Head over Heels

Wilder Family, Book 2

By: Karla Sorensen

Narrated by: Ryan West, Savannah Peachwood

There’s only one course of action when your dad wants you to marry a clammy-handed wimp to make one of his board members happy—you get yourself stuck in an elevator with a hot stranger and have the steamiest make-out session of your life. Years of etiquette lessons went out the window thanks to Cameron Wilder, who managed to unleash my hidden bad girl with naught but his talented mouth and deliciously rough hands.

Afterwards, he went back to his small-town life, and I marched home to inform my dad there would be no business-centric nuptials. As punishment, he shipped me off to Sisters, Oregon and demanded I turn a healthy profit on a not-so-healthy property.

You see where I’m going with this—the buttoned-up city girl stuck in a small town hires a local builder to help her … and he’s the hot stranger from the elevator. Turns out, I have a weakness for the broad-shouldered nice guy who’s not so nice behind closed doors. Keeping things professional gets harder the longer I’m in town, until the only lesson I have left to learn is how to keep both our hearts from getting broken.

©2024 Karla Sorensen (P)2024 Karla Sorensen

It’s hate to love; she’s terrible, doesn’t deserve him. I couldn’t finish.

I normally like this author but this one I couldn’t stand and didn’t make it more than 3 hours. The FMC was just so unlikeable. She was a colossal b!+€# at their “reunion” and she had no right to be. She’s one of those people that treats everyone like they are beneath her (I take that back, she truly believes they are) takes pride in treating them with derision, insulting them. Prides herself in being an ice queen. Resents his attractiveness. I’m sure if I kept listening she’d turn into a lovey dovey softie that falls in love, but I couldn’t stomach listening to hours of the MMC forgiving her shitty attitude and defending her—his continued obsession and pursuit of her in order to wear her down till she deigns to consider him.
Fingernails on chalkboard.
It’s very much a hate to love story and I would have avoided it if I’d realized that

Perfect in any form - Ivy steals the show!

😭😭😭 <---- my first reaction.

Did my dog Bear (KARLA HOW DID I NOT KNOW WE BOTH HAVE DOGS NAMED BEAR?) immediately come over to snuggle me as I finished this book because he's so empathetic and could TELL I WAS IN MY FEELS? Yes, yes he did. It was incredible. And so was this book.

Do I have 87 highlights in my ARC? Yes.

Did this book blow me away because it was SO KARLA while also being SO DIFFERENT than her other books? Also yes.

Is Cameron Wilder my new favorite Wilder sibling??? Maybe so!

I always love the Wilder siblings, but Ivy stole the show. I love Cameron Wilder more for seeing Ivy for exactly who she is and loving her BECAUSE OF THOSE THINGS.

The things I loved are numerous... here we go:
- the meet cute and then the real meet cute in the elevator
- THE FREAKING NICKNAME *KILLED ME* + Ivy having a love-hate relationship with it made it so much better (loving that she didn't hate it, perhaps?)
- Cameron's immediate protectiveness of Ivy
- The Wilder family showing up for Ivy consistently
- Ivy witnessing the Wilder clan in their beautiful mess, and for the first time maybe ever realizing that her dad hasn't been loving her the way she deserves
- Neville the freaking kitten nearly did me in
- Ivy and Poppy's friendship
- Cameron being someone who Ivy could let in, could trust that he'd teach her and let her figure it out on her own, but would always be close by to help if she asks for it
- The tension that finally boiled over... it left marks on both main characters in the permanent love kinda way
- Ivy slowly showing up at the Wilder household, and the Wilders (Sheila and Tim especially) accepting whatever she gave but also acknowledging things about Ivy that went unseen in her own family, until they couldn't deny a bond between them, leading to...
- Ivy trying to bake (swoooooony moments from Cam - warning you now)
- Breakfast on the counter
- The challenges between Ivy and Cameron - they didn't cave to each other, and they certainly didn't go soft on each other... this was probably my favorite part of their relationship dynamic. They challenged each other but also did it maturely, in a way that made their chemistry freaking sizzle
- Cameron getting jealous at the bar :)
- The fall festival and getting to see the WHOLE Wilder crew
- Ivy coming out of her ice queen shell around the community in Sisters, rather than cower and hide and disappear like she did in her life before
- The way Ivy discovered how all of her training and education and upbringing could be super helpful in whatever way SHE decided; the transformation and autonomy was so powerful to witness
- Texts about offices and desks being cleared off....
- Rides in a pickup truck
- When Cameron knocks Ivy straight on her butt when he proves how much he knows her... ugh. Authors who want to do the "I know you" micro-trope could learn something from Karla! This was PERFECTION.
- When Ivy proves just how brave, smart, resourceful, and mature she is, I cried. That moment and the decisions that follow are inspiring. She took her life back and proved just how ready she is to take on whatever she decides is next for her.
- Ivy beating literally everyone at chess
- When Cameron lets Ivy be the supportive one (for once?)

Favorite quote: "Ivy still had chocolate in her hair and a streak of Cool Whip on her cheek, and I studied her with a tilt of my head. Messy. Imperfect and open and sweeter than she wanted anyone to know. Mine."

This book obviously gets 20 stars out of 5 from me. It was encouraging and demonstrated that being brave looks different to each person. It challenges the way we "think" people "should" act or be, and helps us remember that loving people FOR WHO THEY ARE AS PEOPLE is so important (thanks Tim Wilder for that nugget of wisdom). It's Ivy learning to acknowledge that there is no such thing as perfection, but there is hope and joy in letting someone help you along the way with no gain for themselves other than seeing you accomplish something that makes you happy. And it's a hug when your world crumbles and things shift and nothing feels the same way it once did.

THE AUDIO IS... PERFECT. I was so emotional by the end of the story. I'm grateful I was able to sob on my way HOME from work, instead of on my way to work. Another 5 star rating from me!

Such a wonderful, sweet story.

I am a huge fan of Karla Sorensen and this is another great book of hers. The Wilders are such an amazing family and every love story has been so good. Cameron and Ivy hooked me from the very beginning. I loved that we got to visit with all of the family in this book. Their bond is so special.

Cameron & Ivy

What a sweet story- he was patient with her and fell in love first only because she didn’t know what love was! Such a sweet story that included so many family members ❣️

Deep and meaningful

This series is so deep and meaningful. Well written with an involved story plot and genuine character development. You will laugh, cry and fall in love with the Wilder family.