This was a cute and sexy little rom com that was perfect for Valentine’s Day weekend.

Paige Parker, professional organizer, needed a vacation. She made a valentines week reservation at a bed and breakfast on an island near South Carolina with the intention to celebrate Singles Day! The B&B wasn’t quite as advertised, but the sexy innkeeper, Lucas Croft more than made up for it. It was a kind of enemies to lovers and kind of opposites attract story. It was minimally steamy and “closed door” romance.

I started this one with the intention of catching up on NetGalley arcs, and I was pleasantly surprised! It had a fair amount of cheesiness and eye rolling moments, but the author made an effort to create depth in the characters and I appreciated that.

What I liked:
Cute premise, there was a litter of puppies, a beautiful setting, and the backstory of the innkeeper was tragic but also interesting. Single dad, widower, adorable kid. Paige was a good protagonist. She was strong, smart, and likable.

What didn’t work for me:
The development of the relationship between Paige and Lucas felt like it missed a step or two that took them from innkeeper/patron to lovers. I also thought there were some preludes to hot love scenes, but then it was closed door so that was unexpected. Also, I didn’t like the way Paige was treated. She was basically lied to, swindled out of her money, and called uptight many times. He also called her crazy but “he liked her kind of crazy”. I just don’t like the idea of calling women crazy. Also the ending was a bit far fetched.

Okay, so I know I gave a few critiques, but I still enjoyed the experience was reading it and would give it a solid 3 ⭐️’s, maybe even 3.5.

Happy Singles Day is a contemporary romance that follows a woman content with her single-ness on a vacation away from her busy work life, to a quiet island where she meets an unexpectedly hot bed and breakfast owner.

Paige Parker is a professional organizer with an immaculate desk, a thriving business in Chicago – and no personal life. Since a breach in trust ended her last relationship years earlier, Paige has put all of her focus on her company, helping people clean up their lives and their closets. When her best-friend-slash-personal-assistant convinces Paige to take a vacation, she decides to take a week off of work and go to an island in North Carolina’s Outer Banks. The inn she choses is brought to her attention when she becomes aware of Singles Appreciation Day, February 15th, a day for single people to celebrate themselves. Clearing her schedule, Paige packs her suitcase and heads south, to a charming bed and breakfast that looks like a tiny castle.

Meanwhile, the lord and master of said tiny castle, Lucas Croft, is barely holding his inn together, let alone his life. His first, second, and third priorities are all wrapped up in one tiny person: his four-year-old, Maddie. After the passing of his wife, Lucas doesn’t take bookings, or even really maintain the property, and the dream that belonged to them takes a backseat to Lucas’ grief, and the needs of his daughter. The inn has been empty of guests for two years, though it is rapidly filling up with trash. When Lucas’ meddling sister Sophie confesses to have reactivated the inn’s booking site, Lucas insists on canceling everything. The house is in no shape to receive guests, and he’s not capable of providing service for them. However, this particular guest has paid a prime rate, enough to pay taxes on the property and tide Lucas over until the tourist season starts up in the summer. Lucas decides that he can tolerate one vacationer for a few days, and accepts Sophie’s offer of babysitting.

When Paige arrives, she immediately knows she has made a mistake. The island has no cars, one means of departure via ferry, and the innkeeper seems like a cranky asshole. Despite this, she can’t help but notice that Lucas is incredibly attractive, hot enough to tempt even someone celebrating her single state. Lucas is annoyed at Paige’s intrusion on his bachelor-dad existence, and knows he doesn’t want to deal with another woman in his life. Even so, he can’t help but notice Paige’s curvy body and gorgeous eyes. With the forced proximity of Paige’s stay, the attraction simmers between them, and they both have to decide whether the single life is really right for them.

The book is enjoyable to read, and the story is fun enough, but there is little remarkable about it. Paige and Lucas have good banter, but aren’t incredibly well-characterized. Paige aspires to success and certainly reaches it, she doesn’t compromise for men, but we really don’t see what makes her tick. Lucas is a family man with a traumatic past, but aside from his work as a contractor, we don’t learn much about him.

