The Next Worst Thing

Love in Mirror Valley #1

by Sara Jane Woodley, Justis Bolding (Narrator), Oliver Hunt (Narrator)

I didn’t ask to organize this wedding, and I certainly didn’t ask for the world’s worst best man as an assistant. But my brother is marrying the love of his life, and I’ll stop at nothing to give him a perfect wedding day―and get our family’s Inn some much-needed publicity in the process. And that means playing nice with James Weston. My brother’s best friend and I have been feuding for as long as I can remember. We don’t like each other, plain and simple―or is it? Is it possible that James isn’t the monster I’ve always thought him to be? And why does he keep showing up to save me right when I need him? (Not that I’d EVER admit it) Falling for James is not on my carefully color-coordinated agenda. Too bad nothing seems to go according to plan when James Weston is around... The Next Worst Thing is a sweet rom-com with all the swoony kisses and chemistry, but no explicit content. Enjoy ridiculous mishaps, a hilarious cast of quirky small-town characters, and a heartwarming HEA that’s sure to give you all the feels.

Genres: Romance, Audiobook, Enemies To Lovers, Contemporary, Clean Romance, Contemporary Romance, Rom Com

Audio CD

First published April 6, 2022

About the author

Sara Jane Woodley is a Sweet Romance author who is obsessed with Happily Ever Afters!

Inspired by the mountains, Sara Jane writes love stories set in the beautiful nature she hikes, bikes and skis in. Her clean romance books always feature sassy, strong female heroines and fun-filled, playful relationships.

Reviews

[Heather Adores Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐
Genre ~ contemporary romance
Series ~ Love in Mirror Valley #1
Publication date ~ April 11, 2022
Publisher ~ Dreamscape Media
Est Page Count ~ 338
Audio length ~ 10 hours 15 minutes
Narrators ~ Justis Bolding and Oliver Hunt (ello, he's British)
POV ~ dual 1st
Featuring ~ brother's best friend, best friend's sister, wedding planning, supportive family, family Inn, enemies to lovers, slow burn, sweet, cute, small town, high ponytails, no steamage

Ivy & James
James is back in town for his best friend, Luke's, wedding. He's involved right along with Ivy, Luke's sister, in planning the wedding. Ivy isn't too thrilled about seeing James again because of some toolish thing he did in the past. But as they start spending more and more time together they realize that maybe they don't hate each other.

These two were super cute! It wasn't overly enemies to lovers, more like banter nitpickiness to lovers.
Ivy and Luke lost their parents when they were young, so they are really close ~ I really liked their relationship. Most characters were really likable and relatable, but Cam and Lenore leave a little to be desired.

I'd be thrilled to read more from this author in the future and I think I know who book 2 will be about and yay!!

Narration notes
It was almost a little too slow at 2x and I would have liked an 2.25x option. While overall I was pleased with their narration I could have used more emotion in their voices at times.

*Thanks to Dreamscape Media, Sara Jane Woodley and NetGalley for the advance audiobook. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*

Connect with me ➡ Blog ~ Facebook ~ X

[Oceana Reads Co. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looooooved.

Funny, cute, romantic, clean, sweet small town, brother’s best friend, hate to love, British accent.

Recommend.

[Misha Ahuja · Rating 5 out of 5]

so so good adorable and sweet. the enemies to lovers and brothers best friend oh my gosh it was just such a cute fluffy light read and i loved it

[Syndi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Next Worst Thing is just the sweetest enemy to lover romance. Ivy and James are very very likeable and their prank and banter are cute. Overload with cute. Miss Woodley does not bored or dragging the plot. Instead her writing is entertaining.

This is my first read by Miss Wooley and I am not itch to get the second book on this series. The story is simple, minimum drama and fun. Clean romance. Love it.

4 stars

[Travelogged Blogs · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Do you think you could ever date someone who drives you nuts?” My breath catches. “I… I don’t know.” “Because I think I could.”

Ivy Brooks is all set on planning her brother's wedding at the Inn her family owns. But what she doesn't expect is for her brother's best friend and her childhood nemesis James Weston to arrive back in town to step into the best man shoes. On top of that they have to spend all their time together since the entire responsibility of planning the wedding has fallen on Ivy's shoulders and James has decided to help her. I loved the homey vibes that the small town setting in this book gave out and I also loved the side characters especially Daisy (Ivy's bff) and Luke (Ivy's brother). Most of the brother's best friend romance books I've read have the kind of brother who gets too damn annoying and controlling when he finds out about the main characters being together but I'm glad that Luke was so chill and absolutely awesome here! It was a refreshing surprise which made me love the book even more. James & Ivy's chemistry gave me butterflies and their banter was so funny and entertaining! I wish I could've been able to read more about their dynamics back in highschool because the way they made it sound like they were constantly poking each other, seemed so much fun lol. But the progression of their relationship was so natural and everything just smoothly fell into place. If you're into a light-hearted, drama free small town romance with the childhood enemies to lovers and brother's best friend/bestfriend's sister trope, then this is the right pick for you!

