🎧audio review🎧

Childhood besties. A broken heart. And a second chance neither of them saw coming.
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When Birdie confessed her feelings to Liam as a teen, his rejection shattered her. To her, it meant he could never love a curvy girl like her.⁣
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But Liam? He was in love with her too—he just thought pushing her away would protect their friendship. Spoiler alert: it didn’t.⁣
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Now, thanks to a meddling matchmaker and a stalker situation, Birdie and Liam are back in each other’s orbit—this time on tour, living in close quarters, with years of secrets and tension just waiting to explode.⁣
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🎧 Duet narration by Angelina Rocca & Grayson Owens = chef’s kiss
💖 Found family vibes, emotional angst, and slow burn steam? YES PLEASE.
📚 Definitely keeping an eye on more from Kayla Grosse!

Things to know

1st person pov, duet narration, second chance, plus size fmc, ex-best friends to lovers, stalking, bodyguard X rockstar, kidnapping, fat shaming, body image issues, PTSD, panic & anxiety attacks, found family, meddling friends

An easy but not breezy read. The FMC's being stalked, so it's darker your typical rom com. The pining is there. And you have to love when the underdog lands on top!

**Spoiler Alert**
Warning: the MMC an off-page one-night stand before he gets together with the FMC. I wish romance writers would stop doing things like that. It's not attractive at all.

Great cover, great premise—I’m always here for a plus-size heroine who knows she’s a catch. That said, this one read like an early draft of the writer Grosse becomes later. I liked her newer Change of Pace quite a bit more, and you can see the growth between the two.

For me, the pieces never fully clicked—cute moments, uneven follow-through—so it’s a 2/5 (okay). But if you want feel-good, body-positive romance and don’t mind a lighter touch on depth, it’s an easy 3/5 for a lot of readers.

I recommend reading I Like you Like That if you enjoy celebrity romances, plus size romances, bodyguard romances, or ex-childhood friends to lovers.

Before I begin I would like to thank NetGalley, Dreamscape Select and Fat Babe Publishing INC. for the advance listening copy. All opinions are my own for this honest review.

Narration Style: Dual POV, Dual Narration
Length: 9 hours

This is classic Kayla Grosse charm but with a little bit of what I would call a "twist". You still get fluffy and feel-good, but with decidedly higher stakes than her usual (thanks to the fun bodyguard romance trope). I can definitely see this being the kind of book one can easily breeze through in a sitting or two. Great as a beach read or for a summer road trip, or just need a light yet satisfying escape between heavier reads.

As mentioned this was an Audio Arc so I need to give nods to both Grayson Owens and Angelina Rocca who give natural, easy-listenting performances that really suit their characters perfectly. The narration from both was distinct, with consistent voices making POV shifts effortless. They had smooth, engaging delivery from start to finish. The production was clean and the normal quality you get with Kayla's other books, which helps to keep the focus on the story and characters. Benchmark for me is always being able to listen at my normal 1.5x speed without any loss of quality between narrators, happy to report this stayed consistent throughout.

Storywise; the romance is cute, has a nice balance of relationship-building and personal self-discovery for both characters. The motivations are clear from the beginning, which just enough mystery to keep you engaged. I'll be the first to admit this book doesn't aim for any kind of deep literary prose, it delivers exactly what it promises: sweet, engaging escapism with a little suspense.

As I said, the stakes are slightly higher here than some of Grosse’s other works, I would say this had more story than spice, which I found to be quite welcome (probably closer to Whirlwind than Axes and O's for example), I really enjoyed her take on the bodyguard dynamics, while not feeling too rooted or mired in tired tropes.

It's a relatively low-stress listen with enough tension that it kept me invested throughout. Romantic, grumpy vs sunshine, a little playful, and some good ol' yearning which left me with that satisfying “all’s well” type of feeling. If you’re already a Kayla Grosse fan, you’ll be right at home and if you’re new to her books, well I think this is a great entry point!

Overall I think the audio works beautifully as a standalone listen, but I personally loved being able to pair it with the ebook for my favourite immersive reading habit, which just elevated the experience and made it even better. A wonderful summer read, highly recommend picking it up.

As mentioned in the beginning, I received an ALC of this audiobook from NetGalley, Dreamscape Select and Fat Babe Publishing INC. in exchange for an honest review. Having said that, all thoughts are my own.

I don’t know what’s in the water Kayla drinks but this book is sooo good. I havent have consumed most of her content and have not found a simple book I didnt like!!! Everyone should be reading her!! The characters… good. The plot… great. The spice…. Top tier. Stop reading this review and go read/ listen to her work!!!

5 ⭐ 3 🌶️ 5 🎧

I absolutely loved this story. I'm such a sucker for rockstar romance, throw in some childhood besties to lovers, second chance, bodyguard and suspense? I'm so here for it. This one had so many of my favorite tropes and I adored Liam and Birdie too. Their miscommunication ran deep and long, but their path to finding love again was so dang sweet.

I really enjoyed the suspense aspect of this one too with Birdie's stalker and the little twist we got towards the end. It was a lot of fun and kept me guessing. I also really enjoyed the little sub romance with Wren and Ben; they were so cute and I was so happy when they worked their ish out.

