The Best of All is the 2nd book in the Best Men Series by Karla Sorensen and as much as I enjoyed the first book, I think I liked this one even better. This contemporary romance series is definitely different because of the underlying heartbreaking circumstances that bring these characters into the common story line of these books. I would suggest grabbing a box of tissues before diving into this one, though, because if you’re like me, it will grab your heart and pull it out of your chest. Obviously, the main characters are Zoe and Liam, but honestly, it’s little Miss Mira who stole the show for me. As the blurb indicates Liam is a hard-shelled football player and Zoe is the good friend who holds everything together in an amazing way if I do say so myself. But it’s the interactions between Liam and little Mira that gutted me. This was a deeply emotional read for me because of the unfortunate situation these 3 lovely characters find themselves in. Like the first book, this is a slow burn romance which is my favorite kind–I like the “getting to know” each other part of a romance–the parts that make you feel it in your bones their attraction for each other. Again, I would most definitely recommend this book if you’re looking for something a bit different in the contemporary romance genre but be prepared to fall in love with a darling little toddler and the 2 characters who are trying against all odds to hold it all together for her. I’m grateful to have been given an opportunity to read and review an advance copy of this book for NetGalley.

There is something about Karla Sorensen’s writing that generally works for me and that stood true for The Best of All. In this case, The Best of All is basically a book form of Life as We Know It, which is one of my favorite movies, so I was already pre-disposed to like this book. Plus, in case I haven’t said it enough, I am still in my single parent romance book era. I’m obsessed with the trope and cannot quit reading books with it right now.
Essentially, Zoe Valentine and Liam Davies do not like one another (well, technically that’s complicated, but that’s how it appears), but they are the godparents of Mira due to their best friend status with Mira’s mom and dad, respectively. Mira’s parents tragically die and they leave Mira to Zoe and Liam to raise. Except, again, Zoe and Liam do not like one another. The way this book manages to provide so much character depth for both Zoe and Liam is pretty incredible. They feel real in so many ways, which is why I don’t understand why this book wasn’t a knock it out of the park read for me. Don’t get me wrong, I really liked it, but there’s something about it that just didn’t quite hit. Here’s hoping it was a case of reading the right book at the wrong time and I’ll circle back to it again one day. But nevertheless, I love Sorensen’s writing and I would definitely encourage you to pick this one up!

The Best of All is beautifully haunting but also funny and heartwarming. You will feel the entire range of emotions when reading this book!

I'm not too proud to admit I bawled during the beginning. Even knowing the premise of the book, my momma heart broke for these characters. While there were more touching moments throughout the book, and a few more tears did escape, I wouldn't call this an angsty book. The Bad Thing happened. Zoe and Liam are forced to deal with the consequences, but they do it with very little brooding and instead rely on ribbing each other and growing as people.

There's a subplot involving Zoe's ex-husband that resonated with me. She could have given up on love completely after her marriage - and she may have tried had Liam not been so very Liam.

Liam is my favorite kind of grump. He grumps because he cares, and he shows that with his actions and his consideration for those around him. The way he thinks about Zoe will make you believe in love again (and may spontaneously cause you to ovulate so fair warning).

I could write page after page of reasons why you need to read this book. Karla Sorensen has become an auto-buy author for me because she writes such amazing, human characters you can't help but fall in love with.

Thank you, NetGalley and Karla Sorensen, for the opportunity to read this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Ever since reading The Best Laid Plans, I was excited for The Best of All. Mia, the toddler who lost her parents, was always in the background during the first book and I loved being able to see how she found her new family in Liam and Zoe. The timelines essentially ran parallel to each other, which was a treat.

Liam and Zoe had a decade of animosity that they had to put aside to become co-guardians of Mia. While the pair deals with their grief in different ways, I loved seeing how they came together for the sake of Mia and what was best for her, even if either of them didn't understand the why behind them being chosen as her guardian. There are heavy tones of grief, so read with care and bring a box of tissues.

I really enjoyed this one. Liam and Zoe had fantastic chemistry. It warmed my heart seeing Liam warm up to the idea of being a father, even though he had never saw that card in his future. Zoe didn't back down from his crap and helped him become the best version of himself. Plus, you have to love a grumpy pro-football player that has some issues to work out.

