Dominic was staring at me like he couldn’t decide whether to chop me into pieces or pull my hair and French kiss me.
Dominic
I got her fired. Okay, so I’d had a bad day and took it out on a bystander in a pizza shop. But there’s nothing innocent about Ally Morales. She proves that her first day of her new job… in my office… after being hired by my mother.
So maybe her colorful, annoying, … colorful, annoying, inexplicably alluring personality brightens up the magazine’s offices that have felt like a prison for the past year. Maybe I like that she argues with me in front of the editorial staff. And maybe my after-hours fantasies are haunted by those brown eyes and that sharp tongue.
But that doesn’t mean that I’m going to be the next Russo man to take advantage of his position. I might be a second-generation asshole, but I am not my father.
She’s working herself to death at half a dozen dead-end jobs for some secret reason she doesn’t feel like sharing with me. And I’m going to fix it all. Don’t accuse me of caring. She’s nothing more than a puzzle to be solved. If I can get her to quit, I can finally peel away all those layers. Then I can go back to salvaging the family name and forget all about the dancing, beer-slinging brunette.
Ally
Ha. Hold my beer, Grumpy Grump Face.
Author’s Note: A steamy, swoony workplace romantic comedy with a grumpy boss hero determined to save the day and a plucky heroine who is starting to wonder if there might actually be a beating heart just beneath her boss’s sexy vests.
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This girthy stand alone novel is incredibly well-written in first person with dual POV. I was drawn in completely. I did not cook dinner. I did not eat breakfast. I had chips for lunch. I could not put it down. (Much to my husband’s dismay.) This is not a quick read. It is a deep, engrossing story that grabs hold of you and won’t let go.
Ally and Dominic appear to have nothing in common at first glance. They go toe to toe the first time in a grubby pizza joint, and the sparks to do not stop flying. This slow burn enemies to lovers romance has humor, heat, and tears. They ultimately have more in common than they realize and are both stubborn, prideful, and used to going it alone. The characters are well developed and have ugly, real, human flaws and baggage. Their baggage causes damage to each of them and their relationship before they can grow to a place where they chuck some of the bags and are able to move forward. The story also contains many secondary characters that are engaging, important, and have their own stories unfolding over the course of the book.
Underneath the love story there are other themes threaded throughout the book. Consent is a constant thread through the book. Power, both personal and professional, are themes tied to consent including power of choice, power over our own body, and abuse of power. Both Dominic and Ally are dealing with their changing relationships with their fathers and the story offers two contrasting paternal relationships. There is a recurring theme of trust and also of forgiveness. And finally, communication is a key theme. Communication of consent, communication of the desires and secrets that trust allows to occur, and communication of forgiveness (in order to move forward) are all important to the story. I am certain there are more themes that I am missing in this review, but honestly, I am just sitting here full of all of the feels that I experienced over the last day and a half as I read this book.
I cannot imagine anyone regretting this read, but I can certainly believe that not reading it would be regretful. Don’t be regretful. Read this book.
By a Thread!
I do believe Lucy Score has topped my previous favourite book with this one! I absolutely loved Ally! From the very first meeting with Dominic (Dom), she is unwilling to take any crap from him! Even his mother sees the potential with Ally, and she offers her a job with Label magazine without fully knowing what Ally can do! And then she tops it off with a job for Ally’s fellow bus stop buddy as well!
Ally has a lot going on, including trying to handle numerous jobs to keep her father in a nursing home specializing in memory diseases. And that takes a lot of money that Ally doesn’t have. But she is determined to keep doing her very best to support her loving father. Dominic is a grumpy Director of Creative content at Label (his mother’s magazine). But he’s uncomfortable, and he’s worried about past family secrets and indiscretions coming out in the open destroying his life and his mother’s.
The things Dom does to help people, even though no one knows, shows he’s really a great guy hiding behind a grumpy exterior. The banter between Dom and Ally is hilarious! Their nicknames for each other show they share the jabbing, amusing attitude toward each other, while they see something in each other, most don’t take the time to learn.
I highly recommend this book for a fun journey of sarcastic love!
I received an ARC copy of this book and am voluntarily reviewing it. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely.
That’s right Five Grumpy Grump Face Stars and more if I could add them! When Ms. Score kept mentioning about this Grumpy dude that would not get out of her head and continue to tease her readers, I was all for it. The fact that she didn’t have a title for this book until she announced the release date, I was all in for her original quirky one. I will tell you, that if I didn’t know of this author and saw the title and blurb, I would one-click in a heart beat. But having said that, By a Thread really leads up to it’s new namesake for sure.
