I absolutely, positively, completely loved every single second of this fantastic story. Compared by Kortney Keisel is my new favorite read of 2023! Meg is an excellently written, highly relatable, and totally endearing heroine. She is a hardworking 2nd-grade teacher who longs for a love all her own, but she’s stuck in a three-year love rut and doesn’t even know it. She’s also in a state of deep grief. At the very start of this story, readers learn that Meg has just lost her beloved mother. I appreciate how Keisel deals with grief in all its forms, and how she shows that different people deal with grief in different ways and that is OK. But back to Meg. Meg is awesome. Like I stated earlier, she is hardworking, but she is also really talented, extremely kind, and quite funny. Her inner monologues had me laughing out loud. Meg is definitely someone I’d want to befriend. Now for Tyler… OH. MY. SWEET. WORD is Tyler a perfect hero! He is physically perfect. He is a hard worker as well. He is the best dad to his son, Krew. And he can flirt like no other. What I really love about Tyler is that he recognizes how great Meg is and chooses to take a risk on a romantic relationship. See, Tyler is a recent widower. 18 months prior to meeting Meg, Tyler lost his beloved wife in a car accident. Obviously, Tyler was destroyed by the loss. But with time, Tyler is able to see that he’s ready to move forward with his life and he wants his life to include Meg. Talk about chemistry — Meg and Tyler have it and then some. There are some amazingly swoony kisses in this book! As far as themes go, my favorite is the discussion on timing after a loss. Specifically, when it’s a “good” time to start relationships again after a spouse has died. I felt that Keisel dealt with this topic respectfully and realistically. The answer is…the timing is different for everyone. Just like everyone grieves in their own way, they also move forward in their own way. And notice I keep saying “move forward.” No one moves on from loss and grief. They move forward. Your deceased loved ones always remain your loved ones, the sadness at losing them remains constant. It’s just that over time you learn to carry the loss in a way that makes room for new experiences and you move forward. A little broken and battered, but forward moving nonetheless. I loved all of these concepts, and felt like this book was not just a fun, swoony Romance, but a cathartic read as well. I loved it all!

Compared is such a great story, and I highly recommend it. If you are a fan of well-written, highly engaging Romances with heart, depth and humor, then you have to grab a copy of this novel ASAP. You’ll love every second!

I purchased a copy of this novel in eBook form from Amazon.com on May 13, 2023, in order to review. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.