It’s been a while since I participated in Ten Top Tuesday, which is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, but I wasn’t sure what to post, and when I checked the topics for this month, this week’s topic “books set in X” really caught my eye. So I decided to make a list of romance books set in small townsthat I have read and loved in the last couple of years. I kind of cheated and included books in a series just as one entry on the list, so there are more than 10 books in this list, but I couldn’t pick just 10.
Both of these books are set in a small town in Kansas and they have a big Mexica-American family at the heart of the story, some paranormal elements, female characters that go through a lot of character growth, and really sweet but steamy romances. In After Hours on Milagro Street, there’s an opposites attract romance with forced proximity. In Full Moon over Freedom, there’s a second chance romance between childhood friends.
This is set in a small town in Wyoming and if you like cowboy romances, the brother’s best friend trope, two main characters with tons of chemistry, and a reformed bad boy, this book is for you!
This book is set in a small town in North Carolina and it’s a slow-burn romance with two plus-size characters, it includes the grumpy/sunshine trope and there’s a big focus on the healing and character growth of the heroine.
This is set in a small town in Michigan. It’s a second-chance romance between childhood sweethearts, and it’s a perfect example of a low-angst, low-conflict romance book done right.
This is set in a small town in South Carolina, and it’s a romance between someone running TO a small town and someone running FROM a small town that has to come back. It’s a friends-with-benefits, interracial romance with a plus-size female main character.
These books are set in small town in Maryland. Lovelight Farms is a friends-to-lovers romance with a fake-dating plot. In The Weeds is a second-chance, grumpy/sunshine romance, with forced proximity. Mixed Signals is a friends-to-lovers, sunshine/sunshine romance with a little fake dating.
This series is set in a small town in Oregon, both books are sapphic romances and deal with complicated family relationships. Delilah Green includes the sister’s best friend trope and one of the main characters is a single mom, and Astrid Parker is a rivals-to-lovers romance.
A big part of this is set in a small town in Minnesota. It’s an opposites attract romance where there’s an age gap and the woman is 10 years older than the guy, and it deals with heavy topics such as past abusive relationships.
A big part of this book is set in small town in North Carolina and it’s an enemies-to-lovers romance between two people who work in the publishing industry.
Set in a small town in Colorado, and it’s a slow-burn romance, with a grumpy/ sunshine dynamic, a single dad as a protagonist and a bit of forced proximity. It has a very outdoorsy vibe and there’s a lot of hiking.
Is there any particular setting that you love in books, like a specific city or country, large city or small towns, beaches vs snowy places?
Hi friends! As I mentioned in the first part of my august wrap up, since I don’t post full reviews anymore, wrap ups are the place where I share my mini reviews of the books I read, which means they are usually really long. That’s why, after reading 22 books, I had to divide this post in two.
So in this part 2, I’m sharing my thoughts on all the romance books I read this month:
The Roommate Pact by Allison Ashley (5 stars): I wasn’t expecting to love this as much as I did. The two main characters had so much chemistry, they made sense together and they had such an easy and fun dynamic between them. I love how their relationship transitioned from friends to best friends to lovers, it was very organic and it was so captivating to see them develop intimacy between them and fall in love. Also, the forced proximity and the nursing someone back to health tropes were fun plot elements. One of my favorite parts of the book was the emails that Graham wrote to Claire and I loved how he used them to confess his feelings. I’m a big fan of more intimate gestures and this was so swoony. In terms of the conflict, it made sense to me but I’m glad they didn’t drag it out too much. Also, Claire’s gesture at the end was also really sweet.
Happy Place by Emily Henry (5 stars): As always, Emily Henry’s writing is fantastic. She has the skill to make me like things I usually don’t. For example, I’m not usually a fan of second-chance romance because it feels unrealistic sometimes. But in this case, it worked so well because the two main characters had been together for years, and the breakup was recent. Also, I normally don’t love a book that has a lot of flashbacks, but I LOVED the flashbacks in this. Seeing how the main character fell in love and how much they loved each other was captivating. I was so intrigued by what tore the main couple apart, and, unlike Friends We Meet on Vacation, I was actually satisfied with the reveal. Both the relationship trouble and the friendship troubles felt so realistic to me. I LOVED the group of friends, seeing them struggle to stay friends despite the changes in their lives but loving each other enough to try. Also, I really appreciated that this book focused a lot on the personal growth of the characters.
Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez (4.5 stars): This is an emotional read, much heavier than many traditionally published romances. While the focus is on the romance, the story also deals with serious and heartbreaking topics. In particular, it discusses emotional abuse in a previous relationship. I felt enraged on behalf of the heroine, who was surrounded by people who wanted her to go back to her abuser because he was powerful and influential, and they liked him. I am glad that she found some peace and healing throughout the book. The hero is swoon-worthy, kind, and sweet. I loved the chemistry between the main characters. Despite coming from very different worlds, they understood each other and had a strong connection. However, the story dragged a little bit towards the end, and the solution to the big conflict felt unrealistic.
Next to You by Hannah Bonam-Young (4.5 stars): I love friends-to-lovers romances, especially when there’s pinning, and this book delivered that. The characters go from friends to lovers while the hero helps the heroine convert a school bus into a home, which is a cool element, and their relationship is sweet but also really steamy. The hero is kind, patient, and a bit too selfless. His family is also super sweet and they added wholesomeness to the story. Meanwhile, the heroine heals and grows so much throughout the book while dealing with grief and guilt, I loved how her complicated relationship with her family is addressed and the positive representation of therapy.
Curves for Days by Laura Moher (4 stars): I loved the healing and character growth of the heroine in this book, watching her make friends, renovate her house, help others, and go back to school was lovely. And the hero with his grumpiness grew on me as the story progressed. I ended up loving their relationship, how they slowly became friends, and then fell in love, by learning about each other, being there when the other needed them, and making each other laugh. I appreciated that it highlighted the victims of sexual assault within the military, the struggles of former military with mental health, and the lack of access to care they face. My main issue with this is that not a lot happens plot wise and it started to drag a little in the middle, and the conflict at the end wasn’t my favorite but at least it was resolved quickly.
Would You Rather by Allison Ashley (3.5 stars): I’m a big fan of the friends-to-lovers and the marriage of convenience tropes, and I think they were executed really well. I really enjoyed the beginning of this book; the main characters had a friendship that felt very realistic and it quickly becomes evident that the guy has been pining for his best friend for a long time. I enjoyed all of that. Nonetheless, the conflict of the book – the heroine not wanting to be in a relationship because she has an illness and doesn’t want to be a burden – dragged and I felt frustrated while reading. Also, the hero feels responsible for something that happened to his brother, and there’s a reveal at the end that felt very unnecessary. The last part of this book lost me a little, and I didn’t really feel invested.
Set the Record Straight by Hannah Bonam-Young (3.5 stars): I enjoyed this. Since it’s a short novella, there’s a bit of insta-love, but it’s a fun read and it gets really steamy. The story revolves around childhood best friends who reconnect after some time of not being super close and end up fake dating, which leads to one of them realizing she likes women while she is in her mid-twenties. The romance between them is super sweet. There’s no homophobia on page but one of the main characters was disowned by her family in the past.
The Boyfriend Candidate by Ashley Winstead (3,5 stars): I really liked both characters in this book, I found them very compelling and the writing was also really good. I appreciated that it highlighted some of the issues teachers and school administrations face when it comes to funds. Overall, this was a fast read and it was engaging enough. But there needed to be more moments between the main characters and also more chemistry for me to be completely invested in their relationship. The miscommunication between them got a bit frustrating towards the end. While I actually enjoy romances that also deal with politics, there were points when the political speeches and policy talks were a bit too much.
Off to the Races by Elsie Silver (3 stars): This is my first time reading Elsie Silver, and it wasn’t terrible, but I can’t say I really enjoyed it either. While I liked Billie, I was never sold on Vaughn as a hero. There was some tension and chemistry between the characters, but I was never convinced about their connection beyond the physical aspect. There were some good moments between them, but it wasn’t enough. Since I wasn’t invested in the romance, I was bored at some points. Nonetheless, as I mentioned, I liked Billie and enjoyed reading about her work with the horses, especially DD, which stole the show. I also liked the side characters, even if we didn’t see too much of them.
What were the best and worst romance books you read in August?
Bookish Wanderess 