So I was originally going to only review one book for y’all, but then I ended up racing through two this past weekend. And I decided BOTH were review worthy and ripe for your next pool side read sesh.
First up, “Second First Impressions” by Sally Thorne. I remember really liking her debut, “The Hating Game,” and so I was excited for this book when I got it off a library hold. The synopsis surrounds Ruthie Midona, who has devoted her young life to working at a luxury retirement villa, and Teddy Prescott, a seemingly never-serious but incredibly talented tattoo artist, who also happens to be the son of the real estate mogul who owns Ruthie’s workplace. Overall it’s a cute, quirky, opposites attract, slow burn-y kind of relationship read. But despite liking how everything wrapped up, I still have my reservations about the story.
Overall Rating: 3/5
What I Liked:
- The supporting characters are easily my favorite part of this story. The dynamics with Ruthie and her coworker and then between the two elderly women that Ruthie and Teddy befriend made me the most emotional.
- Unexpectedly there’s a little mystery that gets woven in, and it’s got a fun ending!
What I Disliked:
- I actually had a really hard time connecting with Ruthie, despite the whole book being in her POV (and she’s a PK!). I would’ve benefitted from having this be a dual POV with Teddy. Their relationship was a little confusing and hard to grasp for me for like 90% of the book.
- The ending was a little too cheesy for me, and I mean, I LOVE a nice, neat HEA, but the way everything wrapped up with Ruthie and Teddy and the main “antagonist” felt contrived and out of left field.
Ok, I saved the better for last: “The Flatshare” by Beth O’Leary! It’s a couple years old but full of British charm and lots of real life drama. We meet Tiffy Moore as she’s apartment hunting and Leon Twomey who plans to lease his flat. The two end up as flatmates but part of the (budget) agreement is that they each have the place at different times, so they never meet! They start leaving each other post-it notes around the flat, and so begins this relationship that just STUCK for me in all the right places đ
Overall Rating: 4/5
What I Liked:
- Another great cast of supporting characters; I loved the real depiction of friendship, the good and the bad, the fights and miscommunication but even better reconciliation. AND RICHIE (the brother). Best character I’ve read all year.
- Leon was not the typical hero I like to read, but he felt very real. He felt like a character from Grey’s Anatomy đ I also really appreciated the alternating writing styles when it was Leon’s POV. It was a fresh jolt in the best way!
What I Disliked:
- The main drama could be triggering for some, so TW there!
- Like with “Second First Impressions”, I didn’t personally connect with Tiffy; she reminded me a lot of Louisa from “Me Before You” but a little less bubbly? Her color coordinations were killing me a little bit lol.
So now you’ve got two new recs to add to your summer TBR and beach bag. Tell us if you end up picking these up and if you agree or disagree with our ratings!