Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas

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So, after reading Pumpkin Everything and being disappointed with how it went, check out my rant review if you haven't seen it, I needed something I knew would be good. I wanted something that would cover the Fall in Love prompt recommended by Shelby, and started going through all her 5-star reads to see if there was something that sparked my interest; bonus if it covered a Bang in the Night Bingo prompt as well. I knew I was sold when I saw she had rated Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas 5-stars. Quite a few booktubers and bookstagrammers I trust also gave this 5-stars. Plus, my favorite podcast Smart Women Read Romance did an episode on it as well. Even though it didn't seem to obviously hit anything for Bang in the Night Bingo, I thought now was the time since nothing else was really sounding good. I didn't necessarily want to read it now, but I knew to avoid getting slumpy again I needed something that a lot of people loved. And oh boy did I love it as well.

Jordan is getting off work early on her 19th birthday. Her boyfriend Cole isn't answering his phone so she decides to go the the midnight showing of an 80's horror movie. There she ends up meeting an older man and sparking a connection. AFter the movie, they both find out that Pike is Cole's estranged father. Also, Cole started Jordan's birthday party early, without her, and it caused issues and he ended up in jail. They lose the apartment and Pike takes them both in to save for a new place. Cole continues to be a stereotypical 19 year old boy and ignore Jordan. As Pike and Jordan spend more time together they both fight the pull between them.

Oh my gosh. First off, this is my first Penelope Douglas. She's known for writing taboo and that's not a sub-genre I'm usually drawn too. While the age gap here is pretty significant, it didn't really feel as much as it was. Jordan was so mature for her age and didn't act like 19 year old at all. Especially when placed next to Cole you could really see that she has an old soul. I was very similar and there were a lot of times in high school and college where I felt like the adult of the group. I could really connect to her there. Pike was so sweet and sexy and I really loved him as well. They both are struggling with loneliness and I loved how their relationship evolved. You could really feel the connection between them, more so of the emotional than physical.

One of their conversations that really hit me was when they were discussing weddings and marriage (before they started their relationship). Pike asks her about her dream wedding and dress and those types of things. Jordan responds that she dreams of the life after, not the wedding. I am the exact same way. I've never been a big dreamer of what my wedding would be, but I've always dreamed of having a family and a husband and just the day to day life. Yeah I've had thoughts of wanting to get married in the fall since it's my favorite time of year, but that's really it. I can't really even picture what my wedding would look like at all. This book was so good and I knew 20% that it was going to be great. I was already hooked and knew based on previous reviews and discussions about the book that it just gets better as their relationship progresses.

I'm not sure if I'll pick up another Penelope Douglas soon. I enjoyed her writing style here, but I'll just have to make sure to check the tropes and what taboo elements are included. I know there are a couple of her books I'm intrigued in, but also some stories I'm 99% sure I'll never pick up. I really enjoyed this book and am happy to finally understand why so many people gush about it. If the large age gap is something that turns you off, please don't let it with this one. I could completely see Pike and Jordan together forever and the taboo-ness of their relationship didn't really feel that taboo to me.

Have you read Birthday Girl?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Birthday Girl, Penelope Douglas, 5-stars, 1 day, eBook, 416 pages, published in 2018