Review by Booklist Review
When Darcy Barrett and her twin brother, Jamie, inherit their grandmother's dilapidated cottage, there is only one person they'll trust to renovate and flip it for them their childhood best friend, Tom Valeska, who owns a fledgling building company. Darcy is only too happy to spend her days side-by-side with Tom as they tackle the renovations, and sparks fly as their long-suppressed attraction proves impossible to ignore. Complicating the matter are their individual relationships with Jamie, Darcy's history of fleeing commitment, and Tom's insecurity about his role within the Barrett family. Thorne (The Hating Game, 2016) has crafted a romance that is equal parts funny, heartfelt, and steamy and adeptly balances Darcy's fledgling romance with Tom, her fraught relationship with her twin, and her stalled career as a photographer. Darcy is an appealingly flawed heroine whose bawdy internal monologue will have readers laughing and swooning right along with her. Hand this to fans of Sophie Kinsella and Christina Lauren, who will savor this compulsively readable romantic comedy.--Martha Waters Copyright 2018 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Thorne (The Hating Game) pours just the right amount of boy next door meets rebel girl into this slow-burn romance. Darcy Barret has always been in the shadow of her twin brother, Jamie, and when it comes to Jamie's best friend, Tom Valeska, Darcy is sure she only has 1% of his heart. The three have been friends since Tom got locked out of his house and turned up on Jamie's doorstep when they were eight. Darcy knew from the moment she met him that Tom was special, and has spent 18 years nursing her unrequited crush on him, which is made all the more painful when he gets engaged to his girlfriend, Meg. When Tom arrives unexpectedly to head the remodeling of Darcy's deceased grandmother's house, Darcy can't help but fall for him all over again. Then Tom confesses that he and Meg have broken up, and Darcy decides this is her chance to win the other 99% of his affections. Their sexual chemistry is hard to ignore, and Darcy's snarky comebacks are the highlight of this novel. The mounting drama leaves a little to be desired, as Darcy and Jamie's sibling rivalry, Darcy's inability to stay in one place, the house remodel, Tom's struggling mother, and Darcy's heart problem at times distract from the central plot. However, fans of Thorne's previous work are sure to enjoy the witty dialogue and gradual friends-to-lovers tug-of-war. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
If traveling is an escape mechanism for avoiding your twin, career, parents, and the only man you've ever loved, Darcy Barrett takes first prize. But when her passport up and vanishes, she might be forced finally to deal with her heart. The first half of this modern romance features a lot of slow character development. Darcy is edgy, gritty, and totally disregarding of her health issues, while her connections to others aren't clear until almost a third of the way through the novel. There are also a lot of f-bombs and repetitive interior monologs that focus on her alcoholic tendencies and immature self-loathing. The chemistry between Darcy and Tom Valeska is torrid, while the sex is not gratuitously thrown in too early. The second half of the novel becomes more apparent (and exciting). Darcy's and Tom's lives diverged-the dual paths winding and unrelenting-until growth, maturity, and life circumstances guided them back together. VERDICT A slow-burning contemporary romance; fans of Thorne's fabulously descriptive writing (The Hating Game), complete with snark and delicious metaphors, might enjoy the author's sophomore novel as well...if they can hang on through the first half.-Kat Landry Mueller, Sam Houston State Univ., Huntsville, TX © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
