Unfortunately, this book was not a hit for me. Two things at the start really gave me pause. At one point the FMC is talking to her younger sister and they both joke about dressing "like a hooker" now what does that mean? Also outdated language was a bit of an eyeroll for me. Additionally, a side character is described as being in a band so therefore of course he's an absentee dad. I reread that one a few times trying to find other context, at least could have said he prioritized his band or something, but no it suggested an inherent link of being in a band with being a bad parent.

The flashback chapters weren't necessary in my opinion especially as very young children, just felt like filler. The romance was good at first, definitely a slow burn, but I could sense the chemistry.

Then, one of my other criticisms is the advertised premise leaves out a HUGE plot direction that is obvious from the very start and not always my cup of tea. There is an element of suspense with a disgruntled one dimensional side character of the small town. I just really didn't care for how things escalated, felt like too different of a tonal shift from the estranged childhood friends to lovers situation going on.

Thank you to Avon for the ARC.

I'm a sucker for a small town, second change romance, but I had a hard time getting into "Spring Fling". Initially, I loved Mylie. The flashbacks with her and Ben were so cute and nostalgic, but the connection they used to have has clearly faded since Ben moved away and did not recover. I also usually love a slow burn, but I just couldn't buy into the romance. The plot also dragged in my opinion. Overall, this was a cute story, but fell a little flat for me.

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.

The story follows Mylie and Benjamin who were high school besties in a town called Clay Creek. Once Ben goes to college, he moves away and they lose touch with each other for ten years. But after all those years Ben has to come back to sell his grandmothers house because she passed away.

I found a lot I disliked about this story as well as a few things I loved.

Ben and Mylie felt very wrong for each other. There was a lack of chemistry. I couldn’t connect to them or feel the love they had for each other. This is a couple that definitely wouldn’t last in the real world. All the arguments just show that. The side characters lacked so I wasn’t interested in them. I usually like slow burns but this one just wasn’t it.

I did like the writing and the pov. And I loved the setting.

Overall I finished it and I just couldn’t connect to this book.

Mylie is a pillar to her small town community as a business owner and sponsor for the all women’s fishing team. Ben is her best friend since the 6th grade who moved back to Chicago and the life he wanted as soon as high school ended. What happens when he comes back to town to sell his family’s home? Will they reconnect and act on their pining or will they finally put to rest their feelings and move on?

I liked the back and forth between present day and the past. Really helped set up their history, but the pacing felt a little fast. I would have liked their reconnection in the present to be explored a little more. I loved the length of the chapters it really made you feel like you were flying through the book.

Overall, I enjoyed the story and the journey. There were just a few elements that could be tweaked to really bring this small town, second chance romance over the top.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a charming small town, friends to lovers second chance romance between Mylie, the owner of a tackle shop and Ben, who has returned to town only to sell his grandmother's house. Ben had a crush on Mylie in high school but missed out on the chance to do anything about it. The more time they spend together, the more things heat up but Ben is torn between a new job teaching elsewhere and staying where his heart (and Mylie) are.

I liked that Mylie was a guardian for her younger sister and that there were flashbacks to Ben and Mylie's time in high school interspersed throughout the story. It was good on audio narrated by Amanda Stribling and perfect for fans of books like Catch and keep by Erin Hahn. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

Steam level: some open door scenes

2⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an advanced copy of Spring Fling.

Mylie has lived in Clay Creek all her life and could never imagine leaving. She has her Granny, sister Cassie, her friends, and her business Hook Line and Sinker. She hears the news from her granny that Ben the boy next door is coming home to finally sell the house. She has not seen him in ten years and when they see each other again all those old feelings come back. Even though they both know he is leaving again they cannot stay away from each other.

This was your very typical cheesy romance book. The main characters drove me crazy because they just refused to tell each other their feelings. The ending was pretty predictable.

If you love fluffy Hallmark movies with the southern vibes of Hart of Dixie then you might really enjoy Spring Fling, coming out March 18th.

I have such mixed feelings about this read. I REALLY enjoyed the first 50% of the book, which a lot of other reviewers have also said. But then the rest of it fell so flat for me and I skimmed through the last 30% to just get it done. There were moments that were so funny and enjoyable but overall I just didn’t connect with it.

