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Donovan Family #1
So That Happened
I spent the night with a hot, grumpy stranger in an airport hotel.
No, not like that. Get your mind out of the gutter. It was just sleeping. And… maybe a little cuddling.
Long story short, I embarrassed the heck out of myself. But at least I never have to see him again.
Except the universe is clearly out to get me, because Monday morning, I arrive at my new job and who’s the first person I see?
Hot stranger himself: Liam Donovan.
AKA my new boss.
AKA Annie, you are so freaking screwed.
While the HR rulebook doesn’t explicitly say you can’t share a bed with your boss, I can read between the lines. And I need this job.
Which is why I have to pretend that night never happened. Luckily for me, sexy as Liam—excuse me, Mr. Donovan—is, he’s surly, rude and totally not my type.
Or so I keep telling myself.
Because I’m starting to think there’s a warm, gooey cinnamon roll with extra frosting lurking beneath that impressive, muscular form.
I promised I’d never choose between my career and love.
But when a scandal threatens to break, that promise could prove impossible to keep…
So That Happened is a laugh-out-loud funny, swoony, closed door romantic comedy. Expect some mild language and suggestive jokes coupled with tons of chemistry and tension, but no explicit scenes.
No, not like that. Get your mind out of the gutter. It was just sleeping. And… maybe a little cuddling.
Long story short, I embarrassed the heck out of myself. But at least I never have to see him again.
Except the universe is clearly out to get me, because Monday morning, I arrive at my new job and who’s the first person I see?
Hot stranger himself: Liam Donovan.
AKA my new boss.
AKA Annie, you are so freaking screwed.
While the HR rulebook doesn’t explicitly say you can’t share a bed with your boss, I can read between the lines. And I need this job.
Which is why I have to pretend that night never happened. Luckily for me, sexy as Liam—excuse me, Mr. Donovan—is, he’s surly, rude and totally not my type.
Or so I keep telling myself.
Because I’m starting to think there’s a warm, gooey cinnamon roll with extra frosting lurking beneath that impressive, muscular form.
I promised I’d never choose between my career and love.
But when a scandal threatens to break, that promise could prove impossible to keep…
So That Happened is a laugh-out-loud funny, swoony, closed door romantic comedy. Expect some mild language and suggestive jokes coupled with tons of chemistry and tension, but no explicit scenes.
First published June 3, 2022
2421 people are currently reading
17936 people want to read
About the author
Katie Bailey
11 books2,327 followersKatie Bailey is an Amazon top 25 bestselling author of rom coms with relatable characters and tons of chemistry. Her aim with every new love story she writes is to give readers a good laugh, maybe even a bit of a cry, but definitely leave them with a new book boyfriend.
When she’s not busy writing, Katie spends her time chasing twin tornado littles, cursing the cold Canadian winters she endures each year, chugging coffee by the bucketload, and crushing on her husband, who’s the real life inspiration behind all of the fictional men she’s written.
You can connect with Katie on Instagram @authorkatiebailey
When she’s not busy writing, Katie spends her time chasing twin tornado littles, cursing the cold Canadian winters she endures each year, chugging coffee by the bucketload, and crushing on her husband, who’s the real life inspiration behind all of the fictional men she’s written.
You can connect with Katie on Instagram @authorkatiebailey
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,108 reviews
June 14, 2022
THE SLOW BURN UGH EVERYTHING WAS PERFECTIOK I CANNOT
May 21, 2024
4.25⭐
Genre ~ romantic comedy
Series ~ Donovan Family #1
Setting ~ not sure
Publication date ~ June 3, 2022
Est Page Count ~ 358
Audio length ~ 9 hours 31 minutes
Narrators ~ Melissa Moran and Jason Keller
POV ~ dual 1st
Featuring ~ grumpy/sunshine, opposites attract, forced proximity, one bed, office romance, boss/employee, slow burn, no steamage
Annie & Liam
I thought these two were great! There were some funny moments that I actually laughed out loud about and I rarely do that. OMG when he was singing to One Direction ~ what a hoot!!
Most of the side characters were great, except there's always a few of course. Liam was the perfect doting uncle to Legs and she was a great addition to the story. Speaking of Legs I am glad that Annie didn't have to wait too long to get clued in on who she was. I was afraid that was going to take ages and make me mad, but nope all good. In fact, there was really no conflict between them, which is rare.
So I tagged this one as an office romance ~ boss/employee, but there technically wasn't much going on in their relationship when they worked together.
I love how the grand gesture was as adorable as the meet cute. I'd be really interested in reading more from Katie in the future.
Narration notes:
Jason's voice was great for Liam, but I wasn't a super big fan when he did other impressions, even males. He gave proper emotion when he was talking about his mom though. I don't have any complaints about Melissa's narration.
*Thanks to Dreamscape Media, Katie Bailey and NetGalley for my audio copy. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Connect with me ➡ Blog ~ Facebook ~ Twitter
Genre ~ romantic comedy
Series ~ Donovan Family #1
Setting ~ not sure
Publication date ~ June 3, 2022
Est Page Count ~ 358
Audio length ~ 9 hours 31 minutes
Narrators ~ Melissa Moran and Jason Keller
POV ~ dual 1st
Featuring ~ grumpy/sunshine, opposites attract, forced proximity, one bed, office romance, boss/employee, slow burn, no steamage
Annie & Liam
I thought these two were great! There were some funny moments that I actually laughed out loud about and I rarely do that. OMG when he was singing to One Direction ~ what a hoot!!
Most of the side characters were great, except there's always a few of course. Liam was the perfect doting uncle to Legs and she was a great addition to the story. Speaking of Legs I am glad that Annie didn't have to wait too long to get clued in on who she was. I was afraid that was going to take ages and make me mad, but nope all good. In fact, there was really no conflict between them, which is rare.
So I tagged this one as an office romance ~ boss/employee, but there technically wasn't much going on in their relationship when they worked together.
I love how the grand gesture was as adorable as the meet cute. I'd be really interested in reading more from Katie in the future.
Narration notes:
Jason's voice was great for Liam, but I wasn't a super big fan when he did other impressions, even males. He gave proper emotion when he was talking about his mom though. I don't have any complaints about Melissa's narration.
*Thanks to Dreamscape Media, Katie Bailey and NetGalley for my audio copy. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Connect with me ➡ Blog ~ Facebook ~ Twitter
December 3, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ -Audiobook
Annie reminds me so much of my adult daughter Kendra and Allegra reminds me of Kendra when she was younger, right down to the Justin Bieber concert. Oh yeah. My girls were Beliebers. They were also 1D fans. They saw them in concert at MetLife Stadium back in 2014 and this past September we went to see Harry Styles at MSG. Needless to say, this was a very entertaining, enjoyable, and nostalgic read for me!! If you’re a Harry Styles fan you’ll like this book for that reason alone, I think.
Trope: Grumpy/Sunshine or Forbidden Love
Spice Rating: 🌶️ No sex, but some sexual tension.
