I requested this ARC from Netgalley and am leaving this honest review voluntarily.

This is a sweet romance which features likeable characters and a decent storyline. I particularly liked that the heroine, Jules is a single (divorced) mom who is depicted as independent and strong willed and the hero, Tyler is literally the boy next door (Jules' brother's best friend). The plot is not the most original when it comes to the genre but still well-written. Our main couple go to attend Jules' ex-husband's wedding where sparks fly between them. The chemistry between the two is realistic and sweet because they go from friends to lovers. But the dynamic between Tyler and Jules' daughter, Bella is also a pleasant surprise and something I looked forward to reading.

I would recommend this story as a nice cozy, vacation romance if you're into some light-hearted and funny (in parts) reading.

This was pretty cute! I've been kind of mellowing out with my books lately having hit a string of really heavy-hitters for a bit there. I wanted something light-ish with a happy ending and this sounded like it would fit the bill. The cover was very cutesy as well, which appealed to me. I picked it up knowing more or less what I was getting into, and I appreciate that it was true to form.

Jules Bartlett is a tall, proud, commitment-phobic woman who has been burned in love before. Tyler Pace is the workaholic family friend who has loved her in secret for years. They have good chemistry, a nice banter every now and then. Jules is a tough nut to crack, and given her history with her ex-husband, I don't blame her for that. Tyler is perfectly swoony and patient and appropriately head-over-heels for both her and her daughter. The whole thing is just very easy and very sweet. Even when Jules gets acerbic and Tyler tries to logic his love life into neat little boxes, it was all very effortless.

My primary issue was that occasionally the dialogue felt kind of stiff. I'll admit that there's a very early scene between these two (maybe 10% or so in?) that almost turned this into an early DNF because I was so worried every exchange was going to be like this. Jules feels that Tyler oversteps in his early morning conversations with her daughter, and the whole exchange so off-putting that it set off little alarm bells. I think it was meant to be funny, but the tone was off. It felt more like she was attacking Tyler, and I felt almost uncomfortable reading it in the way you feel uncomfortable when a teenager is showing out for attention. It was just a cringy display, and it felt like she was being mean while also trying to prove how clever and funny she is.

There were a handful of moments of similar discomfort, albeit significantly less. The writing sometimes loses its flow and goes from banter to something much more forced, but ultimately it never fully put me off of the story. They were few and far between, and never bad enough that I couldn't just brush it aside and keep reading. The real stars of the show were the supporting characters. There were several characters outside of Jules and Tyler who made this book much more enjoyable to read. All in all, I wanted an easy romance with just a touch of drama and zero chance of an unhappy ending and that's exactly what I got here, and I'm quite glad for it. This was a very comfortable romance, and speedy too. I knocked it out in a few cozy hours.

Thank you muchly to NetGalley and Tracy Ewens for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

One thing I’ve always enjoyed about Ms. Ewens books is that we’re always guaranteed strong character development. Catch doesn’t fail. No surface level characters here.


Tyler and Bella’s school walk conversations were sweet and it was clear Bella had wormed her way into his heart as much as Jules had.

Loved catching up with characters from previous books!

I guess that every once in awhile you can judge a book by its cover. I will admit that I was initially drawn to this one by its striking cover and I was very lucky to find that the book inside more than did it justice,

Jules is no one's damsel in distress. She has survived her divorce, is raising an amazing daughter, and is the only female captain of a fishing boat in California, Tyler is her brother's best friend and an honorary part of her family for as long as she can remember. Her child adores him and they bicker like siblings and that is all she needs from him. What she doesn't know is that Tyler has loved her for years.

This book was filled with wonderful, nuanced characters which was what really made this book special. Jules was strong, and could be bristly but she also had vulnerabilities, I loved her family and her daughter, Bella, was a delight to read about. Tyler very easily could have been written as the cookie cutter wealthy hero. His backstory was touching and gave him added depth. Not to mention that any time he interacted with Bella my knees got a little weak.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this book, the story of Jules and Tyler.

Tyler has worked hard to get where he is today, but what he really wants is a chance with Jules.
She has been hurt before and hasn't dated since her divorce - will she change that now?

Also nice to catch up with characters from the previous books

I really enjoyed reading Jules & Tyler's love story. My favourite part of the book was the lovely family dynamic in the Branch clan, their love and good energy radiated from the pages.
I read this book in 2 days and wanted to find out more as Tyler really is a charming man. My only criticism is that I did Jules' reverse fairytale damsel position a little annoying but I do really like the message this conveys and I agree it makes sense given her past. I would definitely read more in the series as I loved the small town characters and would love to get to know them better!

received this book for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley

Not what I was expecting but I did enjoy this. The plot was well thought out and kept me wanting more.