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The Sunrise Effect

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Sawyer
It was supposed to be smooth sailing—an all-expense paid trip to Europe with my best friends, getting stash for my resume. Then I was met with a semi-naked guy in my hotel room and an awkward, “Who are you?” Yeah, the committee responsible for the trip had mistaken me for a guy, leaving me stuck with the obnoxious football player for the next six weeks. Even worse, he’s actually kind of charming… and funny... and did I mention, hot?
There were all sorts of reasons why falling for Graham Carter was a bad idea. Here’s to all the reasons why I fell anyway.
Graham
It was going to be the summer of my life—drinks, fun, exploring, and no-strings-attached relations. Then I’m suddenly paired up with the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen and I’m like, thank you, universe. But she makes it painfully clear that we’re just friends and she’s not interested in me besides being my partner on paper.
Sawyer likes her rules and boundaries. I, on the other hand, am a rulebreaker. And I intend to spend the summer showing her just how fun breaking the rules really can be.

360 pages, Paperback

Published June 8, 2021

3 people are currently reading
450 people want to read

About the author

Livy North

9 books80 followers
Livy North is a contemporary romance writer who lives in winter wonderland with her dog. She dabbles in multiple subgenres and tropes, but loves the suspenseful ones. When she's not writing, she's either cuddled up with a good book, or in a car on the way to an unknown destination.

You can find Livy on:
Newsletter sign up: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webfor...
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/livynorthau...
Website: www.livynorth.com

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
Profile Image for emilie adele.
410 reviews79 followers
November 2, 2021
UPDATE: petition for liv to write avery and aiden a book.

Livy North... Liv... Why are you doing this to me? Absolutely breathtakingly beautiful. This book was a dream come true, literally. All I want to do is take Graham and Sawyer (and the others ofc) with me to a place and live hea.

This book is the PERFECT summer read, and when I say perfect I mean it’s a must read for this summer. Visiting cities like London, Athens, Rome, Venice and Barcelona, it will give you memories you’ll want to experience yourself.

First meetings can be awkward, and after a mix up and Sawyer walking in on a half naked Graham? Yeah, definitely awkward. Nonetheless, deciding to make it work despite having to room with the opposite gender, they form a friendship unlike anything else. From late night outings to early summer sunrises, these characters will make your heart burst with happiness and longing.

Sawyer, Avery and Mia met Graham, Julian and Aiden, and after two months exploring Europe together, they became family.

Sawyer, the intelligent, shy—yet super funny—girl. Oh how I loved watching her develop into someone so fantastic. From starting this journey a little unsure of herself to finishing it with confidence and laughter. It was a true joy to follow.

Graham Carter. Graham freaking Carter. My man. I love you more than life. His positivity and humor, and lets not forget hotness, gave me new found will to live life to the fullest. He made me want to be myself, because nothing is better.

Livy, thank you for this book, I will never forget it.
Profile Image for Malena.
422 reviews97 followers
June 15, 2021
“You’re my sun, and I’m your moon. And like their bond is eternal, so is ours. So are we.”

this book was so cute and beautiful i love graham and sawyer so much!!

Profile Image for Yoneidis.
2,149 reviews12 followers
May 21, 2021
What a delight of a book! I’ve been with a smile on my face the whole time while reading it.
The MCs are Graham and Sawyer.
Graham is a football player, a student with normal grades in part bc of his dislexia, and with strong ties to his parents and younger siblings.
Sawyer is the good girl, shy, responsible, with good grades, who despite being abandoned by her father has all the love she needs thanks to her mother and sister.
Both are going to a history course in Europe where they will travel to different cities: London, Athens, Rome, Venice and Barcelona.
Upon arrival in London, all students are paired with a partner for the duration of the trip and with that partner they must submit the final work.
What happens is that Sawyer is mistaken for a boy and that is why she is paired with Graham. And in the first days sleeping in the same room they had and awkward situations: Graham entering the bathroom while Sawyer is naked after a shower, Sawyer cock blocking Graham while he is getting a BJ…
But little by little they become friends, so much that their best friends and them form and inseparable group( Avery, Aiden, Mia and Julian).
During those 2 months, Graham and Sawyer become best friends, confidants, accomplices, lovers and boyfriend and girlfriend and it’s the most fun and romantic.
It’s a super entertaining read that you will read in one go.

