ARC Book Review: Will She Choose by Alyssa-Ray Bouman

Will She Choose

Alyssa-Ray Bouman

Will of the Heart, #3

Publisher: Independent

Published Date: June 29, 2025

Genres: Contemporary, Holiday, Romance, Fiction

402 Pages

Date Read: June 28 - July 5, 2026

Format: 📱

Source: Author ARC

This is the second book in a three-part standalone series. As always, if you prefer a spoiler free review please read my quick review instead of the in depth review below.

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About the Book

Callie has found herself at an impossible crossroads. Callie doesn't like surprises. She lives in her small town surrounded by her family and friends. Her life is great. Then this summer, she found out she was pregnant. The impossible choice? Her ex-boyfriend, Parker, who she never told that she was pregnant or her lifelong friend, Tom, who she has recently started to fall for. Callie was prepared to take on motherhood solo with the help of her family and friends, but now... she is torn between the man who broke her heart when he left and the man who has been there all along.

Quick Review (Spoiler Free)

I have been excited for this book since I read Will She Run. I flew through this book every time I sat down. Once I got the "decision" of this book, I could not put it down. I stayed up til 2am trying to finish it. I loved this.  Plus it has an optional closed door way to read for those who don't want the spice (which is an amazing thing for the author to offer).  It's got a love triangle between an old fling and an old friend. It has a hilarious spicy scene (also closed door option that keeps the romcom). And it pulls at your emotions.

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Now, let's get into the details!!

(Note: Some text may appear to be blocked out, just highlight that text to read it.)

I loved Callie when I was reading through Will She Run so when I started this one and realized this was her story, I was super excited. I have really started to develop a fondness for love triangle romances when they are done right. The depth to the characters and the connections that the author made really shows when you go from one story to another. There are scenes that happen in both books but you get to see a completely different perspective of the scene so it still feels new and genuine. I really enjoyed the little things that connected the books together.

I really enjoyed Callie's relationship dilemma, which is the central plot of this book. Callie has to choose between Parker, her off & on again fling until he leaves every summer, and Tom, her childhood friend who has had a crush on her for years. I was Team Tom all the way! As far as I'm concerned, Parker can kick rocks! And when he accidentally revealed the baby's gender to Callie!!! OMG I about came unglued. Callie's emotional journey was so nicely written and highlighted all the goods and bads in her life and I loved that she had her best friends looking out for her even though she didn't always divulge anything. I loved all the small quirks that were given to the characters in this series and how they shine even brighter when you read the books about them, like Callie's possessiveness of french fries.

The pacing felt slower than the first book but I feel like it complimented the events well. It gave enough time to get to know the three main characters and then see how their relationships played out. With that said, it did not drag out to the point where I felt bored. The whole story felt very nicely progressed. There were so many times that I wanted to laugh, cry, and scream at this book.

Finally, I thought it was such a great addition that the author put in markers for the intimate scenes. This allows the reader to skip to the next marker that indicates the more intimate or explicit are over. The best thing about this is that the author placed just enough into the story before the marker to give us the emotions and story without taking it away just to put in an intimate moment. I imagine that if I had skipped these scenes the feel of the book would still have been as good as I feel having read them.

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I would like to thank Alyssa-Ray Bouman for this eARC opportunity!

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Ratings

There are page indicators that allow for optional spice level:

Option 1 - Closed door (skipping the spicy parts).

Option 2 - Open door spice.