My Rating: 4/5 Stars

My Thoughts:

Since I adored Amy Lea’s debut, Set on You, in 2022, I couldn’t wait to reader her latest release, Exes and O’s. The next book in The Influencers companion series, Exes and O’s follows Crystal’s sister, Tara. As soon as we met Tara in Set on You (PSA that you don’t have to read Set on You before Exes and O’s other than of course being ‘spoiled’ about Crystal and her love interest), I knew that I wanted a book all about her, since she is a book influencer! 

Getting back on her feet after her fiancé canceled their wedding, book influencer & nurse Tara is moving out of her sister’s place and sharing an apartment with her broody roommate & Boston firefighter, Trevor. With her hospital’s Valentine’s Day Gala coming up & wanting to have a romance like the ones she reads about all the time, Tara works through her list of exes, determined to have a happily ever after, second chance romance with one of them. Tara enlists Trevor to help her out with her ex dates and the two might just be finding more chemistry with one another than Tara is having with her exes…

Exes and O’s was a really cute opposites-attract romance, perfect for readers who love books featuring books! Tara runs a bookstagram and makes daily vlogs, where she talks about tropes (featuring her grandma!). Tara’s love for books makes her so relatable to bookish readers. She even name drops so much loved contemporary romance authors and books. The novel itself of course takes on so many tropes as well, between second chance romance as Tara dates her exes once again and close proximity, given that her and Trevor are roommates. Trevor was your classic grumpy sunshine hero, and I really enjoyed seeing his relationship with Tara develop. There’s a lot of discussion surrounding Tara’s journey with her exes and often being called “crazy” by her ex fiancé and others for her love of romance and the way she dives into IRL relationships & how harmful that label is. Both Trevor and Tara help each other grow in the way they approach relationships, with bunch banter and plenty of Bachelor binge-watching together included. 

Overall, Exes and O’s was such a cute contemporary romance with the best bookish features. I started reading the sneak peak of book #3 featuring Crystal and Tara’s best friend Mel & I’m excited to read her story next!

Exes and O’s comes out January 10th, 2023.

This review is based on an advance reading copy provided by the publisher. By no means did receiving this copy affect my thoughts & opinions.

Have you read Amy Lea’s Set on You? Is Exes and O’s on your TBR? What contemporary romances have you been reading lately? Share in the comments!