Lucas in particular is done a disservice in the book. He initially seems to have a cave-man mindset of not wanting to put the seat down in the bathroom or clean promptly, which doesn’t really endear him to the reader. He also is described fairly lazily, in that his appearance is compared to a specific celebrity. Both protagonists have clear priorities; Paige has her business and Lucas has his family, but neither really is given enough heart. While Sophie, Lucas’ sister, gets a decent inner life of her own, Paige’s personal assistant Sammy is reduced to a plot convenience, basically the gay friend who tells you to get your life together.

Happy Singles Day is a fun, light read, but it just doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. If you are looking for a simple, unassuming book to take your mind off things, I suppose you could do worse.

Paige Parker is single. After a terrible breakup and throwing herself into work, she hasn’t taken time for herself in years. With the push of her assistant, she decides to take a vacation, ending up on a little island off the coast of North Carolina, in the winter no less. Paige is surprised when the bed and breakfast she paid almost double for, is nothing like the pictures online. She is even more shocked when her host Lucas, although attractive, seems as though he isn’t expecting her and is very rude.

A storm rolls in forcing Paige to stay, and Lucas to host even though it is the last thing he wants to do. They are both afraid of the future and running from the past. But the storm, some puppies and Lucas’s four year old daughter Maddie help them to realize it ok to let your guard down, wonder ‘what if’ and move forward.

Happy Singles Day was a super cute chic lit hallmark movie, type book. This was the first book I have read by Ann Marie Walker, and really enjoyed it. Plus I loved it being set in my home state.

Thank you to Netgalley and Source Books Casablanca for the eARC to read and provide a review.

**Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I'm a sucker for the opposites attract rom-com books. But this one fell a bit short for me. While it was a fun and enjoyable read, I felt as though everything about the characters was very surface level. I can't even tell you what Paige and Lucas liked about each other aside from the sexual attraction they felt. The high point of this book was Lucas's daughter who was hilarious! Overall, this was a fun read but I wanted more from the plot and characters.

Paige Parker is a professional organizer, she has her own company and seems pretty content. She’s happily single and doesn’t need anyone, but perhaps a vacation. She books a weeklong stay at a bed/breakfast to celebrate Singles Day and take some time off. Lucas, which apparently is a dead ringer for Ryan Reynolds, is a single dad and owner of the B&B. He reluctantly opens up the house to Paige after being tricked into it by his sister. What could go wrong? Or right?

This book had me laughing and reading it as fast as I could because it was really entertaining! There were puppies, cake, a cute little girl, and a pushy but funny assistant. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series! Hoping it’s the assistant or Lucas sister’s story! I highly recommend this one for your February reads!

Happy Singles Day is an adult contemporary romance by Ann Marie Walker. This book was just what I needed to get me out of a stressed filled funk. It put a big smile on my face watching these two characters find love. Happy Singles Day is part enemies to lovers, part heartwarming feel good romance and part animal rescue (I just had to throw that in there because I loved that aspect of the story!) that will make you fall in love several times over. This book was wonderful. 

In Happy Singles Day we meet our main characters Paige and Lucas. Paige runs her own home organization company, and she is a complete control freak workaholic. I mean that in the nicest way possible because I adore Paige. When her assistant finally convinces her to take a vacation, she stumbles across this charming little bed and breakfast she she books right on the spot. Little does she know that said Bed & Breakfast is far from up and running. It is run down and shut down because it's owner- Lucas has neglected the business side of the B& B ever since his wife died a few years prior. Lucas' sister is the one that reopened online bookings unbeknownst to him. So when Paige shows up, Lucas is a grump extraordinaire, and Paige is more than a little surprised that the actual B&B does not match the pictures online. Suffice it to say that they do not get off to a great start. 

Then a storm traps Paige on the island with basically only Lucas for company. Add all of it together and you have a fantastic recipe for a romance. I really enjoyed watching Lucas and Paige get to know each other. Learning more about them was really sweet and heartwarming. It is impossible not to root for the two of them. I wanted them to get a happily ever after so bad! Throw in some rescue puppies that they had to care for and my heart was well and truly melted into a pile of sappy goo on the floor. If you are a fan of feel good sweet romances, then Happy Singles Day is going to be a fantastic book for you to check out. I really loved this one. I can't wait to read more from this author!

