Okay, I really loved this book and the series as a whole, but there are a couple of things that prevented it from being five stars:1.) Riley's backstory involves something so heinous and awful that even with the proper romance story ending I still felt unfulfilled. Jeremy and his Lithuanian whore really needed to meet retribution. The reader NEEDS fiction to bring justice because we don't get that in real life. Fuck Jeremy and Lithuanian Slut getting their happy ending. And the fact that part of Riley's epiphany and catharsis is putting partial responsibility on herself kind of aggravates me. I appreciate introspection when the breakup was for any other reason, but when your fiancé has been fucking the dog-walker all over the apartment (including the table Riley ATE off of) and then takes the apartment, somehow manage to get all their mutual friends and coworkers on HIS side, can't show any propriety, doesn't give any proper apology, and then tries to TAKE THE DOG, fuck that. Riley doesn't get to shoulder any of the responsibility. Ugh, it's been weeks since I finished the book, but it still pisses me off.
2.) The fact that Riley came out of nowhere to get her own book. Nothing was foreshadowed in the first book. And when you already have a character embarking on her own romantic journey, you want to see that. Not relegated into the background while a brand-new character gets the book. And when the previous character and her SO are the only two racial minority characters, it starts going into the territory of unfortunate implications. So is the fact that Kauffman did it again with the next book.
Those two details aside, I really enjoyed the romantic journey. Quinn and Riley were fully fleshed out characters in a genre where the two romantic leads tend to be flat. Their progression seemed very natural and nothing seemed forced or overly coincidental.
I continue to really enjoy the cupcakes, the recipes, and the camaraderie within the Club. I loved Brutus, but I always have a soft spot for dogs, real and fictional. Only thing, it was really weird at the very end where we get the dog's POV. That was just...odd.
