ARC Review: "Scot and Bothered" by Alexandra Kiley ★★★★

ARC Review: Scot and Bothered by Alexandra Kiley

Naturally, as a Scotswoman, I had to pick this one up – and you should too! This captivating and cute forbidden forced proximity second-chance romance between a ghostwriter and a photographer is brimming with charming humour, heartfelt seriousness, and a journey of self-rediscovery, all wrapped in this tale of love and life. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

“I want you. I want a whole life, full of you. To share a flat in Portobello overlooking the water. I want to swim in the mornings and warm you up with coffee and cake.” His hand cupped her cheek, his thumb stroking back and forth. “I want to explore Glencoe and walk the West Highland Way, take you on the damn Heiland Coo Trail. I want to read all your stories and I want to be a part of them. I have your history, Brooke. I want your future, too.”

[Contains some spoilers]

PLOT SUMMARY
22-year-old Brooke Sinclair moved from America to Scotland to attend the University of Edinburgh via a scholarship to become a writer. At a house party with her friends before the start of term, she bumped into Jack Sutherland.

Jack felt like an outsider, not wanting to help run the family tour guiding business and wanting to do something more with his life. He settled for business school regardless. Brooke had doubts of her own about her capability. They very much liked each other. However, the next day they both find they were in the same class – Brooke studying Business for Non-Majors and Jack one of the Teaching Assistants.

7 years and one hellish expel and breakup later, Brooke is now a ghostwriter and is requested by her mentor Mhairi McCallister to ghostwrite her memoir and go to Skye to hike the trail that Mhairi founded in the 90s for inspiration. Her photographer nephew will be accompanying her – none other than Jack himself! Fate has thrown them together again.

The more they spend time together on the trail, the more old feelings resurface. Jack broke Brooke’s trust all those years ago – will she ever trust him again? Brooke was the one that got away from Jack – when an opportunity for her career presents itself, will he let her get away again? Will Brooke settle for her name never appearing on the front of a book? And what will happen when Brooke finds out about Mhairi’s secret?

She’d spent enough hours making eyes at Jack Sutherland. She could interpret what she saw in them with one hundred percent clarity. It wasn’t the look of someone who’d never cared. It was the look of someone who *still* cared.

This is told from the third-person past-tense POV of Brooke and Jack.

OVERALL OPINIONS
I am a sucker for books with puns as titles so of course I gravitated towards this. I am so very glad I did. Alexandra Kiley has such a way with words that is so breathtakingly gorgeous! Her descriptions are some of the most stunning things I have read in a while. I could list so many descriptions but I will limit myself to one such example here:

“Please don’t.” She pushed past him, the wind slapping the door shut with a finality that sounded just like their future.
He could boke from the guilt swirling in his gut... He wasn’t sure which was heavier, his pack or his sinking heart.

Did I have enough time to read the first book in this series? Alas, no! Did I still want to read this? Yes, and that’s the beauty about standalones: you can read it without needing to read other ones in the series. Unfortunately, Logan from Book 1 appears but a few times and his relationship is only briefly mentioned, it could be argued it is a bit *too* standalone. Having loved her writing style, though, I will check it out!

ㅤ🏞️the Scottish aspect🏞️
If the rather too obvious title and cover don’t give away where this book is set, the use of “Aye”s and “wee” and “bawbag” and “coo” (highland cow – speaking of, why is there no highland cow emoji) will soon sort you out. As someone from Scotland, I feel a special connection to this story. Indeed, Kiley was inspired by her semester in Scotland to write this series and I can tell she fell in love with the place as much as everyone should!

I’ve been to Edinburgh quite a lot of times now, and she captured the essence of being there, of walking along the cobblestones of The Royal Mile and visiting St. Giles’ Cathedral. I loved Calton Hill, and was thrilled it was mentioned!

I actually do yearn to go to Skye (I will be singing “The Skye Boat Song” when I do, mark my words!) though I’m not a fan of camping and backpacking, so this was quite a treat but also a reminder that my trip could be like this with poor weather and insects haha. Just your average day in Scotland, to be honest. Kiley was so real for this:

There wasn’t much Brooke could count on in this life, but shit weather in Scotland was one of them.

