Having a fake girlfriend wasn’t supposed to be messy but having Indy under my roof and in my bed is complicated, especially when she wants all the romantic parts of life that I could never give her. Before I get in deep about why I think this didn’t work for me, I have something to say: I love heroes like Ryan. He’s the reason why it pains me that I couldn’t get into the book, no matter how hard I tried. He’s the reason why I kept reading even if I was feeling nothing. We need more heroes like him in romance. i can’t believe i’m saying this but heroes are not everything. Maybe it’s acts of service. That could be your love language. Every morning you make sure my coffee is cold, so it doesn’t get watered down when I add ice. I’ve always noticed that. indy, gosh I LOVED HER😭😭 she’s confident, funny, smart, outgoing, she’s so caring and genuine. but at the same time, chaotic and VERY emotional too and she OWNS up to it!!! she has her moments of being flawed as well and that’s what made me love her more. and the amount of times i related to her jjadskjs😭. my favorite mirrorball girlie🥹💗

and yes I know AND AGREE that Lance Orion basically owns the name “blue” but I’ll give ryan a pass because it just felt right and the perfect name for indy <3

No one has ever come into my life without just looking for what they can gain from me," he repeats his words from last night, as if I could forget them. "Until you." EXCUSE ME??!&3& If you see me across the room, talking to another man, I need you to stare intently then flare your nostrils. Or grind your molars together and tic your jaw.” takes care of her flowers whenever she’s away for work, and always buys her flowers just so he can see her face light up when she comes home!! man was fr overwatering and killing flowers that were in a vase bc that’s how dedicated he was. I love that you read romance novels to feel something. I love that you love flowers and plants because nurturing and allowing something to grow is second nature to you. I love that you experience every emotion so hard it takes over your entire body. But baby, I want to be the one to make you feel how your favorite books do. I want to be the one to give you children to nurture and grow. When you think of me, the only emotion I want you to feel is unconditional, earth-shattering love. ❞ Watching these two slowly fall for one another… it was beautiful. Ryan Shay is everything and Indy was incredibly relatable for me and I loved watching both of their growth in this story. Honestly, I feel like I could gush about this romance all day long. I want to reread it asap and can’t wait until it comes on audio so I can do just that.

the fake dating: now to the best part- I’m being very biased rn and don’t know what else to say but yes IT. WAS. PERFECT. The tension, the jealousy, all the secret moments- the characters: Ryan and Indy weren’t perfect in any way and I loved that. flawed characters will always have my heart<3 they both have been hurt in the past and very much deserved their happy ending (epilogue had me SOBBING)First, let me introduce you to the characters. Indy is the kind of person full of love, she loves taking care of people even when they don’t deserve it. Her whole life broke when she discovered that her childhood best friend and sweetheart, the person she always thought was going to give her a ring and fill their house with kids, was nothing but a cheater. Here we have the first problem. I didn’t have a single bad thought about Indy, but I also couldn’t relate with her at all. It’s not that I don’t want a soulmate and a family, but that’s not all I want in life. Indy was extremely passive, letting people who didn’t care about her taking advantage of her and unable to say ‘no’ and move on. Again, I respect her but I wasn’t exactly interested in reading about her. Clever girl like you, you want to hear how good you're doing. How perfect you are. How well you're taking it." i'm sat 🧎🏻‍♀️🧎🏻‍♀️ Ryan Shay. The epitome of book boyfriends. Ryan embodies what it means to be the best, THE STANDARD of men. I love, love, love him!!! How can a man be so perfect??? If someone held a gun to my head and told me to choose between Ryan and Zanders I’d be dead!🤣🤣🤣 Zanders has the better personality for sure but Ryan is literally the BEST and I mean, best, book boyfriend. They both love their women unconditionally but in the words of Ryan Shay himself “When it comes to her, I have no issue ruining my reputation. I will burn the world down to protect her and I’ll proudly wave the match, so everyone knows I’m the one who did it.” HELLO?? IMMEDIATELY NUMBER #1 on my book boyfriends wishlist. He's so baby girl and just husband material. the plot: Ryan is Stevie's twin brother and Indy is her former coworker and best friend. Indy's longtime boyfriend cheats on her in Mile High, and she has nowhere to turn. in this book Stevie begs Ryan to let Indy move in with him since he lives alone. He doesn't agree at first but eventually does because he would do anything for his twin sister (my fav sibling duo <3) Also Indy’s character was one I resonate with SO MUCH. I love how her vulnerabilities and emotions were presented in this book. She wore her heart on her sleeve and had the most genuinely pure soul. I adore her and resonate with her always doing the most for everyone else without realizing she never puts herself first. That was until she met Ryan, of course :).

Indy is also an absolute angel. I adore her so much!! She’s such a strong character and she’s literally the definition of sunshine!! And the amazing thing is that being a sunshine character is not her only personality trait!!! Grumpy x sunshine can be ruined so easily but Liz Tomforde just knew how to write it and did definitely not disappoint!! Ryan Shay is most definitely one of my top book boyfriends. There’s not even a question about that. His quiet love, from the ice coffees in the fridge to learning sign language absolutely swept me. I am so far gone for this man. this book really called me single in every language, even languages that are extinct. the soulmatism was astounding here. the way the love between Indy and Ryan was portrayed was so subtle and beautiful, really emphasising the theme of the soft, quiet, tender type being just as vital as the “loud”, in your face kind of love. love thrives on respect, small acts of kindness, listening, genuinely caring... and showing that to your partner every day in every way you can.No one has ever come into my life without just looking for what they can gain from me,” he repeats his words from last night, as if I could forget them. “Until you. ❞