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Unperfect #3
Unwanted
Why has the adorable, geeky, fashion-backwards, gangly teenager Verity fell in love with at school been replaced by this cold, intimidatingly gorgeous, billionaire CEO in a designer suit? And why is he pretending he doesn’t remember her?
Finally, Verity’s architecture company has landed the dream project, the one to launch her as a major player, at least she thought it had, until she found out that Harry York was financing it. He seems to be determined to sabotage her dreams at every turn, and she can’t understand why. Wasn’t it Harry that broke her heart all those years ago? Wasn’t she the one who was ghosted?
It hurts to feel unwanted by the one person she used to think she could trust, but then that feeling is nothing new to Verity, given her past.
Harry left his nerdy teenage side behind long ago. All it ever got him was bullied at school by the posh kids and let down by the prettiest girl he ever saw. He’s determined to show Verity how far he’s come, and punish her for ever rejecting him. But what if he got it wrong all those years ago, leaving Verity when she needed him the most? What if he let love slip through his fingers then, and now he’s repeating the same mistake?
Full-length, stand-alone, enemies to lovers, second chance romance.
Trigger warnings for childhood abuse and bullying.
Finally, Verity’s architecture company has landed the dream project, the one to launch her as a major player, at least she thought it had, until she found out that Harry York was financing it. He seems to be determined to sabotage her dreams at every turn, and she can’t understand why. Wasn’t it Harry that broke her heart all those years ago? Wasn’t she the one who was ghosted?
It hurts to feel unwanted by the one person she used to think she could trust, but then that feeling is nothing new to Verity, given her past.
Harry left his nerdy teenage side behind long ago. All it ever got him was bullied at school by the posh kids and let down by the prettiest girl he ever saw. He’s determined to show Verity how far he’s come, and punish her for ever rejecting him. But what if he got it wrong all those years ago, leaving Verity when she needed him the most? What if he let love slip through his fingers then, and now he’s repeating the same mistake?
Full-length, stand-alone, enemies to lovers, second chance romance.
Trigger warnings for childhood abuse and bullying.
290 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 26, 2023
2501 people are currently reading
5268 people want to read
About the author
Susie Tate
26 books2,015 followersSusie is a top 2 Amazon bestselling author who writes addictive, feel-good contemporary romance with heroes who may make you a little ragey, but who always redeem themselves in the end! She’s been a doctor in the NHS for over twenty years and lives in beautiful Dorset with her wonderful husband, three gorgeous boys and an even more wonderful dog.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 441 reviews
September 28, 2023
The story I had been waiting for, Verity (Heath's twin) and the billionaire Harry York, her childhood friend and crush who has turned into her nemesis.
Twenty years ago Verity, Heath, Harry, and Max (Verity's business partner) were all at boarding school together. As the children of wealthy aristocrats Verity and were thought to live charmed lives, little did scholarship boy Max and schoolmaster's son Harry know that the twins' parents were self-absorbed drunks and drug addicts who thought nothing of allowing six year olds to sleep in an unheated barn with no sheets or duvets because they were scared of their parents' friends. To Heath and Verity school was a blessing because they were fed and warm. Verity is the 'Unwanted' of the title because her parents didn't want her and she feels that she doesn't deserve to be wanted/happy.
Harry was a skinny nerd and bullied at school, he used to hide in the school library and read sci-fi and fantasy. When Verity discovered his hiding place and started hanging out with him he thought all his dreams had come true. They fell in love. There was a misunderstanding, or rather other people created a deliberate misunderstanding and they have not seen or spoken to each other since
Now Harry is a billionaire, he works out and is nothing like the nerd he was at school (although he still loves Game of Thrones), he is funding the construction of a new building for the London School of Economics which should be eco-friendly, cutting edge, carbon neutral etc, etc. Verity and Max's architectural firm is in the running to win the contract, until Harry steps in and tries to get his own back for the hurt of twenty years ago by acting like a jerk.
Now I'll freely admit that I thought this book would go a different way, the hints dropped in the previous book (or how I interpreted them) suggested that Verity's loss of weight and panic attacks were as a direct result of Harry being a jerk and somehow changing the design or forcing unreasonable terms on them. That is not how it is explained in this book. In fact, all Harry does is call unnecessary meetings so that he can see Verity, or make silly suggestions which she and Max shoot down very quickly.
I guess I could have been on board with the book not going the way I expected, if it weren't for the fact that Harry and Verity were both rinse-and-repeat delusional. They eventually get together, they spend all the time in each other's company and then Verity decides it won't last/she doesn't deserve him so she is icy and spiteful, Harry retaliates like a fourteen-year old boy and says something equally hurtful. They make up, then go through it all again.
I really wanted to love this, I even started to reread it today hoping that I had just been in a rotten mood when I read it the first time, but unfortunately the same things are winding me up. I think I wanted Harry to act like a successful billionaire and not that nerdy boy who got his heart crushed, and I wanted Verity to act like the kick-a$$ go-getter she is and not a scared little girl that no-one loves.
On the positive side, everyone else seems to love it!
I received an ARC from Susie Tate for free for an honest review.
Available on Kindle Unlimited.
Twenty years ago Verity, Heath, Harry, and Max (Verity's business partner) were all at boarding school together. As the children of wealthy aristocrats Verity and were thought to live charmed lives, little did scholarship boy Max and schoolmaster's son Harry know that the twins' parents were self-absorbed drunks and drug addicts who thought nothing of allowing six year olds to sleep in an unheated barn with no sheets or duvets because they were scared of their parents' friends. To Heath and Verity school was a blessing because they were fed and warm. Verity is the 'Unwanted' of the title because her parents didn't want her and she feels that she doesn't deserve to be wanted/happy.
Harry was a skinny nerd and bullied at school, he used to hide in the school library and read sci-fi and fantasy. When Verity discovered his hiding place and started hanging out with him he thought all his dreams had come true. They fell in love. There was a misunderstanding, or rather other people created a deliberate misunderstanding and they have not seen or spoken to each other since
Now Harry is a billionaire, he works out and is nothing like the nerd he was at school (although he still loves Game of Thrones), he is funding the construction of a new building for the London School of Economics which should be eco-friendly, cutting edge, carbon neutral etc, etc. Verity and Max's architectural firm is in the running to win the contract, until Harry steps in and tries to get his own back for the hurt of twenty years ago by acting like a jerk.
Now I'll freely admit that I thought this book would go a different way, the hints dropped in the previous book (or how I interpreted them) suggested that Verity's loss of weight and panic attacks were as a direct result of Harry being a jerk and somehow changing the design or forcing unreasonable terms on them. That is not how it is explained in this book. In fact, all Harry does is call unnecessary meetings so that he can see Verity, or make silly suggestions which she and Max shoot down very quickly.
I guess I could have been on board with the book not going the way I expected, if it weren't for the fact that Harry and Verity were both rinse-and-repeat delusional. They eventually get together, they spend all the time in each other's company and then Verity decides it won't last/she doesn't deserve him so she is icy and spiteful, Harry retaliates like a fourteen-year old boy and says something equally hurtful. They make up, then go through it all again.
