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3.5 Stars

Overall Opinion: I feel like this deja vu for me in regards to how I felt about the first book, Idol. I LOVED the first part of this book! I loved the witty banter, the chemistry, the grumpy hot H and the awkward funny h! I was on my way to having a 5 star read!

Then, sadly, it fizzed out. I got antsy about waiting for them to actually get together. While I loved their friendship and their banter, I just wanted them to get it on ;)! It took until 73% for them to kiss for the first time!!!! I am definitely not a fan of instalove. I need to feel their connection before the "L" word starts being thrown around (even in inner dialogue). BUT I also am not a fan when the "slow burn" is too slow! I need a good balance, and unfortunately because I didn't feel like this was properly balanced it lost me. I don't need them to get frisky right off the bat in a book for me to like it, but I just didn't understand why they weren't giving in to their feelings here. It became frustrating to me, and I started to feel the itch to skim. I didn't! I stayed with it, but I really was ready for them to start up an actual relationship.

I also was extremely frustrated with the "drama" that was thrown in at around the 85ish% mark. It felt like drama for the sake of drama, and it honestly just made me upset with the h. I know that the H was the one that we probably are supposed to feel "messed up" (because he is the one that made the big effort to make-up), but the h was bordering on that tstl line for me with her behavior. I loved her otherwise! I was just really bummed with how she reacted and didn't fully trust the H and the relationship they had to be honest. I know that I am usually harder on the hs than I am on the Hs, so that might just be the case here.

I also wanted more! I wanted to see their HEA!! I wanted a farther jump ahead epilogue to see them with a family and settled down like Sophie had said was all she really wanted in life. While the epilogue was cute, it just didn't leave me with that feeling of fulfillment.

Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Sophie and Gabriel's story. They meet on a international flight when they are seated together in first class. They quickly engage in some fun banter and have an instant attraction, but they eventually figure out that Sophie is on her way to interview for a job with the band Gabriel manages. They end up working together and forming an strong friendship where both of them help each other out, and much to everyone's surprise Gabriel lets Sophie in to see the real him. They spend more time together, and the line between friends becomes really blurred and they fall in love. There are some laugh out loud moments, some sexy times, some sweet moments, and a little drama...but they do get a HFN ending.

POV: This alternated between Sophie and Gabriel's POV.

Overall Pace of Story: Great for the first half, but then I struggled with it. It is my biggest complaint tbh. I never skimmed though.

Instalove: No, but instalust and instant connection.

H rating: 5 stars. Gabriel. I loved him! I loved how protective and loyal he was to those he loved. I loved how he was with Sophie, and his inner dork.

h rating: 3.5 stars. Sophie. I loved her until she decided to keep something from the H close to the end.

Sadness level: Low. Never needed any tissues.

Push/Pull: Yes (view spoiler)[The H pushes away because he's never had a relationship before, and when they get in a fight. The H is the main pursuer of the relationship though. (hide spoiler)]

Heat level: Moderate. They take a long time to get there, but once they do they have good chemistry and scenes.

Descriptive sex: Yes

Safe sex: Yes (view spoiler)[ Condoms are used, and birth control and std statuses are discussed. I don't remember any mention of previous practices. (hide spoiler)]

OW/OM drama: Yes, but mild (view spoiler)[There is an ex of the h that shows up and causes some drama, but mainly because he is paparazzi not because he is her ex. (hide spoiler)]

Sex scene with OW or OM: No

Cheating: No

Separation: Not really (view spoiler)[ Closest is a day (maybe?), and there was no mention or suggestion of other partners during that time. (hide spoiler)]

Possible Triggers: Yes, but pretty mild (view spoiler)[ Suicide attempt of friend, loss of a parent (past tense), and fighting. (hide spoiler)]

Closure: This had ok closure with a jump ahead epilogue. I would call it a HFN ending, but others might be fine with calling it a HEA (view spoiler)[They get engaged (hide spoiler)]. Being the greedy girl I am, I wanted more!

How I got it: I paid the $3.99 on Amazon for it.

Safety: This one should be Safe for most readers.
(view spoiler)[
- Does Not have cheating
- Does Not have a descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
- Does have the H pushing the h away
- Does Not have a separation between the h and H
- Does Not have abuse
- Does Not have OTT sad parts
- Does Not have a HEA ending (hide spoiler)]