When I picked up The Cherry Blossom Boathouse, my very first thought was: “WOAH, she is moving across the world for a broken down boathouse?!” followed immediately by “HOW?!”; but once I understood her heartbreak, it all clicked. She had nothing to lose. And honestly? That’s one of the most compelling ways to start a love story because it kept all of my attention.
This one is definitely for the romance reader who loves small-town love stories that have a double rainbow ending. One of my favorites that this read reminds me of is Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score for the sheer Grumpy x Sunshine feel to it.
One small warning: It is important to note the author is British and seems to write from that perspective into what is suppose to seem like an all-American small town, so the English may be different than what you are used to.
Note: *This review is spoiler-free. I’ll talk about the tropes, pacing, characters, romance, and overall reading experience without giving away major plot twists.*
A SnapShot of This Book
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Title | The Cherry Blossom Boathouse |
| Author | Laura Bloom |
| Genre | Romance |
| Format Read | ARC / Audiobook |
| Rating | 5/5 stars |
| Spice Level | Medium |
| Tropes | Grumpy x Sunshine, Enemies to Lovers, Small Town, Renovation Romance |
| POV | Dual |
| Ending | Series [Solace Springs] |
| Best For | Readers who love the small town feel, similar to The Gilmore Girls, if I could describe it. The feel good vibes at the ending are what is the best takeaway as well as the peek into the next book. |
| Content Notes | There is some content that mentions abandonment in this story, so if you are sensitive to that, please be aware before reading. |
What Its All About
The tension between Luke Rhodes and Sophie Bennet in the early chapters is so real. He is fiercely protective of his small town Solace Springs and terrified of gentrification changing the town forever. She’s come from across the pond with modernist plans in tow to change her boathouse into something new. On paper, they should not work out because well, in comes the enemies to lovers trope. But somewhere along the way..ahem..a quiet boat ride across the lake, something shifts. He begins to see her differently, and she begins to see the beauty in charm over modernism. It is a lovely contrast: two people finding beauty in completely different things, slowly learning to see the world through each other’s eyes.
What Worked
The writing was genuinely vivid because Ms. Bloom has a gift for painting with her words. From the renovation of Sophie’s boathouse to their impromptu romantic date, I could see it in my head as if it were a movie. The pacing of the story was also a huge part of how I was able to get through it given my ADHD. It is a quick flowing read that never gave me a reason to put it down.
The ending was truly lovely and the central relationship despite its rocky start and his commitment issues genuinely blew me away by the time is all came together in the end.
A Few Small Notes
I did find the boat invitation to come a little quickly because it felt slightly rushed given how at odds the two characters had been. I also noticed a few moments where American characters used phrasing that felt very British, which pulled me out of the story a bit as an American reader.
My Final Thoughts on The Cherry Blossom Boathouse
if you’re looking for a charming atmospheric romance that reads quickly and leaves you with a full heart this one will definitely deliver. It’s a great pick for fans of cozy, setting some slow burn tension and stories about finding unexpected beauty and unexpected places even if they’re extremely far away. The ending is definitely a way to tell that. If you love picking books based on your current mood, check out my guide to mood reading romance books for more recommendations like this one.
Thank you so much to Ms. Laura Bloom and the publisher, Dell, an imprint of Penguin Random House for providing this arc and exchange for my honest review.
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