Book: Hard Feelings by Jennifer Millikin
Reviewed by Maggie Hayes
Rating: 4.5/5
ARC REVIEW
Hard Feelings by @jenmillwrites
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½ (4.5/5)
Cecily and Dominic are set up on a date through their mutual client (she’s in PR, he’s in publishing)—who also happens to be his cousin and her BFF’s fiancé. Their chemistry-charged first date is promptly derailed by an overheard misunderstanding, leading to months of mutual loathing.
When they’re reunited in Vegas for the first time, a few too many tequila shots result in Cecily and Dom getting married. Plans for a quick annulment immediately go off the rails when the newlyweds find themselves on an Arizona road trip with Cecily’s estranged family. Truly impeccable chaos.
I don’t know how I’ve been sleeping on Jennifer Milliken, because I absolutely adored this book. Road trips are already objectively awesome, but I was pleasantly surprised by how funny, heartfelt, and genuinely sexy this story turned out to be.
Cecily and Dom are both sharp and witty, which made their banter top-tier. They felt like such a natural pairing, slipping into an easy rhythm once they hit the road. I especially loved that even when they were (supposedly) enemies, Dom was still quietly prepared to emotionally support Cecily as she navigated time with her estranged family. We love a man who shows up.
What really stood out to me, though, were the family dynamics. I wasn’t just rooting for Cecily and Dom to work through their mess—I was rooting hard for Cecily’s family, too. The forced proximity of the road trip lets us see past what could’ve been one-note characters: the disapproving father, the try-hard older brother, the flighty youngest sister. And Savage Grandma? An icon. She will live rent-free in my mind forever.
I will absolutely be reading more of Milliken in the future.
Huge thanks to @valentine_pr_ for providing an ARC!
For fans of:
🚗 Road Trip Romance | 🔁 Second Chance Romance | 💍 Las Vegas Wedding | 😤 Loathe to Love | 🏠 Forced Proximity | 🛏️ Only One Bed | 🚫💔 No Third Act Breakup | 💘 He Falls First
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