REVIEW: Truly Madly Deeply by L.J. Shen

Truly Madly Deeply by L.J. Shen: Being back home really is the last thing that Cal Litvin wants to be doing but with the passing of her beloved father, home is where Calla finds herself. It is time to face a few of her past demons and try to make peace with a few old friends, well that is if they are even willing to talk to her again after the way things ended. But if there is one thing Cal is, it is determined, and she is more than a little determined to win back the trust and friendship of her childhood bestie Dylan. Only problem with wanting to get back into Dylan’s good books is the fact that her annoyingly cute older brother, Row, seems to be attached to her hip. Now this wouldn’t be an issue if only her crush on Row wasn’t the cause of the break in their friendship… There are two things in life that Ambrose Casablancas loves, one being to cook, so much so that he has made a wildly successful living out of cooking, and second being his unfortunate undying love for Calla Litvin. After having his heart ripped out by Cal all those years ago the last thing that Row should be doing now is entertaining having her back in his life, but there has never been a moment where he can find himself saying no to Cal, even when he has bigger fish to fry… like trying to figure out who his crazy stalker is, so really he has no business falling for Cal all over again… well this is easier said than done…

LOVED!!! Truly, Madly, Deeply was one of the best books that I have read by Shen in a long time, this book was just perfection. I could not find a single fault in this book no matter how much I looked. There was a bit of everything in this book that just made it a standout read, I loved the way she combined the sunshine meets grump trope, with the best friends brother trope and a bit of friends to lovers to forever love. Truly there was nothing to fault here, if anything I didn’t want this book to end!

Calla was such a sweetheart, I just adored our leading lady, quirks and all. She was such an easy to root for character and I just couldn’t help but connect with her and the way she felt slightly out of place. Cal had a lot going on and I really enjoyed getting to face these demons head on with her as the book progressed, we get to understand why she is scared of being touched and her reluctance to run again, gosh this part truly just broke my heart. We also get to understand the pressures she felt being a child of immigrant parents and the stigma that she faced because of wanting to honour her country of origin. As for our hero, well Ambrose was just a swoony cinnamon roll. I loved our hero to bits, for all his grumpy mean attitude he was actually a big ole softie that cared for the people close to him fiercely. I loved that he wanted to give his mother and sister the best life that they could dream of after having to live a hard life growing up. Most of all I loved how much he loved and cared for Cal. His feelings for her never truly went away, if anything they only got stronger. Though I have to say I’m glad that towards the end he finally took a stand and put himself first.

The connection between Row and Cal was best friends brother trope perfection, their story played out in the best way possible, there was angst, drama, build up and sooo much of feeling. I loved getting to see the past through both of their eyes and seeing that they both had feelings for each other back then and all of this could have been avoided had they voiced these feelings, nevertheless things worked out in the end. Aside from having an incredible steamy sexual connection, I loved their emotional bond. These two supported each other through some really rough moments and helped push each other to do better. I loved how much care and thought Row put into Cal, from making her chocolate bars to the veggie cake, to waking up early to get her back into running, and all the other small moments that just highlighted how much he loved her. Truly these two had one incredibly heart warming love story that just melted my heart.

The supporting characters in this book were interesting. While I was not a huge fan of the towns people and the way they treated Row, I understood why they were behaving this way and I was glad to see them change their tune once they realised that they were being gaslighted. Now I did really like Dylan and her slightly strange brand of fun, she was a great supporter of both Cal and Row and I really loved getting to see her rebuild her relationship with Cal. I also really liked the budding romance between her and Kieran, I truly hope that the next book will be about them! I also really liked Rhyland and Taylor and the fact that they had Row’s back but also sassed him back when he needed it.

Truly, Madly, Deeply was pure perfection simple as that! Do yourself a favour and read this incredible slow burn, best friends brother, grump meets sunshine romance!

Book Info:

Publication: September 10, 2024 | Bloom Books | Forbidden Love #1

This old flame just might set them on fire.

Conceited, unattainable, and downright delicious, renowned Michelin-starred chef Ambrose Casablancas has one passion in life—food.

Women are a distraction, and he doesn’t do those. Especially Cal Litvin, his baby sister’s best friend. Her entire existence is a complication; she’s awkward, eccentric, infuriating…

And, much to his chagrin, hotter than his kitchen.

Ambrose has a lot on his a new restaurant to open, a multimillion-dollar property deal to execute, and a violent stalker to tame.

Then Cal shows up at his doorstep, looking for both a job and salvation after their messy goodbye. His resolve, like his patience, is ebbing each day she works at his restaurant.

Because Cal is no longer a doe-eyed girl.

Now? She’s the woman he’ll do anything to conquer.

***

Quirky, compassionate ball of sunshine Calla Litvin can’t catch a break, and not just because she swore off running.

Back in her hometown to nurse her mother’s broken heart after losing her father, she finds herself jobless, hopeless, and penniless. She hopes to rekindle her friendship with her former BFF, but Dylan is attached at the hip to her cruel brother—the one Cal’s been secretly crushing on since middle school.

Falling for the bad boy the second time around would be a mistake of gargantuan proportions.

Too bad she’s always been clumsy.