Totally disappointed. When I saw '2000s nostalgia' in the blurb I got excited thinking this book would take place then. No, it takes place in present day but Mya drops '00s pop culture references like it's 2005, maybe 2010 as if it's relevant today. I don't think that's nostalgia when someone who's 30 (& wishes or thinks she's 15) just talks about it - nonstop. On top of that, she's incredibly bubbly and perky which comes off immature and random with no boundaries.
Kace is the complete polar opposite. You'd think he was 50. So serious, no perk to be seen. I felt zero chemistry with these two. The thought of them hooking up made me feel icky because it was almost like an old man trying to date a minor.
I had to walk away. Life is too short and my tbr list is too long to try to stick it out with a book and characters I'm just not vibing with.
You couldn't make 'fetch' happen then and you certainly can't make it happen now.

Gilmore Girls, Tamagochi's, Furby's, Lizzie McGuire, One Tree Hill, The OC...

This was a trip through the 00's and I'm here for it!
But setting that aside for a minute (how ever for me that was enough to win me over)... This was such a well written rom com! Loved the whole Black cat vs Golden retriever, Grumpy vs Sunshine trope. The dynamic between Mya and Kace worked so well, I really love how they are complete opposites but worked perfectly.
The perfect slow-burn for Millenials.

Thanks to Netgalley, Victory Editing and Tisa Matthews for entrusting me with an advanced copy to write an honest review about.

THIS was exactly what I needed. I'm such a sucker for an early 2000's movie, 2000's music, etc. and this put me right into a 2000's rom-com. All of the references to early 2000's were so fun, along with some references from our current time as well.

I think the plot was super fun and I felt for both characters at different points. As someone who got out of a LONG relationship last year and now looks back realizing everything happens for a reason, this book was so healing. I loved reading about the breaking up couples business and seeing the main characters feelings grow as they were doing that together.

This is definitely a book i'm going to rave about to my friends to get them to read. 4.5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

‘Unhitched’ is an ode to 2000s nostalgia. We follow Mya, the epitome of sunshine, who has just turned 30 and is single, again, and living in her car; and Kace - our grumpy counterpart who has just come out of an 8 year relationship, having just been cheated on. Through a wild turn of events, Kace offers Mya his couch while she pieces her life together.

This book is intensely millennial. It is written for a very specific audience - and that audience does very much include me. In fact, one of the reasons I requested this book is due to me turning 30 on its release date - I mean, how much more of a sign can you get?!

If you want to enjoy this book, you kind of have to suspend your disbelief a little, or you’ll spend the entire time thinking ‘no-one speaks like that in real life’ or ‘that would NEVER happen’. I very quickly learnt this and just hopped straight on board with the chaos.

This book is dual, first person POV and the writing style is accessible, simple, and a lot of fun. Set very much in the year 2025 or thereabouts, it’s littered with millenialisms, throwbacks, and those uber specific references that literally unlocked memories as I read. It’s very much like reading a 2000s rom com in novel format and I am such a sucker for those movies, so you know already I had a good time.

Our two characters are very much caricatures of everything. She is sunshine, he is grumpy. She is a bubblegum pop princess, he is an elder emo. He was a punk, she did ballet, what more can I say? I mean, she does crafting and he works in cybersecurity, but the point still stands. As usual, my need for a romance to be ‘good’ to me is in two parts: great chemistry and emotional depth. These two had the chemistry in spades, but I didn’t feel the emotional weight as much as I hoped to. I enjoyed their individual journeys, their introspection, and their growth, but I didn’t feel super moved by it. However, I was begging them to hurry up and kiss, damn it, so the angst/yearning very much worked for me.

The plot, as I’ve alluded to, requires some buy in, because although this book is set in our world, the events that transpired just would not happen in this day and age. Still, if you get past that, it’s a silly, fun time with an undercurrent of reflection that truly embodies the whirlwind that is turning 30.

If you haven’t guessed already, I would recommend this to millennials, specifically anyone born in the early to mid 90s. You have to be in the mood for a silly, fun time. This book is truly aimed at a very specific group of people, and if you’re one of them, you’ll hopefully enjoy this like I did.

