This is a good book. The two main characters are Mylie and Ben. They meet in high school when Ben moved from Chicago. They were best friends. Ben and his family moved back to Chicago when he graduated. He went away to college. Ten years later, he came back to sell his grandfather’s cottage. He put it up for sale. He saw Mylie again. There is an attraction. They started dating. They fell in love.

3.5 Stars

This book was pretty cute. I liked that we got back story interspersed into the main story and I liked the characters, especially Granny. The story was cute and did have a little added conflict with the Robbie character’s story. I liked the small town vibe.

With that being said, I can generally get past some errors within the story, however the ones I was noticing had the potential to alter the reading experience. I noticed fairly frequently, especially toward the end of the book that the author would use the wrong character name when discussing certain conversations or situations. She would reference a character that was not involved or would cite a person who would have been talking in third person. It hindered the experience for me, therefore I couldn’t give it any higher rating, no matter how I liked the story.

Quick Summary: It's a small-town romance where Ben returns to Clay Creek to sell his house. Ben and Mylie were interested in each other in high school and never grew out of it. This book focuses on them trying to have a relationship now that they are older.

I thought it was a cute book, but I felt like there was a lot of miscommunication throughout the whole book. I felt like both of the main characters fell flat and didn't have a lot of development, except for maybe at the very end. Both Mylie and Ben were kind of annoying and childish (even though they were 28 years old). I feel like this book has a lot of potential, but it just feels flat.

I do think this is a good summer read, and I did enjoy the aspect of their relationship and the cute dates they went on.

Overall, this is a good book if you are a fan of friends to lovers, insta-love, small-town romance and some spicy scenes.

Thank you to Netgalley, Annie England Noblin, Avon and Harper Voyager for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

An enjoyable small town friends to lovers romance. Some of the drama and side plots didn't engage me but it was a good read.

Small-town, friends-to-lovers? It sounds like everything from my BK Borrison, Sarah Adams loving dreams. I was drawn in by the gorgeous cover – it is giving rainbow lover vibes & I so wanted to be apart of it.

Unfortunately, the cover was pretty much the only thing about this book I enjoyed.

I understand this was an uncorrected-proof, & as an ARC-reader, the intent is to not get hung up on the little details. However, I felt continually pulled from the story from the sheer number of inconsistences throughout the entire book. The spelling of the FMCs name continually shifted from Mylie to Miley, & her best friend Jodi/Jodie went through the same thing. A time or two can be written off, however this was consistent. & there were several instances throughout where backstory/details would change. At the beginning Ben’s home had been in his family since it was built in the 1960s, & his mom had grown up there, however later his grandpa bought the house in the 90s, & his mom hated moving to a small unknown town. When Ben first arrives to town Jodi’s mom is trying to hook them up at Jodi has been in a relationship with no proposal in sight, but just a few days later she’s married & bored. There were several other instances that had little affect on the overall story (Mylie’s factory was once a previous shoe factory, but later was a previous boat factory), but still continued to pull me out of the story, as things just were not lining up.

But focusing on the meat of the story, I was sad to find that is wasn’t just the discrepancies that were keeping me from fully engaging. Long story short, this was all tell, no show. Within what seemed liked seconds of Ben returning to town, there was a relationship with Mylie, after not seeing each other in 10 years. There was no development or connection between them – just a relationship that was there because we were told it was there. The intimacy scenes honestly felt so forced, as did much of there relationship. & at the end of the day, it never felt believable. Because we never got a true connection from Ben & Mylie, it is hard to believe either of them would just up & forget their life long dreams for someone they may or may not have a lukewarm relationship with. I don’t believe in any chance of a true HEA for them, probably just a lot of resentment later in life. They both liked to look at each other & were full of lust, but that felt about it.

Outside of the relationship, there was a lot going on in this small town, that I still haven’t figured out how it added to the overall plot. The storyline with Robbie was borderline cartoonish & really took out the feeling of lighthearted spring-fling, & made it something a bit darker. Because it was also so over the top it wasn’t believable at all.

