So. Good.

This book was truly addicting. Not only are the characters so loveable and charming, the plot was too much fun and I could not put this book down. Cannot wait to read the second book! ( )

Meet FMC #1 - Jane. High powered real estate developer by day, secret romance author by night. She feels trapped by her family expectations to be a part of the family business, but is finally going towards a time when she might be able to write full time and live her dream. Jane is introverted and quiet, but she also has a loving heart and is willing to get out of her comfort zone to give her feelings for Rosie a chance.

Meet FMC #2 - Rosie. After losing her mother, she takes over their beloved bookstore in Manhattan's Upper East Side. Then one day she gets a letter saying that the building has been sold to a developer and she needs to move by the end of the year to make way for new luxury condos. Little does she know that the same woman who sent the letter from the developer is also the secretive romance writer she's been talking to online for months. Could sparks fly, or will her resentment dump water on the flame before it can be properly lit?

⭐️⭐️/5
🌶/4

**Plotline note** - the first 1/3 of the book was HEAVILY influenced by You've Got Mail. Luckily the secret correspondents are revealed to each other by about 30% in so we don't have to keep constantly comparing to the existing / known story but it had me worried for a while. I was mildly concerned with the level of plot / detail sharing the author was using until she finally veered off into original plotline territory, mainly from a legal / IP perspective. If that kind of heavy plot sharing from other works bothers you, (not just tropes or general retellings but exact plotlines and even some character names), this might not be the book for you. It was a little jarring for me and until the revelation happened, and I found myself checking for the various movie plot points at every turn instead of just letting the story progress naturally.

**Spoilers Ahead **

I took a break from the book at 60% to mark down my feelings on the Rosie / Jane dynamic at this point so I can refer back later:

Rosie is saying that she's going to move on from her resentment of Jane over the whole "developers are kicking you out of your store" letter... but she still hasn't really acknowledged that it wasn't Jane's fault. Jane was just the messenger, and while Rosie is saying she wants to move on, it just sounds like she's trying to brush it under the rug instead of actually dealing with it head on and absolving Jane of her guilt in the role she unintentionally and unwillingly played in the whole situation. Rosie treats it as something she has to get past or get over, instead of something she can and should forgive, ESPECIALLY when she learns more about Jane and her actual role in the whole process. Not to mention, Jane is going out of her way to use her connections to try and help Rosie find a new space. It just seems like Rosie is missing the plot here. She's focusing on her attraction to Jane to drown out her resentment, instead of seeing Jane as a whole person who is worthy of forgiveness... especially for things that weren't her fault. I have a feeling that resentment Rosie is attempting to squash down will flare up in an ugly way before the book is over.

**Thoughts after Finishing - with spoilers**

As I predicted at 60%... Rosie continued to hold onto her resentment without dealing with it for all but the last 10 pages before the epilogue. In the end they had to go their separate ways (oh fun, a third act breakup) for a while in order to figure out what they really wanted and make their next steps independently. Only then could they actually be together. My one issue with this was that the entire time... this could have been avoided with communication, personal accountability, and taking time to look inside themselves... instead of just trying to get into each other's pants.

Jane had to finally commit to leaving her family job to be a full time writer. This was hard for her but was the choice she knew she had to make and one she knew would make her happy. Rosie had to finally remember that she was one of many small businesses in her neighborhood that she and her mother had known for... her entire life.... and reach out to her own network to find a new place for the store instead of using any contacts from Jane. Any time the bookstore and Jane's family business crossed paths it was a disaster. So instead of doing those things while also communicating together about what they needed... they had to break up to be clear headed enough to make those choices. This just... doesn't track for me and made me more annoyed than understanding about their situations.

I'm happy they got their HEA but... the drama level of that third act breakup and the number of pages left at the end for them to figure it out was.... rushed.

I've heard good things about this Author but this particular book wasn't my fav. I already have book 2 in the duet / series so I'll give that a go and see if my feelings toward the author improve. ( )

LOVE LOVE LOVE ( )

I was lucky enough to win this in a giveaway by the author and I’m so happy that I did! This is actually my first book by Rachel Lacey, but it certainly won’t be my last. This was a super sweet sort of romantic comedy kinda vibe that had a lot of tropes and elements that I love, with some wonderful characters to boot. Absolutely enjoyable and I’m very glad to add it to my real life shelf. ( )