As for my rating, I feel torn. My one biggest issue is the Harry Potter references. I just don’t feel that they’re necessary. Look, I get that this series was a huge part of our lives (mine very much included) but given the monster JKR has turned into, I think they could have been cut OR included with a discussion about how sucky it’s turned out that we can’t love something that played such a big role in our formative years, because of how the creator has decided to live her life. This book intersperses fun moments with deeper, reflective ones, so it’s definitely something that could have been done.

Overall, I’ve settled on 4 stars exactly - I really enjoyed this book, I consumed it in approximately 48 hours (and I’m currently in a reading slump!). It’s easy to read, fun and nostalgic to the max, with a great chemistry that had be turning pages on my Kindle with a feverish desperation.

4 🌟

This was a good story! I enjoyed the plot, found the characters lovable and interesting, and I would definitely recommend this to others!

This was my first read by Tisa Matthews. I tried so hard to like this book, but I just don’t care about these characters at all 😭 I’M SORRY! Don’t let my review deter you, it’s probably a personal thing. I found the FMC’s millennial obsession to be a bit annoying and the story felt so long. I TRIED! Thank you NetGalley and Victory Editing for the ARC — I appreciated the opportunity to read a new-to-me author. I’m sure others will love this story!

I went into this book thinking it would be a perfect fit! Millennial romance with heavy doses of ’90s and early 2000s nostalgia? Sign me up! And while I appreciated the concept, it didn’t quite land for me. The pop culture references were constant, so much so that they started to feel more like a gimmick than natural dialogue. At times, it felt like the nostalgia overshadowed the emotional core of the story, making it harder to fully connect with the characters. I would’ve loved more time spent on developing the main relationship and diving deeper into the friendships and family dynamics. It was a fun read overall, but the overuse of throwbacks held it back from being something truly special. A solid concept that just needed a bit more balance.

This book made my Millennial heart so happy! I came for the nostalgia and was blown away by the emotional love story!

Mya and Kace are complete opposites but are both so endearing in their own ways! Their story unfolds really organically, and it’s easy to root for both of them. There was a bit there where I wanted to take a Razor Scooter to Kace’s ankles, but we love a man who goes to therapy.

The nostalgic references really were a joyous addition to the story, and really made this book stand out! As a fellow Hilary Duff lover, I had to turn on Metamorphosis while reading!

Tropes: grumpy/sunshine, opposites attract, only one bed

I look forward to reading more by this author!

The way I finished this in 24 hours is WILD! As a 90’s baby this book spoke directly to my soul and gave me so much that I’ve been missing. The nostalgia with all your favorite childhood references was done so perfectly that I was finding myself tearing up. Chefs kiss.

3.5 ⭐- This romance is definitely for millennials and it's filled with TONS of 90s and early 2000s nostalgia and pop culture references. As a 34 year old, I'm always craving nostalgia from my childhood and teen years, so I had a lot of fun. I especially loved that Kace was comparable to my celebrity crush Seth Cohen from my favorite show-The O.C. I also loved how much variety the music choices were! From metal to pop to classic rock and alternative.

I had a hard time enjoying the romance mostly because of Kace and how conflicted he was. I found myself having a hard time liking him for most of the book, but towards the end he redeemed himself! This felt kind of long for a slow burn and the ending felt rushed. Overall it had a sweet ending and I loved Mya's nostalgic heart. I aspire to be her lol

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for this arc copy, all opinions are my own.

I struggled deciding on a star rating for this one, probably more a 3.5 stars but I have rounded up to 4.

As a millennial myself I was immediately drawn to the nostalgic references—one of the book’s big selling points and I adore the front cover graphics and vibe! While fun, the naughties references sometimes felt overdone and distracted from the plot, which dragged a bit for me and it took me quite a while to get into this book.

