There’s no way I’m falling for this suit… Olivia Juniper Grove. The sleepy small town that I grew up in and never left. The place I love to hate and hate to love. It’s given me everything. But it’s also taken away so much. I’ve always dreamed of moving to a big city, but my siblings and I opened Three Sticks Café and Bakery. With the ribbon cutting, my dreams were shattered. We’re a tight-knit foursome, and being part owner, I can’t leave them or the town that knows my inner demons. Here, we all know each other and can tell who’s a tourist. That’s why when he comes to town, he sticks out like a sore thumb with his flashy suit and flashier car. But, there’s an allure to him that I can’t deny. The problem is he’s here for work, and only here temporarily. I can’t get involved with somebody who’s leaving. Will this town give me one more good thing? Or will it snatch happiness from my hands again? Jameson Traveling for work is what I do, and I’m married to the job. It lets me leave small towns in the dust like the tiny specks they are. Until I end up in Juniper Grove. The town’s star barista immediately intrigues me. She’s barely of drinking age, seven years my junior. But I can’t get her wild hair and inappropriate work attire out of my mind. Will this town be the one that turns my life on its head?
Olivia is an adult romance novel, intended for audiences 18 and older. Content warnings include strong language, explicit sexual scenes, mature situations, mentions of death, grief, and a car accident.
Shayna Astor is a native New Yorker, currently residing upstate with her husband and two children. Getting all four seasons, her favorite are the cool, crisp days of fall.
When Shayna isn't writing, she can be found reading, spending time with her kids, or playing video games with her husband. Being an avid coffee drinker, she can almost always be found with a cup of coffee in her hands.
While the premise was interesting, my main issue was focused on the mcs. I only got to know them on the surface (up to the point of their hookup) and they couldn’t hold my interest.
Moreover, despite the fact that they barely knew each other, their sexual encounters were without protection. Any discussion between them that followed was awkward and ludicrous.
“Olivia” is the first book in Shayna Astor’s The Baker Siblings series, and it focuses on Liv, the youngest, as she finds her happily ever after in an unexpected place. I thought Jameson and Liv were a wonderful, well written couple, and I really enjoyed their banter. Jameson had been married to his work up until he met Liv, but once he met her, he couldn’t stop himself from falling for her. I respected how hardworking he was, and I loved how obvious it was that he really cared for Liv. As for Liv, I could really relate to her personality, including her stubbornness and her sometimes childish behavior. But I also thought she was strong and confident, which are both traits I admire. This was absolutely a 5 star read for me!
Where do you find a Jameson? (totally asking for myself)
This is the first book I’ve read by Shayna and my gosh, I loved it!
The banter was great right from the start and I found myself cackling over the main character’s interactions. Olivia was such a firecracker so relatable, I loved her so much. Jameson was so easily added to the book boyfriend list and only got better as the things went on. This books gave me all the feels for both Olivia and Jameson and I loved watching them find their path together.
Olivia (A Baker Family Siblings Novel) By Shayna Astor
I was lucky enough to receive an ARC (advance readers copy) of this book. And as always this author never disappoints me. It was such a good enjoyable read that really set the tone for the rest of the series! You meet all of the siblings and some key side characters that are as remarkable as the leads themselves. Book one is about Liv, the youngest of the siblings and the grumpy to his sunshine barista at their family coffee shop. And Jameson, the sunshine billionaire that is sent to their small town to save a failing business but as he spends more time there he starts to see the small town life isn’t so bad. So what happens when this suit sweeps into town and turns this brunette beauty’s world upside down?
What a good book! I love the banter between Olivia and Jameson. There were so many LOL moments and the snark is top notch. Olivia’s siblings being so protective of her made me wish I had that. This book covers all of the emotions you could need in a book and the ending was perf, as usual from Shayna. Can’t wait to see what the rest of the series brings!
I Loved this book! I received this book in our welcome gift bags at our feb bookish retreat. I have finally gotten around to starting it. Contemporary Romance is not my go to genera but I ate this up. I fell in love with the characters and their growth throughout the book. I also love a Grump that is really a cinnamon roll. Cant wait to start the next book in the series.
