Cute small town romance. Friends to nothing to lovers. Reads like a Hallmark movie, but I am not mad about it. Was a thoroughly enjoyable read!

Thank you NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager and Annie England Noblin for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.25 This was a cute, easy and quick read. I enjoyed the story and characters. Granny seems like a woman I want to be friends with.

The two timelines was a fun surprise- starting from when they met in 6th grade, we get some backstory on their relationship as they age and get closer to Ben leaving.

Two best friends, Ben and Mylie, who had feelings for each other but never acted on them reconnect after 10years and jump into a friends with benefits situation that has an expiration since Ben is leaving again. I wish there was a bit more substance to them reconnecting- they barely discussed anything before acknowledging a physical attraction and jumping into bed together. Also, zero conversation about protection or birth control which stuck out to me - I thought we might get an accidental pregnancy trope thrown in.

I noticed a few discrepancies in the book #1 Jodi’s mom tried to match her with Ben at the beginning saying her boyfriend of 5 years hadn’t proposed and then later in the story he’s referred to as her husband when discussing boring married life.
#2 when looking for Cassie, Granny gets a text from Louise about the fish weigh in but then Louise is pointing out where the cabin is (but she’s not with them in the boat).
#3 at the end Cassie brings up her boyfriend, Ryan, but they broke up earlier and there was no reference of them getting back together.
#4 FMC is Mylie or sometimes spelled Miley

Tropes:
Small town
Second chance
Friends to lovers
Slow burn
Closed door-ish
Third person POV
Then and now timeline

ARC Review!
Thank you to NetGally for this ARC.

The title is giving what the book is, a literal Spring fling. I have always wanted a Summer Romance and seeing how a Spring Fling plays out hurts!!! At least during the Summer once has 3 months. A Spring fling is weeks!!! I have no idea how Mylie did it. Mylie and Ben have liked each other since kids but no one did anything, ever. Everyone knew around them it was evident what they felt for each other but they never said anything. Ben left after graduation back to Chicago to pursue his college life and everything he dreamed of. They went 10 years without talking, 10 years without seeing each other until it was finally time for Ben to sell his family home and his mom made a stipulation that he must be in town before selling. Being back in town is confusing Ben all over again about his life. Mylie and Ben start something up that they know has an end date. They finally acted on what they wanted back in high school!! The spice is very minimal if someone wants that kind of book.
There's a bit of suspense with another little plot of a side character.
Overall the book was good, a fast read, a happy ending!
3 starss!!!

Read If You Like:
- Friends-to-lovers romances
- Small-town settings
- Stories featuring fishing tournaments
- Narratives about rekindling first love
- Romantic comedies with a dash of spice

In the quaint town of Clay Creek, Arkansas, Mylie Mason has built a fulfilling life running her successful tackle shop, Hook, Line & Sinker, and caring for her spirited Granny and younger sister, Cassie. Her world is pleasantly predictable until her childhood best friend, Ben Lawrence, returns after a decade-long absence to sell his family's home.

As the town buzzes with excitement for the annual fishing tournament, Mylie and Ben find themselves drawn together, revisiting shared memories and unresolved feelings. Despite their differing paths—Mylie deeply rooted in Clay Creek and Ben accustomed to city life—they explore the possibility of a future together.

With her signature wit and cozy charm, Annie England Noblin crafts a heartwarming tale of second chances, community, and the enduring magic of first love. "Spring Fling" is a delightful read that captures the essence of small-town life and the complexities of rekindled romance.

This was not my favorite. It was too introspective to the point it was distracting to the story. The characters were difficult to connect with. And there were so many things that were not super clear and others that were overexplained. I like the childhood friends turned lovers, small town romance, but this just didn't hit for me.

I'm not going to post my review on my socials, since this book hasn't released yet.

I love small town romance books, Mylie and Ben grew up together and were best friends in highs school. Ben moved away to go to college. Mylie runs her own store and it's booming.....After several years Bens grandmother passes and he finds himself back in town getting things ready so he can sell her house. I feel like Mylie is living her best life, then Ben shows back up and old emotions comeback that they never admitted was there. This was cute book that gives you all the feels. Fast passed and one that you can read non stop in a day or 2. I laughed out loud a few times too...

Thank you so much Epic tastemakers and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review!

I genuinely enjoyed this book!

Rating: 4.5

Book: Mylie and Ben were best friends until Ben moved away after their high school graduation. They lost touch until ten years later when Ben returns to their little town to sell his family house. It’s like nothing has changed, and they hit it off again, except for the looming reality of Ben’s departure once he settles his affairs in town.

