A swoony, steamy, STEM romance in which two curators at a science museum—a handsome but grumpy astronomer and an anxious but sunshine-y entomologist—realize they are the perfect match. Equal parts nerdy banter and fiery tension, it’s perfect for fans of Ali Hazelwood and Tessa Bailey.
Millie was never one to take the expected path. She's an entomologist who loves her job as a natural science curator, inspiring museum visitors every day. It's her dream to take a larger role in the planning of her department, so when a director position opens up, she is determined not to let anything distract her from her goals. Especially her grumpy coworker with his permanent scowl, electric blue eyes, and nerdy astronomy ties.
. . . Not that she’s spent much time noticing any of those things.
Finn doesn’t mean to glare at everyone, but he’s juggling his role at the museum, navigating the grief of losing his sister, attempting to make his nieces smile, and trying not to ruin dinner for the fifth night in a row. He can't afford to let anything slip, and certainly doesn't need anything more on his plate. Millie literally stumbling into him with her bright smile and sunny optimism, is the last thing he needs.
They want nothing to do with each other. But with Finn on the interview committee, avoidance is impossible. And Millie soon realizes it's one thing when a job is on the line. It's quite another when it's her heart.
Millie was never one to take the expected path. She's an entomologist who loves her job as a natural science curator, inspiring museum visitors every day. It's her dream to take a larger role in the planning of her department, so when a director position opens up, she is determined not to let anything distract her from her goals. Especially her grumpy coworker with his permanent scowl, electric blue eyes, and nerdy astronomy ties.
. . . Not that she’s spent much time noticing any of those things.
Finn doesn’t mean to glare at everyone, but he’s juggling his role at the museum, navigating the grief of losing his sister, attempting to make his nieces smile, and trying not to ruin dinner for the fifth night in a row. He can't afford to let anything slip, and certainly doesn't need anything more on his plate. Millie literally stumbling into him with her bright smile and sunny optimism, is the last thing he needs.
They want nothing to do with each other. But with Finn on the interview committee, avoidance is impossible. And Millie soon realizes it's one thing when a job is on the line. It's quite another when it's her heart.
Review:
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Harper Voyager/Avon for providing me with an egalley of this book to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
There's something that draws me about books of women in STEM. It's the science, yes, but also the personalities you see from people who choose to make such areas of study their careers. I connect to it on a cellular level because of my medical occupation. When books come along and show strong women who make their way in science, it makes me truly happy. I feel not so alone in loving the geeky parts of my career.
Before I dive in, know there are trigger warnings that come with this book: abuse, loss of a loved one, grief, sexual content, anxiety.
The most interesting part of this story for me was the setting. I have not read STEM books that take place in a museum. And, at first, I wasn't so sure about how it truly fit in. But watching Millie do her thing and show her love of entomology was inspiring. My favorite museums to visit are science museums but I never truly thought about how this part of the science actually fits into that.
I enjoyed Millie's character. She was a bit timid and also at a point where she was more interested in who she was and how that fit into her career than love. But you never know when love will hit you from out of the blue, right? She's also a bit untrusting, understandable given her background with her ex (who I was ready to punch in the face, mind you). This also manifests as severe anxiety at times in the book and the author did a good job with showing this. There's one scene where is literally paralyzed by it and I think the author really understood how to relay this to the audience in a sensitive way.
Finn, oh Finn. I really liked his character so much. Even more than Millie. I love his loyalty to his nieces. How he revolves his world around them while still struggling to come to terms with his grief over his sister. He's so focused on them he doesn't think there is room for anything else. Or that he even deserves it. Of course, his background with his parents and their abusive behavior explains much of this. He doesn't want his sister's girls growing up in the environment he had to endure for so long. He and Ellie have much in common when it comes to having endured abuse and I think this is what gives them more of a connection than not. The only thing I had issue with was his instant attraction to Millie. It was a bit over the top for me since it happened right away. I do get that perhaps he had a thing for her to begin with but this wasn't shown as well as I would have liked considering they had been working together for a while.
The side characters were great. I loved El and Ave, Finn's nieces. And Millie's parents, they were just amazing. They incorporated Finn and his nieces so easily into their lives, opening their hearts and doors without need of an explanation why and giving Finn the found family he needed. I do wish Kyle, the abusive ex, would have gotten more of a comeuppence in this story. He made me so very angry and, while I can understand not all characters can easily break out of the abuse cycle (which makes the story more relatable), I felt like there needed to be more of a confrontation with him. I feel like that would have made Millie's load much lighter in the long run.
The pacing of the story is well done. I didn't feel like it was slow. The author wove into the story things that helped to move the plot along well. I enjoyed the grumpy/sunshine vibe this book had going for it which was well done with the dual POV. While Mille's character had endured some life changing stuff, she's still happy and loves what she does and the life she has created. Meanwhile, Finn puts off a grumpy vibe right from the start. Though you can also see he has moments of sunshine peeking through which only become more prominent the more time he spends with Millie. The banter between the characters made the story fun at many moments.
Overall, I was impressed with how the author tackled the serious topics in this book while still infusing romance and character growth. There was good depth to the story and it showed the author understood her audience and the topics she chose to use, approaching them in a realistic and healthy way. This was a great first novel for this author and I can see she will quickly become a favorite of mine in the future. Fans of Ali Hazelwood will enjoy this story very much. I'm excited to see the future books of this series as they explore Millie's sisters.
3.5 stars rounded to 4
Author:
Jillian Meadows writes cozy love stories that make you swoon, smile, and squeal. She lives thirty miles past The Middle of Nowhere with her husband, four wild daughters, two unruly dogs, and her sparkling water addiction. When she’s not writing, you can find her devouring a romance novel, playing board games, or enjoying the outdoors with her family.
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