This was my first book by Juliana Smith, and overall it was a mixed read for me. There were things I enjoyed a lot, especially the cozy vibes, but also a lot that didn’t work as well as I hoped.

Starting with what I liked the most, the autumn atmosphere in this book was amazing, it gave me all the cozy feelings. I also loved the whole book club setup, the book recommendation exchanges, and the way the characters annotated books for each other. As a book lover, I really ate that up. I also liked the touch of starting each chapter with a word and ending with Fletcher’s short POV, I think it gave the story some personality and variety.

Flora, as a character, was both charming and frustrating for me. She’s written as silly, childish at times, and an oversharer. Her self-deprecating humor got tiring because it felt constant, and I started wishing she would stop putting herself down so much. It almost felt like the story was saying: if a sweet, handsome guy likes you, then suddenly you’re allowed to feel better about yourself. That didn’t sit well with me. I also really wanted more character growth from Flora.

Fletcher was kind and sweet, and I appreciated how he treated Flora, but he didn’t feel very fleshed out as a character. I would have loved more backstory and depth for him.

The romance is where I struggled the most. The book is marketed as rivals-to-lovers, but it didn’t really feel like that. They only had a couple of “rival” moments, and then suddenly they were friends. From there, the romance didn’t feel like it grew naturally bur rather like the author was telling me they were falling for each other rather than showing it through genuine chemistry.

With friends-to-lovers, I love the little details: the hands brushing, the heart racing, the unspoken tension. That’s the spark that makes the romance exciting. But here, there was no real spark or tension. It honestly felt more like two friends who kissed each other than people truly falling in love. The “I love you” came out of nowhere. The ending itself was kind of cute, but it didn’t make up for the lack of chemistry throughout the book.

Also, there’s supposed to be a “secret” that the reader knows but Flora doesn’t, but honestly, it didn’t add much for me. It felt like filler. There were moments I enjoyed, but overall the pacing dragged. The book also touches on grief, but in such a light and superficial way that it didn’t feel meaningful. I really wish that had been explored with more depth.

There were also some clichés sprinkled throughout, which made parts of the book predictable.

This book had its sweet moments, cozy autumn vibes, and fun book-lover details. But the lack of real chemistry between the leads, the weak rivals-to-lovers setup, and the surface-level exploration of deeper themes kept it from being great.

I’m conflicted, because I did enjoy certain elements, but overall it left me wanting more. I think I’ll be generous and give it 3 stars.

Life's a bitch, but these bitches bite back harder 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️