When your love for animals change your life completely

Synopsis

A delicious friends to lovers, forced proximity, workplace romance for 2025.

A 30th birthday celebration. A sloth sanctuary in Costa Rica. A split-second decision.

When Kat MacDonald takes the trip of a lifetime to Costa Rica, she doesn’t count on ditching her dead-end job, sending her uber-controlling boyfriend packing and volunteering at a sloth sanctuary.
But when she finally meets the swoon-worthy assistant manager Dexter, the chemistry between them is unmistakeable and sparks fly. Despite a rival for his affections, and her ex’s inability to know when to give up, she and Dexter are drawn to each other like magnets.
Just as she’s settling into life at the sanctuary and making friends, a letter arrives from back home in Scotland. A letter which could both upset her new plans and give her everything she has ever wanted. Everything except Dexter.
Kat is torn: should she stay in the tropical rainforest paradise with her beloved sloths, new friends and the delectable Dexter or pursue her lifelong dream? Or can she find a way to have it all?

A fun, escapist read full of romance, beautiful scenery and humour, perfect for fans of Emily Henry, Beth O’Leary Leonie Mack and Portia MacIntosh.

My review

After a devastating loss, Kat MacDonald finally managed to fulfil her dream: to make a trip to Costa Rica. Even if the plans were initially different, she is ready to enjoy this time with her boyfriend Aidan. And she cannot wait to visit the sloth sanctuary! However, this holiday isn’t going as planned, because instead of doing exciting things, Aidan doesn’t pay any attention to Kat at all, and when he does, it is in a negative way. But enough is enough, and even if they are on holiday, Kat decides to break things off with him. And before she knows it, she has quit her job and is volunteering at the sloth sanctuary. There she meets a lot of new people, with a shared love for the animals. And there she also meet Dexter, and sparks fly rather immediately. But being a volunteer in Costa Rica supposed to be only temporarily, and with her mother and even her ex pushing her to return home, Kat starts to wonder where home truly is…

I have to admit, before this book, I never had given sloths that many thoughts. My knowledge of them were rather limited, and when I think about them, I think about movies like Zootopia/ Zootropolis and Ice Age. So while I was eager to read a new book from this amazing author, I was also curious to see is I would grow to like or even love these animals I don’t know much about.

At the start of this book, it would seem that Kat has a rather good life. I don’t think that many would be able to go on a trip to Costa Rica, and with a boyfriend that has been there through the most difficult time of Kat’s life, and there are plans for moving in together.

But this apparent good life only shows that we don’t always see what truly is going on. Because rather quickly, I felt that things weren’t that great at all. Not only is Kat obviously still in pain over losing her father, but also things with Aidan aren’t that perfect at all.

And it needs to be said, that I didn’t exactly warm to Aidan myself. Of course, we know that things will end between badly between them, but seeing how Aidan is acting, I couldn’t understand why Kat didn’t see this side before and how she has been able to just stand him.

So yes, I was proud of Kat when she ends things with him, and stands up for herself and her new acquaintances. It cannot be easy to break up a relationship, especially not when you are on holiday together and have plans for the future. But when it needs to be done, it needs to be done.

While Kat was courageous in breaking up with Aidan, I also found her a ‘bit’ impulsive… I understand the passion you can have for something, or for a specific species. And yes, becoming a volunteer at a sloth sanctuary is not an opportunity you can find every day, but if I were in Kat’s shoes, I don’t think I would quit my job, leave home behind that easily. But of course, that is also the beauty of Kat, she follows her instincts, her gut feelings, and goes with the flow.

On the other hand, that impulsiveness also causes issues that with more calmness and thinking – time could have easily been avoided.

Issues that often somehow involve Dexter…

I could so easy understand the attraction Kat starts to feel for this stranger. Not only do they share a love for sloths, but there is an easiness between them, that is perhaps even something to be envious of. There is this instant connection, clear visible sparks that fly around. And while in other occasions I would be frowning as how fast Kat is falling for someone else after her breakup, in this case, it just makes perfect sense.

But like I said, Kat’s impulsiveness cause also a lot of misunderstandings and issues. There were several moments where I just wanted to should at Kat for not doing something rash, but take her time, talk about what she may think to have heard or seen…

The moments where Kat and Dexter “get along”, and where they are trying to see how things progress between them, were just so sweet and great to read. And when they don’t get along, it was frustrating, because their issues are so futile, non-existing! Both characters deserve each other, as they are just both so lovely!

Obviously, there is a lot of spotlight also on these wonderful animals. And yes, I have to admit that I have learned to appreciate them, and that I for sure would love to volunteer in a sanctuary, just like Kat does in this book. 😊

There is one thing that I absolutely didn’t appreciate in this book. Don’t worry Susan, it has to do with the behaviour of a character, nothing to do with your amazing writing skills. I was so disappointed in Kat’s mother. I can understand that a parent – child relationship isn’t always as easy. But it angered me reading how Kat’s mother just took Aidan’s side, kept on insulting Kat and her choices and even used Kat’s beloved father in attempts to make Kat go back home.

All Kat’s choices, decisions, doubts, misunderstandings and even questions, are a learning curve for her. She makes her bed and lies in it, through trial and error she understands what makes her heart beat faster, what makes her feel good. Kat not only learns even more about sloths, but about herself too.

There is only one way to end this revies. And that is by stating that Susan Buchanan just swept me off my feet with this latest story! I fell in love with it from the very start, and I just never stopped loving it, even the hardest, more difficult bits couldn’t dimmish my love for the Kat’s story!