Charlotte Stein

Connie has a deep distrust of Nice Guys, as her experience has shown that they're only "nice" when they're getting what they want. Hence, her skepticism about her too-good-to-be-for-real neighbor Beck, who has a moustache, and wears suspenders, and gives her pies, and says things like "Golly gosh!" when he is perturbed. He's got to be too good to be true, right? Her suspicions are confirmed one day when she accidentally sees into his apartment, which looks like some kind of conspiracy show more theory/serial killer den. His explanation is that he's painted himself into a corner at work by pretending that he is married, because the workplace bully implied that there must be something wrong with him if he wasn't. When Constance meets said bully at a party, she impulsively announces that she is Beck's wife. One small problem: Beck is organizing the writer's retreat that she is scheduled to attend, so now she'll have to go as Beck's wife, or leave him to even more ridicule from the bully. As she gets to know him better, she begins to believe that Beck might, in fact, be just as wholesome as he appears, and that's... kind of hot. And, of course, there's Only One Bed.

I'm pretty sure that this started out as Ted Lasso fanfic, because that's Beck's personality right down to the moustache and baked goods. He's also supposed to be American, though as I was reading, I wasn't sold on his dialogue being entirely convincingly American. It also causes a plot hole, because if Connie was his wife from America, wouldn't she have an American accent? But it never comes up. Anyhow, this cute plot is mostly a framework for a lot of spiciness -- more than I was expecting, though that's on me, not the book. There's also the weird detail that Connie is not her real name, so as Beck's wife she goes by Hazel, which is her real name. I'm wondering if this was explained in the author's previous book, where she appears as a side character, because otherwise it just seems like an odd complication. My main issue with the book is that Beck is too perfect to have never had so much as a girlfriend -- he's kind, respectful to women, a good cook, holds a steady job, and is 6'5" (and is attracted to curvy women) -- and nobody he's dated has stuck around long enough to get to know him? I call shenanigans. But hey, he is a perfect cinnamon roll of a character, and this is not the type of romance novel where reality needs to intrude all that much. If you like a sweet and spicy love story where the characters are super nice to each other (the main misunderstandings come from personal image issues, which affect both of them in different ways), then this is the book for you. Despite my quibbles, I found it a fun and fast read. show less

Let me start out by saying just how much I love this author. She writes body positivity and overall acceptance so well and so seamlessly and naturally, it's like each story has this wonderful extra layer of comfort. This story was no different, and it was clever and creative with a large dose of yearning as well as a fair amount of open-door steam. Nancy and Jack were fantastic together, and Jack was ridiculously endearing (like a grizzly bear existing on a steady diet of cinnamon rolls). show more This book is the second in a series, but it works fine as a standalone. I actually liked this book better than the first one, I think partly because I liked these two a lot more than I liked Cassie and Seth, but also because this story seemed to be a lot more fun. The emotional complexity was there in the characters and in the plot, making this such a satisfying read. There was a surprising amount of sweetness to the story, more than I was expecting (and more than some of the pivotal plot points might suggest). I do like the way this book unfolded, although the pacing felt a little uneven at times. I think if you like your supernatural opposites-attract love stories with a dose of peril (and a decent amount of humor), this is the book for you! I'm looking forward to the next book in the series, and so should you. :) Publishes October 7, 2025. This review was based on a complimentary eARC of the book, all opinions are my own. show less

It's nuts, because I loathe YA, and NA is barely any better. And nothing makes me feel more disconnected from characters than teenage-type banter. But this book fucking wrecked me. Some of that is because I am depressed, but a lot of that is the intense mixture of heart-wrenching angst and panty-melting sexual heat. The sex scenes in this book turned me on harder than any porn I have ever seen, and more than a lot of the actual sex I've had, sad to say. The sexual tension between the main show more characters is brilliant, with one minor caveat: I had already accepted that after they finally went All The Way, I was going to loose some of the vicarious lust I was feeling, which always happen when a drawn-out romance is finally consummated. But I just could not buy the whole virgin thing. I mean, sorry, 6'5 gorgeous athletic dudes with giant cocks get LAID. They just DO. Sure, some girls might shy away at the prospect of a bruised cervix, but, come on. I just couldn't get behind that part. And the angst, oh the angst, it's everything I want in an insecure, chubby, traumatized heroine book. Every part of it, the whole way through, had me twisted up with emotional and sexual tension. It reminded me of my first Charlotte Stein book, [b:Curve Ball|17280760|Curve Ball (Away We Go, #1)|Charlotte Stein|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1440678900l/17280760._SY75_.jpg|23898749], which is also a recurring read. Something about bully/tormenter-turned-lover of chubby girls paired with Stein's clever dialogue (sometimes too clever really; it's like BtVS: no one is just constantly adept at witty banter in every sentence, it's ridiculous, but really it's ok, because I love the writing and characters). Gah, so good.

Well, looks like I'm off to methodically pour over everything Stein's ever written for similar storylines. show less

I enjoyed this but I feel like every time I read this trope I must make this PSA:

If somebody is treating you like shit because they "love" you, RUN. They don't actually love you.

A person who responds to rejection by treating you like hot garbage is a dildobrain.

Body-shaming and slut-shaming are not reasonable responses to you turning down a date. Even if they don't really mean it. Even if they are really hot.

Someone systematically destroying your sense of self-worth because you hurt their show more feelings, (but really, they were covering the fact that they totally had the hots for you) is not actually a human being but a sack of monkey shit disguised as a person. Do not forgive them. Definitely do not give them kisses.

This ends the PSA.

But for real, the only reason this was any good was because it seemed like Tate had made a genuine change. Mostly. He was definitely still in recovery, but I bought it. show less