Overall ★★★★☆ 3.8/5
- ✓ 4.12 Goodreads average, about 1.12 million ratings
- ✓ 76% of ratings at four or five stars
- ✓ 18 weeks on NYT paperback list
- ✓ Knox's behaviour dominates the one-star reviews
Things We Never Got Over Review: Spice, Knox and Reading Order
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Verdict: A warm, funny grumpy sunshine romance with a niece readers adore and a town worth moving to, held back by a hero a loud minority calls controlling rather than grumpy, a 572-page length and a late crime plot that not everyone wanted.
Best for: Readers who love a growly hero softened by a kid and a dog, who want a big small-town cast and some danger in the last act, and who can forgive a book that runs long and a hero whose early behaviour reads as rude at best.
Heat level: ★★★☆☆ (3/5, open door with two or three intimate scenes; romance.io's page was blocked to our fetcher, so we scored it from TV Insider's 3 of 5 flames and its scene count)
Rating: ★★★★☆ (3.8/5, a 4.12 Goodreads average across about 1.12 million ratings, pulled down because the low-star reviews keep naming the same three problems: Knox's behaviour, the length and a pointless third-act breakup)
Tropes: Grumpy sunshine, Small town, Runaway bride, Found family, Guardian of a niece, Evil twin, Tattooed barber hero, Third-act breakup, Romantic suspense subplot, He falls first for the kid.
Things We Never Got Over is the first of Lucy Score's three Knockemout novels, a contemporary small-town romance set in fictional Knockemout, Virginia, in which Naomi Witt, a runaway bride who drives into town to help her estranged twin, collides with Knox Morgan, a barber and lottery winner who likes his life quiet, his relationships short and his town free of exactly the kind of mess Naomi brings with her.
The numbers are huge. Goodreads shows a 4.12 average from about 1.12 million ratings and roughly 82,000 written reviews, with 76% of ratings at four or five stars and about 5% at one or two. The book was self-published in January 2022, caught fire on BookTok, went to traditional publishers in the US and UK, and spent 18 weeks on the New York Times paperback list between October 2022 and February 2023. Prime Video has since ordered a series. The fight is small in numbers and loud in volume, and it's almost entirely about whether Knox is a grump or something worse. That split is the thing worth understanding before you start.
What Is Things We Never Got Over About?
This is a found-family story dressed as a grumpy sunshine romance. Naomi arrives with nothing, gets saddled with an 11-year-old niece she barely knows, and builds a life out of a small town full of gossips, cops, loyal regulars and a basset hound. Knox is the man who keeps telling her to leave and keeps turning up to fix things anyway. Readers who loved it talk about the town and the kid almost as much as the couple.
It's also longer and busier than a typical rom-com. The romance is slow to get physical, with one reviewer noting the leads don't kiss until almost halfway, and the last stretch turns toward custody fights, criminals and real danger. If you came for a light small-town read, expect more weight, more pages and a suspense plot that reviewers either call a payoff or call forced.
What Makes This Small-Town Grumpy Sunshine Romance Work
- Grumpy sunshine done big: Goodreads shelves it under grumpy sunshine near the top of its genres, and five-star reviewers name the dynamic first more often than anything else.
- Waylay: The 11-year-old niece is the most consistently praised character, and even a 2.5-star reviewer calls the Naomi and Waylay bond the best part.
- Knockemout itself: Reviewers describe the town as immersive and the supporting cast as entertaining, and the series built two more books from it.
- A hero who has to change: Fans and an A-grade blog review both point to Knox's growth, with real danger finally forcing him to face what he's afraid of losing.
- Reader momentum: Nearly half of 1.12 million ratings are five stars, and readers carried it from a self-published January 2022 release to 18 weeks on the NYT list.
Book Synopsis
Naomi Witt was supposed to be getting married. Instead she's on her way to Knockemout, Virginia, because her twin sister Tina, the one who always got into trouble, has asked for help. Naomi has spent her life being the responsible one, and walking out on her own wedding is the first thing she has ever done for herself.
Knockemout is not the kind of place that makes newcomers feel welcome. Its residents are blunt, nosy and protective of their own, and the bluntest of them is Knox Morgan, the barber with the tattoos, the lottery money and the firm rule against anything complicated. His first meeting with Naomi goes badly. His second goes worse. He has no interest in her problems, and she has more of them by the hour.
