Romance

This was much better than the first book. Our leads both have real challenges in their lives and their conflict arises from those differences, which allows them to be honest and communicate. There are other wonderful characters that have their own journeys which adds to the richness of the story.

This book has a lot to say about loss and a sense of place and it does it in a beautiful way. ( )

As a romance, this was my least favourite in this trilogy, probably because I'm much more interested in couples who know each other rather than rivals: Magda is a broker responsible for selling a vacant block while Tyson is an advocate for the illegal community garden currently on the block.

But even though it doesn't involve one of my favourite romance tropes, I found Magda's experiences in selling real estate and everything about the community garden interesting. The only thing I felt was really needed was more about the aftermath of Magda standing up to her (well-meaning) family

This is the 2nd book in the Uptown series but it can easily be read as a standalone novel. This is a cute romance with the story revolving around a community garden. I definitely enjoyed the book but it's not the type of story that is memorable. Basically if you are the type of reader who is always reading a romance novel, this is a safe choice. However, if you only occasionally read something in the genre, I think there are better ones out there for you to pick from.

Space is a valuable commodity in New York City and Magda Ferrer has been tasked with selling her uncle's home and a lot nearby. Magda is eager to prove herself in her new career field which unfortunately means upsetting the people who have been using the lot as a community garden. Tyson Yang finds himself in the middle of all this and wants to help his friends keep the garden. Looks like Magda and Tyson will be going toe to toe. (among other things, wink wink)

So Magda and Tyson had good chemistry which is such a necessity in a romance novel. Their romantic scenes are a bit hot and steamy, so if that's not your thing, maybe take a pass on this book. I liked how the author chose to use a community garden as part of the plot because it added something different to the story. This was a really quick read which might be part of the reason it just doesn't feel like there's substance to the story. It's one of those books in which I don't really any complaints but I'm not going to say it's a must read either.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review! ( )

This is a fun quick read about finding love while finding your place in the world, and making peace with the past. Magda is the baby of the family, and can't seem to succeed at anything she tries. Ty is hiding from past grief by avoiding becoming attached to anyone or anything. Their paths cross when Magda is hired to sell the lot that Ty's neighbors have turned into a community garden.
I enjoyed this story, and the HEA is a satisfying conclusion. ( )