Love & Other Cursed Things

by Krista Ritchie, Becca Ritchie

From New York Times Bestselling Authors Krista & Becca Ritchie comes a sizzling new contemporary F/F romance set in a coastal town, swimming with secrets, lies, and deep familial bonds.

Never fall in love in a cursed town.

Tourists flock to Mistpoint Harbor to snap photos of the famous lighthouse, browse the Museum of Curses & Curiosities, and claim their “I survived the Most Cursed Town in America!” pin. But for me, growing up in Mistpoint Harbor wasn’t a vacation. Not when locals have a deep-seated loathing for my family.

They hate my dad.
They hate my older brothers.

And they hate me--Zoey Durand, the girl who shrunk in high school at the taunts and jeers. Like a sad, wilted flower. If it wasn't for October Brambilla, life would've been a real living hell.

But the moment I could leave my family's disgraced legacy and this cursed town behind, I did.

And I vowed to never return.

Until the phone call. My brother is in trouble, and I’d risk just about anything for my family. Even a curse. Even running into October Brambilla, the daughter of the wealthiest, most revered family in all of Mistpoint Harbor.

She is town royalty.
I'm town scum.
She's a goddess and ice queen.
I just want in-and-out.

But she's my total weakness. And she's already been cursed. She wants me gone before I meet the same misfortune. The more she pushes, the more my heart is willing to go up against a stupid old town legend. But my head is telling me to run.

No one returns to Mistpoint Harbor once they leave, and the longer I stay, the more I realize why.

Genres: Romance, Lesbian, LGBT, Contemporary, Second Chance, New Adult, Friends To Lovers

340 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 11, 2022

About the author

NYT & USA Today Bestselling Authors Krista & Becca Ritchie are identical twins—one a science nerd, the other a comic book geek—but with their shared passion for writing, they combined their mental powers as kids and have never stopped telling stories. They love superheroes, flawed characters, and soul mate love.

To stay up to date on new releases, bonus content, and more, sign up for Krista & Becca's Newsletter: www.kbritchie.com/newsletter

Quick note: We don't check Goodreads, so we don't respond to messages here. But if you want to connect with Becca or me, you can reach out to us on our social medias or at our website: www.kbritchie.com

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Fans of Krista & Becca's Books:
♥ Join Krista & Becca's Fizzle Force Facebook group.
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♥ Find playlists for all of their books on Spotify
♥ Check out all of their extras! Including: bonus scenes, character interviews, fun posts and more on their Extras page.

Reviews

[mira · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.25⭐️

“I choose to believe it’s us, together always, at the end of our love story. I might not be a writer, but I wouldn’t want it to end any other way.”

edit: i changed my mind this was SO disappointing that i needed to lower my rating :/ changed from 2 stars to 1.25.

soulmates who finally reunite after 6 years in their hometown where everyone is cursed over the age of 18. first friends then lovers. sounds nice right? well, this book fooled me bitches.

i love the couple. i mean zoey and ob have SO MUCH chemistry. i was so excited for them. it started off so well and then the whole "plot" happened and i was officially lost af.

i wanted to do a proper review but man i just wanted to finish the book because i don't even hate it i'm just sad bc this had SO much potential.

basically, zoey and ob were "secret" friends in high school because zoey's dad is a "murderer" and everyone is bullying and hating and her for that. ob is sweet to her but in private and they started liking each other but they never dated.. then zoey left and 6 years pass but they still talk bc they are friends. she comes back and tries to solve some mystery shit (dont ask idk what happened). and plot twist they end up together. the end. happily ever after for everyone but me.

if KBR just focused on the romance it would've easily been 5 out of 5 stars but honestly, this whole plot thing i know y'all tried but please go back to giving us no plot bc this was painful.

“October Brambilla is kind, even if she seems like a cold ice queen. She’s the person who broke into my locker just to give me pastries and an encouraging note. Every day.”

ugh ZOEY AND OCTOBER are the fucking cutest EVER because they were actual FRIENDS to LOVERS but goddamn KBR for doing them so dirty. bye im sad.

what was up with KBR literally introducing so many characters in this book as if we knew any of them?????? IDFC what curse everyone has in that fucking town just give me sapphic smut omfg.

