Jackson Schmidt is the biggest jerkity jerk ever. They should totally erect a statue to commemorate his jerkityness, jerkdom— Ugh! There are literally not enough words for ‘jerk’ to depict the man. Unfortunately, Jackson is also the most gorgeous specimen of manhood I’ve ever laid eyes on. One look at him and I want to jump and climb him like a tree. But whenever he opens his mouth, his status as … his status as the biggest bastard on the planet is immediately reinstated. It’s impossible for the man to say anything remotely nice – at least not to me. To my best friend, though? To her, he’s Mr. Perfect Gentleman. Did I mention he’s carrying a torch for my engaged best friend?
My libido does not give one flying hoot Jackson is a dick who has a crush on my bestie. Nope. Not at all. No matter how much of a schmuck the man is – and trust me he takes schmuck to the next level – I continue to pant after him like a nerdy freshman crushing on the prom king. If I want to keep my sanity, I’m going to have to keep Jackson at arm’s length.
Sanity is totally overrated.
At Arm’s Length is book 2 of the Love in the Suburbs series but can be read as a standalone.
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Jackson and Shelby offer more ammo for Grandma Nancy in this fun romantic series. Opposites attract. Shelby is Frankie’s best friend from the first book. She is “petite” with a extra large attitude and very little filter. She makes a lot of assumptions and flies off the handle. However, she has a big heart and is loyal to her friends. Jackson is not good at expressing himself. After bring hurt in a previous relationship he applies caution. He does not handle his attraction to Shelby very well. He dresses in suits, professional and is a little bit of a adrenaline junky. She wears ripped jeans, Doc Martens and is terrified of heights. He works with the public planning events and she is a independent tech who avoids meeting clients. After a bit of wrong assumptions and miscommunications and the help of Grandma Nancy things get rolling. A story that will make you smile and cheer for the characters to get it right. These characters are far from perfect and very relatable.
I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.
This is the first time that I have read by this author and I have thoroughly enjoyed it.
This book had me laughing out loud in parts, especially at Grandma, I want to adopt her
If you’re looking for a laugh out loud, romantic comedy then this is definitely the book for you. I for one can’t wait to see what the gang get up to in the next book.
Definitely a book that I would recommend as it is well written and easy to read
I found this book to be a fun fast read. The characters and story were funny but still had heart. Shelby was a funny and headstrong heroine. Jackson has hidden depth. Grandma and the rest of the support cast were hysterical at times. A great rom-com book. I received an advance copy and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
Rated 3.0 to 3.5 stars. I received an ARC from BookSirens for an honest review.
At Arm’s Length begins with a bang as Shelby, our gamer geek heroine, professes her undying hatred for gorgeous jerk Jackson. In her quest to grow her business, Shelby has to learn how to grow up (a process she finds distinctively unappealing). Along the way, she gets consumed into Grandma Nancy’s crazy matchmaking plans and figuring out where Jackson belongs in her life. D.E. Haggerty delivers a fast-paced, quirky, enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy that will leave readers laughing at both Shelby and Jackson’s antics, but most importantly the craziness that is Grandma Nancy.
At Arm’s Length is the second book in the series, but can be read as a standalone. I have not read the first book, which might influence my score, so I recommend reading Frankie’s story first. Haggerty’s story is certainly funny and has quite a few good one liners, but it is lacking depth that would vault this story from 3.0-3.5 to 3.5-4.0 stars easily. So much of Shelby and Jackson’s story was a rapid whirlwind that seemed a little bit out there and childish, but a bit more detail and depth could have converted this into a really solid romantic comedy. Grandma Nancy was absolutely crazy and her antics thoroughly reminded me of my own matchmaking relatives, which makes At Arm’s Length a bit more relatable. Overall, At Arm’s Length is a short romantic comedy with an enemies to lovers theme and quirky grandmothers that needs just a bit more depth to become something great. If you are in the mood for a laugh or a quick crazy read, grab Haggerty’s Love in the Suburbs series.
All my favorite ‘Love in the Suburbs’ characters are back in “At Arms Length,” the next installment in the series. Grandma is up to her matchmaking hijinx and once again she has a knack for just the right (or really wrong) person. With granddaughter Frankie safely engaged, she turns her sights on Jackson and Shelby and hilarity follows. It doesn’t help that Jackson can’t help but tease Shelby and she really wants to hate him for it, but he does inspire an itch that needs scratching.
Shelby has a handicap, and it isn’t the fact that she is missing part of one of her arms. She just hasn’t quite figured out her own self-worth. She hides behind funky hair, geeky clothes, and a prickly shoot first attitude that hinders her more than she knows. Luckily for her, she has got some great friends who love her for who she is and aren’t afraid to tell her like it is. I love the progression of her character in this book. And I loved that there is more to Jackson than meets the eye, this was his chance to shine. I really can’t wait to get to know Bailey better in the next book.
Also, since everyone seems to be adopting Grandma, I have decided to adopt Grandpa instead. He needs no help keeping up with his outrageous wife, but it is always the quiet ones you need to watch out for. I think hanging out with him would be loads of fun.