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Lakefront Billionaires #1
Love Redesigned
Julian
If I ever caught on fire, Dahlia Muñoz would fan the flames with a smile.
So, when she returns to Lake Wisteria, I fully intend to avoid the interior designer.
At least until my meddling mother exploits my savior complex.
The faster I help Dahlia find her creative spark, the sooner she will leave town.
But while I was busy getting rid of Dahlia, I overlooked one potential issue.
What happens if I want her to stay?
Dahlia
People say the devil has many faces, but I know only one.
Julian Lopez—my childhood rival and family frenemy.
I vow to steer clear of him while recovering from my broken engagement, but then the billionaire makes an irresistible offer.
Renovate a historic house together and triple our profits.
Our temporary truce becomes compromised as we face years’ worth of denied attraction and mixed emotions.
Giving into our desire is inevitable…but falling in love?
That isn’t part of the plan.
Love Redesigned is a steamy, small town romance about two family friends-turned-childhood rivals. It is the first book in the standalone Lakefront Billionaires series and has a happy ending.
If I ever caught on fire, Dahlia Muñoz would fan the flames with a smile.
So, when she returns to Lake Wisteria, I fully intend to avoid the interior designer.
At least until my meddling mother exploits my savior complex.
The faster I help Dahlia find her creative spark, the sooner she will leave town.
But while I was busy getting rid of Dahlia, I overlooked one potential issue.
What happens if I want her to stay?
Dahlia
People say the devil has many faces, but I know only one.
Julian Lopez—my childhood rival and family frenemy.
I vow to steer clear of him while recovering from my broken engagement, but then the billionaire makes an irresistible offer.
Renovate a historic house together and triple our profits.
Our temporary truce becomes compromised as we face years’ worth of denied attraction and mixed emotions.
Giving into our desire is inevitable…but falling in love?
That isn’t part of the plan.
Love Redesigned is a steamy, small town romance about two family friends-turned-childhood rivals. It is the first book in the standalone Lakefront Billionaires series and has a happy ending.
530 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 7, 2023
11758 people are currently reading
243889 people want to read
About the author
Lauren Asher
24 books58.3k followersJoin my Facebook group for exclusive content and sneak peeks: https://bit.ly/BandiniBabes
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About Me:
Lauren Asher is a New York Times, USA Today, Sunday Times, Globe and Mail, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of contemporary romance. She enjoys writing about flawed yet relatable characters you can’t help falling in love with and fictional worlds you wish were real.
Her favorite activities outside of writing include DIY projects, binging old episodes of Parks and Rec, and searching Yelp for new restaurants before choosing her trusted favorite. She works best after her morning coffee and will never deny a nap.
Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurenasher...
About Me:
Lauren Asher is a New York Times, USA Today, Sunday Times, Globe and Mail, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of contemporary romance. She enjoys writing about flawed yet relatable characters you can’t help falling in love with and fictional worlds you wish were real.
Her favorite activities outside of writing include DIY projects, binging old episodes of Parks and Rec, and searching Yelp for new restaurants before choosing her trusted favorite. She works best after her morning coffee and will never deny a nap.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 20,729 reviews
November 7, 2023
this book cleared my very weak vision…
every page, every sentence, down to the period was perfection! the banter? like no other. these bitches are vicious. the chemistry? popping off the pan like hot grease. the slow burn tension? had me trembling. 😖
it’s crazy to me how the main characters literally crashed into one another with their cars, broke each other’s phones, pulled traumatizing pranks on one another, got ARRESTED together, and still managed to fall in love 😭⁉️ now this is some serious shit…
“the most attentive man doesn’t exist” bitch please let me introduce you to Luis Julian Lopez Junior aka construction ken aka my husband aka just Julian. ladies if he wanted to he WOULD cuz the way this man went out of his way to make Dahlia his like it was second nature to him?! by putting his mouth and his billions of dollars to good mf use. y’all he literally got her sushi from her favorite spot that’s in NYC, flown directly to her…they live in fucking michigan?! “life without you is hardly considered a life at all” DO YOU WANNA GET WIFED UP OR WHAT JULIAN?! he triggered my cavewoman impulses fr..BARK BARK BARK 👹
who’s the baddest bitch of them all? yeah that’s Dahlia Muñoz!! the way she battled depression, anxiety, and other issues was so healing to read. the way she has Julian on his knees asking her out for dinner?! she is the moment. she has Julian on by the LEASH. his every action is dictated by the emotions shown on her face. and that’s what i call true mf love.
everything outside of the romance and was perfect perfect perfect 🤩 the character’s growth for each mc was done flawlessly. i loved how they are both equally flushed out characters with flaws and nuance. i love them both separately and together. the family dynamic, the love they all share with one another is everything! makes me so excited for the rest of the series. also tell me why the twilight wedding song was playing in my head finishing this book?😭 i wanna choke
every page, every sentence, down to the period was perfection! the banter? like no other. these bitches are vicious. the chemistry? popping off the pan like hot grease. the slow burn tension? had me trembling. 😖
it’s crazy to me how the main characters literally crashed into one another with their cars, broke each other’s phones, pulled traumatizing pranks on one another, got ARRESTED together, and still managed to fall in love 😭⁉️ now this is some serious shit…
“the most attentive man doesn’t exist” bitch please let me introduce you to Luis Julian Lopez Junior aka construction ken aka my husband aka just Julian. ladies if he wanted to he WOULD cuz the way this man went out of his way to make Dahlia his like it was second nature to him?! by putting his mouth and his billions of dollars to good mf use. y’all he literally got her sushi from her favorite spot that’s in NYC, flown directly to her…they live in fucking michigan?! “life without you is hardly considered a life at all” DO YOU WANNA GET WIFED UP OR WHAT JULIAN?! he triggered my cavewoman impulses fr..BARK BARK BARK 👹
who’s the baddest bitch of them all? yeah that’s Dahlia Muñoz!! the way she battled depression, anxiety, and other issues was so healing to read. the way she has Julian on his knees asking her out for dinner?! she is the moment. she has Julian on by the LEASH. his every action is dictated by the emotions shown on her face. and that’s what i call true mf love.
everything outside of the romance and was perfect perfect perfect 🤩 the character’s growth for each mc was done flawlessly. i loved how they are both equally flushed out characters with flaws and nuance. i love them both separately and together. the family dynamic, the love they all share with one another is everything! makes me so excited for the rest of the series. also tell me why the twilight wedding song was playing in my head finishing this book?😭 i wanna choke
Read
July 1, 2024dnf 68%
Me trying to finish this book
I didn't make it.
I tried okay, I really tried. I was excited about this book for many reasons, good reasons, but it turned out to be so bland that I couldn't do it to myself anymore. I kept waiting for it to get better, but the further I read, the less interested I became.
The story was dull and lacked some flavor, the characters were fine but boring, and I didn't feel any chemistry and connection between them. I think I probably would have made it to the end if it had been two hundred pages shorter. Nearly five hundred and fifty pages is crazy. I can easily read even longer books when I love the main characters, but I didn't even particularly like the ones here, so of course I had a hard time reading it.
Also, the situation with the heroine's engagement ring from her ex, kinda made me mad. They threw one hundred thousand dollar ring into the concrete mixer. That’s a huge amount of money. They could have easily sold it and gave the money to some charity. Sometimes I hate rich people.
Overall, I'm quite disappointed, but what can I do. I'm happy for the people who loved it though. Wish it was me too, because the cover is gorgeous and would look good on my bookshelf.
────────
girl- another billionaire? I’m tired of those, give me some trillionaire
Me trying to finish this book
I didn't make it.
I tried okay, I really tried. I was excited about this book for many reasons, good reasons, but it turned out to be so bland that I couldn't do it to myself anymore. I kept waiting for it to get better, but the further I read, the less interested I became.
The story was dull and lacked some flavor, the characters were fine but boring, and I didn't feel any chemistry and connection between them. I think I probably would have made it to the end if it had been two hundred pages shorter. Nearly five hundred and fifty pages is crazy. I can easily read even longer books when I love the main characters, but I didn't even particularly like the ones here, so of course I had a hard time reading it.
Also, the situation with the heroine's engagement ring from her ex, kinda made me mad. They threw one hundred thousand dollar ring into the concrete mixer. That’s a huge amount of money. They could have easily sold it and gave the money to some charity. Sometimes I hate rich people.
Overall, I'm quite disappointed, but what can I do. I'm happy for the people who loved it though. Wish it was me too, because the cover is gorgeous and would look good on my bookshelf.
────────
girl- another billionaire? I’m tired of those, give me some trillionaire
Currently reading
November 8, 2023Available now!
Amazon: https://bit.ly/3YT87jn
Amazon Worldwide: https://mybook.to/LoveRedesignedLA
Amazon: https://bit.ly/3YT87jn
Amazon Worldwide: https://mybook.to/LoveRedesignedLA
November 11, 2023
4.5🌟
💜💜💜
well... Lauren Asher does it again. I ADORED this book! I loved the setting of a historic, beautiful little lake side town. the characters were so lovable and the way everyone interacts with one another is just so endearing!
but ofc we have the couple in this book and let me tell you I LOVE and eat up every single time the two people who have a lot of history trope O M G
the way that Julian remembers every. little. thing. about her *heart melts*
also the characters are constantly very in tune with their emotions and have a good grasp on what they're feeling and why (way better than me let me tell you)
all in all, another great book and I cannot wait for the next book already!
💜💜💜
well... Lauren Asher does it again. I ADORED this book! I loved the setting of a historic, beautiful little lake side town. the characters were so lovable and the way everyone interacts with one another is just so endearing!
but ofc we have the couple in this book and let me tell you I LOVE and eat up every single time the two people who have a lot of history trope O M G
the way that Julian remembers every. little. thing. about her *heart melts*
also the characters are constantly very in tune with their emotions and have a good grasp on what they're feeling and why (way better than me let me tell you)
all in all, another great book and I cannot wait for the next book already!
October 30, 2023
THIS BOOK!!!! Seriously my favorite Lauren Asher read to date. I was giggling, I teared up, & was just invested from start to end. I think I’m sitting between a 4.75 and a 5 (I’ll make my mind up eventually)
JULIAN is seriously everything. His & Dahlia’s story is one of my favorites, I loved it from beginning to end & honestly could’ve read 100 more pages.
“Some people are worth the risk” 😭😭😭😭😭😭 ugh bye I love them
JULIAN is seriously everything. His & Dahlia’s story is one of my favorites, I loved it from beginning to end & honestly could’ve read 100 more pages.
“Some people are worth the risk” 😭😭😭😭😭😭 ugh bye I love them
July 8, 2024
➸ 3.25 stars
➷ this story follows dahlia and julian, who are formal childhood rivals. (their moms are childhood besties so both of their families are very close) but these two have always competed and tried to one up each other. julian and dahlia share a kiss in college, but shortly after, julian learns of his fathers passing. distraught, he drops out and tells dahlia she is a distraction he can’t afford. they part ways and avoid each other since then. now, dahlia returns back to Lake Wisteria after 10 years, but she is tending to a broken heart after her ex called off the wedding and she finds out some devastating news from a testing she done. she now faces uncertainty about her career direction amidst the media turmoil following her breakup.
— then length of this book is criminally insane, i will keep saying it but no contemporary romance book needs to be over 500 pages 😩 this book starts off incredibly slow, nothing really happens until we are halfway bc the first half just focuses on their home project. but goddd i HATE when a book just continuously drags when it should be over — like everything just got so repetitive and boring because of the slow start. LIKE GIRL PLEASE JUST WRAP IT UP ALREADY!!
➳ dahlia muñoz:
her struggles were truly heartbreaking. but dahlia’s depression and anxiety were handled really well in this book. having to deal with a breakup and struggle with the life altering news she received, my heart broke for her. but no matter what, dahlia always tries to push herself and makes sure she’s doing everything she can. i loved that we got to see her work through it all and see her heal. i do wish we got some conclusion/closure to her infertility. i feel like there was a little explantation to what she was going through, so i would’ve love to see that expanded on more. (i’m actually not sure if she is is infertile she just chooses not to have kids bc of a gene the doctors found from the testing) and julian not wanting his own kids before he even found out about dahlia’s results was way too convenient. dahlia’s continuous self doubt did drive me insane at times, idk why she was doubting julian’s intentions the entire book because you just know that man is head over heels in love with her. he done nothing wrong to me, he was grieving a major loss but he handled the situation in a shitty way instead of being honest. LIKE ALL THESE TWO NEEDED TO DO WAS JUST COMMUNICATE!! but i love that julian showed dahlia what it’s like to be truly loved and adored, he always went above and beyond for her.