[Sylvie {Semi-Hiatus} · Rating 3 out of 5]

First rating: 3.5 stars!
Second rating: 3.75 stars!

I saw this at a bookstore a couple of days ago, and at first, I thought this was the new cover edition of 'Love & Other Words' until I read the title again.

I always thought that the Addicted series was going to be the first book(s) that I'd get to read by these authors, but this book sounds very interesting and the cover is so beautiful.

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

Oh how I wanted to love this book! I am a huge fan of Krista and Becca Ritchie. Huge. This one started off okay, and I loved the last 20% or so, but so much in the middle just didn't work for me. I was a bit bored, a bit confused, and I wish there was a bigger focus on the romance/relationship and less into the town and curses which were a little bizarre to me.

Audio book source: Audible
Story Rating: 3 stars
Narrators: CJ Bloom & Lessa Lamb
Narration Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length:10h 41m

[jazmin ✿ · Rating 4 out of 5]

"One of the oldest sayings in the museum is never fall in love in a cursed town. And yet, love is the most powerful thing here."

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

⇢The Plot

Okay so let’s start out with the plot, which is something that I find Krista and Becca Ritchie don’t always do perfectly. To me, they’re really character writers (which works out because I’m a character reader) and sometimes I’ve been let down by their plots, but I actually really enjoyed the plot in this book!

As they promised, the Nancy Drew vibes were on point, and Mistpoint Harbour was a fantastic setting. The cursed town elements were super unique and interesting and I can honestly say I was surprised by the various twists and turns. A few times, I screamed out loud because I was so surprised LOL.

The only thing I’ll say about the curses part that I didn’t love was that the definition of a “curse” in Mistpoint Harbour was kinda confusing. You have to read the book to really understand what I mean but in the book, people in the town can “become cursed” once they’re 18. Maybe I’m being too technical, but I just kept wondering what would be counted as a curse and why something bad happening was immediately labelled a curse. It was a bit confusing at times and I think a more definite explanation would’ve been super helpful.

⇢The Pacing

Another thing I want to talk about is the pacing. In the book, Zoey, the protagonist, returns to Mistpoint Harbour after being in Chicago for like 6 years. My complaint is, that when she came back, she sort of fell into her old patterns and relationships, and we as readers weren’t really updated. As in, she was referencing parts of her past that we didn’t know about, which made things confusing. It also made the pacing weird because although I get that she previously knew the characters, we had never seen them interact on page which made the pacing seem off. Either the relationships needed to develop slower, or we needed flashbacks.

⇢The Characters

Now, for the part I absolutely LOVED: the characters and their relationships. As I said, KB Ritchie write characters that really speak to my soul. Do I love Zoey and October and the rest as much as the characters from their series? (Addicted, CS, Like us) No, because I’ve read about those characters for like 20 books, whereas this was only a single book. But still, these characters were fantastic. The family aspect was phenomenal too.

Zoey and October were such great characters and their relationship was hilarious and super easy to root for. Both of them are icons and honestly I almost feel like we deserved more content from them, they were so great! GIVE ME MORE KB RITCHIE.

“I choose to believe it’s us, together always, at the end of our love story. I might not be a writer, but I wouldn’t want it to end any other way.”

And the side characters were awesome too, and I loved how the authors included romance between them as well. I’d love a novella about the other couples and characters! I know some people said it was hard to like them because there were too many characters, but I felt like that only made me like them more! Plus the fact that more than 50% of the characters were queer… KB Ritchie are my besties now.

*4.25

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

MY LINKTREE ❦

BOOKISH PRODUCTS: USE MY CODE JAZ10 ❦

[dasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

5🌟 reread

You can't imagine how much I love this book. It's just the perfect cozy rom. thriller. Every time I read this book, I dream of reading the continuation of the story with other characters, their backstories are so intriguing, and their love interests are the chef’s kiss🙂‍↕️🙌🏻



5⭐️

There are no words, just my endless love for Krista and Becca’s ability to write such stories! I did not expect that I would love this book so much!

