problematic summer romance
By Ali hazelwood
Maya Killgore is twenty-three and still in the process of figuring out her life.
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Conor Harkness is thirty-eight, and Maya cannot stop thinking about him.
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When Maya’s brother decides to get married in Taormina, she and Conor end up stuck together in a romantic Sicilian villa for over a week. There, on the beautiful Ionian coast, between ancient ruins, delicious foods, and natural caves, Maya realizes that Conor might be hiding something from her. And as the destination wedding begins to erupt out of control, she decides that a summer fling might be just what she needs—even if it’s a problematic one.
★★★★★
Tropes
my review
THIS is the Ali Hazelwood writing that I love!
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Conor and Maya have my heart. This story grasped me within the first couple chapters, and I knew it would from the ~~very brief~~ interactions between Conor and Maya in Not in Love.
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This book had the tension and the yearning that Ali Hazelwood’s last couple books have been lacking.
The age gap (15 years) provided some funny banter but was in no way weird (they really only started interacted with each other when she was 20). Conor was very respectful of Maya's age and the possible power dynamic that could come from them being in a relationship.
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The setting of Italy made this the perfect summer read and provided hints of forced proximity since they were forced to stay at the same villa for the wedding.
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The flashback scenes added so much to the story and their relationship and it was a clever/enjoyable way to add some background to their relationship and some scenes off the island.
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Conor’s accent was *chefs kiss* and the audiobook was actually quite enjoyable! The narrator for Maya really fit her character and I appreciated the duet narration (Conor's lines were read by a man and Maya's by a woman). While I usually prefer dual POV, I didn't mind this book being entirely in Maya's POV. It didn't feel like anything was lacking without Conor's insight, though it would have been enjoyable if we got it.
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Everything about this book was five stars. This is the Ali Hazelwood writing I love and I hope we get more of this from her and less of the all-spice-no-plot/insta-love that the last couple books have been.
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