What do you think?
Rate this book
Love, Second Chances and Other Nonsense
Moving to my fiance Adam's hometown was supposed to be an adventure, the beginning of our life together. Instead, I'm met by his unwelcoming family and an old friend who wants more than friendship from Adam.
Adam swears Millie is just a friend, like a little sister to him. That their feelings for each other are completely platonic.
I just wonder if she believes this.
To his family and friends, I'm the outsider standing in the way of Adam and Millie's destined love story.
And when Adam proves repeatedly that he will choose Millie over me? I decide to choose myself and leave.
There is nothing like hard work to distract you from a broken heart, and so I throw myself into fixing up my grandmother's derelict house and helping in my family's struggling restaurant.
But now Adam is back. And he says he's going to prove to me I'm the one he wants.
My aunt and uncle are clearly softening towards him. My cousin wants to help me hide his body.
He let me down once.
Dare I trust him with my heart again?
Adam swears Millie is just a friend, like a little sister to him. That their feelings for each other are completely platonic.
I just wonder if she believes this.
To his family and friends, I'm the outsider standing in the way of Adam and Millie's destined love story.
And when Adam proves repeatedly that he will choose Millie over me? I decide to choose myself and leave.
There is nothing like hard work to distract you from a broken heart, and so I throw myself into fixing up my grandmother's derelict house and helping in my family's struggling restaurant.
But now Adam is back. And he says he's going to prove to me I'm the one he wants.
My aunt and uncle are clearly softening towards him. My cousin wants to help me hide his body.
He let me down once.
Dare I trust him with my heart again?
422 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 15, 2025
775 people are currently reading
454 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 212 reviews
September 29, 2025
such a big fat loser, cooking for ow multiple times a week sometimes in their own home without telling her, going on a cruise with her and his family without her DURING THANKSGIVING AND LEAVING HER ALONE IN A TOWN WHERE SHE DOESN'T KNOW ANYONE, constantly leaving her alone, the whole Halloween debacle, never standing up for her to his narc mom etc.
she left everyone she knew for him to end up like this,,,,
Punishment never fits the crime imo, sure it was longer, and they never returned to that town, but it still makes me sick, he never planned to tell her they shared a room on the cruise (he knew it was iffy but not too iffy) it took him ow kissing her to wake up (ow even said you picked me over and over again)
i get narc moms manipulations, but you are 30 years old man you should have woken up sooner
ow and him dated in senior year (he never did beyond kissing her in hs, never wanted to date her, his mom pushed him)
she left everyone she knew for him to end up like this,,,,
Punishment never fits the crime imo, sure it was longer, and they never returned to that town, but it still makes me sick, he never planned to tell her they shared a room on the cruise (he knew it was iffy but not too iffy) it took him ow kissing her to wake up (ow even said you picked me over and over again)
i get narc moms manipulations, but you are 30 years old man you should have woken up sooner
ow and him dated in senior year (he never did beyond kissing her in hs, never wanted to date her, his mom pushed him)
October 14, 2025
I really enjoyed this book, but I LOVE OW drama and am partial to this scenario… when the H is completely blind to the machinations of his female best friend. I even have an entire shelf dedicated to it. Add in even more drama from his bitchy mom and sister… Yum! But and this is a big BUT, you have to enjoy the drama of a second-best situation or you’re going to HATE this.
The blurb sets it up; Adam and Caitlin are engaged and have recently moved to his hometown. The book opens with them at Millie (his childhood friend) dad’s funeral. This starts the cycle of Millie falling apart and incessantly needing her emotional support person, Adam, and him being at her beck and call.
We all have different opinions, but if we have similar tastes in books, I didn’t consider this emotional cheating. For me that requires a level of intimacy, a deep emotional connection, sharing secrets, dreams, and intense feelings. I didn’t pick up any of that from Adam, but he did CONTINUALLY prioritize Millie over Caitlin. He was basically her bitch, but it was because he was under his mommy’s thumb not because he had feelings for Millie.
The Good
💌 I loved the way the author portrayed Caitlin. I was feeling all the feels right along with her: anger, frustration, hurt, jealousy, etc. She wasn’t a doormat, communicated, tried to be supportive, but set healthy boundaries.
💌 I like how she handled Adam’s “expectation” issues. Many readers will walk away and say Adam was a wimp, but I’ve worked within youth groups for years and have seen how much damage parents can do to children with their words. I liked how he took responsibility because ultimately, we are responsible for our actions, and so many authors want to use trauma as a means to brush off shitty behavior, but I also appreciated that it was acknowledged as a factor.
💌 The groveling was extensive in word and deed. He respected her pace and didn’t bully his way into her life or force things. I do think she should have followed up with him attending therapy since she opened the door with the uncle suggesting it and bringing his into the plot.
The Not-so Good
⚫ This is a Jac thing, but I dislike flashbacks. It makes for a disjointed narrative and messes with my flow.
⚫ The middle hunk got monotonous and started to drag. I think she could’ve shaved 50-70 pages out easily.
Bottom Line- This is one of those books that I purchased and highlighted scenes that I will reread repeatedly when I’m in the mood for OW, second best, aggravation drama. If that doesn’t sound appealing to you, I’d skip it. The first half was so dramatic, and the second half was Adam groveling and trying to make amends. It drags a bit but picks up again towards the end.
The blurb sets it up; Adam and Caitlin are engaged and have recently moved to his hometown. The book opens with them at Millie (his childhood friend) dad’s funeral. This starts the cycle of Millie falling apart and incessantly needing her emotional support person, Adam, and him being at her beck and call.
We all have different opinions, but if we have similar tastes in books, I didn’t consider this emotional cheating. For me that requires a level of intimacy, a deep emotional connection, sharing secrets, dreams, and intense feelings. I didn’t pick up any of that from Adam, but he did CONTINUALLY prioritize Millie over Caitlin. He was basically her bitch, but it was because he was under his mommy’s thumb not because he had feelings for Millie.
The Good
💌 I loved the way the author portrayed Caitlin. I was feeling all the feels right along with her: anger, frustration, hurt, jealousy, etc. She wasn’t a doormat, communicated, tried to be supportive, but set healthy boundaries.
💌 I like how she handled Adam’s “expectation” issues. Many readers will walk away and say Adam was a wimp, but I’ve worked within youth groups for years and have seen how much damage parents can do to children with their words. I liked how he took responsibility because ultimately, we are responsible for our actions, and so many authors want to use trauma as a means to brush off shitty behavior, but I also appreciated that it was acknowledged as a factor.
💌 The groveling was extensive in word and deed. He respected her pace and didn’t bully his way into her life or force things. I do think she should have followed up with him attending therapy since she opened the door with the uncle suggesting it and bringing his into the plot.
The Not-so Good
⚫ This is a Jac thing, but I dislike flashbacks. It makes for a disjointed narrative and messes with my flow.
⚫ The middle hunk got monotonous and started to drag. I think she could’ve shaved 50-70 pages out easily.
Bottom Line- This is one of those books that I purchased and highlighted scenes that I will reread repeatedly when I’m in the mood for OW, second best, aggravation drama. If that doesn’t sound appealing to you, I’d skip it. The first half was so dramatic, and the second half was Adam groveling and trying to make amends. It drags a bit but picks up again towards the end.
did-not-finish
October 3, 2025DNF at 54%.
I thought I could go through with this, but nope, I'm done. After the epic disaster in all proportions of this first half, I don't think any amount of groveling would suffice for Adam's stupidity. The things he did and the way he made Caitlyn feel are absolutely unforgivable. I could rant on and on about how dumb he is, but that would take time and energy, which I lost just reading this. So no, I won't be writing another long review. It's just a matter of preference, and this book is definitely not for me. 🤷🏼♀️
I thought I could go through with this, but nope, I'm done. After the epic disaster in all proportions of this first half, I don't think any amount of groveling would suffice for Adam's stupidity. The things he did and the way he made Caitlyn feel are absolutely unforgivable. I could rant on and on about how dumb he is, but that would take time and energy, which I lost just reading this. So no, I won't be writing another long review. It's just a matter of preference, and this book is definitely not for me. 🤷🏼♀️
September 18, 2025
okay let me say that i LOVED the h. she had her moments where i wanted to yell at her for giving the H two chances after he messed up but she openly communicated her feelings, her doubts, and her expectations for how she wanted to get over the hurdle that is the H’s childhood best friend (the ow) and when he didn’t keep his promises she left him. it’s not her fault that the H is a dumbass and kept fucking up.
i need to get the big question out of the way in that yes the H and ow dated in high school. he was literally raised to believe that her happiness and well being was THE most important thing and that really plays a part in why he acted the way he did. HOWEVER. he NEVER loved her like that. he only dated her (for a his senior year of high school) because everyone in their town pressured him to do it. they only ever kissed and he never once slept with her or wanted to sleep with her. he broke up with her because he wanted to get away from the pressures of always having to take care of the ow. and that’s why he went to college out of state and eventually met the h.
did he make MULTIPLE bad choices and neglect the h? yes he did. he would be at the ow’s beck and call basically and she would always be “having a crisis” when the h and H spent time together. he invited her over to their house without the h knowing and never stood up for her when his friends ignored her, when his mother and sister would belittle her, NOTHINGGGGGG. he was trash. like rage inducing hot garbage juice. the thing that saved this for me? the h. she stood on business and she was petty and she didn’t take him back until like 90% 😂
i don’t want to spoil like the ENTIRE book but the H had me wanting to throw my kindle into a fire but then you kind of understand why he acted that way and most importantly HE understood why he did what he did but he didn’t make excuses. he did what needed to be done in relation to his family and the ow and in the end i believe everyone got what they deserved 😏😏😏
there is some MINIMAL om drama in someone the h’s cousin sets her up with and she goes on a coffee date with him and immediately tells him she only wants to be friends and he is actually amazing and nice and knows everyone and i hope he gets a book and he also had the H super jealous for no reason which was SO fun to read about.