“You know, I never wanted to be your friend.” “What?” It was your suggestion. “You were the one who said we’d be best friends. “I wanted to run my hand through your stupid hair. Trail my fingers over your stupid curves and I wanted to kiss your stupid face.” He snickers. “I didn’t want to be your friend, and I don’t want to be your friend now,” he repeats, calmer this time around. He shifts so he can stare into my eyes. “I want to be your boyfriend. Then fiancé. And then one day, I want to call you my wife. You’re the one I want to be with in an elderly home when we’re eighty, playing bingo or something else meaningless that I don’t understand, making fun of my crooked back or your bad eyesight.” My throat shrivels close, and I can’t get a single word out. “I want to be your everything. I want to be the person you laugh with, cry with, fight with. I can’t settle on just being your friend. It’s too damn hard. And I’m not the jealous type, but I can’t fucking stand the thought of watching you with someone who isn’t me. You’re my sunrise, my sunset, and everything in between. I want my days to begin and end with you.” His voice cracks, and more tears spill from me. I think he’s crying too, but I can’t see through the blurry wall of water. “You’re my sun. My everything.”
Profile Image for ⟢ sarah.
303 reviews23 followers
May 29, 2021
This book, this story is so sweet. It’s easy to read, passionate and so perfect for summer.

Getting to know Sawyer and her best friends, how excited they were about this trip to Europe, and how they had the summer of their life. Getting to see Graham smile, laugh, tease his friends and Sawyer. Seeing it all happen was amazing.

The friendships in this book are so inspiring. And Sawyer and Graham’s story is delicate and captivating.

Now that I finished reading, I would wish for this book to be longer just to see all of them again together, happy and having fun.

I laughed with Graham all along, with his charm and his jokes. He really is something.

And! Aiden and Avery, I need to know more about them, so badly.

Profile Image for SalemsArrow.
71 reviews
June 25, 2021
2.75

They were really cute.
Especially Graham, Oml I love him.
But I didn’t really like the writing and all the time jumps.

Cant wait to read other works by Livy though.

Also.... Avery and Aiden👀
Profile Image for aria.
32 reviews13 followers
August 17, 2021
Words cannot describe this novel. Just...WOW. If you like books that involve travel and has a summery vibe, then this is the novel for you.

Their first meeting involved an awkward encounter with Sawyer walking in on Graham almost fully naked. Despite the hotel room mix up, they decide to make do with their circumstances and attempt to get along. They then form a bond like no other with small late night outings to creative adventures in the cities they're in.

Sawyer, Graham, and their group of friends--Aidan, Avery, Mia, and Julian--spend their summer travelling around Europe together; becoming family.

Graham is a positive man full of happiness and humor; he reminds me much of a bundle of joy full with energy. He's very adventurous and flourishes through life; never exactly settling down.

Sawyer is an awkward, shy, and intelligent girl. Throughout the story, you see her slowly gaining confidence in herself and letting loose. It started with her unsure of going on the trip to it then ending with her gaining lifelong friends and memories.

I really did love this book and it might be one of my newfound favorites.

P.S I think we should all get an Aidan and Avery book....
Profile Image for Annie (_anniereadsbooks).
237 reviews25 followers
May 27, 2021
This book was amazing! It was such a sweet romance and I loved Sawyer and Graham’s story!

Sawyer is a girl and college student who, along with her friends, is getting a lifetime experience taking a summer history course abroad in Europe. After arriving she quickly learns there is a rooming mistake as she she meets Graham, her roommate and a muscular hot football player for Harvard. And a guy.

Their interactions start off as super awkward, and after accidentally seeing each other naked different times (or with another person..) they start over and really hit it off.

Their relationship wasn’t a quick, instafast love. It was a slow burn, beautiful progression.

I honestly loved these two. Graham had me laughing out loud several times. He wasn’t a bully or an a-joke, he was so sweet, thoughtful, and respectful. His character was so refreshing.