I am really looking forward to this Baker Siblings series. Starting with Olivia, the youngest of the siblings, we learn what a spitfire and dedicated sibling she is. Owning one third of the coffee shop and bakery, she has a savvy business sense for being only 23. Following a family tragedy, the siblings banned together and made sacrifices and choices that brought them to the point that they are today.
Enter Jameson, the high powered, big city business man. He flips Olivia's life upside down, as she does the same to his.
The question is what will this all mean to the future couple?
A firecracker, a Suit, overprotective siblings, nightmares, tragedy, banter, spice and a well written story takes you into the small town life and the reality and choices we have to make.
As always shayna creates the best world!! Liv and Jay are the perfect match even when they don't know it! I can't wait to see the rest of the baker siblings!! Especially Eli! Mazie definitely annoyed me with her over barringness but I totally get it ! 5 stars for me
‘Olivia’ is a well written, easy to read story. It hits the tropes I enjoy - such as enemies to lovers, and small town vibes. The writing allows for you to get swept up in the characters - feisty Olivia and the stuffy suit Jameson and their lives.
I look forward to reading the next in the series!!!
Olivia is book one of The Baker Siblings Series. Oliva is the “babiest sister” of the foursome, but don’t count her out cause she’s well wise beyond her years. Tragedy that no one in their right mind talks about, caused the Baker siblings to become closer than others , but that closeness saved them when they needed it most. Unfortunately that closeness may also be the very thing that tears them apart if they don’t watch it. The Baker Sisters run Three Sticks, the only cafe in their small town and when a very OBVIOUS stuck up…Suit makes an appearance one day, Liv shows him exactly what small town girls are made of. What she thought was a random tourist turns out to be someone who’s here to stay, at least for a while. While she enjoys pushing his buttons and enjoying the eye candy he offers, what happens when he wants more than her delicious coffee everyday? Liv will have to think deep about what her town and her siblings mean to her. Could he be worth it? Or will he remember he’s too big for small town life and leave her too?
I enjoyed this book. It was a fun rom com without any really heavy vibes to me (there are some trigger warnings so please be sure to check those out). It’s not meant to be a super deep or emotional book and I loved that. It was a couple hour read, light but also with enough substance to keep me reading. The language was a bit weird once or twice but nothing I couldn’t get past. I’m very interested in what’s next for the Bakers.
I absolutely loved this book! So sweet & spicy! A perfect blend. Like her coffee! Liv is the youngest of 4 siblings 2 sisters and a brother who lost their parents in a tragic way. They all took specific roles afterwards to survive & it sets a foundation for each of their relationships with each other. The 3 sisters run a coffee shop in a tiny town, but they are smashing it. A man from the big city New York comes in in a suit & is a typical douche & she is extremely sassy towards him. She thinks he’s a giant dick at first, but when he keeps coming back their banter & chemistry changes things. They neither one want a relationship at first. Both are happy with their single lives. Except when they see each other at a club the chemistry erupts & they think they can keep it casual. That definitely doesn’t work. Liv’s sister is worried she’s going to get crushed when he leaves bc he’s only in town for a couple weeks or so. She wasn’t wrong but Liv more so pushes him away in attempt to save face or not let him crush her first. It’s a whole thing. She regrets it immediately, but doesn’t backpedal. He leaves & something tragic happens again she gets hit by a car. He’s there as fast as he can be. Once he see’s her again he no longer cares about what’s keeping them apart only that they will figure it out together even if he has to quit his job. He’s so swoon worthy. I loved this book! & I cannot wait to read the other siblings stories!! If there’s going to be some. Highly recommend!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Olivia, the youngest of the Baker children, owns a bakery and coffee shop with her sisters. As the barista, she usually pays no attention to the tourists who come into her shop, but when tall, dark, and handsome Jameson strolls into town for work, neither of them can deny their connection.
