I liked both of Sally Thorne's previous novels, though I found them to be different from each other. This third book is a whole different thing again, and I think I liked it a lot.

Ruthie is a 25 year old who is stuck in a rut and not looking to get out and Teddy is a lost soul, meandering through life. Neither has healthy relationships and they are opposites as personality types. They work together and form a bond and then fall in love.
Ruthie and Teddy don't exactly feel like actual people that would exist in the world, but I think they still resonate in their relationships with the world and each other. A lot of the thoughts and feelings they describe are interesting and insightful.
The side characters are cute, but again, don't actually seem like real people. And the whole story is a bit too precious, but somehow it works? It was very moving in its examination of human frailty.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and can finally review this 10/10 novel. 

Second First Impressions

I need to start by saying that for three years now (I think), The Hating Game has been my favorite romance novel. While it holds a special place in my heart until I die, Second First Impressions has become the front runner for romances that hold my heart. I’ve even re-read scenes this weekend when I was needing something happy to occupy my mind. 

Now for the actual review: 

Ruthie, daughter of a Reverend and wholly predictable from the tv show she watches every night to the glasses around her neck, is acting as interim manager of a retirement community for the rich and elderly. She does her job well, but there are three hindrances: 
1. Aggie and Renata, two elderly hoots that love to torture their revolving door of male assistants, leaving Ruthie in a bind every time one runs off;
2. The development company that purchased the retirement villa and stuck a vague expiration date on the whole community; and, 
3. Teddy, the son of the CEO of said development company that landed himself as her neighbor when he needed a new couch to crash on. 

But, Ruthie thinks she can tackle all three problems with one tied up solution. Teddy becomes the assistant to Aggie and Renata, and she can show Teddy the magic of Providence to convince his father not to shut it down. 

This book had everything wrapped up in a tiny bow for the perfect Blair package. A predictable heroine with a lifelong adoration for a tv show that helped her through her roughest times. A hero who doesn’t hide his emotions but, instead, seems almost too open about his every thought and feeling. TORTOISES. Two biddies reminiscent of Grace and Frankie or Sophia Petrillo. Humor. Wit. Desire. Lust. Heart-stopping moments of raw honesty and breathtaking “awww”‘s. I clutched my chest so many times. I cried twice. I laughed constantly. And, I fell head over heels in love with Teddy Prescott in all his tattooed/long super model hair glory. The highlights I have in my ebook are insane. 

I am IN LOVE with this one. Sally, you continue to be the best at the game.

I think I'm one of the few readers who liked Sally Thorne's second book more than her first, and I liked this one better than both! Her prose has always been strong but I found this story sweeter and more effortlessly heartwarming than her previous novels. Widely read contemporary romance fans will notice that the plot and setting share some DNA with Ruthie Knox's serialized novel Roman Holiday, which I also enjoyed, but having a friends-to-lovers relationship in Second Impressions worked even better for me, and I fell in love with all the supporting characters here (especially the tortoises and the Parlonis). Finally, since Teddy's ink--and his hair!--didn't make it onto the cover, I'd love to see a Pinterest board or some kind of extras for this book featuring his tattoos if any publicity people happen to be reading this. :)

Thorne's newest novel will not leave fans disappointed. We have Ruthie who is 25 but going on 125 and is the administrative assistant at a retirement community. She has her hands full with the residents including two rich ladies who can't seem to keep any help they hire. Every-time they hire a boy to run errands for them they scare him off within a week with their ridiculous requests. Then they hire Teddy, hot tattooed Teddy, whose dad also happens to own the retirement community and is thinking about retrofitting his investment. 

Ruthie is terrified that something is going to happen to Providence Retirement community, the only home that she has had for the last six years. She also hasn't had a boyfriend since prom and doesn't know how to move forward in her life. Mel a friend and employee decides she need s a new life and to date. But the only person that Ruthie has eyes for is Teddy, who is off limits. 

I have a confession. I loved "The Hating Game" AND "99 Percent Mine" Don't care come at me! I know that Thorne's second book was very divisive to those that loved her first novel. But I enjoyed it. I also really enjoyed this book. Placing the novel in a retirement community and making the hero a cinnamon roll tattooed hero with a huge heart was a welcome change of pace in romance. There is inclusion of LGBT characters that I appreciated. Ruthie is a heroine that is relatable and a bit of mess. 

The only issue I had in the book is a reveal that happens towards the end about a show that Ruthie loves that felt more plot device than a well thought out and fleshed out narrative. Personally I have some conflicting thoughts about it and I wish the author had fleshed it out. 

ALSO why is the guy on the front cover not covered in tattoos. That is my only other complaint because hot Teddy deserved to be represented with all his tattooed glory. If you enjoyed Thorne's other work this book will be a delight to you. 

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had to limit my reading time each day in order to not finish this book too fast. Sally Thorne does it again. I think I have re-read The Hating Game 20 times since I first picked it up, and I feel like I will do the same with this book.

Second First Impressions was completely enthralling from the first chapter. Ruthie is acting office manager for a small, but wealthy retirement community and has a lot of anxiety and deep rooted fears that cause her to never leave the premises and she loves to stick to her routines. But she's happy to have this life. 

In comes mysterious Teddy (super handsome and extremely charming) son of the new owner of the retirement community. Talks of demoing the place spark fears in Ruthie, and she has to now face a new future. New experiences, friendships, and facing fears are overwhelming to her at first, but Ruthie truly thrives in her new life.

Ruthie is such a complex character that you are drawn to the moment she's introduced. I felt like I was rooting for her the entire time. Teddy felt the same way. Her side characters, Melanie, Aggie, and Renata were ridiculous and I loved them all.

***Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
Sally Thorne does it again! I gulped this book down in 2 days! Ruthie is a Tidy Girl who meets Teddy, the tatted, charming man with hair that women would kill for. Though they are complete opposites they learn to find middle ground and maybe even a love match.