If you’re looking for a really sweet, college, friends to lovers, romance I recommend this book! I also NEED an Aiden and Avery book, thank you!
Profile Image for aryaki.
151 reviews32 followers
June 8, 2021
this was the first book i read by livy north and it most definitely won’t be the last. it was really cute and even though it was a little predictable/cliché at times i enjoyed reading it a lot and i genuinely think it’s the perfect summer read.
i absolutely loved seeing both the characters develop feelings for each other slowly and grow into better versions of themselves. the character development in this book, no doubt, was top tier.
the ending is heart wrenchingly beautiful and all their quotes genuinely got me. i definitely recommend you to read this book if you like a wholesome, college, friends to lovers book.
ps- a petition for livy to write a book for aiden and avery. i NEED it <3
Profile Image for zya.
161 reviews65 followers
Read
June 8, 2021
What I associate with NA Romance, is the typical enemies-to-lovers, dark romance and the occasional sports romance. For this story, it was a breath of fresh air for those who wanted to take away from the gritty, hard romance for something soft, sweet and easy to read. And it is—The Sunrise Effect is a friends-to-lovers, summertime adventure romance about traveling across Europe with your friends, and an easy banter between the main characters. It is lighthearted, funny, and sweet... but it is also something I would read off of Wattpad.

I like the simplicity of the characters, Sawyer and Graham, and I love how they interacted with each other and built their romance from just awkward roommates to becoming lovers. It was sweet and simple, but their characters lacked depths that made me emotionally invested in them. I didn't feel their emotions, their struggles, or their joy. The chemistry between the two, also felt lacking, and their interactions—especially near the end—begin to grow repetition, dialogues are the same but differently worded, and they would reference the title in not-so-subtle ways such as "Sawyer is my sun," in several occasions.

I love friendships in romance, and I think this carried through as a great example of friends not tearing each other apart for competition, boys, or girl-hate. That is very important and I admired Livy North for writing that into TSE. However, as with the main characters, I felt that they lacked the complexity of fully-fleshed out characters but rather one-dimensional side characters, not owning much characteristics and I couldn't distinguished between their voices. That's not a bad thing, especially for a rising author, but I definitely do want to note that because I feel like in order to craft a compelling story, your side characters have to have as much (or at least a good amount) of depth as you put in your main characters.

Another thing I found was the pacing—which was off. I understand cutting down scenes in order to fit them properly, skipping the boring introductions in order to get to the fun bits, but the pacing was very off. So many occasions would come and say, "it's been two weeks; three days, a week has passed," and it doesn't give us details about what happened in those weeks, days, or hours. It feels like a cheap shot at trying to past time, and an obvious attempt to get to the "fun bits," which sometimes, ended up anti-climatic. Like I said, sometimes the dialogues would grow repetitive, scenes would grow dull, and banters would be the same exact thing restated five times. The pacing would sometimes be too quick, or too slow, which is hard to keep track of the structure and grow a connection with the characters when their scenes are cut short, extended too long, or didn't hold our interest long enough.

It should be noted that I am a character-over-plot person, and I do not care if the plot is absolutely rubbish, but if the plot is wrapped around romance, which centers around the characters and their story of falling in love—and the characters lacked the complexity, engagement and emotional connection for me to care about what they do—I struggle with keeping up with them or wanting them. Especially for this story, when their third-act breakup was miscommunication, shifted into a bit of teenage angst that didn't fit the part or didn't filled into depth in order for us to understand the motives between the characters. It didn't have emotional impact, depth, and fell off as childish.

The sex scenes were great though; it was enough to paint a picture and was not cringey. I definitely want to note that.

This is no way meant to hate on the author—I find her concepts of stories very intriguing and I'm always wanting to know what she puts out. She is a sweet soul from what I see on Instagram and Facebook, and she has so much ambition for her stories it's admirable. I just wanted to put this review so maybe it could be taken with a grain of salt, and help improve your future projects. I do admire the effective and quantity you put out for your stories within months and years!

I just feel like Livy North is more comfortable writing dark romance, such as Riot Hearts.

I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for bella..
113 reviews49 followers
March 3, 2022
“You’re my sunrise, my sunset, and everything in between. I want my days to begin and end with you.”

this was such a sweet and lovely read, i have no doubt that fans of the friends-to-lovers trope will eat this up.

the development of sawyer and graham's romance was done so well. i liked how they became friends and got to know each other before anything more happened. whereas graham brings out the bolder and more adventurous side of sawyer, she grounds him and makes him want to savor life instead of rushing through it.

the reason i haven't rated this higher is more of a "it's not the book, it's me" situation. it was a good, solid read but i personally wasn't able to connect with the characters or the story. i wanted more angst and i found myself getting bored especially once sawyer and graham got together.

although it wasn't for me, i would recommend this to people who are fans of the friends-to-lovers trope and want to indulge in a light and sweet read with the perfect summer vibes.

