Ruth Kabbah is the town pariah in Ravenswood; she is generally disliked and bullied by most of the residents, so she doesn’t have many friends and tends to avoid unnecessary social interactions. That is, until Evan, a handsome blacksmith, moves in next-door and starts to break down the walls that Ruth has put up. Unlike the rest of the town, Evan doesn’t want to gossip about or shun Ruth. Instead, he seems to enjoy talking about comic books and insists on bringing her homecooked meals, however Ruth’s traumatic past with the town’s “golden boy” causes her to be wary of her growing feelings for Evan.
A Girl Like Her is the first book in the Ravenswood series of interconnected smalltown romances. It deals with themes and topics like autism, racism, reputation, abuse and harassment, family, parental illness, friendship, secrets and lies, trust, loneliness and isolation, social standing, guilt, self worth, appearance versus reality, gossip, infidelity, and military life. A Girl Like Her is perfect for fans of forced proximity romances like Give Me Butterflies by Jillian Meadows, Into the Woods by Jenny Holiday, No More Secrets by Lucy Score, In Your Dreams by Sarah Adams, and Fall I Want by Lyra Parish.
A Girl Like Her has been on my TBR list for a while now and I’m so glad that it is being rereleased as a deluxe edition as it gave me an excuse to finally pick it up. The book took a while to get going, but once it did, it became much more engaging to read. Ruth’s ASD and quirky, comic book-loving personality were super relatable; Evan and Ruth’s “friends/neighbours to lovers” relationship was super swoony and spicy. I loved how Evan was super patient and sweet with Ruth and that he formed his own opinions, instead of believing the town’s horrible false impressions of Ruth. I also appreciated that A Girl Like Her introduced a few of the other main characters in future Ravenswood books, as I feel like that will make the series flow nicely as a whole.
I’ve read quite a few of Talia Hibbert’s books in the past and, even though I enjoyed A Girl Like Her, some of her other books, such as her Brown Sisters trilogy, were a better read. Furthermore, much of the plot in A Girl Like Her revolved around Ruth’s toxic ex and the bullying that Ruth endures, which was challenging to read in tandem with Ruth and Evan’s budding relationship.
A Girl Like Her is perfect for fans of spicy smalltown and forced proximity romances. I’m excited to see what’s up next for Talia Hibbert—I previously enjoyed her romantasy book Mating the Huntress and I’ve heard that she’s been working on another fantasy book, so I’m definitely watching out for that one!
A Girl Like Her is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of March 3rd 2026.
Will you be picking up A Girl Like Her? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis
She’s hard to hold onto, but he’s good with his hands…
Prickly, autistic, and shadowed by a scandalous past, Ruth Kabbah will always be Ravenswood’s black sheep. It’s a lonely life, but at least it’s safe… until Evan Miller comes to town.
Calm, confident, and instantly accepted by their small English town, Evan is Ruth’s opposite in every way―yet he meets her suspicion with a smile, handles her awkwardness with ease, and watches her with a hunger that threatens to tear down her all her defenses.
The gossips want to know how she’s bewitched him. Ruth just wants to know when he’ll get bored and leave. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned, it’s that girls like her don’t get happily ever afters.
But when a monster from Ruth’s past comes back to haunt her, she’s forced to make a choice: should she trust Evan completely? Or is her heart safest alone?
