Years Between You

When We Shouldn't #1

by Miranda Melanie

Maybe Autumn Owens shouldn’t have based the love interest in her book on her ex-boyfriend’s older brother. It’s possible that wasn’t her brightest idea.
After six years without seeing or hearing from Miles Cress, he’s suddenly back. He still lives in town, he’s still the kind, caring guy he used to be.
And he’s not going anywhere.
He doesn’t want to be anywhere too far from her at all, actually, but their pasts are eager to keep them apart, while they find themselves desperate to get closer.
He’s always been the helping hand she needed, but what is he supposed to do when the problem is the people he’s closest to?

Genres: Romance, Friends To Lovers, Contemporary Romance, Small Town Romance, Slow Burn, Halloween, Contemporary

333 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 12, 2024

About the author

Miranda has been in love with creating stories since the second she learned how to read and write. On the rare occasion she isn't devouring a book or working on her next novel, she can be found playing cozy video games, watching reality competition shows, or obsessing over her next arts and crafts project. She currently lives in southern Oregon with her amazing husband and their crazy cat.

You can find her on Instagram as @mirandamelaniewrites

Reviews

[Miranda Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so proud of myself, and of this book, and I can’t wait for everyone to read it. I hope you fall in love with Miles the way I have while writing him. 🧡

[abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.75⭐️ I loved this book so much!! This book follows Autumn and Miles and there story. This has a friends to strangers to friends to lovers trope. Miles and Autumn used to be friends then some things happen where they don’t see each other until 5 years later (I think) at a grocery store. They slowly become friends again and it is so cute how much they care for each other. But their is a forbidden aspect as to why they can’t be together so they are fighting their attraction. The tension and banter in this book were so good!! I stayed up way to late to finish this book because of how much I enjoyed it and it was fast paced which was good.

[Shafira · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're a fan of slow burn romance with a strong forbidden vibe, then you absolutely need to check out this book. I love Miles Cress 🥺🧡, a total cinnamon roll MMC with a heart of gold ✨.
This book is a true gem, featuring a captivating dual POV and exquisite writing that will leave you breathless. 🤌
I'm giving it a ✨glowing✨ 4.2 stars.

[Cait | GoodeyReads]

DNF @10%.
The amount of telling vs. showing already happening was not a good sign for the rest of the book.

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I’m not strong enough to quit her. As much as I want a magical solution to fall into my lap, I’d still take this any day. The longing, the tension, the torment.” 🫠

Autumn and Miles have a long history together, with the most important piece being that she dated his brother in high school. When her and Miles run into each other 6 years after her breakup with his brother, they weren’t expecting their friendship to fall back into place so easily. The comfort they had around each other came right back, along with some old feelings they thought had went away. They spend more & more time together with her new job as his mom’s assistant, but just as things start to shift with Autumn, Miles has to decide if continuing on is worth messing up his relationship with his family.

The mutual pining was so evident right from the very first chapter and I was immediately hooked. I am obsessed with a man obsessed 👏🏼 they are both so down bad for each other. I mean, she wrote an entire book with him as the inspo for her love interest??? So many swoony moments. I loved that we got some flashbacks to what their dynamic was when Autumn was dating his brother. It really helped to see how close they actually were back then and how much he cared for her. Miles’ mom though… I never wanted to punch a character so badly before 😂 I wish we would’ve gotten a BIT more groveling from the offending family members but that’s just me being protective over my sweet babies Miles & Autumn 🥹

Moments I loved:
Miles’ entire inner monologue 😂 we love a pining man
Him reading her book 🤭
The Halloween party
When he knocks on the door during ✨special time✨
“Merry Christmas, little brother” 😂👏🏼

Tropes:
Ex-boyfriend’s brother
Mutual pining
Slow burn
Flashbacks
Friends to lovers
Bookish FMC
Cinnamon roll MMC

[Baylee Beattie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️

**arc review**

ex bf's brother, childhood crush, childhood friends, friends to lovers!

as a debut novel, this was such a cute read! it did take me a bit to really get into the book, but it felt like the writing and the story really took off at about the 30% mark!

i loved that the main characters had a clear history and that we got to see the then versus the now perspectives. the time jumps were super helpful in seeing and understanding the dynamic between the characters and their own relationships with others as well, even if some of the time jumps confused me at points in about the first half of the book.

the whole premise was so cute, and i loved the tension and little bits of awkwardness within and between the characters, it made it feel so real and relatable!

