Cover Image: Crossing the Line

Crossing the Line

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Member Reviews

Garvin’s writing was a pleasant surprise. I think the story between the two main characters felt very real and not forced at all. I loved how they were together and their dynamic was excellent. Definitely recommend!

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Claire accidentally runs into Aiden at a pub and they spontaneously decide to get on a train to Florida - need I say more. This book was amazing and I’m

Absolutely obsessed with it. I think I went through ever emotion possible and it was a constant between laughing and crying. Even though there where some scenes I didn’t enjoy/ expect mainly the one regarding Aidens ex which has nothing to do with the writing but I loved the rest of it. I also enjoyed the characters development and growth throughout as well as the actual concept of the novel The dual POV and short chapters keep you interest and engaged throughout the whole book. Overall, definitely a must read.

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Easy to read, short chapters and a great story. What else can I say? The plot was medium paced and the romance was a slow burn. Really enjoyed this book.

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Thank you to the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. This post contains minor spoilers.

I really enjoyed this book. It was super fast pace with short chapters (long chapter haters unite!). Even though the book takes place in less than a week, it felt very natural, partly because the characters knew each other beforehand and partly because they didn't say "I love you" until the epilogue, which takes place years later.

Watching Claire gain confidence and stand up for herself was amazing. I loved when she chewed out Aiden. She had a perfect character arc.

The side characters were all amazing. I did hate some of the characters but that was because the characters were awful people, not that they were poorly written. I would love another book with some of the side characters.

This was a super cute read and I hope everyone gives it a chance.

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Big thanks to NetGalley & Tuskan Publishing for providing an ARC for free, in exchange for an honest review.

It was an easy romance read about second chances and overcoming the past. Both the story and the emotional bond / character development are cute (I don't have a better adjective because quite frankly it wasn't fantastic or super-exciting, but cute). The author has a very good writing style which makes me not want to put down the book, even though some parts felt a bit of a drag (like the train trip itself was a bit too long for me). But there were some really well written parts as well, my favourite was the main characters' first meet at the bar and impulsively deciding to go together to Florida.

The chapters are super short, this is how we have almost 100 chapters (omg), which is a little too much. There were 2 chapters that literally were only one sentence each. And one of them did not make sense to me at all, it was clearly put there only for the sake of not breaking the dual POV pattern.

Despite the interesting writing style I sometimes felt that the plot is lacking originality or ideas and because of this the author lengthened some subplots, which hindsight seems a bit ironic, giving the chapters are really super short (most of them only a couple of paragraphs). The semi-spicy scenes were a nice touch, too because those were very subtle. I know a lot of romance readers aren't into sexual descriptions, so it's perfect for them.

I think for me only the writing style saved this book for a solid 4-star rating because the thing is, I wasn't crazy about either of the characters to be honest.
With Claire I didn't really have problems other than being the textbook insecure girl with trust issues.
But Aiden is too much of a teenage boy who is easily hurt over almost anything and who thinks scolding is what makes you masculine. He definitely behaves like a 17 years old boy, although they aren't high-schoolers anymore. It is very childish of him to assume things out of the blue and create theories in his head that results in acting like a dick to Claire. Why not just man himself up and ask her, confront her? That is what he always promotes, that being straight and honest is important. So why make up theories and suffer silently? And I get he was supposed to be a grumpy character, but why has he had to hate everything? He hates Florida, he hates New York, etc... This is just sad, not grumpy.

Just a slight logical issue from the story's perspective is - why does Aidan take the train to get back to New York if he could have flown? He has the money for it, so it would have been faster and a lot smarter in my opinion.

Lastly, and this is really subjective, but the book cover makes me think the story - or at least a part of it - takes place on a subway. Well, not really. There's an incredibly long train trip instead. I genuinely like the cover but it seems more like a subway than a train to me which a little bit bugs me.

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This is such a fun read. It's lighthearted and just everything you'd want really.
I loved that it's DUAL pov so you get to see each characters perspective.

The spice was just the right amount for the story line. Over all I thoroughly enjoyed this!

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Okay I enjoyed this book and how fast it went, but that’s also something I didn’t like about it. I wish we would’ve had more character depth early on leading to the train ride. Everything started so fast and it never slowed down. By the end I did like what we learned about the characters and we learned about their families and past relationships.

