My Own Best Enemy: A Sweet Romantic Comedy (Apple Valley Love Stories Book 2) Paperback

This book is one of the best examples of healing and moving on from past romantic trauma. FMC had a failed engagement, and MMC has a father who has been cheating on women his whole life. Both the MCs have pretty much sworn off the ideas of romance and commitment. This book was a journey they took to heal individually and to wholly love and commit to each other, and it was extremely empowering to read it.[By standard romance novel terms, this one is a long time enemies to lovers + small-town romance.]

They are quirky, show how different our perspective of self vs what others see of you are, and what strength and resilience mean. I loved the story (though as a romantic comedy you know if it going to be a happy ending - but that's why we read them!) Read in one sitting..

Synopsis:Emi is a made of honor and needs to help with the wedding arrangements when the bride is away. Except she hates the Best Man, and she won’t be able to stay away from him.Includes:✨Childhood Enemies to Lovers✨Mutual Pining✨Small Town✨Best Man/Made of Honor✨Secrets✨Abando*ment Issues🌶️Heat Level:Just (Swoony) KissesMake out SessionsAttraction/Tension:🔥🔥🔥My Opinion:This one was very fun and the characters interactions were very cute. In my Opinion, the second Half of the book was better, more engaging than the beginning. This one also has a great Character depth, their feelings were very believable, and the chemistry was on point. It also brings hard topics without being triggering. If you like enemies to more with a swoony small town romance, I think you’ll like this one.

"Emi brushes herself off. Keeps going. Keeps smiling. She's a total original. Who wouldn't want to be with a woman like that? I want to be with a woman like that. I might want to be with this specific woman."When Emi’s best friend needs her help planning her upcoming wedding, Emi steps up. She’s going to do whatever she can to make her bestie’s day wonderful. Never mind that she was dumped at a tasting with her now ex-fiancée. Never mind that her enemy, Nash, keeps showing up and getting in her way- with his devastating smiles, his sense of humor, and his charm. Will Emi be able to forgive Nash for the hurt he caused when they were younger? Will they be able to move forward as friends…or maybe more? And will Emi’s secret end up giving her the new start she’s been looking for?💗This was such a wonderful story! Emi and Nash’s characters were so fun to get to know better! I enjoyed Emi’s Lucky Charms/sugar commitment and the amazing friend that she was. I thought Nash’s struggle to figure out what he wanted next and the way he couldn’t decide whether he wanted to keep Emi at arms length or wrap her up was written so well. I enjoyed the delightful romance of this story! It is one you won’t want to miss! It is a second in a series so you could read it as a stand alone but you’ll enjoy it even more if you pick up the first one as well! Julie Christianson is a favorite and this series is charming!

Very funny but also with some deeper thoughts.Definitely worth reading.

Characters were likeable enough, and it was a nice escape from daily life for a while. First book of this author's I've read, and the 3rd installment sounds interesting, so I might give it a go. We'll see ...

I fell in love with Nash and Emi immediately and couldn't get enough of their connection. I laughed, I swooned, my stomach tightened during the emotional moments, and I loved every minute of this story! Nash is the perfect, devoted, protective book boyfriend, and Emi is as unique as she is beautifully flawed. I loved her obsession with learning--it helps that she's a librarian. Sometimes I wanted to shake them so they'd just say what they were feeling, but that makes for the most satisfying happy ending...and it was.Read if you like:❤️Sweet & clean rom coms❤️Broody & swoony cinnamon rolls❤️Cute baby geckos❤️Enemies to lovers trope❤️Witty banter❤️Slow burn (closed door)