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Text Me, Never
One wrong number. One unexpected connection. One rivalry that’s about to change everything.
Text Me Never is a witty, emotionally charged enemies-to-lovers rom-com about two high-powered rivals brought together by a drunken mistext, a high-stakes resort competition, and a whole lot of sexual tension.
He meant to text his ex.
She was not his ex.
But she might just be his downfall.
After catching his girlfriend in the ultimate betrayal, Nolan Rhodes does what any emotionally wrecked, slightly unhinged man would do—he deletes her number, then later, when the truth really sets in (along with the alcohol), he texts her a scathing goodbye.
Or at least, he thinks he does.
Turns out, he's off by one digit.
The stranger who responds?
She's quick-witted, razor-sharp, and far too tempting for a guy trying to avoid more heartbreak.
Rorie Adams does not have time for mystery men with boundary issues and broken hearts.
She's dealing with her own grief and on the verge of the biggest pitch of her career, and nothing—not even a flirty wrong number—can afford to get in the way.
But late-night messages become a habit.
Sarcasm turns into something softer.
And without ever meeting, they start to fall.
There's just one
They already know each other.
In real life, they're cutthroat rivals headed to the same luxurious island resort to land the same client.
But the second they lock eyes, the slow burn hits fast.
Now it’s fake names, stolen glances, and one unforgettable moment in a bathroom that neither of them is willing to talk about—but both of them can’t stop remembering.
He’s the man she’s sworn to outshine.
She’s the woman he can’t stop wanting.
And when the truth finally comes out?
Let’s just say… losing the client won’t be the worst thing that happens.
Text Me Never is a witty, emotionally charged enemies-to-lovers rom-com about two high-powered rivals brought together by a drunken mistext, a high-stakes resort competition, and a whole lot of sexual tension.
He meant to text his ex.
She was not his ex.
But she might just be his downfall.
After catching his girlfriend in the ultimate betrayal, Nolan Rhodes does what any emotionally wrecked, slightly unhinged man would do—he deletes her number, then later, when the truth really sets in (along with the alcohol), he texts her a scathing goodbye.
Or at least, he thinks he does.
Turns out, he's off by one digit.
The stranger who responds?
She's quick-witted, razor-sharp, and far too tempting for a guy trying to avoid more heartbreak.
Rorie Adams does not have time for mystery men with boundary issues and broken hearts.
She's dealing with her own grief and on the verge of the biggest pitch of her career, and nothing—not even a flirty wrong number—can afford to get in the way.
But late-night messages become a habit.
Sarcasm turns into something softer.
And without ever meeting, they start to fall.
There's just one
They already know each other.
In real life, they're cutthroat rivals headed to the same luxurious island resort to land the same client.
But the second they lock eyes, the slow burn hits fast.
Now it’s fake names, stolen glances, and one unforgettable moment in a bathroom that neither of them is willing to talk about—but both of them can’t stop remembering.
He’s the man she’s sworn to outshine.
She’s the woman he can’t stop wanting.
And when the truth finally comes out?
Let’s just say… losing the client won’t be the worst thing that happens.
- GenresRomance
474 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 13, 2025
88 people are currently reading
417 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews
January 5, 2026
SPOILERS!!!!
For safety readers, avoid. MMC was dating OW for over a year and considers himself in love with her. Chapter opens with him planning a very romantic montage of all their times together and he had a special night planned to ask her to move in with him (they were already semi living together because he stated that OW chose all his furniture and had her stuff all over his place.
Anyway, he walks into OW’s place where he finds her & an associate of his having sex and OW doesn’t even apologize, feel bad at cheating on him or even call or go to see him to offer an apology for days. When she does end up coming to see him, she makes no apologies and only comes to get her stuff. She does tell him that if he was truly in love with her, he would have offered her a ring instead of a key but she does appreciate all the many sweet things he did for her (aka romantic trips, expensive gifts, opening up to her more than he did to any other person, etc.) but she loves the OM and is moving in with him pronto. Up until then, he half expected her to comes back with an apology and he would take her back. Idiot that he is. Anyhoo, MMC is moping over OW for pretty much half of the story that I read until I DNF’d and we even get other relationships in his past that he got hurt & betrayed.
