Greetings from With Love, From Cold World

This book caught me off guard. There I was, dissociating in the Target checkout line when I spotted the title-“With Love from Cold World.” It immediately brought to mind one of my favorite novels, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, and before I could think twice, it was in my cart. 

An exorbitant amount of dollars and a budgeting lecture later, my prize was stacked alongside the other lost souls of my to-read pile. Hi, my name is Micha, and I’m an Audible addict. Actually, I’m all about that Libby lately. Free audiobooks. No complaints here. Well, I do have one teensy, tiny complaint- the wait. 

I am not a patient person. I’m a full-blown, red-blooded American millennial- from instant gratification to participation trophies- I want it all, and I want it now. Which typically isn’t an issue given that I’m not on booktok. I don’t follow the top 100 lists. I just go off of items I stumble across on Goodreads. In fact, I’ve been working my way through a series I started in college (maybe even high school), so I’d been lulled into a false sense of avail-security. But now that I’ve finished With Love I’m desperate to read more by Alicia Thompson, and I’m not the only one. I’ll just be here, twiddling my thumbs, counting the minutes until her next audiobook is available…

All this to say, I’ve been on an audiobook kick for the last two years, so buying a hardcopy book wasn’t practical. I was almost nervous to open it for fear that I’d get a few pages in, hate it, and realize I’d wasted my money. But I needed a palette cleanser in between Bridgerton binging and series cleanup, so I figured why not and grabbed the first paperback on the stack. 

With that first line, “Lauren Fox had the most boring job at the coolest place,” I was in. Our heroine, Lauren, is a lover of spreadsheets and hater of feelings. She’s the cool, calm, and collected bookkeeper for the kitchiest place in Central Florida. Aside from a closet full of cardigans, she’s got little else to her name. But that’s the way she likes it. Well, like might be a strong word. For Lauren, it’s just the way things are. 

Then there’s Asa Williamson- king of Cold World. Beloved by all, with an easy grin, colorful hair, and banter to spare. He unsettles Lauren, and when their eccentric boss unintentionally pits them against each other, tempers rise, and sparks fly. 

I expected a palette cleanser. An aperitif. A book to be picked up and put down throughout the month as I found time after toddler bedtime or during my work lunch break. Instead, I read until my vision blurred. I read ahead to the smut scenes. Went back and reread the build-up. Rejoiced in the delicious tension between our laid-back guy, who isn’t as happy-go-lucky as he seems, and our uptight girl whose chipped shoulder is ready for a big ol’ love bandaid. 

While many romance novels heavily rely on audacious circumstances or overplayed tropes, Lauren and Asa felt real. Their problems made sense, their stories tracked, and their world was believable- even if they spent a good amount of time in a life-size snow globe. There was something refreshing in the mundanity of the plot. Like, instead of readers, we were peeping Toms catching a glimpse of two everyday people as they fell in love.  

(I would just like to clarify that overplayed doesn’t mean bad. I’ll never turn down a fake dating scenario.)
Not quite enemies to lovers. Definitely not friends. A workplace romance without the hangups. I even flagged some paragraphs to read aloud to my husband since they mirrored his childhood trauma! Fun for the whole family! 

P.S. Can I just say- I’m back, baby! Rising like a phoenix from the ashes. Plenty more schemes and things up my sleeve and 12 books to go in my 2023 reading challenge.

P.P.S. Anyone else get the urge to re-read their favorites after loving something else? BRB, rereading The Coldest Girl in Coldtown.

P.P.P.S. I know I use the “Hello, my name is Micha” line in every review. I am who I am!

Overall rating: A++

I have to admit: Christmas came early

Clock: Toe tingles and butterflies in my stomach

Did I?: Text the hubs saying he needed an arm tattoo? Maybe…

Up Next: Another Bridgerton *le sigh*