This was my first novel by Lucy Chalice and I'm already adding her previous work to my to read list!
This was heartfelt and sweet and I adored Teddy. Some of the characters felt like caricatures (e.g. the ex boyfriend) and I felt there were lots of origins of insecurity that could have been further explored, but overall it was lovely and I found myself really rooting for Hannah.

I loved this light-hearted rom-com. From the initial meet-cute, I fell in love with this pair. Their story had some heart-warming threads, some miscommunications, and a determined ex. Their relationship grew as they overcame hurdles and it made for a great read.

The setting was a lovely backdrop to the romance, and it was nice to catch up with some old characters.

A great book from this author and I look forward to the next!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Vet Hannah Havens returns to her hometown after catching her boyfriend cheating on her.

She doesn’t expect to bump into Teddy Fraser, who she last saw when she was a teenager, and they shared a kiss.

Teddy Fraser is a ladies man, and Hannah feels insecure about her own looks, mainly due to the bullying she endured at school because of the freckles on her face.

Hannah doesn’t believe that Teddy is interested in her, and does all she can to keep him at bay.

Teddy has no intentions of keeping away from Hannah, and he seems to pop up everywhere!

Can Teddy show Hannah how he feels? Not easy when the lady in question is as prickly as a porcupine!

This is a fun romcom, and the blind goat was the real star of the show for me.

Henry and Clara featured briefly in this book, and I liked seeing these two favourites back again.

My thanks to Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Lucy Chalice is back with another Fraser man and this time it is Ted Fraser, Henry's brother, an architect who has been crushing on Tanner since they were in school together, and is adamant to fix their broken friendship after their disastrous kiss on his 18th birthday.

After finding out her boyfriend was cheating on her, Hannah breaks up with him and moves back to her hometown in the Cotswolds and gets a job in at the local vet clinic and a place to stay in the flat above it. Since she got there she's been dreaming about moving into the old abandoned house across the street, what she doesn't expect is to be out riding on her horse and be crashed into none other than Ted Fraser, who just so happens to be her new neighbour. She reluctantly agrees to accompany him back to the village and it is there that he realises just how little of a people person she is so he comes up with a plan to help her, if she agrees to help him renovate his new house he will teach her the fundamentals of communicating.

Join Hannah and Ted, alongside a lost kitten, a blind goat, friendly locals and the familiar faces of Henry and Clara, as they restore Ted's house and fix Hannah's people skills.

Right so Hannah and Teddy really are a great example of idiots in love who are scared of admitting their feelings for each other and I was here for it throughout the whole book. I absolutely loved the banter between the two of them and seeing them fake a relationship for sweet old lady Agnes purely because she can see how in love they are with each other and they don't have the heart to tell her the truth. These two were so awkward and it was so cute seeing their relationship develop throughout the book and work together on fixing the house and improve Hannah's confidence.

Ted was such a flirt and I loved the way he always tried to make Hannah as comfortable as possible no matter what situation they were in. Hannah really needed her confidence boost and I'm so happy Ted was there to build it back up for her!

KEY TROPES:
- grumpy x sunshine
- small town
- forced proximity
- he falls first
- meddling friends

Fundamentals in Flirting releases on 1st November and I would 100% recommend you get yourself a copy, I loved reading about these two!

Thank you to HarperCollins and One More Chapter for the opportunity to read and review this book before release.

☆ he falls first
☆ forced proximity
☆ slow burn
☆ opposites attract
☆ small town romance

I absolutely loved this book. I’ve been struggling to find a book that could keep me interested lately but this one had me instantly!
Hannah and Teddy are such a perfect couple. They felt very real and emotional in a way that I loved.
Such a fun book and the slow burn was definitely worth it!

Me encantó.

No es necesario leer el libro anterior para poder entender esta historia. A parecen personajes, pero no son importantes o su participación en este libro no tiene que ver con los sucesos que pasaron anteriormente.


Amé a Hannah, su fortaleza, inteligencia, resilencia, disciplina y perseverancia.

Me hubiese gustado que Teddy tuviera povs para conocerlo mejor.


Gracias NetGalley y a la editorial por el ARC a cambio de una reseña honesta.

Dr. Hannah Havers thinks her life is ok, until she walks in on her boyfriend with his PhD student! Licking her wounds, she returns home to her hometown to work at the local vet clinic until she can come up with a new plan. She reconnects with her only friend from school, along with her high school bully…and the one boy she was ever really interested in (even if she didn’t think he felt the same). Now Hannah has to prove to her boss, and the town, that she can be friendly and less prickly, with the help of hometown heart throb Teddy Fraser the boy that got away.