There were only two things I didn't love. One was how slow the slow burn was. The chemistry between the pair was off the charts and while I understood why they pushed off their temptation and feelings for so long, I would have liked to have them explore their relationship a little earlier. I also was sad that we didn't get the perspective of the Liam taking the trip to Michigan with Mia. It was hinted at toward the end of this book and The Best Laid Plans gave such good Easter eggs that I thought not including it was a missed opportunity.

I definitely recommend reading The Best Laid Plans prior to reading The Best of All. While they could be read as standalones, I feel like the books compliment each other so well that it's better to read them in order. While the first book was emotional, this one was much heavier, as the two main characters were in the thick of their grief throughout the entire book.

The Best of All publishes July 16.

The Best of All by Karla Sorensen was book 2 in a series. I didn't read book 1. Honestly I very rarely read F/M romances, I feel like they are all the same formula over and over. While this on was a trope thats been done before, the difference is that I liked Liam and Zoe and Mira had a personality. A big pet peeve of mine is kids in books just to have a kid in a book and she did right by Mira. That upped my star rating to 4. Would highly recommend.

It was a bit lackluster for me. I recently listened to book one and this book 2 take place in same timeline, there are overlapping scenes that happened in book one whereas in book two were only mentioned in passing. Like the phone call Liam makes to Burke, in book one we get both sides of the conversation with Burke wondering how this guy got his number. Book two Liam just casually mentions how weeks ago he called Chris’ best friend from university, with no other context.
It’s a slow burn, for more than 75% Liam is fighting his grief but also his anger towards his father. The romance with Zoe was in the back burner for most of the book.

I really enjoyed this! This is book two in the series though I think it could totally be read as a standalone.

This follows Liam and Zoe, who are named co-guardians to their best friends’ daughter Mira after their best friends tragically pass away. Zoe is immediately there for Mira, moving her in and accepting this adorable toddler into her life. Liam struggled a bit more, he never felt he should have a family or children after his own terrible childhood so a lot of the growth in this story is his, to accept love and family into his life. I loved watching his walls eventually fall down, all due to the little girl who melted his heart.

Liam is a grump, football is his life and he doesn’t need any other distractions, especially living with the woman he’s pined for for a decade. The forced proximity works its magic and the sexual tension between the two of them was intense, though this is a sloooowwwww burn.

Zoe was an easy character to love, she’s wanted her fairy tail ever since she was a kid and though this certainly didn’t follow the traditional path I love that she found her HEA in that broody football player who has secretly had feelings for her for years.

Much like book one, this is a story of grief alongside the romance, though this one didn’t feel as heavy to me. Both Liam and Zoe (and Mira) were grieving the loss of their best friends but they had Mira to look after which helped keep them afloat. I’ve been looking for a good romance like Life As We Know It and this is the first one I’ve ever read that I thought really worked.

I loved it!

4🌟🌟🌟🌟

Tropes:
🖤enemies to lovers
🩷forced proximity
🖤sports romance
🩷grumpy x sunshine
🖤slow burn
🩷angst
🖤emotional

This book had the vibes of the movie Life as we know it, which I also really enjoyed. Zoe and Liam know each other through their friends Amie and Chris. They dislike each other tremendously, and have since they met.
When Amie and Chris are killed in an accident and leave their daughter, Mira, in Zoe and Liams hands things become a bit muddled.

Liam is not thrilled with this " new" family as he's always said he'd never have one due to how his dad was with him.. Zoe, does want a family, however has kinda given up on that in her life.

Zoe and Liam were both devastated by the loss of their best friends. They both handled their grief differently. They both showed growth from enemies to lovers and this story did feel authentic and realistic. Liam was such a grump except towards the two girls in his life.

The side characters were great in this book and I loved Trey and the book club, Rosa and of course little Mira. They gave this story some much needed laughs.

Overall though, this was a nice change from a traditional romance and Karla is someone i enjoy.

OMG! Where has this author been my entire life? She ripped out my heart, shredded it to pieces, then gave it back to me wrapped in a bow. The feels in this story is why I love romance. Add in the grumpalicious and tortured MC, the strong FC, and the slow and tormented journey to an HEA , even the moments of hilarity… Wow.

Slow burn, enemies to lovers! I am HERE for it!
Recently divorced Zoe swears off men. Her best friend unexpectedly passes away leaving Zoe as a mom overnight to an adorable child who is missing her parents. A trip to the lawyers brings Zoe face to face with Liam, her deceased friends husband’s best friend. Liam and Zoe have known each other for years since their best friends were together, but they have never seen eye to eye. Both thrown into a situation neither was prepared for. Now they have to figure out a way to deal with each other while doing what’s best for Mira. The tension between these 2 was insane!! Liam and all his grumpiness was rough around the edges but he definitely softened with Mira and showed a different side 🩷

This was a 4.5 stars for me. Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the arc.