[samantha ఌ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kind of skimmed throughout the book. It wasn't horrible, the writing was decent and the characters were okay. I think that the romance was a little bit dull for me, I just wanted a bit more plot and something going on within the main couple. Or maybe I just wasn't it the right mood. I was more invested in Luke's and Daisy's development. But overall, I think others would enjoy the story.

[Catarina Águas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. Ivy was afraid to let her heart feel, to be open to others and that almost cost her James. He was so sweet, he paid attention to her and was there for her, always and no matter what, I freaking loved him. At the end, she pissed me off but at least she understood she was wrong and was willing to own to her mistake. They were a very cute couple

[Ana | SheSaidYestoBooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but I wish there were more sexual tension between the main characters in the book.

[Emily Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Next Worst Thing
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Romance
Format: Audiobook
Date Published: 10/4/22
Author: Sara Jane Woodley
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Narrators: Justis Bolding and Oliver Hunt
GR: 3.96

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Dreamscape Media and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

My Thoughts: This is the first book in the series, Love in Mirror Valley. This was so cute and I listened within a matter of a few days. Such a swoon-worthy, cute, and lighthearted read. Ivy was the perfect heroine and James was the ultimate hero. The story was narrated by Ivy, in her perspective. In this enemies to lovers trope, the dynamics of Ivy and James go back since they were small children. The narrators were outstanding, I listened to this one on 2x and had no issues keeping up and understanding. I adored James’ accent, it was so British and so cute. Ivy and James challenged one another, while at the same time supporting and loving each other. The characters were well developed with depth, witty banter, oh so funny, deep chemistry, and an emotional connection that was genuine. The author’s writing style was complex, intriguing, flowed very well, and just brilliant. The small town setting was superb, it made you feel like family. This was a closed door romance, but was sweet and easily connected to. The MCs were very relatable and lovable. I highly recommend picking up this audiobook!

[Katie (hiding in the pages) · Rating 5 out of 5]

James and Ivy are both in the hospitality business and her family's inn is the central hub of this sweet and swoony story. This new-to-me author writes like a dream and I adored this story so much.

I love a story that catapults me right into the pages like this one did and the witty banter between old frenemies was a delight. Not only did a high school incident put James and Ivy at odds with one another, but Ivy's older brother is James's best friend, and I'm a sucker for that trope.

Some of my favorite things:
--a small mountain town setting
--a tight-knit brother/sister relationship
--a sassy, seasoned-in-age local photographer whose whole setup had me rolling on the floor laughing
--a slightly British hero
--a darling and capable heroine
--swoony sparklers and sizzling sweet smooches
--laughs and smiles galore
--double date on a whim
--an influencer diva who is easy to roll your eyes at

Grab some kettle corn and dive right in--this story is the perfect swoony escape!

Content: mild romance

*I received a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own and were voluntarily given.*

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a sweet, small town, dual POV, enemies to lovers, brother's best friend romance perfect for fans of Sarah Adams, Kortney Keisel or Cindy Steel. I loved this one audio narrated by Justis Bolding and Oliver Hunt (who does a GREAT British accent).

Set in a small town, as Ivy is helping her brother plan his wedding while also trying to figure out a way to help her grandparent's save their family Inn. Enter James Weston, the posh British corporate guy who returns to be the best man and is forced together with Ivy as they deal with wedding-related activities.

Sweet, swoony and utterly adorable. This was a kissing only type of love story that will give you all the Hallmark movie kind of feels. Highly recommended for fans of Erin Branscomb's Falling Inn love (another small town romance that revolves around saving a family Inn).

Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy of this book in exchange for my honest review! I'm excited to read the next book in this series by new to me Indie author Sara Jane Woodley.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this story!! Sweet, fun and funny! Believable, realistic enemies/frenemies to lovers, childhood friends, brothers best friend. Small town charm.
MMC has an English accent. 😏
There's a Family Inn, which is one of my favorite story elements 😍 (Thanks Hallmark!)
He takes care of her when she's down.
There's an awkward but awesome double date. Such a great story! Will definitely be reading more from this author! 💙

📚 Some Quotes:
James is close now. So close that his breath plays on my lips, and his achingly attractive smell of sandalwood surrounds me. “Hey, Brooks?” he whispers.
“Yeah?”
“Do you think you could ever date someone who drives you nuts?”
My breath catches. “I… I don’t know.”
“Because I think I could.”
.
I chuckle. “I’d love to take Betsy. It’s been awhile since I had a ‘will I make it or will the car fall apart beneath me’ sort of adventure.
.
I take her hand again and squeeze it. “You look beautiful, Brooks.”
“You didn’t even look at me when you said that.”
“I don’t have to. You’re beautiful every time I see you.”
.
"Love isn’t always perfect and beautiful, Brooks. Love is messy and vulnerable. And scary."

[niki ☾ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars!

• Brothers best friend
• Small town
• Wedding vibes 🫂
• Enemies to Lovers (kind of)
• Need-to-work-together
• Cute domestic scenes (pls when he cooked for her, that was so cute)

This would be a pretty cute rom-com movie no doubt and I will 100% watch it but I got bored at times so I skimmed through the book.

The book is set in a small town and it revolves around Luke’s wedding to his ew fiancée (sorry not sorry). Luke’s best friend, James (H) comes back to the town for the wedding where he finally meets Ivy (h) again aka Luke’s sister hence we have one of my most favourite tropes ✨Brothers Best Friend✨

The only thing I didn’t like was how Ivy didn’t really snap back to Eleanor. Man, I wish that would have happened.

I wanted to dnf this book a couple of times but I stayed. I stayed, you guys because James and Ivy were adorable asf. 🫂

Overall, it was pretty cute in a classic way. Nothing revolutionary but I liked it. The way it pans out is simple and just really comfortable. Certainly better than some of the overhyped books of BookTok or Bookstagram.

If you’re looking for a small town, brothers best friend romance, this is it for you! 🤍

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars ✨

Rom-Com

Audio 🎧 Version Via Hoopla
Narrators 5/5

✅ Clean
✅ Cute/Funny
✅ Enemies to lovers
✅ British MMC
✅ Small Town
✅ Dual POV

This was an adorable quick read. It had a touch of Gilmore Girl vibes which I loved. Small town books are some of my favorites. The characters were likable and funny. I liked how quickly the author handled the conflict at the end between the two main characters James and Ivy, and how she didn’t drag it out in this dramatic way. I did not like Luke’s fiancée and every scene she was in I rolled my eyes. I still don’t understand what her deal was, but guess we will find out in the next one when we get Luke’s story. If you’re looking for a light, cute and clean rom-com, would recommend.

[Julka · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 ⭐
I had fun

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

This was the first book I've read by Ms. Woodley and I am hooked! After seeing my friend Katie's review, I dove into this one and couldn't put it down. I love the small town charm, the enemies-to-lovers trope, the fun characters and just overall feel of the book. I wasn't surprised by how things played out, but it was fun being along on the journey anyway. I definitely want to read the next book and return to this fun small town!

Content Rated G
Romance: Kissing
Language: None
Violence: None

[Larissa Correa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book! I loved Ivy and James and every scene of them together. When there was a scene with one them interacting with other people, I just wanted the other one to show up! I just loved them together. I liked how their relationship was developed and how the secret from their past (reason for the hatred) and even the conflict at the end, was handled, even though I could see it was coming.
I also liked their stories on their own, with Luke figuring out what he wants to do with his future and Ivy with the InIIandIher relationship with Daysy and both of their relationships with Luke.
I was surprised by what happened at the wedding, because i figured something would happen, but it was not what I thought, so i liked it.
I loved the side characters and want their book next!

* I've received an ARC of this book from the author, in exchange for an honest review.

[MerLuni · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I have read similar books a lot of times but they still get me, especially when there is good communication!!
I also really loved that this whole brother‘s best friend thing wasn’t the major conflict point.

I feel like most of my romance book reviews are pretty similar but I‘m just a sucker for them!

[Elyse · Rating 3 out of 5]

NetGalley Audio ARC.

I didn't understand how James had an English accent when he grew up in the US. Since at least 7 years old. ... It just didn't jive for me. A trace of an accent on certain words, sure. But a full-on accent? Nope. Took me out of the story. Also, again with the mediocre closed door romances lately! Maybe it's me. Look, it's not a bad book at all. 3 stars means it was okay. It's cute and clean. I'm not giving it 3 stars because I didn't know it was clean. I'm fine with clean. I need to enjoy the plot and the characters. And they just bored me.

[Toni Shiloh · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first read of Sara Jane Woodley and won't be my last.

