Burning Up by Susan Andersen (ARC Review)

She's So Good at Being Bad

Though it’s been years since the infamous Macy O’James stepped foot in Sugarville, Washington, everyone remembers what she supposedly did. The tiny town is still buzzing about her crime and lack of punishment.

Now back to lend her family a hand, Macy vows to hold her head high—especially at her high school reunion. But forget about the hottest man in Sugarville escorting her. Though she and fire chief Gabriel Donovan generate enough sparks to burn down the town, he’s a law-abiding, line-towing straight arrow. So not her type.

But, maybe—just maybe—he could change her mind about that.

*I requested a copy of this title to review through netGalley*

I've read quite a few 'hometown' romances, but this is probably the first one where the main female lead loves to change her look so much. We see her one way in the first scene of the novel, and throughout most of the book every time we see her she's wearing something different, with different hair (side note: I totally wanted to go wig shopping after reading this book). The outfit changes are just the outward embodiment of inner pain for Macy, because when she comes back home she's confronted with all the obstinate small-mindedness of her peers.

This book is a romance about two people, but it's also a book about a woman looking at her past with grown up eyes and learning from that experience. Gabriel helps Macy along that journey (with some bumps of course, no romance could ever be complete without idiocy bumps) as he's representative not only of the changes some of the members of the town have undergone, but of her family and friends who love her just as she is - with or without the wig. Even with all that 'deep-ness' the book is lighthearted and fun to read, Andersen once again coming out with a publication that demonstrates her deft handling of the contemporary romance genre.

Overall Feeling - Thumbs up! This book was a lot of fun, with engaging main characters and the kind of hometown interaction that makes contemporary romances so great to read.

Series - None