𝘼𝙍𝘾 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙣 𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬
Profile Image for anne ✧.*.
162 reviews13 followers
June 11, 2021
grahamsawyer dancing to taylor swift was the peak of romance
Profile Image for Caroline F.
2,395 reviews52 followers
June 21, 2021
Really enjoyed this story - fun, sexy, amusing and pretty feel-good.

"Graham's already making me nervous as hell. My heart keeps beating like a marching band whenever we're alone together."

Sawyer Nixon is sweet, studious and smart. She's the quiet one out of a trio of friends but she's about to embark on an eight-week trip to Europe - a semester abroad learning about European history - and hoping to experience some adventures. Her first adventure is realising that she's been given a roommate who is male. A hot athlete with a flirtatious disposition. They're stuck with each other and she tries to make the best of it, even though they're awkward around each other.

"What's better than a girl who's your best friend and turns you on at the same time?"

Graham Carter can't believe he got given a place on this trip. He's not the smartest guy at college but he's a fabulous football player. When he discovers that his new roommate is actually a beautiful, serious girl and not a guy, he's happy to forge ahead. After a couple of blunders, since they're stuck with each other for eight weeks, they finally clear the air and give friendship a try. As the days pass, they find common ground and a strong connection. However, Graham soon starts to realise that friendship will not be enough for him, as he starts to learn more about Sawyer and what makes her tick.

"You're my sunrise, my sunset, and everything in between. I want my days to begin and end with you."

I loved the travels, the banter between the rapidly-forming friendship group that Graham and Sawyer are part of, and the strong bond that the pair begin to establish. Graham is actually a pretty sweet, solid guy, and I loved how protective he was of Sawyer. I adored the little notes he wrote her. The effort he put into them, knowing that he had a learning disability, made me melt. Sawyer really started to come out of her shell. Usually the one who sits back while her gorgeous, gregarious besties have the limelight, it was cute to see her find her stride and confidence as her relationship with Graham grew. He was super outgoing and she was quite introvert, so they balanced each other out. There was plenty of tension and attraction between them in the early stages of their friendship and I loved it when they finally stepped over the line. Graham is so swoony - I loved his words, written and spoken - and his commitment to Sawyer. Overall, a really enjoyable, fun read.
Profile Image for Nancy.
1,132 reviews39 followers
May 24, 2021
I really enjoyed this sweet read. Sawyer and her two best friends are chosen for an all expense paid trip to Europe for a history course for two months during the summer. After a delay getting to London, they get they room assignments and settle in for what is left of the night. Only problem is Sawyer James Nixon is paired with Graham, as the committee mistook her name for a male. He's on the trip with his best friend and another football player that they both know. Now their only choice is to head home or become roommates. Sawyer has made is clear she wants them to be friends. But can these two not explore the feelings that seem to be growing for each other? I felt like I was on the trip watching and waiting for someone to make the first move and loved every minute once they become a couple. You can't help but love Sawyer, Graham and their friends as they traveled Europe and became a sweet family.
Profile Image for Rebecca  Hillyard.
27 reviews2 followers
May 27, 2021
It was really cute, and I did enjoy reading about sawyer and Graham. However the story seems alittle high school to me. You can definitely tell this is someone's first time writing. But I did enjoy it! I wouldn't be able to write a book to save my life, so good job!
Profile Image for Cristina.
343 reviews9 followers
May 24, 2021
This was such a fun read! Had me laughing and smiling the whole time. Sawyer and Graham were the cutest. I love how much their relationship had developed before they finally got together. Their relationship was everything, and I mean all books set my expectations high, but this book set them so high lol can I meet a guy like Graham on a school trip to Europe?! Please and thank you.

I love their little friend group and how close they all got throughout the book. Everything was just so good from the banter and jokes to the heartwarming scenes between Sawyer and Graham. Perfect summer read, 100% recommend!

I’m also all for a book on Aidan and Avery just saying lol



Profile Image for Fruzsina.
90 reviews15 followers
June 28, 2021
"You're my sun, and I'm your moon. And like their bond is eternal, so is ours. So are we."



