✨️ Ｂｏｏｋ Ｒｅｖｉｅｗ ✨️
𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Truly Madly Deeply
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: L.J. Shen
𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: Forbidden Love, Book 1
𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬: 501
𝐒𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: Staindrop, Maine
𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬: Calla is a recent college graduate who is working as a waitress in NY until she gets her True Crime Podcast started. She hadn’t been home in the last five years after being caught having sex with her best friend's older brother. Ambrose (Row), the older brother is a famous chef, owning Michelin star restaurants, and cooking show judge. He now owns a restaurant in their hometown and ends up giving her a job while she spends time with her mom while they grieve together. Even though they have “issues” with each other, they can’t seem to stay away from each other.
𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐡𝐚𝐬:
Best Friends Brother
Small Town Romance
Forced Proximity
Dual POV
Workplace Romance
2nd Chance
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝:
• What a fantastic playlist!
• The quirkiness of Cal
• Loved the chat messages
• Loved the angst & banter
• The Birthday cake that Cal received on her 19th birthday (the meaning behind it)
• Great character growth
• Loved the side characters - especially Rhyland
𝐀𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬: Holy WOW! Not going to lie, I own several of L.J. Shen’s books but this is the first one that I have read. I absolutely loved it! I listened to the audio while reading the physical and there were timeline discrepancies(ages, # of years that passed).
I enjoy the diversity of the characters in this book. They are different and they are amazing in their own ways. I liked the glimpses of the past to tell their love story. Grumpy MMC’s are my favorites, I loved Row so much! It was heartwarming how they opened up to each other with their past traumas and helped each other heal together.
𝐂𝐖: Bullying, Attempted Murder, Death of a parent, alcoholism, child abuse (past), Androphobia, sexual harassment.
Thank you to @read_bloom & @authorljshen for the gifted copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.