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Things We've Lost and Found
One broken down elevator. A deal between “friends.” A sweeping love that can no longer be denied.
I’ve been cheated on three times, and I am done with men.
So when my elevator breaks down on my way to a job interview that will finally get me out of the same office as my unfaithful ex, I refuse to think of the handsome stranger next to me as a possibility. Even though that triangle of skin where his tie should be makes me sweat.
When Charles Sinclair seeks me out to return a hair bow I lost in my mad dash to my interview, he makes me an offer I can’t refuse. No strings. No feelings. No pain.
But as our little arrangement intensifies, we start relying on each other, confiding in one other.
Our deal was supposed to be honest, stress-free fun.
If I tell him how I feel, he’ll end things. If I don’t, I’ll be lying to him.
He was clear with me from the beginning, that between work and caring for his ailing mother, he doesn’t have the time for something more. Yet he’s proven to me time and time again that he’ll show up for me. He’ll listen when I need to talk. Hold me when I need touch. And not once has he lied to me.
He’s scared of love leaving him heartbroken.
But what he doesn’t seem to realize is that we’re already in deep.
I’ve been cheated on three times, and I am done with men.
So when my elevator breaks down on my way to a job interview that will finally get me out of the same office as my unfaithful ex, I refuse to think of the handsome stranger next to me as a possibility. Even though that triangle of skin where his tie should be makes me sweat.
When Charles Sinclair seeks me out to return a hair bow I lost in my mad dash to my interview, he makes me an offer I can’t refuse. No strings. No feelings. No pain.
But as our little arrangement intensifies, we start relying on each other, confiding in one other.
Our deal was supposed to be honest, stress-free fun.
If I tell him how I feel, he’ll end things. If I don’t, I’ll be lying to him.
He was clear with me from the beginning, that between work and caring for his ailing mother, he doesn’t have the time for something more. Yet he’s proven to me time and time again that he’ll show up for me. He’ll listen when I need to talk. Hold me when I need touch. And not once has he lied to me.
He’s scared of love leaving him heartbroken.
But what he doesn’t seem to realize is that we’re already in deep.
368 pages, Paperback
Published December 15, 2023
47 people are currently reading
770 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 483 reviews
November 26, 2023
ARC review!
First and foremost, I am mostly a dark romance reader who likes more smut than plot half the time lol but I must say, this book was so good.
The layout of the book was perfect. I love that each chapter switched to each main characters POV and went through briefly the same scenarios as the previous chapter so you really get an insight into how they both felt. I love that they both had their own stories and plots and character development without each other.
I will say I was a little confused how the FMC job in design was tied into the rest of the book since it was so detailed on her coworkers but at the end everything came together & it was such an “AHA” moment for me! I feel like every FMC has their one little hang up & for me, it was her inability to communicate to Charlie that she didn’t want to be called “baby” but by her name because it was her own & not used on other girls. But it was cute how he did pick up on that & he wasn’t a douchey guy about it!
I would say it’s 3/5 on the spice level. There’s definitely scenes of it but they’re kind of short & nothing too crazy like I am used to reading but I think that says more about me 🤣
Overall, I would read again and again and again. Annabel and Charlie are end game & I can’t wait to read book 2! 🥹🩷
First and foremost, I am mostly a dark romance reader who likes more smut than plot half the time lol but I must say, this book was so good.
The layout of the book was perfect. I love that each chapter switched to each main characters POV and went through briefly the same scenarios as the previous chapter so you really get an insight into how they both felt. I love that they both had their own stories and plots and character development without each other.
I will say I was a little confused how the FMC job in design was tied into the rest of the book since it was so detailed on her coworkers but at the end everything came together & it was such an “AHA” moment for me! I feel like every FMC has their one little hang up & for me, it was her inability to communicate to Charlie that she didn’t want to be called “baby” but by her name because it was her own & not used on other girls. But it was cute how he did pick up on that & he wasn’t a douchey guy about it!
I would say it’s 3/5 on the spice level. There’s definitely scenes of it but they’re kind of short & nothing too crazy like I am used to reading but I think that says more about me 🤣
Overall, I would read again and again and again. Annabel and Charlie are end game & I can’t wait to read book 2! 🥹🩷
December 15, 2023
ARC REVIEW
Annabelle is a girl who loves polka dots and bows. She has also been having bad luck with the wrong men.
Charlie is a guy that loves his family but doesn’t want to love anyone else because he has a lot on his plate and he doesn’t want to add more to it.
I loved this book! I enjoyed the dual POV and how we could see both of the characters separate lives along with each of their POV for the times they were together. It was also interesting seeing the friendships form, fail or reconnect. Annabelle and Charlie’s chemistry was amazing and I loved how they talked to each other, I was definitely chuckling to myself a couple of times☺️
“You’re not you without the things you love. Annabelle Hall without polka dots is like me without you.”
This line got me!😭💕
I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy and to read book 2!
Annabelle is a girl who loves polka dots and bows. She has also been having bad luck with the wrong men.
Charlie is a guy that loves his family but doesn’t want to love anyone else because he has a lot on his plate and he doesn’t want to add more to it.
I loved this book! I enjoyed the dual POV and how we could see both of the characters separate lives along with each of their POV for the times they were together. It was also interesting seeing the friendships form, fail or reconnect. Annabelle and Charlie’s chemistry was amazing and I loved how they talked to each other, I was definitely chuckling to myself a couple of times☺️
“You’re not you without the things you love. Annabelle Hall without polka dots is like me without you.”
This line got me!😭💕
I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy and to read book 2!
