This honestly just reminded me why I love Lucy Score’s books so much!! This book was SO. GOOD. Lucy seriously writes the funniest and most relatable characters, and I love that her characters are always on the older side and experiencing more adult conflicts. And let me just say, Lucy is the QUEEN of small town settings. I honestly could envision Story Lake being a real place, she really goes ham on the world building in the best way (probably partially why her books are so long haha). I really loved Hazel, I thought she was such a funny character and I enjoyed learning more about her backstory and the situation with her ex-husband as the book progressed. I also loved Cam, his character was definitely just overwhelmingly grumpy all the time but I feel like it suited him and made sense once we learned more about his history. I must mention that I did think the third act breakup was unnecessary and maybe a different conflict would have made the story stronger, but it didn’t necessarily bother me at the time of reading. Overall I could not recommend this book enough and if you’re a small town romance lover you should absolutely pick it up!

Lucy Scores writing keeps you hooked from start to finish, and this one was no exception.

This small town romantic comedy is full of banter, chemistry and has just the right amount of spice to keep it interesting. 😉

I had seen this described as Gilmore Girls meets Schitts Creek - and as a fan of both I HAD to give this one a go and I was not disappointed. And look, I was NOT MAD about the gorgeous brothers. 😏 (makes me excited for the series to continue!!)

In a nutshell, we have:
- small town
- rom com
- fake dating
- friends with benefits
- dual POV
- SPICE

If you like romance, a good laugh and a story to swoon over, and a little HEA, this one hits the nail on the head.

A solid 4.5 for me, and I can’t wait for what’s next in Story Lake.

Massive thank you to Hachette for NetGalley ARC. I can’t wait to buy a trophy copy for my shelf. 🥹🫶🏽

I am absolutely obsessed with Story of My Life! This is hands down one of the most delightful, hilarious, and heartwarming books I’ve read in ages. Lucy Score has once again proven why she’s the queen of small-town romcoms. From the moment I picked up this book, I couldn’t put it down!

The plot follows Hazel Hart, a once-famous romance author, who finds herself in a creative rut and a personal mess after a disastrous divorce. In a desperate attempt to find inspiration (and maybe herself), she impulsively buys a house in the quirky town of Story Lake, Pennsylvania. Little did she know, the house is in dire need of a makeover, and that's where the swoon-worthy grumpy contractor Cam Bishop comes in. Cam is the perfect mix of gruff and gooey, and the chemistry between him and Hazel is off the charts!

The dynamic between Hazel and Cam is a beautiful blend of tension, humour, and plenty of swoon-worthy moments. Their banter is top-notch (I literally laughed out loud multiple times), and their developing relationship had me smiling from ear to ear. Cam is your classic grumpy hero, but beneath all the snark, there’s a depth to his character that makes you fall for him even more.

Lucy Score's secondary characters are always a highlight, and this book is no exception. The residents of Story Lake are quirky, fun, and unforgettable, with characters like Bertha and Goose (the bald eagle) stealing the show in the most unexpected and hilarious ways.

What I loved most about this book is how it perfectly captures the small-town charm, with all the love, laughter, and community that make these types of stories so special. Hazel’s journey of rediscovering herself, her passion for writing, and her growing connection with Cam is so beautifully written. Plus, the setting of Story Lake is like a character in itself—it's the kind of town I’d want to visit (and never leave)!

Story of My Life is the perfect combination of humour, heart, and heat. It's a small-town romance that will make you laugh, swoon, and maybe even tear up a little. Highly recommend this one for your 2025 TBR—it's a MUST-READ!

Thank you to Hachette Australia for gifting me this e-ARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

It’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve ready Story of my Life and I am still thinking of the story, chemistry and hilarity of this book. Story of my Life is the perfect rom-com!

Hazel Hart is a romance author but she has lost her writing mojo, sworn off men after divorcing her ex and about to lose her publishing deal. In one last effort, Hazel decides to leave the city and move to a small town as inspiration for her next book. She impulse buys a house in an online auction but when she arrives in Story Lake with her agent in tow, she discovers the town is on its last legs too. When Hazel has a car accident on her way into town, involving the town welcome sign, a fish and a bald eagle named Goose she meets Cam, a contractor who becomes the inspiration for her next book. Hazel soon discovers the house she bought was creatively advertised thanks to the 17 year old Town Mayer, Darius using some AI photos and she enlists Cam to help fix the place up.

