✨ "I can buy my own flowers, but I don't, and I have to admit, being gifted them is different—sweeter and more meaningful." ✨
A huge thanks to author Stephanie Archer (@stephaniearcherauthor on Instagram) for the gifted copy in exchange for my honest review!
SOME SPOILER-FREE THOUGHTS: I finished this book in a day. Less than a day. From the moment I started it, I knew I wouldn't be able to put it down until "the end." And I was right. As someone who has been WAITING for Hayden and Darcy's story since I read The Fake Out at the beginning of this year, I needed it to be perfect and it absolutely was! We got the heart, the spice, and the beautiful character development that Archer continues to deliver with her incredible writing and storytelling skills. She's once again captivated me and readers everywhere! Join the club and pick up this book!
Author: stephanie archer
Finished: september 30, 2024
Reading Method: e-book (arc)
Star Rating: 5/5 ⭐
Spice Rating: 4/5 🌶️
What To Expect:
✨ Best Friends to Lovers
✨ Relationship Coach
✨ Hockey Romance
✨ Roommates to Lovers
✨ Semi-Second Chance
✨ "Practice" Dating / Kissing / Toy Usage
✨ Found Family
✨ Dual POV
✨ No Third Act Break Up
SPOILERS IN
3...
2...
1...
✨ "Our gazes rest on each other, and it's one of those perfect moments where it's just the two of us and I think, maybe." ✨
I liked Jamie Streicher.
I loved Rory Miller!
I am obsessed with Hayden Owens!!!
Consider me swept off my feet and ready to ride into the sunset because I am changing my dating profile header to "unless Hayden Owens was based off of you, keep walking..."
But even more so than that, I am obsessed with Hayden and Darcy's relationship. RIP me, but they are absolutely perfect together and their journey to getting there is perfect as well!
Though some might say Kit stepping in and blocking Hayden from asking out Darcy in college and then him spending eight years in the friend zone is the epitome of the miscommunication trope (which y'all know isn't my fav...), I disagree. The eight years Hayden spends supporting Darcy, despite the fact that she was with his best friend, and he never once tried to make a move or be a dick to his best friend and show his true feelings for her prove that he is exactly the trustworthy and loyal man you want in your corner.
And the more time Darcy spends with Hayden after ending things with Kit, the more she realizes that the fun times she spent with him over the years were way more than just fun. They were her falling for him harder and harder, she was also just too loyal to ever consider or act on it. They fit so well together that they literally both put the other person first for so long, therefore cancelling themselves out and nullifying any possibility of a relationship.
But the most beautiful part of them coming together was not their journey to finding each other, it was their journey to finding themselves as they found each other.
While Darcy thought Hayden was teaching her how to be a "player," he was actually just being a supportive body in her life that allowed her to discover who she wanted to be and explore what she loved. Not worrying about the people around her doubting her every move helped her open herself up to new opportunities and experiences.
And Hayden thought he was once again putting his feelings on the back burner by teaching Darcy how to meet and flirt with guys, but it allowed him to see the depth of his feelings and understand that he couldn't go on pretending he was the cold player everyone saw him as. Her affection towards him showed him he could open himself up to more and even though the idea of heartbreak was scary, it was worth it if it mean the possibility of love.
Just beautiful all around!
And as spicy as the the spicy scenes were, I loved that they built alongside the development we saw in our characters. They weren't just there for fun and entertainment. The connection Hayden and Darcy experienced in those moments were extremely meaningful and important to their journey. Both from Darcy needing to understand the power of feeling desired and from Hayden needing to know he was worth being cared for.
I loved every single second of this book and wish I could wipe my memory and just start it again from the beginning right now. If one of my book girlies in STEM could get right on inventing a reader memory wipe machine, that would be greatly appreciated. Hit me up when you need a test subject!
Go go go and pick up The Wingman by Stephanie Archer (available on KU)! If you love hockey romances, (kind of) second chances, best friends to lovers, roommates to lovers, dating coach, "teach me," and a big fat HEA, then this book has your name written all over it!
And now that I've said my piece about Hayden and Darcy, let me revisit my earlier statement...
I liked Jamie Streicher.
I loved Rory Miller!
I am obsessed with Hayden Owens!!!
Alexei Volkov is going to be the death of me.
I cannot wait for his and Georgia's story! This is truly going to be the most painful time as I sit with my notifications on, anticipating the announcement of the book's release date... and THEN have to wait for it to come out? Oh jeez... I don't know if I'll make it out alive!
Wish me luck!
All My Love,
Jane-Anne
Comentarios