I did enjoy some of the development between Mylie & her younger sister Cassie. It was a bit frustrating at times, but also Cassie is 14 so it honestly felt pretty believable. There were some pretty heartwarming scenes between the two & I would have loved to see so much more between them.

Bottom Line: I hate to ever say I can’t champion a book, but as this one is right now, I just can’t. I was never rooting for the relationship between M & B, or honestly any of the characters. The small town was cute, but we didn’t spend much time in town, & when we did, it felt like being catapulted back to 1950 & not in a whimsical way (a lot of dialogue felt antiquated). I also struggled with the sheer lack of diversity in this book, which only added to the antiquated, off-putting vibe of the town. I hope this book finds readers who will enjoy it.

2 stars

Oof this one was bit rough for me and my thoughts are about to come out a bit all over the place so bear with me here. Plus spoilers. There was a story but no writing at all. And the story sadly didn't make much sense if you thought about it for a minute. Why would that house be full of family mementos if it had renters living in it fairly often?

What started bothering me early on was there were at least 3 instances where something happened twice. Cassie left a room then was being talked to as if she hadn't left the room. Ben shut a book twice a paragraph apart. Ben was also pulled from being face down in the mud twice without him ever falling face down a second time.

Another issue I had was things happened so suddenly and the whole story was incredibly rushed. Things just happen with no lead up and are over maybe a paragraph later. At one point Mylie tells Ben she has no plans so she goes to his house and leaves maybe 12 seconds later because she has plans. There were a couple scenes that felt very "and everyone clapped" if you know what I mean. There was a bingo brawl of old ladies, there was a very random kidnapping scene (honestly all of the Robbie stuff felt pointless), the mud scene felt like "oh I've seen this in romcoms before, let's shove it in here". At one point Mylie stands still on the dance floor staring "for a few minutes" yet they still have time to dance together before that same song ends. There is no discussion about condoms or health before s*x, They leave a nearly done lasagna on the stove (probably meant in the oven) to bang and then suddenly she's leaving before the sun comes up and mentions "he only left to turn off the stove" so he just wasted all of that work to make this lasagna to probably burn on the stove and then left out all night even though he JUST had a raccoon problem in his house. And even though this was in third person, it was just the MCs but then randomly we get another person's thoughts. Nothing felt consistent at all. And then Mylie's best friend and business partner was like "why didn't you leave with him" like she didn't start an entire fairly large business here??

Idk, unfortunately this felt like a mess and I was often confused at how we got to the next point of the plot. I wasn't rooting for these characters at all and not because they were unlikeable but because I just wasn't given anything to care about.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC.

This was a great read to start the springtime for me! Mylie runs a tackle shop in her hometown, living with her grandmother and younger sister. Ben, her childhood best friend and the one who got away has been gone from their hometown for years, is back in their hometown to sell his family home, conveniently located across the street from Mylie's house. There is undeniable chemistry between the two, paired with witty banter. The entire time I was rooting for Ben to stay and for them to be able to get their happily ever after. This was a sweet and cozy romance about second changes and finding home. Thank you to the author and publisher for the gifted eARC. All opinions are my own.

Instagram post will be live on 11Mar25.

This was a great romance story. It gives hope for second chances. I love the small-town dynamics and the family relationships. It touches on bullying and drinking responsibly. It was a fast and fun read. I'm glad that it had a happy ending.

Mylie lives the perfect small town life in Clay Creek. She owns a tackle shop and lives with her iconic Granny and sister. She couldn’t ask for much more. Ben never planned on moving back to Clay Creek but has to go back to help sell his grandparents’ old house. He’s ready to get it sold quickly and quietly so he can continue his life in Chicago. But Ben ends up making a big splash in his return. His unresolved feelings for his childhood best friend Mylie end up putting a delay in his plans. Ben and Mylie try to make it work while he’s there but sometimes a spring fling is easier said than done. It’s not ideal when two people have differing lifestyles and don’t want to give that up for one another. Will these two last longer than just a fling?