➳ julian lopez:
julian is a workaholic who is still grieving the loss of his father. the way he constantly feels lonely even tho he had everything he could ever want made me so sad. i love that we got to see the different layers of his personality. seeing him connect with his feelings and navigate his decade-long grief over his father’s death was deeply moving and i loved that he found his passion for carpentry again. he began the book very closed off, but dahlia’s return brought that spark back into him. when his love language is acts of service 😍😍 aaa the way he made a pro-con list about her and his only con was that she may never love him back. stoppp it 😭 THE WAY HE BOUGHT A HOUSE FOR BC SHE TALKED ABOUT IT WHEN THEY WERE YOUNGER. this man is so down bad for her, you love to see it. can i have him for myself please and thank you. and the love he has for his mother was so precious. we love a man who respects his mother wholeheartedly.
i did get second hand embarrassment from some scenes, especially the scene where they get caught by a cop for public indecency. i had to skip over some scenes bc i was physically cringing.
there is no third act break up but why would there be when julian is amazing!! he constantly reassured dahlia that he wanted her and that he loved her and he was willing to follow her to san fransisco just so she could chase her dreams if that’s what she wanted. after 10 years his love for her just grew so much stronger.
— overall, i didn’t love this one but i also didn’t hate it. i probably would’ve enjoyed this one so much more if it wasn’t dragged out and if the pacing didn’t feel like it was off. but i’m looking forward to the rest of the books in this series, especially lorenzo’s 🤭 i’m so excited to jump into rafael and ellie’s book next, it was built up perfectly so i’m already practically seated!!
───♡─────────────
જ⁀➴ pre-read:
don’t know what to expect from this one since since lauren asher’s books are either a hit or miss for me. i’ve been in the biggest slump lately tho so i hope it somewhat helps out 🥲
“turns out i’d rather build a home with you than a thousand houses by myself.”
➷ this story follows dahlia and julian, who are formal childhood rivals. (their moms are childhood besties so both of their families are very close) but these two have always competed and tried to one up each other. julian and dahlia share a kiss in college, but shortly after, julian learns of his fathers passing. distraught, he drops out and tells dahlia she is a distraction he can’t afford. they part ways and avoid each other since then. now, dahlia returns back to Lake Wisteria after 10 years, but she is tending to a broken heart after her ex called off the wedding and she finds out some devastating news from a testing she done. she now faces uncertainty about her career direction amidst the media turmoil following her breakup.
— then length of this book is criminally insane, i will keep saying it but no contemporary romance book needs to be over 500 pages 😩 this book starts off incredibly slow, nothing really happens until we are halfway bc the first half just focuses on their home project. but goddd i HATE when a book just continuously drags when it should be over — like everything just got so repetitive and boring because of the slow start. LIKE GIRL PLEASE JUST WRAP IT UP ALREADY!!
“life without you was a series of pros & cons. risks & rewards. black & white with very few shades of gray. but then you came back and flipped a switch inside me, flooding my world with color after a ten-year blackout, and I don't plan on giving that up. not now. not ever."
➳ dahlia muñoz:
her struggles were truly heartbreaking. but dahlia’s depression and anxiety were handled really well in this book. having to deal with a breakup and struggle with the life altering news she received, my heart broke for her. but no matter what, dahlia always tries to push herself and makes sure she’s doing everything she can. i loved that we got to see her work through it all and see her heal. i do wish we got some conclusion/closure to her infertility. i feel like there was a little explantation to what she was going through, so i would’ve love to see that expanded on more. (i’m actually not sure if she is is infertile she just chooses not to have kids bc of a gene the doctors found from the testing) and julian not wanting his own kids before he even found out about dahlia’s results was way too convenient. dahlia’s continuous self doubt did drive me insane at times, idk why she was doubting julian’s intentions the entire book because you just know that man is head over heels in love with her. he done nothing wrong to me, he was grieving a major loss but he handled the situation in a shitty way instead of being honest. LIKE ALL THESE TWO NEEDED TO DO WAS JUST COMMUNICATE!! but i love that julian showed dahlia what it’s like to be truly loved and adored, he always went above and beyond for her.
➳ julian lopez:
julian is a workaholic who is still grieving the loss of his father. the way he constantly feels lonely even tho he had everything he could ever want made me so sad. i love that we got to see the different layers of his personality. seeing him connect with his feelings and navigate his decade-long grief over his father’s death was deeply moving and i loved that he found his passion for carpentry again. he began the book very closed off, but dahlia’s return brought that spark back into him. when his love language is acts of service 😍😍 aaa the way he made a pro-con list about her and his only con was that she may never love him back. stoppp it 😭 THE WAY HE BOUGHT A HOUSE FOR BC SHE TALKED ABOUT IT WHEN THEY WERE YOUNGER. this man is so down bad for her, you love to see it. can i have him for myself please and thank you. and the love he has for his mother was so precious. we love a man who respects his mother wholeheartedly.
“if you have to change yourself to fit someone’s ideal version of you, then that’s not love.”
i did get second hand embarrassment from some scenes, especially the scene where they get caught by a cop for public indecency. i had to skip over some scenes bc i was physically cringing.
there is no third act break up but why would there be when julian is amazing!! he constantly reassured dahlia that he wanted her and that he loved her and he was willing to follow her to san fransisco just so she could chase her dreams if that’s what she wanted. after 10 years his love for her just grew so much stronger.
— overall, i didn’t love this one but i also didn’t hate it. i probably would’ve enjoyed this one so much more if it wasn’t dragged out and if the pacing didn’t feel like it was off. but i’m looking forward to the rest of the books in this series, especially lorenzo’s 🤭 i’m so excited to jump into rafael and ellie’s book next, it was built up perfectly so i’m already practically seated!!
───♡─────────────
જ⁀➴ pre-read:
don’t know what to expect from this one since since lauren asher’s books are either a hit or miss for me. i’ve been in the biggest slump lately tho so i hope it somewhat helps out 🥲
April 14, 2024
"... I plan on making this woman mine in every sense of the word.
Mine to love. Mine to marry. Mine to cherish for as long as we live."
The two stars are for Julian and only Julian. The man single handedly carried this brick of a book. Now that that's made clear, let's get to the rant review 🥰
✔️ Small town romance
✔️ Billionaire romance
✔️ Rivals to lovers
✔️ Second chance romance
✔️ Only one bed
Tbh this book had no business being over 500 pages. It dragged so much, it started to drain the life out of me by the second half. It could have easily been a 350 page book but noooo, we had to get this brick cause word count/page count equates to more money I guess.
Firstly, the book does start off fun and decent but then Alana (from the Final Offer- Dreamland Billionaire series) showed up and it completely ruined the mood for me. She is the worst fmc I have read to date in any book. Thankfully, there are only a few scenes with her. I still think Cal can do much better. But anyway, it's not about them..
The story unfortunately doesn't pick up. I did not connect to it or the characters at all. Sure I sympathized and all but overall it was a very boring and tedious read.
Dahila is not the easiest fmc to like tbh. I felt bad for her backstory, coping with a breakup and such life altering news along with depression is not easy. I hurt for her in that sense, but at the same time I unfortunately could not like her. Her attitude when it came to Julian just irked me. I get that her last relationship wasn't the best and she's got history with Julian but the woman has a very nasty attitude. She constantly makes cheap remarks, uses his insecurities, takes jabs at him and whenever Julian defends himself and answers her back once in a million times- she has the audacity to victimize herself and make him feel worse. This honestly made me so mad. I truly get banter, but this was just over 500 pages of constant personal attacks!!
Julian on the contrary has such immense patience. It's not like things are easy for him. It's not like he doesn't have insecurities of his own but he deals with it all way better than Dahila. He doesn't lash out on others. I loved his raw and openness to have communication in the second half. I loved he was ready to be vulnerable and accepting. He didn't push Dahila once. He didn't make her insecure once and I adored that.
The romance did not really work for me. I failed to see the connection and chemistry given only one person was putting in effort and only one person was genuinely wanting to fix it. While Julian wanted love, everything with Dahila was sex. The spice was not worth it imo. Yeah sure, they have their moments but it's not enough to make me swoon. Their conversations were surface level and just business for a long damn time. Second chance romances are hit or miss for me and this one definitely missed.
The epilogue and extended epilogues were kinda cute, I'll admit that. Am wondering if I should cancel my pre order for the next book tbh. Lauren Asher struggles with billionaire romances that has been made clear to me now. The Dirty Air series remains superior.
~•~•~
Have heard a lot about Julian. It's time to meet him 👀
Mine to love. Mine to marry. Mine to cherish for as long as we live."
The two stars are for Julian and only Julian. The man single handedly carried this brick of a book. Now that that's made clear, let's get to the rant review 🥰
✔️ Small town romance
✔️ Billionaire romance
✔️ Rivals to lovers
✔️ Second chance romance
✔️ Only one bed
Tbh this book had no business being over 500 pages. It dragged so much, it started to drain the life out of me by the second half. It could have easily been a 350 page book but noooo, we had to get this brick cause word count/page count equates to more money I guess.
Firstly, the book does start off fun and decent but then Alana (from the Final Offer- Dreamland Billionaire series) showed up and it completely ruined the mood for me. She is the worst fmc I have read to date in any book. Thankfully, there are only a few scenes with her. I still think Cal can do much better. But anyway, it's not about them..
The story unfortunately doesn't pick up. I did not connect to it or the characters at all. Sure I sympathized and all but overall it was a very boring and tedious read.
Dahila is not the easiest fmc to like tbh. I felt bad for her backstory, coping with a breakup and such life altering news along with depression is not easy. I hurt for her in that sense, but at the same time I unfortunately could not like her. Her attitude when it came to Julian just irked me. I get that her last relationship wasn't the best and she's got history with Julian but the woman has a very nasty attitude. She constantly makes cheap remarks, uses his insecurities, takes jabs at him and whenever Julian defends himself and answers her back once in a million times- she has the audacity to victimize herself and make him feel worse. This honestly made me so mad. I truly get banter, but this was just over 500 pages of constant personal attacks!!
Julian on the contrary has such immense patience. It's not like things are easy for him. It's not like he doesn't have insecurities of his own but he deals with it all way better than Dahila. He doesn't lash out on others. I loved his raw and openness to have communication in the second half. I loved he was ready to be vulnerable and accepting. He didn't push Dahila once. He didn't make her insecure once and I adored that.
The romance did not really work for me. I failed to see the connection and chemistry given only one person was putting in effort and only one person was genuinely wanting to fix it. While Julian wanted love, everything with Dahila was sex. The spice was not worth it imo. Yeah sure, they have their moments but it's not enough to make me swoon. Their conversations were surface level and just business for a long damn time. Second chance romances are hit or miss for me and this one definitely missed.
The epilogue and extended epilogues were kinda cute, I'll admit that. Am wondering if I should cancel my pre order for the next book tbh. Lauren Asher struggles with billionaire romances that has been made clear to me now. The Dirty Air series remains superior.
~•~•~
Have heard a lot about Julian. It's time to meet him 👀
June 30, 2024
4.05!
"Be patient with yourself and trust the process."
Not my favourite Lauren Asher book but if you compare it with her Dreamland series?? This is a massive improvement. I just think the length of this book at times was too much like 530 pages for a romance at times feels a lot but I didn't mind it that much for it to ruin my experience. I feel like when it comes to mental health reps, Lauren Asher does a stunning job at depicting the reality of it and how it affects the characters. I would say the book had a weird on and off pacing at times I was hooked and couldn't stop reading but there would be moments where I would count the pages to see when a chapter would end. I also don't understand why use so many Spanish words 😭 it's annoying to go down and see the translation.
Julian was easily the highlight of the book. The patience that man has and how considerate he is, was something about him that I loved so much and him being respectful would probably a quality that many would find attractive about him and as for Dahlia she was a well written character, I failed ti understand why many people did not like her, she did get annoying at times but not too much I really enjoyed reading about her and I also like the bit of dramas we got at the end with Oliver.
The romance was the best part about this book because when you get a man like Julian it's bound to be amazing. The chemistry was off the charts and the slow burn was sizzling, the spice was FUCKING DELICIOUS!! I loved how they both had tender and spicy moments and how well they fit together. The romance definitely saved this book.
I tbh just read it for Rafa and Ellie and Nico and their scenes delivered!
Overall, I'd say this book had its ups and downs but at the end of the day the characters and the romance helped me have a good time amongst other 1-2 star reads.
___
I have the physical copy and it is so beautiful!! Buddy reading this with Roxy yes half of my books are buddy reads with her and it's because THE RANTS and THE VMS are everything 😭
"Be patient with yourself and trust the process."
Not my favourite Lauren Asher book but if you compare it with her Dreamland series?? This is a massive improvement. I just think the length of this book at times was too much like 530 pages for a romance at times feels a lot but I didn't mind it that much for it to ruin my experience. I feel like when it comes to mental health reps, Lauren Asher does a stunning job at depicting the reality of it and how it affects the characters. I would say the book had a weird on and off pacing at times I was hooked and couldn't stop reading but there would be moments where I would count the pages to see when a chapter would end. I also don't understand why use so many Spanish words 😭 it's annoying to go down and see the translation.