I enjoyed this one! It was a super cute and quick read. I wasn’t expecting it to be closed door but I still enjoyed it!

This book was exactly what my heart needed during this month of love. This was such a sweet story about finding love after loss. The setting and atmosphere was perfect - finding love on a small island, what more could a girl ask for? I thought the storyline flowed effortlessly and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough because my heart was literally exploding with happiness. The writing was witty and light-hearted and the characters were so endearing.

This story begins with Paige, a professional organizer who decides she needs some R&R away from her busy life to celebrate Single's Day alone on a small island - except, she ends up at a dormant bed and breakfast that is far from what she expected when she booked the trip online. Sophia, the sister of the owner, listed the place back up online after a long hiatus, completely blindsiding Lucas, the grumpy but oh so handsome owner of the place, who also happens to have an adorable five year old daughter. Can the two strangers survive the week together without completely getting under each other's skin?

I absolutely loved all of the characters. I fell head over heels for Lucas and Paige and I found myself completely smitten by their banter. These two were living in a life that was far more lonely than that had originally imagined and I loved watching their growth. Sophia, the sister of Lucas was a total sweetheart. Looking out for her brother and wanting him to find his purpose in life again after such a hard loss. And last but not least, the adorable Maddie. I fell hard for this little girl and I just wanted to scoop her up in my arms and give her a hug.

I really enjoyed the entire book, but the ending had me in a giant pile of mush. So adorable and the perfect happy ending and reminder that it is possible to find love again after loss.

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is a delightful and fun romantic read. I wanted something light and breezy to escape into and this was just perfect. Loved the characters, the beach house setting and the puppies! It felt like watching a Netflix rom-com and hit all the buttons for a romantic escape. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was an adorable read, I couldn't put it down.

Paige Parker is a professional organizer and committed to being single after a terrible ending to her engagement. Her assistant insists that she is a workholic and challenges her to take a vacation. After learning that February 15th is Happy Singles Day, she decides to take a week-long getaway to a dreamy Bed & Breakfast in a small island town.

Lucas Croft is a widower with a four-year-old daughter that own a Bed & Breakfast that use to be beautiful and charming, but has been neglected for the two years since his wife Jenny died. Unbeknownst to him, his sister listed his Bed & Breakfast and he receives a week-long booking from Paige Parker.

What ensues is a terrible first meet, followed by instant attraction between two people that have been badly hurt and have no interest in being in a relationship? Also, Lucas might be the worst bed & breakfast host calling Paige a "pain in the ass" customer. And Paige is an uptight, type-A person who has no interested in staying one more minute on the island, but has no way to leave with an incoming storm for several days.

Adorable, cute and charming!

I found Happy Singles Day to be an OK read. I didn't love it and didn't hate it. It was a way to spend an afternoon. The book is set up to be an opposites attract and the two main characters are definitely opposites. It was just a bit predictable for me. While I liked Paige and Lucas separately, I didn't love them together. There just wasn't a on of chemistry. Not enough for the decisions that were made in the end. I did like the epilogue though.

Happy Singles Day is perfect for the month of romances.
Paige Parker is a hard working professional organiser that hasn't had a date in a long time. When her assistant suggests she take a vacation and a well placed ad suggests a Singles Day vacation she decides to head to a small island B&B for a week of rest and relaxation that looks perfect in the pictures. On arrival she finds an Inn that has seen better days and a rude owner, Lucas Croft that doesn't want her there. She is forced to stay when a storm blows in and can't help her attraction to the Ryan Reynolds lookalike who is still dealing with the loss of his wife 2 years ago.
I enjoyed this romance and I liked the way it all ended up and the way the characters changed for the better.
The sex was weird in this book as it had graphic thoughts about boobs and boners but in the end none of the sex scenes were written about.
Thanks to Netgalley.com and Source Casablanca for my complimentary eARC copy.

Calling Hallmark! This book needs to be made into a movie...now. It has everything I could ask for in a sweet, charming, funny, and emotionally heart-tugging story. I adored it.

