Mimi Grace

THIS ROAD TO LOVE MAY HAVE A FEW SPEED BUMPS... Former hot mess Jolene Baxter is committed to doing better. It's why she offered to help her sister and brother-in-law move across the country. However, her goodwill is tested when last minute changes-mainly her father ditching her for an all-expenses paid vacation-forces her to make the journey with a man who is the human version of a pebble in her shoe. Jason Akana operates on lists and bitter coffee, but none of those things will help him on a sixteen-hour trip with the most infuriating woman. Maybe they can get along and forget their heated confrontation five years ago at his best friend's wedding...when pigs fly. But the addition of vehicle problems, an unplanned pit stop in a small town, and chemistry that inconveniently tags along, shifts their perspectives. And once the dust settles after their trip, a tentative friendship emerges. Will these two stubborn people successfully navigate the unexpected feelings that follow close behind? Or will they hit a roadblock before reaching happily ever after? Content Notes: Deceased parent (dies long before start of the book) - Verbally pushy person interested in the heroine (NOT the hero)

Along for the Ride

Good, cute romance and easy read especially for between books. 

Jodie Reads

menna

i was a little conflicted about how i should rate this book, if i rated each half of the book on it's own the first would get five stars while the other would get maybe two? so does that mean 3 stars? four stars?? I HAVE NO IDEA. in the end i settled on three stars, maybe three and a half.

the first half of the book was literally all i could ask for!! enemies to lovers?? check. ohhh maybe you're not that bad?? check. forced proximity? check. only one bed? check. age gap? check check check. there was a little bit of fake dating thrown in there too AND I WAS HAVING THE TIME OF MY LIFE.

the second half though was after their roadtrip ended so i kinda expected that it would be a little different since they won't be spending every second of the day together and that we would get a closer look at their lives individually,, but i felt it was A LOT different. the vibes, the pacing, it felt like a different book altogether and i felt kind of meh about it (not that there weren't any cute parts,, they cooked and danced together once and my heart turned to mush!!!!) and we see more of jolene's job and i loved how much she loved it and was kickass at it!!!! 

but i think the author was focusing on jolene's job and jason's family and other things and we didn't see their relationship develop the way i wanted it to?? they have multiple fights and conflicts and they just sort of forgive each other? without talking about it at all?? also jason said some comment that affected jolene’s job and i thought it was very childish?? like why…..he didn't gain anything and wasn't actually defending her and it felt so unnecessary.

anyways this was pretty enjoyable and i had so much fun reading it!! especially the first half!!!

Preye

Full review: Literary, Darling!


Ordinarily,  I stay away from enemies-to-lovers because I find the execution tacky and the whole trope annoying. As I said on my Goodreads, my recent reads have been pleading their case. This book is sweet and sensuous and I loved how interconnected the leads were with each other. 

Although oftentimes it seemed like the author focused on everything but the actual growth of the relationship, I understand that oftentimes external events are instrumental to our growths as people. And particularly influence how we approach our relationships. 

The writing is simple,  concise, and I especially loved that the characters weren't so many I wasn't able to keep up. Jason's wry wit peppered all over the pages made this even more entertaining. I have come to appreciate how this trope features the most open conversations between couples. No hiding, pretending,  or shaming. They just come as they are and avoid the initial awkward madness.

Alejandra Bran

I didn’t expect to like this book soooo much!!

Jo H

Still struggling to write reviews... perhaps even more than before given the shitshow that 2020 has turned into since about March.

Along for the Ride

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