Julian was easily the highlight of the book. The patience that man has and how considerate he is, was something about him that I loved so much and him being respectful would probably a quality that many would find attractive about him and as for Dahlia she was a well written character, I failed ti understand why many people did not like her, she did get annoying at times but not too much I really enjoyed reading about her and I also like the bit of dramas we got at the end with Oliver.
The romance was the best part about this book because when you get a man like Julian it's bound to be amazing. The chemistry was off the charts and the slow burn was sizzling, the spice was FUCKING DELICIOUS!! I loved how they both had tender and spicy moments and how well they fit together. The romance definitely saved this book.
I tbh just read it for Rafa and Ellie and Nico and their scenes delivered!
Overall, I'd say this book had its ups and downs but at the end of the day the characters and the romance helped me have a good time amongst other 1-2 star reads.
___
I have the physical copy and it is so beautiful!! Buddy reading this with Roxy yes half of my books are buddy reads with her and it's because THE RANTS and THE VMS are everything 😭
March 31, 2024
First DNF of the year @60%. I tried but I found this -
✔️Boring
✔️Cringe
✔️Corny
✔️Too long
Thinking of popping my Lauren Asher cherry with this book right hurr 🤭👀💜
✔️Boring
✔️Cringe
✔️Corny
✔️Too long
July 16, 2025
★ 3.25 stars
first and foremost, i have to be brutally honest: i went into this book with the lowest, the absolute lowest, of expectations. i mean, i was hoping for the best, trying to keep positive vibes and all that — but deep down, i couldn’t bring myself to fully believe that i would enjoy this story. i was even mentally preparing myself beforehand for a hate read just in case.
why is that, you ask? well, because i unfortunately didn’t have good experiences with Lauren Asher in the past. i’ve read two books by her and neither of them worked out for me, so obviously i couldn’t help but be skeptical about this one. i was kind of convinced it would be yet another disappointment.
but much to my surprise... it wasn’t. turns out third really is the charm after all. *gasps* who could’ve guessed?! not me, guys. definitely not me.
despite my low expectations and my skepticism, Love Redesigned turned out to be a fairly enjoyable read. i was super scared that it would follow the same path as the last book i read by this author, Throttled, that had no depth, had no substance, had deeply uninteresting protagonists, and was mainly focused on lust (such a disaster, i’m telling ya), but thankfully, that wasn’t the case here.
for the most part, i can say that i was sort of invested in this whole thing. the main characters, Dahlia & Julian, were both nice and likeable — i wouldn’t really call them the most exceptional characters out there per se, but i liked them and i appreciated that they were given more depth than the other Lauren Asher protagonists i’m familiar with. they also had a fun dynamic together that worked well enough to hold my attention until the end. there was a decent amount of chemistry between Dahlia & Julian and also funny, heartfelt and kind of deep moments here and there, so i had a good time.
this was a book that i could read without constantly rolling my eyes and repeatedly checking the progress to see if i was getting closer to the end [which was the case with the other books i’ve read by this author] and i consider that a major win.
that being said, though... it still wasn’t a perfect read for me. i had a few issues with it and overall i didn’t feel blown away or deeply connected to it. sure, i liked it, i liked the characters and, as i said, i had fun for the most part, i obviously wasn’t lying about that. but... that was it. this romance book wasn’t revolutionary or memorable or life-changing. i couldn’t exactly feel that strong feeling that makes a book unforgettable, you know? that feeling that makes you go “oh wow, i genuinely love this book and i’m absolutely obsessed with it, i’m going to think about it for a long period of time”. it was just another cliché contemporary romance, if we’re being honest; fun to pass the time, but simply hard to emotionally connect with and very easy to forget. it failed to leave me completely amazed.
to be fair, the contemporary romance genre in general has been failing to amaze me lately as i’m always only finding bad or mediocre books — so while it was a little disappointing that this one didn’t offer me the most amazing experience, it was not a complete surprise to me that it didn’t. i’m quite used to the feeling already. but that’s a conversation for another day.
anyways... all things considered, even though Love Redesigned wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, i still could find myself enjoying it, which was a great and pleasant surprise. all in all, i don’t regret giving it a go and i’m actually looking forward to see what the next installment in the series has in store.
many thanks to my lovely friend lorena for buddy reading this with me. it was such a good experience! 💐
𝅄 𓂃 𖥻 “If you have to change yourself to fit someone’s ideal version of you, then that’s not love.” 𑇛 ˚
first and foremost, i have to be brutally honest: i went into this book with the lowest, the absolute lowest, of expectations. i mean, i was hoping for the best, trying to keep positive vibes and all that — but deep down, i couldn’t bring myself to fully believe that i would enjoy this story. i was even mentally preparing myself beforehand for a hate read just in case.
why is that, you ask? well, because i unfortunately didn’t have good experiences with Lauren Asher in the past. i’ve read two books by her and neither of them worked out for me, so obviously i couldn’t help but be skeptical about this one. i was kind of convinced it would be yet another disappointment.
but much to my surprise... it wasn’t. turns out third really is the charm after all. *gasps* who could’ve guessed?! not me, guys. definitely not me.
despite my low expectations and my skepticism, Love Redesigned turned out to be a fairly enjoyable read. i was super scared that it would follow the same path as the last book i read by this author, Throttled, that had no depth, had no substance, had deeply uninteresting protagonists, and was mainly focused on lust (such a disaster, i’m telling ya), but thankfully, that wasn’t the case here.
for the most part, i can say that i was sort of invested in this whole thing. the main characters, Dahlia & Julian, were both nice and likeable — i wouldn’t really call them the most exceptional characters out there per se, but i liked them and i appreciated that they were given more depth than the other Lauren Asher protagonists i’m familiar with. they also had a fun dynamic together that worked well enough to hold my attention until the end. there was a decent amount of chemistry between Dahlia & Julian and also funny, heartfelt and kind of deep moments here and there, so i had a good time.
this was a book that i could read without constantly rolling my eyes and repeatedly checking the progress to see if i was getting closer to the end [which was the case with the other books i’ve read by this author] and i consider that a major win.
that being said, though... it still wasn’t a perfect read for me. i had a few issues with it and overall i didn’t feel blown away or deeply connected to it. sure, i liked it, i liked the characters and, as i said, i had fun for the most part, i obviously wasn’t lying about that. but... that was it. this romance book wasn’t revolutionary or memorable or life-changing. i couldn’t exactly feel that strong feeling that makes a book unforgettable, you know? that feeling that makes you go “oh wow, i genuinely love this book and i’m absolutely obsessed with it, i’m going to think about it for a long period of time”. it was just another cliché contemporary romance, if we’re being honest; fun to pass the time, but simply hard to emotionally connect with and very easy to forget. it failed to leave me completely amazed.
to be fair, the contemporary romance genre in general has been failing to amaze me lately as i’m always only finding bad or mediocre books — so while it was a little disappointing that this one didn’t offer me the most amazing experience, it was not a complete surprise to me that it didn’t. i’m quite used to the feeling already. but that’s a conversation for another day.
anyways... all things considered, even though Love Redesigned wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, i still could find myself enjoying it, which was a great and pleasant surprise. all in all, i don’t regret giving it a go and i’m actually looking forward to see what the next installment in the series has in store.
many thanks to my lovely friend lorena for buddy reading this with me. it was such a good experience! 💐
December 21, 2023
3.5 ⭐️ Julian 🥵 v cute for the first book in the lakefront billionaire series!! I think I’m forever hung up on the dreamland boys though 🥹
January 15, 2024
honestly, this went about as i expected. 3 stars.
i’m of the firm opinion that contemporary romance novels don't need to be over 350 pages. i said what i said.🧍🏼♀️ i don’t care if the font is large, 528 pages is too many.
but let’s get to the good stuff…
shoutout to julian for being a giant green flag by being sensitive to dahlia’s mental health and depression. mental health representation is refreshing and appreciated. a man who can actively recognize anxiety is hard to come by. (i also would not say no to being bought expensive clothing and driving said man’s ferrari, either.)
i will admit the characters’ chemistry didn’t completely work for me the first 50% of this book. for example, i don’t find stomping on the toes of the man i’m falling for because i get annoyed (multiple times) to be particularly endearing. sometimes i’m glad fictional characters don’t exist because i refuse to believe real adults do these things.
thankfully, the second half of the book redeemed itself and i finally started to really enjoy the story and both main characters. i’ve found that i’ve started to prefer romance over lust. the ending was cute and satisfying enough! i love that we’ll get to see these characters develop throughout the series and i desperately need rafa’s story in book two. 🤞🏻
while this book didn’t blow me away, i didn’t dislike it either. i’m glad i finally read my first lauren asher book and look forward to the heap of her books that are already on my physical tbr.
i can’t deny i couldn’t put this down and 3-star romances are some of the best quick reads to get out of slumps and kickstart a reading challenge for a new year. 🫶🏻
i’m of the firm opinion that contemporary romance novels don't need to be over 350 pages. i said what i said.🧍🏼♀️ i don’t care if the font is large, 528 pages is too many.
but let’s get to the good stuff…
shoutout to julian for being a giant green flag by being sensitive to dahlia’s mental health and depression. mental health representation is refreshing and appreciated. a man who can actively recognize anxiety is hard to come by. (i also would not say no to being bought expensive clothing and driving said man’s ferrari, either.)
i will admit the characters’ chemistry didn’t completely work for me the first 50% of this book. for example, i don’t find stomping on the toes of the man i’m falling for because i get annoyed (multiple times) to be particularly endearing. sometimes i’m glad fictional characters don’t exist because i refuse to believe real adults do these things.
thankfully, the second half of the book redeemed itself and i finally started to really enjoy the story and both main characters. i’ve found that i’ve started to prefer romance over lust. the ending was cute and satisfying enough! i love that we’ll get to see these characters develop throughout the series and i desperately need rafa’s story in book two. 🤞🏻
while this book didn’t blow me away, i didn’t dislike it either. i’m glad i finally read my first lauren asher book and look forward to the heap of her books that are already on my physical tbr.
i can’t deny i couldn’t put this down and 3-star romances are some of the best quick reads to get out of slumps and kickstart a reading challenge for a new year. 🫶🏻
December 22, 2023
➳ 𝟒.𝟓/𝟓 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙨
❞𝙁𝙪𝙣𝙣𝙮 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙖 𝙛𝙚𝙬 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙮.❞
This book, highly anticipated in my reading list this year, undoubtedly lived up to expectations. The writing was consistently stellar, effortlessly drawing me into its narrative. The plot, characterized by its endearing charm, unfolded in a manner that kept me engaged from start to finish. Beyond the storyline, the palpable sexual tension between the characters reached levels that were nothing short of electrifying, adding an extra layer of anticipation. The romance, in all its nuances, was not only heartwarming but also laced with moments that brought genuine laughter. Overall, it proved to be a delightful and satisfying read, delivering on multiple fronts and leaving a lasting impression.
❞𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙍𝙚𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙚𝙙❞ unfolds as a small-town billionaire romance, casting the spotlight on Julian Lopez and Dahlia Munoz. Their history is woven with childhood rivalry, a constant dance of competition and one-upmanship. Little did they realize that, beneath the teasing and rivalry, a profound connection was quietly taking root.
Life's currents led them on separate paths, and despite an undeniable mutual affection, circumstances intervened. Dahlia, seeking solace from her chaotic marriage, distances herself from Julian, opting for a life in San Francisco. Unfortunately, her chosen partner fails to provide the care she deserves, leaving her with deep-seated anxiety and trust issues.
The narrative takes a poignant turn when Dahlia returns to the small town, the place where her heart has always belonged. It becomes a tale of rediscovery and second chances as she comes to the realization that her heart has always belonged to Julian. In a heartfelt pursuit, Julian goes to great lengths to demonstrate the enormity of his love, aiming to rebuild what was lost and redefine their shared narrative. The story delves into themes of love, resilience, and the transformative power of genuine affection, creating a tapestry of emotions that resonated with me.
➳ 𝙅𝙪𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙣 𝙇𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙯
This man embodies the dream partner for any girl. His love and devotion to Dahlia had me genuinely giddy, kicking my feet in the air. Despite his personal struggles, he never allowed them to overshadow his unwavering love for Dahlia.
He went above and beyond for her – brought her dream house, made a pro-con list for 12 years where the only "con" was the fear she might not love him back. His unwavering commitment and patience during her struggles showcased a profound dedication. It's not an exaggeration; this man genuinely revered the ground she walked on.
❞𝙇𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨. 𝙍𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙨. 𝘽𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙛𝙚𝙬 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙜𝙧��𝙮. 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙡𝙞𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙙 𝙖 𝙨𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙢𝙚, 𝙛𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙮 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙖 𝙩𝙚𝙣-𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙗𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙤𝙪𝙩, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙣 𝙤𝙣 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙪𝙥. 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙬. 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧.𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙬, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙬𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙥 𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙡 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙤. 𝙎𝙤 𝙜𝙤 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙧𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙪𝙨𝙝 𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙮, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙡𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙗𝙖𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙥 𝙖𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜.❞
➳ 𝘿𝙖𝙝𝙡𝙞𝙖 𝙈𝙪𝙣𝙤𝙯
While I won't say I disliked her, Dahlia struck me as a decent female character. However, I anticipated more character development that never fully materialized. Her transition from grieving over her ex to suddenly becoming a badass bitch felt a bit rushed. It would have been more engaging if the author had provided a gradual journey of her growth. Nevertheless, I appreciated her resilience in overcoming personal challenges and emerging stronger and happier. What truly endeared to me was her unwavering support for her family.