*Pew Pew*
Annie reminds me so much of my adult daughter Kendra and Allegra reminds me of Kendra when she was younger, right down to the Justin Bieber concert. Oh yeah. My girls were Beliebers. They were also 1D fans. They saw them in concert at MetLife Stadium back in 2014 and this past September we went to see Harry Styles at MSG. Needless to say, this was a very entertaining, enjoyable, and nostalgic read for me!! If you’re a Harry Styles fan you’ll like this book for that reason alone, I think.
Trope: Grumpy/Sunshine or Forbidden Love
Spice Rating: 🌶️ No sex, but some sexual tension.
*Pew Pew*
August 4, 2024
✩ 2.65 stars ✩
“Vulnerability is not about winning or losing, it's about having the courage to show up even when you can't control the outcome.”
What to Expect:
➼ Forced Proximity
➼ Opposites Attract
➼ Workplace Romance
➼ Grumpy x Sunshine
➼ Enemies-to-Lovers
➼ One Bed (Zero Action)
➼ Clean Romance
➼ Dual POV
This author has some great ideas, but her writing style and execution consistently miss the mark for me. This had a strong start but my interest quickly waned after the initial “meet cute.” The MC’s have a working relationship (boss/employee), but I didn’t feel any real tension between them despite the “forbidden” quality attached to their interest in each other. The “forbidden love” trope was just sitting there on a silver platter waiting for this author to use it to create a sexy rapport between these two characters. Their defined roles and boundaries would have made it easy to build that much needed spark of sexual tension between them while still staying in the bounds of a “clean romance.” KB really doesn’t even attempt to develop chemistry between her characters and I have been continually baffled by all of the missed opportunities I see while reading her work.
The overall pacing of this story felt off - slow and drawn out in some spots and too abrupt in others. Once they decided to act on their feelings, things came together too quickly with each character almost immediately saying “I love you.” In normal circumstances I would have preferred a little spice, but the kiss scenes made it sound like they were inhaling each other, so maybe I don’t really want that from this author… 🙃
All around this just didn’t deliver what it needed to deliver. Shame on me for continuing to pick up this author’s books when I’m clearly not a fan of her work. This was my third book by this author and the characters were slightly more likable this time around, but this is still not a book I would recommend. I wish I could have told you “the third time’s a charm,” but I think it will end up being “the final straw” instead.
*Side note: I really hate Brené Brown books, and every time the FMC referenced her I seriously considered DNFing. I can’t tell you how much I hate pop culture references in books. Even if I love something, I don’t want mentions of it to pop up while I’m reading. They really take me out of the story and make me think of the author rather than the character they’ve written… Is it just me? 😅
✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼
Pre-read: Hot, grumpy stranger? Say less.
“Vulnerability is not about winning or losing, it's about having the courage to show up even when you can't control the outcome.”
What to Expect:
➼ Forced Proximity
➼ Opposites Attract
➼ Workplace Romance
➼ Grumpy x Sunshine
➼ Enemies-to-Lovers
➼ One Bed (Zero Action)
➼ Clean Romance
➼ Dual POV
This author has some great ideas, but her writing style and execution consistently miss the mark for me. This had a strong start but my interest quickly waned after the initial “meet cute.” The MC’s have a working relationship (boss/employee), but I didn’t feel any real tension between them despite the “forbidden” quality attached to their interest in each other. The “forbidden love” trope was just sitting there on a silver platter waiting for this author to use it to create a sexy rapport between these two characters. Their defined roles and boundaries would have made it easy to build that much needed spark of sexual tension between them while still staying in the bounds of a “clean romance.” KB really doesn’t even attempt to develop chemistry between her characters and I have been continually baffled by all of the missed opportunities I see while reading her work.
The overall pacing of this story felt off - slow and drawn out in some spots and too abrupt in others. Once they decided to act on their feelings, things came together too quickly with each character almost immediately saying “I love you.” In normal circumstances I would have preferred a little spice, but the kiss scenes made it sound like they were inhaling each other, so maybe I don’t really want that from this author… 🙃
All around this just didn’t deliver what it needed to deliver. Shame on me for continuing to pick up this author’s books when I’m clearly not a fan of her work. This was my third book by this author and the characters were slightly more likable this time around, but this is still not a book I would recommend. I wish I could have told you “the third time’s a charm,” but I think it will end up being “the final straw” instead.
*Side note: I really hate Brené Brown books, and every time the FMC referenced her I seriously considered DNFing. I can’t tell you how much I hate pop culture references in books. Even if I love something, I don’t want mentions of it to pop up while I’m reading. They really take me out of the story and make me think of the author rather than the character they’ve written… Is it just me? 😅
✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼
Pre-read: Hot, grumpy stranger? Say less.
June 19, 2022
Some might find her quirkiness and awkwardness endearing, but I just want to slap her. DNF
July 13, 2025
reread - 4 stars now. This was one of my first indie rom-coms so it impressed me at the time, but since then I have read better. Still enjoyed it and laughed some!
I liked the depth of the characters and the story but also the HUMOUR and the BANTER were SO GOOD!
I'm liking Katie Bailey the more books I read from her. Definitely my style.
*Some mild language that isn't often in the other clean romance books you can find on KU
*Only kissing but several innuendos
I liked the depth of the characters and the story but also the HUMOUR and the BANTER were SO GOOD!
I'm liking Katie Bailey the more books I read from her. Definitely my style.
*Some mild language that isn't often in the other clean romance books you can find on KU
*Only kissing but several innuendos
June 17, 2022
If you're gonna make the fmc with the attitude and glitter of a 5y old at least give her some brains so it justifies her age. Legs was smarter than her and omg 70% of the book is her rambling about absolute nonsense. I like a good sunshine character, but she was so annoying, clumsy and dumb that it was painful to read her pov. This whole book looks like Liam taking care of his family while working hard with two nieces on the side, Legs and Annie (the way she was portrayed might as well been his other niece).
![Profile Image for Jessi ❤️ H. Vojsk [if villain, why hot?].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1746468325i%2F66224803._UX200_CR0%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
June 30, 2022
“Vulnerability is not about winning or losing,
it's about having the courage to show up
even when you can't control the outcome.”
Story 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Imagine you’re stuck in an airport and after meeting a hot, but grumpy guy in the seat next to you, you accidentally choose him for a short fake dating performance in front of your ex only to end up in the same hotel room, because an elder lady shipped you?
Just imagine that.
And then imagine a lot of crazy but absolutely adorable other situations.
Finished?
That’s the book.
And I loved it.
It was so cute, so funny that it made me smile a lot of times.
Characters 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
My favorite one was probably Annie. She reminded me a lot of Lucy in Hating game. But then… they weren’t the same. They were just themselves, and I loved that so much.
She was like an exploded rainbow mixed with a clumsy Panda.
I also adored the whole family and friendship dynamic going on in this book. I want siblings like that too 🥲
Relationships 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Even though I loved 85% of this book and it made me smile a lot, I need to be honest. The last third I was having the feeling everything was going way too fast.
I was like: oh hey they like each other, they nearly kissed - nice and then BAM I LOVE YOU I WOULD DIE FOR YOU ETC ETC ETC
like - woah- calm down people.
Can you slow down a bit please?
But still: they had a really healthy relationship with each other.
