1.5 stars – A Disjointed Romance That Misses the Mark

I wanted to like Chasing Perfect—I really did. The premise had potential: two wounded souls navigating past heartbreak in search of something real. Unfortunately, the execution fell flat in almost every way. The writing lacked flow, the character development was painfully thin, and the plot hinged on unrealistic choices that made it difficult to connect with or care about the outcome.

Sienna is a Pilates instructor with a rocky dating past and little financial security. Instead of taking actionable steps to improve her life (like picking up more classes or finding a second job), she inexplicably turns to LinkedIn to search for a wealthy man and ends up messaging Liam via Instagram. That’s not cute—it’s desperate, and it sets the tone for a romance that felt superficial and unearned from the start.

Liam, a young software engineer/future farm inheritor, has his own baggage. He’s supposedly cautious and emotionally guarded after a failed relationship… yet somehow still falls under Sienna’s spell in record time. The attempt to portray slow-burn chemistry is completely undermined by an out-of-nowhere sexual scene involving a popsicle and some truly cringe-worthy dialogue. Their later encounters, like road head on the way to meet Liam’s family, read more like forced spice than genuine intimacy.

A few things really took me out of the story:

Sienna insists she doesn’t see Liam as her "way out," but everything about her behavior says otherwise.

Liam’s hangups about sex seem to vanish with no real explanation.

The inheritance subplot (he gets the farm, his brother the lake house) is introduced with zero context and doesn’t feel believable.

I struggled to find anything redeeming here. Even the friendships in Sienna’s life were frustrating—her inner circle includes women who are petty and unsupportive, and it’s never really addressed or resolved.

Ultimately, Chasing Perfect felt like a rough first draft that needed deeper character work, a more cohesive plot, and a clearer emotional arc. The bones might be there, but the story never came together for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book honestly. it was a super cute, fun, and easy read! i liked how short it was and it was easy to follow. i enjoyed the way their relationship developed overall- but the fights occurred a little too much for me. it felt a bit rushed at the end as well, and the conflict wasn’t overall fixed the best. but i absolutely loved these two as characters - just some small aspects that brought it to a 3 star

I wanted to like this book. And it was so poorly written, with so little character development, that I just couldn't.

Sienna is a pilates instructor who's been taking a hiatus from love after a bad experience with her ex-boyfriend. She lives in some unspecified town with few, if any public transportation options, which is unfortunate because she doesn't have a car. She has a core group of three friends, two of which are petty and jealous of her. She lives is a small studio apartment and doesn't have much money to her name.

After another failed dating attempt, Sienna decides to drop the apps and use LinkedIn instead, doing a search for handsome men in her area with good jobs with high salaries. When she finds Liam, she messages him on Intagram, and they arrange to meet for coffee.

Liam, a software engineer set to inherit his parents' farm in the next few years, has been burned in love too - most recently by his ex-girlfriend who took a job in Chicago and told him not to follow her. He's a little gun shy when it comes to Sienna, but with his habit of falling in love quickly, he soon finds himself under Sienna's spell. But he's determined to move slowly this time.

Parts that just didn't work for me in this novel:

- Sienna's constant focus on wanting land and financial freedom and how she says she doesn't see Liam as her ticket to a better life, but she clearly does. She has lots of other options - pick up more pilates classes, take another job, etc.

- Liam didn't have sex with his last girlfriend, which was a hangup for him, and he wants to go super slow with Sienna (who also hasn't had sex with anyone for a while and wants to go slow) but then out of nowhere she hears an ice cream truck and goes and gets one firecracker popsicle (but nothing for Liam) then does this weird sexy faux blowjob on it. This starts their sexual relationship which includes dirty talking that doesn't feel convincing and her giving him road head on the drive to meet his family at their lake house.

- Liam, in his early 20s still, is set to inherit his parents' farm when he's 25. His brother will inherit the family lake house. There's no context of why - his parents don't seem old and there's no reference to them wanting to leave and go travel or anything - so it doesn't make sense.

- Liam has a dog, Zoe, who he leaves at home all the time, including when he goes to the farm. Any true pet owner would bring their dog along to places like these.

This book - and its author - could have used an editor willing to point out plot holes and where dialogue among the characters is not convincing. Nothing in this story felt believable. None of the characters were likeable. This just seemed like an excuse for the author to write some not great erotic scenes. No need to waste the reader's time with the rest of this.

This is definitely one of the worst books I've ever read. As a professional book editor, Jax should know that you can't always edit your own work clearly and should have pulled in at least a decent editor to help her.

This book was such a great summer read. I really liked the strong chemistry between the main characters and how well the story was written. Here, both characters felt real and respectful, and I was rooting for each of them as individuals and as a couple. The writing kept me hooked from start to finish. I didn’t want the story to end. Definitely a refreshing and enjoyable read. Thank you so much to the author and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read the book in advance, I received this for free and I'm leaving a honest review

Such a fun summer read! I loved the chemistry between the main characters and thought this was really well done.

i was so excited to read this book after hearing what Victoria was trying to do with her characters, mostly the male. There are tropes i love in romance. but some i fear have been clinging to a line barely a step from sexist even misogynistic lines and its become uncomfortable. except they call it "broken" or "grumpy" or blah blah blah. when really the men treat the woman like poo and its allowed for some sort of cultural rubbish that the girl wants to change him, heal him, or suddenly he sees her. no!
i do want to add many many arent. but there are a few more ive seen squeezed into the shelves recently that concern me.calling something a dark romance doesnt make some behaviors ever ok!
but off my soap box. so anyway when i stumbled across this author, her social media page and her writing on what she wanted to do against the worrisome trope. i was all in. and im so glad. what a refreshing read. i was in for both characters. i was rooting for both of them as individual and apart. they both had different things i loved in them. and boy did i root for them together.
fab read. so glad i got the chance to read this one.

First of all thank you for approving my request!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The authors writing style had me hooked throughout this book.

I didn't want it to end, a book I really couldn't put down.