I love when I read a new to me author and I just automatically click with their writing. I enjoyed every single moment of this!! There really is nothing I love more than seeing hard working women who give so much get loved in return in all the ways they deserve. Delilah was a sweet angel baby who deserved the world and Matteo was a king amongst men. Loved loved loved them and this book.

My first ever tennis romance and it will not be my last. Do I know anything about tennis?? Not really and some of the terminology and the way scoring works went over my head, but I still had so much fun with it. It was fascinating to see their dedication in the off season and how much time they spent perfecting their craft. I wish we could have seen more of the tournaments and what its like during the season, but that's just cause I'm so curious about it all now!

From the moment we met Matteo, I knew he was such a goner for Delilah and that only became more apparent the further we got, which says a lot considering that this book was single POV. I did not need his POV to know how much this man pined for her. And we love to see it!! I also really enjoyed getting past his hard exterior and seeing that softer side of him. The more we learned about him and his backstory, the more it became clear how misunderstood he was and I'm so happy that Delilah could bring the love and joy in his life that he'd been missing for so long. I could cry thinking about how lonely he must have been before her.

Delilah was sunshine personified and I honestly don't know how she did it with everything she had on her plate. It wasn't just that she had a sunny disposition, it was her general outlook on life. She was an optimist who embodied positive thinking in a way that felt genuine and not at all contrived. She was handed a shit hand that could have easily jaded her, but she didn't let it and I admired her so much for it. It killed me to see her work herself to the bone and take on all of her families financial issues, especially when it would go unappreciated, but I did like the resolution with her family. The growth, the tough conversations - ugh it hurt but it was all necessary.

The romance was everything. I loved how, once they got past their initial growing pains, they connected so easily. Matteo knew Delilah inside and out and it was kinda cute hoe oblivious she was to the way he felt about her. I loved them so much.

The side characters were also great and I cannot wait to continue this series to read more about them!! They felt like such a real friend group that you'd want to be a part of. I am so excited for the rest of their stories.

I received an advanced copy of this book at no charge. This is my honest, voluntary review.

My hats off to Beth O'Leary for writing such a clever, heartfelt story about new beginnings, found family, and healing. This book started off as one thing and ended as another. I absolutely loved it.

The whole premise of the story was iconic rom-com tom foolery. Both our main characters ending up on Ormer Island claiming to have been offered the role of the manager at the farm shop AND both of them being named Charlie Jones?? Ridiculous in the most endearing way lmao. I'm glad girl Charlie went by Charlie and boy Charlie went by Jones to make them easy to keep track of lol.

The setting of Ormer Island was one of my favorite parts. It was so quaint and I loved how nosy, yet kind, all of the town residents were. They were very protective of the community they built, so I gave them grace for being stand-off ish towards Jones and Charlie, but I didn't care how much more lenient they were towards Jones than Charlie. I didn't think that was fair and they should have been equally as wary towards them both.

It was beautiful to see both Jones and Charlie find their place in Ormer. They each had their own baggage they were dealing with and demons they were trying to get rid of, but little by little, they came back to life. Their connection was undeniable from the start and, though it took some time, I'm glad they found their way to a happy ever after with each other in a way that made sense for them.

I feel like I can't say much more without spoiling some big plot points. Ms. O'Leary threw my for loop with this one lmao I am not gonna lie, I was confused there for a bit. I had to pause and work through it out loud to make sure I understood everything, but that being said, it was masterfully done and was such a clever twist for this book.

Definitely recommend! Would highly suggest reading a physical copy rather than the audiobook, if able.

Thank you Atria for the ARC!

Ok this was messy, entertaining, and surprisingly emotional! I could have easily devoured this in one sitting (nearly did - read 3/4ths of it in one day) and was completely engrossed in the story the entire time. It reminded me a lot of Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin, so if you liked that, then maybe give this one a shot.

I liked how the book was told in 3 different POVs: 1. Marigold, the bride 2. Natalie, the maid of honor and 3. Olivia, the bride's sister. It was fun to follow each of their storylines and to see how their stories interacted with each other's. It was peak romantic comedy, mixed in with some family drama, heartfelt moments, and a beautiful ending.

I thought the character growth was really well done and I was satisfied with each of our main character's endings. The prologue gave me an idea of where the story would go, but there were definitely some twist and turns that I didn't see coming.

This would be a perfect beach read for this summer. Would recommend!

Thank you Avon for the ARC!

Second chance romance + forced proximity is my kryptonite so I knew I just had to read this one!! There was a lot that I liked about this and I can't wait to read more from this author.

