Truly, Madly, Deeply by Alexandria Bellefleur
Contemporary Romance
April 30, 2024 by Avon

Review by Melanie

It is no secret that when a romance novel touts itself as a romantic comedy these days, I immediately give it massive side eye. Having been burned way too many times by rom coms that were neither romantic nor comedic, that particular pairing of words automatically makes me back away. However, Alexandria Bellefleur’s Truly, Madly, Deeply is one banger of a rom com, both delightfully romantic and ridiculously comedic. The book made me laugh intentionally multiple times and that is a very rare feat. 

Romance author Truly Livingston who writes under the name Truly St. James (what a fabulously perfect name for a romance author, btw!) is having a very bad day. She caught her fiancė cheating, has a massive case of writer’s block, and as a guest on a very popular podcast, she gets into a heated argument with family attorney Colin McCrory about relationships and what it really means when one person wants to take a break. As that particular topic hits a little too close to home for Truly, she is unable to hold it together and thus, a disastrous meet cute is born. 

Truly is reeling from her own personal breakup and also the subsequent revelation that her parents, happily married for over 3 decades, have decided to separate. As a romance writer, her whole belief system is guided by the principle that love is the most important thing there is so when these two massive upheavals happen in her life, she is no longer sure she can trust in love.

Colin, on the other hand, is a family lawyer who, through his line of work, knows firsthand how ugly it can get when a marriage ends. He is a realist, having seen all the ways that relationships can fail. While Truly is dealing with her own relationship woes, Colin has a pretty toxic family situation of his own with parents who don’t appreciate him or know how to love their son unconditionally. However, what I really like about his characterization is that in many books, the character with a tough family life or in a line of work that showcases the ugly sides of relationships, also swears off relationships and love. Here, it’s almost the opposite in that romance writer Truly is having trouble believing in love while Colin has a more realistic but also optimistic view of things.

To say sparks fly when these two meet would be an understatement. After their first meeting goes off the rails, Colin persuades Truly to give him and the podcast another chance and thus begins a charming friendship full of flirty banter and innuendoes and IG stalking gone wrong. I adored their texts, the way they tease each other and bicker back and forth. And let me just say, Colin McCrory is one of the most delightful dirty talkers I’ve ever encountered in a romance novel. He is pretty upfront that he is all in when it comes to Truly. But Truly, reeling from a recent breakup, is understandably a little gun shy. However, Colin isn’t one to give up, telling Truly not only what he wants but that he’s willing to wait until she figures out what she wants. 

There really isn’t a third act breakup in this story, just a short scene where Truly feels overwhelmed and doesn’t think she can really do a relationship but comes to her senses pretty quickly. And while I loved Truly, it’s fair to say that Colin is the real star of this show, absolutely devoted to caring for Truly’s every need (EVERY. SINGLE. ONE.). He simply wants to worship at the altar of Truly. Colin is one of my favorite romance hero archetypes, the soft and gooey hero so completely besotted with his love interest with a real caretaking and nurturing bent. ‘

It’s a delightful queer romance (both Truly and Colin are bisexual and there’s a great conversation the two of them have about bi-erasure and biphobia), filthy and funny and tender and sweet. It’s truly the perfect little rom com (sorry, I couldn’t help myself) and I highly recommend it. 

Content Notes: toxic family vibes, on page separation

Grade: A