The audio was fantastic. I love Angelina Rocca and Grayson Owens and they rocked this narration out of the park. It was such a wonderful listen. Thank you so much to Dreamscape and Kayla for this advanced listen!

Okay. Let’s talk about Birdie Wilder! Our tall, confident, plus-size rockstar queen. I loved her vibe! She’s bold, unapologetic, and navigating a second-chance situation with the boy (now man) who crushed her soul back in high school.
Cue the tension. Cue the unresolved heartbreak. Cue the forced proximity with her new...bodyguard? Oh yes. It’s giving drama!

I wanted to love this more than I did. The audiobook narrators did a solid job, for sure. Birdie’s voice felt authentic and fun, and Liam’s chapters had the gravelly guilt we needed. But I’ll be honest: there were pacing dips, and some moments that should have hit harder kind of skimmed by. I needed just a little more depth and a little less repetition.

That said, Birdie’s confidence, I loved it. The plus-size rep Kayla shares is always so well done and refreshing. The stalker subplot? Definitely added some stakes, though it felt like it wrapped a bit fast...
Would I recommend it? Yep, you bet! Especially if you’re looking for something steamy, emotional, and a little messy in a real-world way!

Book Rating: 3.5/5
Spice Rating: 2/5
Narration Rating: 4/5

This was a cute contemporary romance between a music star and her bodyguard. My favorite part of the book was the representation throughout. It included curvy FMCs, alcohol abuse, anxiety, family drama, and more. The second-chance romance aspect was interesting, and the friends-to-enemies-to-lovers trope made their journey enjoyable to follow.

Some parts felt a bit rushed, and I wanted more push and pull between the characters. Still, with the stalker twist, a slow burn might have made the story drag. Birdy and Liam had solid chemistry, and the characters were fun overall. I did want a deeper dive into Birdy's drinking arc, but it felt a bit lost in the overall story.

The stalker element was a great addition. It brought in a real-world issue that celebrities face, and Kayla Grosse added a fun spin to it. The two best friends were adorable, and I would love a spin-off about them if that's ever an option.

The narration was really well done. I loved Birdy's voice, which had a great rasp that made her character even more compelling. Liam's narrator brought a lot of emotion, and during the spicy scenes, he definitely had me blushing.

Overall, I would recommend this audiobook. It was a fun, easy listen with just enough spice to keep things interesting.

Thank you so much to Dreamscape for the alc, all opinions are my own.

I already know that I love Kayla's books so I was excited to hear one of her audiobooks for the first time! Birdie is a famous musician that needs a bodyguard due to a stalker situation. When the guy shows up for work the first day, it is her high school bff, and heart crusher, Liam. They navigate together the fall of their relationship due to outside influences, a crazy stalker, and just the life of being rich and famous!

Plus size rep, second chance romance, friends to lovers, workplace romance!

I just love the way Kayla writes her FMCs. They are confident, beautiful, plus-sized women who are amazing just the way they are. Birdie is no exception and is one of my favourites that Kayla has written. Birdie and Liam are former childhood BFFs. After ten years apart, Birdie is now a badass rockstar, and Liam works as a bodyguard. When a stalker starts threatening her, mutual friends intervene, and Liam becomes her new shadow. These two are reluctantly forced together and have to put their past aside. I enjoyed seeing the two of them slowly open up to one another again and let that (very obvious) chemistry take over. Kayla knows how to write a spicy scene, and this book is HOT, HOT, HOT!!!

I listened to the Audiobook version of this and really enjoyed both narrators. Grayson Owens is always a must-listen for me, and I really enjoyed Angelina Rocca's performance here.

I’ve decided to DNF this book at 30%.

I’m a big fan of this author and have loved her work in the past, but unfortunately, this one just isn’t for me. Continuing felt like a disservice to my time and reading enjoyment.

The characters were insufferable. I get that having your heart broken in high school can suck, but holding a grudge for over a decade because your best friend didn’t like you back? That just felt dramatic and immature—especially for characters in their late 20s. I think the story would’ve worked better if their dynamic had been awkward or distant instead of filled with forced, childish hate.

The audiobook narrators did a great job at making the characters as insufferable as they actually were so there is that…

I really wanted to love this one, but I just couldn’t push through.

Kayla Grosse writes the BEST stuff. It’s smutty and hot but also there is so much amazing characterization and plot and FEELING. (Even in her novellas.)

I really like second chance romances because seeing all the past work itself out is so cathartic and that for sure happened here. Plus a fast relationship is so much more believable. Birdie and Liam were best friends, until Birdie put her heart on the line and Liam turned her down.

Now it’s ten years later and Liam is famous Birdie Wilder’s bodyguard as he protects her from a stalker.

I really like that their past was due more to secrets than miscommunication. And fear. Liam needed her and feared to lose her. Instead of talking to her, he pushed her away. Birdie interpreted wrong and they went their separate ways.

Watching Liam and Birdie fall again, forgive, genuinely move on from their past was so nice to watch. Especially because that past wasn’t ever used as a break up excuse or canon fodder in a fight. Once they worked it out, it was done.