I am writing this review two weeks after reading this book, and let me tell you this - I still think about this story every day! It gave me a feeling of comfort, found family, friend bonds, exactly what I like! October (my Rose Calloway kinda girl) is strong, independent in her views and knows perfectly well who she is and what she likes and what she doesn't. Zoey is looking for her place in the world kinda girl, and that makes them the perfect couple in my eyes!
The story behind Mispoint was authentic and added more charm to the novel✨

I really believe that sometimes a book should be read at a certain point in life, and this novel has become a salvation for me, that’s why i appreciate it so much more!

Waiting, praying, manifesting the continuation! i need it yesterday🫶🏻💔

[emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

ETA: audiobook re-read. I liked this just as much in audiobook form, I think! These were both new to me narrators, and while I’m not really a fan of multiple narrators, they both did a good job. I preferred Zoey’s narrator, and thought her voice fit the character perfectly. Ugh. I really want more of them being domestic and happy, but this is also a great standalone as is. Still perfectly made it hit a lot of my buttons.

~~~~~~

This really hit the spot, for me. I wavered between a 4 and a 5 star rating and while usually I tend to round down, this time, I went up. (Also because it’s 4am and I just finished reading and I VERY much should be asleep). I just had so much fun with this, and honestly, I was so pleasantly surprised by this book coming from these authors.

I’ve read everything they’ve put out, and honestly, I have not usually been the target audience, and often, slogged through books I never would have picked up if I hadn’t already latched onto characters a long time ago. Usually, these authors write Hetero (and occasionally MLM) romances, so to finally get something sapphic from them had me both very excited and a little wary. Wary only because a lot of the romances they do tell aren’t usually my cup of tea. I care about the characters, siblings, and friendships they built more in their other books most of the time. But with this, I just loved it all.

October is the perfect character for me to fall in love with. A protective ice queen with a soft side is ALWAYS my fictional kryptonite. And she hit so many of my buttons and I was in love with her pretty much from her introduction. That only grew as the story went on and we saw more of her. I really liked Zoey a lot too, and their romance was both really sweet and angsty. Kind of the perfect combo of it, for me. I actually enjoyed the mystery elements of the story, the whole cursed town thing, and I grew to care about the world that these two were in and all of their relationships. Like their other books, there’s a lot of drama and it’s not centered in realism, but it’s not meant to be. I know this is meant to be a standalone, and it ends at a pretty great spot and is wrapped up, but I’d love to see more of this from these authors again. At least hopefully more of something sapphic. Especially now that I know they can do it. And with more characters like October.

[thi · Rating 2 out of 5]

it does not escape me that amongst their 20+ adult contemporary romances books, their sole f/f pub has a inexplicable supernatural phenomenon that takes precedence over showing the actual characters’ relations ..

nitpicky of me? maybe
salty of me? yes
Wrong of me? No

[Reem · Rating 2 out of 5]

did I read this book only for core 6/like us series crumbs??? I did. And was i disappointed?? Yes 😭😭 Other than that is book was very meh, October and Zoey relationship was okay ish but like after 6 years and them being soulmates I expected something more and better. I wish we got to see more of them being together in HS rather than being told how they were. And the big reveal/mystery being solved was anticlimactic.

[the sinistersnix ♘ · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Never fall in love in a cursed town.”

Was this book good? Yes.

Could it have been better? DEFINITELY!

When it was announced that KB Ritchie would be coming out with an f/f romance and said it was inspired by Nancy Drew coastal small-town vibes, I was all for it - because Nancy Drew is the shit - and while Love & Other Cursed Things definitely had the mystery, supernatural, nosey small-town kind of vibes that Nancy Drew exudes, I didn't love it the same way.

And there are a few reasons for this.

1. The twists. The wonderful thing about mystery-type books is that while twists can come out of the blue for the characters - it shouldn't (in my opinion) for the reader. There should be little clues sprinkled throughout so when the twist happens readers should be able to say wait a minute didn't earlier on in the book this character said x, or did y, or implied z. So when certain secrets were revealed there wasn't a payoff (at least for me) for to be like oh... that's why he acted like that or why she said that. The characters in the story are already seemingly “clueless” about what's going on. Why do I have to join them?

