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Drayton Hills #1
Our Secret Moments
Catherine Fables is a planner and a fixer. She's lived her life to a set of rules that she's certain will guarantee success. But when a wrench is thrown into the framework of her steady routine, she has to work around it or... through it.
As a journalism major, grades and reviews mean everything to her, so when nobody rises at the opportunity to take over the abandoned newspaper for the college football team, she takes the opportunity by the horns. Or, well, the helmet, I guess?
Connor Bailey, quarterback for the Drayton Titans, is not a fixer. Or a planner. He learned what YOLO meant in the fifth grade and he's been rolling with it ever since. He's confident in most of the ways that matter - huge ego, flirtatious personality, convinced he's got the biggest... You get the idea.
One thing he's not so good at? Talking to people about himself. Football? He could talk for the whole of North America. But when he tries to get down to the deeper stuff, about what makes Connor Connor, he often comes up empty. Strangely enough, talking to Cat is easier than it is with most people.
When the two are in more close-contact situations than they'd like at parties and in hot tubs filled with steamy tension, will Cat and Connor be able to keep their attraction to one another at bay, or will they blow their cover as they hide their relationship from Nora, Cat's best friend, roommate and worst of all Connor's sister...
As a journalism major, grades and reviews mean everything to her, so when nobody rises at the opportunity to take over the abandoned newspaper for the college football team, she takes the opportunity by the horns. Or, well, the helmet, I guess?
Connor Bailey, quarterback for the Drayton Titans, is not a fixer. Or a planner. He learned what YOLO meant in the fifth grade and he's been rolling with it ever since. He's confident in most of the ways that matter - huge ego, flirtatious personality, convinced he's got the biggest... You get the idea.
One thing he's not so good at? Talking to people about himself. Football? He could talk for the whole of North America. But when he tries to get down to the deeper stuff, about what makes Connor Connor, he often comes up empty. Strangely enough, talking to Cat is easier than it is with most people.
When the two are in more close-contact situations than they'd like at parties and in hot tubs filled with steamy tension, will Cat and Connor be able to keep their attraction to one another at bay, or will they blow their cover as they hide their relationship from Nora, Cat's best friend, roommate and worst of all Connor's sister...
396 pages, Paperback
Published January 19, 2024
918 people are currently reading
13236 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 573 reviews
August 25, 2024
4.5/5 ⭐️
- If you’re a fan of icebreaker by Hannah Grace, you will LOVE this story!! It has found family, a fun group of friends that really love each other, so many giggles, and lots of spice! Love how the author included at the beginning of the book which chapters are spicy so you can skip them if you choose.
- I can’t say enough good things about this book! It’s rare for me to finish a 400+ page book this fast, but I couldn’t put it down. Found myself laughing out loud so many times while reading! There are so many cute moments in this book - when Connie is cooking for her, when he helps with her hair, when she wears his jersey for the first time, so so so many cute moments!! This book kept a smile on my face!
- This book deals with deeper topics, but is overall such a fun college romance. If you like books with college parties and just pure FUN, you’ll love this book!!
- If you’re a fan of icebreaker by Hannah Grace, you will LOVE this story!! It has found family, a fun group of friends that really love each other, so many giggles, and lots of spice! Love how the author included at the beginning of the book which chapters are spicy so you can skip them if you choose.
- I can’t say enough good things about this book! It’s rare for me to finish a 400+ page book this fast, but I couldn’t put it down. Found myself laughing out loud so many times while reading! There are so many cute moments in this book - when Connie is cooking for her, when he helps with her hair, when she wears his jersey for the first time, so so so many cute moments!! This book kept a smile on my face!
- This book deals with deeper topics, but is overall such a fun college romance. If you like books with college parties and just pure FUN, you’ll love this book!!
January 4, 2024
i don’t think anyone is ready for this one just yet
July 2, 2024
cuties.
this was such a cute book! i loved it. the characters had so much depth, even being little college teenagers. plus, i’m a sucker for the he falls first trope. connor is the definition of a book boyfriend and cat deserves everything that comes to her. can’t wait for all of the side characters books.
this was such a cute book! i loved it. the characters had so much depth, even being little college teenagers. plus, i’m a sucker for the he falls first trope. connor is the definition of a book boyfriend and cat deserves everything that comes to her. can’t wait for all of the side characters books.
February 20, 2024
“It's hard to miss Catherine Fables. Especially when she's all I fucking see sometimes.”
“Our Secret Moments” could have been much better. To be honest, from the first chapters I was hooked and it was really fun. Catherine & Connor share some insane chemistry and I loved how their relationship progressed throughout the book. It was so adorable and beautiful, it’s the kind of relationship I'd love to have. #ONEDAY
However, the “let’s hide our relationship from your sister who is my best friend” was understandable but infuriatin'. Excuse me but the author didn't need to drag it out till the end. There is so much in this book that was left unexplored... but overall it was worth the read.
May 7, 2024
this book was sweet and I liked how devoted he was to her. the problem was everything else.
Both characters lack a constant personality. their characteristics were constantly changing to suit the storyline, and that meant I was unable to form a connection with either of the main characters.
In the first chapter, Catherine 'Cat' Forbes and Connor Bailey are locked in a closet. Connor begins pretending to have sex by moaning loudly to entertain the people listening outside. Then, for the rest of the book, he turns into some shy boy, but then he turns confident again to drop some 'sexy' one-lines on Cat, and then he turns nervous again.
Catherine is worse. She flicks not wanting anything to do with Connor, to flirting with him every moment she can. She's in such a pickle, because he's her best friends brother, who she's known since childhood, who she absolutely CANNOT date (which she says herself!!) but he's so hot, and tall and big, and large, (she mentions his height about a million times, and I was so over it) that they should just make out. (also notice the amount of tropes stuffed between them!)
cat makes me want to bang my head against a wall. she goes from this: "When she’s noticed we’ve all actually got shirts on, she relaxes a little."
To this : "Suddenly nothing else exists other than her proximity and the tight feeling in my chest as she whispers, “It’s called edging.”"
STOP.
Chapter eight of the slowburn. 😐
also one thing that really bugged me was the constant modern references. the author wrote the football team doing the love story tiktok trend (which of course Cat walks in on, because she needs to see how Connor is so soft and sweet and sings taylor swift).
"“Marry me Juliet, you’ll never have to be alone! I love you and that's all I really know!” We all sing in unison, watching the video back and laughing at our ridiculousness. We finished practice nearly an hour ago before Sam suggested we make a TikTok in the changing rooms."
" When they all broke apart, realising that we’d been standing there, they all looked so vulnerable, as if they’ve had this mask on pretending they’re big and strong when really they’re just little boys."
AW, yeah, they're so cute and vulnerable and baby because they sang Taylor Swift.
She also mentions taylor swift about a million times, but only in passing. One of the first sentences is her saying 'what would taylor swift do' but then her interest in the singer is barely talked about again. I would've found it interesting to know why she felt like she had such a connection to swift, if only for the fact it would've given her more character depth and I'm grasping at straws here.