The meet cute, as we readers love calling it, was for the ages. Sassy heroine, Ally Morales is at one of her many jobs, that right, jobs as a waitress at a pizza joint when the hot grumpy dude with the equally hot older woman are her customers. Dom, Grumpy Grump Face, is annoyingly rude to Ally. Well Ally being her sassy self, produces him with a well written FU on his pie, and let’s just say, that sassiness cost her, her job. Enter mama Delassandra, the hot older lady and Dom’s mom and offers Ally a job at her magazine as an admin. Well Ally is not one to gift a horse in the mouth especially she REALLY needs the money, more so than ever, needs the money. I come back to this in a moment.
But wait, there’s more. When Ally comes to work at Label, she finds that the Grumpy dude who got her fire is the creative director of said magazine. I mean, what could go wrong, right?
The banter, the back and forth insults, the sexual chemistry, the slow burn, yeah you are not ready.
As much as Dom was trying to keep his asshole status, well he is a softy through an through. The term “the apple doesn’t fall from far from the tree” does NOT apply to him, but he being Mister Stubborn, well he comes full circle somewhat. I will leave it at that. But hey, Ally is equally as stubborn, but boy when these two finally hit the hay, listen make sure your man or favorite sex toy is around, because you’re going to be sweating and moaning.
Ms. Score is known for writing girthy books (ha, ha I said girthy), and I am for it, but this one was EXTRA girthy. Oh and let me tell you something, besides you laughing your ass off, Ms. Score will also produce these things called tears. I calling it allergies! Ok, I digress, I cried a lot as much as I laughed!
If you’re still reading, bear with me okay (or is it bare?, again I digress), in these times for the past month, we are all in quarantine. I know this book was almost done when shit hit the fan. I am so happy this book came out when it did. I needed this book. I think we all needed this book. It made me laugh out loud so many times. Yes, it also made me cry, but overall I really loved this book. I could re-read it again, and I know I will.
If you want a some witty banter with a hint of tears, man do yourself a favor and read By A Thread. You will be smiling at the end.
I usually don’t like office romances. Especially ones where the boss is the hero. However, Lucy Score knocks this one out of the park!
Ally is working five part time jobs just to barely survive. She is single handedly trying to do it all. She has her dad counting on her and is just trying to make it through each day. Then this grumpy jerk walks into the pizza place where she is waitressing and pulls attitude with her. What’s a girl to do but personally decorate hours pizza with an FU made out of pepperoni.
Dominic is hating his life. As an Executive with his mother’s fashion magazine Label he has to make daily decisions that crush his soul and make him regret agreeing to takeover his father’s position. He comes face to face daily with reminders that staff are scared of him and his father’s legacy of “dating” within the admin pool. He meets his mother one night at a pizza place in Manhattan. Their waitress had an attitude and was obnoxious. She dared to challenge him!! Did she not know who he was?? How dare she put FU on hours pizza!! His mother thought it was hilarious but he insisted on getting her fired.
Ally couldn’t believe Charming got her fired!! It was a crappy job but she needed it and didn’t know what she would do to make up for it.
This is where EVERYTHING will change. Dominic’s mother follows Ally out and offers her a job at Label. Her new salary will help make things in her life work out. She just has to survive in the fashion industry that chews up curvy girls with sass like her and spits them out. She also has to deal with running into Charming more than she anticipated.
This book is SO MUCH MORE THAN I THOUGHT IT COULD BE! The banter and stream between Dom “Charming” and Ally “Malificent” is on FIRE!!! There are so many moments that I stopped and tried to slow down my reading to make it last. Then I read another chapter and had to keep going. Once I read the scene with drunk Dom I knew I would not get much sleep and had to finish it. Once I met Brownie I was also a goner. I love a good adoption story so much!!
This book made me fall for a Grumpy Grump Face along with Ally. With nods to The Devil Wears Prada this book deals with consent and how the sins of the father do not necessarily pass on to the son.
When I got to the chapter of emails I sobbed and laughed and knew this book was going to always be one of my favorites. Every heroine needs to find a Grumpy Grump Face of her very own.
#LucyScore #GrumpyGrumpFace #ByAThread #RomCom
One of the FUNNIEST books you will read this year. I laughed straight through the first 7 chapters. It wasn’t all laughs, you’ll hit the rollercoaster of emotions it’s instantly become one of my favorite Lucy reads! So much depth and growth from all the characters.
Dom is the grumpy hero of my dreams!
I will admit to having a total girl crush on Ally. She’s smart, sharp-tongued, witty, resilient and determined. She does have a bit of excess pride that gets in her way in her relationship with Dom, but you know it’s going to be a happily-ever-after because it’s a Lucy Score romcom.