As for FMC, she too has an ex who did her wrong but unlike him, she is not moping around. When MC’s first meet, he was still in a relationship with OW and all we get is him smirking and finding FMC maybe attractive. Then after his breakup, he drunk texts FMC when he meant to text OW and they start this flirting and confiding in each other with no names. When he does interact with FMC on a competing business, he doesn’t realize its his text buddy so he flirts and finds her attractive but one minute we get his POV of how he doesn’t want anything serious right now as he is still hurt by OW and doesn’t want to do a rebound, while the next he claims he wants to find someone and have a real relationship. But then we go back to wallowing about the OW so this pattern of back & forth finally did me in and as I wasn’t invested in it in the first place with all the OW nonsense, I gladly trashed it.
And this is what he says about FMC (who as I said is his mystery text buddy/psychiatrist/flirt) :
“Mystery Texter’s just a friend. And Rorie?” I pause. “Well, she’s the splinter in my dick I can’t tweeze out. Sharp, buried deep, and somehow flares up when I least expect it.” Ewe!
So if you like non-romances and pathetic MCs who whine & whine until one’s head explodes and where the OW had all his good parts and FMC gets the leftovers, then this one is for you.
For safety readers, avoid. MMC was dating OW for over a year and considers himself in love with her. Chapter opens with him planning a very romantic montage of all their times together and he had a special night planned to ask her to move in with him (they were already semi living together because he stated that OW chose all his furniture and had her stuff all over his place.
Anyway, he walks into OW’s place where he finds her & an associate of his having sex and OW doesn’t even apologize, feel bad at cheating on him or even call or go to see him to offer an apology for days. When she does end up coming to see him, she makes no apologies and only comes to get her stuff. She does tell him that if he was truly in love with her, he would have offered her a ring instead of a key but she does appreciate all the many sweet things he did for her (aka romantic trips, expensive gifts, opening up to her more than he did to any other person, etc.) but she loves the OM and is moving in with him pronto. Up until then, he half expected her to comes back with an apology and he would take her back. Idiot that he is. Anyhoo, MMC is moping over OW for pretty much half of the story that I read until I DNF’d and we even get other relationships in his past that he got hurt & betrayed.
As for FMC, she too has an ex who did her wrong but unlike him, she is not moping around. When MC’s first meet, he was still in a relationship with OW and all we get is him smirking and finding FMC maybe attractive. Then after his breakup, he drunk texts FMC when he meant to text OW and they start this flirting and confiding in each other with no names. When he does interact with FMC on a competing business, he doesn’t realize its his text buddy so he flirts and finds her attractive but one minute we get his POV of how he doesn’t want anything serious right now as he is still hurt by OW and doesn’t want to do a rebound, while the next he claims he wants to find someone and have a real relationship. But then we go back to wallowing about the OW so this pattern of back & forth finally did me in and as I wasn’t invested in it in the first place with all the OW nonsense, I gladly trashed it.
And this is what he says about FMC (who as I said is his mystery text buddy/psychiatrist/flirt) :
“Mystery Texter’s just a friend. And Rorie?” I pause. “Well, she’s the splinter in my dick I can’t tweeze out. Sharp, buried deep, and somehow flares up when I least expect it.” Ewe!
So if you like non-romances and pathetic MCs who whine & whine until one’s head explodes and where the OW had all his good parts and FMC gets the leftovers, then this one is for you.
May 1, 2025
Welcome, reader!
I’m so glad you picked up Text Me Never. I hope you fall hard for Rorie and Nolan—their banter, their rivalry, their heat, and the way they challenge each other at every turn. This story is packed with summer vibes, sizzling tension, laugh-out-loud moments, and one very wrong number that changes everything. Thanks for being here. I hope you love it as much as I loved writing it.
Happy Reading,
Cedar
One mistaken text. Two workplace rivals. Zero chill.
When heartbroken Nolan Rhodes sends a scathing breakup text to his ex—only to mistype the number—it lands in the inbox of Rorie Adams, a sharp-tongued strategist with no time for drama… unless it’s delivered with this level of poetic rage. Intrigued, Rorie texts back. What starts as snarky back-and-forth quickly spirals into a connection neither of them saw coming.
They have no idea they already know each other. Or that they’re about to be forced into close quarters on a tropical island for a high-stakes pitch competition. And when sparks fly in real life, the truth threatens to ruin everything.
