This was a super cute, second chance, best friends older sister romance, which I loved!! I've never read a reverse age gap, not that it was too much of an age gap but it was great! I loved the way the relationship progressed and it didn't feel forced or unnatural. A great book for any second chance book lovers :)

One of the coziest, loveliest little meet cutes I've read this year! This cured me of my reading slump. A delicious treat-like the sweetest, frothy chai in a cup.

Millie, Be Mine is a cozy, small town romance! It has plenty of slow burn moments, as well as spice that leaves the readers satisfied.

As much as this was a fun and entertaining book, there were some moments that fell a bit flat.

Millie, Be Mine is a fake dating, small town romance between Millie and her brother's best friend, Will. Except they were maybe fake dating for all of 5 seconds before they started hooking up. Once that tension was resolved the rest of the plot devices lacked authenticity. I appreciated each MCs internal struggle to decide what they wanted to do next in their lives but I didn't find this to be compelling enough without the romantic tension.

This is such a cute story. I adored every minute of it. Just a cute small town romance with the “it was always you” vibe that I’m always looking for.

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for the ALC of this book.
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Millie, who works as a florist in a small town, always been in love with her younger brother's best friend, Will, since teenage years. Will, on the other hand, feel the same but doesn't want to stay in their small town.
Now after so many years, they got to meet another and their love life took some unexpected turns.
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The start of book was super sweet and fun to read that i devoured those but then i start reading another book from my physical tbr and i lost interest in this.
It took me like a week to finish even though it was so good but repetitive so i skimmed alot in the end.
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Anyways, their chemistry was soo good and it have alot of open door spicy scenes so if you enjoy reading those this is the perfect mix of wholesome+adult romance

I really wanted to feel the love between these two characters but although they were adults they were written more like teens. The fmc was not my favorite and could have stood to talk things out like an adult rather than keep going back and forward with herself in her inner monologue. The reasoning for her pretending to be his girlfriend made no sense to me and her gooing along with the ruse was hard to understand. This story fell short for me and ultimately I dnf’ed it halfway.

Millie, Be Mine is the perfect small town romance. The vibes are cosy, the story is heartwarming, and the setting makes you want to pack your bags and move to the countryside.

I loved both Millie and Will, and all of the history between them. Second chance romance is one of my favourite tropes and this one did not disappoint. Their romance was cute, but there definitely were some angsty moments that had me clutching my kindle for dear life. I think Courtney did a fantastic job with this book.

I can’t wait to spend more time in Willow Pines. I’m already excited about who the next couple will be. I need more small town shenanigans ASAP.

ARC Review - Huge thanks to Courtney Corlew and Victory Editing for the opportunity to receive a review copy of Millie, Be Mine!

I could tell I wasn’t going to enjoy this book from early on but I really hate to DNF. In the end, I made an agreement with myself to give it my best shot until at least the 50% mark and that’s where I’ve decided to call it quits.

The writing was poor - tenses were all over the place. I initially thought it was the author’s debut, but it is actually her fourth book I believe. The characters were around age 30, but they felt incredibly immature and more akin to people in their early 20s. The ex-friend, Kira, who kept hovering around seeming ready to cause drama felt like a high school mean girl and it felt tired. The story itself felt like something written by a teenager on Wattpad.

Despite boasting a “25 year history,” there really wasn’t much of a dive into this other than the multiple mentions of them knowing each other for their entire lives (but not really much beyond that) and I really didn’t sense much chemistry between the MCs - again, something more akin to high schoolers with crushes.

Since I didn’t finish the book, I can’t say for certain, but it felt like the climax of the story hit at like 40% instead of the typical 80-90%, so I felt confused about where it could really go for another 50% after my DNF.

I’m sorry to say it just felt dry and lacking in substance overall.

Millie Rose’s life is predictable, with a life lived through her to-do list. Yet when her brother’s best friend, Will Carter, comes back to town, she’s reminded of their long, intimate history. However, Will has one goal in returning to Willow Pines, and this is to make sure that his grandfather is cared for. Yet when he kisses Millie for the first time in three years, he begins to wonder what the future might hold. When they are forced to partner in planning for the spring festival, Millie begins to hope that Will may stay in town for good.
A sweet romance with two likeable characters who are learning to trust each other after time apart. I did wonder if some aspects could have been further fleshed out, and I would have liked to have had more glimpses into their shared past. At times, it felt that there was so much unsaid.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was so good. Millie and Will were great together. I liked the chemistry between them and the tropes. It was a little rushed but overall I enjoyed it. I’m looking forward to the next one! I received a complementary copy.

Millie, Be Mine is a small town, brother’s best friend, fake dating romance years in the making.

I truly wanted to love this book as it has essentially every single favourite trope of mine, but I finished it with a feeling of missing something.