"I was exposed to ‘smutty’ books and Wattpad way too young. It’s not my fault I’m wired this way. Okay… maybe it is."
Like???
And the worst part of all - the author talked about Emily Henry. She referenced a modern author in her book. Now, I swear this is an unwritten rule - in book universes you cannot mention other authors unless they've been dead for about a hundred years. It just felt so wrong, and I couldn't get over it.
"Not to be dramatic, but Beach Read changed our lives."
I think the author included these to make Cat more 'relatable' but it was just weird.
Also in general, the writing was just weird. I don't know how to explain it, but I just couldn't enjoy the writing style.
Next, the romance. I was so disappointed. Both of them were madly in love with each other from the start and they were both aware of it. But literally everytime they met up they just giggled and said "I know you want this too!!!"
YES! We ALL know that. You guys are literally obsessed with each other and have told the other! already!! Why are you playing this stupid game!!!
And the MC acts like they are strangers to each other, even though they are literally childhood friends. What happens to sandbox love never dies?
And don't even get me started on the amount of manspreading in this book. It happens every single chapter.
oh my god it's just so hot when guys manspread so let's make every single male do it!!
and they all suffer from main character syndrome.
"Every Sunday, the girls and I do a weekly grocery shop as well as a walk. We get all the essentials we need and extra picnic snacks, bring them back to our dorm, pack our picnic and we go out again. Each week, when we can remember, we think of a new activity to do. This week we’re going to bring our favourite books as well as practising our crochet. It’s our little Sunday ritual and I love it."
how cute and quirky and entirely unrealistic.
Be so fr.
if you actually did that, you'd be broke.
and one final thing that just bugged me was this absolute rocker of a sentence.
"My mom almost trips over the overgrown grass as she runs towards me, her white summer dress and red apron flowing in the wind as she reaches me."
Do I need to say anything?
And all of this happens before the halfway mark, so I honestly have no idea if the rest of the book got better.
I read this book to try and get out of a reading slump and to be fair, it has motivated me - if only to find books that please me more.
Overall, it was a cute book but there wasn't really much plot and the romance was already in a relationship. So if you're looking for something cute, with 'best friends brother' and 'academic girl x sporty boy' and 'forbidden', try it out!!
also this is just my opinion, please don't cancel me!!
Both characters lack a constant personality. their characteristics were constantly changing to suit the storyline, and that meant I was unable to form a connection with either of the main characters.
In the first chapter, Catherine 'Cat' Forbes and Connor Bailey are locked in a closet. Connor begins pretending to have sex by moaning loudly to entertain the people listening outside. Then, for the rest of the book, he turns into some shy boy, but then he turns confident again to drop some 'sexy' one-lines on Cat, and then he turns nervous again.
Catherine is worse. She flicks not wanting anything to do with Connor, to flirting with him every moment she can. She's in such a pickle, because he's her best friends brother, who she's known since childhood, who she absolutely CANNOT date (which she says herself!!) but he's so hot, and tall and big, and large, (she mentions his height about a million times, and I was so over it) that they should just make out. (also notice the amount of tropes stuffed between them!)
cat makes me want to bang my head against a wall. she goes from this: "When she’s noticed we’ve all actually got shirts on, she relaxes a little."
To this : "Suddenly nothing else exists other than her proximity and the tight feeling in my chest as she whispers, “It’s called edging.”"
STOP.
Chapter eight of the slowburn. 😐
also one thing that really bugged me was the constant modern references. the author wrote the football team doing the love story tiktok trend (which of course Cat walks in on, because she needs to see how Connor is so soft and sweet and sings taylor swift).
"“Marry me Juliet, you’ll never have to be alone! I love you and that's all I really know!” We all sing in unison, watching the video back and laughing at our ridiculousness. We finished practice nearly an hour ago before Sam suggested we make a TikTok in the changing rooms."
" When they all broke apart, realising that we’d been standing there, they all looked so vulnerable, as if they’ve had this mask on pretending they’re big and strong when really they’re just little boys."
AW, yeah, they're so cute and vulnerable and baby because they sang Taylor Swift.
She also mentions taylor swift about a million times, but only in passing. One of the first sentences is her saying 'what would taylor swift do' but then her interest in the singer is barely talked about again. I would've found it interesting to know why she felt like she had such a connection to swift, if only for the fact it would've given her more character depth and I'm grasping at straws here.
"I was exposed to ‘smutty’ books and Wattpad way too young. It’s not my fault I’m wired this way. Okay… maybe it is."
Like???
And the worst part of all - the author talked about Emily Henry. She referenced a modern author in her book. Now, I swear this is an unwritten rule - in book universes you cannot mention other authors unless they've been dead for about a hundred years. It just felt so wrong, and I couldn't get over it.
"Not to be dramatic, but Beach Read changed our lives."
I think the author included these to make Cat more 'relatable' but it was just weird.
Also in general, the writing was just weird. I don't know how to explain it, but I just couldn't enjoy the writing style.
Next, the romance. I was so disappointed. Both of them were madly in love with each other from the start and they were both aware of it. But literally everytime they met up they just giggled and said "I know you want this too!!!"
YES! We ALL know that. You guys are literally obsessed with each other and have told the other! already!! Why are you playing this stupid game!!!
And the MC acts like they are strangers to each other, even though they are literally childhood friends. What happens to sandbox love never dies?
And don't even get me started on the amount of manspreading in this book. It happens every single chapter.
oh my god it's just so hot when guys manspread so let's make every single male do it!!
and they all suffer from main character syndrome.
"Every Sunday, the girls and I do a weekly grocery shop as well as a walk. We get all the essentials we need and extra picnic snacks, bring them back to our dorm, pack our picnic and we go out again. Each week, when we can remember, we think of a new activity to do. This week we’re going to bring our favourite books as well as practising our crochet. It’s our little Sunday ritual and I love it."
how cute and quirky and entirely unrealistic.
Be so fr.
if you actually did that, you'd be broke.
and one final thing that just bugged me was this absolute rocker of a sentence.
"My mom almost trips over the overgrown grass as she runs towards me, her white summer dress and red apron flowing in the wind as she reaches me."
Do I need to say anything?
And all of this happens before the halfway mark, so I honestly have no idea if the rest of the book got better.
I read this book to try and get out of a reading slump and to be fair, it has motivated me - if only to find books that please me more.
Overall, it was a cute book but there wasn't really much plot and the romance was already in a relationship. So if you're looking for something cute, with 'best friends brother' and 'academic girl x sporty boy' and 'forbidden', try it out!!
also this is just my opinion, please don't cancel me!!