I’m not the biggest fan of billionaire/millionaire romances, but this was done with care, and it helped that Jameson wasn’t a complete jerk and Olivia was likable, albeit childish at times, but even she brings to attention that she’s only 23. Olivia’s age compared with Jameson's 30 years isn't the biggest age gap I’ve read, and to much of my surprise and delight, it wasn’t the leading issue in their relationship, which I found refreshing. The family dynamic with the Baker children was frustrating as all hell, but I found it to be very realistic and definitely relatable. Jameson was delicious; he was charming and caring—everything you love and would expect from a MMC. Their chemistry was realistic and abundant, and I love how we didn’t have to wait too long for the spice; it starts pretty early on in the book.
This is book 1 in the Baker Siblings series, and we are introduced to the younger Baker Olivia. Olivia is a third owner of the coffee / bakery shop, and she is feisty and takes no nonsense and she has an unfavorable run in with Jameson the older man in a suit, the man with money and a whole of snugness. When these two meet the meeting isn’t great, but as our story develops and we learn more about each of them we see that there is something else there between these two is it just chemistry or is there something more developing between these two. Can Olivia ever leave her family and pursue her dreams, or will she always want that closeness to her family and can Jameson give it all up for a small town leaving his high life behind. This is one of those feel-good stories that pulls you in from the start to finish. I loved how we not only focus on our two main characters but we also get an insight into our side characters and the other Baker siblings. This is a start of a wonderful series and I can’t wait for more.
Olivia is the first book in The Baker Siblings series, each book follows a different Baker sibling and their quest for love. I found this to be a borderline cozy romance, with some on page spicy scenes. The story line was cute, and fast paced. The timeline jumped weeks and months quickly, which made the story feel kind of shallow to me, at times I felt like we only got the headlines and not the whole story. Olivia "Liv" Baker, the FMC, is the youngest of the Baker Siblings, and also the wildest. I loved her snarky outer attitude, her need to stand out, and her loyalty to her siblings. The MMC Jameson is a definite undercover cinnamon roll type, underneath the serious suits he is a big romantic softy. I liked both characters, I just never felt connected to either one of them. Like the plot, the characters felt somewhat distant and shallow. Overall I felt this was a cute, quick and easy read. Since Olivia ends with a huge lead in to the next book, I will definitely continue reading the series.
BOOK REVIEW Olivia By Shayna Astor Five Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Okay gotta say this is my first book by Shayna Astor and I loved every single second of it! I loved how Olivia handled Jameson when he came into the shop, and her "getting the manager " was so funny! I love how she wouldn't tell him her name either! Their back and forth is so fun to read! Damn that moment at the club where Liv gave her name to Jameson which turned into the Hot steamy moment! They have such a wonderful and beautifully written connection, even if she isn't ready to tell about her past, but when she did open up Jameson was so sweet to her. I laughed so hard when it came to the cleaning lady!!!! Wow.... that pain that both characters have.... Holy crap that accident! I love how Jameson rushed to be with Liv after everything! Awwww Jameson wanting to move to her town because she lives there is so freaking sweet! Oh my gosh!!!! What a freaking amazingly sweet ending for Jameson and Olivia!!! But ohhhh that ending makes me want to dive into the next book! Time to add it to my tbr!
This book is the first in a four sibling series. Olivia was a great way to break into this series, and I cannot wait to read about the other siblings based on this book. Each sibling just from the little bits we got to learn in this book are interesting, and unique with their own personalities and strengths.
As for Olivia she is a feisty female main character. One whom I could connect with so well from her sass to her pink hair. I really enjoyed her story.
Jameson is the big business man from the city, and he is struck by the fierceness and uniqueness that is Olivia. Finding how easy it is to fall in love with her.
But they come from different worlds and the story embarks on the them navigating their love through family, jobs, and life.
This was a very sweet novel with a happily ever after. You get hooked on Olivia and Jamison’s relationship and can’t help but keep turning the page to find out what happens. It’s an easy captivating read for sure!
First of all, the cover of this book is absolutely stunning, I really do love it!😍 I was given the opportunity to read this book as an ARC and I do recommend picking it up for a quick, easy read!☺️
This story follows Olivia & Jameson, a grumpy x sunshine trope which I love! I love their story and the background of the characters that influence their story! My only wish is that I saw more of Olivia & Jameson building their relationship, I didn’t feel like I got enough of that, which to me personally made their journey feel a bit rushed.
