*This review contains spoilers. Huge thank you to Net Galley for providing this ARC*

2.5 ⭐️ - For some reason, I couldn’t get into this book until the last 25% of it, when things started to take off for me. The story follows Rae and Van as they try to rekindle their romantic relationship after five years apart.

Things I liked about this book:

1. The female protagonist seemed badass. I like heroines that do not shy away from making their voices heard and they’re feelings known. If they feel wronged, they have zero qualms into making it obvious just how much they do not like you or trust you. Some might call it petty; I say it’s honestly in its most unapologetic form (It’s probably why I love enemies-to-lovers so much).

2. They never shied away from their affairs with other people. In the beginning, I was afraid when we got the explanation on how Van was someone who’d had physical relationships with other people but was never able to fall in love again, because I thought the author would paint Rae as someone who’d stay celibate or something like that… Nope. They may both still have feelings for each other but understood that their relationship was done, and they both tried to move on to other people in a way that felt right to them.

3. The showcase scene – During the entire book, every female character is extremely sexualized and objectified, constantly talking about wearing next to nothing, ready and willing to flaunt themselves for male attention. Nothing wrong with that, but it was nice to know that this wasn’t just a thing for the women in the book, but that the men also had their time of ‘I enjoy attention, look at me!’.

Things I didn’t like about this book:

1. Not stating clearly that THIS IS A SEQUEL: I picked up this book thinking it was a stand-alone, but it became apparent within the first pages that it very much wasn’t. It immediately made me want to go and find whatever book was written about Kez and Jackson - I’m sure for someone already invested in those two characters would be very happy with this book, but as someone who had no idea it was a follow-up to a different story, I felt somewhat lost in the number of details given to secondary characters, even just in the first chapter. We know virtually nothing about our MC, but we got a full run-down of her best friend’s story, next to her soon to be husband and their family. I mean, it was nice to put us in perspective, but it’s a bit too much information on side characters.

2. Ridiculous (and viral) vows: If you’re on TikTok you’ve probably heard of Caitlin Reilly’s mock wedding vows viral video, but if not, all you have to do is read the vows scene in this book. My notes on the scene read: “OMG! – There’s a ‘Jason, if you had told me, a year and a half ago, today, that the guy taking my order at Outback Steakhouse, would one day be my husband, I WOULD HAVE NEVER BELIEVED YOU.’ LMFAO, I’ve literally had to stop reading, I’m tearing up! I’m going to go find that TikTok.” I had to literally take a break; I was laughing so much, and I don’t think the author intended for this scene to be the funniest in the entire book, but it was to me.

3. Extremely gendered language: I know that this isn’t a big problem to some, but it really does bother me when author’s describe things as feminine or masculine when referring to objects. Gender is a construct, and anything can be feminine or masculine depending on who’s using it. If you are a male-identifying person wearing make-up, or a skirt, or long hair, then those things are masculine. If you’re a female-identifying person doing… honestly anything, fix a car, play sports, do anything you want, and IT’S FEMININE. Period. But this book is so riddled with these little, almost subtle, misogynistic messages, that just made enjoying the story a lot more difficult for me. Things like “random articles of feminine crap” or “despite the explosion of femininity in the room” made it so hard for me to focus - and those two are only the examples in pg. 123.

4. Van’s entitlement & Rae’s manipulation back-downs: Both MCs are somewhat problematic, and although I recognized that Rae was outwardly trying to toy with Van to rile him up and make him pay a little, I wasn’t all that bothered about it, as I get that it’s kind of the whole point of the book. Or I wasn’t bothered until two things happened: First, Van would get upset, and instead of talking to her or trying to put a stop to the situation by speaking up, he just upped and left like a 4-year-old being told they can’t have ice-cream after dinner. He keeps saying that he’s willing to put up with anything, do whatever it takes to make her hear him out, but when the time comes to put up with her jabs, or just sit under the scrutiny and accusations of things THAT HE HAS ACTUALLY DONE, he just disappears. Then, the second thing that bothered me would happen, which is that every time, Rae would immediately feel guilty (or made feel guilty by their friends) and would follow him and try to strike a conversation with him so he could feel appeased and more at ease with his own actions. This happens multiple times in the book, but nothing really changes. If Van doesn’t what to put up with Rae’s games, then he could just stop trying. If she felt guilty about toying with him, she could stop too, but does it happen? Nope. Neither of these characters knew how to stick to their guns and it. was. so. annoying.

