I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The main characters were lovely, and the grumpy/sunshine trope was done really well. It was refreshing to see the MMC in a career like baking, softening the harder edges like his love of profanity. The side characters weren't too flat, and provided some of the comic relief. The Big Misunderstanding that often provides the needed in romance novels didn't last long, and was combined with an outside threat to the MMC that allowed for heightened tension without a lot of frustration.

DNF. I had such high hopes for this one—the cover is adorable, and I’ve been eager to dive into Olivia Dade’s work. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t get past the excessive cursing. I’m not opposed to strong language in general, but when it shows up in nearly every other sentence, it starts to feel distracting rather than natural. I’m not sure if this is typical of her writing style, but it just didn’t work for me this time.

While I typically adore Olivia Dade’s books, this was just okay. While the trope is in the title, every single conflict stemmed from a lack of communication. And it got frustrating. To the point where the MCs had to be told by their friends that they needed to communicate - it had to be spelled out for them. But the spice was hot, the writing witty, and the jokes funny, so it’s still a win for me. Thanks to Avon for the ARC.

When requesting this, I didn’t realize it was the second in a series. That said, it was okay! I didn’t love the level of miscommunication throughout the book. I also didn’t love how silly it got. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

This was my first Olivia Dade book and I will definitely pick up more! I loved the grumpy x grumpy trope and I'm always a sucker for a baker main character. I will say it was a bit frustrating seeing them both frequently miscommunicate/not want to share their feelings while also being upset that the other didn't want to share their feelings but it was satisfying to see them figure it out in the end.

Snort laughs, ugly tears, and swoony delight. This one's going straight to my list of 2025 favorites.

Full Top Dish review to come.

ARC received from publisher via NetGalley
Fair and unbiased opinions.

Sometimes you know you're supposed to wait to read an ARC because the release date is so far away, and yet... it calls to you, like a siren's song. "Just re-read Athena's book," the voice says. "You won't need to keep going..."

But obviously I did. And I loved it. I loved being back in Harlot's Bay, I loved seeing some of my favorite characters, and I loved this love story. The only thing I didn't love was the strong amount of miscommunication. At a certain point you just want to slam your head into something with how little these two communicate. Still worth the ending though, and well worth a read.

"Second Chance Romance" is the second book in Olivia Dade's "Harlot's Bay" series. Having read the first book, it was fun to see those characters again. This book is centered around Molly and Karl, who had a "will they/won't they" moment right after high school before a big misunderstanding split them apart. 20 years later, when an erroneous obituary for Karl runs in the paper, someone sends it to Molly who decides to come home and pay her respects. Upon returning home, she discovers that Karl is not dead after all. Now that they're both single and available, will they finally be able to have that romance that was denied them years ago?

I had high hopes for this romance, but I felt that it was a little rushed and the misunderstandings were overblown. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I am not one who cusses, or enjoys reading books with cussing, yet it doesn't bother me in this one. It sounds strange to admit that it was charming at times, and truly reflected the main male character, I enjoyed this read and thank Netgalley for this free ebook ix exchange for an honest review.

I made it about 40% in and gave up. Both of the main characters were extremely immature and annoying to me. Also, they don’t see each other for twenty years and right away she wants to jump in bed with him, so it’s kind of insta lust, but not. It’s like this book doesn’t know what it wants. Life’s too short for boring Romance novels.

This book is so delightful - and sexy, and hilarious! I really enjoyed the humor and the love story was believable. Especially loved the grump of a hero.

First of all, Olivia Dade is always a solid read, which is the only reason I was interested in reading it because Second Chance Romance is literally my least favorite trope. But....Olivia Dade. So, ok. And, of course, it's really good! The second chance part is pretty weak (like, in a good way, for me) because they weren't partners as adults who are coming back together. Karl and Molly had massive crushes on each other in high school but never acted on them because they were also best friends and didn't want to ruin it. When Molly returns to Harlot's Bay thinking Karl has died, she and the very much alive curmudgeon start a new, adult relationship--with a 6 week time limit.

I think I have enjoyed other books by Olivia Dade better, but this is a good, entertaining read about two people who insist on putting their own barriers between themselves and happiness. There are, admittedly, some pacing issues, but I don't think it's a deal breaker. The side characters are great, and I'm hoping for a follow up book for the author of the monster romances that have figured prominently in this book and At First Spite (although it seems she might have moved on from this series). Recommended for a lighthearted, fun read.

As always Olivia Dade gave us two characters that were easy to empathize with and relate too...and super easy to love and root for 💜

I hope we get quite a few new books out of Harlots Bay 🥰

Thanks to Avon and Harper voyage and NetGalley for this arc!

I thought this story was so cute! First of all, thank you for normalizing the every day female body type. The majority of women are not skin and bones! This was such a quick read, I finished in one sitting! The whole thing made me smile. I recommend. 😀

But like, WHO in Harlots Bay will ever buy the Spite House? It will never happen. They gotta make it into an Air BnB or something.

Netgalley arc

I enjoyed reading this. Not quite a second chance romance because they didn’t have romantic relationship prior but did have basically 20 years of yearning due to miscommunication (not obnoxiously) I appreciated the growth of each main character and the importance of trust and what it really means. Really enjoyable and loves the body worship by each main character. True devoted worship and not in a tropy way.

High school best friends that have had feelings for one another, grumpy sunshine and second chances. This was a wonderful frothy read that I read so quickly because I was so invested in the characters!

Thank you for the chance to review! I absolutely enjoyed getting invested in the trope! I am over the moon that larger body types are finally getting the love and this book was everything it promised to be!

The amount of adorable quotes I highlighted early on in this book was crazy. The characters had a plethora of chemistry even back when they were young. It was nice to have dual POV and the guy be absolutely smitten the whole time. And having the FMC be a spicy monster romance audiobook narrator was a ton of fun.

I did have problems with this book that made it more middle of the road for me. The plot was semi-nothing besides “build trust with each other”, which makes for cute fluff but I wanted more substance. And what caused it to drag a little was that it took my least favorite trope of miscommunication and magnified it to be refusal to communicate. Compared to other Olivia Dade books, it wasn’t my favorite: 3.5/5.

If you like friends-to-no-contact-to-lovers, burly men who are ooey-gooey for their love, or want to hear about lovely lattes and sandwiches, this one’s for you.

Having not read the first book, this one was still easy for me to follow. The humor in here was fun, and while it wasn't my ultimate romance I still enjoyed so much of it and the whole premise of the book was something I hadn't seen before! Nothing like a grumpy / grumpy romance. I appreciate the opportunity for this one!