3.5 ⭐ (Spoilers below...)
➼ Libby (25)
She's a Hollywood actress who just wanted to escape her life for a bit. Thanks to the rumors and lies that her co-star and their management have been spreading about her. She decided to visit this little town where her parents owned a house, the last place that holds memories of her late mother.
➼ Fisher (34)
He's looking after his 8-year-old niece. His brother and sister-in-law, who both passed away three years ago, named him as the guardian for their daughter, Sutton. His brother was the sheriff in town, so when he got custody of his niece, everyone figured he’d take on the sheriff role too. So, he's been living on that island for three years now, but he still keeps his job in the city as a hacker. He’s the go-to guy around here, always trying his best to help everyone out. He's really not happy here, but he feels like he can't leave because he believes Sutton would have loved growing up on this island.
➼ Story:
So they officially met because he’s going to help her move her things to the house next door—yup, they’re actually neighbors. Fisher thinks that Libby will only stay for the summer, and he doesn’t want to deal with her right from the start. He has some prejudices about her due to what he’s seen in the news and magazine outlets. He was grumpy toward her, and his responses were usually short and came off as growls. 😐
Libby was bothered by this at first, but then she realized she actually enjoys provoking him. She also sees it as a challenge, as her personality is adept at making people like her. So she thinks that she might get Fisher to like her eventually. 🤷♀️
He's the typical grump who's actually really attracted to her, even though he would prefer to ignore it. No matter how hard he tries, he just can't avoid her, and somehow, he always finds himself close to her. The sudden shift from wanting to keep his distance to wanting to stick by her side is head-scratching, ngl. 🤔
Like I said, he's hellbent not to engage with Libby because she's a "summer person," a term used for tourists who visit their island temporarily. However, after he gives her a piggyback ride—rescuing her from a scare with a spider—it's as if a complete 180 happens, and he suddenly craves more time near her. 🤔 This sudden change solidified even more when a few tourists tried to hit on Libby. He can't stand the idea of her entertaining other men, so he pushes them away. Ever since, he's made up his mind to stick with her and to get involved in her life.
I wouldn’t really say it’s a slow burn since the spice kicked in around the halfway point. Maybe it’s more like a medium burn? These two took a while to really get to know each other. Even though Fisher comes off as grumpy, he’s actually very protective of Libby all the time. And in spite of Libby keeping insisting she’s not looking for a relationship, it’s funny how she still finds herself hoping every day to run into Fisher and hang out with him and his niece. 🤭
When they're finally on the same page, they communicate most times. But ngl, when it comes to the most important conversation—which is the reason why she's on the island—this didn't happen until the later part. They could talk about everything and nothing, but Libby surely took her sweet time opening up to Fisher. He wasn't bothered by it at first, but of course, he wanted her to trust him completely so that he could protect her. Then again, if Libby opened up earlier, then we wouldn't have much of a story, no? 😅
I'm just glad that when she finally did, Fisher stood by her side and took revenge for her (not in a dark romance way, but he's a hacker, so… 🤭) They were also honest and willing to put in effort to make their relationship work. I really, really love that there's no third-act breakup or separation. We need more of this, really: couples that communicate and compromise. 🥰
As for Sutton, her and Fisher's relationship was cute. She was only eight, but with her attitude, you’d think she was eighteen. This girl is so sassy; I really love how she knows just how to play her cards with him. She definitely had her uncle wrapped around her little finger. 🤭
I really love the relationship between Sutton and Libby as well. Sutton made Libby feel welcome, and she always puts in the effort to spend time with her (even though her uncle wasn't okay with it in the beginning 😅). Sure, at first it’s because she’s a celebrity and she really likes her. But as they spend more time together, they slowly start to fall in love with each other. Their shared experience of losing their parents also brings them closer. Libby really made Sutton feel seen, and she's kind of taken on this maternal role in her life. 🥹
I love the small town aspect and the nosy locals; there's just something about it that's really charming. 😂 I like that most of them welcomed Libby, although a few did not. I think some potential storylines for the upcoming books were hinted at in this one. I'm not sure if I will read them, though.
Okaaay, I'm rambling too much. 😂 Overall, I liked it, but I feel like all the problems in Libby's life were resolved too quickly. It seems everything was tied up too neatly, and the ending felt rushed. I wanted to see more comeuppance for those people who wronged her. 😅 She's a good person who didn't deserve what happened to her, and while Fisher dealt with the villains in her story, I could have used more punishment for them. 😂
Also, I didn't like the HFN ending (epilogue and bonus ep from newsletter). I'm not a fan of marriage in real life, but I want it for my fictional characters. 🫣 I want to live vicariously through them. However, reading that they have been in a relationship for a year already and are perfectly content with their situation—without any intention of changing it anytime soon—will not do it for me. Libby even said that she's perfectly fine with calling Fisher her boyfriend, but isn't her husband much better? They mentioned the concept of "forever" and the idea of having children (from Fisher's POV), but wouldn't it be even sweeter if marriage were part of that? Anyway, that's just my personal take, but to each their own. 🤷♀️
Book info:
- Small town romance
- Age gap (9)
- Celebrity x Sheriff/Hacker
- Loss of loved one
- Mention of grooming
- Grief
- Grumpy x Sunshine
- Single parent (guardian)
- Small town shenanigans
- No cheating, real OM/OW, separation
- No V (last: h - no info, H - 2 yrs)
- No protection (h said she's on BC)
- HFN (in a relationship 🤷♀️)
Notes:
- OM. Two tourists tried to hit on Libby, but she wasn't interested. When Fisher saw them approaching her, he came to her side right away and scared off the guys. His friend (Wilder) tries to rile him up by flirting with Libby; she plays along because she knows it was just to piss off Fisher.
- OW. Fisher's late SIL's cousin couldn't get a freaking hint that he was not interested in her—not before, nor ever will. He tolerates her, I think because she's connected to his niece's parents, but that's basically it. This OW was a piece of something, and maaan, did she cause lots of trouble (but never in the MC's relationship). I wish he had been firmer in standing his ground with her and maybe even shut her down rudely, because that witch deserved it. Especially at that scene when she humiliated Libby. But then again, I partially understand why he didn't, because running after Libby and making sure she's okay was his priority. Also, this OW is nuts and delusional, so I doubt she would understand even if he talked to her.
PS. It's definitely a no for the second book. For some of the tropes, it's best friend's brother, playboy, and shy/meek teacher (and for the love of God, I hope she's not a freaking virgin, because ugh). Anyway, Maggie's been best friends with Wilder's sister, and she has a crush on him. But I don't think he ever saw her in the same way. I mean, his reputation for having different tourists every week kind of speaks for itself (gross 🤮). Maggie's aware of this; it's a small town, after all, and she has a front-row seat watching this unfold time and time again. So, in this story, Wilder hooked up with a tourist who turned out to be a total stage five clinger. In the epilogue, it was mentioned that the woman decided to extend her stay on the island, and he needed to cut her loose. But since she wouldn't get the hint, I think he resorted to fake date Maggie to push the other woman away. Anyhoo, if that's your jam, I hope you enjoy their story.
PPS. These authors are going to write a series with three single dads. I think it's MomCom in reverse. 😅