Book Title: I’ve Got a Crush on You
Author: Lauren Blakely
Publisher: Cosmo Reads
Publishing Date: July 2026
After kicking off her new small-town, forbidden-secret rendezvous romance series with It Seemed Like a Good Idea earlier this year, Lauren Blakely brings us back to Darling Springs with the whirlwind romance between Chloe and Sawyer this time in I’ve Got a Crush on You. We highly recommend the first one in the series, but you can read IGACOY as a standalone perfectly well.
Chloe is embarking on a new adventure in her life: starting a dog training business.
Sawyer is also embarking on a new adventure: opening a new space for his doggy daycare business.
An adventure they didn’t know they were embarking on: their businesses intertwining with a very memorable one-night stand from the recent past.
“Thank god he can’t read my mind,” I say. “My mind is a terrifying place.”
There are the usual suspects of a small town fling: secret dating, bedroom eyes that everyone’s picked up on except our oblivious MCs, grapevine gossip, comically evil exes…you get the drift.
There are also trademark Blakely motifs: a disastrous yet flirty meet-cute, an immediate chemistry between the main characters (MCs) fuelled by banter, a twist when they end up as coworkers.
It works because Chloe and Sawyer are two people who have been spurned in their earlier relationships (her Vegas wedding done on a bet to an insipid guy that lasted 6 months to his called-off engagement after his fiancée cheated on him) and they’re attracted to each other, in a play of the beloved grumpy-sunshine trope (her never-failing optimism to his surly brooding).
While they keep each other occupied and encouraged through both their hedonistic and platonic pursuits, there’s plenty of plot to keep us going. There’s a middle-of-the-plot reveal, that’s very Parks-and-Rec, but so well done it had my jaw dropping to the floor.
Some bits can get a little cyclical and repetitive in their quirks, but overall, it’s a fun pick for casual reading. Blakely wrote this one for the dog lovers, who will enjoy the presence of these little creatures throughout the book.
“You’re so fucking sexy when you’re jealous.”
“Shut up,” I mutter.
“I’ll shut you up,” he says, then he crushes my mouth with a hot, possessive kiss that ends too soon.
Read I’ve Got a Crush on You by Lauren Blakely:
- If you’re looking for a fun, easygoing read in a small town series
- If you love a grumpy x sunshine trope, where both of them have a mouth on them
- If you’re ready to cuddle your dog and not leave it the entire time you’re reading the book, because you WILL want to smother it with kisses.
WRB rates I’ve Got a Crush on You by Lauren Blakely a fun 3.75 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advance review copy (ARC). All opinions expressed are my own.