seriously romantic: cake at midnight by jessie l. star

giovanna, zoë and declan have been friends through the worst and roughest childhood years. gio's aunt aggie's homey apartment has provided them all with safe haven. and it makes sense why giovanna would fall for declan. except this isn't a friends-to-lovers story. and when declan says he doesn't feel that way about gio he means it.

except he's also a giant jerk who proceeds to take advantage of gio's feelings in the worst possible way. and when gio is forced to face his bad behavior she goes about cutting him out of her life. and suddenly the hot guy across the hall starts playing a larger role in her life than the guy who scowls and nods at her in the morning. theo has his reasons for trying to not get involved, but giovanna's warmth and sweet nature get under his skin.

and when she begins to spend time with him, he finds it's not a distraction, but rather moments to be savored to cure some of his loneliness. he has a lot of good reasons for cutting people out of his life. his family accustomed to picking at his vulnerabilities to further their art and their insatiable need for drama. everyone wants a piece of him except giovanna. but soon he starts to realize that he wants her to want him. even though he knows she's using him as a distraction from her pining for declan.

being with theo gives gio the strength to realize that she's been using declan as a crutch to keep others away. and opening her heart to theo happens almost inadvertently. and so quickly it's hard to believe it's real.

both giovanna and theo have plenty of baggage to work through, and even though they are total opposites, something about their pairing works. like cake at midnight. it might seem like a bad idea. but it's sweet and decadent and delicious.

**cake at midnight will publish on january 15, 2018. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/gallery, threshold, pocket books (pocket star) in exchange for my honest review.