Not So Truly Yours: A The Harder They Fall Standalone

This was the perfect book to close out this series.I utterly adored that this was a golden retriever/black cat book as well.Miles has been a favorite character of mine since the very since the very first book.As with all of Ms. Wolf's books, while this book looks like it will read one way, the story goes so much deeper than the story line teases you with.Miles has been our happy go lab puppy character in the last three books of the series. He has been a friend, a brother, an annoyance, and a glossy cover photo of a good time guy. In this book we get to see past all of that gloss and shine to the real Miles. What we uncover is a much much deeper version of a human than most of the group has been aware of. Over the course of the book even Weston grows to understand that there may be more to his little brother than he ever thought there could be.Daisy on the other hand is new comer to the group. She is an unknown. She has loose ties to the group through her pseudo boss Nick. A man who attended school with Elliot, Elise, and Weston. Who was once in the same friend group as Miles. But while Nick grew up with both Miles and Daisy, Nick was more in Miles' world while Daisy was a public school kid with a more middle class upbringing and a burden of a last name that she never asked for.Fresh off of a bad break up, Daisy has gone from being a snarky sunny Daisy to being a darker eyed Susan -esque Daisy. Embracing her goth side and emerging from a depression that had her close circle concerned for her.Miles meets our sassy broken sunshine on the night she returns to the world in general and work specifically. To say they are lightness and darkness colliding over mini bites cupcakes is to be the least of their story.What I have and will always adore about Ms. Wolf's writing is that she draws her readers into her stories with a well paced story and a great hook. You think you understand the characters you are getting, the gist of the plot, then you settle in for your read.Ms. Wolf has yet to ever keep me on that path she so steadily lays out early in her books though. No matter how genuine and open she writes her characters within the first chapter to the first five chapters they always turn into onions with varying layers of stories layering more stories that have brought them to the person we met at the opening pages. I love diving into Ms. Wolf's works, knowing that the person I meet in the first five pages is the result of whom I will meet in the following three hundred pages I have yet to work through. This author makes her readers work to get to know the people she builds on her pages.Through her reverse building of her characters she weaves her current day plot. It's a craft technique that is unique to Ms. Wolf's story telling and one that I adore.In this book while we learn about Miles and Daisy's pasts, we are introduced to side characters' presents. A newly made widow. A teen brother struggling with bullying that goes well beyond the school day and year. A family dealing with the aftermath of grief from another teen they lost too soon. Another family who is learning that the ties that bind aren't always blood or that blood can actually not bind you at all. A friend group that is as close as siblings who miss one of their own growing up in the deepest ways possible right under their noses and having to come to grips with the fact that they allowed past behaviors to blind them to change, new behavior and improvement.All of these things are wound in, through, and around the story of two people meeting at a time in their lives where they are leaving pieces of themselves behind to embrace the newer pieces that are growing in that space.Fake relationships are one of my favorite troupes to read as I feel that authors are allowed to write characters in their truest and rawest forms. You typically have two characters who are entering into a massive lie that requires them to be the most vulnerable with each other in public. This almost always bleeds over to them having to be even more vulnerable with each other in private as things they want hidden crop up as they navigate their public lives with a fake partner. Who better to share your deepest hurts, disappointments, perceived or real failures with but the person who has agreed to fake love you and is still clutching your hand at the end of the night when the world has torn you down? Even better you know this person has an end date in your life so anything you say to them won't matter as they will disappear at a certain time and date. It's like intensive speed dating with built in therapy. Of course they always end up falling for each other. Who wouldn't? You got years of revelations out of the way in two weeks or less. You know this person better than your therapist knows you. Bonus is always that physical intimacy.Miles and Daisy are no different in their fake dating story. What was different were the secrets they were hiding from the world. Again, Ms. Wolf has a unique way of writing. She always sneaks in things that her characters have been hiding deep down from themselves. Her couples always seem to reach a point where one or the other always seems to drag forth what seems to be a simple statement from the other that later becomes this unburdening of a secret that the character didn't even know they were harboring from themselves. It's that moment of the things you hide the deepest always seem so much larger than they are until they are out in the light.I also enjoy how these hidden secrets tend to compliment or play into the character's partner in some odd unforeseen way. Miles and Daisy had their pairings in small and big ways.This book also had the bitter sweet twist of bringing the friend group full circle in a way with the actions that Miles and Daisy take at the end. I loved the symmetry of how Miles story ended and how another character's story in the group had begun (once upon a time).Overall this book was nostalgic in nature as we say goodbye to this crew. It featured heavily in themes of family. Closure. New Growth.New characters were introduced and now I have so many more questions I'd love to answers to in Denver.Branches off of this core group were grown. It was delightful to see an author grow to love a series so much that they have grown out of their comfort zone into a new one and are expanding on this new area.It's hard to say goodbye to this group of friends. So much was learned, grown, the author grew in leaps and bounds in her writing.This story line alone covered topics of suicide, bullying, teen death, loss of relationships, widowhood, struggles with addiction, alcoholism, rehab, and a few other items. Please treat yourself kindly if any of these are important, personal, or meaningful to you.The story was told in a richly layered manner that will keep readers engaged with the unveiling of newly discovered flaws and gems consistently throughout the length of the book.Miles will surprise you in ways that you wouldn't expect from him from the other books. Miles even surprises himself in this book.Daisy was an utter delight and a perfect addition to this friend family that has grown in Denver. I can not recommend this book enough as either a standalone or as the end of the series if you have been a faithful reader.

