✨ARC Review - 5 ⭐️.5🌶️✨📚

This is my first book by Kayla Tirrell and let me just say it did not disappoint. I was hooked from the very beginning; the story follows Macy and Nate who met during their sophomore year of high school and Nate being homeschooled. They had a beautiful friendship which turned to a beautiful love. They go through difficult situations that caused them to break up, but years later the spark and love is still there. But can they work through the problems of the past and get their happily ever after? You will definitely need to pick this book up to find out, their story was so beautifully written.

Lastly. I’d like to thank NetGalley , Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op and Author Kayla Tirrell for the opportunity for this ARC.

This book was SOOO good! It was everything you want in a (fade to black) romance. It was funny, had a unique hook (pioneer camping), and an actual conflict. (PLEASE PLEASE read trigger warning for this!!!) It took me three days to get to the 30% mark (I was super busy!!!) and then I read the rest in one night!!! Kayla’s writing style is so easy to read. This story was heartbreaking but SO good. If you like friends to lovers, or second chance, (and you have read the trigger warnings) I def recommend giving this a try! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC! 💜

Synopsis in my words: Macy and Nate meet at a pioneer reenactment camp and there is an instant connection. Fast forward to modern times and they don’t talk anymore because Macy broke up with Nate in college and never explained why. Now her bestie (Nate’s sister) is getting married and Macy is the maid of honor which means she has to see Nate for the first time since they split. Things get a little crazy!

I am so glad I got to read this book. I had so many personal connections to this book, but I also felt such an attachment to the characters. I cried with them and cheered for them. This is such a sweet yet deep story. This is one of those books I literally could not put down.

Even When It Wasn't You is written from Macy's point of view and is a lovely story about healing and second chances. To begin with, the usage of the dual timeline was excellent. It was a smooth transition from the past to the present, allowing us to follow Macy and Nate as they grew older. Observing Macy as she came to meet Nate's family was really fun. Although the story has some angst, the lovely and funny parts help to balance it out. Overall, this was an excellent read, and I believe readers, particularly those who prefer second chance romances, would enjoy it.

For the most part, I had a great time reading this book and I liked the writing style. I would definitely read another book by this author.

**Thanks, Kayla and Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.**

this book was cute and very enjoyable. second chance friendship turns lovers, beautifully written, really enjoyed this book. fell into this book and didnt want to leave.

This book was super cute! I loved the meeting at Pioneer camp🤭 when you grew up in a family that LARPs.. lol this felt like home. I loved the second chance friends to lovers. I will say, Macy drove me crazy up until the end ! I spend the whole book wondering WHY. GIRL. WHY?!.. and then once you read why you understood.. kinda… really though I just wanted to shake Macy 90% of the time 🫠
I was OBSESSED with Nate. He was perfection from the moment you met him he was so cute. I loved that he went off and made something of himself. Nate was always pure perfection🤌🏼

This was a very cute, fun, easy read ! Totally recommend for a lighthearted book!

I really liked this second chance romance and also liked the change of it being a best friend's brother but with the best friend supporting it all the way.
I would have proffered some of Nate's POV but this may just be a I really liked Nate as a character so wanted to learn more about him and his perspective.
The dual timeline works well for the second chance trope as it allows us to see each version of the romance. I also liked the banter back and forth between the characters to the point that I found myself smiling and giggling whilst reading.

I would recommend that readers look at the trigger warnings before reading though.

I really really liked this book! Very easy reading and made me laugh in a couple pages! I found the writing very effortless and loved Nate.

4.25/4.5 ⭐️

I truly adored this book. It is the sweetest second chance romance revolving around a break up over an extremely heartbreaking realization. Definitely check trigger warnings before diving in 🫶🏼

I really loved the plot line of this story. Making it dual timeline was such a great touch. I would have loved to see Nate’s POV sprinkled out throughout the book, but it didn’t bother me that it wasn’t there.

& we love a best friend’s brother romance when the best friend is cheering it on. I also loved that Nate and Macy met first. I adored her as a FMC because she was strong, brave and just absolutely relatable.

I was laughing out loud when she got under the table at the beginning. 🥄 IYKYK.

The epilogue was such a sweet touch to finish off their story! I will absolutely be picking up more by this author!