Cam is the ultimate grump and he absolutely hates Hazel, but she is fascinated by him and he proves to be just the inspiration that Hazel needed. Story of my Life is a fast romance read but it really had me laughing out loud at so many moments. The town is quirky and fun, but Cam and Hazel were a really nice pairing. Cam is a bit of a possessive grump and he got really protective of Hazel, especially around his two brothers…gosh I can’t wait for the books, I need some more of the Bishop brothers.

An honourable mention goes to Bertha the pet raccoon! Because what romcom is complete without a pet raccoon and a bald eagle wielding a fish?

Thank you to Hachette Australia and The Bookish Type for gifting me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is the funniest and most entertaining rom-com that I have read in last few years. This took me for a wild ride and I absolutely loved it! The star of this book is the dynamics of this very quirky small town and the important role that every character plays in the story. I fell in love with each and every one of them and cannot wait for more books in this series to be able to hang out with them again. Lucy Score did a great job at painting the setting and characters because they are a full picture in my head and definitely one I will remember for a long time.
Though I loved this quite a lot, I did find it to be a bit of a long start and sometimes the absurdity of the story took away from Hazel and Cam's romance which did make me yearn for a bit more of a prominent sizzle between them.
However, I will absolutely be recommending this to every romance lover who is looking for a fun read <3

I've read a lot of Lucy Score books and just like the others I really liked this one.
Couple: Campbell and Hazel.
Small Town
Grumpy MMC
Author FMC
Accessibility representation was extremely important to this story and to the genre in general.
I liked how the book's 'real life' translated into Hazel's work.
Story Lake was a fun small town to visit and I can't wait to see how the rest of the series goes.
I loved how one of the families cows names was Bambi.
I loved how at 59% of the book the readers of Hazel's books explain just how real life readers depend on reading to get them through different scenarios and hardships in life.
Reading truly is something that can get you through the most wonderful of highs and the lowest of lows.

Join in reading Story of My Life if you love fake dating and small town romances.

Thank you Hachette Australia & New Zealand for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars

Omg this book was hilarious! Pure Lucy Score gold! Made of all the romcom gloriousness. I loved it!

It was so fun and Cam and Hazel’s banter was the best! So was their chemistry 😏😮‍💨 I seriously loved all of their interactions starting with how they met. Cam is so grumpy and Hazel is quirky. And I loved them together so much.

So many antics in this book! Lol! I fell in love with the whole town. And the way the book ends!! Gah!!! Just such a great read!!

If you love small town (think Schitt’s Creek and Gilmore Girl’s type), romcoms, grumpy sunshine, plus more then you are going to love this one!!

⭐️ 4
🌶 3
🩷 4

Lucy Score is always a 4-star romance read. Her work is always a breeze to read, fun, flirty, dramatic, fun, and swoony.

This story was giving a little extra "oomf"... or rather "grrrr" with how cranky Cam was. That man had some issues to work through for sure. He was rough and sour, but hey, I liked it because I love seeing an angry man fold for his love interest.

Cam & Hazel were fun to read with a bunch of pining, longing, flirting, swooning, and lust. All the things we love in a good romance novel.

If you haven't read a book by Lucy Score, then take this as your first read.

🩷 Enemies to lovers
🩷 Grumpy x sunshine
🩷 He falls first & hard
🩷 Fake dating
🩷 Small town romance
🩷 Spicy romance

Thank you, Hachette, NetGalley, and Lucy, for an eARC copy.

Story of my life is a charming, funny and lighthearted rom com set in the small fictional town of Story Lake. It features Hazel, a fresh divorcee who is trying to find inspiration to restart her writing career. She finds herself buying a run down house in charming Story Lake and moving away from her life in New York City.

This book is a crazy little chaotic mess which is reflective of Hazel's life at this point in time. There is a very flexible plot line and plenty of small and (meaningless?) side quests as Hazel finds her way in Story Lake. It is a bit different in this way from the usual romances that I read.

