So.much.miscommunication. And lack of communication. And not learning from one's mistakes. Jess and Jamie had a single hookup in high school. She was in love with him. He of course, being a teenage boy, had absolutely no idea and blows her off via text message the next day. She then (very healthily) holds a grudge for the next 12 years, somehow never thinking through that Jamie, with whom she had never had a real conversation prior to their hookup, might have had absolutely no idea just how significant that encounter was to her. And even after that fact is pointed out to her and is driven home as she gets to know Jamie in their adult incarnations, she still refuses to give Jamie her trust. Perhaps it is that lack of trust that dampens the chemistry between Jess and Jamie, but while the romance had potential, it ended up falling flat. There were certainly enjoyable moments, such as those with Jess' business partner or her family, but the ending felt a bit rushed, though the final scene was cute.

2.5 stars rounded to 3. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary ARC of this book. The opinions herein are my own.

I really loved the premise of this book but it fell flat for me in a couple of places. The repeated use of the miscommunication trope started to grate a little - particularly near the end where Jess made a pretty big assumption without seeking validation. Her continued distrust of Jamie was difficult to stomach when he continually proves himself to her.

I really enjoyed how independent Jess is and how she strove to make the business a success. I loved her friendships and all the side characters we met and would have loved to see more of them. I appreciated their advice to Jess and how they were so full of life.

Aside from the third act drama, this was a lovely easy read.

#rochellereadsit

This was a really cute, easy, lighthearted read. I absolutely LOVED Jess' character - she was independent, bold, and didn't take nonsense from anyone - I could relate to her in a lot of ways during my own single period and rooted for her throughout the whole story. I felt that she had a lot of potential but her relationship with Jamie fell flat and lacked chemistry. I usually like the single-parent trope, but the miscommunication after miscommunication paired with Jess' constant distrust built some distance in me. While I didn't care for the ending, I did appreciate that it strayed from the norm and brought a breath of fresh air compared to other romance novels.

I really enjoyed the premises of this book, but it felt like a couple more pages would've been good. There was quite a bit of plot and the ending felt a bit rushed. Plus side was definitely the side characters, I would've loved to hear more about them!

This would've been a five star if it weren't for all the miscommunication. I LOATHE miscommunication. Even though Jess knew that everything was a miscommunication and that Jamie was a good dude, she STILL got caught up in thinking that he wasn't. If she would've stopped being annoying/immature about it all, this book would've been way better.

Wow, what an entertaining read this started out as! The first 20% of the story drew me completely in. The banter and flirting in this story was absolutely top notch and I found myself blushing and laughing simultaneously on several occasions.

Jess is the independent, won't-take-sh*t FMC. Jamie was her first love, and first... Everything. He also happens to be the one that got away.

What's important to note is that while Jamie was her first love, he had no idea of how she truly felt about him. His muddled, teenage brain (heart?) also handled things quite poorly (via text, lawd) way back when it all went down. However, Jess has basically spent the 12 years since she's since him hating his guts. The last thing that she expects is to run into him at a wedding that she's working.

Of course, their first encounter as adults goes almost as well as their first encounter as teenagers did. In fact, in Jess' mind, it further justifies her low opinion of him.

However, from their second encounter to their third, and fourth and so on, Jess begins to see a different side of Jamie. At the behest of her close friends, she's also challenged to consider that she might just have misunderstood his actions when they were teenagers.

Time and time again, Jamie continues to prove himself to her, until they finally confront the night in question from 12 years ago and they both realize that not only were they not on the same page, they might have been reading completely different stories. Jess starts to let him in, and they finally embark on a relationship.

And this is where the story began to go downhill for me. I've mentioned many times that I'm not a huge fan of the single parent trope. However, when done correctly, it can really enhance the romance of the plot. In the case of this story, it seemed like more of a haphazard addition to add some drama and dimension to the story. Now, while Lizzie was stinkin' adorable, her existence didn't play a significant enough role in furthering the plot. Instead, it highlighted what I disliked about the heroine.

I previously mentioned that Jess' poor opinion of Jamie turns out to be the result of a misunderstanding. As teenagers with raging hormones, this is acceptable, mostly because it occurs prior to the start of the story. What you'd expect is that the characters would have matured as adults and grown past the ridiculous misunderstandings as a result of assumptions.

However, we see that, once again, when confronted with something that "looks" different than what Jess is expecting to see, she assumes the worst, and we see yet another misunderstanding that results in a low opinion of Jamie. This is the part that I disliked the most. It felt like a cheap way to add a third act breakup to the story and shattered the strong foundation that they had been building together.

And this is why my rating is a solid 3 ⭐️