, meet, and immediately become involved and serious. It felt borderline insta-lovey in my opinion and despite the multiple chapters of backstory, I wanted more insight into why these 2 actually liked each other.

This may come across cold, but my least favorite part of this book was the final reveal/arc about their friend from camp. It felt like such a random addition to the book that honestly didn't bring much to the story or message in my opinion. I also became annoyed by the number of breakups/reconciliations the MCs went through.

Overall I thought this was a fun, lighthearted romance that absolutely screamed summer beach read. I love K.A. Tucker's writing and she crafts such flawed but intriguing characters. If you need a beach read or book to remind you of warmer weather this winter, definitely check this one out!

Review also shared on my blog!