I really loved the dysletic rep in this book and really felt from formating to storytelling that is story was infused with those elemetns. It was a super quick read. I loved the fact the bookworm element was swaped and i loved all the family elements and loved the siblings dymanics were super prevlent and it was such a quick read and the romacne was great. This book had alot of elemetns like books, cooking and a subtle mystey but all the elements worked together!! so well!! ( )

I really loved the dysletic rep in this book and really felt from formating to storytelling that is story was infused with those elemetns. It was a super quick read. I loved the fact the bookworm element was swaped and i loved all the family elements and loved the siblings dymanics were super prevlent and it was such a quick read and the romacne was great. This book had alot of elemetns like books, cooking and a subtle mystey but all the elements worked together!! so well!! ( )

Mad that I read this book.

Things I liked/appreciated: The author is Portuguese and the FMC is Portuguese, so points for accuracy. I liked the representation of disabilities due to the FMC being dyslexic. I liked that the FMC's brother wasn't a lousy jerk of a teenager like so many teenage characters are. I liked that the stepmother was a likable person, unlike so many step parent characters.

That's all the things I even remotely liked.

I'm tired of quirky girls who don't know if they thought something or said it out loud. Jenn McKinlay really wants Sam and Tyler dancing to be A Thing TM but it's genuinely so unnatural, and what teen wants to admit to their older sibling (who they don't know well) that they are interested in something that that sibling likes and wants to learn more, especially when it involves putting yourself out there and looking stupid. I feel like there was a lot of almost name-dropping, but instead of names, it's just a bunch of movies, books, and singers; it was almost an attempt to get the reader to engage because of other media they like is mentioned, if that makes sense. There was a random moment when Sam offers to set Ben up with a guy despite the fact that he flirted with her and was just randomly staring at all the older guys, and this felt like virtue signaling to me, like Jenn McKinlay wants the reader to know that even though there are no LGBTQ characters, she isnt homophobic. Tyler and Sam calling each other bro and sis, man I hate it. I don't think I've met a single person who called their sibling bro or sis; it felt like McKinlay just needed a way to say that they were closer and bonding or smth. When Ben is upset near the end of the book (no spoilers, but also why does this happen in every romance?? things are going fine and then some Big Truth is revealed and one of the MCs gets all upset and cuts the other off, like?? anyway, Ben is upset near the end of the book) and then Samantha kinda flips out at him like she's all rude and really unkind to him and then walks out before he can say anything, and I'm like?? the heck is that?? He's dealing with issues and you're mad at him for not being around??

Anyway, I wouldn't really recommend this book to anyone. There are a million other books you can find with things in common with this book without being so bleh as this book. ( )

I don't read romance so this was a first for me, but I like the author's mystery series. All in all it was pretty good. There's interesting characters. I got invested in Sam and Tyler building a relationship. There's a lot of humor and even a bit of a mystery. I did think that while Sam felt shamed because of her dyslexia, she was also a little too quick to judge others and jump to conclusions. I also wouldn't have minded more explanation for Ben's actions at the end. Since there will be a sequel, will it mention where he went and what he was thinking? And I'm curious to see how Em's life will progress.
It's a sweet story and I applaud the focus that went into highlighting dyslexia, promoting a friendly font, etc. Clearly well thought out. There's even recipes at the end to try out.
If even I liked it, a true romance fan will really enjoy it. ( )

Samantha Gale has quit her job as a chef after being passed over for promotion and is spending the summer on Martha's Vineyard chaperoning her half-brother while their parents take their dream vacation to Europe. She is dyslexic and feels that her disability is the reason she wasn't promoted.

Now, she's spending time with the brother she barely knows given their fourteen-year age difference. She's chauffeuring him to robotics camp at the local public library and reconnecting with old friends. The new library director is Bennett Reynolds who has come to Martha's Vineyard on a quest to find the father he never knew. His mother who is a famous artist has been downright obstructionist about sharing information with him.

As Sam and Ben search for any information about Ben's father, they fall in love. But Sam wonder if a woman who doesn't read can have any sort of future with a book loving guy.

I loved the relationship between Ben and Sam. I also loved Sam as a character who is so used to seeing herself through the eyes of her disability that she can't see herself as the strong, intelligent, friendly woman that she actually is. It takes Ben's encouragement and acceptance to let her see herself as others see her.

I liked the author's note at the beginning which talks about dyslexia. The book itself is designed to be friendly for dyslexics with a sans serif font and some other accommodations including bold print instead of italics and different word spacing. ( )