Goodreads: A Not So Meet Cute
Published: 02 November 2021
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Panda Rating:

_{(3.5 pandas)}

How did you two meet?
The quintessential question asked to every couple. And the answer is usually some bubbly, lovey dovey tale of being struck in the bum by Cupid’s arrow.

My meet cute (well not so meet cute) is slightly different. I was trolling a wealthy neighborhood in Beverly Hills, searching for someone to take me as their bride, you know, to make my arch nemesis jealous who consequently just fired me. He was stomping around the block like some sort of gorgeous ogre, mumbling about a business deal gone wrong and attempting to finagle his way out of it.

And that’s when we bumped into each other.
There were no sparks.
Not even a hint of blossoming love.

But next thing I knew, I was scarfing down free chips and guac, listening to this man lay out all of his problems which led to his big ask . . . he wanted me to be his Vivian Ward, you know, from Pretty Woman–minus the frisky behavior.
We’re talking about living in a mansion, intimate double dates, and pretending we were head over heels in love . . . and engaged. Can you imagine?
The absolute audacity.
But people do crazy things when they’re desperate. And I reeked of desperation. So, I struck up a deal.
My one big mistake, though . . . big . . . HUGE? I accidentally fell for the incomparable Huxley Cane.

TL;DR: I got exactly what I wanted with A Not So Meet Cute—a slightly cheesy, sometimes OTT romantic comedy with lots of cheeky banter, sizzling chemistry between our H/h and all the steamy moments! Overall, this was an entertaining rom-com that maybe started off on the not-so-cute side for me but ended up getting to that entertaining place that Meghan Quinn always brings us to with her romances.

It’s been a while since I read something by Meghan Quinn and I forgot how enjoyable her books were. Was this a little OTT? Maybe. I mean, the heroine’s grand plan after getting fired by a toxic “best friend” is to roam the streets of an affluent suburb in LA to find a rich husband… Even though I had to suspend my disbelief a little, I ended up having a pretty fun time with Lottie and Hux!

Their not so meet-cute was definitely memorable, their banter was snarky and antagonistic until they turned that corner from hate to lust, and then their interactions became heated with repressed sexual tension, and when they finally confront their attraction, their chemistry was explosive. I mean, talk about steamy—Meghan Quinn almost set my Kindle on fire with some of these scenes! 👀

I have to admit that Lottie was not my favourite heroine although she did have her moments. She started off quite self-centred and I’m ngl, pretty irritating. There were times I felt her character was also a bit exaggerated (OTT) in her mannerisms, but she did improve as the book went on and once I got on board with her character I found myself laughing out loud with her a few times. It’s fitting then that I also found Huxley a little intense, in a not-so-great way, at the start. He’s a pretty stereotypical grumpy alpha that hides his easy-going demeanour from the heroine and is gruff with only her because he doesn’t want to fall for her, but he did say/do some things to Lottie that had me cringing. With a bit of a rocky start with these two, I have to say that Quinn really managed to turn the barbed sarcastic banter between enemies into a great enemies-to-lovers in a fake-relationship romance in a believable way!

It took a while for Hux to finally let his guard down and for him to not act like a total douche, especially to Lottie, but once he decided he was all in, he was incredibly sweet and charming. He’s one of those rich alphas that love to spoil their women by doing insane things like getting his private jet to fly her to a Fleetwood Mac concert or to grab a bit from this one place in another state because you know, she wanted a burger. 🤷🏻‍♀️ We’re here for it, I guess!

There were also some great side characters in the form of the H/h’s siblings and I hope that we get their stories too cos I’d love to see them get their HEA’s and of course, to revisit Lottie and Hux in the future!

Have you read A Not So Meet Cute or is it on your TBR?

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