His Grumpy Childhood Friend
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- $4.99
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
He was only supposed to give her dating lessons. And maybe a little kissing practice…
It's been five years since Charlotte Tam had to endure a public proposal at a baseball game—literally the stuff of her nightmares—and realized her ex never really knew her. She hasn't dated since, afraid that no man will understand her cranky, introverted, coffee-obsessed self, but she wants to try again. Her friend suggests she ask a guy to ease her into the dating game and give her some lessons.
That night at the cider bar, Charlotte runs into Mike Guo, her childhood best friend who lived in the house next door twenty years ago. Surely easygoing Mike, who is now surprisingly handsome, must do well in the world of love. He's the perfect candidate for this.
But as they go on practice dates around Toronto and even have kissing lessons, Charlotte starts to fall for Mike, and that was never part of the plan. He's too different from her, just like her ex—how could it work? And she suspects Mike has secrets of his own…
Can their childhood friendship really become love?
Customer Reviews
Comfort Reading for uncertain times
I received an ARC of this book to read through a review crew. All opinions are my own. His Grumpy Childhood Friend by Jackie Lau is the second book in her delightful Cider Bar Sisters series. It could be read as a standalone; however, the first book is excellent, so I recommend reading them both. Charlotte Tam swore off men and dating five years ago when her then-boyfriend subjected her to a Blue Jays jumbotron proposal, something that still gives her introverted soul nightmares. Deciding to dip her toes in the dating pool again has her nervous, and with her friends, she comes up with the idea of practice dating … but with whom?
Mike Guo on the surface appears to be outgoing and confident but an abusive childhood has left him unsure of himself on the inside no matter what image he projects to others. When Charlotte runs into her childhood friend Mike at the cider bar she asks him to be her pretend date because he already knows her foibles and he’s good at this stuff isn’t he? I look upon Jackie Lau books as comfort food reading, you get interesting, intelligent, likeable protagonists, a fairly low angst romance with just the right amount of steam, and a glorious tour of all of the wonderful food to be found in downtown Toronto. The stories are a bit of a love letter to the city I grew up in. I enjoyed this book immensely. Steam Level: Medium. Publishing Date: October 27, 2020 #HisGrumpyChildhoodFriend #JackieLau #CiderBarSisters #ContemporaryRomance #bookstagram #bookstagrammers #IndieAuthors #IndieBooks