2. It’s a standalone. Standalones leave a lot of room for things to be left behind or unresolved. And that's how I felt with this book. We were introduced to so many characters who have interesting relationships with other characters. And I would like to see those relationships play out. That's something the twins do extraordinarily well. They make you want to know more about their characters. So here we are with one book and a sea of characters with no inkling of whether they intend to one day expand the world they created or leave it to rust.

3. The characters. I have to be honest some of these characters....didn't do it for me at least not to the extent which I would have wanted them to. Don't get me wrong I loved the characters overall. As a whole. But some of them (looking at you Zoey) could be really annoying. It didn't take away from the overall story but it did make me put the book down for a few minutes to regroup and remind myself that I actually do enjoy the story.

Overall, I wish Goodreads had a better rating system because if they did I would be rating this book a 3.75.

[valentina · Rating 5 out of 5]

well...WOW.

this is my first book from krista and becca but i have heard about their books before and how much everyone loves them so i was really excited when they announced this one because well.... i'm obsessed with sapphic books (duh) and i was loving that some very populars authors were going to release one, we really do need more attention to wlw books but that's a conversation for another day.

now about this one, it really surprised me!! like i was like WOW at every moment and i didn't even wanted to finish but at the same time i did because i wanted to know everything ??? i can't say so much without giving away but i loved the whole mystery of it all, it really made a interesting atmosphere in the air and i was even interested in the side characters!! which doesn't happen often to me.

and well... zoey and october... what can i say? they gave me butterflies like the CHEMISTRY i was freaking out, the way that october protected her it was so... GOOD... i think i became obsessed with these two 😭😭 wish we could got even more of them at the end but that's just me and my little lesbian heart talking.

[amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

“To be a girl and love girls is a wondrous, complex thing. Because in one breath, I’m so envious of her. And in the other, I adore her. I want to join her fears and worries and happiness and joy. And while she tries to shield me from everyone’s judgment, I want to be her companion and protect her from everyone’s jealously.”

Throughout this book I was getting a lot of Pretty Little Liars vibes which I absolutely loved. The mystery, curses, petty and intense small town drama, complicated families, romance, all of it was so good!!! Zoey and October had amazing chemistry and I loved their dynamic and how their personalities balanced each other out. I really wish we got a few more flashback chapters of them in high school bc the first and only one did a really great job showing what they meant to each other and how important they were back then. I loved their romance and nicknames and I wish we got even more of it!

The curse of being a Krista & Becca Ritchie fan is loving their side characters because they always write them so well and then hoping forever that they’ll eventually get their own books. I do think that there were possibly too many “extras” in the cast of characters in terms of keeping track of all these townspeople and their curses. There were for sure times when I forgot who certain people were for a bit, but with the main side characters, I would absolutely read a book about any of them. Like AE’s Timo & John, there’s just so much potential with Brian & Parry and Babette & Colt. I loved the scenes between these couples and totally called it that Brian and Perry had a thing going on after their very first interaction on page. I also liked that Parry had a stutter since I haven’t seen that in many romance books. And Colt remembered that Babette doesn’t like to be touched, and had been buying all those wind-chimes anonymously, all while feeling like he’s losing his mind. Precious, good man!!! I really enjoyed the family twists in this and thought it made a lot of sense looking back at the different dynamics. KBR always write such wonderful side characters that I always fall in love with, so this will probably be joining AE in the category of me always hoping for more.

With this being a standalone, there were definitely a few loose ends that I wish had some sort of actual conclusion. I want to know if anyone outside of Mistpoint Harbor is ever going to know what happened to Augustine. Or if anything will happen with these other suggested romances - mainly Colt and Babette since it can easily be assumed that Brian and Parry will eventually end up together. I do also think that the Like Us series probably took up a bit too much of this story since there were a few scenes with several paragraphs talking about them, but that being said, I loved how it was during the FanCon tour and I absolutely adore the fact that October’s favourite is Jane Cobalt. Reminds me a lot of Katya Kotova’s favourite being Rose Calloway.

