Review of Becoming Bella

Brief Summary Courtesy of Zebra

This Christmas, a good reputation can really get in a girl’s way . . .

As long as she can remember, Bella Erikson’s been the unofficial sweetheart of Ghost Falls, Utah. And ever since Nate Evans dipped her braids in purple paint in the first grade, he’s been her dream guy. Not that she minds the attention, but sometimes she wishes people saw more in her than just the girl who still has a crush on Sheriff Evans. She has a life after all, a new bridal shop to run, and more mature relationships to pursue . . .

Nate knows he’s not good enough for sweet Bella. But he’s pretty sure the new guy sending her heart emojis and giant bouquets isn’t either. And when Bella’s suitor turns stalker, protecting Bella isn’t just Nate’s instinct—it’s his duty. Crammed together for safety and really talking for the first time in years, Bella and Nate can’t fight the moment their chemistry turns into pyrotechnics. Whether it will burn them out or light up the sky, only time will tell . . .

My Review

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and Zebra in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. This is the first book that I have read of Sarah Heggers and the first that I have read in her Ghost Falls series. What first attracted me to reading this book was the cover. After the cover I really liked the synopsis as the storyline had more than just your typical childhood crush story. 

The author, Sarah did a great job setting the scene of the book from Bella's house to her store. You really felt like you could visually see all the different scenes in the book by her imagery in her writing. In addition to the setting of the story I think that the way she developed the story line between the two main characters was great. She did it slowly and honestly which is not always what you read in other books. The characters were also well developed too. She gave you enough background to understand them but not too much where it bored you. I also liked that she gave you great supporting characters that really added to the story. 

In addition to the storyline, characters and romance in the book I also like how she incorporated the thriller aspect of it with the online dating gone bad. It added an edge to the book that wouldn't have been in there with out it and it really made me want to keep reading to find out what happened. 


One of my favorite quotes in the book was when Bella was talking to her neighbor Liz about men and relationships. "None of us are perfect. Nobody can love perfectly. In the end, its always going to be a leap of faith" 

All in all this was a great book. I am interested in reading more from this author and more in the series. I recommend this book to readers who like the romance but also a little bit of thriller (not the super scary though).