She was strong and resilient woman who went through shit bc a man couldn't behave like an adult he was supposed to be and then on the top of that this mf elopes with some other girl all while she's dealing with all the issues he gave him. I legit hated this mf so much because she deserved soo much and he couldn't even give her basic respect.
Honestly, Dahlia deserves a medal for putting up with that excuse of a man. If I were her, I might have poisoned that stinky rat. But hats off to her for handling all the drama with maturity. It seemed like all she needed was someone to be there for her, and lo and behold, enter Julian – the designated emotional support. It's almost like she found her personal superhero.
❞𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠.𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙞𝙢 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙛𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙞𝙩,❞
➳ 𝙅𝙪𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘿𝙖𝙝𝙡𝙞𝙖
The chemistry between Julian and Dahlia was truly remarkable—nothing short of a chef's kiss. Julian's unwavering support for Dahlia's dreams and his role in inspiring her to be her best self were commendable. While Dahlia consistently stood by his side, there were moments when it felt like Julian invested more effort into their relationship than he received in return. Dahlia's love for him, though genuine, seemed to unfold quickly, possibly influenced by her recent challenging relationship. It's understandable that she guarded herself, but a bit more effort in nurturing their connection could have added depth. At times, it felt like Dahlia played a secondary role in her own story, with Julian taking center stage as the primary character.
➸ Overall, if you're on the hunt for a heartwarming small-town romance that'll have you giggling at three AM, and leave you yearning for the kind of love found in its pages, then this book might just be the perfect catch.
➳ 𝙦𝙪𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝙞 𝙖𝙙𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙙 :-
: ̗̀➛ ❞𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙞𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚’𝙨 𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚.❞
: ̗̀➛ ❞𝙃𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙜𝙚𝙢, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄’𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙢𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣. 𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙪𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙖 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙯𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙢𝙮 𝙟𝙤𝙗 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚.❞
: ̗̀➛ ❞𝙏𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙨 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙄’𝙙 𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙 𝙖 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙖 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙗𝙮 𝙢𝙮𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛.❞
: ̗̀➛ ❞𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙛𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩, 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙛 𝙞𝙩 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙛𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨❞
: ̗̀➛ ❞𝙈𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚. 𝙈𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙮. 𝙈𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙨 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙨 𝙬𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚❞
❞𝙁𝙪𝙣𝙣𝙮 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙖 𝙛𝙚𝙬 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙮.❞
This book, highly anticipated in my reading list this year, undoubtedly lived up to expectations. The writing was consistently stellar, effortlessly drawing me into its narrative. The plot, characterized by its endearing charm, unfolded in a manner that kept me engaged from start to finish. Beyond the storyline, the palpable sexual tension between the characters reached levels that were nothing short of electrifying, adding an extra layer of anticipation. The romance, in all its nuances, was not only heartwarming but also laced with moments that brought genuine laughter. Overall, it proved to be a delightful and satisfying read, delivering on multiple fronts and leaving a lasting impression.
❞𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙍𝙚𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙚𝙙❞ unfolds as a small-town billionaire romance, casting the spotlight on Julian Lopez and Dahlia Munoz. Their history is woven with childhood rivalry, a constant dance of competition and one-upmanship. Little did they realize that, beneath the teasing and rivalry, a profound connection was quietly taking root.
Life's currents led them on separate paths, and despite an undeniable mutual affection, circumstances intervened. Dahlia, seeking solace from her chaotic marriage, distances herself from Julian, opting for a life in San Francisco. Unfortunately, her chosen partner fails to provide the care she deserves, leaving her with deep-seated anxiety and trust issues.
The narrative takes a poignant turn when Dahlia returns to the small town, the place where her heart has always belonged. It becomes a tale of rediscovery and second chances as she comes to the realization that her heart has always belonged to Julian. In a heartfelt pursuit, Julian goes to great lengths to demonstrate the enormity of his love, aiming to rebuild what was lost and redefine their shared narrative. The story delves into themes of love, resilience, and the transformative power of genuine affection, creating a tapestry of emotions that resonated with me.
➳ 𝙅𝙪𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙣 𝙇𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙯
This man embodies the dream partner for any girl. His love and devotion to Dahlia had me genuinely giddy, kicking my feet in the air. Despite his personal struggles, he never allowed them to overshadow his unwavering love for Dahlia.
He went above and beyond for her – brought her dream house, made a pro-con list for 12 years where the only "con" was the fear she might not love him back. His unwavering commitment and patience during her struggles showcased a profound dedication. It's not an exaggeration; this man genuinely revered the ground she walked on.
❞𝙇𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨. 𝙍𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙨. 𝘽𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙛𝙚𝙬 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙜𝙧��𝙮. 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙡𝙞𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙙 𝙖 𝙨𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙢𝙚, 𝙛𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙮 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙖 𝙩𝙚𝙣-𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙗𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙤𝙪𝙩, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙣 𝙤𝙣 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙪𝙥. 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙬. 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧.𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙬, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙬𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙥 𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙡 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙤. 𝙎𝙤 𝙜𝙤 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙧𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙪𝙨𝙝 𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙮, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙡𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙗𝙖𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙥 𝙖𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜.❞
➳ 𝘿𝙖𝙝𝙡𝙞𝙖 𝙈𝙪𝙣𝙤𝙯
While I won't say I disliked her, Dahlia struck me as a decent female character. However, I anticipated more character development that never fully materialized. Her transition from grieving over her ex to suddenly becoming a badass bitch felt a bit rushed. It would have been more engaging if the author had provided a gradual journey of her growth. Nevertheless, I appreciated her resilience in overcoming personal challenges and emerging stronger and happier. What truly endeared to me was her unwavering support for her family.
She was strong and resilient woman who went through shit bc a man couldn't behave like an adult he was supposed to be and then on the top of that this mf elopes with some other girl all while she's dealing with all the issues he gave him. I legit hated this mf so much because she deserved soo much and he couldn't even give her basic respect.
Honestly, Dahlia deserves a medal for putting up with that excuse of a man. If I were her, I might have poisoned that stinky rat. But hats off to her for handling all the drama with maturity. It seemed like all she needed was someone to be there for her, and lo and behold, enter Julian – the designated emotional support. It's almost like she found her personal superhero.
❞𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠.𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙞𝙢 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙛𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙞𝙩,❞
➳ 𝙅𝙪𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘿𝙖𝙝𝙡𝙞𝙖
The chemistry between Julian and Dahlia was truly remarkable—nothing short of a chef's kiss. Julian's unwavering support for Dahlia's dreams and his role in inspiring her to be her best self were commendable. While Dahlia consistently stood by his side, there were moments when it felt like Julian invested more effort into their relationship than he received in return. Dahlia's love for him, though genuine, seemed to unfold quickly, possibly influenced by her recent challenging relationship. It's understandable that she guarded herself, but a bit more effort in nurturing their connection could have added depth. At times, it felt like Dahlia played a secondary role in her own story, with Julian taking center stage as the primary character.
➸ Overall, if you're on the hunt for a heartwarming small-town romance that'll have you giggling at three AM, and leave you yearning for the kind of love found in its pages, then this book might just be the perfect catch.
➳ 𝙦𝙪𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝙞 𝙖𝙙𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙙 :-
: ̗̀➛ ❞𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙞𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚’𝙨 𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚.❞
: ̗̀➛ ❞𝙃𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙜𝙚𝙢, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄’𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙢𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣. 𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙪𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙖 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙯𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙢𝙮 𝙟𝙤𝙗 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚.❞
: ̗̀➛ ❞𝙏𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙨 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙄’𝙙 𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙 𝙖 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙖 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙗𝙮 𝙢𝙮𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛.❞
: ̗̀➛ ❞𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙛𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩, 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙛 𝙞𝙩 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙛𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨❞
: ̗̀➛ ❞𝙈𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚. 𝙈𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙮. 𝙈𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙨 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙨 𝙬𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚❞
Want to read
April 22, 2023okay but the cover??? i‘m in love
February 28, 2024
4☆
“If you have to change yourself to fit someone’s ideal version of you, then that’s not love.”
I had seen so many mixed feelings on this lately but wanted to meet Julian. I'm happy that I started reading this for him. There were times when I felt that it was dragging or too long, but it all ended up pulling together nicely and being necessary to get the back story to tie it all together. I did end up enjoying this, so I'm glad that I stuck through it.
Love Unredesigned is the first book in the Lakefront Billionaires series. It is a small town, childhood rivals, second chance romance that showcases banter, tension, and some heavier topics such as fear, grief, and representation of depression and mental health. There were moments of laughter as well, and that mostly were the pranks that had me giddy and kicking my feet.
Dahlia is back in her hometown of Lake Wisteria to get her life back together after her heart is broken by her ex fiance. While driving into town her and Julian Lopez, her childhood friend run into each other quite literally getting into a small fender bender. Neither one of them are ecstatic to see the other, but being in a small town and their families being close, they really don't have much of a choice. One night, while they are driving around town trying to uplift Dahlias mood, she spots one of the historical houses for sale. Knowing that it needs work, they come to an agreement to work together and fix the project home. He will conduct the construction side of things while she does the interior designing. Will they be able to set aside their differences to complete the project?
Julian Lopez is jealous, possessive, protective, and so hot. He had gone through so much at a young age and was dealing with grief and loss while trying to work on his own insecurities that made him feel like he was not good enough. The way this was pulling on my heart strings and did nothing but make me want to wrap my arms around him and just hold on, not letting go. I fell in love with him from the start and was full on swooning over him from everything that he said and did. Oh, and he wore glasses when he read. Julian was constantly showing Dahlia how much she meant to him not only with words but also actions. He made a pro-con list about her that only consisted of one con, that he fears her not loving him back and bought her dream home.
“Life without you was a series of pros and cons. Risks and rewards. Black and white with very few shades of gray. But then you came back and flipped a switch inside me, flooding my world with color after a ten- year blackout, and I don’t plan on giving that up. Not now. Not ever.”
Dahlia Muñoz is strong and resilient even with all that she's endured. She's dealt with depression, negative thoughts of herself, and anxiety for a majority of her life. I did love when the negative thoughts appeared that she tried to turn it around and see the positive outcomes trying toxwork on overcoming them. Knowing her daily struggles had me wanting to reach out and comfort her. I didn't dislike her but also didn't love her, though I do connect with her on some levels. She's a worrier and overthinker in which I have that in common with her. I guess that I just wanted to see more character development with her. She did help Julian by being supportive and helping to push him to find his passion in wood working and fall in love with it again.
"Go with the flow, Dahlia. Easier said than done. I’ve never been that kind of person, thanks to my anxiety and chronic overthinking, so I’m not exactly one to roll with the punches and throw caution to the wind."
Julian and Dahlias chemistry took a while for it to show, but once it did, it was extraordinary. It wasn't until about halfway through that we saw it from both sides. Julian was invested in a relationship between them more, but I also can understand why. Dahlia went through so much with her ex that made her hesitant to get attached and let what was happening between them blossom. I honestly, though, can say that I don't blame her for being cautious. She was afraid of being hurt the same as before. I did eat up their banter, sexual tension, and the pranks they pulled on one another that had me laughing so hard. I will say that they had amazing communication with letting each other know what they were feeling and what they wanted.
“I missed out on a chance to make you mine before, but I don’t plan on making the same mistake again. We’re the real deal, sweetheart, and I’m done letting you believe anything else.”
"Every kiss feels like a promise. Every touch an oath. A vow that Julian will love me, cherish me, and protect me—no matter if I choose to believe it or not."
I loved the supporting characters here. Lily had me cackling so much as well as their moms Rosa and Josephina. Nico was so adorable. I can't wait to see more of him as well as his dad Rafa. If you've read the Dreamland Billionaires series, then you know who Cal is, and he made an appearance here, but don't worry, he doesn't have a significant appearance if you haven't read it. I, however, did love seeing him!
Overall, I'm glad that I gave this a chance as I did enjoy it. I loved that there wasn't a third act breakup because you know what they communicated. One thing that annoyed me a bit were the footnotes, but without them, I would have had to Google, lol. I loved how the ending was wrapped up because they deserved everything they got and more. Lastly, I can't wait for Rafa's book, single dad, and nanny, yes, please!
Favorite quotes and moments
"Whatever it is, I’ll fix it. Whoever hurt her, I’ll ruin them. And whenever she needs someone to lean on, I will be there."
“I will always fight for what’s in our best interest, even if it means fighting you in the process.”
“Did you really buy a random house we both hate because you’re that petty?”“No. I bought a random house we both hate because I’m that in love.”
"Mine to love. Mine to marry. Mine to cherish for as long as we live."
~~~~~~
Pre-review: It's time for some romance and to meet Julian 🤭🩷
“If you have to change yourself to fit someone’s ideal version of you, then that’s not love.”