Overall I loved the mystery behind all the curses and meeting all these new characters. It was a super fun and intriguing book, and for the most part I was guessing right along with Zoey and October.

[Lula Cobalt · Rating 4 out of 5]

First book of the year and it was EPIC!

I don't know where to begin. Last year was awful in reading terms, so finding this amazing book got me super excited. I tried -I swear I did- to read it slowly, enjoy the first time, but I couldn't resist and had to devour it.

Both Zoey and October give me this grumpy-sunshine, ice-and-cold vibes and exclusive behaviour around the other that I so so so love. You know what I mean, right? When the characer is one way (cold) with everyone, but with their love interest they're amazingly sweet and present? I ADORE THAT.

I love how Krista and Becca didn't fall into the cliché of second-chance-romance where the main characters are hurt so they decide to hurt the other, or are angry and won't speak.

They made the girls very likeable. Both strong personalities in their own way, but also they excelled at what they do best: writing every-day-life, ordinary-moments. I don't know how exactly they do it, but nothing is really happening, and yet everything happens between the protagonist. You can't miss a word because everything is full of little details and love.

I wish this story becomes in a series. Maybe a stand-alone, short series for each couple we already know they paired.

That's other thing that excites me. All secondary characters are amazing. Brian, Parry, Colt and Baby, even Amelia, were incredible. They didn't take too much attention, and yet I can't wait to read how their story goes.

The whole cursed town thing is hilarious. I don't know if that was their intention, but to me it is. Like, the whole town knows it's kinda bullshit, but no one is willing to dare their fate. They respect that part of the town's story, their story.

Same with the mystery that brings Zoey to Mistpoint Harbor. It was intriguing. We could have seen the outcome coming (or not), but it was a good part of the story. Worked as a reason and not as a plotline.

Again, I want to read more about them and I hope other readers enjoy this as much as I did. Is not part of their big-series with the famous families (although it's the same universe) so I know many won't pay too much attention. But the story is easy to read, entertaining, intriguing and funny with all the love and loyalty we already know Krista and Becca write.

[Jamie (TheRebelliousReader) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars. My first book by the Ritchie sisters. It’s sapphic so of course I picked this up. The plot is bloated and nonsensical at times and there were way too many side characters and I found that I didn’t care about any of them. However, the main characters October and Zoey were such a cute couple even though their characters as individuals weren’t that fleshed out. I really did like their relationship and chemistry. Outside of the romance I was mainly bored while reading this. The writing was good though and I have a few other books by these two on my kindle but ehhh I wasn’t crazy about this one. I’m sure people who are already fans of this author duo will love it though.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Characters shrouded in mystery. Small town politics. A creepy inn. A missing persons case. This book caught my attention from page 1 and never let it go. There were times when I truly had no idea what was happening but I was dying to learn more.

“Zoey Durand.” She says my name like I’ve been caught in her web.

I adored Zoey and October. The pining and longing from both characters felt to real and also drove me insane. I found myself screaming at them to just be together. There's a lot of history between the two, but it just makes it all more worth it when they finally get together.

So for as much as this town hates Brian Durand, I’ll never hate him. Not for a second.

The secondary characters were all fantastic as well. KBs books always get you to fall in love with a whole different range of personalities, and this book is no different. But like I mentioned, all these characters are carrying secrets, you think you’ve got someone figured out and then they’ll show you a whole new side and you’re left questioning everything all over again.

"This is Mistpoint Harbor. People get away with unspeakable things by blaming it on legends and curses."

As for the plot, bombs were dropped, lives were changed. At times this book resembled a telenovela. I loved every page of it. And I won’t be greedy and ask for a sequel since it does say it's a standalone, but if these authors ever feel the need to revisit these characters or town… I would very much be ok with that.

