Imagine Me & You

           

Title: Imagine Me and You

Author: Lynn Camden

Publisher: June 2, 2023

Pages: 234

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Simone Larson is juggling it all: running her animal shelter, balancing the needs of a non-profit against the demands of her overbearing relatives. She’s not exactly the manic pixie fat girl she’d always dreamed she’d be.

Her childhood best friend, James Randall, is almost her complete opposite on every level. Lanky where she is round, serious where she’s carefree, meticulous, snarky… and, well, an accountant. But being with him feels like home.

James shouldn’t be this cranky about a weekend at a brand-new resort surrounded by lake and pine trees. He agreed to this fake dating scheme, after all. And the engagement ring certainly wasn’t her idea. That kiss on the dock? Just for show. But now she’s felt his hands on her body, and the perfect press of his lips on hers, she wants so much more. She’s imagining it all. She just has to risk losing her best friend.

I simultaneously want to visit this resort and shut them down with equal urgency. The setting is so beautifully described that I can't imagine never seeing it. But Simone's family sucks and I hope someone more ethical takes over ASAP. (I know it's not a real place, I just really want to visit a Canadian lake town, OK?!)

I loved these two. For best friends, their communication skills are atrocious, but we got there in the end. And when they were communicating, their chemistry and care was top notch. I loved how protective James was of Simone, and how Simone could get James to relax every once in awhile. But my biggest issue was that the way that they both hid from the other right after things got hot and heavy. They would tip just the other side of friendly and be fully in it, but then the tension would break and one or the other would run away. It was pretty frustrating.

Aside from that, this one hit on some heavy topics. I love a fake engagement, and the reason for this engagement was an absolute DOOZY. Are you kidding me? What a ride! I love that James made Simone face the ugly side of her gratitude to her family. Maybe he didn't have to do that quite so publicly, but he was absolutely right that it needed to be done. Just read it. It's really good, and I didn't even get into exactly how hot they are for each other. Chef's. Kiss.

Ratings

Stars: 4/5

Spice: 2/5