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Stuck in the Country with You
Good fences make good neighbors—except when a scorching shared past makes things complicated—in this delightful city-meets-country romance from Zuri Day.
She’s packing her bags—and her baggage.
Ten years ago, Genesis Washington made a very poor decision. At the time, it seemed great. Fantastic. Explosive. But the truth is, your one-night rebound should never be your younger brother’s rival. And he definitely shouldn’t be someone who allegedly only slept with you to gain the upper hand—even if the sex was amazing.
Now Genesis is blindsided when the farm she’s inherited just happens to be right next door to Jaxson King, the regrettable one-night stand she’s still painfully attracted to. This man has aged like the finest of wines, and what’s worse, he’s now a thoughtful and responsible father. Good thing Genesis has a (*cough* long-distance *cough*) boyfriend. Well, sort of. It’s complicated.
Jaxson and his hotness should be easy enough to ignore. But when city-girl Genesis discovers there’s a serious learning curve to her humble new home, it’s Jaxson who’s there to lend a very skilled helping hand. With every problem that arises, Jaxson is seemingly making all the right moves—both on the farm and when things heat up behind closed doors. But, surely, that doesn’t mean he’s right for Genesis, does it?
From showing up to glowing up, the characters in Afterglow Books are on the path to leading their best lives and finding sizzling romance along the way. Don’t miss any of these other fun titles…
Frenemy Fix-Up by Yahrah St. John
The Devil in Blue Jeans by Stacey Kennedy
Out of Office by A.H. Cunningham
Church Girl by Naima Simone
She’s packing her bags—and her baggage.
Ten years ago, Genesis Washington made a very poor decision. At the time, it seemed great. Fantastic. Explosive. But the truth is, your one-night rebound should never be your younger brother’s rival. And he definitely shouldn’t be someone who allegedly only slept with you to gain the upper hand—even if the sex was amazing.
Now Genesis is blindsided when the farm she’s inherited just happens to be right next door to Jaxson King, the regrettable one-night stand she’s still painfully attracted to. This man has aged like the finest of wines, and what’s worse, he’s now a thoughtful and responsible father. Good thing Genesis has a (*cough* long-distance *cough*) boyfriend. Well, sort of. It’s complicated.
Jaxson and his hotness should be easy enough to ignore. But when city-girl Genesis discovers there’s a serious learning curve to her humble new home, it’s Jaxson who’s there to lend a very skilled helping hand. With every problem that arises, Jaxson is seemingly making all the right moves—both on the farm and when things heat up behind closed doors. But, surely, that doesn’t mean he’s right for Genesis, does it?
From showing up to glowing up, the characters in Afterglow Books are on the path to leading their best lives and finding sizzling romance along the way. Don’t miss any of these other fun titles…
Frenemy Fix-Up by Yahrah St. John
The Devil in Blue Jeans by Stacey Kennedy
Out of Office by A.H. Cunningham
Church Girl by Naima Simone
288 pages, Paperback
Published December 24, 2024
About the author
Zuri Day
99 books288 followersZuri Day is a hopeful romantic. She believes in happy endings, half-full glasses and dreams coming true. That's why she's thrilled to be a contributing writer to this genre...one of her favorites!
Zuri doesn't remember exactly how old she was when she picked up her first romance novel, but she does remember it was love at first sight. "It was probably a Harlequin," she recalled during a recent interview. "And it thankfully took me away from a fairly dull and routine existence growing up in a small Kansas town."
Things aren't dull and routine anymore. Zuri now resides in Los Angeles with her family and when she isn't writing loves to travel the world, cook vegetarian food, work out, watch sports, attend concerts and theatre and enjoy the simple things in life.
"Many people have given up on love, much less romance," Zuri says. "I'm hoping that somehow, through the love-filled pages of my romance novels, I can ignite the reader's desire to believe again. Because everything is possible, when we believe..."
Zuri doesn't remember exactly how old she was when she picked up her first romance novel, but she does remember it was love at first sight. "It was probably a Harlequin," she recalled during a recent interview. "And it thankfully took me away from a fairly dull and routine existence growing up in a small Kansas town."
Things aren't dull and routine anymore. Zuri now resides in Los Angeles with her family and when she isn't writing loves to travel the world, cook vegetarian food, work out, watch sports, attend concerts and theatre and enjoy the simple things in life.
"Many people have given up on love, much less romance," Zuri says. "I'm hoping that somehow, through the love-filled pages of my romance novels, I can ignite the reader's desire to believe again. Because everything is possible, when we believe..."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 168 reviews
September 9, 2024
Disclaimer: I received a free advance review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own. (Releases December 24, 2024)
Before I begin my review, I just want to say that giving 1 star pained me immensely because, as a writer myself, I know how vulnerable you have to be to share your writing with the world. I am, however, very honest in my reviews of the things I read. I do also want to make sure anyone who reads this review understands that this review is colored by my own personal tastes in narrative, plot, and character development.
When originally requesting to read the arc of Stuck in the Country with You by Zuri Day, I was hoping for a cute country romance novel that would take me a day or two to read. Unfortunately, it took me much longer than anticipated to read because I was consistently frustrated. The premise of a second chance romance many years after the first encounter was enticing, but the execution fell flat for me. A lot of the background, feelings and motives of characters, were force-fed to the reader rather than shown through actions. Additionally, Genesis's family drama being the reason why the romance didn't work the first time and why she was hesitant this time around to act on her attraction to Jaxson just did not feel much like a hindrance to me. I mean, it could have been a hindrance if the family drama was more on the page rather than things mentioned like afterthoughts or because the plot needed them in the moment. I just didn't buy it, the stakes did not feel high enough, and, therefore, I just did not care about it.
Another thing that made this a difficult read for me was the transition between scenes within chapters. They were sometimes hard to follow and could be days, weeks, or months in the future with no visual cue on the page that a switch was occurring and the previous scene often ended in a way that felt unfinished. Admittedly, the visual cue being missing on the page could be due to the fact that this is an arc and final formating has not been done. Still, a lot of scenes just felt unfinished and randomly ended before we were whisked to some other moment in time/place. While I don't think every scene has to end perfectly, if the scene feels unfinished to me, it is usually because something is missing to make the scene important to the overall story. And please don't get me wrong, I can tolerate some fluff in a romance novel, but that's not what was happening here.
Considering this is a romance novel, I will touch on the romance between Genesis and Jaxson. Honestly, I just didn't believe it. I'm not saying that these two characters could not possibly be together or love each other, but I was not invested in their romance. Genesis resisting the beginning due to Jaxson being the center of her immediate family drama could have been a very interesting dilemma, but we got no real connection to her family in the book. So upsetting/losing her family or losing a man she was attracted to, but could not stand just did not seem like a big deal to me. The problems standing in their way just did not feel like problems because we're not shown the actual stakes. Yes, they're told to us, but that's not what makes story compelling. We need to see it and that just wasn't done in this book.
Ultimately, I personally would not recommend this book. It seems like the version that was shared as an arc is a really early version that needs more rounds of edits before publication.
Before I begin my review, I just want to say that giving 1 star pained me immensely because, as a writer myself, I know how vulnerable you have to be to share your writing with the world. I am, however, very honest in my reviews of the things I read. I do also want to make sure anyone who reads this review understands that this review is colored by my own personal tastes in narrative, plot, and character development.
When originally requesting to read the arc of Stuck in the Country with You by Zuri Day, I was hoping for a cute country romance novel that would take me a day or two to read. Unfortunately, it took me much longer than anticipated to read because I was consistently frustrated. The premise of a second chance romance many years after the first encounter was enticing, but the execution fell flat for me. A lot of the background, feelings and motives of characters, were force-fed to the reader rather than shown through actions. Additionally, Genesis's family drama being the reason why the romance didn't work the first time and why she was hesitant this time around to act on her attraction to Jaxson just did not feel much like a hindrance to me. I mean, it could have been a hindrance if the family drama was more on the page rather than things mentioned like afterthoughts or because the plot needed them in the moment. I just didn't buy it, the stakes did not feel high enough, and, therefore, I just did not care about it.
Another thing that made this a difficult read for me was the transition between scenes within chapters. They were sometimes hard to follow and could be days, weeks, or months in the future with no visual cue on the page that a switch was occurring and the previous scene often ended in a way that felt unfinished. Admittedly, the visual cue being missing on the page could be due to the fact that this is an arc and final formating has not been done. Still, a lot of scenes just felt unfinished and randomly ended before we were whisked to some other moment in time/place. While I don't think every scene has to end perfectly, if the scene feels unfinished to me, it is usually because something is missing to make the scene important to the overall story. And please don't get me wrong, I can tolerate some fluff in a romance novel, but that's not what was happening here.
Considering this is a romance novel, I will touch on the romance between Genesis and Jaxson. Honestly, I just didn't believe it. I'm not saying that these two characters could not possibly be together or love each other, but I was not invested in their romance. Genesis resisting the beginning due to Jaxson being the center of her immediate family drama could have been a very interesting dilemma, but we got no real connection to her family in the book. So upsetting/losing her family or losing a man she was attracted to, but could not stand just did not seem like a big deal to me. The problems standing in their way just did not feel like problems because we're not shown the actual stakes. Yes, they're told to us, but that's not what makes story compelling. We need to see it and that just wasn't done in this book.
Ultimately, I personally would not recommend this book. It seems like the version that was shared as an arc is a really early version that needs more rounds of edits before publication.
September 2, 2024
Rating: 3.5
*ARC read- thank you to Harlequin Romance and the author for the opportunity to read this early*
I was in small town romance mood when I requested Stuck in the Country with you. I think the plot was what intrigued me the most. I love the idea of her neighbor being a past partner and her arriving to the farm after living in Memphis her whole life. However, this story left me a little wanting. Wanting more scenes of Genesis running the farm or learning how to. Another thing I noticed is the story switches perspective and settings within the chapter randomly. I noticed this in scenes where they are on the phone one minute and then fishing the next. I sometimes had to go back and confirm where they were and when we jumped ahead. Between paragraphs and between dialogue I think the formatting could be restructured to help the reader better know what’s going on. My last thing was the speed and which they catch feelings for each other(…again). The intimate moments between Genesis and Jaxson felt very rushed which in turn left me very unmoved by these “spicy moments”. Sadly, this happened for all the spicy scenes for me. Then the sneaking around bit threw me off because I’m like—we all are adults here, what are we hiding a relationship for. Just my opinion, I know others might like the instant attraction, but I wanted more of a getting to know each other again before getting into bed. That and I wanted more confidence in their relationship if it was going to move quickly. I just wanted more life on the farm with Genesis and for her to maybe stand up to her “family” and their antics.