While Mhairi’s character is purely fictional, The Skye Trail was founded in the 90s and is 80 miles long, which is challenging and does require expert hikers with good navigational skills. And oh yup, midges are usually everywhere and very annoying! Ironically, I just bought some insect repellent (even in Glasgow, they can be wee pests!) but I am very tempted to buy Avon Skin So Soft solely because of this book. It sounds heavenly and I can truly believe it is one of the only things that actually work against them haha.

ㅤ🥾the timeline🥾
I have read quite a few dual timelines this year and I liked this story’s use of it. It is through this shift, as well as their conversations in the present, that we discover where things went wrong between Brooke and Jack. I did find that some of the backstory felt unnecessary to really explore, because we know some of it from the present-day. Therefore, I think a different approach might have worked: less tell in the present-day, more show in the past.

The introduction to the past was gripping: Calvin Harris’ “Summer” is such a great example of a song from about a decade ago that most people remember, and I was instantly transported back in time when it was mentioned!

What did go well using this method was the parallels: their meeting in the present day vs the past (how different they are), the kiss on the corner of the mouth, the breakups occurring at the same time in the plot.

ㅤ⛺the relationship⛺
It was interesting to explore the different sides of Brooke and Jack’s relationship through the excellent use of dual POV. When they are younger and inexperienced and unsure of life vs when they’re older, see where their careers have taken them. They end up actually doing a sort of role-reversal: Brooke had dreams, but chose to play safe and get a job that would bring security; Jack played safe but then decided to pursue his dreams of photography despite the pressure on helping to run the family business. Both are trying hard not to disappoint the people in their life.

The one common factor that has been constant in both of their lives (other than the fact they still love each other) has been the presence of Mhairi, who is the reason why their paths cross after all this time. They work together to perfect the memoir. Technically she is the reason why they break up both times (she persuades Jack to do the right thing; the news about her causes betrayal – Brooke believes she is not important enough to know so is more inclined to go to LA) but the difference is this time she causes them to get together. She reminds me a lot of Oliver Jones’ mother Tessa in Love At First Sight (2023) as she is also going through what Mhairi is and remains strong throughout and also hosts a celebration of her life.

This book’s story comes full circle because at the start, we have Brooke “yearning for her signature to match the name on the title page one day” but at the end even though she now can do this, her name isn’t the most important: it’s the name of the woman she dedicates her book to, Mhairi. I thought this was such a profound and beautiful thing.

I did find that a lot of their attraction didn’t feel that deep, less emotional connection more “they look more beautiful than I remember” sort of thing. I think this was a pity.

<< Positives >>
🠚 The cover is super cute and the perfect way to show what the story is about (misleading because I wanted a highland coo interaction haha joking!)
🠚 Amusing moments!
🠚 Dual timeline used effectively
🠚 Only one tent trope got me giggling and kicking my feet – this has to be the best thing for the Scottish weather to ever do
🠚 Contains Scottish history
🠚 The exploration of their relationship through Mhairi
🠚 The way Brooke and Jack support each other is inspiring
🠚 Lesbian representation
<< Negatives >>
🠚 Far too many interruptions – like, I kid you not just about every time they’re going to kiss something interrupts their moment. Let them have it, for pity’s sake! Or at least have one or other of them turn shy or something instead of bringing in an extra barrier.
🠚 Third-act breakup – it’s not my favourite trope, and because they’ve already broken up previously I was more just wanting them to be together. But I have to admit the parallel was good albeit very abrupt: one minute they’re telling each other they still have their “on the same page” paper (super cute) the next she wants him to go with her to LA and they turn all bitter! Broke my heart!
🠚 Never actually explained what happened what Brooke did after her scholarship was revoked. The implication is she was expelled – so then what has she been doing all this time? How did she get into Mhairi’s fellowship program?
🠚 I felt the enemies-to-lovers part was rushed. Like, yes it is great Brooke is more civil to Jack but she goes from one extreme to the other: very grumpy to essentially smiling and laughing. I think that should’ve been eased into it better.
🠚 Some of the dual timeline events in the past felt unnecessary.
🠚 It would have been nice if Logan and Addie featured in this story more.

