The Duet Dilemma

The Duet Diaries #1

by Maggie Evans

Emma Fox is a walking disaster.
Noah Kincaid is perfection personified.

She’s all over the place. He’s controlled. She’s got a sweet tooth the size of Canada, and he only takes his coffee black. While Emma is failing out of their university’s piano program, Noah is at the top of the class.

But when the two opposites are partnered together for a duet, sparks fly on and off the piano.

There’s just two tiny issues:

1. Finn, the cupcake-thieving charmer who keeps showing up at Emma’s work.
2. Oliver Bishop, the famous piano god Emma's been crushing on since kindergarten.

Three guys. One Emma.

No amount of college prep could’ve prepared her for this.

The Duet Dilemma is the first book in The Duet Diaries series, a slow build Reverse Harem.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Slow Burn, New Adult, Why Choose, Music

342 pages, ebook

First published January 11, 2022

Reviews

[Daisy Delfin · Rating 4 out of 5]

BASIC FACTS:
Pages: 364
My rating: 4
Genre: RH, NA (barely, because the FMCis 18), Romance
Themes: Music, Leaving home and starting College, Abuse (there is non but we think there was abuse in the past), secrets
Protagonist Ages: FMC 18, MMC 23
Pacing: slow burn, little smexy times, fits the story and the characters
Plot Rating: 4 stars edit: second read 2 stars

This is a good debut book and I’m eager to get my hands on the second book. The story is a sweet reverse harem. The pace of the story is slow and the burn is also slow. But I really liked the relation ship building between Emma and Noah. We met two other guys and I think they will be in her harem but they did not get a lot of time together. Book one is like a MF Romance but the way two guys acted, they will be in her harem. I have an idea where this story leads, and I have to wait for book two to know if I’m right or wrong.
I also love the cover. When I first saw this book and it’s cover I wanted to read it because of the cover alone. And then my RHR friend also recommended. And they were so right. I would have read the book anyway and I’m glad I read it. I love Emma the FMC, she is clumsy, realistic and sometimes her mouth has no filter, which leads to funny scenes.

edit. the first time I read this book I loved it and I'm not changing my rating - only in the review section. The first read was at a different time and my mood might have been better. I loved Emma that time. But when I read this book a second time I had trouble getting trough it. While Emma felt like a innocent, clumsy but loveable girl the first time, the second time she felt annoying and dumb. She keeps making the same kind of mistakes over and over again. I finished my second read by reading only 10% every day. Otherwise I doubt that I would have finished it a second time.

The Characters: Names and descriptions of the persons

Emma Fox: Female main character, is 19 years old and left Kansas to study in south California, plays piano and learns to play new music by ear, her parents send her from one recital to the next, her father harmed her by injuring her, she has a big heart, only one friend and is friendly with Scott the coffee guy. She talked weird thing and can’t stop herself to do so. She is nice and funny.
Noah Kincaid: Emma’s Duet partner, who becomes more, he can be commanding, plays piano but does the Music Theory class just for fun, chooses to sit besides Emma in their first lecture
Finn Everton: Son of Emma’s boss Mr. Everton, Cupcake Thieve, likes Emma, has a shady past, but we only get to know that he was in jail for a day, likes sweets, is a magician, surfs
Oliver Bishop: Prodigy, Pianist who inspired Emma when he played Debussy’s La Mer, Emma and Oliver meet in the music room
Julian: Noah’s friend, studying to become a vet, has a business with Noah and Adrian together
Adrian: Noah’s friend, has a business with Noah and Julian together, didn’t meet him in book 1
Theresa Ruiz: Emma’s Roommate, plays soccer, All-American Soccer starbecomes Emmas’s best friend, Theresa supports Emma, majoring in Criminal Justice
Blaise Rousseau: Teaching Assistant of Atticus Shade, is interested in Noah, is jealous of Emma therefore Emma becomes her enemy
Atticus Slade: Pianist, composer, gives concerts, Teaches Music Theory Westcroft College
Charlie Davenports: went with Emma on the Date from hell in Summerschool
Mum and Dad Fox: Emma’s parents, didn’t wanted her to leave home, Dad put Emma under a lot of pressure and harmed her (scar on the shoulder) when she didn’t play the piano perfectly



