If We Could Go Back

This book should be in the dictionary as the definition of “guilty pleasure.” So many tropes I hate but were utterly irresistible here: cheating, Gay-For-You, adorable kids, all wrapped up in so much DRAMA. And Cara Dee makes it work in a can't-put-it-down, Jon-Stewart-eating-popcorn-GIF sort of way.

I don't know how she does it, but she made me root for Bennett (don't call me Ben) and Kieran despite the cheating, she made me believe Bennett was crazy hot for his new BFF despite never being attracted to another man before, and she even made me care about the happiness of the adorable moppets. Despite the morality of it, there's just something about the angst of two people who desperately want to be together but can't because of the hurt it would cause others that is terribly romantic, and Dee milks that for all it's worth. And although the writing is sometimes rough, there's a good balance of humor and heat, and despite the infidelity she makes it clear that both MCs want to do the right thing, especially for their kiddos. I'm not sure she's a strong enough writer for all types of plots, but this one was perfect for her style. A guilty pleasure that I'm sure I will re-read.