No(t much) unnecessary drama and good communication!
Loved it!
Also:
Liam’s Family —> my biggest love. They’re so supportive, so adorable and so funny. Made this book an extra thousand times better.
Writing 🌟🌟🌟🌟
This book is a two POV written book- we get Annie’s and Liam’s perspective which gives us a whole round experience of everything.
Feelings, moments, etc.
i like that it was an lighthearted and funny story which made me read it a lot faster.
But - and that could be a problem for some - it had a lot of pop references in it. Like Justin Bieber, Tiktok, One direction etc.
If you don’t like that, maybe you won’t like this book.
(But it was okay for me, so I loved it)
Definitely a recommendation when your feeling down and need something to smile about.
it's about having the courage to show up
even when you can't control the outcome.”
Story 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Imagine you’re stuck in an airport and after meeting a hot, but grumpy guy in the seat next to you, you accidentally choose him for a short fake dating performance in front of your ex only to end up in the same hotel room, because an elder lady shipped you?
Just imagine that.
And then imagine a lot of crazy but absolutely adorable other situations.
Finished?
That’s the book.
And I loved it.
It was so cute, so funny that it made me smile a lot of times.
Characters 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
My favorite one was probably Annie. She reminded me a lot of Lucy in Hating game. But then… they weren’t the same. They were just themselves, and I loved that so much.
She was like an exploded rainbow mixed with a clumsy Panda.
I also adored the whole family and friendship dynamic going on in this book. I want siblings like that too 🥲
Relationships 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Even though I loved 85% of this book and it made me smile a lot, I need to be honest. The last third I was having the feeling everything was going way too fast.
I was like: oh hey they like each other, they nearly kissed - nice and then BAM I LOVE YOU I WOULD DIE FOR YOU ETC ETC ETC
like - woah- calm down people.
Can you slow down a bit please?
But still: they had a really healthy relationship with each other.
No(t much) unnecessary drama and good communication!
Loved it!
Also:
Liam’s Family —> my biggest love. They’re so supportive, so adorable and so funny. Made this book an extra thousand times better.
Writing 🌟🌟🌟🌟
This book is a two POV written book- we get Annie’s and Liam’s perspective which gives us a whole round experience of everything.
Feelings, moments, etc.
i like that it was an lighthearted and funny story which made me read it a lot faster.
But - and that could be a problem for some - it had a lot of pop references in it. Like Justin Bieber, Tiktok, One direction etc.
If you don’t like that, maybe you won’t like this book.
(But it was okay for me, so I loved it)
Definitely a recommendation when your feeling down and need something to smile about.
June 5, 2022
4.5⭐️
The amount of times I giggled, laughed, smiled and swooned while reading this book is concerning. This book was EVERYTHING AND MORE. It felt like a warm hug. Annie and Liam were so adorable and the sweetest couple. I love that there wasn’t any huge conflict or third act breakup.
A grumpy sunshine, opposites attract, work place romance, and one bed trope book that was everything I needed and so much more. Katie Bailey really out did herself with this one.
Also the fact we got to see Courtney and Aiden and Jess from her previous books was SO FUN!
The amount of times I giggled, laughed, smiled and swooned while reading this book is concerning. This book was EVERYTHING AND MORE. It felt like a warm hug. Annie and Liam were so adorable and the sweetest couple. I love that there wasn’t any huge conflict or third act breakup.
A grumpy sunshine, opposites attract, work place romance, and one bed trope book that was everything I needed and so much more. Katie Bailey really out did herself with this one.
Also the fact we got to see Courtney and Aiden and Jess from her previous books was SO FUN!
March 23, 2024
"no mistakes, just happy accidents" 🤍
in the first half of the book not much events happened, but in the end I REALLY LIKED THE BOOK
i think mr donovan is one of the coolest uncles i've ever read about, i loved the relationship he had with his brother and sister
even though i am an organized person, i appreciated annie's spontaneity and the fact that she was able to realize certain things and that she chose to make a radical change in her life
in the first half of the book not much events happened, but in the end I REALLY LIKED THE BOOK
i think mr donovan is one of the coolest uncles i've ever read about, i loved the relationship he had with his brother and sister
even though i am an organized person, i appreciated annie's spontaneity and the fact that she was able to realize certain things and that she chose to make a radical change in her life
![Profile Image for ari [semi ia].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1757265812i%2F180071670._UX200_CR0%2C33%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
February 15, 2025
6 ⭐
13+
romance: 5/10 (guys, its a ROMCOM. there were some dirty jokes. i think it was 3 or 4 passionate kisses, but it was only kissing, no hands up the shirt stuff. they spoon to sleep, but there isn't even fade to black anything.)
violence 0/10 (legit nonexistent.)
cursing: 3/10 (i only remember h3ll, d@mn, and sh!t.)
other: there was an emotionally abusive father who wasn't around but that's it rlly
tropes: grump x sunshine, one bed, fake dating, chasing her to the train station, boss x employee (probably more that i forgot lol)
dual pov, first person, present tense
(there's a playlist at the bottom if you don't want to read the whole review lol)
-----OVERVIEW-----
THIS BOOK. oh my fricking gosh.
when i tell you this is one of my favorite romcoms EVER i mean it. it's right up there with bttm. it might even surpass it ngl.
it is completely and utterly underhyped.
this book is everything i could ever want in life 😭😭😭😭 i absolutely ate it up and am now devouring the second one.
katie bailey's writing is so unique. it's the perfect mix of comical similes and serious undertone. i want to drown in her words.
i was giggling and kicking my feet at ONE FRICKING AM bc of this book.
there was never a dull moment. i was laughing or obnoxiously giggling on every page. my family can attest that i became the most annoying person to sit next to while reading this book. it got to the point where they confiscated my kindle during the road trip bc they couldn't stand anymore giggling and screaming into my hoodie.
i immediately went out to buy both books in the series so i could annotate and support one of my new favorite authors. i love you katie 🥹🥹🥹
the ending- i can't i love them too much gahhhhhh
-----CHARACTERS-----
liam freaking donovan is MY MAN. idc if he's 28. he's my husband. he's literally the sweetest human being ever. he's good with kids, he HAS TATTOOS, he is the most perfect cinnamon roll of a man. my pupils legit dilate when i think about him. i'm in luuuurrrrrvvveeeee as luke would so graciously say.
annie jacobs, omword, she's a queen. she was a feminist, but in a good way. like not the crazy kind of feminism where she hates everything about men, but like the kind of feminism where she demands her boundaries to be respected while also letting herself be dependent of liam (even tho she doesn't need to, she WANTS to. i love that for her.)
luke and mindy. this duo is the unstoppable team of dirty jokes. they're kind and hilarious. i love them sm. and KATIE IF YOU EVER READ THIS, PLEASE, OH PLEASE WRITE US A PREQUEL OF THEM. IM BEGGINGGGGG.
legs, i love her so fricking much. she reminds me of my neighbor who i have babysat since she was four. they legit have the same personality. she's so precious.
THE DAD AND JUSTIN. GO TO FRICKING HELL. BURN IN THE LAKE OF FIRE AND BRIMSTONE. YOU DESERVE IT.
