Thank you NetGallery for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

This book features a second chance romance between two old high school buddies Aiden and Claire. Fanning old flames with unresolved issues in the description drew me in as a reader, and I really hoped I was going to love this one.

I loved that there were short chapters, and it was such a quick pace in the beginning. I felt like the character development was a little rough due to this, and it was hard to really become invested as a reader because of this. The chemistry and grumpy/sunshine dynamic made up for this! The miscommunication between the pair lead to cheating - which is where I was lost. This is a reader issue - not necessarily an author issue. This is just a trope I personally can't get behind, and I no longer felt I could root for this couple. Others may love it so take that as you will.

My latest ARCs have been underwhelming so my expectations were low starting this book. However, I was pleasantly surprised with Crossing the Line! When the book begins we meet Aiden, who is clearly leading an unfulfilling life as he drinks away his first day of forced time off from work. His vacation takes a dramatic turn when Claire walks into the bar, fresh from discovering her boyfriend cheating on her. Aiden & Claire attended the same high school at opposite ends of the social spectrum. They weren’t friends, but did share one meaningful night together before graduation.

As the two converse, Claire decides to seize the moment and spontaneously take a train ride to Florida. Refusing to allow her to travel intoxicated, Aiden accompanies her on the trip. What ensues is a sweet second chance romance as the pair overcome hang ups from their previous relationships, as well as explore the unmentionable evening they shared in high school.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 - I enjoyed this book and I will definitely at Heather Garvin to my TBR in the future!

There have been so many cute covers lately and this cover was no exception. Loved the book as a cute little romance with great development throughout the book. They have the second chance trope which is one of my favorites. Honestly not the great American novel but something that I would recommend to friends.

The short chapters helped me get through this quite quickly. However the characters were not likeable at all in my opinion. Especially Aiden.

The story follows two characters who were former classmates and then bump into eachother again 3 years later.
The story contains the miscommunication trope which I do not personally like.

Overall I’d say the pacing is medium/fast. The character development is poor and did not like this.

2.5/5 stars

Crossing the Line has a great plot–newly single Claire runs into an old highschool acquaintance Aiden right after breaking up with her long-time boyfriend. They wind up on a train going to Florida, to a town Aiden once lived in, and where Claire has never been. Both of them are dealing with past relationship issues and fighting the growing attraction that’s always kind of been there between them but has never been addressed–till now.

I love the dialogue and the characters. They were interesting and refreshing. Both of them are trying to deal with emotional baggage as best as they can. I found myself consuming this book voraciously–up to a point.

That point was what I felt was a bit of an overly contrived plot for the two main characters to not work out. There are a lot of ways this could have been done without choosing this particular option which I’m not going to say because spoiler. But for me it made what would be a solid four star read, drop to a three.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tuskan Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Aiden didn’t expect to see Claire for the first time since high school at his favorite bar. He definitely didn’t expect to be on a train with her to Florida a couple hours later. Claire was looking for an escape after facing heartbreak, and it’s not her fault Aiden didn’t think she should go to Florida alone. Turns out, they were both running. But one was running from something, and the other was running to it.

This was a really cute story. I loved how Aiden so quickly remembered all the little things about Claire from high school, even though they hadn’t really interacted much. And I liked the easy way that she was able to trust him after all these years. Aiden’s friends were funny, and I especially loved how Em was able to wrangle the boys and call them out when they were being dumb.

One of my least favorite tropes is miscommunication, or a complete lack of it. But despite that being a factor, I really enjoyed how the plot progressed. I would definitely be interested in reading a second in a series after the epilogue! 3.5 stars rounded down to 3.

Reunited high school mates that has a secret connection no one ever knows. Two brokenhearted people. Impulsive decision for a sudden train to Florida trip together. Two rules: no flirting and no running. Will they keeps the rule on the-might-be-their-life-altering-trip they ever had?

This is a charming, wholesome, emotional, and add some little spice book, then voila.. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT! It has dual POVs with short chapters, that will make you can't stop turning the pages--and I finished this in one day because how engaging and easy to read this book is!

I'm enjoying every chapters, the characters are extremely adorable and I can feel how genuine their feelings are, along with their broken trust and issues they had. I love the way they reunited and their way of getting to know each other again. Trying to open-up their wounded selves while still guarding their hearts out after failed relationships. The conversations between Aiden and Claire are flowing naturally, even the narratives and their thoughts are so intriguing! It shows the emotions they have and I love seeing two perspectives. The way it's written really defines the slow-burn-romance trope. The chemistry and sexual tension between them are enough to makes me flush. And when they realize their feelings for each other, even after some bumps along the way, it just hits right and makes my heart bursts happily! Not gonna lie, I'm literally holding my smile and having a hot-red face while reading this.

Overall, it has been a refreshing, feels good, and slightly emotional read for me. It reminds me of Before Sunrise movie--which is my one of lifetime favourite movie--so, 4.25/5 stars for this

P.S: I love how the characters are owning up their own mistakes, and the way they reconcile it's just so endearing!

Thanks NetGalley and Tuskan Publishing for providing the e-ARC of in exchange for an honest review!

