In a Jam

When I saw the run-time of this book, my first thought was, wow, that's a long book. I don't know that a contemporary romance of that length will keep me engaged for the duration. I've never been happier to be proven wrong. This grumpy-sunshine/ single dad/ second chance/small-town romance was everything I didn't know I needed in my life. It was captivating and sweet. Funny and compelling. Emotional and uplifting. The whole package. If I could give this book more than five stars, I would.

Not only was the storytelling on point, but the narration too. I loved how Kate Canterbary wrote this story and these characters. The moments they shared. The positivity. Whether that be in how they handled Gennie. The way they compromised when Shay admitted to not liking a certain act (trying not to get banned here) or that the people around them supported them in a wonderful way. It was all so captivating.

Shay is vulnerable but still the sunshine in everyone's lives. Even after she gets left on her wedding day, she pushes through and opens her heart to Noah and Gennie, even if she thinks it has an expiration date. Her willingness to open her heart, all while beating herself, was so endearing. I just loved her.
Noah is grumpy and shy and a dirty-talking alpha in the bedroom. His love knows no bounds. And let's not get started on his term of endearment—wife. swoon He was playing for keeps. The way he is with Gennie will melt your heart. I just fell for him hard. No regrets.
Speaking of Gennie, yes, she is getting her own little write-up. This little pirate stole my heart. She has experienced so much trauma in her short years, and her coping mechanisms are unconventional but endearing, to say the least. She had me laughing throughout this story...and crying too.

Kit Swann and Jason Clarke were all the things in this dual narration. Both were so compelling as their respective characters. Add in their portal of Gennie, and I was done for. Single dad Jason may be my favourite type of Jason performance, but then we also get grumpy Jason too. What is not to like? His kid voice was on point. And, of course, he made me feel all the feels. There is one scene where he is voicing both Noah and Gennie that was extremely emotional, and I ended up crying with them on the school run. If any parents avoid me now, it'll be because I'm the weird cryer on the way to school.
Kit Swann was perfection as Shay. The way she conveyed Shay's vulnerability whilst still being the sunshine to Noah's grumpy was just fantastic. How Kit voiced Shay when she was finally admitting her feelings had me in tears. Unfortunately, now my child knows I wasn't actually watching Numberblocks with him and was listening to my audio. But it was worth it.
Jason and Kit's voices really complement each other, and I would love to hear them paired up more frequently. Plus, they both have excellent opposite-sex voices.

And a friendly reminder, this is why we need human voices. They make the difference in these emotional scenes. It's not just the words but the performance these voice actors bring to the production. Thank you, Kit and Jason, for bringing all the feels.

 “She was beautiful in a way that overwhelmed me, though it wasn't just her face, her body. She was a sunbeam through a storm cloud.”
Synopsis
Elementary school teacher Shay's life implodes - she gets jilted at the alter then her step-grandma dies and leaves her the family tulip farm. Grandma's will has a catch - Shay has to live on the farm and operate it for a year and be married before she can inherit it fully. She takes the opportunity to take a break from life and visit the farm and small town she spent her teenage years on. In the years since she left, her high-school friend Noah has also moved back, inherited the farm next door and become the lone guardian to his swearing, pirate-obsessed niece. He offers to help Shay fulfil the ‘be married' part of the will in exchange for her tutoring his niece and an interest in her land. No other reasons, honest.

“The marriage was fake. The attraction to my future husband...that was all too real.”
Tropes & Themes

• Marriage of convenience
• Friends-to-lovers
• Forced proximity
• He falls first
• He falls harder
• It's always been you
• Single-parent/guardian
• Grumpy x sunshine

“I felt like I'd been waiting a very long time for someone who knew how to shatter me and also wanted to pick up all the pieces. And I felt an unpleasant sense of relief in discovering that person was my husband.”

Diversity & Representation

• Plus-sized protagonist
• Neurodivergent supporting character (child)
• Bisexual & poly supporting character

“It was awesome to get everything I'd ever wanted only for my wife to remind me on a daily basis that it wasn't real and wouldn't last. Fucking awesome.”

My Thoughts

• Everything I have ever wanted in a contemporary romance novel. My top romance tropes are tied together with a respectful but filthy cinnamon-roll man who worships the FMC (it's always the quiet ones).
• Maybe it's because of my husband, but nothing melts my heart more than the guy that's been quietly in love with the FMC for years but not in the toxic Nice Guy™ way.
• Is the the-will-says-you-have-to-marry clause a bit ridiculous and unbelievable? Sure, and even the MMC acknowledges this but is happy to go along with it.
• Noah Barden, yes please.
• If you love the Chestnut Springs series (especially Heartless), I am confident you will love this also.
• Shay is plus-sized, but aside from maybe two brief, off-hand mentions of dieting for her wedding to her ex, her size is only referred to positively or neutrally and never a plotline - this is the sort of plus-size rep we need and want!
• Lovely healthy, non-toxic friendships and romantic relationship.
• Lots of slice-of-life small-town, farm and farmer's market moments.
• I died in a puddle of melted feels at not only the realisation Noah kept every note she wrote him in school but that he named his business after the way she signed her name and her nickname for him 😍

“I was half hard and fully obsessed with her.”

re-read august 2023
This is my comfort read. My favourite 5-star favourite. I never stop thinking about Noah and Shay - I love them to pieces.

***

Noah and Shay have my heart. Sweet little Gennie is a fire cracker and so funny.

The fact that Noah called them high school sweethearts made my heart soar. Noah is such a hot farmer dad and I'm so here for it. He is so shy on the outside but in the bedroom he is a force, and dominant and SO SEXY.