From Alana Highbury, Amazon bestselling author, comes a slow burn Valentine's romance in a snowy small town

It was hate at first sight.

This is a sweet romance without explicit scenes, but it does contain some profanity and adult themes.

Thank you NetGalley and publishers, I was mildly disappointed by the concept of this book I kept wanting more it was very confusing at times because didn’t read the first book and a book shouldn’t depend so much on the first, both mc’s we’re well annoying and they definitely do not suit each other tbh they need a healthy relationship however this is a cute read if feeling bored or out of it but I would not recommend for someone trying to get out of a reading slump

summary: so this book features Peter, and Hazel, and a snow storm. keep in mind, peter and hazel aren't exactly the best of friends, so this may get dicy quickly.

footnotes: this book does contain mildly graphic descriptions of kissing, which were kind of long, so be aware of where you read this.

thoughts: i liked this book a lot! the characters were lovable and easy to relate to, and they felt nuanced and layered. the plot was mostly fun, but it did get predictable at times. i loved the enemies-to-lovers storyline, and it felt like the plot was very thought-out. the setting is in a snowstorm, and there are multiple ways that ties into the plot. the story was also mainly focused on the main characters, and didn't have any side characters taking up space. the romance had me swooning, and the kisses though graphic, made sense emotionally.

overall, perfect for someone who wants a quick, cute romance only centered around the main characters.

I wanted to like it. I love enemies to lovers, and the concept was cute, but I could not connect with the characters. I was annoyed by the female MC; the male MC seemed to be in the right. The dialogue was stiff and did more telling rather than showing.
This may read better when you've read the first book, but a good novel shouldn't rely on a previous book in the series to offer a connection to characters. I think this was trying to be a Pride and Prejudice retelling, but it just wasn't landing when that concept has been done so well in the past. I will not be reviewing it publically.

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for this ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This was definitely a cute read for a cold winter's day to snuggle in and stay cozy. It portrayed a true grump/sunshine trope that was enjoyable, but a bit slow in spots for my taste. I have to admit that the female main character started to annoy me at times. Hazel & Peter met as the honor attendants at their best friends' wedding and definitely didn't hit it off. After the passing of a short time they end up becoming next door neighbors who must come together to weather a blizzard together. Meh. I just couldn't get into their lack of chemistry and the slow pace of the plot. I wanted to like it more than I did. 2.5 Stars.

<b>“I like being single. Only worrying about myself.</b> Honestly, saaaaame.

Anyway, this is a fast paced story (consumed it all in one day). Tropes included:
+ Grumpy x sunshine
+ Forced proximity
+ Enemies to lovers
+ Hopeless romantic

I quite don't like the way their relationship developed. I honestly don't even get how they got developed. The guy didn't show any signs of liking her aside from letting her into his house when she needed a place to stay. I didn't feel any chemistry between the two characters at all. I also don't like how Peter sort of forced himself to her. I don't like him at all. The FMC though, I love her character very much.

There is not much plot either which is why this is a very light read. There were some funny bits too. I just wished we get to explore more of Peter's side because his character lacks personality. I just want to understand how he started liking her when all he did was sigh around her 😅

💎 Thank you Netgalley and publisher for eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily

When Hazel and Peter meet in the wedding party of her best friend, Hazel dismisses him as rude and grumpy. Her drunken rant at him when they connect at the bar is a long exposition to establish the plot of what Hazel wants and needs. Peter isn’t exactly warm and hospitable. The next morning, Hazel’s best friend and new bride is the one to help her through her hangover (a device to allude to her and Terry’s relationship from the previous book in the series.

A month later, whilst bringing freshly baked goods to her new neighbor, Hazel is displeased to learn it’s none other than her nemesis Peter, but when she loses power during an intense blizzard and he has a generator, he insists (several times) that she come stay with him. She finally stops being stubborn and agrees, but is mean to him, for example, calling him Pete when he insists on Peter is disrespectful bullying behavior, and if he were a trans character and she was misgendering or calling him by a dead name, it would be unacceptable; why is it presented as okay and even flirtatious? They weather the storm, work through some issues, and part as almost friends, and then begin walking together, and when Peter becomes ill, it’s Hazel who is there to help.