I have seen The Sunrise Effect by Livy North on many social media platforms, readers claimed that it was one of the cutest books ever, and after reading it I can definitely agree with this statement.
This is a fun, sweet and light novel that gives you all the summer vibes. My eyes were basically glued to the pages up until the point the characters actually get together and become a couple and then... Then, for some reason, that excitement was long lost. The book still had some very enjoyable parts, but I just found the first half a lot more entertaining.

"Hey, I'm like five-four or something. Besides, your fragile masculinity would hate if I were as tall as you. What are you? Six foot?"
"Six foot and half an inch," he corrects with a confident nod.
I stare blankly at him. "Mm-hmm, that half an inch really bothered you, huh?"
"Yep."

THINGS I DID LIKE

the covers
Let's start with those because I am so obsessed with the original and the alternate cover of The Sunrise Effect, they are so incredibly stunning.

the plot
Going on an 8 week long school trip to Europe, visiting many wonderful places, learning about different cultures and the history of those countries, making new friends? Sign me up.
It is such a great idea for a story, and the first meeting of Sawyer and Graham was just so funny, personally I have never read about a situation like this one, so it was really refreshing.

Graham
Oh my goodness, Graham is literally THE cutest, most precious, caring and loveable bookish hero I have ever read about. Seriously, authors need to write more books with guys like him in them. I am so in love with him, I wholeheartedly adored him from the beginning to the end.

I'm smiling like an idiot and I lean down to kiss her.
"What was that for?" she asks, cocking her head at me and smiling.
"For being you."

Sawyer & Graham's relationship
Huge thank you to Livy North for not making their story an insta-love thingy. Sawyer and Graham's relationship is so well written, I really loved that they do not jump into anything too soon, they become friends first, and than that friendship transforms into something more, and it was so beautifully done.

"I love listening to the waves. It's my... third favorite sound, " I say smiling up at him.
He smiles back and raises an eyebrow. "What's in second and first?"
"Your laughter and your heartbeat."

Sawyer and Graham bring the best out of each other. Sawyer makes Graham to just slow down and enjoy life, while Graham shows her there are many fun things she can do, he shows her that she has an adventurous side and that breaking out of your comfort zone can lead to so much happiness too. Together, they enjoy life to the fullest.

"See how much fun you get to have with me."
"I think you mean trouble."
"Same thing, sun, same thing. Just like... love and you. It's the same thing."

Graham & Max
Max is Graham's little brother, and what a special bond is theirs! Max does not have a huge role in this book, but he and his brother share some very cute moments that are so wonderful and heartwarming.

secondary characters
I really like reading about friend groups. In The Sunrise Effect, 6 strangers quickly become friends, and I loved to read about them. Their banters were so much fun, they made me laugh so many times.
I hope the author decides to write a book about Aidan and Avery, I would love to read that one.

"I love her like the moon loves the sun. Because the moon can never shine without the sun."

THINGS I DID NOT LIKE

Sawyer
In my opinion, Sawyer is a lot more likeable character in the first half of the book. After that, most of the time I just found it hard to connect with her.


the characters' pasts
Sawyer and Graham both have past traumas that had a huge impact on their lives and I felt that the author did not give enough details about these. What happened with Graham is not really often included in books, so it is great that Livy North included it in this story, I just felt that if they talked about their insecurities a little bit more then these characters could have gotten even more depth.

the time jumps
I am definitely not a fan of time jumps. To be honest, I only really like them when an author includes a time jump in the epilogue and we get a little glimpse into the character's lives for example like "x years later".
I understand that the author of The Sunrise Effect could not have written about each and every day of their trip, but she decided to skip so so many events that could have been so interesting and entertaining, and as a result very often I found myself being bored. With less time jumps we could have gotten more scenes in which we could have gotten to know the characters better. In the last few chapters, we get more time jumps, and because of those, everything just felt rushed, everything was solved so quickly.

the break up scene
Yes, there is a break up scene in it, and if you ask me, it was completely unnecessary. I did not and I still do not like the reasoning behind that decision, this just caused so much pain for both characters that could have been easily solved and avoided. I really hated these chapters, I could not wait for this break up to finally end. This whole situation was just so irritating, that was when I really started to think about just dnfing it. However, I kept reading and I kinda glad I did because then I would have missed out on so many sweet scenes.

love declarations
While I really love Sawyer and Graham as a couple, and they have some pretty cute, beautiful and emotional love declaration scenes, near the end, it just became too much.

