Review: The Best of All by Karla Sorensen

The Best of All by Karla Sorensen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via the author and Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

While this is the 2nd book in The Best Men Series, it does read as a complete standalone. The first book is connected but follows a completely different couple. It is also amazing and I highly recommend checking out Burke and Charlotte's story in The Best Laid Plans. I feel like you could read the books in either order as they take place simultaneneously in the wake of the loss of couple Chris and Amie to a horrific car crash and their wishes change the lives of their closest friends. In this installment Liam is our hero, and as Chris' best friend he has been granted co-guardianship of their daughter with Amie's best friend Zoe.

Liam has never wanted a family, so not only is he grieving the loss of his best friend and two of the best people he has ever known, but now he has to come to terms with why they would put him in charge of their almost three year old. He is grumpy, broody, and he has some deep rooted issues that he isn't ready to face quite yet. Zoe on the other hand throws herself into taking care of Mira, she knew about the guardianship plans, so it came as no surprise to her, but she is also deep in her grief while taking on sole caregiver responsibilities of the little girl. Any parent knows that taking care of a toddler is tough with two parents, but when Liam refuses to help at first she is overwhelmed and forgets to take care of herself. As a mom, I related to that so much, it is easy to get lost in taking care of your family and forget about your own needs and self-care, even when you don't have extenuating circumstances like Zoe and Liam. After some thought, Liam decides to step up and help out. Mira instantly takes a shining to Uncle Liam, and despite his misgivings about not having a clue what to do with her he does just fine.

Zoe and Liam have been at odds for the decade they have known each other, turns out it was all a miscommunication and a wrong place wrong time situation. Now that they are forced to spend a lot of quality time together and play nice for Mira's sake, they find that they actually enjoy each other's company. Once they open the flood gates on the romantic feelings sparks fly and the chemistry between them is wonderful.

This book brought me to tears several times, so you are going to want to have tissues handy. Between the grief the characters feel over the loss of their friends, taking care of Mira, the issues they discuss about their past relationships both with their families and other partners, it is quite the emotional rollercoaster. The romance is a bit of a slow burn and it is more on the sweet side than the spice one. It takes Liam a long time to open up, but it is worth the wait when he finally does. His character development was excellent!

Overall, I loved this and I highly recommend it.

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