I was two hours into a rebrand project for a coffee shop in East Austin — the kind of late-night design work where you're just pushing pixels around and pretending you're being productive — when Kailyn Flowers had her absolute meltdown in front of Daxton Hughes, and I had to pause the audiobook because I was laughing so hard that Frida jumped off my lap in protest. The fangirl energy? Unmatched. I have never related to a fictional woman more than in those opening minutes where she just word-vomits her teenage crush feelings at a former TV star. Helena Hunting, you get it.
But here's the thing I wasn't expecting: this book is not the fluffy rom-com the title promises. Or rather, it starts that way, and then grief walks in and sits down at the table and doesn't leave.
Grief in a Sundress
The setup sounds light — lawyer meets former child star, embarrassing fangirl moment, enemies-to-lovers arc, guardianship drama with a thirteen-year-old sister. Standard romance scaffolding. But the emotional weight of this book caught me completely off guard. Dax and Kailyn are both processing loss — his parents' death, her sense of betrayal — and Hunting doesn't let you forget it. The "aisle of red" scene, where Dax is standing in a store completely overwhelmed by period products for his little sister Emme, trying to figure out fatherhood at like twenty-something? My heart. MY HEART. That's the scene where I realized this wasn't just a cute romance. This is a book about people trying to hold it together when nothing is holding together for them. That same quiet devastation underneath the romance-novel packaging is something I also found in First Love, which does a similar thing where grief just quietly colonizes what should have been a lighthearted story.
Kailyn's distrust of Dax after their falling out drives the slow burn, and honestly? Sometimes she spirals into repetitive self-questioning that tested my patience. There were stretches where I wanted to reach through my headphones and shake her. "Girl, you are a lawyer. Make a decision." But then Hunting would drop a quiet moment of vulnerability — Kailyn softening around Emme, or catching herself caring about Dax when she swore she wouldn't — and I'd forgive the circular thinking because the emotional payoff was worth the wait.
Abuela would have loved this one. The telenovela of it all — the betrayal, the slow forgiveness, the dramatic tension of "but can I trust him again?" She would've been yelling at Kailyn through the screen. Or in this case, through my speakers.
Two Narrators, Two Speeds
Okay, so. Holly Warren and Teddy Hamilton do the dual narration thing, and it's a mixed bag that I need to be honest about. Holly Warren IS Kailyn — the way she shifts between buttoned-up lawyer voice and absolute fangirl chaos is genuinely impressive. You can hear the distrust sitting right behind Kailyn's words in her early scenes with Dax, this careful guardedness that slowly loosens. That's not easy to pull off in audio. Real emotional specificity.
Teddy Hamilton gives Dax this low, warm pitch that works beautifully for the tender moments, and his voice for the shady aunt? Reedy and sharp — immediately made my skin crawl. Good. That's what I wanted.
But — and this is a real but — Holly Warren's pacing is slow. Like, noticeably slow. I listen at 1.0x because I'm a savorer, not a speedrunner, and even I felt the drag in certain chapters. A lot of listeners bump it to 1.2x for her sections, and I get why. I didn't, because I'm stubborn and also because slowing down forced me to sit with Kailyn's emotional processing, which ultimately made the payoff hit harder. But I can see how it would lose people.
Also: Holly's attempts at male voices when she's narrating Kailyn's chapters? A little rough. That forced deepening pulled me out of a few scenes. Not a dealbreaker, but noticeable enough that I winced during one of the intimate scenes. Speaking of which — the spicier moments are... look, they're a little cringey in audio format. I say this with love. Some things read better on a page than they sound coming through your AirPods while your cat is staring at you.
This Book Felt Like Finding an Old Bruise
The slow sensual burn between Dax and Kailyn is the real star here. The chemistry is chef's kiss — not because it's explosive from the start, but because Hunting makes you earn it. Every small moment of trust rebuilt, every dinner that starts professional and ends flirty, every time Dax shows up for Emme and Kailyn notices. By the time they finally come together, you feel like YOU went through the emotional journey with them.
I ugly-cried once, which for a romance is honestly restrained for me. The grief elements — the way both characters are navigating what it means to lose people and still open yourself up — hit different when you've lost someone yourself. This is a rainy Sunday book. Clear your afternoon, make tea, and let it wash over you.
Who's Gonna Love This (and Who Should Bounce)
If you need fast pacing and nonstop banter, this isn't your book. The vibes are more contemplative than zippy, and Kailyn's internal monologue can feel circular. But if you want a romance that actually earns its emotional beats — where the characters have real reasons for their walls and real reasons for taking them down — grab this. Fans of slow burns with grief woven in, this is your lane. Just maybe bump to 1.15x if Holly's pacing tests you.
If you're coming in expecting Helena Hunting's usual rom-com energy from the Pucked series, recalibrate. This one's quieter and more somber than you'd expect from the bubbly title. That's a good thing, in my book.
