[ARC Review] What I Should've Said by Max Monroe
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When he first speaks to Norah Ellis, a rambling runaway bride who hitchhikes a ride from him, it’s to tell her to get out of his truck and walk because she’s a pain in the a-s-s.
By appearance, Norah Ellis is a fancy fashionista who’s spent the last several years living the good life in the city—expensive apartments, highbrow events, and a fiancé with wealth and good looks. The only problem is that she didn’t choose any of it for herself.
On the day of her July wedding, thanks to a letter from a stranger, Norah’s world turns upside down. She runs for the hills of Vermont to start a new life, but what’s waiting for her, between her estranged sister, the townspeople, and bad-boy Bennett Bishop himself, is way more than she bargained for.
Enemies turn to lovers, strangers become friends, dark secrets bust open like cans of worms, and most of all…Summer will never be the same.
MY THOUGHTS: I'll say one thing for sure: this blurb definitely hits different after you finish the book.
I have a newly discovered love/hate relationship with Max Monroe after reading their latest novel, What I Should've Said. This romance was just so heartbreakingly beautiful, and I cried so many tears over everything Norah and Bennett went through. These, unfortunately, weren't cathartic tears, but the big, ugly, sobbing kind of tears that require a shower right after to help hide how red and splotchy your face is - all from just reading a romance.
It wasn't the romance itself that made me cry, just to be clear. It was everything that played out around the romance. As main characters, both Norah and Ben were multi-dimensional and achingly realistic. We meet both of these characters when they're not in a good place (honestly, most of the characters in this book have complex stories to work through), but both Ben and Norah can't seem to stay out of each other's orbit long enough to second-guess their untimely attraction. But in real life, love doesn't wait until you're ready for it, and I think that's one of the reasons why I loved this romance so much. It was heartbreaking at times, but it was real and honest and emotionally charged from pretty much the first page.
It wasn't the romance itself that made me cry, just to be clear. It was everything that played out around the romance. As main characters, both Norah and Ben were multi-dimensional and achingly realistic. We meet both of these characters when they're not in a good place (honestly, most of the characters in this book have complex stories to work through), but both Ben and Norah can't seem to stay out of each other's orbit long enough to second-guess their untimely attraction. But in real life, love doesn't wait until you're ready for it, and I think that's one of the reasons why I loved this romance so much. It was heartbreaking at times, but it was real and honest and emotionally charged from pretty much the first page.
I can't dive into the specifics of why this story was so heartbreaking while simultaneously being a fantastic read without giving away a huge part of the plot, but this has to be one of the most special stories Max Monroe has ever written. The love that bloomed between Ben and Norah wasn't all puppy dogs and rainbows, and this romance was stunning in its realness and its ability to tackle some very tough moments and keep me reading through it all.
This is my new favorite Max Monroe book, despite the emotional upheaval. And even if a future Max Monroe book becomes a favorite, What I Should've Said will always have a special place in my reading journey.
[A huge thank you to Max and Monroe for providing an advanced copy of this story for review. All opinions (and tears) are my own.]
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Release date: 4/19/24
Format: eARC
eARC provided via: the authors
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