I had seen so many mixed feelings on this lately but wanted to meet Julian. I'm happy that I started reading this for him. There were times when I felt that it was dragging or too long, but it all ended up pulling together nicely and being necessary to get the back story to tie it all together. I did end up enjoying this, so I'm glad that I stuck through it.
Love Unredesigned is the first book in the Lakefront Billionaires series. It is a small town, childhood rivals, second chance romance that showcases banter, tension, and some heavier topics such as fear, grief, and representation of depression and mental health. There were moments of laughter as well, and that mostly were the pranks that had me giddy and kicking my feet.
Dahlia is back in her hometown of Lake Wisteria to get her life back together after her heart is broken by her ex fiance. While driving into town her and Julian Lopez, her childhood friend run into each other quite literally getting into a small fender bender. Neither one of them are ecstatic to see the other, but being in a small town and their families being close, they really don't have much of a choice. One night, while they are driving around town trying to uplift Dahlias mood, she spots one of the historical houses for sale. Knowing that it needs work, they come to an agreement to work together and fix the project home. He will conduct the construction side of things while she does the interior designing. Will they be able to set aside their differences to complete the project?
Julian Lopez is jealous, possessive, protective, and so hot. He had gone through so much at a young age and was dealing with grief and loss while trying to work on his own insecurities that made him feel like he was not good enough. The way this was pulling on my heart strings and did nothing but make me want to wrap my arms around him and just hold on, not letting go. I fell in love with him from the start and was full on swooning over him from everything that he said and did. Oh, and he wore glasses when he read. Julian was constantly showing Dahlia how much she meant to him not only with words but also actions. He made a pro-con list about her that only consisted of one con, that he fears her not loving him back and bought her dream home.
“Life without you was a series of pros and cons. Risks and rewards. Black and white with very few shades of gray. But then you came back and flipped a switch inside me, flooding my world with color after a ten- year blackout, and I don’t plan on giving that up. Not now. Not ever.”
Dahlia Muñoz is strong and resilient even with all that she's endured. She's dealt with depression, negative thoughts of herself, and anxiety for a majority of her life. I did love when the negative thoughts appeared that she tried to turn it around and see the positive outcomes trying toxwork on overcoming them. Knowing her daily struggles had me wanting to reach out and comfort her. I didn't dislike her but also didn't love her, though I do connect with her on some levels. She's a worrier and overthinker in which I have that in common with her. I guess that I just wanted to see more character development with her. She did help Julian by being supportive and helping to push him to find his passion in wood working and fall in love with it again.
"Go with the flow, Dahlia. Easier said than done. I’ve never been that kind of person, thanks to my anxiety and chronic overthinking, so I’m not exactly one to roll with the punches and throw caution to the wind."
Julian and Dahlias chemistry took a while for it to show, but once it did, it was extraordinary. It wasn't until about halfway through that we saw it from both sides. Julian was invested in a relationship between them more, but I also can understand why. Dahlia went through so much with her ex that made her hesitant to get attached and let what was happening between them blossom. I honestly, though, can say that I don't blame her for being cautious. She was afraid of being hurt the same as before. I did eat up their banter, sexual tension, and the pranks they pulled on one another that had me laughing so hard. I will say that they had amazing communication with letting each other know what they were feeling and what they wanted.
“I missed out on a chance to make you mine before, but I don’t plan on making the same mistake again. We’re the real deal, sweetheart, and I’m done letting you believe anything else.”
"Every kiss feels like a promise. Every touch an oath. A vow that Julian will love me, cherish me, and protect me—no matter if I choose to believe it or not."
I loved the supporting characters here. Lily had me cackling so much as well as their moms Rosa and Josephina. Nico was so adorable. I can't wait to see more of him as well as his dad Rafa. If you've read the Dreamland Billionaires series, then you know who Cal is, and he made an appearance here, but don't worry, he doesn't have a significant appearance if you haven't read it. I, however, did love seeing him!
Overall, I'm glad that I gave this a chance as I did enjoy it. I loved that there wasn't a third act breakup because you know what they communicated. One thing that annoyed me a bit were the footnotes, but without them, I would have had to Google, lol. I loved how the ending was wrapped up because they deserved everything they got and more. Lastly, I can't wait for Rafa's book, single dad, and nanny, yes, please!
Favorite quotes and moments
"Whatever it is, I’ll fix it. Whoever hurt her, I’ll ruin them. And whenever she needs someone to lean on, I will be there."
“I will always fight for what’s in our best interest, even if it means fighting you in the process.”
“Did you really buy a random house we both hate because you’re that petty?”“No. I bought a random house we both hate because I’m that in love.”
"Mine to love. Mine to marry. Mine to cherish for as long as we live."
~~~~~~
Pre-review: It's time for some romance and to meet Julian 🤭🩷
September 7, 2025
꒷💷— Julian, being the constructor he is, can hammer me into the wall of one of his houses.
— 3 stars ★
— 3 stars ★
January 12, 2024
DNF @ 50%. My first Lauren Asher book and unfortunately I didn’t enjoy it. It was so boring. I knew as soon as I started that I wouldn’t get on with it. I even switched to the audiobook to try push through, but still struggled ☹️
This is a second chance, childhood friends/rivalry, so I was expecting a great build up, pining and reignited chemistry. The MCs history together is described as being awkward and tension filled from an encounter 8 years ago, and they’ve both avoided each other since. Unfortunately, the delivery of this was very different and the introduction of them both gave me insta love vibes. This resulted in a lack of build up in tension and I didn’t feel any connection between the two. It’s taken me until Ch25 where we get the one bed trope to feel a little a bit of a spark, but there hasn’t been enough build up to do it any justice. This book could have benefited from flashback scenes to tell their history since the present timeline wasn’t enough. The MCs are completely one dimensional and come across immature, almost like they’re high schoolers despite being over 30.
I’m not a fan of the way it’s written at all. It’s so dull, there’s no emotion evoked and as a result it falls completely flat. I feel like the author over explains things (probably why the book is so long 🤔). I wasn’t a fan of the footnotes with the Spanish translations. I appreciate the effort and can see how it could be beneficial, but it just detracted from my enjoyment even further. Sometimes the translation would be on different page to the Spanish phrase (potentially just a kindle issue) which took me out of the story and was distracting.
While I understand that it may get better in the second half, I simply don’t care enough to carry on. For a 500 page book, it really needs to draw me in and have a good story to be worth it and keep me invested.
This is a second chance, childhood friends/rivalry, so I was expecting a great build up, pining and reignited chemistry. The MCs history together is described as being awkward and tension filled from an encounter 8 years ago, and they’ve both avoided each other since. Unfortunately, the delivery of this was very different and the introduction of them both gave me insta love vibes. This resulted in a lack of build up in tension and I didn’t feel any connection between the two. It’s taken me until Ch25 where we get the one bed trope to feel a little a bit of a spark, but there hasn’t been enough build up to do it any justice. This book could have benefited from flashback scenes to tell their history since the present timeline wasn’t enough. The MCs are completely one dimensional and come across immature, almost like they’re high schoolers despite being over 30.
I’m not a fan of the way it’s written at all. It’s so dull, there’s no emotion evoked and as a result it falls completely flat. I feel like the author over explains things (probably why the book is so long 🤔). I wasn’t a fan of the footnotes with the Spanish translations. I appreciate the effort and can see how it could be beneficial, but it just detracted from my enjoyment even further. Sometimes the translation would be on different page to the Spanish phrase (potentially just a kindle issue) which took me out of the story and was distracting.
While I understand that it may get better in the second half, I simply don’t care enough to carry on. For a 500 page book, it really needs to draw me in and have a good story to be worth it and keep me invested.
January 12, 2024
First things first
I started this shamelessly for Julian and stayed for him.. best decision.
“Turns out I'd rather build a home with you than a thousand houses by myself."
Two childhood rivals that have always been at odds, cute and cheesy banter (albeit unhinged at times) and pranks that will make you kick your feet up in laughter given the absurdity of it, a small town, second chance, both in the business of home improvement with Dahlia specializing in interior design and Julian in construction, Mexican-American rep, meddling families, mental health rep, mention of grief and loss and unresolved lingering feelings after years is what you can expect from this.
*Btw this review was supposed to be shorter lmao I was so lazy to write something but the words just kept flowing until I stopped myself and there’s no spoilers I just had many thoughts*
Before I go into explaining why I enjoyed this, I have to mention how I wasn’t a huge fan of the Dreamland Billionaire series(maybe just the second book). It lacked needed depth for me given a certain theme that was prevalent amongst all the mmc’s and it just got too repetitive in tone. Imo this second chance was done better than final offer.. so in all this feels like a winner for me when it comes to Lauren’s books as it was overtly nuanced in the best way than those books (even tho I haven’t read the dirty air series)
Anyways, to be totally honest, I found myself completely interested but simultaneously uninterested in this during certain points and while i believe it should be a crime that contemporary romances exceed 400 pages—I knew what I was getting myself into. Hoping book 2 isn’t so long but reflecting back on it mostly some of what happened early on felt necessary to me as it gave more depth to the characters story and so for me continuing on was worth it.
Julian- our praise kink and adoring man who undoubtedly stole the show here and I was swooning so hard for this man and everything he said and did. He’s a billionaire, in his 30s, and I couldn’t help but envision Julian as Rafael from Jane the virgin so do with that what you will. He struggled with loss/grief and what came with that but was absolutely aware of the detriment it posed to his life and past relationship with dahlia early on that it made me appreciate him so much because he took accountability for it and didn’t shy away from putting in the effort to make things work and being open to sharing more of himself as he was said to be so closed off. With that being said, I valued the way he communicated with her and in how he felt. Extremely grateful I didn’t have to wait until the end for that. His character development was felt fairly early on as well than I anticipated.
And the reassurance given? He delivered on it. Not once did this man give up on showing dahlia how much he loved her not only expressing so with his words but his actions. I mean come on, the man supported her dreams without her knowing and had a pro con list for years of how he felt about her with only ONE con. not to mention what he did in this scene
“Did you really buy a random house we both hate because you're that petty?" “No. I bought a random house we both hate because I'm that in love."
Otherwise, without revealing more I cherished EVERY single display of love towards Dahlia— he had my whole heart.
Dahlia I don’t know exactly how i felt but will say I did have a soft spot for her. I found myself connecting to her when it came to her mental health struggles and admired the strength she had in dealing with all that she did. She also had her fair share of loss in her life but it wasn’t a huge contributing factor like it was for Julian. But being an overthinker and battling the negative self talk is hard enough as is and thankfully she’s aware she’s engaging in it which was a perfect portrayal that felt realistic to me. Given that, I understood her hesitance to be with Julian because of it (you can’t expect much from someone whose had her confidence and trust etc impacted by a horrible ex who belittled and expected so much and in particular something she couldn’t give—he deserves a special place in hell) but I’m glad that didn’t drag on besides one other thing (check content warning).
it’s worth mentioning how I didn’t see her character development until after Julian’s settled in but I feel like in her case it’s validated in the way it was fleshed out as it happened organically to her persona and her scattered brain in overthinking until the pieces and reassurance started to click for her (hopefully this makes sense) idk if it’s just me?
Out of all things I didn’t see coming given some predictability—I was surprised by what he revealed to her towards the end as it was so so sweet. I truly enjoyed the interactions between them, the mutual pining, the support shown in actualizing their dreams, and the healthy communication because that’s so rare these days. They evidently felt entirely relatable and I appreciated that. As well as, their apparent self awareness when it came to their emotions, their struggles and what they wanted. I was living for their cute and fun banter as it had me grinning immensely. The spice level in this was a 2ish out of 5. Also, I wholeheartedly enjoyed the latino rep in this as I related to it (the moms in this were so meddling lol) and it gave this such a warm vibe. Brief mention of Lily and Rafael, I loved how dahlia and Julian had a voice of reason to turn to. This wasn’t so angsty like I would’ve wanted but it’s ok. I’m not a fan of footnotes but appreciate how inclusive it was for those that don’t understand the words mentioned. *worth noting how there was no third act*
overall, I enjoyed this and adored these two. Fortunately for me, it was a hit than miss mostly in second chance with how things transpired and how it ended as it felt true to what they deserved.
I’m so excited Rafas book is next (single dad x nanny romance) as I predicted and I already have an inkling Lorenzo will be next with a certain someone as he was mentioned in final offer and made an appearance here. Also, getting a cameo from cami was the cutest! (final offer)
a few quotes by Julian
*All his words of affirmations*
“Life without you was a series of pros and cons. Risks and rewards. Black and white with very few shades of gray.But then you came back and flipped a switch inside me, flooding my world with color after a ten-year blackout, and I don’t plan on giving that up. Not now. Not ever.”
"I will always fight for what's in our best interest, even if it means fighting you in the process."
"How long have you been following my career?" “Since you first learned your ABCs and 123s?" “I shake my head with a laugh. "I'm being serious." “So am I. I was always invested in your success."
