finished reading

A fun romantic comedy with a unique meet-cute.  Trixie and Bear make an adorable opposites-attract couple and their friends-to-lovers story has some lighthearted moments; but the stumbling blocks on the path to romance include some toxic parenting, childhood trauma, and trust issues.  Chick-chick the rescued chicken is as much a character as anyone else, which is charming but quirky.  I could easily see this in my mind's eye like a movie--vivid descriptions and bumbling secondary characters that I want to know more about.

From the publisher:

Trixie isn’t exactly sure what she was thinking when she stopped her car in the middle of downtown Chicago, scooped up a chicken struggling to cross the road, and drove off… but she does know that she has to find a new home for herself and her new feathered friend. The landlord at her apartment doesn’t allow pets and has caught Trixie in one too many pet-smuggling attempts in the past.

Bear likes his quiet life with his close-knit family, who own a flower business, but he’s in for a rude awakening when his meddlesome sisters post an ad to rent the spare room in his simple home, without asking his permission. Still, when Trixie responds to the ad, he agrees to let her move in, despite immediate worries about keeping things platonic.

Determined to keep her new room, befriend Bear, and give her rescue chicken the care she deserves, Trixie fights to keep her walls up and resist her romantic feelings for Bear. However, it’s not long before the pair’s proximity and chicken parenting ignite flames that have Trixie and Bear testing the boundaries of their platonic ground rules. They have to figure out how to save a family business, pay for mounting vet bills, and navigate their own emotional baggage if they want to find the love that they all deserve.

Thank you NetGalley and Alcove Press for allowing me to rate and review this e-ARC title.