I wanted to love this because I love Jenn McKinlay but I found Jules, the FMC, to be so utterly and thoroughly obnoxious throughout 80% of the story. Every time I saw a glimpse of something in her that I could root for she'd turn around and resume being the worst.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

I'm still figuring out exactly how I feel about this book. It had a strong beginning and a really good ending, but the middled, just kept me wanting a little more. The cover was so fun and then in the beginning I got sucked into the storyline and the bond between the sisters. I felt there was a little lacking in the middle, but it ended well.

The narration done by Dara Rosenberg was very well done and kept me engaged in the book.

Overall, a 3 star.

Thank you NetGalley for this ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Ooh, Babs is not a nice person, and Julia did not deserve to feel unwanted her whole life because of Babs choice. The cousin is manipulative and greedy and Jenn McKinlay did a great job writing both characters because I disliked them both.

This was a great story and I like how the sisters learn to open up to each other and grow individually and together. There were some fun sexy scenes with that bedroom window and I loved Julia's sisters reactions when they were caught.

This was a fun change from the cozy mysteries that Jenn writes and I will read more of her romance novels in the future.

Dara Rosenberg did a great job narrating the story and I have added Dara to my search list for NetGalley.

This is one where I think the narrator was not a good fit for the book. I’m not sure exactly what it was but her voice didn’t work for this one and it made it difficult for me to follow the story. I almost quit a few times but stuck it out and, while this isn’t my favorite Jenn McKinlay, I can appreciate where she was going with the story and how it all unfolded. For me, I think I would have preferred the focus be on the relationship of the three sisters and their mother rather than the romance because there was so much more that could have been explored on that front. The romance felt cheesy and forced to me and I cringed at the spicy moments. Otherwise, this was a good way to while away the afternoon, and I enjoyed the relationship between the sisters.

I have to be honest. I started this and stopped thinking, oh this is not for me. Not sure why as I love this author so this was surprising. Fast forward a few days and I restarted listening and am so glad I did. Clearly I was in a mood, because I loved this book. It’s honest, funny, irreverent, ironic, filled with love, regret, anger, family issues, in particular, mother issues, emotional abuse, deal with mourning of a mother the siblings all have different life experiences of, infidelity, LGBTQ+ (a part of the story handled beautifully as it wasn’t a big deal, just acceptance and a part of the story as it should be), abandonment, lies, seriously, really big lies, crazy relatives, an insane will and at the heart of it all, lots and lots of love, acceptance, understanding, growth and forgiveness. This is a book I am sure I’ll listen to again. The narration was great. Not sure what my problem was the first time, but I really enjoyed this book and definitely will be listening to it again when I need to laugh and feel good.

A sweet, light-hearted romance. That I simply couldn’t get enough of.
The character development was extremely satisfying and the story so vivid, she truly does an incredible job at bringing her characters to life. They just jump off the pages.
They are truly memorable characters and unforgettable story.
The writing is witty and engaging.
I just love McKinlay‘s writing style. It’s fun and welcoming.

Julia left Gulls Harbor 9 years ago never to return until she has been told by her sisters, that her mom, Babs, is not being herself, and that they are seriously worried about her. Julia returns and we find out that her relationship with Babs is a terrible one and a fight they had years ago was why she didn’t return earlier. Liam, her ex, still lives next door and she wants to get back with him.