-----QUOTES-----
"'liam... all i want is what's best for you.'
'i think you might be what's best for me.'
'i hope so'
i know so."
"she loves me, and i love her."
"'screw hr policies.' i say softly. 'i want to tell the world you're mine, annie jacobs.'"
"annie is my happy. the love of my life."
"he's a sensitive one underneath it all, my big old cinnamon roll."
"'there's the grumpy man i know and love.'
'i don't know what you're talking about.' he smirks. 'i'm a delight.'"
-----CONCLUSION-----
read it. read it now. 👹🔪🔪
tysm for reading, i hope i convinced you to read this book, and if i didn't read this review again.
-----PLAYLIST-----
they don't know about us - one direction
what makes you beautiful - one direction
live while we're young - one direction
steal my girl - one direction
perfect - one direction
last first kiss - one direction
kiss you - one direction
all to myself - dan + shay
speechless - dan + shay
10,000 hours - dan + shay and justin beiber
lifetime - justin beiber
baby - justin beiber
she looks so perfect - 5 seconds of summer
until i found you (em beihold version) - stephen sanchez
and then some - alex sampson
wallflower - alex sampson
adore you - harry styles
gorgeous - taylor swift
our song - taylor swift
sparks fly - taylor swift
enchanted - taylor swift
lover - taylor swift
invisible string - taylor swift
paris - taylor swift
you are in love - taylor swift
ours - taylor swift
if i can't have you - shawn mendes
red flag - kyle hume
13+
romance: 5/10 (guys, its a ROMCOM. there were some dirty jokes. i think it was 3 or 4 passionate kisses, but it was only kissing, no hands up the shirt stuff. they spoon to sleep, but there isn't even fade to black anything.)
violence 0/10 (legit nonexistent.)
cursing: 3/10 (i only remember h3ll, d@mn, and sh!t.)
other: there was an emotionally abusive father who wasn't around but that's it rlly
tropes: grump x sunshine, one bed, fake dating, chasing her to the train station, boss x employee (probably more that i forgot lol)
dual pov, first person, present tense
(there's a playlist at the bottom if you don't want to read the whole review lol)
-----OVERVIEW-----
THIS BOOK. oh my fricking gosh.
when i tell you this is one of my favorite romcoms EVER i mean it. it's right up there with bttm. it might even surpass it ngl.
it is completely and utterly underhyped.
this book is everything i could ever want in life 😭😭😭😭 i absolutely ate it up and am now devouring the second one.
katie bailey's writing is so unique. it's the perfect mix of comical similes and serious undertone. i want to drown in her words.
i was giggling and kicking my feet at ONE FRICKING AM bc of this book.
there was never a dull moment. i was laughing or obnoxiously giggling on every page. my family can attest that i became the most annoying person to sit next to while reading this book. it got to the point where they confiscated my kindle during the road trip bc they couldn't stand anymore giggling and screaming into my hoodie.
i immediately went out to buy both books in the series so i could annotate and support one of my new favorite authors. i love you katie 🥹🥹🥹
the ending- i can't i love them too much gahhhhhh
-----CHARACTERS-----
liam freaking donovan is MY MAN. idc if he's 28. he's my husband. he's literally the sweetest human being ever. he's good with kids, he HAS TATTOOS, he is the most perfect cinnamon roll of a man. my pupils legit dilate when i think about him. i'm in luuuurrrrrvvveeeee as luke would so graciously say.
annie jacobs, omword, she's a queen. she was a feminist, but in a good way. like not the crazy kind of feminism where she hates everything about men, but like the kind of feminism where she demands her boundaries to be respected while also letting herself be dependent of liam (even tho she doesn't need to, she WANTS to. i love that for her.)
luke and mindy. this duo is the unstoppable team of dirty jokes. they're kind and hilarious. i love them sm. and KATIE IF YOU EVER READ THIS, PLEASE, OH PLEASE WRITE US A PREQUEL OF THEM. IM BEGGINGGGGG.
legs, i love her so fricking much. she reminds me of my neighbor who i have babysat since she was four. they legit have the same personality. she's so precious.
THE DAD AND JUSTIN. GO TO FRICKING HELL. BURN IN THE LAKE OF FIRE AND BRIMSTONE. YOU DESERVE IT.
-----QUOTES-----
"'liam... all i want is what's best for you.'
'i think you might be what's best for me.'
'i hope so'
i know so."
"she loves me, and i love her."
"'screw hr policies.' i say softly. 'i want to tell the world you're mine, annie jacobs.'"
"annie is my happy. the love of my life."
"he's a sensitive one underneath it all, my big old cinnamon roll."
"'there's the grumpy man i know and love.'
'i don't know what you're talking about.' he smirks. 'i'm a delight.'"
-----CONCLUSION-----
read it. read it now. 👹🔪🔪
tysm for reading, i hope i convinced you to read this book, and if i didn't read this review again.
-----PLAYLIST-----
they don't know about us - one direction
what makes you beautiful - one direction
live while we're young - one direction
steal my girl - one direction
perfect - one direction
last first kiss - one direction
kiss you - one direction
all to myself - dan + shay
speechless - dan + shay
10,000 hours - dan + shay and justin beiber
lifetime - justin beiber
baby - justin beiber
she looks so perfect - 5 seconds of summer
until i found you (em beihold version) - stephen sanchez
and then some - alex sampson
wallflower - alex sampson
adore you - harry styles
gorgeous - taylor swift
our song - taylor swift
sparks fly - taylor swift
enchanted - taylor swift
lover - taylor swift
invisible string - taylor swift
paris - taylor swift
you are in love - taylor swift
ours - taylor swift
if i can't have you - shawn mendes
red flag - kyle hume
October 8, 2023
So That Happened is sweet. And that it. Liam and Annie definetaly have the correct chemistry. They are both likeable. Miss Bailey done proper job navigating her stort with fun and laugh.
I can not help myself that the story is boring. There is not much drama/ self doubt on the plot. Just plain nice and sweet narration.
Little bit boring.
3 stars
I can not help myself that the story is boring. There is not much drama/ self doubt on the plot. Just plain nice and sweet narration.
Little bit boring.
3 stars
July 15, 2022
this was a no from me.
2.5 ⭐️
this was just slightly below a "meh" level rating for me. I thought the writing wasn't great, the pacing was kind of off, and I didn't really care for any of the characters.
there were a few scenes that I thought were cute, but other than that I was just kind of annoyed the whole time.
Liam was the stereotypical CEO business man, and there really wasn't anything interesting about him or his personality until the author decided to throw out a couple of random things that made it seem like he was a better person. but it didn't fit very well in my opinion, because while I am here for a character transformation arc, this wasn't it. and it wasn't good.
I related to Annie a little in the beginning, but the farther into the story I got, the more annoyed I became with her character.
but the thing I disliked the most was that this felt like it should have been a slow burn, but there was no real build up. nothing that had me sitting on the edge of my seat going, yes let's go I want you two to end up together. and this is supposed to be a rom com? I think I may have half-laughed like twice.
I didn't go into this with high hopes, yet I was still somehow disappointed.
