Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for this ARC.

“I hurt you”…”You were hurting.”

This book was full of tropes I love: second chance romance, forced proximity, slow burn, fake dating, healing.

This book was a pleasant surprise. I was expecting fluff, but this story had heavy AND light moments in equal measure. Written in dual POV, this story follows Andie and Kit, two people with an intertwined past who enter a dating reality show (if you are a fan of Love is Blind, you will love this fresh take. I am a fan of the show, so I ate this up!) for their own separate reasons and hijinks ensue.

There is a little spice, but an even deeper story that keeps you engaged and rooting for them the whole time. The pacing was perfect. The characters are well-crafted and genuine. I loved every character I came across. The dialogue was real, genuine, and enchanting. There were comedic moments to break up heavier moments and vice versa. The storyline was perfectly laid out.

I deeply resonated with one of the characters as the story touches on how it feels to not know how to love. The world and media show you repeatedly what love is and soon enough you think the same as the world. However, every love is different and needs its own set of guidelines. I have struggled in the past to equate love with the things I can do to provide for someone else or what I can offer financially or in acts of service. I have not given others the chance to love me because I thought my actions didn’t make me worthy of love. This book hits some very real struggles, and I really enjoyed seeing some of mine represented in the pages.

This book is a warm hug of a romance book.

I enjoyed this book a lot! While the premise is very similar to the tv show Married at First Sight the characters were so relatable and likable that it made up for not being as original.

I really enjoyed the romance between Kit and Andie and the tension there. Lots of really great complicated feelings and things to unpack and have the characters grow over the course of the book.

I read the whole thing in one sitting just like a reality tv show it is very binge-able. The writing was also a really high quality as sometimes certain romance books have some pretty cringe bits of dialogue etc but this just flowed well. I would purchase it for our library and recommend.

Put 4/5 stars but closer to 4.5/5

Andie, a wedding gown designer, decides to enter a reality TV show and marry a complete stranger at first sight. However, things take a turn when the man she is supposed to marry is none other than her former flame, Kit.

Now, they are both bound by a contract for several weeks, navigating married life as they try to discern whether they can rekindle their love or if it's time to part ways and find their individual happiness.

✨ Thoughts ✨
I loved the premise of this book. It felt like watching the Netflix show Love Is Blind. As a reality TV fanatic, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to read this little gem.

I was not disappointed. The author did a fantastic job of bringing forth each emotion and unresolved feeling, making both Kit and Andie endearing characters. It was easy to fall in love with the storyline.

Overall, this is a heartfelt second chance romance, a must-read for those who love reality TV and enjoy tropes such as marriage of convenience.

Thank you NetGalley, Alcove Press, and the talented author for providing me with the ARC of "Not You Again" in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own.