ARC Review: Keyed Up
Books are some of my closest friends. That’s totally normal to admit right? Okay but hear me out. Reading is such an intense and personal thing to experience, so when you find a good one you want to never let go. Ever. AND when those books have such a deeply delightful cast of characters you yearn to become friends with THEM?! Well you’re on track to pitch perfect.
I read Keyed Up by Sarah Estep and I loved it, so much. A sparkling, swoony, laugh out loud, small town hoteliers-to-lovers debut that should be on everyone’s radar. For real.
I’d like to thank Sarah for the advance copy, thoughts below are my own, enjoy!
From the very first page, I knew I was going to love this. The way in which Sarah writes is like a hug: warm, comforting and produces a metric buttload of serotonin. Graham and his (Brunch) bros are gathered in his home and oh my good-golly y’all, the banter these 4 have out the gate is out of control great.
There is such a deeply genuine and conscious connection Estep has created among them. She knows her characters and loves them, deeply.
Graham is talking to a chatroom friend in Little_Teapot who has built a deep friendship over a Downton-esque historical drama called Claymore Abby (I mean c’mon you’re loving this right?!). He’s also grumpy. The hotel he co-owns (and refuses to engage with) is becoming a cranberry coloured thorn in his side. He needs to head to small town Oregon and deal with it and his business partner Eloise (who he’s convinced is a 80 year old termagant).
Smash-cut to Oregon, a-very-much-not-at-all-80, Eloise is also speaking to HER chatroom friend Foolproof42 who (of course) is her least favourite business partner. She’s doing her best running a very old (and possibly haunted) hotel on her own, but goodness she could use a win (and some help).
The absolute JOY of the extended cast here cannot be overstated. From macabre Kiki (who I’m convinced is me), to aspirationally murderous Sybil, to those outrageously adorable Cranberry brother brewers. It might be physically impossible to not fall in love with each of these characters on their own (or as a collection)?!
From the meet cute onward, this book hits so many delicious notes that there were swaths of pages that I had to take breaks from because my cheeks hurt from smiling.
There are legitimate laughs, banter for days, nicknames, caretaking (hotel), caretaking (sickness), spreadsheets (sexual), swoons, elevator hijinks, so many future book easter-eggs, and FRIENDSHIP. There were so many times by association I felt like Sarah was gifting me group of friends that get to be in my life forever, and so to her I say: thank you, very much, I do love you.
Our main couple though, are great. The romance (and sexual chemistry) between Graham and Eloise is such a love letter to the genre and adversaries to friends to hoteliers lovers. They really see each other, and Graham is a natural caretaker (drool). WHO KNOWS HOW TO APOLOGIZE (continued drooling). Folks are gonna melt for him, men’s wearhouse style (I guarantee it).
If you’re wanting a small town romance with the 10/10 vibes of Gilmore Girls -meets- You’ve Got Mail, look no further than Keyed Up. A romance that will make you laugh, squee, dreamily sigh and need to read every other characters happily ever after immediately. So pals, you’re absolutely going to need to drop everything and pre-order Keyed Up now, so you’ll have it May 4th 2023 when it hits retailers.
Xo Kels