Book Review: Say Everything (Socialites #4)(ARC)

Author: Langley Gray

Iris Mortimer, heir to a shipping empire, is a new expat in Hong Kong. She agrees to a blind date only because, well, she’s bored and maybe a tiny bit lonely. When Bryan Harris arrives, she’s pleasantly surprised – he’s not the stuffy white-collar type she anticipated.

Both new to the city, the two embark on an exploration of all the best tourist spots. She’s recovering from a past relationship, he’s focused on his research, so no pressure – right?

What neither realizes is that there has been a serious mistake in identity, both were meant to meet other people with the same name. When their true selves are accidentally revealed, Bryan realizes he can’t be with Iris. But by now, she’s fallen for him.

Will their mutual love of 80’s rom coms help keep them together?

Find out as Iris Says Everything to get him back. ♥

Say Everything is the fourth and final novel in the Socialites series. Similar to Peak of Love (#3), this novel can be read as a standalone. The series surrounds a group of socialite friends and each novel features one of them as the lead character. This was another fun read and I need to still go back and try out the first two in the series.  It’s a sweet and light-hearted story that makes for a nice easy read.

Iris is a shipping heiress learning about the industry in Hong Kong and to escape a broken heart. As a favor to her parents, she agrees to meet this man at the bottom of the famous outdoor escalators, a very crowded tourist destination, with only a very general description. Our other main character is Bryan, who recently moved to Hong Kong to work at the University of Hong Kong as an environmental research scientist. He is there as part of a partnership with the University of Washington to work on a branch of ecotourism with marine life in port areas.

Bryan is at the escalators to meet an Iris that is meant to give him a tour of Hong Kong.  Although each person shares the name of the person they were meant to meet, neither was the intended person to meet. It brings about a fun case of mistaken identity that comes about in its own time. I love that each had a plausible reasoning for why they did not doubt that this was the person they were supposed to meet as each fit the general descriptions they were given. Bryan thought he was meeting a Hong Kong tour guide named Iris and she thought she was meeting her blind date, Bryan.

The two characters are very sweet together and I liked their interactions. Not only is the case of mistaken identity a hurdle for the two main characters to overcome, but they are on two sides for their work. Bryan is working on ways to preserve the marine environment in the ports, whereas Iris works for her dad’s shipping business that relies on the ports. With multiple obstacles, this story tries to find out if the two characters can work through their differences.

The setting in Hong Kong was amazing as the reader can picture themselves there even if they have never visited before. I was very lucky that the escalators were almost empty when I visited, so it would not have been a problem to have it as a meet-up location. However, I have friends that went during peak times and I then understood why it would not be advisable and the general plot became more relatable.  I loved the details that highlighted the different places around Hong Kong, both the tourist spots and the general setting.

Overall, I love the nod to Say Anything in this novel. The story is fun and moves at a decent pace. The romance in this story is very sweet and I rooted for the two characters to find happiness. There were moments where I wanted more details, but it was still a very enjoyable read. I loved the writing as it was easy to understand without being too simplistic. I loved the journey both characters go through and I liked the two novels that I read of this series and cannot wait to read the other two along with more works from this author!

**I give a special thank you to Booksirens, the publisher, Bisico Press, and the author, Langley Gray, for this enjoyable ARC to read. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**