I felt his hum fall in my skin. “Not god” he said before retracing my opening with his tongue. “Lucas” it honestly pains me to write this. i had high hopes for this book and i really wanted to like it, but the more i read, the less i enjoyed it. i'm too exhausted to write a proper review but i still want to rant a bit 😂

these characters are lovable from the start. this spin on acquaintances to friends to lovers was done so passionately that it made my heart cry tears of joy. the longing, the aching, the undeniable chemistry Rosie and Lucas have for one another had me clutching my chest the entire way through.I kinda don't know where to start. Okay so: this is Lucas' story of course, and we know him from 1) cute pics of him and Taco, his doggo (who, we find out in this book during one of the sex scenes, once had diarrhea) (i promise it doesn't detract ELENA MAKES IT WORK) 2) the fact that Lina is his cousin and 3) the fact that when Rosie saw him on IG, she thought he was cute. like you don’t know hahaha omg but he had me blushing too. red as a tomato. butterflies in the tummy. everything. i'm not crying," i lied. "it's just the rain. i'm okay." his fingers cupped my jaw and he tilted my head upward until i met his gaze. and Lina was annoying af as a side character (i legit skipped every interaction Rosie had with her because she was unbearable), so i have finally made the executive decision to not read TSLD. sorry, Aaron babe, but you’re not worth it if i have to slog through Lina’s POV for a whole damn book. goodbye. by the last 15% i was skimming like crazy. i truly didn’t care anymore and it feels like ive wasted a whole day reading a book i didn’t really like :/

It's the beauty of Lucas, the way his personality is. That's what attracts you to keep on reading and wanting more of him. More of his sunshine personality, but still shows signs of vulnerability that makes him this beautiful kind man. More of his tender careful attention that he has towards Rosie, listening to her, caring for her, loving her. Even when he doesn't even know that he is doing it. He is just... Lucas Martin.I loved this second book of the series so much more! It’s genuine, it’s entertaining, it’s soooo ROMANTIC! Especially the experimental dating ideas Lucas comes up with are brilliant! Look, Elena is a very talented writer. She knows how to make you laugh, cry and swoon. But if the author does not have a heart to write, why force yourself? Take a break, re-read your draft and then publish. The second half of the book went on and on to no avail.

And now this. The break-in. After I pulled myself together enough to gather my stuff—under Mr. Brown’s careful scrutiny and still freely hanging… bits—and made it to the only place I could think of, given the circumstances, now someone was trying to force their way in. you're lying. you're crying and it's breaking my heart," he said in a desperate voice. "rosie, preciosa. tell me what to do to stop this. the fake dating did nothing to progress their relationship, to me anyway. idk why but lucas’ flirty behavior during their experimental dates felt actually fake to me. isn’t the point of a fake dating trope supposed to be when we realize it’s not fake, but the heroine doesn’t??Turning on the tips of my toes, I stepped away from the door of the studio apartment I had fled to in search of shelter and let my gaze dart around the familiar place, studying my options.

him telling her that she was safe with him the day after they met because she was falling asleep on the couch next to him and he was worried that she wasn’t comfortable enough to fall asleep. rosie affected me in ways no other woman ever had. i wanted to do things for her, everything and anything if she let me. i wanted to make sure that she was okay. more than okay. not good, but happy. that she accomplished whatever she dreamed of. that she was cared for, cherished.” honestly, i think if the trauma of his past had been fleshed out properly beyond him briefly telling Rosie about it in a moment of vulnerability at the end, it would have elevated him so much more. she was on her period and was craving cronuts after having a bad day…but it was nighttime so the place was closed. so the next day he remembers and buys her cronuts and brings them to her. the little things>>>>>>>i know there’s recently been wider conversations within the book community and the publishing industry regarding what’s been dubbed “tropification”. im not gonna get into all of that, but i think this book was undoubtedly influenced by the latest trend of how tropes are dominating the romance genre.