3 ⭐️ Cute small town romance


"It's amazing the ways our parents can mess us up. I guess we're all still figuring it out."


Summary:

The story follows Bee, an aspiring interior designer from NYC, and Denny, an ex-NFL player who lives in Pine Ridge in Upstate New York.

Bee, a club manager from NYC, was planning on going to design school in London when she's once again put in a position where she feels obligated to financially bail her careless brother out. So she decides to head to Pine Ridge to get some space, where she meets a tall, dark, and handsome ex-football player in need of an interior designer.

Denny moved to Pine Ridge a few years ago after quitting the NFL and bought an enormous house on the lake. But his home feels more like a sad bachelor pad. And with his judgemental parents visiting in a few months, Denny wants nothing more than to show he has his life together, starting with his home.

Neither Bee nor Denny is looking for love, but something like fate and small-town meddling set these two on a collision course.


My Thoughts:

If you love small-town romance and flawed heroes, this book is for you.

You're introduced to a big city girl who's looking to get in and out, and a laid-back ex-football player looking to get away. Bee and Denny use Pine Ridge as a way to escape but in very different ways. Both carry emotional scars from their past (childhood/parents), which I found extremely relatable. And throughout the story, we see them grow, help each other overcome their fears, discover who they are/what they want. I liked that this book addressed some heavier topics while also remaining lighthearted.


The one thing that drove me nuts was Bee's relationship with her brother. She's such a sweet, strong character but when it comes to her sh*tty brother who uses her, she's so weak. I know this is how it's supposed to be portrayed, but I just hated it. I would NEVER in a million years pay for anyone's medical bill who ended up in the hospital because of their carelessness. Also, no one had to pay the bills immediately. Her brother would have been released from the hospital and had bills he would be responsible for. I didn't understand why she used her own money to pay for it right then and there when it wasn't necessary.


Overall, it's a sweet story but nothing special. This is the third book in the Forever Adirondacks series and can be read as a standalone. I didn't read the previous stories but I think it would have made me feel more connected to Pine Ridge and the side-characters.



Thank you Berkley Publishing Group for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review! As always, all opinions are my own.