5. Ultimately, there is no excuse. I thought that, by the end of the story we would be privy to a more in-depth view of what had happened all those years ago. I thought Van would have a couple of details about the case against her old boss that would put it all into perspective, and justify his actions, manipulations and lies, but it never came. He just admits to his own cowardice and failures, and although that’s more than I expected for a character as emotionally immature as him, it still didn’t grant any new reasons to earn Rae’s forgiveness or trust. Leaving his job was an uncalled and, honestly, predictable move to try to manipulate Rae into taking him back.

Overall, this book was fine. It was an easy read with a couple of laughs and, sometimes, that is all you can ask for in a book.

2.5/5 ⭐️

EARNING IT
By EF Dodd
3/5

Woah! This one was a ride. Minor Spoilers Ahead!

Regan Murphy is the maid of honor at her best friend's wedding and on the big day is surprised to find the best man is none other than her ex of five years, Donovan McLeod. Obviously, chaos ensues.

What I liked:
The friendship between Rae and her two friends, Kez and V.
This gave me The Unhoneymooners vibes with the whole wedding + enemy wedding party + reluctant vacation bit.
Rae doesn’t give in to the swoon-worthy Van immediately.
Well-timed flashback scenes.

What I didn’t like:
I’m not kidding when I say the first *half* of the book takes place at the wedding. We’re talking like 150 pages spent on what is basically 12 hours.
Rae reallllllly made this poor guy grovel. It was maybe a bit much for me.

Read this if you love:
♥️ second chance love
♥️ enemies to lovers
♥️ major groveling
♥️ steamy
♥️ dual pov

Thank you to NetGalley and Smith Publicity and Sugar Beaver Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Will be posted on @booklovingtaylor on 8/3.

I love a good second chance romance! It was steamy and had a lot of witty humor. Rae could be a little frustrating at times but I enjoyed this story overall! Great summer read!

I was so happy to receive this book in advance to give it an early read, thank you!

The story is about a public relations guru, Reagan Murphy, who is all set to be the maid of honor at her best friend's wedding. She receives the surprise of her life when she finally meets the best man the day of the wedding and discovers she already knows him...and despises him!

I thought that the book was well written and I really enjoyed the story. It was light-hearted with the right about of drama and conflict. Donovan and Reagan work through their very real issues in a way that displayed their vulnerability and gave me, the reader, and opportunity to real root for them and care about their future.

My only criticism is that a couple of the ancillary characters were very stereotypical and over the top. Their dialogue and interaction with the main characters didn't ring true for me because I felt they were caricatures. If I were to change anything about the book, it would be that.

Well... this is a second chance romance and I hated the female MC, she is not someone you get excited that she can find love hahaha I'm sorry but I was like dude you tried too hard already just leave and find a woman because this girl just nope. The first half happens before/during a wedding and I didn't like that. Also the way they met, I have trouble with it, as I like realistic stories and this book didn't have much of that. Realism left this book.

I'll say this... I was all in for the drama while hating Rae hahaha. I kept reading because the drama was intriguing but I'll admit I wasn't rooting for Van and Rae so was hard to engage in all of it. And it became even annoying at times. Van is great tho!! Him. And liked the other characters too

I never laughed, not once. I found lots of sweet romance between the other couples and that saved the book for me, because the MC couple was not good or attractive at all for me, but the other two couples were sweet. It was a fast read tho, but for me it wasn't a favorite. The premise was good but it didn't work for me. It was steamy, it was sexy at certain points and it was good steam but I just guess it's not my kind of romance, but that problem is mine, not the author's problem. I bet many of you would enjoy this one!!! I have seen many loving it so I'll say that me not enjoying it that much is a me thing with the topics, the annoying character and lack or realism. I'm really special in those things so for me ir didn't work, but it will definitely work for many others.

I received this ARC for an honest review.
⭐️: 4/5
🌶: 2/5

⤏ What to expect:
•Dual POV (3rd person)
• second chance romance
• groveling, groveling, and more groveling
• vanilla spice

⤏ What I didn't like:
I like more complex characters and would have
liked to see who these two were as individuals
and not just their relationship. We got more
information on side characters' families than we
did the MCs.