Enemies. Strangers. Soulmates?
Only one thing’s certain: this summer, the line between business and pleasure is about to get very, very blurry.
I’m so glad you picked up Text Me Never. I hope you fall hard for Rorie and Nolan—their banter, their rivalry, their heat, and the way they challenge each other at every turn. This story is packed with summer vibes, sizzling tension, laugh-out-loud moments, and one very wrong number that changes everything. Thanks for being here. I hope you love it as much as I loved writing it.
Happy Reading,
Cedar
One mistaken text. Two workplace rivals. Zero chill.
When heartbroken Nolan Rhodes sends a scathing breakup text to his ex—only to mistype the number—it lands in the inbox of Rorie Adams, a sharp-tongued strategist with no time for drama… unless it’s delivered with this level of poetic rage. Intrigued, Rorie texts back. What starts as snarky back-and-forth quickly spirals into a connection neither of them saw coming.
They have no idea they already know each other. Or that they’re about to be forced into close quarters on a tropical island for a high-stakes pitch competition. And when sparks fly in real life, the truth threatens to ruin everything.
Enemies. Strangers. Soulmates?
Only one thing’s certain: this summer, the line between business and pleasure is about to get very, very blurry.
May 18, 2025
hilarious and fun!
I’m so glad I stumbled upon this gem! It was such a fun read I didn’t want it to end, and I hope there will be a book 2 so we can see what’s going on with M&A. My favorite part was millennial trivia night, and Jeremy is a hilarious character. All the side characters are so fun! I could totally see this as a movie. The only negative I saw was that it really could have used another round of editing because there were still quite a few typos and missing words that sometimes made it tricky to figure out what a sentence was trying to say, but otherwise it was a perfect fun enemies/rivals-to-lovers romance. The writing itself was great, and I think indie authors deserve leniency when it comes to small things like typos. Any book that makes me laugh out loud multiple times gets 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and 🌶️🌶️🌶️
I’m so glad I stumbled upon this gem! It was such a fun read I didn’t want it to end, and I hope there will be a book 2 so we can see what’s going on with M&A. My favorite part was millennial trivia night, and Jeremy is a hilarious character. All the side characters are so fun! I could totally see this as a movie. The only negative I saw was that it really could have used another round of editing because there were still quite a few typos and missing words that sometimes made it tricky to figure out what a sentence was trying to say, but otherwise it was a perfect fun enemies/rivals-to-lovers romance. The writing itself was great, and I think indie authors deserve leniency when it comes to small things like typos. Any book that makes me laugh out loud multiple times gets 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and 🌶️🌶️🌶️
May 15, 2025
This book made me feel all of the emotions. I raged at some characters, felt deeply for others, and laughed out loud too many times to count. Cedar writes in a way that makes you feel a part of the story. Makes you feel completely immersed. She writes like she has been published for years instead of a debut author. This book is pure perfection. It has the most amazing side characters I’ve ever read, a steamy MMC, a wonderfully snarky FMC, and banter that is on point. I will be recommending this book to everyone I know. And I look forward to devouring everything Cedar writes in the future.
July 27, 2025
Rorie. Nolan. The love. The hate. The spice at reaper chili level. The utter heartbreak. The kintsugi that takes place made me sob. And sprinkled in for comedy is Jeremy. This is not for casual romance readers. The bathroom scene will cause you to rethink the bar bathrooms. Read this story to help them find their North all over again. And again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 13, 2025
This book is full of witty banter & will keep you laughing.
Follow Rorie & Nolan along their witty, emotionally charged journey in this enemies to lovers RomCom and it all starts with one text to the wrong number ☺️💖🌅🌊
This story is so fun! I absolutely love the banter between not only them, but all the characters!
it is a MUST READ!!
Follow Rorie & Nolan along their witty, emotionally charged journey in this enemies to lovers RomCom and it all starts with one text to the wrong number ☺️💖🌅🌊
This story is so fun! I absolutely love the banter between not only them, but all the characters!
it is a MUST READ!!
