Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Unfortunately, Stuck With You just didn’t work for me. The premise had potential—a forced proximity romance that could have been fun, witty, and swoony—but the execution fell flat. The characters never felt fully developed, and their chemistry seemed rushed rather than earned. I also struggled with the pacing; some sections dragged while others felt glossed over, leaving the story feeling uneven.
I wanted to root for the romance, but instead, I found myself frustrated and disconnected. While I know many readers might enjoy the lighthearted setup, this one wasn’t the right fit for me.

Stuck With You by Stacy Williams is a heartfelt and beautifully written romance about healing, second chances, and love after pain. I loved Sarah’s strength and determination to rebuild her life and Slade’s journey of opening his guarded heart. Their chemistry was genuine and moving, making this a story that stayed with me. I truly enjoyed it and gave it five stars.

The second I heard that Stacy Williams had a new book coming out, you better believe I RAN to get an ARC copy. Not only is Stacy an incredible writer, she’s also an incredible person! She deserves all the love and support.

I’ve always loved the single parent trope, and this book was no exception. Stacy has a way of writing the most beautiful found families and relatable characters. The chemistry and the slow burn are so much fun.

If you get the chance, I HIGHLY recommend you give this book a read! 🫶🏻

✨ ARC Review ✨

Stuck With You by Stacy Williams is a heartfelt, slow-burn romance that shows just how powerful second chances can be. 💔➡️💖

Sarah Atwater is a single mom searching for a new beginning after a painful past. Slade Bennett is the grumpy mechanic perfectly content with his quiet, closed-off life… until Sarah walks into his shop and challenges every wall he’s built. Their story is tender, emotional, and proof that sometimes, love finds you when you least expect it.

🌧️ Grumpy x Sunshine
👩‍👧 Fierce single mom heroine
🤗 Found family warmth
🔥⏳ Slow-burn chemistry you’ll ache for

This one hit me right in the chest because it's raw, healing, and beautifully romantic. If you love small-town feels, broken-but-strong characters, and romances that balance hope with heartache, this is your next binge. 🥹❤️

📚 Pub Date: Sept 15, 2025

#ARCReview #HPRStuckWithYou #AuthorStacyWilliams #HambrightPR #SmallTownRomance #GrumpySunshine #SingleMomRomance #FoundFamily #SlowBurnRomance #SecondChanceAtLove #RomanceReadersOfInstagram #BookstagramRomance #ContemporaryRomance

Oh my goodness! This book had me bawling 14%. 😩😭
It is that good! It will break your heart and patch it up little by little as you read each of the chapters.

I knew Slade from Alex and Mark’s book. He is a mechanic at Cal’s garage. His sister is Krissy and is his total opposite. 😂
He’s not a man of many words and he’s grumpy as it gets. I never knew how deep his wounds run that I now understand how he became so closed off.

Sarah on the other hand, is someone new in town. I commend her for being strong enough to move and raise her two kids away from all they’ve known. My heart broke for her over and over again because of her good for nothing ex-husband.

Their relationship started out as kind of enemies to friendly neighbors to lovers. Their banter all throughout their book, specifically the creative names Sarah comes up for Slade were hilarious! Sarah’s sarcasm was on point. It was funny to read how he triggers Slade and just continue pushing his buttons every time they meet. I didn’t notice how long they’ve been pining for each other had I not checked how far I am into the book. They took their time to not jump into something especially because of what they’ve been through and also because of the kids. I was so happy when everything was sorter out and they had their happy ending. 😮‍💨♥️

I highly recommend this book. It got me hooked from the start. I would’ve read sooner because I am just like Slade and his patience. Lol.

This was a strong start to the Cal's Garage series, it had that fantasy element that I was looking for and was engaged with what was happening. Stacy Williams wrote this well and was engaged from the first page and enjoyed the overall feel of the love story concept. I enjoyed this as a opening chapter and am excited to read more in this universe.

Love, love, loved this one! Stuck With You was one of those books that you just don't want to put down. It sucks you in from the start.

The banter and conversation between Slade and Sarah is great. There were literally times it made me laugh to myself. But there was also so much depth. As a single parent with a narcissistic ex, I can relate to Sarah SO MUCH. It's hard and I genuinely felt for her. You could feel her struggle. Slade was a great character too. He was grumpy and all, but definitely had the sweet teddy bear thing going on. Despite the grumpy demeanor, he could open up to his friends for support and advice. He was vulnerable when he needed to be. The moments between him and the kids are heart melting!

I cannot wait to see who's story is up next. I'm going with Krissy and Carson...fingers crossed!!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Amazing book loved the characters and plot. I couldn't stop reading I stayed up all night. I loved the book so much thank you for the arc.

@stacywilliams.writes is a master at telling stories of how love creates strength between individuals with heavy backgrounds.

