Review: Smart Move

Smart Move by Amanda Pennington
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via the author and Smartypants Romance, all opinons are my own.

This like the other books in the series reads as a standalone. I do recommend reading Book Smart first if you want to get to know Mel and Cameron better as some of the events that take place in this book happen simultaneously. It isn't necessary to understand Ivy and what is happening in this book though.

Much like with Book Smart, if you are looking for a super steamy romance and something NSFW this isn't going to be for you. This is pretty clean and sweet. There are several mentions of intimacy and physical acts but it all happens off page behind closed doors. If you are into cleaner romance and something that is totally safe for work this is going to be perfect for you.

This follows Ivy and Toby who couldn't be more different, which is what makes their flirtationship so fun. Ivy doesn't really like her job working at the registration office at the local university, but it pays the bills. She would much rather be painting, but she's been lacking inspiration for quite some time. She is stressed by life, work, and being part time care-taker for her aging mother. Toby on the other hand loves being a physical therapist and helping people. He looks forward to seeing Ivy every time he has to register for continuing education credits, and he is determined to get her to go on a date with him. He is also determined to help her mom get back on her feet after a fall leaves her with a broken ankle.

This was an awesome look at how someone with neurodivergence navigates the world and how hard being a full or part time care-taker for an aging parent is on a person. As a parent it is hard keeping my own two kids alive and they constantly need me, so I can only imaging how hard it is taking care of an adult. I think the author did a great job showing how stressful it is taking care of another human being. It is hard to ask for help and I'm glad Ivy had a support system in place with Cam and Mel, and she slowly let Toby into her circle. Her romance with Toby was slow burn but it developed nicely and they had good chemistry. Toby was kind and patient and willing to admit when he was wrong or had made a mistake or overstepped. They had good banter and conversations about their fears and concerns.

Overall this was a good read with some heavy topics.

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