I really wanted to love this, I even started to reread it today hoping that I had just been in a rotten mood when I read it the first time, but unfortunately the same things are winding me up. I think I wanted Harry to act like a successful billionaire and not that nerdy boy who got his heart crushed, and I wanted Verity to act like the kick-a$$ go-getter she is and not a scared little girl that no-one loves.
On the positive side, everyone else seems to love it!
I received an ARC from Susie Tate for free for an honest review.
Available on Kindle Unlimited.
August 25, 2024
I loved the whole series but this one gutted me. It was emotional and my soul hurt for Verity.
March 13, 2025
My reviews may contain spoilers.
I had such high hopes for this book. I loved Verity during the first two in the series and felt enormous sympathy when her backstory came out. I wanted her to have an epic happily ever after.
Unfortunately, the book was filled with strikes against it. I can't say second-chance romance is a favorite of mine - it's nothing I deduct a rating for, but I find the entire concept more sad than romantic. Years lost, unable to be happy with other people. This one took that to even more of an extreme, since twenty years were gone. That depressing cloud never really left the book. Years lost, with nothing to show but piles of money made and impersonal relationships.
Sidelining that for the moment, I was able to still cheer Harry and Verity on. I liked the drama that surrounded them, even as The Big Misunderstanding reared its ugly head multiple times.
It was going well for the first 20%. Keeping me interested, eager to continue, eating up the tension building between them and then BAM . It hit the wall. The dreaded words appeared on page...
18 months later.
Nothing like having fantastic momentum with these two characters finally coming back together after two decades only to have it all come to a screeching halt. They've already lost 20 years, which has a bittersweet pall over their entire story, but now the author just flushed another year and a half down the drain. More than two years, actually, by the time we reach the end of their story. A month was glossed over here, a "couple of weeks" there, seven months there, until even more time was wasted.
I physically set it aside in frustration when that happened and found it hard to pick up again.
The sad thing is, it made no sense to jump forward. I tend to loathe time jumps - they are often pointless - and this one fell into that category. More than once. What purpose did losing another year and a half add? To have them meet on the building site in order for her to trip because of her footwear? Couldn't this happen anywhere? Or was it to have the fancy gala at the end of the book when the building was finished? These people are friends with the Prime Minister's wife - I have a feeling that any gala could've featured V as a speaker to get that same ending without losing even more time. Or have them at the opening of another building? So many options, it was just stupid to believe these two - who feel so strongly about each other - would barely interact after coming back together.
And we're supposed to believe, with the questions the hero was contemplating in the pre-time-jump scene, that he lets more than a year go by without having a personal interaction with her again? Ridiculous.
With the last scene before the jump being her father's death - which was showcased in the previous book - I was looking forward to getting Verity's side of things within that timeline. It's just a giant disappointment to see so many fast-forwards - and they didn't stop. Even at the very end of the book, we're given a huge plot point and then it - yet again - jumps forward seven months, so we never see that play out on page or even hear much about it after the fact.
At this point, I kept finding it easy to close the book and do other things - play an app game, sort laundry, clean my kitchen. This is not the mark of someone who is loving the story. In fact, I physically had to tell myself, "Just finish the damn thing."
But it kept getting more absurd. The Prime Minister is in attendance at a big event, with his own security detail, the billionaire hero has his own security for the event, yet the person he has promised to protect V from not only has time to appear, but scream and act deranged as she staggers to the stage, grab the mic, and assault her? With none of these security guys able to stop her? Yet, when her brother and lover try to get through the crowd "but the people in their way were so shocked that they weren't moving quickly enough." Yet the drunk made it up the stairs with no problem? And the security detail weren't stationed around the room and on the stage? Methinks the Prime Minister's life might be in danger, surrounded by such inept people.
The inconsistencies were maddening and it nearly got a one-star at this point. Especially when it went on to say that Verity didn't have her phone on her because she didn't want to carry a clutch with her. Then on the same page it talks about how Verity managed to find a plaster (bandage) in her handbag! Which is it? Does she have a purse or not? Because there's no mention of her going by a hotel room or her flat or his house to get her purse. And, if she had, why not doctor her cut while she was there? And why not change out of her bloody dress, so that she doesn't attract attention on the train?
I made myself calm down before rating the book. I really didn't want to rate it two stars, because the writing style is good with very few grammatical errors, but the book itself fell flat on what it could have been. 2.5 stars is my overall rating, but I like to round up to give credit to the author for the work and time put into creating it. I just wish it had been 5 stars.
I had such high hopes for this book. I loved Verity during the first two in the series and felt enormous sympathy when her backstory came out. I wanted her to have an epic happily ever after.
Unfortunately, the book was filled with strikes against it. I can't say second-chance romance is a favorite of mine - it's nothing I deduct a rating for, but I find the entire concept more sad than romantic. Years lost, unable to be happy with other people. This one took that to even more of an extreme, since twenty years were gone. That depressing cloud never really left the book. Years lost, with nothing to show but piles of money made and impersonal relationships.
Sidelining that for the moment, I was able to still cheer Harry and Verity on. I liked the drama that surrounded them, even as The Big Misunderstanding reared its ugly head multiple times.
It was going well for the first 20%. Keeping me interested, eager to continue, eating up the tension building between them and then BAM . It hit the wall. The dreaded words appeared on page...
18 months later.
Nothing like having fantastic momentum with these two characters finally coming back together after two decades only to have it all come to a screeching halt. They've already lost 20 years, which has a bittersweet pall over their entire story, but now the author just flushed another year and a half down the drain. More than two years, actually, by the time we reach the end of their story. A month was glossed over here, a "couple of weeks" there, seven months there, until even more time was wasted.
I physically set it aside in frustration when that happened and found it hard to pick up again.
The sad thing is, it made no sense to jump forward. I tend to loathe time jumps - they are often pointless - and this one fell into that category. More than once. What purpose did losing another year and a half add? To have them meet on the building site in order for her to trip because of her footwear? Couldn't this happen anywhere? Or was it to have the fancy gala at the end of the book when the building was finished? These people are friends with the Prime Minister's wife - I have a feeling that any gala could've featured V as a speaker to get that same ending without losing even more time. Or have them at the opening of another building? So many options, it was just stupid to believe these two - who feel so strongly about each other - would barely interact after coming back together.
And we're supposed to believe, with the questions the hero was contemplating in the pre-time-jump scene, that he lets more than a year go by without having a personal interaction with her again? Ridiculous.
With the last scene before the jump being her father's death - which was showcased in the previous book - I was looking forward to getting Verity's side of things within that timeline. It's just a giant disappointment to see so many fast-forwards - and they didn't stop. Even at the very end of the book, we're given a huge plot point and then it - yet again - jumps forward seven months, so we never see that play out on page or even hear much about it after the fact.
At this point, I kept finding it easy to close the book and do other things - play an app game, sort laundry, clean my kitchen. This is not the mark of someone who is loving the story. In fact, I physically had to tell myself, "Just finish the damn thing."