SUPER SPOILER FOR THE SAFETY SQUAD: 🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩
it is important (for me) to not that the ow always told the h that she was the H’s first EVERYTHING. but she wasn’t. she wasn’t even his first kiss. he had a girlfriend that he dated in secret (as to not upset the ow and his mom 🙄🙄🙄🙄) but he felt bad for neglecting her so they broke up and THATS when he dated the ow. so he already had his firsts with someone else but the ow made it seem like they were soulmates to make the h feel some type of way. they both seemed to have healthy lives prior to dating but none was mentioned in detail and the prologue was literally just the H gushing about how much he loves the h.
i need to get the big question out of the way in that yes the H and ow dated in high school. he was literally raised to believe that her happiness and well being was THE most important thing and that really plays a part in why he acted the way he did. HOWEVER. he NEVER loved her like that. he only dated her (for a his senior year of high school) because everyone in their town pressured him to do it. they only ever kissed and he never once slept with her or wanted to sleep with her. he broke up with her because he wanted to get away from the pressures of always having to take care of the ow. and that’s why he went to college out of state and eventually met the h.
did he make MULTIPLE bad choices and neglect the h? yes he did. he would be at the ow’s beck and call basically and she would always be “having a crisis” when the h and H spent time together. he invited her over to their house without the h knowing and never stood up for her when his friends ignored her, when his mother and sister would belittle her, NOTHINGGGGGG. he was trash. like rage inducing hot garbage juice. the thing that saved this for me? the h. she stood on business and she was petty and she didn’t take him back until like 90% 😂
i don’t want to spoil like the ENTIRE book but the H had me wanting to throw my kindle into a fire but then you kind of understand why he acted that way and most importantly HE understood why he did what he did but he didn’t make excuses. he did what needed to be done in relation to his family and the ow and in the end i believe everyone got what they deserved 😏😏😏
there is some MINIMAL om drama in someone the h’s cousin sets her up with and she goes on a coffee date with him and immediately tells him she only wants to be friends and he is actually amazing and nice and knows everyone and i hope he gets a book and he also had the H super jealous for no reason which was SO fun to read about.
SUPER SPOILER FOR THE SAFETY SQUAD: 🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩
it is important (for me) to not that the ow always told the h that she was the H’s first EVERYTHING. but she wasn’t. she wasn’t even his first kiss. he had a girlfriend that he dated in secret (as to not upset the ow and his mom 🙄🙄🙄🙄) but he felt bad for neglecting her so they broke up and THATS when he dated the ow. so he already had his firsts with someone else but the ow made it seem like they were soulmates to make the h feel some type of way. they both seemed to have healthy lives prior to dating but none was mentioned in detail and the prologue was literally just the H gushing about how much he loves the h.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 8, 2025
I was curious about this book after reading many reviews that were not exactly positive. But the plot is one of my favorites, so I gave it a try. Basically when the hero puts his female bestie and childhood sweetheart before the heroine again and again until the heroine leaves him.
And sue me, I liked it.
The hero is actually a dumb fugg, and the heroine is quite dense herself since it took her months of neglect and mistreatment before she decided to leave.
The books starts when hero’s bestie has just lost her dad. The funeral itself is a study in second hand embarrassment. The heroine is left alone while he takes care of ow as if she were his gf.
The hero’s family are awful people except one of his sister and her husband. They don’t consider the heroine as family even if she and the hero’s are actually engaged and living together for two years.
Every time they’re excluding from some event they repeat that it’s just for family, meaning she’s not.
She’s hurt and the hero being a people pleaser does exactly nothing.
Ow was his childhood bff and one with a lot of health issues, heart congenital defect, leukemia as a teenager, and he was guilt tripped on staying with her and becoming her living support since he was a child, so now that she’s lost her father his mother, ow mother and one of his sisters always call him for support insisting that the girl is severely depressed and frail and it’s his duty to take care of her.
As it was his duty to move back home and to take care of his father’s business when his father had a heart attack.
Basically dude can’t have a life.
He’s quite spineless and doesn’t even try to say no, and it’s embarrassing how he neglects the heroine very time ow is around or calls.
Eventually his mother forces him to go to a cruise with the family and ow and her mother excluding the heroine because she is not family and the hero’s accepts, even if he feels quite guilty.
And this happens at thanksgiving.
Leaving the heroine alone in a town where she barely knows someone, and she has no parents because her mother left her when she was a child and she lived with her old grandmother until she died and afterwards with her uncle and cousins.
The heroine at this point has enough and dumps his sorry ass without even say goodbye.
She waits until the hero has left for the cruise and goes back home ghosting him.
That was quite good because she didn’t even give him an explanation or a word.
He didn’t deserve it.
The cruise is a living hell and ow makes her move, kissing the hero forcibly while he doesn’t even want to have her around.
When he realizes he’s been ghosted by his fiancee it’s too late.
Then he decides that, even if the heroine has definitely dumped him he wants to show her he’s trustworthy and loyal, so he breaks up with his family and ow, he sells his business and he moves to the heroine’s town, working as a waiter in her uncle’s restaurant.
Nice.
He even helps her rebuilding her grandmother house that she wants for herself.
The heroine is conflicted but seeing how he’s changed in the end decides to give him a chance after some months.
So, what I liked.
I like this kind of plot, because there’s nothing romantic in the hero’s feeling for a female friend, but only obligations and guilt, so it’s not as if he’s cheating or dreaming of ow in any way.
- he doesn’t love her nor wants her, he just feels guilty because she was always frail and unwell, so it’s pity and his family pressure.
- they were dating briefly in high school because he was pressured by his mother but he broke up with her because he didn’t love her that way, and there was never sex between them, she was not his first love and not his first gf.
- ow is evil and manipulative but hero’s mother is the real villain, always making the hero feel small and unworthy and always pressuring him with duty he has to his family. The woman is really toxic and eventually the hero himself realizes it and decides to break up with her and his younger sister.
- the heroine may seem quite meek and passive but she was trying to salvage her relationship, I understand the boundaries are not always so clear and neat when it’s a friend and not a romantic interest so I wasn’t annoyed because she didn’t leave at once. She eventually left and for good, and I liked that she ghosted him, it was the ultimate rejection as if to say, you’re not even worth an explanation.
- I liked that the hero cut ties with his whole family except his older sister and husband, the only one who were decent to the heroine.
- the kiss. The hero was forcibly kissed by ow and he rejected her immediately after it. There were no feelings involved, just surprise and rejection from his part. I don’t find him guilty for the kiss since it was forced on him, and well he could have slapped ow but after all she was a woman and a friend and I wouldn’t have liked if he hit her. I’m not double standard and if it happened to the heroine I would say the same thing, even a man can be forced with a kiss, especially if he knows the woman well.
What I didn’t like.
- the book is quite long, sometimes there were repetitions of concepts and thoughts.
- the whole town where the hero lived looks like a bunch of unfriendly hillbillies. They never treated the heroine friendly and they never tried to be fair with her, I don’t know why, since she was kind and nice. Are all the people biased? Are they so rude and uncouth that they can’t even make an effort to make her feel welcome?
- the whole thing that hero dated ow for a couple of months during high school so every person twelve years later wants them to be a couple, well, that was kind of too much.
- at a certain point the heroines uncle says the hero was abused as a child because his mother forced him to take care of ow because she was a ick child, well, maybe, surely there were toxic relationships between him and his family especially the mother. Mothers can really ruin their children’s life.
- I liked the ending. The hero never went back to his hometown and never tried to mend things with his mother and sister. ow and evil sister got their comeuppance, while his ghost father decided to divorce his wife and to defend his son, better late than never.