August 25, 2024
-ˏˋ⋆ Things We’ve Lost and Found- ⋆ˊˎ-
-ˏˋ⋆ Review-⋆ˊˎ-
ੈ✩‧₊˚4/5★ ⋆.ೃ࿔*:
Spice: 🌶️.5/5
‼️spoilers ahead proceed with caution‼️
i absolutely loved this book, it had me giggling, kicking my feet, feeling for the characters so much and just in general I felt like I was with the characters in their world watching their romance build up from strangers to friends to friends with benefits to a relationship❤️
this would have a 100% been a 5 star if it weren’t for two things that had me in the book and 1. Is there was quite a lot of side characters so I did get a bit confused at some points and had to re-read but I loved the dynamic with each character and how they all connected with one another especially at the end. and 2. Is the long chapters I’m not a big of fan of them but the plot and characters were so good it still had me hooked, only reason I don’t like long chapters (10+) is that when I come to putting my book down I have to stop at each chapter instead of in a middle of a page so it’s always a problem when I just want to quickly read a chapter but can’t!
ׂ╰┈➤ ✎ 𝕋𝕣𝕠𝕡𝕖:
* Strangers to Lovers.
* Workplace Romance.
* Dual POV.
* Friends with benefits.
* Sunshine FMC x Sunshine MMC.
* Disability Representation.
* Mutual Trauma.
* Cheating Representation.
✧.*: ̗̀➛ Annabel:
I loved her character, she was just so sweet but set responsible boundaries for herself when it came to the friends with benefits trope. my heart really went out to her with her past trauma of cheating and I really respect her for letting those traumas down and opening up her heart for Charles because they are made for each other.
✧.*: ̗̀➛ Charles:
I loved his character. his character is the demonstration of a stressed man that has a lot of burden on his shoulders, I can’t imagine how he feels genuinely having to feel like he needs to be HIS brother to look after his mother, being called his father who is a d*ck 1 day and being called his actual name by his mum, and just being so stressed with his job. he deserves every bit of happiness and annabel is that happiness for him, they both deserve each other so much and I hope we get small glances at them together in the second book!
-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ--ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ--ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-
overall rating- 4
writing- 3.5
characters- 5
plot- 4
ׂ╰┈➤ ✎ 𝕊𝕖𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕤:
* Things we’ve lost and found- 4⭐️
* Namaste and Code All Day- TBR
* What Happens in Paris- 02.09.24
-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ--ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ--ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-
-ˏˋ⋆ Pre-read- ⋆ˊˎ-
ׂ╰┈➤ ✎ Soo im doing a challenge where I put both my kindle and physical tbr together and do a lucky dip where I pick out my next read and this is my next read! I’m not sure how many there is so I will officially count when I do my review! my tbr will forever go up but this is going to be so fun!
-ˏˋ⋆ Review-⋆ˊˎ-
ੈ✩‧₊˚4/5★ ⋆.ೃ࿔*:
Spice: 🌶️.5/5
‼️spoilers ahead proceed with caution‼️
i absolutely loved this book, it had me giggling, kicking my feet, feeling for the characters so much and just in general I felt like I was with the characters in their world watching their romance build up from strangers to friends to friends with benefits to a relationship❤️
this would have a 100% been a 5 star if it weren’t for two things that had me in the book and 1. Is there was quite a lot of side characters so I did get a bit confused at some points and had to re-read but I loved the dynamic with each character and how they all connected with one another especially at the end. and 2. Is the long chapters I’m not a big of fan of them but the plot and characters were so good it still had me hooked, only reason I don’t like long chapters (10+) is that when I come to putting my book down I have to stop at each chapter instead of in a middle of a page so it’s always a problem when I just want to quickly read a chapter but can’t!
ׂ╰┈➤ ✎ 𝕋𝕣𝕠𝕡𝕖:
* Strangers to Lovers.
* Workplace Romance.
* Dual POV.
* Friends with benefits.
* Sunshine FMC x Sunshine MMC.
* Disability Representation.
* Mutual Trauma.
* Cheating Representation.
✧.*: ̗̀➛ Annabel:
I loved her character, she was just so sweet but set responsible boundaries for herself when it came to the friends with benefits trope. my heart really went out to her with her past trauma of cheating and I really respect her for letting those traumas down and opening up her heart for Charles because they are made for each other.
✧.*: ̗̀➛ Charles:
I loved his character. his character is the demonstration of a stressed man that has a lot of burden on his shoulders, I can’t imagine how he feels genuinely having to feel like he needs to be HIS brother to look after his mother, being called his father who is a d*ck 1 day and being called his actual name by his mum, and just being so stressed with his job. he deserves every bit of happiness and annabel is that happiness for him, they both deserve each other so much and I hope we get small glances at them together in the second book!
-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ--ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ--ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-
overall rating- 4
writing- 3.5
characters- 5
plot- 4
ׂ╰┈➤ ✎ 𝕊𝕖𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕤:
* Things we’ve lost and found- 4⭐️
* Namaste and Code All Day- TBR
* What Happens in Paris- 02.09.24
-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ--ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ--ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-
-ˏˋ⋆ Pre-read- ⋆ˊˎ-
ׂ╰┈➤ ✎ Soo im doing a challenge where I put both my kindle and physical tbr together and do a lucky dip where I pick out my next read and this is my next read! I’m not sure how many there is so I will officially count when I do my review! my tbr will forever go up but this is going to be so fun!
January 9, 2024
ARC Review
This is my first ARC review so bear with me.
This book was SO cute. I loved the set up of the book chapters and how it switched the POV every chapter. I found that there was a good balance between spice and progress of the plot. Though in the beginning, I wasn’t too entirely sure what Annabel’s job was and how it related but in the end it all made so much sense! I’m glad I stuck through it to the end. Overall I found the book to be a super easy read and a really good one too!
Thank you to Ally Williams for the opportunity to receive and ARC of this book. I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy as well as the second book!
This is my first ARC review so bear with me.
This book was SO cute. I loved the set up of the book chapters and how it switched the POV every chapter. I found that there was a good balance between spice and progress of the plot. Though in the beginning, I wasn’t too entirely sure what Annabel’s job was and how it related but in the end it all made so much sense! I’m glad I stuck through it to the end. Overall I found the book to be a super easy read and a really good one too!
