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Note: 2-star means it was an okay read, not a dislike.

Maybe I had too high hopes. Sadly, this story did not work for me.

A Heart This Big is an overall decent book with good writing, where farm owner Nina Pellegrini and lawyer Leigh Willoughby fall in love. When a child gets injured under the supervision of Nina's twelve-year-old daughter Phoebe, the child's mother files a lawsuit against Nina. Dreading that she might have to sell the farm and risk losing the wonderful haven for underprivileged kids, Nina does everything to convince Leigh to her case pro bono. As they start working together, their mutual attraction builds. But the pair are as different as can be, and Leigh cannot date a client. Should she walk away from their growing intimacy for good, or hope that Nina's big heart will still have her after the case closes?

The premise seems good, and it was my first try on anything Blue. It was slightly disappointing that I did not enjoy A Heart This Big as I thought I would. The main issue was that I sensed Blue trying to convince me why Nina and Leigh make a good pair and what they have for each other is not merely infatuation. This opposites-attract romance ends up feeling very far-fetched because I cannot bring myself to see them together. For me, they only share physical attraction and fascination of the other being oh-so-very-different-and-out-of-comfort-zone.

Throughout the story, the characters sometimes acted inconsistently for little reason. I tend to wonder if they were still the same people. Plus, the whole lawsuit and its aftermath did not make much sense either. I cannot connect with the characters. And since I enjoy character-driven more than plot-driven books, it is highly unlikely for me to enjoy a story if the characters failed to capture my interest. I regret to say A Heart This Big is one of those books.

Another thing that kind of irks me was how the characters treat the idea of helping others. From the title, we learn that Nina has a "big heart" because her farm is dedicated to helping the local community. I love that most characters acknowledge their own privilege to a degree and spend their resources on making the lives of people around them better. Still, everything feels a lot like "charity" from the delivery and response, and though I am sure it was not meant to read like so, I cringe inwardly whenever I see an inkling of superiority oozing.

I don't know if I'm making sense, but I struggle with conveying this idea every time. Like when my family claims buying produce at a local market is "helping" the more "unfortunate" people instead of seeing it as supporting the locals while acquiring fresher food. I am touchy about subjects like this when people see the surface and do not understand the full cause behind things.

That being said, I would still love to read other books by Blue. I have no regrets for trying this one. And if you enjoyed this farm story, Veterinary Partner by Nancy Wheelton has a similar plotline that you might like, too.

I received an e-ARC from Ylva Publishing in exchange for an honest review.