- safety is good. Someone could say it was emotional cheating but it was more the hero always putting the heroine second to every one of his family members and ow than hi being invested in ow romantically. There’s a kiss but it was forced. The heroine dates another man but she just had dinner, nothing else.
And sue me, I liked it.
The hero is actually a dumb fugg, and the heroine is quite dense herself since it took her months of neglect and mistreatment before she decided to leave.
The books starts when hero’s bestie has just lost her dad. The funeral itself is a study in second hand embarrassment. The heroine is left alone while he takes care of ow as if she were his gf.
The hero’s family are awful people except one of his sister and her husband. They don’t consider the heroine as family even if she and the hero’s are actually engaged and living together for two years.
Every time they’re excluding from some event they repeat that it’s just for family, meaning she’s not.
She’s hurt and the hero being a people pleaser does exactly nothing.
Ow was his childhood bff and one with a lot of health issues, heart congenital defect, leukemia as a teenager, and he was guilt tripped on staying with her and becoming her living support since he was a child, so now that she’s lost her father his mother, ow mother and one of his sisters always call him for support insisting that the girl is severely depressed and frail and it’s his duty to take care of her.
As it was his duty to move back home and to take care of his father’s business when his father had a heart attack.
Basically dude can’t have a life.
He’s quite spineless and doesn’t even try to say no, and it’s embarrassing how he neglects the heroine very time ow is around or calls.
Eventually his mother forces him to go to a cruise with the family and ow and her mother excluding the heroine because she is not family and the hero’s accepts, even if he feels quite guilty.
And this happens at thanksgiving.
Leaving the heroine alone in a town where she barely knows someone, and she has no parents because her mother left her when she was a child and she lived with her old grandmother until she died and afterwards with her uncle and cousins.
The heroine at this point has enough and dumps his sorry ass without even say goodbye.
She waits until the hero has left for the cruise and goes back home ghosting him.
That was quite good because she didn’t even give him an explanation or a word.
He didn’t deserve it.
The cruise is a living hell and ow makes her move, kissing the hero forcibly while he doesn’t even want to have her around.
When he realizes he’s been ghosted by his fiancee it’s too late.
Then he decides that, even if the heroine has definitely dumped him he wants to show her he’s trustworthy and loyal, so he breaks up with his family and ow, he sells his business and he moves to the heroine’s town, working as a waiter in her uncle’s restaurant.
Nice.
He even helps her rebuilding her grandmother house that she wants for herself.
The heroine is conflicted but seeing how he’s changed in the end decides to give him a chance after some months.
So, what I liked.
I like this kind of plot, because there’s nothing romantic in the hero’s feeling for a female friend, but only obligations and guilt, so it’s not as if he’s cheating or dreaming of ow in any way.
- he doesn’t love her nor wants her, he just feels guilty because she was always frail and unwell, so it’s pity and his family pressure.
- they were dating briefly in high school because he was pressured by his mother but he broke up with her because he didn’t love her that way, and there was never sex between them, she was not his first love and not his first gf.
- ow is evil and manipulative but hero’s mother is the real villain, always making the hero feel small and unworthy and always pressuring him with duty he has to his family. The woman is really toxic and eventually the hero himself realizes it and decides to break up with her and his younger sister.
- the heroine may seem quite meek and passive but she was trying to salvage her relationship, I understand the boundaries are not always so clear and neat when it’s a friend and not a romantic interest so I wasn’t annoyed because she didn’t leave at once. She eventually left and for good, and I liked that she ghosted him, it was the ultimate rejection as if to say, you’re not even worth an explanation.
- I liked that the hero cut ties with his whole family except his older sister and husband, the only one who were decent to the heroine.
- the kiss. The hero was forcibly kissed by ow and he rejected her immediately after it. There were no feelings involved, just surprise and rejection from his part. I don’t find him guilty for the kiss since it was forced on him, and well he could have slapped ow but after all she was a woman and a friend and I wouldn’t have liked if he hit her. I’m not double standard and if it happened to the heroine I would say the same thing, even a man can be forced with a kiss, especially if he knows the woman well.
What I didn’t like.
- the book is quite long, sometimes there were repetitions of concepts and thoughts.
- the whole town where the hero lived looks like a bunch of unfriendly hillbillies. They never treated the heroine friendly and they never tried to be fair with her, I don’t know why, since she was kind and nice. Are all the people biased? Are they so rude and uncouth that they can’t even make an effort to make her feel welcome?
- the whole thing that hero dated ow for a couple of months during high school so every person twelve years later wants them to be a couple, well, that was kind of too much.
- at a certain point the heroines uncle says the hero was abused as a child because his mother forced him to take care of ow because she was a ick child, well, maybe, surely there were toxic relationships between him and his family especially the mother. Mothers can really ruin their children’s life.
- I liked the ending. The hero never went back to his hometown and never tried to mend things with his mother and sister. ow and evil sister got their comeuppance, while his ghost father decided to divorce his wife and to defend his son, better late than never.
- safety is good. Someone could say it was emotional cheating but it was more the hero always putting the heroine second to every one of his family members and ow than hi being invested in ow romantically. There’s a kiss but it was forced. The heroine dates another man but she just had dinner, nothing else.
September 30, 2025
If Caitlin murdered Adam, Millie and his family too actually and if she had kept a journal during her relationship and after and then the judge read it, she’d get off scot free. He might even reward her.
This was a rage read, I read from 25% onwards. I could not have physically stomached reading the start because the aftermath was bad enough and then hearing about it when Caitlin was asking him stuff. Uhh I hate him so much!
This was a rage read, I read from 25% onwards. I could not have physically stomached reading the start because the aftermath was bad enough and then hearing about it when Caitlin was asking him stuff. Uhh I hate him so much!
October 3, 2025
3.5
This was a emotional and angsty read!
At first I was sure I wouldn’t forgive the H. But alas the author did a great job of making me forgive and even feel bad for him.
I did wish the healing together had another chapter maybe.
This is Adam and Caitlin’s story. Originally on WATTPAD. Minor things have changed bit nothing majors
Sorry but OW does not need to be redeemed or fixed
His mom got her just deserts
Second chance/ betrayal Grovel
-Adam’s dad had a stroke and he moves back home w his fiancé to run the family business.
-His family is horrid. His mother and sister are seriously horrid and manipulative.
-A few months pass and Adam’s childhood bestie and ex GF and close friend of the family’s dad dies.now this Ex is a real piece of work.
-Over the next months Adam chooses OW over Caitlin. Has romantic dinners w OW. Is OW full grief support. S at her beck and call. Defends the OW. They have a Halloween party and the H ignores the h and spends all his time w OW while his friends and family treat her like crap.
Basically he is real inappropriate w OW. He is also super defensive.
The whole town, Adam’s family and friends, basically everyone throws OW in Caitlin’s face. About how OW is such a saint and ment to be w the H forever.
Adam sees all this to!
Caitlin does everything she can to support Adam while he is supporting the ex.
See OW is his childhood friend. She had cancer as a kid and the H was her only friend and protector. He has been OW everything since they were weeee little ones. Everyone thought they would marry.
Adam’s mom and sister are just absolutely horrendous to Caitlin. Of course the H does nothing. Also OW dad that died was like a second father to the H.
Thing genre and worse till Thanksgiving
Weekend. H tells h he has a going on a cruise w him s family and the OW to celebrate the OW dad and the h isn’t really invited. She is like…. The fuck? She she legit asked him not to go and tries to get him to see this is all wrong but he goes anyways.
She moves out and say back home.
H realizes he fucked up bad.
OW knows she’s him and tells him they should be together.
He sees he was all wrong.
He then chases after h.
She tells him to fuck off
H finally stands up to his family and OW
We find out that the H was pushes and manipulated by his mom his whole line. Basically he was abused and groomed to be everything his mom wanted and she wanted her son w OW. She he sees how they all manipulated him. But he also sees it’s been going on since birth
He moves to where the h lives and the grovel begins.
This was good. Gah I was sooooo mad at him. But once you see how broken he is from his mom’s abuse it made me feel bad for him. I was still mad but at least there was a reason. It’s so had to break that kind down for abuse and hold.
So eventually they reconcile. He fixes all the things important to her.
He does a good job. Ugh poor guy. But also mother fucker😡 lol
So anyways mom and others get their just deserts
H and h are married and have a daughter they are so happy. Epi 5 years out
safe w exception
OWD galore! He is really stupid
Ow kisses him but he pushed her away
He totally prioritized the OW and his family over her but the author did a good min with how brainwashed and abused he was. Total manipulation and control from birth by his mom. I do think his actions were so bad but also he groveled good and made it right and events broke that pattern of abuse
No virgins
Def emotional cheating but also not sure it is cause he was totally programmed. It’s a hard one.
No physical cheating but she does kiss him
This was a emotional and angsty read!
At first I was sure I wouldn’t forgive the H. But alas the author did a great job of making me forgive and even feel bad for him.
