**Disclaimer: I was given a free e-book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.**
Title The Move (The Creek Water Series #2)
Author Whitney Dineen
Description from Amazon
When Lexi Blake was twelve years old, a fortune teller gave her the following cryptic message:
In your thirtieth year, once the dog jumps over you, your life will change in the most unexpected ways.
Lexi is thirty now and the following unexpected things have occurred:
•While walking through Central Park enjoying a beautiful fall day, Lexi eats dirt when a careless dog owner throws a frisbee at her head. A dog jumps over her.
•Lexi gets a promotion that pays less than her current job.
•Her crush announces that he’s engaged.
•Her apartment turns condo and she can’t afford the down payment.
In order to escape her bad luck, she takes a vacation to visit a good friend in Creek Water, Missouri. But as it turns out, fate has a lot more in store for Lexi Blake.
Will a good friend, an unexpected love interest, and a historic house have her scrapping her plans and moving to a small town on the banks of the Mississippi River? Find out in the delightfully funny rom-com that’s sure to make you believe in happy endings!
Release Date January 1, 2020
Initial Thoughts
I will be part of the Book Blitz for The Plan by Whitney Dineen in March and I saw that The Move was available on NetGalley so I decided to apply. I didn’t have too many thoughts going into this book but, I knew it looked like a cute rom-com.
Some Things I Liked
- BERTIE. Bertie 👏 is 👏 my 👏 spirit 👏 animal 👏 . I loved Bertie and his free spirit. He was an amazing character and I want to read so much more about him. He added so much whimsy and fun to to the story.
- NYC. I loved Lexi’s take on the Big Apple from a native’s POV. As a Jersey girl who commutes into midtown every day, I loved her descriptions of Central Park, life in the city, and life growing up there.
- Unconventional families. I loved the family dynamics represented by both Lexi and Beau’s families in this story.
One Thing I Wasn’t Crazy About
- The romance plot felt a bit rushed. Lexi and Beau have this undeniable chemistry but they try not to interact. Then, *poof*, they’re in love? It was a little unresolved for my taste – but they were sweet together, nonetheless.
Series Value
I read this series out of order – I started with #2. There are spoilers for the first book, but the plots are relatively independent. I think I could read book 1, despite knowing the final outcome, and still enjoy it.
Also, I would continue with this series. Book 3 is also a new story with a new main character but I’m sure there will be spoilers for books 1 and 2 in the next installment as well.
Basically, my recommendation is if you think you’ll want to read them all, read them in order. If you just want to read one, the order doesn’t matter.
Final Thoughts
This was a cute story. It was super clean and is perfect for fans of adorable romances (with no mature content). While the main character is 30, I think this would be a perfect book for fans of contemporary YA who want to break into adult fiction.
Also, if the real estate prices are even close to real, I’m seriously considering a move to the south (just kidding – but wouldn’t that be fun to blog about 😉).
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Recommendations for Further Reading
- Make or Break at the Lighthouse B&B by Portia MacIntosh – this book is coming out on February 14th (review to come a bit closer to that date), but if you enjoyed the wit, romance, and ideas of starting over in a new place, try this rom-com by Portia MacIntosh.
- The Plan by Whitney Dineen – this is the next book in the series. If you liked the writing style and Creek Water as a setting, try this book out.
- Coming Home to Glendale Hall by Victoria Walters – if you liked the themes of re-discovering yourself that Lexi experiences in The Move, try this book by Victoria Walters – the sequel is coming out in February.
Books Over Everything 