{"id":71499,"date":"2023-08-21T08:00:34","date_gmt":"2023-08-21T12:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=71499"},"modified":"2024-04-11T03:56:46","modified_gmt":"2024-04-11T07:56:46","slug":"release-arc-review-the-problem-with-perfect-cedar-point-3-by-jillian-liota","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=71499","title":{"rendered":"Release & ARC Review: The Problem with Perfect (Cedar Point, #3) by Jillian Liota"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The Problem with Perfect by Jillian Liota is live!<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The fourth book (third full length) in the Cedar Point<\/i> series, I was so excited to be back into this world with a read that is chock-full of some of my favourite tropes \u2013 a brother\u2019s best friend, fake relationship, age gap romance with all the feels, this is a really sweet read.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Amazon<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n

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\r\n <\/div><\/div><\/strong><\/h4>\n
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Blurb<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Bellamy Mitchell is a meticulous planner. When her old flame returns to Cedar Point engaged, blowing apart her vision for the future, she claims to have a serious boyfriend. The problem? The first single guy she can think of is her brother\u2019s much older, closed-off best friend.<\/p>\n

Rusty Fuller likes to keep people at a distance. He\u2019s been through enough to know that letting anyone too close is a mistake, unless it\u2019s only for a little fun. What he definitely doesn\u2019t need is his best friend\u2019s little sister turning him into anyone\u2019s boyfriend, especially her own.<\/p>\n

For some reason, helping Bellamy is a challenge Rusty can\u2019t refuse, and he develops a reluctant soft spot for the woman beloved by everyone in town. She\u2019s too young, too innocent, but also too hard to resist. So he promises himself this fake dating gig is just that: fake.<\/p>\n

When Rusty and Bellamy find more in each other than either of them expected, they\u2019re faced with a difficult question. Is what they share too flawed to be real? Or did they stumble upon their own kind of perfect?<\/p>\n

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Add to Goodreads<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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Review<\/b><\/h4>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the problem with perfect \u2013 it doesn\u2019t leave room for something real.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

4 stars!<\/strong><\/p>\n

The fourth book (third full length) in the Cedar Point<\/i> series, I was so excited to be back into this world with a read that is chock-full of some of my favourite tropes \u2013 a brother\u2019s best friend, fake relationship, age gap romance with all the feels, this is a really sweet read.<\/p>\n

Bellamy Mitchell is the younger sister of Boyd and Briar who have already had their stories told in the first two books of the series. Rusty Fuller is the older brother of Abby, who is the heroine from the novella The Start of Someday<\/a>. So we\u2019ve met these two before, and there is some crossover of characters from previous books, but you could easily read this one as a standalone.<\/p>\n

Bellamy is devastated when Connor, the boy she\u2019s loved for as long as she can remember, returns home for the summer with a brand new fianc\u00e9e. The last time he was in town, they spent a lot of time together and hooked up before he went back to school, and she was hopeful that they would rekindle their connection and finally have a chance at a happily ever after. But her dreams are instantly shattered. When he calls her out on her crush, she needs to save face, so she tells him she\u2019s involved with somebody else, and randomly chooses the man sitting right next to them \u2013 her older brother\u2019s best friend, Rusty.<\/p>\n

Rusty is ten years older than Bellamy, and where she is all brightness and sunshine, he is closed off and a bit of a grump. He has his reasons for keeping himself private, and doesn\u2019t engage much with others, other than to hook up with random strangers that pass through town, avoiding relationships or forming an actual connection with somebody. Bellamy gives him the shock of his life when she declares him her boyfriend, but he\u2019s not a fan of Connor so he agrees to help her out.<\/p>\n

It’s a great set up, and I loved watching the dynamic between these two shift and change. Though they\u2019ve known each other for most of their lives, they\u2019ve never really been close friends or felt any kind of attraction to each other, they\u2019ve just existed in each other\u2019s lives. So they really are starting from nothing, which means we get to watch it all grow from the beginning, and fake becomes \u2018not so fake\u2019 very quickly.<\/p>\n

