I really liked the characters. I feel like it is important to note how they felt about their past relationships, which made it hard for Amelia and Noah to jump into something. Noah is kind and doesn’t force Amelia (Rae) to express her feelings if she doesn’t want to. I love when they go to the lake and when they Amelia bandages Noah up after he comes home after drinking and knocking over a lamp. Amelia has to deal with the struggles of being a famous pop star who is constantly bombarded by paparazzi and fans. Rome, Kentucky is the perfect break for her. She also sucks at making pancakes and loves to play Scrabble. Noah is also a reader and has a room full of books. His parents died during a thunderstorm while on the top of a mountain, so he is afraid of storms. I think it was so cute when he got scared and asked Amelia if he could sleep with her because he couldn’t sleep. 

A closed door romance with sparks flying since the first meet-cute.

If you love Luke and Lorelai and classic film retellings, the Roman Holiday-inspired scenes and the sunshine (superstar) x grumpy boy (baker) romance trope in this book is really well-balanced.

Sometimes, even more than the romance itself, I felt like I was falling in love with Rome, Kentucky myself and Noah’s sisters. 

This book is the perfect homely, cozy haven to run into when you need a pick-me-up.

A dream for fans of classic films and Gilmore girls!

Rolled my eyes at least 15 times reading this (ohh his manly veins and surly pose) but can't say I wasn't entertained. In fact, I was so entertained that I ended up reading for hours straight on a saturday until I finished the book, wish doesn't happen often these days.

I'm not usually a big fan of the grumpy x sunshine trope and even less of insta love. But I loved the characters and the small town dynamic!!

Very curious about the second book focused on Annie!

4/5 stars
1/5 spice

A cute, fluffy romance that had all the the classic Hallmark, small town feels.

Tropes:
Small town
Grumpy/sunshine

I was drawn to this story because of the Audrey Hepburn inspiration from her movie Roman Holiday. I'm a fan of Audrey so of course I couldn't resist. I'm glad I did the audiobook, the narrators sounded great and brought the characters to life. Although you know how this is going to end it's still heart warming to listen to. 

Amelia and Noah were so adorable. Even though Amelia is more widely known as her pop star personality Rae Rose, she still had genuine kindness and humility, which makes her so much more relatable. Noah was the classic grumpy introvert who was trying so hard to be left alone but couldn't resist Amelia's charm.

Their flirtation and banter was playful and lighthearted. The only conflict in the story centered around the big question of... what's going to happen when her vacation is over?

I'm pleased with how things concluded, even though it was predictable. There was some tension, kissing, and groping but all fade to black. 

Highly recommend for fans of classic movies and wholesome small town Hallmark vibes. 

Trigger/Content warnings:
Mentions death of parents, Alzheimer's, mentions cheating, industry manipulation, mental health rep

trigger warnings: emotional abuse and manipulation, alcohol, anxiety, stalking mention, abandonment, infidelity

The second Noah started describing Amelia from his POV my brain said late Red-early 1989 era Taylor Swift so I was already sus of this book but the vibes were giving soft romance so I trusted that to carry me through. And frankly it was the only thing that carried me through the book at certain points.

There was no smut. Fine okay I can deal. The greater cast of characters in this small town were nosy and invasive as well, like to the point of me wanting to spray them in the face with a bottle and tell them to mind their own damn business. Can also deal bc they're not the main part of the story and to some that's the charm. Not my thing but okay. 

Then came the liberal use of male and female as adjectives. Noah in all his maleness and Amelia in all her femininity and curves. A leather chair was described as masculine. Noah couldn't admit his eyes were tearing up, no it was voluntary eye watering. Aren't we past the point of aggressively hammering on the gender binary? Adjectives beyond masculine and feminine exist. Use them. I'm tired of having to fight through m/f books where the author is desperate for everyone to know their characters are CIS and HET. It's transphobic and alienating. Not to mention also fatphobic because for some reason masculinity is cut muscles and femininity is generous but shapely curves only. End it.

The thing that irritated me the most was that one of Noah's sisters was keeping tally of her siblings swearing because "at least one of us has to make it through the gates of heaven" (im paraphrasing). Admittedly that's not a big issue but paired with the masculine feminine bit I was really not in the fucking mood.

The best moments of this book were when Noah and Amelia were alone or interacting with each other while things happened around them. Their chemistry was off the charts and the way the author managed to create a private bubble for them despite everyone being in their goddamn business was really well done. The tenderness and affection that they shared was really adorable and what allowed me to believe that they fell in love despite the short timeline.

Honestly the romance was so good it kept this book from a 2 star rating. I hope the author cuts the shit in later books. No doubt Noah's siblings are likely next in line if this is turning into a series so I hope some things get updated before they're published.