Summery: detailed, lot’s of spoiler

Emma leaves her parents house in Kansas to study in southern California. She is happy to leave them, because the parents didn’t take good care of her or were nice people. She was lucky with her room mate Theresa, who becomes her best friend quickly. Theresa helps Emma and supports her.
Emma has a scholarship and has to pass music theory to keep the scholarship. In her first music theory lecture she meets Noah, a well dressed shy guy. Emma asks him to help her out because she forgot her pen. Noah gives her an expensive pen and Emma (because she is nervous) chews on the pen and leaves bite marks. When Noah wants his pen back, she has to confess that she ruined the pen. To show that she is sorry, she offers him to buy him coffee. On their way to the coffee chart Emma falls and flashes the Noah and other students her Hello Kitty underwear.

Emma finds out that the pen costs 99 Dollar, but she is broke. So Theresa offers to ask her Boss Mr. Everton if he needs people for his catering business. Emma agrees, because teaching kids piano, covers her basic things but she can’t save up for Noah’s pen.

After the first music theory pop quiz Emma’s project partner drops the class. Emma failed the test to but she has to somehow pass this class. Because her partner drops out, she is partnered with Noah. They have to compose a Duet using everything they learned in music theory.

Emma goes on her first catering job. When Theresa takes her to the desert buffet, Emma falls in love with the cupcake buffet. Theresa stops her before she eats one of them. Mr. Everton sees them and tells Emma to take a break and get one cupcake out of the van, which he kept for his employees. While eating the first bite of her cupcake a guy dressed up as a magician takes her cupcake away and eats it. Emma finds out that his name is Finn and he went to the wrong party. They talk a little but then Finn disappears. When she gets in the van, her backpack is in the wrong place. Mr. Everton sees Emma with Finn and tells her to keep away from Finn, because he is bad news. But Finn turns up at her catering gigs and they meet again and again. He also got her phone number and starts texting her.

When Emma meets up with Noah to work on their Duet, Noah has to leave because of a job. Emma also leaves but then decides to go back to the music room. She hears someone playing the piano from outside the room. She thinks it’s Noah playing and she goes into the room, only to meet her childhood crush. The person playing the piano is Oliver Bishop. He is a piano prodigy and Emma crushed on him, when she heard him playing. He is a little older than Emma. When Oliver sees Emma they talk a little and he invites her over to the piano. They have a good time, but Oliver has to leave.
Later Emma finds a letter. Turns out that Oliver send it. It’s an invitation to his concert with two tickets for the concert and the after party. Oliver also tells her that he would like to get to know her better and gives her his phone number.

Noah recognises that Emma doesn’t know a lot about music theory. But for the Duet she needs it. He ask her how she plays the music and how she learns it and she tells him, that she listens to the music and mimics the music by ear. Actually Noah is impressed, but Emma does not realise it. He offers to teach her music theory and he helps her pass the quizzes and also helps her lean for the midterms. The grow closer and closer and finally Noah asks Emma out. Emma agrees and Noah takes her to a fancy restaurant. Unluckily Emma meets Blaise on a bathroom break. Blaise is the music theory TA. And she makes fun of Emma by telling her to replace some bathroom stuff. Even though Emma tells her that they know each other and that she is not the help, Blaise and her friends make fun of Emma.
When Emma returns to the table Blaise is talking to Emma and Emma repays Blaise by calling her their waitress. After that Blaise is mean to Emma and because Emma’s mum talks to Blaise about Emma’s progress, Blaise tells her mum lies. Because of the lies Emma gets into trouble with her mum.

After the fancy date Emma ask Noah out to another date. She organises a picknick in the music room. There they get to know each other better because they play twenty questions. They go to Theresa’s soccer game but because of the heavy rain they leave early and head to the dorm. Emma invites Noah in but because of Emma’s clumsiness she head butts Noah in the nose and then she gives him to much pain killers so he falls asleep in her bed.

