Ever since finishing Set On You, I needed Tara to have a story and I’m so pleased it was with Trevor! This was a delightful read and lived up to my expectations for the most part.

The story is Tara’s single POV, which isn’t really a favourite of mine. To pull off an entertaining, engaging and endearing single POV romance, you have to make the person’s head you’re living in for the duration of the book unique. And luckily Tara was wonderful. I actually enjoyed her character more than Crystal’s in the previous book. She really took me by surprise— it was refreshing. Honestly, Tara was the highlight of the book for me. She stole the show hands down!

Tara is hilariously relatable but in the non-quirky and insufferable way. I know, it sounds like a myth these days, but Tara’s characterisation was just so authentic— it didn’t feel forced and she just felt real. The humour was casual and was just slipped into her inner monologue, so it took you by surprise and made you giggle. if you love a heroine who can constantly make you laugh, look no further.

Now... Trevor and Tara’s “meet-cute” is something I normally loathe in a romance. it usually kills the vibes for me, but Amy Lea flipped the trope on it’s head and made it truly hilarious.

When I read it on the sneak peek at the end of Set On You, I was giggling the entire time. it’s actually realistic, with how horrified Tara is, how sheepish Trevor is... the endearing awkwardness that ensues. I was living. it made me 10000x more excited for this than I originally was. Just picturing the entire exchange in my head was hilarious. And honestly, Amy Lea did that a lot throughout this novel— subverting tropes, stereotypes and stigmas and bringing you something new and refreshing, rather than the same recycled stuff. I really enjoyed the nods to the romance genre throughout, picking apart different tropes and cliches, and really exploring the intrinsic flaws in the genre while highlighting what makes romance such a wonderfully exciting genre to read, too.

In regards to Trevor and Tara, I loved their dynamic. Their interactions were filled with dry, deadpan back and forth remarks. I seriously laughed out loud at some of their conversations— they just fit so well together. And the slowburn was incredibly satisfying, I think it was the perfect choice for these too, honestly. My only complaint (and why this isn’t a full five stars) is that I was a bit unsatisfied with Trevor and mainly his feelings towards Tara.

At times he was wonderfully soft and sweet, he did and said very small, minute things that if you missed them, you wouldn’t think Trevor was as into Tara as he later says he is. These gestures were achingly swoonyworthy but pretty inconsistent, in my opinion. There were moments where I genuinely questioned if he liked her romantically because he could be so blasé and causal towards Tara. Part of me is unsure and still trying to figure out if this was just Tara being completely oblivious since we see all of his actions through her eyes. And she has no clue has has a thing for her.

For the most part, I adored him and the things he said to her, but I had moments of confusion and doubt towards him that are still niggling at me. I think I need to go back and reread parts of this just to give myself more clarity. See if I can spot more clues— there are a handful I can list in my head but definitely not as many as I’d like.

The times he was openly romantic? I passed away. I had to put the book down and squeal for a few minutes before forcing myself to calm down and resume reading. It’s definitely ideal for the romance readers who adore a good slowburn because undoubtedly delivered on that end.

So overall, this was a phenomenal follow up to Lea’s debut!! I mean... I’m typing this at 2am after I finished this in one sitting because I refused to put it down. I think that gives you a clue. If you love fun romcoms with a twist, unique and hilarious heroines, an achingly intense slowburn with a broody but soft hero, then look no further! Highly recommend if you loved the first book, too.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this before release. After reading Set on you, I was so excited to hear a book would be released focusing on her sister. It really did not disappoint! Of course I Loved the Taylor Swift references. Tara felt relatable, she loves books. I would definitely recommend this, can’t wait to get the physical copy when it is released.

I really wanted to love this but it fell a bit flat for me, I loved the development of Tara and Trevor, the time spent developing their friendship. But at the end everything felt rushed and I was a bit disappointed.

Another wonderful contemporary romance by Amy Lea (whose debut "Set on You" was released recently) this story follows Bookstagrammer Tara and her move into a new apartment with fireman Trevor.

Tara is a hopeless romantic who has been heart-broken more times than she wishes to remember, but who remains optimistic that love is still out there for her. With the help of her new flatmate, she decides to contact most of her Exes, and see were any of them the 'one who got away'.

Lea writes her characters so wonderfully; they are charming, emotional and genuine. The interactions feel realistic, and there were many moments I groaned in second hand embarrassment! And, as with book #1, there's a nice bit of spice in this too, which is always appreciated!

I loved "Set on you", and this too (I would advise reading in order if you can) and already cannot wait for #3 (even though this one isn't out yet -I am eternally grateful to @netgalley and @penguinrandomhouse for the ARC of this title in return for my review).

