REVIEW: No Judgments by Meg Cabot

In No Judgments (Little Bridge Island #1) by Meg Cabot, Bree Beckham might not be a native to Little Bridge Island, Florida, but she’s spent enough time there since her childhood to feel completely at home. After things went south with her last relationship and her studies at college in New York, she fled to the island to regroup and figure out the shape her future should take. And Bree is getting closer to figuring it out every day. She’s got a low-key job waitressing at the local Mermaid Cafe, a cool roommate and lots of fun acquaintances. What she doesn’t need is a man in her life. But it seems fate may have other plans.

‘This was the kookiest town I’d ever lived in in my life, and that was saying a lot, considering I’d lived in New York City.’

With a huge hurricane headed straight for Little Bridge, Bree joins the townspeople who haven’t evacuated in getting ready for the onslaught. And one guy who seems to keep popping up everywhere unexpectedly to tease, cajole, and be a bit of a nuisance during the process is local heartbreaker Drew Hartwell. Although if Bree is being honest, Drew has been a big help. Not only did he pitch in to ready homes and businesses for the storm, but he also has helped her since it ended in traveling the island to take care of pets left behind by their owners. With a heart so big he’s willing to take in strays and literally break down doors to help defenseless animals, how can Bree not fall for Drew?

‘Admiration? For Drew Hartwell? No… I was off men, I was man free, I was on a mancation.’

An imminent hurricane with a small Florida island full of offbeat locals in its path. A compassionate woman and a sexy as all-get-out guy with intense attraction. And a bunch of stranded pets who need rescuing. It was a nice setup for the first full-length book in Meg Cabot’s Little Bridge Island series, which proved to be truly entertaining.

‘I wasn’t sure what I’d been doing with my life instead of kissing Drew Hartwell. It had definitely been time wasted.’

If you’ve read anything by Meg Cabot before then you know how fun her books are. This newest series is shaping up to be filled with the same laughs, heat level, and charm as I’ve come to expect from her work, and I especially enjoyed the crazy-hot attraction between our lovebirds, Bree and Drew. While I didn’t feel like I got to know our hero quite enough where there wasn’t a whole lot of his background included, we did get to understand our heroine pretty well by the end. And it was mainly Bree’s story, after all, so that worked well enough for me.

Cabot did very well with the description of Little Bridge Island itself and with the details of the hurricane and the subsequent damage. She made it easy to visualize the small location, with the businesses and homes that were effected and how the locals banded together before and after the storm. I loved that Bree, even though she was considered “Fresh Water”–not a native–jumped right in assisting in any way she could. I thought it showed her kind heart and her ability to show compassion to whomever needed it. Drew, on the other hand, was a constant source of amusement. Although he was every bit as kind and caring as Bree. He just hid it behind his bad boy swagger. (lol) But the chemistry between them was huge, something that played out very nicely with some great bantering and sexy moments that led to a perfect, if not quickly done, ending.

Looking for a romance that will have you chuckling and cheering on a heroine who is slowly but surely finding her way in life? No Judgements will certainly fit the bill and leave readers with a smile on their face.

Book Info:

Publication: September 24th 2019 | William Morrow Paperbacks | Little Bridge Island #1

The storm of the century is about to hit Little Bridge Island, Florida—and it’s sending waves crashing through Sabrina “Bree” Beckham’s love life…

When a massive hurricane severs all power and cell service to Little Bridge Island—as well as its connection to the mainland—twenty-five-year-old Bree Beckham isn’t worried . . . at first. She’s already escaped one storm—her emotionally abusive ex—so a hurricane seems like it will be a piece of cake.

But animal-loving Bree does become alarmed when she realizes how many islanders have been cut off from their beloved pets. Now it’s up to her to save as many of Little Bridge’s cats and dogs as she can . . . but to do so, she’s going to need help—help she has no choice but to accept from her boss’s sexy nephew, Drew Hartwell, the Mermaid Café’s most notorious heartbreaker.

But when Bree starts falling for Drew, just as Little Bridge’s power is restored and her penitent ex shows up, she has to ask herself if her island fling was only a result of the stormy weather, or if it could last during clear skies too.