2.5 ⭐️
this was just slightly below a "meh" level rating for me. I thought the writing wasn't great, the pacing was kind of off, and I didn't really care for any of the characters.
there were a few scenes that I thought were cute, but other than that I was just kind of annoyed the whole time.
Liam was the stereotypical CEO business man, and there really wasn't anything interesting about him or his personality until the author decided to throw out a couple of random things that made it seem like he was a better person. but it didn't fit very well in my opinion, because while I am here for a character transformation arc, this wasn't it. and it wasn't good.
I related to Annie a little in the beginning, but the farther into the story I got, the more annoyed I became with her character.
but the thing I disliked the most was that this felt like it should have been a slow burn, but there was no real build up. nothing that had me sitting on the edge of my seat going, yes let's go I want you two to end up together. and this is supposed to be a rom com? I think I may have half-laughed like twice.
I didn't go into this with high hopes, yet I was still somehow disappointed.
September 10, 2022
3.5✯
This was very vanilla. Good thing i like vanilla. A light hearted, funny, fluffy read which is quite refreshing and easy to get through. The characters were amusing, the relationship was cute, though the way the main conflict was resolved was pretty lame and cheesy. But i enjoyed it nonetheless.
This was very vanilla. Good thing i like vanilla. A light hearted, funny, fluffy read which is quite refreshing and easy to get through. The characters were amusing, the relationship was cute, though the way the main conflict was resolved was pretty lame and cheesy. But i enjoyed it nonetheless.
November 14, 2022
I love a good grumpy/sunshine trope and this definitely fit the part. The female character was wonderful- cheerful and unequivocally herself. Plus, I liked the added piece that the male took care of his niece. It was a cute addition and helped us see he had a non-grumpy side even early on.
🌀Synopsis
Annie is ready for a new challenge and a new job, plus she’s headed home to get it. That is, if their flight ever takes off. It seems there are mechanical issues and in a twist she’s now going to be stuck in a hotel room with one of the grumpiest people on the plane- Liam.
Liam is missing his niece’s birthday party and not happy to have to share space with Annie. Worse, he wakes up wrapped around her. They finally get to their destination again and he’s happy to never see Annie again. That is, until their new employee walks in on Monday. Not sure who is more shocked Liam or Annie.
They throw themselves into their work and find they are spending more and more time together. They finally throw the fraternization rules out the window and decide to give a relationship a try just as they are up for a prestigious award. A malicious ex steps in and almost costs them everything.
🌀Synopsis
Annie is ready for a new challenge and a new job, plus she’s headed home to get it. That is, if their flight ever takes off. It seems there are mechanical issues and in a twist she’s now going to be stuck in a hotel room with one of the grumpiest people on the plane- Liam.
Liam is missing his niece’s birthday party and not happy to have to share space with Annie. Worse, he wakes up wrapped around her. They finally get to their destination again and he’s happy to never see Annie again. That is, until their new employee walks in on Monday. Not sure who is more shocked Liam or Annie.
They throw themselves into their work and find they are spending more and more time together. They finally throw the fraternization rules out the window and decide to give a relationship a try just as they are up for a prestigious award. A malicious ex steps in and almost costs them everything.
June 21, 2022
What more can I say than, LIAM DONOVAN!!!! 😍🥵
But really… this book met all of my expectations and more! This was actually my first book by Katie. I can’t believe I took so long to read a book by her! No worries though, I’m right there on the Katie Bailey fan train now! 🚂 (I knew I would be!)
Annie was hilarious! After the first scene where she is hiking back up her new TikTok bra, I knew she was gonna be a great MC! 😂 (I was tempted by those TikTok bras once… smh)
She’s bright and fun and unapologetically herself and I loved that! I love how she just completely shook up and illuminated Liam’s world.
LIAM!!!! He was just 👨🍳😘
He was the grumpy, secretly tattooed, One Direction singing, laser tag playing, cinnamon roll of my DREAMS!
1000000000000% one of my new favorite Book Boyfriends 😍
The romance between Annie and Liam was perfect. Just the right amount of tension, A+ kisses, a perfect love declaration, and cherry on top ending! I don’t think I would change a single thing except for just… more!
I could gush and gush about this book but I’m sure at this point you realize you need to go pick this up ASAP! 😉 And if you don’t, GO GET IT! GO READ IT! GO FALL IN LOVE WITH LIAM!
Join the club! All the cool readers are doing it 😂
Extra parts I LOVED:
Airplane meet cute 💺
Matchmaking old ladies and “Timber” 🤣
The Legs misunderstanding
“We slept together!” 🫢
“Um… clams from… India.”
Shirtless Liam & One Direction 🎤
All of Luke’s scenes 😂
The T-Shirt ⚾️
Laser Tag 🔫
Driving home from Laser Tag… 😏
Axe Throwing 🪓
The train scene ❤️
*I was so happy to receive this book as an ARC from the author! All opinions and thoughts are genuine and my own.*
But really… this book met all of my expectations and more! This was actually my first book by Katie. I can’t believe I took so long to read a book by her! No worries though, I’m right there on the Katie Bailey fan train now! 🚂 (I knew I would be!)
Annie was hilarious! After the first scene where she is hiking back up her new TikTok bra, I knew she was gonna be a great MC! 😂 (I was tempted by those TikTok bras once… smh)
She’s bright and fun and unapologetically herself and I loved that! I love how she just completely shook up and illuminated Liam’s world.
LIAM!!!! He was just 👨🍳😘
He was the grumpy, secretly tattooed, One Direction singing, laser tag playing, cinnamon roll of my DREAMS!
1000000000000% one of my new favorite Book Boyfriends 😍
The romance between Annie and Liam was perfect. Just the right amount of tension, A+ kisses, a perfect love declaration, and cherry on top ending! I don’t think I would change a single thing except for just… more!
I could gush and gush about this book but I’m sure at this point you realize you need to go pick this up ASAP! 😉 And if you don’t, GO GET IT! GO READ IT! GO FALL IN LOVE WITH LIAM!
Join the club! All the cool readers are doing it 😂
Extra parts I LOVED:
Airplane meet cute 💺
Matchmaking old ladies and “Timber” 🤣
The Legs misunderstanding
“We slept together!” 🫢
“Um… clams from… India.”
Shirtless Liam & One Direction 🎤
All of Luke’s scenes 😂
The T-Shirt ⚾️
Laser Tag 🔫
Driving home from Laser Tag… 😏
Axe Throwing 🪓
The train scene ❤️
*I was so happy to receive this book as an ARC from the author! All opinions and thoughts are genuine and my own.*
June 1, 2022
File this one under all-time favourite meet cutes! After an awkward, hilarious exchange on an airplane, a delayed departure forces Annie and Liam to share a hotel room. And as if the accidental one-bed cuddles weren't enough, Monday morning brings another surprise: Annie is the new data analyst hire for Stay Inside The Lines, a tech company owned by Liam and his brother.
I adored this romance! A great uncle, tattooed, and stern but ooey-gooey sweet on the inside, Liam was the total package. Whew! Chronically late and delightfully quirky, Annie was opposite to Liam in every sense. I loved the slice of chaos she brought into his life.
