Format: Digital
Release Date: September 14th, 2021
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Wedding dress designed Sorcha O’Conner didn’t expect to go viral, but thanks to her fiancé stranding her at the altar, she’s become #TheLeftoverBride. That and a series of other unfortunate events have convinced the public her dresses are cursed. To focus on something else, she creates a “31 Things to Do Before the 31st” list and works towards ticking all these off. But things change when #HockeyHottie returns to town. Seeing her former best friend Ryan throws Sorcha off, but when her #RunawayGroom is announced as the Most Coveted Bachelor in America, Ryan steps in to help Sorcha.
This was such an enjoyable read! It’s less focused on Christmas and less Christmas-themed than the others I’ve read in December, so if you’re looking for truly seasonal reads this one is more suited to November. There are a few events that take place around Christmas, and the book leads up to Christmas itself, but it’s not as much the focus as the cover would indicate.
I really liked the relationship between Ryan and Sorcha, and Nowodazkij does an excellent job of showing us flashbacks to give us more of an idea of their previous relationship. Ryan wants to help, but often doesn’t know the best way to go about it. He was such a good love interest, and he felt really human. And the comparison is made in the book itself, but there’s a real Roy Kent vibe to him that was kind of irresistible.
I liked the dynamics between them, but importantly the side-characters were great too, and there was a lot of room given to them. Ryan is trying really hard to work through his demons, while Sorcha isn’t sure what her next steps will be. These two really came together as partners, helping each other work through their problems and inspiring one another. Their characters were both written really well and you end up truly rooting for them!
I do really recommend this, and suggest you make sure you have it on your shelf for those dark nights when you need something bright to make you smile.
ARC received via NetGalley, reviews remain my own.
Unwrapping Words 