I absolutely loved Miley’s no nonsense granny, and there were some scenes that made me laugh out loud. All the ladies showing up at Ben’s house with welcome casseroles to peddle their unwed daughters, the VFW bingo night scene, and all the shenanigans of Fat Tony, the neighborhood raccoon, were sooo good!

There were a lot of issues that could have been easily remedied by a decent editor. Things like misspelling the MMC’s name as Miley/Mylie over and over, and her friend Jodi/Jodie. At the beginning Jodie is talking about her boyfriend of 5 years but then later Miley makes a comment about Jodie and married life, with no mention of a wedding. Miley’s little sister, Cassie, is heartbroken over her cheating boyfriend, Ryan, but at the end of the book Miley suggests she’ll have Cassie and Ryan over to hang out. Say what?! Just a lot of plot holes and things that really weren’t thought through. This was an uncorrected ARC so maybe changes will have been made before the final book is published.

Overall, this story had great potential, but just didn’t hit the mark for me. Other readers may still really love it, though!

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for the advance e-copy. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC opportunity!

This is a cute read. Its definitely giving the Spring/Summer vibe that it conveys on the cover. I had a hard time getting through it, as the pacing was a little slow and it felt like it dragged in some parts. That made it really difficult for me to invest in the characters as i had hoped i would.

However, I loved the dual timeline. That gives us the backstory that we need to understand the characters and their dynamic better. It did shed some light, but still didnt give enough to draw that personal connection to the characters, as i mentioned above.

All in all, i think this story has potential and some people would love it, but it felt lacking in parts.

Thank you to Net Galley for the chance to read this book early. I had a hard time getting into this book as I just didn’t connect with either main characters. Overall I just didn’t connect with the book and didn’t really have any motivation to finish it. I was of course influenced by the pretty cover.

Spring Fling is a friends-to-lovers (second chance adjacent), small town romance. Mylie and Ben were friends growing up, but they lost contact when he moved away. He returns to their town to sell his family's home before starting a new job. Neither of them anticipated giving "them" a shot. What will they do when their goals and things that are important to them seem to pull them apart again?

I loved the cast of whacky side characters. There was a lot of setting and side character development considering the shorter page count. There is some spice, but most was closed door or brief. Overall, it was an easy low stakes read!

Thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for an eARC of this book for an honest review.

Super cute book, definitely a fun spring read. I love a second chance romance but the characters felt a little stereotypical to me. It seemed to drag on. I would recommend for a light hearted spring read.

Let’s start with the positives! This book was so cute! The perfect spring read. Mylie and Ben are quick friends when he arrives in Clay Creek, Arkansas. They remain friends through high school where they have both been harboring secret feelings for eachother but ultimately decide to keep it to themselves because Ben is leaving after graduation. Ben’s mother passes away and her one request before he sold their home in Clay Creek was that Ben go back one last time but on his trip back to sell the house, he realizes the feelings he had for Mylie are still there.

The beginning was put together so well and the build up was so good but unfortunately the last half of the book felt very rushed and predictable.

I would say this is more of a “cracked door” romance. There was some spice but it wasn’t too in depth and was done tastefully.

A note: I’m really really crossing my fingers that the arc copy I received was a copy prior to editing because holy wow, the mistakes…. The FMC’s name was spelled two different ways throughout the book, punctuation marks were missing multiple times and wrong character names were used in certain parts. Again, this is an “uncorrected copy” but it was a little distracting to read with all of these errors. I plan on downloading it on release day and searching to see if these mistakes were fixed and I’ll report back!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the opportunity to read this ARC copy🤍

Friends to Lovers
Second Chance Romance
Small Town

Rating: 2⭐️

Spring Fling by Annie England Noblin is a sweet small town story. I was hooked right away by the setting in my neighboring state of Arkansas and Mylie's job in the fishing industry. My husband's lifelong hobby is fishing so I really related to those aspects of the story. Unfortunately, as time went on, I got bored with the story, the characters, and their relationships. I stuck with it and finished, but I wouldn't have missed much if I had chosen to DNF around 37% like I considered.

Spring Fling is out on March 18th. Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager and Netgalley for my free e-arc.