The characters and the small town are really lovely, and the whole outline of the story is great. However, I felt a lack of depth as I was reading. Sometimes it felt as if a fast forward button had been tapped, and it just emphasised the lack of depth.
Some parts also felt more like a movie or dialogue manuscript rather than a book, missing some chemistry.

The writing and language was great, so I was sad to find that the words themselves were missing something.

I must say that I am a tad disappointed, as I had really been looking forward to this read, but I will still be following along in Willow Pines to see what happens to the rest of the town.

This was such a cute and easy read! I really loved the relationship between Will and Millie — the friends-to-lovers dynamic in a small-town setting worked so well. Everything came together so nicely. I will say, the pacing felt a little rushed at times, but maybe that’s because they dove in headfirst, given their long history. Overall, though, it’s such a sweet story. I also really liked how the author wove in other characters, and I’m hoping we get to see more of them in future books in the series!

Yes yes and more yes!!!
This book was absolutely fantastic, page flipping and emotionally jarring. A beautiful story!

Firstly I will like to say a big thank you to the publisher of this book and also to netgalley for this wonderful privilege to review this book.
Millie and William story was a nice one set in a small town but I found the story to be lacking in some aspects, there was no angsty moment between the characters and the story was just too fast paced and does not have a gripping effect on me as the reader but overall it was a good read and I will recommend for anyone looking for a light and fluffy book.

Welcome to Willow Pines, Tennessee, where the community is close and supportive. Here you can find Millie at her shop and when Will rolls into town he’s no stranger. This is his home as well, even though he doesn’t live here anymore. These two have known each other for ages but have been more like ships passing in the night instead of getting their act together. Can they make it this time or will the weight of the world on their shoulders tear them apart?

Millie, Be Mine is one of the sweetest romances I’ve read in a while. It’s full of second chance hopes and fears, family concerns, found family unconditional love, and best of all fake dating. It had me laughing so hard one minute and crying the next. I love both of their strong family units as well as friends groups that are there for them at the drop of a hat. Millie’s to-do lists are the best and really must keep that girl sane!

Corley handles this romance with a touch that I don’t see all that often anymore as she dances around difficult subject matters that many in the world face today.

I received an ARC of #milliebemine from #netgalley in exchange for my review of the book.

3.5 stars

Not really my thing. I've seen this trope of community romance work in the past. The heroine is a driven entrepreneur. The hero, IMO is a a bit of an idiot. First he likes her, then he chickens out and heads for the city, then he's back but not committed, then they have to work on the obequious community fare and then they are together again. The chapters are: he said she said but I didn't really get a 'male voice' vibe from his chapters and there's a lot of heavy petting and then again, IMO gynaelogical terms which made me want to skip past the sex...I didn't find it erotic. Shame I'll be giving this author a miss.

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

Thank you to the author for the ARC!

I was so excited for this book! I love a good second-chance romance, and Will was such a cutie. The age gap dynamic, with Millie being a little older and Will as her younger brother’s best friend, added a really fun element. Plus, the spice? Chef’s kiss. There were plenty of sweet moments between them that made me smile.

That said, I struggled with a few aspects. The reasoning behind the fake dating felt a little weak, and the story moved fast. I also found myself being told a lot of what was happening rather than experiencing it through the characters, which made it harder to stay fully invested.

Overall, Millie Be Mine is a feel-good romance with plenty of charm, but I wish it had been fleshed out a little more. If you love quick, lighthearted reads with a sweet romance and some solid steam, this might be right up your alley!

From the first page, I knew Millie and I were going to get along. She’s the kind of heroine who trips over her own sass but still lands on her feet—and yet she’s hilarious and heartwarming. On top of it all, I’m an absolute sucker for a brother’s best friend romance.

Corlew writes with the kind of charm that sneaks up on you—one minute you’re giggling at a perfectly timed one-liner, the next your heart’s doing that fluttery thing it does when characters start catching feelings. The banter is sharp, the chemistry sizzles, and the emotional beats land right where they should.

If you’re into smart rom-coms with lovable chaos, earnest feelings, and a FMC who will steal your heart while wearing mismatched socks, Millie Be Mine is absolutely your next read.

So much potential for this book.

Like Millie's character, I'll give you a list:

1-Glass wearing MMC. Not see that often and need to capitalize on that like maybe description of his eyes within the frame and without or maybe a cute way as a prop when he's interacting with the FMC.

2-Youth. Not a sufficient reason as to why they didn't work out. Need the MMC to work for it esp since she easily fell into his arms physically.

3-Will's sudden responsibility for Grandpa given his diagnosis should reflect more scenes of him stepping up or flashbacks to their relationship as a young child with him to show the devotion as to why he returned.

This ARC was provided by the publisher, ARC provided by Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

#MillieBeMine #NetGalley