What did I like?
It was funny. I burst out laughing a few times. I love the characters (except that one) so much! Ben and Mylie make me love the friends-to-lovers trope. Their connection felt so natural, because before anything else, they were friends.

My thoughts: I wish we had seen more of their relationship. There was so much potential for them. It was all about Ben’s impending departure until it wasn’t and then the book came to an end. I understand why it unfolded that way, but it would have been nice to delve deeper into their relationship.

Will I recommend this book? Of course!

2.75⭐

LIKED:
- The first act of this book is really charming. I like the character introductions and the introductions to the town and everything. I don’t, uh, love her whipping out a gun on him as their re-meet cute, but, uh, yeah. The south. Hooray.
- Granny ruled. I could have done with even more of a deep dive into some of her character and everything throughout.
- The flashbacks were very sweet and I liked having them. I do think they could have been more robust (they were really short)
- The bingo scene was my favorite. Very fun and really showed off the characters and the way they lived their respective lives in this little hamlet

LOATHED:
- This is so pedantic, I know. But why does this book have the title Spring Fling? Yes it’s spring, sure…but I would not call this any sort of fling. That title does not fit the overall story and doesn’t really do a good job of selling the story of two childhood friends reconnecting romantically.
- My biggest problem with this book is that it lacks any real meat to it. Why are the chapters so short? It feels like it only tells what it has to to get the story to its conclusion. We lack any real character moments that are more than skin deep.
- Unfortunately, I also don’t believe that these to characters should have ended up together, mostly because of not actually having real discussions as adults discussing who they are now after a decade apart. And the reason(s) that they can’t be together is/are not resolved by the end of the book. So them being together just does not make any real believable sense.
- There’s too many plot lines. Why is there a fishing tournament? Why is there the craziness with Robbie? Pick one. Honestly, I would cut Robbie. He felt cartoonish and not grounded in any realness. Or at least cut him down to less and make it a less bombastic conclusion.
- Why were there a few chapters at the end from different POVs? They didn’t really add anything. Cassie’s maybe more so, but Morris’ (who I also just didn’t really care for) did not add anything for me.

LONGED FOR:
- More character connection moments between the two leads
- More substance and grounding to the story (especially with Mylie. She was almost there)
- Less happening. There was enough plot with just the stuff happening around the town and then the tournament

Will I read the next one? : Maybe.

This book takes place in Clay Creek, which was the cutest setting and one of my favorite parts about this book. However, the couple in the book, Ben and Kylie, were not believable in any way, There was so much miscommunication that I couldn't picture them as a real couple outside of the book at all.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! I thought this was so cute and an easy to read book. I loved the small town setting and loved Ben and Mylie's story. This was my first team reading a book written by Annie England Noblin.

This review is based on an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This review may contain spoilers

This felt like a solid 3 star read for me. The plot/resolution all moved pretty quickly so if you are looking for a quick easy read then this is for you. There was cozy charm, laughs, and a dash of spice

Mylie and Benjamin met in the 6th grade and became best friends, everyone around them knew they were falling in love but circumstances kept them apart, now they will get a second chance to see if their shared history is enough to overcome their obstacles.

Grannie and Fat Tony were the absolute best and the bingo scene was hysterical. The family dynamics of the Mason family and the situation with the town bully added some depth to this story making it more than just the friends-to-lovers trope. This does have a duel timeline so we are taken back to some moments of Ben and Mylie growing up so we get to see where their story started. It is told in multiple POV, which I loved since we got to hear the story from both sides. I thought Mylie was a great female lead, she put others first, took care of the people she cared about, and she was not a pushover. I loved seeing her and Ben develop together and how neither one gave up on what they wanted, they just adapted.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. #SpringFling #NetGalley

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for my early copy of this book! All thoughts are my own.

I flew through this book. I was honestly short and to the point. I do wish there had been more romance building and angst but I did love Mylie and Ben. Also; with the whole Robbie situation, I wish there had been more to it.

I really enjoyed the friends to love trope and the spice level was probably a 1. I think if you are looking for a quick/swoony romance to binge, this is the book for you!

This story was a great story from an author I don’t know or haven’t read before! Will look at finding other things by this author. I am grateful for the early access, thank you to those that allowed it!

This was overall a sweet, cute, cozy read. I did have a hard time connecting with the two characters and I felt like one area of the plot was out of left field.

I did like Mylie and her family dynamics. I enjoyed reading about them.

Thank you NetGalley & Avon Harper Voyager for this ARC for my honest review.