Then Tina does what Tina does. She takes Naomi's belongings and disappears, leaving behind an 11-year-old daughter, Waylay, whom Naomi has barely met. Now Naomi has no money, no job, no home and a child who has learned not to trust adults. Knox keeps telling himself none of this is his business, and he keeps showing up to help anyway, with practical help she didn't ask for and a growing soft spot for a kid who reminds him of himself. The more he helps, the harder it gets to pretend he isn't falling for the woman he wanted gone.
Our Review
The part that works, works hard. Score writes the found-family material with real warmth, and Naomi's slow, stubborn effort to earn Waylay's trust is the emotional spine of the book. Readers who gave it five stars say the same things in different words: they were hooked early, they loved the grumpy sunshine dynamic and they wanted to live in Knockemout. That town, with its nosy regulars and a basset hound named Waylon, is why the series grew to three books and why readers came back for the next two.
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The second strength is the shape of Knox's arc. He starts as a man who doesn't want anyone relying on him and ends as a man who's terrified of losing the people who do. Sandy M at The Good, The Bad and The Unread gave it an A and singled out the way the danger in the back half puts fear in Knox's way, and that's the craft reason the suspense plot exists: it makes the grump choose. Five-star reviewers also name his bond with Waylay as the moment they fell for him, which is a smarter hook than his looks.
Where it struggles is Knox himself, and that's the dominant complaint by a distance. The one-star reviews we read call him controlling, belittling, misogynistic or abusive, and several argue the book presents behaviour as romantic that would be a red flag anywhere else. The secondary complaints stack up behind it. At least six low-star reviewers say the book is far too long at 572 pages, two call the third-act breakup pointless, several mock the euphemisms in the sex scenes, a few say the adults act like children while the 11-year-old is the most mature person in the room, and more than one is tired of hearing about coffee.
Keep the volume of that criticism in proportion. Only about 5% of Goodreads ratings are one or two stars, roughly 76,000 people out of 1.12 million, and the popular reviews that rise to the top of the page skew negative. If the word grumpy usually means rude but kind to you, you'll probably read Knox as most fans do. If you have a low tolerance for a hero who bosses the heroine around and gets territorial, take the complaints seriously, because they're describing the same scenes the fans enjoy.
Reset one expectation about genre. The covers and the BookTok buzz sell a cozy small-town romance, and for most of the book that's accurate. The final quarter shifts toward a thriller with crime figures, gun violence and a kidnapping, and The Literary Lifestyle found that turn forced. Readers who like romantic suspense get a climax with stakes. Readers who wanted cozy all the way through should know the tone changes.
Our honest note: A big-hearted small-town romance whose kid, town and grumpy sunshine pull earn the million ratings, attached to a hero some readers can't stand and a page count that tests patience. Read it if you like your grump gruff and your stories long; skip it if a controlling hero is a dealbreaker however much he grovels later.
| Element | In Things We Never Got Over |
|---|---|
| Central relationship | Naomi Witt, a runaway bride, and Knox Morgan, a Knockemout barber and lottery winner who avoids complications |
| Core tropes | Grumpy sunshine, small town, found family, guardian of a niece, evil twin, third-act breakup |
| Setting | Knockemout, a fictional small town in northern Virginia |
| Heat level | 3/5, open door, two or three intimate scenes, slow to start |
| Series | Knockemout #1 of 3; Knox and Naomi's story resolves here, and they return in book two |
| Content notes | Child abuse and neglect, recounted domestic abuse, a parent with a substance addiction, off-page death of a parent, gun violence, kidnapping |
How Spicy Is Things We Never Got Over?
Moderately, and later than you might expect. TV Insider's Swooon gives it 3 of 5 flames and counts two to three intimate scenes, two of them explicit, and The Literary Lifestyle calls those scenes graphic and recommends the book for adults only. One reader notes the leads don't kiss until almost halfway through, so the first half runs on tension and bickering rather than sex. We put it at 3: the door is open and the scenes are detailed, but there are few of them in a long book.
How the scenes are written matters as much as how many there are. Several one- and two-star reviewers single out Score's euphemisms as the thing that pulled them out of the story, while fans don't mention them at all. A Substack deep dive on Score points out that readers often find the Knockemout books spicier than their soft, flowery covers suggest. Readers coming from closed-door small-town romance should expect more than the cover promises; readers who want a steamy book throughout will find this one lighter than its reputation.
Who Should Read This Book?
You'll likely love it if: you want a grumpy hero who melts for a kid and a dog, a town full of nosy, loyal side characters, and a long book you can live inside for a week.
