Carly's mission: Transform antisocial physician Brooks from "lives in scrubs" to "Oklahoma's hottest bachelor" for a magazine feature.
Brooks' mission: Help his sister's failing magazine without actually having to, you know, socialize.
Plot twist: They're better at fixing each other than anyone expected.

The author serves up her trademark snappy dialogue with a side of genuine emotion. Brooks brings the brooding medical professional energy, while Carly delivers the perfect blend of ambition and vulnerability. The banter? Chef's kiss. The feels? Surprisingly deep.

Sure, it hits familiar romance beats, but when the execution is this good, who cares? Oklahoma City gets its moment to shine, the supporting characters actually support, and both leads earn their happy ending through actual character growth!

The premise of this book was so much fun! I love the idea of a playboy in high school turning things around, but goes too far the other way and becomes a reclusive doctor that needs to re-emerge from his shell. And to have the person that helps him to do that be his exact opposite, introverted childhood friend of his sister turned extraverted fashion consulted…so good and very cute!

I loved Carly and Brooks together and the relationship building at the beginning of the book was so natural. I also loved how well-rounded the characters were, especially Brooks and how his problems stemmed from his losses as a teen, but that he had a guardian angel high school basketball coach who helped him to turn his life around and kept up the guidance even into adulthood. Also, he is a gardener with a cat named Oreo, SO CUTE!

That being said, once they actually got together it started to feel a bit disjointed at parts. A big annoyance for me was that with only a couple months left they could not save themselves the headache and just keep it in their pants. Its not like they couldn’t keep seeing each other and getting re-acquainted in the meantime, so the fact that they just HAD to start a physical relationship then kind of felt like they were just in lust instead of developing real feelings. It was almost like the author felt they had to add it in to reach a smut level quota or something. I also did not understand Brooks’ flip flopping near the end, it just didn’t feel natural and didn’t quite fit.

Regarding the audiobook, Ann Marie Gideon did an excellent job with narrating for the characters. The pacing was good and wasn’t overly dramatic while still keeping the reader following along with the emotions of the book.

Overall another excellent healthcare-related romance by Allison Ashley.

2 low explicit Fade to black scenes
Strong language throughout <25
Sexual innuendo? (Not too much)
Makeouts (3)

Doctor MMC
Communication 👏


If you like Sophie cousens, Beth O’Leary and Annabel Monaghan you will enjoy this

I'm a sucka for second chance, he was always the one, it took some mess for me to realize it was you, let's keep a secret but the secret is never kept long, forbidden he's my friend's brother, he needs to work on a long list of things but things work out in the end type of love. I love it. I love it. I love it.

Carly, an account executive with a true passion for fashion and design, teams up with her best friend’s brother, Brooks, to create a Bachelor type dating series for a magazine. What she doesn’t expect is to fall for one of the very guys she is supposed to be strictly professional with.

I would read anything Allison Ashley writes, grocery lists included, and this book was no exception. It is heartwarming, funny, and delightfully uplifting. While it does not focus as heavily on the medical field as some of her previous novels, we still get a swoon worthy doctor as our hero and a fun, fresh dive into the fashion world through our heroine’s eyes.

Read if you like:
-Best friend’s brother
-Cinnamon roll hero
-Forced proximity
-Slow burn