We might both need some time to cool down a bit and remind ourselves that this thing is supposed to be fake.
\nIt\u2019s fake for her, at least. For me, it\u2019s been borderline real since the night she yanked me across the bar and planted a kiss on my lips. <\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Their feelings for each other come as a big surprise to both of them, and though they start to fall, they just write it off as a side-effect of all of the public PDA. But the chemistry builds, and I particularly loved watching Rusty fall so damn hard.<\/p>\n

I keep telling myself I need to work on keeping a boundary so nothing happens between us, but that ship has sailed. It has sailed and crashed into a rock and sunk to the bottom of the ocean.
\nI\u2019m falling for Bellamy Mitchell, and I don\u2019t know how to stop it.
\nAnd the truth is\u2026I\u2019m not sure I want to.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I loved the relationship between these two. There\u2019s an honesty there that is really special, and they grow a lot together. I wish we could have seen a bit more one-on-one with them, to really feel the emotional build-up, but I did love watching them come together.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is real,\u201d she whispers. \u201cI know it is, and so do you.\u201d
\nShe kisses me, and I\u2019m lost in her.
\nNo \u2013 I\u2019m found in her. <\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I loved Bellamy. She\u2019s real and relatable, and she bravely puts herself out there, giving Rusty the push he needs, holding nothing back and embracing everything that is happening between them. It\u2019s more of a challenge for Rusty, who has a slow awakening throughout the story. He\u2019s been through a lot in his life. He\u2019s lost so much and had to turn his life around, and he has a lot of soul searching to do when it comes to Bellamy and her potential place in his life. They have a 10+ year age gap, she\u2019s inexperienced with all things love and sex, and he knows he hasn\u2019t been living his best life. He\u2019s the town \u201cgrump\u201d, and he\u2019s suddenly with the beloved golden girl, and I loved watching it change him, seeing how he reacts to having something so good in his life. He has a lot to wrestle with to come to terms with it all, which brings inevitable drama, but his journey is really well written. My heart hurt for them both, but I loved watching him figure it all out.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s real for me \u2026 \u201cIt\u2019s the most real thing I\u2019ve ever known, loving you.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t imagine living in a world where I had you and chose to let you go.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I enjoyed seeing glimpses of the couples from previous books, and loved the introduction of new characters who brought a lot to the story; and Rusty and Bellamy\u2019s romance has a beautifully happy ending that left me smiling.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a swoony love story, and while I would have loved to see just a little bit more of it, I did love this one.<\/p>\n

4 stars.<\/p>\n

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.<\/i><\/p>\n

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Cedar Point<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\"\u00a0\u00a0\"\" \u00a0\"\" \u00a0\"\" \u00a0\"\" \u00a0\"\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Trouble With Wanting (#1) <\/strong>(Boyd & Ruby)
\n<\/strong>Review<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

The Opposite of Falling (#2) <\/strong>(Andy & Briar)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

The Start of Someday (#2.5) <\/strong>(Jackson & Abby)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

The Problem with Perfect (#3)<\/strong> (Rusty & Bellamy)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

The Echo of Regret (#4)<\/strong> (Bishop & Gabi)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

The Downside to Forever (#5) <\/strong>(Reid & Busy)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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About the Author<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u00a0\"\"Jillian Liota is a Southern California native currently living in Suwanee, Georgia. She is married to her best friend, has a three-legged pup with endless energy, and acts as a servant to a very temperamental cat.<\/p>\n

Jillian writes contemporary and new adult romance, and has had her writing praised for depth of character, strong female friendships, deliciously steamy scenes, and positive portrayal of mental health.<\/p>\n

Website<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Goodreads\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Amazon\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Facebook<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Facebook Group<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0 Instagram<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 TikTok\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Bookbub\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Newsletter\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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