REVIEW: What If You & Me by Roni Loren

What If You & Me by Roni Loren: Andi is no stranger to the horrors of the world, after having her own scary confrontation with a dangerous man Andi has decided to channel her fear and anxiety into a more productive outlet; her horror novels and true crime podcasts. Determined to knock out a brilliant book has been proving to be a lot harder than Andi expected with her upstairs neighbor constantly providing some noisy distractions. However things take a complete turn when someone tries to break into Andi’s apartment, with all of her old fears and anxiety rushing back Andi finds herself leaning on her noisy neighbor, Hill who was also the one that came to her rescue.

Hill is haunted by his past, unable to fully get over losing part of his leg while on the job as a firefighter, he can’t help but fight the constant flashbacks. However when he hears his neighbor in distress instincts kick in and Hill finds himself come to the aid of Andi. With both of them dealing with their own past scars a relationship is completely of the table but maybe they can make the friends with benefits things work for them.

I love that Roni always takes a heavy subject and makes it completely relatable, and the way she shows that everyone deserves a happy ending. What If You & I was way better than I had expected, I loved every bit of Andi and Hills battle to finding their version of happiness. I absolutely love the grump/sunshine trope and these two played this role to perfection!

We first got to meet Andi in Yes & I Love You where she come of as this sassy extrovert. But in this book we finally get to know the true Andi, who battles to keep her anxiety and fear at bay. I have to say one of my favorite things about Andi has to be that she is so honest and open about her past trauma. I really liked that instead of hiding away from the world or shying away from what happened to her Andi decided to empower herself by using such a dark moment to help create her novels and podcast.

I loved the instant connection and chemistry between Hill and Andi. These two were perfectly matched for each other, I loved their witty back and forth and the cute awkward little moments. I absolutely adored Hill, his entire grumpy attitude made him all the more cute especially when he was trying to push Andi away while he actually really wanted to pull her in. I really liked that these two pushed each other when needed but didn’t over step the limits. Getting to see these two bond over cooking and horror movies as they built their relationship was super cute.

What If You & I was the perfect combination of steamy, emotionally charged and witty banter that will have you rooting for these two characters to help heal each other while they build their own happy ending. I can’t wait to see what Roni has planned for Eliza, hopefully we get her book soon!

Book Info:

Publication: July 6th 2021 | Sourcebooks Casablanca | Say Everything #2

The world can be a scary place. At least, that’s what Andi Lockley’s anxiety wants her to believe. It doesn’t help that she narrowly escaped a dangerous man years ago, or that every relationship since has been colored with that lingering fear. But things are better now—she’s channeling everything into her career as a horror novelist and true crime podcaster, and her next book may be the breakthrough she needs.

If only her grumpy new neighbor would stop stomping around at all hours of the night.

Former firefighter Hill Dawson can’t sleep. After losing part of his leg in a rescue gone wrong, he’s now stuck in limbo. He needs to figure out what he’s supposed to do with his life, and he can’t let himself get distracted by the pretty redhead next door. But when someone breaks into Andi’s place, Hill can’t stop himself from rushing in to play the hero. Soon, a tentative bond forms between the unlikely pair. But what starts out as a neighborly exchange quickly turns into the chance for so much more… if Andi can learn to put aside her fear and trust in herself—and love—again.