Messy Love

Precio Brothers #0.5

by Gigi Blume

This is awkward. Did I make a spectacular fool of myself in front of the most gorgeous man I've ever seen? Yes. Did it stop there? No.
Because right after I vanquish all my dignity, he decides to stop by the restaurant where I work, that teasing, sexy grin and all.
And he keeps coming back.
Is it for the tacos? The horchata? Or does he just like to make me blush until my eyes water?
If you're here for the You've Got Mail vibes, hilariously cringey meet cutes, and tacos, this adorable RomCom will keep you smiling cover to cover.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Novella, Clean Romance, Rom Com, Contemporary Romance

165 pages, ebook

About the author

Gigi is a USA TODAY bestselling author and hopeless musical theatre nerd who has perfected the art of lollygagging.

Former professional wedding singer, Gigi lives in Southern California with her personal chef...er...husband and two weird and awesome teenagers.

When Gigi's not writing like a crazy woman, she likes to belt out showtunes, embarrass her kids, and spend all her free cash on books.

Reviews

[Sabi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was nice but short. The couple could've spent more time together before their happy ever after.



Definitely better than I expected though. 3.5 stars.

[carolina ✿ · Rating 2 out of 5]

when i said quick and flirty i did not lie!

so this novella just felt like a throwback to those fanfiction wattpad days where people would post one-shots

meet bernadette, lady with a large protective family, she likes to live life in an orderly fashion but her personal life is getting in the way of that, her cousins encourage her to get on an anonymous dating app to ✨put herself out there a lil✨. in comes eugene and their (sort of) embarrassing meet cute! he’s also a software engineer (?) that works at … said dating app.

it was short and fun and kind of what i wanted? but it wasn’t memorable and predictable. until he sings which 🤦🏻‍♀️ ‘twas alright

🧥 meet cute
📲 dating app romance
🤫 secret identities
📫 you’ve got mail vibes
✌🏼 dual POV
🌶️ no spice

[mar✰ · Rating 4 out of 5]

bellos

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

if you like embarrassing meet cutes, family, Mexican food, 10 Things I Hate About You declarations, and secret identities, this one should be on your list, like yesterday

[Micah (micahs.bookshelf) · Rating 5 out of 5]

“For all the tables in all the taco joints in all the towns in all the world, Mister Convertible Driver Man sits down at mine.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Messy Love is a novella and the adorable paperback includes a bonus short story, “Messy Road Trip” and cute coloring pages in the back. The interior artwork on all the chapters was so beautiful and made my reading experience so aesthetically pleasing.

I really enjoy Gigi Blume’s writing style. This story has great You’ve Got Mail vibes and had a lot of fun chat conversations between the main characters. I love their playful back and forth.

I really love the Precio Brother’s series and this is a prequel with appearances of those characters. Bernadette is a cousin to Ignacio and Enrique and I loved seeing them from her perspective.

I love Ignacio’s restaurant, Dos Panchos, where Bernadette works. Reading about it here and in Ignacio’s book, Nacho Boyfriend will definitely have you craving delicious tacos!

I was in a bit of a reading slump after finishing thisy book and all I wanted to read was Just Amigos! This next book in the series comes out July 13th, so it’s coming! I am so excited! You don’t want to miss this series!

If you grabbed this cute novella with the Prolific Works promotion last year and have been sitting on it, pick it up and get yourself in the mood for Just Amigos. If you don’t own it, treat yourself to the pretty paperback to add to your collection.

*Thank you Gigi Blume for the gifted copy, all thoughts are my own.

[Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute novella!

[Chelsea | chelseadennreads Dennison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brief Synopsis: Bernadette hasn’t dated anyone in six years. Burned by her parents’ divorce and the toll it took on her father, she believes love is overrated. Eugene didn’t expect to fall for Bernadette but he can’t help but be intrigued by her. As their relationship develops, things get messy, and Bernadette doesn’t do messy. But could she make an exception for Eugene?