*ARC read- thank you to Harlequin Romance and the author for the opportunity to read this early*
I was in small town romance mood when I requested Stuck in the Country with you. I think the plot was what intrigued me the most. I love the idea of her neighbor being a past partner and her arriving to the farm after living in Memphis her whole life. However, this story left me a little wanting. Wanting more scenes of Genesis running the farm or learning how to. Another thing I noticed is the story switches perspective and settings within the chapter randomly. I noticed this in scenes where they are on the phone one minute and then fishing the next. I sometimes had to go back and confirm where they were and when we jumped ahead. Between paragraphs and between dialogue I think the formatting could be restructured to help the reader better know what’s going on. My last thing was the speed and which they catch feelings for each other(…again). The intimate moments between Genesis and Jaxson felt very rushed which in turn left me very unmoved by these “spicy moments”. Sadly, this happened for all the spicy scenes for me. Then the sneaking around bit threw me off because I’m like—we all are adults here, what are we hiding a relationship for. Just my opinion, I know others might like the instant attraction, but I wanted more of a getting to know each other again before getting into bed. That and I wanted more confidence in their relationship if it was going to move quickly. I just wanted more life on the farm with Genesis and for her to maybe stand up to her “family” and their antics.
March 1, 2026
3.75⭐️ Honestly I was more interested and entertained by the family drama rather than the romance 😂I was feeling like a nosy neighbor who wanted all the tea of the toxic family next door. ☕️🫖💁🏻♀️
This is your typical “I inherited a farm from a family member who passed away, no idea how to handle a farm, but the next door neighbor is cute.” Except the neighbor is an old flame where things ended badly. Oh the farm is not actually a farm because there’s no animals or crops. Just a big house and a lot of land out in the country.
The romance was mid. The characters basically had a past fling but was torn apart by outside forces. A lot of misunderstandings and lies from others. These characters meet anew and rekindle that flame once past hurts came to light.
Also, Jaxson himself is a bit of a walking red flag (or well he used to be). He was a major player back in the day, was a rich and famous football player, and had his own scandals, leaving behind a mega trail of broken hearts and one night stands. Now he’s chilling on a farm? Without custody of his daughter? And he’s apparently mature and grown by 28? Ok sure.
I was mainly interested in the story of the heaping amounts of drama that was coming in from the family. Man, I’d be cutting off half these people in a heartbeat! Genesis is definitely nicer than me.
I’m GREATLY disappointed in how the ending wrapped up so fast. It was not satisfying at all. I was looking forward to court battles and family members getting chewed out 😂 oh well.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for an audiobook arc to listen and review!
This is your typical “I inherited a farm from a family member who passed away, no idea how to handle a farm, but the next door neighbor is cute.” Except the neighbor is an old flame where things ended badly. Oh the farm is not actually a farm because there’s no animals or crops. Just a big house and a lot of land out in the country.
The romance was mid. The characters basically had a past fling but was torn apart by outside forces. A lot of misunderstandings and lies from others. These characters meet anew and rekindle that flame once past hurts came to light.
Also, Jaxson himself is a bit of a walking red flag (or well he used to be). He was a major player back in the day, was a rich and famous football player, and had his own scandals, leaving behind a mega trail of broken hearts and one night stands. Now he’s chilling on a farm? Without custody of his daughter? And he’s apparently mature and grown by 28? Ok sure.
I was mainly interested in the story of the heaping amounts of drama that was coming in from the family. Man, I’d be cutting off half these people in a heartbeat! Genesis is definitely nicer than me.
I’m GREATLY disappointed in how the ending wrapped up so fast. It was not satisfying at all. I was looking forward to court battles and family members getting chewed out 😂 oh well.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for an audiobook arc to listen and review!
February 23, 2026
Thank you HarperCollins for sending me a free ARC copy of Stuck in the Country with You by Zuri Day! I had a time listening to Genesis and Jaxson's story. Although I was frustrated that Genesis seemed to let her family play a role in her love life I understood the circumstances given how she grew up. Her actions were still frustrating. I didnt see much growth in her character. It seemed like she was repeating past mistakes on several occasions and never learned her lesson. I felt like Jax was too good for her. Some of Jax backstory I felt did not need to be mentioned or needed at all because it was not talked about or discussed. I did not feel like we received sufficient closure for some of the secrets that basically drove the book. I did enjoy the spicy scenes they were ches kiss!
March 1, 2026
Genesis uncle passed away and he left the farm to her and not his ungrateful sons. Genesis new neighbor is the one guy who she slept with and turned her into the family black sheep because of it, Jaxson.
I enjoyed the banter between Genesis and Jaxson.
I was proud of Genesis for being the bigger person but while reading knew it couldn’t have been me.
Overall this is a cute hallmark like story. It was fluffy, filled with family drama, second chance romance, enemies to lovers, fall in love with your neighbor in a small town type of read.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ALC!
I enjoyed the banter between Genesis and Jaxson.
I was proud of Genesis for being the bigger person but while reading knew it couldn’t have been me.
Overall this is a cute hallmark like story. It was fluffy, filled with family drama, second chance romance, enemies to lovers, fall in love with your neighbor in a small town type of read.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ALC!
March 29, 2026
I had high hopes but it just didn’t do it for me
September 4, 2024
Stuck in the Country with You by Zuri Day is a delight. From the moment I met Genesis Washington, I was hooked. Ten years after a mistake that left her with plenty of regrets, Genesis finds herself face-to-face with her past—and he's aged like a fine wine. The tension between Genesis and Jaxson King is electric, and their chemistry is undeniable, even as they try to navigate the baggage of their history. Their journey is one that many of us can relate to, making their story all the more engaging.
Zuri Day masterfully crafts a story full of heart, humor that will make you chuckle, and heat. Genesis, with her city-girl ways, is endearingly out of her depth when she inherits a farm next to Jaxson's. The challenges she faces are real, and Jaxson's steady presence as he helps her out, both on the farm and in more personal moments, makes for a compelling read. The humour in their interactions adds a delightful layer to the story, keeping you entertained.
Jaxson is also a standout—a responsible, thoughtful father who's grown over the years. Their banter, tension, and the sizzling moments behind closed doors kept me glued to the pages. The authenticity of their connection made this story shine for me. The sizzling moments between them add an intriguing element to the story, keeping you on the edge of your seat.
This book is a perfect blend of romance, humour, and heart, with characters who feel real and relatable. Their struggles and triumphs, which mirror our own, will resonate with you, making it a book you won't be able to put down!
Zuri Day masterfully crafts a story full of heart, humor that will make you chuckle, and heat. Genesis, with her city-girl ways, is endearingly out of her depth when she inherits a farm next to Jaxson's. The challenges she faces are real, and Jaxson's steady presence as he helps her out, both on the farm and in more personal moments, makes for a compelling read. The humour in their interactions adds a delightful layer to the story, keeping you entertained.
Jaxson is also a standout—a responsible, thoughtful father who's grown over the years. Their banter, tension, and the sizzling moments behind closed doors kept me glued to the pages. The authenticity of their connection made this story shine for me. The sizzling moments between them add an intriguing element to the story, keeping you on the edge of your seat.
This book is a perfect blend of romance, humour, and heart, with characters who feel real and relatable. Their struggles and triumphs, which mirror our own, will resonate with you, making it a book you won't be able to put down!
December 30, 2024
Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Romance for giving me the opportunity to read Stuck in the Country with You early in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately, this story fell flat for me. I can see others enjoying the characters, the story, and the length, but it just did not work for me. The story felt hollow, and I struggled to connect much with the main characters' thoughts and feelings. This is not uncommon for me when it comes to shorter novels or novellas. I think this story could have benefitted from being longer and diving deeper into the main characters and developing their relationship. Even in romance, I like to see the conflicts and resolutions mirror real life more. The conflicts in Stuck in the Country with You seemed to be superficial and resolved too easily. The conflicts themselves were interesting to me and had so much potential to really dig into themes of ego, family dynamics, and repairing relationships. Lastly, some of the language used in the explicit scenes was off-putting to me. The euphemisms for genitals were not words I would think many would find sexy and are more in line with slang that is used to humorous as opposed to arousing (meat, nuts, hot box, etc.). I appreciate the use of terms beyond the same three or four that are often overused in explicit scenes, but these terms took me out of the story because they did not fit in with the tone of the scene.
April 5, 2026
*ALC REVIEW* Genesis inherits her late uncle’s farm and becomes neighbors with the man she had a one-night stand with years ago. Because of rumors and her brother, things didn’t exactly end well between them, so she isn’t too thrilled about the situation.
The family drama quickly became the most entertaining part of the story. Not everyone is on the same page when it comes to certain decisions from her uncle's will, and the tension that builds from that made it more interesting. I was definitely curious to see how everything would play out.
As for the romance, I don’t know... I just wasn’t really feeling the connection. I was hoping to see their bond grow more naturally, maybe through horse riding, tending to animals, or just spending time together on the farm. It felt like that potential wasn’t fully explored.
The narrator did a great job though. She performed each part really well. And when the spice hit, I was like hold on now 😂 she was really into it!
The family drama quickly became the most entertaining part of the story. Not everyone is on the same page when it comes to certain decisions from her uncle's will, and the tension that builds from that made it more interesting. I was definitely curious to see how everything would play out.
As for the romance, I don’t know... I just wasn’t really feeling the connection. I was hoping to see their bond grow more naturally, maybe through horse riding, tending to animals, or just spending time together on the farm. It felt like that potential wasn’t fully explored.
The narrator did a great job though. She performed each part really well. And when the spice hit, I was like hold on now 😂 she was really into it!
March 4, 2026
This was SO cute!! It was a great love story with a side of family drama and growth
Thank you to HarperCollins for the audiobook in exchange for a review.
What I loved
🚜 handy farmer boy x independent city girl
🚜 second chance romance (not always a fan of these, but it worked for this one!)