However, I really enjoyed this book, I love that it tells the story of the Baker Siblings and what they’ve been through, building on their characters throughout, and the romance is really sweet! This book has a fair bit of spice as well!!🌶️🔥
I will definitely want to read Book 2 in the Baker Siblings Series, which follows Alina, so I will look forward to that one😁
This was really bad. The h was atrocious. I wanted some cute small town vibes and all I got were raging bitch vibes and weird freaking reactions to everything. The author makes drama out of everything! Nothing made any sense. These are two people who were in love, by 30% mind you 🙄, but they can’t even talk about anything without the h flipping out? The H is always just trying to calm her down. I was really suspended by how mean she was to him and he’s just always begging for more. The dynamic was so off putting.
The ten month separation that only turned into a reunion because the h was in a car accident was super annoying too. The sisters were all awful and just complete headcases in really weird ways. The only likable character was the brother who everyone feels bad for because he “had such potential” but instead is “only” a college professor. 😵💫😵💫😵💫
This book just came out today and I already read it. I always anticipate this authors books and always preorder her books as soon as I know a new one is coming out. All her books are emotionally charged from happy to extremely sad. But she has a way of weaving a story that you can connect with immediately. Her novels are about real life with real problems that sometimes we can relate to. But this book takes the cake in the emotional department. Two strangers from two different worlds meet and their worlds collide at a full on pace. But when difficulties arise, can they rise above? You’ll just have to read it to find out and believe me you’ll want to lol. I’ve been following this author since her debut novel. Her writing is pure, real, a little steamy and beautiful. I highly recommend this book and all her others.
This was such a good read and thank goodness the next in the series comes out very soon!
Liv and her siblings run a bakery, Jameson is a suit wearing, city boy in the small town of Juniper Grove for business. He of course goes into the coffee shop looking for a decent coffee and there's Liv who is not the least bit impressed with his suit and city attitude.
The banter between these 2 main characters is perfection! She has no desire to know more about him, and he wants to figure out the mysterious woman behind the counter at the towns coffee shop.
There was such a good story line to Liv and her families characters and why they have a coffee shop. There was also a great amount of drama, especially the ending!
5 star read, and so ready for book 2!
Thank you Shayna for allowing me to continue being an ARC reader for you I truly enjoy your writing!
Jameson walks into the coffee shop and is being rude but the barista gives it back to him, he leaves but can’t stop thinking about the coffee and the girl. Olivia would never be interested in a suit, but can’t stop thinking about the man who was rude. Jameson comes in everyday for his coffee and they get to know each other. One night they can’t fight their attraction and think they are having a one night stand, but it’s more. They both know Jameson had is going back to New York and Olivia will not leave. Can they be together? Great characters and storyline Highly recommended Amazing book. I absolutely love Olivia and Jameson and their character development was amazing. Great supporting characters. This book has all the feels. This is my first book by this author definitely not my last.
Small town girl, big city guy. Cinnamon roll hero, feisty heroine. Major family vibes, big gestures but nothing over the top.
I loved how he is able to take her love for the big city and give it to her while also letting her live her small town life and moving right into it with her.
They click so well! He gets her and she gets him!
Ahhh! Some major swoony moments and some major laugh out loud moments too!
Their first fiery connection was fun to experience too! Gah!!!
I am so looking forward to reading the rest of the series also! Each book about a different sibling. I found Maize’s story first but it was recommended to read this one first and I can totally see why as there was so much groundwork laid out here.
I can tell you now, I am very much looking forward to seeing more of these Baker siblings.
Together they survived a traumatic experience and through that they have a dependency on each other you don't regularly see in the sibling dynamic. While this is can obviously be seen as sweet and endearing, it can also cause issues as we saw in Olivia's story.
