Emily Henry's latest stole my heart!
I loved this book. My husband asked what I was listening to because I was smiling so much. Some moments tugged on my heartstrings, but this story made me feel happy while reading it.
This is a slow burn, friends to lovers, fake dating, forced proximity, opposites attract with a children's librarian, literary references, and found family. It's a well-crafted and engaging romance with likable, relatable characters. And each character feels like someone you could know in real life.
The main characters, Daphne and Miles, had a dynamic that was swoon-worthy and deeply emotional. They were friends first, which made their blossoming relationship even more heartwarming. Both had past family trauma, and the author touched on some complex issues through them, leading to tender moments and character growth. The chemistry and romantic tension between them were palpable. I loved them both, but Miles is my favorite MMC Henry has written. He is perfectly imperfect, humble, exceptionally kind, a great guy, and hot, too.
Henry's talent for witty dialogue is on full display in this book. And it isn't just the MCs who get great lines. The secondary characters also get funny and insightful scenes, making them endearing. I adored the friendships in this one. This will stand out among my top reads of the year with its blend of humor, heart, heat, and hope.
I alternated between the ebook and audiobook and enjoyed both formats. Julia Whelan narrates the audiobook and shows again what a talent she is! I love her voice. She embodies all the characters with nuance and emotion, and her narration adds another layer of depth to the story.
My steep was All Chai'd Up from The Chai Box with a splash of coconut milk. Daphne drinks chai in the book, and this one is my fave!
PUBLISHER'S SYNOPSIS:
A shimmering, joyful new novel about a pair of opposites with the wrong thing in common.
Daphne always loved the way her fiancé Peter told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it…right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.
Which is how Daphne begins her new story: Stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.
Scruffy and chaotic—with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heart break love ballads—Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned up Daphne, whose coworkers know so little about her they have a running bet that she’s either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them?
But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex…right?
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