January 7, 2024
5/5⭐️
where do i begin? the plot was intriguing, the characters were not just likeable but loveable, and the romance was romancing.
the writing felt so so natural, like these characters were destined to be written. they were so real, raw, and relatable. you can really tell than Jan put so much time and energy into this book because it paid off into this incredible debut into this series where we meet so many characters with a depth and realness that i am impatient to find more about.
this book is comforting in a way where the characters feel like my best friends and family. i feel like i was there when they all grew up together. also childhood friends to lovers trope? check yes!😁✅ love love love🤭
the playlist Janisha created for this book relates to the characters so so much. everything in relation to this book is so well thought out and so well crafted…this is my roman empire, i think about this book ALL the time.
the way Connor treats Catherine is how princesses (and myself) wish to be treated. with so much love and affection. he loves her in her happiest, darkest, loudest, and quietest moments. he’s so caring and persevering, he never gives up - not even on baking which…isn’t going too well for him but it’s so funny and adorable to see him try. i LOVE golden retriever men.
and Catherine. my sweet loving Catherine. she lights up every room she walks into. she carries herself so well, she’s unafraid to stand up for herself. she’s such a real character to me. i’m so inspired by her…i don’t know if i want to be her or be with her.
on my way to reread this book asap and annotate it like it’s my life’s purpose because i adore this book beyond belief.
so sorry to the north university series but drayton hills >>>> (far superior, this is definitely janisha’s best work)
many many thank yous to Janisha for sending me the eARC and a physical arc. OUR SECRET MOMENTS OUT ON JANUARY 22ND
where do i begin? the plot was intriguing, the characters were not just likeable but loveable, and the romance was romancing.
the writing felt so so natural, like these characters were destined to be written. they were so real, raw, and relatable. you can really tell than Jan put so much time and energy into this book because it paid off into this incredible debut into this series where we meet so many characters with a depth and realness that i am impatient to find more about.
this book is comforting in a way where the characters feel like my best friends and family. i feel like i was there when they all grew up together. also childhood friends to lovers trope? check yes!😁✅ love love love🤭
the playlist Janisha created for this book relates to the characters so so much. everything in relation to this book is so well thought out and so well crafted…this is my roman empire, i think about this book ALL the time.
the way Connor treats Catherine is how princesses (and myself) wish to be treated. with so much love and affection. he loves her in her happiest, darkest, loudest, and quietest moments. he’s so caring and persevering, he never gives up - not even on baking which…isn’t going too well for him but it’s so funny and adorable to see him try. i LOVE golden retriever men.
and Catherine. my sweet loving Catherine. she lights up every room she walks into. she carries herself so well, she’s unafraid to stand up for herself. she’s such a real character to me. i’m so inspired by her…i don’t know if i want to be her or be with her.
on my way to reread this book asap and annotate it like it’s my life’s purpose because i adore this book beyond belief.
so sorry to the north university series but drayton hills >>>> (far superior, this is definitely janisha’s best work)
many many thank yous to Janisha for sending me the eARC and a physical arc. OUR SECRET MOMENTS OUT ON JANUARY 22ND
September 18, 2024
more like 2.5 or 2.75, not sure. I'll sit on it for a bit.
--------
Okay, here I am. This was cute but, to me, it felt like there was always something missing. I think some things needed to be more detailed or explained better (like for example the situation with her dad), while some others should've been cut down a little.
I guess what also lowered my rating was the fact that you can really tell it was written with the intention to fit certain tropes and use certain scenes/phrases to catch the attention of romance readers. There were also quite a few references to popular stuff , and I, personally, didn't enjoy that but that's more a me problem.
I don't have much to say about the characters, they were nice but sometimes they were a bit flat.
--------
Okay, here I am. This was cute but, to me, it felt like there was always something missing. I think some things needed to be more detailed or explained better (like for example the situation with her dad), while some others should've been cut down a little.
I guess what also lowered my rating was the fact that you can really tell it was written with the intention to fit certain tropes and use certain scenes/phrases to catch the attention of romance readers. There were also quite a few references to popular stuff , and I, personally, didn't enjoy that but that's more a me problem.
I don't have much to say about the characters, they were nice but sometimes they were a bit flat.
January 26, 2024
dnf’ed at 12%. i was so excited for this book and you know i love me an interracial relationship but this one was just not for me. i didn’t feel any sort of connection to the characters and honestly the fmc was kinda bothering me. the writing and characters themselves also felt very juvenile. i understand their only 19 but still. disappointed to say the least
July 1, 2024
unfortunately this book was not for me. there were a few too many taylor swift references, and i feel like a lot of the conflict when it came to hiding their relationship was self-inflicted and near the end it really started to drag. i also felt like the idea of them being in the same friend group since elementary school and not having each other’s phone numbers did not make sense—it was a small thing, i know, but the way their relationship was described pre-book just did not make sense to me, especially considering they both had crushes on each other the entire time, but every other character made it seem alien that they would even interact.
the writing was a bit repetitive at times, and i was disappointed that there was so much buildup between cat and her dad and then their reconciliation happened off page. i also feel like a lot of the characters fell flat for me, and so much of this book and the people in it was just told instead of shown. i do feel like the book had a lot of funny moments though, and i enjoyed parts of it, but i don’t think i would read this one again. in the future, i do think i’ll read another project of hers.
also. cat’s grandmother telling connor to marry her and then giving him cat’s mother’s ring upon their first meeting in like a decade? please be so serious.
the writing was a bit repetitive at times, and i was disappointed that there was so much buildup between cat and her dad and then their reconciliation happened off page. i also feel like a lot of the characters fell flat for me, and so much of this book and the people in it was just told instead of shown. i do feel like the book had a lot of funny moments though, and i enjoyed parts of it, but i don’t think i would read this one again. in the future, i do think i’ll read another project of hers.
also. cat’s grandmother telling connor to marry her and then giving him cat’s mother’s ring upon their first meeting in like a decade? please be so serious.
January 28, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 🌶🌶/5
TW - anxiety, grief, death of a parent (mentioned throughout), death of a grandparent (mentioned), miscarriage (secondary character, past, mentioned), cheating (secondary characters, mentioned), separation (secondary characters, mentioned), grandparent in a care home (dementia or similar implied)
Tropes - best friend's brother, reverse grumpy x sunshine, found family, college romance, boy obsessed, sports (American football), secret relationship, friends to lovers, interracial
This read like it was written by a romance reader... do you get what I mean by that? Like I obvs know that authors read in their genre but this felt beyond that.
This book started off really well for me and I was sure I was going to end up giving it 5⭐️ and as we can see, that did not happen...
This book was cute, the character's relationship was simply... cute and was very promising in the beginning. Some of their scenes had me smiling like Connor (MMC) helping Cat (FMC) take out her braids and wash her hair.
Connor read as the MMC we all want to see but it very quickly became repetitive and boring for me. Connor’s entire personality is that he likes Cat whereas Cat has other shit going on. I wish he was more developed than this, he became cringey at times. I wanna know how Connor is doing in class, how he’s going about being in Nora’s shadow. Is he gonna bring that up? What’s his relationship like with his sister? Like I want more of him outside of Cat - all of his POVs were about her and it became tiresome. His anxiety and how he feels like he's in his twin's shadow is mentioned once at the beginning and seemingly never picked up again; like his anxiety is touched on once more but it kinda felt like the author forgot she included it and didn't want a deeper plot hole than what is already there.