The banter and snark these two have made this such an enjoyable and fun read. Who doesn’t love a grumpy FMC and a sunshiny MMC twist?
🌶️ level of spicy but so cute and funny

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for this ARC.

This is Lucy's second novel, and I really enjoyed her first, "The Hot Henry Effect" and this one is just as good! I love the fact that we get to see characters from the first book in this one periodically and I think it adds a level of familiarity to the story.

Now, on to this book. After reading "Henry" I was afraid that I wouldn't like Teddy as much and I was pleasantly surprised that he is just as adorable. I loved the banter between Teddy and Hannah, their nicknames for each other were amazing and their relationship was so genuine and uplifting. This book is a wonderful rom com with great characters and just enough goofiness to make it relatable and heartwarming.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter | One More Chapter for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Nice rom-com. Rarely do you see the female in the grumpy role, so this was a change. Sort of wish I had read Henry’s story first for a bit of background knowledge. Good book for Ali Hazelwood fans.

Hannah is a research vet who moves to her home village when her professor boyfriend is found in bed with his student. Reminding her of Teddy who she had a steamy porn-star-esque kiss with at Teddy’s 18th birthday party all those years ago. Hannah is struggling to control her grumpiness with clients in her new veterinary role and manages to get some interpersonal skill classes to help along. What follows is an adorable romance and will they won’t they. A very realistic reflection on relationships with a cheating ex and a bevy of heartfelt characters.

🌶️ very low spice, two open door, very short scenes

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

After catching her boyfriend cheating on her, Dr. Hannah Havens has decided to start over in her hometown and work for the local veterinary practice. She’s not looking for love, and the last thing she expects is to run into (quite literally) her former classmate and serial flirt, Teddy Fraser. Teddy and Hannah have a bit of a past after sharing a heated kiss back in high school, which ended rather spectacularly. Teddy is a charismatic and well-liked guy and a bit of a flirt to put it mildly, and Hannah is determined to keep him at arms length, which is difficult to do as he also happens to be her neighbor. When her boss tells her she needs to improve her bedside manner, Hannah asks Teddy for help, and they embark on a quest to make Hannah more personable. Teddy is the sunshine to her grumpy, but can his charm warm up this ice queen or will she continue to ice him out?

Hannah is an independent and brilliant veterinarian. She’s worked for her accomplishments and does not suffer fools. She was hurt in the past and doesn’t want to go down that path again. She’s most comfortable with the animals she cares for. I really liked her wit. She’s hardworking and really cares about her job and the animals she cares for. Beneath her tough exterior, she’s a sensitive person who was greatly betrayed. She’s also still nursing old wounds from the bullying she received in high school. It’s natural that she would be hesitant to start a relationship with Teddy. I felt great empathy for her.

Teddy is a happy-go-lucky kind of guy. He’s never met someone he couldn’t charm. He’s a kind and thoughtful guy, and he complemented Hannah’s personality well. Their banter is quite fun! I enjoyed Teddy’s friendly nature and jovial personality. He kept Hannah on her toes and out of her head.

I loved how patient and validating Teddy was with Hannah. He falls first, and he enthusiastically commits to showing her how truly wonderful she is and how much he loves her. There’s an especially poignant moment where he lists all of the beautiful things about her. It was great to see. There’s a bit of push and pull, more so on Hannah’s side, but any misunderstandings get resolved quickly. The main hurdle to overcome is Hannah’s low self esteem. Teddy handles her insecurities with such care and sensitivity. I loved them together as a couple.

The pacing of the novel was perfect, and I breezed through it rather quickly.
The banter and thoughtful characterizations kept things flowing nicely. Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and look forward to more from this writer.

A sweet grumpy/sunshine romance with some lovely women in STEM representation. It was cute to see prickly Hannah try to work on her 'peopling' with charming Teddy as her guide, they definitely made for an amusing couple, and it was heartwarming to see how their work did eventually pay off. Miscommunication is never one of my favorite tropes and I could see the third act trouble brewing from a mile away, but overall I was happy with the way this one wrapped up.

Thank you to One More Chapter and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me.

