This book put me right in my feels from the very start. It was such a beautiful read and made me feel all the feelings the characters were feeling and this is why I read. This is gonna be a book I recommend to everyone everywhere.

Leo was the softest guy ever. His love for Darby is the purest thing I’ve seen. He loved her from the moment he laid eyes on her.

Darby was running from so much and she found solace in Leo. It was beautiful to see she finally found somewhere to belong.

I’m excited to read ‘Wicked and Wildflower’ I’m in love with this world now.

This book is a second-chance romance that hits deep. It flips between past and present, telling the story of Darby who was raised in a controlling household, and Leo, a local surfer she fell for one summer in California.

Years later, Darby is about to marry a man her father chose… until she runs, straight back to Leo. Now a pro surfer, Leo is everything. protective, patient, devoted, and so hot. Those spicy scenes? 😮‍💨

Darby and Leo’s story is about breaking free, finding your voice, and healing from the kind of manipulation that leaves lasting scars. I ached for Darby, but watching her reclaim her life was beautiful. Leo’s love never wavers. He gives her space, strength, and some seriously swoony moments. Loved it.

I am looking forward to continuing the series and getting to know the other characters stories. Especially Elena’s.

3.5 / 5 Stars
I felt a LOT of things reading this book and to me that is a good thing. Sometimes I read and it truly goes in and out of my brain never to be thought of again and I certainly will be thinking of this book again. This is a second chance romance about Darby (the titular honeysuckle) and Leo (the titular heathen – who, if you ask me, got the raw end of the deal with that nickname). They fall in love as teenagers, something mysterious happens to make Darby leave, and they reconnect ten years later when Darby is a runaway bride at her wedding. And we jump back and forth between present and ten years ago.

My two biggest gripes with second chance books is that 1) I need to feel like the characters have changed in some way so that they actually stand a chance of working this time around and 2) the reason they broke up has to not be dumb or insurmountable. And in the case of this book, I feel like we just barely passed on both 1 and 2.

This book started off really strong. If I had any Canva skills and even an ounce of patience, I would have been making a beautiful, aesthetic Instagram carousel of Leo’s quotes. Some of them hit HARD. And then some of them feel repetitive and childish. For every quote that slammed my heart (in a good way), we got a “suck, honey” which made my eyes roll back into my head. Like sir, are you using WORD PLAY in the middle of sex? Pardonne-moi?

The characters both spoke in big declarative statements and on the nose metaphors which I think worked really well when they were teens because teen brains function that way (at least mine did). But I wish that Darby and Leo’s thought processes and language skills matured over those ten years. And maybe they were mentally stuck at 17 years old but the things they said started to feel repetitive. And it also started to feel like tell instead of show.

I felt like Leo’s character was really well developed. You could see how his traumas shaped him and how Darby impacted his life. Darby felt a little flat. I think it is because she spends a lot of time in the present crying. Which, don’t get me wrong, I am a big cry baby so no hate here, but I wanted to read about her getting angry or frustrated or anything else so that her character had a little more umph.

Darby’s parents, especially her dad, were almost cartoonish in how horrible they were. I thought we’d see him twirling his mustache and tying her up on some train tracks at some point. I don’t remember if there was a content warning in the beginning of the book but he should have his own section in a content warning. The villains in books don't need pages upon pages of backstory but I think knowing anything about why he is the way he is (even if it is that he is truly just a psychopath) would have made him feel a little more dimensional.

I will not spoil the reason that Darby left but I will say that it was a big frustration for me. We don’t find out what it is until around 85% of the way into the book. Because of that, 1) you have to listen to Darby talk about how horrible it is over and over (which again feels repetitive) and 2) there is not a lot of time for the characters to process the reason so that part felt rushed and it also felt very surmountable (oh we wrapped this up in two paragraphs? Why was it such a big deal then?).

All of that being said, will I be reading the next book? OF COURSE. I, too, am a heathen who needs to know what happens to Dahlia (Darby’s sister who truly should have the biggest daddy issues in the world).

Thank you to Page & Vine and NetGalley for providing this eARC! All opinions are my own.

