Hi y’all!

Hope you are having a great week. We’ve had several weeks of clear skies but cold temperatures. I think we’re ready for snow again. Snow is so magical with kids and makes everything feel more cozy. And when life is feeling cozy, I seem to always find good books.

I have been on a big of a sweet Rom Com kick lately. And I love it! Light, fun reads with great characters, relatable struggles, and swoony romance. Perhaps they aren’t the most complex or sophisticated of books. But I sure love them! They’ve been the perfect cozy reads for me amidst the chaos of the holidays and sickness of all sorts.

The Love Clichés series by Emma St. Clair is the series that started this reading theme and I absolutely loved these books!

Book Summaries can be found on Goodreads (links below)

Falling for Your Best Friend’s Twin

Falling for Your Boss

Falling for Your Fake Fiance

The Twelve Holidates (novella)

Falling for Your Best Friend

Falling for Your Enemy

The characters make this series so fun to experience. I love that each book is about one best friend and how she finds love. It’s so fun to get to know each girl from Abby to Zoey, Delilah to Harper and Taylor to Sam. We learn about their hopes and dreams, their passions and fears, and see them each fall in love.

• Abby is quirky and a programming nerd. But also has overcome a lot. I appreciated how her past as shaped her but not defined her. Also she is always there to make her friends laugh which I appreciated.
• I liked how determined, loyal and strong Zoey is. And I appreciated when she allowed herself to be vulnerable. She seems like the mom of the friend group — keeping everyone in line while loving them fiercely.
• Delilah is perhaps the sweetest person on the planet. I appreciated how she opened up about her anxieties and mistakes. It can be hard to let your past go. I felt that made her and Thayden even more easy to connect with.
• Taylor’s novella was a sweet addition to the series. It gave us more insights into Sam and Chase. And I love that she becomes part of the group. These friends are so inclusive and I love that their friendships last a lifetime.
• Harper was a fascinating neurodivergent character. I was really impressed by her journey and how she learns more about herself. I learned a lot about the autism spectrum from her story.
• And Sam is probably my favorite character. I loved finally getting to know her and learn what she loves, values and hopes for. She feels like the glue that holds everyone together. 

I loved each of their stories! And I love that they are all in each other’s stories which is so fun! I love that we get glimpses into the happily ever afters of each couple in the other books in the series.

The romance in these stories is swoony, slow burning, and absolutely worth every second. I love the steamy kisses and the clean romance. In each of the books, I was completely invested in the love story. I hoped that each couple would end up together but I enjoyed the twists and turns to get to their happily ever afters. Every couple shares some truly swoony kisses (although I think Sam and Rhys take the cake with their chapter long first kiss). The romantic tension is thick throughout the series. And I loved every second! Plus, I loved the positive messages in each of these rom coms.

• Zane shows Abby that she is worthy of love no matter what and accepts her as she is. His attempted morning proposal in the snow is so sweet! And I love their first stolen kiss in the custodian closet.
• Gavin helps Zoey be her best self and stretches her past what she thought she was capable of. I love their budding relationship with Ella and that journey together. And although I didn’t love their age difference, their chemistry was obvious especially at his family farm.
• Thayden shows Delilah what love means in the sweetest ways. I appreciated how they both open up to each other and help each other move forward despite their pasts. Their “arranged marriage turned love match” trope was so fun. One of my favorite parts of their slow building romance is their stolen kiss in Bed Bath and Beyond.
• Chase loves Harper so fiercely. They are so good together. I loved seeing how he cares for her and how they communicate (better as the story goes on) to understand how to make them both comfortable. Their kisses in the tent are so sweet. And I love that he is willing to do anything for her even things that surprise her!
• Rhys fits so well into Sam’s life. They make an incredible team and certainly compliment each other (very opposites attract here). I loved their chapter long kiss (WOW!) and the surprising twists and turns in their relationship.

These rom coms are so fun while also tackling real struggles. The different cliches are written so well. And even though they are cliches, the stories are also surprising and at times serious. I appreciated the balance between romance and hard topics like bullying, death of a parent, divorce, abusive parents, neurodivergence, and heartbreak. But these friends show that the struggles in life can be overcome with the support of good friends. These best friends truly have each others’ backs and I love that they stay in touch after they all find love. One of my favorite parts of the whole series is the double epilogue in the finale when we get a glimpse of life for these best friends in 30 years. They still have struggles and heartache, but life is sweet because they have each other.

This is such a fun series! I appreciate that it’s clean, tells such beautiful love stories and celebrates good friendships. Highly recommend these books!

What are some of your favorite rom coms? 
What books do you like to read just for fun?