OWD- there are girls trying to get with H. He always turns them down. Once H and h are together, it mostly stops but some OW still give them the side eye. When they had their ONS, the H calls the h by his dead fiancé’s name Overall Opinion: This was enjoyable for what it was, but I really think it could’ve been better. I liked the overall premise. I liked the small town feel. I honestly think it was the H. He fell flat for me. We didn’t ever get the full story of what happened that night his life changed and I think that was a big miss. I also think he claimed to be worried about letting people down and hurting them but he was doing exactly that by not communicating, and that was really frustrating. I don’t think I ever really connected with him. I liked the h though! Overall, this was enjoyable at times but disappointing at others…so I’m going with a middle of the road 3 star rating. I have two, T he Phantom Menace and T he Last Jedi. Why do you ask?” I say, then drain my fourth or fifth whiskey, embracing the burn of the bourbon. The room isn’t spinning yet, which means I’ll need more. It takes a lot to forget that my N FL career is over, my fiancée gone. I could've done without the dead fiancée - those things are always a bit too sad and silly for my tastes. But it wasn't too bad here - it's been over three years since she died and they only knew each other nine months before she died - she wasn't his highschool sweetheart or anything like that. But still - they loved each other and it's always weird to root for the new girl.

I loved Nova, how she went to one of her students home bc he was strugling in school after his parents died and helped him cope with the trauma. She was srsly the best. now, if i had to sum up why this book stopped working for me it would probably boil down to two main things: When I wake up, my head is stuffed with cotton balls. Sunlight glints in through the blinds, and I rub at the grit in my eyes. Tensing, I turn to look at the pillow next to me. There’s no one there, not even an indentation. The room is dead quiet except for the blaring horns from the traffic outside. A heavy feeling settles in my chest, and I can’t decide if I’m relieved or disappointed she left. I rake my hands through my hair, frowning, as I try to piece the night together. It might take a while.LIKE SERIOUSLY? "Not like other girls"??? What a joke to actually throw that line right into the book. Help me,” she implores dramatically. “You’re my only, um, salvation . . . and stuff like that . . . to save the universe.” Because you’re a burst of light,” he says softly. “Because you believe in people. Because I can’t look up at the night sky without thinking about you. You’re a star."

The heroine is DEFINITELY second best. The hero spent too much time thinking about his dead fiancée for my taste. I could have managed it if he had truly moved on by the time they were reunited. But he still needed to get “closure” towards the end of the book. There’s some token attempt to say that he loved them differently. But it seemed too little, too late, and didn't ultimately convince me. Sigh! I love the heart, sizzle and laughs that Ilsa Madden-Mills's Beauty and The Baller delivered. This small town love story had the perfect combination of a delicious and sexy one-night stand with a pining-filled fake-dating arrangement!! Ronan and Nova were a breath of fresh air that I loved! I enjoyed their chemistry, banter, snark and swoony moments!!! the singing/sweet moments (like when they share stories, their truths, their dares- I’ll always remember how she broke Ryan Reynolds’s toilet 😂😂😂) Nova waltzes into Ronan's party one night dressed head to toe as Princess Leia, while he is a HUGE Star Wars buff. Coincidence? Well, you'll have to read to find out. But they share an instant connection and I was so here for it. I'm not usually a fan of the couple hooking up at the start of the book but it SOOOO worked here. In fact, I don't see how this story would've worked without it! Every time he touched her, he would instantly regret it and make her feel like an absolute mistake and honestly? It got annoying after a while.The chemistry between them😅. Yeah, it takes Ronan a little while to remember that Nova is the Princess Leia from the past😬. But once he does, he realizes that he’s very attracted to her, and even though they’re pretending, the chemistry between them is real.

I will admit that if you go into the book purely for some great love story, you’re maybe gonna be disappointed. This is not to say that the romantic relationship wasn’t well done, because I personally did enjoy it. This was probably one of the only instances in which I didn’t mind the “deceased wife” trope because while she was portrayed as someone that was nice and whom he loved, we were really showed and told that his relationship with the heroine was on another level, some soulmate type thing (if you believe in that). I hiss when I see that it’s two in the afternoon, and I’ve missed lunch with Whitney’s parents in C onnecticut. Cursing under my breath, I yank my pants off the floor, fish out my phone, and then fire off a text apologizing. I loved his geeky personality and how he is such a wonderful and caring man for everyone around him and especially for Nova. He is logical, hardworking, generous and a little stubborn. But I loved everything about him especially how he cared for Nova everytime and her family and how he loves star wars. He's a goner for Nova. I'm glad he survived and healed from his trauma and past and I'm glad Nova was there for him.

See also

There’s a moment of clarity, my mind debating if bringing the girl here was a good idea. I’m supposed to see Whitney’s parents tomorrow— has everything I need. Enemies-to-Lovers, fake relationship, ex pro-sports player with a hot body, strong female lead, autism representation, snort-laughs, love, loss, healing, family, small town.....EVERYTHING. Wait...did I mention the Pool Table Sex? Don't even get me started on their first night together. He literally forgot her face afterwards and spent the next few years hooking up with girls that were too young (legal age but still). They never exchanged numbers nor names (though he is famous, and she knew who he was) so he didn't seek her out BUT I am pretty sure he would have never wanted to be with her out even if he knew who she was. The only reason they ended up together was because they were forced into being around each other and I felt like the MMC settled.

h (heroine) rating: 4 stars. Nova. I liked her. I appreciated her strength, how kind she was to everyone, and how she remained positive. This was exactly what I needed to read: heartwarming, funny, a heavy dose of found family, small time quirky characters, it was all there.Authors, if you are a member of the Goodreads Author Program, you can edit information about your own books. Find out how in this guide.