Book Review: Things We Never Got Over (Lucy Score).

Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score is a contemporary romance book. It is the first book of the Knockemout series but can be read as a standalone. I had this book on my reading list for a couple of years now because it sounded very promising. I finally read it, and I was not at all disappointed by the book. The story follows Naomi, who runs away from her wedding to rescue her twin sister and ends up in Knockemout, Virginia. She finds her sister gone; she is left as the caretaker of a niece, she didn’t know she had. In all of this, she meets Knox, a grumpy stranger who ends up being her neighbor.

The story begins with Naomi arriving in the town of Knockemout. Immediately she realizes that something is not right when she is given a cold shoulder. Her twin sister is infamous in the town because of her behavior, she was always the troublemaker growing up. Knox walks in and mistakes Naomi for her sister. Naomi thinks he is interesting until he starts yelling at her eventually realizing his mistake, he offers to help. Her sister is in more trouble than Naomi thought, and she has a daughter. Her niece, Waylay is now her responsibility, and Knox Morgan is her neighbour.

Naomi’s whole life is upended in almost a day’s time. Now, she has to ensure Waylay has everything she needs, and she has to stay in Knockemout for the foreseeable future. Know is extremely grumpy in the beginning, he doesn’t want to get involved with anything that is too much work. Yet he does help Naomi as much as possible. There is a clear attraction between them both, but Naomi is adapting to sudden changes in her life, and Knox doesn’t want any complications. The trope of grumpy/sunshine and kind of enemies to lovers is done well in the story.

The story becomes a kind of thriller with someone breaking into Noami’s home. She knows it has something to do with her sister. With Knox and the locals rallying around Naomi and Waylay, they are getting through this. There is a lot of friction between Knox and Naomi because they are attracted to each other but, also annoyed by each other. I enjoyed the push and pull between them, and some almost giving in to this type of moment. Once they give in to their attraction, the story changes gears. I had heard that this book was a spicy romance. It is a spicy romance, but I do think it was exaggerated. The only thing I did not like too much was the climax. I was a little underwhelmed by it.

The pace of the story doesn’t jump into romance too soon. It gives time for Nami to accept her new responsibilities and for Knox to not think too far ahead. They both have some wounds from the past that are affecting them. Once Knox’s history is revealed, you can somewhat understand where his hesitation for relationships stems from. Naomi is right to not settle for anything less than what she deserves, and even though Knox breaks up easily, she doesn’t run behind him. The way Knox ends things is horrible, and there is no excusing that from her side. I thought that was realistic. I liked the relationship Waylay has with Naomi and even Knox. She is wary of her aunt because she doesn’t know what to accept. I liked how they built trust between them and formed a strong bond.

Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score exceeded my expectations. It had a lot of elements and tropes that I enjoyed. It’s a small-town romance and opposites attract sort of situation. Knox and Naomi definitely have a strong connection, and I liked how their love story developed. The minor characters are interesting and help the story move ahead, and Naomi and Knox as characters, come to a full circle. I loved reading this book. I can’t wait to read the next two books of the series.

*Click on the book cover above to get a copy.