Dom is grumpy, but despite him protesting to the contrary, he is the grump with a heart of gold. He carries so much guilt for crimes that are not his, and he thinks that he is totally heartless, but what he really needed is a woman to help him let go of the guilt and start living his life for himself. He is legitimately the most protective self-proclaimed grump I’ve read.
Ally and Dom really compliment each other, and they really help each other grow. They are both proud and determined. Dom is trying to protect Ally from him, and Ally is trying to protect herself. They are both written with such depth of emotion and you really connect and feel their heartache. Their banter is absolutely electric and entertaining. Their inner thoughts are downright hysterical.
By a Thread (Grumpy Grump Face) is just the romcom I’ve been looking for to keep me smiling, laughing and entertained for hours.
This was one of my favorite Lucy Score books! And that’s saying a lot because I love them all.
Oh, Dominic…that grumpy grump face, hot, domineering, stoic, tortured, angsty man. My heart wanted to reach out, wrap it’s little hearty arms around him, hold him close, make him feel loved and tell him that he is not responsible for the actions, happiness, and success of everyone in his life. And that he is worthy of love no matter what he did or did not do. The way that he wants to protect everyone he cares about is both maddening and swoonworthy.
Ally…that little spitfire of sass, energy, likeability, and responsibility. The way she has equal parts of share kindness but take no $h!t attitude, the way she loves her friends and family so fully, so completely, without complications of expectations. Her dedication to her ailing father is heartbreaking. The way she feels totally responsible for her own personal debts and duties and the lengths she will go to fulfil them is amazing.
These two fight their attraction for so long “The more you get to know me, the less attractive you’ll find me, and the better I know you, the more repulsive you’ll be.” (Dominic’s office bathroom…don’t even get me started…O.M.G!). When they finally, finally resolve the loooooong, slooooow, freakin’ scorching build….KABOOM! I am pretty sure that my Kindle spontaneously combusted at that point.
Their nicknames for each other were hilarious, sarcastic and perfect! And I am totally going to make myself a t-shirt with the slogan of “Questionable Life Choices Tinkerbell.”
Thank you, Lucy Score! Grumpy Grump Face…erm…I mean, By a Thread was worth every single minute you made us wait for it. Now I want more about Christian, and Gola, and…
Goodness this book was amazing! The banter between Dom and Ally was amazing, I absolutely love when one character is trying to get the other to quit and Dom was great. Dom and Ally were hilarious, frustrating, and basically made me feel every emotion under the sun, and I loved it.
This book handled challenging topics with ease and made them fit seamlessly into the story without making the story all about it. I loved the reminder that its there and we can’t forget it, but it also doesn’t have control either. I absolutely loved this book and highly recommend it!
By A Thread is the ultimate slow burn, office romance, enemies to lovers, you name it…it has it ALL!
Cue Ally and Dominic. Allie is back home trying to take care of her father and his estate and somehow afford to eat in the process. Meanwhile Dominic is trying to help his mom and prove to the world he’s nothing like his sperm donor of a father.
Y’all ever heard of a “meet cute”? Well Lucy Score just gave us the ultimate “meet hate” with a side of pizza with some artfully placed pepperoni! I was literally DYING of laughter at Ally and Dominic’s first sighting of each other.
Lucy Score manages to get me every time, and this book is no different. At times I wanted to bawl my eyes out for Ally and what she was going through, then you see the resilient side of her that we can all relate to, and it made me love her struggle even more because we all know that girl is going to figure it out and make this life her bitc*!
It took me a minute or six to fall in love with Dominic and his grumpy grump face ways but low and behold here I am with stars in my eyes wondering if it’s acceptable to buy my diesel mechanic husband a suit and a vest so I can drool all over him?! I mean…he can wear it to watch TV with me right?
Y’all do yourself a favor and one click this book. I’m never going to work at a fashion magazine and have a meet hate with my future boss I want to punch in the junk, but also want to bone, but I can sure relate to Ally and Dominic’s struggles, we all can, and those two deserve all the love and happy ever afters! So give them some love and give this book a read, you won’t be sorry!
I know this is going to seem dramatic but this book is a work of art, a masterpiece. It is the cutest book I have ever read. I am so in love with the characters and the banter is to die for and the dialogue is just something on an entirely different plane. It seriously is just so good. I’m not going to go into the story because I don’t want to give anything away but this is like 100 stars, hands down best rom com I’ve read in a long time, maybe ever and that’s saying something because Lucy Score knows how to write a rom com!