This is another free novella from the Sweet and Swoony Romance promo (seriously go to the link in my bio and download them if you haven’t already). It is also the prequel to GiGi Blume’s newest series, and the first book released last week (The Hate Zone). Honestly the plot of this was not what I expected at all! I was kinda taken by surprise and I loved it. Bernadette and Eugene probably have one of the most random awkward meet cutes ever (more so for Bernadette than Eugene; I would be mortified lol). This story was super cute and I can’t wait to dive into the series starring Bernadette’s cousins.

4⭐️
💗Clean romance

[Sarah Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book review

Messy Love by Gigi Blume

Bernadette comes from a large Mexican family and works in their restaurant. She likes things meticulously ordered, liked up neatly, non-messy. However her life has been extremely messy. Her mom left her dad for her yoga instructor, her dad is now an alcoholic and crashing on her and her cousins couches, and she is stressed to the max. Her cousin suggests she downloads an anonymous dating app to help her meet someone.

Eugene is a software designer who while eating in a Mexican restaurant one day meets a beautiful server named Bernadette and falls instantly for her. He is working on his new dating app when he is messaged by a woman who reminds him of Bernadette.

Their lives becomes co-mingled and they can’t seem to leave each other alone.

I enjoyed this sweet story which I finished in one sitting. It reads quickly and is full of meet cutes.

[LAJordan Leigh Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (0-5 scale) I kinda want to give it 5 but is that even right with a novella? 😉
Steam: 🔥 (0-5 scale) 💋

What I’m Starry-Eyed Over:
🤩 I love when authors give us a free novella &/or prequel to see if we enjoy their writing. Get Messy is available with these free Sweet and Swoony Romances:
https://claims.prolificworks.com/gg/a...
🤩 I’ve been wanting to read some @gigiblume books since I found her on bookstagram last fall.
🤩 1st person dual POV from our MCs Bernadette and Eugene.
🤩 Dating app messaging and fun.
🤩 In person banter and chemistry.
🤩 Neurodivergent heroine.
🤩 Hero takes care of her when she’s sick and in other situations.
🤩 An adorable story that just makes you smile, feel happy, and want more of the Precio family!

What I’m Wishing/Dizzy About:
💫 Gimme all the #preciobrothersseries but first Francesca (I think I read she’s the sister?!) in The Friend Act!

[Priscila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Messy Love was such a cute, sweet, funny, and quirkily charming story! I really loved getting to know both Bernadette (with her anxiety coping mechanisms and need for order) and Eugene (whom I can't thank enough that he wasn't smooth/suave all the time!). It was great seeing him fall first for her, as well as figuring out the connection with a certain user on a dating site. I really liked how he embraced all her quirks and was completely supportive of her. I liked the chats, how the dating app worked, his working in IT, as well as all the jokes and references to Mexican/Latin culture. Yes, the Spanish could use a little work/help, there are phrases/jokes that had me more cringing than laughing, but overall, it was a really enjoyable read with the perfect romantic grand gesture, and I look forward to trying out the next one in the series since it features some of the cousins that were introduced in this one. ~ 4.5 stars

[Hannah Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun introduction to Gigi Blume’s work and I hope I can read more before I meet her in February. It was full of fun, food, and flirting and it was fantastic!

Bernadette is not looking for love. Eugene sits at her table at work after seeing an embarrassing moment in her car. Then they connect on a new dating app without knowing who each other is. Can feelings develop or will secrets and fears get in the way?

Highlights:
I loved the Poirot event
Eugene taking care of Bernadette when she is sick

I love Bernadette for her quirky sense of humor. I love that she is loyal and brave.

I love Eugene for being chivalrous. I love how he is smart and how he appreciates what is real.

“Because nothing is ever not messy, Bernadette. Life is messy. Love is messy.” He tugs me forward so I’m a hair’s breadth away from his lips. “Tacos are messy, but they’re delicious just the same.”

[Camille · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bernadette was so embarrassed when the guy next to her car caught her with finger up her nose. She was so eager for the stoplight to turn green. But the truth is she just adjusting her nose piercing. Her cousins made her a dating app because they’re worried that she has no one. And now she found a man who she can talk and that man was Eugene, but Bernadette doesn’t it and Eugene know that it was her and he was falling for her.

