This was impossibly sweet and steamy. I thoroughly enjoyed the dynamics of the characters and especially the gardeners. I thought the romance portion was perfect and fun. All around a fun read!

A charming real-estate romance that'll make your cheeks ache from smiling. Magda and Ty may be at odds over the sale of a community garden, but the way they come together through history, understanding, and dumplings is delightful beyond compare.

I was granted this ARC from Net Galley for an honest review.

I didn't realize this was the second book in the Uptown series by Ruby Lang. It reads as a standalone, so I don't see the need to read the first one if you haven't. We have Magda Ferrer and Tyson Yang, our two protagonists. Magda is up and coming real estate agent, and Tyson is a CPA who helps out at this community garden. They meet when Magda shows up to look at the garden as she has been in charge to selling it for her real estate firm. Needless to say, the first meeting doesn't go very well. Yet, these two seem drawn to each other, and they can't help feel some sort of attraction as they continue to learn about each other. They're both dealing with their own family issues, including Magda trying to sell her uncle's townhouse, which hasn't been going well for other firms. They both have experienced their own forms of losses and are still trying to figure themselves out while being in their 30's. They are funny, earnest, honest, and just a general delight to read.

The chemistry between Magda and Tyson was pretty obvious, and I love how it wasn't instant love at the end of the book. There is a build up, and these two actually talk. They are attracted to each other, but they're not undressing each other with their eyes every five seconds. It's very rare you see a interracial couple that doesn't involve a white person, so it was refreshing to have an Afro-Latina and Taiwanese fall in love. I love the diversity of the book, and that they bring their own experiences into the story to make it rich and wonderful.

The only thing I wish I could have seen more of was Magda's interaction with her mother. We only have a brief scene with them at the beginning of the book. We also see her having interacted with one of her sisters, but there was very little family time. I also wanted more of a development between the conflict between Magda and her sisters, but the book was only so many pages, so I can see why Ruby kept to the primary line of what happens with the garden and the townhouse. I may have wanted more, but I am happy with the overall story.

This is a very cute, easy read, and I think it's perfect for the end of summer. I'd high recommend getting it when it comes out. We all need a little more love in our lives.