I’ve read several books by this duo before and always liked them. They’re good with banter, have good character development and overall are romances with fun and with heart. This, though, this is another level. I really adored these characters, their back stories and the complexities. I appreciated the content warning in the beginning of heavier topics than usual.

I love the small town atmosphere and all its quirky folks. I’m so excited this is going to be a series and we get Josie’s story next. I hope there are even more planned because I could stay a while in this Vermont town.

I loved the banter, the chaos, the chemistry and the depth of this love story.

Holy Heartbreak! This is one of the most emotional rollercoaster reads that I have ever read! Find a comfy spot to read, some snacks, good beverage and a box or two of tissues! The writing is outstanding as always, but the typical witty banter was dialed down a bit while the emotional aspect was dialed up a thousand times over! Every now and then you need a good emotional read that has a happily ever after and that is definitely what you are going to get with this book! As always, great characters, a wonderful setting, incredible interactions between the characters and a great small town with fun side characters. You won't want to put the book down so again, make sure you are comfy and well hydrated then settle in and enjoy!

What I Should Have Said was more like what I would not have expected! With nods to The characters very much reminded me of Lucy Score’s Things We Left Behind making it was easy to fall for them. I’m going to be honest, I wasn’t a huge fan of Norah until Summer came along. Summer’s introduction seemed to bring everyone back to a harsh reality and out of their own selfish ways.

That girl could melt anyone’s heart. I will say I was a little confused with who was upset with who at the end and why it was necessary for them to be upset vs coming together through tragedy but I, like Summer, was rooting for these characters from go. While the inevitable completely broke my heart, watching the end play out restored it. I would love to see how Josie and Clay’s story comes to life. Josie is more my speed!

Thank you to NetGalley and Max Monroe for allowing me early access! All opinions are my own.

It has been a long time since a book ripped out my heart and then put it back together piece by piece. I am still gutted. 100% will be recommending this to all my patrons and friends.

So sad that my poor little heart up and left my body in protest. Thankfully, I was aware this was emotional from the authors newsletter but what they didn’t tell me is I would be crying from the moment a certain someone entered the page. This was just like John Coffey in The Green Mile all over again. Tears, followed by more tears, followed by unladylike sobbing.
This was truly a different dynamic for these authors and I’m not mad about it. Typically rom-com in nature, this book was definitely NOT that. So you have been warned.
At the heart there is still a romance, though it does take a backseat to the crushing circumstances. Thank goodness for the HEA in romance books because it was the only thing spurring me on. I liked both Norah and Bennett but I didn’t feel their connection to each other as much as I would have liked.
I do however love a small town with all its quirky characters, and I wasn’t disappointed in that regard. As for Josie and Clay, learning about their story is a priority.

I really didn’t expect the emotions it was a new feeling but in a good way and I would absolutely recommend this book

Max Monroe delivering yet again another stellar rom com. they never fail to miss! this time it has a little twist to their usual style of comedy, some tears were shed this time around but it didn’t stop me from continuing because it truly added to the overall story!
i loved the characters and the setting, it was a little slow to begin with but soon after it goes to a quicker pace which i enjoyed.

By the cover, I thought this was just going to be a romcom but boy, I did not realize I was going to be crying. 😭

I absolutely loved this book. Sunshine Norah falls for a grump by the name of Bennett. But Bennett ends up being a wonderful and loving single father. His daughter Summer absolutely was so easy to fall in love with it.

But trust me when I say, this book deals with very sensitive topics. A lot of heartbreak too. 😭

While I love this book, I do think the plot line with Norah’s mom and ex fiance was wayyy over the top. A little too extreme. And there is a lot of information I hope we get in this next book because some things felt rushed as well.

Overall, a beautiful book and it will be one I think about for awhile.

Thank you Max Monroe LLC and NetGalley for the ARC!

I cried so much. I could feel every emotion the characters were going through. I also could feel their hate in the beginning. I will definitely be checking out this authors other books too.

We start off with a runaway bride, Norah, who runs back to her small hometown where her sister has been living. When the bus driver leaves her in front of a bridge, she jumps in front of a truck and meets a handsome, grumpy giant.

OMG This book!! I Gobbled it up, I Cried my eyes out, I Couldn't sleep, I must keep reading, I wanted more and I did Not want it to ever end!!

I will never forget this book! No-one writes like Max Monroe, the more I read from these Authors the more excited I am when another book comes out!!

Reviewed for NetGalley:

Norah, after leaving her fiancé at the alter, escapes to a small town in Vermont to find solace in the home of her estranged sister.

Soon, Norah becomes the assistant to the well regarded grumpy artist, Bennett Bishop, in town, and begins to unpeel his grumpy exterior and family secrets of his own.