Eugene and Bernadette met again at the restaurant. He wants to ask her out but he doesn’t want to cross the line and make her uncomfortable. He loves the food at Dos Panchos but he thinks he doesn’t have a face to show up because of how fool he makes himself. Eugene was sweet, funny and helpful.

Overall, the book is short but the story is good. It was funny and I’m in love with Eugene and Bernadette’s relationship.

[Kate (bookishkenyannerd) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bernadette's inherent need to keep everything around her in order was entertaining. Her willingness to come out of her comfort zone and try new things was wonderful.

Eugene fumbling with words at the restaurant as he talked to her made me instantly love him. I didn't expect that after the flirtatious side of him showed up at the stoplight. It was interesting. Together, they made for a beautiful couple, especially as I read on to the Messy Road Trip, a bonus short story.

Bernadette's family dynamic was also portrayed wonderfully in that some of her mannerisms were understandably so. I loved the Mexican representation in the food side of things, and her cousins' involvement in her life.

This is my second Gigi Blume read, and I loved it! Also, a moment for that cover 😍

[Violet W. · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, I want to say that this isn't Christian, and for that reason I'm not recommending it. It is "closed door", however, and so I decided to finish it. There were definitely parts I enjoyed- chief of which is the fact that the heroine has OCD. Her repositioning people's cups? Perfect, though I do it in relation to the plate, not the person. And then when she said something like, "I don't feel like I have to constantly straighten things when I'm around him, because he makes things feel right." That gave me pause, I'll tell you. What would falling in love be like for me, a perfectionist with OCD? (Rhyme not intended.)

[Anne-Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m ashamed to admit it took me fall of the books to take that it is an adaptation of one of my favorite musicals. The Anna Karennina (?) reference sealed the deal. To be a true adaptation they would have disliked each other at the beginning and the “big breakup” is more in the middle. But I get there’s not a lot of time in a novella so whatever.

I liked it better than baby you can drive my car, which I didn’t realize was related to this book until maybe 75%.

Not on the top of my game today, I guess.

[Dopra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cuando un libro tiene en la descripción que es género comedia normalmente no me hace reír, pueden llegar a ser divertidos pero muy rara vez me sacan risas. Esta novela lo hizo.
Desde la primera situación/encuentro me estaba riendo y esperando por más.
Los personajes están muy bien escritos y son congruentes, obtienes lo que ofrece, una comedia romántica, simple pero bien hecha.
Y además es gratis!.
No doy las 5 estrellas porque no tiene gran contenido pero sin duda regresaré a leer material de Gigi Blume💜💜

[Savannah M · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked Bernadette, and I felt like her fears and insecurities were very realistic. I loved how her family was there for her, but that didn’t mean there was a part of her that felt alone. Eugene was hilarious, and the way he always said the wrong thing around endearing. A few things felt a little far fetched, and I felt the ending felt a little too neat. It didn’t give me the feeling that the underlying issue was fixed. But overall, I really enjoyed this novella and I am really looking forward to reading The Hate Zone, where we get Enrique’s story.

[Maria Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a new to me author, though I do own one other story of hers. I just haven't read it yet. This one has a You've Got Mail vibe. I liked the characters individually and I always love big nosy families. The meet cute was unique but I was kind of put off by the junior high school feel of it. I did enjoy most of their second meeting since I do enjoy guys that ramble on making a fool of themselves. Overall, I think I just wasn't invested enough in the story to truly love it as some people have. I was glad they got their happily ever after though.

[Nessa (Tell the Books im Home) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gah, such a cute novella!
It's a fast read (less than two hours) and I really enjoyed it.
It's funny, upbeat, awkward, and a bit messy, like love should be.
I've read reviews that said it's "predictable" and I mean, most romance books are like that. It has a sort of "third act separation" but it's minor, so if you hate those, don't let it stop you. After all, we see it coming and know it must happen - in fact, it would be weird if it didn't.

