Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE: Pier Pressure

AUTHOR: Anyta Sunday

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 215 pages

RELEASE DATE: October 19, 2022

BLURB:

Plenty of fish in the sea.

But what if there is no “plenty”? What if Leon Finn is a lone fish? A lone fish in a glass bowl swimming in hopeful but ultimately lonely circles forever?

Dumped and forced to retreat to his tiny-town seaside bach, it’s time for Leon to cast some lines, and quick! Prove to everyone—(*cough*) ex, mother, other ex who he’s now accidentally living with—that he’s a catch.

Only no one is biting.

It sucks, but it’s solvable.

With his trusty sewing machine and endless stash of fabric he’ll make himself into the ultimate suitor. Stitch this right up.

But as a certain someone keeps whispering in his ear, is this the right way?

REVIEW:   

Anyta Sunday’s new rom-com, Pier Pressure, is an adorable book. In his silly pajamas, Leon is utterly adorable. Damon is beyond freaking adorable. *sigh* This second chance, friends to lovers romance is chock full of fun tropes and Sunday’s hallmark slow burn. There’s forced proximity, a little bit of fake boyfriends, and a clueless main character. That sounds like a lot but Sunday makes it work effortlessly.

Leon, a talented tailor, just got dumped by his (yucky) partner of three years who said Leon was a bore. The ex takes half of Leon’s considerable assets – including his villa – so Leon moves back to his hometown to live in his family’s tiny, seaside bach (a haphazardly constructed holiday house). Unfortunately, when he arrives he discovers Damon, an old hookup – the man he lost his virginity to years ago – living there, with Leon’s mom’s permission, while his own house is being worked on. Leon’s desperate mission is to find a new guy. Who’s not Damon.

Damon is a local builder – a jack of all trades, master of none – whom everyone in town loves. It’s Leon he’s besotted with, though. He’s thoughtful, kind, and sincere, but he’s Leon’s kryptonite. Leon is more than a wee bit smitten with Damon, too, but he only sees Damon as a playboy.

So, Leon sets about to find a new boyfriend, someone who wants a serious relationship not just a fling. He seeks the help of town matchmaker, Kai, and starts tailoring himself – literally and figuratively – to be the ideal man for each guy Kai sets him up with. He even seeks Damon’s advice. Yes, Damon is endlessly patient.

The ever-present humor is in part due to how oblivious Leon is to Damon’s barely contained attraction to him. Damon’s playing the long game while he waits for Leon to admit his feelings are reciprocated. Everyone in town sees the relationship unfolding, everyone but Leon that is, who somehow doesn’t notice the adoration in Damon’s eyes that twinkle with mischief and adventure, and his good-natured smirking. Damon is irrepressible. For all intents and purposes, they’re already a couple but Leon doesn’t have a clue.

There is a fantastic supporting cast that takes this book to another level. There’s Leon’s cousin, Troy, and his young son, Tommy; octogenarian, Martha, who serves as a parental figure to Damon; Kai; Leon’s mother; and some of his riotous failed dates.

Pier Pressure is so much fun, containing great scenes with bingo, old grannies, a pair of goldfish, self-defense classes, babysitting, breaking into the library, and surfing. And above all, Leon bumbling through his disastrous dates. The ending is, um, adorable with a very sweet declaration of love, and the epilogue, set three years in the future, is swoon-worthy. In a nutshell, this story is about being yourself. If you love Anyta Sunday, you’ll love this book. Since it’s a standalone, it’s a great gateway book to her backlist, too. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

RATING:

BUY LINK: 

Amazon