🚜 complicated & intertwined pasts
🚜 she hates him, he doesn’t know why
🚜 everyone’s inheritance dream (kinda)
🚜 the romance was so sweet and steamy (🌶️🌶️ ) and had just enough drama and past trauma to keep me hooked
🚜 unconventional happily ever after with plenty of hope for a future
Why not 5 ⭐️ ?
🐂Some minor plot inconsistencies (like info I thought they already knew that was “revealed” again)
🐂 the second half was a little too much recapping & time jumps
🐂 the majority of the spicy scenes were not for me. Some of the language (his seed, her pearl, melons, her hotbox, dewy essence, etc) gave me the ick
Thank you to HarperCollins for the audiobook in exchange for a review.
What I loved
🚜 handy farmer boy x independent city girl
🚜 second chance romance (not always a fan of these, but it worked for this one!)
🚜 complicated & intertwined pasts
🚜 she hates him, he doesn’t know why
🚜 everyone’s inheritance dream (kinda)
🚜 the romance was so sweet and steamy (🌶️🌶️ ) and had just enough drama and past trauma to keep me hooked
🚜 unconventional happily ever after with plenty of hope for a future
Why not 5 ⭐️ ?
🐂Some minor plot inconsistencies (like info I thought they already knew that was “revealed” again)
🐂 the second half was a little too much recapping & time jumps
🐂 the majority of the spicy scenes were not for me. Some of the language (his seed, her pearl, melons, her hotbox, dewy essence, etc) gave me the ick
March 1, 2026
This was really cute and cozy. It started off a little slow, but once I got into the story, I had to find out what’s next. I love a good enemies-to-lovers trope. Genesis did work my nerves because she kept wanting to be a people pleaser at her grown age. Jaxson was such a cinnamon roll that had such unfortunate circumstances. He could have easily been a terrible person, but he remained true to himself. I’m glad all secrets and past indiscretions were revealed, and everything came full circle. I think J. Shani did an awesome job narrating and bringing this story to life. I felt like I was in the country with them. Cute, heartfelt, and worth the listen.
** Thanks Harlequin Audio and NetGalley for this ALC**
** Thanks Harlequin Audio and NetGalley for this ALC**
January 3, 2025
2.75/3 ⭐️
Overall, I left this book just feeling like I wanted more, but not necessarily in a good way. It was a fun story line set in small town and i loved the idea. A farm is left to the FMC who is the niece of the late farm owner and his children and immediate family are very mad about it. She ends up visiting the farm and falling in love with small town / rural living and uplifts her life to move back.
I really enjoyed the main characters and their growth/stories but I feel like there wasn’t enough build up and angst… It felt very unfinished and I just wanted more.
It was a character driven story, which is fine, but it left a lot to be desired. I wanted more of the characters and their stories, weather that be their back stories or their future.
Overall, it wasn’t awful but it just felt incomplete to me.
Overall, I left this book just feeling like I wanted more, but not necessarily in a good way. It was a fun story line set in small town and i loved the idea. A farm is left to the FMC who is the niece of the late farm owner and his children and immediate family are very mad about it. She ends up visiting the farm and falling in love with small town / rural living and uplifts her life to move back.
I really enjoyed the main characters and their growth/stories but I feel like there wasn’t enough build up and angst… It felt very unfinished and I just wanted more.
It was a character driven story, which is fine, but it left a lot to be desired. I wanted more of the characters and their stories, weather that be their back stories or their future.
Overall, it wasn’t awful but it just felt incomplete to me.
March 1, 2026
Short, sweet, and spicy. I really could not stand the way Genesis is treated by her family throughout. Not just her shitty cousins, but also her brothers and dad—honestly I’m in my man hating prime so this storyline did nothing but raise my blood pressure.
Jax and Gen had some chemistry, but some of the writing the choices took me out of the story. “pounded my punani” in a spicy scene? Nope. Not my vibe. Despite some of the ick-worthy prose, the narrator was fabulous!
Thank you Net Galley and Harlequin Audio for the ALC!
Jax and Gen had some chemistry, but some of the writing the choices took me out of the story. “pounded my punani” in a spicy scene? Nope. Not my vibe. Despite some of the ick-worthy prose, the narrator was fabulous!
Thank you Net Galley and Harlequin Audio for the ALC!
December 4, 2025
rounding down from 2.5*
this book had so much potential but it let me down unfortunately. i absolutely LOVE the cover, it’s so beautiful and most of the reason why I bought it. There were just a lot of things that made me cringe instead of laugh like I feel like I was supposed to. overall it was still cute but the pacing was off, the ending felt really rushed when I feel like the beginning dragged.
this book had so much potential but it let me down unfortunately. i absolutely LOVE the cover, it’s so beautiful and most of the reason why I bought it. There were just a lot of things that made me cringe instead of laugh like I feel like I was supposed to. overall it was still cute but the pacing was off, the ending felt really rushed when I feel like the beginning dragged.
May 2, 2025
This…was not good. I should’ve dnf’ed when it was revealed the FMC at age 23 (two years past the age of a traditional four year college graduate) slept with the MMC who was only 18 and still in high school at the time, and it was treated as if he wronged her 🤮. The fact they slept together is not a spoiler. It’s on the book blurb, they just conveniently left out the ages. The book went downhill from there.
November 30, 2024
I loved the idea and concept of this book, but I felt there was so much missing in the execution of it.
There was a lot of potential in this story. City girl who has to move the country, neighbor she has a *history* with, family drama. It all sounds like major entertainment. However, I had a hard time feeling any sort of deep investment in Genesis. Jaxson, or their relationship. I think the downfall for me was that so much of the story was told rather than shown. There were pages and pages between dialogue at times that were full of ‘this happened, they did this, this conversation happened’ rather than actually experiencing those things with the characters. There were so many interesting dynamics and histories at play in the story and I wish I could have felt more involved with it all.
Thank you to NetGalley and Afterglow Books by Harlequin for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
There was a lot of potential in this story. City girl who has to move the country, neighbor she has a *history* with, family drama. It all sounds like major entertainment. However, I had a hard time feeling any sort of deep investment in Genesis. Jaxson, or their relationship. I think the downfall for me was that so much of the story was told rather than shown. There were pages and pages between dialogue at times that were full of ‘this happened, they did this, this conversation happened’ rather than actually experiencing those things with the characters. There were so many interesting dynamics and histories at play in the story and I wish I could have felt more involved with it all.
Thank you to NetGalley and Afterglow Books by Harlequin for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
January 5, 2025
3/5 stars
2/5 spice
Tropes:
Second chance romance
Former NFL player MMC
City girl
Found family
Dual POV
This was an Ok read for me, but only because I felt that there were pockets of the story that felt rushed and underdeveloped. I really wanted to be invested in the story, and I was in some moments. I think for a romance, it fell flat, but as a self-discovery story, it could've been great. Genesis' story could've been the central plot, while the romance was the background/subplot. These aren't dislikable characters, but I just wasn't invested in their romance together. Plus, I disliked the way the spice was written... probably could've been a fade to black or closed door (this coming from someone who LOVES open door spice).
This was my first book from this author. I might check out her work again in the future, but her style might not be for me.
Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Romance for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and offered voluntarily.
2/5 spice
Tropes:
Second chance romance
Former NFL player MMC
City girl
Found family
Dual POV
This was an Ok read for me, but only because I felt that there were pockets of the story that felt rushed and underdeveloped. I really wanted to be invested in the story, and I was in some moments. I think for a romance, it fell flat, but as a self-discovery story, it could've been great. Genesis' story could've been the central plot, while the romance was the background/subplot. These aren't dislikable characters, but I just wasn't invested in their romance together. Plus, I disliked the way the spice was written... probably could've been a fade to black or closed door (this coming from someone who LOVES open door spice).
This was my first book from this author. I might check out her work again in the future, but her style might not be for me.
Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Romance for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and offered voluntarily.
Did Not Finish
March 4, 2025I don't know the exact percent or page number because I already returned the book, but I did dnf this one.
No but why at like 40 pages in has it been mentioned three times already that the FMC is UNRECOGNIZABLE because she lost weight and got contacts. Is this She's All That?
“My mind wasn’t on yesteryear when Clarence introduced us. Plus, you’ve changed. Your...” Knowing how sensitive women were about weight, he continued with care. “...hairstyle is different. And you used to wear glasses, right?”
Like why??
Also, the fact that when they hooked up 'ten years ago' she was 23 and he was only 18 and still in high school??? Not for me.
No but why at like 40 pages in has it been mentioned three times already that the FMC is UNRECOGNIZABLE because she lost weight and got contacts. Is this She's All That?
“My mind wasn’t on yesteryear when Clarence introduced us. Plus, you’ve changed. Your...” Knowing how sensitive women were about weight, he continued with care. “...hairstyle is different. And you used to wear glasses, right?”
Like why??
Also, the fact that when they hooked up 'ten years ago' she was 23 and he was only 18 and still in high school??? Not for me.
March 11, 2026
Thanks NetGalley for the Audio ARC.
I just knew this story was going to be juicy but unfortunately I feel that it fell flat. There are several juicy elements that are glossed over or settled in the background.
I was prepared for family drama, and juicy fallout, but I feel like all of the drama that was brought to the forefront was settled off the pages and that is unfortunate when the story is almost centered around it.
And it did not happen with just one part it happened several times where it seems like parts of the story just evaporate like her cousins contesting the will, and the lawyer saying he would have to read whatever this letter their dad left is but we never go back to it until like 90% where they just stop. Then there was her loaning her boyfriend $5000 for his business. This part kept coming up, but it didn’t seem to play a significant role in the book. Then the dogs just kinda disappeared. We stopped talking about them and the bull that started all of this we no longer brought up this bull Jackson’s friend. Susan kind of disappears along with all of the neighbors that were so neighborly in the beginning, just kind of fizzle out but my biggest issue I guess would be that the story is about her sleeping with her brother‘s sports rival when she is 23 and he is 18 and then her family making a big deal out of it saying it was a dare, and that he purposely broke their brother’s arm. We never get into that and I feel like if it is something that makes you hate this man as your neighbor we should unpack the healing because who said it was a dare and who or why is someone lying about how their arm got broken? I feel like that part was glossed over like he lied to you for years shaped the way you saw this man and now y’all are just OK..
then also for her to get mad at him and break up, I hate third act break ups but for it to be just one old neighbor that’s like life is too short. He’s a good guy and then here she is at his door because she looked up what happened and she realizes that after asking her brother about it and him telling her it happened so long ago, he can’t remember that it must be a lie, but still so much is left out when the promise is so big.
