Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score was a gift for me at Christmas and I am so grateful I received this book because...wow!
I love books. You readers all know that I'm a bookworm, so it was no surprise when I received some books for Christmas.
One of the books I was gifted was Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score. I started the book on Boxing Day 2023 and finished it a couple of days ago, so it is officially my first book of 2024.
I loved Things We Never Got Over so much that I was trying to put off finishing for as long as I could because I didn't want the story to end. But my TBR (to-be-read) list is so long already, I did finish it.
It is the first book in the Knockemout series by Lucy Score. Recently, it was also announced that a TV series based on the book will be produced, which made me even more excited whilst reading.
And because I loved it so much, I wanted to do a review here on my blog to spread the word about just how amazing a romance book it is.
Review of Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Tropes:
Enemies-to-lovers: 9/10
Found family: 8.5/10
Small-town romance: 9/10
Grumpy/sunshine: 9.5/10
Fake dating: 8.5/10
Overall Rating: 5 Stars
Towards the end of last year, I felt like I was in a bit of a reading slump. However, Things We Never Got Over has most certainly put an end to that. This book was the best way to start 2024 - a year where I'm prioritising myself and trying to be an improved version of me.
Things We Never Got Over follows the story of Naomi Witt and Knox Morgan. Now let me tell you, these two characters are some of my favourite fictional characters that I've read about in a long while.
Knox is Knockemout's resident grumpy barber and bar owner, who everyone knows and respects. Having come into some good fortune, Knox has tried to pay it forward to those he cares about, including his brother, Nash, but he likes to keep himself to himself. He's tattooed, gorgeous, a little possessive (but morally grey is the trend of fictional guys) and all-around charming. He comes across as an insensitive bloke, but in actual fact, he is sweet and pays attention to the little things.
But Knox's solitary life gets disrupted when Naomi comes into town. The brunette runaway bride has come to Knockemout to help her estranged twin sister, Tina. Little did Naomi know that Tina is somewhat of a hated person in town and at first, Knox thinks they're the same person.
But when he sees the differences between the twins, he just can't help himself from trying to help Naomi. With a grumpy barber insistent on being in her life and helping her, Naomi juggles having her perfectly planned life turned upside down, especially when her sister left her an eleven-year-old niece she didn't know she had.
Things We Never Got Over hooked me from the first page because of the sparks between Naomi and Knox. It wasn't an enemies-to-lovers where they pretend to hate each other; in the beginning, they literally hated each other, which made the whole development of their relationship even greater.
Naomi was a character I related to quite a lot - not the runaway bride or unexpected aunt part, but her personality. She's a planner. She writes to-do lists and schedules her weeks, has a tendency to follow the rules and not put a toe out of line. She's also a people pleaser and incredibly selfless. These qualities are very much instilled in me and I loved seeing Naomi transform from a too-selfless woman to someone who learnt to prioritise herself more.
Her transformation as well as Knox's character development, I thought were really good. Lucy wrote them as flawed characters that overcome their weaknesses and face harsh truths, Knox especially, but they also learnt to embrace their flaws, which I think is an important lesson we can all learn.
The side characters of Waylay (the niece), Nash, Lucian, Sloane and the Honky Tonk girls were also well-written. I liked seeing Waylay and Naomi's relationship develop throughout the story, and there was a line in the third-act breakup from Waylay that nearly had me in tears! Also, the characters of Amanda, Lou, Stef, and Liza J (as well as Waylon the dog), were good minor characters because they added to the humorous aspects of the story, but also helped convey the theme of family too.
Nash and Lucian have their own stories (books two and three in the Knockemout series) and I am so excited to read them. I loved both of them for different reasons in Things We Never Got Over and the hints of who their stories will include were great.
Things We Never Got Over is an emotional book (the ending nearly had me in tears as well), heart-warming, swoon-worthy, spicy, and just overall fab. The scenes with Tina and the mystery element of the story really added to the tension and suspense, creating another layer to the plot, making it not only about romance, but also family, crime and secrets.
It was the first book of Lucy's I've ever read and I will be going to read the next book in the series, I guarantee you. I really enjoyed reading Naomi and Knox's story, I think it's a book that has definitely had a lasting effect on me as a reader, but also as a writer. And some of the quotes from it, I love.
If you like contemporary romance novels, you should 100% give Things We Never Got Over a try.
Intrigued?
Check out Things We Never Got Over, book one in the Knockemout series, on Amazon here.
Until next time...