"Then Annie came along and colored outside all my carefully-drawn lines.
And I loved every minute of it."
With team-building activities along the way, their workplace relationship was so fun. A heavy dose of playful teasing, forced proximity, and sizzling chemistry! The multiple interrupted kisses nearly killed me, let me tell you. So good!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I adored this romance! A great uncle, tattooed, and stern but ooey-gooey sweet on the inside, Liam was the total package. Whew! Chronically late and delightfully quirky, Annie was opposite to Liam in every sense. I loved the slice of chaos she brought into his life.
"Then Annie came along and colored outside all my carefully-drawn lines.
And I loved every minute of it."
With team-building activities along the way, their workplace relationship was so fun. A heavy dose of playful teasing, forced proximity, and sizzling chemistry! The multiple interrupted kisses nearly killed me, let me tell you. So good!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
March 25, 2025
╰┈➤ ✿ Now playing. . . . :･*✧ ♩♪
༻✾༺ᴀᴄᴄɪᴅᴇɴᴛᴀʟʟʏ ɪɴ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ⇾ Counting Crows༻✾༺
⁺˚⋆｡°This novel is rated PG-13 for some brief language and innuendo°｡⋆˚⁺
｡⋆🌸˚16+˚🌸⋆｡
༻✾༺Overview༻✾༺
Annie Jacobs is what most of us sophisticated know-hows call a walking disaster. Why? Because a disaster followers her…wherever she goes.
No joke.
No matter what she does, she either makes a fool of herself, someone else, or both of them. Or some third party person we don’t care about but for some reason Annie does. Everything about her is wild and unkempt. But there’s something endearing about that.
She just needs the right man to accept her for who she is.
So Annie is late to a flight (no surprise) and is racing through the airport. When she finally boards the plane, everyone on knows she held it up. Ten minutes late. She heads to the back of the plane where an old lady heading to meet her online boyfriend sits, as well as a man in a crisp suit, covering his face with a newspaper.
But he clearly knows she’s there. In fact, Annie believes he blames her for the late flight. And when Annie does see his face, she finds out he’s hot. Like…smoking hot.
Buuuut….also a grouch. Liam Donovan, who seems to have a girlfriend named Legs.
But unfortunately (or fortunately, according to Annie) the delayed flight wasn’t her fault. There were technical difficulties. It only took the crew an hour while Annie was dying of embarrassment while this lovestruck eighty-year-old woman was prodding her and this grumpy hot stranger to go out, go to dinner.
So all the passengers check in to hotels. Yeah, Liam’s there. Guess who else? Annie’s ex. She tries to hightail out of the hotel lobby only to bump into said smoking hot grouch. And after more embarrassing moments with Liam Freaking Donovan, Annie finds that they were accidentally checked into the same teeny tiny itty bitty eensy weensy teensy hotel room. And…there’s no room ANYWHERE ELSE.
But that’s okay. Despite waking up to find herself drooling on Liam’s chest, Annie knows she’ll never see him again. It’s not like she had nothing to wear so he offered her his really big teeshirt. It’s not like she pretended to be his girlfriend. And she TOTALLY didn’t find herself wrapped in this hot stranger’s arms.
Oh wait…all that did happen.
And because Annie Jacobs is a walking disaster, when she gets home to her new and improved job…guess what? That grumpy hot stranger that she made a complete fool of herself in front of? He’s her boss. Liam Donovan Is. Her. Boss.
It’s gonna be fine…right?
༻✾༺Thoughts༻✾༺
YO! READ THIS NOW! THIS BOOK IS AWESOME! Liam is literally the gooiest of cinnamon role male main characters and I love every twist and that disproved anything negative Annie was thinking of him. This book was more than cute. It was…
INSANELY ADORABLE
And Liam is so sarcastic! It was so fun! I was laughing the entire book! Example:
"𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘺𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳."
"𝘐'𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵.”
Here, wait, this one’s better!
"𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘓𝘪𝘢𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺."
"𝘐'𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘣𝘪𝘵.”
I also really liked the sibling relationships in this book. I loved the dynamics and how their struggle was represented. I really, really loved that they stuck together and were close. Coming from a daughter who has close to no relationships with her relatives besides her immediate family, this warmed my insides until it was a nice, fresh-out-of-the-oven cookie.
Really, that’s all I have to say. Go read this. Now.
༻✾༺Book info/tropes༻✾༺
forced proximity, enemies-to-lovers, fake dating, workplace romance, employer x employee, grumpy x sunshine
romance, contemporary, romantic comedy
༻✾༺Content Warnings༻✾༺
(if a category is not listed that means the novel does not contain sed content)
LANGUAGE
17 freaking, 3 frick, 1 frickety frick, 4 crap, 22 sexy
1 hellbent, 2 the hell out, 1 hellfire, 1 awkward as hell, 1 why in the hell, 1 hotter than hell
2 pissed, 1 damn you, 8 damn, 8 damnit,
1 douchier, 2 douchebag, 1 douche, 1 screw, 1 screwed
1 d*ckish, 2 ass, 1 dumbass, 2 jackass
1 unfinished shi-!
1 good lord, 1 oh dear Lord in heaven
SEXAUL
This section might be a bit clunky, as I forgot to take notes for the sexual content while reading this and thus do not have a detailed section of what innuendoes and other questionable content might be in here. I will do an “Across the board” or “general” content warning for this because I was too busy giggling and kicking my feet in pleasure to take notes. I apologize
There is quite a bit of talk about sleeping with people (whether that be sex or the fact that Liam and Annie slept in the same bed) but not with the intention of making love but mostly from misunderstandings. Luke was a playboy. There is talk about trying to have kids and alluding to going to bed between a married couple. Make out scenes that aren’t all that bad. Annie and Liam sleep in the same bed. A couple that just got married seems to be expecting a baby very soon.
SUBSTANCE ABUSE
I really only remember some passing mentions of wine, smoking, beer, and mild mentions of being drunk or drinking. There is a time when the men are axe-throwing and Luke is drunk and Liam tipsy
TRIGGER WARNINGS
Single mother
༻✾༺Recommendation༻✾༺
This was so good. For the third time: GO READ THIS NOW!
༻✾༺Quotes༻✾༺
"𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘵."
𝘔𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴. "𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘯 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭.”
𝘐𝘧 𝘈𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘦 𝘑𝘢𝘤𝘰𝘣𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘸𝘪𝘤𝘩, 𝘴𝘩𝘦'𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘗𝘉&𝘑.
𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘢𝘺 - 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵.
"𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘨𝘰 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘈𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵. 𝘐𝘯 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵, 𝘥𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭. 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳.”
"𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘉𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘰 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘬𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘴."
𝘓𝘪𝘢𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘥𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘭. "𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭.”
༻✾༺ᴀᴄᴄɪᴅᴇɴᴛᴀʟʟʏ ɪɴ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ⇾ Counting Crows༻✾༺
⁺˚⋆｡°This novel is rated PG-13 for some brief language and innuendo°｡⋆˚⁺
｡⋆🌸˚16+˚🌸⋆｡
༻✾༺Overview༻✾༺
Annie Jacobs is what most of us sophisticated know-hows call a walking disaster. Why? Because a disaster followers her…wherever she goes.
