Tropes: friends to lovers; MC's haunted by their pasts
Steam level: 3
First in a series.

This is a bit of a "guilty pleasure" author for me. I was on the fence between 3 and 4 stars but ultimately nudged up due to the MC's and how much I was rooting for their HEA. Often in HR's there's some 2nd or 3rd act convoluted complication or misunderstanding that makes one or both MC's look rather TSTL or like a poor bargain, just to create angst. But that isn't the case here. MFC Marianne has led a quiet, mundane existence, in large part because of her late parents' awful behavior, but the passing of her best friend prompts her to break out of her shell. MMC Sebastian has been a "bad boy" to try to bury his own childhood demons. They have been friends for years, until they start to shake free of their roles and finally realize they're perfect for each other. At the heart of the steamy scenes is a refreshing sweetness. Marianne, especially, is charming and kind without being sugary or Mary Sue-ish.

Not that this is a perfect book. Sebastian's attraction to Marianne comes across as shallow at first. I wanted more of his introspection to focus on their pasts together and how she helped heal him emotionally when they were young, and less obsession with her clothes and hair. The pacing in the middle drags somewhat. Also, I wanted more backstory on Marianne's best friend's passing; it's abrupt and the secondary characters' reactions are too crass. Her brother and even Sebastian are indifferent to the point that it casts them in a negative light. In fact, Marianne's brother seems cold through most of the book, until suddenly near the end; I'm wondering if the next book will uncover the reason for the character inconsistency.

One last nitpick: the writing style isn't as refined as it could be. A smidge of editing would have helped the clunkier phrases.

Overall, though, if you're drawn in by the MC's, you'll enjoy this.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Jess Michaels for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The Wallflower List coming out October 8, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I really love Regency romances. I thought the premise sounded really interesting. I love the idea that Marianne is an introvert who is stepping out for the first time and doing things that are outside her comfort zone. I loved that it was her friend who passed away who inspired her. I would’ve liked to see a little more background for Sebastian. I thought their relationship was really good, but it seemed like he was a little more mysterious. I would’ve liked to see more of why he was interested in her. It seemed a little sudden. But overall, I really enjoyed the story. I would definitely check out another book by this author.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Regency romance!

This is one of the best historical romances I've read all year. The character development is strong and the the storyline has all the feels. You can't help but be drawn into the lives of the main characters and their struggles to be seen.

Jess never disappoints! This story had me reeled in from the beginning. Marianne is content to be a wallflower until her world turns upside down. She decides she needs more and while getting more she decides she doesn't want to settle being a wallflower.

Synopsis are more interesting than the story. The idea for the plot is great, unfortunately everything seemed a little bit rushed, and chaotic. The chemistry between the characters is so so. I honestly would expect a little bit more of a journey to achieve personal growth from the FMC and on that account the story falls flat. Not bad but shame that it is not better.

The Wallflower List has officially pulled me out of my two-month long reading slump! I want to read everything right now, as long as everything has two leads as perfect as Sebastian and Marianne. Sebastian was swoony, and, as a relatively shy introvert, I found Marianne to be relatable at the beginning and inspirational in her desire to be more daring as the story went on!

This book is very much an open-door romance, so if you only like very clean romance…this one is probably not for you. There is definitely a decent amount of spicy spice! I loved the romance though, and, while the romance did develop very quickly once it started, I thought the chemistry was so fun to read.

I very much look forward to reading Finn’s story and to reading more of Jess Michaels’ other books!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Jess Michaels, and The Passionate Pen for a free ARC In exchange for my honest review!

The intro was stellar and made me invested in the FMC, Marianne, and her friendship with Claudia, which made the next events more impactful. The friendship between Sebastian and Marianne's brother was also well developed and you could see how much they meant to each other.
I really appreciate that this book deals with heavy subjects but is low angst so it doesn't leave you devastated. Sebastian says some particularly filthy things that had me blushing, but I'd consider the spice level 🌶️🌶️🌶️ out of 5? The characters are also really good about respecting each other's wishes without becoming drama queens.