[Jennifer Sellers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed listening to this book! The story was cute and flowed nicely, and the narrators were fantastic! Speaking of narrators, can I just say that Oliver Hunt can read me to bed any night. But I doubt I would ever fall asleep. His voice is. . . amazingly sexy. *Sigh*

Anyway, enough about the narrators they were a five out of five all across, both of them. So let’s talk about the book. This one was hard for me to rate, because I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to overlook a few nit-picky things that made the book more of a four than a five for me. But please, this is me being over analytical! The book as a whole was amazing, and I recommend it all day every day.

But… Have I read this book before? That’s how canon it felt. Love the small town and the Inn. But I could easily plot out what was going to happen and when. While I feel this is typical, it’s no less disheartening. I would love to see something with a little bit more surprise to it, or to break the pattern and throw the reader off. Romance as a genre tends to get a bad rap. (Unfairly, I might add. It is clearly the far superior genre.) . A lot of that has to do with predictability. The writing in this book was so good that I know there is more to come from her.

I hope next time it has a little bit of spice shaken into it and I don’t mean smut, just a little bit to throw us off our game then bring us back, and put us together again.

Thank you NetGalley, for the audio arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Aly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute rom-com involving enemies-to-lovers, a hotel that needs to be saved, and a wedding that's getting more stressful by the day. The main characters were entertaining and I love a small town with meddling residents. I would totally be up for helping run a hotel in a charming town, such a fun plot point.

Ivy and James aren't necessarily actual enemies, but they bicker a lot and Ivy is holding a grudge from when they were younger. James clearly likes her and I find it funny how he teases her and riles her up. They fit together so well and we see several instances of them being on the same wavelength without trying.

I liked Ivy's brother Luke and couldn't understand how he was marrying someone so awful. What did he possibly see in her? I'm hoping the next book in the series will follow him and I'll be checking to see about a release date.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the copy

[Courtney | Bookish Beach Babe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read if you love:
💐 Hate to love
💐 Brother’s best friend
💐 Wedding planning
💐 Cozy B&B vibes
💐 Competitive shenanigans
💐 Trucks named Betsy
💐 Treasure hunts
💐 Diaper soccer (trust me on this one)
💐 Sizzling kisses

New to me author, Sara Jane Woodley, knocked it out of the park with her first sweet romcom. Y’all this story has me gushing with all the amazing feels from reading such a good book. Seriously, five stars are not enough.

Ivy and James have hated each other since high school, but now James is back in Mirror Valley to be the best man in Luke’s wedding — his best friend AND Ivy’s brother. The old rivalry is rekindled as soon as James steps foot into town. But as he and Ivy are forced to work together to give Luke the perfect wedding, the lines between hate and love begin to blur…

Man, these two were at each other’s throats right out of the gate. I loved the rivalry and competition between Ivy and James and how they kept trying to sabotage each other. The hate was strong in this book and it made for amazing banter and combustible chemistry! I really enjoyed the character growth. Ambitious James really comes to see what’s most important in life and Ivy realizes that things in the past weren’t always what they seemed.

The more James and Ivy butt heads, the more their walls started to crumble, especially Ivy’s. Always striving perfection, I loved how James finally got her to let go and just have fun. There are so many strong emotions in this book, but also light-hearted, funny moments. The cast of eclectic secondary characters added both depth and levity to the plot. I especially loved Fran and Daisy as well as the strong familial bonds between Luke and Ivy. James is definitely book boyfriend material! This book is just the whole package; I can’t recommend it enough!

[Sydney · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s just… boring. Nothing happens.

[Lid · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

🎧 𝐸𝑠𝑐𝑢𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑑𝑜 𝑐𝑜𝑛 𝐵𝑜𝑜𝑘𝐵𝑒𝑎𝑡, 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑔𝑢𝑒 60 𝑑í𝑎𝑠 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑔𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑟á𝑛𝑑𝑜𝑡𝑒 𝑝𝑜𝑟 ℎ𝑡𝑡𝑝𝑠://ℎ𝑠𝑙.𝑖𝑛𝑘/𝐵𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑡_𝑙𝑖𝑑02

Esta es la historia de Ivy y James, que se reúnen para la boda del hermano de ella, mejor amigo de él y bueno, desde pequeños siempre han sido muy enemigos de pullitas-con-alguna-capullez y el reencuentro les hace volver a esta química pero intentando tener algo más de madurez - spoiler: les sale regular (adorando la cena doble).