I went into thinking this was more of a light read, until some of the deeper storylines and secrets started to play out. Decent read overall.

This book was just oK for me. Maybe I am too old for this but i found myself hurrying through this. Might be better for someone younger.

This story was a great story, but it had points that had me laughing and crying big tears. Norah is a runaway bride who goes looking for her sister in Red Bridge, VT and ends up taking a ride with a grump called Bennett. This book will give you all the feels so make sure you are prepared!

This review is my opinion and my opinion only. Thank you Netgalley and Max Monroe.
This book is an emotional but enjoyable read. You will feel every emotion in this book.
This story is about Nora, who ran out of her wedding. She decided to go back to her hometown. While hitchhiking, she was picked up by Ben who also lives in the same town. On the ride, he lectures Nora on not hitchhiking. So, let’s say they didn’t get off on the right foot.
Ben is a single father to Summer. Summer’s story…well it’s heartbreaking.
It only took me a day to read because I didn’t want to put it down. It’s a beautiful story about navigating through grief and love.

My heart is still recovering.

This was a different read from the writing duo and I wasn't prepared. I felt all the feelings and I felt them deeply.

I think maybe the situation with her mother and the ex was potentially a little out of the box and I am undecided if it is too far out of the box or not.

I really enjoyed the growth of the characters and think a lot is achieved in around 300 pages.

I am not sure I could read this book again, it just cut me so deep, but I will be singing its praises.

I will never regret Summer.

I am going to keep this simple because I am not going to give anything away. First, you have a runaway bride. Then you have a grumpy man come to her rescue. They are both in a small town. She needs a job. He wants to keep to himself. The whole town comes together to make someone happy. I don’t want to give any spoilers, but I will give a warning that you must have tissues when reading this one. There is a part of the story that is just gut wrenching.

Normally I give character details, but I feel like that would give away too many of the twists and turns. I will say I thought the bad guy was kind of weak, but he also wasn’t really necessary to push the story forward. Also, the author has a nice little twist in the saga of the bad guy.

This is a contemporary small-town romance set in Vermont. She’s a runaway bride and he’s a grumpy small-town recluse. There are plenty of good side characters that add so much to the story. This story slowly rolls out details and elements that lead right up to the epilogue. I appreciate that there was no wasted detail. Everything is a piece of the puzzle. I will read more from this author in the future.

Wow. This was an emotional story. And nothing like the previous books I’ve read from Max Monroe. But definitely in a good way. Norah has runaway from her wedding. And catches a greyhound bus to the town she grew up in and the one place she remembered being happy. It is also where her sister lives. Having been dropped off on the outskirt of town Norah decides to hitchhike into town. Bennett is heading back to town when he sees this stranger hitchhiking. He gives Norah a ride to town, but lectures her about how unsafe she’s being. Needless to say they don’t start off in the right foot. And neither are found of one another. But both of them are more alike than they realize. Their touching story is an emotional roller coaster. That’s definitely worth the ride! And I absolutely can’t wait to read Josie’s next!

Oh my goodness. A book has never made me laugh so much then sob so hard in my life.

This book is straight to my number one favourite book! The characters, the story and the vibes are just immaculate.

A truly hilarious beginning, both the FMC and MMC are funny in a way that doesn’t feel forced and whilst we have the classic sexy grumpy man, his internal monologue is sweet and genuine. Norah can do no wrong in my eyes, she’s sweet, thoughtful and relatable.

This book will make you cry, it does cover some difficult topics but in the most gentle, appropriate way.

I need more, I need to read more from Clay, Josie, Breezy and even Betty Bagley

This book had my eyes leaking excessively! Such a surprise tearjerker. While reading I had the feeling of what was going to happen but it was still incredible emotional to read. This story was not without its moments of humor but it was such a different type of story than we usually get from this writing duo and I loved every bit of it!

This one is such an emotional romance with heavy themes running throughout and it had me sobbing at times. The development of Norah and Ben’s relationship was sweet and we get to see them opening themselves up to each other in between all the fighting and the drama going on in their lives. You could tell these two really needed each other and they were a great fit. It was also really good to see how Norah’s relationship with her sister developed after they’re reunited, and to see them rebuilding their sibling bond after the traumas of their pasts. I’m here for those small town romances and close knit communities and would have loved to see more of them as the story centres more on Ben and Norah rather than incorporating more of the town so I do feel we were missing something there. I also wasn’t a fan of Norah slapping Ben (frequently) as it’s violence against him which is never okay, and considering Norah’s last relationship, you would expect her character to have a better awareness of that and so whilst it was used to show tensions running high between these two, she really needed to use her words. All in all, I did enjoy the book and can’t wait to see what Jenna and Clyde’s story is which is teased throughout this book, but there were some factors that didn’t hit right for me.

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.