I ate this book up. Very angsty, with great characters. The FMC and MMC, Zoe Valentine and Liam Davies, have known each other for a decade, largely through their respective best friends, Amie and Chris Spencer. Zoe thinks Liam hates her, based on how hostile he acts when he's around her, and Liam is trying to stay as far away from Zoe, because he has "feelings". Suddenly, Amie and Chris perish in an auto accident, and Zoe and Liam are named as guardians of their daughter, Mira.

At first, Liam wants nothing to do with being a co-guardian with Zoe. He changes his mind after some soul searching, and guilt, and the forced proximity of sharing guardianship of Mira in one house, helps develop their relationship. Liam is a defensive lineman for the Denver professional football team, while Zoe is an accountant, who's also a divorcee. Zoe is hesitant about entering into a romantic relationship with Liam, primarily because of the hostility she's felt from him over the years. What she doesn't realize is that Liam is hostile because he's afraid of entering romantic relationships due to trauma he and his mother experienced in his childhood. Liam believes that he takes after his father in a lot of ways, and that if he has a family, he will treat his family like his father treated him and his mother. Trigger warning of graphic description of domestic abuse.

Reading about Liam's trauma was hard, but I appreciated how the author, Karla Sorensen, involved Zoe in noticing that there was something in Liam's background that brought about Liam's attitude. And Zoe assisted Liam in finding a therapist to help him work through his trauma. Both characters also made sure to attend therapy sessions together as they navigated the guardianship of a toddler, in addition to make sure Mira was paired with a good therapist. Mental health was definitely an important facet of the story.

The sex scenes were very hot, although the couple do not get together until the last third of the book. But I think that was the right timing, considering all the baggage both MCs had to unpack. I loved how Sorensen allowed used the time to have both MCs get to know each other, and get to know how to interact with Mira both individually, and, as a couple. I really enjoyed reading this book, and I look forward to reading more of Sorensen's work.

Oh my goodness Karla Sorensen has wrung me dry with this one!

If you like tragically sad, slow burn romances then The Best of All is for you.

In this emotional enemies to lovers (eventually) romance, we meet Zoe and Liam.

Destined to gripe at each other whenever they're in close proximity, you can't imagine the horror they face when tragedy strikes and they make a pact to live under the same roof.

Well, you can imagine...

However the star of this particular show is the duck loving, not quite 3 year old Mira who very soon has the NFL star, Liam wrapped round her not quite 3 year old finger.

It was stunningly beautiful to see the confirmed bachelor and 'no family for me' stalwart, fall madly in love with his gorgeous Duck.

I can so hear his English accent in my head as he whispers endearments and voices his frustrations in and around the precious bundle that is Mira.

A gorgeous addition to the catalogue of Karla Sorensen.

Como leitora maioritariamete de dark romance, este livro foi uma lufada de ar fresco.
Este livro é muito parecido ao filme "Life as we Know it"
Temos um casal super amoroso, definição de relationship goals, que infelizmente morre num acidente de carro deixando para trás uma filha pequena.
Zoe Valentine, sonha com a vida ideal casada e com filhos enquanto Liam só vive para a sua equipa de futebol profissional com fobia a relações.
Desde o momento que se conheceram quem têm uma picardia acessa, onde acham que se odeia quando na realidade têm uma massive crush um pelo outro mas Zoe estava noiva de outra pessoa.
Esta história desenvolve-se no descobrir quem é a Zoe como mãe adotiva de uma criança pequena, lidar com o luto da sua melhor amiga e tentar que o Liam desempenhe o seu papel de padrinho.
O Liam luta bastante mas apartir do momento em que se envolve na vida da menina sabe que não irá voltar costas nem fugir da sua atração pela Zoe.
É uma história bonita e emocionante entre 2 pessoas tentam o melhor que podem lidar com a perda dos seus melhores amigos e os seus sentimentos um pelo outro e a história de uma menina que perdeu os país e não compreende a sua realidade e têm de se adaptar à sua nova realidade, um patinho de cada vez.