Thank you to Ally Williams for the opportunity to receive and ARC of this book. I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy as well as the second book!
January 5, 2024
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
One of the biggest problems with this book is that it invested too much time in setting up future books, at the detriment of this story. There are more than 20 named characters. Most are irrelevant to the story, have no discernible personality, and seem to only exist to set up future books.
Even our MCs are fairly flat. The FMCs central personality trait seems to be her love for polka dots and kiwi martinis. She also has no discernible flaws, and no actual character journey. She is perfect, and therefore uninteresting. Our MMC is a sales guy who is practically waiving his own red flags.
Another pet peeve of mind is books using first person POVs but then having the characters narrate things that they should know nothing about or nor have any interest in. The MMC goes on a tangent about his coworker Gabi, who had a bad breakup and “seems reluctant to explore her own potential”. I’m willing to bet Gabi will come up in a future book and “find her potential” (and a boyfriend). We barely know our MMC, mostly because he’s too busy ruminating about other women’s problems. It often comes off as condescending and creepy.
Then there are long, meandering scenes with the MCs doing random, slice of life things (separately, not together). Our MMC helps his brother move. It takes an entire chapter, and it is mostly very dull. We are also taken to an entire work meeting with the FMC. Because these events are not tied to the central romance, the plot drags and makes the romance seem like a subplot. Even major plot points that were painstakingly set up earlier in the book are suddenly shoved under the rug. It made me feel like I wasted my time paying attention to what was happening in the story because it ended up being unimportant.
Overall, it was a choppy experience and not a very interesting romance.
One of the biggest problems with this book is that it invested too much time in setting up future books, at the detriment of this story. There are more than 20 named characters. Most are irrelevant to the story, have no discernible personality, and seem to only exist to set up future books.
Even our MCs are fairly flat. The FMCs central personality trait seems to be her love for polka dots and kiwi martinis. She also has no discernible flaws, and no actual character journey. She is perfect, and therefore uninteresting. Our MMC is a sales guy who is practically waiving his own red flags.
Another pet peeve of mind is books using first person POVs but then having the characters narrate things that they should know nothing about or nor have any interest in. The MMC goes on a tangent about his coworker Gabi, who had a bad breakup and “seems reluctant to explore her own potential”. I’m willing to bet Gabi will come up in a future book and “find her potential” (and a boyfriend). We barely know our MMC, mostly because he’s too busy ruminating about other women’s problems. It often comes off as condescending and creepy.
Then there are long, meandering scenes with the MCs doing random, slice of life things (separately, not together). Our MMC helps his brother move. It takes an entire chapter, and it is mostly very dull. We are also taken to an entire work meeting with the FMC. Because these events are not tied to the central romance, the plot drags and makes the romance seem like a subplot. Even major plot points that were painstakingly set up earlier in the book are suddenly shoved under the rug. It made me feel like I wasted my time paying attention to what was happening in the story because it ended up being unimportant.
Overall, it was a choppy experience and not a very interesting romance.
December 16, 2023
My first ARC! That was so fun - thank you Ally Williams for letting me read this book in exchange for my honest review.
3.5/5 star - definitely a cute book & I breezed through it so fast!!
Annabel swears off men after getting cheated on three times… but then she meets Charles Sinclair. Which is supposed to be a simple, easy fling. The only rules: no feelings & complete honesty.
There were so many moments where I was kicking my feet & blushing, but I do feel like a lot of the dialogue between Annabel & Charlie felt rushed. **spoilers incoming** They went from hooking up for a few weeks, with minimal details about that, to in love? I know it’s fiction, but it felt so unrealistic. There were so many parts that felt incredible realistic though & I love Ally for highlighting those moments.
For example, cleaning up after sex!!!! SO important. Feeling some type of way when you hear about a girl.
I’m excited to see how this series progresses! Thank you so much again, Ally.
3.5/5 star - definitely a cute book & I breezed through it so fast!!
Annabel swears off men after getting cheated on three times… but then she meets Charles Sinclair. Which is supposed to be a simple, easy fling. The only rules: no feelings & complete honesty.
There were so many moments where I was kicking my feet & blushing, but I do feel like a lot of the dialogue between Annabel & Charlie felt rushed. **spoilers incoming** They went from hooking up for a few weeks, with minimal details about that, to in love? I know it’s fiction, but it felt so unrealistic. There were so many parts that felt incredible realistic though & I love Ally for highlighting those moments.
For example, cleaning up after sex!!!! SO important. Feeling some type of way when you hear about a girl.
I’m excited to see how this series progresses! Thank you so much again, Ally.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 15, 2023
I received a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review! As a first-time ARC reviewer I am SO happy to have come across such a wonderful story.
The opening of the story with Charlie, Mari and Annabel meeting in the broken down elevator instantly had me hooked. It was fun and a light introduction to the characters (as well as a great meet cute).
The polka dot bows throughout the story had me SQUEALING, and I love how unapologetically herself Annabel is.
One thing that really sticks out to me is the way that dementia is depicted in this book. As someone who has a family member struggling with the disease I found myself relating to Charlie and Julian a bit. I feel like this is something that I don’t typically see in books and I think it showed how taxing the disease can be for loved ones.
My least favorite part of the book is Layla. Her character/story is least flushed out and honestly I don’t think it was 100% needed to successfully tell the story. I do see how her situation adds drama to Annabel’s life, but it just felt incomplete in comparison to the development of other characters. (Even Steph seemed to have more development in the end and she wasn’t as significant as Annabells best friend). I wish we could have gotten a little bit more there, but it didn’t take much away from the story as a whole.
Overall, I LOVED this book. I had such a great time reading it and truly liked the main characters. Charlie and Annabel have great banter and chemistry. It is a perfect balance of funny, heartwarming, fluffy and spicy that I always look for in the books I want to read.
The opening of the story with Charlie, Mari and Annabel meeting in the broken down elevator instantly had me hooked. It was fun and a light introduction to the characters (as well as a great meet cute).