Walker's characters are fully formed and true to life. She depicts them so clearly that I had no trouble visualizing them as real people. My heart ached for Lucas as he navigated (not that successfully) the murky waters of moving forward with his life following his wife's death. Paige, on the other hand, thinks she knows exactly where she's going but when she's finally forced to slow down it gradually becomes apparent that there are layers to her that need to be unpacked, considered, and brought back into the light. Watching these two do exactly that - together - made me so happy. Then there's Lucas's almost five year old daughter, who stole every single scene she was in. I loved the bond between father and daughter but it was the relationship she formed with Paige (who didn't think she even liked kids) that really grabbed my heart. Oh, and the puppies! Who could resist a litter of tiny puppies in danger? Certainly not Paige...and not me either. (Don't worry...no puppies were harmed in the writing of this book)

About two-thirds through the book, I still had no idea how Walker was going to bring these two individuals with very different lives together. She does so in a way that showcases compromise, respect, and love with an ending that I was 100% behind.

I don't know if Walker plans to return to Aurelia Island for any future stories (Lucas's sister, Sophie?) but if she does, I'll definitely be buying them.

4.5 Stars
ARC received via NetGalley for fair and unbiased review

Struggled a bit with this one sadly. Couldn’t connect with the main characters Paige and Parker and felt myself skim reading to get to the end. A lighthearted read but just didn’t have enough depth to keep me interested.

Didn't like this book nearly as much as I thought I would. Found our main man to be misogynistic and I didn't really see the chemistry between them.

I unfortunately didn't like this as much as I thought I would.

Early on in the book, Lucas was very misogynistic in his thinking. The comments about the toilet seat were just weird and uncalled for. The way he treated his sister in the beginning, when she was only trying to help him, rubbed me the wrong way too.

I also think that the romance wasn't believable - Lucas and Paige didn't have any chemistry at all, their relationship didn't grow, and I didn't buy their HEA at the end. I would have loved more conversations between the two of them about the future.

All in all, this book just isn't for me.

I really enjoyed the slow-burn, feel-good feeling of Happy Singles Day. It was sweet without being over the top. I unfortunately didn't feel the chemistry between Paige and Parker. Something was missing. I would definitely try this author again.

DNF at 28%. Paige is a workaholic who finally decides to take a vacation to a beautiful inn on the beach. Lucas is the innkeeper - he and his wife had dreams of running it together but since she passed away he hasn’t been keeping up with it. It wasn’t even open for business until his sister posted it.

This is the setup for our opposites attract romance. Unfortunately it just wasn’t working for me. I’m not feeling either character or the chemistry between them. Thank you to Sourcebooks and Netgalley for the free review copy.

This was cute, but a bit forgettable. I enjoyed my time reading this, but feel no desire to read it again or purchase a copy. I also don’t have a lot to say.

The characters were likable, but also nothing special. Lucas is a widower and single father. Paige is a workaholic with relationship baggage because she was cheated on. They initially don’t get along, but are attracted to each other.

The romance was fine, but a bit rushed. They really only know each other for a week because Paige is staying at Lucas’ Bed and Breakfast. I just didn’t buy that they fell in love that fast. This did have closed-door sex scenes. I don’t mind explicit sex scenes, but I know some don’t. So I’m happy their are books for people who want to read romance without descriptive sex scenes.

I really enjoyed this book! Fun, complex characters and an interesting setting. I liked the idea of the inn. Paige as the main character was likable, and I usually hate the leads in rom-coms. Lucas was so dreamy. I loved seeing him open up and let his guard down after a tremendous loss. My one complaint (and maybe this is stupid) is that everything was extremely sexual and described fully UNTIL it got to the actual part where they finally were intimate with one another. Like they kissed, and then it flashed to the next morning waking up in bed. NO SPICEY SCENES after all the build up!! Maybe the author was trying to keep it clean, but there was talk of boners, tits, thoughts of sex, etc. Maybe that’s just me, but I was almost let down? I very much enjoyed this read, however. Very quick, light, and heartwarming.