Also, I hate to be that person, but I feel like there was no real need for him to be 18 and her to be 23 especially if they’re going to say that he ruined her brother‘s chances at going to the league because that would not have happened in high school anyway even if he had a broken arm in high school when he went to college he had another fair shot to possibly be drafted and then it would have actually made more sense if they were playing a game in college and he got injured and was not drafted while Jaxon was then they could easily be 20 and 25 versus 18 and 23 and I know it’s fiction, but it makes more sense for them to be a few years older if that’s the story we’re telling
I just knew this story was going to be juicy but unfortunately I feel that it fell flat. There are several juicy elements that are glossed over or settled in the background.
I was prepared for family drama, and juicy fallout, but I feel like all of the drama that was brought to the forefront was settled off the pages and that is unfortunate when the story is almost centered around it.
And it did not happen with just one part it happened several times where it seems like parts of the story just evaporate like her cousins contesting the will, and the lawyer saying he would have to read whatever this letter their dad left is but we never go back to it until like 90% where they just stop. Then there was her loaning her boyfriend $5000 for his business. This part kept coming up, but it didn’t seem to play a significant role in the book. Then the dogs just kinda disappeared. We stopped talking about them and the bull that started all of this we no longer brought up this bull Jackson’s friend. Susan kind of disappears along with all of the neighbors that were so neighborly in the beginning, just kind of fizzle out but my biggest issue I guess would be that the story is about her sleeping with her brother‘s sports rival when she is 23 and he is 18 and then her family making a big deal out of it saying it was a dare, and that he purposely broke their brother’s arm. We never get into that and I feel like if it is something that makes you hate this man as your neighbor we should unpack the healing because who said it was a dare and who or why is someone lying about how their arm got broken? I feel like that part was glossed over like he lied to you for years shaped the way you saw this man and now y’all are just OK..
then also for her to get mad at him and break up, I hate third act break ups but for it to be just one old neighbor that’s like life is too short. He’s a good guy and then here she is at his door because she looked up what happened and she realizes that after asking her brother about it and him telling her it happened so long ago, he can’t remember that it must be a lie, but still so much is left out when the promise is so big.
Also, I hate to be that person, but I feel like there was no real need for him to be 18 and her to be 23 especially if they’re going to say that he ruined her brother‘s chances at going to the league because that would not have happened in high school anyway even if he had a broken arm in high school when he went to college he had another fair shot to possibly be drafted and then it would have actually made more sense if they were playing a game in college and he got injured and was not drafted while Jaxon was then they could easily be 20 and 25 versus 18 and 23 and I know it’s fiction, but it makes more sense for them to be a few years older if that’s the story we’re telling
April 7, 2026
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐/5
This is an interesting romance with a familiar premise—unexpectedly inheriting a family farm in a small town and a super cute next-door neighbor. The twist is that the neighbor has been to an old romantic partner that you never wanted to see again.
Genesis has been trying to figure out life, so when her uncle passed, she did not expect him to leave anything in his will for her, especially when he had his own children. She does not have any other prospects right now, but creating a life for herself in this familiar home sounds like a good plan. She didn't expect her next-door neighbor, Jaxon, to be one of her regrets from the past, especially one who had seemingly matured into a responsible father. When problems keep arising, he seems to have all the answers, but can they get over the past to move forward in the future?
I found the family dynamics from the inheritance to be one of the most interesting parts. I wanted to know how they would resolve the issues and if we would get an explanation on why her uncle left her his house. There were some issues with Jaxon and her family in the past, which took a while to resolve, but it was still engaging. The small-town aspect can always be endearing when done well, and I did enjoy the side characters who would pop in and out. The romance was cute. They started as lovers, became 'enemies' due to miscommunication and immaturity, and then developed a new friendship and love based on their future. They both take care of one another.
My qualms with the book involve the shooting/protection aspect and the quick resolution at the end. I did not understand why he kept stressing her safety. It had me on edge throughout the book, like her family was going to become violent against her. I am just not a huge fan of guns, but I am glad that they were talking about gun safety and teaching her how to use a gun. It just took me out of the book when the guns were mentioned. Also, the family conflict was so quick resolved that it was let down. I thought there would be more focus on that.
Overall, this was a quick read that is great for a lover of small town romance, family drama, and second chance romance.
This is an interesting romance with a familiar premise—unexpectedly inheriting a family farm in a small town and a super cute next-door neighbor. The twist is that the neighbor has been to an old romantic partner that you never wanted to see again.
Genesis has been trying to figure out life, so when her uncle passed, she did not expect him to leave anything in his will for her, especially when he had his own children. She does not have any other prospects right now, but creating a life for herself in this familiar home sounds like a good plan. She didn't expect her next-door neighbor, Jaxon, to be one of her regrets from the past, especially one who had seemingly matured into a responsible father. When problems keep arising, he seems to have all the answers, but can they get over the past to move forward in the future?
I found the family dynamics from the inheritance to be one of the most interesting parts. I wanted to know how they would resolve the issues and if we would get an explanation on why her uncle left her his house. There were some issues with Jaxon and her family in the past, which took a while to resolve, but it was still engaging. The small-town aspect can always be endearing when done well, and I did enjoy the side characters who would pop in and out. The romance was cute. They started as lovers, became 'enemies' due to miscommunication and immaturity, and then developed a new friendship and love based on their future. They both take care of one another.
My qualms with the book involve the shooting/protection aspect and the quick resolution at the end. I did not understand why he kept stressing her safety. It had me on edge throughout the book, like her family was going to become violent against her. I am just not a huge fan of guns, but I am glad that they were talking about gun safety and teaching her how to use a gun. It just took me out of the book when the guns were mentioned. Also, the family conflict was so quick resolved that it was let down. I thought there would be more focus on that.
Overall, this was a quick read that is great for a lover of small town romance, family drama, and second chance romance.
September 10, 2024
---
🌾💖 **Stuck in the Country with You** by Zuri Day 💖🌾
*A heartfelt small-town romance that blends city life with the charm of the countryside.*
🌟✨ **Review:** ✨🌟
*Stuck in the Country with You* by Zuri Day is a delightful romance that takes readers on a journey from bustling city life to the peaceful charm of a small town. The story follows two characters from vastly different worlds who are thrown together in the countryside, where sparks fly, misunderstandings unfold, and love takes root.
The heroine, a high-powered city professional, is out of her element in the country, and her banter with the laid-back, charming local hero is a highlight of the book. Zuri Day creates a story full of laughter, heart, and steamy chemistry. The slow-burn romance is perfectly paced, allowing the characters to grow individually and together as they navigate their differences and unexpected feelings.
Day’s writing beautifully captures the magic of small towns and the transformative power of love, making this book an enjoyable and comforting read.
---
🌟 **Highlights:** 🌟
- **City Girl Meets Country Boy**: A classic trope with fresh charm, bringing two contrasting worlds together.
- **Witty Banter**: The playful back-and-forth between the leads keeps the story lively and engaging.
- **Small-Town Vibes**: The detailed setting adds warmth and depth to the romance, making you fall in love with the town as much as the characters.
---
💌 **Favorite Quote:**
*"Sometimes, the best way to find yourself is to get completely lost—especially in someone else's heart."* - A beautiful sentiment capturing the story's theme of self-discovery through love.
---
🌟 **Rating:** 🌟
⭐️⭐️⭐️
---
*Stuck in the Country with You* is a sweet, funny, and heartfelt romance that will leave you with a smile. Zuri Day crafts a wonderful story that combines opposites-attract chemistry with small-town charm, making it a perfect escape for romance fans.
See more reviews at:
Casla Reads
---
*I received this book through NetGalley as an ARC reader. This will not in any way affect my thoughts or opinions on the book.*
🌾💖 **Stuck in the Country with You** by Zuri Day 💖🌾
*A heartfelt small-town romance that blends city life with the charm of the countryside.*
🌟✨ **Review:** ✨🌟
*Stuck in the Country with You* by Zuri Day is a delightful romance that takes readers on a journey from bustling city life to the peaceful charm of a small town. The story follows two characters from vastly different worlds who are thrown together in the countryside, where sparks fly, misunderstandings unfold, and love takes root.
The heroine, a high-powered city professional, is out of her element in the country, and her banter with the laid-back, charming local hero is a highlight of the book. Zuri Day creates a story full of laughter, heart, and steamy chemistry. The slow-burn romance is perfectly paced, allowing the characters to grow individually and together as they navigate their differences and unexpected feelings.
Day’s writing beautifully captures the magic of small towns and the transformative power of love, making this book an enjoyable and comforting read.
---
🌟 **Highlights:** 🌟
- **City Girl Meets Country Boy**: A classic trope with fresh charm, bringing two contrasting worlds together.
- **Witty Banter**: The playful back-and-forth between the leads keeps the story lively and engaging.
- **Small-Town Vibes**: The detailed setting adds warmth and depth to the romance, making you fall in love with the town as much as the characters.
---
💌 **Favorite Quote:**
*"Sometimes, the best way to find yourself is to get completely lost—especially in someone else's heart."* - A beautiful sentiment capturing the story's theme of self-discovery through love.
---
🌟 **Rating:** 🌟
⭐️⭐️⭐️
---
*Stuck in the Country with You* is a sweet, funny, and heartfelt romance that will leave you with a smile. Zuri Day crafts a wonderful story that combines opposites-attract chemistry with small-town charm, making it a perfect escape for romance fans.
See more reviews at:
Casla Reads
---
*I received this book through NetGalley as an ARC reader. This will not in any way affect my thoughts or opinions on the book.*
March 4, 2026
🎧📖𝒜𝐿𝒞 𝑅𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌📖🎧
ʜᴜɢᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ʜɪᴠᴇ, ʜᴛᴘ, & ʜᴛᴘ ᴀᴜᴅɪᴏ ғᴏʀ ɢɪғᴛɪɴɢ ᴍᴇ ᴛʜɪs ᴀʟᴄ!