You may want to skip it if: a territorial, bossy hero sours a romance for you however it ends, you want a tight 350-page rom-com, or a crime and kidnapping plot feels out of place in your cozy read.
In short: a crowd favourite with a divisive hero; if Knox works for you on page one, the rest of the series will too.
What Readers Are Actually Saying (October 2026)
The conversation around Things We Never Got Over has never really quieted. It was self-published in January 2022, and by the time Hodder & Stoughton bought UK rights at auction, The Bookseller counted 10.9 million views on its TikTok hashtag. Sourcebooks took US print through Bloom Books, the paperback held a New York Times spot for 18 weeks, and sprayed-edge hardcovers in November 2024 sent all three Knockemout books back onto the list, according to a Substack deep dive on Score. Deadline reported that Prime Video ordered a series, with Eric Charmelo and Nicole Snyder as showrunners, after development news first broke in September 2025. We could not open Reddit threads for this review, so the reader discussion here comes from Goodreads, blogs and trade coverage.
Why readers love it: Readers love the town and the kid as much as the couple. Five-star Goodreads reviews keep naming the grumpy sunshine dynamic, the found family and Knox's softening around Waylay, and Ali Goodwin's five-star review praises the character growth and found family by name. Even critical readers make exceptions: Giorgia Reads gave it 2.5 stars and still called the Naomi and Waylay relationship the part that worked. Score herself has said the book started from a song and the idea of a heroine becoming a guardian, and that's the thread readers hold onto.
What readers argue about and complain about: The complaint is Knox, and it's loud. Reviewers including brooke, Twinkletoes and Brianna describe him as controlling and emotionally abusive rather than grumpy, and Nikola calls the writing misogynistic. The other recurring problems are length (chan, saffiyah and TrippyBooks all object to nearly 600 pages), a third-act breakup that Ri and TrippyBooks both call unnecessary, sex-scene euphemisms mocked by Daniella Diogo and aleksandra, and adults who act younger than the 11-year-old. A few smaller complaints recur too: the coffee jokes wear thin for at least two readers, and more than one is put off by Knox relieving himself in his own yard. Not every middling reader is hostile. Jessica Yeung gave it four stars while admitting the flaws, and Phuong called it a cute comfort read.
The series question worth asking first: Knox and Naomi get a full happy ending here, and there's no cliffhanger. The Knockemout reading order is Things We Never Got Over (Knox and Naomi), then Things We Hide from the Light (Knox's brother Nash, the police chief, and Lina), then Things We Left Behind (Lucian Rollins and Sloane). Book two sits at 4.03 on Goodreads from about 553,000 ratings and won the 2023 Goodreads Choice Award for Romance; book three is the series high at 4.38 from about 442,000 ratings, though reviewers find it long too at nearly 700 Kindle pages. Each book has its own couple, but they share a town, a cast and a crime thread, so reading in order pays off, and Knox and Naomi's wedding happens in book two.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Things We Never Got Over spicy?
Yes, moderately. It's open door with two or three intimate scenes, two of them explicit, and the leads don't kiss until around the halfway point. TV Insider gives it 3 of 5 flames, and we score it 3 out of 5.
What is the Knockemout series reading order?
Things We Never Got Over (Knox and Naomi), Things We Hide from the Light (Nash and Lina), then Things We Left Behind (Lucian and Sloane). Each has its own couple, but the shared cast and crime plot make order matter.
Is Things We Never Got Over a standalone?
Mostly. Knox and Naomi's romance resolves with no cliffhanger, but they reappear in book two, which includes their wedding, and the town's crime thread carries across the series.
How long is Things We Never Got Over?
Long for a romance. Goodreads lists the Kindle edition at 572 pages, and Apple Books lists an unabridged audiobook of about 16 hours. Length is one of the most common complaints.
Is there a suspense plot in Things We Never Got Over?
Yes. The last part of the book turns toward a custody fight, criminals, gun violence and a kidnapping. Some readers love the stakes; others found the shift into thriller territory forced.
Is Knox a toxic hero?
That's the main argument about the book. Fans read him as a classic grump who changes; a vocal minority of one-star reviewers call him controlling and abusive. Only about 5% of Goodreads ratings are one or two stars.