***I did receive a free advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest review***
A grumpy, growly hero with a secret marshmallow heart and a sassy, independent heroine determined to solve her own problems…yes please! I laughed out loud when Ally and Dominic first met and their nicknames for each other kept me giggling the whole way through. The pull between the two was magnetic and the slow burn chemistry was scorching hot! Witty, snarky banter, an amazing cast of side characters and some serious real life issues gave this book a very well rounded feel. It is enemies to lovers at it’s finest and in classic Lucy Score style it sucks you right into the story and gives you all the feels along the way. Charming and Maleficent have definitely become one of my favorite couples!
Every once in a while you read a book that steals your heart and takes your breath away. That was By A Thread for me.
Dom and Ally start out as hilarious enemies, turn into reluctant coworkers and then friends all the while fighting this amazing chemistry that torments them both. The nicknames, the banter, the grudging respect all lead to an epic relationship.
Dom IS grumpy grump face and I absolutely adored him. Ally is my new favorite Lucy Score heroine. Smart and sassy, her huge heart was a big part of this story. Add in some amazing secondary characters, enough heat to melt your kindle and a super adorable dog, By A Thread is one of my top reads for the year.
I loved this book so freaking much. This book was a mash up of all of the things I loved about “The Devil Wears Prada” and “Cinderella” minus the simpering, annoying characters. Cinderella aka Ally doesn’t need nor does she want Prince Charming aka Dominic to “save” her. Also, Dominic is no Prince Charming, Prince Jerk Face is more like it. This book was a REAL “fairy tale” because fairy tales aren’t real. You can’t Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo (you know what I mean here) in your 30s without some consequences like frozen vegetables and pulled hamstrings. This book embraces the flaws and works to correct the wrongs with patriarchy today but in a way that has you laughing and crying along the way. A+ Lucy!
I just have to say that By a Thread is my favorite of all the books I’ve read by Lucy Score. It has been awhile since I’ve smiled so much throughout a book, but also shed tears. I remember reading snippets of this grumpy grump face on this author’s Facebook feed and feeling intrigued about this unnamed book. I so love a grump who falls in love. Ally and Dominic’s story exceeded all my expectations.
I won’t go into too much detail regarding their story, but just know that Dominic can be a real a$$ and he knows it, but he’s had a tough 18 months since he took over as creative director at his mother’s company and cleaning up a mess left by his father. Seriously he can be such a jerk, but when you get to know him he is absolutely swoon worthy!! As for Ally, she is just plain awesome. She has so much on her plate, I seriously did not know how she was able to survive, but she did with such compassion and determination. She is also one who does not take any crap from anyone and you see that from the very first meet with Dominic.
Their story is not just a rom-com, it also deals with some serious issues that were dealt with amazingly. My heart ached for both Ally and Dominic, they both had so many issues so it was so heartwarming to see how they completed each other.
I absolutely loved this book so much! Ally with her vest fetish (I kind of understand that!), Brownie and the other pups, the banter and nicknames between Ally and Dominic, Dominic’s amazing mom and all the secondary characters and those emails at the end are just the few of the things that made this book one of my favorites of this year. This is definitely a 5-star book and I highly recommend it!
One of the best Meet Cutes ever! Ally is just working when Dom enters her workplace and get her fired but his mother the queen of fashion and publishing gets her a job. Ally comes into Dom’s workplace is not afraid to give his smart talk right back to everyones surprise. Dom finds he is having feeling for this new girl in his life. Ally is sweet, caring, smart, hard worker to the extreme, but also has a lot on her plate. Dom is the rich boy that is trying not to be his father, but also just wants to help and care for Ally and find out if he likes her more than just the banter.
Lucy Score is the queen of laugh out loud moments and this one is no different! I couldn’t stop laughing at the banter but also this book will make you cry as well as she deals with her dad and we learn why Dom is such an ass at the office. There is full of such a great story with family drama, work place drama, #metoo moments, fashion, new friendships, real life, love, chemistry, witty banter, super cute puppy, and that HEA! This is steamy as all get out but a slow burn!
Overall, 4.5 stars and 5 steam!
I received an ARC of this book for an honest review.
I LOVE LUCY! Like seriously! I can’t get enough of her and I’ve been not-so-patiently waiting for this book since she told us she was writing it, and it was graciously named “Grumpy Grump Face” until the true title came out. And Lucy being who she is, had a second cover designed with that name. BECAUSE IT’S AWESOME!
Now the book. Omg! I could feel the tension and undeniable attraction between Dominic and Ally from the very start! Enemies to lovers is probably one of my all-time favorite tropes. The snide remarks, the banter… all of it… just so GOOD! And this one definitely did not disappoint! AT ALL! Dominic and Ally will have you on your knees with this book.