"If you have to change yourself to fit someone's ideal version of you, then that's not love."
quotes by dahlia
“Every kiss feels like a promise. Every touch an oath. A vow that Julian will love me, cherish me, and protect me—no matter if I choose to believe it or not.”
“It could happen. You could slip back into another depression, and that isn’t something you can control.” “I know.” I fidget with my hands. He reaches over and interlocks our fingers. “But that doesn’t mean you have to go through that kind of feeling by yourself anymore.” His hand squeezes mine.” >>>
“Go with the flow, Dahlia. Easier said than done. I've never been that kind of person, thanks to my anxiety and chronic overthinking, so I'm not exactly one to roll with the punches and throw caution to the wind.”
“Who needs a winter coat when a few sentences from Julian have my temperature spiking like I’m running a fever? Girl same
“Sorry. The feminism left my body the moment you mentioned spiders."
quote from Lily
“From lovebirds to jailbirds in a single week” 🤭
I started this shamelessly for Julian and stayed for him.. best decision.
“Turns out I'd rather build a home with you than a thousand houses by myself."
Two childhood rivals that have always been at odds, cute and cheesy banter (albeit unhinged at times) and pranks that will make you kick your feet up in laughter given the absurdity of it, a small town, second chance, both in the business of home improvement with Dahlia specializing in interior design and Julian in construction, Mexican-American rep, meddling families, mental health rep, mention of grief and loss and unresolved lingering feelings after years is what you can expect from this.
*Btw this review was supposed to be shorter lmao I was so lazy to write something but the words just kept flowing until I stopped myself and there’s no spoilers I just had many thoughts*
Before I go into explaining why I enjoyed this, I have to mention how I wasn’t a huge fan of the Dreamland Billionaire series(maybe just the second book). It lacked needed depth for me given a certain theme that was prevalent amongst all the mmc’s and it just got too repetitive in tone. Imo this second chance was done better than final offer.. so in all this feels like a winner for me when it comes to Lauren’s books as it was overtly nuanced in the best way than those books (even tho I haven’t read the dirty air series)
Anyways, to be totally honest, I found myself completely interested but simultaneously uninterested in this during certain points and while i believe it should be a crime that contemporary romances exceed 400 pages—I knew what I was getting myself into. Hoping book 2 isn’t so long but reflecting back on it mostly some of what happened early on felt necessary to me as it gave more depth to the characters story and so for me continuing on was worth it.
Julian- our praise kink and adoring man who undoubtedly stole the show here and I was swooning so hard for this man and everything he said and did. He’s a billionaire, in his 30s, and I couldn’t help but envision Julian as Rafael from Jane the virgin so do with that what you will. He struggled with loss/grief and what came with that but was absolutely aware of the detriment it posed to his life and past relationship with dahlia early on that it made me appreciate him so much because he took accountability for it and didn’t shy away from putting in the effort to make things work and being open to sharing more of himself as he was said to be so closed off. With that being said, I valued the way he communicated with her and in how he felt. Extremely grateful I didn’t have to wait until the end for that. His character development was felt fairly early on as well than I anticipated.
And the reassurance given? He delivered on it. Not once did this man give up on showing dahlia how much he loved her not only expressing so with his words but his actions. I mean come on, the man supported her dreams without her knowing and had a pro con list for years of how he felt about her with only ONE con. not to mention what he did in this scene
“Did you really buy a random house we both hate because you're that petty?" “No. I bought a random house we both hate because I'm that in love."
Otherwise, without revealing more I cherished EVERY single display of love towards Dahlia— he had my whole heart.
Dahlia I don’t know exactly how i felt but will say I did have a soft spot for her. I found myself connecting to her when it came to her mental health struggles and admired the strength she had in dealing with all that she did. She also had her fair share of loss in her life but it wasn’t a huge contributing factor like it was for Julian. But being an overthinker and battling the negative self talk is hard enough as is and thankfully she’s aware she’s engaging in it which was a perfect portrayal that felt realistic to me. Given that, I understood her hesitance to be with Julian because of it (you can’t expect much from someone whose had her confidence and trust etc impacted by a horrible ex who belittled and expected so much and in particular something she couldn’t give—he deserves a special place in hell) but I’m glad that didn’t drag on besides one other thing (check content warning).
it’s worth mentioning how I didn’t see her character development until after Julian’s settled in but I feel like in her case it’s validated in the way it was fleshed out as it happened organically to her persona and her scattered brain in overthinking until the pieces and reassurance started to click for her (hopefully this makes sense) idk if it’s just me?
Out of all things I didn’t see coming given some predictability—I was surprised by what he revealed to her towards the end as it was so so sweet. I truly enjoyed the interactions between them, the mutual pining, the support shown in actualizing their dreams, and the healthy communication because that’s so rare these days. They evidently felt entirely relatable and I appreciated that. As well as, their apparent self awareness when it came to their emotions, their struggles and what they wanted. I was living for their cute and fun banter as it had me grinning immensely. The spice level in this was a 2ish out of 5. Also, I wholeheartedly enjoyed the latino rep in this as I related to it (the moms in this were so meddling lol) and it gave this such a warm vibe. Brief mention of Lily and Rafael, I loved how dahlia and Julian had a voice of reason to turn to. This wasn’t so angsty like I would’ve wanted but it’s ok. I’m not a fan of footnotes but appreciate how inclusive it was for those that don’t understand the words mentioned. *worth noting how there was no third act*
overall, I enjoyed this and adored these two. Fortunately for me, it was a hit than miss mostly in second chance with how things transpired and how it ended as it felt true to what they deserved.
I’m so excited Rafas book is next (single dad x nanny romance) as I predicted and I already have an inkling Lorenzo will be next with a certain someone as he was mentioned in final offer and made an appearance here. Also, getting a cameo from cami was the cutest! (final offer)
a few quotes by Julian
*All his words of affirmations*
“Life without you was a series of pros and cons. Risks and rewards. Black and white with very few shades of gray.But then you came back and flipped a switch inside me, flooding my world with color after a ten-year blackout, and I don’t plan on giving that up. Not now. Not ever.”
"I will always fight for what's in our best interest, even if it means fighting you in the process."
"How long have you been following my career?" “Since you first learned your ABCs and 123s?" “I shake my head with a laugh. "I'm being serious." “So am I. I was always invested in your success."
"If you have to change yourself to fit someone's ideal version of you, then that's not love."
quotes by dahlia
“Every kiss feels like a promise. Every touch an oath. A vow that Julian will love me, cherish me, and protect me—no matter if I choose to believe it or not.”
“It could happen. You could slip back into another depression, and that isn’t something you can control.” “I know.” I fidget with my hands. He reaches over and interlocks our fingers. “But that doesn’t mean you have to go through that kind of feeling by yourself anymore.” His hand squeezes mine.” >>>
“Go with the flow, Dahlia. Easier said than done. I've never been that kind of person, thanks to my anxiety and chronic overthinking, so I'm not exactly one to roll with the punches and throw caution to the wind.”
“Who needs a winter coat when a few sentences from Julian have my temperature spiking like I’m running a fever? Girl same
“Sorry. The feminism left my body the moment you mentioned spiders."
quote from Lily
“From lovebirds to jailbirds in a single week” 🤭
December 6, 2024
ALL THE STARS FOR THIS BOOK🌟
this might be one of my fav romance book ever, i loved it so much and Julian is now in my top #3 book boyfriend🤭🤭
rtc for real this time🫣
ᝰ💐 pre-read: ᯓᡣ𐭩୭˚.
MY FIRST LAUREN ASHER BOOK!!!
I wasn’t thinking of reading this anytime soon because of how long it is but I saw one convincing tiktok and here I am🤭I’m so excited!!!
also the book is sooo pretty, I’m in love with the interior of it.
this might be one of my fav romance book ever, i loved it so much and Julian is now in my top #3 book boyfriend🤭🤭
rtc for real this time🫣
ᝰ💐 pre-read: ᯓᡣ𐭩୭˚.
MY FIRST LAUREN ASHER BOOK!!!
I wasn’t thinking of reading this anytime soon because of how long it is but I saw one convincing tiktok and here I am🤭I’m so excited!!!
also the book is sooo pretty, I’m in love with the interior of it.
November 8, 2023
THIS is how you write a second chance romance book *cough final offer*
January 21, 2024
love the premise, disappointed by the execution.
it's notoriously challenging to pull off a second chance romance especially when two characters have a past. you have to show us the past imo to really set the stage for why the characters should be together. and then in the present you have to convincingly rekindle old feelings and have characters connect in the here and now. it's fucking hard to do.
this book didn't really succeed at either component. the heroine is reeling from a bad breakup and when she comes to town and is faced with her college crush he's a total dick to her. over time, he's a lil nicer as they collaborate on a fixer upper house project. and then they take a GIANT leap and start boning. and then poof they're in love.
no flashbacks to their past. just random mentions of growing up in the same town. no present development of shared interests or complimentary personalities.
don't get me wrong, it was a totally pleasant read. but it was missing the spark i really crave.
(also note: there's infertility as a plot point here and no the heroine doesn't get miraculously pregnant. but i'm not sure i love how it was handled.)
it's notoriously challenging to pull off a second chance romance especially when two characters have a past. you have to show us the past imo to really set the stage for why the characters should be together. and then in the present you have to convincingly rekindle old feelings and have characters connect in the here and now. it's fucking hard to do.
this book didn't really succeed at either component. the heroine is reeling from a bad breakup and when she comes to town and is faced with her college crush he's a total dick to her. over time, he's a lil nicer as they collaborate on a fixer upper house project. and then they take a GIANT leap and start boning. and then poof they're in love.
no flashbacks to their past. just random mentions of growing up in the same town. no present development of shared interests or complimentary personalities.
don't get me wrong, it was a totally pleasant read. but it was missing the spark i really crave.
(also note: there's infertility as a plot point here and no the heroine doesn't get miraculously pregnant. but i'm not sure i love how it was handled.)
April 14, 2025
4.0 ☆
i feel like me and this book are somehow cosmically intertwined and our souls are one.
i feel like me and this book are somehow cosmically intertwined and our souls are one.
December 12, 2023
JULIAN MFING LOPEZ IS THE STANDARD YALL!!!
okay so a lot of us collectively agree that this book didn't need to be as long as it is right? cause i genuinely lost interest at the end and it felt unnecessary but julian lopez everybody JULIAN LOPEZ i'm pretty sure i started making a list of all the things that he did that made me scream (without the s) but i left it in between cause there were just too many to keep track of
it's the way lauren asher's books have a completely different level of comfort and happiness that speaks personally to me EVERYTIME so there's no wonder i loved juliandahlia so much 🥺🫶
---------------------
update: so turns out that after all it's not about lorenzo but JULIAN!!! and we're not complaining over here cause julian and dahlia sound like perfection i need them now
---------------------
“We do crazy things for the people we love.”
Lorenzo’s upper lip curls. “Let’s pray I never find out.”
oh he's gonna find out real soon and till then i'm gonna be sitting right here and waiting until this comes out cause it better be about lorenzo 🧎♀️🧎♀️
okay so a lot of us collectively agree that this book didn't need to be as long as it is right? cause i genuinely lost interest at the end and it felt unnecessary but julian lopez everybody JULIAN LOPEZ i'm pretty sure i started making a list of all the things that he did that made me scream (without the s) but i left it in between cause there were just too many to keep track of
it's the way lauren asher's books have a completely different level of comfort and happiness that speaks personally to me EVERYTIME so there's no wonder i loved juliandahlia so much 🥺🫶
---------------------
update: so turns out that after all it's not about lorenzo but JULIAN!!! and we're not complaining over here cause julian and dahlia sound like perfection i need them now
---------------------
“We do crazy things for the people we love.”
Lorenzo’s upper lip curls. “Let’s pray I never find out.”
oh he's gonna find out real soon and till then i'm gonna be sitting right here and waiting until this comes out cause it better be about lorenzo 🧎♀️🧎♀️
June 27, 2024
4.5⭐️ hands-down, this series is so much more enjoyable than Dreamland Billionaires series 🥺💜
it lowkey makes me rethink all the authors I have given up on because of three or more consecutive books that I felt just wasn't for me so the author wasn't for me as well.
✔️ billionaire mmc
✔️ second chance romance
✔️ latina rep
✔️ small town setting
✔️ childhood academic rivals
ngl, second chance romance is one of my least favorite tropes because I believe you snooze, you lose 🤷🏽♀️ BUT how can I not love Julian?? 😩😩
I loved his pov more than anything and we love a man who knows what he wants and goes after it and can communicate and banter without being rude. He cares about Dahlia, he is not afraid to make sacrifices to prove his commitment.
Dahlia seems a bit naive but then she is very self aware and is dealing with all her issues with enviable grace in my opinion. I don't think she comes off as whiney, she is just mostly vulnerable from past trauma and does a good job figuring it all out and living at the same time.