I did wish the healing together had another chapter maybe.
This is Adam and Caitlin’s story. Originally on WATTPAD. Minor things have changed bit nothing majors
Sorry but OW does not need to be redeemed or fixed
His mom got her just deserts
Second chance/ betrayal Grovel
-Adam’s dad had a stroke and he moves back home w his fiancé to run the family business.
-His family is horrid. His mother and sister are seriously horrid and manipulative.
-A few months pass and Adam’s childhood bestie and ex GF and close friend of the family’s dad dies.now this Ex is a real piece of work.
-Over the next months Adam chooses OW over Caitlin. Has romantic dinners w OW. Is OW full grief support. S at her beck and call. Defends the OW. They have a Halloween party and the H ignores the h and spends all his time w OW while his friends and family treat her like crap.
Basically he is real inappropriate w OW. He is also super defensive.
The whole town, Adam’s family and friends, basically everyone throws OW in Caitlin’s face. About how OW is such a saint and ment to be w the H forever.
Adam sees all this to!
Caitlin does everything she can to support Adam while he is supporting the ex.
See OW is his childhood friend. She had cancer as a kid and the H was her only friend and protector. He has been OW everything since they were weeee little ones. Everyone thought they would marry.
Adam’s mom and sister are just absolutely horrendous to Caitlin. Of course the H does nothing. Also OW dad that died was like a second father to the H.
Thing genre and worse till Thanksgiving
Weekend. H tells h he has a going on a cruise w him s family and the OW to celebrate the OW dad and the h isn’t really invited. She is like…. The fuck? She she legit asked him not to go and tries to get him to see this is all wrong but he goes anyways.
She moves out and say back home.
H realizes he fucked up bad.
OW knows she’s him and tells him they should be together.
He sees he was all wrong.
He then chases after h.
She tells him to fuck off
H finally stands up to his family and OW
We find out that the H was pushes and manipulated by his mom his whole line. Basically he was abused and groomed to be everything his mom wanted and she wanted her son w OW. She he sees how they all manipulated him. But he also sees it’s been going on since birth
He moves to where the h lives and the grovel begins.
This was good. Gah I was sooooo mad at him. But once you see how broken he is from his mom’s abuse it made me feel bad for him. I was still mad but at least there was a reason. It’s so had to break that kind down for abuse and hold.
So eventually they reconcile. He fixes all the things important to her.
He does a good job. Ugh poor guy. But also mother fucker😡 lol
So anyways mom and others get their just deserts
H and h are married and have a daughter they are so happy. Epi 5 years out
safe w exception
OWD galore! He is really stupid
Ow kisses him but he pushed her away
He totally prioritized the OW and his family over her but the author did a good min with how brainwashed and abused he was. Total manipulation and control from birth by his mom. I do think his actions were so bad but also he groveled good and made it right and events broke that pattern of abuse
No virgins
Def emotional cheating but also not sure it is cause he was totally programmed. It’s a hard one.
No physical cheating but she does kiss him
October 7, 2025
4.25⭐️
November 2, 2025
I loved the angsty plot and the epilogues. This was an excellent book! I was glad Hailey, Paula, and Millie got their comeuppance. Poor, dumb Adam!
September 30, 2025
Two and a half stars, rounding up to 3.
[What is this trope called? It's not second best, it's not cheating. Our MMC just relentlessly prioritizes someone else above his love interest.]
A number of plot points in this grovelmance are going to be familiar to readers of Siena Sloane's Pulled Away. When his father's health begins to fail, Adam and his fiancée Caitlin move from (somewhere else...I am the world's most inattentive reader when it's not feeding my angst monster) to his hometown in Iowa so he can run his father's business. Adam's mother and mean sister look down on Caitlin for both her non-nuclear family background and her lack of a college degree, but things get worse when the father of Adam's childhood friend/high school girlfriend Millie dies and Adam is drafted to support the incredibly fragile Millie through her loss. Caitlin feels abandoned as Adam devotes ALL his free time to Millie and the whole busybody town views it as a righteous rekindling of their high school romance. Caitlin's breaking point comes when Adam agrees . Abandoned for the holiday, Caitlin takes the opportunity to leave this toxic environment and return to her family in Oregon. Adam soon follows and between his acts of service and her aunt re-framing Adam's behavior as the result of emotional child abuse by his mother, Caitlin eventually forgives him.
So...I feel a little guilty about the mediocre rating here. This book does much better than average on groveling and how to build a healthy relationship out of the ashes of a betrayal. The problem is that while I want good groveling and a believable relationship restart, I also want drama and outrage and confrontation. It seems like the new trend in grovelmance is redeeming a weak MMC (see also: Pulled Away and more Maya Alden stories than I can name), but I don't want a milquetoast hero. I want to revel in a MMC who defiantly does the wrong thing and resents being called out for his behavior until he finally realizes what it has cost him.
[What is this trope called? It's not second best, it's not cheating. Our MMC just relentlessly prioritizes someone else above his love interest.]
A number of plot points in this grovelmance are going to be familiar to readers of Siena Sloane's Pulled Away. When his father's health begins to fail, Adam and his fiancée Caitlin move from (somewhere else...I am the world's most inattentive reader when it's not feeding my angst monster) to his hometown in Iowa so he can run his father's business. Adam's mother and mean sister look down on Caitlin for both her non-nuclear family background and her lack of a college degree, but things get worse when the father of Adam's childhood friend/high school girlfriend Millie dies and Adam is drafted to support the incredibly fragile Millie through her loss. Caitlin feels abandoned as Adam devotes ALL his free time to Millie and the whole busybody town views it as a righteous rekindling of their high school romance. Caitlin's breaking point comes when Adam agrees . Abandoned for the holiday, Caitlin takes the opportunity to leave this toxic environment and return to her family in Oregon. Adam soon follows and between his acts of service and her aunt re-framing Adam's behavior as the result of emotional child abuse by his mother, Caitlin eventually forgives him.
So...I feel a little guilty about the mediocre rating here. This book does much better than average on groveling and how to build a healthy relationship out of the ashes of a betrayal. The problem is that while I want good groveling and a believable relationship restart, I also want drama and outrage and confrontation. It seems like the new trend in grovelmance is redeeming a weak MMC (see also: Pulled Away and more Maya Alden stories than I can name), but I don't want a milquetoast hero. I want to revel in a MMC who defiantly does the wrong thing and resents being called out for his behavior until he finally realizes what it has cost him.
November 6, 2025
I marked this maybe a couple weeks after it came out and then forgot about it, lol. But on the bright side, I had it to read when I was getting desperate for some angst. Some purpley prose, not enough to irritate, just enough to notice. Lotsa hero feeling sowwy for himself, but....I did feel the burn. I loooovveee the burn! Hero was a moron and a wuss, a beta moron wuss to boot,* but I totally enjoyed this. Finally, angst that got to me a bit. Author writes well, the story she told was her own and you could tell she enjoyed piling on the hurt and I hope she continues to write this way.
*
Triggers: Every single trigger known to irritate is in here. So if that's not what you like, you shouldn't read it. Indigestion awaits. As for me, I didn't even burp.
The Heather Wife: The Laird’s Redemption. Another, weak beta hero, but I totally loved Sorcha. Lady balls. I read Serial Romance Librarian's review and jumped on it.
*
Triggers: Every single trigger known to irritate is in here. So if that's not what you like, you shouldn't read it. Indigestion awaits. As for me, I didn't even burp.
The Heather Wife: The Laird’s Redemption. Another, weak beta hero, but I totally loved Sorcha. Lady balls. I read Serial Romance Librarian's review and jumped on it.
October 7, 2025
I read this on Wattpad. At first it was quite a rollercoaster, but I got bored towards the end and started skipping while reading.
Read
October 2, 2025This is a good book. It’s long but I did like it. The problem was that it was long. And I was bored. I’m pretty sure I read this when it was on Wattpad also.
I quit at 60% but it’s just a me thing. I’ve been in a slump
I quit at 60% but it’s just a me thing. I’ve been in a slump
October 29, 2025
Love, Second Chances, and Other Nonsense was about 30-year-old Adam Kelley, a construction worker/carpenter, and 25-year-old Caitlin Hughes, a cook at a diner.
Trigger Warning: If you have endured emotional and/or psychological abuse or even manipulation from a parent or parents, be aware that this book will rock your world with it.