There is a Pride and Prejudice element to this tale, as they are unable to see one another as other than they appeared upon their first meeting. Peter and Hazel come as flat and one-dimensional characters., with many missed opportunities. For example, Hazel is Japanese American, but there are few details about her culture or background, and the FMC pictured on the cover does not indicate this was intended to be a diverse read. Peter’s characterization makes him appear to be neurodivergent, and his quirks are opportunities for Hazel to tease him. There is more showing than telling, and no editing to speak of. While I didn’t find many typos, there are inconsistencies, like when Hazel wakes with a cold forehead at the beginning of Chapter 11, and in the next paragraph, takes off her nightcap (he wearing a nightcap to bed is an interesting character quirk). Worst of all is that Hazel’s career is as a motivational speaker, and she has zero self-awareness or emotional intelligence.

This was a frustrating, predictable, and clean (sex off the page) read. A quibble, but this was not well-formatted for NetGalley, and my delay in reading it before the Valentine’s Day holiday was that I couldn’t change the font or easily scroll. Once sent to Kindle it was fine, and I did slog through the whole book, hoping it might redeem itself.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #SnowedInonValentinesDay via #NetGalley, courtesy of the author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Hazel and Peter (NEVER Pete) do not get along from the start. Hazel is the person that talks all the time whereas Peter gives no indication of what he's feeling and stays silent. Imagine their surprise when they end up being neighbours, and during a horrible storm Hazel gives in and stays with Peter because he has a generator but she does not. During their few days together in the storm they begin to understand each other a bit more and their feelings toward each other start to shift.

While this was an enjoyable romance it did leave me wanting more..

This is a slow burn romance, but short at 206 pages. Perfect romance to binge on a snowy day!

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ 4 stars ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

"But if this man needed me to stay, then I'd stay."

"I want to be with you, Hazel. I want us."

this was a cute and lighthearted little rom-com and i enjoyed it! i must admit i was very intrigued by the title that i had to request it. the beginning was a bit slow but once i got into the book, i read the majority in one sitting. if you like grumpy / sunshine, banter and forced proximity, then i highly recommend as this is a quick and easy read!

˗ˋˏ ୨୧ thank you to NetGalley and Alana Highbury for the digital arc in exchange for an honest review! ୨୧ ˎˊ˗

I hadn’t heard of the author when I requested to be approved for this book but I liked the title so thought I’d try. I wasn’t disappointed. Despite the description of the snowy weather making me feel cold I warmed to the characters and really enjoyed their blossoming romance.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Overall this book reads like a cute grump/sunshine, forced proximity romcom. I could definitely see this being a Netflix movie. However, I did find the FMC insufferable and rude which made it difficult for me to want to keep reading. It felt like a slow start in the beginning but then a rushed ending. Overall, it’s a cute valentines read that’s short and cozy.

Title: Snowed in on Valentine’s Day
By: Alana Highbury

Genre:
Young Adult Fiction, Romance, Contemporary

Favorite Quote:
“The rest of your life doesn’t exist. You only have the present. Sure, you can plan for the future, but don’t feel like you have to figure everything out. You never will. Trust me.”

Summary/Review:
Hazel is simply enjoying her maid of honor duties at her best friend's wedding, when the best man, Peter, decides to be obnoxiously rude! Hazel is so happy she will never have to deal with Peter’s stuck up arrogance again…that is until both of their plans change, forcing Hazel and Peter together more often then they’d like. I really enjoyed the love/hate relationship between the main characters, the back and forth banter kept me engaged in the reading. It is a fast paced, quick, feel good read!

Thank you to Alana Highbury, Amazon and NetGalley for the Advanced Readers Copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

#reluctantreaderreads
#Alanahighbury
#netgalley #netgalleyreads
#Snowedinonvalentinesday
#advancedreadercopies

This book has a nice mix of romance and humor with a bit of self-discovery. It’s a holiday romance, and while I don’t usual read Valentine’s Day kind of books, it was a fun easy read.

We follow Hazel – a hopeless romantic at heart - and Peter – a quiet but grumpy person – story. It all stats at a wedding where they kind of hate each other. Later Hazel founds out that Peter is her new neighbor, and the story picks up from there.

Overall, this was a quick read and a sweet rom com that is perfect for those who enjoys holiday romance books. The forced proximity was very well accomplished and the writing was quite good.

Thank you, NetGalley & the publisher, for approving me to read this arc and write this review.

Unfortunately this book I had to DNF
I really wanted to enjoy it! But I found the FMC very annoying and it made the book unreadable

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me this book in exchange for a review!

Valentine's day just came a few days ago so I wanted to read a romantic book, and I found this book! This book was like a Hallmark story that you're reading instead of watching. It was cute, fun, and sweet.