Here are some things we have…


♥️IF YOU CONSIDER TROPES SPOILERS, STOP HERE♥️


✨Dual POV
✨Miscommunication
✨Second Chance Romance (kinda)
✨Grumpy/Sunshine


⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
🌶️🌶️

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My goodness this book simply blew me away, and I cannot get over it. There was never a dull moment, the side characters, the plot, the humor, romance, SPICE, and the banter were phenomenal! This book was more than I expected and I couldn’t get myself to stop reading, I was zooming through like the fastest woman alive!

This is my first book by this author, which I think is a debut (I could be wrong) though if it is, tell me how that’s possible because this book is incredible! I am more than a wee bit obsessed!

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thank you to netgalley & Heather Garvin for an arc copy of this book!

I. Am. In. Love. I was instantly sucked into this story; Aiden captivated me from the first page and I literally couldn’t stop reading, I read this in a day 😂. The switching POV’s really keeps you wanting to read more and I did like the short chapters.

I love how real they are and that there is considerations about what they should do considering the timing. I also love the real take on relationships, when you’re in it you don’t always see the things that don’t work until it’s over. Both Aiden & Claire see that they can be so much better together even through any ups and downs thrown at them.

I loved the spice too, not a crazy amount but was so well done and I was left wanting more! Their chemistry 🥵 even from their first meet at the bar and then impulsively deciding to go together to Florida was off the charts. I particularly love the first bar scene when Aiden was getting jealous and they finally kiss and everything after.

I would 100% recommend this to people and would definitely read again

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This was a fun story. I really liked the grumpy/sunshine and the “road trip” story line. I would recommend this to anyone needing a fun flirty novel. I don’t know that I would read it again and again but I enjoyed reading it!

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This was a sweet premise but unfortunately not for me. The cover is very cute and there were some sweet moments! Unfortunately I found it to be a little surface level.

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Aiden is grumpy…
Claire is sunshine…

They once shared a secret with each other in high-school but never spoke to each other again. Three years later they are on a train to Florida running from their pasts, will they find a future together?

This was a fast read. There is some miscommunication at the end and that’s never my favorite. There is also a lot of will they or won’t they…. But overall cute!

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for this read!

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I am genuinely so thrilled to have received this ARC. I absolutely fell head over heels in-love with this book and all its characters! I was shocked to find out that Heather Garvin only has two other books. That being said, she is definitely no amateur, her writing style was impeccable! I knew as soon as I started reading I was going to be completely hooked, and I was right, I physically could not put the book down.

Tropes:
❤ Second-chance love
❤ Grumpy/sunshine
❤ Slow burn

Claire Ackerman might just be living through one of the worst nights of her life. That probably explains why she ended up at some random bar. Having found out her boyfriend of two years has been cheating on her while she was away at college, she needs to find a way to cope. Did she think she would run into Aiden Lewis, the gorgeous mystery guy from high school? Absolutely not. Whats even crazier is, not even an hour later, they both find themselves on a spontaneous trip down the coast to Florida. Thats right, not only has Claires life been flipped upside down, but she now finds herself with the least likely travel companion, on a quest to experience true freedom for the first time, all while simultaneously trying to mend her broken heart.

Aiden Lewis, is a quiet, moody, workaholic, who certainly has a few demons of his own he needs to conquer. As much as Florida is the last place he wants to return to, it's exactly the where he needs to be in order to resolve his emotional issues. He definitely never thought that Claire Ackerman would be the one to help chase away the numbness he's felt for over a year.
Even though Aiden comes off as a sarcastic asshole most of the time, he always had a soft spot for Claire.

We quickly find the two of them traversing their conflicting situations in the most suspenseful way. You can tell there's an undeniable attraction pulling the two together, it was torture watching them fight it!

Crossing the Line was written with a duel POV. It was great to get insight on just what Aiden was thinking and how much he struggled trying to do right by Claire. It was very important to him to make sure what was happening between them was real and built on healthy ground, showing just how much he really cared for her.