The story follows Kace, emotionally unavailable and done with heartbreak, who unintentionally blows up Mya’s Valentine's Day date. Feeling guilty when he realises that she is now homeless, he offers her a place to stay. Ditzy Mya is stuck in the early 2000s; Kace is stuck in his past relationship. Cue the tension, the banter, and the slow growth.

Though the pacing felt slow, the characters' emotional journeys were deeply relatable. It’s a millennial story at heart, though at times it leaned a bit Gen Z in my opinion. Still, the character development paid off, and the message about healing and finding joy in chaos resonated with me in the end.

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Tisa Matthews and Victory Editing for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Follow me on TikTok for more 🩷 Laced in Lit

Kace is done with heartbreak and decides to make it someone else’s problem, so on Valentine’s Day he ruins Mya’s date with her live in boyfriend that she’s been wanting to break up with, but just couldn’t figure out how. When he finds out she doesn’t have a place to stay, he invites the overly optimistic, stuck in the early-oughts, down on her luck girl who’s life he thought he ruined to stay with him. They are just roommates.
I picked this up because it promised nostalgia and a way to relate. Written by millennials for millennials. For the most part. Tisa is on the absolute cusp, and I’m an elder, so we’re a little off and felt it was a little more gen-z than she would have liked at times, but I digress. Kace can’t stand that Mya is stuck in the past, and he’s too rigid to move on from his only girlfriend and who amongst us cannot relate to that dynamic?? Sir. Go to therapy. (That may come up. Just saying, I get it.) I get it. Both perspectives, though! It truly was incredibly relatable as someone who has been through life changing event after life changing event, who has had to cling to little joys to keep afloat. Both characters were able to eventually grow together into an amazing partnership, learning things we’ve all had to learn along the way, by ourselves, being raised by parents that maybe didn’t know how to get us there. The journey was nice, if not a little frustrating at times. Thank you Tisa Maththews and Victory Publishing for the chance to read an advanced copy to provide a review!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc.

I am rounding this up to 4- but it would be a 3.5 for me.

As a millennial, I loved all of the throwback references, it was one of the reasons I was drawn to this book. However, I felt like it was such a big part of the book- almost ‘let me see how many references I can throw in here’ that the plot fell flat. It took me an insanely long time to get through.

This was such a cute and nostalgic read! The main character, Mya, is obsessed with all things 2000s—her music choices and aesthetic were absolutely adorable. The male main character, Kace, is jaded from a recent breakup and no longer believes in love. In a moment of bitterness, he goes to a restaurant intending to ruin someone’s relationship—unfortunately, that relationship happens to be Mya’s.

To his surprise, he later finds her sitting in her car, only to realize she’s now homeless after the breakup. But instead of being angry with him, Mya is surprisingly grateful—she hadn’t been happy in that relationship anyway. Kace offers her a place to stay, setting up a fun forced proximity trope as Mya works to rebuild her life and Kace begins to open up to the idea of love again.

Overall, it was a heartwarming and really enjoyable read!

Rating: 3.5/5
Spice: 2/5


Kase and Mya are two strangers from different walks of life who meet because Kase attempts to ruin her Valentine’s Day date, which turns out to be the best thing he could have done.

I thoroughly enjoyed the throwbacks and nostalgia, but the amount of references were almost forced and felt overwhelming. I found the plot to be thin in some places because of it.

I found myself flying through the book hoping it wouldn’t be overly reference based but it was very reliant on millenial throwback, which i usually love, but the sheer number of them was too much in my opinion.

Still a cute story once you get past that, and I enjoyed the last 25% of the book and how Kase opens up.