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

"A die-hard, emotional romantic and a guy who only believes in one kind of happy ending? That's a recipe for disaster if I ever saw one."

I read Set On You by the same author last month and utterly fell in love with that book, so you can imagine my excitement when it was announced her next book would be focused on the bookstagrammer sister of the fitness influencer FMC in the first book. As soon as it appeared on NetGalley I was off like a shot to apply for it!

Amy Lea is so good at crafting highly entertaining and yet utterly believable characters. And while Tara Chen is an overdramatic book lover whose imagination gets away with her at times, she is still very relatable. And it's not only the fact that Tara has an instagram account dedicated to her love of books, like so many of us do! But it's the fact she's always been known as the 'crazy' ex-girlfriend; the girl that is 'too much' of everything: too clingy, too enthusiastic, too dramatic, too passionate. I think most women I know can understand how it is to be labelled that way by men. I know I definitely can. The way Lea handles this topic is so well done, and so sensitively covered too. There is also an author's note at the beginning which I think is super useful to read first.

A lover of many a romance trope and faced with a Valentine's Day gala but no date, Tara takes it upon herself to get in touch with her exes and see if she can orchestrate her own second-chance-romance. There's a spanner thrown in the works though, and that's her new (and ridiculously gorgeous) roommate Trevor Metcalfe - a brooding, tattooed, neat-freak fireman. As they spend more time together, Tara's attraction to Trevor is undeniable - but she's so singularly focused on her list of exes and romantic mission that she's ignoring the inevitable: a ROOMMANCE! (Insert 'and they were roommates' vine here).

Just like Set On You, Exes and O's has understandable and believable conflict which is introduced in a natural way and doesn't feel shoehorned in for the drama - which is something I can't stand in romance books. I hate a miscommunication trope for the sake of it! Thankfully, the last act conflict makes total sense in context, and again you can see both character's sides. It is also resolved in a mature, realistic way (people have conversations in this book, people! Actual conversations!).

Littered with little pop-culture references (including enough Taylor Swift references to keep me extremely happy), this is such an easy read which will leave you feeling snug and warm at the end.

I'm preordering a physical copy, as that cover is divine!

"He's not just the hero of my dreams. He's the hero beyond my wildest imagination. The best part? He's nonfiction."

Dear friends, let me introduce you to my new auto-buy author, Amy Lea. While there is still quite a while until her latest book, Exes and O’s, is published, I would be remiss if I didn’t tell you to preorder that baby right flipping now!

Exes and O’s is a swoon-worthy, smoking hot, hilarious romcom about a heartbroken booksta gal trying to find her happily ever after… with one of her exes. Tara is on the hunt for her very own second chance romance, and she’s hoping to find The One in the ten men who have already broken her heart; she managed to rope her new roommate, Trevor Metcalfe, into the scheme as well.

Tara and Trevor are complete opposites, whereas Tara wears her heart on her sleeve, open to everyone; Trevor’s is cased behind a stone fortress. Tara is wonderfully and dramatically extra, speaks a mile a minute, sings at the top of her lungs in the car, and Trevor is closed-lipped and hates car karaoke. And if you need another difference between the two, Tara is like most of us booksta’s building forts with the books she hasn’t got around to putting away, and Trevor is a clean freak who bleaches his kitchen weekly and organises books alphabetically.

The story that unfolds within these pages is heartfelt, funny, moving and realistically cringy at times. It’s about a woman trying to find someone who accepts her as she is, in all her craziness and a guy who is against love.

Swoon.

Romance book connoisseur Tara Chen has had her heart broken ten times by ten different men all of whom dumped her because of her stage five clinger tendencies. Nevertheless, Tara is determined to find the one. The problem is classic meet cute are dead, thanks to modern dating apps. So Tara decides to visit her exes in hopes of securing her very own trope worthy second chance romance. Boston relationship. Love just isn’t his thing. When his new roommate Tara enlists him to help her reconnect with her exes he reluctantly agrees. But Tara’s journey is leading him to discover his own chapter. The more time they spend together, the more Tara realises Trevor seems to be the only one who appreciates her authentic, dramatic self. To claim happily ever after, can Tara and Trevor read between the lines of their growing connection.
Wow I couldn’t put this book down I really enjoyed it totally recommend
Well done Amy Lea another great book by an amazing talented author you smashed it again
Thank You NetGalley and Penguin General Uk
I just reviewed Exes and O's by Amy Lea. #ExesandOs #NetGalley