4⭐️3.75🌶️

Contemporary romance

Dual POV

Small Town Romance

Friends to Lovers

Brothers Best Friend

Self Discovery

Forced Proximity

Football obsessed college town

Tw: gaslighting ex, emotional manipulation, toxic relationships, off page domestic violence and alcoholism

In this emotional and captivating story, Melody returns to her hometown after a breakup, only to come face-to-face with Zach, her first love, sparking unresolved feelings between them. The book’s epilogue is sweet, establishing both their friendship and the underlying romantic tension from the start, while the beginning effectively ignites those sparks between the characters.

The characters are well-developed and dynamic, with the female main character (FMC) going through a powerful journey of self-discovery, particularly as she comes to terms with the toxic, long-term relationship she’s leaving behind. It’s a heartbreaking and unique approach to her growth.

The male main character (MMC) is a perfect balance of stoic and tortured, but he never falls into the trap of being a doormat. His strong, individual personality adds depth to the story, especially in a “he falls hard” narrative, which I absolutely love.

The side characters were enjoyable, and I’m hopeful they’ll get their own stories in the future. My only wish would be for a bit more diversity among the characters, which would have added a richer layer to the story.

As for the romance, the spice level is high with many open-door scenes. While these moments are steamy, they did start to take a bit too much focus away from the overall plot at times, which was a minor drawback.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria books for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.