Give Me Butterflies

Give Me Butterflies by Jillian Meadows came out in 2023 and promised to be a STEM-tastic romance featuring tropes such as enemies-to-lovers, grumpy x sunshine, workplace romance, and he falls first. It currently has a 4.02 out of 5 on Goodreads, so I was excited when I found it through the Libby app.

I hate to say this, but I hated this book!

It was billed as the perfect read for fans of Ali Hazelwood (whom I love), and I love a good enemies-to-lovers storyline. But at the 9% mark, they stopped being enemies. Where was my banter and bickering? Where was the sexual tension? She hits his car while wearing a short skirt, and then he decides they will be besties if not more.

Like, what!?

Our MMC, Finn Ashford, is an astronomer at the same museum where our FMC, Millie Oaks, works as an entomologist. He’s given her nothing but derision and snarky sarcasm until…? I read the book, and I don’t understand it!

It’s an alternating first-person POV between him and her. Millie is an idiot; I literally wonder how she breathes. Meanwhile, he’s a perv. Every one of his chapters is dominated by his lust for Millie. Even when his nieces are with him.

Oh, yeah, he’s the single guardian to his orphaned nieces, and he brings Millie around and uses them to manipulate her into a blurred line type of relationship.

At the best of times, Give Me Butterflies feels like a cash grab knock-off of better writing, but throughout most of it, it’s just cringey. 1/5 Stars