i will say, some characters DEFINITELY deserved more retribution for their words and actions (cough Justin and Amelia). i would have loved to see them really get what was coming to them, but that's probably just me being petty and protective over my sweet baby Autumn😤🫶🏼

[Gabrielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I liked Miles and loved him with Autumn this book pissed me off for multiple reasons. His family omfggggg, Autumn and Miles were being martyrs not being together because his asshole fam which I wouldn't have done at all, they both stayed in toxic relationships for forever omfg, and we barely got them together in this book which hurt my soul. They were perfect for eachother yet we had to suffer like them throughout this book for no reason. I expected some angst and slow burn was this was absurd.

[Dais Wynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this book, the dual POV, the beautiful writing style.

I am a sucker for banter and this book had the perfect amount and a lil sprinkling of spice too!

The friendship group of the FMC deserves a special mention too bc those girls were ride or dieeeeee for Autumn!!!

I really enjoyed myself, a quick little cutesy romance read 🥹

[Abigail · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded up.

This is a great contemporary debut that’s going to have you feeling the feels, tension, and swoony moments. We have the FMC running into her ex’s older brother 6 years after her break-up, thinking that will be the last of it when instead they build a friendship back up.. and try to resist more.

The forbidden aspect of this was handled realistically. It didn’t necessarily add tension, more like an obstacle that could make or break trust in a relationship. This leaned more friends to lovers (which I love) in that regard because they try to be friends for so long and feel so much guilt and sadness for lost time and their circumstance. They both had issues from the past to work through and not just together but independently as well. I liked that they weren’t the only answer to each other’s problems, they had to grow as people as well.

My only issue with this was Miles’s past relationship. He never really explained why he put up with something so bad for so long. Even in the flashbacks, yes he was still a good friend but whyy did he stay?

I thought I was going to have an issue with the way a certain character was portrayed but just trust the story that *most* will be explained and each side character has nuance as well.

This is somewhat of a slow burn when it comes to spice but it gives ya enough as it goes along to keep the chemistry going. Not just the spice- I just loved Miles and Autumn and what they built together by the end. And the epilogue was everythinggg, honestly the last 20% is perfection.

Thank you to Miranda Melanie for this ARC! Looking forward to future books.

[Sarah (sarahs_shelves_sc) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This sweet romance is full of fantastic tropes and heartwarming moments.

When Autumn runs into her ex-boyfriend's brother Miles after not seeing him for years, she is instantly reminded of his kindness and of the crush she had on him all those years ago. She even based the love interest in her first book on him. The pair reconnect, building a friendship that may be something more.

Small town? Check. Friends to lovers? Check. Forbidden romance (see ex-boyfriend's brother)? Check!

Miles is a fabulous book boyfriend, full of compassion and heart. The author intersperses moments from the past throughout the read, showing the reader interactions between Miles and Autumn years ago, and those will just make you love Miles more. He is quick to lift Autumn up when she needs it, and their chemistry is swoony at times.

Both of their families are a bit of a disaster, so I loved that Autumn had two of the best girl friends a girl could find. The scenes with the three women clearly showed their bond, and always gave a good laugh or two along with the sweet moments of friends being there for each other.

The forbidden romance vibes are strong here, and watching the pair fight the tension between them was just delicious!

[Dana McKenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Years Between You
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 Stars

Okay y’all, this one had me laughing a lot, it had me shocked and it had me turning the pages so fast! I just had to know what was happening next, especially the last part of the book… Oh my goodness!

This one had a whole new trope for me, Ex-boyfriend’s brother. What!?! And let me tell you what, I AM HERE FOR IT!! The MCs Autumn and Miles, I loved these two from the start. They were so much fun together. They were funny, adorable and the best slow burn ever. The tension, the banter, total Chefs Kiss!

Highly recommend this one if you love, dual POV, friends to lovers, forbidden romance or RomComs, this one will be for you!

[Apoorva Sharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

This storyline is something that always intrigues me. The "Ex's brother/ friend" and that was one thing that made the book interesting. But I felt something was missing in the connection between the characters. I could not connect with them on a deeper level.

Yes they were friends because of her ex who is his brother but still the connect that I could/ should have felt as a reader was not there.

As a whole I loved the story, the push and pull, feelings but the thought of respect, standing up but most importantly mends that were made at the end.

I want to thank Miranda for this ARC.