Su relación ha sido en general bastante cuca, no es el típico enemies to lovers sino el crush-escondido-to-lovers que a pesar de repetirse pues aquí estamos a por más, somos simples. No obstante, me ha faltado más química, más tensión sexual (es clean romance, mi gozo en un pozo) y que no partiera de un misscommunication para que al final haya otro. Sí me sobró un poquito... -.-'

Los secundarios casi me han entrado por un oído y salido por otro (¿literalmente?). No sé si ha sido falta de que se presentaran más o que yo no he prestado tanta atención pero como que están, alguna cosa y ya. Daisy me cae bien, veo su ship clarísimo, Luke el hermano que todo lo sabe y gracias por no meter drama y la novia es entre meh y odiosa-pff.

Detalle importante es que tiene 2 POV, el narrador es British y flechazo ♥ Tiene voz de boy-next-door y no podría haber sido mejor para James porque real que el chaval lo hacen boy-next-door-cuqui de manual, no falla el tío por ningún lado.

Ivy por su lado tiene algunos facepalm cuando se encuentra en apuros que me ha dado mucha risa. Ambos personajes tiene puntos muy buenos pero al final he sentido que me ha faltado más de ellos. Cumplen su función pero al terminarlo sé que no me voy a acordar más de ellos, que unos momentos salteados no los hace memorables.

En resumen, una historia típica, que no se sale del molde y que probablemente no suponga nada nuevo pero tiene su punto cuco con un toque divertido y está bien cuando te encuentras en el mood de leer algo del estilo para pasar el rato. Esperaba algo más en general y se ha quedado de "está bien."

[Evie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley and @dreamscape_media for approving me for an audiobook arc of this book!

Ivy’s brother Luke is getting married to his childhood sweetheart. Ivy has pretty much taken over planning the whole wedding. That is, until James (her brother’s best friend) returns from the city to step into the best man shoes. Maybe she would have appreciated the help…if James and her didn't have an ongoing feud since childhood 👀

This book was adorable. A clean romance with a lot of fluffy moments and a dual POV. So if you’re looking for anything smutty, this is not it fam! I would say the story also could fall under second chance romance because if things would have gone differently for the main characters earlier they might have developed a relationship then.

I will admit that, as leads, Ivy and James did not capture me fully. They were cute and tender and there was nothing wrong with them... but the main conflict of the story was miscommunication and I always have a hard time with that because I can think of a thousand ways to have prevented the whole situation. Literally it's me, not you! However, I CAN NOT WAIT for the next book to come out because I was literally obsessed with Luke and Daisy. Every time they would pop up in the story I was much more invested and excited to see more of them! I will definitely be keeping an eye out for that!

Overall this was a really sweet and cute love story!

The audiobook was absolutely amazing. I loved that we had a narrator for each main character as that always helps solidify the story, specially with dual POV!!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, sweet closed door romance. I didn’t realize it was going to be a closed door (meaning no sex scenes) or so clean. And I was pleasantly surprised! How refreshing! No language or sex! But still sweet romance and great chemistry.

Qt first it felt a little slow and I wasn’t sure I was going to like it. But then enter James. (And the narrator for James. Wow.) And I was hooked.

There was a lot going on in the story, lots of subplots. But the author did a great job bringing them together. No lose ends. Although some weird reactions that fell flat for me. Like the whole Lenore thing. I felt like there was something there and I didn’t love how flat that all fell. Also, the big THINGS that are supposed to be the big conflicts of the story were so overblown by the characters. Like their whole feud was over something that could have just blown over but instead it became a years long feud…that actually wasn’t a feud at all but just an ignoring of someone she used to know. It wasn’t like they were constantly around each other jacking with each other’s relationships or something like a feud suggests. They just fell off from each other. And over basically nothing. That was dumb to me. And then the biggest conflict was like, yeah okay, take an apology, have a conversation and let it be over. It just wasn’t that big of a deal.
But overall, cute romance that I would definitely recommend.

Narration was fantastic.

[Micky Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun frenemies rom com that is funny, sweet, heartbreaking and wrapped in a great happily ever after! The main characters at the center of this romance have been butting heads, pranking each other and battling it out since they were little kids, but as they say there is a fine line between love and hate especially when you realize you may not have ever actually hated each other! A wonderful setting in a great family-owned inn that is hosting a wedding that our frenemy couple is helping put together is wrought with issues that leads me to believe that there will be another book soon to keep us delightfully entertained! The narrators of the audio book did an outstanding job of bringing the characters to life and helping you truly feel their emotions thus bringing the book more fully to life! I absolutely can't wait to read or listen to more from this author!

[☆Laura☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75⭐️

[ellie youngs · Rating 4 out of 5]

their banter was soooo cute