⤏ Overall thoughts:
This was such a fun, easy read that's perfect for
summer. There was a unique twist to the second
hand romance plot that made it so much more
enjoyable to read and get to the bottom of what
happened. I had a really hard time putting this
down wanting to see what would happen next.

It was a very cute second chance romance with the super adorable main characters and highly entertaining and engaging plot line, that, I can’t seem to get out of my head. So, overall it’s a full 5 stars read for me.

I would give this 3.5 stars but I'm rounding up because I was fully on board for the ride. Overall this was a pleasant read. Most steamy scenes weren't too descriptive until the very end, and then the steam went up.

What I liked:
I truly loved the characters. I loved that each had their own distinctive personality and together they balanced out each other's extra/introvertedness. This was a fun friend's group with a great dynamic. Although the wedding portion of the book took place over several chapters, I was entertained enough that it didn't feel drawn out. I also appreciated the dual POV and second chance romance tropes are one of my faves. This is perfect for a summer read.

What I didn't love:
I know lack of communication is really common in real life, but the extreme level Rae avoided having a much needed talk with Van was frustrating in the beginning. If miscommunication or lack thereof, is a pet peeve of yours, this will likely bother you. Lastly, I'm all for partying and having a good time, but there was A LOT of drinking in this book. It didn't bother me necessarily, but it was enough that the thought of alcohol poisoning crossed my mind. The characters didn't even suffer a hangover. Maybe I'm just jealous.

I've submitted my review to Barnes and Nobles to be approved. I searched for it on BookBub to leave a review but did not find it. I submitted a request for them to add this book to their site. I will post my review on IG and Amazon on release day.

It’s no secret that we love a good rom com and this one is at the top of our favorites currently. Rae has completely given up on love until her ex of 5 years shows up as the best man at her best friend’s wedding! Not only does she have to walk down the aisle with him, but then has to spend a whole week of vacation with him. Will he earn her back?

This is a really fun second chance romance with extremely likable (and well written) side characters, beautiful friendships, and just the right amount of steam! There is some witty banter, some laugh out loud moments, and a whole lot of groveling. We would characterize Earning It as the light romantic comedy read.

What we loved:
- Wedding setting
- Second Chance romance with forced proximity
- The groveling- if you love it when the guy grovels, you’ll love this one
- Fun summer read

Overall, if you’re looking for a fun summer romance, we’d recommend this one!

Thank you to NetGalley, E. F. Dodd, and Sugar Beaver Books for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Rae refuses to fall in love again, not after she walked out on her last relationship after discovering his betrayal. However, exactly a year later, she runs into him at her best friend's wedding. Now Van is convinced to have a conversation with Rae, to explain his side of the story.

This book was a lot. Half of the book took place in a few hours. Half of it. It was the same thing over and over again. Same conversations, same reactions. What really made me frustrated was that all of this took place during the wedding of the main characters' best friends. The story just seemed so centric about the issue at hand. It just seemed so selfish and I really could not like the characters, after they spent 50% of the book acting selfishly.
The other half was where the groveling hit. And did it hit...This is where Van redeemed himself, Rae...not so much.
The story flowed, even though the timing was all weird. I felt like there should have been more pages of the characters falling in love again. The fast paced second chance romance showed no chemistry between the two characters.
I did not enjoy this book, but I feel like anyone that likes second-chance romance, forced proximity, the instant love feeling would love this book.

A big thank you to Netgalley for this gem, loved it.

I'm not sure I am a fan of the cover, it felt amateur like there are so many things that could've been used, e.g. the infamous white bathing suit maybe with Van in the background, something anything. Also the font, not the style but rather the size may be upping it a size or two.

Now onto the review: I was soaked in. Totally on edge, what a brilliant storyline, rich with details and drama so right up my stream. I was filled with emotions, Rae hurt, Van's sadness and loss. The author did a spectacular job and I loved it. It was a quick read, perfect for holidays I envisioned myself on a beach.

Rae was quite childish but she was acting from a place of being scorned to I let it slide. And Van was wrong, she let him off the hook too easy.

