I HAVE TO SAY…

SYNOPSIS

Kimiko doesn’t believe in love, but since her grandmother put a stipulation in her will that Kim has to settle down by a certain date in order to inherit the family’s yarn store, Kim starts dating again.

What could happen?

RECAP AND REVIEW

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Tor Publishing and Bramble for an arc!

Happy Release Day!

This book is a part of an interconnected standalone romance series with two books so far. There are some cute callbacks to the first, but you don’t need to read both of the books or even read them in order in my opinion to understand what’s going on.

My review for the first book is here.

This book got me out of a slump and it’s to be determined if it’s going to put me back in one. From the first few pages I was cracking up because Kim’s date was so unserious and then somehow the terrible situation got worse. There was nothing I could do except laugh because it was just so awkward and uncomfortable. I could feel Kim’s pain.

I really liked that we only got Kim’s perspective in this book. I didn’t feel like anything was missing, especially because through Rob’s actions what was really going on was clear as day. Kim and Rob’s banter and playful teasing was so good, I was cheesing while reading it and looking forward for more of it.

Their romance is a slow burn, and we get moments of lingering touches and glances, and we get deep conversations where they really get to know each other outside of their best friend’s dating. By the end of the story, I believed they should be together because they complemented each other well. They have similar values and brought out the best in the other.

There are a few storylines going on, but they all helped us understand the world and Kim’s and Rob’s characters. We unpack some trauma here. By the end of the story, it all came full circle. I really enjoyed all of it and Opa (Kim’s grandfather) was so lovable. His character was my favorite side character, and he really added so much to the story and to Kim’s journey.

There is a third act break up, but I did think it was justified why they were both hurt and upset. This story shows how our past can impact us and how we show up in the future, what healthy and long-lasting relationships can look like, and the damage you to do yourself when you’re living your life based on other people’s expectations.

Read for:

🧶 Matchmaker Romance

🧶 FMC doesn’t believe in love x MMC yearns for love

🧶 Complicated relationship with their fathers

🧶 Wedding Settings

🧶Awful and fun dates

🧶Banter

OVERALL

Overall, I give this a 4.75 out of 5 stars.

My only real critique is that even though there is speculation in the book around her inheritance coming from her finding a relationship, I don’t know how much I buy that in practice. Also, though it didn’t bother me that much, Kim can be pretty cynical and some people might not like that.

I enjoyed this one even more than the first one! Good banter is going to get me every time and I enjoy this author’s writing style. Thank you to the publisher again for sending this to me!