Release/Review Blitz: Toe The Line: Penelope Ward

by Reviews by Tammy and Kim - Monday, February 27, 2023

Toe the Line

Release Date: February 27, 2023

From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward comes a friends-to-lovers story spanning more than a decade…

At first, I thought I’d hate spending the summer with Archie Remington—the conceited son of my parents’ friends.

What I knew about Archie: he was gorgeous, pre-law, and had always treated me like I didn’t exist when we were younger.

When our families bought a house together on an island in Maine, he and I were forced to share a bathroom.

The boy I remembered was now a full-grown man—but with the same attitude.

After a rough start, Archie and I unexpectedly started getting along one day and eventually became friends. We shared secrets and bonded during our morning jogs. I discovered that Archie had a wild spirit and that he struggled to conform to his father’s expectations.

Things were cool until I had to go and ruin it, getting drunk one night, and blurting out my fantasy—involving him.

I took it back, but it was too late. Archie had heard me loud and clear. After that, we never quite knew how to toe the line.

When that summer came to an abrupt and shocking end, I headed back to college, unsure if anything would ever be the same again.

Across the miles over the years, he and I stayed in touch as friends, but fate and timing always kept us from becoming more.

You know the saying: If two people are meant to be, they’ll find their way back to each other?

Let’s just say Archie came back into my life in a way I would’ve never expected.

And this time, my heart would really be put to the test.

This book definitely took me on an emotional journey spanning over fifteen years and a lot of disappointment and heartbreak. But at the core of this story is a friendship that unexpectedly developed as young adults and became one of the most important connections in their lives.

We meet Archie Remington as a broody young man suffocating under the weight of expectations, anxiety, and family issues. And Noelle Benedict a young woman ready to push herself outside of her comfort zone and have new experiences before starting college. One summer in a shared house both opened and broke their hearts, but forged a bond.

This story about a friendship that is also full of angst, missed opportunities, disappointments, pining, hurt feelings, jealousy, and bad timing. My heart kept breaking. I wanted to shake sense into these characters and make them share what they really needed to. But it is also such a journey of self-discovery for them, especially Archer who had demons, insecurities, fears, and self-worth issues. And Noelle had to guard her heart as best she could.

This is a first-love, best-friends-to-lovers, slow-burn, second-chance romance that spans time, distance, and denial. It is not predictable. I was surprised at some of the turns it took. It kept me interested and I finished it in one day. I really loved these two even when they were oblivious, and their strong connection was as significant as their fears. But there are also moments of sweetness and joy, and the epilogue made me so happy.

Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of contemporary romance.

She grew up in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor. Penelope resides in Rhode Island with her husband, son, and beautiful daughter with autism.

With over two million books sold, she is a 21-time New York Times bestseller and the author of over twenty novels. Her books have been translated into over a dozen languages and can be found in bookstores around the world.

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