Two people end up with more feelings than they bargained for after pursuing a summer fling, in this small-town, opposites-attract romance from Sophie Sullivan.
Charlotte “Charlie” Ashford has worked hard to become her own person. Tired of living in the shadow of her famous parents, she gladly left behind a life of glitz and glamour to pursue her true passion: becoming a counselor. However, when a viral video upends Charlie’s plans, she wonders if the real key to discovering herself is through her late father.
Grayson Keller has finally found his footing. He’s settled in one place, surrounded by family, and secure in his business. By his third summer as owner, Get Lost Lodge is showing a steady profit and seeing its fair share of repeat visitors. Whatever happens, Grayson is perfectly content with his quiet life and careful heart. That is, until he meets Charlie, who he can’t seem to get out of his head.
On the surface, Charlie and Grayson seem to have nothing in common more than a growing attraction that neither of them can fight. Trusting each other isn’t easy. They’ve both been hurt before, and they’re not looking for anything serious. The solution is easy: they’ll date, have some fun, and walk away unscathed. Right? Or, maybe this once, they can see past the hurt to what, or who, is on the other side waiting for them.
Charlotte “Charlie” Ashford has worked hard to become her own person. Tired of living in the shadow of her famous parents, she gladly left behind a life of glitz and glamour to pursue her true passion: becoming a counselor. However, when a viral video upends Charlie’s plans, she wonders if the real key to discovering herself is through her late father.
Grayson Keller has finally found his footing. He’s settled in one place, surrounded by family, and secure in his business. By his third summer as owner, Get Lost Lodge is showing a steady profit and seeing its fair share of repeat visitors. Whatever happens, Grayson is perfectly content with his quiet life and careful heart. That is, until he meets Charlie, who he can’t seem to get out of his head.
On the surface, Charlie and Grayson seem to have nothing in common more than a growing attraction that neither of them can fight. Trusting each other isn’t easy. They’ve both been hurt before, and they’re not looking for anything serious. The solution is easy: they’ll date, have some fun, and walk away unscathed. Right? Or, maybe this once, they can see past the hurt to what, or who, is on the other side waiting for them.
Title: Maybe This Once (Rockbottom Love #3)
Author: Sophie Sullivan
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Expected Publication Date: February 10. 2026
Review:
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I've really enjoyed reading this series of books from Sullivan. I loved watching each sibling get their HEA. Of course I could not way to see what happened for Gray and he was somewhat of a mystery to me throughout the other two books. Don't get me wrong, I liked him, but deep down I needed his story and his own HEA and this book gave that to me.
If you're looking for spicy, steamy romance, this is not the place to come for it. I'm 100% ok with that if the story is written well and Sullivan does that job in the best way. Her scenes happen but they are truly fade to black and what you get is the emotional connection to the characters and their relationship.
Gray has trauma from his divorce and this has kept him at arms length from any type of relationship. He's resigned himself to being happy with his lodge and his family, surrounded by great friends and a life he feels is full. Until Charlie walks into it. Then he's thrown for a loop as his attraction to her slowly grows and he realizes that maybe his life was not quite as full as it was meant to be. His life before was what he thought was fulfilling: a wife, a good job, money. But when it came tumbling down, he wasn't left with much more than the shell of himself. I really would have liked to see a bit more of this past for him. While Sullivan does have him tell us about it, seeing some scenes would have solidified it more in my head and given me a deeper understanding of how what Gray had been through shaped him into the man he is now.
Charlie, on the other hand, is running. Running away from her problems and her family and trying her hardest to find herself and the pieces she has lost along the way. Her experience as a therapist hasn't leant her any ideas of how she herself can put her life back together. I will say, she doesn't truly seem to have much of this experience and I wish it had been explored just a bit more in the book. The job, while talked about, seems more surface level, barring one scene where she puts her education in that area to work. You can tell she has a knack for what she does but I didn't see enough of it to see how it has truly shaped her.
The chemistry between these two is done very well. There's never any holding back or lying about their attraction to one another. I loved that honesty between them, even when there were other things they were not honest with one another about. And there's not true third act break up in this book. Just a small blip that is quickly resolved.
I really enjoyed seeing all the characters from the previous books in this installment. It was fun to watch them get to know Charlie and bring her into the fold of the family and friends. The small town setting is perfect to show just how invested such a community gets when it comes to those they love.
Overall, I really like Sullivan's writing. She shows the emotions and feelings of her characters well. There is some repetition with the struggle both characters feel from their falling into one another, which is expected but just a bit overdone for my taste. That's not to say I would not read more from this author because i would like to check out her other series and see what they are about.
A strong and solid 4 star read. If you have not read the first two, it's not a necessity, but this will ruin some relationships for you if you choose not to read them in order.
Author:
SOPHIE SULLIVAN is a Canadian author as well as a cookie-eating, Diet Pepsi-drinking, Disney enthusiast. She's written ten books for St. Martin's Press, including Ten Rules for Faking It, Can't Help Falling in Love, and the Rock Bottom Love series. She loves reading and writing romance in almost equal measure. She's had plenty of practice writing happily ever after as her alter ego, Jody Holford.
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