Night Shift by: Annie Crown

Night Shift
Author: Annie Crown
Published: January 2023 (Paperback release November 2023)
Publisher: W by Wattpad Books
Pages: 283

Format: ARC E-Book
Rating: 4.5/5
Summary:

The bookworm and the basketball player are about to meet their match.

Kendall Holiday spends her Friday nights exactly where she wants to be: with her head buried in a spicy romance novel while she works the graveyard shift at her university's library. She knows she could join her friends for a weekend of drunken debauchery and college parties, but she likes her alone time, so she tells herself she isn't hiding when she gets lost in the pages of fictional love stories.

But that all changes when Vincent Knight, captain of the basketball team, turns up with an injured wrist, a sour mood, and a pressing need for poetry recommendations for a class he hates. Vincent is tall, smart-mouthed, and challenges Kendall like no one has before. Suddenly, she's falling headfirst into her very own romance novel—but it takes a lot more truth than tropes to get to a happy ever after in real life.

Review:

First, I'd like to thank W by Wattpad Books for sending me an ARC copy to review. This book definitely caught me off guard in a good way, although I can definitely see why some people might be turned away or have lower ratings. However that being said, I ate this book up!

I think overall the biggest thing with Night Shift is that the whole storyline is messy, but isn't life messy? Like Kendall is a virgin bookworm who spends her time at the library. Awkward is her middle name, so of course when she meets Vincent and falls head over heels for him instantly, it's bound to have ups and downs when she hasn't really had a relationship like this before. That's why I really enjoyed it is because it was more realistic than others and I could just click with.

For me, I definitely felt Hallmark vibes to a degree. The insta love, the miscommunication, all the messy parts before finally getting back together. It was cheesy at times and I found myself shaking my head at Kendall, but at the same time it's exactly as the story needed to flow.

Personally as a bookworm myself, I actually enjoyed all the book talk and book tropes mentioned. I think as an avid romance reader you definitely get your head into these moments you imagine about and hoping they happen in real life. And the spice? Let me tell you the spice sneaked up on me real quick towards the end of the book but boy was it something! Again, going back to things being messy and
awkward, yes there was a bit of that, but at the same time it's like something clicked between the two of them and once they were on the same level... things got HOT! 

Can we take a moment and appreciate Vincent in all that he is? Because one thing I really enjoyed about him is that he wasn't some alpha-hole jock (don't get me wrong I like those too in books) that just wanted to sleep with the girl for another notch on their belt. Vincent is quiet, reserved and just trying to figure out how to do the right thing. Hell he learns POETRY for Kendall because he likes her so much. This boy is giving Golden Retriever vibes and I'm here for it! But when they finally get on the same page together after all the ups and downs, Vincent starts to move away from being reserved and his dominance and dirty talk shines through. The way they bring out great parts in one another really helped with the story and you do see a growth in them both for different reasons. And them using their last names to call one another instead of their first... ughh melted in a puddle, something about nicknames and using last names just hits me in the feels!

Honestly, this was a page turner and I couldn't get enough! It gave me all the sweet and spicy vibes between two people who are in love but just don't entirely know how to navigate it. There were some laugh out loud moments, of course best friends trying to do their best to help one another, and a bumpy road along the way. I seriously would love to read more from this world, because it was great!

Overall, I can see why some people may not enjoy it as much, or say parts are cringe, but also that's kind of the point? For me this was the perfect time to read Night Shift. It was fast paced, kept me on the edge of my seat wanting to know what was going to happen. Wanting to slap Kendall on the head and tell her to stop being in her own bookworm head and just go for the guy. It was a roller coaster, but I couldn't get enough! It was a mix at times of cute, sweet, funny and spicy, emotional, while also again giving Hallmark vibes.

That's all for my review I hope you enjoyed it, and be sure to check it out today!

So until the next time, keep reading!

Your Graduated Bookworm!! :)