But it kept getting more absurd. The Prime Minister is in attendance at a big event, with his own security detail, the billionaire hero has his own security for the event, yet the person he has promised to protect V from not only has time to appear, but scream and act deranged as she staggers to the stage, grab the mic, and assault her? With none of these security guys able to stop her? Yet, when her brother and lover try to get through the crowd "but the people in their way were so shocked that they weren't moving quickly enough." Yet the drunk made it up the stairs with no problem? And the security detail weren't stationed around the room and on the stage? Methinks the Prime Minister's life might be in danger, surrounded by such inept people.
The inconsistencies were maddening and it nearly got a one-star at this point. Especially when it went on to say that Verity didn't have her phone on her because she didn't want to carry a clutch with her. Then on the same page it talks about how Verity managed to find a plaster (bandage) in her handbag! Which is it? Does she have a purse or not? Because there's no mention of her going by a hotel room or her flat or his house to get her purse. And, if she had, why not doctor her cut while she was there? And why not change out of her bloody dress, so that she doesn't attract attention on the train?
I made myself calm down before rating the book. I really didn't want to rate it two stars, because the writing style is good with very few grammatical errors, but the book itself fell flat on what it could have been. 2.5 stars is my overall rating, but I like to round up to give credit to the author for the work and time put into creating it. I just wish it had been 5 stars.
November 19, 2024
There’s more than romance here.
The heroine was abused and neglected as a kid by her rich and deranged parents, with her twin.
The hero is the headmaster son, who was in love with the heroine when they were teenager, she was beautiful and popular while he was a bullied nerd.
Now twenty years later they meet again.
He was another one who, even if it was because of a misunderstanding, mistreated the heroine and left her without a world. His father was threatened by her parents and lost his job, and her twin brother lied to him saying she was only toying with him because he wanted to keep her safe. The twins were in a very dangerous position and were scared that they could be sent to some foster care. The hero thought he was played by the rich kids so he held a grudge for twenty years.
He’s still mean and cruel with her, and for what, I mean, he’s rich and two decades later he still hasn’t grown up.
He was unpleasant.
Ok. The book is very angsty because of the painful secrets the heroine hides and when the hero find out he’s actually very protective of her.
There’s a lot of drama and push and pulls, they are in their late 30s so I expected the, to act with a bit more of maturity.
In the end all is well and they even have a late child which was very good.
The hero was a wounded boy who was unable to let her go, and actually he showed her that he loved her and was willing to wait for her and to be there for her.
The heroine has a really sad story, she also suffers from panic attacks because of her past.
They both have had other partners, in the past they only ever kissed but nothing more. No ow and no om.
It was a bit hard because the heroine really went through a lot and I wished she had found a man who, for once didn’t hurt her ever. I understand that the hero was lied to, but I didn’t like that he treated her cruelly when I knew she already had suffered a lot.
The heroine was abused and neglected as a kid by her rich and deranged parents, with her twin.
The hero is the headmaster son, who was in love with the heroine when they were teenager, she was beautiful and popular while he was a bullied nerd.
Now twenty years later they meet again.
He was another one who, even if it was because of a misunderstanding, mistreated the heroine and left her without a world. His father was threatened by her parents and lost his job, and her twin brother lied to him saying she was only toying with him because he wanted to keep her safe. The twins were in a very dangerous position and were scared that they could be sent to some foster care. The hero thought he was played by the rich kids so he held a grudge for twenty years.
He’s still mean and cruel with her, and for what, I mean, he’s rich and two decades later he still hasn’t grown up.
He was unpleasant.
Ok. The book is very angsty because of the painful secrets the heroine hides and when the hero find out he’s actually very protective of her.
There’s a lot of drama and push and pulls, they are in their late 30s so I expected the, to act with a bit more of maturity.
In the end all is well and they even have a late child which was very good.
The hero was a wounded boy who was unable to let her go, and actually he showed her that he loved her and was willing to wait for her and to be there for her.
The heroine has a really sad story, she also suffers from panic attacks because of her past.
They both have had other partners, in the past they only ever kissed but nothing more. No ow and no om.
It was a bit hard because the heroine really went through a lot and I wished she had found a man who, for once didn’t hurt her ever. I understand that the hero was lied to, but I didn’t like that he treated her cruelly when I knew she already had suffered a lot.
October 13, 2023
Dnf, which is surprising since I enjoyed Heaths story but I just couldn't enjoy this one unfortunately. :((
August 23, 2025
What a wonderful story!
I totally loved Verity and Harry! They deserved their HEA and more! They were perfect for each other. Even though he was an ARSE for awhile. I loved when Verity called him hedgehog! She didn't take no guff.though her background was so sad. But her future was looking awesome.
I totally loved Verity and Harry! They deserved their HEA and more! They were perfect for each other. Even though he was an ARSE for awhile. I loved when Verity called him hedgehog! She didn't take no guff.though her background was so sad. But her future was looking awesome.
November 3, 2024
h was great, H was not so!
August 29, 2025
4.5 The title of this book hits hard. I could relate to
Verity so much. Loved seeing all the other couples. Susie Tate books hit different.
Verity so much. Loved seeing all the other couples. Susie Tate books hit different.
December 1, 2024
Loved this book just as much upon second reading.
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4.5 out of 5
This book has all the same charm that made Unperfect such a wonderful read. This is the story of Heath and Yaz who we met in the first book in the series. Heath is the best friend of Max, the hero in Unperfect. Max is the big brother of Yaz. She has been in love with Heath since was was about 11 and he was always very kind to her. But in recent years he's been quite cruel and mocking to her. She's A free spirit and into yoga and crystals and other alternative life style living. She is very drawn to the sea. Heath is a ER doctor and thinks she's wasting her life on all this mumbo jumbo stuff. Because she's held Heath on a pedestal, it's especially painful the way he treats her. She is in fact very focused, is very sensitive, kind and giving.
It turns out though that Heath is wildly attracted to Yaz. First of all he's best friends with her brother. Then there's the fact he's ten years older than she is. Then there is the fact they couldn't be more different. Of course in this kind of story there needs to be a lot of groveling. And Heath does grovel. And as we get further into the story, while not exactly excusing him, we do learn what an extremely painful childhood he had and that helps the reader understand him.
I loved the first book and this one is equally good. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series about Vi, Heaths twin sister and Max's business partner. This yet another new to me author discovery.
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4.5 out of 5
This book has all the same charm that made Unperfect such a wonderful read. This is the story of Heath and Yaz who we met in the first book in the series. Heath is the best friend of Max, the hero in Unperfect. Max is the big brother of Yaz. She has been in love with Heath since was was about 11 and he was always very kind to her. But in recent years he's been quite cruel and mocking to her. She's A free spirit and into yoga and crystals and other alternative life style living. She is very drawn to the sea. Heath is a ER doctor and thinks she's wasting her life on all this mumbo jumbo stuff. Because she's held Heath on a pedestal, it's especially painful the way he treats her. She is in fact very focused, is very sensitive, kind and giving.
It turns out though that Heath is wildly attracted to Yaz. First of all he's best friends with her brother. Then there's the fact he's ten years older than she is. Then there is the fact they couldn't be more different. Of course in this kind of story there needs to be a lot of groveling. And Heath does grovel. And as we get further into the story, while not exactly excusing him, we do learn what an extremely painful childhood he had and that helps the reader understand him.
I loved the first book and this one is equally good. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series about Vi, Heaths twin sister and Max's business partner. This yet another new to me author discovery.
