Book Review: Perfect After All by Cece Louise

About the Book:

Title: Perfect After All

Author: Cece Louise

Series: Happily Ever After All #2

Publication Date: April 25, 2023

Synopsis: I would do anything for my best friend’s sister—except tell her how I really feel.

Rob

I’ve been secretly in love with my best friend’s younger sister for years. And does she have a clue? Nope.

Maybe I would’ve made a move if she ever hinted she felt anything for me besides platonic friendship. But she hasn’t. And in addition to being smart, funny, and beautiful, she’s another thing—loyal to her on-again off-again jerk-extraordinaire boyfriend.

Only this time when they break up, things seem different. Do I risk our friendship by telling her how I feel, or is this one secret best kept?

Kelsey

When my boyfriend of eight years dumps me for another woman, my take-charge coworker convinces me it’s time for me to get back out there.

But searching for the perfect man in the online dating world is no picnic. Especially when I have no clue who I am or what I want.

And most confusing of all? Circumstances keep throwing me together with my brother’s longtime best friend, and suddenly, I’m feeling things for him I have no business feeling. As if that wasn’t complicated enough, we also work together—a recipe for disaster.

But what if the perfect guy is the one who’s been there all along?

A standalone friends-to-lovers sweet romantic comedy featuring a he-falls-first workplace romance with laugh-out-loud moments and swoony kisses without any explicit content!

LINKS:   Goodreads   |    Amazon

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My Review:

First of all, how cute is this cover? I just love it! Perfect After All is the second book in Cece Louise’s contemporary romance series Happily Ever After All. Both characters were introduced in the first book in the series, though you don’t need to read that book to easily follow this one.

Rob has been in love with his best friend’s sister for years, but he’s never revealed his feelings for her. Kelsey has always seen Rob as a friend, and she’s had an on-again-off-again boyfriend since high school. But this time, Kelsey has no intention of making up with her ex, and the more time she spends with her long-time friend Rob, the more she starts to see him in a way she never has before.

This is a fun and sweet romance that I read in one sitting. I read it after a particularly heavy story, and it was the perfect palate cleanser. With witty dialogue, likable characters, and a sweet friends-to-lovers romance, it’s the kind of story that leaves you with a smile. Rob and Kelsey have such a fantastic friendship. They’ve known each other since they were children, and since Rob is Kelsey’s brother’s best friend, he’s always been part of her life. He is a person she can depend on, and he contrasts well with her on-again-off-again boyfriend.

Kelsey has had a complicated relationship for years and is finally moving on from the man she thought she loved. It took being away from him for a while for Kelsey to realize her worth and demand better for herself. I like that she starts to expect more for herself, and I love how patient Rob is. He is willing to wait for Kelsey and has for a long time. He is the sweetest!

Rob and Kelsey have such a wonderful friendship, and it’s lovely to see it grow into something more. I enjoyed their banter and how they tease each other, and I also like how supportive they are of one another. If you like sweet, fun, and clean romances, you will love the blossoming love story between Rob and Kelsey!

This was such a fun addition to the series, and I can’t wait to read Caleb and Victoria’s story in the next book. They had a couple of scenes together in this book, and you can already feel the chemistry between the two! Special thanks to Cece Louise for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

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Rating:

Favorite Parts:

• The romance.

• The characters.

Favorite Lines:

“It’s not wrong to be wrong about someone, you know,” I said. “The only thing that would be wrong about it would be accepting it as right.”

Tropes:

• brothers best friend
• friends to lovers