Yes and I Love You

Score: 4.5/5 Bookmarks

Steam rating: 🍆🍆🍆 /5

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca for gifting me a review copy of Yes & I Love You by Roni Loren. This book was funny, and sweet, and steamy—and I just found out it’s going to be part of a series so I’m super excited!

By day Hollyn Tate is quiet, avoids interactions with others due to her social anxiety and Tourette’s, and largely keeps to herself. But by night she’s Miz Poppy, sassy reviewer who writes about New Orleans nightlight. She keeps her secret identity just that, a secret. When her boss asks her to add video to her reviews and says she has to reveal who she is publicly or he’ll find someone to replace her Hollyn’s world starts to spin off its axis.

Jasper Deares is an aspiring actor and part of an improv group, but by day he’s working as a barista at the coworking space where Hollyn rents an office (her therapist says she needs to try and be around other people more after all). After a pretty rough start the two start to become friends and enter into a mutually-beneficial arrangement. Jasper will help Hollyn with her social anxiety, and other things *wink wink*, and Hollyn will give his improve group a Miz Poppy review.

Hollyn has Tourette’s, which predominantly shows in the way of facial ticks, and adds to her social anxiety. It was so interesting learning more about the syndrome and watching her self-confidence grow throughout the book. I really enjoyed Jasper as a character too. He was open and thoughtful and while he had his own baggage to deal with he was so considerate of other’s feelings.

I’m always here for a bit of fake dating, and this book definitely didn’t disappoint. It only lost half a point from me because I found the ending a little predictable. But having said that, part of why I enjoy romances is that I like to know it will have a happy ending, so it’s not a big criticism. I also really love the cover art and the bold, graphic feel of it, but it doesn’t really say ‘romance’ to me. It has more of a sci-fi vibe or something, and it just didn’t seem to really match the content.

This book is pretty steamy y’all, in all the best ways, and if sex in public places gets you hot under the collar you’re going to love this one.

So definitely check it out, and stay tuned for book two, What If You & Me, which is due to come out in July 2021.

Synopsis:

Everyone knows Miz Poppy, the vibrant reviewer whose commentary brightens the New Orleans nightlife. But no one knows Hollyn, the real face behind the media star...or the fear that keeps her isolated. When her boss tells her she needs to add video to her blog or lose her job, she's forced to rely on an unexpected source to help her face her fears.

When aspiring actor Jasper Deares finds out the shy woman who orders coffee every day is actually Miz Poppy, he realizes he has a golden opportunity to get the media attention his acting career needs. All he has to do is help Hollyn come out of her shell…and through their growing connection, finally find her voice.