I didn't really understand why they were keeping their relationship a secret from Nora (Connor's twin + Cat's best friend). It felt like they were only doing that because the author felt like that's the way brother's best friend is meant to go. There is no conflict, massive age gap or anything weird that would keep them from just telling her and it dragged for sooooooooo much of the book. I was also kind of confused on the childhood best friends to lovers point because this is even more reason why there shouldn't have been a problem with them being together. In some of the flashbacks of their childhood, it seemed like they were close and maybe even had a crush on each other but, in the present at uni at the beginning of the book, they kinda acted like they didn't interact that much, they didn't even have each other's phone numbers which seemed weird for a friendship group that is apparently so close. Following that with Connor's reaction to his sister and Wes did not track at all.
I'm a big believer in contemporary romance not being more than 350 pages and this book defo could have been 50-100 pages shorter. It got repetitive with some of their conversations and the comments they made and, as mentioned above, Connor's chapters got boring quickly. I'd also like to point out that this was very light on the sports romance even though Connor is literally the starting QB. They go to about 2 matches, none of which are described in any detail - it kinda felt like the author couldn't be bothered to put any effort into Connor's character outside of him liking Cat. Connor tells us football is his life, he wants to get drafted and we just get... nothing on that front.
The present conflict between Cat and her Dad didn't feel like it was resolved for me and the little bits we got towards the end also felt like the author was trying to wrap it up instead of having a plot hole. I wish this part of the book and the grief was done justice.
Randomly, the characters speak about sex quite a bit which was weird to me because this book isn't really that spicy...
Scale:
⭐️ - would've DNF'ed / continued out of spite
⭐️⭐️ - shit, but whatever
⭐️⭐️⭐️ - meh, could've been better
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - lit 👅
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - loved it, inject this shit into my veins 🤪
🫑 - no smut
🌶 - no point
🌶🌶 - mediocre at best
🌶🌶🌶 - standard smut, hot
🌶🌶🌶🌶 - 🥵 okay, some CW
🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶 - fuck me 🥵🥵 CWs / filthy with a side of filth - see Poison / Room Twenty-Two: Hide and Seek/ The Naughty List
TW - anxiety, grief, death of a parent (mentioned throughout), death of a grandparent (mentioned), miscarriage (secondary character, past, mentioned), cheating (secondary characters, mentioned), separation (secondary characters, mentioned), grandparent in a care home (dementia or similar implied)
Tropes - best friend's brother, reverse grumpy x sunshine, found family, college romance, boy obsessed, sports (American football), secret relationship, friends to lovers, interracial
This read like it was written by a romance reader... do you get what I mean by that? Like I obvs know that authors read in their genre but this felt beyond that.
This book started off really well for me and I was sure I was going to end up giving it 5⭐️ and as we can see, that did not happen...
This book was cute, the character's relationship was simply... cute and was very promising in the beginning. Some of their scenes had me smiling like Connor (MMC) helping Cat (FMC) take out her braids and wash her hair.
Connor read as the MMC we all want to see but it very quickly became repetitive and boring for me. Connor’s entire personality is that he likes Cat whereas Cat has other shit going on. I wish he was more developed than this, he became cringey at times. I wanna know how Connor is doing in class, how he’s going about being in Nora’s shadow. Is he gonna bring that up? What’s his relationship like with his sister? Like I want more of him outside of Cat - all of his POVs were about her and it became tiresome. His anxiety and how he feels like he's in his twin's shadow is mentioned once at the beginning and seemingly never picked up again; like his anxiety is touched on once more but it kinda felt like the author forgot she included it and didn't want a deeper plot hole than what is already there.
I didn't really understand why they were keeping their relationship a secret from Nora (Connor's twin + Cat's best friend). It felt like they were only doing that because the author felt like that's the way brother's best friend is meant to go. There is no conflict, massive age gap or anything weird that would keep them from just telling her and it dragged for sooooooooo much of the book. I was also kind of confused on the childhood best friends to lovers point because this is even more reason why there shouldn't have been a problem with them being together. In some of the flashbacks of their childhood, it seemed like they were close and maybe even had a crush on each other but, in the present at uni at the beginning of the book, they kinda acted like they didn't interact that much, they didn't even have each other's phone numbers which seemed weird for a friendship group that is apparently so close. Following that with Connor's reaction to his sister and Wes did not track at all.
I'm a big believer in contemporary romance not being more than 350 pages and this book defo could have been 50-100 pages shorter. It got repetitive with some of their conversations and the comments they made and, as mentioned above, Connor's chapters got boring quickly. I'd also like to point out that this was very light on the sports romance even though Connor is literally the starting QB. They go to about 2 matches, none of which are described in any detail - it kinda felt like the author couldn't be bothered to put any effort into Connor's character outside of him liking Cat. Connor tells us football is his life, he wants to get drafted and we just get... nothing on that front.
The present conflict between Cat and her Dad didn't feel like it was resolved for me and the little bits we got towards the end also felt like the author was trying to wrap it up instead of having a plot hole. I wish this part of the book and the grief was done justice.
Randomly, the characters speak about sex quite a bit which was weird to me because this book isn't really that spicy...
Scale:
⭐️ - would've DNF'ed / continued out of spite
⭐️⭐️ - shit, but whatever
⭐️⭐️⭐️ - meh, could've been better
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - lit 👅
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - loved it, inject this shit into my veins 🤪
🫑 - no smut
🌶 - no point
🌶🌶 - mediocre at best
🌶🌶🌶 - standard smut, hot
🌶🌶🌶🌶 - 🥵 okay, some CW
🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶 - fuck me 🥵🥵 CWs / filthy with a side of filth - see Poison / Room Twenty-Two: Hide and Seek/ The Naughty List
August 2, 2024
4.25/5⭐️
“I’ll wait for you, I’ll listen to you, I’ll take care of you. I’ll do anything for you, Cat. Anything you want, I’ll do it. Anything you need, I’ll give it to you”.
this book follows catherine and connor, two college students who have been in each other’s lives for what feels like forever, because he is her best friend’s brother. however, one day her professor assigns her the task to take over the college’s abandoned newspaper and cover the football team… who connor happens to be on. these two suddenly need to be in close contact with each other, and from there sparks fly.
this book was such an entertaining read! the writing in this book felt so natural, and you could genuinely feel each bond from each relationship. you can feel the depth of these characters, and how both connor and catherine connect with each other. catherine’s grief was portrayed so well in this book, and explained so thoroughly, and the way connor had always been there for catherine every step of the way was so amazing to read. also, i am literally obsessed with connor, he’s literally everything?? i mean the way he is absolutely obsessed with catherine and would do anything for her was so incredible to read. this was such a fun, quick read!
