Book Review: Head Over Heels by Serena Bell

Head Over Heels

Author: Serena Bell
Publisher: Loveswept (June 5, 2018)
ebook, 221 pages
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Summary
They thought they were wrong for each other. That was before she moved in. . . .

Chase: Take it from me, never hire your best friend to be your live-in nanny. Because it’s a lot easier to be friends with a woman who isn’t prancing around your house in yoga pants. As a newly full-time dad, I needed help fast. I knew she was good with kids. And I thought things between us were strictly platonic. Now, with Olivia Stratten crashing in my guest room and steaming up the bathroom with the scent of her shampoo, it’s getting harder and harder—no pun intended—to remember all the reasons we’re supposed to be incompatible.

Liv: When Chase Crayton asked me to watch his five-year-old daughter until he could find someone full-time, I was afraid we’d drive each other nuts. But with Chase’s job on the line, I couldn’t say no. What I didn’t anticipate was how combustible our chemistry would be in close quarters. Neither of us did. After all, we first met on a blind date, and by the end of it, we were laughing about how terrible we’d be as a couple. In the two years since, nothing ever happened between us, not even a kiss—not until last night. . . .

Head Over Heels is a standalone novel with no cheating, no cliffhangers, and a satisfying happily ever after.

Rating: 4 stars

Review
First of all - UGH, first person present tense. WHY? Thankfully, Serena Bell makes it work for her for the most part. This book is very reminiscent of When Harry Met Sally with the whole premise of "Can men and women just be friends?" Head Over Heels is fun and lighthearted, but at the same time it absolutely made me cry towards the end because Bell really made me care about the characters.

Chase and Liv are total opposites - Liv is high maintenance and into interior decor, and Chase is happiest going for an extended camping trip during which he doesn't bother to shower. They meet on a blind date and instantly know that a romantic relationship would never work out for them, but somehow they end up becoming best friends, and that's all they'll ever be... or is it?

Chase and Liv both have dark things in their past that effect the adults they've become, and that hold them back and trap them. This is a really fun friends to lovers, opposites attract romance, but it also is a book about how Chase and Liv deal with their childhood trauma. They both have struggles they need to overcome and I love that there is so much character development for both of them throughout the book. Also, Chase's daughter Katie is the most adorable thing in the world and I want to hug her and squeeze her and play Princesses and Fairies with her and squeeze her little cheeks. While there are plenty of serious issues being dealt with, there is also a LOT of fun to be had, and the back and forth between Liv and Chase is so great.

I'm not usually a big fan of stories with single moms/single dads/kids, but I'm glad I gave Head Over Heels a read. I definitely recommend it for anyone who loves a good friends to lovers romance.