The polka dot bows throughout the story had me SQUEALING, and I love how unapologetically herself Annabel is.
One thing that really sticks out to me is the way that dementia is depicted in this book. As someone who has a family member struggling with the disease I found myself relating to Charlie and Julian a bit. I feel like this is something that I don’t typically see in books and I think it showed how taxing the disease can be for loved ones.
My least favorite part of the book is Layla. Her character/story is least flushed out and honestly I don’t think it was 100% needed to successfully tell the story. I do see how her situation adds drama to Annabel’s life, but it just felt incomplete in comparison to the development of other characters. (Even Steph seemed to have more development in the end and she wasn’t as significant as Annabells best friend). I wish we could have gotten a little bit more there, but it didn’t take much away from the story as a whole.
Overall, I LOVED this book. I had such a great time reading it and truly liked the main characters. Charlie and Annabel have great banter and chemistry. It is a perfect balance of funny, heartwarming, fluffy and spicy that I always look for in the books I want to read.
November 29, 2023
**I ARC read for indie authors all of the time so I’m not being overly critical in my review but I am going to be honest about what I experienced while reading this story. I received this story in exchange for a honest review**
As a person who lives in Philly, I was excited to see a story based in this crazy city. This story was good. It delivered decent spice, and the characters had the potential to be fun and exciting. Unfortunately, this just didn’t hit the way it could have.
The story didn’t seem wholly developed. The plot seemed rushed and had holes. The characters lacked a lot of personality to me. I liked that it was dual POV because you generally get to understand and learn about characters more, but unfortunately, I didn’t know much about these characters. I feel like I missed all the info on how their friendship built into something that caused both characters to fall in love with each other besides sleeping together. I also didn’t get great visuals of what these characters looked like and where they were in center city. This is the first book of a series, so I’m hoping in the next book, we see better character development and a more put-together plot line cause the potential of this story was there just wasn’t met yet.
As a person who lives in Philly, I was excited to see a story based in this crazy city. This story was good. It delivered decent spice, and the characters had the potential to be fun and exciting. Unfortunately, this just didn’t hit the way it could have.
The story didn’t seem wholly developed. The plot seemed rushed and had holes. The characters lacked a lot of personality to me. I liked that it was dual POV because you generally get to understand and learn about characters more, but unfortunately, I didn’t know much about these characters. I feel like I missed all the info on how their friendship built into something that caused both characters to fall in love with each other besides sleeping together. I also didn’t get great visuals of what these characters looked like and where they were in center city. This is the first book of a series, so I’m hoping in the next book, we see better character development and a more put-together plot line cause the potential of this story was there just wasn’t met yet.
December 15, 2023
First I just wanted to say I found this book so cute! It was the perfect mix of spice and plot for a rom com. Charlie and Annabel each had my heart from the beginning, so their HEA was definitely deserved.
I loved Ally Williams’ writing in this and found the characters to be well rounded and more real. The characters were flawed but in ways that we can all relate to.
It felt so good to read this book, especially with the relationships Annabel and Charlie had outside one another with friends and family. There family and friend relationships allowed for a totally different perspective into their thoughts and feelings that we would have missed out on otherwise.
Although the spice was on the tamer side I still found it to be a good read with a good amount of spice. Make sure to read it when it Debuts Dec 15th!
Tropes: friends with benefits, fear of commitment, some forced proximity in the beginning.
I did receive an ARC copy (which I am grateful to Ally Williams and her team for choosing me to receive one) but these opinions are all my own. I can’t wait for the next installment in the series!
I loved Ally Williams’ writing in this and found the characters to be well rounded and more real. The characters were flawed but in ways that we can all relate to.
It felt so good to read this book, especially with the relationships Annabel and Charlie had outside one another with friends and family. There family and friend relationships allowed for a totally different perspective into their thoughts and feelings that we would have missed out on otherwise.
Although the spice was on the tamer side I still found it to be a good read with a good amount of spice. Make sure to read it when it Debuts Dec 15th!
Tropes: friends with benefits, fear of commitment, some forced proximity in the beginning.
I did receive an ARC copy (which I am grateful to Ally Williams and her team for choosing me to receive one) but these opinions are all my own. I can’t wait for the next installment in the series!
January 4, 2024
ARC Review
I'll start with saying this book isn't one I would normally decide to read on my own, and with that being said I really enjoyed it, the characters are easy to get into, the plot line is there and easy to follow, it is a dual point of view, and if you didn't pay attention to if it's Annabel or Charles you'd never know it's a dual POV, the one thing about Charlie I didn't not like was all the 'baby' pet names, and only while they were doing it. The spice level is mild in this book, there and done, so no in depth sexy chapters. Overall a really good read and I will definitely be reading book 2 when it comes out.
I'll start with saying this book isn't one I would normally decide to read on my own, and with that being said I really enjoyed it, the characters are easy to get into, the plot line is there and easy to follow, it is a dual point of view, and if you didn't pay attention to if it's Annabel or Charles you'd never know it's a dual POV, the one thing about Charlie I didn't not like was all the 'baby' pet names, and only while they were doing it. The spice level is mild in this book, there and done, so no in depth sexy chapters. Overall a really good read and I will definitely be reading book 2 when it comes out.
January 22, 2024
ARC REVIEW- I REALLY enjoyed this book so very much. Typically with these type of books I feel like the endings are rushed or the plots aren’t very good.
The story starts with an interesting situation that grabs the reader’s attention and draws you in. There were almost no grammatical errors, great individual character development, just the right amount of spice and incredible vocabulary.
I know some people thought that the storyline doesn’t make sense as to how the main characters relationship went from point A to B, their opinion is that the author rushed their relationship and didn’t detail enough of how they got there but I didn’t share that same opinion. I felt that it was realistic and didn’t need EVERY same detail in their relationship. I thought it was just enough of an insight.