“I’ll wait for you, I’ll listen to you, I’ll take care of you. I’ll do anything for you, Cat. Anything you want, I’ll do it. Anything you need, I’ll give it to you”.
this book follows catherine and connor, two college students who have been in each other’s lives for what feels like forever, because he is her best friend’s brother. however, one day her professor assigns her the task to take over the college’s abandoned newspaper and cover the football team… who connor happens to be on. these two suddenly need to be in close contact with each other, and from there sparks fly.
this book was such an entertaining read! the writing in this book felt so natural, and you could genuinely feel each bond from each relationship. you can feel the depth of these characters, and how both connor and catherine connect with each other. catherine’s grief was portrayed so well in this book, and explained so thoroughly, and the way connor had always been there for catherine every step of the way was so amazing to read. also, i am literally obsessed with connor, he’s literally everything?? i mean the way he is absolutely obsessed with catherine and would do anything for her was so incredible to read. this was such a fun, quick read!
August 11, 2024
DNF at 50% because i just couldn’t force myself to continue reading this book. I didn’t think it was possible for an author to make me cringe inside so many times in such a short amount of time. There is no reason an author should mention social media in a book ever, yet she not only mentions the characters watching TikTok’s but wrote a scene of them making one… to a Taylor Swift song. I think it’s fun when author’s make playlists for books or write music references in their books, but mentioning Taylor Swift millions of time was making the main character seem like “deaf Taylor Swift” from scream queens.
The main character Catherine Fables was the most inconsistent person i’ve ever seen, same with the love interest Connor Bailey. They go from being shy and reserved to bold and flirty in a span of 2 minutes.
So wich one is it ??
I’ve seen 13 year old teenage girls on Wattpad write better plot and character development. There was nothing to look forward to because they were all over each other by the 9th chapter.
This book feels like it should be taken down for copyright because it was just Ginny & Georgia but somehow even worse. Don’t waste your time on this.
The main character Catherine Fables was the most inconsistent person i’ve ever seen, same with the love interest Connor Bailey. They go from being shy and reserved to bold and flirty in a span of 2 minutes.
So wich one is it ??
I’ve seen 13 year old teenage girls on Wattpad write better plot and character development. There was nothing to look forward to because they were all over each other by the 9th chapter.
This book feels like it should be taken down for copyright because it was just Ginny & Georgia but somehow even worse. Don’t waste your time on this.
July 18, 2024
Yeah their moments should have stayed secret
1.5 stars, there could have been potential if Connor’s only personality trait wasn’t to be obsessed with Cat and if it wasn’t so damn longgg. Also, the amount of pop culture references made me want to gouge my eyes out (this is why swifties shouldn’t become authors)
1.5 stars, there could have been potential if Connor’s only personality trait wasn’t to be obsessed with Cat and if it wasn’t so damn longgg. Also, the amount of pop culture references made me want to gouge my eyes out (this is why swifties shouldn’t become authors)
May 17, 2024
as an alpha reader for jan’s book, i can tell you that this one was by far my favourite book of hers!!!
her writing improved so so much i can actually see a difference! the story felt into pieces immediately in the first draft, a thing that she didn’t do for her first 2/3 books, and you will be able to see it through the mc, the side characters, the plot line, the ‘twist’ of the story, everything was handled in a way more professional and mature way!!
it didn’t feel like the story was written to be written, but to be told, and i can’t tell you how proud and happy i am to be a part of the alpha team bc i was able to comment, react (and freak out yes) directly after she wrote the chapters.
plot wise, i don’t think the book needs much editing bc she planned everything better this time, and she REALLY made the story interesting and appealing for the next books, she slowly soft launch the plot of book 2, the couples of the next book, she put little details here and there, she made sure to create a space where we could understand the plot, whilst laughing and enjoying the dynamic of the characters.
this first book in the series feels very much more different than her first series just bc she improved so much, and i’m sure that if you loved her first series, you will adore this one bc it’s much more better and enjoyable in different ways.
so yep. this is a 5 stars, just bc i literally laughed, cried and gasped so many times during the 2 months of the writing, but mostly bc this time, i feel like it deserves the big 5 one (and if you’re maybe too picky about 5 stars, it deserves at least a 4.5 or 4.75)
(okay i might love this book, but the 2nd one in the series will be my absolute fav bc of how much i got attached to the characters)
her writing improved so so much i can actually see a difference! the story felt into pieces immediately in the first draft, a thing that she didn’t do for her first 2/3 books, and you will be able to see it through the mc, the side characters, the plot line, the ‘twist’ of the story, everything was handled in a way more professional and mature way!!
it didn’t feel like the story was written to be written, but to be told, and i can’t tell you how proud and happy i am to be a part of the alpha team bc i was able to comment, react (and freak out yes) directly after she wrote the chapters.
plot wise, i don’t think the book needs much editing bc she planned everything better this time, and she REALLY made the story interesting and appealing for the next books, she slowly soft launch the plot of book 2, the couples of the next book, she put little details here and there, she made sure to create a space where we could understand the plot, whilst laughing and enjoying the dynamic of the characters.
this first book in the series feels very much more different than her first series just bc she improved so much, and i’m sure that if you loved her first series, you will adore this one bc it’s much more better and enjoyable in different ways.
so yep. this is a 5 stars, just bc i literally laughed, cried and gasped so many times during the 2 months of the writing, but mostly bc this time, i feel like it deserves the big 5 one (and if you’re maybe too picky about 5 stars, it deserves at least a 4.5 or 4.75)
(okay i might love this book, but the 2nd one in the series will be my absolute fav bc of how much i got attached to the characters)
March 16, 2024
i can tell that i have been in the middle of a slump so i probably should’ve stopped this book earlier than i did… i’m not gonna say a lot because i did not enjoy this but i want to say one thing, please don’t write about a sport if you don’t know anything about it. if i saw the word “pitch” used one more time the kindle was getting thrown. this wasn’t for me and i’m kinda sad but the relationship was cute so it gets two stars.
May 12, 2024
beta read <3
nobody is ready for this book i am genuinely unwell over catconnor and this universe.
this book genuinely makes me wanna throw up. the amount of joy i felt through the friendships, the love story, just all of it. this series is so special. jan is so special.
if you love a cinnamon role mmc with a mouth, and a very relatable FMC pls read this
nobody is ready for this book i am genuinely unwell over catconnor and this universe.
this book genuinely makes me wanna throw up. the amount of joy i felt through the friendships, the love story, just all of it. this series is so special. jan is so special.
if you love a cinnamon role mmc with a mouth, and a very relatable FMC pls read this
April 13, 2024
3.75 stars
I can’t wait for everyone else’s books.
I can’t wait for everyone else’s books.
January 22, 2024
ARC read, review to come :)
22.1.24
Thank you to Love Notes PR for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Unfortunately, my 70th book of 2023 was really quite disappointing. While I love a sports romance usually and am pretty chill if they don’t have an excellent plot this book really fell short. Unfortunately Catherine felt like an extremely ‘pick me’ character and a lot of things she did were just so frustrating, it felt like she was trying really hard to BE the main character and I just cringed a lot. (I’ll give some examples at the end of the review).