This book was just not my thing for several reasons.
1, Babs is a terrible mother, and there is a “surprise” as to why she’s that way. I could see it coming from a mile away. If Babs can’t deal with it, she should’ve cut her losses instead of treating Julia that way.
2, The reason Julia left without telling the “love of her life,” was not a solid enough reason, nor an excuse to maybe make Babs look better🤷🏽‍♀️ (as one of her friends at the end suggests she did it to make sure Julia fulfilled her dreams) Ummmm, no
3. Julia is a stalker, ick. And why she just doesn’t tell Liam from the start why she and his best friend left without a word to Liam, was so dumb. Both Jesse’s reason and Julia’s reason is not solid enough, especially when Liam was supposed to be so close to J&J!!
4. Too much spice. I get it, they are hot for each other still. But really?! Liam has no respect for himself when he just dives right back in with Julia because, I mean, she must be irresistible! 🙄 And having great sex and a lot of sex with someone does NOT equate to being in love with someone. Where’s the slow burn in these romance novels today?!.
5. Why wasn’t Julia’s emotional story dealt with? She needed to heal, but nothing was addressed, It was just skimmed over by jumping into bed with Liam. You just don’t get over that kind of childhood trauma by having vigorous sex with someone. Also, Emily, the youngest sibling, needed a better storyline dealing with her grief.

Anyway, could have been a good beach read, but I just found myself rolling my eyeballs so much!! One positive, I did like Sophie and her two kids, and would have liked a good revenge story for her and her cad of a husband.

I really wanted to like this book. I loved the cover and the premise sounded promising , but a little less than half way I threw in the towel.

Why you ask? Well one of the reasons was I really didn’t like the writers writing, or certain ways she described people- there was way more slut shaming than I care to admit, and i just couldn’t continue .

Julia returns to her hometown to help her sisters care for their ailing mother. While there, she crosses paths with her ex who lives next door and nothing is quite the same after that.

This was my first Jenn McKinlay book, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I listened to the audiobook, and Dara Rosenberg was the perfect narrator. She really brought the story to life. The book had me laughing out loud at times and tugged at my heartstrings at others. There were even a few twists I didn’t see coming.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for providing me with an ARC of the Audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This audiobook was a delight to listen to. Julia Blummer was called home to her small beach town in California by her sisters when their mother was dying. Even though they were estranged, Julia hoped for the best because she had been told her mother had asked for her. What she found was a complicated set of family dynamics, hidden secrets, and her high school boyfriend still living next door.

I wasn’t able to guess what was happening before it was revealed so that made the story even better. Solid narrator who was able to differentiate all the different voices.

This was a fun read! I really enjoyed the audiobook narration on this one! The story wasn’t my favorite, but it was still entertaining to listen to. Thank you so much for the audio arc!

I try very hard to give a solid effort to finish ARCs even if I’m not enjoying them but “I can’t even” with this one. I DNF around 25%. I think this book would have worked better as a family drama without the romance due to the heaviness of the family secrets and the mother/daughter relationship, or as a romance that had more lightness to the family drama plot.

I also felt that the narration was very “caricature-y” to the point that it was distracting.

Julia finally returns home after years away because her mom is dying. Going back to Gull’s Harbor, California means facing a lot of memories Julia would rather leave behind, including her high school sweetheart. After their mom’s passing, Julia and her sisters are in for a rude awakening when the will is read. The girls must live together in their family home for the three months or they forfeit their inheritance. Living in her childhood home puts Julia right next door to her high school boyfriend who she’s still in love with. Will Julia be able to win Liam back or are there too many secrets between them?

I have only ever read cozy mysteries by Jenn McKinlay, but was intrigued when I saw this book coming out. I loved the cover and couldn’t wait to dive in. I liked Julia and Liam together and enjoyed the second chance at love for them. The will and storyline that brought on led to some drama and funny moments. This was a romance book and had a lot of good moments between Julia and Liam, but it was also a story about finding yourself after grief and family. I liked the different layers in this book and it kept me interested from start to finish. The ending of this book was great and I loved how everything tied together. The family dynamic between the three sisters was fun to read about and I loved seeing how all of their lives were so different even though they were raised by the same woman. The romance parts were the best in my opinion, but I did enjoy the variety in this book and had a good time reading it.

3.5 Stars :)

This is the first book that I 've read from this author, and it won't be the last.
I really enjoyed the audiobook, the narrator did a great job giving a voice to each character and to keep you hooked on the audiobook.

If you like second chance romance, family drama, family secrets, childhood friends, boy/girl next door, this book is for you!