This story was so cute and perfect to kick off some spring reads! Small town romance and second chance romance are two of my all time favorite tropes and this book did them justice! I loved how spunky Mylie and her family was! It reminded me of my family and how supportive (and a lil crazy) they all can be! I loved how sweet Ben and Mylie were together and how they grew together throughout the story! This book also had the perfect subtle amount of spice! I would definitely recommend this one for your spring TBR!

🌟🌟🌟🌟/5 stars for me!

A huge thank you to NetGalley, the author, and their team for the ARC copy of this book in exchange for my review! This one releases on March 18th, 2025. Definitely go check it out!

This was a cute, quick spring/summer read. I feel like the feeling Ben had about the town could have been fleshed out a little more. It never felt like there was much reason given for the unnecessary struggle he had with the town, but aside from that I enjoyed it!

Thank you to Netgally and Avon Publishing for the review copy!!

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read Spring Fling in exchange for an honest review.

Spring fling is a fun, late spring read. It takes place in charming Clay Creek and follows hardworking Mylie who owns her own bait shop. She’s lived in Clay Creek her whole life, and ten years ago had spent all her time with her best friend Ben. Suddenly, Ben is back in town to sell his grandfather’s house. In true friends to strangers to lovers fashion, Ben and Mylie are drawn to each other and have to confront years of history together and apart.

What I liked:
🌷The small town vibes. Clay Creek is a picturesque small southern town. They even have their own bingo night that gets exciting.
🌷The side characters in this story felt equally interesting and had their own fun quirks. I loved Granny and Jodi!
🌷I love a good friends to strangers to lovers trope.
🌷It felt like a smaller scale Lucy Score book.
🌷I loved the flash backs to when they were young. Those chapters really helped connect current Mylie and Ben to old best friend Mylie and Ben.

What I didn’t like
🌷The rushed feeling I got between Ben and Mylie wasn’t my favorite. It did make the whole time crunch thing of being there till his house sold feel real, but I also made some moments fall flat.
🌷The spice…I always skin the spicy parts of books, but in my skimming for this one it felt almost as if it was added because spice is popular right now. It didn’t add anything to the story and was rushed and awkward.

A very sweet small town romance that gave aspects of a second chance love. A very cutesy kind of read.

This story does have a dual timeline that tries to give the perspective of these two friends and how they missed an opportunity to tell each other how much they loved back then vs. being in present day writing those wrongs in a second chance kind of way.

Very hallmark in the overall feel of the storyline and characters. I didn’t quite get to the level I wanted with the connection between the two main characters in some aspects of their relationship. It felt more forced than natural in some ways.

A low stakes cozy cute romance if that’s what you are looking for! Thank you Avon and NetGallery for my ARC!

Stars 2.5 rounded to 3 out of 5
Steam/Spice 1 out of 5

I am a sucker for any 2nd chance romance... but this one left me wanting. While I loved that Mylie was the town's most successful entrepreneur and largest employer, so much else about the book felt too formulaic and predictable. (And yes I realize that most romance is very formulaic but it still...)

What to expect: 2nd chance romance, childhood best friends to lovers, boy next door, it's always been you, this town was too small for me, quirky Granny, miscivious younger sister, goofy lovable dog, troublemaker town raccoon that everyone loves... the bully is still a bully... I'm only in town to sell my old house... etc.

TW/CW: death of a parent, abandonment by parents.