𝒮𝓉𝓊𝒸𝓀 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒞𝑜𝓊𝓃𝓉𝓇𝓎 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝒴𝑜𝓊 ʙʏ ᴢᴜʀɪ ᴅᴀʏ
𝑅𝒶𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔: 🥀🥀🥀🥀 ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏғ 𝟻 ᴇɴᴄʜᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ʀᴏsᴇs
𝒮𝓅𝒾𝒸𝑒 𝑅𝒶𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔: 🌶🌶 ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏғ 𝟻
✨ 𝐻𝑜𝑜𝓀
𝒯𝑒𝓃 𝓎𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓈 𝒶𝒻𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝒶 𝒹𝒾𝓈𝒶𝓈𝓉𝓇𝑜𝓊𝓈 𝑜𝓃𝑒-𝓃𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉 𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓃𝑔𝑒𝓇 𝒷𝓇𝑜𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇’𝓈 𝓇𝒾𝓋𝒶𝓁, 𝒢𝑒𝓃𝑒𝓈𝒾𝓈 𝒲𝒶𝓈𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓉𝑜𝓃 𝒾𝓃𝒽𝑒𝓇𝒾𝓉𝓈 𝒶 𝒻𝒶𝓇𝓂 𝓃𝑒𝓍𝓉 𝒹𝑜𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝑜 𝒥𝒶𝓍𝓈𝑜𝓃 𝒦𝒾𝓃𝑔—𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎 𝓂𝒶𝓃 𝓈𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝒽𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹𝓃’𝓉 𝓌𝒶𝓃𝓉 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝒸𝒶𝓃’𝓉 𝓇𝑒𝓈𝒾𝓈𝓉. 𝒜𝓈 𝓈𝒽𝑒 𝓃𝒶𝓋𝒾𝑔𝒶𝓉𝑒𝓈 𝓁𝒾𝒻𝑒 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒸𝑜𝓊𝓃𝓉𝓇𝓎, 𝑜𝓁𝒹 𝒻𝓁𝒶𝓂𝑒𝓈, 𝓃𝑒𝓌 𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓅𝑜𝓃𝓈𝒾𝒷𝒾𝓁𝒾𝓉𝒾𝑒𝓈, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓈𝒾𝓏𝓏𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒸𝒽𝑒𝓂𝒾𝓈𝓉𝓇𝓎 𝒸𝑜𝓁𝓁𝒾𝒹𝑒 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝒽𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓉𝒻𝑒𝓁𝓉 𝒸𝒾𝓉𝓎-𝓂𝑒𝑒𝓉𝓈-𝒸𝑜𝓊𝓃𝓉𝓇𝓎 𝓇𝑜𝓂𝒶𝓃𝒸𝑒.
𝑅𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌:
𝒞𝒾𝓉𝓎 𝑔𝒾𝓇𝓁 𝒾𝓃𝒽𝑒𝓇𝒾𝓉𝓈 𝒶 𝒸𝑜𝓊𝓃𝓉𝓇𝓎 𝒻𝒶𝓇𝓂.
𝐻𝑜𝓉, 𝒷𝓇𝑜𝑜𝒹𝓎 𝓃𝑒𝒾𝑔𝒽𝒷𝑜𝓇? 𝒞𝒽𝑒𝒸𝓀.
𝒪𝓃𝑒-𝓃𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉-𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒽𝒾𝓈𝓉𝑜𝓇𝓎? 𝒜𝓌𝓀𝓌𝒶𝓇𝒹.
𝒜𝒹𝒹 𝒾𝓃 𝒶 𝓁𝑜𝓃𝑔-𝒹𝒾𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓃𝒸𝑒 “𝒷𝑜𝓎𝒻𝓇𝒾𝑒𝓃𝒹” 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒻𝒶𝓇𝓂-𝓁𝒾𝒻𝑒 𝒻𝒶𝒾𝓁𝓈… 𝓈𝓅𝒶𝓇𝓀𝓈 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝒾𝓃𝑒𝓋𝒾𝓉𝒶𝒷𝓁𝑒.
𝒮𝓉𝓊𝒸𝓀 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒞𝑜𝓊𝓃𝓉𝓇𝓎 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝒴𝑜𝓊 ʙʏ ᴢᴜʀɪ ᴅᴀʏ ɪs ᴀ sᴡᴏᴏɴʏ, ʟᴀᴜɢʜ-ᴏᴜᴛ-ʟᴏᴜᴅ ᴀᴜᴅɪᴏʙᴏᴏᴋ ғᴜʟʟ ᴏғ sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ-ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇ ʜᴇᴀᴛ, sᴍᴀʟʟ-ᴛᴏᴡɴ ᴄʜᴀʀᴍ, ᴀɴᴅ sᴛᴇᴀᴍʏ ᴛᴇɴsɪᴏɴ. ɢᴇɴᴇsɪs’s ᴊᴏᴜʀɴᴇʏ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴄɪᴛʏ ᴄʜᴀᴏs ᴛᴏ ғᴀʀᴍ-ʟɪғᴇ ғʀᴜsᴛʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ɪs ᴇǫᴜᴀʟ ᴘᴀʀᴛs ʜɪʟᴀʀɪᴏᴜs ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ-ᴍᴇʟᴛɪɴɢ, ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴊᴀxsᴏɴ ᴘʀᴏᴠɪɴɢ ʜᴇ’s ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴ ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴀ ᴍᴇᴍᴏʀʏ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴀ ʀᴇᴄᴋʟᴇss ɴɪɢʜᴛ—ʜᴇ’s ᴅᴇᴘᴇɴᴅᴀʙʟᴇ, ɪʀʀᴇsɪsᴛɪʙʟᴇ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴜɴᴇxᴘᴇᴄᴛᴇᴅʟʏ ᴘʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛɪᴠᴇ. ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴀʀʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ɴᴀɪʟs ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʜᴇᴍɪsᴛʀʏ ᴀɴᴅ ʙᴀɴᴛᴇʀ, ᴍᴀᴋɪɴɢ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ғᴀʀᴍ ᴍɪsʜᴀᴘ ᴀɴᴅ ʙᴇᴅʀᴏᴏᴍ ᴍᴏᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴀʟɪᴠᴇ.
🎙️𝒩𝒶𝓇𝓇𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃:
ᴛʜᴇ ᴀᴜᴅɪᴏʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴏғ 𝒮𝓉𝓊𝒸𝓀 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒞𝑜𝓊𝓃𝓉𝓇𝓎 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝒴𝑜𝓊 ɪs ᴀ sᴛᴀɴᴅᴏᴜᴛ ᴘᴇʀғᴏʀᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴘᴇʀғᴇᴄᴛʟʏ ᴍᴀᴛᴄʜᴇs ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ’s ᴄɪᴛʏ-ᴍᴇᴇᴛs-ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛʀʏ ʀᴏᴍ-ᴄᴏᴍ ᴇɴᴇʀɢʏ. ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴀʀʀᴀᴛᴏʀ ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀs ᴀ ʟᴀʏᴇʀᴇᴅ ᴘᴇʀғᴏʀᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴇɴʜᴀɴᴄᴇs ʙᴏᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴜᴍᴏʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ sᴛᴏʀʏ.
𝒯𝓇𝑜𝓅𝑒𝓈 & 𝒱𝒾𝒷𝑒𝓈:
💕ᴄɪᴛʏ ɢɪʀʟ x ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛʀʏ ᴍᴀɴ
🌾sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ-ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ
💕ᴏɴᴇ-ɴɪɢʜᴛ-sᴛᴀɴᴅ-ᴛᴏ-ᴍᴏʀᴇ
🌾ғᴏʀᴄᴇᴅ ᴘʀᴏxɪᴍɪᴛʏ (ɴᴇɪɢʜʙᴏʀs!)
💕ʜᴏᴛ, ʙʀᴏᴏᴅʏ ᴅᴀᴅ
🌾sʟᴏᴡ-ʙᴜʀɴ ʀᴇᴋɪɴᴅʟᴇᴅ ᴀᴛᴛʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴ
💕ғɪsʜ-ᴏᴜᴛ-ᴏғ-ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀ / ʟᴇᴀʀɴɪɴɢ ɴᴇᴡ sᴋɪʟʟs
🌾ғᴀᴍɪʟʏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴜɴɪᴛʏ ᴅʏɴᴀᴍɪᴄs
💕ғʟɪʀᴛʏ ʙᴀɴᴛᴇʀ & sɪᴢᴢʟɪɴɢ ᴛᴇɴsɪᴏɴ
🌾sᴜɴɴʏ, sᴍᴀʟʟ-ᴛᴏᴡɴ ᴄʜᴀʀᴍ
💕sᴛᴇᴀᴍʏ ᴄʜᴇᴍɪsᴛʀʏ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴘʟᴀʏғᴜʟ ʜᴜᴍᴏʀ
🌾ғᴀʀᴍ-ʟɪғᴇ ᴍɪsʜᴀᴘs + ᴅɪʏ ᴅɪsᴀsᴛᴇʀs
💕“ɪ ᴄᴀɴ’ᴛ ʙᴇʟɪᴇᴠᴇ ɪ sᴛɪʟʟ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ʜɪᴍ” ᴇɴᴇʀɢʏ
🌾ʜᴇᴀʀᴛғᴇʟᴛ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀ ɢʀᴏᴡᴛʜ ᴀɴᴅ ʟᴇᴀʀɴɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴛʀᴜsᴛ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ
💕ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴛɪᴄ ᴛᴇɴsɪᴏɴ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʀᴇᴀʟ-ʟɪғᴇ sᴛᴀᴋᴇs
🌾ᴡᴀʀᴍ, sᴡᴏᴏɴʏ, ᴀɴᴅ ғᴜɴ
𝐹𝒾𝓃𝒶𝓁 𝓋𝑒𝓇𝒹𝒾𝒸𝓉:
ғᴜɴɴʏ, ғʟɪʀᴛʏ, ᴀɴᴅ ғᴜʟʟ ᴏғ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ, 𝒮𝓉𝓊𝒸𝓀 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒞𝑜𝓊𝓃𝓉𝓇𝓎 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝒴𝑜𝓊 ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀs ᴀ ᴘᴇʀғᴇᴄᴛ ᴍɪx ᴏғ sᴍᴀʟʟ-ᴛᴏᴡɴ ʟɪғᴇ, sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ-ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ, ᴀɴᴅ sᴛᴇᴀᴍʏ ᴛᴇɴsɪᴏɴ. ɢᴇɴᴇsɪs ᴀɴᴅ ᴊᴀxsᴏɴ’s ᴄʜᴇᴍɪsᴛʀʏ ɪs ᴇxᴘʟᴏsɪᴠᴇ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄɪᴛʏ-ɢɪʀʟ-ɢᴇᴛs-ʜᴇʀ-ʜᴀɴᴅs-ᴅɪʀᴛʏ ᴠɪʙᴇ ᴍᴀᴋᴇs ɪᴛ ᴜɴᴘᴜᴛᴅᴏᴡɴᴀʙʟᴇ.
ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ ʀᴇᴀᴅɪɴɢ!
𝒜𝓈𝒽𝓁𝑒𝓎
ʙᴏᴏᴋsᴛᴀɢʀᴀᴍ: @ᴛʜᴇᴛᴀᴛᴛᴇʀᴇᴅᴘᴀɢᴇ
ʜᴜɢᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ʜɪᴠᴇ, ʜᴛᴘ, & ʜᴛᴘ ᴀᴜᴅɪᴏ ғᴏʀ ɢɪғᴛɪɴɢ ᴍᴇ ᴛʜɪs ᴀʟᴄ!
𝒮𝓉𝓊𝒸𝓀 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒞𝑜𝓊𝓃𝓉𝓇𝓎 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝒴𝑜𝓊 ʙʏ ᴢᴜʀɪ ᴅᴀʏ
𝑅𝒶𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔: 🥀🥀🥀🥀 ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏғ 𝟻 ᴇɴᴄʜᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ʀᴏsᴇs
𝒮𝓅𝒾𝒸𝑒 𝑅𝒶𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔: 🌶🌶 ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏғ 𝟻
✨ 𝐻𝑜𝑜𝓀
𝒯𝑒𝓃 𝓎𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓈 𝒶𝒻𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝒶 𝒹𝒾𝓈𝒶𝓈𝓉𝓇𝑜𝓊𝓈 𝑜𝓃𝑒-𝓃𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉 𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓃𝑔𝑒𝓇 𝒷𝓇𝑜𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇’𝓈 𝓇𝒾𝓋𝒶𝓁, 𝒢𝑒𝓃𝑒𝓈𝒾𝓈 𝒲𝒶𝓈𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓉𝑜𝓃 𝒾𝓃𝒽𝑒𝓇𝒾𝓉𝓈 𝒶 𝒻𝒶𝓇𝓂 𝓃𝑒𝓍𝓉 𝒹𝑜𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝑜 𝒥𝒶𝓍𝓈𝑜𝓃 𝒦𝒾𝓃𝑔—𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎 𝓂𝒶𝓃 𝓈𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝒽𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹𝓃’𝓉 𝓌𝒶𝓃𝓉 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝒸𝒶𝓃’𝓉 𝓇𝑒𝓈𝒾𝓈𝓉. 𝒜𝓈 𝓈𝒽𝑒 𝓃𝒶𝓋𝒾𝑔𝒶𝓉𝑒𝓈 𝓁𝒾𝒻𝑒 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒸𝑜𝓊𝓃𝓉𝓇𝓎, 𝑜𝓁𝒹 𝒻𝓁𝒶𝓂𝑒𝓈, 𝓃𝑒𝓌 𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓅𝑜𝓃𝓈𝒾𝒷𝒾𝓁𝒾𝓉𝒾𝑒𝓈, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓈𝒾𝓏𝓏𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒸𝒽𝑒𝓂𝒾𝓈𝓉𝓇𝓎 𝒸𝑜𝓁𝓁𝒾𝒹𝑒 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝒽𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓉𝒻𝑒𝓁𝓉 𝒸𝒾𝓉𝓎-𝓂𝑒𝑒𝓉𝓈-𝒸𝑜𝓊𝓃𝓉𝓇𝓎 𝓇𝑜𝓂𝒶𝓃𝒸𝑒.
𝑅𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌:
𝒞𝒾𝓉𝓎 𝑔𝒾𝓇𝓁 𝒾𝓃𝒽𝑒𝓇𝒾𝓉𝓈 𝒶 𝒸𝑜𝓊𝓃𝓉𝓇𝓎 𝒻𝒶𝓇𝓂.
𝐻𝑜𝓉, 𝒷𝓇𝑜𝑜𝒹𝓎 𝓃𝑒𝒾𝑔𝒽𝒷𝑜𝓇? 𝒞𝒽𝑒𝒸𝓀.
𝒪𝓃𝑒-𝓃𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉-𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒽𝒾𝓈𝓉𝑜𝓇𝓎? 𝒜𝓌𝓀𝓌𝒶𝓇𝒹.
𝒜𝒹𝒹 𝒾𝓃 𝒶 𝓁𝑜𝓃𝑔-𝒹𝒾𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓃𝒸𝑒 “𝒷𝑜𝓎𝒻𝓇𝒾𝑒𝓃𝒹” 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒻𝒶𝓇𝓂-𝓁𝒾𝒻𝑒 𝒻𝒶𝒾𝓁𝓈… 𝓈𝓅𝒶𝓇𝓀𝓈 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝒾𝓃𝑒𝓋𝒾𝓉𝒶𝒷𝓁𝑒.
𝒮𝓉𝓊𝒸𝓀 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒞𝑜𝓊𝓃𝓉𝓇𝓎 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝒴𝑜𝓊 ʙʏ ᴢᴜʀɪ ᴅᴀʏ ɪs ᴀ sᴡᴏᴏɴʏ, ʟᴀᴜɢʜ-ᴏᴜᴛ-ʟᴏᴜᴅ ᴀᴜᴅɪᴏʙᴏᴏᴋ ғᴜʟʟ ᴏғ sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ-ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇ ʜᴇᴀᴛ, sᴍᴀʟʟ-ᴛᴏᴡɴ ᴄʜᴀʀᴍ, ᴀɴᴅ sᴛᴇᴀᴍʏ ᴛᴇɴsɪᴏɴ. ɢᴇɴᴇsɪs’s ᴊᴏᴜʀɴᴇʏ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴄɪᴛʏ ᴄʜᴀᴏs ᴛᴏ ғᴀʀᴍ-ʟɪғᴇ ғʀᴜsᴛʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ɪs ᴇǫᴜᴀʟ ᴘᴀʀᴛs ʜɪʟᴀʀɪᴏᴜs ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ-ᴍᴇʟᴛɪɴɢ, ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴊᴀxsᴏɴ ᴘʀᴏᴠɪɴɢ ʜᴇ’s ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴ ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴀ ᴍᴇᴍᴏʀʏ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴀ ʀᴇᴄᴋʟᴇss ɴɪɢʜᴛ—ʜᴇ’s ᴅᴇᴘᴇɴᴅᴀʙʟᴇ, ɪʀʀᴇsɪsᴛɪʙʟᴇ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴜɴᴇxᴘᴇᴄᴛᴇᴅʟʏ ᴘʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛɪᴠᴇ. ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴀʀʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ɴᴀɪʟs ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʜᴇᴍɪsᴛʀʏ ᴀɴᴅ ʙᴀɴᴛᴇʀ, ᴍᴀᴋɪɴɢ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ғᴀʀᴍ ᴍɪsʜᴀᴘ ᴀɴᴅ ʙᴇᴅʀᴏᴏᴍ ᴍᴏᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴀʟɪᴠᴇ.
🎙️𝒩𝒶𝓇𝓇𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃:
ᴛʜᴇ ᴀᴜᴅɪᴏʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴏғ 𝒮𝓉𝓊𝒸𝓀 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒞𝑜𝓊𝓃𝓉𝓇𝓎 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝒴𝑜𝓊 ɪs ᴀ sᴛᴀɴᴅᴏᴜᴛ ᴘᴇʀғᴏʀᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴘᴇʀғᴇᴄᴛʟʏ ᴍᴀᴛᴄʜᴇs ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ’s ᴄɪᴛʏ-ᴍᴇᴇᴛs-ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛʀʏ ʀᴏᴍ-ᴄᴏᴍ ᴇɴᴇʀɢʏ. ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴀʀʀᴀᴛᴏʀ ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀs ᴀ ʟᴀʏᴇʀᴇᴅ ᴘᴇʀғᴏʀᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴇɴʜᴀɴᴄᴇs ʙᴏᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴜᴍᴏʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ sᴛᴏʀʏ.
𝒯𝓇𝑜𝓅𝑒𝓈 & 𝒱𝒾𝒷𝑒𝓈:
💕ᴄɪᴛʏ ɢɪʀʟ x ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛʀʏ ᴍᴀɴ
🌾sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ-ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ
💕ᴏɴᴇ-ɴɪɢʜᴛ-sᴛᴀɴᴅ-ᴛᴏ-ᴍᴏʀᴇ
🌾ғᴏʀᴄᴇᴅ ᴘʀᴏxɪᴍɪᴛʏ (ɴᴇɪɢʜʙᴏʀs!)
