Say Yes to the Hot Mess

Love Mishaps #2

by Gracie Ruth Mitchell

Maya Ellis
New mom. Retirement community member. Avoider of men.

Am I single? Yes. Am I ready to mingle? Not even kind of--especially now that I have my son to think about. My dating track record speaks for itself, and it is not pretty. It's a good thing I accidentally moved into a retirement community; I'm not interested in guys thirty years older than me.
But now the new complex manager--the young, attractive complex manager--has realized I'm not supposed to live here, and he's trying to kick me out. It doesn't help that he's my new neighbor, or that I somehow end up pretending to be his girlfriend for his cousin's wedding. The man is insufferable. Pretty to look at--and fine, sometimes maybe a little funny--but insufferable.
Good thing I have my anonymous online friend to keep me sane. He keeps my opinion of men from tanking completely...

Dex Anthony
Complex manager. Secret pen pal. Clark Kent lookalike.

My job as the manager of a retirement community isn't what I thought it would be. I didn't expect the senior citizen version of the black market, for example. I didn't expect feisty old women. And I definitely didn't expect Maya Ellis, a young mom who somehow managed to skirt the community age requirements.
Unfortunately, Maya is my best chance at avoiding my matchmaking mother. So she'll be my fake girlfriend for two days--just two. Then my life will go back to normal: working, doing jigsaw puzzles in my sweats, and chatting with my mysterious internet pen pal. And I'll get Maya Ellis to leave this retirement community, because she's way too young to live here...
Even if I'm starting to like having her around.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Rom Com, Fiction, Audiobook, Contemporary Romance, Clean Romance

348 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 6, 2022

About the author

Gracie lives in a tiny town in Idaho, where she subsists on a diet of chocolate, romance novels, and kisses from her cute family. She may or may not have a cheesecake addiction, as well as an addiction to scribbling story ideas on whatever flat surfaces happen to be nearby. Clean romance, romantic comedy, and mystery rom coms are her passion.

Reviews

[Isabelle Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

if y'all are looking for a book to get you out of a reading slump and you like adorable romance, this is the book for you 😍

[Sarah | Kerosene.Lit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely adorable! A simple graze of fingertips between Dex and Maya was enough to make me swoon, let me tell you. The chemistry was so strong! While perfectly lighthearted and hilarious, it also manages to capture the chaos of caring for a newborn as Maya adjusts to life as a single mom. It was immensely relatable, cold cabbage leaves and all.

Despite being in her twenties, Sunset Horizons, a retirement community in Florida, is where Maya accidentally finds home. And it's a comfortable arrangement ... until Dex—the new uptight (but equally handsome) complex manager—threatens to kick her out. Complete with a fun group of elderly secondary characters AND a mystery involving an illegal Viagra dealer, this setting was a blast.

Turning into a fake-dating arrangement, Dex and Maya were perfect together. Maya is already incredibly independent, but I loved the confidence Dex instilled in her. Low in conflict, it's such a feel-good read that'll truly make you smile!

[Modern Miss Granger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot even express how fun this book was. I rarely laugh out loud so much during a book but this one had me laughing like a crazy person. I binged it in one day. Also, can we just take a minute to thank Gracie Ruth Mitchell for writing characters who act like adults and don’t have pointless miscommunication!?

[Toni Shiloh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Say Yes to the Hot Mess has some You've Got Mail vibes but it also has humorous situations and a swoony romance between an unlikely couple (woohoo for opposites attract).
We also get a few moments with characters from book one in the Love Mishaps series which completely delighted me. And i have a feeling I can guess who will be stage center for book 3. I'm super excited about that one.
All in all, another great read from Ms. Mitchell.

*I received a complimentary copy from the publisher. My review was not required nor influenced.

[jessicakaitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun and sweet closed door romance with no third act breakup which I LOVED. Drama free book.

Single mom moves into a retirement home and comes face to face with the manager of the home who doesn’t want her there. It gives me second first impression by sally Thorne vibes and I love it.

I wish we saw Dex interact with the baby (Archer) more since that’s a huge element of the book, but other than that I enjoyed this.

[leidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had me smiling on every page. It’s just so adorable, i need moree

[Rose | Adventurous Bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best part of this book was how Gracie showed a mother's love for her child. It was precious. Full rtc.

3.5 Stars

*I received a copy of this book from the author. All thoughts are my own and a positive review was not required.

[Cindy Steel · Rating 5 out of 5]

So so cute!!!

[Sarah Monzon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was really cute with humor that moms will definitely get. The cabbage leaves got me!

[Eve · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really nice read. I just had a lot of fun. The characters were charming, the plot was fun and I just had an all round good time. No complaints from me.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really sweet and often HILARIOUS dual POV romcom that features a single mom and a grumpy landlord set in a Florida retirement community. I loved this one so much! Even more than the first book in this series. It was great on audio and had SO MANY relatable early motherhood moments told in funny ways (the cabbage leaf scene! IYKYK!!) So happy this one finally got an audiobook edition and I can't wait to listen to book three later this month. Recommended for fans of books like Second first impressions by Sally Thorne.

[Kathy * Bookworm Nation · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

This is a sweet story without any real drama. I didn't love Maya in the first book, but I was curious about her story and ended up liking her a lot more in this book. It took me a long time to get through this one though, it was easy to put down or just read a chapter at a time. The overall story was fine, kind of a unique setting. I think others will probably enjoy it more than I did though.

Content Rated PG
Kissing, very mild innuendo, no language or violence

[Megan (messybun.bookishfun) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story. It’s not my usual thing, single parenting is not a favorite troupe of mine. But this one hit all the funny notes! I mean, what other books are you going to have a senior living community, a drug bust, and a single month we raising her two month old who has sworn off all men?

I mean, that sentence alone should have you confused and excited to read this book!

Also, did I mention a “stupid hot” nerdy Clark Kent main male character?
Oh, what about a forced proximity troupe along with a strangers-to-enemies-to-lovers troupe?
And can we say hello to You’ve Got Mail vibes???

If any of that intrigues you, then this book is your next read!

Be warned, there may be some strange cabbage and little blue pill references, but it’s all clean!

I hope you enjoy Maya and Dex’s story just as much as I did!

Thank you Gracie for allowing me to be on your ARC team and for the complementary copy of the book. All thoughts are my own and a positive review was not required.

[diyala · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was such a cute book omg i loved it so much.

[Joelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is your laugh out loud, silly moments, adaorable banter, fall in love, You've Got Mail vibes, romantic comedy kind of read. It is such a joy to read. I haven't read the single partent trope in a while but I thought Mitchell did a great job with it, she sells it, while opening the path for Maya to truly find a love that can last.

The book has it all from cooking mishaps, closet mishaps, changing tire mishaps...let's just say all the mishaps one could want. PLuS, and the romantic moments one could want that make it easy to see how Maya and Dex could fall for each other. I mean, they see it all in each other, the good, the bad, the ugly and the darn right hilarious moments. And you've got a senior living community behind them all pushing them along the way.

I really appreciate how Mitchell writes scenes depicting motherhood, dating- meeting the family, friendship and more in such an honest and raw perspective. It makes the characters more than relatable. It even makes you think about how you view and misjudge them at times. I love books that not only have the fun, but they have the real life moments that remind us to be better in them as well. For me, those are the books worth reading and this is one of those books.

It really is a fun read that will have you smiling throughout and won't dissappoint. A clean and honest romantic comedy for the win!

*I received a complimentary copy from publishers, publicists, and/or author(s). A review was not required, and all opinions and ideas expressed are my own.

[Suzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Steam Level: 🔥 (kissing only)

Despite being the only residents of Sunset Horizons Retirement Community under the age of 50, single mom Maya and community manager Dex don't hit it off when they first meet. In fact, Dex tells Maya that she and her newborn son will need to move out of their apartment since she doesn't meet the age requirements. Eager to get on Dex's good side, Maya offers to be his date for his cousin's wedding. Hopefully helping him out will convince him to let her stay. Will spending time together bring them closer or will Maya have to leave the home she was just beginning to love?