For me personally, Annie England Noble's books are either hit or miss, and this one, sadly was a miss. We needed more Fat Tony and less errors on one of the major character's names - is it Robbie or Bobby? Pick one and stick with it, please. The story overall was a typical lost-love romance where you immediately knew what was going to happen, and there were no surprises along the way. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Mylie and Ben were best friends growing up. Bonding over deceased fathers, they became fast friends. But as they grew up, neither one of them wanted to be the first to tell the other their feelings had changed to something more romantic. Ben moved away for college, and life moved in for both of them as they fell out of touch.
10 years later, Ben is back in town to fulfill the promise he made to his recently deceased mother, and to sell the house he grew up in, right next door to Mylie's. As Ben trades his life in Chicago for one in Boston, his time in Clay Creek, Arkansas is just a pit stop. But for some reason, he can't help but get caught up in the small town world--and Mylie--before he leaves again.

If you really like:
🐟 Small town romance
🐟 Small town drama
🐟 Second chances
🐟 Childhood friends reunion to lovers
🐟 Girl next door
🐟 Sassy grandmas
🐟 Fat raccoons
Give this one a shot!

My personal review:
The premise of this book was so cute!! But the romance and story were just not there for me. Mylie and Ben are so stuck in the past of 10 years ago, that they barely even get to re-know each other before jumping into a friends-with-benefits situation-ship. The romance scenes were incredibly rushed. And I found myself struggling to get through the last 80% of the book because, quite simply, I was bored.

I thought this book was a fairly quick read. Mylie and Ben are high school best friends that both have feelings for each other but they do not ever tell each other. They end up losing communication after graduation when Ben moves to Chicago for college. Ben's family kept the family home in Arkansas next door to Mylie. He ends up coming back 10 years later to get the house ready and sell their family home. He also made a promise to his mom that he would come back to the family home one last time before he sells it. He plans to use the money to move to Boston and he start teaching at a University there. Mylie and Ben end up reconnecting while he is there and they realize that they still have feelings for each other. This is a bit of a slow burn, a lot of miscommunication and not saying what you feel. Overall, I felt it was a cute read and I mostly enjoyed it.

This was a 2.5 for me. The characters didn’t feel very fleshed out. The flashbacks didn’t really add enough for me and I feel like they jumped into a relationship really fast. Not enough tension building. Way too much about Robbie - that felt unnecessary. I upped from two stars to three because the part about his mom making him come back because she hoped the couple would get together was very sweet and made me cry. Needed more of that.

This was such a fun read! I loved the setting being in Arkansas as most small town romances I've read have been set in the northern parts of the US. We get a good amount of small town antics and gossip along with our characters trying to figure out their relationship. I did find the conflict to be a little bit over-done or rather the characters specifically stated that they would try to ignore the conflict until later and then when later comes, it turns into a big deal. It is the sort of conflict that you can see coming from a mile away and I just wanted our MCs to get out of their own ways and sit down and talk about things for once. I do think we get a good amount of characterization that helps explain why both of them end up acting like this, but it wasn't quite enough to make me un-annoyed at them. Our MCs did have great chemistry both as friends and as lovers which is always a great time. I wanted more time of just them interacting together and found that there were some scenes where we would have gotten that, but then the book flashes forward a few hours to them leaving the place and going back home, which was frustrating.

Tropes: Childhood Friends to Lovers, Small Town, Second Chance

Standalone

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC. Expected publication date is March 18, 2025.

2.5 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Harper Voyager for this ARC 🤍

First of all, I expected a book titled Spring Fling to have a lot more spring vibes. The only thing that makes me remember it was Spring was the mention of the teachers teaching summer school soon. So it was missing the spring vibes for me.

It was also missing the romance. It was a quick read so more details could have been added. It lacked character personality and chemistry. I liked Ben and Mylie alright, but I don't feel like I know them after reading this. Their new relationship doesn't have a strong foundation at all, outside of their friendship 10 years prior. Even the "bitchy" realtor was flat and dull as a character. All the personality in this book came from Granny! Loved her.

The small town setting was cute, but again lacked some detail. The lack of detail also led to some small plot holes. There's a little spice🌶 and a quick HEA.

Overall Spring Fling is a cute, quick, and lighthearted read, but unfortunately fell about flat for me. I think I didn't enjoy it as much because I never really bought into the chemistry between Ben and Miley.