I thought it was cute and relatable and I loved the message of girls empowering girls and supporting each other. I also loved the ending was NOT rushed it was a very smooth ending. I really hope that the next book is just as good and not a let down.
The story starts with an interesting situation that grabs the reader’s attention and draws you in. There were almost no grammatical errors, great individual character development, just the right amount of spice and incredible vocabulary.
I know some people thought that the storyline doesn’t make sense as to how the main characters relationship went from point A to B, their opinion is that the author rushed their relationship and didn’t detail enough of how they got there but I didn’t share that same opinion. I felt that it was realistic and didn’t need EVERY same detail in their relationship. I thought it was just enough of an insight.
I thought it was cute and relatable and I loved the message of girls empowering girls and supporting each other. I also loved the ending was NOT rushed it was a very smooth ending. I really hope that the next book is just as good and not a let down.
January 15, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This ARC read was🔥🔥🔥
The spice! 🥵🫠
The characters, the drama, the heart ache, and the love…. I LOVED this book. I don’t rate very many books five stars but this baby takes the whole damn cake! I need to go buy a silk polka dot hair bow now, because somehow, suddenly, I love the idea of them.
This ARC read was🔥🔥🔥
The spice! 🥵🫠
The characters, the drama, the heart ache, and the love…. I LOVED this book. I don’t rate very many books five stars but this baby takes the whole damn cake! I need to go buy a silk polka dot hair bow now, because somehow, suddenly, I love the idea of them.
November 28, 2023
ARC REVIEW- I really enjoyed reading this workplace romance. Ally Williams wrote a MMC with genuine worries, fears and insecurities. Unlike so many other romance books out there with a bruting, one dimensional character, Charles is a breathe of fresh air. I also truly appreciated her strong yet nuanced MFC. Annabel knows her worth and won’t accept less then she deserves while remaining emotionally vulnerable. My only reservation is I would have liked more spice but that’s my personal preference. I would have also liked more of a conclusion to her relationship with Layla. Overall, it was a quick, endearing and refreshing read. 3.5 Stars
February 23, 2024
ARC Review - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I loved this book! I loved the reality of characters having real life experiences and issues. Annabel was a superb strong main female character! She was able to keep boundaries and was honest. Charlie Sinclair, sounded so studly! Goodness, I’d had been a goner the minute he bought me a polka dot bow! I was hoping he’d come to terms with his mama’s illness and learn to be himself instead of being what he thought everyone else wanted him to be. Anyway, my favorite characters weren’t only the main characters but Mari too! Oh she is so sweet, caring and a wonderful friend! Ugh we all deserve to have wonderfully found best friends like her! lol I couldn’t get over how “Say Anything” is an old movie?! lol OMG, We’re there now?! Lol I can’t say I agree it’s an old movie when I saw it in the theaters, aye 🤦🏻♀️🤪! Over all 5 star read! I loved the characters, the plot moved along quickly, and the writing was phenomenal! Spicy, mature, and real life! Definitely suggest this if you’re into movies like “Friends with Benefits” (who doesn’t love JT?!) or No Strings attached (yes Ashton is pretty handsome too)! Looking forward to reading more from Ally Williams!
I loved this book! I loved the reality of characters having real life experiences and issues. Annabel was a superb strong main female character! She was able to keep boundaries and was honest. Charlie Sinclair, sounded so studly! Goodness, I’d had been a goner the minute he bought me a polka dot bow! I was hoping he’d come to terms with his mama’s illness and learn to be himself instead of being what he thought everyone else wanted him to be. Anyway, my favorite characters weren’t only the main characters but Mari too! Oh she is so sweet, caring and a wonderful friend! Ugh we all deserve to have wonderfully found best friends like her! lol I couldn’t get over how “Say Anything” is an old movie?! lol OMG, We’re there now?! Lol I can’t say I agree it’s an old movie when I saw it in the theaters, aye 🤦🏻♀️🤪! Over all 5 star read! I loved the characters, the plot moved along quickly, and the writing was phenomenal! Spicy, mature, and real life! Definitely suggest this if you’re into movies like “Friends with Benefits” (who doesn’t love JT?!) or No Strings attached (yes Ashton is pretty handsome too)! Looking forward to reading more from Ally Williams!
February 2, 2024
Things We’ve Lost and Found ARC Review
i was very fortunate to receive an ARC of Things We’ve Lost and Found by Ally Williams. All opinions are my own and given freely.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️🌶️/5
content warning: this story contains explicit sexual content, foul language, a parent with advanced dementia, and the sexual assault of a side character.
“it’ll happen for you one day. you’ll lock eyes from across the room with some guy who makes your breath catch in your throat, and you’ll just know there’s something good there. and you’ll doubt yourself, and you’ll doubt him, but you’ll just have to jump—and it’ll be magic.”
i really enjoyed reading this book! although it started off a bit slow-paced for me, i never lost interest in the characters or the storyline. i’m usually not a huge fan of dual pov’s but ally made it work so well!
i loved both annabel and charles so much. individually and as a couple they had such a great dynamic. annabel is such a strong and independent FMC and her character development throughout the story was done so well. honestly wasn’t a fan of charlie in the beginning 😬 but as the story went on and we learned a little bit more about him and his situation, he did grow on me. despite his commitment issues, i definitely was able to see just how much he actually cared about annabel!
overall this was a very enjoyable book! definitely recommend this to any and everyone!! i cannot wait to read ally’s future work and once again thank you much for giving me the chance to read the things we’ve lost and found early! 🩵
p.s. i was in a bit of a reading slump when i started this book and wanted to give this book a fair chance. so i held off on reading any arcs i had at the time!
i was very fortunate to receive an ARC of Things We’ve Lost and Found by Ally Williams. All opinions are my own and given freely.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️🌶️/5
content warning: this story contains explicit sexual content, foul language, a parent with advanced dementia, and the sexual assault of a side character.