[Tia Mondok · Rating 3 out of 5]

slow burn 🤝 me
forbidden romance 🤝 me
mutual pinning 🤝 me



⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️.5/5

Quote to make you read: “She could be completely crazy, it might do my boring life some good.”

It’s been six years once Autumn has seen Miles Cress. But when she runs into her ex boyfriend’s older brother, he’s still the same caring, compassionate guy from her early teens. He is now divorced and trying to restart at 30 but seeing Autumn at the grocery store one day, he can't help but feel drawn to her.

This was super easy, yet enjoyable read. I wish we would’ve been able to learn more about Autumn and her past. I think this is the first time I felt like I know really nothing about the FMC. I felt like I knew more about Miles because of how involved his family was in this story and emphasis on TOO INVOLVED almost. I don’t think my parents would EVER hire my ex to work for them but that’s just me. Also Miles’ mom (can’t really remember her name) was doing the most in this book without substance. I am all about protecting your 30 year old son but from an emotionally immature young girl when he was literally married to a raging psychopath prior seems odd and I know Sigmund Freud has an opinion on that. But Autumn seemed like an anomaly. Besides the fact she is a cat person, has good friends, absent parents, and a lot of trauma. There’s not too much to her even though I wish there was. Her story seemed to begin and end with the Cress family. Which was interesting. I just wanted more.

There was a lot of miscommunication between Autumn and Miles though. Also they seemed to act way younger than mid twenties and early thirties. I don’t know but that’s just me. There are some cutesy moments though!!

Overall: is this a cute read? Yes. Would i recommend it? Sure, as a filler book. But it really left a lot to be desired. However I do look forward to giving this author another shot when their next book is out ☺️

[Lily Harley · Rating 5 out of 5]

i had the pleasure of receiving an arc copy of this amazing book! The author skillfully crafted a captivating love story filled with well-developed characters that made me emotionally invested from start to finish. The chemistry between the main characters was palpable, and the journey they embarked on together left me feeling both heartbroken and hopeful. This book reminded me why i fell in love with the romance genre in the first place and I cannot recommend it enough!! <3

[Bookishkayy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would first like to thank Miranda Melanie for the ARC copy. I absolutely loved this book! It follows Autumn and Miles story. Autumn used to date Mile’s little brother and they became friends. They lost touch with each other for years and reconnected at their local grocery store. They start to become friends again but realize that this is much more. They cannot fight their attraction for each other even if they shouldn’t be together. The banter and pining in this book is so good! I would recommend this book to anyone who loves romance or a good rom com.

Read this book if you like these tropes:
Ex-boyfriend’s brother
Friends to lovers
Forbidden Romance
Slow Burn

[Caledonia]

DND @ 36%
I just don't have the energy to put up with the writing anymore. It's not enjoyable. The premise is so cute and I want to enjoy it more but the writing is dull, nice telling than showing and I don't want to read any more.

[Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The guy on this book cover high key looks like Rachel Maddow, and I couldn’t get that out of my head while reading this book

[Amanda Lipscomb · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Years Between You by Miranda Melanie
Narrated by Dani Staro & Robb Morreira

Listen… I thought I was just pressing play on a casual rom-com audiobook. Next thing I know, I’m wheezing in the grocery store aisle while Autumn runs into her ex-boyfriend’s brother (Myles 👀). Honestly, if I ever bumped into an old crush at the store, I’d be holding expired coupons and a family-size bag of Doritos—not sizzling chemistry. But Autumn? She gets sparks. I get snacks. Life’s not fair.

This is a slow burn that had me screaming “JUST KISS ALREADY” at my headphones like a deranged sports fan. But when it pays off? Oh, it pays off. That epilogue? A five-course meal. Michelin star. Chef’s kiss. 👩‍🍳💋✨

Now, let’s talk narration:
• Dani Staro deserves an award for making Autumn’s inner monologues sound like my own brain at 2 AM overthinking a text message.
• Robb Morreira …sir, how dare you. That voice was illegal levels of smooth. The man could narrate a grocery list and I’d preorder it. Also, the spicy scenes? Let’s just say my earbuds were working overtime. 🔥

In conclusion:
This book is funny, swoony, spicy, and gave me unrealistic expectations about running into people at Kroger. Highly recommend.

[Kate &#x1f49e; · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a debut novel this book is pretty solid.
You can really tell the author has taken their time with this and its shows through the character development and story line.