This book was sweet, but the flashbacks stopped the plot from moving in any way. I would have liked more things to happen in the plot and more growth to happen with the characters. Its a sweet summer romance with a lot of time spent during their teenage years. Also very spicy.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the eARC of Heathen and Honeysuckle! ❤️‍🔥💐 I thoroughly enjoyed the read!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
Spice level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ . 5 / 5 (detailed but not overflowing with spice. Some of the best smut I’ve read in awhile)

Leo Graham is the epitome of perfect book boyfriend. TOO perfect. He is the gushing embodiment of, “fictional men written by women”. And I ate it up! Quite a bit of this book had me blushing HARD. I was blushing whether it was from the 30 minute spicy chapter (yes, 30 minutes, but soooo worth it) or a loving whisper of reassurance. This story is a PERFECT summer read if you want some sugar, spice, and everything nice. 🤭

I’m not gonna lie, some of the dialogue was a little cringey/cheesy to me, but I think that’s because I don’t think any man would say all the perfect things that came out of Leo’s mouth, so I suppose it feels foreign to me when the men in these fiction books say the most endearing, reassuring, and beautiful things. As disappointing as that sounds, it was so sweet to read it. I’m surprised my eyeballs didn’t somehow get a cavity from reading the sickly sweet words that Leo and Darby both said. Cheesy? Yes. But I fucking love cheese.

I loved all the characters and their personalities too (except one… cough cough). You’ll know after you read it. 🤫

Heathen and Honeysuckle made me swoon, broke my heart, then mended it back together again. I really enjoyed reading this, even if it’s a bit far-fetched and such a dream for two people to love like this (especially on the man’s side of things), but that’s exactly why I loved it. Imagine loving someone so much, that everyday feels like the honeymoon phase forever. And now, if I ever smell the scent of honey and/or citrus, I’ll think about this book. If only there was a scratch & sniff sticker to come with it. 🤭😮‍💨

I don’t know if it was the plot, the characters, or the way it was written, but I just couldn’t put this book down.

If you enjoy lovey dovey second chance romances, an all-too-perfect MMC, an emotional FMC that goes through a lot of character development, and very detailed spice that leaves you breathless after a few sentences, I highly recommend this book! ✨

This book was incredible. 100/5 stars, I loved it and would recommend it to anyone. I don't highlight passages in my kindle, but I couldn't stop for this book!

Darby and Leo - I loved the dual timelines, showing you how they fall in love, while also showing how they reconnect in the present day. I loved all of the storylines - forbidden love, Dahlia, Leo's past, the friend group, the tattoos (and how it came up in the present)... every single plot line in this story felt so thoughtfully added.

I am absolutely heading to buy book #2 right now and will pre-order #3 and 4.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC, in exahnge for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.


Wow. If you're looking for a light hearted, second chance romance...this is not that book. This is a deep story told using dual timelines, and it covers 27 years worth of trauma, not just for our two main characters, but from all of the side characters as well. Everyone in this book has had something horrific happen to them at some point, and this kind of bonds them all together. Darby and her sister Dahlia have been raised in a home without any love or support from their parents. They're super close, and Darby is sent away by her parents one summer to stay with her Grandmother in California because Dahlia has "messed up" in the eyes of her parents. It's there that she meets Leo, who lost his parents when he was younger, and they begin to form their relationship. Getting to watch them grow together at age 17, be ripped apart for ten years, and then find their way back to each other (thank you Dahlia!!!), had me in tears multiple times. Their emotions felt so raw, and they needed each other to be able to properly breathe. It's a heart breaking story, but thankfully has one of the best HEAs I've ever read.

I'm not a fan of second chance romance. I'm not a fan of dual timeline romance books. I'm not a fan of teenage summer romance going wrong. I loved this book. Sarah A. Bailey did everything right to make me love a book with tropes that I normally don't like. The writing was beautiful and the yearning was amazing. Leo was so supportive of Darby and he literally FLEW ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO SAVE HER. He just wanted to be there for her. There was no third act break up and the miscommunication made sense. I devoured this book in a day and I immediately went to see if I could get my hands on the rest of the series.

Beautiful!

This was so good! Sarah Bailey’s got some sort of black magic in her writing because Leo had a chokehold on me and I could not put this book down. Leo and Darby have the sweetest love story and this might be my favorite second chance romance of all time! Bring on Wicked And Wildflower!!!

I absolutely loved this book. It is my first book by this author, and i am really looking forward to reading the rest of this series! The story follow Darby and Leo. We jump back and forth in time, to when they first meet and to currently day. It felt quite like insta-love, which I don’t normally appreciate, but it was very tastefully done which is why I didn’t mind at all. I was left kicking my feet, giggling like a school girl and blushing. I loved the banter and the friendships. I wish we would have been able to explore the dynamic between Darby and her parents more, but I’m very happy with how the story unfolded all in all.

It is perfect if you are looking for a summer read with meet cute, friendships, flings and drama.

Thank you so much for the ARC.

Heathen & Honeysuckle is a beautifully bittersweet story about first love, second chances, and the aching pull between who we’re told to be and who we truly are. The chemistry between Darby and Leo is undeniable, sun-drenched and nostalgic, with just the right amount of angst. The California setting adds a dreamy, golden haze to their reckless, youthful summer, and the emotional weight of their reunion years later hits with just enough heartbreak. While some plot points feel a bit familiar, the raw vulnerability of the characters and the tension between freedom and duty give this romance real depth. A swoony, emotional read perfect for fans of love that lingers.