“it’ll happen for you one day. you’ll lock eyes from across the room with some guy who makes your breath catch in your throat, and you’ll just know there’s something good there. and you’ll doubt yourself, and you’ll doubt him, but you’ll just have to jump—and it’ll be magic.”
i really enjoyed reading this book! although it started off a bit slow-paced for me, i never lost interest in the characters or the storyline. i’m usually not a huge fan of dual pov’s but ally made it work so well!
i loved both annabel and charles so much. individually and as a couple they had such a great dynamic. annabel is such a strong and independent FMC and her character development throughout the story was done so well. honestly wasn’t a fan of charlie in the beginning 😬 but as the story went on and we learned a little bit more about him and his situation, he did grow on me. despite his commitment issues, i definitely was able to see just how much he actually cared about annabel!
overall this was a very enjoyable book! definitely recommend this to any and everyone!! i cannot wait to read ally’s future work and once again thank you much for giving me the chance to read the things we’ve lost and found early! 🩵
p.s. i was in a bit of a reading slump when i started this book and wanted to give this book a fair chance. so i held off on reading any arcs i had at the time!
November 28, 2023
I was so excited to be chosen as an ARC reader for Things We’ve Lost and Found. I love Annabell and Charlie is swoon-worthy in his own way. Some of my most favorite characters were the secondary characters- I mean everybody deserves a Mari in their life.
Overall this book was a good read with some solid spice. I had some slow moments in the middle, but the end of the book made up for it.
I look forward to the next book from Ally Williams!
Overall this book was a good read with some solid spice. I had some slow moments in the middle, but the end of the book made up for it.
I look forward to the next book from Ally Williams!
December 28, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️.5
This book was cute!! Not too spicy, not too bland. I definitely felt it dragging it a bit at certain parts but that might have just been me 😅
I didn’t particularly like the way he constantly called her baby. I understand that it was his way of detaching and not really being too personal, but when they’re first together and he calls her baby? I didn’t like it.
You know what I did like? How unashamed Annabel was in taking what she wanted. The way Charles held onto her bows. The way she took over his mind CONSTANTLY and he was falling for her way before he even knew it. I noticed it with the veal (iykyk).
This book definitely had its moments where I loved it and it had other moments where I couldn’t wait for it to end, but I would definitely read another book in the series!
Thank you so much Ally for an arc of this book 🫶🏻
🌶️.5
This book was cute!! Not too spicy, not too bland. I definitely felt it dragging it a bit at certain parts but that might have just been me 😅
I didn’t particularly like the way he constantly called her baby. I understand that it was his way of detaching and not really being too personal, but when they’re first together and he calls her baby? I didn’t like it.
You know what I did like? How unashamed Annabel was in taking what she wanted. The way Charles held onto her bows. The way she took over his mind CONSTANTLY and he was falling for her way before he even knew it. I noticed it with the veal (iykyk).
This book definitely had its moments where I loved it and it had other moments where I couldn’t wait for it to end, but I would definitely read another book in the series!
Thank you so much Ally for an arc of this book 🫶🏻
December 18, 2023
I received an ARC for my honest review. Thank you, Ally!
I loved reading Charles and Annabel’s story. From their meet-cute, to Charles helping Annabel work through her issues from past relationships, and Charles learning to accept love and help from others. I’d give the spice level 2/5, it wasn’t taking over the whole story line. Reading both sides, to include moments from the previous characters POV was quite nice to see. I do think a couple more moments to show Charles and Annabel’s relationship growth would have been nice to solidify Annabel’s “ah-ha” moment.
I can’t wait to read the next book in the series and kind of hope they pop up to see how they are doing!
I loved reading Charles and Annabel’s story. From their meet-cute, to Charles helping Annabel work through her issues from past relationships, and Charles learning to accept love and help from others. I’d give the spice level 2/5, it wasn’t taking over the whole story line. Reading both sides, to include moments from the previous characters POV was quite nice to see. I do think a couple more moments to show Charles and Annabel’s relationship growth would have been nice to solidify Annabel’s “ah-ha” moment.
I can’t wait to read the next book in the series and kind of hope they pop up to see how they are doing!
December 16, 2023
ARC review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I really enjoyed this book! It was seriously binge-worthy. I found it to be a fast paced read and I had a hard time putting it down.
I love books with dual perspective, and this one nailed it. Annabel and Charlie are both such interesting characters and I enjoyed both of their storylines. And of course their storylines coming together. A classic friends-with-benefits situation… us romantic girls all know how those turn out! 😉
Another theme I recognized and really loved was how easily the girls in this book came together, became friends, and had each others backs! It reminded me of how frequently us girls become friends in the bathroom of a bar ☺️
This was a great read and I can’t wait for book 2!
Happy Release Day, Ally!
I really enjoyed this book! It was seriously binge-worthy. I found it to be a fast paced read and I had a hard time putting it down.
I love books with dual perspective, and this one nailed it. Annabel and Charlie are both such interesting characters and I enjoyed both of their storylines. And of course their storylines coming together. A classic friends-with-benefits situation… us romantic girls all know how those turn out! 😉
Another theme I recognized and really loved was how easily the girls in this book came together, became friends, and had each others backs! It reminded me of how frequently us girls become friends in the bathroom of a bar ☺️
This was a great read and I can’t wait for book 2!
Happy Release Day, Ally!
December 12, 2023
Thank you @authorallywilliams for the free ARC copy of THINGS WE LOST AND FOUND! Here is my free review!
📖📖 Book Review 📖📖 Annabel has been down on her luck with bad boyfriends but the story starts with a meet cute with Charlie in a broken elevator 🥰. While some of the content is heavy, the writing is breezy, fun, and flirty with a side of 🌶️. The author addresses handling a parent’s dementia with dignity and grace. The relationship between Charlie and his brother caring for their mother is an honest breath of fresh air, relatable to so many of us who have dealt with an aging parent. And the chemistry between Annabel and Charlie is 🔥🔥🔥. And while I do love their spark, the importance of cultivating relationships and finding a village is what what seals the deal for me in Things We’ve Lost and Found. As I sit by the Christmas tree with my mother in hospice care, the crux of this story resonates with me, “That’s what life is about, finding people who give you life rather than take it away.”
