Water Under the Bridge (Perks & Benefits)

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Debut authors Kels & Denise Stone make waves in this sexy, rivals-to-lovers, workplace romantic comedy. But apart from these novels which were internationally successful (including in translation), Elliott was also a successful playwright and scriptwriter, most notably for Rusty Bugles (1948) which was, according to one of the speakers on the podcast, the first play to feature the Australian vernacular, an homage more commonly applied to Summer of the Seventeenth Doll (1955) by Ray Lawlor. This may well have been because Rusty Bugles was promptly banned because of its bad language, which is apparently quite tame by contemporary standards. I'll leave that to others to judge. If you have to constantly spell it out for the reader that this is grumpy x sunshine/enemies or rivals-to-lovers, you're doing it wrong. Luca has a soft spot for Avery, but cannot seem to do so without putting other women down and comparing them to her. No thanks. They also "compete" with each other, which often just ended in Avery winning because Luca loses all brain cells when she's around. If there's a rivals-to-lovers story, it should be evenly matched.

Water Under The Bridge is a debut novel by Kels & Denise Stone. This is a slow burn, contemporary, workplace romantic comedy. It’s book one of the Perks & Benefits series and can be read as a standalone. Avery got kinda annoying in the middle of the book for some reason. I couldn't get over how she was way too competitive. But I eventually liked her more by the end. I found this to be an enjoyable, gentle book about moving on and finding your place in life and a community. I liked Ella and her unconventional relationship with Erik and his absolute support of her choices and Sam. And of course Jake...well, he was just a honey! There was a little bit of tension in the story but I didn’t find there was a huge angst moment, which I was appreciative of.

Godfrey skillfully blends hard-nosed journalism with a literary lyricism that far and away transcends that of her true-crime colleagues." In this groundbreaking book, Rebecca Godfrey writes with insight and compassion about a startling teens-on-teen crime that prefigures Parkland, Columbine, and Slenderman. She unspools a story that feels only too relevant today — an outsider yearning to fit in, a Queen Bee holding onto her crown, and an unfortunate misfit in the wrong place at the wrong time. A revelation for any lover of teen crime..." Jake Honeychurch doesn’t want to sell his Nanna’s house, but circumstances force his hand. Listing the property with the rookie real estate agent in town, and asking a hefty price means it shouldn’t find a buyer. Perfect!

i love that we got luca's pov because you know instantly that he cannot stop thinking about avery and he is definitely an obsessed boy AND HE FALLS FIRST! while avery hates him and thinks the worst of him lmao. it's definitely that one-sided rivalry where the fmc only thinks they have a rivalry ♡ and he's always thinking ways to be close to her and!!! i love their little bets and games THEY WERE SO CUTEEE luca navarro really is the MAN HE'S IT MY FRIENDS. We got two protagonists, Kate (or Lydia) and Jude, both bonded by their sins and blood of others, along with a tom of secrets between them. Water Under the Bridge is a contemporary story that’s been carefully plotted and populated with authentic and relatable characters (and not a cliche in sight). But what I really enjoy is the attention to detail Lily gives to each scene. You are never left wondering about what the character is doing, thinking, feeling (actions, expressions, and those character thoughts that make me giggle). Lily makes every word count (not a scrap of padding in this story) and each scene is cleverly choreographed so that as a reader I am a witness to every moment. (And there are some adorable scenes containing Lily’s deftness with dialogue and introspection.)I didn’t like the way Malone included Ella’s swimming hang-up into Sam’s problems, however. Even if I could imagine a small Aussie town without a swimming pool, I could never imagine any 10 year old Aussie kid having such limited time in a swimming pool. Every school has compulsory swim lessons, for starters, and did he never get invited to a party at a pool or beach? I’m sorry, I just don’t think it would be that easy to avoid swimming in one of the hotter states of Australia.