If You Loved Things We Never Got Over, Read These Next
For another fish-out-of-water heroine and a town that closes ranks, try It Happened One Summer, another grumpy local and newcomer pairing in a close coastal town. If the small-town found family was the draw, Part of Your World gives you a tight-knit town and a heroine who chooses it. And if the danger in the last act was your favourite part, go to The Witness, small-town romantic suspense with the thriller plot built in from page one.
Browse more in grumpy sunshine romance, found family romance, small-town romance and romantic suspense.
The Bottom Line
Things We Never Got Over sets out to be a cozy small-town romance, a found-family story and a romantic suspense novel at once, and it pulls off more of that than its length would suggest. What works: the grumpy sunshine pull, Waylay and the town of Knockemout. What doesn't: a hero many readers find controlling, a 572-page length that strains the middle, and a third-act breakup that feels manufactured. If a gruff, bossy hero is a pleasure for you, this is the start of a series you'll finish. If he's a red flag, the kid and the town won't be enough.
The Eikna Overall Ranking
On the Eikna scale, Things We Never Got Over ranks as a crowd-pleasing small-town series opener, strongest in its found family and grumpy sunshine chemistry, constrained by a divisive hero and a heavy page count, and best approached as a long comfort read rather than a quick, tidy rom-com.
The Evidence Scorecard
Eight dimensions, each scored out of 5 from the reader and critic evidence above. Overall is anchored on the reader ratings and adjusted for how much the recurring complaints cost the reading experience. Heat describes how explicit the book is; it is not a quality judgement. Every line marked ✓ is a checked finding, including the limits. How we assess books.
Romance ★★★★☆ 3.9/5
- ✓ Grumpy sunshine named first by five-star reviewers
- ✓ No kiss until almost halfway builds tension
- ✓ Real danger forces Knox to commit
- ✓ Third-act breakup called pointless by several readers
Characters ★★★★☆ 3.9/5
- ✓ Waylay the most praised character
- ✓ Supporting cast called entertaining by reviewers
- ✓ Knox's growth praised in A-grade blog review
- ✓ Knox called controlling and misogynistic by critics
Writing ★★★☆☆ 3.4/5
- ✓ Moves quickly despite 500+ pages, says one blog
- ✓ Town described as vivid and immersive
- ✓ Humour praised by fans and publisher reviews
- ✓ Sex-scene euphemisms and coffee jokes mocked
Emotional impact ★★★★☆ 4/5
- ✓ Naomi and Waylay bond lands even for critics
- ✓ Abandonment theme drives the found family
- ✓ Custody fight raises late stakes
- ✓ Immature adults blunt some emotional beats
Heat level ★★★☆☆ 3/5
- ✓ TV Insider gives 3 of 5 flames
- ✓ Two to three intimate scenes, two explicit
- ✓ Adults-only rating from The Literary Lifestyle
- ✓ Few scenes for a 572-page book
Ending ★★★★☆ 3.8/5
- ✓ Full HEA for Knox and Naomi
- ✓ No cliffhanger into book two
- ✓ Couple returns, wedding happens in sequel
- ✓ Thriller turn in final quarter called forced
Re-read value ★★★★☆ 3.9/5
- ✓ Sequels hold 4.03 and 4.38 Goodreads averages
- ✓ Special editions returned series to NYT list
- ✓ Prime Video series ordered, renewing interest
- ✓ 572 pages make a reread a commitment
Sources We Checked
- Goodreads: Things We Never Got Over (rating, distribution, reviews)
- Goodreads: Things We Hide from the Light
- Goodreads: Things We Left Behind
- Goodreads: Lucy Score book list
- The Bookseller: Hodder scoops Lucy Score's TikTok hit
- The Bookseller: Hodder & Stoughton nets nine from Score
- Hachette UK: Things We Never Got Over (NYT paperback weeks)
- Hachette Australia: Q and A with Lucy Score
- Romancing the Phone: A Lucy Score deep dive
- TV Insider Swooon: Things We Never Got Over
- The Literary Lifestyle: Things We Never Got Over review
- The Good, The Bad and The Unread: Things We Never Got Over review
- Trigger Warning Database: Things We Never Got Over
- Age Rating Juju: Things We Never Got Over
- She Reads Romance Books: Knockemout series guide
- Fantastic Fiction: Lucy Score bibliography
- Feedbagel (citing Deadline): Prime Video orders Things We Never Got Over series
- Apple Books: Things We Never Got Over audiobook
- romance.io: Things We Never Got Over (page blocked to our fetcher; steam band not confirmed)
Checked October 6, 2026. Ratings and counts change; the numbers above are as of that date.
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