Slade’s life took an unexpected turn when his mom passed and he was left to raise his teenaged sister. Sarah worked her butt off to get out of the trailer park she was raised in, only to marry a cheating, narcissistic husband.

Divorced with two kids, Sarah is starting over. But at every turn, life throws her lemons. Her grumpy neighbor, Slade, keeps coming to the rescue. But he’s stone cold and despite Sarah’s attempts, he refuses to break a smile. Until he does and can’t stop 😁😜

Book review: Stacy Williams’ Stuck With You. Thank you to the publisher, HambrightPR, and NetGalley for my gifted ARC.

Stuck With You is one of those reads that quietly works its way under your skin until you realize you’ve become completely attached to two fictional people bickering in a garage. It’s warm, funny, emotionally rich, and exactly the kind of story that makes you want to crawl under a blanket and read it all in one sitting. This is the kind of small-town romance that doesn’t just flirt with cozy—it dives in headfirst, grease stains and all.

Sarah Atwater is trying to rebuild her life from the ground up. She’s left a toxic marriage behind, she’s focused on her kids, and she’s doing her best to believe that starting over is still possible, even when the world keeps trying to prove otherwise. When she walks into Cal’s Garage, she’s not expecting to find a job—or a stubborn mechanic who acts like emotions are a contagious disease. Slade Bennett is a man who likes his life simple, his tools organized, and his emotions buried deep. He’s gruff, reserved, and very much not looking to complicate his world with a woman who challenges him every time she opens her mouth. Naturally, they’re perfect for each other.

What makes this book so good isn’t just the romance—it’s the emotional weight it carries. Williams doesn’t sugarcoat the hard stuff. Sarah’s been through hell, and her trauma isn’t just window dressing. It affects how she moves through the world, how she parents, how she protects herself, and how she slowly, painfully begins to trust again. Slade, too, is quietly broken in ways that aren’t immediately obvious. His grief is old and settled into his bones, and his default setting is to stay closed off. Watching the two of them learn to make space for each other, and for their own healing, is genuinely moving.

That said, this book also brings the charm. The banter between Sarah and Slade is hilarious—dry, sharp, and timed just right. The side characters, especially the crew at Cal’s Garage, are layered and endearing without feeling forced. And the kids? They’re written like real kids—sometimes hilarious, sometimes exhausting, always the emotional center of Sarah’s world. Their presence adds both chaos and heart to the story, and every single scene with them felt honest.

The slow burn is real. Williams paces the relationship with such care that by the time the two finally start lowering their walls, it feels earned. No rushed feelings, no sudden declarations—just two people quietly fighting their way toward something better. It’s the kind of romance where love looks like showing up, listening, making space, and trying again. It’s messy and imperfect and entirely human.

Here’s a line that stuck with me long after I finished the last page:
“Sometimes starting over doesn’t mean becoming someone new—it means remembering who you were before the world dimmed your light.”
That perfectly captures what this book is about: rediscovery, resilience, and choosing to believe that you’re still worthy of good things—even if the road getting there was brutal.

If you’re someone who loves grumpy/sunshine dynamics, give-me-a-reason-to-trust-you tension, or emotionally intelligent romance with depth and wit, this one’s going to hit just right. Stuck With You delivers the slow burn with heat, the healing with honesty, and the happily ever after with a lot of grit behind it.

This is book one in the Cal’s Garage series, and if this is how it starts, I’m all in. I want more of these characters. I want more of this town. I want more of Williams’ perfect blend of grounded emotion and romance that feels earned. And if the rest of the garage crew gets their own books? Let’s just say I’m already clearing space on my TBR.

Five stars. Full heart. Absolutely recommend.

This was such a good book! Stacy has a way with words that just draw you to her characters. Sarah was such a deep and inspiring character who I was drawn to instantly. Her wit and strength shines through in her personality which I loved. Slade was just the perfect grumpy counterpart to Sarah and I found such delight in their banter. They both have growth to work through and it was so fun to see them grow together.

I was delighted with all the kid references and how they do the darnedest things. It made for great memory flashbacks from when my kids were little ones.

Another beautiful book and gives me all the feels! 🥰

I was hooked from the very beginning! A single mom searching for a fresh start away from her manipulative ex-husband stumbles into a garage in need of a mechanic, but instead finds a group of rough-around-the-edges men who quickly become like family—and one in particular who turns out to be exactly what she needs, a true partner. This story had such wonderful emotional depth, sprinkled with funny, heartwarming moments, and the slow burn romance was perfection.

I loved this little read! The emotion, yearning, tension, heartbreak, trust issues was all so detailed. Sarah's daily struggles as a single mom was so heartbreaking and REAL to read. She just kept getting hit down over and over and still found a way to put on a smile for her kids and give them the best possible life. LOVE a broody grump... enter Slade. God what is it about emotionally stunted men that just gets me going! Lol His growth of learning to trust and be vulnerable again was so nice. Sarah and Slade are true end game goals.