Finally both of them confess their love for each other and Noah tells her that she is his girlfriend. She asks Noah if they can head to his place and he reluctantly agrees. While they make out they are disturbed by Julian, who comes into the room. Noah tells him that he has the wrong day. Emma gets to know Julian (who is Noah’s friend) and he has questions for Emma, but Noah sends Julian on his way and after that Noah is stressed. He drives Emma home. At her dorm room he confesses to Emma that he wants her all to himself, because he always came second to Julian. Emma ask him to stay the knight and they have a hot night.

On Emma’s birthday Noah gives her an expensive pen and Emma is touched and love the pen so much. They have a great birthday celebration and she stays over at Noah’s place. The next morning she overhears Noah talking on his phone, while the shower is running in the background. Emma asks herself, how much she knows about Noah, because she listened in when he was talking. Here ends book one.

[Belle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This got me out of one hell of a slump!! It’s YA RH, slow burn and slow build, and no steamy scenes (closed door/FTB). I can read without steam so this wasn’t a problem for me.

I LOVED the fmc! Once i got past the initial few chapters where it seemed like the secondhand embarrassment was never ending lol. She is funny, sweet, strong and just overall sunshine. She also has realistic reactions to things, which i always appreciate.

This books focuses a lot on Noah, but we do get to meet the other guys who may seemingly be in her harem. I loved how their relationship developed, though he does have a few red flags that I felt like she wasn’t addressing as much as she should’ve. The ending was exciting though! (The story has continued on Kindle Vella and i have spent money on tokens to continue to read, thanks for asking 🤪)

I’m excited to really get to meet more of the other guys, to get more information on everything, and to just get more day to day stuff. I just loved this book.

[Taryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reads more like MF than RH.

[Natalie H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just when you think you know what’s going on, the last chapter scrambles everything. Recommended by the RHR group, which I’m thankful for because otherwise I wouldn’t have picked this one up. The cover is soft and just blends in. I liked it. It wasn’t insta love and there’s no fantasy princess role. Noah heavy, with the other two waiting in the wings. Noah is good for Emma, but the cageyness was a red flag and I preferred Finn to the other two. I liked the diary entries and the texts. One bitchy red head, two controlling parents and love for piano. Its soft and sweet with some very awkward moments, as well as some hints of dark themes. Looking forward to the next one.


Recap:

FMC Emma – Clumsy, loves piano and plays by ear, coffee addict
Guys – Noah (boyfriend), Finn (cupcake thief/possible criminal),Oliver (Inspirational crush), Julian? Adrien?

Escapes parents and has to keep up grades…Paying Noah back for a chewed pen…Dodging parents…Theresa roommate…Dating Noah…Invitation from Oliver…Finn mixing with the wrong crowd…Blaise in contact with Emma’s mother…Abusive father? …Five guys?...Noah a bad guy(money lender)?

[Melissa Hickman · Rating 5 out of 5]

FANTASTIC!!!!

I absolutely loved this book!!!! Emma truly gave me so many laugh out loud moments it was crazy!!! Noah is the perfect foil for all of Emma’s crazy but I can honestly say that this girl needs a harem. I don’t think one man could keep up!🤣🤣 Crazy talented writing from a new to me author who I’m now going to stalk!!!!!

[Road Noah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it! Seriously don't know how I'm going to fare until the next installment is out. The romance was sweet, and Emma is just the type of heroin I adore. I'm a bit scared about how the other guys are going to get pulled in the picture - I'd hate it to feel like cheating. Also I'm full of theories regarding Noah and co.
One thing I was constantly amazed by was the school setting. Yes there were catty girls- or at least one - but no cliche popular people, and unpopular people, obligatory new gay best friend with no real personality besides giving h fashion advice, and the lessons. It actually felt like people had to study in this universe. That rarely happen in books, and while I have no clue about musical theory, as your average joe I was convinced the author did their research. So all in all it felt refreshingly closer to reality than school themed books usually are.
I hope we find out more about Noah's private and business life in the next book, along with the other MLs and possibly a bit more about MC's past.
I'll be forever grateful for the recommendation.