Heathen & Honeysuckle by Sarah A. Bailey is book 1 in the Pacific shores series. This is a dual POV and dual timeline (current day and 10 years ago) second chance romance. Darby is spending the summer with her grandma in California, a sheltered 17 year old who has been controlled by her parents her entire life. Leo is an extremely talented surfer who has been trying to live a full life while hiding from his ghosts. Wow. Seriously, I was blown away by this book! The connection and emotional depth the author was able to convey between characters was breathtaking and I found myself wrapped up in their love and world. There are certainly very difficult obstacles that each character has gone through in their lives and the author was able to beautifully articulate their feelings and motivations. I cannot wait to read more by Sarah Bailey!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Victory Editing, and the author for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Such a gripping, beautiful, and heartfelt story! I've long since wanted to give into this author's work, and I'm so glad I finally dove into this charming second chance love story. This book is peak "it's always been you" energy. With a green flags hero, and heroine who's been through so much, and the most rewarding story of healing and reconnection. Gasp, I'm so in love.

Leo and Darby share a once-in-a-lifetime kind of love—sweeping, emotional, life changing. Their journey is anything but simple, even if the love they share is. Told in dual timelines, the story begins when 17-year-old Darby is sent to spend the summer with her grandmother in the quiet coastal town of Pacific Shores. There, she meets Leo—a soulful surfer with striking blue eyes and a heart as big as the sea. What starts as a sweet friendship quickly evolves into a deep and passionate connection. But just as their bond begins to solidify, Darby abruptly leaves, vanishing from Leo’s life without explanation. He’s left behind, desperate for answers.

Ten years later, just days before her wedding, Leo unexpectedly reappears with a letter and a promise—forcing Darby to confront the past she’s kept buried and choose between the life she’s built and the love she never forgot. She carries secrets, heartbreak, and the real reason she left all those years ago. The question is—can two people, shaped by pain and time, find their way back to each other?

Leo is the kind of romantic hero that stays with you—thoughtful, steady, emotionally intelligent, and protective without being overbearing. Even at 17, his maturity and kindness shine. As an adult, he’s only grown more magnetic, a perfect balance of grounded and irresistible. Darby, once the bright and eager-to-please golden girl, finds her spirit dimmed after years in a toxic environment. Oh my how my heart felt for her. Her summer with Leo opened her up to joy, independence, and the beauty of being fully herself. Now, a decade later, her journey back to that girl—and back to Leo—is so emotionally rich. Heartbreak with healing. It's mesmerizing watching her find her way back to herself, while also finding her way back to Leo.

Darby and Leo’s story is a soul-stirring, beachside romance that captures the whole heart. It's somehow the perfect beachy summer read while also being a heart-piercing, existential one all at once. Sarah’s writing is lush and emotional, and I found the emotional aspects both resonant and authentic. This is such an easy story to fall for (and I just think it would be gorgeous on audio, I think I'll re-read by listening!) What a beautiful story of hope, healing, and second chances.

What to Expect:
-Surfer Hero
-Runaway Bride
-Good Girl x Bad Boy
-Second Chance
-Forced Proximity
-Roadtrip
-Dual Timeline
-right person, wrong time
-it's always been you

This was an ok read for me. I was hoping to enjoy it more than I did, but I couldn’t really connect with the story.

Heathen and Honeysuckle features Darby and Leo, also known as Heathen (Leo) and Honeysuckle (Darby). Their story is told by weaving together their story from ten years ago, when they were teenagers and present day. In the past, they had a whirlwind summer romance and in the present Leo helps Darby escape her arranged marriage.

This was extremely difficult to read. The back and forth of the timelines was very stilted and each time something was furthered in the present we had to go back and reexplain it in the past. It felt like those Fanfiction stories where chapter one would be one characters POV and chapter two would be the exact same chapter but in the other characters POV. It made the book feel super long.

Also, despite the time difference, they both still acted like they were teenagers. Totally fine with their love being just as strong, but it was like they hadn’t grown at all as characters, nothing felt different between the two timelines. Spicy scenes as 27 year olds felt weird because seriously, it felt like they were 17. The words he said were just so cringy, I couldn’t take it seriously because I kept going “you’re 17!”

Anyway, not for me, which is too bad.

🌿 Book Review 🌿
Heathen & Honeysuckle by Sarah Bailey

Southern heat + second chances = one unforgettable slow burn. 🌾💋
Darby and Leo have history—and chemistry that doesn’t quit. Their love simmers with tension, tangled pasts, and moments that’ll leave you blushing.