The book's prologue opened with Caitlin preparing to meet Adam's family for the first time. He had not proposed to her at that point, but planned to once he got his family's approval. The book then skipped ahead a year without ever showing how that first meeting went. Adam and Caitlin had moved to the town where his family lived just two months earlier. However, it was at that point that Adam had already started showing signs of spending more time with his childhood friend and former (high school) girlfriend, Millie Greene. They were all in church for Millie's father's funeral. Adam had spent the entire two weeks before the man died with his female BFF, and during the funeral, he was sitting with her and not Caitlin. When the funeral was over, Adam told Caitlin that they were all going back to his parents' house...everyone but her. She wasn't invited and was even told it was for "only family". He didn't return home until well after noon the following day, when he said he'd be home in time for breakfast. Instead of spending some quality time with Caitlin, Adam went to bed and slept until dinner time. But once again, even though she had cooked their dinner, he was heading out to "check on Millie" and her mother, per his mother's request. They fought and he left, only to return late that night with take-out and for some "makeup sex". However, the next morning, the mother of his female bestie called, and he rushed to be at the other woman's side. He spent the next week or two gone more than he was home. Only Lauren, Adam's older sister, her husband, and perhaps his father, Gerald, had any kind of relationship with Caitlin.
When Caitlin and Adam threw a Halloween party, he spent the entire evening with Millie, only giving a moment of attention to Caitlin...long enough to fight with her before returning to Millie's side. He never returned to the bedroom that night, sleeping on the sofa instead. A week later, she learned that Adam had been inviting Millie over so he could cook her dinner while Caitlin wasn't home...he had also been taking her out to eat, or cooking her meals at her place as well.
When Thanksgiving rolled around, he informed Caitlin he was going on a cruise with his family...and Millie's...but once again, Caitlin wasn't invited. Adam put up a very weak defense in her absence, but like always, he caved to his mother's whims, and that of Millie as well, so he left Caitlin home alone, in a town where she didn't know anyone...and then he found out he was sharing a cabin on board with none other than Millie and her mother, even though his mother had assured him he would have a room to himself. What he wasn't aware of was the fact that, while he was on a plane flying to Miami from Iowa, Caitlin was on a plane flying from Iowa back to Oregon to be with her family, leaving behind everything to do with Adam. She left her engagement ring, her charm necklace he had given her, and anything else that would connect the two of them. She didn't even respond to his calls or messages.
Most of the story revolved around Adam and his family drama, specifically how he dealt with Millie, his father, Gerald, his mother, Paula, and his youngest sister, Hailey. Once he had that semi-resolved, the rest was about how he won back Caitlin, the love of his life. But it was more about his growth than his grovel, which made the story all the more poignant and less of a drudgery to read. Many readers have said that the MMC did cheat, even if they believed it was just emotional cheating. However, it wasn't even that, because he didn't love the other woman. He was only involved with her in the way he was because of emotional/psychological blackmail from both his mother and the other woman's mother. I loved how the author brought that truth to life and opened his eyes to all the manipulation over the years.
The angst, drama (more like melodrama), and push/pull were quite prevalent, and the emotional rollercoaster had more than its fair share of twists and turns. While there were some spicy scenes, this author didn't make the pages too full of them; therefore, the story wasn't overflowing with hormones and testosterone. It was nice to see an author provide more growth than sexual tension, as she focused more on rebuilding trust than deflecting with intimacies that could have been out of place with the way the plot was written.
While both main characters were fully developed, it was easy to see that the FMC was the more mature of the two, and the MMC was more stunted in his emotions because of the emotional and psychological abuse he had endured for his entire life. The growth he went through was a pleasure to read and be "a part of" because he really did a ton of soul-searching and growing. But then again, so did the FMC, so it evened out.
I gave this story a four-star rating because it honestly earned it. I would have given it five, but the length of the story and all of the repetitiveness detracted from the flow of the story, so I just couldn't go a full five stars.
Trigger Warning: If you have endured emotional and/or psychological abuse or even manipulation from a parent or parents, be aware that this book will rock your world with it.
The book's prologue opened with Caitlin preparing to meet Adam's family for the first time. He had not proposed to her at that point, but planned to once he got his family's approval. The book then skipped ahead a year without ever showing how that first meeting went. Adam and Caitlin had moved to the town where his family lived just two months earlier. However, it was at that point that Adam had already started showing signs of spending more time with his childhood friend and former (high school) girlfriend, Millie Greene. They were all in church for Millie's father's funeral. Adam had spent the entire two weeks before the man died with his female BFF, and during the funeral, he was sitting with her and not Caitlin. When the funeral was over, Adam told Caitlin that they were all going back to his parents' house...everyone but her. She wasn't invited and was even told it was for "only family". He didn't return home until well after noon the following day, when he said he'd be home in time for breakfast. Instead of spending some quality time with Caitlin, Adam went to bed and slept until dinner time. But once again, even though she had cooked their dinner, he was heading out to "check on Millie" and her mother, per his mother's request. They fought and he left, only to return late that night with take-out and for some "makeup sex". However, the next morning, the mother of his female bestie called, and he rushed to be at the other woman's side. He spent the next week or two gone more than he was home. Only Lauren, Adam's older sister, her husband, and perhaps his father, Gerald, had any kind of relationship with Caitlin.
When Caitlin and Adam threw a Halloween party, he spent the entire evening with Millie, only giving a moment of attention to Caitlin...long enough to fight with her before returning to Millie's side. He never returned to the bedroom that night, sleeping on the sofa instead. A week later, she learned that Adam had been inviting Millie over so he could cook her dinner while Caitlin wasn't home...he had also been taking her out to eat, or cooking her meals at her place as well.
When Thanksgiving rolled around, he informed Caitlin he was going on a cruise with his family...and Millie's...but once again, Caitlin wasn't invited. Adam put up a very weak defense in her absence, but like always, he caved to his mother's whims, and that of Millie as well, so he left Caitlin home alone, in a town where she didn't know anyone...and then he found out he was sharing a cabin on board with none other than Millie and her mother, even though his mother had assured him he would have a room to himself. What he wasn't aware of was the fact that, while he was on a plane flying to Miami from Iowa, Caitlin was on a plane flying from Iowa back to Oregon to be with her family, leaving behind everything to do with Adam. She left her engagement ring, her charm necklace he had given her, and anything else that would connect the two of them. She didn't even respond to his calls or messages.
Most of the story revolved around Adam and his family drama, specifically how he dealt with Millie, his father, Gerald, his mother, Paula, and his youngest sister, Hailey. Once he had that semi-resolved, the rest was about how he won back Caitlin, the love of his life. But it was more about his growth than his grovel, which made the story all the more poignant and less of a drudgery to read. Many readers have said that the MMC did cheat, even if they believed it was just emotional cheating. However, it wasn't even that, because he didn't love the other woman. He was only involved with her in the way he was because of emotional/psychological blackmail from both his mother and the other woman's mother. I loved how the author brought that truth to life and opened his eyes to all the manipulation over the years.
The angst, drama (more like melodrama), and push/pull were quite prevalent, and the emotional rollercoaster had more than its fair share of twists and turns. While there were some spicy scenes, this author didn't make the pages too full of them; therefore, the story wasn't overflowing with hormones and testosterone. It was nice to see an author provide more growth than sexual tension, as she focused more on rebuilding trust than deflecting with intimacies that could have been out of place with the way the plot was written.
While both main characters were fully developed, it was easy to see that the FMC was the more mature of the two, and the MMC was more stunted in his emotions because of the emotional and psychological abuse he had endured for his entire life. The growth he went through was a pleasure to read and be "a part of" because he really did a ton of soul-searching and growing. But then again, so did the FMC, so it evened out.
I gave this story a four-star rating because it honestly earned it. I would have given it five, but the length of the story and all of the repetitiveness detracted from the flow of the story, so I just couldn't go a full five stars.
Read
November 9, 2025DNF at 57%. Too long and he’s a shitface for basically the first half.
So essentially they’re kind of college sweethearts. He has a female BFF, who he’s close family friends with, they dated briefly in high school. Apparently their mothers never got over it cause they’re BFFs.
So essentially they hate his fiancée. Cause they see her as interloper. He’s in denial about this through. One of his sisters is BFFs with ex. The other sister is married to some other guy from out of town.
By the way she doesn’t really have family. Doesn’t know her dad and her mom abandoned her when she was young. She raised by her grandmas, aunt and uncle, with her cousin. She didn’t want to be a burden so she took off after high school and hasn’t finished up school yet. They talk but she’s too scared to go back.
After H’s dad gets sick, he moves back to town with h. And all the antics ensue. He doesn’t tell her how his family feels or about the ex. So she’s living in a small town and essentially isolated because everyone thinks she’s in the way of the cutest small town love story.
The story launches off at the ex’s dad’s funeral. Where he comforts ex the WHOLE time while FMC is forced to sit in the back with strangers because she’s not family. They use the same excuse when they had back home. He essentially abandoned her constantly to take care of OW. He’s at her beck and call for everything.
She literally walks in on him making OW dinner in their home and he accuses her of being jealous of a girl losing her dad lol. The gaslighting when he always knows he’s fucking up and doing things he shouldn’t.
His friends are also vile to her because they know OW. They have a Halloween party at their place and he promises to spend time with her, only for him to fully abandon her when OW walks in dressed as slutty witch. She tries to break up with him and then he suddenly sobers up.