[Lexie Winston · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it

I was so engrossed by this book it’s like I blinked and it was finished. I can’t wait to read the next one to find out more. Highly recommend it

[Christin Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Its super cute and not really a RH series yet but slow building. I'm really excited for the next installment.
Ps I love the fmc

[Ella あいみ M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emma is a broke, clumsy college student with an extreme addiction to coffee that can't be considered healthy and is on a music scholarship at Westcroft University. She's great at playing piano, but she's terrible at music theory. This causes problems, as Emma needs to keep her grades up in order to keep her scholarship. When she hopelessly fails on a simple beginner-level entry quiz, her professor tells her she will need to drop the class if she doesn't make a significant improvement—and soon.

Enter Noah Kincaid, the perfect, untouchable, brilliant music theory master who ends up being Emma's partner for the duet. After borrowing one of his $99 pens and inadvertently destroying it, Emma finds herself in big debt. She's already scrounging for money to pay for her pop tart lunches. How in the world is she going to pay him back? Noah, as you can guess, is not pleased with the turn of events. However, something about Emma amuses him, and as the two spend more and more time together practicing for the piano diet and Noah helps her study and pick up her grades, they draw closer together.

But Emma finds herself in a predicament when she also has some spontaneous side encounters with two other guys: 1. Finn, a very bold and flirty cupcake snatcher, and 2. Oliver, a famous pianist who has been Emma's dream and crush for as long as she can play. All three guys are interested in her, and Emma is having a hard time juggling it all.

🎹　♡　🎹　♡　🎹

So, first off, I want to say that I did NOT realize that this was a reverse harem until after I started reading it because I started this book in small serials on Kindle Vella and thought it was just a normal romance. (It didn't say it was an RH in the KV blurb.) Only after I started reading the actual book form did I realize it was RH. I'm not a huge fan of RH, just to let you know, but this book was just so funny that I continued.

✍️Writing
The writing was great! I loved being in Emma's head. Her perspective and trains of thought were so hilarious and fun. The author did an amazing job of making it so, so funny yet not forced. The pacing was pretty good, but I did wish Evans balanced the time between different characters a bit more. Other than that, the story moved along fine. There also weren't many mistakes in the writing, which I appreciated very much. It's awful when your reading experience is ruined by typos and errors, and thankfully this didn't have any of that.

This story had me laughing so hard the entire time. I sometimes couldn't take it and had to put it down just to get myself to stop laughing enough to read again. Emma is the most hilarious person ever, and the way she described and saw everything made her so lovable.

❌Content/trigger warnings
• Emma had a hard childhood, and though they don't really go too deep into that, we do know that she was physically abused by her father, and she carries scars from it, both physically and emotionally.
• Swearing. Five s-words. No f-words, thankfully. Emma has a very unique and funny way of cursing and says "cheese and fries" instead of normal curse words, so that was great.
• Nudity. Emma doesn't have clothes on in a few scenes. Also, in one scene, Emma gets locked out of her room and is forced to go to class in skimpy pajamas and no bra.
• A considerable amount of kissing.
• One semi-fade-to-black bedroom scene. Details are glazed over, and it only goes far enough to let the reader know what they did, but it doesn't actually describe it.

🧑‍💼Characters👩‍💼
The characters were great and well-written. I loved Emma. She was flakey, impulsive, clumsy, and irresponsible, made me cringe every two sentences because of her lack of a filter, had me burning in secondhand embarrassment, and was a total brainless klutz; yet she was so relatable, funny, witty, cheerful, and just so darn lovable. Her words had me cringing and laughing at the same time.
Noah was really likable. He was very sweet and had the most patience with Emma that anyone could ever have, once he got to know her, at least. He also has that mysterious side to him, and his dry sense of humor was perfect.