#NetGalley #SpringFling #AnnieEnglandNoblin

Spring Fling is a second chance romance, set in small town Arkansas. Mylie loves her small town, the business she has built, her grandmother, and the little sister she is helping to raise ~ and only occasionally thinks about her first love who left for Chicago right after high school graduation. Ben loved Mylie, and their friendship, but has built a city life and is only back to honor a promise to his mother. The story has a dual timeline: present-day and then flashbacks of the past. As a reader, you witness the missed chance at love alongside the second shot.
I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a small town, friends-to-lovers romance. It's an easy but delightful read. 3.5 stars, rounding up!

Thank you to the author and publisher, Avon and Harper Voyager, and Netgalley for providing me with an e-arc of this book.

Title: Spring Fling  
Author: Annie England Noblin         
Genre: Romance        
Rating: 4 out of 5

Spring is in the air and Mylie has everything she could ever want: her tackle shop is thriving and employs a third of Clay Creek, Arkansas, and she lives with her beloved Granny and little sister Cassie, who both keep her on her toes. As tourists pour into town for the annual fishing tournament, Mylie is in her element and ready to bring her all-women team to victory.

After moving to Chicago, Ben never thought he would return to Clay Creek. But with both his grandfather and mother gone, he’s left to deal with their estate. His plan is simple: come in quietly, fix up his lakeside childhood home, sell it quickly, and get out. He underestimates how quickly his arrival will stir up the local gossip, and how intensely his unresolved feelings for Mylie, his childhood best friend, will resurface.

Amid the buzz of competition and the rhythm of small-town life, Mylie and Ben find themselves unable to ignore their shared history. They tentatively explore a future together, despite the impending sale of Ben’s house and Mylie’s insistence on staying put in Clay Creek. Flings are easier said than done, and Mylie and Ben will have to address their clashing lifestyles before their feelings get away from them.

I liked Mylie and Ben. This made living in small-town Arkansas sound appealing—and I’ve been there and done that and have no desire to repeat the experience. The characters really made this read fun—all the characters, not just the main two. The raccoon was hysterical! This was a fun, sweet read, perfect for a weekend binge.

Annie England Noblin lives in Arkansas. Spring Fling is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Avon and Harper Voyager in exchange for an honest review.)
(Blog link live 3/19).

This was a cute romcom but it stayed way too surface level for me.

The setup to this book started off well. Friends since 6th grade, Ben and Mylie have always had eyes for each other but they never crossed that line to lovers. Ben leaves for college and they don’t see each other for 10 years. He finally comes back and the spark is still there.

However, it all happened so quickly and I wanted there to be more depth to their actions. It didn’t help that the chapters are so short and it really feels like the characters can’t finish their train of thought. It’s a bummer because this has so much potential to be a good romcom.

The ending too with Robbie was so rushed when I feel it could have really added some tension for the plot. The spicy scenes were about 2 🌶️ out of 5. They could have been written a bit better too.

Some good moments I did enjoy were: the raccoon getting stuck in the house, the raccoon stealing Morris’ phone…just anything with the raccoon really.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon/Harper Voyager for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

3.5 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and Annie England Noblin for providing me this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts!

Conflicted on what to say about this because I did really enjoy it but there were also parts that I was not a fan of. I really enjoyed the neighborhood raccoon (LOL) and there were quite a few scenes between Ben and Miley that were cute. However, there was a lot of miscommunication and fighting in this and it made me want to rip my hair out!! However, the storyline was great and the characters, even those that were supporting, added so much joy to the story.

Tropes:
- Friends to Lovers
- Second Chance Romance
- Found Family

🌲🎣🌸 Mylie has lived in the small town of Clay Creek for her whole life. 10 years ago, her best friend Ben left for Chicago. Mylie thought she'd never see him again, until one day he's (literally) at her door. With Ben suddenly back in her life, at least until he sell his mom's house, they navigate rekindling their relationship while dealing with the drama that comes with living in a small town. Can Mylie and the town charm him enough to stay?

This book was a perfect second chance romance! The setting of Clay Creek town was adorable. I really loved Mylie's character and how she put other people first and was willing to drop everything she's doing to come to the aid of the people she loves. Mylie had really great character development, and I really enjoyed seeing her grow with Ben. I think that they both really brought the best in each other and were exactly what the other needed. The small town setting was super fun and I loved the variety of characters living in it! This was a super cute and wholesome read! 💕

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the advanced reader's copy!

A happy romance novel that follows small town girl Mylie and city boy Ben. One book that I've actually seen flashbacks done really well where they fit and are easy to follow. Ben and Mylie have loved each other since Ben moved to town in 6th grade but they never had the guts to tell each other. Now they must figure things out before it's too late and they loose each other for good.

I received this ARC from publishers via Netgalley
#SpringFling #NetGalley