I felt that the enemies to lovers trope didn't really deliver. As this is the second book in the series, I might have missed the history between Hazel and Peter. There was some animosity between them, but it's mostly one-sided and it comes from Hazel. She drives me insane with her assumptions about Peter, and he's the rude one? I also felt that the switch between 'I hate you' to 'I love you' was really quick.

However, I still think this is a cute read for those of you who like fun and light-hearted rom-com books and Hallmark movies!

Snowed In on Valentine's Day is the perfect blend of romance, humor, and self-discovery. The author has created a wonderful tale of love blossoming amidst a wintry storm, with characters who leap off the page. Hazel's journey from serial dater to self-awareness is both relatable and inspiring, and the chemistry between her and Peter is electric. What starts as animosity slowly transforms into something deeper, and as they navigate their feelings amidst the snowed-in chaos, readers are treated to a satisfying story of finding love when least expected.

The way the characters are written is brilliant as at first you end up hating Peter and finding him rude. As the story progresses Peter is still hard to like but you eventually warm to him as you see his vulnerability and why he is like he is. Hazel was such a loud, opinionated woman you weren’t sure how they fit together or if they will get together. The story depicts between love and conflict and how unexpected people bring out qualities you didn’t know you had.

It was a nice little read and if anyone fancies a little cosy read I would recommend.

This book was cute. I understand the dynamic between the couple, as I have lived it. My husband is a man of few words, enjoys routine, and as a matter of fact had to tell me we were in a relationship.

The author wrote Peter, as an obviously neurodivergent adult, and built her character around social cues and how they were lost in translation. Peter is misunderstood, and regularly inadvertently insulted by Hazel. I mean, what adult doesn’t have at least 2 versions of monopoly in their custody (I have 4 maybe 5, same goes for Yahtzee)

Hazel, in the real world would be me, an overwhelmed, underperforming adult who just enjoys things alone. She has a lot on her plate, but communication is not her strong point. She doesn’t realize her tone and approach can be insulting to others, and isn’t always quick to catch on to things around her. She assumes a lot, one scene in particular hurt MY feelings. And I was glad when Peter said something to her in that scene.

The snowstorm that was a blizzard out of nowhere was not something I understood as a possible surprise, I’m from New England so if snow is forecasted in the next 10 days it’s going to be top story. I liked this book for a number of reasons: no one gets hurt, no one ghosts the other person, and they sort of just naturally fall into a rhythm. This is realistic. Things like this actually happen, and it’s nice to see something that could actually happen.

I will say, I do not think Hazel, a 29 year old woman, would’ve forgotten to charge her cell phone overnight.

1.5⭐️ rounded up. I'm gonna be real, I was so uncomfortable with the FMC being half-Japanese in the way that this was written, especially after noticing the author uses a very Caucasian cartoon avatar as their headshot. I read so many books y BIPOC authors and there is such a difference between that and Hazel who's major thing was her shiny black hair :/

That aside, I despised Hazel. Presenting her as akin to Brene Brown when she was so emotionally unintelligent and judgemental just seemed out of place.

The V-day magic wasn't in this this, it doesn't vibe like a valentines day book at all.

This was just not for me.

*Thank you netgalley for this opportunity to read and review this book!*
This was such a cute and easy read. Very much enemies to lovers trope. I loved the awkwardness and blabbering of the female main character, very relatable and hilarious. I couldn't stop smiling throughout the entirety of the book. It was very much a cheesy hallmark movie and I couldn't put it down. The enemies part of the book was done phenomenally and the tension of their relationship was just so good. I felt like the lovers part of this book was rushed a bit. Like 60% of the book was I hate you, then the rest abruptly switched to scary health condition, oh no I guess I like you, to oh we're dating, bam! we're getting married. I guess I would have liked more from their relationship, but overall very enjoyable and very cute romcom of a book!

This was a sweet easy read. Thank you Net Galley for letting me read it. At the beginning of the book I found there were a lot of names and characters to remember and there were big lapses in time so you felt you were jumping forward quite quickly. However as I settled more into the story I enjoyed it.

The way the characters are written is brilliant as at first you end up hating Peter and finding him rude. As the story progresses Peter is still hard to like but you eventually warm to him as you see his vulnerability and why he is like he is. Hazel was such a loud, opinionated woman you weren’t sure how they fit together or if they will get together. The story depicts between love and conflict and how unexpected people bring out qualities you didn’t know you had.

It was a nice little read and if anyone fancies a little cosy read I would recommend.