May 14, 2025
I. AM. SO. OBSESSED. THE BAAAANTER AND ITS HILARIOUS. omg if you love side characters like ridoc or carrion, meet Rishi and Jeremy. I. LOVE. THIS BOOK. for all you meghan quinn girlie's THIS IS IT. YES. SO. HARD. AND THE SPICE. ugh. just yes. I NEED EVERYONE TO READ THIS....and then maybe listen to the audio this summer 😏
May 20, 2025
This was pure, brilliant, witty comedic gold! I imagine Cedar did an epic mic drop after typing out the last lines of this incredibly charming, funny, swoony story. It’s the kind of book that makes you laugh out loud, root for every character, and feel like you’ve just made new best friends. An absolute must-read. Girl, you are going places!
May 17, 2025
In LOVE!!
This was such a fantastic banter filled read. It was light, funny and heartwarming. But it was also deep and relatable. There’s nothing better than second chances, true love and finding your way in the world. Nolan is a beautiful man with a filthy mouth and I love it. And side characters? Where can I find a Jeremy?? And why is he always missing a shoe?! 😂 I cannot wait to read more from Cedar!
This was such a fantastic banter filled read. It was light, funny and heartwarming. But it was also deep and relatable. There’s nothing better than second chances, true love and finding your way in the world. Nolan is a beautiful man with a filthy mouth and I love it. And side characters? Where can I find a Jeremy?? And why is he always missing a shoe?! 😂 I cannot wait to read more from Cedar!
May 19, 2025
The banter was top tier 💋🤌🏻. Jeremy is the best, absolutely hilarious 😂
May 17, 2025
Love it
Couldnt put the book down!I loved the characters, they could be your friends. Jeremy was a hoot, couldnt get enough of him!
Couldnt put the book down!I loved the characters, they could be your friends. Jeremy was a hoot, couldnt get enough of him!
May 16, 2025
A cute corporate enemies to lovers rom-com. Spice level 3. Cute back and forth growth between both main characters. He falls first while she denies her feelings.
May 16, 2025
This book is EVERYTHING! Funny, real, loveable characters. Great plot. My top read of the year so far.
September 17, 2025
I can see why so many people love this book. I really do and honestly it was enjoyable but the banter felt somewhat forced to me and the 3rd act break up situation was down right stupid. it felt like it was added as a last minute conflict and could've been easily solved. I wanted it to be more.
was it enjoyable? yes.
do I like the anonymous texting trope? hell yea
was there banter and spice? yes and yes!
biggest gripe was the plot points and the forced banter. the sassy gay friend was such a cliche and felt like a poor mans Hadriel from a Ruin of Roses lol but with less demon smexy parties, although I bet he'd have been down.
was it enjoyable? yes.
do I like the anonymous texting trope? hell yea
was there banter and spice? yes and yes!
biggest gripe was the plot points and the forced banter. the sassy gay friend was such a cliche and felt like a poor mans Hadriel from a Ruin of Roses lol but with less demon smexy parties, although I bet he'd have been down.
August 6, 2025
So glad I stumbled across Cedar James on TikTok—this book had me hooked from the very first page!
I absolutely loved the characters. Rorie is a rising PR boss babe with big goals, and Nolan is already killing it at a rival firm. A random run-in and one wrong number text later, and their worlds collide in the best way.
“What keeps us steady? What makes us stay in one place? I guess I’ve always thought of anchors as these heavy objects that keep you stuck. But now I’ve realized that it doesn’t weigh you down. It makes you stop drifting.”
“Find your North, and anchor yourself to it.”
I absolutely loved the characters. Rorie is a rising PR boss babe with big goals, and Nolan is already killing it at a rival firm. A random run-in and one wrong number text later, and their worlds collide in the best way.
“What keeps us steady? What makes us stay in one place? I guess I’ve always thought of anchors as these heavy objects that keep you stuck. But now I’ve realized that it doesn’t weigh you down. It makes you stop drifting.”
“Find your North, and anchor yourself to it.”
July 13, 2025
I have never fallen in love faster than I did with these characters . Not only did I read the ebook , I will be buying the physical , then watch me run to Audible to listen when it releases ! I honestly believe Cedar is one to watch . A debut like this is something others dream of. I can’t wait to read what releases next from this author . Everything was 10/10
Thank you for giving us a new world to live in and characters to laugh , love , & cry with !
Also the spice be spicing 🔥🔥🔥
Thank you for giving us a new world to live in and characters to laugh , love , & cry with !
