Review: Not My Romeo by Ilsa Madden-Mills

Not My Romeo by Ilsa Madden-Mills
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC in exchange for an honest review.  This will be published on August 18, 2020.

 

I was expecting this to be more serious, but it is actually more of a rom-com.  I found myself laughing out loud fairly often at the situations and the banter between the main characters Elena and Jack.  Their very first meeting sets the stage for the comedy that ensues throughout the book.  Elena's best friend has set her up on a blind date on Valentine's Day, she is running late, and sits down with the only single man in the place.  She assumes that Jack is the person she is supposed to meet, and when he is charmed by her antics and the fact that she has no idea who he is, he doesn't correct her.  Sparks fly and they have a very nice evening.  Jack feels bad that he didn’t tell her who he was, but he does intend to make things right.  Unfortunately, the timing doesn’t work out and Elena finds out before he can explain. 

 

Both Elena and Jack have been betrayed by people they cared about, and Jack has a lot of baggage in his past that causes him to have major trust and commitment issues.  Elena is constantly trying to live up to everyone else's expectations and trying to fit into what the people in her small town think she should be doing.  Over the course of the book Elena has to decide if she really wants to go after her dreams of entering the fashion world to design lingerie while Jack has to figure out if he can heal from the past hurts he’s experienced and start to trust people again.  As an unlikely couple, they have to work together to see if they can make things work.

 

Just when you think this is going to be another insta-love story, it turns out not to be.  Jack and Elena are caught up in insta-lust for sure, and they can't deny that they are able to relax and be themselves when they are together.  They both have to grow as individuals as well as a couple before they can finally face their issues.  The whole time they are "dating", but they refuse to acknowledge that as they get to know each other.  This story takes place over time vs a few days which I really appreciate.  It gives the characters time to actually build a relationship that feels realistic instead of falling in love in a week and living happily ever after.

 

I really enjoyed this and I’m looking forward to more books in the series.  I hope we get books about some of the side characters.

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