I didn’t have huge issues with Connor but I feel like he didn’t have much of a personality, much like many of the characters in this story. This is the weirdest thing but I had deja vu for the WHOLE book, it felt like I’d read it before for some reason. It was so slow to get going and then when it finally got going (about 40% in) it was going well. The last 20% was such a drag, I’ll be honest I was really struggling with finishing this book and I feel like the ‘plot twists’ were just added in this last section because the author felt like they needed to? Its hard to explain 🥲. There was one plot hole in particular that I think needed to be fixed or removed entirely and saved for another book. This book definitely didn’t need to be over 300 pages (and thats at the absolute max), it just was really boring and I didn’t understand why it took Cat and Connor nearly 90% of the book to tell Nora, who is supposedly Cat’s best friend? Sadly this one wasn’t for me but I still thank the author for the chance to read the story.
Quotes: (These are direct quotes and annotations from my kindle :) )
“Every Sunday, the girls and I do a weekly grocery shop as well as a walk. We get all the essentials we need and extra picnic snacks, bring them back to our dorm, pack our picnic and we go out again. Each week, when we can remember, we think of a new activity to do. This week we’re going to bring our favourite books as well as practising our crochet. It’s our little Sunday ritual and I love it.” - this one gave major ‘pick me’ and I just couldn’t cope with it. It feels like they’re trying too hard to be the main characters and its SO ANNOYING
“Those two are the weirdest people I’ve ever met.” - At least they have a personality
“You know exactly what it is that I want,” -
It was cute the first time. Not so much the second. Stop talking in circles and get on with it.
“She’s all I see. All I feel. All I hear.” - Calm the fuck down bro (this was on page 124)
“favourite Disney movie, Frozen.” - Seriously ? Of all of the Disney films you chose this one ???
“PDA all over you.” - You are not a dog.
Thank you for coming to my TED talk
22.1.24
Thank you to Love Notes PR for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Unfortunately, my 70th book of 2023 was really quite disappointing. While I love a sports romance usually and am pretty chill if they don’t have an excellent plot this book really fell short. Unfortunately Catherine felt like an extremely ‘pick me’ character and a lot of things she did were just so frustrating, it felt like she was trying really hard to BE the main character and I just cringed a lot. (I’ll give some examples at the end of the review).
I didn’t have huge issues with Connor but I feel like he didn’t have much of a personality, much like many of the characters in this story. This is the weirdest thing but I had deja vu for the WHOLE book, it felt like I’d read it before for some reason. It was so slow to get going and then when it finally got going (about 40% in) it was going well. The last 20% was such a drag, I’ll be honest I was really struggling with finishing this book and I feel like the ‘plot twists’ were just added in this last section because the author felt like they needed to? Its hard to explain 🥲. There was one plot hole in particular that I think needed to be fixed or removed entirely and saved for another book. This book definitely didn’t need to be over 300 pages (and thats at the absolute max), it just was really boring and I didn’t understand why it took Cat and Connor nearly 90% of the book to tell Nora, who is supposedly Cat’s best friend? Sadly this one wasn’t for me but I still thank the author for the chance to read the story.
Quotes: (These are direct quotes and annotations from my kindle :) )
“Every Sunday, the girls and I do a weekly grocery shop as well as a walk. We get all the essentials we need and extra picnic snacks, bring them back to our dorm, pack our picnic and we go out again. Each week, when we can remember, we think of a new activity to do. This week we’re going to bring our favourite books as well as practising our crochet. It’s our little Sunday ritual and I love it.” - this one gave major ‘pick me’ and I just couldn’t cope with it. It feels like they’re trying too hard to be the main characters and its SO ANNOYING
“Those two are the weirdest people I’ve ever met.” - At least they have a personality
“You know exactly what it is that I want,” -
It was cute the first time. Not so much the second. Stop talking in circles and get on with it.
“She’s all I see. All I feel. All I hear.” - Calm the fuck down bro (this was on page 124)
“favourite Disney movie, Frozen.” - Seriously ? Of all of the Disney films you chose this one ???
“PDA all over you.” - You are not a dog.
Thank you for coming to my TED talk
January 25, 2024
5 STARS !!!!! beta review <3
“sometimes i just like telling you things.”
“and i like listening”
once i had my hands in this masterpiece i was done in less than 24 hours but college life got busy and i didn’t have the time to do my review BUT i just did my reread and let me tell you, catconnor will never disappoint me !!!!! they’re still the moment to me even after almost 3 months !!!!
“i’m yours forever, catherine.”
“just like that?”
“just like that.”
catconnor was THE book istg this one by far is my favorite and i can’t wait to see the next ones. the writing was incredible, all the characters have their own essence and the way jan explored everything??? amazing .
catherine fables and connor bailey are friends since they were kids and also liked each other since that time but never talked about it so what will happen once they’re in college and cat has to do an assignment with the football team? will they finally give in to the temptation that was always there? will be better to be in a secret relationship than to tell nora all about it? i mean what’s the worst that could happen if cat dated her best friend’s brother? well ig you will have to read and find out !!
i really loved catconnor’s background and seeing how their friendship grew to a beautiful and healthy relationship was *chef kiss*. they will ALWAYS support each other like how connor was there when cat was overthinking about her assignments and how cat was there when connor was feeling the pressure with being in the football team. and ofc cat will always eat whatever dessert connor will (try to) bake (PLS SHE ATE THAT CUPCAKE AND SAID IT WAS REALLY GOOD I STILL CANT BELIEVE IT) AND CONNOR TAKING HER TO THE BOOKSTOREEEEEEEE *screaming* *crying* *throwing up* *dying*
“you’re the best thing i’ve ever had, connie.”
“you’re the best secret i’ve ever had to keep. the best thing that’s ever been mine.”
to this day i’m SO grateful that jan let me be a beta reader because i got obsessed with catconnor and also because our secret moments was pretty much my first beta reading experience and it was such a good one so thank you jan <3 and also thank you for the new year midnight kiss iykyk xoxo
so thank you so much jan for letting me being a beta reader and i promise that in the future i’ll be better at doing my reviews on time lmao AND im excited for wesnora’s book like everybody else in this planet BUT im even more excited for ellearcher because they intrigue me SO MUCH so i know i’ll love all the books in the drayton hills series <3
“sometimes i just like telling you things.”
“and i like listening”
once i had my hands in this masterpiece i was done in less than 24 hours but college life got busy and i didn’t have the time to do my review BUT i just did my reread and let me tell you, catconnor will never disappoint me !!!!! they’re still the moment to me even after almost 3 months !!!!
“i’m yours forever, catherine.”
“just like that?”
