Review: Sour by Jennifer Woodhull

Title: Sour

Author: Jennifer Woodhull
Publisher: Jennifer Woodhull
Published: June 4, 2019
Pages: 375
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
Source: Ebook
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Tall, handsome, and eternally optimistic Noah has dated a string of gorgeous women. His best friend Elle has outlasted them all. Of course, he has no idea she's been in love with him for years. Why would he? It's not like she's going to tell him. After all, she's short and awkward, and as he's fond of reminding her, has a sour disposition. 

When Elle takes off on her annual ten-day vacation with her family, Noah comes to a startling realization. She's the woman who is by his side day in and day out, whose office is across the hall, and whose house is around the corner. She has called him on his shit when he gets too cocky, and he has held her in her arms when her heart was broken. Absence must make the heart grow fonder because while she's in Germany with her parents, he realizes that everything he has ever wanted was right there all along. Now he's on a mission to make her realize that romance won't ruin their friendship, but platonic friendship is ruining their relationship.

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MY REVIEW

DISCLAIMER: This review DOES contain SPOILERS. 

This is an adorable friends-to-lovers romance. I liked the themes addressed in this book. 

The characters were okay. I started out really liking them and then I ended up being somewhere in the middle. Not hating them, but not loving them either. I enjoyed reading about them well enough while I was reading the book because they were entertaining. I don't necessarily think that they are memorable though. The thing that I had issue with while reading this was the two main characters' voices. At first, I enjoyed their voices. I liked their personalities and I was able to grasp their motivations quickly. The characters weren't entirely depthless, but it felt like the majority of the book was them internally monologuing about being in love with the other. I mean, people think about other things in their lives even when they are in love. It made the plot seem a little too forced for my liking. Other than that, I liked the plot overall. The pacing was good and the story unfolded well. 

I enjoyed the side characters in this one. I loved Elle's family and I would have loved to read more about her brother. I also really liked Ian's character. 

The romance was decent, but I honestly would have liked more physical moments between the two main characters. I think that the author did an excellent job of writing their close relationship. These two have been best friends for six years and it is evident in the writing. Their deep connection really rings true, but it sadly only ever felt like friendship. Sure, they both wanted the other, but the romantic chemistry felt off. It didn't pack that punch that I was looking for. The romance worked, but it could have been way more passionate. 

I ultimately really liked the way the ending played out. It was satisfying and it honestly surprised me. I wasn't expecting everything to work out the way that it did. 

I was a little disappointed with the editing of the book. There were so many punctuation and spelling errors that my head started to spin as a result. It's not a super huge thing normally, but the frequency was astounding to me. 

Overall, this is a delightful, fast-paced friends-to-lovers romance that was entertaining and kept my interest. It has a hero that knows what he wants and a heroine that learns to embrace her fears and let go of her insecurities to get her happily ever after.

Do you enjoy friends-to-lovers stories? If so, what are some of your favorites? What was the last book that you read?