The emotions evoked in this book range from laugh out loud to wanting to throw the kindle across the room in an angry fury, and everything in between. The chemistry between Dom and Ally is top notch and will literally set your kindle on fire. Wow! Just wow! Not to mention the way he goes to win her back.
Seriously, I can’t describe everything that this book did to me! I just know it is probably my FAVORITE Lucy Score book to date, and that is saying something because I LOVE ALL OF HER WORK!
Five stars for this fun enemies to lovers office romantic comedy that will literally have you laughing out loud one minute and wanting to slap someone silly in the next.
This is the book you NEED to read during this difficult time (or any time actually), it was that good. This enemies-to-lovers romance will blow you. I was crying from the beginning to the end… of laughter and emotion. I never laugh so much, people at home were giving me weird eyes.
Dominic and Ally were perfect together and complement each other where one was a grumpy grump guy and she was the positive and determined one, she was always confident that things would work out, and for her that was not an easy task. However their beginning wasn’t easy but it was hilarious! From the way they met in the pizzaria and he got her fired, to their nicknames (Charming and Maleficent), to Ally smashing the keyboard with her sausage fingers, oh my… there is so many things.
But the book also brought some difficult topics, such as dementia and it’s impact in the family, consent and abuse of power bringing to the Me Too movement and how the actions of the parents can change the future of their kids. I hated Ally’s mom with all my force, but Dom’s father? He was the worst human being and parent I’ve ever saw.
How Dom treated Ally when they broke up was horrible, but you can help but to feel sorry for him. The guilt he had for all his dad had done, how his father treated him since he was 13 and how he was brought to clean his father’s messes. Dom never experience real love in his life, other then sometimes his mom (she was amazing by the way), and everything that happened to him during his life brought him to an epic meltdown. But then his road to redemption was brilliant and heartwarming, his e-mails to Ally brought tears to my eyes and how he was a caretaker of the people was touching.
Moving on… I loved their friends and the members of their family. They were all so funny and lovable! Even though the book was huge I could still read sooo much more. When I reach the amazing epilogues (there’s 2!!!) I couldn’t believe it was ending! What a treat of a book. Ps: Ally finally got to drink her mango margarita!
I have to say this book deserves all the praise and more! Lucy Score really outdid herself with this one. This is my favorite book of hers so far, and definitely a top favorite of 2020! I laughed, cried, and generally felt ALL the feelings! It’s an enemies to lovers, workplace romance. Dominic and Ally have a rough first meet, with him being a typical grump, insulting her, and then getting her fired. His mother comes to her rescue and hires her at her fashion magazine.
The characters were fantastic! These two had witty banter and explosive chemistry to the max! Ally was an absolutely incredible character. The drive and determination of that girl was amazing! The things she was dealing with were heartbreaking and she did not let it bring her down. Dom is dealing with some emotional baggage, and some very serious issues with his father. The book explores consent in the workplace and what an office romance would like after that. The secondary characters were all well developed and brought a lot to the story. The fashion parts of the story were terrific! All in all, this was a big winner for me, and you should absolutely pick this one up, you won’t regret it!
*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
If you only read one book this year, this is the one. I was blown away by every page of this book. I knew I would like the story, because enemies-to-lovers is my favorite troupe, but I did not expect how much I would fall in love with Grumpy Dominic or idolize the strong/sweet Ally. There is an amazing build up in the first 30% and then from there it just goes full speed ahead with so much angst, wit, banter and sweetness, I was in love. The way Ally builds up the woman around her, stays so positive through the worst of times and can hold her own with the grumpiest/sexiest/a$$hole of a boss, was amazing. Dominic became the character you love to hate but also would love to fall in love with. Dominic and Ally’s chemistry is off the charts. Some of their love scenes were so HOT I had to put the book down and take a breath. Throughout the whole story, I felt like I was right there, in the middle of it all, the way Lucy did an amazing job describing and setting the scenes. I particularly felt a connection with the part of the story line in regards to alzheimer, my grandmother had it as well. And the way Lucy incorporated current issues with sexual harrassment was so tastefully done but to the point. By a Thread is the IT book of the year.
I loved this book!
The way Lucy Score has written these characters is fantastic. Watching Dominic discover and then embrace his humanity was exciting. The way Ally was so accepting of everyone and everything that came her way was inspiring. The back and forth dialogue between Dominic and Ally, Charming and Maleficent, is witty and snarky and so much fun. I was laughing out loud from the first chapter and had a perma smile on my face through the entire book.
It was the perfect book to escape with during this crazy time.
ps- I am so glad they never called the dog trainer!