If you're looking for a sweet (with just a bit heat) second chance romance, this is the book for you. I so enjoyed Nate and Macy's love story in both timelines.

I absolutely love their meet cute! A pioneer reenactment camp? Hilarious and just so perfect for a homeschool family like the Delaneys. As a private/public school kid who has a good number of homeschooled friends, Macy's initial judgment of homeschoolers being weirdos and then meeting and growing to love a homeschool family was so very accurate.

This story deals with some very heavy and difficult issues (there is a content warning at the beginning of the book that I highly recommend checking, which I won't include here as it has spoilers). These issues are handled with grace and sensitivity, and it is ultimately a beautiful story of hope and healing.

I truly adore Nate and Macy, and my biggest complaint is that it was too short. I would have loved to get more of their banter and adorableness. Also, more time getting to know Evie would have been good as she was a gem.

Thanks, Kayla and Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I want to say this closed door romance novel is second chance, friends to lovers, and has some forced proximity to it.

Macy met Nate at a pioneers reenactment camp; Nate’s well experienced at this camp and welcomed Macy with open arms. They developed feelings for each other, and decided to date in high school. However, they broke it off in college.

This dual timeline story includes Macy and Nate in the present day, where they reunite at Evie (Macy’s friend/Nate’s sister)’s wedding festivities. This book was fast paced to me, but I wish they revealed the reasoning of the breakup earlier in the story. I was pretty much anticipating the breakup reveal for a while. Overall, this book definitely had a YA feel to it, but it was cute and realistic!

Thank you Kayla Tirrell and Netgalley for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Oh my goodness, what an absolutely beautiful love story this was! Macy and Nate met when they were teenagers at a pioneer reenactment camp and instantly connected--- despite her inadvertent insult upon their first meeting. In the present day, we know that they are no longer together and that it ended badly... and that they're seeing each other again for the first time for her best friend/his sister's wedding. The story goes back and forth between the current timeline and their history. I loved getting to see how they love story started in their past--- it really was just the sweetest. It also kept me wondering what on earth could have happened to break them apart. We don't find out the details until later in the story- though I'd come to the correct assumption much earlier. This part of their story was absolutely heartbreaking, but I thought it was handled well. It dealt with some very heavy issues, but all happen off page and while it's an important part in their story, it's not heavily discussed. Overall, while there were definitely some moments that were hard to read, I really enjoyed this story. It was the first I had read from this author, but it won't be the last.

Even When It Wasn't You is a closed-door romance with kisses only. There is a slight bit of innuendo and some minor language throughout as well. See the author's note before the story for trigger warnings.

**I received a complimentary copy via Netgalley for consideration. All opinions are my own.

Just finished this ARC and it was adorable! I think this book would even be appropriate for YA audience.

The cover is so perfect now that I’ve read it and I think the artist captured the story so well.

How they met was so original and I really enjoyed it. It had me laughing at what a wild experience that must have been lol.

I typically don’t like past/present books because I have STML but this one was set up well. It flashed back at appropriate times that helped explain what either just happened to was about to happen.

I enjoyed this author and look forward to reading more of her work!

🫐💐✨️Even When It Wasn't You by Kayla Tirrell✨️💐🫐

🪻💜RELEASE DAY: 23rd April💜🪻

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🫐✨️read if you like:
- second chance romance
- opposites attract
- he falls first
- best friend's brother
- dual timelines
- closed door
- one pov

Macy and Nate met during their high school days at an 1800s pioneer reenactment camp, and despite their differences, they formed an unlikely friendship that soon developed into a romantic relationship. They were planning their future together until Macy unexpectedly called things off in college. Four years later, her best friend is getting married, and even though she's got her hands full with her maid of honour duties and organizing the flowers arrangements for the wedding, the thought of seeing Nate again stirs up a mix of emotions, as nostalgia and old feelings bubble to the surface.

There's a list of trigger warnings at the beginning of this book, but i went into it blind to avoid any spoilers. Macy's reason for breaking up with Nate really got to me, it was truly heartbreaking, and i wish the book had explored it more deeply. Overall, i would have appreciated a longer story. I wasn't ready to let go of the characters.

"𝘐 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮. 𝘐 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳."

Nevertheless, i loved how i was brought on an emotional rollercoaster and admired Macy's strength and Nate's loyalty and kindness.

