this was a cute romance and I was enjoying it in the beginning but then it just fell a bit flat for me and like something was missing. it was much more of a slow burn but then I thought the ending was rushed however i did like how it ended, that part was sweet. It gave ‘life as we know it’ vibes so if you like that movie, I think you’ll like this book.

thank you NetGalley for the arc.

It’s only March and I feel confident in saying this is one of my favorite books I’ve read and/or will read in 2024!
This story starts off super sad and then turns wonderful. It kinda reminded me of stories written by Marianna Zapata. It’s a slow burn story for sure. You’ll start off wanting to smack the man then you’ll fall in love with him.

Zoe and Liam’s best friends have died and they left their daughter in their care - Mira’s God parents. Too bad these two are constantly fighting and bickering and just simply cannot get along with each other. I mean, it’s been a decade of knowing each other. You’d think they would be better at hiding their feelings by now, but nope. How will raising Mira work if they fight constantly? You’ll love reading about how these two learn to work together. And the binders! You’ll laugh out loud when you get to that part. I know I did!
I can vividly see these characters in my mind.
Highly recommend!

I adored Mira!

Liam Davies loved playing football to get out his aggression on the field but he never expected to be named co-guardian with Zoe Valentine of their friend’s little toddler Mira after they were killed by a drunk driver. Liam never wanted children because of his horrible father but he moved in with Zoe to help with Mira.

Zoe didn’t think Liam liked her since the first time they met the first time but now they had to take care of Mira without hurting anybody but could she risk her heart on Liam?

I loved The Best of All because you get to understand both Liam and Zoe and how much they love Mira.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the author and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

“It's always been you."

Liam and Zoe have always butted heads. But when their married best friends pass away suddenly, leaving their two year old daughter in Liam and Zoe's shared custody-they have to suddenly find a way to coexist. Even if Liam isn't as receptive to the idea.

And let's just dive right in there shall we? Because I have to say, I struggled a little with how determined Liam was that he wanted nothing to do with this child in the beginning. In the end, I understood a little better. But still, it made him a little unlikable for me for awhile, which affected me getting into this story. We truly don't get to see the best of him until much later and I think that's too bad, because there was so much good there beneath the surface. Zoe really is the star of this story. She steps up. Wades in. And doesn't fail on giving him her two cents either along the way. I liked her. And I really liked her book club golden girls who added some fun and humour to this story.

These two have this enemies banter thing going on that really takes a LONG time to slide into some tension and chemistry. It is a slow burn. Maybe a little too slow for me. Because it didn't feel all that romantic in the end. Well, until the end. Overall a likeable story. Not sure this is the writing style for me personally, but definitely try it out for yourself!

3.5 Stars

*Thank you to Montlake for the ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own and given freely. Quote used subject to change upon publication.

This book shares the same premise as the Katherine Heigel/Josh Duhamel opposites attract guardian rom com, 'Life as we Know It'. Only in only The Best of All, Josh Duhamel character is a British NFL player.

Zoe and Liam find themselves guardians to their mutual best friends' toddler daughter Mira after they're killed in a car crash. Liam is horrified, as he's always vowed never to have a family or get close to anyone after growing up with an abusive soccer-star dad. Zoe, whose dreams of a family died after her marriage ended, adjusts to new parenthood while dealing with a growing attraction to Liam, whom she's convinced hates her after they had a not so great first meet tean years previously. What she doesn't understand is Liam has distanced himself from her because he fell head over heels for her, only to learn she was engaged.

Told in dual point of view, this is a slow burn romance as the emotionally constipated Liam slowly (at times, excrutiatingly slow) thaws his heart to let in both Mira and Zoe. He doesn't understand how to deal with his feelings, so I really enjoyed his chapters, especially the locker room advice from his teammates. Zoe's chapters, on the other hand I felt were the weakest and flicked through. I think I'm also getting tired of romance books getting self-referential and meta to romance books. Zoe's life consists of going to her retired neighbours romance book club with them advising her to tap Liam so I didn't really find any real character journey for her to be invested. I thought the book would've been stronger with only Liam's point of view.

Overall though, this was a nice solid romance to escape into that I'd recommend. Karla Sorenson has always been an author on my TBR list and this didn't disappoint.

Thanks to Montlake and NetGalley for the ARC.

This is the first book I have read by Karla Sorensen and it passable.. It starts off tragically but then it evolves into a slow-burn, enemies to friends between an athlete and an accountant who are forced to co-parent their best-friend’s child. It also feels like when you get to them finally getting together, BAM, the book is done. This does not occur until maybe the last 20 pages of the book. My only critique is the frequency of growls or grunts that come from Liam.