Also the spice be spicing 🔥🔥🔥
May 26, 2025
Holy emotional rollercoaster. Not only was the banter top tier and funny as hell but the feels were definitely brought.
The slow burn was burning. The separation was tragic and so far at the end that I wasn't convinced there'd be an HEA.
But we got there and it was a beautiful disaster ❤️
The slow burn was burning. The separation was tragic and so far at the end that I wasn't convinced there'd be an HEA.
But we got there and it was a beautiful disaster ❤️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 28, 2025
Don’t start this book until you are ready to put your life on pause and dive headfirst into their world, because the writing is going to suck you in and leave you wishing you could stay longer when you finally turn that last page. It’s real, it’s messy, and it’s pretty spicy.
May 24, 2025
3.5🌶️🌶️🌶️
Tropes- work rivals, second chance love, wrong number, dirty mouth golden retriever, great beater. Slow 🔥
This was an amazing read. Loved every minute of this book. The characters were beautifully written and the plot was perfect. Loved the fmc rorie and her sassy spunky personality take no shit. Nolan our mmc was just a delicious golden retriever with the best filthy mouth. The banter in this book was amazing and the side characters kept me laughing so hard I cried especially Jeremy. This is a must read for anyone looking for a great second chance romance with amazing banter and sexual tension.
Tropes- work rivals, second chance love, wrong number, dirty mouth golden retriever, great beater. Slow 🔥
This was an amazing read. Loved every minute of this book. The characters were beautifully written and the plot was perfect. Loved the fmc rorie and her sassy spunky personality take no shit. Nolan our mmc was just a delicious golden retriever with the best filthy mouth. The banter in this book was amazing and the side characters kept me laughing so hard I cried especially Jeremy. This is a must read for anyone looking for a great second chance romance with amazing banter and sexual tension.
May 17, 2025
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
Review: What an absolutely amazing debut by Cedar James. I was hyped up for weeks ready to read this book and man did it not disappoint. I was locked in from the very beginning and had to pry it from my hands at 4am to put it down just so I could sleep. I did read this in less than 24 hours that was how fantastic this was. The journey Cedar took us on in this book had me on an emotional rollercoaster but in the best way.
Text Me, Never is full of witty and funny banter between our MCs Rorie and Nolan who are both working for rival companies. It all starts with a text to an ex and a wrong number. The relationship between them grows and blooms and it was such a fun adventure of growth and love. You will also not be disappointed in our side characters as well. Jeremy constantly had me in stitches and the advice and common sense he brings to the conversation is literally what we all need in a friend sometimes. He really doesn't sugar coat anything and it was honestly a breath of fresh air.
If there is one book, I could recommend you reading it is this one. It will have you falling apart with laugher and fanning yourself over how delicious Nolan is. Amazing job Cedar James and congratulations on your debut novel. I can't wait to see what your write next.
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
Review: What an absolutely amazing debut by Cedar James. I was hyped up for weeks ready to read this book and man did it not disappoint. I was locked in from the very beginning and had to pry it from my hands at 4am to put it down just so I could sleep. I did read this in less than 24 hours that was how fantastic this was. The journey Cedar took us on in this book had me on an emotional rollercoaster but in the best way.
Text Me, Never is full of witty and funny banter between our MCs Rorie and Nolan who are both working for rival companies. It all starts with a text to an ex and a wrong number. The relationship between them grows and blooms and it was such a fun adventure of growth and love. You will also not be disappointed in our side characters as well. Jeremy constantly had me in stitches and the advice and common sense he brings to the conversation is literally what we all need in a friend sometimes. He really doesn't sugar coat anything and it was honestly a breath of fresh air.
If there is one book, I could recommend you reading it is this one. It will have you falling apart with laugher and fanning yourself over how delicious Nolan is. Amazing job Cedar James and congratulations on your debut novel. I can't wait to see what your write next.
May 19, 2025
This was such a great book! The characters were fantastic. I truly enjoyed the constant, witty banter! Loved it!
March 12, 2026
This was a cute read, full of banter and wit. It did come off cringy alot of the time though, like it was almost trying too hard to be funny. If the author just dialed back some of it a little it would have been great. It was just a little too much like no one talks that way so I found my self getting the ick quiet a bit.