“just like that.”
catconnor was THE book istg this one by far is my favorite and i can’t wait to see the next ones. the writing was incredible, all the characters have their own essence and the way jan explored everything??? amazing .
catherine fables and connor bailey are friends since they were kids and also liked each other since that time but never talked about it so what will happen once they’re in college and cat has to do an assignment with the football team? will they finally give in to the temptation that was always there? will be better to be in a secret relationship than to tell nora all about it? i mean what’s the worst that could happen if cat dated her best friend’s brother? well ig you will have to read and find out !!
i really loved catconnor’s background and seeing how their friendship grew to a beautiful and healthy relationship was *chef kiss*. they will ALWAYS support each other like how connor was there when cat was overthinking about her assignments and how cat was there when connor was feeling the pressure with being in the football team. and ofc cat will always eat whatever dessert connor will (try to) bake (PLS SHE ATE THAT CUPCAKE AND SAID IT WAS REALLY GOOD I STILL CANT BELIEVE IT) AND CONNOR TAKING HER TO THE BOOKSTOREEEEEEEE *screaming* *crying* *throwing up* *dying*
“you’re the best thing i’ve ever had, connie.”
“you’re the best secret i’ve ever had to keep. the best thing that’s ever been mine.”
to this day i’m SO grateful that jan let me be a beta reader because i got obsessed with catconnor and also because our secret moments was pretty much my first beta reading experience and it was such a good one so thank you jan <3 and also thank you for the new year midnight kiss iykyk xoxo
so thank you so much jan for letting me being a beta reader and i promise that in the future i’ll be better at doing my reviews on time lmao AND im excited for wesnora’s book like everybody else in this planet BUT im even more excited for ellearcher because they intrigue me SO MUCH so i know i’ll love all the books in the drayton hills series <3
January 9, 2024
this book wasn’t just a 5 star read, it was a goddamn 6 star read.
every single thing about this book made it impossible for me to stop reading, i needed it to know what was going to happen next AT ALL TIMES.
catherine is hands down one of my favourite fmc of the moment. she is so strong and so kind, it makes me wanna be best friends with her (so i can be apart of their friend group and talk about books or watch romcoms while eating a pile of junk food)
connor or better yet connie baby is the definition of perfect book boyfriend, i officially consider him THE BLUEPRINT. yes, i said it. he’s the blueprint. his love and admiration for cat made me want to curl up in a ball in sob but i didn’t, i messaged jan instead and freaked out.
their love for each other, their banter, the tension….IT WAS EVERYTHING i could’ve ever wanted and more (and the smut? none of you are ready let me tell you that)
it has been a long time since i was so hyper fixated in a book that i just couldn’t put it down and cat and connor’s story did just that for me. i loved every moment of it and i just can’t wait for the next books
janisha has such a beautiful way of writing and it’s so incredible and inspiring.
thank you jan and love notes pr for trusting me with this ARC, i fell in love and i already miss the family 💜
every single thing about this book made it impossible for me to stop reading, i needed it to know what was going to happen next AT ALL TIMES.
catherine is hands down one of my favourite fmc of the moment. she is so strong and so kind, it makes me wanna be best friends with her (so i can be apart of their friend group and talk about books or watch romcoms while eating a pile of junk food)
connor or better yet connie baby is the definition of perfect book boyfriend, i officially consider him THE BLUEPRINT. yes, i said it. he’s the blueprint. his love and admiration for cat made me want to curl up in a ball in sob but i didn’t, i messaged jan instead and freaked out.
their love for each other, their banter, the tension….IT WAS EVERYTHING i could’ve ever wanted and more (and the smut? none of you are ready let me tell you that)
it has been a long time since i was so hyper fixated in a book that i just couldn’t put it down and cat and connor’s story did just that for me. i loved every moment of it and i just can’t wait for the next books
janisha has such a beautiful way of writing and it’s so incredible and inspiring.
thank you jan and love notes pr for trusting me with this ARC, i fell in love and i already miss the family 💜
January 10, 2024
3.75⭐️ so happy i got to read this as an arc, thank you jan <3 cat + conner were just the cutest babies ever, if u liked icebreaker or the playing for keeps series READ THIS !! wholesome family vibes fr
June 25, 2024
i skimmed like half of this book bc i refused to dnf 😭 the characters were all very likable but the story was just so boring….
September 4, 2024
Dnf'd 50% I tried so hard but I couldn't focus when reading which I'm a little upset about bc I wanted to enjoy it but I guess it's not for me sadly 😔
January 22, 2024
4.25 ⭐️ [arc review]
welcome to drayton hills, it's so much fun here!! i absolutely adoredddd the found family/the big ole friend group here!!
catherine fables is one strong, hardworking, determined woman. connor bailey is a somewhat shy/reserved but well known football player with a big heart and an ambition to bake. and just know, it's ALWAYS the quiet ones. for someone who isn't great at making small talk, oh boy, that man behind closed doors, hello!!
cat and connor have been friends since childhood basically and while they were never close friends, connor has had his eyes on cat for a while now. he def falls first and hard.
connor bailey star football player (quarterback if you will) is literally every woman's dream, well at least mine and catherine's LOL. he is not the best at talking to people, so when catherine has to work with the team for interviews and writing the newspaper for the team, connor needs some extra help with the interviewing aspect of it all. so y'all know what that means?? yeah more time for cat and connor to spend together.
but the more time the two spend together, well obvs y'all know what's gonna happen. yeah, they're attraction for each other only grows. EXCEPT get this, connor's a twin and his twin? yeah nora bailey who is not only cat's bestie but also her roommate. soooo needless to say, cat and connor end up sneaking around a bit.
there was surprisingly more depth to this story than i expected which i liked. it gave the characters more to connect with and talk about personal things. i liked that this allowed cat & connor to connect on a deeper level, beyond the spice ( which ofc there was still spice dw, hehe)
there were parts that i thought were kinda dragged out, or parts that i would get frustrated with cat bc she was stubborn and afraid of love and having a deeper connection with another person bc of her last relationship (cough cough). but connor was so good to her, like her birthday date- ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? when will it be my turn?? but yeah, and then there were some parts near the end that felt fast near the 85% to end (like the secret reveal) but overall, the storyline was really good and entertaining.
i liked cat & connor's relationship and i loved the friend group in this story. wes was probs my fav side character. these characters truly showed their friendship and showed that they will step up for one another in times of need and support them thru the good and bad no matter what!!
i can't wait for the rest of the drayton hills series!! loved the crumbs of potential couples!!
tropes:
» best friend's brother
» reverse grumpy x sunshine
» college romance
» journalist x football player
» interracial relationship
» found family
» he falls first & harder
» lowkey secret
» NO third act breakup
welcome to drayton hills, it's so much fun here!! i absolutely adoredddd the found family/the big ole friend group here!!
catherine fables is one strong, hardworking, determined woman. connor bailey is a somewhat shy/reserved but well known football player with a big heart and an ambition to bake. and just know, it's ALWAYS the quiet ones. for someone who isn't great at making small talk, oh boy, that man behind closed doors, hello!!
cat and connor have been friends since childhood basically and while they were never close friends, connor has had his eyes on cat for a while now. he def falls first and hard.