💕ʜᴏᴛ, ʙʀᴏᴏᴅʏ ᴅᴀᴅ
🌾sʟᴏᴡ-ʙᴜʀɴ ʀᴇᴋɪɴᴅʟᴇᴅ ᴀᴛᴛʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴ
💕ғɪsʜ-ᴏᴜᴛ-ᴏғ-ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀ / ʟᴇᴀʀɴɪɴɢ ɴᴇᴡ sᴋɪʟʟs
🌾ғᴀᴍɪʟʏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴜɴɪᴛʏ ᴅʏɴᴀᴍɪᴄs
💕ғʟɪʀᴛʏ ʙᴀɴᴛᴇʀ & sɪᴢᴢʟɪɴɢ ᴛᴇɴsɪᴏɴ
🌾sᴜɴɴʏ, sᴍᴀʟʟ-ᴛᴏᴡɴ ᴄʜᴀʀᴍ
💕sᴛᴇᴀᴍʏ ᴄʜᴇᴍɪsᴛʀʏ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴘʟᴀʏғᴜʟ ʜᴜᴍᴏʀ
🌾ғᴀʀᴍ-ʟɪғᴇ ᴍɪsʜᴀᴘs + ᴅɪʏ ᴅɪsᴀsᴛᴇʀs
💕“ɪ ᴄᴀɴ’ᴛ ʙᴇʟɪᴇᴠᴇ ɪ sᴛɪʟʟ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ʜɪᴍ” ᴇɴᴇʀɢʏ
🌾ʜᴇᴀʀᴛғᴇʟᴛ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀ ɢʀᴏᴡᴛʜ ᴀɴᴅ ʟᴇᴀʀɴɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴛʀᴜsᴛ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ
💕ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴛɪᴄ ᴛᴇɴsɪᴏɴ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʀᴇᴀʟ-ʟɪғᴇ sᴛᴀᴋᴇs
🌾ᴡᴀʀᴍ, sᴡᴏᴏɴʏ, ᴀɴᴅ ғᴜɴ
𝐹𝒾𝓃𝒶𝓁 𝓋𝑒𝓇𝒹𝒾𝒸𝓉:
ғᴜɴɴʏ, ғʟɪʀᴛʏ, ᴀɴᴅ ғᴜʟʟ ᴏғ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ, 𝒮𝓉𝓊𝒸𝓀 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒞𝑜𝓊𝓃𝓉𝓇𝓎 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝒴𝑜𝓊 ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀs ᴀ ᴘᴇʀғᴇᴄᴛ ᴍɪx ᴏғ sᴍᴀʟʟ-ᴛᴏᴡɴ ʟɪғᴇ, sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ-ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ, ᴀɴᴅ sᴛᴇᴀᴍʏ ᴛᴇɴsɪᴏɴ. ɢᴇɴᴇsɪs ᴀɴᴅ ᴊᴀxsᴏɴ’s ᴄʜᴇᴍɪsᴛʀʏ ɪs ᴇxᴘʟᴏsɪᴠᴇ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄɪᴛʏ-ɢɪʀʟ-ɢᴇᴛs-ʜᴇʀ-ʜᴀɴᴅs-ᴅɪʀᴛʏ ᴠɪʙᴇ ᴍᴀᴋᴇs ɪᴛ ᴜɴᴘᴜᴛᴅᴏᴡɴᴀʙʟᴇ.
ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ ʀᴇᴀᴅɪɴɢ!
𝒜𝓈𝒽𝓁𝑒𝓎
ʙᴏᴏᴋsᴛᴀɢʀᴀᴍ: @ᴛʜᴇᴛᴀᴛᴛᴇʀᴇᴅᴘᴀɢᴇ
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
⭐ Audiobook Review: Stuck in the Country With You by Zuri Day
Advanced Listener Copy via NetGalley — review voluntary.
Also bought the physical copy back in 2025 from my local Black‑owned bookstore because if there’s a Black girl on the cover, I’m automatically buying it.
I loved this story when I first read it, but the audiobook made me fall for it all over again. The narration brings a warmth and groundedness that makes the whole experience feel like slipping into a soft hoodie on a chilly morning.
Genesis inherits her uncle’s farm — and her cousins are big mad about it. But the will is locked down tight, and honestly, I appreciated that her uncle made sure the land went to the person who actually showed up for him. The family tension simmers throughout the book and unravels at just the right pace.
And then there’s the neighbor. Jaxson. The man Genesis once hooked up with years ago… who doesn’t recognize her at first because she’s grown, glowed, and stepped fully into herself. What neither of them realizes at first is that Jaxson is also the same guy who broke her brother’s arm back in their high school football rivalry — an injury that ended his football career. The way this history surfaces adds a whole extra layer of tension, irony, and “oh wow, small towns really stay small.”
Once Jaxson figures out who she is, the shift from mild friction to something warmer is incredibly satisfying. It’s got that soft second‑chance energy with a little forced proximity sprinkled in — just enough to make you smile.
Their chemistry feels natural and earned, with light but intentional spice that never tries too hard. The emotional beats land exactly where they should, and the pacing makes the romance feel believable and comforting.
If you’re looking for a cozy, heartfelt Black romance with small‑town charm, family drama that unfolds beautifully, and a couple you genuinely root for, this one is a perfect fit. Zuri Day delivers a story that feels like a deep exhale, and the audiobook only enhances the experience.
Advanced Listener Copy via NetGalley — review voluntary.
Also bought the physical copy back in 2025 from my local Black‑owned bookstore because if there’s a Black girl on the cover, I’m automatically buying it.
I loved this story when I first read it, but the audiobook made me fall for it all over again. The narration brings a warmth and groundedness that makes the whole experience feel like slipping into a soft hoodie on a chilly morning.
Genesis inherits her uncle’s farm — and her cousins are big mad about it. But the will is locked down tight, and honestly, I appreciated that her uncle made sure the land went to the person who actually showed up for him. The family tension simmers throughout the book and unravels at just the right pace.
And then there’s the neighbor. Jaxson. The man Genesis once hooked up with years ago… who doesn’t recognize her at first because she’s grown, glowed, and stepped fully into herself. What neither of them realizes at first is that Jaxson is also the same guy who broke her brother’s arm back in their high school football rivalry — an injury that ended his football career. The way this history surfaces adds a whole extra layer of tension, irony, and “oh wow, small towns really stay small.”
Once Jaxson figures out who she is, the shift from mild friction to something warmer is incredibly satisfying. It’s got that soft second‑chance energy with a little forced proximity sprinkled in — just enough to make you smile.
Their chemistry feels natural and earned, with light but intentional spice that never tries too hard. The emotional beats land exactly where they should, and the pacing makes the romance feel believable and comforting.
If you’re looking for a cozy, heartfelt Black romance with small‑town charm, family drama that unfolds beautifully, and a couple you genuinely root for, this one is a perfect fit. Zuri Day delivers a story that feels like a deep exhale, and the audiobook only enhances the experience.
March 8, 2026
The "Stuck in the Country with You" audiobook is fantastic! The narrator is really good, her pacing and inflection with various emotions and characters add a lot to the listening experience. Very happy with the audio!
FMC Genesis and MMC Jaxson have history--intimate history that soured with some miscommunication and lies from others back in the day--and they are put back into each other's lives when Genesis inherits a family farm. Jax is her new neighbor. Genesis is in over her head and reluctantly accepts help from the obviously gorgeous and well-muscled ex-pro-football player, but she soon learns that he's unaware of why she's so mad at him--then discovers some things from family that open her eyes even more that maybe things weren't as she believed.
I was frustrated on Genesis's behalf with the family drama, but sadly that's probably one of the most realistic things of the story--inheritance drama! She was much more graceful than most people would be, but I appreciated when she finally stood up for herself!
The flirtation between the mains is great. They have good chemistry and witty banter, and both have character growth, both as individuals and as a couple.
I don't love the lack of communication/miscommunication tropes, so there was some eye rolling for me, but the writing is fun. I found myself giggling out loud at multiple spots. Genesis's inner monologue is hilarious, and some of her sayings are flat-out fantastic. Well done!
I wanted a bit more actual farm setting and scenarios, but I guess the romance is the main plot of the book, so it makes sense. I just want to hear about animals, I guess :)
Tropes: Second Chance, Small-town, Family Rivals to Lovers, Retired Sports, Forced Proximity (ish), Spice
Much appreciation to HarperCollins for the free ARC! :)
FMC Genesis and MMC Jaxson have history--intimate history that soured with some miscommunication and lies from others back in the day--and they are put back into each other's lives when Genesis inherits a family farm. Jax is her new neighbor. Genesis is in over her head and reluctantly accepts help from the obviously gorgeous and well-muscled ex-pro-football player, but she soon learns that he's unaware of why she's so mad at him--then discovers some things from family that open her eyes even more that maybe things weren't as she believed.
I was frustrated on Genesis's behalf with the family drama, but sadly that's probably one of the most realistic things of the story--inheritance drama! She was much more graceful than most people would be, but I appreciated when she finally stood up for herself!
The flirtation between the mains is great. They have good chemistry and witty banter, and both have character growth, both as individuals and as a couple.
I don't love the lack of communication/miscommunication tropes, so there was some eye rolling for me, but the writing is fun. I found myself giggling out loud at multiple spots. Genesis's inner monologue is hilarious, and some of her sayings are flat-out fantastic. Well done!
I wanted a bit more actual farm setting and scenarios, but I guess the romance is the main plot of the book, so it makes sense. I just want to hear about animals, I guess :)
Tropes: Second Chance, Small-town, Family Rivals to Lovers, Retired Sports, Forced Proximity (ish), Spice
Much appreciation to HarperCollins for the free ARC! :)
December 21, 2024
Stuck in the Country with You by Zuri Day was an entertaining read. In this story we meet Genesis Washington, who has inherited her great-uncle’s farm only to learn the next-door neighbor is none other than Jaxson King, a one-night stand that was amazing, however misunderstanding that caused a rift with her family. Fast forward ten years and now Genesis finds she still finds Jax attractive and from Jax’s actions, his interests are just as explosive. With Genesis’ cousins contesting her great-uncle’s wishes, she not having a steady stream of income and now fighting her feelings for Jax, Genesis does know who she can trust
Zuri Day has always been a great storyteller that will have readers feeling a certain way about the characters. Genesis characteristics were that of a woman wanting to experience familial love and was not receiving that with her mom or brother. She sought solace with Uncle Cyrus and formed a bond with him, but deep-down Genesis struggled to feel love from her family. Cyrus’s sons, once learning of the inheritance, showed their true colors and treated Genesis badly. With Jax, Genesis couldn’t help but fall for him but was waiting for the other “shoe” to drop. Jax’s character displayed a man who knew what he wanted and went after it. Being an ex-athlete with a past scandal, Jax was determined to right the wrongs he felt he was unjustly accused. He also knew that one time with Genesis ten years ago was not something special and upon seeing her again years later, he knew she was the one for him. As Genesis navigates the ins and outs of farm life, Jax offers his assistance and ultimately his heart. Overall, Stuck in the Country with You was a nice read.
Note: I received an advance copy from Netgalley
Zuri Day has always been a great storyteller that will have readers feeling a certain way about the characters. Genesis characteristics were that of a woman wanting to experience familial love and was not receiving that with her mom or brother. She sought solace with Uncle Cyrus and formed a bond with him, but deep-down Genesis struggled to feel love from her family. Cyrus’s sons, once learning of the inheritance, showed their true colors and treated Genesis badly. With Jax, Genesis couldn’t help but fall for him but was waiting for the other “shoe” to drop. Jax’s character displayed a man who knew what he wanted and went after it. Being an ex-athlete with a past scandal, Jax was determined to right the wrongs he felt he was unjustly accused. He also knew that one time with Genesis ten years ago was not something special and upon seeing her again years later, he knew she was the one for him. As Genesis navigates the ins and outs of farm life, Jax offers his assistance and ultimately his heart. Overall, Stuck in the Country with You was a nice read.
