Title: Checking You Out
Author: Ann Whynot & SmartyPants Romance
Series: Green Valley Library #4
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Christmas, Contemporary, Contemporary romance
Pace: Medium
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2022
Meeting Norman and getting hints of Lois in Dewey Belong Together meant that I was incredibly excited when I started reading Checking You Out. I love how their whole story is interconnected with Max and Jonathan, but they also have their own start. They meet online, create a relationship, and then Lois gets a Dear Jane letter to completely break her heart. As with most second chance romances, on the surface, the initial break up / misunderstanding seems incredibly harsh, and I still question Norman a little. But, ultimately, they are a gorgeous couple and I really enjoyed reading this story!
Not only do Lois and Norman reconnect through kismet and their mutual connections, but I love how Max, Jonathan, Lois and Norman manage to make a pretty unstoppable foursome. They are wonderfully suited to each other as a group. And the fact that this all takes place around Christmas just makes it all that much better. I love that they manage to celebrate together, and make the festive season particularly special for Agoraphobic Rose, and Lois (who is missing her daughter a whole lot). The romance between the two leads might be the main driver of this story, but the building of the community between the four of them is all that much more special to my mind.
With all of the space between Norman and Lois’ first and second chance, there is obviously going to be a whole lot of other history. I love how realistic Whynot is about Lois’ feelings towards her ex husband. Rather than it just being about him realising that he’s gay and being true to himself, she has a whole mess of other feelings. Feelings of abandonment, rejection and betrayal all due to the ways in which he goes about it. I love that towards the end, when she finally confronts him for some of his less than stellar behaviour, she highlights that it’s actually not about him coming out – it’s about the way in which he chose to go about it. Her ex made a choice, and there are consequences to it.
I love when romance authors deal with chronic conditions which have an impact on someone’s everyday experiences and lives. In the case of Checking You Out, Whynot is able to emphasise the ways in which chronic pain can have a daily impact. The risks (and often experiences) of substance abuse to deal with the pain. And then the multitude of ways in which to live with such a condition. The fact that a chronic condition can change your daily experiences and impact every decision you make. The realism is wonderful and I seriously enjoyed taking this walk in someone else’s shoes.
Earth and Skye 