After reading book 1 of this series, I was excited to see Maya find a good man. And let me just say that Dex was incredible! He was so adoring and encouraging towards Maya. These two had amazing chemistry from the start and when I got to the fake dating portion of the book it was *chef's kiss*. There was just so much anticipation, and it felt like the best kind of torture as I waited for them to finally get together. This book had so many tropes that I love, which also added to the appeal: fake dating, only one bed, single parent, and even a touch of enemies to lovers. We also got some You've Got Mail vibes as Dex and Maya unknowingly connected through the retirement community's app. Now I really hope there will be a third book in this series so that Dex's brother Jude can get his second chance romance with Maya's friend Scarlett!

[Caitlin (Thecaitlinchapters) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such an adorable feel good book full of heart, smiles, and love!

Maya is a single mother who accidentally moves into a retirement community. Dex is the new community manager who thinks maya shouldn’t be there. Thus begins a short lived enemies to lovers relationship that blossoms into something totally sweet!!

The elderly secondary characters were amazing and the banter in this book made me smile !! Dex and maya were absolutely perfect for each other and I couldn’t keep my smile off my face !!

Note: it wrapped up pretty quickly and you don’t get to see much of their relationship playing out . It skips to the epilogue right away.

Read if you like:

- only one bed
- Fake dating
- Enemies to lovers (short lived)
- Neighbors
- Single parent
- Rom coms
- Jealously scene 😏
- You’ve got mail (pen pal situation)
- closed door romance

[Drache.... (Angelika)]

I really liked the author's ya novel Eye Of The Beholder and had high expectations for this, as I loved the premise.
I couldn't connect with either MC unfortunately, didn't feel any spark between the MCs (or hope of future chemistry) although the author told us they were attracted to each other.
The female MC acted ott childish (ok she was just 22 years old, but her reaction to the fact she would have to move out since there were several valid reasons for it, wasn't reasonable).
The mentioning of the female MC's diverse background (mom was from the Philippines) was soon annihilated with the fact that her mom had walked out of the female MC 's when the female MC was just 3 years old. This left a bad taste. Why couldn't it have been the white parent for a change?

Maybe things would pick up or get explained later on, but I' m bored and don't want to bother.

Maybe some other time.

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh gosh. This book. I love it. I may it too much for words. You know when you read a book and it makes you feel so many things, your emotions are all willy nilly and you can't formulate words? That's me, right now. I don't even know how to explain how I feel about this book.
It's so real and messy and sweet and good and romantic and *sigh* AND there is a lot of mention of chocolate chip cookies which just so happen to be my favorite treat.
Buy this book. Recommend it to your friends. Request it at your local library. Get kindle unlimited so you can read it all always, as well as her other books. Or better yet, buy the ebook so you can carry it with you always.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a serious bone to pick with the romance authors of the world.

Loneliness is as powerfully painful as heartbreak, in my experience. It’s an aching emptiness, a space in my chest that sucks in every other emotion and turns it to ash.

I just need to figure out how to make my own happiness without a partner. I need to take care of myself and my child rather than waiting for someone else to show up.

“I’ve been called ‘stupid,’ and I’ve been called ‘hot,’ but as far as I know, no one has ever called me ‘stupid hot’ before. So I think I’ll harp on about it for a bit longer.

Remember that everyone has their own story to tell, and you’re never seeing the full picture. Assume that people always have a reason for acting the way they act.

I reach under the table and give Maya’s thigh a good, hard squeeze, and she jerks away laughing, only barely managing to disguise it as a cough. A second later, though, she nudges my leg with her own. I nudge her back, and we go back and forth a few times before ceasing our under-table war when Nancy clears her throat expectantly.

“But someday Archer will need to tie a tie. Plus I’m just curious.”
Dex hesitates.
“Come on,” I say, clasping my hands together under my chin and giving him my best puppy-dog pout. “We have time, don’t we?”
He looks at me for a second, shaking his head and pointing one finger at my face. “I hope you don’t use that look irresponsibly,” he says. “Those sad eyes and the lips. Be careful with those.” Then he sighs, undoing the knot he just tie. “All right. Come here.”

