Book Review: Zoey and the Nice Guy by Carter Ashby

Media Type: Ebook 

For Zoey Odell, the definition of family is her two best friends, Maya and Addy. So when Maya makes the decision to leave her abusive husband, Zoey is only too happy to lavish her with support and a temporary home. Unfortunately, taking in her best friend also means seeing more of that no good do-gooder, Kellen Bradley. 
For Kellen, the definition of family has just been shattered. After finding out that his brother is an abusive monster, he can’t help but question himself and his parents. The one thing he knows for certain is that he’ll do anything to take care of his sister-in-law and her children. For them, he would walk into gunfire, pass through the flames of hell…even go head-to-head with Zoey Odell. 
Zoey has no intention of letting him in, but Kellen is done taking her crap. Life has just gotten real and he’s more than ready to shed his nice-guy image. When he finally stands up to her, Zoey starts seeing him in a new light. As the attraction turns mutual, she finds it more and more difficult to hide behind her carefully formed walls. And Kellen is finding himself more and more driven to tear those walls down.

As you can tell from the synopsis the book focuses on some serious topics, but Zoey’s constant sarcasm and wit keep the story light and funny. I love stories that focus on relationships outside of a “typical” family and the bond between Maya, Addy and Zoey really made this a great read for me. I’ve known most of my current friends since high school (or before) and those life long friendships can be just as complicated as a  romantic relationship sometimes.

The chemistry between Kellan and Zoey was hot, hot, hot. The back and forth banter isn’t for everyone, but I absolutely loved it. There was so much passion and stubbornness in Zoey’s character that Kellan had to hold his ground with her or risk being walked all over. I like the growth that both characters experience, and the insights into their childhood give context to their current behaviors. Everyone has some growing up to do.

All in all this was a solid, quick read that I enjoyed a lot. Highly recommended.

FTC Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was not monetarily compensated for my opinion.