Genre: Romance
Rating: 5 Stars
Sora Reid is a freelance writer who doesn’t believe in going above and beyond. She’s happy to just stay where she is. She’s the odd one out in her family of go-getters from her mom, who always hints that she needs to lose weight, and her engaged sister who needs Sora to find a date for the couples dance at her perfectly planned wedding. But Sora is content to stay at home with her adorable Pitbull and avoiding her annoying neighbor.
Sora also has an immense hate for Valentine’s Day, calling it the commercial love machine. She might be feeling a bit betrayed and disappointed in men after yet another relationship failed but this year she’s taking a #GoSolo pledge and inspiring the readers of the magazine she’s writing for to join her in her pledge. Should be easy for a V-day hater like Sora right? Enter Jack Mann, the deliciously muscled baker who went to elementary school with Sora and had a not so secret crush on her. The attraction stings like a bee sting when they see each other at the local grocery store and Sora should shut it down since she’s going solo. But Jack’s pull is just too hard for Sora to ignore so will she let down her readers or fully lock down her heart so Jack can’t get at it?
There aren’t enough words in the English language for me to describe just how much I love this book. It’s my favorite kind of romance novel because it isn’t just focused on the romance between Jack and Sora. It explores complicated family dynamics with a beautiful redemption of otherwise problematic characters that made me so happy and also explores the journey of self care and self love with the most authentic journey showing the pitfalls and growth that come with this kind of journey. Plus there’s the most adorable Pitbull Larry that I just loved so much.
Oh and did I mention that Jack’s a ripped muscley man who BAKES? Sign me up right now for a man that can love every single part of you and also make a delicious sweet treat.
Sora’s #goingsolo challenge at the root was inspiring because it was a helpful reminder that we are not defined by who we love or who loves us. We don’t need a relationship with someone else to love ourselves or be content in life. Sure, it’s a nice bonus, but it shouldn’t define how we feel about ourselves. Sora’s journey with #goingsolo was also authentic because of the pitfalls she faced throughout because we’re humans that are flawed and we are bound to stumble on our journey of self discovery. Her journey was so authentic that made the character growth feel authentic and real, which made me love this book even more.
I also loved how Jack was willing to wait for Sora during her #goingsolo challenge. Even though he liked her just as she was, he cared so much about her that he wanted her to do whatever she needed to do to be ready for him. Another win in Jack’s column was so absolutely adorable he was with his family, especially his niece. Him caring so much about his brother that he gave up Valentine’s Day so his brother could romance his wife and reconnect with her after they went through their daughter being sick the year before was amazing.
If you love a Dual POV romance where he falls first, I hope you give this book a chance and love it as much as I do.
RedHeadsBooks 