This one’s worth all the hype. I love finding a book where reading feels effortless, like you’re sitting right in the middle of the story.

Pheobe is one of those perfectly balanced characters. Human but endearing, flawed and resilient. Relatable, but unpredictable, loving and full-hearted. Her friends and relatives were equally layered, making for rich relationships and stories. The ending wasn’t at all predictable, and I relished in uncovering the story along with Phoebe.

I particularly loved the way Averick expressed and explored Phoebe’s anxiety, it felt messy and authentic, honest but not gratuitous. Phoebe’s journey to self acceptance, and the way she drew validation and support from the people around her felt cathartic and validating.

In all, this felt like a truly unique rom com, and I closed the last page with a full heart. I know Phoebe is a character who’ll stay with me for a while, and I’ll be eagerly anticipating Averick’s next story. This will certainly be one going on the re-read pile.

Thank you to the publisher for an advance copy of this book. Opinions expressed are my own.

This is the best romcom I’ve ever read. Genuinely. I laughed out loud so many times, which isn’t surprising, considering Brooke makes me laugh every week on her podcast. But it’s so much more than that. It’s a fictional story, sure, but it’s filled with characters you believe in. I was already crying by the author’s note because I knew I had found home in this book.

Romance novels are comforting and a nice break from life when you need it the most, but as Phoebe even says, they’re not always relatable. Sometimes you don’t want to read about a nobody that becomes someone worth loving, or how the main character goes on one date where sparks fly immediately. No, you want to see the mistakes. The bad dates. The nightmare stories where the main character acts like an actual person and still deserves to be loved. Even when it involves puking on your date.

There were so many times in this book where something funny or embarrassing happened, where I still couldn’t help the giddiness I felt because of how good it was. It was real. I’ve never read a romance novel that deals with dating anxiety the way this one does, which feels insane to say, because I hear most of my friends talk about dating in this way. It doesn’t come natural to most people. It sucks sometimes. But we’re still allowed to want it.

I have been thinking about this book since I learned about is existence. And I somehow manifested an ARC through NetGalley. I feel so lucky to be one of the few to have read this book already (in roughly 24hrs mind you). I knew I would resonate with Phoebe but I don't know that I can put into words exactly how true it is. This book is sweet and funny and messy and SO REAL. I fear I've never had an original experience in my life. Phoebe is relatable, endearing and loveable to boot. Being an adult and reading about an adult that you can resonate with is so so nice. To relive the feelings I had reading any YA book in my middle and high school years really is something. Its different than others in its genre and even still this book belongs on everyone's shelf next to all our favorite romance books.
If you cant already tell I loved this book and I think any new or seasoned romance reader out there will love this too. wowowow

Thank you Netgalley and Brooke for the gift of reading this, I will be chasing this feeling forever