#RandomHousePubGroupLoveswept Archives

This was a very fun and quick read. In fact, I read it in one day because I just couldn’t put it down. The author did a really great job of relaying those feelings that one gets in the early stages of a relationship, especially one that has been built upon years of friendship. The dialogue was crisp and witty, and the characters sounded like real people, not that stilted and contrived language that RomCom novels sometimes have. The friendships the characters shared, both male and female, were also fun. The only negative is of my own fault, because I didn’t realize that this was the last in a series, so there were references with secondary characters that I didn’t fully understand. That being said, even though I know the end results, I now have a new series that I can eagerly dig into. Oh, and (mini-spoiler alert) fans of a certain 90s sitcom will love the Epilogue. Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

She had me at “Ramen. Freakin’. Noodles.”

I LOVED this book! At first glance, it seemed like it would be just another “Alpha male player finds the one woman who changes his ways” book. While that is an underlying theme, to reduce it to something that simple would be a great disservice. Max has so many more layers, as does Charlie. The journey that they take as they war with each other is both heartwarming and hugely entertaining (the quotes at the beginning of each chapter help guide the reader; I’d suggest maybe citing them if possible). Kate Meader has a way of writing that doesn’t seem as stilted as many other authors in this genre. Her characters are likable and they “spoke” in a way that was very natural; Charlie, especially, reminded me of how my friends and I talk. Meader also writes descriptively. I never highlight passages in books, but I highlighted more than a few in this one. My favorite was “…familiar doubts have a habit of dropping acid into the crevices in my self-assurance.” By using her words beautifully, (Max would be proud), she gives more life to her characters’ feelings. I will be putting Meader in my “favorite authors” list, and look forward to reading more books by her!