But then guess what, his mom books a “last minute” cruise and she ain’t invited because she’s not family and she won’t be able to take time off from work. It’s obviously bullshit and was planned months ago. Says this is for OW and her mom’s healing. He knew damn well what was happening here at this point. Still let it happen. He tells her he’s gonna go and then they’re gonna fix everything, and she stops fighting at this point just so she can plan her escape.
Mom claims he has his own room. Tell me why he’s sharing with OW and her mom. Plus one of sisters and OW are always plotting how to seduce him. He’s freaking out that FMC isn’t responding. In the end she ends up kissing him. He freaks out and makes a run for it. Oh and his dad grows a backbone and starts fighting with his mom because he’s sick of the antics now.
Finds out FMC broke up with him and moved and starts to panic and spiral. He tracks down her family and she tells him to get lost, because she’s done with the disrespect. He goes home and starts plotting what to do.
His family is so SMUG that they broke them up. Like it takes this much for him to grow a backbone. 🤮at this point I was pissed and don’t even give a damn about the grovel, hated him. He quits his family job, sells his place, and moves to her hometown to try to win her back. I’m curious if he ever gets around to telling h about the kiss with OW, who only saw him as a “brother” lol. Someone let me know.
So essentially they’re kind of college sweethearts. He has a female BFF, who he’s close family friends with, they dated briefly in high school. Apparently their mothers never got over it cause they’re BFFs.
So essentially they hate his fiancée. Cause they see her as interloper. He’s in denial about this through. One of his sisters is BFFs with ex. The other sister is married to some other guy from out of town.
By the way she doesn’t really have family. Doesn’t know her dad and her mom abandoned her when she was young. She raised by her grandmas, aunt and uncle, with her cousin. She didn’t want to be a burden so she took off after high school and hasn’t finished up school yet. They talk but she’s too scared to go back.
After H’s dad gets sick, he moves back to town with h. And all the antics ensue. He doesn’t tell her how his family feels or about the ex. So she’s living in a small town and essentially isolated because everyone thinks she’s in the way of the cutest small town love story.
The story launches off at the ex’s dad’s funeral. Where he comforts ex the WHOLE time while FMC is forced to sit in the back with strangers because she’s not family. They use the same excuse when they had back home. He essentially abandoned her constantly to take care of OW. He’s at her beck and call for everything.
She literally walks in on him making OW dinner in their home and he accuses her of being jealous of a girl losing her dad lol. The gaslighting when he always knows he’s fucking up and doing things he shouldn’t.
His friends are also vile to her because they know OW. They have a Halloween party at their place and he promises to spend time with her, only for him to fully abandon her when OW walks in dressed as slutty witch. She tries to break up with him and then he suddenly sobers up.
But then guess what, his mom books a “last minute” cruise and she ain’t invited because she’s not family and she won’t be able to take time off from work. It’s obviously bullshit and was planned months ago. Says this is for OW and her mom’s healing. He knew damn well what was happening here at this point. Still let it happen. He tells her he’s gonna go and then they’re gonna fix everything, and she stops fighting at this point just so she can plan her escape.
Mom claims he has his own room. Tell me why he’s sharing with OW and her mom. Plus one of sisters and OW are always plotting how to seduce him. He’s freaking out that FMC isn’t responding. In the end she ends up kissing him. He freaks out and makes a run for it. Oh and his dad grows a backbone and starts fighting with his mom because he’s sick of the antics now.
Finds out FMC broke up with him and moved and starts to panic and spiral. He tracks down her family and she tells him to get lost, because she’s done with the disrespect. He goes home and starts plotting what to do.
His family is so SMUG that they broke them up. Like it takes this much for him to grow a backbone. 🤮at this point I was pissed and don’t even give a damn about the grovel, hated him. He quits his family job, sells his place, and moves to her hometown to try to win her back. I’m curious if he ever gets around to telling h about the kiss with OW, who only saw him as a “brother” lol. Someone let me know.
September 23, 2025
4.5 stars.
This was so good! I mean, yeah, I've read similar stories, but they tend to get way too bogged down in the guy's grovel, and no lie, this one did too, but just as that happened, the story actually progressed and I was back in.
Adam and Caitlin fell in love and were engaged to be married, and things were great until they moved back to Adam's hometown, and closer to his uber controlling mother, who always wanted him to get together with her best friend's daughter instead. Adam is never into the daughter, despite the fact that he used to date her, but a sort of emotional affair (not really, but it's the closest way to describe it) occurs anyway because he continually puts OW's needs ahead of Caitlin's and even his own. Eventually Caitlin has enough and her shut down is just so good. Even his awfulmonster mother doesn't know what to do with Shut Down Caitlin.
She returns to her own family, and it isn't long before Adam, realizing what he's done (to some extent, the full ramifications aren't fleshed out until later in the book) follows her. He finally realizes he needs to be away from his family and choose her, only Caitlin isn't having it.
My issue lately with the group of healthy grovel books that have been coming out is that they tend to get bogged down in the MMC's grovel. Quite frankly, they're a little too healthy (I know, I know) to be fun. I mean, yeah, I want the MMC who screwed up to grovel, but I also want him to fight and realistically, a healthy grovel tends to mean he backs off and gives the FMC space. That's no fun for me in a romance novel. I guess I need a little bit of unhealthy stalking, in my fantasy. That isn't to say the "new" grovel books featuring heroes to seek therapy and give space are bad, they aren't, and I still like them, keep them coming. But after a while, I start craving the unhealthy ones where he's invading her space and essentially just wearing her down and using dirty tricks to get her back (it's fantasy, not real life, sometimes I want what I want).
This was a great balance though. Adam gives space, but he also does his best to ingratiate himself into her life, getting to know her family and town (which is far more welcoming than his own). And even better, the book made me feel badly for him too, which is kind of rare in these books. At best, I usually just sort of understand what the MMC went through but I'm misandrist enough that I'm usually still totally Team FMC. I am happy to say I liked both here.
Honestly, why was this 4.5 stars and not five? No idea. None. Not at all. Might have just been my mood when I woke up yesterday. Because I definitely want to buy this and reread it again someday. Props to the author and I am definitely going to be stalking her on Wattpad to see what else she has.
This was so good! I mean, yeah, I've read similar stories, but they tend to get way too bogged down in the guy's grovel, and no lie, this one did too, but just as that happened, the story actually progressed and I was back in.
Adam and Caitlin fell in love and were engaged to be married, and things were great until they moved back to Adam's hometown, and closer to his uber controlling mother, who always wanted him to get together with her best friend's daughter instead. Adam is never into the daughter, despite the fact that he used to date her, but a sort of emotional affair (not really, but it's the closest way to describe it) occurs anyway because he continually puts OW's needs ahead of Caitlin's and even his own. Eventually Caitlin has enough and her shut down is just so good. Even his awful
She returns to her own family, and it isn't long before Adam, realizing what he's done (to some extent, the full ramifications aren't fleshed out until later in the book) follows her. He finally realizes he needs to be away from his family and choose her, only Caitlin isn't having it.
My issue lately with the group of healthy grovel books that have been coming out is that they tend to get bogged down in the MMC's grovel. Quite frankly, they're a little too healthy (I know, I know) to be fun. I mean, yeah, I want the MMC who screwed up to grovel, but I also want him to fight and realistically, a healthy grovel tends to mean he backs off and gives the FMC space. That's no fun for me in a romance novel. I guess I need a little bit of unhealthy stalking, in my fantasy. That isn't to say the "new" grovel books featuring heroes to seek therapy and give space are bad, they aren't, and I still like them, keep them coming. But after a while, I start craving the unhealthy ones where he's invading her space and essentially just wearing her down and using dirty tricks to get her back (it's fantasy, not real life, sometimes I want what I want).
This was a great balance though. Adam gives space, but he also does his best to ingratiate himself into her life, getting to know her family and town (which is far more welcoming than his own). And even better, the book made me feel badly for him too, which is kind of rare in these books. At best, I usually just sort of understand what the MMC went through but I'm misandrist enough that I'm usually still totally Team FMC. I am happy to say I liked both here.
Honestly, why was this 4.5 stars and not five? No idea. None. Not at all. Might have just been my mood when I woke up yesterday. Because I definitely want to buy this and reread it again someday. Props to the author and I am definitely going to be stalking her on Wattpad to see what else she has.
October 10, 2025
My rating: 4 stars
What I loved: I loved how Adam(H) finally stood up to his family. I also liked how Adam’s dad divorced the mom. Loved Caitlin(h)’s family, especially her cousin and how she threatened Adam. Lastly, I liked how the ow went and got help after Adam’s sister stole her man. We rarely read in books how the ow gets the help she needs (even when it’s late)
What I didn’t like: It would have been nice if we got a chapter of seeing the sister and mother suffering instead of it just being mentioned. Also, it would have been great with a scene of the ow apologizing to the H and h.
