For the last few months, I’ve been in a bit of a slump where romance stories were concerned. I can’t remember the last time that I read a book where the romance truly moved me or made me smile down at my book. It had me worried, because here I am trying to kick off a brand new book review blog where the most reviewed books are romance books. I was starting to wonder if I’d put the carriage before the horse and had somehow mysteriously reached my limit on how much romance I could enjoy in a book.

And then I read Lessons In Pure Life.

This is a book that I can’t possibly explain the magic of. It’s one of those that you have to read yourself and become immersed in, but is surprising in the sense that the backdrop of Costa Rica isn’t overly romanticized. Audrey O’Connor found just the right amount of romantic Central American scenery without overdoing it.

Our main characters, Lia and Diego were wonderful. They came with baggage. They had pasts. They had some things to work out. But the two of them together was electric. Lia’s fighting spirt and extroversion balanced incredibly well with Diego’s closed off nature.

Favorite thing about Lia? Her sense of humor. I had so many moments where I was laughing out loud at some of the things she said or thought. She managed to be hilarious without pushing anyone away or using the humor as a wall to prevent getting close to anyone.

Favorite thing about Diego? I loved that he had moments where he was shy around Lia. Those moments where Lia described him looking away shyly after saying something a little suggestive were incredibly endearing and really helped me warm up to Diego in a big way.

Favorite thing about the couple? The chemistry! It was insane and built up so well. I loved that things started off a little rocky for them with Diego being rude and standoffish. It made reading about their relationship developing that much sweeter. It was very nice to read about Diego admitting to and being confused about his feelings and torn between his father’s values and his attraction to Lia. It was even better to see Diego apologize for it. It wasn’t an excuse for Deigo’s initial rudeness, but it certainly explained why he acted the way he did.

Audrey O’Connor managed to write Lia and Diego’s relationship in a way that teetered on several different tropes without delving into one completely. There was a bit of a slow burn, a bit of familial conflict, and sexual chemistry that was just right. I’m trying to think of the last book I read where I was this invested in a couple, and I can’t even remember, that’s how long it’s been. But I’m glad I finally found a couple that I could “ship” together and fully root for. I just wish we had more. I was a little disappointed where the book decided to end. Even an epilogue would have done a little something to satiate my need for more Diego and Lia.

There was also something else special about this book. The entire time reading it, I got a sense of something bigger at play behind Audrey O’Connor’s writing. She wrote like a woman that cared very much about feminism and in turn wrote Lia the same way, which I thought was wonderful. It was refreshing to read a book that didn’t pit women against each other or had the female protagonist resorting to thinking about herself or other women with internalized misogyny.

Between the constant social awareness this book displays and the beautiful chemistry and romance between Lia and Diego, this book definitely will have a place on my shelves of fame very soon. Absolutely the best book I’ve read in months.