Member Reviews

Maia starts working at the Seattle Hospital where Zett has set two other novels, but, soon, she finds herself at her Aunts' that is most definitely not in Seattle because of an unexpected change to her relationship status. And, where she winds up is most definitely not the city.

She meets Rowan. They did technically both go to High School at the same one Senior year, but, didn't really meet. They do in the present though, and quickly find ways to help each other, and get closer. But, they both have baggage to unpack. Can they unpack it soon enough to wind up together.

Loved the characters in this book. I also liked how both characters were pretty well established before they got really involved as a couple. I also really liked all the secondary characters. They made me want to read more about them. Kai anyone, heh...

Was this review helpful?

My first book by Chris Zett was a beautiful story, new friends to lovers. I loved the scenic descriptions. Although the MCs were familiar with each other, they began their friendship with one MC returning to her aunts home where she spent her senior year of high school.
The chemistry grows between the MCs as they are both guarded. Zett does this with sweet gestures and deep conversations. The secondary characters were well flushed out and brought more to the MCs.
The MCs both evolved and were beautiful together. Having honest and fulfilling conversations was a wonderful refreshment to the angst there could have been. The angst that the story held was more internalized based on previous relationships. The story was beautiful and flowed smoothly.
This was my first book by Chris Zett and Im a new fan of her work. I look forward to more in the future.

Was this review helpful?

This book was so cute and heartwarming. I really love small town romances, i enjoy them so much. Makes me want to live in a small town😂 Love the characters, they are so fun and nice together. Really love their friend group. And how they are all kind of different. Also love the diversity of the characters. The story was also nice, liked how there was also a serious moment. With the whole storm and events. But the ending was a little predictable. Still nice and cute tho.

4,5 stars

Was this review helpful?

This novel is about a girl named Maia who, on the verge of getting engaged to her boyfriend, accidentally discovers that he's a real player who's been cheating on her. This turns her whole world upside down because she was counting on starting her new job at the same hospital where he worked, then getting married and starting a family. But this discovery makes her abandon all those plans and take refuge at her aunt's house, in a small town where she spent a short time as a kid. There, she'll reconnect with some old classmates from that brief stay, people she thought she had nothing in common with but now has the opportunity to get to know better. Maia's going to reconnect with Rowan, who was on the swim team and still swims. And heir first meet is super cute.

They've both got baggage from their pasts that has shaped their choices. Maia's last relationship was a total bust, and Rowan's been dealing with mental health issues and family drama that has really messed with her decisions. Maia's also got this whole idea in her head about what it's like to live in the country, and she's totally idealized city life. But Rowan, Jasper the dog, and everyone else in the Ashlake community are about to show her that things aren't always as we see them.

Was this review helpful?

Thanks to Ylva Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

I have been a fan of Chris Zett ever since I read "Irregular Heartbeat". So when I saw this new book, I simply had to get it. I liked how low angst and overall sweet the story was, essentially a perfect autumn read. I connected to Maia and Rowan easily, and to the telling of their romance as well. Definite recommend!

Was this review helpful?

There’s something wonderfully cozy about Zett books. They squeeze in between your heartbeats and make the rhythm slow, they unclutter a messy mind, and best of all, they make you smile all stupid even with early declarations of love. The two MCs are adorable together and their made family makes me miss my upstate NY roots. From lake swims to summer storms- this book serves up a steamy sapphic fic to get lost in for a few hours. No triggers, no third act life swaps with hearts shredded, just sweetness with dollops of romance. Enjoy the adventure.

Was this review helpful?

Flipping Hearts and Homes follows Maia, a radiologist that moves Ashlake to live with her aunt after finding out her fiancee was cheating on her. While settling into the town and figuring out her next steps, Maia runs back into Rowan, the local handywoman, and a former schoolmate of Maia's when she lived with her aunt in her teens. As Rowan and Maia get reacquainted, they both help each other find their way to their next chapter.

This book has been a long time coming. I loved Zett's first 2 books, Irregular Heartbeat and Heart Failure, so I was super excited to see another book come from her. I really enjoyed this book. It is promoted as a low angst book and the romance was wonderfully low angst. There is still some exciting moments, but they are everyday moments and not relationship oriented, which I greatly appreciated. I really liked Maia! She was funny and passionate, and I really like how she took what life gave her and rolled with it. There wasn't a lot of angst in the decisions and life changes that came her way. There was uncertainty and doubt but not angst. I would love to have the same level of grace when facing changes. Rowan was also wonderful, but I will leave her story for, you, dear reader to enjoy when you read this book. Which I would definitely recommend.

All in all, I very much enjoyed this book and would recommend it to fans of Zett's other works as well as fans of contemporary romance with minimal angst.

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Handywoman Rowan is rooted in her small-town community, accepting every odd job to keep her family’s hardware store afloat. When she inherits an old house, it’s the perfect opportunity to flip it to pay off her mom’s debt.

She never intends to get tangled up with beautiful, adorably nerdy Maia, a visiting big-city radiologist, staying at her aunts’ place to mend a broken heart. Evenings at a nearby lake, renovation projects, and a wild storm keep throwing Maia and Rowan together, and an undeniable attraction sparks.

Lovely, Hallmark-esque realistic slow burn romance. While this felt a little slow at times, I really appreciated the characters unique realness. It was a delight to watch them move from friends to more. If you enjoy warm fuzzy stories and want to read about lesbians in a low-angst way, you will love this!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

Was this review helpful?

This was such a cute quick read! I love a small town read and this was a lovely one. The relationship between Maia and Rowan felt really natural which I always appreciate. How they talked and resolved their issues was great too. All the side characters were amazing as well!

My biggest issue with the book was how repetitive everything started to feel. Coupled with the long chapters it dragged on a bit at times.