Perfect book for those who enjoy slow burns. It addresses grief and the adaptation to a new life in a perfect way and shows that we all have fears but can face them for love. The family dynamics depicted throughout the book are described in a way that allows the reader to witness the gradual adaptation to the new reality, especially observing how Liam begins to open up more to Mira. It's simply perfect to see how Liam has been in love with Zoe for 10 years, despite trying his best to avoid loving anyone. In my opinion, the only thing that confused me a bit was the fact that Liam initially spoke to Mira in a complex and profanity-laden manner. However, as the book progresses, there's noticeable improvement in the dialogues, which, for me, was a significant enhancement.

Thanks for the ARC of this book .
I actually like all the books of Karla and i have read all the books but unfortunately i got disappointed after reading this as it was not like all others books , story was ok...plot was also fine but writing was so weak and not so engaging that i have to skim through it.
All over book was 2 stars for me.

I didn't love the first book in this series, but knew that I would be super intrigued to read the second (mostly because I love the movie Life as We Know It). This book was a wonderful slow burn. This book had a lot of the emotional depth that I feel is usually lacking from the romance I read and I liked that it wasn't too spicy!

Liam is a dream. He was so torn, so broken, so tortured, and his character growth was amazing. He was such a good father figure for Mira. Zoe and Mira needed him, and he stepped up and lived up to his full potential. The slow burn of the book kept me a bit frustrated, and I wished there was more story after they got together. I only hope for cameos in future books, or maybe a bonus chapter.

this book... i wish I had the words to describe how it made me feel. i felt like someone was squeezing my chest throughout the entire thing. this book is such a slowburn in all the best ways. liam, zoe and the cutest mira will be remembered by me for a long time. i am so grateful I got to read this. as a lover of slowburns, guardianship dynamic and incredible love confessions.. this truly was everything. i have always been a fan of karla and will continue to look forward to her releases. thank you Montlake and Netgalley for the ARC!

The Best of All by K. Sorensen, published by Montlake is the second stand alone in the Best Men Series. The previous book is Best Laid Plans and I recommend to read the books in order.
Best of All is Liam and Zoe's story. Liam the gruff, hardened football player and Zoe the accountant. Both are frinds of friends and they strongly dislike each other from the first moment they met.
When tragedy strikes they're forced together for the sake of some one else.
Liam refuses to help and Zoe is all alone.
This is an emotional, raw and gritty read, heartwrenchingly beautiful and it bloody hurt reading the book. I was a snotty mess, was pulled apart and then put back together and I loved every minute of it.
A fantastic 5 stars read.

A three year old girl just lost her parents. Her Godmother is ready to step in but her Godfather is not. He never wanted a family.
He built his walls up high so no one could ever get near. If no one gets close, no one gets hurt. Liam has always had a thing for Zoey and when he sees she’s about to start crying from exhaustion, he finds himself blurting out that he’s going to help take care of the child anyway. It wont be easy since Liam needs Zoey to keep on believing that he hates her.

This was so sweet. I loved the kid. I loved Liam. When he hugged Mira for the first time omg.

- Slow burn
- Forced proximity
- Frenemies to lovers
- He falls first
- American football player
- 2/5 spice

Tw/Cw: parental loss, parental abuse(past), grief,

Liam:
My guy was down bad. I almost passed out when he finally gave in to what was happening between him and Zoey. He turned into such a sweetheart. He grew so much as a person and I know he’ll be an amazing dad.

Zoey:
I was not a fan of her in the beginning. I felt like she had a bit of a better than thou attitude but it went away I started liking her further in. She was lovely with Mira and I liked how understanding she was with Liam’s hesitations.

If they ever have more children, I want to be one of them. They were just so cute together and with Mira. Amazing family.

I did not like how the first time Liam opened up to Zoey, she went and told others. He told her something he’s never told anyone else, so shut the fuck up?

The fire in this slowburn was about to fan out for a bit but returned last second. The sexual tension. I just wanted them to fuck already.

I would’ve liked too see a bit more of them being an actual couple. The ending wasn’t necessarily rushed, but I was missing many sweet moments we could have gotten.

4 stars

I love Karla Sorensen. I’ll read anything she writes and I had such a good time!! This was has a great slow burn romance story that build up of the characters. I definitely recommend it especially to a sport romance lovers.

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you netgally for the arc.
I really loved this one! I didn’t know what to expect cause even though i enjoyed the first one, i didn’t love it but this one! omg i LOVED Liam and MARA.
I highly recommend

**Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. Honest review below**

<b>It's always been you</b>

Aaaargh! My heart is so full after reading this beautiful story. The writing is simply amazing and something that is becoming hard to find these days. I feel like most contemporary romances focus now on the spice aka sex instead of the feelings. And this book is just ALL FEELINGS. Slow burn it is, but oh so worth it.