***Major Spoilers/ Details/Triggers: OW drama, H’s mom and sister doesn’t like the h, death of a father figure.
H and h are engaged. H and h move to H’s home town to take over his dad’s company. Ow is a childhood friend that the H was told to look after. Ow’s mom and H’s mom are best friends. Ow battle cancer growing up so the H was always there helping her. They dated for a year in high school but decided “they” were better just friends. Ow’s dad passed away and the ow uses that to get the H to spend time with her. H constantly puts the ow first. When the H and h eat over at his parent’s house, they constantly talk about the H and ow together. They make the h feel like an outsider. Ow is constantly around the H, making sure to need him especially whenever he had plans with the h. When h hosts a Halloween party, the H’s friends ignore her and the H stays by the ow side the whole night. When h tells the H how she feels he tells her that the ow isn’t handling her dad’s death well. When h tells him that she should leave he begs her not to go, that he will put boundaries in place. When H’s mom decides to take the family on a cruise for Thanksgiving, she knows that the h won’t be able to get off of work since she just got hired there. H doesn’t want to go but his mom guilt trips him into agreeing to go. H asks the h to go but h can’t get off of work on a short notice. h tells him that she will be all alone and asks him not to go. h realizing the H is going, decides to end the relationship and move back home. H goes and h packs up and leaves. H tries calling the h but she ignores his calls. When he sees a picture of her on her cousin’s social media page having fun, he realizes the h left him. H starts to realize how his mother, ow’s mother and ow have been manipulating him. That they wanted the h to leave him so he could get back together with the ow. When ow kisses the H, he knows how much he messed up. As soon as he gets off the cruise he goes after the h. h tells him she is done and he should marry the ow. H goes back home and lets his family and ow know that he is done with them and that he would never be with the ow. That he loves the h. H packs, lets his sister have the family business and moves to where the h is. H gets a job at the h’s family restaurant and goes about earning the h’s forgiveness. H starts working on the h’s house that she grew up in with her grandmother. While working on it together they talk and H explains why he did what he did. When H’s dad has a heart attack, him and the h go to see him. H’s dad apologizes for his part and gets a divorce. H stands up to his family in front of the h. H and h go back home and they get their HEA…married and they have a daughter.
Final thoughts: This was my first book I read from this author. I truly enjoyed it especially the ow drama. I will definitely keep an eye out for more of her work.
What I loved: I loved how Adam(H) finally stood up to his family. I also liked how Adam’s dad divorced the mom. Loved Caitlin(h)’s family, especially her cousin and how she threatened Adam. Lastly, I liked how the ow went and got help after Adam’s sister stole her man. We rarely read in books how the ow gets the help she needs (even when it’s late)
What I didn’t like: It would have been nice if we got a chapter of seeing the sister and mother suffering instead of it just being mentioned. Also, it would have been great with a scene of the ow apologizing to the H and h.
***Major Spoilers/ Details/Triggers: OW drama, H’s mom and sister doesn’t like the h, death of a father figure.
H and h are engaged. H and h move to H’s home town to take over his dad’s company. Ow is a childhood friend that the H was told to look after. Ow’s mom and H’s mom are best friends. Ow battle cancer growing up so the H was always there helping her. They dated for a year in high school but decided “they” were better just friends. Ow’s dad passed away and the ow uses that to get the H to spend time with her. H constantly puts the ow first. When the H and h eat over at his parent’s house, they constantly talk about the H and ow together. They make the h feel like an outsider. Ow is constantly around the H, making sure to need him especially whenever he had plans with the h. When h hosts a Halloween party, the H’s friends ignore her and the H stays by the ow side the whole night. When h tells the H how she feels he tells her that the ow isn’t handling her dad’s death well. When h tells him that she should leave he begs her not to go, that he will put boundaries in place. When H’s mom decides to take the family on a cruise for Thanksgiving, she knows that the h won’t be able to get off of work since she just got hired there. H doesn’t want to go but his mom guilt trips him into agreeing to go. H asks the h to go but h can’t get off of work on a short notice. h tells him that she will be all alone and asks him not to go. h realizing the H is going, decides to end the relationship and move back home. H goes and h packs up and leaves. H tries calling the h but she ignores his calls. When he sees a picture of her on her cousin’s social media page having fun, he realizes the h left him. H starts to realize how his mother, ow’s mother and ow have been manipulating him. That they wanted the h to leave him so he could get back together with the ow. When ow kisses the H, he knows how much he messed up. As soon as he gets off the cruise he goes after the h. h tells him she is done and he should marry the ow. H goes back home and lets his family and ow know that he is done with them and that he would never be with the ow. That he loves the h. H packs, lets his sister have the family business and moves to where the h is. H gets a job at the h’s family restaurant and goes about earning the h’s forgiveness. H starts working on the h’s house that she grew up in with her grandmother. While working on it together they talk and H explains why he did what he did. When H’s dad has a heart attack, him and the h go to see him. H’s dad apologizes for his part and gets a divorce. H stands up to his family in front of the h. H and h go back home and they get their HEA…married and they have a daughter.
Final thoughts: This was my first book I read from this author. I truly enjoyed it especially the ow drama. I will definitely keep an eye out for more of her work.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 23, 2025
4.35 🌟
I actually really loved this.
Obviously at first I thought there was NO way the MMC would ever grovel enough and I wanted him to DIE PLS.
BUT now that I've finished this book, I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the OW drama, I enjoyed how the FMC said not one word, she just left him which I loved, I enjoyed how he ran after her and worked to get her back. And I absolutely enjoyed how the evil characters got their karma. This definitely was a story of forgiveness, family and love. And I was here for all of that.
I would 💯 read more books by this author, I think Maya Alden should stop writing books and take some notes. ✋️🤷🏻♀️😭
I actually really loved this.
Obviously at first I thought there was NO way the MMC would ever grovel enough and I wanted him to DIE PLS.
BUT now that I've finished this book, I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the OW drama, I enjoyed how the FMC said not one word, she just left him which I loved, I enjoyed how he ran after her and worked to get her back. And I absolutely enjoyed how the evil characters got their karma. This definitely was a story of forgiveness, family and love. And I was here for all of that.
I would 💯 read more books by this author, I think Maya Alden should stop writing books and take some notes. ✋️🤷🏻♀️😭
October 3, 2025
I wanted a bit of a rage read and the beginning definitely had Adam being super dumb.
He basically caters to his childhood friend over his fiancee over and over, due to his mother’s insistence and a lifetime of caring for her. I give Caitlin kudos because she gave him ten more chances than I would’ve.
I love a good grovel story and this definitely had it, although to be honest, I found a bit of the middle a bit slow.
But overall, I did like Adam working on himself, realizing his traumas, and how they found a new way forward together.
He basically caters to his childhood friend over his fiancee over and over, due to his mother’s insistence and a lifetime of caring for her. I give Caitlin kudos because she gave him ten more chances than I would’ve.
I love a good grovel story and this definitely had it, although to be honest, I found a bit of the middle a bit slow.
But overall, I did like Adam working on himself, realizing his traumas, and how they found a new way forward together.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 1, 2025
This story wasn’t perfect and could have used some further editing, but the author made a messy and angst-filled situation work.
This was a well done redemption story in more ways than one. The betrayal is hard to read, but the work that is done on the back end explains a lot of Adam’s behavior and the emotional abuse he endured since he was a child. It is abuse that he doesn’t even realize until he is forced to confront the loss of his fiancé.
The author allowed space for the characters to do the work and make this a believable story about a messy, imperfect, and beautiful relationship.
This was a well done redemption story in more ways than one. The betrayal is hard to read, but the work that is done on the back end explains a lot of Adam’s behavior and the emotional abuse he endured since he was a child. It is abuse that he doesn’t even realize until he is forced to confront the loss of his fiancé.
The author allowed space for the characters to do the work and make this a believable story about a messy, imperfect, and beautiful relationship.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
October 31, 2025This book really reminded me of Pulled Away by Sienna Sloan, though it’s by a new-to-me author. The story follows Adam and Caitlin, who have been together for a couple of years and are now engaged. They were living in Ohio when they met, but eventually moved back to Adam’s hometown — and that’s when everything started to go wrong.
Once back home, Adam begins emotionally cheating on Caitlin with Millie, a childhood family friend whose father has recently passed away. Adam convinces himself that he “owes it” to his family and to Millie, but in the process he neglects Caitlin completely. He lets his mother constantly talk down to her without ever standing up for her, and he spends nearly all his time with Millie — dinners, evenings, errands, you name it.
The breaking point comes after a Halloween party Caitlin worked hard to prepare, only for Adam to ignore her the whole night. Then, his mother convinces him to go on a family cruise and not bring Caitlin along — which he actually agrees to. Hurt, Caitlin quietly starts planning her escape. She keeps up the façade of being the supportive fiancée, but secretly prepares to move back to Ohio with her aunt, uncle, and cousin.
