[ARC Review] Outrageously in Love by Jen Morris

Release date: 9/7/21
Format: eARC
eARC provided by: Jen Morris

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Outrageously in Love, the third book in Jen Morris’ Love in the City series, follows nerdy bookworm and board gamer Harriet as she takes chances, finds love, and realizes she is exactly who she is supposed to be. Full of Morris’ signature wit and steam, Outrageously in Love is a rom-com love letter to every bookworm who’s dreamed of finding their happily ever after in the pages of a book. 

I want to start off by stating that you absolutely don’t have to read the two previous books in this series to understand and enjoy Outrageously in Love. There are relationships that might mean more to readers if they’ve read the previous books, but you can definitely swoon over Harriet and Luke without knowing the other couples’ backstories. 

Morris has a certain wit when it comes to rom-coms that just resonates so well. I found Outrageously in Love to be a perfect blend of real-life characters mixed with the fairy tale romance and situations that you hardly ever find outside of fiction. Every bookworm and gamer will find something of themselves in both Harriet and Luke, and it’s odd to be able to relate so strongly to both the male and female main character. Harriet sees herself as boring and the opposite of adventurous; she loves books and board games and science fiction. Luke is a textbook beta hero; he’s chosen a career in video games, loves Star Wars, and is so supportive in his love for Harriet. Morris writes these complementary beta heroes very well, and Luke, with his glasses and delicious forearms and Star Wars quotes, is practically every nerdy bookworm’s dream (myself included). These two characters were absolutely perfect for each other, and Morris told their story in an absolutely perfect way. 

Of course, no rom-com is complete with some sort of drama, and Harriet and Luke are no exception. What I love about Morris’ writing is that, since her leading men aren’t alpha guys, the drama isn’t in the form of arguing and fighting and hating each other. The biggest source of drama in Outrageously in Love is internal, the second guessing and hiding of true feelings. I just loved how real the ups and downs of Luke and Harriet’s romance came off on the page. 

I also loved how realistically Morris portrays things like anxiety and feeling like a disappointment to your family. While neither is a stranger to romance plots, Morris handles it well and uses both solely as internal character development and not as convenient plot drama. 

I absolutely could not put Outrageously in Love down; the characters are so easy to fall in love with and/or see yourself in, and the overall plot was cute, sexy, and often laugh-out-loud funny. I highly recommend Harriet and Luke’s rom-com, whether you are new to Jen Morris’ writing or have already fallen in love with her Love in the City series. This book was comforting, funny, and the perfect romance for the nerdy, book loving, board game playing heroine of her own story.  

Thank you so much to Jen Morris for providing me with an advanced copy of Outrageously in Love to review. I received no compensation in exchange for this review, and all thoughts and opinions are my own.