📖📖 Book Review 📖📖 Annabel has been down on her luck with bad boyfriends but the story starts with a meet cute with Charlie in a broken elevator 🥰. While some of the content is heavy, the writing is breezy, fun, and flirty with a side of 🌶️. The author addresses handling a parent’s dementia with dignity and grace. The relationship between Charlie and his brother caring for their mother is an honest breath of fresh air, relatable to so many of us who have dealt with an aging parent. And the chemistry between Annabel and Charlie is 🔥🔥🔥. And while I do love their spark, the importance of cultivating relationships and finding a village is what what seals the deal for me in Things We’ve Lost and Found. As I sit by the Christmas tree with my mother in hospice care, the crux of this story resonates with me, “That’s what life is about, finding people who give you life rather than take it away.”
December 15, 2023
**I received an ARC of this book to review**
Although TWLAF started a little slow and took a little bit to get invested in, I really liked the book. It was a great mixture of sweet moments and the spice was *chef's kiss.* A romance book with spice that is easy to read can be hard to find (ones with no phrases that make you wince). This book does a great job of using spiciness to help bring the characters together. I tend to consume romance books at an alarming rate so if it is bad I'm not gonna read it. This one is great and I can't wait to see what happens in the second book!
Although TWLAF started a little slow and took a little bit to get invested in, I really liked the book. It was a great mixture of sweet moments and the spice was *chef's kiss.* A romance book with spice that is easy to read can be hard to find (ones with no phrases that make you wince). This book does a great job of using spiciness to help bring the characters together. I tend to consume romance books at an alarming rate so if it is bad I'm not gonna read it. This one is great and I can't wait to see what happens in the second book!
December 15, 2023
ARC Review- Things We've Lost and Found by Ally Williams
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Annabel hasn't had luck in the love department. After the third failed relationship Annabel has given up on love. Annabel is going to interview for a company when she gets stuck on the elevator. She meets a very handsome stranger on the elevator named Charles. Let's just say it was lust at first sight. Throughout the story Charles convinces Annabel to have a friend with benefits to make her forget about her past relationships. Little does Charles know that he cannot let Annabel go.
@authorallywilliams does an amazing job of showing the struggles that Annabel goes through with not feeling as if she is enough when it comes to friendships and relationships. She just wants to be put first. Charles struggles with commitment because he is afraid that once someone gets too close, they would want to leave. I loved how much both characters grew throughout the book, it had me rooting for them the whole time.
If you love books that have FWB, afraid of commitment, being stuck together in a confined space😉, afraid of being betrayed by someone you love over and over again. This book is for you!
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Annabel hasn't had luck in the love department. After the third failed relationship Annabel has given up on love. Annabel is going to interview for a company when she gets stuck on the elevator. She meets a very handsome stranger on the elevator named Charles. Let's just say it was lust at first sight. Throughout the story Charles convinces Annabel to have a friend with benefits to make her forget about her past relationships. Little does Charles know that he cannot let Annabel go.
@authorallywilliams does an amazing job of showing the struggles that Annabel goes through with not feeling as if she is enough when it comes to friendships and relationships. She just wants to be put first. Charles struggles with commitment because he is afraid that once someone gets too close, they would want to leave. I loved how much both characters grew throughout the book, it had me rooting for them the whole time.
If you love books that have FWB, afraid of commitment, being stuck together in a confined space😉, afraid of being betrayed by someone you love over and over again. This book is for you!
December 14, 2023
ARC review:
This was such a chill, easy, and enjoyable read. I think it was such a real story. The dynamic of the girls at the end was my absolute favourite.
I’m not a huge fan of insta love or relationships that progress quickly but I think this was done in quite a natural, smooth way. I was rooting for them from the start 🥹🥹
I loved how transparent they were with each other from the get go and how Charlie never once put Annabel down and always encouraged her to be herself and love what she loves 🫶
But I’m sorry, I cannot do the nickname ‘baby’, especially so often 😭😭
This was such a chill, easy, and enjoyable read. I think it was such a real story. The dynamic of the girls at the end was my absolute favourite.
I’m not a huge fan of insta love or relationships that progress quickly but I think this was done in quite a natural, smooth way. I was rooting for them from the start 🥹🥹
I loved how transparent they were with each other from the get go and how Charlie never once put Annabel down and always encouraged her to be herself and love what she loves 🫶
But I’m sorry, I cannot do the nickname ‘baby’, especially so often 😭😭
December 15, 2023
ARC review!
Overall, I really enjoyed Things We've Lost and Found. Imagine Cinderella, but she becomes friends with benefits with the prince when he returns her glass slipper. Oh, and her dress isn't blue; it's covered in polka dots.
There were a few parts that dragged and it took a bit longer than I would have liked for me to actually care about the characters, but once I reached a certain point in the story I could not put this book down.
I am thankful for being chosen to receive an ARC copy and look forward to reading the rest of the books in this series!
Overall, I really enjoyed Things We've Lost and Found. Imagine Cinderella, but she becomes friends with benefits with the prince when he returns her glass slipper. Oh, and her dress isn't blue; it's covered in polka dots.
There were a few parts that dragged and it took a bit longer than I would have liked for me to actually care about the characters, but once I reached a certain point in the story I could not put this book down.
I am thankful for being chosen to receive an ARC copy and look forward to reading the rest of the books in this series!
December 26, 2023
3.5
This was my first friends with benefits read and it was good. I felt like there wasn’t much conflict in the story and things wrapped up pretty quickly. It gave me insta live vibes. I enjoyed the story and the spice but I desired more.