No joke.
No matter what she does, she either makes a fool of herself, someone else, or both of them. Or some third party person we don’t care about but for some reason Annie does. Everything about her is wild and unkempt. But there’s something endearing about that.
She just needs the right man to accept her for who she is.
So Annie is late to a flight (no surprise) and is racing through the airport. When she finally boards the plane, everyone on knows she held it up. Ten minutes late. She heads to the back of the plane where an old lady heading to meet her online boyfriend sits, as well as a man in a crisp suit, covering his face with a newspaper.
But he clearly knows she’s there. In fact, Annie believes he blames her for the late flight. And when Annie does see his face, she finds out he’s hot. Like…smoking hot.
Buuuut….also a grouch. Liam Donovan, who seems to have a girlfriend named Legs.
But unfortunately (or fortunately, according to Annie) the delayed flight wasn’t her fault. There were technical difficulties. It only took the crew an hour while Annie was dying of embarrassment while this lovestruck eighty-year-old woman was prodding her and this grumpy hot stranger to go out, go to dinner.
So all the passengers check in to hotels. Yeah, Liam’s there. Guess who else? Annie’s ex. She tries to hightail out of the hotel lobby only to bump into said smoking hot grouch. And after more embarrassing moments with Liam Freaking Donovan, Annie finds that they were accidentally checked into the same teeny tiny itty bitty eensy weensy teensy hotel room. And…there’s no room ANYWHERE ELSE.
But that’s okay. Despite waking up to find herself drooling on Liam’s chest, Annie knows she’ll never see him again. It’s not like she had nothing to wear so he offered her his really big teeshirt. It’s not like she pretended to be his girlfriend. And she TOTALLY didn’t find herself wrapped in this hot stranger’s arms.
Oh wait…all that did happen.
And because Annie Jacobs is a walking disaster, when she gets home to her new and improved job…guess what? That grumpy hot stranger that she made a complete fool of herself in front of? He’s her boss. Liam Donovan Is. Her. Boss.
It’s gonna be fine…right?
༻✾༺Thoughts༻✾༺
YO! READ THIS NOW! THIS BOOK IS AWESOME! Liam is literally the gooiest of cinnamon role male main characters and I love every twist and that disproved anything negative Annie was thinking of him. This book was more than cute. It was…
INSANELY ADORABLE
And Liam is so sarcastic! It was so fun! I was laughing the entire book! Example:
"𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘺𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳."
"𝘐'𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵.”
Here, wait, this one’s better!
"𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘓𝘪𝘢𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺."
"𝘐'𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘣𝘪𝘵.”
I also really liked the sibling relationships in this book. I loved the dynamics and how their struggle was represented. I really, really loved that they stuck together and were close. Coming from a daughter who has close to no relationships with her relatives besides her immediate family, this warmed my insides until it was a nice, fresh-out-of-the-oven cookie.
Really, that’s all I have to say. Go read this. Now.
༻✾༺Book info/tropes༻✾༺
forced proximity, enemies-to-lovers, fake dating, workplace romance, employer x employee, grumpy x sunshine
romance, contemporary, romantic comedy
༻✾༺Content Warnings༻✾༺
(if a category is not listed that means the novel does not contain sed content)
LANGUAGE
17 freaking, 3 frick, 1 frickety frick, 4 crap, 22 sexy
1 hellbent, 2 the hell out, 1 hellfire, 1 awkward as hell, 1 why in the hell, 1 hotter than hell
2 pissed, 1 damn you, 8 damn, 8 damnit,
1 douchier, 2 douchebag, 1 douche, 1 screw, 1 screwed
1 d*ckish, 2 ass, 1 dumbass, 2 jackass
1 unfinished shi-!
1 good lord, 1 oh dear Lord in heaven
SEXAUL
This section might be a bit clunky, as I forgot to take notes for the sexual content while reading this and thus do not have a detailed section of what innuendoes and other questionable content might be in here. I will do an “Across the board” or “general” content warning for this because I was too busy giggling and kicking my feet in pleasure to take notes. I apologize
There is quite a bit of talk about sleeping with people (whether that be sex or the fact that Liam and Annie slept in the same bed) but not with the intention of making love but mostly from misunderstandings. Luke was a playboy. There is talk about trying to have kids and alluding to going to bed between a married couple. Make out scenes that aren’t all that bad. Annie and Liam sleep in the same bed. A couple that just got married seems to be expecting a baby very soon.
SUBSTANCE ABUSE
I really only remember some passing mentions of wine, smoking, beer, and mild mentions of being drunk or drinking. There is a time when the men are axe-throwing and Luke is drunk and Liam tipsy
TRIGGER WARNINGS
Single mother
༻✾༺Recommendation༻✾༺
This was so good. For the third time: GO READ THIS NOW!
༻✾༺Quotes༻✾༺
"𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘵."
𝘔𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴. "𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘯 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭.”
𝘐𝘧 𝘈𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘦 𝘑𝘢𝘤𝘰𝘣𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘸𝘪𝘤𝘩, 𝘴𝘩𝘦'𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘗𝘉&𝘑.
𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘢𝘺 - 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵.
"𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘨𝘰 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘈𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵. 𝘐𝘯 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵, 𝘥𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭. 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳.”
"𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘉𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘰 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘬𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘴."
𝘓𝘪𝘢𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘥𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘭. "𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭.”
abandoned
July 18, 2022Dnf’d at 59% because I just couldn’t bring myself to care
Also, the author fully wrote down the title of the ever classic ‘what makes you beautiful’ as “You Don’t Know You’re Beautiful” with full sincerity and that is truly unforgivable
Also, the author fully wrote down the title of the ever classic ‘what makes you beautiful’ as “You Don’t Know You’re Beautiful” with full sincerity and that is truly unforgivable
January 8, 2023
3 stars. Very meh. Not really all that funny or all that romantic imo. I felt like the author tried to over-dramatize not very dramatic events. There were some parts that I did enjoy, but then the author added that usual third act drama - and it was dumber than dumb, and ruined the progression of the story for me.
Safe; no steam, no virgins, slight om/ow drama, no cheating.
Safe; no steam, no virgins, slight om/ow drama, no cheating.
September 11, 2022
Well, it happened, I guess
July 3, 2022
I will give it points for the process of the grump becoming soft but still being gruff to others but I just found a lot of it cringey.
The internal monologues were awkward and there were heaps of lines that just were not needed and if removed wouldn’t have changed the story.
The book relied heavily on references and current pop culture trends which I personally think isn’t good for books as it make them age poorly.
Also it means that like a Justin Bieber concert in the same era as the TikTok slugging trend that an 8 year old would attend just didn’t make sense.
I did enjoy Annie and Liam’s gradual relationship but I think a lot of the unnecessary parts overshadowed it. Also it felt like I needed to read other books to understand Luke’s and Lana Mae but these dont exist so I was a little lost.
The internal monologues were awkward and there were heaps of lines that just were not needed and if removed wouldn’t have changed the story.
The book relied heavily on references and current pop culture trends which I personally think isn’t good for books as it make them age poorly.