“Just-wat for me. Don’t go down there by yourself.”
“Aw, my fake boyfriend doesn’t want me to get murdered,” she coos, and I can’t help my smile.
“Nah, I just wouldn’t want it on my conscience,” I say.
“Har har,” she says, but I can tell she’s not offended.

Drug dealing. At a senior center. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that’s what I’d be dealing with, but here we are.

Maya Ellis is single and is she ready to mingle? Not at all, not even kind of, especially now that she has her son, Archer to think about. Maya moves into a retirement community, so she has no reason to look for men in her area, especially since the men are thirty years older than her. But now, the new complex manager, the young, attractive, complex manager, Dex moves in next to her. When Dex realizes that Maya isn’t supposed to live here, he tires to kick her out. Then, Maya somehow ends up pretending to be his girlfriend at his cousin’s wedding. At least Maya’s anonymous online friend keeps her sane.
Dex Anthony’s job as the manager for a retirement community isn’t what he thought it would be. Especially dealing with senior citizen’s version of the black market. He especially didn’t expect to deal with Maya Ellis, a young mom who somehow manage to skirt the community age requirements. Unfortunately, Maya is his best chance at avoiding his matchmaking mother. So, the fake date for two days. After the two days, life will go back to normal, and he’ll get Maya Ellis to leave the retirement community…even if he's starting to like having Maya around.

This book was so adorable, sweet, lighthearted and hilarious. I had a great time reading the book. There were many times when I laugh out loud because of this book. I absolutely loved that Dex and Maya didn’t have pointless miscommunication. That was completely refreshing. Gracie Ruth Mitchell has become an auto-author buy for me. I adore her writing style, her characters, her plots, her stories. I can’t wait to read more of her books. 4.5 stars.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

Summary:
Think You’ve Got Mail vibes.
We have a 22-year-old Maya, single mama to a 2 month old who has moved into a retirement community for seniors after a misunderstanding and Dex- the new complex manager who is insistent on her moving out as she is not a senior citizen. When Dex needs a date for a wedding- Maya agrees to go with him as a fake girlfriend and things get more and more complicated as they start thinking that maybe there’s a spark there after all Maya is a fun, fly by the seat of your pants kind of girl. And Dex is a super type A, structure and safe type of guy. Maya is a whirl of chaos that Dex gets swept into- but is letting go something he can learn to do?

It gets doubly interesting when we find out that Dex and Maya are online pen pals through the online portal for their neighborhood. They both have no idea that they are connecting online with someone who drives them insane in real life..

Review:
So so so cute. I loved the new mom story line. So accurate to baby life. (Also gave me a bit of baby fever🙈). Dex and Maya feel so rea to me because I’m the Dex and my husband is the Maya. I love to see a wild thing loosen up a serious soul.

Also. The cabbage scene had me laughing out loud more than any book scene has ever made me laugh. My husband thought I lost my mind.


Gracie Ruth Mitchell is a new author that I love!!!! I’m likely going to binge all of her books. If you enjoy Sarah Adams - I highly recommend Gracie.

[sincerely · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stop it right now! This book was PERFECT. No hot mess here 😘 this story brought me back, in the best way possible, to being a new mom. Oh my goodness - the emotions are all captured here! I am *really hard* on stories with babies and children because sometimes, well, quite frankly they are just obnoxious, so trust me when I say - this is authentic and beautiful and lovely!! Also hilarious - THE CABBAGE 😂😂😂 it was funny without being slapstick, a 'hot mess' without being a train wreck. The perfect balance was struck!

The romance is totally swoony. The author somehow gave the reader that great tension between the characters saying exactly how they feel (thrill!) and the characters having this vulnerable, adorable inner dialogue about the other person (thrill!) It made for that perfect tension you really want in a romance.

She also balanced Maya's insecurities so perfectly with Maya's firm opinions. Maya felt so real and I just could not put the book down! Same for Dex...the way he describes Maya was so touching and I just ate up every single word (the sunrise scene, gah!)