But I still had an enjoyable time reading this book!

Was this review helpful?

Flipping Hearts and Homes by Chris Zett is a lighthearted lesbian romance that intertwines love and home renovation. The story follows two women as they navigate their budding relationship while working on a house-flipping project. With its low angst approach, the book offers a refreshing take on romance, focusing on the characters' chemistry and the joy of building a life together. While the plot may follow familiar tropes, the warm and cozy atmosphere makes it an enjoyable read for fans of sweet romantic stories.

Was this review helpful?

What a delightful read. Great characters. Small town, kind hearted Rowan knows falling for the wrong type of woman will only bring her more pain, financial and emotional. Enter Maia, big city radiologist, recently found out her soon to be husband was a serial cheater. Maia is staying with her Aunts until she figures out her next move. The pair become friends but could it lead to more, only if they can resolve their small town/big city dreams

Was this review helpful?

This was a very good read. I enjoyed the MC’s interactions and eventual romance. The scenery was described beautifully, and other characters added to the enjoyable story. I’ve read the author’s other two books, and was happy with them as well.

Was this review helpful?

That was a nice surprise, Chris Zett hasn't published much since and I was very eager to read what she has to share with us, and I am happy to conclude this was a quality read. A slow pace and low angst romance set in picturesque town with adorable fur babies lurking around, two mc who were never in the same circle back in high school now begin their friendship and more as they get to know each other more. I especially like the fact they talk it out with each others, miscommunication trope was typical in a romance with one of them set to leave to another place soon but not in this book, they acknowledge their attraction, discuss the challenges they may face in the future such as the possibilities of LDR, and went into it with wide eyes open which was a refreshing change of pace. All in all a fun read and definitely can't wait for more from this author to come.

Was this review helpful?

Sweet f/f small town romance
After a failed relationship Maia reluctantly has to go back to the small town in Upstate New York where her aunt lives. It’s only temporarily until she figures out her next step and goes back to New York City. Fortunately as radiologist she can work remotely.
Rowan, the local handy woman (tool belt alarm!), is stuck. She knows what she doesn‘t want: to take over her parent‘s store with all the paper work she can‘t handle. Romantically she has been burned. Where to go forward is a mystery.
The two keep meeting, but are hesitant to start something before they know where to go. So a unhurried dance and slow burn starts with a great mix of summer in Upstate New York, lazy evenings, good friends, cute animals and small town life.
I loved the small town, lazy summer vibe. The book read like a coming-of-age novel and at the same time the characters were quite mature, just at the cusp of their lives finding a new direction. I enjoyed this relaxing read and the development of the romance. I appreciated that Zett got the medical part and Maia‘s nerdiness spot-on.

I received an ARC via netgalley. The review is left voluntarily.

Was this review helpful?

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

rowan is very good with her hands and is the one that the town calls for any repairs.... she also owns with her family the local hardware store, her one time dream was to be a professional swimmer but her injury put paid to that idea...

maia is a radiologist, she was engaged to be married but found out just as she moved to a new city that her boyfriends was a first class cheater in the worst way....

she was now home with her aunts wondering how her life had ended up like this... she was remote working from home and was trying to think on how to improve her life....

rowan and maia had both gone to the same school as each other but never went around in the same circles.... but things were about to change....

an enjoyable quick read... love a good butch with a tool belt and this story had all the elements that i love

Was this review helpful?

Disfrute de la lectura. Es un romance entre dos mujeres que están centradas en sus vidas profesionales. Rowan lucha por mantener la ferretería de sus padres, mientras que Maia busca empleo en un hospital de la ciudad.

Ambas tienen claro que no buscan el amor, pero cuando se encuentran, surgen chispas inesperadas, deberán esforzarse por no enamorarse y ser solo amigas.

Lo que más me gustó de la historia es que ambas son muy claras acerca de las cosas que quieren y lo que no. Hay comunicación.


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

Was this review helpful?

This was too slow-paced for me and didn’t hold my interest. I’m sure others will enjoy it.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Was this review helpful?

This charming romance brings together Rowan, a small-town handywoman, and Maia, a big-city radiologist, in a story that blends heartwarming moments with the challenges of mismatched life goals. The setting—a picturesque town with a nearby lake and a house renovation project—adds a cozy, feel-good vibe to the book. The chemistry between Rowan and Maia is undeniable, and their blossoming relationship feels genuine and sweet.

Was this review helpful?

Despite the way it starts, this book is surprisingly low-angst. The two main characters both have great honest communication and a wonderful friendship that leads to more.

I really enjoyed Rowan and Maia getting to know one another, they had so many cute moments. In addition, I thought it was great how they both supported each other so well even when they didn't think they'd be together. If I had to describe this book in just a few words, I'd say it's very sweet. Rowan in particular was my favorite character, and definitely stole the spotlight for me personally.

Overall, I think this is another great novel from Chris Zett, and I recommend giving it a read! 4.8/5 stars.

Was this review helpful?

I enjoyed this low angst book set in upstate New York about former swimmer and now odd job/renovation specialist, Rowan, and radiologist, Maia. Maia has just relocated to Seattle to be with her boyfriend, Scott, and start her new job at the same hospital where Scott works. She is having lunch with her new colleagues when she learns that Scott has been cheating on her via office gossip. She promptly decides to leave Seattle and heads to upstate New York to stay with her aunts for a while and do online radiology work. This is where she meets Rowan. They begin a friendship that eventually turns into more.

The book is a slow burn romance that also focuses on real life and the things that make people feel truly fulfilled and happy. I’d recommend this Chris Zett romance to other readers who are looking for a low drama yet satisfying story.

I received an ARC from Ylva Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?