So It Grows

Author: Andie Burke Title: So It Grows Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin Date Published: 09/22/2026

Read Dates: 08/14/2026- 08/15/2026
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

 📖 I received a gifted e-book ARC. The following is my honest review✍🏻

So It Grows is a dual POV/ dual timeline rivals-to-lovers romance. Felicity has recently inherited her Aunt’s plant shop, and is not impressed with Nick, the chef brought in to run the ridiculously kitschy Mac & Cheese restaurant next door. The restaurant is thriving, though, unlike her own shop, and her bigger concern is stopping a local businessman from building a monstrous parking garage behind her shop and killing her natural light and plants. Nick convinces Felicity that it’s better to team up and fight together than to fight each other, so a reluctant truce is formed that grows into a genuine friendship. There are forces in their pasts and present that might interfere with a future, though, and they’ll have to stick together if they want a chance for their friendship to bloom into more!

This one was so good, and I immediately added two other books to my TBR (the story for Felicity’s older brother and Nick’s cousin). This book did have some darker/more serious themes, discussed in the author's note in the beginning, but I thought they were handled well. In spite of some heavier themes, the overall tone of the book was light and fun. I loved the banter between Nick and Felicity, and especially loved his commitment to building a solid friendship with her. I can’t wait to read more from this author

Felicity Gallagher thought inheriting her aunt’s plant shop would be the fresh start she needed. She never expected that the trendy, mac and cheese themed restaurant next door–and its inconveniently hot chef–might be her downfall.

Nicholas Holm-Bozic is arrogant, presumptuous, and just flat out gets under her skin. Felicity has made ignoring him an art form—until the exploding popularity of his restaurant leads to renewed interest in Felicity’s quirky corner of Kansas. Now, a greedy developer is threatening both their businesses with a towering parking garage that could steal the sunlight from her plants. With her shop’s future in jeopardy, Felicity must join forces with her least favorite neighbor.

As the pair fight back, Nic and Felicity’s formerly contentious relationship blooms into something new, but hidden battle scars, old secrets, and a devastating storm threaten everything they’ve built. Will they choose to cut and run, or are they finally ready to put down permanent roots?

Andie Burke’s So It Grows is chock full of heat, heart, and humor, and everything in between.