There are also a lot of side characters that are vivid and eclectic and add a lot of colour to the story in their interactions.

This book wasn't my favourite style. I found the side-questing and lack of plot added a lot of unnessecary pages as I found it didn't really add anything to the story or character development. I think I was about 10% into the book before there even was a plot, and 30% or more before we met the MMC.

Now I haven't even written about him yet because his whole character was just grumpy? He brought nothing else to the story or relationship apart from a generic trope and an extremely unnecessary third act breakup that should not have been redeemable. The chemistry between the two was again good at times, but not consistent enough for me to be invested in it.

Some readers may enjoy this style of romance and I can see how some parts are funny or cosy, but for me the humour fell a bit flat and the book was just too fluffy.

Narration: Dual character, first person POV

Tropes:
- Small town
- Grumpy x sunshine
- Don't touch her
- Found Family
- Fake dating

Thank you to Hachette Australia, Netgalley and The Bookish Type for gifting me with a copy in exchange for an honest review

This book was the answer to "what if I just left everything and moved to the small town of my dreams." We follow Hazel, a down-on-her-luck romance author who is recovering from an incredibly painful divorce - who, after a night of wine, decides to purchase a house in Story Lake, sending her from the bright lights of New York City, to the small town that needs a helping hand to keep running.

What follows are hijinks, found family, rambunctious pets, deep friendship, hot contractors, a pact and grand grand gestures. Cam is the grumpy to her sunshine, and we watch as they navigate a relationship that continues to grow deeper, despite their best efforts to keep things casual.

Overall, I had a fun time in Story Lake! I loved the 16 year old mayor, the runaway pig, Bertha the racoon, the family, the spying neighbours, the council meetings, I had a great time falling into the small town element of it.

Hazel is a fantastic main character, and I adored following her, and watching her verbalise her thoughts and feelings in such a clear way - she was truly a heroine to root for. Where the book fell down for me personally was the main male character, Cam. I found that the pacing of the romance was odd at parts, where they very quickly jumped from relationship stage to relationship stage, despite Cam being incredibly resistant to even acknowledging he could tolerate her. Cam himself was grumpy, but I found that he pushed the line of being grumpy and stepped into being an asshole in parts for no apparent reason. He also took agency away from a lot of relationship decisions regarding Hazel, and I really struggled to root for him as a character.

Overall, I cannot wait for Zoey and Gage's book - I truly fell in love with both of them as characters.

When Hazel Hart - a once best selling romance author but now decidedly not that - is pushed out of her New York appartment she decides to do a full 180 on her life and move to rural Pennsylvania to start over.

Unfortunately the town she moves to is a bit worse for wear but luckily her new contractor is absolutely gorgeous and definitely main character inspiration worthy. Maybe everything isn't a total loss?

This was fantastic and I loved every second of it.

Hazel was such a great character. She was witty, hilarious, a bit goofy but very caring and I just had such a fun time getting to know her and Cam and Story Lake.

Maybe my new favourite by Lucy Score.

I’m late to the Lucy Score party, this being my first read from here but it won’t be my last. Someone described this book as a cross between Gilmore Girls and Schitts Creek, and it hits all those marks. It is a fun light hearted read.

A romance writer moves to a small town full of eccentric characters, hire the grumpy and hot contractor to renovate her home. He becomes the inspiration behind a new book she is writing.

Add in fake dating, forced proximity, some silly town politics, a rivalry with a nearby town and some interesting wildlife and you have a fun and crazy story. A must read for the romcom crowd.

Thank you @scorelucy and @hachetteaus for the e-ARC of this story. So much fun.

This was thoroughly adorable and abundantly hilarious from the first turn of the page. I truly can’t believe I haven’t read Lucy Score until now.

This is definitely in the realm of Schitts Creek and Gilmore Girls in its small town sensibilities and the odd side characters that give the story so much heart and soul and laughter. But it is still very much its own small town story with its own unique charm and man do I just want to move to a small town!!

Hazel makes an especially fun, down on her luck, infuriatingly sunshine/sad character. Campbell is quite literally the grumpiest, most infuriating asshole hot guy that’s always there for everyone. Together, the two make an absolute storm. It’s spicy, steamy, saucy and sweet af.