While Adam is away on the cruise, he finally has a reality check. He realizes Caitlin is pulling away, sees how Millie constantly tries to insert herself and manipulate the situation, and recognizes just how badly he’s treated Caitlin. By the time he returns, though, it’s too late — Caitlin tells him she’s done for good, that he can go back to Millie, and that she wants nothing more to do with him.
The rest of the book is Adam’s redemption arc. He follows Caitlin back to Ohio, where he spends months groveling — fixing up her nan’s house, working at her family’s restaurant, and proving that he’s serious about changing. There’s some added side-character drama, but it all wraps up by the end. The epilogue jumps ahead five years, showing Adam and Caitlin married with a daughter.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 5, 2025
2 ⭐
There was hardly any grovel in this . Caitlin (h) was way too forgiving compared to what she had suffered.Also felt like during the last few parts, the author started making Adam (H) seem like the victim.Wish I had read the reviews beforehand.
There was hardly any grovel in this . Caitlin (h) was way too forgiving compared to what she had suffered.Also felt like during the last few parts, the author started making Adam (H) seem like the victim.Wish I had read the reviews beforehand.
October 2, 2025
If I were Caitlin, Adam genuinely would have hated how I’d do the Irish goodbye and never come back
September 16, 2025
not for me
MMC took way too long to stand up to his controlling manipulative mother, an ex childhood friend who had many childhood ailments, and a mean girl sister. The poor MMF stayed too long. Read at you own risk.
MMC took way too long to stand up to his controlling manipulative mother, an ex childhood friend who had many childhood ailments, and a mean girl sister. The poor MMF stayed too long. Read at you own risk.
October 13, 2025
a perfect rage read
millie, the best friend, always put first
millie, the best friend, always put first
September 29, 2025
extremely good
The first half of this book was so incredibly good. It was full of angst and extremely well done OW drama. I was glued to the first half of this book. It was heart wrenching the way Adam let Minnie (his longtime childhood/family friend) manipulate him so badly. What was even worse was the dismissive way he treated Caitlin when she told him how much it hurt her. But the drama was delicious and when Caitlin finally walked away I was cheering her on and so happy that Adam was gonna get the gut punch he deserved.
The second half of this book is Adam’s grovel. He was it for the long haul and he was going to do whatever it took to try to win Caitlin back. I felt for him because despite what he let happen in the first half, it was obvious he truly loved her. Anyway.. usually the grovel is my favorite part, but this part was way too dragged out and slow. This book is over 400 kindle pages and I felt like a good 100 pages could have been cut out of the second half. That being said, it was still very emotional and I totally recommend it if you love second chance stories!!
The first half of this book was so incredibly good. It was full of angst and extremely well done OW drama. I was glued to the first half of this book. It was heart wrenching the way Adam let Minnie (his longtime childhood/family friend) manipulate him so badly. What was even worse was the dismissive way he treated Caitlin when she told him how much it hurt her. But the drama was delicious and when Caitlin finally walked away I was cheering her on and so happy that Adam was gonna get the gut punch he deserved.
The second half of this book is Adam’s grovel. He was it for the long haul and he was going to do whatever it took to try to win Caitlin back. I felt for him because despite what he let happen in the first half, it was obvious he truly loved her. Anyway.. usually the grovel is my favorite part, but this part was way too dragged out and slow. This book is over 400 kindle pages and I felt like a good 100 pages could have been cut out of the second half. That being said, it was still very emotional and I totally recommend it if you love second chance stories!!
October 17, 2025
I was really sucked into this story because while Caitlin and Adam are engaged, Adam is beholden to his childhood friend Millie, and not for any reason other than he’s been raised to look after her and she exploits that to her advantage. What I liked was that this was a character driven novel. Caitlin is a natural people pleaser and always yearning for her own support group or family. She expresses her love through cooking and has the skills of a chef even without formal culinary training. Adam likes construction but is in charge of the family business now that he’s back in his hometown. When Adam and Caitlin were in Colorado, they were in their own bubble. However, now living in Iowa where Adam grew up, his family is a bit stifling, particularly Adam’s mother.
Adam’s mother was a piece of work and may this type of mother-in-law never find me. She blatantly disrespects Adam’s relationship with Caitlin. As for Caitlin, watching her crumble but by bit until she realizes that she will never be Adam’s priority sends her packing. What made this enjoyable for me to read was Caitlin knowing her self worth and that sometimes love just isn’t enough. Adam’s actions proved to her that he was not trustworthy or reliable. And he wasn’t even interested in Millie but he was at her beck and call. I could appreciate his pile of woes and regret when it all comes crashing down how badly he screwed up and that in order to make amends, it would be on Caitlin’s terms.
Frankly, I was impressed with Adam’s growth and self awareness as he worked to be the best version of himself to earn Caitlin’s trust and love back. That felt real and genuine where a person can change if they want to and put the effort in. He can’t erase the past hurts towards Caitlin but he didn’t corner her into forcing forgiveness either. I did want them to reconcile and the ending does satisfy the reader’s desire for karma.
Adam’s mother was a piece of work and may this type of mother-in-law never find me. She blatantly disrespects Adam’s relationship with Caitlin. As for Caitlin, watching her crumble but by bit until she realizes that she will never be Adam’s priority sends her packing. What made this enjoyable for me to read was Caitlin knowing her self worth and that sometimes love just isn’t enough. Adam’s actions proved to her that he was not trustworthy or reliable. And he wasn’t even interested in Millie but he was at her beck and call. I could appreciate his pile of woes and regret when it all comes crashing down how badly he screwed up and that in order to make amends, it would be on Caitlin’s terms.
Frankly, I was impressed with Adam’s growth and self awareness as he worked to be the best version of himself to earn Caitlin’s trust and love back. That felt real and genuine where a person can change if they want to and put the effort in. He can’t erase the past hurts towards Caitlin but he didn’t corner her into forcing forgiveness either. I did want them to reconcile and the ending does satisfy the reader’s desire for karma.
October 11, 2025
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Couple: Adam & Caitlin
❋❋❋❋❋❋
Reading this book felt like a slow heartbreaking death. I could understand both sides of each of them to a point. Adam unfortunately was a thirty year old grown man, there would not have been any coming back from what he did. Caitlin may have let herself be sliced opened a few too many times but I was really happy that she made the decision to get out of there and followed through. Both of them definitely had things to work through on themselves. What I really liked was how there wasn't any over the top crazy moments, things mostly were handled as adults. And in time everyone got their comeuppance. I feel the book was a bit long but it was a good story and had great emotion and feelings.
Couple: Adam & Caitlin
❋❋❋❋❋❋
Reading this book felt like a slow heartbreaking death. I could understand both sides of each of them to a point. Adam unfortunately was a thirty year old grown man, there would not have been any coming back from what he did. Caitlin may have let herself be sliced opened a few too many times but I was really happy that she made the decision to get out of there and followed through. Both of them definitely had things to work through on themselves. What I really liked was how there wasn't any over the top crazy moments, things mostly were handled as adults. And in time everyone got their comeuppance. I feel the book was a bit long but it was a good story and had great emotion and feelings.
October 5, 2025
I've been on an "angst/grovel/redemption" kick, mostly with the urge to read about people who do mean and stupid things to hurt others getting their comeuppance and/or painful retribution. This story had two well fleshed out protagonists, both dealing with their own baggage stemming from family dysfunction, with an emotional arc, grovel and redemption. A little melodramatic, but most books in this genre lean that way. I appreciated that both characters took time to not only work on the issues between them, but to look at the underlying assumptions and family dynamics that led to the betrayal. (Emotional betrayal and failure to be a good partner - no cheating!)
October 6, 2025
1. Adam said he behaved the way he did because he was “trying to keep the peace” in his family. That didn’t explain why he also allowed his friends to ignore and disrespect Caitlin.
2. Continuity error. When Adam and Caitlin finally had their discussion about the cruise and Caitlin broke down, after Adam took her home, it was evening. “As the evening settles around us, I sip my tea and stroke Luna’s fur”. But, when Adam got home from dropping her off, it was afternoon. “When I finally drag myself out of the truck, the afternoon is silent around me.”
3. Chapter 41 was labelled as Caitlin’s POV but the entire chapter was actually Adam’s POV.
2. Continuity error. When Adam and Caitlin finally had their discussion about the cruise and Caitlin broke down, after Adam took her home, it was evening. “As the evening settles around us, I sip my tea and stroke Luna’s fur”. But, when Adam got home from dropping her off, it was afternoon. “When I finally drag myself out of the truck, the afternoon is silent around me.”
3. Chapter 41 was labelled as Caitlin’s POV but the entire chapter was actually Adam’s POV.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 212 reviews