I have a soft spot for Oliver. He didn't appear much, and I was really disappointed with that, but when he did appear, he was always so sweet and caring and kind, and he was just so endearing. Also, the fact that he's a piano prodigy sold me. 😉 I hated Finn, though. I just couldn't take him. He was really annoying and just too much.

Evans did such an amazing job in putting so much personality into her characters. Everything they did and said was just so them. The dialogue was excellent, and it all just seemed so natural and not forced.

To put it succinctly, in itself, the book was great.

HOWEVER,

This honestly felt more and more like a Ghost Bird fanfic as it went on. The characters all seemed to carry very distinct characteristics of and similarities to certain characters in the Ghost Bird series.

For example:
Finn is light-hearted and flirty, great at sneaking and pickpocketing, and loves sweets, which is similar to Luke.
Oliver is a rich piano prodigy who is not a snob but is actually a really great, nice guy, caring, and a little on the quieter side. Anyone think of Victor when they read that?
Noah Kincaid seems to be a mix of different qualities from Owen and Kota. He wears suits and formal clothes; has a commanding tone, impeccable manners, and "perfectly arched eyebrows"; didn't want his friends to know about Emma because he was scared she'd start to like them; is described as "perfect" over and over; is pretty stoic and serious (or was, as that changed after he met Emma); you get the idea.
Julien didn't appear enough for me to get a feel for his character, but the whole him saying he was a doctor and flirting with Emma the moment they met seemed a bit reminiscent of Sean.
And then at the end, when Emma finally realizes that Noah's hiding something and is a part of something really secret (it was pretty obvious throughout the entire book that Noah's "job" was totally not normal), it just really felt like a knock-off of Ghost Bird.

I also remembered later that Maggie Evans is a huge Ghost Bird fan. She wrote GB fanfics on Wattpad and stuff, and she even recently published one of them (slightly tweaked to not include the Academy) on KV under the name Covert Hearts. I really think she drew inspiration from the GB characters for her works and based some of them loosely on them, and that's why it really felt like her characters were just knock-off versions of certain characters in Ghost Bird. Even some of the scenes and plot points seemed to be a copy of GB, and it just didn't really feel unique or fresh.

Oh, and for the record, my Ghost Bird boys win. Every. Single. Darn. Time. They'll always have my heart.

I know a lot of people copy C.L. Stone's Ghost Bird series, and it gets really annoying. No one they create can beat my Ghost Bird boys, so, yeah. If you haven't read the series yet and are trying out RH books, definitely give it a try. 😉 Okay, end of my GB commercial.

I really did enjoy this book, though, even though it did feel like a GB FF. It was fun and engaging, and it was easy to get into it. It definitely was a little more adult than I usually read, but it wasn't heavy or anything and it stayed mostly clean (except for the bedroom scene, ugh, but at least it was fade-to-black). I'm looking forward to the next book coming out, and I'd love to read the rest. I just hope it's a little more original.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review. The opinions stated in this review are solely my own, and a positive review was not required.

[Sofia B. Johansson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I normally don’t like “quirky” female leads. And honestly, I still preffer my mc’s less accident-prone, and more pro-brainpower, BUT, the thing is, that for being a book with a “quirky” fml, this book is pretty well written.

Did I cringe every time she said the word penis out loud? Yes.

Am I frankly tired of one of every “quirky” mc’s most “quirky” traits being that they just loooooove coffe? (As if every human that isn’t certifiable doesn’t).
Y-U-P.

However, I still gave this a shot, and it did pull me in, and I did smile and laugh quite a few times while reading it.

I don’t usually read books where the harem members are added one after another as we go along, but I guess it’ll be interesting to see how that goes over with her current bf.

SPOILER ALERT!!! (Just to be safe, I suck at giving these out)
I’m actaully having trouble deciding whether or not I think that his mysterious friends will all be a part of the harem or whether just one or two will be, or whether they just won’t be at all.
SPOILER ALERT OVER.