There was a bonus short in the end and I'll be reading that next, as these two are absolutely adorable.

I love when a book is written in a way that just flows, and this one did!

[Bree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gaaaahhhh!!!

This book was soooo stinkin’ cute! I loved Bernadette and Eugene ♥️ And the way they met, absolutely hilarious and so perfect for them! Their whole relationship was so fun to watch play out. I totally understand Berna’s need for perfection cause I’m right there with her.

Anyways, if anyone is needing an incredibly addictive short read, look no further! 😆

On a side note, I just love reading about this family in general. The Hate Zone is a definite favorite of mine😏

[Tayo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this to be fine. The story never really felt grounded enough for me to feel invested in and it took a looong time to get a sense of both Bernadette and Eugene which is odd for a novella.

I thought it started off reasonably strong but just didn't go anywhere and the relationship didn't really feel earned. It was easy enough to read so 3 stars it is.

[Kimberly Sims · Rating 4 out of 5]

Messy Love is a fun “You’ve Got Mail” type story!
I loved the characters and the plot. I loved seeing Bernadette’s family and Mexican culture being a major part of the story. Bernadette and Eugene are both quirky in their own ways, but I loved seeing them get to know each other and learn to trust each other and appreciate their quirks.

This truly was an enjoyable novella!

[Evelyn V · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quirky and sweet romance that starts at a stoplight. Bernadette is a straight-laced,OCD heroine who does not believe handsome Eugene could actually like her. Through his many visits to a restaurant where she works and a spanking new dating app, Eugene convinces her to give love a chance. This book is cute and funny!

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novella was a sweet story between a shy, neat freak of a woman who works at her family’s restaurant and the cute stranger she happens to meet by chance. They reunite at the restaurant during her shift on Taco Tuesday. Shortly afterwards, we learn that Bernadette and Eugene have started chatting on a beta version of the app he’s been working on. Through the app and in person, Bernadette begins to meet the real Eugene and spend time with him.

This story was a fast and light hearted read that had me craving Mexican food from early on. I enjoyed sitting down and reading about Bernadette’s sweet, family centered daily life and the way Eugene began to pull her out of her shell a little bit and help her live life with a bit more spontaneity and take a chance. The novella was a sweet story, as was the car ride adventure short story and the coloring pages in the back of the paperback edition of this book. Many thanks to the author for an advanced copy of this story. All thoughts are my own.

Read this if you enjoy:
💛 You’ve Got Mail vibes
💛 foodie romances
💛 online dating
💛 Agatha Christie references
💛 sweet kisses

Trigger warning: alcoholic parent

[Eliana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a sweet novella, that even though is short it messed with my heart.
“I’m Eugene.”
She snorts but then clears her throat and slides her gaze to my hand.
“Sorry. I’m not laughing. Just a big Flynn Rider fan.”
I’m guessing she means the slacker guy in that Disney movie.

[Summer Naylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun, quick read. There were a lot of cute things I enjoyed about this book and the characters. However, there were just some things that bugged me, like her nose ring picking first meeting, etc. I don’t know. There were just silly parts that didn’t do it for me. But a nice little distraction just the same.

[Pascale’s*ARC,Unwind,Read,Review · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oops! I read them out of order! I didn’t realize this is the prequel to Messy Road Trip. Don’t make the same mistake I did. Read this one first. This is a very witty, clean romcom. Lots of laughs to be had.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. The banter was hilarious!!! A couple who while not good at talking or dating secretly long for love. Their unusual first and third meetings are quite comical (read the book and you will understand why I left out their second meeting). If you want to laugh out loud then you gotta read this book.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bernadette is a very quirky character. Everything in her life seems out of control so she controls the things she can to the point of OCD. Eugene is a very handsome software designer that can communicate well through text and email but in person, he's a mess. A cute fun read.

[Teddy G · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
Quick fun read!
If you love awkward couples this is perfect!
Funny
Insta love
Big family with lots of side characters maybe future stories.
I felt like it didn’t have enough to develop properly so a lot of good just felt really fast.