LOVE the asexuality rep and how it shows two different ways of being asexual. I love that Joy is comfortable with herself and lives her life according to how she wants it. ( )

Joy has been in love with Malcolm since college, but he's also her best friend. Both identify as asexual, though they express it in different ways. Now that they're in their 30s, Malcolm is strongly motivated to find a partner and start a family. Joy's not interested in having children at this point, but she's still sure that nobody could be as perfect for her as Malcolm -- why can't he see it? When she notices him planning a romantic weekend getaway, she's hoping that he's finally decided to give her a chance -- until he mentions Summer, a woman she's never met, but with whom Malcolm has become close over the past few months. Summer has invited along her own male best friend, Fox, and Malcolm asks Joy to come along to keep Fox occupied so he can have some time with Summer. Joy's hoping she can do a My Best Friend's Wedding-inspired confession during the weekend and move her and Malcolm's relationship to a romantic level -- but there are just two things that may throw a wrench in those plans: Summer. And Fox.

This was a fun, trope-y, romantic read (we've got a love triangle, fake dating, a grumpy/sunshine romance...). I love the weekend getaway setting and the ace representation. I felt like things moved quickly, but that's kind of in line with the setting and with Joy's personality. I didn't love that the story is written in present tense, but I was able to look past it, possibly because I was listening to the audiobook and the narration was very good. Recommended. ( )

Joy and Malcolm have been best friends for ten years: they went to college together, work together, and they're both asexual. But Malcolm has been in multiple relationships, while Joy has had a crush on him for ages, and he seems completely unaware despite the fact that they share everything. After his latest breakup, Malcolm's been in a funk, but this weekend - he tells Joy to clear her schedule, and he takes her along to meet Summer, his latest girlfriend. The catch? Summer's friend Fox is coming along, and Malcolm wants Joy to keep him occupied. Fox is grumpy and reserved, but convinces Joy to fake date and see if they can make Malcolm jealous. She agrees, but the setup starts to bring on feelings that are all too real.

I liked this contemporary romance with ace representation. Joy is a fun character, very secure in herself, and willing to tell it like it is, though she does get frustrated with people who assume things about her identity - like that she'd never date. The complicated feelings that she and Malcolm have for each other lasts throughout the book to the point of being a love triangle, which isn't my favorite, but also felt realistic for a close friendship that had lasted as long as theirs had. I would have liked to see more of Fox's personality fleshed out. I could see why he liked Joy, but it was less obvious what she saw in him, other than a mystery to crack. And it's written in present tense, which is not my favorite, but I managed to mostly overlook it because I liked the characters. ( )

So, I'd fallen in love with Alexis Hall, and at some point I was poking around in his goodreads profile and saw his "Romance Recommendations for Very Specific Reading Moods." It was perfect timing, because I'd really been trying to find my way back into the romance genre, and was still grasping at how to find the books I could vibe with.

Anyway, I added a few to my to-read shelf, but this was the first one I HAD to hunt down a copy of, mostly because I was excited to see ace-rep in romance.

I had such a good time with this! I was a little concerned in parts because this flirted with some DEEP pet peeves I have around the "waiting in the wings" trope, but I liked the way it was ultimately resolved. And fake dating! My favorite trope! And the grumpy cactus of a man who turns out to be ACTUALLY sweet!

I also loved that we got two ace characters who were NOT presented as broken, or as "problems" by their allo partners. In fact, the both had OTHER traits that they ACTUALLY needed to work on.

There were a few places that pushed my awkward/tense-situation fight-or-flight buttons, but overall this was refreshing and fun! ( )

It took me nearly a hundred pages to settle into this novel, which relies on some difficult tropes—a decade-long romantic miscommunication and an MC pining for a character who the reader knows is bad news. But once I accepted that our protagonist, Joy, was going to be the Queen of Bad Decisions, I found this to be a really charming grumpy/sunshine romantic comedy. Joy is a lovable and three-dimensional protagonist, the queer sensuality of the ace romance felt fresh, and the fake dating plot and beach read vibe kept me turning the pages. If you don't mind a love triangle, this one belongs on your summer reading list.