The amount spice was perfect! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, eagerly eating up all the drama and absolute fireworks going off between them. Talk about chemistry! Claire and Aiden are absolutely adorable together, and Aidens unfaltering support for Claire gave me warm fuzzies. He was so determined to help her and make sure she was okay, that he quite literally spent 30 hours on a train for her, not once but TWICE! If that's not swoon worthy enough for you, then I don't know what is. I loved how Claire was the only one capable of breaking down Aidens walls and making him feel alive again. Together they were able to heal and move on from their pasts by forming such a powerful connection, you cant help but envy them. They truly are the perfect match and complement each other so nicely, I couldn't have written it any better myself! I definitely plan on reading this book over and over again, totally one of my new favorites! I would highly recommend to anyone who loves contemporary romance and the listed tropes!

Thank you NetGalley and Tuskan Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! ✌

So happy to be able to say that this was a 5/5 star read!!

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Claire and aidens story was fun to read very slow burn if you like that but was a quick read and I love dual pov so that is great also

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I really enjoyed this book. I don't usually like slow-burn romance, but this was done really well. The grumpy/sunshine trope was also done really well in this book and didn't feel forced.
The plot was character driven and it was great to see how the characters grew throughout the story. It was also great to see how the characters overcame their past trauma and relationships fears in order to be with one another.
The story is multi-POV and the chapters are short, which makes the book a quick and easy read. Even though parts of the story story were slow, it never felt like that due to the short chapters.
There was minimal spice, it's more angsty fade to black.

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Unfortunately, I cannot continue reading this book. I forged through about 30% of the story, but the character's POV was unsettling and unlikeable. I'm sure some men think women are in need of a protector or whatnot, but when you follow a girl on a train and constantly think, "she can't be alone because of how she's dressed" and those sort of thoughts, I am pushed away from the story.

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Let me just say I really enjoyed this book! It was quick-paced, easy to read, with interesting characters. Slow burn/grumpy sunshine. Short chapters kept me reading. It was all the things I look for in a fun romance read.

The chemistry between past schoolmates Aiden and Heather was on fire. Both had been cheated on by former loves and neither was looking for a relationship. A drunken decision to take the train to Florida, plus Aiden’s insistence on talking, not running, expose feelings between the two.

I would recommend this book for anyone who enjoys a fun, romantic read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tuskan Publishing LLC for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
#CrossingtheLine #NetGalley

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Small town romance
Second chance romance(Ish)

This book was a super super fast paced read with short chapters that kept me reading.

Claire finds out her long time boyfriend has been cheating and it leads her to her home town bar where she runs into non other than Aiden, her high school crush... only he's not quite as sweet as he used to be. Aiden is overall not interested in love or relationships but when Claire makes the spur of the moment decision to go to Florida he realizes he can't let her go alone in the middle of the night.

This book was good but there were a few parts I didn't love, im not a big fan of the miscommunication trope and this book definitely had it and there were definitely moments where Aiden was not so much grumpy and was just a jerk. The build up was there and the book was more enjoyable than not. 3.5/5

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Thankyou so much Netgalley and Tuskan Publishing LLC for the e-arc in exchange of an honest review.

tbh, i’m still processing what just happened. It was the blurb that drew me in, but honestly, it wasn’t all fireworks that I thought the book would be. It was fast-paced (very fast actually), which was a good thing, but at the same time it didn’t help in making the story any deeper or memorable, yknow? It didn't make me care about the characters as much, and I wasn't invested in the story at all. Who lied to who, who cheated on who— I just couldn't bring myself to carry on and it almost felt like I was scrolling just to get this over with.

The most appropriate word I could find is decent. A decent second-chance romance. A decent amount of smut. A decent amount of tension. And an even decent plot. Nothing much. The writing was good, including the use of miscommunication trope here. It was pretty believable.

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Love enemies to lovers PLUS a grumpy MC? Then you will love this book! Dual POV was very well written. I enjoyed the plot of this book. Claire is getting out of a horrible relationship after she finds out her boyfriend has been cheating on her. She embarks on a trip to Florida to get away and has Aiden, a former high school classmate join her.
The only part I didn't love about this story was how often Aiden was swearing whether it was out loud during conversation, or even thoughts in his head. At times I found it to be a little over the top.
I liked the good pace and I am always a fan of a story that has shorter chapters to keep me intrigued and invested in the story. Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the copy of this book. I read and reviewed this on my own time, and all opinions are my own.

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