The Secret Crush Book Club by Karmen Lee

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I finished this book several days ago but have been a touch under the weather. But I’m feeling better and ready to knock this one off my NetGalley list, officially.

I had already purchased the first two in this series but didn’t get into them until I was approved for The Secret Crush Book Club. Luckily, I had plenty of time between the award date and publishing date to knock the whole series out.

Here’s the blurb:

A dedicated single mother and a librarian with a secret write their own sweet and sexy love story in this small-town rom-com about family, friendships and embracing the next chapter.

Nothing cures a lonely heart quite like a good book

and an unexpected crush…

For Dani, life is a juggling act. As a single mom devoted to her son and family, she barely has a moment to herself. But when her sister announces she’s moving out of the house, the ache of loneliness creeps in, and Dani can’t help but wonder if there’s something else she’s been missing in her life…

Zoey came to Peach Blossom eager to start her new job as the town’s librarian and do a little research for her next book. Yet she never expected to find inspiration in fellow book club member Dani, whose captivating brown eyes tell a story of their own. Before they know it, lingering glances over their favorite fiction turn into first dates and sizzling nights.

As their connection deepens, the two women must decide if they should turn the page on what their lives used to look like or if this thrilling plot twist is the happily-ever-after they’ve been chasing all along.

So I did enjoy the book – the whole series, really – but they all were so superficial and all three ended very shortly after the couples get together. We get some of the details of the first two sisters and their partners throughout each subsequent book, but it’s still not much.

The series is fine as it is but I tend to love the slower burn books that have more meat to them. My ratings would have been higher, too, if there had been just a bit more attention paid during proofreading. I know that I’m not really supposed to knock off points for an ARC book that has missing words and other editing issues because it hasn’t gone all the way through the publishing process yet, but I felt okay about it this time because the same issues were in the first two books and they weren’t ARCs.

I will also say that I enjoyed the second two books more than the first. I’ll look for Karmen Lee’s upcoming release, too. I do like her writing voice and I did sort of fall in love with Dani. And Zoey.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.



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