This one’s all about emotional intensity and that delicious “will-they-won’t-they” fire. 🔥

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Hot, heartfelt, and haunting in all the right ways.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sarah Bailey for this ARC copy!! 🖤🖤

With a well-executed dual-timeline, Heathen & Honeysuckle follows FMC Darby and MMC Leo as they fall in love during one special summer when they’re seventeen and, simultaneously, ten years later, when they find their way back to that same breathtaking love after being torn apart. Crushed by a lifetime of spiritual and emotional abuse at the hands of her parents and haunted by the events that led to her separation from Leo just as their love was truly blossoming, Darby’s story was challenging to read at times. I felt that some important details regarding Darby’s past in particular were withheld too long and the awkward avoidance in the narrative became repetitive and frustrating, however the emotional climax as she unburdens her heart and soul was effective and powerful.

And Leo—gods, Leo, the man you are. It feels like a betrayal to my favourites, but dare I say it: Leo Graham may be the paragon of book boyfriends. I think he *actually* made me swoon a few times, and not just because of his wicked tongue. Despite being burdened by his own trauma and insecurities—and with his heart still in pieces after Darby ran away—Leo doesn’t hesitate to show up for Darby in her moment of need, even fearing he’ll suffer that same all-consuming heartbreak again. Watching Leo and Darby find their way back to each other–and finding their individual selves again through their love—was the most beautiful reward at the end of this beautifully written and utterly heart-wrenching novel that took me on an emotional journey I wasn’t prepared for, but which I am thankful for all the same.

This book was *chef's kiss* perfection. Told in a dual-POV, dual-timeline, we alternate between Heathen (Leo) and Honeysuckle's (Darby's) voice recounting both their friendship and subsequent love affair as teenagers, with chapters that find us in today's timeline. Darby finds herself rethinking her life choices mere hours before her upcoming wedding to the man that her father is grooming to inherit his company. When the boy who spent a golden summer bringing Darby out of her shell shows up offering her an out if she should so choose to take it, we find Darby and Leo learning how to navigate the waters of their friendship a decade after it was torn apart.

The angst. The yearning. The slow=burn romance. The way that Leo Graham would do literally anything for this girl - I wish all men could take a page from Leo's book and simp for their woman the way he does - both as a 17-year-old teenager discovering what love is, and as the nearly 30-year-old man who thinks he will never know that kind of passion in a relationship again. I wanted to rip my own heart out and lay it at the MMC's feet reading this book, his yearning and heartache is that acute. Darby herself is extremely likeable as the lead female, even when I wanted to throw my book and ask her how she could do Leo like that.

The steamy sexual tension in this book is top shelf, and the character growth is everything I could have hoped for. Really, there is nothing negative that I could say about this book.

SPOILERS AHEAD:







While this book does give us a HEA for our main characters, there is definitely angst and drama both implied and straight up given to us on page that makes me really wonder where the stories (and oh, I hope there are future stories!) about the side characters will go. Sarah A. Bailey does a great job giving us a supporting cast of characters (Leo's friends and 'family', and Darby's sister, Dahlia) that I'm fully in love with and behind and I want to see all of their stories and hope for their own HEA as well.

Thank you to NetGalley, Victory Editing NetGalley Co-Op, and Sarah A. Bailey for allowing me to eARC read this delightful contemporary romance novel.

“You remind me of honeysuckle. Nectar sweet as honey, like the sound of your voice. But the berries are deceiving—poisonous if consumed.” He shrugs playfully. “Beautiful and deadly.”

“I want to bring you with me because you scare my ghosts away, Darby.”

“Leo,” she breathes. “Stop looking at me like that.” “Looking at you like what, Honeysuckle?” “Like you know exactly what my soul feels like, and you’ve been incomplete without it all this time

“You’re the best kind of bad boy because you’ve got a good soul.”

This!!!! Is!!!! What!!!! Second!!! Chance!!! Romances!!!!! are!!!!! Alllllll!!! About!!!

This was too good, I couldn’t put it down once I started. We follow Darby who is sent to her grandmas in a small town for the summer after her sister gets into some “trouble” according to her dad. Here, she meets the bad boy next door Leo and we follow them in the past and the present as we see their relationship build & what it is today as it is rebuilt, but also what made it crumple.

I like that they had a good reason for why things ended and I love how it was all resolved. I do think Leo was just down bad and went back right away and he kinda just didn’t care for an explanation and was all in it from the get go when she contacted him? Felt a bit like a pushover to me in that aspect. Otherwise, I don’t really have any complaints. There was also a found family in this that I love so much, I’m a sucker for them every time.

5 Stars
I loved this book. It was sweet and loving. Heathen is the perfect book boyfriend. Honeysuckle was a bit annoying at some points but overall I thought it was a sweet story and I was drawn to their story.