"You're my sunshine, my sunset, and everything in between. I want my days to begin and end with you." (...) "You're my sun. My everything. My life revolves around you now."

Taking everything into account, The Sunrise Effect by Livy North is a lighthearted summer read. If you are looking for a friends to lovers story with low angst level, then I can recommend this book to you.

Final rating: 3 stars
Profile Image for Joanna.
1,064 reviews11 followers
March 13, 2022
When I knew about this book, I was really excited to read it. I love a summer read and the plot looked really good.

Sawyer and Graham were so funny and cute to read about. I loved to see the development of their relationship and themselves.

Livy has once again written a really good book and this was a really cute, easy and good read.

𝘼𝙍𝘾 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙣 𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬

▬ 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬: friends to lovers, high school, summer trip

542 reviews3 followers
June 8, 2021
I think I saw the author write somewhere that this was supposed to be a light, summer read and wow did she hit the nail on the head! The Sunrise Effect was exactly that! I honestly think I sat and read this with a smile on my face throughout the whole book. It's sweet, young love wrapped up in a light and humorous storyline. This book reminded me of an early 2000's Mary-kate and Ashley style film with the dreamy European tour and the Summer love.

Graham is a college football player and whilst he has the stereotypical boyish charm, he's also incredibly sweet underneath it all and doesn't act like the regular dick towards Sawyer. 'Here's a note for you: You look real pretty today, Sawyer James Nixon.' His initial impressions after the roommate mix up made me laugh, because it felt like such a guy thing to do. But it was adorable to see him go out of his way to try make Sawyer feel comfortable and get her to like him, and not just for the sake of getting her into bed. He does definitely know how to flirt and turn on the charm though.

Sawyer is a bit of a recluse due to her shyness, and would much prefer to stay in the background if she could. But after getting put in a room with an out-going Graham, even she can't stay in her shell for too long. 'I think it has more to do with the fact that he's a guy.' I love that she's a little awkward turtle and although sometimes I can find characters like that annoying in books, Sawyer just hit differently and I really liked her. She had little pockets of humour that she'd throw out around the boys and throughout the book you slowly see her becoming more and more comfortable around Graham especially. "If I say yes, will you get all cocky?" "Probably." "Then no."

Sawyer and Graham's friends were great additions to this too. I so hope we get to see Avery and Aidan book, and hopefully Mia and Julian's too. Mia and Avery's questioning when they first find out that Sawyer is roomed with a guy made me laugh so much and just reminded me of the conversations I've had with my friends in similar situations!
'I sigh. "I was showering and he-"
"You had shower sex with the guy!"...
"No. I was showering, and he walked in on me."
"And then you had sex in the bathroom."


If you're looking for a super steamy, twist filled, dark read, then this book isn't going to be for you. But if you want something in a light-hearted, young, first love style, then this is absolutely a good option! Sawyer and Graham have a really cute relationship which starts as a holiday romance that turns into love and a longer relationship. It's everything you'd expect from a young, new adult style relationship, but without all the usual 'he said, she said' teenage drama. It's soft and sweet and definitely cliché, but that's what made it such a good book, which fit it's description perfectly in my opinion.

*ARC received in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Leonie.
271 reviews21 followers
June 26, 2021
The vibes of this book summed up with a few emojis: ✈️☀️🌊🍦💛👩‍❤️‍👨

The positives:
Graham is everthing you want in a male love interest. He‘s funny, sweet, caring, lively and attentive. He never pushes and is always considerate of the people he cares about and especially the heroine. And he‘s hot, too, which is never a bad thing 😉
The different settings of this book? Awesome. Having the characters meet on this summer vacation-ish school trip where we get to explore different European cities with them is such a good idea. They went on so many cool adventures together and it was such a fun time.

The negatives:
Unfortunately, I couldn‘t really connect to Sawyer as a main character. She kinda gave off not like other girls vibes at times and even though she was a nice person, I never got attached to her in any way. That also lead to me not really understanding what Graham saw in her... oopsie 🥴
The backdrop of this story was great, but I was kind of bored with the relationship at parts 🥲 It was cute and all, but not really deep, in my opinion. There was no angst (none that I could get behind at least) or anything very exciting about them. That‘s a thing with me and not the book‘s fault necessarily, though.
Unnecessary break-ups in books are one of my biggest pet peeves. There was one in this book and it was dragged out for such a long time, at least it felt like that to me. It happened because one of them was insecure and pushed the other away and I don‘t want to discredit anyone‘s feelings, but I‘ve seen this done so many times in romance novels at this point and it just annoys me.

