Not over you, Actually by Heidi Stephens (Netgalley ARC Review) - A Cozy second chance romance to warm your heart🚞💓💫
Rating: 3/5⭐
✨ A Soft Glimpse
A heartfelt second-chance romance about two divorced people rediscovering love, healing, and themselves during a trip that changes everything they thought they knew about each other.
🌸 My thoughts…
This was not only my first book from this author, but also my first time reading a romance centered around two divorced people in their 50s finding their way back to each other.
And honestly? This book completely surprised me.
When I first read the blurb, something about it instantly pulled me in. A divorced couple going on the honeymoon trip they was never their honeymoon trip. while accidentally rediscovering their relationship? Yeah… I needed to read that immediately.
What I didn’t expect though was how funny this book would be.
The drama in the first few chapters had me genuinely cackling. It honestly felt like I was watching a cozy romcom movie unfold in front of me. The humor felt natural, the awkwardness was entertaining, and the friendship dynamics throughout the trip made everything feel even more wholesome and alive.
💞 What Made Me Swoon
Kate and Hugh felt real to me.
Not perfect. Not overly romanticized. Just… real.
Their struggles, their fallout, the years of miscommunication, and eventually their reconciliation—it all felt emotional in a way that was believable.
Hugh especially surprised me.
It was painfully obvious that this man never stopped loving Kate, even after their divorce. The way he struggled to find the same connection with anyone else after her said everything without needing to say much at all.
And during the trip?
That love was practically spilling out of him in every possible way.
The way he constantly supported her opinions, the way he quietly reassured her during moments of doubt, the way he kept finding excuses just to spend more time with her… it was honestly adorable to witness.
This man was out there brainstorming plans and activities every five seconds just so he could stay close to her.
And the yearning??
Oh, it was there.
You could feel how badly he still wanted her while trying not to openly cross boundaries, and somehow that made everything even more emotional.
Kate, on the other hand, had such a beautiful character journey throughout the book. Watching her slowly rediscover herself during the trip felt empowering in such a quiet way. There was such a noticeable difference between the woman she was at the beginning versus the woman she became by the end.
I also really admired the way both Kate and Hugh handled parenting despite their divorce. They never made their children feel pressured to choose sides, and that emotional maturity honestly stood out to me so much.
And seeing Kate genuinely acknowledge Hugh’s growth and transformation—being proud of how far he had come instead of holding onto resentment—made their reconciliation feel even more meaningful.
💔 What Stayed With Me
This book really made me think about how love alone sometimes isn’t enough if people stop truly seeing each other.
Kate and Hugh loved each other deeply… but somewhere along the way, he forgot how to show it.
And I think that emotional realism is what made their story stand out.
🌙 A Small Wish
That said, I did find myself wondering:
Would Hugh have truly changed if the divorce never happened? Would he have realized where he went wrong if Kate hadn’t finally walked away?
There was also quite a lot of miscommunication throughout the story. At times, it almost felt like they were deeply in love while simultaneously feeling emotionally distant from each other, which slightly disconnected me from the story emotionally.
I also wished we had gotten more of Hugh’s perspective. Even though the book is written in third person, it still felt heavily centered around Kate’s POV, and I would have loved more insight into what was happening inside Hugh’s mind.
And honestly? A few flashback scenes would have made this story even stronger for me. Little glimpses of how they first met, moments from their marriage, or snippets of happier times together would have made Hugh’s transformation and their emotional connection hit even harder.
🌷 Final Page
Overall, this was such a heartfelt, cozy, and unexpectedly emotional second-chance romance.
Funny, tender, realistic, and filled with quiet moments of love that linger long after the last page.
Definitely a good read—and one I’d absolutely recommend if you’re looking for a mature romance about finding your way back to the person who still feels like home.
🩷Second chance romance
🩷Small town setting
🩷he falls first and harder
🩷The one that Got away
🩷emotional growth/self-discovery
🩷Forced Proximity
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