It Figures by Melody Tyden: Book Review

I really leaned into the figure skating trope this winter season, and this book definitely helped me do that! I'll be going through the pros and cons of this book, with no major spoilers ahead. P.S. Thank you Melody Tyden for sending me a copy of this book as well as the sequel in exchange for an honest review!

Pros of It Figures by Melody Tyden:

Second Chance

I'm a sucker for a second chance romance, and this book delivered that trope in the best way. The main pair, Austin and Amelia knew each other years ago and reconnected in the most unexpected of circumstances. The pair doesn't just rekindle everything they once had, but rather they take their time and as a reader you can see the progression of how they have to basically get to know each other all over again; they get their second chance! The first book ended on a promising note, but still leaves a lot up to the imagination, so I think by the end of the second book readers will see what really happens.

Figure Skating

I guess I'm a sucker for a lot of tropes and subjects because this is yet again another thing I like; figure skating. Maybe because I grew up watching Tessa and Scott, (if you aren't familiar with them, they're a Canadian ice dance team and you should definitely watch their Moulin Rouge program if you haven't already...) but romance and figure skating for me just goes hand in hand without a doubt.

Perfect Length

I read the majority of this book in a pedicure chair and on a train through the course of 3 days, for a few reasons; I was hooked and couldn't put down the book, plus it's roughly 240 pages so just enough to read on a little getaway like I did. There are certain books that I feel need more pages than others, for example, Gabriel's Inferno was 550-ish pages and it made complete sense, but if It Figures was any longer than it was, it would have become redundant at a certain point. I love the idea that there's a sequel, also not too long, just to break up the story a bit.

Toronto

This book is mostly based in Toronto, which is great for me because I love when a book is based in my city! It makes me very patriotic to see Toronto represented in a book, let alone something so specific to my taste like a figure skating romance!

Cons of It Figures by Melody Tyden:

Believability

It's pretty obvious from the beginning of the story that Amelia has disguised herself and Austin doesn't recognize her; I had a bit of an issue with that. Of course, people change over the years but there's always some distinct factor about someone that makes them recognizable, especially when you knew them for so long and were so close with them. It was a bit unrealistic to me that Austin claimed to have been so close with her in the past that when they meet again, even with a different look, he doesn't remember the girl he spent so much time with. Maybe it's because of the romantic that I am, but I found myself mentally cursing Austin, going, "YOU KNOW HER THOUGH!!" It's not something that would inhibit me from recommending this book or reading it again, but it's just something to keep in mind.

Have you read It Figures by Melody Tyden? Do you want to? Let's have a conversation!

A presto,

Melissa