Olivia being the "baby Baker" cleary is the most over-protected of the bunch, and her being young (early 20s) it is assumed she doesn't know how to think clearly and make decisions for herself. While they don't give her enough credit, they're also not completely wrong. Her immediate reactions from 0-60 insanity does go to show her apparent lack of maturity. That said, unlike those who truly are immature, she does understand after having a moment to step back and cool down that she overreacted and how she could have/should have handled things differently. Mazie... Ugh well let's just say so far she's my absolute lease favorite Baker and I'm truly hoping her story provides some redemption, because at this rate she causes way more harm than she helps.
Then there's Jameson, the love interest of our dear baby Baker. It was an interesting dynamic switch here for me. He is immediately introduced as a "suit" who is so self absorbed and thinks he's better than everyone in this small town that he can't even bother to hang up a phone before walking in to a coffee house. However, that was really the only time I saw him act like the D-Bag Olivia dubbed him initially. He was sweet, and protective, albeit kept a running dialogue on how childish Olivia was throughout, MMC and who doesn't want that?
If I had any complaint about this book, and honestly I don't think it's a complaint at all, I think I would have liked to see a bit more build up to when Jameson and Olivia finally came together. It seemed really fast for the fact that they are both the complete opposite of what either would be interested in. The only reason I feel like it worked in this particular book is thanks to the dual POV we know that BOTH of them kept thinking about the other non-stop until they finally found each other at the club. If it weren't for that it may not have worked as well.
All in all, I'm looking forward to the rest of the siblings, I think especially Eli's.
This is a sweet, small-town romance! There are a lot of traditional romance themes in this book that we all love, city guy comes to the small town and unexpectedly meets the girl of his dreams. She thinks he's just a snobby city guy, but ends up making all her dreams come true. There are also a lot of unexpected dynamics and plot twists you didn't see coming. The most interesting dynamic is the character development of the Baker Siblings. This is the first book in their series, which introduces us to them and sets the pace for the upcoming books. These characters are so multi-dimensional and have an energy that will make you cheer for them, and sometimes want to scream at them! I'm looking forward to reading more about the other characters!
I've read quite a few Shayna Astor books over the last six months or so, and I have enjoyed each one. They are easy to read, great books for when you can only read small chunks at a time, and just flow so authentically. This one was a great start to a new series!
This book is about a girl who owns a coffee shop with her sisters. They have a tragic past and she meets a new stranger in her small town. Sparks. Annoyance. Spice. One night stand turned way way more. It's spicy and fun and sweet all wrapped up in a nice little bow.
I do wish a few parts were expanded on a little more, but the book was still very enjoyable! I look forward to reading everyone else's story in this series!
Feisty Olivia is a barista in her family's coffee shop. Jameson is working in her small town as a business consultant and frequents the coffee shop. The two start off sparring with each other but there is a hot chemistry between them and when they meet at a bar on a night out, they end up spending the night together. But Olivia is hiding a troubled past and her siblings are very protective of her. However, as they get closer, neither can find a way forward to be together. Olivia unable to leave her siblings and Jameson unable to leave his career and the big city. Eventually some trauma helps them how to work it out. A hot, steamy and emotional read and a great start to this series.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This took me a while, it was easy to read and entertaining but the kind of relationsship it describes feels weird. Olivia or Liv is a girl with some kind of trauma in her past she never made a move to get over with someone professional. So she kind of developed some kind of, in my opinion, unhealthy co-dependency with her siblings that is keeping her from really evolving. The book describes her falling in love with someone she dislikes at first but falls for and also develops some kind of weird relationship. So this was all very hard to understand and i didn´t really like the way it ended. I think this was supposed to be romantic but is has way to much baggage that is never really solved. So i don´t know if i will read the other books in the series.
Olivia is book 1 in the new The Baker Siblings series. Life hasn't always been easy for the Baker siblings, most of all Olivia. She's the baby, the youngest, the babiest sister of the four. One day a guy in a suit comes into the Cafe and her life will never be the same.
I enjoyed this one so much. Learning about the siblings, watching Olivia learn to open up and take a chance. Her siblings at times made me wanna scream, but that's what siblings do.. right? This is a great start to the series, so heartwarming and that's ending!!! ohhhhh....
I am looking forward to the next book coming out!!! But I better buy some more tissues before then... just in case....