Right off the bat, I loved the diverse cast of characters and the different types of representation that we got in this book. Firstly, with our main couple, Owen and Jacob, both being trans men, but also through Owen's disability. There's nothing I appreciate more than reading outside of my own experience, especially when it's handled with such care like in this book. Also, the side characters definitely added to that as well!

I also loved the whole premise. Stuck on a cruise ship with your ex and your nosy, meddling friend group?? Sold. I liked all the rom com-esque antics that they got into and how it allowed Jacob and Owen to slowly find their way back to each other. This was definitely a slowww burn and there was only one spicy scene but my god it was so hot!! Well worth the wait lol.

While I did like a lot of this, I wouldn't be writing an honest review unless I mentioned how much of this fell flat for me. I think the potential was there for a lot and it just missed the mark. The forced proximity element could have been explored better. I feel like there wasn't enough tension considering their close quarters, often time the energy between them didn't feel charged like I'd hoped and just awkward more than anything.

I wanted to love Owen so bad, but he just was not my cup of tea. I think I'm too sensitive for his snark and general lack of warmth. I'm glad Jacob loved how sarcastic, dry, and sorta mean he could be, but it just wasn't for me. I did very much relate to him when it came to his feelings towards large crowds and how introverted he was though - maybe he was too much of a mirror for me lol. Jacob was so sweet and I loved how passionate he was about marine biology. His profession in general really intrigued me and it was so fun to read about.

The ending was also kind of unsatisfying. It felt like we were building up to so much more and then we get to the epilogue, and it still felt like only the start of something. Like, I can obviously make my own assumptions on what their life would look like after that, but I really needed a true epilogue, a glimpse into their future where they're finally actually together.

All that being said, I still enjoyed a lot and would absolutely check out more from this author!

Beth O'Leary will never not do it for me. She writes some of the most refreshing romances with such real characters that always end up packing an emotional punch. I loved this.

The initial premise of Leon and Tiffy sharing a flat but never at the same time because of their opposing schedules (she works a 9-5 and he works night shift) drew me in immediately, but I was entirely invested as soon as they started communicating via post it notes - all without them ever meeting. Bizarre but also kinda cute?? The notes were so fun and I love seeing them get to know each other through that way little by little.

There was a lot going on with the plot aside from that, but not in a bad way at all. It hit me in ways I wasn't even expecting. Tiffy slowly coming to the realization that she was in an emotionally abusive relationship with her ex and the subsequent PTSD from it was something I had forgotten I was very familiar with. I just wanted to hug Tiffy and tell her it would be ok. I thought the author did such a fantastic job writing the nuances of an emotionally abusive relationship - how subtle it is and how it can make you question everything, including yourself. I'm so glad that Tiffy had such a good support system and that she eventually allowed them to help. She was such a genuinely wonderful person who deserved so much love. Most importantly, I loved that Leon was patient, understanding, and just kind to her through it all. A king amongst men!!

Speaking of Leon, it was such a joy to see him come to life throughout this book. His POV took some time to get used to because of his kind of short, stilted way of thinking, but he was just the kind of guy who said very little, but when he did talk, it meant something. I loved his character so much.

The Richie storyline also pulled at my heart strings. I really liked how Tiffy went to bat for him and the kindness she showed him when he needed it the most. I just know how much that meant to Leon.

I didn't care for the third act conflict. Leon's actions felt incongruent with the patient, understanding man we had grown to know throughout this story. Granted, I know his mom's history played a big part in it all so I tried to give him some grace.

Overall, I loved the way the book wrapped up and the epilogue was perfect and entirely fitting for our characters. Definitely recommend!!

This was such a unique book that had me glued to my seat from the very first chapter. A love story that spanned over a thousand years and wow, what a journey!!

The premise was incredibly fascinating - they're reincarnated and find each other in every life? Except he has to kill her by their 18th birthday for reasons unknown to us. Rinse, repeat?? Sold. Honestly that alone had me hooked, but one of the things I really enjoyed about the story was how the author played with their genders, sexuality, location, socioeconomic class etc. to make this such a diverse story. It was really neat to go through different time periods with them and see how the world changed.

I also loved how the story unfolded. I thought the author perfectly interspersed chapters with their previous lives in between the present and revealed information at just the right time.

The ending was a whirlwind and ugh, my heart!! I was not ready for the story to end when we reached the last line. Beautiful writing and an incredible story. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was fantastic, however I ran into a lot of technical issues with the audiobook? A few parts that cut off and some really long pauses. It didn't bother me too much though.