April 9, 2024
3 stars
I sniffled my way through this book, because Susie Tate knows how to write an angsty book and I *loved* Verity in the earlier books. The confident and put together FMC who was secretly a wounded bird? Who was so misjudged by Harry, the boy who broke her heart in high school? CATNIP.
With that set up, I really wanted to love it, but… it didn’t completely work for me. I think the angst was a little too drawn out, which wasn’t helped by how thin the actual plot was. So even though I did sniffle my way through, and that on its own earned the book 3 stars, it didn’t end up being the cathartic experience I was looking for.
I sniffled my way through this book, because Susie Tate knows how to write an angsty book and I *loved* Verity in the earlier books. The confident and put together FMC who was secretly a wounded bird? Who was so misjudged by Harry, the boy who broke her heart in high school? CATNIP.
With that set up, I really wanted to love it, but… it didn’t completely work for me. I think the angst was a little too drawn out, which wasn’t helped by how thin the actual plot was. So even though I did sniffle my way through, and that on its own earned the book 3 stars, it didn’t end up being the cathartic experience I was looking for.
December 23, 2023
3.5-3.75⭐️
With seeing the backstory in Heath’s book before this one, I was excited to see it from his sister’s point of view but this book just wasn’t as good.
I loved the first 40% but by then, they were basically already together. It was just too fast paced.
Also, they’re mature adults so the lack of communication was just unnecessary; you’d think that they would’ve had a proper conversation about the past.
The amount of British terminology is too much💀 It was always bringing in things like Tesco, M&S, cups of tea and words like bugger.
I did love the characters and this book had potential but the way it was written just didn’t work.
With seeing the backstory in Heath’s book before this one, I was excited to see it from his sister’s point of view but this book just wasn’t as good.
I loved the first 40% but by then, they were basically already together. It was just too fast paced.
Also, they’re mature adults so the lack of communication was just unnecessary; you’d think that they would’ve had a proper conversation about the past.
The amount of British terminology is too much💀 It was always bringing in things like Tesco, M&S, cups of tea and words like bugger.
I did love the characters and this book had potential but the way it was written just didn’t work.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 1, 2024
Need the next gen bad
March 31, 2025
A solid 4 stars!
This book follows the struggles of Verity and Harry. A true young love turned to enemies turned to blissful true love decades later. Having the classic British banter and humour I really enjoyed this book. I was the perfect fantasy escape I needed.
But I will say the amount of time skips was a little off putting. Like this story kept skipping months at a time, which I liked for the part of them being enemies, but for the rest of the book it was just slightly annoying. I get that for somethings you need time skips, but maybe they could have been dialed down a little.
This book follows the struggles of Verity and Harry. A true young love turned to enemies turned to blissful true love decades later. Having the classic British banter and humour I really enjoyed this book. I was the perfect fantasy escape I needed.
But I will say the amount of time skips was a little off putting. Like this story kept skipping months at a time, which I liked for the part of them being enemies, but for the rest of the book it was just slightly annoying. I get that for somethings you need time skips, but maybe they could have been dialed down a little.
December 28, 2024
3.5 ⭐️
September 24, 2023
“Verity Markham. I have never in my entire life wanted anyone or anything as much as I want you. I’ve loved you since I was fifteen years old. You might not believe you belong to anyone, but I already belong to you. I always have.”
Susie Tate is a must-read author for me!! When I had the opportunity to join her ARC team, I jumped for it!!
Thank you so much for this opportunity!!
Her ability to write such emotional characters with emotions you feel while reading her books is unbelievable!
I usually hate books with misunderstanding/miscommunication, but there is just something about the way Susie wrote this book that I just fell so in love with it! Maybe it was how well she tied in all the emotions from both sides.
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Possible spoilers beyond this point-
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"He was right.
This was it.
Finally.
The family we made for ourselves."
I feel in love with Verity in Susie's other books! She was strong-willed, independent, and hardworking. We saw the trauma Heath experienced through his eyes in Unworthy! But the emotion packed into this book hit me so hard from the very beginning.
Verity's friendship with Harry at 13 was everything to her. A breath of fresh air. Until it wasn't.
20 years later, their lives come together. Each feel they have a right to feel hurt by the way the other exited their life! But what Harry doesn't know is how much his friendship with Verity growing up meant to her and how in love with him she was!
Harry has spent the last 20 years reinventing himself. To him, the changes he's made are necessary. He's no longer a skinny gangly poor teenager who's unpopular and nerdy! He's muscular, successful, and rich! When Verity gets to know the "new and improved" Harry, she's not impressed.
"There’s a lot of things I wouldn’t have thought the old Harry capable of, but this new, not-improved version is a different kettle of fish.”
After their last encounter 20 years ago when he ghosted her for what he felt was a good reason, he's determined to put Verity in her place and make sure she sees him as someone other than the nerdy clumsy teenager he once was. Until he learns more about her past and why she acted the way she did.
The way Verity dealt with her past broke my heart!
“Harry, I’ve been unwanted since the day I was born,” I said, my voice as cold as the feeling that had washed over me . “By the people who were genetically predisposed to love and care for me . I’m not going to waste my time now with somebody else who makes me feel unwanted.”
Harry was determined to grovel and win Verity's love back, and in my opinion, he did a stand up job!
▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️
Things I loved-
🔹️Seeing all the past characters together!
“We’ve found our family now,” I whispered. When we were little, we used to whisper late at night about how we would find our family, our real family. One that loved us and looked after us. One that cared if we were happy. Heath’s eyes filled with tears at that as he nodded too.
🔹️Harry's prickly hedgehog tendencies!
“Well, aren’t you a prickly little hedgehog”
🔹️Noo and Toby! I need a book about them!
🔹️BARBARA!!!!!
"Every day I could feel myself falling deeper and deeper for this I-might -be-a-baddass-CEO-but-I-let-my-cat-bully-me-on-the-reg man. And I was terrified."
🔹️The relationship between Heath and Verity!
“It feels good, doesn’t it?” he asked.
“What?”
“Being happy.”
🔹️Their wedding location!
▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️
•Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
•Plot:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
•Humor: 🙃🙃
•Spice:🌶
•Emotion: 😭😭😭
•Relationship pace: Medium
•Ending: HEA
•Tropes: Childhood love, Found family, workplace romance, rich girl/poor boy
•TW: Struggle with past childhood abuse, neglect, abandonment, bullying, miscommunication/misunderstanding
Susie Tate is a must-read author for me!! When I had the opportunity to join her ARC team, I jumped for it!!
Thank you so much for this opportunity!!
Her ability to write such emotional characters with emotions you feel while reading her books is unbelievable!
I usually hate books with misunderstanding/miscommunication, but there is just something about the way Susie wrote this book that I just fell so in love with it! Maybe it was how well she tied in all the emotions from both sides.
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Possible spoilers beyond this point-
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"He was right.
This was it.
Finally.
The family we made for ourselves."
I feel in love with Verity in Susie's other books! She was strong-willed, independent, and hardworking. We saw the trauma Heath experienced through his eyes in Unworthy! But the emotion packed into this book hit me so hard from the very beginning.