I guess I'm ready to try billionaire romance again 💜
it lowkey makes me rethink all the authors I have given up on because of three or more consecutive books that I felt just wasn't for me so the author wasn't for me as well.
✔️ billionaire mmc
✔️ second chance romance
✔️ latina rep
✔️ small town setting
✔️ childhood academic rivals
ngl, second chance romance is one of my least favorite tropes because I believe you snooze, you lose 🤷🏽♀️ BUT how can I not love Julian?? 😩😩
I loved his pov more than anything and we love a man who knows what he wants and goes after it and can communicate and banter without being rude. He cares about Dahlia, he is not afraid to make sacrifices to prove his commitment.
Dahlia seems a bit naive but then she is very self aware and is dealing with all her issues with enviable grace in my opinion. I don't think she comes off as whiney, she is just mostly vulnerable from past trauma and does a good job figuring it all out and living at the same time.
I guess I'm ready to try billionaire romance again 💜
February 2, 2024
spoiler alert : it wasn’t bad but it wasn’t waw either 😭..
this author is a hit or miss for me.. so, fingers crossed for this one!
this author is a hit or miss for me.. so, fingers crossed for this one!
January 12, 2024
12th january:
to everyone who hasn't read this book yet and is scared by the negative reviews that I've seen lately: take this as your sign to give it a try!! it's funny, deals with mental health issues that both men and women have, super cute and hot and, as the dedication already says, is for everyone who loves to be praised 🤭
➥ plot
as it is so often with the books i read, this book's main attention lies on the romance but I'll talk about that later. while I won't go into too much detail to not spoiler anything, i still want to point out its focus on mental health and on the different ways that people deal with the loss of a family member, specifically because here it's shown on both men and women.
I find that so important because many times, fictional men tend to be the tough, no sadness-feeling characters in romance books, whereas Julian's point of view showed him being sad about his father's death and not really knowing how to handel this grief, and also showing him struggle to find the right partner. i really enjoyed this change, it's great that readers will be able to see that it's okay for men to be emotional as well.
moreover, the book deals with depression caused by miscarriage, by breaking up with a long term partner and by finding out that one of the characters isn't able to give birth due to medical reasons. i liked all these representation, but i really loved the focus on the just mentioned inability to give birth. it's something that I don't see that much in romance books and I was so happy and relieved when, in the end, she wasn't able to miraculously have a child who won't be sick - i feel like some authors tend to do that which just feels so forced.
additionally, I enjoyed the whole (interior) designer thing. it made sense for it to be a big part of Julian and dahlia's fights/rivalry.
➥ characters
besides the heavy topics, the book also shows a big, happy family and i had so much fun meeting them all. i felt welcomed the moment i met them and specifically loved the moms so much.
i liked Dahlia from the beginning on. she's a very relatable character - she overthinks a lot, expects the worst outcome of every situation and has anxiety. she really hasn't had the easiest life but still tries to put on a smile in front of her family, which just shows how much she cares about them. the respect I have for her is very high because even though she struggled, she didn't give up on life and learned how to treat herself better.
she's also so funny, I loved seeing the world through her eyes and figure out her way of thinking. i was happy when she figured out the life she wanted and became a better decision maker.
you were all absolutely right about Julian, he's amazing!! he was my favourite character, he just seemed so incredibly real. his problem with handling grief felt extremely realistic and his longing for the one is very relatable. he is also the sweetest guys to ever exist - where are the men like him in real life? he is like one of the greenest flags ever: he isn't afraid to show that he cares for his loved ones and would do anything to see them happy, especially his mom, which is adorable; he is able to (or became able to during the story, which was a lovely character development) talk about his feelings; he isn't afraid to show those feelings, even if they are negative; he acknowledges his pain and is brave enough to face it and heal; he learned how to ask for help more - doesn't he just sound perfect?!
it doesn't hurt that he's extremelyyyy hot and hilarious.
➥ julian-dahlia
firstly, I want to mention that, in the beginning, I was a bit disappointed that I didn't get any flashbacks, but after having finished the book, I'm glad with what I got because the flashbacks weren't necessary since the memories from Julian and Dahlia (which I had because of the wonderful use of a dual pov!!) replaced them.
I really, really enjoyed seeing dahlia and julian slowly get together. since they already had a history, there was a wonderful tension from the beginning on. their banter was hilarious and I loved their rivalry, it made the tension even better.
julian is a perfect boyfriend - he is ready to spend tons of money for dahlia and does everything (!!) he can to keep her happy and satisfied. his list about all dahlia's pros had me sobbing, he loves her so much - his love confessions, his attentiveness and him being ready to wait for her were the cherry on the cake. oh, and his room??? omg I melted!!
in addition, there's no third act break up!! they're good at communicating, which was a very welcomed surprise.
I'm so happy with how their story ended, it was the perfect outcome for both of them and I love how happy they finally are.
also, i feel like they kind of fit the song "change your ticket" by one direction hihi.
➥ conclusion
this book is by no means the perfect book, but it sure did feel like that to me. I had so much fun reading it and wasn't bothered by the length at all! I highly recommend it if you want childhood best friends to rivals to kind of strangers to lovers with lots of chemistry and good spicy scenes.
----------------
10th january:
I don't care what anyone says, I loved this so much
rtc!
-----------------
5th january:
julian better be worth the hype 🤞🤭
to everyone who hasn't read this book yet and is scared by the negative reviews that I've seen lately: take this as your sign to give it a try!! it's funny, deals with mental health issues that both men and women have, super cute and hot and, as the dedication already says, is for everyone who loves to be praised 🤭
➥ plot
as it is so often with the books i read, this book's main attention lies on the romance but I'll talk about that later. while I won't go into too much detail to not spoiler anything, i still want to point out its focus on mental health and on the different ways that people deal with the loss of a family member, specifically because here it's shown on both men and women.
I find that so important because many times, fictional men tend to be the tough, no sadness-feeling characters in romance books, whereas Julian's point of view showed him being sad about his father's death and not really knowing how to handel this grief, and also showing him struggle to find the right partner. i really enjoyed this change, it's great that readers will be able to see that it's okay for men to be emotional as well.
moreover, the book deals with depression caused by miscarriage, by breaking up with a long term partner and by finding out that one of the characters isn't able to give birth due to medical reasons. i liked all these representation, but i really loved the focus on the just mentioned inability to give birth. it's something that I don't see that much in romance books and I was so happy and relieved when, in the end, she wasn't able to miraculously have a child who won't be sick - i feel like some authors tend to do that which just feels so forced.
additionally, I enjoyed the whole (interior) designer thing. it made sense for it to be a big part of Julian and dahlia's fights/rivalry.
➥ characters
besides the heavy topics, the book also shows a big, happy family and i had so much fun meeting them all. i felt welcomed the moment i met them and specifically loved the moms so much.
i liked Dahlia from the beginning on. she's a very relatable character - she overthinks a lot, expects the worst outcome of every situation and has anxiety. she really hasn't had the easiest life but still tries to put on a smile in front of her family, which just shows how much she cares about them. the respect I have for her is very high because even though she struggled, she didn't give up on life and learned how to treat herself better.
she's also so funny, I loved seeing the world through her eyes and figure out her way of thinking. i was happy when she figured out the life she wanted and became a better decision maker.
you were all absolutely right about Julian, he's amazing!! he was my favourite character, he just seemed so incredibly real. his problem with handling grief felt extremely realistic and his longing for the one is very relatable. he is also the sweetest guys to ever exist - where are the men like him in real life? he is like one of the greenest flags ever: he isn't afraid to show that he cares for his loved ones and would do anything to see them happy, especially his mom, which is adorable; he is able to (or became able to during the story, which was a lovely character development) talk about his feelings; he isn't afraid to show those feelings, even if they are negative; he acknowledges his pain and is brave enough to face it and heal; he learned how to ask for help more - doesn't he just sound perfect?!
it doesn't hurt that he's extremelyyyy hot and hilarious.
➥ julian-dahlia
firstly, I want to mention that, in the beginning, I was a bit disappointed that I didn't get any flashbacks, but after having finished the book, I'm glad with what I got because the flashbacks weren't necessary since the memories from Julian and Dahlia (which I had because of the wonderful use of a dual pov!!) replaced them.
I really, really enjoyed seeing dahlia and julian slowly get together. since they already had a history, there was a wonderful tension from the beginning on. their banter was hilarious and I loved their rivalry, it made the tension even better.
julian is a perfect boyfriend - he is ready to spend tons of money for dahlia and does everything (!!) he can to keep her happy and satisfied. his list about all dahlia's pros had me sobbing, he loves her so much - his love confessions, his attentiveness and him being ready to wait for her were the cherry on the cake. oh, and his room??? omg I melted!!
in addition, there's no third act break up!! they're good at communicating, which was a very welcomed surprise.
I'm so happy with how their story ended, it was the perfect outcome for both of them and I love how happy they finally are.
also, i feel like they kind of fit the song "change your ticket" by one direction hihi.
➥ conclusion
this book is by no means the perfect book, but it sure did feel like that to me. I had so much fun reading it and wasn't bothered by the length at all! I highly recommend it if you want childhood best friends to rivals to kind of strangers to lovers with lots of chemistry and good spicy scenes.
----------------
10th january:
I don't care what anyone says, I loved this so much
rtc!
-----------------
5th january:
julian better be worth the hype 🤞🤭
February 6, 2024
This was deleted 4 times by now, lol!!! Keep it up, gr imma post it again! and it's not even rant review wtf
------------------------
I've been dying to read this, now it's about time!!!
please don't disappoint !!🤞🤞
—-
Updated in 01/11/2024
⭐3 rounded up !!!⭐
✧˚ · . "turns out I'd rather build a home with you than a thousand houses by myself.". · ˚✧
-Thoughts 💭
I had such high hopes for this one since Lauren is one of my favorite authors, but this book was not it! I appreciated some aspects of this that I'll elaborate more on in a second, but overall I did not enjoy it as much as I hoped I would.
Firstly, The story lacked newness. Maybe flavor, I don't know! It was way too boring for me!
For the first book in the series, it was too long, imo!
Secondly, the pace was too slow for me that I almost dnfed it and the chemistry was not there, not until the last quarter of the book!
It did pick up eventually from the second half, but there was some sort of rush into everything all at once, considering them not openly talking about their feeling or needs in the first half!
So about what I admired in this one were matters such as depression, anxiety, family loss, and not being able to have a child that were discussed beautifully in this book!
The people that surrounded her were all supportive of her, and they all helped in any way they could, to make her feel safe and at home.
Dahlia's character is relatable in so many ways. We witness her struggling with everything she has gone through or is still going through, yet she doesn't give up on her dreams or passions, supported by those around her. Perhaps, in the end, love truly does have the power to heal.
“You can bounce back. You can prove him and everyone else that they didn't break you. And you can fight this battle against yourself and come out stronger because of it.”
About Julian…. Julian was extremely supportive when it came to her mental health problem, and it was admirable!
He had an understanding of how to help somebody dealing with dispersion and anxiety, so there for he helped her every time she was struggling, without a second thought!
Julian's character development was also to die for, although I hated him in the beginning, he made that all up!
✧˚ · ."I know you, which is all that matter.”. · ˚✧
-Audiobook!!!
Noah B. Perez, Vanessa Vasquez thank you so much for this amazing narration!!
I'll be reading the next books in the series, but please be better! 🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞
-Quotes
➺"I will always fight for what's in our best interest , even if it means fighting you in the process."
—------------------
➺"What part of 'I'm falling in love with you' are you not understanding?"
"The part where you give up your whole life here for me."
"Life without you is hardly a life at all”
—-------------------
➺“If you have to change yourself to fit someone’s ideal version of you, then that’s not love.”
—-------------------
➺"I'm enjoying the moment."
"You tend to do that a lot lately."
"All because of you."
—------------------
➺“I don’t want you to be bored here.
Why?
Because I want to give you a hundred different reasons to stay.”
------------------------
I've been dying to read this, now it's about time!!!
please don't
—-
Updated in 01/11/2024
⭐3 rounded up !!!⭐
✧˚ · . "turns out I'd rather build a home with you than a thousand houses by myself.". · ˚✧
-Thoughts 💭
I had such high hopes for this one since Lauren is one of my favorite authors, but this book was not it! I appreciated some aspects of this that I'll elaborate more on in a second, but overall I did not enjoy it as much as I hoped I would.
Firstly, The story lacked newness. Maybe flavor, I don't know! It was way too boring for me!
For the first book in the series, it was too long, imo!
Secondly, the pace was too slow for me that I almost dnfed it and the chemistry was not there, not until the last quarter of the book!
It did pick up eventually from the second half, but there was some sort of rush into everything all at once, considering them not openly talking about their feeling or needs in the first half!
So about what I admired in this one were matters such as depression, anxiety, family loss, and not being able to have a child that were discussed beautifully in this book!
The people that surrounded her were all supportive of her, and they all helped in any way they could, to make her feel safe and at home.