Oh, I also loved hearing a bit about Sam and Carter, blessedly without rehashing their entire story or focusing too much on them. This book is rightfully about Maya and the author gave all her pages to let this character really shine and be understood ❤ this is how series should be done! 👏

A full and happy ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and a 'please and thank you' for Scarlett's story ASAP! 😘 I'm *dying* to know the scoop there!

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

It was sweet, but not nearly as good as the first… which I’ve read twice in a year’s time.

There really wasn’t any real conflict in this book, past the beginning, which made it kind of bland. As the percentage was creeping closer to 100% I kept waiting for the shoe to drop and for Dex and Maya to have a major hurdle in their relationship.

The Maya in this book is drastically different than the Maya in the first book. They’re honestly two different people. The Maya in this book - confident, capable, smart - made me really question how she could ever have dated someone like Chet (Chad!) to begin with. I understand growing up when you have a baby (and she did mature beyond relying on astrological signs from the universe), but the Maya in the first book was nowhere to be found here. And with that, I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t get Maya 1’s love story, even if I thought Maya 2 and Dex were cute.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars
This book has been on my TBR pile for almost a year. After reading the book that comes AFTER this one, I went back to read this. So glad I got around to reading this. It really had me laughing. The physical comedy was along the lines of a modern Lucy from I Love Lucy. Plus there is a lot of self-deprecating humor for both MCs. It adds super funny RomCom moments. Some scenes were so vivid that I could just see it as I read. Let me just say: wearing cabbage leaves while changing a tire in the rain. Yep, it’s out there but it’s funny.

I did love them as a couple. They were both kooky in their own way. Dex’s loved his jigsaw and crossword puzzles, all sedate hobbies. Whereas Maya lived a louder life and took in the joy of new adventures. They evened each other out in a cute way.

Rating: PG/PG-13, clean, has some Viagra humor, lots of detailed breastfeeding issues most of which are shown in a humorous light.

[Kaele’s Krazy Book Obsession · Rating 4 out of 5]

The wait for Maya’s story after meeting her in Maid of Dishonor has felt like forever, but it was worth the wait! Dex is so sweet to her and Archer is the cutest. I loved that there really wasn’t a conflict in this book. Sometimes I just want a happy story and that’s what this was. Also loved seeing Carter and Sam throughout this book. Their wedding at the end!! I loved the references to the last book and Winifred was a bridesmaid 😂 This was super cute

[Stacy! · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this was a little silly at times, it was a really cute story. I absolutely appreciated that the story featured a new mother and highlighted both the mental and physical struggles that moms face. I do feel like the second half was better than the first, but I also feel liked it ended too abruptly and I wanted more from the plot. I did love seeing Carter and Sam again, and I hope we get Scarlett and Jude’s story soon.

[✈︎ kaitlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my top 2022 contempory romances of the year so far!
There were some seriously funny moments in this book, Dex and Maya gave everything they were supposed to and more! Baby Archer and his rolls were so cute 🥺 This was my first read from Gracie Ruth Mitchell and really keen to read more from her, especially Jude and Scarletts story; really hoping they get their own book!

[Jadyn Post · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t tell you how many times I screamed and giggled like a child reading this book. First off, it was so amazing to see Sam and Carter in places in this book. And their wedding in the ugly venue was perfect for them😆
Dex and Maya are PERFECT together. They fact that they live in a retirement community😂
The whole story and plot was smooth and I just loved every second.

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️: "it's just, you take care of Archer, but who takes care of you?"

10 days to read a book?? I don't think it's taken me that long to finish a single book since I started reading on a regular basis again.

Anyway, this was a super cute, neighbour, fake dating romance with so many feel good moments.

[Melody · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't enjoyed a book as much as this one in awhile. I wanted to keep reading and even stayed up later than I should in doing so!
Maybe it was also being a new mom, holding my own little squish.
It was so relatable and so real. Motherhood was written about in the best way and it just made me love my baby all the more.
Loved the romance and the way it all developed. Very well done.
I am definitely checking more out by this author. I have no idea why I got this book but I am so glad.