Do not be fooled by my 3 stars because there were so much I loved. I mean I absolutely loved everything except the fact that the romance wasn’t believable to me. Let me walk you through it.

The starting of the book was kind of boring and it took me some time to get into it. But at 23 or 25% mark I started enjoying the story. The characters are beautifully written, I loved how vivid each scene read and I found the subplots to be incredibly well done. But more than that, the strength of the book lies in how distinct every character felt, they had their own voices and mind and I literally enjoyed all of them.

And with everything going so well in this book, what absolutely made me sad is how under developed the main love story was. Let me paint you the picture.

Liv and Patrick are childhood friends who grew up together and still are in each other’s lives. In fact they along with Joe(Liv’s brother and Patricks’s best friend), Seth (Joe’s fiancé) are basically part of this close friend group who do everything together. And I loved their inter-relationships. It felt like watching the best episodes of Friends or The Big Bang Theory. And even before we knew them individually, we knew them as a group.

So after years of being friends Liv and Patrick kiss. And the kiss happens before 40% mark. So obviously no slow burn and no angst and no tension and no push and pull. But worse than that is, prior to this kiss, they only had three scenes where we see them actually talk and engage with each other. But the worst part actually comes now- they kiss only because Liv got curious and asked Patrick why he never seriously dates and their faces somehow come close together and the guy was always secretly in love with her but never before that point she even entertained the idea of them together let alone had any romantic feelings towards him. So even though I genuinely liked them both separately, it felt like an ‘she was lonely and he was there’ kind of situation.

But even after they kiss, we don’t get to see their tender side or the love that they talk about but never show. We see a handful of make-out scenes(I love smut but there was zero build up) and few failed attempts to set up date due to their over bearing friends and family always getting in the way. As much as I found those scenes funny, I didn’t get the relationship or romance or pining for each other that I was promised.

And then bam! They have a fallout which now I assume is the writer’s attempt at creating tension. But without the base of romance, the fallout and pining really did not mean much to me. They were great friends and we were supposed to believe they have that more than friends kind of feelings but prior to kissing, we never really see that emotion being explored. If before the kiss they both had more scenes together where we see the girl slowly entertaining the idea of Patrick as her love interest and her falling for him, this book would have been perfect. But without that it feels the opposite of ‘show, not tell’

Saying that, I know reading is subjective. Maybe others would find their romance believable. But either you believe their romance or not, one thing is for sure, I loved reading the book. I hope to read more from the author where she along with writing fully fleshed out characters writes the kind of romance that gives me all kinds of heart-burn.

3.5 stars but I am rating it down as 3 star because without believing in their romance rounding up as 4 stars doesn’t sit right with me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Canelo Romance for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

What happens when you can't commit to anything? A third date, a lease, a pet or even a plant. You create a loser list of all the things you want to accomplish. Liv does just that after wanting to finally get a handle on her current situation and plans for the future.

I love a book with great banter - and this one had it. I immediately fell in love with Liv and those in her inner circle. I both laughed out loud and cried at points and can not wait to read the next thing Lauren writes.

hooked and hooked some more. Loved all of this and couldn't put it down. I was like oh my. I need to know more. Read it.

4.5 stars

Headlines:
Friends to more
Stuck in a rut
Escaping the rut

This debut from Lauren Ford was full of whip-smart wit, a great crop of characters and a plot that felt relatable. Rom-com feels were engaging from start to finish with a heroine to cheer for and a good guy giving longing looks.

Liv was the kind of character that was endearing. She didn't have her act together and she lacked self-belief. The loser list actually became something useful to her as she tried to focus her life a little, starting with dating, a phone plan and a pet.

The side characters in this story were rich and a big part of the story, especially Joe, Seth and Felicity. Liv had daddy issues and that made for interesting self-discovery. All through this book, while I enjoyed Liv's chaos, I was willing her to find her way, accomplish her dreams and of course, get her man.

Henry was a bit of catnip to me. I love a friend that becomes something more, especially a good guy. He lifted Liv up, he empowered and encouraged her, laughed with her and gave great hugs. The twist that fell about two thirds in, really felt unexpected and left me feeling uncertain almost till the end.

This was a fantastic debut and I cannot wait to read more from Lauren Ford.

Thank you to Canelo for the review copy.

A fun read with terrific characters, especially young Barold, who melted my heart. The main character is annoying but lifts her game as the story progresses and it is nice that the romance doesn’t come as easily as it first seems.

Cutie pie book about commitment/abandonment issues (same girl) and learning how to trust yourself. loved it.

Just couldn't get into this one. I went into this with the mindset of a rom-com where the best friends fall for each other, but there was sooo much happening. I get that it is life, and honestly, this is what my life is like sometimes (a hot mess) but to me it just didn't have the 'get lost in the book' vibes.

It was alright, just wasn't checking all the rom-com boxes for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Canelo Romance Publishing for my E-ARC.

A rom-com novel that will have you laughing, crying, and asking why you relate so badly.

Liv and Henry are incredibly likeable characters; Joe and Seth are simply adorable.

It's a slowburn, evenly paced romance that will have you flicking through pages quicker than Liv makes poor life choices (relatable, honestly).
Highly recommend for an easy and cosy read.

I am beyond excited for this book! Canelo never misses and I love a good self improvement book. I am beyond excited to share my full thoughts and review. I apologize I’m a bit behind on reviews due to some unexpected medical issues, but I very much look forward to sharing a detailed review soon.

Liv Granger has been flailing through life since her teens. When her brother, Joe, announces his engagement to his long-term boyfriend, Liv realises that she has never been able to commit to anything – a career, a fixed address, a relationship – and she may, in fact, be a massive loser.

With the help of Henry, her oldest friend, Liv comes up with tasks to change her life. The most challenging – three dates with the same person. After each increasingly disastrous date, Henry is always there to the rescue. Has what she’s been looking for been right in front of her the whole time?

Between restraining her mother’s wedding planning and doing everything in her power to not be her father’s wingman for his various short-lived girlfriends, Liv learns that the path to self-improvement needs to start with a little self-acceptance…

This was a fun, quick read, showing that what you have been searching for is often right in front of you.

The chemistry was nice, characters were relatable, and it gave warm fuzzy vibes.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this ARC in return for my honest review.

This book was such a cute romcom. It was thoroughly enjoyable, filled with witty characters that I loved. This book is a must read!

3.75⭐️s. Such an enjoyable read. For some reason I didn’t get the butterflies I usually do with the best friend pining story trope which is why it isn’t higher rated. I feel that it was pretty obvious he liked her only because it was clear the direction of the story. This may just be a personal preference though. Love the dysfunctional family.