5 stars I received an ARC of this book from the author. I didn’t bother reading the description because it’s from Kate Meader (translation—I knew I would love it). I was not surprised to discover this is another five-star read from one of my favorite authors. Since anyone reading this review will have certainly read the description, I won’t try to be cagey and I won’t recap it. Suffice to say, Abby and Roman share sizzling hot chemistry, and despite real and imagined roadblocks, they figure out their HEA. One of the reasons I love Kate Meader’s writing is because of her voice. Characters are smart; they share clever banter and their internal conversations are even funnier. This story is told from alternating POVs of Abby and Roman and each speaks as if telling a story to a friend (along with muttered asides and clarifications). Here are some of my favorites: Abby is out with her two closest friends, Jude and Sam. She observes: “Several women are giving Sam come-hither looks (or come-on-my-face looks as Jude calls them).” After cleaning the latrines at the firehouse, Abby tells Roman she has learned that Satin Rules. When he questions her, she explains it’s “Satan’s spelling-challenged cousin.” While considering spending time with Abby, Roman thinks, “It was the best of ideas, the worst of ideas,” hearkening back to Dickens. Abby suggests they can be friends and he thinks: “Friends. Maybe that’s what I need. Someone I can talk to, who won’t judge. But I have a feeling I’d be crossing the line before the friendship bracelets are woven and wrapped around our wrists.” This image was wonderful. After one of the characters says something he clearly doesn’t mean, Abby thinks it “drips with so much sarcasm we’re practically wading in it.” And the imagery in another scene is even more impactful, the heartbreak palpable, when described by Roman: “I rub my mouth as if it can change the words about to leave my lips and shape them into something that won’t feel like broken glass in my throat.” One of Abby’s frequent places to visit is her aunt’s house, where her aunt prepares a feast to be shared with family and friends. One Sunday, Abby describes the scene. “Taytos are Irish potato chips. We’re in the living room, hoovering them up through our chip-holes while we wait for the roast to be done.” But Abby is self-deprecating in her internal conversations too. “I stand up, wiping crumbs from my thighs from the cookie Lena made me eat. Where ‘made me’ means ‘offered-and-was-gone-in-three-seconds.’” I’m fully aware that anyone else reading these quotes out of context won’t gain the full impact of them, but I probably write these reviews as much for myself as anyone else. In a few years, if I look back on this review, I’ll be pleasantly reminded of why I loved this book so much, and I’ll probably read it again. The fact that I’d be willing, nay happy, to reread this should be all the encouragement anyone needs to read it themselves. January 29, 2022
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