The one thing I’m currently having the most beef with however, is the feeling I have - the sneaking auspicion that I hope, but don’t trust, is wrong - that this will evolve into another Ghost-Bird-Academy-syndrome situation. If you don’t know what I mean by that, then I greet you, my oh-so-very-new-to-this-genre friend. Allow me to enlighten you. The Ghost-Bird-Academy-Syndrome is what I call the phenomena of just about every modern-set non-fantasy-or-paranormal reverse harem series that I know about taking the easy way out — The easy way out being the road paved by one C.L. Stone, who set the prescedent of using guys being part of a “secret group” that is 1) “closer than brothers” and 2) “from a stromy/abused past” (note that I am not trying to make light of abuse here, I am simply mentioning a recurring theme that I’ve noticed) to justify the possibility of a reverse harem relationship. It was pretty original back when she did it — It’s NOT original anymore ppl. Can’t we just get ppl in the real world falling in love and living the rh life without having been abused or all the guys being close beforehand? I hope I’m wrong, but I guess that remains to be seen. Either way, I am really looking forward to the sequel!

(Obs! This book is rated on a reverse-harem standard. My standards for a four star review would differ greatly outside of this genre.)

[Shelby E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG!! I absolutely loved reading this book! It was so cute, quirky, hilarious, and suspenseful. Meet the FMC Emma, she comes from a rich family background, but it was an abusive environment. But she is in college, in a class where she is failing, but can't in order to keep her scholarship. Emma is a hot mess! She trips over nothing, she rambles about anything and everything, so passionate about the piano/music, so freaking addicted to coffee and anything sugar. She meets Noah, her complete opposite. Noah is very well dress, controlled, smart, quiet, and put together. Well, he tutors Emma and their relationship slowly blossoms, but he is keeping a lot of secrets from Emma. I think Noah and his friends that are vaguely mentioned, are apart of the criminal world. All of the evidence points to that, especially after that cliffhanger!

Now, is it a RH book...? I don't know, I think it will be because Emma had feelings for multiple men in this book. But the only established relationship was with Noah only.

Potential harem: Noah, Finn (the cupcake thief, magician), Oliver (a very popular/celebrity piano player, and inspiration to Emma), maybe Julien and Adrian but you don't really meet them in this book. And there might be more? I don't know...?

Sexiness: 3.75/4 out 5 - there was a lot of sexual tension though!


I really want book 2 right now! UGH!!! I cannot wait for it!

This review is of my own opinion.

[Asmitha M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay. So I pulled an all nighter and finished this entire book in a couple hours. I must say I'm obsessed. I personally don't enjoy the quirky FMC trope but with this book I didnt find myself cringing or getting annoyed. I feel the author really made her 'quirkiness' blend well with her character and not seem forced. However I do feel towards the lead up to the I love you of their relationship it was kind of sped up to make the I love you come faster in the form of the texting rather than the actual days. I actually really enjoyed that, but I felt there should have been one of those texting scenes written out in its entirety in the little section of the book of just purely texts. The writing was very engaging and had me wanting to read more. I do think the characters could have just a little bit more depth. Overall a really fun read and I definitely reccomend it. I'm really excited to read the next book in the series, I CAN'T WAIT!!

[Lexey · Rating 3 out of 5]

so, here’s the tea. absolutely no clue how this is going to turn into a reverse harem. it doesn’t give off reverse harem vibes at all. the book does talk about three men, she texts one and only has a singular verbal interaction with the other but she actively only dates one of them and normally a slow build harem isn’t my cup of tea but i found the main characters funny. one thing i will say is we don’t really find out basic info about the mcs until late in the book followed by love confessions. like how am i at 88% of the book and i’m just now finding out the mmc’s age. slightly off putting. another thing i will say is plot/ plot development slightly nonexistent. no clue about where the author is taking this book. it’s not at all spicy there’s a fade to black.

