4 / 5 ⭐️'ˢ

"To the Moon and Back" by N.R. Walker

This was such a delightful and heartwarming read that just leaves you feeling happy and content.

The story follows the journey of Gideon Ellery, a single father who is struggling to balance his work life and take care of his newborn nephew. After his boyfriend leaves him, Gideon is left with no choice but to ask for help, and that's where Toby Barlow comes in.

Toby is an optimistic and cheerful man who is looking for a job and a place to stay. When he is offered a job as a nanny for Gideon's nephew, he sees it as the perfect opportunity. However, Gideon is not too keen on the idea of having a stranger in his house, but he needs the help. As Toby starts to take care of the baby and bond with Gideon, they both realize that there is more to their relationship than just a professional one.

The chemistry between Gideon and Toby is undeniable, and their relationship develops naturally. The author takes her time to build the relationship, and it never feels rushed or forced. The characters are well-developed, and their flaws and insecurities make them more relatable. ( )

N R Walker is always a good read, alongside a tickle of the funny bone. Add to that the bonus of how you never know what you are in for, her stories have such a variety of characters, settings and stories.

The two men in this are impossible not to find adorable and there is a lot of goo goo gah gah as finance executive and new father Gideon gets to know his nanny Toby at the same time as his baby son Benson.

From the moment Toby greeted Benson as "chicken nugget" to the chagrin of Gideon, at his interview for the nanny job, the novel had me in its clutches. ( )

Sweet fluffy dad, baby and manny read! ( )

I enjoyed this as it was generally low-angst and cute; I’m not sure about the character development necessarily because Toby and Gideon most seemed to like that the other loved baby Benson so much. I’m glad that it was more than a few months before any romance coming up because I realized that I’m not really a fan of workplace or boss/subordinate romances, and I have to deal with the hypocrisy of how I’d feel if this was a dad with a female nanny. The author did seem to retcon herself by having Gideon say he fell for Toby immediately, but that definitely wasn’t the case. Anyway it was still a cute read as long as some healthy disbelief is utilized (especially for that second epilogue). ( )