This was a cute fluffy read. It lacked a little depth to be honest, but it was still a quick read. It feels like it’s kind of one of those pallet cleanser type of books. It was second chance romance and neighbor sort of book. There was also a slightly…or maybe very…unhinged character as well. I’m not sure if that was really necessary for the story or characters really, but whatever. Overall, it wasn’t bad but it wasn’t anything spectacular either. I did read it all in one sitting on an airplane though, so I found it to be quick to read.

Sometimes a romance novel doesn’t need to be complicated or epic in scale to be really enjoyable, fun and give you that warm fuzzy feeling. Spring Fling is a story about reconnecting and a second chance at love and I loved every second of it. Mylie and Ben’s story was very sweet and very relatable and a great look at how love can really change the course of our whole lives. Loved this supporting cast too as they helped make this town feel real and lived in.

ARC BOOK REVIEW

Spring Fling by Annie England Noblin

Thank you, Avon and HarperCollins, for the free eARC and finished copy of this book and thank you Libro.FM and @harperaudio for the free audiobook of this one! I am so grateful! #harpercollinspartner #librofmpartner #librofminfluencer #epictastemakers

SYNOPSIS: “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.”

REVIEW: Oh my, how this book made me reminisce on my Midwest summers on the lake, sipping spiked Rt 44s from Sonic.

I really enjoyed the dual timelines of past and present! It let us see a bit of Miley and Ben in high school to see how they got to where they are today.

I don’t think I’ve read an audiobook with Amanda Stribling as the narrator before this, and I want to give her a shout out for a lovely job. She captured the Arkansas twang so very well.

If you love a small-town romance full of quirky characters (and animals—looking at you, Fat Tony), AND love a second chance romance, this one is for you!

Publisher: Avon
Pub date: 3/18/25

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a chance to read this eARC!

While I did really enjoy this story, a second chance romance for high school BFF’s Mylie and Benjamin, it just kind of fell short to me! After these two former besties finally reunite after 10 years apart, its instant lust. And while I am all for some lusty romance scenes, I just wanted to get more to the story as to why these two are meant for each other, and what they love or even like about one another. A little bit more depth to the characters and to their love story could have easily made this a 4 star book for me!

But overall, Spring Fling was still a very cute, very easy to read romance story!

Mylie and Ben were best friends in high school until he moved away to attend college. Mylie loves her small town of Clay Creek, Arkansas. And the small town feel with nosey neighbors, wise grannies and good friends is a highlight in this book. Ben returns for the summer with plans to sell his family home which is just down the road from where Mylie lives with her sister and grandmother. Old unresolved feelings begin sparking between the two. But Mylie loves her thriving businesses and doesn’t want to leave her town and family. He plans to teach at a university on the east coast.

The cover is charming but the story isn’t always light and fluffy. I enjoyed the small town setting, family and best friend. I wasn’t in love with Ben and Mylie as a couple. I read another book this week and bought into meeting the love of your life in high school. But I saw it in flashbacks and then falling in love again in the present time. This book relies on you believing their closeness in HS, but in the present more time is spent arguing.

My advance copy isn’t a final release version and so I don’t mark down for typos or things that I trust will get fixed for the final print version. That being said, there were many more mistakes then I am used to seeing in ARC’s. Mylie/Miley and Jodi/Jodie are main characters, figure out which spelling is correct and stick to it. Plot holes include Jodi’s long term boyfriend all of a sudden being referred to as her husband. And little sister’s cheating boyfriend who she breaks up with being referred to as her boyfriend again in the almost to last chapter. It is like there have been re-writes and no one has checked for continuity.

I usually love second chance romances but I wanted to see a little more of the adult romance develop. There are spicy scenes but that isn’t the same seeing feelings grown again or realizing they have always been there.

A sweet small town friends to lovers novel. Mylie is happy where she is-with her business, her friends, and her family. And then Ben who left for Chicago is back in town and she's knocked a bit aside. Ben never expected to come home and he's only meant to be there to settle his family's estate. These two have known each other since forever but they never saw one another as romantic partners. This moves back and forth in time to track their relationship. It's a bit predictable, with a third act conflict that won't surprise, but it's engaging. I also liked the side characters who definitely enhance the plot. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. A good read for a lazy day.