[Random reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m sorry but this is not an rh. I know that it’s supposed to be a slow build and that everything will supposedly come together in the 2nd book but this book should’ve shown some links or overlap between all of the guys introduced because I don’t know if Finn or Oliver (I think that’s his name) are in the rh. Or if the rh is based off of Noah’s friends? Everything is just ambiguous and half baked.

I thought the main character was hilarious and I loved the texts between Noah and her (her name has slipped my mind) but this book could’ve included far more info or development of the plot and far less fluff.

[Meggi · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a start!

I adore Emma and Noah. I am curious where it will turn into a RH, because I see a few possibilities. I am dying to see where it is going. Emma is wonderfully quirky and I have a feeling that the theories I had on Noah may be correct. I can’t wait to see where this is going. It wasn’t quite a cliffhanger, but it definitely left me wanting more, as Finn suggested you should always do. Well played. Excellent book! Maggie Evans has ended up one of my favorite authors! I’d ready anything by her at this point. I’m bummed that Vella is going away right after I discovered it and her and will now have to wait for completion to read. I have no patience, but will try.

[Rebecca García Wallen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure why I'm giving this 4 stars instead of 5... Maybe because Noah is not my cup of tea regarding love interests? It's purely personal preference, nothing more, and I must say he's grown on me, especially with all the secrets (hidden depths, yay!)... Still, I prefer Finn :D

I love Emma, she's just my kind of heroine. Quirky, fun, hidden depths, doesn't take herself or anyone else too seriously, has a backbone, relatable...

All in all, this is well written, the characters all have depth and are relatable and fun to read about. Definitely going to read the next book!!

[Alisha HS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second hand embarrassment for a fictional character is real!

Such a good book though! I couldn’t put it down and giggled my way through in less than a day! Funny, silly and very compelling. I love the way the whole stories been set up and can’t wait for the continuation!
This is a slow burn read and fairly clean. It’s apparently an RH but book 1 has so far been primarily a MF.

[Eleonora · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is exactly what I needed right now. This book was so sweet but at the same time freaking hilarious. Like laugh out loud funny. I absolutely adore Emma and seriously want to be her bestie. I cannot wait for the next book because I am hooked completely!

[Forever · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow 100% loved and laughted
Ive been trying to find a funny cute book for a while (even tho it turned a little dark somewhere) and that cliffhanger !!
Easy to read and good character developpement, will 100% purchase the sequel once it drops out.
Give it a chance!

[LeiT · Rating 5 out of 5]

the perfect book

This was the best book honestly !!! Everything I needed it.

I love Emma such a unique character and now with the cliffhanger I just can’t wait to get the next book.


PS: pancakes with chocolate chip are WAY better

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprising

Wow. This was not what I was expecting. In a good way. The main character is definitely sunshine and the love interest is grumpy. They are in a college piano program. I am excited to learn more about the characters and get answers to all the questions.

[Emily · Rating 1 out of 5]

unfinished.

Not a great book, but good enough that I would’ve continued reading, except the author has made no progress on this series in over 20 months. I should’ve researched better and wouldn’t have wasted my time.

[Shannon Alderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emma is wild!

Another fantastic read from Maggie. Emma is pure chaos and comedy! I’m interested to see what transpires between her & the 3 guys. Also, Noah being secretive is very intriguing, can’t wait to see what happens next.

[Mabel · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much fun.

Funny, clever banter, a likeable protagonist and very intriguing male interests. I loved every second of this and cannot wait for the second book to come out!

[martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is my first time reading a ya rh lmao but its honestly more like MF but this is a quick read to enjoy

[Christina Ps · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Pigeonatic · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good

Soooo so good, I'm only sad that it's over. Lovely writing, good pacing, great characters

Please gimme the next book 😭

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

good read

Her parents seem evil and the red head ta and the smelly kid need to grow up. Noah what the heck are you up too sir ? I need book two and I need all the answers.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story!! I adore Emma - its scary how similar our thought patterns are. Cannot wait for the next one!

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish this book had an ending. 🤷🏽‍♀️ there’s nothing else either.