Also it means that like a Justin Bieber concert in the same era as the TikTok slugging trend that an 8 year old would attend just didn’t make sense.
I did enjoy Annie and Liam’s gradual relationship but I think a lot of the unnecessary parts overshadowed it. Also it felt like I needed to read other books to understand Luke’s and Lana Mae but these dont exist so I was a little lost.
March 10, 2024
three words: LASER. TAG. SCENE. 🔥🥵😏😉🫣
And Liam Donovan? Wowza 😮🤭
Funny story, I actually picked this up a few months ago and wasn’t really feeling it at the time so I put it down. But boy am I glad I picked it up again.
This is my third book by Katie Bailey and I have yet to be disappointed. Definitely one of my new favorite authors. I especially love that, even though her books are closed-door, she still writes off-the-charts tension, funny innuendo, and other rendezvous activities (*wink, wink*) that will make you swoon, blush, and giggle.
We also seem to share a very similar sense of humor because her books always have me dying laughing. Example: the scene in the car when Live While We’re Young by 1D is playing and Allegra asks what “get some” means… I DIED DEAD 😂🤣
4.5 stars.
And Liam Donovan? Wowza 😮🤭
Funny story, I actually picked this up a few months ago and wasn’t really feeling it at the time so I put it down. But boy am I glad I picked it up again.
This is my third book by Katie Bailey and I have yet to be disappointed. Definitely one of my new favorite authors. I especially love that, even though her books are closed-door, she still writes off-the-charts tension, funny innuendo, and other rendezvous activities (*wink, wink*) that will make you swoon, blush, and giggle.
We also seem to share a very similar sense of humor because her books always have me dying laughing. Example: the scene in the car when Live While We’re Young by 1D is playing and Allegra asks what “get some” means… I DIED DEAD 😂🤣
4.5 stars.
Read
November 2, 2022its giving the spanish love deception
June 8, 2022
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫 (4.5)
Steam Level: 🔥🔥 (kissing and closed door sex scenes mentioned)
Trigger Warning: brief mentions of divorce and death of a parent
Thanks to an unexpected flight delay and some meddling senior citizens, Liam Donovan and Annie Jacobs find themselves sharing a hotel room with just one bed for the night. So of course Annie is shocked when, a few days later, she arrives at her new job and discovers that Liam is her boss! She never thought she'd have to see the hot yet stuffy businessman again. Now they're sharing an office, participating in office team-building activities, and spending long nights going over data for the new app the company is developing. Despite their work situation and opposing personalities, the two cannot seem to stop their growing feelings of attraction. Will they be able to mix business with pleasure, or will they discover that office romances are never a good idea?
This was definitely a "Bookstagram made me do it" situation, and I have ZERO regrets. Katie Bailey has delivered her best book yet, and I'm so glad I read this one! The pacing, tension, and side characters were all excellent and just added to my love for this book. I actually thought the circumstances of Annie and Liam's initial meeting were fairly believable, and I really enjoyed the awkwardness of their one bed situation. Annie was quirky enough to be Liam's opposite without being totally obnoxious or annoying. And Liam? *fans self* That man delivered the steamiest kisses, as well as several hot almost kisses that were interrupted by his lovable family. I really liked seeing him go from a stiff, Type A businessman to a relaxed, sensitive family man as Annie peeled back his layers and encouraged him to be more spontaneous. And seeing him taking care of his 8 year old niece was so precious! Although the final conflict comes very late in the book, I was actually okay with how quickly and easily things were resolved. It could have been a big miscommunication mess, and I was relieved that it didn't end up that way. And the epilogue gave me just enough of a glimpse at the future without forcing the relationship to progress too quickly. Now I'm excited to see if we get Lana Mae's story next!
Steam Level: 🔥🔥 (kissing and closed door sex scenes mentioned)
Trigger Warning: brief mentions of divorce and death of a parent
Thanks to an unexpected flight delay and some meddling senior citizens, Liam Donovan and Annie Jacobs find themselves sharing a hotel room with just one bed for the night. So of course Annie is shocked when, a few days later, she arrives at her new job and discovers that Liam is her boss! She never thought she'd have to see the hot yet stuffy businessman again. Now they're sharing an office, participating in office team-building activities, and spending long nights going over data for the new app the company is developing. Despite their work situation and opposing personalities, the two cannot seem to stop their growing feelings of attraction. Will they be able to mix business with pleasure, or will they discover that office romances are never a good idea?
This was definitely a "Bookstagram made me do it" situation, and I have ZERO regrets. Katie Bailey has delivered her best book yet, and I'm so glad I read this one! The pacing, tension, and side characters were all excellent and just added to my love for this book. I actually thought the circumstances of Annie and Liam's initial meeting were fairly believable, and I really enjoyed the awkwardness of their one bed situation. Annie was quirky enough to be Liam's opposite without being totally obnoxious or annoying. And Liam? *fans self* That man delivered the steamiest kisses, as well as several hot almost kisses that were interrupted by his lovable family. I really liked seeing him go from a stiff, Type A businessman to a relaxed, sensitive family man as Annie peeled back his layers and encouraged him to be more spontaneous. And seeing him taking care of his 8 year old niece was so precious! Although the final conflict comes very late in the book, I was actually okay with how quickly and easily things were resolved. It could have been a big miscommunication mess, and I was relieved that it didn't end up that way. And the epilogue gave me just enough of a glimpse at the future without forcing the relationship to progress too quickly. Now I'm excited to see if we get Lana Mae's story next!
July 19, 2022
Lighthearted yet full of love and delight and laughs! I loved this more than I probably should have, but it was worth it :) These two were the perfect duo and I just loved the good relationships Luke had with all the women in his life. It was absolutely adorable.
September 20, 2022
All I have to say is: Don’t ever name your kid Allegra. Please
May 9, 2023
Cute romcom but definitely wasnt my favorite.. too many pop culture's references and I didnt enjoy that.
But Liam and Annie were very cute tho
But Liam and Annie were very cute tho
July 21, 2022
Super fun rom-com that combined lots of my favorite things: grumpy/sunshine, boss/employee, forbidden romance, and always favorite only-one-bed scene! (Don't worry - this is a sweet/clean romance!)
Lots of laugh-out-loud scenes and no one can deny that Liam is a pretty swoony hero but with all of that, I just didn't love this book as much as I was hoping to. I think it's because I had a hard time with Annie - her character was just a little over the top at times, though having the book in dual POV did help with that.
All in all, an enjoyable read, and I would definitely pick up another book by the author.
(Note: Has a couple of mild swears and there was some suggestive innuendo that got close to the edge of my comfort line on the steamy scale).
Lots of laugh-out-loud scenes and no one can deny that Liam is a pretty swoony hero but with all of that, I just didn't love this book as much as I was hoping to. I think it's because I had a hard time with Annie - her character was just a little over the top at times, though having the book in dual POV did help with that.
All in all, an enjoyable read, and I would definitely pick up another book by the author.
(Note: Has a couple of mild swears and there was some suggestive innuendo that got close to the edge of my comfort line on the steamy scale).
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