BOOKWORM REVIEW: Shucked by Kate Canterbary

August 27, 2023

BOOKWORM REVIEW: Shucked by Kate Canterbary

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

SPICE: 🔥🔥🔥

Sunny, I too hold grudges against people who massacred my dolls, but they were not as adorable as Beckett Loew.

Sunny duJardin wanted to prove her independence to her family. Growing up with seizures came with helicopter parents and an overbearing brother. Now she is back in Friendship, Rhode Island to open a vegan café with her friends next door to the town's iconic oyster bar. What she did not anticipate is for her brother's best friend to be back as well, handling business for his family's bar across the street.

Beckett Loew did not want to be here. With his father behind bars and his mother suspected of evading arrest, Beckett is now in charge of keeping the family business afloat and raising his teenage brother. The last thing he needed was for his best friend's sister to be distracting -- tempting -- him from what he needed to do.

Clearly, dancing around their attraction was doing nothing to alleviate the tension, so the two agree to act on them...but with an expiration date and zero commitment.

Kate Canterbary always delivers fun enemies-to-lovers, and this read is no exception. The exchanges between Sunny and Beck are on point, and the building tension just makes for a good time. And the spice? It's a good thing that peppers are vegan, because they were definitely serving that in this read.

There are some lulls in the story as Canterbary introduces us to the rest of the ensemble and hints at their stories. I know the focus here is on the Loews, but Sunny's friends/business partners stole the spotlight every time for me. (I mean, who wouldn't want the story of a woman with TWO husbands?)

This is the first in the series, and the charisma of the main and supporting characters in this book universe has me wanting book two already.

** I am voluntarily reviewing an advance copy of this book. Thank you to Kate Canterbary for providing an ARC. **

ABOUT THE BOOK

His best friend’s little sister is not an option.

No one ever accused Beckett Loew of being the nice Loew brother, especially not Sunny duJardin. Stuck back home in the quirky town of Friendship, Rhode Island, Beckett is scrambling to save his family’s oyster bar and take care of his teenage brother. He doesn’t have time to deal with the beautiful, sunshine-y owner of the new vegan cafe next door too. His best friend’s little sister may be all grown up, but Sunny’s still a distracting pain in his side.

No one expects much from Sunny duJardin, especially not Beckett Loew. She’s not worried about her older brother’s tall, dark, and broody best friend or battles he insists on waging with her everyday. She's not the same kid he teased years ago. Now, she composts his type for breakfast.

They’re all wrong for each other.
Bitter rivals.
Complete opposites.
Off limits.

Except they can’t keep their hands off each other.
They tell themselves it’s nothing more than a steamy summer fling until secrets spill and real trouble comes their way.

CW: chronic illness (epilepsy), mention of childhood bullying, putting the fun in dysfunctional families, parents who turn into accidental criminals, incarceration, open door spice, suspense and moments of peril, happily ever after, no cliffhanger.

Get Your Copy ➡️ https://amzn.to/3E77gUi

Add to Goodreads ➡️ https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/134907445-shucked