Verity's friendship with Harry at 13 was everything to her. A breath of fresh air. Until it wasn't.
20 years later, their lives come together. Each feel they have a right to feel hurt by the way the other exited their life! But what Harry doesn't know is how much his friendship with Verity growing up meant to her and how in love with him she was!
Harry has spent the last 20 years reinventing himself. To him, the changes he's made are necessary. He's no longer a skinny gangly poor teenager who's unpopular and nerdy! He's muscular, successful, and rich! When Verity gets to know the "new and improved" Harry, she's not impressed.
"There’s a lot of things I wouldn’t have thought the old Harry capable of, but this new, not-improved version is a different kettle of fish.”
After their last encounter 20 years ago when he ghosted her for what he felt was a good reason, he's determined to put Verity in her place and make sure she sees him as someone other than the nerdy clumsy teenager he once was. Until he learns more about her past and why she acted the way she did.
The way Verity dealt with her past broke my heart!
“Harry, I’ve been unwanted since the day I was born,” I said, my voice as cold as the feeling that had washed over me . “By the people who were genetically predisposed to love and care for me . I’m not going to waste my time now with somebody else who makes me feel unwanted.”
Harry was determined to grovel and win Verity's love back, and in my opinion, he did a stand up job!
▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️
Things I loved-
🔹️Seeing all the past characters together!
“We’ve found our family now,” I whispered. When we were little, we used to whisper late at night about how we would find our family, our real family. One that loved us and looked after us. One that cared if we were happy. Heath’s eyes filled with tears at that as he nodded too.
🔹️Harry's prickly hedgehog tendencies!
“Well, aren’t you a prickly little hedgehog”
🔹️Noo and Toby! I need a book about them!
🔹️BARBARA!!!!!
"Every day I could feel myself falling deeper and deeper for this I-might -be-a-baddass-CEO-but-I-let-my-cat-bully-me-on-the-reg man. And I was terrified."
🔹️The relationship between Heath and Verity!
“It feels good, doesn’t it?” he asked.
“What?”
“Being happy.”
🔹️Their wedding location!
▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️
•Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
•Plot:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
•Humor: 🙃🙃
•Spice:🌶
•Emotion: 😭😭😭
•Relationship pace: Medium
•Ending: HEA
•Tropes: Childhood love, Found family, workplace romance, rich girl/poor boy
•TW: Struggle with past childhood abuse, neglect, abandonment, bullying, miscommunication/misunderstanding
February 23, 2024
Best of the series. H was an idiot child but ultimately goodhearted and besotted. The h was a great character and deserved to be happy.
September 26, 2023
3.5-4 stars. Verity Markham is nothing but cool and calm sophistication with pure class on the outside. She has been playing this role her whole life. Max is the brain behind the company while Verity is the face and it works for them as lifelong friends. When their company is one of the front running bids for Harry York’s project, Harry thinks he’s ready for his long awaited revenge by rejecting them.
Verity and Harry were close in grade school. Verity was absolutely fascinated and smitten with Harry and vice versa. But when things went to the wayside, they did not keep in touch and now nearly 20 years later, they are facing each other in the corporate world. Harry has built his company from the ground up and has wealth beyond imagining compared to being the poor headmaster’s son in the past.
Harry makes a lot of assumptions and is no longer that sweet boy whom Verity remembers. For his age and wealth, I was a bit unimpressed with his lack of maturity at first. Verity has her reasons for staying tight lipped about her upbringing and Harry draws all the wrong conclusions. Which lands him in the doghouse and he has to make the difficult climb towards regaining Verity’s trust. I enjoy Susie Tate’s books because the main male undoubtedly always screws up and has to atone for it and pull all the stops to gain the female’s forgiveness. Some parts were a little awkward and not as fluid as others, but I genuinely liked Harry and Verity together. Verity and Heath’s childhood is heartbreaking and shaped them into people who know how to put on a deceiving facade. When Harry discovers the truth, he realizes that his woes pale in comparison to hers and that Verity’s heart is that much more of a precious gift. I’m so glad that Verity got her much deserved happy ending with someone who was willing to go the extra mile for her.
Verity and Harry were close in grade school. Verity was absolutely fascinated and smitten with Harry and vice versa. But when things went to the wayside, they did not keep in touch and now nearly 20 years later, they are facing each other in the corporate world. Harry has built his company from the ground up and has wealth beyond imagining compared to being the poor headmaster’s son in the past.
Harry makes a lot of assumptions and is no longer that sweet boy whom Verity remembers. For his age and wealth, I was a bit unimpressed with his lack of maturity at first. Verity has her reasons for staying tight lipped about her upbringing and Harry draws all the wrong conclusions. Which lands him in the doghouse and he has to make the difficult climb towards regaining Verity’s trust. I enjoy Susie Tate’s books because the main male undoubtedly always screws up and has to atone for it and pull all the stops to gain the female’s forgiveness. Some parts were a little awkward and not as fluid as others, but I genuinely liked Harry and Verity together. Verity and Heath’s childhood is heartbreaking and shaped them into people who know how to put on a deceiving facade. When Harry discovers the truth, he realizes that his woes pale in comparison to hers and that Verity’s heart is that much more of a precious gift. I’m so glad that Verity got her much deserved happy ending with someone who was willing to go the extra mile for her.
March 7, 2024
Unwanted is the story of Verity and Harry who had a unique relationship as teenagers but circumstances didn’t allow them to get together in 20 years. It’s a slow burn, 2nd chance and miscommunication trope romance.
There were many things I liked in this book, like the way the events of their youth were described or how hard Harry worked to make things right. I also loved the way Verity handled Harry in the beginning, leaving no room for him to change her mind and allow him to get closer since he treated her so poorly. Both MCs were cool though.
I didn’t like the fast forward part; 18 months was way too long for no action to have been taken without explanation, it kinda left us hanging when things were hot plot-wise. I also thought some things regarding the past were repeated more times than was necessary and I wasn’t quite thrilled with the final confrontation in the gala. Instead of that, I would have preferred to see Harry’s reaction to Verity’s revelation for example.
-Dual 1st person POV
-Spice: 🌶️
Overall: 3.5/5 ⭐️ for me.
There were many things I liked in this book, like the way the events of their youth were described or how hard Harry worked to make things right. I also loved the way Verity handled Harry in the beginning, leaving no room for him to change her mind and allow him to get closer since he treated her so poorly. Both MCs were cool though.
I didn’t like the fast forward part; 18 months was way too long for no action to have been taken without explanation, it kinda left us hanging when things were hot plot-wise. I also thought some things regarding the past were repeated more times than was necessary and I wasn’t quite thrilled with the final confrontation in the gala. Instead of that, I would have preferred to see Harry’s reaction to Verity’s revelation for example.
-Dual 1st person POV
-Spice: 🌶️
Overall: 3.5/5 ⭐️ for me.
June 7, 2025
Sometimes a second (or third) chance takes a while to come around. Verity (twin sister to Heath and collegue to Max, from unworthy and unperfect) had a troubled childhood and her brightest light in those times was school and Harry. He devestated her when he left, abanndoning her without an explenation.
