seriously romantic: a charm like you by sharla lovelace

a charm like you is the last installment it seems in a series about a group of friends whose lives have been touched by a mysterious mr. bailey. (maybe it's the last, don't quote me on that. there's an air of finality about how this book ends, but there's totally room for at least one spin-off, if not more both leads have siblings who seem to need happily-ever-afters of their own.)

anyway, gabi graham has been through a lot. her ex, cheated on her, failed to make payments on her home, got his mistress pregnant and is marrying her. so when she decides to go to a divorce support group, it makes sense. She could use some support. but she gets more than she bargains when she meets this hot guy there. hot guy turns out to be her best friend's older brother. and also her business partner.

one of the more confusing things about coming into a series like this late is that some of the friend interactions are super confusing. i couldn't figure out who everyone was and how they paired up together, so this is a series where it's probably best to read from the beginning.

so, as i was saying, hot guy (real name: thatcher) is this total dreamboat of a guy. and he falls hard for our girl gabi. but gabi is just about the sex. only sex. and she and thatcher can't have it even though they want it because of all the complications. so this is the conflict. and while i enjoyed this a lot, i also felt like this book skimmed the surface of what could have been a more emotionally satisfying romance. it was too much small-town, too much magical realism, too much romantic comedy, when it could have been a book about taking a chance on love when you've given up your dreams. i mean, that is kind of there too, but it's buried underneath all the other stuff. but that was the part of the book i liked best.

**a charm like you will publish on december 25, 2018. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/kensington books (lyrical shine) in exchange for my honest review.