Autumn may be one of my favourite FMCs ever. She’s so loveable and I love the way her anxiety is portrayed in this story.

I feel as though the author has managed to capture the nature of Miles and Autumns relationship in a very realistic way through the push and pull of their relationship as it’s only natural that they would feel like their relationship is wrong given their history (she dated his brother).

The way this story is told across dual POV and in the past and present really adds to the development of these characters and the storyline. I loved the little insights into the past as to why Autumn felt the way she does in the present.

The tropes this books has are some of my favourite:
Ex boyfriends brother
Forbidden romance
Friends to lovers
Slow burn
Mutual pining
Small town

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a cute, heartwarming romance that brings all the feels 🥰💞

[Kera · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so cute and the perfect vacation read. It was a simple low stakes contemporary romance. The main characters definitely do not have a conventional relationship but they are so cute together and miles is the most kind hearted supportive book boyfriend. I loved him so much.

Tropes are:
Friends to lovers
Ex’s brother
Forbidden romance
Stuff like that you get the picture lol there are a few on page spice scenes but the spice is very minimal.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

for her first book, miranda did a wonderful job. the storyline is sweet with a little naughtiness strewn about. however, the book itself is lacking in some areas. the characters feel surface-level up until the end, which almost makes it feel as if the beginning and ending of the books are two separate sets of characters. at the start of the book, until almost the end, miles is a douche. the entire plot is based on the fact autumn and miles have feelings for one another…that’s it. yet their relationship in the first half of the book feels incredibly toxic. autumn is insecure and anxious, but it comes off almost too pessimistic. miles, on the other hand, does nothing until near the end of the book to step up and truly be worthy of autumn. i wish there had been more depth — in the characters, the plot, the setting, etc. it all felt surface-level and relied almost too much on the fact that it’s a romance novel. with that being said though, i did enjoy the story and the way miranda writes. she truly knows how to paint an image with her words!! i look forward to what comes next!

[Allie Hermann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in [basically] one sitting. I've hated a lot of romance books lately, and this one was just a perfect blend of dual pov, flashback chapters, yearning, good communication, butterflies, well-written spice, and the perfect amount of well-handled conflict. Great read.

[Reading Larva · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I’m jealous,” “Of an inanimate object, because it doesn’t have any rules to follow. It’s not going to piss anyone off by touching you.”

Love this book!

[Katie Mott · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5-4.75 this book was soooooo cute and gave me butterflies multiple times. i love a good yearning, it’s always been you book and this is definitely one of them

[Taryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5… I liked it; I really enjoyed the heavy angst and the mutual pining. Some things that kind of bugged me when I let them though:
A. The characters acted A LOT younger than they were. Like, why is a mom THAT involved in every thing her 30 year old son does?
B. Autumn was a biiiiiit woe is me for my liking.
C. All of this drama over something that happened to a HIGH SCHOOL RELATIONSHIP??? It seemed a bit much for me.
D. I feeeeeel like Autumns parents didn’t actually kick her out, but rather just preferred she stayed away, so how did she not choose to suck it up and go back to them rather than freeze to death living in a car? Just didn’t think that was too well thought out… buuuuut I’ve also never been in that situation, so I can’t really say.

[Meg fletcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

Tropes:
-small town
-ex-boyfriends brother
-secret dating
-flashbacks
-slow burn
-friends to lovers
-mutual pining
-she’s an author


Patty. That could be my whole review! She was by far my favourite character lol

This was such a cute little story! The miscommunication was tricky for me as it lingered a little too long but otherwise I loved this story!
I loved how Autumn persevered and was a successful adult even before seeing Miles again and that he just added to her happiness!
I loved that Miles continued to pursue her but in a genuine non-creepy way! His heart is so good and needs to be protected!
It is a slow burn but dang when they get there it is worth the wait!

[Zoie Stephens · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨ Miles and Autumn ✨

(So sorry for how long this is I have a lot to say)

“Please let me do that a hundred more times,” he pleads. “I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of the sounds you make.”