Harry always felt insecure in his place at school, being the teacher’s son and there on a scholarship unlike his rich class mates. When the prettiest girl who also ruled the school, started talking to him, he didn’t expect to fall for ger too. But then things seemed to good didn’t they, so he wasn’t hard to think the worst of her.
Reconnecting twenty years later didn’t go as Harry hoped. Verity is harder and more guarded now, and he didn’t feel as good glating about his new life as he thought he would.
Their journey to find out the truth abouth their breakup and their school days is not easy, and being together is not easy, filled with hurt, patience, family troubles and old insecurities to overcome, but maybe this is their time?
•••i recieved a copy of this book for my honest review, all opinions are my own•••
Harry always felt insecure in his place at school, being the teacher’s son and there on a scholarship unlike his rich class mates. When the prettiest girl who also ruled the school, started talking to him, he didn’t expect to fall for ger too. But then things seemed to good didn’t they, so he wasn’t hard to think the worst of her.
Reconnecting twenty years later didn’t go as Harry hoped. Verity is harder and more guarded now, and he didn’t feel as good glating about his new life as he thought he would.
Their journey to find out the truth abouth their breakup and their school days is not easy, and being together is not easy, filled with hurt, patience, family troubles and old insecurities to overcome, but maybe this is their time?
•••i recieved a copy of this book for my honest review, all opinions are my own•••
November 21, 2023
3,5
Anche qui non siamo ai livelli di "Unperfect", però confermo il mio giudizio positivo su Susie Tate e sui suoi romanzi. La storia di Verity si lega a doppio filo a quella del fratello gemello Heath - un'infanzia e adolescenza segnate dai maltrattamenti dei genitori, una sofferenza legata al dolore di non essere voluti e alla vergogna che suscita in loro questa situazione. I genitori, almeno in teoria e in un mondo normale, dovrebbero essere la principale fonte di amore e affetto per un figlio. Se loro non ti vogliono, come si può sperare di essere amati da altri? E questa è una ferita che si portano dietro sia Heath, con i suoi problemi di abbandono, che Verity, abituata a fare tutto da sola, convinta di non meritare affetto e felicità. Forse perché è lei problema...La verità è che i suoi genitori sono i classici soggetti che non avrebbero mai dovuto mettere al mondo dei figli, perché incapaci di amare qualcuno al di fuori di se stessi.
Occhio agli SPOILER
"Unwanted" è un second chance romance, che parte con l'incontro, dopo quasi vent'anni di lontanza, tra la nostra Verity e un ex compagno di scuola, il ragazzo di cui si era innamorata e che, senza dare spiegazioni, era sparito dalla sua vita, interrompendo tutti i contatti. Harry, un po' come Heath prima di lui (e pure un po' come Max), ha un difetto piuttosto evidente, ovvero è troppo attaccato ai suoi pregiudizi. Fin dai tempi del collegio, ha sempre visto Verity come la classica ragazza ricca, molto popolare, probabilmente circondata da una famiglia adorante e da una servitù pronta ad esaudire ogni suoi desiderio. Lui, d'altro canto, si è ritrovato in quel collegio esclusivo in quanto figlio di uno degli insegnanti, ergo viene preso di mira dai piccoli stronzi snob che sono in classe con lui che lo tormentano per il suo status economico e per i suoi passatempi da nerd (w la letteratura fantasy!). Quando il padre perde il lavoro per colpa dei genitori dei gemelli, lui considera l'interesse di Verity nei suoi confronti come l'ennesima presa in giro, una convinzione rafforzata da certe uscite di Heath. Ora, non mi sento di lanciare la croce addosso a Harry, perché all'epoca era un adolescente e non ha mai prestato attenzione a certi segnali disturbanti, cosa che invece ha fatto il padre che, da buon insegnante, ha capito che la situazione famigliare dei gemelli non era proprio tutta ros e fiori. Aveva dei sospetti, ma, di fronte alle domande del preside e alla possibilità di finire tra le mani dei servizi sociali, i due ragazzi mentono per proteggersi. Il risultato sarà abbastanza catastrofico e darà vita a un malinteso che per vent'anni non verrà mai corretto.
L'incontro tra Harry e Veirty, dopo questo lungo periodo di lontanza, non è casuale: Harry è diventato un uomo ricco, non è più l'adolescente bullizzato di una volta e vuole la sua vendetta. Verity, dal canto suo, continua a portarsi nel cuore le sue ferite, ritrovandosi ad affrontare una situazione molto difficile da sola, nel tentativo di non mettere a repentaglio la felicità ritrovata del fratello Heath e di ripagarlo per tutte le volte che è stato lui a proteggere lei. Come detto, Harry rimane ancorato ai suoi pregiudizi, almeno fino a quando la verità non gli viene sbattuta in faccia, e ha in almeno un paio di occasioni degli atteggiamenti quantomeno discutibili. Solo nella seconda parte del romanzo, quando ormani ha capito di essersi sbagliato di brutto, diventerà una vera fonte di supporto per Verity, la aiuterà a gestire una situazione che rischia di consumarla. Lui, con il supporto di Heath, Yaz, Mia e Max, la aiuterà a capire che non c'è niente di male a chiedere aiuto, che i veri colpevoli sono i due genitori degeneri che si è trovata, e che ha tutto il diritto di essere felice.
Devo dire che ho amato le tre protagoniste femminili, tre donne ferite - Mia è vittima di violenza domestica, Verity si porta dietro il dolore per un'infanzia segnata da maltrattamenti e abbandono, mentre Yaz convive con i giudizi poco edificanti di una famiglia che non l'hai mai presa sul serio e che l'ha fatta sentire per anni non all'altezza e non degna di considerazione -, ma che non si arrendono e che cercano di fare sempre del loro meglio. I loro uomini, beh, si fanno tutti un po' abbindolare dai rispettivi pregiudizi (Max è forse quello che si sveglia prima, mentre Heath combina un casino dietro l'altro) prima di iniziare a comportarsi da persone civili. Prima di diventare delle vere fonti di supporto per le rispettive compagne.
Altra cosa che ho amato è il concetto di famiglia che viene proposto in questi romanzi. Non solo la famiglia biologica (che spesso fa più danni della grandine), ma anche quella che ci creiamo noi nel corso della nostra vita. Gli amici, i compagni. Persone pronte a tenderci una mano nei momenti di difficoltà e incoraggiarci quando serve. Mia e Max, Yaz e Heath, Verity e Harry, ma anche Teddy, il figliastro di Max, la grande famiglia di Harry, i genitori di Max e Yaz. Quando qualcuno ha bisogno di aiuto, il resto della banda si muove per sostenerlo. Nessuno viene lasciato indietro.
In conclusione: mi sento di consigliare questi romanzi, anche se, nel caso di "Unperfect" vi invito a consultare prima i trigger warning vista la tematica trattata. Sicuramente leggerò altri libri di questa autrice. E' stata davvero una bella scoperta!
