After finishing my last book club read with the Mommy Mindset book club, I suggested that we read something fun and light, as it is summer after all. We ended up picking Tati Richardson’s The Build Up. I laid on the beach, reading the last few chapters of Tati Richardson’s The Build Up, while pushing my deep blue painted toenails into the sand and sweating under the hot sun. The heat from the sun did not bother me at all because I was so engrossed in a spicy scene between Porter and Ari. I paused here and there to spray sunblock on my back and take a sip of water. I was thirsty.

BLURB:

A truly unfortunate first day of work leads to unexpected love in this sparkling debut from Romance in Colour podcast cohost Tati Richardson.

Rumpled and ragged was not how architect Ari James envisioned kicking off her first day at a new firm. And few things can top the horror of her new—and extremely hot—colleague walking in on her at the worst moment ever. Learning that she’ll be working with him on the project that’s supposed to get her career back on top makes it harder than ever to focus on her big comeback.

With a partnership at his firm on the line, nothing is going to stand in the way of Porter Harrison absolutely killing it on his new project: not his obnoxious rival, not his unpredictable brother, and definitely not his new coworker whose gorgeous curves accidentally caught his eye and now he can’t get her out of his head.

Though neither of them is looking for love, once their creative juices start flowing, Ari and Porter’s connection is obvious. But when their shared goal has always been winning at work, building a solid foundation for a relationship might end up costing them everything…

My Thoughts (Spoiler Alert)

I enjoyed reading this book. I thought it was a fun and light summer read. It really did a great job of fulfilling my summer romance itch. I also loved the fact that the main character, Ari, is a plus-sized woman. Us plus-sized women need love too! I loved that the book tackled tough issues such as working in a predominately male industry as well.I enjoyed having the story told from both Porter and Ari’s perspectives. Having the story be told from a male point of view was refreshing. I did find that the main character, Ari, annoyed me with her constant hesitation and indecisiveness on whether she should pursue a relationship with Porter. Porter was so enthralled with Ari. He was into her from the beginning. I understood that Porter and Ari were coworkers and she did not want to mess up their working relationship, but she should have risked it all from the beginning. Had I been Ari, the book would have only been 15 chapters. I would have left the door open for Porter after the burger date, honey, and figured out the rest.

I mean, come on! Just check out the quotes I pulled below from the book showing just how much Porter was into Ari:

The way you treat people is what matters. You treat people like they matter, Ari. I love that about you

The Build Up, Tati Richardson

Ari, lying there in her striking sky-blue bra and panties, looked like a summer sky above a field of flowers. Did this woman have any idea how goddamn beautiful she was?

The Build Up, Tati Richardson

Why not? It’s true. I can’t help it. I’m passionate about you, Ari. About the possibility of an us.”

The Build Up, Tati Richardson

The book club and I agreed that that was the most annoying thing about the book. We also agreed that the story should have been told through several other lenses. We wanted the backstory of Todd and Bella too. At times, the book did appear to be rushed, but honestly, I enjoyed it. Sometimes you must see a book for what it is and enjoy just reading it. That is what I did with this one.

I would like to read more of Tati Richardson’s work. I am looking forward to adding a few of her books to my TBR list for the remainder of the year. I just downloaded “The Build Up” on Audible because I want to experience this book in other ways.

Do I recommend adding this book to your TBR list for the summer? Absolutely. It was a great companion for me at the beach, and I would like to see if another story will come out of this book. Just a thought, Tati.

Happy reading, folks!