January 15, 2026
This book is full of witty banter, humor, spice, and heartwarming moments. I do feel like the reconciliation after the 3rd act breakup was rushed, but overall I thoroughly enjoyed the book.
May 19, 2025
This book was a chaotic wild ride!! I have never laughed so hard at text message in pages. Nor have I ever wanted to punt a character like I did Jaxson 🤮.
Can we have a separate round of applause for Jeremy?!
Cedar… bravo! Congratulations on your debut! It was amazing!
Can we have a separate round of applause for Jeremy?!
Cedar… bravo! Congratulations on your debut! It was amazing!
December 5, 2025
100 pages less, the third falling out was too much
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 24, 2025
This was a cute read. I loved the enemies to lovers and the suspense building up between Nolan and Rorie. Nolan accidentally texting Rorie unknowingly thinking it was Chloe, such fun. Jeremy is hilarious, I hope he gets his own book. There was some typos and missing words in this but I was easily able to figure out what the sentence was supposed to say. I think this was a little longer than it needed to be. I found myself getting bored towards the end but I still enjoyed it. Looking forward to reading Cedar’s Christmas book soon!
February 28, 2026
The first half of this book was honestly fairly strong. The banter was sharp, the chemistry worked, and the pacing felt tight and intentional. The author clearly excels at dialogue. I found myself chuckling a lot, and it was genuinely funny. For a good chunk of the story, I was fully in it. Solid 4 star rom com energy.
And then the back half happened.
It genuinely feels like the story reached its natural climax… and then kept going. And going. And going.
Instead of building on the established emotional arc, the final stretch introduces multiple new conflicts, tonal shifts, and lessons that don’t organically grow from what came before. Emotional beats start contradicting previously established character motivations. Themes get restated, reshuffled, and rebranded several times. By the end, it feels less like escalation and more like three different books stitched together.
The biggest issue for me was structural. Character arcs are set up clearly in the first half, but their payoffs either happen off page, get reassigned to other characters, or are replaced by new conflicts entirely. It undercuts earlier emotional moments that were actually working. The result is tonal whiplash. We move from spicy banter rom com to heavy moral reckoning to coastal reinvention fantasy in a matter of chapters.
It also needed tighter editing in the final section. The back half had noticeable typos and awkward phrasing that weren’t present earlier, which only amplified the feeling that things unraveled structurally. There’s corporate drama. Reinvention fantasy. Family subplot. Grand romantic gesture. Time skip domesticity. Wedding epilogue. All layered into the final act in a way that feels rushed rather than earned.
That said, this isn’t a talent issue. The author clearly has strengths. She does well as far as dialogue, banter, and romantic tension. The foundation of this book is solid. The author just has a problem with trying to make fetch happen, and not trusting her own story. That’s what ultimately tanked this book for me.
Had the story trusted its original arc and ended closer to its emotional high point, this could have easily stayed in 3 or 4 star territory for me. Instead, the back half undermined the strength of the first. I was very disappointed, not because it was bad from the start, but because it didn’t have to go off the rails like that.
And then the back half happened.
It genuinely feels like the story reached its natural climax… and then kept going. And going. And going.
Instead of building on the established emotional arc, the final stretch introduces multiple new conflicts, tonal shifts, and lessons that don’t organically grow from what came before. Emotional beats start contradicting previously established character motivations. Themes get restated, reshuffled, and rebranded several times. By the end, it feels less like escalation and more like three different books stitched together.
The biggest issue for me was structural. Character arcs are set up clearly in the first half, but their payoffs either happen off page, get reassigned to other characters, or are replaced by new conflicts entirely. It undercuts earlier emotional moments that were actually working. The result is tonal whiplash. We move from spicy banter rom com to heavy moral reckoning to coastal reinvention fantasy in a matter of chapters.
It also needed tighter editing in the final section. The back half had noticeable typos and awkward phrasing that weren’t present earlier, which only amplified the feeling that things unraveled structurally. There’s corporate drama. Reinvention fantasy. Family subplot. Grand romantic gesture. Time skip domesticity. Wedding epilogue. All layered into the final act in a way that feels rushed rather than earned.
That said, this isn’t a talent issue. The author clearly has strengths. She does well as far as dialogue, banter, and romantic tension. The foundation of this book is solid. The author just has a problem with trying to make fetch happen, and not trusting her own story. That’s what ultimately tanked this book for me.