I loved every moment of this. There weren’t any dull, boring moments whatsoever. Aiden is incredibly funny and I couldn’t stop relaying to him and laughing at literally anything and everything he had to say.
We also see a growth to Claire that makes us aww at how far she’s come.
Lots of up and down, but delivered in the best way possible.
It seriously makes you crave a 30hour train ride to Florida just to see what can happen.
(Review will be up on bookstagram on the 6th December)

This coming-of-age romance was so entertaining! Now is the time to fully live your life, make reckless or rushed decisions, and follow your heart. Claire and Aiden seem to be following this pattern, too!

When they got on that train to Florida, I couldn't put the book down. The slow chapters and fast-paced plot kept me going until I was finished! This book reminded me how fun coming-of-age romances are!

Near the end, the end felt a bit flat to me due to the trope used, but I still liked the story overall.

I did not expect to like this one so much, but it was really good and relaxing!

This is a cute story! I liked Aiden and Claire right from the start and was cheering for them all the way! The dialogue was so well written and made this story so enjoyable. Will definitely be looking out for more books by Garvin!

This book was such a good, easy, fun, short read, I flew through it within a day!
There was lots of chemistry between the main characters, they had great development throughout the story, and the writing style of this Grumpy/Sunshine was very well done!
This was super lightheaded, and such a big page turner, and had a cute different story!
The pace was well done, and the emotional baggage was relatable on many ends, overall, I thoroughly enjoyed it and I definitely recommend it!

3 stars- this was a super cute quick easy read. I loved the storyline and the premise intrigued me with the two main characters reconnecting after high school, however in places I felt that it fell flat and was rushed. It would have been nice to have a bit more depth to the characters and their backstories

This was a really cute, quick read. I really liked the characters and I liked seeing them reconnect and get to know each other again. The epilogue was also really cute, gave me all the warm fuzzy feelings!
The chapters in the book were also really short, I always love books with lots of short chapters so that was another bonus because it just kept me wanting to read more.

I have loved every bit of this book! What a great adventure it was!
Aiden really fought for Claire and their love, this book has a HEA!

Let me just say I really enjoyed this book! It was quick-paced, easy to read, with interesting characters. Slow burn/grumpy sunshine. Short chapters kept me reading. It was all the things I look for in a fun romance read.
It’s original and the characters and naturally flawed. They are impulsive and do stupid things but they have history and feel real. There was nothing in this story that felt forced.

Thank you Tuksan Publishing LLC for an early copy of Crossing the Line by Heather Garvin. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. 🤍

Crossing the Line is a second chance romance about Aiden and Claire. A night baring each other's problems when they were in high school and never speaking again after that; they were attracted to each other for sure, but that night left a lot of unspoken and unrealized feelings between them. Years later, Claire gets into a bar and finds Aiden, and they both spontaneously travel to Florida.

I wanted to love this book, but somehow it feels like I'm just reading thoughts of whiny characters. While I appreciate the fast-pacing of the story, the chemistry between Aiden and Claire feels forced. We're being told about their past and reading about their attraction to each other at the same time - it just doesn't feel coherent in a sense.

I totally get Aiden's hesitation to be with Claire - she just got out of a relationship and Aiden doesn't want to be a rebound, especially that he has deep feelings for her far from being just friends. Claire meanwhile just throws herself at Aiden and girl - marupok ka (fragile; can't help/control feelings).

Rating Crossing the Line ⭐⭐/5.

This book falls under the “just fine” category for me. I’m not really a huge fan of chapters only being two or three pages. It made the constantly switching perspectives weird. I thought the storyline was OK but also felt a little forced. The friends were nice, but everything just felt pretty surface level with a small attempt to make things feel deeper. The instill love wasn’t my cup of tea maybe this would connect better with other people but for me it just didn’t feel like anything special. One chapter has a little bit of spice but overall it’s just a story of two people claiming they’re in love after one weekend. 2/5🌶

3.5 ⭐️

I really wanted to love this book but I just felt like something was missing or keeping me from truly connecting with the book and its main characters. I love the idea of the book being a sort of second chance romance with the mcs knew of each other in high school but never really pushed for more and then they reunite years later. It just felt like these characters were too familiar with each other which is great but also left me feeling like I missed something.

I enjoyed following their time and Florida and getting to know the “Florida friends” and I feel they just brought so much fun to the story. I especially loved Em and Ethan and would LOVE to read their story. I don’t like the miscommunication trope. This third-act breakup was a little frustrating and had me pushing to get through it but I was definitely worth it in the end.

I love short chapters and this book had them and it made for a great easy read! I absolutely adored the epilogue though it was just so sweet ♥️

Thank you to NetGalley and Tuskan Publishing for and eARC in exchange for an honest review

Crossing the Line was an unexpected surprise!! I flew threw this read and finished it in less than a day. The novel was funny, cute, and fast-paced. 

I liked both of the main characters and loved that we got both of their point of views. The only problem I had was with the third act conflict: it made me like one of the main characters less, which hurt considering the love I had for the rest of the book. 

I’m so glad I got the chance to read this book, and I’ll definitely keep an eye out for other novels Heather Garvin releases. 

Thanks to Victory Editing NetGalley for providing me this arc!

Release date: December 6
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spicy level: 🔥🔥.5/5

I simply adored this story between Claire and Aiden.
Sometimes you just have to go with your gut and travel to the beach over night with someone you went to high school with.
I couldnt put this book down. Will definitely be reading more of Heather Garvin's books in the future