‘That must have been a lot to deal with every day.’
‘I chose to be a trauma doctor,’ he said, shrugging his broad shoulders. ‘I knew what I was letting myself in for.’
‘Still,’ I countered. ‘You’re only human.’ I studied him for a moment. ‘I think.’
Wait a minute. Was I teaching my grumpy neighbour? Was I … flirting?
Be Your Best Self is another charming and heartfelt love story by the talented Maxine Morrey.
Willow asks the universe to find her The One, but will she recognise him when he appears? When Willow moved back to the village she grew up in for a new start, she was ready for a new way of life too. Now happily settled in her dream cottage with her beloved dog Spud, Willow enjoys the peace and sense of community country living brings.
That is until her quiet is shattered by her new neighbour. Sure brooding Henry Darcy, or Doctor Dishy as Willow’s best friend Abby calls him, may be easy on the eye, but it doesn’t take long for the new neighbours to discover that they don’t agree on anything.
Where Henry does science, Willow does nature. Where Henry does minimalism, Willow does multicolour. When Willow asked the universe to manifest her perfect man, either she wasn’t specific enough, or Henry isn’t it.
But when Willow tries again and a new man arrives in the village, has fate got it right this time and delivered her The One, or does she need to look closer to home…
Maxine’s books always put a smile on my face and made me feel all those wonderful, warm and cozy feelings. She is a master at writing charming, heartfelt stories filled with real and relatable characters, a story that will take you to unexpected places, and a romance that will sweep you off your feet. I enjoyed this book. It has all that charm and warmth that I’ve come to expect from Maxine’s books. This is an easy book to sink into and really is the perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon. As always, I finished this book in one sitting. The first explosive meeting between Willow and Henry hooked me in, and I wanted to see how this opposites attract, enemy neighbours to lovers’ love story would unfold. I really enjoyed the ride this book took me on. I am a sucker for a small-town English romance, and this book reminded me why I love that trope so much. Maxine captures that small-town charm and quirkiness perfectly. I love the warmth and laughter that you often get with small-town romances. I also want to say that I absolutely adored Spud. That sweet little dog just added the right amount of charm and comic relief to the story.
Willow and Henry were great main characters. They definitely have that opposites attract, grumpy/sunshine trope-y feel to their relationship. Willow is a happy, carefree, green witch. Ok, she isn’t actually a witch, but she does natural remedies to help cure common ailments, which has earned her the name green witch. She loves plants and animals and really is a delightful individual. I loved the whole “magical” element of this story. Willow tried to ask the universe to have the perfect man come into her world. The next thing she knows, Henry is her neighbour, and she realizes that even though he may look like the perfect man for her, his personality and interests don’t match. It was absolutely heart-warming and fun watching as she interacted with Henry. Their relationship definitely gets off to a bumping start, but watching as Willow’s charm slowly melts those walls around Henry was wonderful. I liked Henry; he isn’t the typical hero that Maxine writes. Henry is very reserved and guarded. But underneath that guarded exterior is a man who truly is a kind and loving person. I loved peeling those layers back.
The romance is sweet, and I ate up every moment Henry and Willow were together. I will admit that I am not a fan of love triangles. Lol, I try to avoid them at all costs. But the love triangle in this book wasn’t too bad. I think it’s because I knew that Henry and Willow were meant to be together, and I just say Calvin’s character is an obstacle that they needed to overcome in order to be together. Like all of Maxine’s books, the romance is wonderfully written, and there is such a wonderful connection between Willow and Henry. I really did love these two to bits.
You will adore this book if you are a fan of grumpy sunshine, opposites attract, love triangles, and charming small-town romances.
Be Your Best Self is a delightful, heartfelt romance and a perfect afternoon read for this summer.
Thank you, Boldwood Books and Rachel Random Resources for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.