The transition between then and now really added to the story and offered a deeper insight into the beginning of Macy and Nate's young love.

Thank you so much to Kayla Tirrell and NetGalley for my eARC. So thankful.💜

I could not finish this book. I am not sure if it was the writing or what, but I just couldn't get into it. I did not post it to my socials so I wouldn't hurt the author by convincing other people to not read it.

Thank you to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for my copy!

This book was really cute and even though it was a second-chance romance, I actually really enjoyed it. I think the difference in this one for me was the dual timelines and that I got to read about them falling in love the first time as well as the second.

I thought the pacing in this book was great and the flips between the past and present were well balanced.

I really liked the characters and Nate was such a sweetheart. 🥰 I loved seeing some representation of homeschooling and I laughed in some moments from how much I related in that aspect.

My biggest concern about the book while reading was that the reason Macy broke up with Nate in the past was a mystery for the majority of the book, and it was a little frustrating at times how nothing was explained until the last few chapters of the book. And the ending felt a little rushed despite some of the heavier content in the end. I just wish some things were fleshed out between the characters a little more.

But overall, I really enjoyed this one and would definitely recommend it for someone looking to read a sweet second-chance romance! 🤎

Macy's introduction to Nate came during her teenage years at a Pioneer camp, a reluctant endeavor imposed by her father. Nate's presence made the experience bearable, their friendship swiftly evolving into youthful romance. However, as Macy embarked on her college journey, Nate diverged from their shared plans, leading to unforeseen events that fractured their relationship.

Four years later, Macy finds herself as the maid of honor at her best friend's wedding—a friend who coincidentally is Nate's sister. Now faced with the challenge of navigating the inevitable, Macy must strive to avoid awkwardness while celebrating her best friend's union with her former beau.

This gripping novel held me captive, with anticipation mounting at every turn. Would they rekindle their romance or remain apart? Set against a backdrop of both their high school memories and present-day wedding festivities, the dual timeline provided valuable insight into their relationship. I relished the incorporation of tropes such as friends-to-lovers, second chances, and the allure of forbidden love.

However, the prolonged delay in uncovering the reasons behind their breakup detracted from the overall enjoyment. It wasn't until well into the book—perhaps two-thirds or more—that the truth emerged, leaving Macy's lingering doubts shrouded in mystery.

Despite this flaw, I wholeheartedly recommend this book to aficionados of romance tropes, promising a satisfying conclusion devoid of explicit content.

Gratitude to Kayla Tirrell and the Victory Ending Netgalley Co-op for granting me early access to this enthralling read in exchange for an honest review.

“Even When It Wasn’t You” By Kayla Tirrell is a charming friends to lovers, second chance romance that will have you smiling until your cheeks hurt with how absolutely adorable it is! This was my first Kayla Tirrell novel and I’m happy to say I will definitely be reading more of her work!

I really enjoyed the chemistry between Macy and Nate, while I wasn’t a big fan of Macy’s personality at first, as the book went on I really grew to understand her and why she did the things she did and eventually grew to love her. Nate is the definition of Golden Retriever MMC and for all the best reasons.

We all need a Nate in our lives!

The dual timeline is a unique and fun aspect and I loved the way it could leave you with a little cliffhanger to keep you reading, and I definitely did because I blew through this book in two days.

If you love a clean romance that still makes your heart explode with happiness and maybe makes you shed a few tears this book is absolutely for you!

This book does deal with a few sensitive topics so make sure you check the content warnings before reading!! Thankyou so much to NetGalley for the ARC!

This book was AMAZING! I loved the past and present storylines and how they met was such a unique and original thing! This book had me locked in every second I could read and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Definitely a book that made top of my list of this years reads and will definitely reread again in the future! Love love love second chance romances and this one is one to remember and a must read!

Ahhhh!!! This was my first book by this author and I loved it *so* much.

So much depth, heartbreak, longing, but overall a beautiful journey of love and acceptance.

❤️ First Love
❤️ Stargazing
❤️ Best Friend's Brother
❤️ Overcoming obstacles
❤️ It's been 4 years.....

Content Comments: Makeouts with Steam, Some Swearing, Parental Abandonment, Limited Drug & Alcohol use resulting in Trama, See authors note -- beautifully & carefully written

Clean Content Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Thank you Kayla for a copy of this book!!