This was my first friends with benefits read and it was good. I felt like there wasn’t much conflict in the story and things wrapped up pretty quickly. It gave me insta live vibes. I enjoyed the story and the spice but I desired more.
December 15, 2023
ARC review. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Honestly loved how binge-worthy of a read this was. I’m a sucker for a dual POV. I loved the development of the friendship with Mari. Also loved that we encourage women to stand up for themselves. 3rd act breakup but a quick resolution which I honestly prefer over both character being unhappy for a good 1/4 of a book. And of course a HEA.
The only reason I couldn’t give it a 5/5 was Layla. Like girl whyyyyyyyy. At first I thought the sneakiness was going to spin off into another book in the series but im very bitter/annoyed over that situation.
Honestly loved how binge-worthy of a read this was. I’m a sucker for a dual POV. I loved the development of the friendship with Mari. Also loved that we encourage women to stand up for themselves. 3rd act breakup but a quick resolution which I honestly prefer over both character being unhappy for a good 1/4 of a book. And of course a HEA.
The only reason I couldn’t give it a 5/5 was Layla. Like girl whyyyyyyyy. At first I thought the sneakiness was going to spin off into another book in the series but im very bitter/annoyed over that situation.
December 15, 2023
*I received an ARC copy of this book and am basing my review on this copy.
This book was cute and easy to read. I enjoyed getting to know both the FMC and MMC. I do wish there had been a little bit more of background for the FMC; I felt that the MMC was more developed. I disagree that the storyline felt rushed. I feel like even in the ending pages the resolution was not rushed at all, which seems to be the opposite of what I usually wind up seeing/reading in smut and/or romance books. It seemed like a slow burn in the beginning until about halfway through, but then there was just the right amount of spice once the storyline got there (I’d say 🌶️🌶️🌶️). I do feel like some phrases were overused and became distracting while I was reading, but otherwise this was an enjoyable read and I can’t wait for book #2!
This book was cute and easy to read. I enjoyed getting to know both the FMC and MMC. I do wish there had been a little bit more of background for the FMC; I felt that the MMC was more developed. I disagree that the storyline felt rushed. I feel like even in the ending pages the resolution was not rushed at all, which seems to be the opposite of what I usually wind up seeing/reading in smut and/or romance books. It seemed like a slow burn in the beginning until about halfway through, but then there was just the right amount of spice once the storyline got there (I’d say 🌶️🌶️🌶️). I do feel like some phrases were overused and became distracting while I was reading, but otherwise this was an enjoyable read and I can’t wait for book #2!
November 30, 2023
I received an ARC for review. I'm giving Things We've Lost and Found 4.5 stars---
I'm new to the whole read and review, but I did really enjoy this book. I found it easy to read and it kept my attention with the dual perspectives of the two main characters. I liked reading about Annabel and Charlie's budding "friendship" as well as the different friendships that ended up intertwining near the end. I did feel though that a lot of the story ended up with holes. I had to go back and reread a few pages to make sure that I knew who was saying what or how they ended up getting to certain points because it was slightly unclear. I also was confused by Annabel's friend Layla. Her character was incomplete and just sort of dropped off without any actual explanation. It would have also been nice to see a little more development about Charlie's mom. By the last few chapters it was almost like she wasn't even in the picture. I'm hoping that more can be explained in the next book.
I do really like how it ended though. Right when I was starting to lose a little hope on a typical guy not wanting to evaluate his feelings, with a few little shoves from the right people, he came through.
While this isn't my typical reading genre, it was a nice departure from my regular reading. I ended up enjoying it very much. Thank you Ally Williams!
I'm new to the whole read and review, but I did really enjoy this book. I found it easy to read and it kept my attention with the dual perspectives of the two main characters. I liked reading about Annabel and Charlie's budding "friendship" as well as the different friendships that ended up intertwining near the end. I did feel though that a lot of the story ended up with holes. I had to go back and reread a few pages to make sure that I knew who was saying what or how they ended up getting to certain points because it was slightly unclear. I also was confused by Annabel's friend Layla. Her character was incomplete and just sort of dropped off without any actual explanation. It would have also been nice to see a little more development about Charlie's mom. By the last few chapters it was almost like she wasn't even in the picture. I'm hoping that more can be explained in the next book.
I do really like how it ended though. Right when I was starting to lose a little hope on a typical guy not wanting to evaluate his feelings, with a few little shoves from the right people, he came through.
While this isn't my typical reading genre, it was a nice departure from my regular reading. I ended up enjoying it very much. Thank you Ally Williams!
December 7, 2023
ARC reader review….
This was such a cute story of strangers meeting, becoming FWB and then falling in love. Just the right about of 🌶️ for this type of book! I enjoyed the story line and how each chapter went back and forth to give each main characters POV. I started to feel bad for the FMC that everything seemed to go wrong for her all at once. I will definitely read the next one when it comes out!
This was such a cute story of strangers meeting, becoming FWB and then falling in love. Just the right about of 🌶️ for this type of book! I enjoyed the story line and how each chapter went back and forth to give each main characters POV. I started to feel bad for the FMC that everything seemed to go wrong for her all at once. I will definitely read the next one when it comes out!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 5, 2023
ARC REVIEW!!
This book was super cute. The characters were easy to love and easy to relate to. Aren’t we all scared sometimes to take that risk. Or don’t we all think we can handle something, only to fall head over heels? The author did a great job in the story line as well. However there were some parts that seemed to drag for me. That may be because I’m not as versed in the graphic design corporate world as the main character. But overall it was a cute read! I look forward to book 2!!
This book was super cute. The characters were easy to love and easy to relate to. Aren’t we all scared sometimes to take that risk. Or don’t we all think we can handle something, only to fall head over heels? The author did a great job in the story line as well. However there were some parts that seemed to drag for me. That may be because I’m not as versed in the graphic design corporate world as the main character. But overall it was a cute read! I look forward to book 2!!
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