[hubsie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was.....just ok.

The premise was intriguing, about a cursed town for all residents over 18, and somewhat of a second chance romance for the two MCs, Zoey and October. This was rather unique. But I didn't find the writing flowed well. It was choppy and short very much read like a YA, and failed to really grip me. I was surprised the two MCs were 24 and 25 respectively, as their behaviour was quite teenager-y.

October was somewhat of an enigma, but much of her story wasn't told, sadly. Her parent's story, more about her aunt, her cool relationship with her sister. More could have been done with this for sure. Zoey just irritated me. There are twists and turns, none having the impact on my that I'm sure was meant. If I were 17 I'm sure I would have liked this more.

[emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 — Zoey and October (plus the Calloways being mentioned) were the only aspects that I liked in this book. Kbr normally have very character driven books, which I love, but they tried to add an “interesting” plot here and it just didn’t work.

The cursed town thing was poorly explained and the more I read the more strange and unnecessary the whole thing was. I would’ve liked this book more if they stuck with the minor plots and heavy character interactions like they normally do.

I loved Zoey and October, I just which they had more moments between them.

3.5/5

[sofia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the concept of the cursed town and the mystery! And I loved them and the side characters <3 Also October idolizing Jane Cobalt is my favorite thing

[evelina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Kaitlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did I love this book? Yes. Did I love Zoey and October as a couple? Meh.

To me the couple fell short and just never really made me believe they were in love. I did like them together, I just almost felt like they’re relationship was not focused on at all.

The one thing I LOVED about this book though was the family aspect. Even those that weren’t a part of Zoeys family were still just as close to her. Just seeing all these people love and care for one another was perfect enough.

The plot was very very interesting and I don’t think i’ve ever really read something like it so it always kept my attention. The ending felt rushed and I wish there was a longer time jump for the epilogue!

[Lanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

FF ROMANCE BY KBR!!!
GIMMIE GIMMIE GIMMIE

[Kari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lo mucho que amé este libro, lo llevaba esperando tanto tiempo que la emoción me estaba matando, tenía miedo de que me fuera a decepcionar ¡Pero no lo hizo! October y Zoey mis protegidas 😭❤️❤️❤️

[maya · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.3

This was real fun. A town that believes curses a little much? Superstition, distrust, outcast family, second chances at love, and a mystery to solve? What's not to like? This was light, engaging, had a nice amount of depth to the story, and a set of characters you'd easily come to care about. Zoey and October are cute together, and I've always liked second chances.

Though I wished for that one character to apologise how she treated Zoey in HS. But I get it - that's how the character was. Also, thought there'd be some comeuppance against the council because I thought that's where the story was going. The group was going to solve the mystery, but they figured out in just one meeting during a thunderstorm then the story shifted because the ex came to the town. I thought it was going to break the story out that town manufactured and perpetuated curses and they'll get their comeuppance. And the Durand family would finally be redeemed in the eyes of town and won't get treated like they're pariah or at the very least, less like a pariah. To get the truth out there. I guess the story would need a lot of nuance to let it out play out satisfyingly. But it never really happened, which is a shame because I think that would make the story much more whole.

Anyways, I really enjoyed this genuinely. Don't let the book cover fool you that it's nothing more than just a contemporary romance. It's much more.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe 3.5 stars. I don't know.
Review also posted at my blog Reads by Laura
rep: bisexual mc, lesbian mc, bisexual side character, gay side character.

Maybe it would've had a full four star rating if they cut back on the stupid references to what was happening in the Like Us Series. I am not sorry to say that it was a waste of words and paper and paragraphs to have so many useless scenes about nothing pertaining to the actual story. KBR, yall need to stop. Give it up. You don't need 5 references to the Like Us Series. One was enough. You killed the vibe.

Moving on to the actual true story of Love & Other Cursed Things.

This wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I haven't read a book by KBR in a while because I don't think they write stories like they used to, but this was quite interesting to pick up since it actually had some what of a plot.

The mystery was kind of easy to figure out or it was easy to see who was connected, so that little plot twist didn't really make me go "wooooow" or feel shocked, but I do think that that part being easy to figure out completely helped the other little plot twist with Brian being Zoey's dad all the more shocking. I actually enjoyed that little plot twist and what came after with Zoey dealing with it. It kind of made up for the mystery being what it was. I also think that KBR could've done a lot better with moving the plot forward or showing us scenes where they were actually trying to solve the little mystery because we got like three scenes where they were actually doing something and I think that played a part in lack of shock value or even a lack of interest in the mystery. Sometimes it didn't even feel that there was a mystery they were trying to solve and that's definitely something KBR need to work on if they want to write more books with plots outside of romance and fake rich white people.

As for the romance, I wouldn't have minded more scenes between Zoey and October. I really enjoyed seeing them pine after each other and their dynamic. I thought it was really cute how Zoey would try to make October smile and laugh because it was cute to see October try to hide it so much, but knew she couldn't because she was so in love with Zoey. The way you can feel their love for each other was really nice too. Although I was tired of October sometimes when she would try to resist Zoey because of all her self-loathing, I absolutely loved how October said that she was falling in love with who Zoey was now and not who she was six years ago and how she emphasized how much she loved how much Zoey has grown into a woman who can stand up for herself and have confidence. That was very heartwarming.

All in all, I got to read an f/f love story where they were already out and it was just full of f/f love! I still needed more cute romance scenes, but there's that.

[Bookish Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall: 3/5 (being generous)
Spice level: 2/5 (again, being generous)
Tropes: second chance, high school sweethearts, sapphic, small town

I'm honestly disappointed in this book. I've spent the last 8 years obsessed with these authors' writing. And this wasn't it.

I spent 75% of the book confused and bored. The authors were a little ambitious with the overall plot of a town full of "cursed" people. It really made no sense for most of the book. The subplot of Zoey returning to help her brother Colt made way more sense, even though it was linked to his "curse".

And honestly there wasn't much chemistry between Zoey and October for most of the book. There was hardly any spice, which is surprising because the Ritchies typically write a decent amount of it in their books. It's almost as if they were afraid to make their first sapphic/FF book as spicy as their others for fear of alienating fans. Which is funny because one of the characters in the Like Us Series is lesbian and lots of fans would love her story.

Truly, I was more invested in potential future relationships from side characters because of in page chemistry between them.

Overall, the plot felt unorganized and confusing. The "Nancy Drew" of it all just didn't work for me.

I did like Zoey and October together. I just wish there would've been more spark between them outside of the spicy-ish moments.

And there was also a weird plot twist near the end thar felt like drama for the sake of drama.

I hate that I really don't want to recommend this book because I was so excited when they first announced it, but as it got closer to release date, my excitement waned because the promo material and teasers just didn't catch my eye.

[danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating 2.5

I'm a fan of KB's writing and I was really looking forward to this one. But, it absolutely didn't work for me. I would have DNF'd it, but because I'm such of a fan of KB I thought it would get better. Spoiler, it didn't. It was more or less a hot mess. And I feel bad for saying that, but it completely missed the mark with me.

Remove a couple of sex scenes and this would not be an NA book, but a YA... and a weak story at that. Ouch.

[susana ♡]

im so excited i could scream

[b]

sounding like another clayolivia and they SERVED. so i hope this will too

[kc · Rating 3 out of 5]

kinda corny but cute

[c · Rating 4 out of 5]

i love them and their story but the book wasn't what i was expecting (not necessarily in a bad way). i really enjoyed it and i totally fell in love with october.

[Sofia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so incredibly good!
Zoey and October are so freaking cute!! I loved the so much from start to finish.