Anche qui non siamo ai livelli di "Unperfect", però confermo il mio giudizio positivo su Susie Tate e sui suoi romanzi. La storia di Verity si lega a doppio filo a quella del fratello gemello Heath - un'infanzia e adolescenza segnate dai maltrattamenti dei genitori, una sofferenza legata al dolore di non essere voluti e alla vergogna che suscita in loro questa situazione. I genitori, almeno in teoria e in un mondo normale, dovrebbero essere la principale fonte di amore e affetto per un figlio. Se loro non ti vogliono, come si può sperare di essere amati da altri? E questa è una ferita che si portano dietro sia Heath, con i suoi problemi di abbandono, che Verity, abituata a fare tutto da sola, convinta di non meritare affetto e felicità. Forse perché è lei problema...La verità è che i suoi genitori sono i classici soggetti che non avrebbero mai dovuto mettere al mondo dei figli, perché incapaci di amare qualcuno al di fuori di se stessi.
Occhio agli SPOILER
"Unwanted" è un second chance romance, che parte con l'incontro, dopo quasi vent'anni di lontanza, tra la nostra Verity e un ex compagno di scuola, il ragazzo di cui si era innamorata e che, senza dare spiegazioni, era sparito dalla sua vita, interrompendo tutti i contatti. Harry, un po' come Heath prima di lui (e pure un po' come Max), ha un difetto piuttosto evidente, ovvero è troppo attaccato ai suoi pregiudizi. Fin dai tempi del collegio, ha sempre visto Verity come la classica ragazza ricca, molto popolare, probabilmente circondata da una famiglia adorante e da una servitù pronta ad esaudire ogni suoi desiderio. Lui, d'altro canto, si è ritrovato in quel collegio esclusivo in quanto figlio di uno degli insegnanti, ergo viene preso di mira dai piccoli stronzi snob che sono in classe con lui che lo tormentano per il suo status economico e per i suoi passatempi da nerd (w la letteratura fantasy!). Quando il padre perde il lavoro per colpa dei genitori dei gemelli, lui considera l'interesse di Verity nei suoi confronti come l'ennesima presa in giro, una convinzione rafforzata da certe uscite di Heath. Ora, non mi sento di lanciare la croce addosso a Harry, perché all'epoca era un adolescente e non ha mai prestato attenzione a certi segnali disturbanti, cosa che invece ha fatto il padre che, da buon insegnante, ha capito che la situazione famigliare dei gemelli non era proprio tutta ros e fiori. Aveva dei sospetti, ma, di fronte alle domande del preside e alla possibilità di finire tra le mani dei servizi sociali, i due ragazzi mentono per proteggersi. Il risultato sarà abbastanza catastrofico e darà vita a un malinteso che per vent'anni non verrà mai corretto.
L'incontro tra Harry e Veirty, dopo questo lungo periodo di lontanza, non è casuale: Harry è diventato un uomo ricco, non è più l'adolescente bullizzato di una volta e vuole la sua vendetta. Verity, dal canto suo, continua a portarsi nel cuore le sue ferite, ritrovandosi ad affrontare una situazione molto difficile da sola, nel tentativo di non mettere a repentaglio la felicità ritrovata del fratello Heath e di ripagarlo per tutte le volte che è stato lui a proteggere lei. Come detto, Harry rimane ancorato ai suoi pregiudizi, almeno fino a quando la verità non gli viene sbattuta in faccia, e ha in almeno un paio di occasioni degli atteggiamenti quantomeno discutibili. Solo nella seconda parte del romanzo, quando ormani ha capito di essersi sbagliato di brutto, diventerà una vera fonte di supporto per Verity, la aiuterà a gestire una situazione che rischia di consumarla. Lui, con il supporto di Heath, Yaz, Mia e Max, la aiuterà a capire che non c'è niente di male a chiedere aiuto, che i veri colpevoli sono i due genitori degeneri che si è trovata, e che ha tutto il diritto di essere felice.
Devo dire che ho amato le tre protagoniste femminili, tre donne ferite - Mia è vittima di violenza domestica, Verity si porta dietro il dolore per un'infanzia segnata da maltrattamenti e abbandono, mentre Yaz convive con i giudizi poco edificanti di una famiglia che non l'hai mai presa sul serio e che l'ha fatta sentire per anni non all'altezza e non degna di considerazione -, ma che non si arrendono e che cercano di fare sempre del loro meglio. I loro uomini, beh, si fanno tutti un po' abbindolare dai rispettivi pregiudizi (Max è forse quello che si sveglia prima, mentre Heath combina un casino dietro l'altro) prima di iniziare a comportarsi da persone civili. Prima di diventare delle vere fonti di supporto per le rispettive compagne.
Altra cosa che ho amato è il concetto di famiglia che viene proposto in questi romanzi. Non solo la famiglia biologica (che spesso fa più danni della grandine), ma anche quella che ci creiamo noi nel corso della nostra vita. Gli amici, i compagni. Persone pronte a tenderci una mano nei momenti di difficoltà e incoraggiarci quando serve. Mia e Max, Yaz e Heath, Verity e Harry, ma anche Teddy, il figliastro di Max, la grande famiglia di Harry, i genitori di Max e Yaz. Quando qualcuno ha bisogno di aiuto, il resto della banda si muove per sostenerlo. Nessuno viene lasciato indietro.
In conclusione: mi sento di consigliare questi romanzi, anche se, nel caso di "Unperfect" vi invito a consultare prima i trigger warning vista la tematica trattata. Sicuramente leggerò altri libri di questa autrice. E' stata davvero una bella scoperta!
September 7, 2023
》ARC Review: Unwanted《
This equally heart-wrenching and heart-warming tale of perseverance and romance is one you won’t forget any time soon. I loved every bit of this one and don’t intend to let it go any time soon.
》The Leads《
Verity. Oh goodness. My beautiful, fragile, brilliantly strong Verity. Even at her most self-destructive, I never once lost empathy for Verity. She was deserving of happiness and love. Endless amounts of it. I just wanted to give her a hug and let her know she was deserving of all good things. She held strong with facade of indifference and stood tall with that spine of steel. She played the part almost too well because it became easy for others to not see that beneath that icy mask was a very vulnerable woman, hurting from her childhood and never feeling she was bound of something good and lasting. She is the type of woman who places others before herself, who fights for others’ happily ever afters, but never her own. The second she shifts gears and starts to fight for her own, she shines all the more brightly. Her arc was one that inspired, for even when she felt unwanted, she kept marching on, she kept her beliefs and values strong always.
Harry. Ah, Harry. Ultimately I came to love Harry, but early on I just wanted to respectfully knock some sense into him. He was so hyper focused on his own feelings of being wronged that he continuously, in past and present, missed the cues of what was really going on with Verity. And in turn, he wasted years. That said, once he recognized this he took charge to ensure not another second was wasted. That never again Verity would feel unwanted. He was from start to end a good man, stubborn, yes, but always good, loyal, kind, and loving. Verity’s his perfect match, and he hers.
》The Romance《
Even when I wanted to give Harry a knuckle sandwich (respectfully, of course), his chemistry with Verity was sensational, undeniable, and insatiable. I kept wanting more! I loved their early quick witted exchanges. I loved the miscommunication turned understanding. I loved their forever love. They simple were it for me.
》The Story《
This was a beautiful, poignant, heart-wrenching tale. One of tragedy and triumph. One of hope and perseverance. And overall, one of deserved love. I had absolutely no qualms whilst reading. I simply loved it all.
