By: Amy Ewing
Many thanks to The Author Agency for the ARC of this book!
Eloise struggles with anxiety and prefers the company of senior dogs to humans. Social situations especially make her anxious. She has one best friend, Rachel, who is getting married in Mexico City and Eloise needs to have to date. Rachel tells her about an exclusive Plus One list. Eloise meets Augustin through this list. He’s got family in Mexico City and he really wants to go to the wedding – he’s a journalist who needs a quote from a guest at the wedding. Augustin and Eloise meet and spend time together. They travel together to Mexico City and he shows her around. Around him, her anxiety is better. He’s become her anchor. But then she finds out that he lied to her, and for her, that’s unforgiveable.
This is a very slow burn romance, and while those aren’t usually my favorite, it worked perfectly here because of who Eloise is. Yes, Augustin wanted to go to the wedding to get a quote for an article he was writing. But who Augustin is really won me over. Eloise struggles badly with anxiety. For her to rush into anything wouldn’t make sense for the character. Augustin was the perfect fit for her because he was patient, kind, and understanding. He never made her feel less than, or like her anxiety was too much. He was a constant and he seemed to be able to figure out what Eloise needed pretty quickly. On top of that, he was sincere.
I absolutely loved the way the author portrayed Eloise’s anxiety. It felt so real, so honest. I struggle with anxiety myself, just in a different way. The emotions and body responses that Eloise felt were spot on. I don’t know if the author themselves has anxiety or conducted research for this, either way, I applaud them for making sure to get it right.
I also really loved Rachel. She was supportive of Eloise and accepted her exactly how she was. The dogs.. oh the dogs.. they were wonderful in this book and I really loved that Eloise was adopting/fostering senior dogs instead of younger ones.
Overall, an excellent read!
Publish Date: October 20, 2026
Find the book here.
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