This book it's about Julia returning to her childhood home with her sisters (Soph and Em) after 9 years. Julia and her mom don't have a good relationship or a relationship at all, but after her mother Babs get sick she went back home to help her sisters and her mother. After her mothers passing, there are a series of events that helps them (Blumer sisters) to rebuild their relationship and to navigate the grief together. While at home, Julia tries to reconnect with the boy next door aka her first love, who she left with out a word years ago.

I like the premise, and I enjoyed this book very much! there where some parts that I was laughing, there was a lot of OMG, REALLY?! moments, and there was a part that I was crying.
But when I was half way this book It became a little hard on some parts as I am not a fan of miscommunication/misunderstanding situations and there were a lot of these in the book.
But otherwise it was a quick and funny read!

The romance felt a little flat for me, I felt that there was something missing. I wished there was a little bit of how Julia and Liam having some moments together, how they win each other again... because at some point their relationship was so rude and mean, and I didn't like that.

At the end, I felt there was some loose ends and questions unanswered... as there was a lot going on on this book, and felt that there was some unfinished business. It missed an epilogue where you could see the closure on each characters. I hope that later on there is an extra for this book as bonus epilogue !

Thank you Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for this ALC in exchange of my honest review.

I am not going to do a review on this book because I did not care for the main characters or the story or plot of the book.

ARC Review

-Single POV
-Second Chance Romance
-Slow Burn

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spicy: 🌶️

This book was funny!
I really liked the bond the Blumer sisters had! I give Liam props for putting up with them 😂

3.5 stars.

Let’s start with the good. I loved the FMC, Julia. She’s a delightfully chaotic, neurodivergent-coded character who brought a lot of energy and heart to the story. The sister dynamics were another strong point. Each relationship felt distinct, and I liked seeing how they grew over time.

That said, as much as I loved Julia, I really couldn’t stand the MMC, Liam. The only way this would have worked as a true HEA for me is if Julia told him to eff off at the end.

There were also moments of internalized misogyny that felt unnecessary. Randomly calling women “whores” and the entire character of Courtney felt outdated and problematic.

On the audio side, Dara Rosenberg did a great job with the narration. She really captured Julia’s quirky vibe.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ALC.

First of all, I want to say that I really appreciate the range of topics the author tackled in this book—grief, lies, revenge, sisterhood, suicidal thoughts, betrayal, and identity. The story doesn’t shy away from the heavy stuff, and I also appreciated the spice scenes, which added another layer of emotional complexity.

That said, I found the pacing a bit uneven. I drifted in and out of the story at times, which made it harder to stay fully immersed.

I enjoyed the narration—it brought the characters to life well. Still, overall it was a good read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audio ALC.

Talk about balancing grief and romance in a book! The book’s description does not prepare you for the mental and emotional toll this story goes as Julia deals with the loss of her mother who she felt never loved her. Julia and her two sisters, who are all at different stages of life, experience the grief of their mother differently. Not only does Julia try to work through her difficult feelings, but she has to do it in front of her cute next door neighbor who she jilted when they were younger. Liam and Julia were hot and heavy in high school, but after one night, Julia up and left for the city with Liam’s best friend. It makes coming home awkward, while healing at the same time.

This story will make you laugh, cry, rage, and swoon! Jenn McKInlay did a phenomenal job weaving so much story and emotion into this book. She sums up the many experiences one has with grief, finding out hard truths, and being there for the ones that mean the most.

RECOMMENDED FOR:
Romance readers that enjoy deeper emotions and themes
Readers working through grief
Readers that want more meat to their romance stories


AUDIOBOOK:
This is a single narration by Dara Roseberg. No complaints! She did a great job bringing Julia’s humor and sarcasm while also showing her hurt at times.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for providing this advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed so much the journey the story took me on in this latest Jenn McKinlay. There were slight surprises that I didn’t expect and I liked how they played out. I prefer less spice than this book had, however. Thanks to NetGalley for an ALC for review.