Heat Factor: HOT
Character Chemistry: The bump along grumpily until they bump along quite happily
Plot: Ingrid (not me), a driven, smart, fierce New York transplant, runs into her high school dance date from Indiana at a work mixer. Noah, in New York on his summer break in an effort to make his brewery dream a reality, is immediately drawn to his “snooty” and slightly abrasive classmate.
Overall: I spent the whole time on the edge of my seat wondering how in the heck these two memorable characters were going to pull this off.
I have a huge soft spot for really strong heroines. I don’t mean the kind that gently and gracefully make their way through sticky and stressful situations a la Grace Kelly–I mean the heroines that might make you wonder if they’re actually *likeable* if you were bothered by something like that. And they are a rare breed in romance because it’s really hard to demonstrate in a limited number of pages how a woman can be firm on her own boundaries, enjoy her independence, unwilling to play nice to make everyone else feel comfortable, and not push it into Taming of the Shrew territory. These women do not need to be tamed. They need people to either accept them with a willingness to go toe to toe, or go find some other friends. To be fair, I don’t have a ton of close friends, but most of them are like this. I always know where I stand, they always tell it to me straight, and they are always there when things get messy. (What’s up, Erin and Holly!!)
So when I discovered Ingrid (not me) in this novella was one of my people, I was sold. I loved that Noah was both respectful of boundaries and that we have here yet another example of how explicitly stated consent can be very sexy. I literally squee-ed when Ingrid (not me) firmly shooed Noah out after their first howdeedo. (She likes to sleep alone, people.) I found that both characters were pretty relatable and well-flawed. (Messy characters = interesting characters.) I loved the ending, which I won’t spoil, but I was so nervous one of these love birds would give it all up, everything, for the sake of LOVE! And you’ll just have to see what happens.
Also, I don’t generally do audiobooks because I’m a terrible, terrible daydreamer but I found this one to be clear and easy to listen to. The narrator’s voice was an absolutely perfect match for a character like Ingrid (not me).
Enjoy!
I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.
Get it now: Spotify
Note: Ten Week Turnabout is currently only available as a podcast / audiobook. We will update this space when an ebook becomes available.
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