Miles, sweet, kind lovable Miles.I didn't think that I would ever like Miles this much. Yes, I felt for him in the other books. He is a sensitive person and just wasn't able to cut off his mother the way his brother had and she constantly manipulated him (even as an adult). But man, some of the things he has done, I didn't think that I could get past them.I was so wrong!This book made me absolutely adore Miles! I mean, the growth??!!! The self-awareness?!! The kindness?!!!! This man has come so far and is proof that it is never too late to change for the better.Daisy is only the second person to see and acknowledge this growth and she is the first and only person to stand up for him when she sees that his friends and family aren't seeing him as he is now! She shares her family with him and supports him in a way he has never experienced, ever.Miles helps Daisy rebuild her confidence in herself and her business. And when her family is faced with a tough decision, he is right there to help and support them in any way he can!I love these two so much! What a perfect end to the series!!! ❤️❤️❤️

Amazing book with well thought out, multi-dimensional characters. The loose ends for plots and subplots were all tied up. I really appreciated that the characters had flaws and had challenges so similar to people everyday like Miles’s alcoholism, poor childhood, and ADHD and the Dunham family’s experience with the wrecking ball that bullying can be. Julia Wolf did a great job in realistically and sensitively exploring the bullying issue and even highlighting the misconceptions that bullying is something you should just push through no matter how bad. This is now one of my favorite books. It’s been a long time since I read a book that was this good.

Daisy and Miles were like a breath of fresh air. It’s no secret this author is in my top 5 favourite list, she has a way of building up characters that I truly love. The first time I met Miles I couldn’t care less about him, but with each new book he grew as a person and I was happy he got his own story, but if you haven’t read them don’t worry, the book can be read as a standalone. The meet cute between these two is well, cute. Not for Daisy, she didn’t find it so, but fate made it so their path would cross again and the rest is history in the form of a well written book. I loved them for each other. Daisy is recovering from a break up and Miles is hard at work of being sober, it’s not the right time for them to start a relationship so friendship need to be enough in the beginning. I loved their dynamic, the way they support each other. This author always manages to pull me into the world she’s creating make it seem a real one. This book touches some heavy subjects too, but it’s the perfect balance of funny, hot and emotional. A perfect five star read !

Absolutely love Miles. He is one of the best characters that Julia has written. He's hilarious with his bounce off the walls energy. Daisy is the definition of a emo goddess. They two of them together could not be more perfect. I loved their effortless friendship. I think that was the best part of the whole book. How they build a bond beyond the physical connection they shared. Both of them had deep rooted insecurities but got through it together.Love love love this book.

Every book Julia Wolf releases is amazing, but this one stole my heart. I never giggled, screamed and blushed so much. Oh man, my poor heart! What a rollercoaster.I don't think I'll ever be able to put into words how touching this book is. Just prepare yourself. 🥲 SO MANY FEELINGS! 🩷

Julia Wolf most definitely left the best till last in this series because Miles and Daisy are just everything you didn't know you needed.This starts as a fake relationship situation to help Daisy launch her business and be attached to Miles, and his surname will help her with the contacts needed to succeed.Lines get blurred pretty quickly, but they both try to keep a healthy distance to stop the feelings, but it really doesn't work. If anything, it makes things worse.Daisy supports Miles in a way he never ever expected, and that's the moment he needed to realise that Daisy is his end game.What Miles and Daisy do for Daisy's brother Reed could bring a tear to a glass eye.This book is the happiest of endings, and I'm so super happy Miles got to share his story.Outstanding from Julia Wolf amazing series, book, and most spectacular characters.

The entire sunshine guy and grumpy girl trope took a different level with this book. I was hopefully in love with both Miles and Daisy within the first 50 pages. Just beautiful ❤️❤️

I have no words right now for this awesomeness.2nd 6 star read of this year and guess what? My other one is JOT by this very author so I guess it’s her year!Defenitely my favorite of this series⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.🌶️🌶️🌶️.5/5.First things first, since Dear Grumpy Boss I knew Miles had a lot of potential and Weston ended up making me angry for things he said to Miles even when I understood where he was coming from. Point is, it was very clear for me that Miles was hurting very deeply and he was asking silently for help. This gold retriever of a man needs all the hugs in the world!I honestly loved everything about this story. I had a bleeding heart for Miles from the very beginning and I relate to Daisy in some ways so this was a perfect storm for me. It was also the way Julia described things like hugs especially from Miles pov. It was so wholesome!It's embarrassing the amount of times this book made me cry but I just couldn't help myself. These two were meant to be.I love Miles! I love to see more of what he was up to. What he was like on the job but also how he was doing on a personal level. He worked on himself to become a better person for those around him while struggling with addiction but with help of a therapist and his dear friend Saoirse, he did it even when some days are harder than other but what I loved the most about it was that Daisy celebrated him everytime he hit a milestone after he met her and not only her but her family too. Like how wholesome is that? It was such a beautiful moment! I'm so proud of the person Miles has become.Even through it all, he maintained his precious heart. He is such a good person and hurt me to see the despicable person his mother was and how much that weighed on him because in the end he is a bleeding heart type of character. He loves helping others even when it might cost him a part of his soul. I love that Daisy was all about protecting him in that sense which made me love her even more.Miles has a very specific kink and I loved it 🤭. It was my first time reading it and I feel like I loved it because it was Miles if that makes sense. I just loved the whole thing!Reed, Daisy's brother, was a big piece in this story in my eyes and he elevated Miles even more for me because Miles saw himself in Reed and he did everything in his power to help and that was another wholesome part of this.Weston redeemed himself by the end imo and it was a beautiful moment too and what Miles needed.I probably have more to say but that's it for now.* I read an arc of this book. *