Bio: There's always that one guy, right? So perfect he's guaranteed heartbreak.
For Hailey, that's Jack. He's everything: handsome, athletic, kind. He's also hopelessly head-over-heels for Ella, laughing at everything she says, kissing her like he can't get enough.
Hailey could absolutely die.
But when Jack invites Hailey to lifeguard with him at a tony country club, Hailey jumps at the chance. Call her a glutton for punishment, but a summer of skimpy swimsuits, sun, and Jack by her side? One last chance to steal him away before they all leave for college? YES PLEASE.
Of course, Ella's there every day, lounging in her bikinis and lip gloss smiles. And the worst part? Hailey totally gets why Jack can't resist her. Ella's got this teasing, mean girl attitude that keeps Hailey on her toes. There's something about her that makes Hailey's insides ZING! And then melt in the most delicious……
uh-oh.
Favorite Pickup Line: Sorry, folks, there wasn’t a pickup line that gave me the feels on this read.
Post Date Recap: My personal threshold for posting my reviews is 3 stars and I will say that Curious did meet that requirement, however, I also can’t say I’d actually recommend this book.
Now I will wholly take the blame for part of my disappointment. I completely missed the little disclaimer at the end of the blurb saying “HFN” and was a bit grumpy with the ending. That said, I don’t know that I’d qualify the ending as even an HFN.
This is a fairly short story at 134 pages and there is a ton of steaminess although most of that is confined to Hailey’s internal thoughts, but this girl does appreciate some good self-love scenes in books which is what culminated in my 3 stars.
I was incredibly excited to read, because I am a fan of polyamory relationships played out well in romance. Emphasis on the well. Part of my issues came from this not including another POV besides Hailey’s. My personal taste for a solid polyamory story is that I want to be in all the characters’ heads so that I can see and feel their full, emphatic consent to what is commonly viewed as an unconventional relationship. In fiction, as in the real world, this is something that requires all parties being all in. The vibes I got from Ella were more that of a cleverly disguised mean girl who wanted to toy with Hailey than someone actually caring for her.
The sex scene was… okay? I was much more excited by Hailey’s fantasy induced self-love than the actual threesome that didn’t feel like all three really had their needs met in an equal way.
I wouldn’t warn anyone off from making this a book date, but please go into it knowing that the ending isn’t as fulfilling as you’d expect, even from an HFN and the relationship or characters aren’t well developed enough to encourage this particular reader to continue in this series and see where Hailey, Ella, and Jack wind up.