Scan barcode
A review by golden_lily
His Grumpy Childhood Friend by Jackie Lau
4.0
Jackie's books always make me super happy, even though I hesitate to call them fluffy or even soft because she works heavy, real world subjects into the narratives. This one has (and needs) a big TW for Mike's verbally and emotionally abusive parents. They're never on page, but he relates several stories of their abuse as well as suffers from low self esteem and self loathing thoughts. He's spent eight years in therapy and doing the work to overcome this, and does, near the end of the book, decide he should see a therapist again. I wish that had been followed up on; a line in the epilogue about how he's clicking with his new psych?
But despite that, it is a really sweet, soft book. It's not quite as grumpy/sunshine tropey as the first book in Cider Bar Sisters, but Charlotte's an introvert with a grumpy streak and Mike is a little golden retriever-ish about her. There's no big mis, a huge plus in my book, and no long, drawn out denial of feelings. The plot is just a nice casual "practice dating" to actual dating with the conflict coming from whether either of the leads is ready to date again. Mike does lie by omission when Charlotte assumes he's more romantically and sexually experienced than he is, but it's a relatively small thing.
The book's got the usual Jackie touches: overly involved family, engineering, and a truly unfair amount of food porn. It's funny, there are emotionally supportive best friends on both sides, and a niece who draws venomous spiders and poisonous mushrooms. I think you'll like this one.
But despite that, it is a really sweet, soft book. It's not quite as grumpy/sunshine tropey as the first book in Cider Bar Sisters, but Charlotte's an introvert with a grumpy streak and Mike is a little golden retriever-ish about her. There's no big mis, a huge plus in my book, and no long, drawn out denial of feelings. The plot is just a nice casual "practice dating" to actual dating with the conflict coming from whether either of the leads is ready to date again. Mike does lie by omission when Charlotte assumes he's more romantically and sexually experienced than he is, but it's a relatively small thing.
The book's got the usual Jackie touches: overly involved family, engineering, and a truly unfair amount of food porn. It's funny, there are emotionally supportive best friends on both sides, and a niece who draws venomous spiders and poisonous mushrooms. I think you'll like this one.