I love a good love story, however this one was too sickly sweet. More a book for teenagers in the first throws of love than for me.

I would like to start by thanking NetGalley, Boldwood Books and everyone involved in allowing me early access to this ebook.

4.5 stars - “He loves me, he loves me not” was a book that came to me in a time of need and I will always have a special place in my heart for it!

I’m a lover of romance books, but, by now, I feel I’ve pretty much seen it all. Specially when considering contemporary romance. I mean, it’s always one of the same tropes, when it’s not an author trying to fit a lot of tropes in a single book. Well, “He loves me, he loves me not” is very far away from this experience and it came as fresh air for me!

In this story, we get a dual point of view, alternating between the male and female main characters. Hol was just trough a breakup that left some damages and will move in into her brother’s apartment, where her brother lives with his best friend, Dax. It’s true we have a trope (best friend’s sister) but it’s so cute and so far away from all the clichês!

I’ve loved the overall construct of the narrative, both the pacing and the details about the characters lives’, with Dax trying to carry on his father legacy and Hol trying to grow apart from her famous mother. I just couldn’t stop smiling to how cute these two were and honestly, I feel at this point romance books have ruined romance for me! Dax has put my, already super high expectations, higher than possible to met. I need a Dax asap, but if I can’t have him, I will keep on reading Aimee’s books!

This review is also going to be available on my Goodreads account and on my Instagram profile (@cat.literary.world) in the middle of December.

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for the arc, in exchange for an honest review.

Dax Hartley has made flowers his entire life, just like his late father did.
When his dad's old florist’s shop is up for sale, he has to have it. The only problem is, he'd need to sell a kidney to afford it.
Hollyn Matthews has made some colossal mistakes in life.
When she's dumped just as she's expecting an engagement ring, she knows she's put her heart into the wrong man. Hoping for a second chance at being a grown-up, she moves home to stay with her brother and his best friend Dax, a boy whose memory faded as she ran away from her past.

Sorry to say but this book just wasn't for me. I tried very hard to like it but it's just me and opinions.
sorry again,

I know I read an advanced copy of the book, but this felt very first draft to me. Several times information was repeated in two consecutive paragraphs. The nearly insta-love didn't make much sense, Hollyn had just been dumped after an 8-year relationship.

And another personal note, why the weird YA fantasy names for the characters? Does no one have regular names anymore?

I'm hoping the final version of the book has been polished up.

Fun, quick read.
Dax is super-swoony, but also a big dork. Holly is funny and relatable (hello to my anxiety).
Lots to unpack with the end of Hollyn's relationship, the relationships with her parents, her lack of self-confidence and the history with Dax. But a fun ride throughout.
I laughed, I cried, I didn't want to put it down but finally did and promptly finished the next evening.
Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the eARC.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I like the premise of this book. It was sweet but I couldn't stand Hollyn's family.

What I loved:
- Dax. The boy next door, the brothers best friend. He's got it all. Charming, sexy, slightly nerdy, a sweetheart, tattooed and a florist.
- Hollyn's character growth. She started off very broken and insecure but with Dax's help she finds her self-worth and happiness

What I didn't like:
- Hollyn's family was terrible. I did not enjoy reading how terrible they sometimes treated her.
- the time stamps were unnecessary
- the writing style was not very captivating, thus I skimmed quite a bit

He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not tells the story of Hollyn and Dax. They’ve known each other since they were young, Dax being Hollyn’s brother’s best friend and all. He has been in love with her since he was twelve years old and has been heartbroken when Hollyn decided to disappear with her then boyfriend Tristan. After a few years, she comes back to town, having made a lot of poor life decisions, and has been dumped by her ex-boyfriend and losing a lot of money he stole from her. Dax, now a flower shop owner, and Hollyn, who’s trying to bring back up her life, reconnect through the reality show Battle of the Blossoms, wherein Hollyn will be his assistant.

The beginning of the story was quite slow, although I must give it to Hollyn, her reaction to her breakup with Tristan was epic. I loved how she stood up for herself at that moment, although one might say it wasn’t enough (it’s never enough btw once they’ve hurt you). I loved Hollyn’s growth as a person in this story, having support from her friend Mercy, brother River, her parents, and most of all Dax. Dax is really good for her and makes her realize that her insecurities are not to be bothered with – she alone was a fighter.

I especially loved Dax’s character, he’s very sweet and caring – and did I mention he falls first? I loved the pining! And while Dax’s feelings brought them together, I feel like Hollyn’s romantic feelings for Dax lacks depth. Maybe the pacing of how their relationship came about was too fast? I felt Dax’s feelings for Hollyn was immensely strong and overwhelming as compared to Hollyn’s – it was quite underwhelming.

I found the ending underwhelming as well. An issue with Tristan that I feel like should have been resolved by Hollyn was a missed opportunity.

Overall, I found He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not entertaining enough. Rating this ⭐⭐⭐/5. Releases December 8th, 2022!

Thank you, Netgalley and Aimee Brown for the ARC!

3 stars.