I don’t typically read romcoms, I read dark/taboo romance stories normally. I won’t lie, it was hard to get into for the first few pages because it’s not my normal cup of tea, however, once I was in there was no going back. I ate this UP. This does not feel like a debut novel, I read it in one day, basically one sitting because I barely moved for 7 hours. I cannot thank Miranda enough for giving me the chance to read and review this. I couldn’t get enough of Miles and Autumn. It covers anxiety in a way that doesn’t feel over the top, it feels relatable. The tension was built up PERFECTLY, and when it finally hit that dreaded third act conflict I didn’t cringe and want to stop reading, my eyes were searching the next page unconsciously for spoilers. The parts I really want to discuss are spoilers but I can confirm the last quarter of this book puts you in a chokehold. It has tension that leaves you begging to know how the issues will be solved. I also usually DREAD an epilogue, however I loved this one. It wasn’t stereotypical. The girl group in this is also so realistic and relatable that I couldn’t help but think of my close friends while reading.

I gave this 4⭐️ instead of 5⭐️ only because one of the conflicts was solved a little to simply for my personal tastes. Forgiveness from both sides of the issue seemed that it was given too easily. However that is just my tastes, the books I normally read are usually much more aggressive, so I’m probably just not used to it.

All in all I would 120% recommend this to romance readers of any genre. For people like me, it’s a perfect pallet cleanser that leaves you giggling, gasping, and kicking your feet. For people who normally read romcoms, y’all would eat this up. The author aspect and the dreamy ML had me kicking my feet and hugging the book to my chest.

[Ashley (aashleyorton) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to give a disclaimer—one of my besties wrote this book, so I MAY be a little biased, BUT this was such a fun read and I’m positive I would have loved it regardless of who wrote it!!

Autumn is such a relatable character, and I don’t want to give anything away, so I’ll just say that getting both hers and Miles POV throughout was an absolute treat. Their personalities made me love them and hate everyone who were keeping them from being together.

The fall vibes, the cute moments, the spice 🤌🏻 you’re gonna want to curl up with a fuzzy blanket and some hot cocoa for this one.

[Marian. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Release Day: January 12, 2024

This is definitely a good debut!

Autumn and Miles knew each other before as he is the brother of her ex (whom we don't like) and when she broke up with his brother they kept their distance, a few years passed and they met again. Miles feels a little attraction to her but he can't do anything about it and they become friends again. Autumn is a romance writer and I liked that a little,her personality was charming and I liked how the author showed us her problems and how she dealt with them. The story is told in past and present (not so much about the past, just key scenes to understand why everyone was separated for years) and I am a fan of how the author made each one flow, in addition to, as I said, showing us an Autumn from the past full of problems to a beautiful woman who knows what she wants surrounded by good people, although I disliked some characters and there is a drama that, although I saw it coming, I liked how Miles acted as a result.

For the author's debut this book was more than good, charming characters, a story that flows completely and rest assured I will be looking forward to the second book in this series!

📌 I received an e-arc, and this is my honest opinion/review of it.

---

¡Este sin duda es un buen libro debut!

Autumn y Miles se conocían desde antes, ya que él es el hermano del ex de ella (el cual nos cae mal) y cuando ella termina con él se alejan, pasan algunos años y se vuelven a encontrar. Miles siente una pequeña atracción hacia ella pero no puede hacer nada y se vuelven hacer amigos, Autumn es escritora de romance y me gusto un poco eso, su personalidad fue encantadora y me gusto como la autora nos mostró sus problemas y cómo hizo para enfrentarlos. La historia se cuenta en pasado y presente (no tanto del pasado, solo escenas claves para entender el porqué todos se distanciaron por años) y soy fan de cómo la autora hizo fluir cada una, además de como dije mostrarnos a una Autumn del pasado llena de problemas a una hermosa mujer que sabe lo que quiere rodeada de buenas personas, si bien algunos personajes me cayeron mal y hay un drama que si bien lo veía venir, me gusto como Miles actuó a consecuencia.

Para ser el debut de la escritora este libro estuvo mas que bien, personajes encantadores, una historia que fluye completamente y tenganlo por seguro que estaré esperando con ansias el segundo libro de esta serie!!

[Krissi Markos · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC REVIEW!
Such a wonderful read! Dual pov, ex’s older brother, found family, friends to lovers, slow burn, and open door spice! If you like any of these tropes you must read Years Between You, and if you’re not sure, read it anyway!! In this book you learn the story and past of Autumn and Miles. It’s been years since they seen or talked to each other when Miles sees her at the grocery store, from that day on everything changes. You get to see them rekindle their friendship and watch it grow into something more. There are also very cute animals that I wish were mine or at least could love on. The found family is beautiful and their bond is truly special.
This is the first book from Miranda Melanie and she has crushed it. I can’t wait to see and read the other amazing works she’ll write!