CHARACTERS
-ˋˏ ꒰ Brooke꒱ ˎˊ-
↳ I do feel sorry for Brooke but love the constant comparison she makes as a ghostwriter to a literal ghost not feeling like she is really existing or doing things she enjoys. It’s just so fitting. Unfortunately, I relate to how she lights up talking about the trail but because the people aren’t listening, her light fades – worst feeling ever!
🠚I like that she finally gets the inspiration she needs to follow her own dreams too.

“I can never seem to follow the rules when it comes to you.”

-ˋˏ ꒰ Jack꒱ ˎˊ-
↳ I’m going to come right out with this and say that I haven’t had the best experiences with guys called Jack so actually this man messing things up wasn’t a surprise haha – but he has restored my faith in men bearing that name. He messed up big time, but he owns up to it (albeit years later). Also, as the book goes on and you find out more about him, it’s very easy to understand that he meant well by his actions, even if it went horribly wrong for both of them.
🠚I resonated with Jack’s desire to take photographs, because moments are fleeting but photos last forever: “In a world where every encounter, every risk, every love, was fleeting, the permanence in capturing a moment he could only linger in but never keep was the only thing to bring him any relief.” – very relatable!
🠚Kiley was so real for the description of his “Jude-Law-in-The-Holiday-glasses”. Cannot unsee it now!

“Those old feelings never went away for me. I should’ve told you I was falling in love with you again. I should’ve told you what I wanted.”

FAV QUOTES
• Another memory in that balcony floated to her, hidden in the dark, warm lips pressed close to her ear with whispered promises and stolen touches.
• It was intoxicating, him wanting to know her. And she desperately wanted to know more about him, too.
• Everyone had a one-who-got-away but Brooke had been *The One* and she’d absolutely vanished from his life.
• He had once felt like forever and now eight days was impossibly long to spend in his presence.
• Brooke watched him walk away as pink flower petals drifted down from their branches, one landing delicately on his shoulder before gently slipping off. She wished she’d let go of him as easily.
• And suddenly, the line they couldn’t cross felt like it’d been drawn in the sand, insubstantial and effortless to tread over.
• She was drowning in memories of him, tossed around by the ones they never got to make, all those wasted nights dreaming about a future that’d never materialized. She was terrified to look him in the eye, to open a connection that had always felt so intimate and inevitable. Afraid she might remember the mornings they’d lain in bed, foreheads pressed together, too close to focus on the autumn brown of his eyes, but still not close enough.
• Like a camera, up here he zoomed out and the perspective shifted, bringing different details into focus.
• “You know what I like about us?” she asked. “I tell stories with words and you tell them with pictures.” She turned back to look at him with her ocean eyes, her dark hair spinning out in a wave.
• He’d listened to so many voices, but never his own. And she’d lost her voice as a consequence.
• Writing again, even if no one would ever read it, even if it was only for her, made Brooke feel alive. She didn’t want to hold back out of fear anymore.
• His eyes were like the fairy pools, vast and endlessly deep. Like if she fell into them, she’d never come out again—and she was very ready to fall.
• “We made it,” he said, his voice heavy with the double meaning and light with hope. Against all odds, they had. Brooke felt like a different person on this side of the trail. Forged by wind and rain, despair and courage, hope and love. And she also felt brave and fearless like she had back then. Like she was getting her happy ending after all.
• “You want to know something?” Brooke pulled her wallet from her jacket pocket. She slipped the ripped piece of printer paper from the sleeve and unfolded it. “I could never quite part with this.” | Jack’s biggest smile spread across his face before he pressed a hard kiss against her forehead. “You want to know something?” | He adjusted his hold on her, reached for his wallet in his front pocket, and Brooke’s breath hitched. | “Really?” she asked as he pulled out the other half, unfolded it, matched it up to hers like a love locket.
• “I love you,” she said on a whisper and pushed his hair out of his eyes. “I always have.” | A single tear leaked out of her eye and Jack brushed it away with the pad of his thumb. “I never stopped.”

══════════ ⋆★⋆ ══════════

I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review and I’d like to thank Alexandra Kiley, Bonnier Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity. This has not affected my opinion in any way.

“Scot and Bothered” is out now!