This story follows Dax, a budding florist trying to buy his late fathers old flower shop, and Hollyn, who has spent the last near decade trying to leave her family in the past. When Hollyn is unexpectedly dumped and swindled by her much older boyfriend she makes her way back to her hometown to start mending the broken relationships she left behind.

Overall, I enjoyed He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not. However, there was quite a bit that I did not love. The writing felt a bit flat to me. I had a hard time differentiating between Dax and Hollyns point of view and often had to look back to see who's perspective I was reading. I also wasn't a fan of Hollyn's lack of character development. (view spoiler) There were several paragraphs I found myself rereading because Hollyn would do a complete 180 out of nowhere. I also was not a fan of her constantly putting herself down, especially when so many people were lifting her up.

Now that I got that out of the way, here are a few things I did like:
1. Dax's honesty through literally the entire book. The man is a saint, honestly.
2. The dynamic between River and Mercy.
3. Mercy, River, Brynn, Jake, Hollyns parents - they were honestly fabulous and I didn't feel like any part with them was meant to be "filler".
4. The bits and pieces that acknowledged Hollyns previous relationship was abusive and manipulative.
5. The friendship Dax and Hollyn reignited.
6. The super sweet epilogue!!

I really enjoyed this book! It was short, sweet, and swoony - all things I look for in a cute romance. The best friend’s sister is an elite trope, and I thought it was really well done along with childhood friends to lovers and a dash of unrequited love. Dax was the sweetest man ever and I loved seeing Hollyn’s journey and her coming into her own after getting out of a very toxic relationship. There were a few things I felt could have been flushed out a bit more, but overall this was really good! I can definitely see it being adapted into a Netflix romcom.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC.

This book was so much fun.
Brother's best friend trope? Yes!
Forced proximity? Hell yeah!
Childhood friends? Also a yes!
The guy falls first? Give me already!
A florist, tall and dark haired love interest? Say no more!

Dax had me wrapped around his finger from page one. Also, he has flower pun T-shirts! I mean, come on! How cute is that?
Hollyn's character was pretty relatable. She was just dumped and had to start over her life in a different state. She had her baggage and issues but I liked her personality.
This is my second room-mates by chance book this month and I'm not complaining. I always love a good forced proximity trope.
The whole flower contest thing was adorable, I loved how Dax and Hollyn worked together.
It was a super quick and entertaining read!

This book was so much fun and oh so sweet!
A florist, tall and dark haired love interest? Say no more! Dax had me wrapped around his finger from page one. Hollyn's character was pretty relatable. She has had her life turned upside down and needs to restart. She's got things to work, and who doesn't. I always love a good forced proximity trope. It was an entertaining read!
I received this ARC from NetGalley and reviewed it voluntarily. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book; I appreciated getting an early look at this sweet novel.

This was a very cute story. I enjoyed the storyline, and the interaction between the characters. I liked how the floral aspect was woven through the book. My (very slight) annoyance was that the heroine was a bit selfish and the hero was almost too good to be true.

This was the perfect book for a rainy day read and I look forward to reading the next books in this series!!

5 stars! Such a cute, romantic book. It was easy to predict the outcome however that didn't matter in this book. You instantly fall in love with Dax and it was nice to see that the lead female character, Hollyn, in fact did not have her life together. It isn't often that authors show that side of the lead female. River is the brother that I always wanted. Please please please make a second book!

Cute rom com with the classic second chance romance and brother’s best friend tropes, two of my favorites. Hollyn and Dax were both a bit down on their luck, but when they are suddenly back in each other’s lives for the first time in years, things start to turn around once they have new opportunities. This was a easy, sweet read and the characters were all fun.

Quite a nice, sweet story but the amount of bad language was a bit off-putting, but a guy selling flowers is quite lovely

This book takes us through Hollyn and Dax’s story. A classic, best friends sister trope with some lovely touches.
Hollyn is a lovely, if naive character. Just out of an unhealthy relationship which ends horrifically, she is like a lost soul.
Dax has loved her forever, but it’s never been the right time / right place plus there’s the ‘bro code’
Dax is utterly swoon worthy - handsome, fit, kind, considerate, great in bed and a florist! Sign me up!
Hollyn and Dax are paired together in a floristry reality show and I loved watching their relationship blossom.
A good read, I very much enjoyed

Oh my goodness this book is so so sweet!! I think Dax is my new book boyfriend!! He is everything every woman wants in a guy! Hollyn ( love that name!) Is so genuinely amazing that you feel for her right away and cannot help but connecting to her story. When I wasn't reading I was thinking about this book! It is such a good story and it hooked me in right away! I highly recommend it!!

I loved this book! It was entertaining from start to finish. I loved the characters. It was sweet and funny. There were moments when I laughed out loud. It was full of some of my favorite romance tropes. I was rooting for these characters from the beginning. I could feel the chemistry. If you're looking for a great rom-com then check this one out.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Tropes:
- brother's best friend
- forced proximity
- second chance romance

He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not was freaking adorable! I loved Hollyn and Dax so much. The banter between these two had me rolling! Their story is lighthearted and fun, and I binged this in one sitting!

I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.