fake dating

Tough Cookie

Happy Thursday! Smartypants season kicks off today!

I really enjoyed this opposites attract fake dating romance. Tough Cookie is the third standalone in the Donner Bakery series, this one between Noah and Carla.

Stunt man Noah has returned home to Green Valley to recuperate from an injury suffered on this most recent film, where he runs into Carla, the reclusive woman who is renting a house from his mother. Noah’s mom is on his case to settle down and give her grandbabies, so Noah proposes that he and Carla hang out while she’s in town to fool his mom. Carla has been isolated while dealing with a debilitating illness, and she decides to let Noah help her ease her way back into the real world 🤝

I really enjoyed these characters, separately and together. Noah is an easy going, flirtatious cinnamon roll of a man, skilled both in stunt work and the art of cookie decorating. Carla is much more reserved, an extremely organized woman who’s life now revolves around treating her illness and work.  Both have bad experiences in their past so they promise not to fall for each other during their arrangement, which of course never works.

They had really excellent banter, it made me laugh out loud multiple times. There were immediate sparks between them and I loved how their romance felt natural, despite the short time frame. 

It was quick reading for me, I basically read it in one sitting and was kind of bummed when it was over! I really enjoyed this one.  Though this takes place in the Penny Reid universe you can read it as a complete standalone.

Yours Truly

Yours Truly is out in one week! 🙌🏻 I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review and I’m so glad I did because this is one of the easiest five stars I’ve ever given (and I am stingy with 5s).  

Every Abby Jimenez book I read is my new favorite, but I really think this one is my favorite favorite. The author has such an incredible way of balancing humor and emotional elements, I know every time that I will be laughing and crying within the same page. 

This is Bri’s book, who we met in Part of Your World (but this can 100% be read as a standalone), and Jacob, the new ER doctor who seems to be in competition for a promotion Bri is seeking. They have a terrible start to their relationship, but that quickly turns around when Bri receives a letter from Jacob, who is better at arranging his thoughts on page than verbally. The epistolary elements here were some of my favorite parts of this, they were so funny and heartfelt without stopping the flow of the story.

I love that these were adults dealing with adult issues. Yes, there is some miscommunication happening, but for the most part they were mature adults who were just doing the best they could when life didn’t turn out like they expected. Bri is recently divorced from her husband of a decade, her best friend moved away, and her brother is in kidney failure needing a transplant. Jacob’s recent ex-girlfriend is marrying his brother and his whole family is looking at him for his reaction. I think this book will give a lot of hope to readers whose lives also didn’t turn out as expected. 

I also especially loved the mental health aspects of the book. Mental health rep is never a one-size fits all endeavor because we of course all experience things differently but I have never seen such an accurate representation of MY anxiety as I did in this book. I am Jacob. He is me. I have never related to a MMC so much, or really any character. 

Thank you to Abby for writing this and thank you to Forever for publishing it. The author’s note at the end really adds another dynamic layer to the story. 

CW: miscarriage (past), anxiety, panic attacks