Dahlia's character is relatable in so many ways. We witness her struggling with everything she has gone through or is still going through, yet she doesn't give up on her dreams or passions, supported by those around her. Perhaps, in the end, love truly does have the power to heal.
“You can bounce back. You can prove him and everyone else that they didn't break you. And you can fight this battle against yourself and come out stronger because of it.”
About Julian…. Julian was extremely supportive when it came to her mental health problem, and it was admirable!
He had an understanding of how to help somebody dealing with dispersion and anxiety, so there for he helped her every time she was struggling, without a second thought!
Julian's character development was also to die for, although I hated him in the beginning, he made that all up!
✧˚ · ."I know you, which is all that matter.”. · ˚✧
-Audiobook!!!
Noah B. Perez, Vanessa Vasquez thank you so much for this amazing narration!!
I'll be reading the next books in the series, but please be better! 🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞
-Quotes
➺"I will always fight for what's in our best interest , even if it means fighting you in the process."
—------------------
➺"What part of 'I'm falling in love with you' are you not understanding?"
"The part where you give up your whole life here for me."
"Life without you is hardly a life at all”
—-------------------
➺“If you have to change yourself to fit someone’s ideal version of you, then that’s not love.”
—-------------------
➺"I'm enjoying the moment."
"You tend to do that a lot lately."
"All because of you."
—------------------
➺“I don’t want you to be bored here.
Why?
Because I want to give you a hundred different reasons to stay.”
January 1, 2024
audio reread 🥹🥹🥹🥹 i love these two so much it hurts
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
♾️/5
this one is absolutely for the 1989 (taylor’s version) girlies bc HOLY SHIT. you are in love, THIS LOVE ( YOU SHOWED UP JUST IN TIME!!!!!!😩😩🥹 ), i wish you would, all you had to do was stay, SAY DONT GO, SOOOO MANY SONGS ARE SO JULIAN DAHLIA CODED LOL.
i am actually so scattered brained when it comes to this review because everything about it was perfect to me. this was my most anticipated book this year and it exceeded every expectation i couldve ever had with it and is 10000% lauren asher’s best book yet. i couldve easily read hundreds of more pages of these two.
you will go through every single emotion while reading this. it is such a perfect blend of plot and romance, it felt very complete and i wasnt left wanting with anything/feeling like something was left unfinished. (have tissues on standby through out the book lol)
i was hooked on both julian and dahlia from the very start, these two are so insanely made for each other it isnt even funny, they are essentially the same person split into two bodies. their bantering was the funniest that i have read in a really long time (a reason im SO excited to already reread with listening to the audio book) maybe even ever??? the pranking? *chefs kiss* their mothers being absolutely hilarious and insane? *chefs kiss* the cameos *chefs kiss*
He lifts my hand and kisses it. “Jaque mate, cariño.”
luis julian lopez jr the man that you are 😩😩😩
i will never find another book bf like you in my lifetime.
congratulations to lauren for writing the most beautiful book of 2023 💜
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
♾️/5
this one is absolutely for the 1989 (taylor’s version) girlies bc HOLY SHIT. you are in love, THIS LOVE ( YOU SHOWED UP JUST IN TIME!!!!!!😩😩🥹 ), i wish you would, all you had to do was stay, SAY DONT GO, SOOOO MANY SONGS ARE SO JULIAN DAHLIA CODED LOL.
i am actually so scattered brained when it comes to this review because everything about it was perfect to me. this was my most anticipated book this year and it exceeded every expectation i couldve ever had with it and is 10000% lauren asher’s best book yet. i couldve easily read hundreds of more pages of these two.
you will go through every single emotion while reading this. it is such a perfect blend of plot and romance, it felt very complete and i wasnt left wanting with anything/feeling like something was left unfinished. (have tissues on standby through out the book lol)
i was hooked on both julian and dahlia from the very start, these two are so insanely made for each other it isnt even funny, they are essentially the same person split into two bodies. their bantering was the funniest that i have read in a really long time (a reason im SO excited to already reread with listening to the audio book) maybe even ever??? the pranking? *chefs kiss* their mothers being absolutely hilarious and insane? *chefs kiss* the cameos *chefs kiss*
He lifts my hand and kisses it. “Jaque mate, cariño.”
luis julian lopez jr the man that you are 😩😩😩
i will never find another book bf like you in my lifetime.
congratulations to lauren for writing the most beautiful book of 2023 💜
January 9, 2024
5 ★
“Turns out I’d rather build a home with you than a thousand houses by myself.”
this book was absolutely adorable and I was OBSESSED from the very beginning. the characters? perfect. the plot? stunning. me? addicted.
the story revolves around Dahlia and Julian, two childhood frenemies turned lovers. their banter was so fun and cute, from the playful comments to the sillydangerous and scandalous pranks. after her rancid and toxic asf ex breaks off their engagement, Dahlia returns home to her family and Julian. reeling from not only the breakup, but also the horrible news she's gotten with it, Dahlia navigates through depression, anxiety, grief, and loss of self. Julian, still struggling with the grief of losing his father, navigates the decisions he's made in the past that leave him with regret. back together again, both Dahlia and Julian find solace and love with each other and are transformed by the end of it.
｡･:*˚:✧｡ Dahlia Muñoz
“Sorry. The feminism left my body the moment you mentioned spiders.”
Dahlia, oh Dahlia. I fell in love with her at the very beginning (just like Julian). she’s hilarious; I laughed a lot throughout the book, and a lot of it was because of her. her strength and resilience were so admirable, and as someone who struggles with chronic anxiety, I related to her on so many levels. watching as she navigates her anxiety and depression while fighting her overthinking and negative self-talk tendencies was honestly so healing in a way. she goes through so much but still stays devoted to her family and those she loves while also respecting her own boundaries. personally, while I thought her character arc was done well, there were times when I got a bit annoyed with her (but only briefly and at the end). I understood her hesitancy and reluctance to be with Julian, especially because of their past and the deep-rooted trauma that exists because of her trash ex. But after all was said and done, it almost felt like she loved him less than he loved her (if that makes sense).
｡･:*˚:✧｡ Julian Lopez
“To those whose love language is words of affirmation. Your praise kink is safe with me (and Julian Lopez).”
every time I think I’ve read a book featuring the best book man, I read another that makes me eat my words. But yk what, I think Julian might actually be the best book man. and I’m gonna be so real for a second, and say that this dedication alone was enough to have me convinced it was over for me. this man had me giggling and kicking my feet throughout the entire book. he was so enraptured and devoted to Dahlia, which was proven throughout the book (I have been thinking about his reveal at the end since I finished it and get so giddy every time). Julian is the epitome of a man who’s confident in himself and his masculinity. he’s vulnerable, he’s emotional, he doesn’t ignore his feelings—when he had his moment in his father’s woodshop, I sobbed like a baby and swooned at the same time—and is overall just so emotionally intelligent. I adore him. his devotion and love for Dahlia is literally the standard, and he proves that you shouldn’t settle for less fr.
｡･:*˚:✧｡ Julian and Dahlia
“We’re the real deal, sweetheart, and I’m done letting you believe anything else.”
I was obsessed with everything about Julian and Dahlia. their banter, chemistry, and sexual tension could literally be felt through the pages. Julian worships the ground she walks on, and she supports and validates him in every way. I will say (and as I mentioned before), it almost felt like Julian was doing more than Dahlia was in their relationship. which, of course, I understand Dahlia’s feelings and perspective, but progress is not made without change, and that requires effort. other than that,and the page count for this book I didn’t have any other qualms.
｡･:*˚:✧｡ The Side Characters
I ADORED Julian and Dahlia’s families. it’s so obvious they all love and respect each other so much, and they were so fun to read about. the references to the Kane family were so fun too, and there was a bonus chapter in my book of Julian meeting Declan and Iris which was SO CUTE. and Rafa??? the fact that we get a second book with him and Ellie and Nico! I cannot wait!!
guys this book was just so so good. I need me a Julian Lopez asap.
｡･:*˚:✧｡ More Quotes I Loved
“Whatever it is, I’ll fix it. Whoever hurt her, I’ll ruin them. And whenever she needs someone to lean on, I will be there.”
“I know you, which is all that matters.”
“If you have to change yourself to fit someone’s ideal version of you, then that’s not love.”
“I don’t want you to be bored here.
Why?
Because I want to give you a hundred different reasons to stay.”
“I’m falling in love with you, Dahlia.”
“Her smile rivals the brightest gem, and I’ll be damned if anyone threatens her happiness again. She is more valuable to me than anything else, and it’s only a matter of time before she realizes that. And it’s my job to help get her there.”
“Dahlia?
Yeah?
Te amo.”
“Julian?
Yes?
Yo también te amo.”
~
i need me a julian rn 🫦 rtc 🤭
~
finally starting this beauty 🤭 lauren i am READY
“Turns out I’d rather build a home with you than a thousand houses by myself.”
this book was absolutely adorable and I was OBSESSED from the very beginning. the characters? perfect. the plot? stunning. me? addicted.
the story revolves around Dahlia and Julian, two childhood frenemies turned lovers. their banter was so fun and cute, from the playful comments to the silly
｡･:*˚:✧｡ Dahlia Muñoz
“Sorry. The feminism left my body the moment you mentioned spiders.”
Dahlia, oh Dahlia. I fell in love with her at the very beginning (just like Julian). she’s hilarious; I laughed a lot throughout the book, and a lot of it was because of her. her strength and resilience were so admirable, and as someone who struggles with chronic anxiety, I related to her on so many levels. watching as she navigates her anxiety and depression while fighting her overthinking and negative self-talk tendencies was honestly so healing in a way. she goes through so much but still stays devoted to her family and those she loves while also respecting her own boundaries. personally, while I thought her character arc was done well, there were times when I got a bit annoyed with her (but only briefly and at the end). I understood her hesitancy and reluctance to be with Julian, especially because of their past and the deep-rooted trauma that exists because of her trash ex. But after all was said and done, it almost felt like she loved him less than he loved her (if that makes sense).
｡･:*˚:✧｡ Julian Lopez
“To those whose love language is words of affirmation. Your praise kink is safe with me (and Julian Lopez).”
every time I think I’ve read a book featuring the best book man, I read another that makes me eat my words. But yk what, I think Julian might actually be the best book man. and I’m gonna be so real for a second, and say that this dedication alone was enough to have me convinced it was over for me. this man had me giggling and kicking my feet throughout the entire book. he was so enraptured and devoted to Dahlia, which was proven throughout the book (I have been thinking about his reveal at the end since I finished it and get so giddy every time). Julian is the epitome of a man who’s confident in himself and his masculinity. he’s vulnerable, he’s emotional, he doesn’t ignore his feelings—when he had his moment in his father’s woodshop, I sobbed like a baby and swooned at the same time—and is overall just so emotionally intelligent. I adore him. his devotion and love for Dahlia is literally the standard, and he proves that you shouldn’t settle for less fr.
｡･:*˚:✧｡ Julian and Dahlia
“We’re the real deal, sweetheart, and I’m done letting you believe anything else.”
I was obsessed with everything about Julian and Dahlia. their banter, chemistry, and sexual tension could literally be felt through the pages. Julian worships the ground she walks on, and she supports and validates him in every way. I will say (and as I mentioned before), it almost felt like Julian was doing more than Dahlia was in their relationship. which, of course, I understand Dahlia’s feelings and perspective, but progress is not made without change, and that requires effort. other than that,
｡･:*˚:✧｡ The Side Characters
I ADORED Julian and Dahlia’s families. it’s so obvious they all love and respect each other so much, and they were so fun to read about. the references to the Kane family were so fun too, and there was a bonus chapter in my book of Julian meeting Declan and Iris which was SO CUTE. and Rafa??? the fact that we get a second book with him and Ellie and Nico! I cannot wait!!
guys this book was just so so good. I need me a Julian Lopez asap.
｡･:*˚:✧｡ More Quotes I Loved
“Whatever it is, I’ll fix it. Whoever hurt her, I’ll ruin them. And whenever she needs someone to lean on, I will be there.”
“I know you, which is all that matters.”
“If you have to change yourself to fit someone’s ideal version of you, then that’s not love.”
“I don’t want you to be bored here.
Why?
Because I want to give you a hundred different reasons to stay.”
“I’m falling in love with you, Dahlia.”
“Her smile rivals the brightest gem, and I’ll be damned if anyone threatens her happiness again. She is more valuable to me than anything else, and it’s only a matter of time before she realizes that. And it’s my job to help get her there.”
“Dahlia?
Yeah?
Te amo.”
“Julian?
Yes?
Yo también te amo.”
~
i need me a julian rn 🫦 rtc 🤭
~
finally starting this beauty 🤭 lauren i am READY
October 24, 2023
love has been redesigned!!!!!!!!! IT. DID. THE. DAMN. THING. 💜😈💟✨
no further words needed.
“like bonnie & clyde.”
“they both died in a shootout.”
“together” <3
no further words needed.
“like bonnie & clyde.”
“they both died in a shootout.”
“together” <3
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