》The Ending《
This was a perfect read. I loved the leads and supporting cast, and thoroughly engaged with the story. I recently read Unperfect, which I loved, but this one felt like it was in its own ballpark. A total home run!
Thank you to Valentine PR for providing me an arc in exchange for an honest review.
This equally heart-wrenching and heart-warming tale of perseverance and romance is one you won’t forget any time soon. I loved every bit of this one and don’t intend to let it go any time soon.
》The Leads《
Verity. Oh goodness. My beautiful, fragile, brilliantly strong Verity. Even at her most self-destructive, I never once lost empathy for Verity. She was deserving of happiness and love. Endless amounts of it. I just wanted to give her a hug and let her know she was deserving of all good things. She held strong with facade of indifference and stood tall with that spine of steel. She played the part almost too well because it became easy for others to not see that beneath that icy mask was a very vulnerable woman, hurting from her childhood and never feeling she was bound of something good and lasting. She is the type of woman who places others before herself, who fights for others’ happily ever afters, but never her own. The second she shifts gears and starts to fight for her own, she shines all the more brightly. Her arc was one that inspired, for even when she felt unwanted, she kept marching on, she kept her beliefs and values strong always.
Harry. Ah, Harry. Ultimately I came to love Harry, but early on I just wanted to respectfully knock some sense into him. He was so hyper focused on his own feelings of being wronged that he continuously, in past and present, missed the cues of what was really going on with Verity. And in turn, he wasted years. That said, once he recognized this he took charge to ensure not another second was wasted. That never again Verity would feel unwanted. He was from start to end a good man, stubborn, yes, but always good, loyal, kind, and loving. Verity’s his perfect match, and he hers.
》The Romance《
Even when I wanted to give Harry a knuckle sandwich (respectfully, of course), his chemistry with Verity was sensational, undeniable, and insatiable. I kept wanting more! I loved their early quick witted exchanges. I loved the miscommunication turned understanding. I loved their forever love. They simple were it for me.
》The Story《
This was a beautiful, poignant, heart-wrenching tale. One of tragedy and triumph. One of hope and perseverance. And overall, one of deserved love. I had absolutely no qualms whilst reading. I simply loved it all.
》The Ending《
This was a perfect read. I loved the leads and supporting cast, and thoroughly engaged with the story. I recently read Unperfect, which I loved, but this one felt like it was in its own ballpark. A total home run!
Thank you to Valentine PR for providing me an arc in exchange for an honest review.
September 30, 2023
This is my first book from Susie Tate and it's a second chance love story.
Verity and Harry fell in love twenty years ago, but back then there were too many misunderstandings that made them separate. Now, years later, they meet through work.
To be honest, at the beginning, they are both angry with each other, which makes Verity avoid Harry for a year before they start speaking again. Even though they were grown-up adults, they behaved like teenagers. Both of them were hurt from the past, but it took them a while to finally get together. I understand where they are coming from with their past, but I still think that there must be a little bit more communication.
When they kind of sorted their problems, they were really cute and even more in love than before. But there were still unsolved problems and Verity needed a bit more time to let go of her past and finally understand that she deserved to be happy.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read and I liked the story.
***I received an ARC from Grey's Promo and this is my voluntary review.***
Verity and Harry fell in love twenty years ago, but back then there were too many misunderstandings that made them separate. Now, years later, they meet through work.
To be honest, at the beginning, they are both angry with each other, which makes Verity avoid Harry for a year before they start speaking again. Even though they were grown-up adults, they behaved like teenagers. Both of them were hurt from the past, but it took them a while to finally get together. I understand where they are coming from with their past, but I still think that there must be a little bit more communication.
When they kind of sorted their problems, they were really cute and even more in love than before. But there were still unsolved problems and Verity needed a bit more time to let go of her past and finally understand that she deserved to be happy.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read and I liked the story.
***I received an ARC from Grey's Promo and this is my voluntary review.***
May 18, 2025
Susie Tate does the yearning pretty well.
I love rom-coms, romance novels, and love stories. So I read a lot of them. This is great fun for me, but it means that my personal "market" is oversaturated. It will take a truly great romance to get more than three stars. In case you are interested:
Relyn's personal rom-com & romance novel rating system
5 stars - This book is excellent. It stands out from the hundreds of other love stories I've read, and I loved it.
4 stars - Oh, I really, really liked this one.
3 stars - This was a good, entertaining book and I'm glad I read it.
2 stars - Meh - boring, or overdone, or in some other way just not a good fit for me
1 star - This one stunk.
I love rom-coms, romance novels, and love stories. So I read a lot of them. This is great fun for me, but it means that my personal "market" is oversaturated. It will take a truly great romance to get more than three stars. In case you are interested:
Relyn's personal rom-com & romance novel rating system
5 stars - This book is excellent. It stands out from the hundreds of other love stories I've read, and I loved it.
4 stars - Oh, I really, really liked this one.
3 stars - This was a good, entertaining book and I'm glad I read it.
2 stars - Meh - boring, or overdone, or in some other way just not a good fit for me
1 star - This one stunk.
November 9, 2024
I had high hopes for this book, especially with that beautiful cover—but wow, what a disappointment. It was honestly one of the most boring books I’ve ever read. The pacing was all over the place, like it was just racing to finish, and I kept getting second-hand embarrassment from the writing. It felt like the author was desperately trying to fit in, but it just came off as forced and cringey.
Honestly, it reads more like a messy Wattpad story than something that should’ve been published. By the end, I was just relieved it was over. Save your time and skip this one!
Honestly, it reads more like a messy Wattpad story than something that should’ve been published. By the end, I was just relieved it was over. Save your time and skip this one!
October 15, 2024
I think Verity and Harry's story is my favorite. Verity and Heath endured so much at the hands of their parents. I hated how she was treated by Harry without any actual conversation on what really happened. He was an ass for most of this book. But he redeemed himself and was everything Verity needed. I love the resolution of everything and how Verity finally got the family she always deserved.
September 27, 2023
I think all of Susie Tates books are going to be 5 star reads for me. I once again fell into a British soap opera and I loved it. She does a great job with the characters and her writing style is very pleasant.
October 13, 2023
Well written English romance. It's book three in this series and while it stands alone re the romance, there are spoilers for the first two books. As the backstory covers all three and concludes in this story, read them in order if possible. The plot moves along nicely, there's angst, drama, some fun, and many friends and family. I loved the H/h and you can feel their chemistry. 4.5 stars.
March 6, 2024
A good conclusion to the series - and actually made me appreciate Heath a bit more in book 2. Although this is technically a standalone, I think you’d be confused if you haven’t at least read book 2.
October 18, 2023
2.5 rounded up. I had been looking forward to this, but was disappointed. Based on prior book, I thought Verity and Harry were going to be strong, kick ass characters, with a tempestuous and fun relationship, but they were both wet blankets who went insta-love on each due to interactions they had 20 years ago and then were hot and cold due to insecurities. First 30% miscommunication trope, which I hate, the LONG passing of time so people who met as teens don’t get it together until they are pushing 40, the heroine totally in her head about feeling unwanted/unworthy/whatever, the hero mostly being an insecure and self-absorbed ass and beating himself up about it, predictable plot twist re: mother.
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