Had the story trusted its original arc and ended closer to its emotional high point, this could have easily stayed in 3 or 4 star territory for me. Instead, the back half undermined the strength of the first. I was very disappointed, not because it was bad from the start, but because it didn’t have to go off the rails like that.
June 4, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Text Me Never is an absolute gem of a debut—Cedar James totally nailed it! I picked this one up thinking it would be a fun read based on the blurb, but it completely blew me away. The thing that sold me from the start? The epic sarcasm and razor-sharp one-liners. 😆 The witty banter? Chef’s kiss 🤌🏻 The tension? Off the charts🥵. And the slow burn?? It nearly killed me, but trust me—it was so worth the wait.🔥🔥
The romance had me full-on swooning, and while the overall plot was fairly predictable, there were just enough little twists to keep things fresh. I really enjoyed the pacing and how the story unfolded. The writing was so enjoyable—clever, engaging, and packed with emotion in all the right places. Nolan was such a sweetheart (though I wouldn’t have minded a bit more depth to his backstory), and Rorie? She’s relatable, smart, and such a badass. Loved her!
If you’re looking for a steamy romcom that’ll have you laughing, swooning, and texting your bestie quotes from the pages, this one’s a must-read for your summer TBR!
🌶️🌶️
Quote: “It’s a digital meet-cute!”
Tropes included:
🏝️ Workplace rivals to lovers
🏝️ Secret identities
🏝️ Forced proximity
🏝️ Slow burn romance
🏝️ Banter-filled texting
🏝️ Grumpy x sunshine vibes
Text Me Never is an absolute gem of a debut—Cedar James totally nailed it! I picked this one up thinking it would be a fun read based on the blurb, but it completely blew me away. The thing that sold me from the start? The epic sarcasm and razor-sharp one-liners. 😆 The witty banter? Chef’s kiss 🤌🏻 The tension? Off the charts🥵. And the slow burn?? It nearly killed me, but trust me—it was so worth the wait.🔥🔥
The romance had me full-on swooning, and while the overall plot was fairly predictable, there were just enough little twists to keep things fresh. I really enjoyed the pacing and how the story unfolded. The writing was so enjoyable—clever, engaging, and packed with emotion in all the right places. Nolan was such a sweetheart (though I wouldn’t have minded a bit more depth to his backstory), and Rorie? She’s relatable, smart, and such a badass. Loved her!
If you’re looking for a steamy romcom that’ll have you laughing, swooning, and texting your bestie quotes from the pages, this one’s a must-read for your summer TBR!
🌶️🌶️
Quote: “It’s a digital meet-cute!”
Tropes included:
🏝️ Workplace rivals to lovers
🏝️ Secret identities
🏝️ Forced proximity
🏝️ Slow burn romance
🏝️ Banter-filled texting
🏝️ Grumpy x sunshine vibes
June 13, 2025
Absolutely amazing story
This book was unexpected but I loved it!!! The humor and witty comebacks these two characters have that fill their banter was perfect!!! Rorie and Nolan are rivals from different companies, going head to head trying to land clients. And when they finally come face to face outside of a boardroom the insults and comebacks are filled with a sexual tension I didn't think possible for book characters!! When he randomly texts the wrong number and she continues to respond it adds one more layer to their relationship. When they finally get together the chemistry they have is top-tier!!! I shed a few tears when the betrayal happens and a few more when they fix everything and get their happy ending!!! I absolutely loved the epilogue from Jeremy's perspective and his special kind of humor, I hope we get to see him get a love story with a happy ending soon!!!
This book was unexpected but I loved it!!! The humor and witty comebacks these two characters have that fill their banter was perfect!!! Rorie and Nolan are rivals from different companies, going head to head trying to land clients. And when they finally come face to face outside of a boardroom the insults and comebacks are filled with a sexual tension I didn't think possible for book characters!! When he randomly texts the wrong number and she continues to respond it adds one more layer to their relationship. When they finally get together the chemistry they have is top-tier!!! I shed a few tears when the betrayal happens and a few more when they fix everything and get their happy ending!!! I absolutely loved the epilogue from Jeremy's perspective and his special kind of humor, I hope we get to see him get a love story with a happy ending soon!!!
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