Note: I received an advance copy from Netgalley
February 3, 2025
I'm grateful to @harlequinbooks and @harlequinpublicityteam
for having me on this bookstagram tour, and for the gifted copy of the book.
The opinions on this post are of my own.
..
Release Date: December 24, 2024 🎄
Genre: Fiction, Romance
Tropes: enemies to lovers, brother's rival, country romance, second chance, starting afresh.
Sub tropes: Damsel in distress, rebound, emotional tension between protagonists.
Genesis is almost at the rock bottom of her life when she finds out that she's inherited a farm, which happens to be just next door to Jaxon - an unforgettable, regrettable chapter from her past.
The sudden inheritance brings a lot for Genesis to sort out -
- Differences with her extended family, who feel she is incoherent in taking up an abode at the farm.
- Coming to peace with her distorted and dysfunctional emotional relationships
- Align herself financially in a way that she doesn't have to overstress
and, above all .. to find herself!
Her new humble country abode grants her a lot of chaos at first, but then becomes the most important part of her existence. She goes through a learning curve while adjusting to her new life, and with her long lost object of affection, i.e. Jaxon.
The story follows a crisp, third person narrative, and is a perfect addition to your holiday reads. I read it in one go. A perfect enjoyable light weekend read, if you're looking for one. It has the aura of a sweet Christmas/Holiday movie to it, with some pinches of spice wherever and whenever required. 😉
I also love the beautiful cover.
The book's narrative also has the themes of healing, being able to trust again, believing in oneself in its undercurrent which are strong points of the story.
for having me on this bookstagram tour, and for the gifted copy of the book.
The opinions on this post are of my own.
..
Release Date: December 24, 2024 🎄
Genre: Fiction, Romance
Tropes: enemies to lovers, brother's rival, country romance, second chance, starting afresh.
Sub tropes: Damsel in distress, rebound, emotional tension between protagonists.
Genesis is almost at the rock bottom of her life when she finds out that she's inherited a farm, which happens to be just next door to Jaxon - an unforgettable, regrettable chapter from her past.
The sudden inheritance brings a lot for Genesis to sort out -
- Differences with her extended family, who feel she is incoherent in taking up an abode at the farm.
- Coming to peace with her distorted and dysfunctional emotional relationships
- Align herself financially in a way that she doesn't have to overstress
and, above all .. to find herself!
Her new humble country abode grants her a lot of chaos at first, but then becomes the most important part of her existence. She goes through a learning curve while adjusting to her new life, and with her long lost object of affection, i.e. Jaxon.
The story follows a crisp, third person narrative, and is a perfect addition to your holiday reads. I read it in one go. A perfect enjoyable light weekend read, if you're looking for one. It has the aura of a sweet Christmas/Holiday movie to it, with some pinches of spice wherever and whenever required. 😉
I also love the beautiful cover.
The book's narrative also has the themes of healing, being able to trust again, believing in oneself in its undercurrent which are strong points of the story.
December 28, 2024
Zuri Day’s Stuck in the Country with You offers a heartwarming premise with a classic “opposites attract” romance set against the charm of a rural backdrop. While it’s an easy, feel-good read, it doesn’t quite break new ground, leaving a mixed impression overall.
🚨 Spoilers Ahead! 🚨
The story follows Genesis, a city girl down on her luck, who unexpectedly inherits her great-uncle’s farm. Along the way, she reconnects with family, navigates rural life, and butts heads (and eventually locks lips) with Jaxson King, a former pro football player turned farmer. The chemistry between Genesis and Jaxson has its moments, but their relationship often feels rushed, with some conflicts resolving too conveniently.
The rural setting is charming, and Day’s descriptions of life on the farm add a cozy, atmospheric touch. However, the story leans heavily on tropes, from the big-city girl struggling to adapt to country life to the rugged yet sensitive love interest with a mysterious past. While enjoyable, it doesn’t offer much in the way of surprises.
The moment when Jaxson helps rescue Genesis’s great-uncle’s dog, Nipsey, showcases his softer, more compassionate side.
“Sometimes life gives you roots when all you’re looking for is wings.”
Though the book is predictable, the themes of family, healing, and finding love in unexpected places make it a cozy read. If you enjoy light-hearted romance with a touch of Southern charm, Stuck in the Country with You is worth checking out, but don’t expect it to stray far from the formula.
#StuckInTheCountry #ZuriDay #RomanceReads #OppositesAttract #FeelGoodFiction
🚨 Spoilers Ahead! 🚨
The story follows Genesis, a city girl down on her luck, who unexpectedly inherits her great-uncle’s farm. Along the way, she reconnects with family, navigates rural life, and butts heads (and eventually locks lips) with Jaxson King, a former pro football player turned farmer. The chemistry between Genesis and Jaxson has its moments, but their relationship often feels rushed, with some conflicts resolving too conveniently.
The rural setting is charming, and Day’s descriptions of life on the farm add a cozy, atmospheric touch. However, the story leans heavily on tropes, from the big-city girl struggling to adapt to country life to the rugged yet sensitive love interest with a mysterious past. While enjoyable, it doesn’t offer much in the way of surprises.
The moment when Jaxson helps rescue Genesis’s great-uncle’s dog, Nipsey, showcases his softer, more compassionate side.
“Sometimes life gives you roots when all you’re looking for is wings.”
Though the book is predictable, the themes of family, healing, and finding love in unexpected places make it a cozy read. If you enjoy light-hearted romance with a touch of Southern charm, Stuck in the Country with You is worth checking out, but don’t expect it to stray far from the formula.
#StuckInTheCountry #ZuriDay #RomanceReads #OppositesAttract #FeelGoodFiction
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 13, 2024
Genesis, the grumpy heroine of this novel, inherits a farm in a quaint Tennessee town following the death of her great-uncle Cyrus. Despite their deep bond, the inheritance sparks a flurry of complications, primarily because Cyrus had biological children who believe the farm rightfully belongs to them. Loyalty to her late uncle drives Genesis to honor his wishes and resist selling the property, despite the mounting pressure.
Cyrus, the neighboring landowner and a key figure in the story, has been closely connected with Uncle Cyrus since moving to Tennessee. The relationship between Cyrus and Genesis is fraught with tension due to a past misunderstanding—Genesis harbors the belief that Cyrus had pursued her only to provoke her older brother. This unresolved history adds another layer of complexity to their interactions as they navigate the challenges of the inheritance and their own turbulent emotions
I cannot rate this book above three stars because I have issues with how the book was wrapped up. I truly do not like stories or authors that dictate what happens instead of actually writing, and showing what happens. Outside of my issues with the conclusion of the book, the general writing of this story is bland & not engaging. The same could be said for the sex scenes, there is no passion coming off the pages between these two characters. Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Cyrus, the neighboring landowner and a key figure in the story, has been closely connected with Uncle Cyrus since moving to Tennessee. The relationship between Cyrus and Genesis is fraught with tension due to a past misunderstanding—Genesis harbors the belief that Cyrus had pursued her only to provoke her older brother. This unresolved history adds another layer of complexity to their interactions as they navigate the challenges of the inheritance and their own turbulent emotions
I cannot rate this book above three stars because I have issues with how the book was wrapped up. I truly do not like stories or authors that dictate what happens instead of actually writing, and showing what happens. Outside of my issues with the conclusion of the book, the general writing of this story is bland & not engaging. The same could be said for the sex scenes, there is no passion coming off the pages between these two characters. Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
December 6, 2024
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Afterglow Books by Harlequin, and author for the ARC for a review. I am not sure how I feel about this one! I will say the premise and the cover, instantly drew me in! I feel like there was so much potential between Jaxson and Genesis's history, city girl meets country neighbor, grumpy x sunshine, but sometimes the story felt like a report rather than getting to experience things with the characters. There were parts that were funny and made me laugh, and other parts, where I was like please be serious. I really enjoyed the characters, especially the side characters like Miss Hazel and two jealous and childish uncles.
I really liked Jaxson's character, like that was a good man, Savannah! He was steadfast and patient, even when Genesis did not deserve it! I did like the chemistry between him and Gen, but sometimes there are times where, Genesis is so grumpy it is unbearable over some family drama, that's not even hers to own. I also feel like the pacing is ALL over the place, sometimes it's like months of gaps between situations. I also feel at times like how the age gap was discussed was GROSS - like "oh he was in high school, but so mature," made me want to barf.
I wanted to like this so much, but it fell a little short of my expectations. I think that it could work for some people as a quick and easy read! Probably really good as an audiobook too.
I really liked Jaxson's character, like that was a good man, Savannah! He was steadfast and patient, even when Genesis did not deserve it! I did like the chemistry between him and Gen, but sometimes there are times where, Genesis is so grumpy it is unbearable over some family drama, that's not even hers to own. I also feel like the pacing is ALL over the place, sometimes it's like months of gaps between situations. I also feel at times like how the age gap was discussed was GROSS - like "oh he was in high school, but so mature," made me want to barf.
I wanted to like this so much, but it fell a little short of my expectations. I think that it could work for some people as a quick and easy read! Probably really good as an audiobook too.
February 27, 2026
Stuck in the Country with You had all the makings of a romance I should’ve devoured—second chances, forced proximity, city-meets-country tension, and a messy shared past. On paper? This was my kind of setup. In execution? It never quite got there.
Genesis and Jaxson’s history is supposed to bring the heat, but the spark never fully ignited for me. The stakes were presented as high—awkward inheritance drama, unresolved resentment, complicated romantic entanglements—but every major conflict wrapped up so neatly and so quickly that it felt anticlimactic. Just when things should’ve hit hardest, the story smoothed everything over and moved on.
Even the love scenes, which should’ve carried some emotional weight after ten years of unresolved tension, fell flat. They were fine… but forgettable.
The narration didn’t help. Instead of fully embodying the characters, the narrator sounded like she was simply reading the text aloud. There wasn’t much variation in tone or energy, which made it harder to connect with Genesis or feel the supposed intensity between the characters.
By the time I finished, I wasn’t angry—just underwhelmed. This wasn’t a bad story, but it never rose to the level its premise promised.
⭐️⭐️½ / 5
#StuckintheCountrywithYou
#NetGalley
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
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