Thank you to Montlake, Karla Sorenson, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book has easily secured a place for one of my top books of the year so far. I love Liam, Zoe, and Mira so much. This book was so much more than a romance. It was a story of grief, trauma, healing, friendship, love, and family. Liam’s character development across this story was phenomenal. I felt like we truly watched him confront his demons and work on himself every step of the way. Zoe was a delight. She was fierce and soft and strong and so full of love. Mira was absolutely adorable and every moment with her on page shined. The dynamic between Liam and Zoe with Mira, both their own individual relationships with Mira and their relationships as a family unit, were written so well. I found myself fully invested in their emotions and development as they traveled through their grief and discovered how to operate on this new path in life. I loved that this book focused more on the family unit, with the tension and romantic relationship the underlying plot. It really allowed this book to stand out in the romance genre, while also still giving you all the feels you crave. The epilogue completely wrecked me in the best way. I could talk about this book and these characters for hours. Absolutely phenomenal.

What a great book! Absolutely loved it. Liam is a tortured soul but those who know him best know there’s a cinnamon roll hero underneath that grumpy growly exterior. I loved Zoe too she’s such a great match for Liam and such an easy character to love. This is a slow slow burn which I loved because it gave me a chance to get to know the characters along with their flaws and strengths. And the way they loved lil Mira oh my heart!

From the previous book, I already knew that I was going to like Liam and let's say that liking him was an understatement, I LOVED HIM!! At this point, everything that Karla writes I love. She could write my life and I wouldn't be upset at all.

This story, like the previous one, is about the grief of losing a friend, and in the case of Liam and Zoe, the two friends who left them as guardians of their little one. Zoe took charge from the first moment, she gave little Mira a home and affection, even when this little girl didn't realize that her parents were missing and I feel that Zoe did a good job along this journey, Liam has a resistance and he doesn't know why his friends also decided to make him a guardian. This grumpy man who gradually won my heart also won Mira's. How did he take care of her? In his own way, he showed her great love.

I liked their relationship as a couple, it was slow but pure, it flowed in such a beautiful way that I just wanted to keep reading and reading. And I really liked that Zoe wasn't good with him from the start, that she took her time and that Liam did the same, always putting little Mira first and also putting their relationship as a couple first. Could it be said that they balanced it? Yes, and when they are together it is a wonder to read.

It was a pleasure to read this book, from the first pages to the last it is a journey that I want to do again, I laughed, I cried, I fell in love but above all I learned a lot from Liam and Zoe and their grieving process. Karla, as always, fills me with joy with her stories and especially this series that became one of my favorites.

thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

I really liked the book, although I feel that it has been perhaps too slow burn but it has given priority to other important things and I liked that a lot.
Liam and Zoe's relationship has been incredible, and I loved it how everything improves after so many years, although it has been for a very sad for the reason😭

Mira it's the best thing in the world, so sweet my girl🥹 ANT THE CONVERSATIONS between Liam and Mira were amazing!!! Well and the relationship she has with Liam and Zoe is that she's so beautiful, my little duck🐣

And the secondary characters that give moments of laughter to the book are top, the book club was🤌🏻🤌🏻


the cliches:

✨ slow burn
🏈 american football player x accountant
❤️‍🔥 frenemies to lovers
🎀 he falls first and harder
🧸 forced proximity

This book pressed all my emotional buttons and left me contemplating my own life choices and what I would do in a similar situation. After the tragic loss of their closest friends, Liam and Zoe are thrust into the roles of co guardians to little Mira. He is not up to the task and shows his commitment issues by walking away. She on the other hand steps up. But even a grump like Liam is not immune to the sweetness that is Mira. Their journey from antagonists to friends to coparents to lovers was slow burn torture but each step took us closer to their happily ever after. This book was a keeper, I’m giving 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗢𝗙 𝗔𝗟𝗟 the judy.ann.loves.books stamp of approval, TBR and Enjoy!

Karla is always a go to author for me to pick up and read. I know I'm going to site down and thoroughly enjoy what I am reading from her and this was no exception. I love how the two complete opposites came together but it took them time to realize how meant to be they were.

We had glimpses of Liam, Zoe and little Mira in the previous book and I knew then I would loved their story.  

It was everything I had hoped it would be and more!

If you love a slow burn, grumpy-sunshine hero/heroine, forced proximity romance then this is a must read.  

Zoe and Liam are dealing with a lot, and Liam instantly retreats and leaves Zoe to look after little Mira their friends little girl.  

Eventually Liam realises it isn't fair on Zoe and pretty soon Mira has Liam wrapped around her finger!

This was a wonderful story and I loved every minute of it.