Thanks to NetGalley and Victory Editing for access to the ARC in exchange for this honest review!

ha ha if you didn't pick this book up because you saw the cover and thought "yeh, we get it" then i dont know how to explain anything at all to you. ha ha i kid... kind of. but yes this did indeed make me swipe for this book. i new i would cringe at it, love it, kind of hate it(simply because of those years for me!) but as soon as i went in i was well and truly iiiiiiin.
the book gives us Kace. hes broken up and heartbroken and decides he isn't willing to do this alone. what comes next, on Kace you plonker...
but was this the worst thing hes ever done. ok initially we want to shake the man. not cool. not done. but then as the story continues to unfold we all fall and swoon like the best of them. because here hes met Mya. and instead of ruining the date he kind of saved it, or rather saved her. because she wanted out big time. end of right? cute right? ha ha we arent even a few chapters end and you think thats it? nah, because this isn't the end for these two. far from it. and things get a whole lot more complicated when he sees her again and how she is living. and he then makes more decisions that we are slapping our heads and thinking "again Kace is this a good idea?" but maybe we should just trust Kace a bit more. because what does indeed come next is toe curling good stuff. yes please. i loved this book.
this book was everything i could have wished for going in. gorgeous.

This book delivers on everything it says it would in the synopsis! Every page unlocked some memory from my pre-teen and teenage years, spanning everything from the alt-y emo times to the sweet-as-candy pop era.

I have zero criticisms of this book except that I wish there was more!

Even though I'm happily married with a toddler (and I feel like I checked most of life's expectations boxes,) a lot of this still hit home really hard. Millennials were forced to grow up so quickly and in a world that changed so much faster than prior generations and I think maybe that's why our nostalgia hits so hard for us. We miss the simpler times, before everyone dumped the expectations of the world on our shoulders.

This is easily going to be one of my comfort books. I would LOVE to see this turned into a movie!

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing (a NetGalley Co-op) for providing this book, with my honest review below.

Unhitched was a sweet romance with some nostalgia for those of us who remember the early 00’s fondly.

Kace is a guy who plays it safe and steady so it’s a shock to him when he decides to process his feelings about his breakup on another random couple. Even though Mya is thankful for it because it caused a breakup she needed to happen, Kace feels responsible when he finds Mya living in her car. So begins an odd roommate situation turned friendship turned love. Mya was the definition of manic pixie girl in my opinion but she brought a lot of spontaneity to the story and into Kace’s life. I loved the nostalgia though it felt a little forced at times, proving the point that there was a lot more to Mya than crafts and optimism.

A sweet romance that was surprisingly emotional, I’d recommend for those who are on top of their cultural references and want to see love and development when it’s not always easy.

I thought this book would be right up my alley, given that I too still find myself drawn to so much of the music, tv, and movies I loved while growing up in the 90s and 00s, but it just didn't fully hit for me. The references to early 2000s culture felt relentless at times, and were used in a way that I don't think any 30-something in 2025 would actually say/do. I think if 50% of the references were cut, and we were able to spend more time exploring these characters and their relationships with friends/family, I would have enjoyed this much more. All in all, I liked it, but just didn't love it. Thank you Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the opportunity to read this upcoming release and provide an honest review!

4,5⭐ rounded up to 5⭐

First of all, thank you so much to Tisa Matthews and Netgalley for sending me this ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

Okay, it feels like I have been back to the 2000's the last couple of days reading Unhitched. The trip down memory lane was unreal!!

This book has made me fall in love again with everything I used to love when I was a teenager. The music I used to listen to but had forgotten over the years (welcome back Boys Like Girls, Taking Back Sunday and Hellogoodbye!!) and tv series I used to love which I am SO going to start watching again!
It made me miss my tamagotchi even though the fact that it always died on me was so frustrating.
This was such a throwback in time and I had so, so much fun!

Also, the characters were amazing.
I would love to have a friend like Mya, I mean, she could be tigger and I could be eeyore.
She has such a fun, bubbly and easy going character and I am sure that everyone will feel better with such a ray of sunshine in their lives.

Kace is the classical tortured, broody man. First of I wasn't sure if I was going to like him, but he slowly grew on me and at the end of the book I truly loved him.

The cosy crafty parts were so fun to read and made me want to do my own artsy projects.

The slow burn was burning and the spicy scenes were HOT!

The part about Liam was heartbreaking, I literally felt my heart sink in my stomache. I am so glad and thankful this got a part in the book.

I am sure whenever I need a pick me up or when I'm in the mood to read something fun and cosy I will pick this book up again to reread.