And while the past definitely came to bite them both in the ass, it was separate traumas that did so, not their shared history. Which was honestly refreshing.

I love seeing a plus sized heroine with her fit hero and I LOVE a bodyguard romance, so this book was right up my alley. The plot was well crafted and I love that we got a feel for all the characters. The side characters were well fleshed out.

Also, the audio voices were a great choice. I’ve listened to both these narrators before and glad to hear them here.

I liked this book a lot! I think it was a fun twist on a celebrity x bodyguard pairing and I enjoyed the thrill of the mystery of who was a culprit and contributing to the stalking dilemma.

Birdie and Liam were an iconic example of second chance love and overcoming the odds. I also really loved the cast of characters that love and surround them. It was also a badass representation of different family systems, combatting fatphobia, and overcoming familial substance use.

I really loved the audiobook production. I think Angelina Rocca has an amazing voice and I loved her performance. Grayson Owens also did incredibly. I wasn’t familiar with either of these narrators but I loved their work!!

I have lots of mixed feelings on this book overall. I don’t regret reading it, it was an entertaining time. I kinda got annoyed at the third act breakup because it just felt unrealistic... I felt like they really shouldn’t have been consdiered together. It didn’t feel like they really worked through what happened when they were young. It bugged me a bit but that ws the only real issue. I love the characters dearly. Birdie was spicy, confident, sucessful, fun. All things a good FMC should be to keep a book entertaining. Liam was strong, protective, hot, all things I like my MMCs to be in spicy romances. I just felt their story was a little too rocky for my taste. But if you like the angsty push and pull this may be your cup of tea. Also love to add the body positivity both of them bring into the story, there is self consciousness and doubt but in the end he LOVES her curves and so does she. I love the body-positive messages that Kayla Groove books always come with and this was an amazing dose of that. Even if the story didn’t hit really great for me it was a good time overall.

This was my first book by Kayla Grosse but I won’t be the last. I really liked this was second chance love/childhood best friends book! I really didn't want to like Liam from the start but boy does he grow on you. But then you'll find yourself not liking him again and then before you know it you adore him once more. He really creates a roller coaster of feelings. The story is an emotional one. It also kept me stumped. It was pretty unpredictable and at least half of the mysterious stalker scenario kept me stumped until the man behind it was revealed. I really enjoyed it!
I enjoyed the narration as well.

3.75 ⭐️

Thank you to Netgalley for this ALC

I think I enjoyed this book more as an audiobook than an eyeball read.

It was a little harder for me to get into this one at the beginning as compared to some of the other books I have read by Kayla, and the character development felt a little choppier. It seems like this was one of her earlier books that got made into an audio, so that makes sense.

The relationship between the two main characters is a second chance, kind of, but it felt a little off. Overall, I am happy I finished the book because I wanted to know what was going to happen with the stalker, but did not care that much about their relationship itself.

The bodyguard trope is always a favorite, and adding the past friendship/past crush was a unique twist. I went in completely blind with just recognizing the authors name as one I wanted to read. I enjoyed the famous singer aspect and really appreciated the plus-size representation.

The narration is duet style and you can feel the emotion. The story feels so much more believable in this format than I think i could have read it as. I enjoyed this while driving, working out and making dinner and felt very invested the whole time!

The flashbacks were fun but didnt make me root for the mc's more than I was so that felt disappointin. I loved that his and her best friends are a childhood sweetheart couple, so the group has known each other forever.

The mmc has a good backstory with his previous work partner and the trauma surrounding that situation. I would have liked more on that than that random time he hooked up with another woman. It seemed so pointless to include.

Being a dark romance reader, I was secretely hoping the mmc was the stalker. They had never been seen in the same room together! lol

Unfortunately this ended up being a DNF at 52%. I have loved Kayla Grosse books in the past and will absolutely pick up another one by her. This one was just not for me. I hate the MMC he’s a dick and the FMC needs to cut her losses and find someone who actually likes her.

I really enjoyed this book! I gave this book 4 stars solely because of one little “ick” I had—which I can’t explain without giving away spoilers… IYKYK! But otherwise, I devoured this audiobook! I listened to 90% in one day, and if I didn’t have to work, I definitely would’ve finished it in one sitting. The final 10% had to wait until the next day, and that was torture.

Birdie Wilder is a famous rock star on tour and proving that plus-size women can rock with the best of them. Her fans love her… maybe a little too much. When a stalker begins to threaten her safety, the label hires her a personal bodyguard. A bodyguard who just happens to be her best friend from 10 years ago that rejected her, Liam Miller.

Grayson Owens and Angelina Rocca were absolutely fantastic narrators. Their voices and delivery were spot on for Birdie and Liam, and they truly brought the emotional depth and tension to life.

I’m a total sucker for the bodyguard trope, and this one delivered everything I wanted...grit, slow burn, banter, and heart. I’ve read a few of Kayla Grosse’s books, but this is hands down my favorite so far. As a plus-size woman, I also really appreciated how real Birdie’s internal thoughts were. They weren’t overly exaggerated or self-deprecating like some stories tend to be, it felt authentic and relatable, without ever veering into body-bashing. Just real emotions and experiences.