I’ve been following Liv North on Instagram for a while and she seems like such a sweet person, so I‘m definitely checking out her other releases. I have already purchased her whole Saings of Crow duet, so I will read that sooner rather than later 😊
Profile Image for Bea.
265 reviews12 followers
June 2, 2021
2.5 ⭐️

Graham and Sawyer are spending their summer on an 8-week-tour through Europe, where they are accidentally paired as roommates.
I was really excited to start this book, because the premise is super interesting and forced proximity and the 'there was only one bed' trope are huge favourites of mine, but unfortunately this didn't work for me.

While I loved their first meeting - Sawyer seeing a random hot guy coming out of the shower in her room who then turns out to be her roommate - it lead me to believe that it would be a 'i don't like you but why do i still find you so hot' situation which it definitely wasn't. Sawyer and Graham quickly became friends, and while I don't mind friends-to-lovers, it happened very fast and off-page.

I found the pacing really weird, a lot of chapters started with 'x days passed' and I felt like we jumped over character and relationship development because of it. A lot of things were told rather than shown, so I just couldn't connect with the characters and root for their relationship because of it. Sawyer and Graham didn't have that chemistry or banter that would've made me want to care about their relationship.

The characters and their relationships also felt a bit childish even though this was set during university - the characterisation would've fit them better if they were all in high school. Sawyer and Graham's typical third act breakup (that I wish romance authors in general would just delete from their repertoire) and its reasons also felt immature. Both characters had previous traumas that defined them and their stance on relationships, but I think these weren't delved into deep enough.

The ending felt a bit cheesy, I found all those love declarations every second-page a bit forced and way too soon into Graham and Sawyer's relationship. I wish instead the last few chapters we had just gotten an epilogue, because nothing really happened anymore.

[arc received from NABC]
Profile Image for WordsAreMagical.
266 reviews13 followers
October 1, 2021
Oh my god, I am smiling so big!! This book just left me feeling so warm happy and all smiley lol. I don't really listen to the playlists while reading a book but in this book the author mentions each song at every chapter which intrigued me. So I caved in and started playing the songs while reading and wow it genuinely hyped me up on feels and my imagination while reading. I felt their excitement, their love, their worries. Also there were some of my fave songs so I would get excited about them when they came up. It was fun to read, Sawyer and Graham start off rocky but then with the help of their friends everyone starts hanging out together. They start seeing each other in new light and discover their feelings towards each other. I like their love its all sappy but in a good way you know? Sometimes your heart just needs that overload of love and yeah its really sweet to read it plus I feel the music helps a lot to get you in the feels so the reading experience is fun. The group of friends they have are fun and everything was super nice! There are some corny lines thrown at each other but that is how you feel when you are young you fall in love so everything just clicks and makes you happy.
Profile Image for a..
188 reviews1 follower
July 20, 2022
read this in a day..

character wise, this book had pretty good characters. sawyer was cute and she wasn’t like those I wanna be quirky main characters, i thought she was sweet and towards the end she just struggled with her thoughts & didn’t know how to communicate them other than doing what she did? graham . he was so adorable honestly like the letters were just so cute. grahamsawyer together was super super cute i have no complaints, them dancing to taylor swift? obsessed. the seat switch? obsessed.

let’s talk writing style, while i read this i didn’t really notice anything wrong with the way it was written i thought it was executed well. now after further consideration and me rereading like half the book i can see that the writing style kind of gives fan fiction but i’m not complaining as it was enjoyable to me but i can see why others didn’t like that. personally, i love fast burns so i’m not complaining while their friendship was developed quickly it makes sense because 1 they were literally roommates..? and 2 graham was so sweet..

the “drama” or fight whatever, i think it was really out of nowhere? although we did have some sort of build up to it i feel like it was so after they had gotten together and after they broke up the book felt a bit predictable hence why i couldn’t give it anything higher than a four..

overall, i liked this book but i can totally see why little things could bother someone else but based off of personal enjoyment this book deserved a 4.5 from me, based off of actual logic? maybe a 3-4. but we all know i rate my books based off of enjoyment anyways
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for mygreypages.
243 reviews30 followers
June 8, 2021
If you saw me with a sappy smile reading this book, getting random cackle-attacks, no you didn’t.😌

✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰

Meeting a half naked guy in the hotel room was not what Sawyer had expected in the all-expense-paid trip to Europe. Even less stuck with the half naked player-guy with a roommate for the next 6 weeks!