On the deeper side of this book, we get to explore the importance of fighting back against shit exes, trauma, loss, grief and the importance of accessibility and talking about our problems with people who love us!

My only complaint is that this was longer than I’d liked. I definitely feel like we could’ve lost some fluff in order to get to the end a little quicker. But in saying that, it was a good time, the whole time and it was always so fun!

This was a 5 star read y’all 😭🫶🏻 Lucy Score writes the BEST small town romance. Grumpy Sunshine PERFECTION. Red hot chemistry. And a whole cast of characters I fell in love with. I was pissing myself laughing the whole way through. The way she writes these absolutely unhinged side characters that are also so full of heart? Unmatched. The meet-cute in this book was the MMC stopping to help the FMC after witnessing her crash her car into the town sign. And the reason she crashed into the town sign was because the massive bald eagle that hangs around the town flew too low and hit her in the face with the fish it was carrying 😂 and the eagle’s name is GOOSE. I was in absolute stitches reading it!! We also had meddling neighbours with step-ladders, a raccoon named Bertha that kept breaking into the FMC’s house, a pig named Rump Roast roaming around town, and a 16 year old town mayor captaining this hot mess express. And THAT’S how you write a 5 star romance book. Book me a trip to Story Lake immediately. 5⭐️3🌶️

The small town romance queen is back ya’ll. This book was filled with all my favourite elements of the nostalgic small town romances we all love. Grumpy sunshine, laugh out loud humour, quirky side characters, loveable town animals and a romance that had me smiling on every page.

Hazel and Cam were everything I wanted them to be and more. Cam is your typical small town, grumpy contractor who has his world knocked off kilter when Hazel, a romance writer searching for her mojo, arrives in town. I loved every second of their story and cannot wait for the next book, I am head over heels for all 3 Bishop Brothers already.

3.5 Stars. Thank you to Hachette Australia & New Zealand for the eARC.

I haven’t read Lucy Score in a while, so when I heard she was publishing a new small-town romance series, I knew I had to read it. It has all the classic tropes: grumpy x sunshine, fake dating, and a city girl moving to a small town. It started off a little slow, but I really started to enjoy it once the romance gradually kicked in. I liked Cam, and there were some witty, comical moments. If you're looking for a basic small-town romance, this is a good pick.

That said, I wasn’t the biggest fan of how Cam and Hazel’s relationship developed, I felt it took a bit too long for them to fully commit. Other than that, it was a cute read. The concept of an author moving to a small town for inspiration was adorable, and I always love quirky side characters. I totally get why people compare it to Gilmore Girls with the witty dialogue and banter.

I absolutely ate this book up! If you're looking for a book with a small town like in Gilmore Girls, look no further. Hazel is highly relatable and hilarious, she goes to the town for inspiration to write her next book and ends up stumbling onto her own swoon worthy grumpy and delicious book boyfriend. I loved the banter between Hazel and Cam, not to mention the growing tension and explosive chemistry between the two. Add in some hilarious animal sidekicks and a crazy and quirky town and this book does not disappoint. I loved the Bishop family and I can't wait to see what will come next in this town.

Story of my life
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Spice: 🌶️🌶️

This book gave me the warm and fuzzies while also making me laugh those fuzzies off.

💙This is my first Lucy Score book and now I’ve put the rest of her collection on my TBR so.. thanks for that?

🦋Hilariously this book follows a dried up author who online impulse buys a house and moves out of the big city to a small town. The house of course does not look like the beautiful pictures so we introduce the grumpy contractor (and brothers) to fix her up. However this is not the first time they meet that was when she was entering the town and was swiped by a bald eagle in her convertible and crashed into the town welcome sign… oopsie  I was laughing so hard at this scene, it’s a goodie!

🩵Favourite Quotes:

“You look familiar and have really pretty eyes”, “yeah? Well you have a head trauma and have no business being behind the wheel of a car”.

“Thank you for your concern, but I don’t have a drinking problem. I’m just a mildly depressed impulse shopper”

“The worst thing that ever happened to you, is still the worst thing that ever happened to you”