[Review] With Love, from Cold World by Alicia Thompson
Her coworker Asa Williamson, on the other hand, is all about finding ways to enliven his days at Cold World—whether that means organizing the Secret Santa or teasing Lauren. When the owner asks Lauren and Asa to propose something (anything, really) to raise more revenue, their rivalry heats up as they compete to come up with the best idea. But the situation is more dire than they thought, and it might take these polar opposites working together to save the day. If Asa thought Lauren didn't know how to enjoy herself, he's surprised by how much he enjoys spending time together. And if Lauren thought Asa wasn't serious about anything, she's surprised by how seriously he seems to take her.
As Lauren and Asa work to save their beloved wintery spot, they realize the real attraction might be the heat generating between them.
MY THOUGHTS: Oh, my heart. Lauren and Asa had so many wonderful things going for each other, if only they'd learn how to communicate. Miscommunication/lack of communication is one of my least favorite tropes, and unfortunately, Asa and Lauren had that in spades. They both had very valid reasons for acting the way they did, but it didn't make me want to shout at them through the book any less.
I truly enjoyed the premise of this book. Both the main characters as well as the supporting cast were all fun to read. It's not often that I can say I'd read a book featuring any of the secondary characters, but Thompson wrote some fantastic, fully fleshed out roommates and coworkers, and I could definitely see myself devouring any of their own stories.
With Love, from Cold World had one of those stories that was just easy for me to fall into. Asa and Lauren could easily be real people dealing with these very realistic situations while falling into a real-life romance with each other; there was no reaching to make their story believable.
I loved how fully realized both Asa and Lauren seemed to me. Their backstories, and the way the past influenced them in the present, was both heartwarming and heartbreaking. These were two very lost souls who were able to finally find their person. Self-sacrifice might as well have been both their middle names, and I felt their experiences to my core.
I think my only issue with the plot was how minimized the actual problems at Cold World seemed to be. The problem was introduced in a page, and was seemingly resolved within only a few sentences. The only reason there seemed to even be an issue at Cold World was just to further Asa and Lauren's relationship drama. The problem and quick resolution seemed to solely exist for the main couple's benefit, and it didn't seem to actually matter much to the plot. But, with solid writing that easily swept me into the story, great character building, and two main characters I just wanted to hug the whole book - whether they were actually communicating with each other or not - With Love, from Cold World was a solid four star read for me.
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Release date: 8/1/23
Format: paperback/eARC
eARC obtained via: NetGalley
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