Love Me Like You Do by Aimee Brown Book Review
Updated: Jan 19
Love Me Like You Do
by Aimee Brown
Published by Aria
A runaway bride. A handsome stranger. Two pasts to put behind them.
Parker is ready to marry the man of her dreams. But he isn't ready to marry her. It would be helpful if he didn't choose their wedding day to tell her this. But as she flees from the travesty behind her, she literally runs into the arms of a handsome stranger. The southern drawl, the dreamy eyes, she can't fall for another man after being left at the altar – can she?
When Liam agreed to go to go on a date he didn't expect to leave with the bride. Nor did he expect to take her the emergency room. Immediately he's drawn to her fiery spirit, her kind heart and beautiful smile. Liam's got a whole host of problems and a past that keeps coming back, now can't be the time to fall in love, but Parker might just be the one to break down his barriers and let him live a little – if she'll let him in.
Will these two strangers allow serendipity to put them together, or will their fears keep them apart?
From the bestselling author of The Lucky Dress comes a story about love, finding yourself and living your dreams.
RATED: 14+ CATEGORY: MOOD:
Foul language #ContemporaryRomance Happy Ending
Entertaining
I would like to thank #Aria for providing me an #ARC of #LoveMeLikeYouDo by #AimeeBrown via #NetGalley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Love Me Like You Do by Aimee Brown is a standalone contemporary romance novel, BUT does star a character from one of her past books, The Lucky Dress. I want to make clear though, that it is a standalone story. I didn't read The Lucky Dress, and I didn't need to to understand this story. From what I can gather, there is very little, to no reference to The Lucky Dress. Love Me Like You Do starts on the worst day of Parker's life, when she is literally running away from her wedding after her fiancée dumps her. Then BAM! She runs into Liam, a sexy, southern, new bar owning man who isn't having the best day himself. A horrible blind date, a brokenhearted, angry bride, and a trip to the emergency room leads to two romantically damaged people to befriend each other ... and fall in love.
I have to admit, this is the first ARC that I have read in a while that I truly enjoyed. I didn't feel forced to finish it. The plot wasn't overly original, but the writing was good, it had me literally laughing out loud, and smiling, and the characters were likable. This romance was very innocent to what I usually prefer (which I know now is Aimee Brown's preference), but I didn't mind overall. I was invested in Parker and Liam's story, and I didn't need the physical intimacy to tell me they were into each other. The people in each of their lives were equally entertaining, and I didn't feel bored when Liam and Parker were not together, which, I find happens more often then not in a lot of books. My only issue is that I felt the last third of the book was kind of rushed.
I really liked Parker. She's feisty and sweet, and adorable in a way that isn't annoying. Her obvious love for her family is endearing, and even when she was pushing Liam away, I totally got it. I wasn't annoyed by it. She was left at the alter. I think it's fair that she has some trouble letting herself fall in love again. Liam is a total sweetheart. Strong, smart, and he goes for what he wants. Totally swoon-worthy material. The side characters were just as interesting! Liam's estranged father, wanting to get to know his son before dying, and introduce him to his teenage daughter was an interesting arc. Liam with a little sister is all kinds of adorable. Parker's family was even more interesting. Her dynamic with her nieces is adorable. I enjoyed that Aimee Brown didn't shy away from the harsh reality of having a sick mother (schizophrenia, with onset dementia). As society gets more accepting of those with mental illness, there is still sadly a stigma to it. Aimee gets points with me for not only mentioning that when Parker was younger, she suffered from anxiety and needed to be medicated, but to write a character with schizophrenia.
Love Me Like You Do is a cute, often humorous, little romance. It's not just two people falling in love. It's a little sliver in life, showing that it's not all rainbows and gumdrops, yet despite the reality of broken hearts and disappointment, one can overcome that, and open their heart to something truly beautiful. If you prefer "closed door" romance, with a bit of a soulmate feel to it, you will love this book.
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#jilted #runawaybride #beta #friendstolovers #distress