bookishy 
Goodreads link
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐✨
synopsis
Rhodes Porter.
A name Georgia Whittier would prefer never cross her lips again. Not only was her older brother’s best friend her first love, her first everything, but he broke her heart for a reason she still hasn’t fully accepted. To make it worse, Georgia couldn’t properly nurse her broken heart, because nobody knew about the love affair.
A decade has passed, and Georgia is all grown up. She’s twenty-seven, a college graduate who had a real world job. Had. Her small hometown of Green Haven isn’t flush with teaching jobs, but she knew that when she moved back home. She’s making ends meet with odd jobs, and has rediscovered her old love of West Coast swing dancing. Life isn’t great, but it’s good enough.
Until Rhodes returns to Green Haven. For good.
As much as Georgia would prefer to banish him from her life, she can’t. See: Brother’s best friend. Now Rhodes is everywhere. Her brother’s wedding. At a family barbecue. On the sidewalk across the street while Georgia waits in line at the post office. And that broken heart Georgia thought had healed? It hasn’t. Because Rhodes is just like before. Better, even.
Georgia is determined to keep Rhodes at arm’s length, even when he’s buying her blackberry orange jam at the Sierra Grande farmer’s market. Even when he’s holding eye contact a beat too long. Especially when she finds out the old note she wrote him is still sewn into the brim of his baseball hat. The hat he still wears.
Every day it gets more difficult for Georgia to refuse her heart. But if what Georgia wants is a reason not to fall in love with Rhodes again, she need look no further. Rhodes is holding onto it. All these years he’s kept the truth of why he left her a secret, but secrets have a way of revealing themselves. And this one? It’s a doozy.
book review
So this was really cute ☺ It’s a second chance romance with high school lovers, a bit of angst and a dual POV. It also has the brother’s best friend trope. Did I mention that the main characters love to dance together? 🥺
Georgia is so relatable. She is struggling with living at home and trying to find a job, but she is making the best of it. I love how determined she is and how she shows her emotions without being embarrassed about them. Rhodes gives me golden retriever boyfriend vibes. He is obviously so over heels in love with Georgia, even though he hurt her. He is also compassionate and generous and takes care of his mother.
However, something was lacking for me. The reason for their breakup didn’t seem like a good enough reason to break up for 11 years, and the characters, despite their good qualities, felt a bit flat in terms of character development. Even though I know Georgia and Rhodes are in love I didn’t feel their chemistry. Overall, this was a cute read but it wasn’t mind-blowing.
Thank you to Valentine PR for the eARC!
