Published by Bloom Books on August 4, 2026
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Rating:
Goodreads
"I'm afraid my vagina might turn itself inside out if you try to give it another orgasm so soon." - Scarlett Bodine
Raised by her three overbearing brothers, Scarlett is a hell-raising tomboy with a tool belt. A tornado stirring up trouble everywhere she goes. Her favorite pastimes? Drinking any man under the table and two-stepping. But she has zero interest in love. Scarlett's only being neighborly when she claims her sexy next-door neighbor as her new pet project.
Devlin is a man at rock bottom. Marriage, political career, five-year plan to Washington, D.C. All destroyed with one well-placed jab. The golden boy is now the black sheep relegated to Bootleg Springs, a tiny West Virginia town with two claims to fame: 1. Moonshine and 2. The cold case disappearance of a teen girl.
Devlin just wants to lick his wounds. But Scarlett has other ideas for his tongue… and the rest of him. She's determined to bring him back to life, even if getting him back on his feet means never seeing him again. But when an old mystery becomes new news, she'll need his help to survive the scandal.
Devlin came to Bootleg Springs to lie low while following a personal scandal. He was at his lowest point when he met Scarlett, but she turned his world upside down while making things better and brighter for him.
I had such a great time reading this book! It was fun, packed with humor, and made me smile, time and time again. One of the things I adore about Score is her ability to create a small town, fill it with some quirky residents, and make me want to live there. Bootleg Springs won me over. I loved all the shenanigans, and I especially enjoyed meeting the Bodines.
The Bodine family was a family of note in Bootleg Springs as they were descendants of its founder. They were a colorful bunch who may have had many issues, but still loved each other fiercely. I loved getting to know Scarlett and am looking forward to getting to know her brothers on a deeper level in the subsequent books.
The romance between Scarlett and Devlin was great too. Scarlett was a country girl who knew her way around a two by four. Having four older brothers and responsibilities from a young age forced her to be strong and independent, and as luck would have it, Devlin appreciated that. She also pushed Devlin out of his funk. She restored color and life to his world when he really needed it and was willing to go to bat for him. He was a calm to her storm, and I thought they made a great pair.
The one thing that surprised me was the suspense element. I was not expecting it, and it seemed to come and go in the story. However, in the author's note, it was explained that this mystery will carry through the whole series. I was already motivated to read the other books, but now I have even more motivation.
Overall: Loved it! I am so excited to spend more time in Bootleg Springs!
Published by Cosmo Reads on August 4, 2026
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Rating:
Goodreads
From Cosmopolitan's Cosmo Reads imprint and the author of the smash hit Call It What You Want comes a fresh, charming romcom about the chaos of dating in your twenties, the ache of a brutal breakup, and the hilarious lengths one romance writer will go to get her spark back—including staging her own meet-cutes. Perfect for fans of Katherine Center and Emily Henry’s Beach Read.
If you can’t write a good meet-cute, maybe you need to live one first…
Ainsley Green writes happily-ever-afters for a rabid fanbase of hopeless romantics. In real life? Her boyfriend just broke up with her, her editor wanted a new book yesterday and she’s starting to wonder if love actually exists beyond the pages of her favorite novels.
So when Lucas, Ainsley’s best friend and biggest cheerleader, insists the best cure for writer’s block is real-life inspiration, she’s ready to try anything. Enter: the meet-cute plan, a mission to take her head out of her heartbreak and force meet-cutes IRL to spark some new ideas. But as failed missions bumping into strangers at the airport and spilling coffee on men at the cafe result in nothing but embarrassment and stained clothing, Ainsley begins to wonder if maybe the romance she’s been chasing already has a leading man.
Because the truth about falling in love? It never goes according to plan.
Equal parts heartbreak, humor, and hope, How to Find Love in the Cereal Aisle is a fresh, flirty send up of dating in the modern age and a reminder that love finds us when we stop performing and start living.
Ainsley Green was expected to support her latest romantic comedy and write a new romance book while brokenhearted. She used to have a plethora of ideas at her fingertips, but now she was struggling. In an attempt to reignite her romance-writer spark, she begins staging meet-cutes with the help of her sidekick and best friend, Lucas. The results are hilarious but also help Ainsley reflect on what she lost as she heals and moves forward.
This book wasn't the rom-com I was expecting, but I still loved it. There is a romance, a very slow-burning romance, but the story was really about Ainsley's personal journey. She had been in a relationship with a man she thought was "the one" for three years. When he broke up with her, she lost her friend group and the future she imagined for herself. Unfortunately, I could relate to that part of her story. It felt honest and very real to me. I appreciated the way Ainsley reflected on the years, her ex's and friends' actions, as well as her own.
The way she was combating her writer's block was so fun! The meet-cute antics were quite amusing. The posts and her followers comments made me smile, and it was a great way to make Ainsley and Lucas spend more time together.
They had a decade of friendship under their belts, and the timing was finally right for them to be together. Friends-to-lovers is one of my all-time favorite tropes, and this pairing was perfect. They fit so well into each others lives, and it's about someone always being there for you. That was Lucas. He was kind, generous, patient, and supportive. He went along with Ainsley's plans but also was honest with her when necessary. I adored every moment they shared together.
Overall: I had a wonderful time reading How to Find Love in the Cereal Aisle. It won me over with its warmth, wit, and charm, and I was wholly entertained from beginning to end.
*ARCS PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER
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