connor bailey star football player (quarterback if you will) is literally every woman's dream, well at least mine and catherine's LOL. he is not the best at talking to people, so when catherine has to work with the team for interviews and writing the newspaper for the team, connor needs some extra help with the interviewing aspect of it all. so y'all know what that means?? yeah more time for cat and connor to spend together.
but the more time the two spend together, well obvs y'all know what's gonna happen. yeah, they're attraction for each other only grows. EXCEPT get this, connor's a twin and his twin? yeah nora bailey who is not only cat's bestie but also her roommate. soooo needless to say, cat and connor end up sneaking around a bit.
there was surprisingly more depth to this story than i expected which i liked. it gave the characters more to connect with and talk about personal things. i liked that this allowed cat & connor to connect on a deeper level, beyond the spice ( which ofc there was still spice dw, hehe)
there were parts that i thought were kinda dragged out, or parts that i would get frustrated with cat bc she was stubborn and afraid of love and having a deeper connection with another person bc of her last relationship (cough cough). but connor was so good to her, like her birthday date- ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? when will it be my turn?? but yeah, and then there were some parts near the end that felt fast near the 85% to end (like the secret reveal) but overall, the storyline was really good and entertaining.
i liked cat & connor's relationship and i loved the friend group in this story. wes was probs my fav side character. these characters truly showed their friendship and showed that they will step up for one another in times of need and support them thru the good and bad no matter what!!
i can't wait for the rest of the drayton hills series!! loved the crumbs of potential couples!!
tropes:
» best friend's brother
» reverse grumpy x sunshine
» college romance
» journalist x football player
» interracial relationship
» found family
» he falls first & harder
» lowkey secret
» NO third act breakup
January 27, 2024
Are you kidding me?
Long story short...This book has ruined me for any other fluffy best friends brother.
This book is so damn awesome. I cried, I laughed, I fell in love.
I could not stop myself from laughing so hard at several moments and swooning over every single one of the characters. Our secret moments is such a beautiful book.
Everything from the humour to the characters, the storyline was just perfect.
I so loved Cat and Connor. Their story was a perfect fairytale with a twist. Their understanding nature and the deep care they had for each other is something I so badly want 😭
Cat's passion for writing was enchanting. The way she got Connor to open up, how she was such an amazing friend. The ways she used to tease Connor...now that's just bold.
Connor's playful side was to die for. I mean c'mon how many guys are there who would be making a tik tok on Taylor Swift's Love story. How many guys would be there who'd spend a whole day to watch rom-coms just so they can have a topic to talk over?
I fell in love with Wes, Nora, Elle and Archer. To be veryy honest....Wes and Nora's friendship is so goddamn comforting.... everything from their childish acts to their maturity. I definitely want a book if they're together and I need it soon.
Ohh Archer and Elle....It was so adorable how Archer was around Elle, how he used to speak more than just a few words and how he was captivated by her.
Our Secret Moments is one hell of a read and I would definitely sell my soul to read it for the first time.
I'm so glad, I was chosen to receive an arc copy. It also feels so wonderful to be ending 2023 with such an amazing book.
Long story short...This book has ruined me for any other fluffy best friends brother.
This book is so damn awesome. I cried, I laughed, I fell in love.
I could not stop myself from laughing so hard at several moments and swooning over every single one of the characters. Our secret moments is such a beautiful book.
Everything from the humour to the characters, the storyline was just perfect.
I so loved Cat and Connor. Their story was a perfect fairytale with a twist. Their understanding nature and the deep care they had for each other is something I so badly want 😭
Cat's passion for writing was enchanting. The way she got Connor to open up, how she was such an amazing friend. The ways she used to tease Connor...now that's just bold.
Connor's playful side was to die for. I mean c'mon how many guys are there who would be making a tik tok on Taylor Swift's Love story. How many guys would be there who'd spend a whole day to watch rom-coms just so they can have a topic to talk over?
I fell in love with Wes, Nora, Elle and Archer. To be veryy honest....Wes and Nora's friendship is so goddamn comforting.... everything from their childish acts to their maturity. I definitely want a book if they're together and I need it soon.
Ohh Archer and Elle....It was so adorable how Archer was around Elle, how he used to speak more than just a few words and how he was captivated by her.
Our Secret Moments is one hell of a read and I would definitely sell my soul to read it for the first time.
I'm so glad, I was chosen to receive an arc copy. It also feels so wonderful to be ending 2023 with such an amazing book.
February 20, 2024
Alexa, play How You Get The Girl (Taylor’s version).
January 22, 2024
This was soo good!! It’s giving.. seasoned romance writer
First of all, we love a man who bakes! 😂 👏🏽
Conner and Cat are a great couple. They support each other unconditionally, they’re vulnerable with each other, and have mature conversations despite their age. And there’s not an ounce of toxic masculinity in Conner's body.
I loved the flirting, banter, and back-and-forth teasing so so much. You would think I never read a romance book a day in my life by how much I blushed reading the things Conner was saying and doing to Cat.
ughh..I just love the way this book is written! I was hooked from the very first chapter, and there were so many funny and clever moments. The jokes in this book actually had me chuckling out loud. There were also some poignant moments throughout the book. These moments were so heart-warming but heart-wrenching at the same time. This made me connect with the characters even more.
The dialogue was another highlight for me. It set up the relationships between the characters and their dynamics really well. And each character speaks so distinctly. It matches their described personality and feels so realistic. There were also a lot of small details that contributed to each character, whether they were minor or major characters. This gave the story even more depth and expanded the world beyond just the two main characters. It makes everything feel so much more real. 4.5⭐️
Thank you so much to Janisha Boswell and Love Notes pr for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion!
First of all, we love a man who bakes! 😂 👏🏽
Conner and Cat are a great couple. They support each other unconditionally, they’re vulnerable with each other, and have mature conversations despite their age. And there’s not an ounce of toxic masculinity in Conner's body.
I loved the flirting, banter, and back-and-forth teasing so so much. You would think I never read a romance book a day in my life by how much I blushed reading the things Conner was saying and doing to Cat.
ughh..I just love the way this book is written! I was hooked from the very first chapter, and there were so many funny and clever moments. The jokes in this book actually had me chuckling out loud. There were also some poignant moments throughout the book. These moments were so heart-warming but heart-wrenching at the same time. This made me connect with the characters even more.
The dialogue was another highlight for me. It set up the relationships between the characters and their dynamics really well. And each character speaks so distinctly. It matches their described personality and feels so realistic. There were also a lot of small details that contributed to each character, whether they were minor or major characters. This gave the story even more depth and expanded the world beyond just the two main characters. It makes everything feel so much more real. 4.5⭐️
Thank you so much to Janisha Boswell and Love Notes pr for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion!
January 26, 2024
I JUST FINISHED. OH MY GODDD
dnf
May 18, 2025dnf at 25%
January 30, 2024
the only way i can describe this book is stale. nothing happened in the 80 percent that i read. no plot development, nothing significant to make me want to finish this book. all of the side characters are painfully one dimensional for the sake of their own future “standalones” but it will just end up hurting the other books in the series.
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