Hopeless Romantic by Georgia Beers
- Publisher: Bold Strokes Books, August 11th 2020
- Genre: Romance, LGBTQ+
- Format: Paperback (eARC)
- Page Count: 240 pages
- My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
This is the epitome of opposites-attract romance with conflictive characters. And I don’t just mean that they are different. Their individual existences are also ironically contradictory.
Teddi Baker owns the wedding planning company Hopeless Romantic and dedicates her career to happy weddings for clients. But she is divorced and doesn’t believe in her own happily ever after anymore. When Kelly Scott comes in as a potential customer, Teddi cannot take her eyes off her older sister, Leah. Ever the dichotomy, Leah loves rom-coms, whole-heartedly believes in happily-ever-afters, dreams about having a wedding of her own, but is also a divorce attorney. She has seen more failed relationships than anyone should have probably ever seen. Unfortunately, one of those was Teddi’s divorce as Leah had represented her ex. Just how incompatible or compatible are they?
I love the incongruities of Teddi and Leah. Teddi devotes herself to her work that revolves around romance, but she avoids her own HEA. Leah is a divorce attorney, but that doesn’t sway her beliefs in HEAs. For most of the story, Teddi and Leah have a great relationship, both opening up to each other while planning Kelly’s wedding. But do they really want the same future?
Hopeless Romantic is a great book that opens with tons of funny, fragmented internal dialogues, and closes with one of the most amazing endings. And oh what I’d give to be physically there for the wholesome final scene. It is also aptly named. While Teddi is the one owning a business with the namesake, Leah is the actual hopeless romantic.
The relationship arc is beautifully done, and none of the obstacles they face are not random events. It breaks my heart to see the temporary incompatibility. With the escalation of their love throughout the story, it is impossible not to root for them to work through their differences. As Teddi’s best friend Harlow said, “obstacles are made to be conquered.”
There are a lot of wonderful friendships in the story. Teddi has her right-hand man Preston and photographer Harlow while Leah has her family and best friends Tilly and JoJo. All are incredibly supportive and great people in general. I am happy for them to have such friends in life.
At some point in the book, I had the oddest thought that Teddi felt more like a “Leah” and Leah a “Teddi.” That doesn’t really make much sense but thought I’d share. Also, Lindsay and Piper from Blend made cameos.
I guess every romance reader is at least a little bit of a hopeless romantic, and Beers’s newest story guarantees to capture your heart. It is a wonderful rom-com with intriguing characters, happy settings (because weddings are almost always very happy, right?), and the best ending. What’s not to love?
I received an e-ARC from Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