I liked the premise (he falls first and hard, they knew each other from childhood but it wasn’t a second chance romance, a leading lady who works in a stem field). And some of the side stories were sweet (e.g., Agnes)

However, while the premise seemed promising, I have several issue that made it hard for me to enjoy the book
- I think there was meant to be a message that one doesn’t have to be smiley to be successful in their career - rather they can be themselves and their genuine care will shine through and be what matters. While I completely agree with that sentiment, I don’t think the story successfully landed that message so instead I found it concerning that the entire plot was focused on making Hannah more likable
- Hannah’s character didn’t have much growth. She is consistently described as “prickly” or an “ice queen” which seems to stem from deep seated insecurities which she never over comes
- Tied to the above - Hannah consistently thinks the worst of Teddy and it’s never really addressed. Towards the end he even calls her out on it but it isn’t resolved. She basically just stands quietly then runs away to avoid the situation.

Thank you to Lucy Chalice and One More Chapter for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Disfruté de la lectura; el tiempo pasó volando y, cuando me di cuenta, ya lo había terminado.

Hay mucha falta de comunicación, al punto de querer sacudirlos a ambos por estar adivinando el significado de sus acciones en lugar de hablar.

La historia se narra desde el punto de vista de Hannah; ojalá Teddy tuviera, aunque fuera, algunos capítulos desde su perspectiva.Me hubiera gustado conocer la parte de Teddy de primera mano, y no de forma superficial.


Me dolió ver cómo todo lo que le hicieron a Hannah en la escuela le seguía repercutiendo, hasta el punto en que ella misma se hacía menos y creía que la relación que tuvo con su ex era algo que se merecía.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A fun British grumpy/sunshine romance!

I had a lot of fun with this book, and the banter the two had with each other made it a funny read. The protagonist's self deprecating comments became a little repetitive after a while, but they were still really cute together. There's a third act conflict, so just an fyi. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC :)

This was such a feel good cosy read!! I binged this in one sitting, it was written in a way that just made me feel so relaxed and cosy, and honestly, I had the best time.

I LOVED the character development from Hannah, at the beginning I found her slightly annoying but she redeemed herself, and don't get me started on how oblivious she was regarding Teddy!! Teddy was honestly the cutest little cinnamon bun of a man, he was hilarious and unbelievably down bad for Hannah. I had the best time reading this

Thank You to NetGalley, Lucy Chalice and Harper Collins for allowing me an early release of this book!!🩶

This book was extremely adorable. I was obsessed, like so obsessed. The way this man was obsessed with her and I was here for it so much.

I did really like so much the way Lucy Chalice writes the banter between the characters. I loved that she was such a grump and I was here for it. The cute moments with all the animals. I was obsessed with these two. The spice scenes were so good.

I wanted to live in this story for much longer.

I got an e-arc of this book on NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Loved this story and how much fun it was in places, physically bringing a smile to my face, whilst in other places it was heart-breaking. Well worth a read!

I was pleasantly surprised that this was a UK-set book, and really enjoyed the familiarity of the setting, which was 'small town' in a very British, Costwoldy way! Likewise, there was plenty of nostalgia to be had in terms of the sixth form flashbacks - and the sense of humour throughout was also something that resonated, and I hope it will be something that overseas readers are able to enjoy.

I loved the awkward but undeniable chemistry between Hannah and Teddy. Their story was very much one of them both trying to get out of the boxes they'd been assigned to (by themselves and others). Hannah in particular had a lot of work to do to shed her prickly armour, and while I'm glad she eventually was able to, I have to admit I found her slightly draining as a protagonist and POV character. Totally relateable, but also not easy to be in her head for the entire narrative, and I came to the conclusion that Teddy was either a saint or a masochist to stay invested! I'm not totally wedded to dual POV stories, but I did feel that maybe - since this one relied so much on Hannah's unreliable self-image - the contrast between hers and Teddy's POVs would have helped me understand *why* Teddy was all in, and how he'd seen her 15 years ago (the one initial scene set back then didn't quite paint the full picture, for me). I also felt that things with Hannah's mother were just kind of left unresolved, and I would have enjoyed a bit more attention to Agnes' story and her memories of her brother-in-law, so that the reunion landed more, emotionally.

All that being said, this was the perfect cosy romcom for a weekend's read, I enjoyed it a lot, and it was great to be able to get my small town, spicy, grumpy/sunshine fix in a cool, British flavour.

This is my first book by the author, and while it became apparent that this is a sequel of sorts to The Hot Henry Effect, this was a standalone story and no prior acquaintance with the characters was required. That said, I'd definitely consider circling back to read Henry and Clara's story!

This is the second novel I have read by Lucy, and I really enjoyed it. I love a grumpy/sunshine romance, small town setting, emphasising successful women and ultimately a HEA.