whitneydaniell

by: Myah Ariel
published: April 1, 2025
genre: Romance, Contemporary
318 Pages, E-Book
Goodreads | Amazon

Synopsis

As a child, Elladee believed she could sing before she could talk—and while that might be a bit of a stretch, one thing was certain: she always knew there was more to life than Berklee College. So, she dropped out, flew back to the West Coast, and took a leap of faith to pursue her passion for music. She didn’t know where that risk would take her, but she was sure that’s where she needed to be.

Enter Elliot Majors, a major music producer who quickly takes interest in Elladee’s sound and style, rebranding her as Ella Simone. During their whirlwind five-month romance, Ella and Elliot decide the next logical step is marriage—and off to the chapel they go. Five months is enough to know you’ve met your forever, right? Who’s thinking about divorce on their wedding day? But, as they say, all good things must come to an end.

When a handsome baseball player shows a serious interest in Elladee, her carefully constructed world begins to unravel. Can she find something solid to hold onto as everything around her falls apart? This isn’t The Wizard of Oz, and Elladee isn’t Dorothy—clicking her heels won’t get her home. She’ll have to walk her own path down the yellow brick road and discover what’s waiting for her on the other side.

My Final Thoughts

I wanted to like this book much more than I did.

Romance is the most popular literary genre, and because of that, I tend to critique it the most harshly. I want more from romance writers—more depth from the characters, more nuance in the storytelling, more authentic emotion and real-life conversations (and, honestly, fewer steamy sex scenes just for the sake of it). Too often, romance novels lean heavily on the “love at first sight” trope, rushing into declarations of love while skipping over the meaningful development of a relationship between two strangers. That’s where all the fun is!

While there were elements of No Ordinary Love that I enjoyed, what ultimately didn’t work for me was the lack of fully developed characters and a timeline that made it hard to believe the love story.

We meet Elladee just after she files for divorce from her husband of nearly ten years. Then there’s Miles, who is also fresh out of a relationship. And yet, within two months—two months!—they’re back in full-blown “I love you” territory. I’ve known several divorced people, and very few are ready to dive into serious relationships that quickly, let alone healthy ones. I wish the author had let them be single for a while, allowed them to rediscover themselves, and let the romance build more organically. As it stands, the fast-moving love story just didn’t feel realistic to me.

Another point that bothered me: Elladee doesn’t seem to have any close friends outside of the people she employs. While it’s possible to be friendly with your team, it’s a different dynamic than true friendship. Her only “friends” in the book are her stylist (an old friend from Berklee), her makeup artist, and her hairstylist—all people who work for her. Does she not have any childhood friends? Any industry peers? I wanted to see her have real, authentic relationships that weren’t tied to her payroll.

As for Miles—he’s a nice love interest. There’s no unnecessary drama or trauma bonding between the two divorcees, which I appreciated. But he still felt like a one-dimensional character. He’s handsome, successful, says all the right things, and has a great body… but where’s the depth? I know the book is primarily about Elladee, but can a girl not hope for more from the leading man? There’s even a whole chapter of voice notes between the two, and I think it was meant to give us insight into who Miles really is. Unfortunately, it felt misplaced and overly drawn out. I just didn’t connect with it. Maybe I’m asking too much of romance writers, but I believe they’re capable of more.

Ultimately, I didn’t hate the book. But coming off of When I Think of You, I think I was expecting something richer. Something more.