And with Graham Carter’s easy to love personality— how was Sawyer going to survive?!

Looking for a light, sweet love story? This book is for you!

From it’s good natured humour and fast writing pace and quick wit— this book is perfect for a summer read.

NEED a book for Aiden and Avery please!!!

ARC provided by author for an honest review.
Profile Image for Taylor H.
277 reviews11 followers
June 16, 2021
This was a cute read to pass the time but nothing remarkable. Not much really happened.
Profile Image for Coco.V.
50k reviews131 followers
Want to read
August 8, 2021
🎁 FREE on Amazon today (8/8/2021)! 🎁
Profile Image for NefeliK.
461 reviews9 followers
August 31, 2021
«You’re my sunrise, my sunset, and everything in between. I want my days to begin and end with you.»

«You’re my sun, and I’m your moon. And like their bond is eternal, so is ours. So are we»
Profile Image for ariana.
3 reviews2 followers
June 1, 2021
this book is overall wholesome. sawyer and graham's interactions are so cute, i kept squealing. graham really exceed the boy obsessed trope LIKE MAN. HE WROTE A FREAKING LETTER. TO SAWYER'S MOM. SO SHE WOULD KNOW HIS INTENTIONS TOWARDS HER DAUGHTER IS NOTHING BUT GENUINE. THE MAN FELL HARD AND I LOVE HIM SO MUCH.

THEIR SMALL GLANCES AT EACH OTHER?? PLEASE I SWOON EVERYYIME

if i can describe sawyer, its that she's exactly me. she's the type of person who's like 'better be safe than sorry' but there's that part of her that cant help but show when she's with graham.

their dynamic with their group of friends cracks me up everytime. i lowkey want more scenes of aidan thooo he's hilarious

ALSO BONUS SCENE OF THEIR PROPOSAL AND WEDDING MAYBE ??
Profile Image for Janelle Malaiba.
89 reviews1 follower
October 24, 2021
I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review!

Graham and Sawyer were so cute together, every interaction between them was simple--although I think that the simplicity of their dynamic is what makes it an easy to get through but enjoyable read. This story had such a good summer feel and I really favored the concept of their trip! It's a really fun take on a "typical" summer romance.

I especially appreciated Sawyer's obsession with true crime! Not only that, but the fact that you can delve into real life topics that people may struggle with in this story while also being able to keep some tones lighthearted. I also love when we get to see more to the friendship side of couples and I'm so happy we got to receive that with the two of them.

However I will say, I do wish that there were aspects in the story that could be developed more. Not specifically, as I'm aware that not everything can be told in lengthy detail but just an expansion of certain scenes or topics that come up (because there were times where it felt like things were brought up, yet passed along). Another example being the timeline. I feel like we got a good glimpse into the trip, but I did hope to see what else happened in detail, within a certain time span that contributed to the development of Sawyer and Graham's relationship!

Overall, TSE was an easy to follow and endearing story that people will also enjoy reading if they're looking for a summer romance read. I cannot wait to see what else is in store for these characters, especially between Avery and Aiden! Congratulations to Livy on the release!
Profile Image for Nura.
144 reviews222 followers
Read
January 14, 2022
This book was so freaking cute from start to end.

When Livy first announced that she was going to be writing a friends to lovers, I was so excited. This book was breathtaking from the places they visiting to the little moments between Graham and Sawyer. From the very first moment that they met, there wasn't wasn't dull moment.

Following the story of two groups of friends joined to one travelling through Europe on a school trip, we get to see how Graham and Sawyer grow closer to one another through being roommates and Graham being determined to help Sawyer go put more and become more comfortable in social situations. Graham is attentive and caring but he tends to put himself down often because of something he has that bothers him, while Sawyer is shy and intelligent and finds comfort in sticking to the zones she's familiar with.

This book has the perfect travel vibes, the amazing story of Graham and Sawyer going from strangers to friends to lovers, and the best amount of cliché-ness that we all need.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review
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