Liam is best friends with his teammate Chris whose wife is best friends with Zoe. They have a mostly snarky/cat-and-mouse relationship because Liam is a big boy version of that kid who pulls his crush's pigtails in the playground while Zoe is not a pushover who just lets anybody insult her. But when Chris and Amie die in a car accident, the two find out they've been given guardianship of the couple's daughter, Mira, and the "enemies" suddenly had to figure it out together (not without Liam running away or more like walking out though).

I love how Zoe just buckled up and faced the challenge of taking care of Mira head-on immediately even though she was also grieving. Nobody is ever ready to become a parent which makes her situation even tougher. She was infinitely patient, understanding, and caring.

I would say this book is more about Liam though and his journey to overcoming his childhood fears. I like that he was fully aware of his feelings towards Zoe. He just made himself believe that he didn't deserve to act on it. But when he started letting go, little by little, it was glorious.

This is a 4.5 star for me. The only tiny issue I have is my impatience with him/them getting their stuff together and finally admitting their feelings and being together. That was a looooooong time before they did. I am more of the mindset that you have to seize the day because life is not just short, it's unpredictable and you wouldn't want to regret not doing something like not telling or showing someone you love them before it's too late.

Another thing, I wonder if it would've had a bigger impact if the book was written just from Zoe's POV. Imagine always trying to decipher what Liam was thinking and what every little thing he did meant. And then that utter pleasant surprise when he confesses he's always been in love with her.

Totally recommend this though! I will also probably reread in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for the ARC!

I’m an avid romance reader and this was my first my Karla Sorenson. It’s the second in a loose series but can be read standalone. The story follows Liam and Zoe, who have not gotten along for the entire ten years that their best friends, Chris and Amie, have been married. When Chris and Amie die in a drunk driving accident, they find out that they’ve been granted co-guardianship of Chris and Amir’s daughter Mira.

This story is mostly about Liam overcoming his childhood trauma and deciding what he wants for himself, and not what he’ll grant himself out of fear. His relationship with Zoe, as they slowly learn to trust each other and open up about why they spent the last ten years bickering, grows and develops naturally over the course of the book. I loved that Zoe is a romance reader and always wanted a HEA for herself, and also sort of fourth-wall recognizes that she’s in a romance story too. There’s a bit where she’s like “normally we’d have a huge fight and you’d storm out and we’d both have revelations before getting back together” but thanks to their “no bullshit” policy they avoid that particular romance trope. :)

If kidfic isn’t your thing, I do recommend this one still as it’s not focused on the child as much as the adults. Mira (the daughter) is written realistically for a traumatized two year old, and her issues help the adults in her life with their issues too. It doesn’t get too heavy and is balanced by a whole lot of sweetness.

I've always loved the movie Life as We Know It. This book is so much better then the movie.

Liam is a football playing Brit and Zoe is an accountant. They have known each other for 10 years and haven't always gotten along. They both receive custody of little Mira when their friends die in an accident.

I loved seeing their relationships with Mira grow. And seeing Liam and Zoe come together. The slow burn was so worth the wait. Rosa and her friends are a hoot.

The realness of them figuring out a toddler on the fly. Any parent can relate.

Thank you to NetGalley for letting me review this book early.

Such a sweet story *cry in Spanish*

This book is like a hug for your broken heart. Thank you Karla Sorensen for this unique book. You are a sweet angel.

I expected this was going to be a good book because Karla's writing is exquisite - Bombshell is the example - but this one??? Is just aaahhh!!!!!

Loved how perfect Zoe and Liam were for little Mina. Karla wrote about grieving so beautifully - the first chapters were perfect - my heart twisted for Zoe, Liam and specifically Mina.

I loved how Karla took the time for the romance - it was a very difficult situation, they needed to adapt to their new life before starting something. There's no rush between them. Mina was the priority.

I can only recommend The Best of All to everyone, it's so good.

Thank you NetGalley, Montlake and Karla Sorensen for this arc. You made a happy fairy today.

4⭐️ I really enjoyed this book✨

Zoe and Liam have known each other for over a decade. However, it felt like the right person at the wrong time situation. Now, both of them are the guardians of Mira after losing their best friends in an accident. They are forced to live together and get along for the well-being of the little girl. Also, they show us the stages of grief from their perspectives and how they deal with it in their own ways along with the new situation of taking care of Mira. It is a process of adaptation, acceptance, and healing for everyone. One of self-knowledge and knowledge of each other where the author does not rush any process. I really like that. This book has a slow burn really slow😭😂 but I like it because, again, it didn't feel rushed given the circumstances.

I loved the patience of Zoe and how strong she is facing these hard times. Liam fell for her since the first time he saw her. He was obsessed with her and tried to ignore and hide this fact for all those years. Also, how cute Mira is, the development of Liam’s character, and how they slowly became a family💛