Earning It by E.F. Dodd was a cute second-chance romance with funny, interesting characters. Regan "Rae" Murray has spent the last five years heartbroken over her ex, Donovan "Van" McLeod's, betrayal. She's a strong, independent, take-no-shit PR specialist, and she has absolutely no interest in love, until she runs into Van at her best friend's wedding, where they will be the maid of honor and the best man. Van is desperate to get Rae alone so that he can explain what happened five years ago and beg for a second chance with her.

I love a good second-chance romance and this fit the bill perfectly, especially since Van really put in effort to win her back. Though I loved the secondary characters, it felt like this was the third standalone in a series, where the other couples stories (Kez & Jackson, V & Dave) should've been the previous stories. This made me feel like I was missing bits of information about who these characters were and how they got together.

Overall, a cute romance that I'd definitely recommend.

It was a good book. I just wish it didn’t seem rushed. Maybe because the story takes place over a week’s time, it made the plot seem shorter. I definitely would read another book by this author.

— ARC review —

I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Regan, better known as Rae, is the maid-of-honor at one of her best friends wedding, Kez. Last minute finding out that the best-man is no one other than her ex-boyfriend Ray Edwards… err.. Donovan McLeod. Rae is experiencing a rollercoaster of emotions. Will Rae find peace and maybe give Van another chance? Or at least let him explain?

There were some situations that really frustrated me especially in the first part of the book. One is how much ‘revenge’ Rae wanted without even listening why Van did the things he did. Just… listen already… If you don’t want to do it for him, at least do it for yourself to find closure.

There were also parts in the book that I really liked. One is the vibe between the three girls Kez, V and Rae. Giving great advice, saying their own opinion but still respecting one another and being there for eachother. My most favorite part was the second half of the book when they were in the Caymans. And of course, the ending. It had me smiling from ear to ear.

And that’s I guess why this book is still worth 4 stars in my opinion.

Special thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I love a good reuniting with your ex type rom com novel and this one didn’t disappoint! I spent the whole book rooting for Van and Rae to work it out. Definitely some spicy scenes as well throughout that were really great. Now I just need books on the stories of the other two couples, V and Dave and Jackson and Kez

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was not for me. I hate when characters can't communicate even if the conversation is uncomfortable and that became the focus for me. Had to skim a lot due to the graphic content as well.

Earning it had everything you could want... strong women, a tropical vacation, and a man who is the epitome of "if he wanted to he would." It is a quick read and it leaves you feeling satisfied.

I really enjoyed the characters. Rae was sassy in the best possible ways. She was confident and could wrap anyone around her finger. She knew how to grab attention and wasn't afraid to do so. Van brought out her sensitive side while proving himself years after heartbreak. The other friends were hilarious and supportive, only adding to the warm fuzzy feeling the book gave me. My only grievance with the book is that I wasn't in Grand Cayman with the group.

I totally recommend reading this book if you are in need of a quick, feel good second chance romance.

Earning It was the perfect read for summer! Fun, steamy, and with an entire cast of characters, I didn't want to put this one down. I found a few parts of the book a little unrealistic (and the formatting of the ARC on my kindle made it a little challenging to read at times), but I was willing to let go of my disbelief a little bit because I couldn't get enough of Rae and Van! I would have loved a few more flashbacks (between Rae and Van, Rae and her gals, Jackson and the guys), just so I could feel a little more connected to the characters at times, but that's coming from somebody who really loves extreme character depth.

Overall, a fun and easy read that I can't recommend enough for a vacation getaway!

When I tell you that the first 42% of the book took place over one day and in one location, I’m not joking.

This book starts at the wedding of the two MC’s best friends, and you do not leave the wedding for a longggg time. Then, the next 50% of the book takes place during the week-long group honeymoon in the Caymans.

I thought we escaped the third act breakup when everything was fine and dandy at 93%, but I was bamboozled, as I so often am IRL.

The premise (second chance romance) was one of my favs, and I liked all the characters, but a lot of the conversations, especially at the wedding, between the two MC’s felt repetitive.

I will say I did find the grand gesture cute and charming, I just wish we’d spent less time at the wedding and more time seeing how they reconciled and re-fell in love.

I’m not sure I’ve ever read a book with such an apt name! My God did he grovel! And I had so much fun reading about it! This is a great second-chance romance. The main characters are lovable and you’ll find yourself rooting for them, even as Rae continuously denies Van another chance.