The main couple grew on me by the end of the book and I’m looking forward to the next in the series, which will be about Finn.

I always enjoy when a character steps out of their comfort zone, finds passion, adventure and eventually love. Marianne has had several moments of loss and pain in her life and I was happy to see her find a new kind of joy, like herself a bit more and spend time with her brother’s best friend, Sebastian. Sebastian is the just rake Marianne needs to complete her late friend’s list of things to do before she dies. Sadly, she wasn’t able to complete the list so Marianne is taking her life into her hands (and Sebastian’s hands too of course). This friends to lovers romance is a nice easy read. Their romance is sweet and full of passion. Sebastian and Marianne both fell for each other at different times but in the end, they really found happiness and something a bit unexpected. Her brother, Finn, really loves her and I’m looking forward to his book.

*Received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

"Well, you know best when it comes to desire. If you say it will fade, then I believe you." (famous last words)

After the unexpected death of her best friend, wallflower Marianne finds the unfulfilled bucket list she had left behind. Vowing to accomplish the list herself, Marianne starts crossing items off -- with her brother's rakish best friend, Sebastian.

I really love the premise of a woman who realizes that she's settled in to a sort of half-life on the fringes of the Ton and deciding to make changes. And who doesn't love a brother's-best-friend and my-brother-can-never-find out! I appreciated that the thing keeping them apart wasn't that Sebastian was a huge jerk and Marianne had to find a way to forgive him for it. He's always very sweet with her, even before it's obvious that their relationship will grow into something more.

That being said, I wish there was more evidence that Sebastian had been interested in her before she made these big changes to her life. His friendship with her brother is obviously very precious to him, but the concern is always that he would lose his friendship and never that he might lose hers. And I wish there was more a connection between Marianne and the friend who had left the list, Claudia. I think there was a missed opportunity to talk about why it was so important to finish this list on behalf of her best friend, outside of just making her own life more "daring".

Overall a 3.5 out of 5 stars! I enjoyed it, but I'm not sure I'll reach for it again as a re-read.

Wow after reading that I feel all overcome and in need of a cold shower! Let’s start by saying if you want a clean romance, give this book a miss. If you’re happy for open door sex scenes, please continue. Our book centres around 2 characters who both had tragic childhoods, which scarred them in different ways, and who, due to this, deal with things slightly different than expected. Marianne tries to complete a bucket list of sorts after her best friend dies, and in so doing becomes popular, the one thing she never achieved previously. In the meantime, Sebastian has suddenly found his friendship with her is now more strained due to his attraction to her, which he’s trying to fight due to his friendship with her brother, whom he’d promised not to dally with her. Will they or won’t they? Of course we already know but oh how great the journey is. The romance, the heat; Wow! Just read it, as I’m sure you’d love it as much as I did. It’s an unchallenging read for a couple hours that will make you want to get the next in the series

I was really excited to read this one but unfortunately it wasn't meant to be. Around 35% of the book, the chemistry of our main characters completely fizzled out. I was enjoying the book up to that point but suddenly everything was starting to get rushed and the slow development of our character's relationship went off the rails into insta love territory.

After that, I couldn't feel any chemistry between our characters. Marianna's growth which was just starting was completely sidelined which led to her having almost no character. I think the pacing may be to blame. Adding a companion to Mariana and focusing more on her growth would have really helped, I believe.

Thanks to the publisher for this ARC!

Really enjoyable romance with low angst. Wallflower Marianne grieves for her best friend so embarks on a bucket list to experience a bit more in life. Marianne enlists brothers best friend Sebastian's help, who starts to see her where before he took her for granted. Its really gentle easy read with some steam.

Fun’s romance. Barely historical, slightly complex, nice chemistry. A definite read in one day kind of book.

Very excited for this gorgeous regency themed novel. I love the wallflower aspect and could relate a lot to it. Very enjoyable five star read!