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pagebypaigebks's review
3.0
“Mise en place. A place for everything, and everything in its place.”
I'd like to thank St. Martin's Press for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
I've also posted this review on Instagram and my blog.
Instagram Post
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Content Warnings: death of a parent (past), grief, cancer (mention)
This was an interesting read. It definitely delivered on the celebrity dating trope with insights into Jake's life as a world famous musician. There's everything from Jake working on new songs and preparing for his upcoming tour to dealing with the overbearing media. Lexi's culinary background and job at her restaurant were interesting to read about. However, I wish we got to see more of this side of her life. Additionally, I enjoyed Lexi's overall character growth and her journey towards prioritizing her dreams. In terms of the romance it was cute but I found it to be a bit too much like insta-love which took away from my enjoyment. Unfortunately, the pacing also felt a bit off in terms of plot points and how fast their relationship progressed. All in all, I enjoyed my time reading this book but would have liked the relationship and plot to be a bit more developed.
I'd like to thank St. Martin's Press for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
I've also posted this review on Instagram and my blog.
Instagram Post
Blog Post
Content Warnings: death of a parent (past), grief, cancer (mention)
This was an interesting read. It definitely delivered on the celebrity dating trope with insights into Jake's life as a world famous musician. There's everything from Jake working on new songs and preparing for his upcoming tour to dealing with the overbearing media. Lexi's culinary background and job at her restaurant were interesting to read about. However, I wish we got to see more of this side of her life. Additionally, I enjoyed Lexi's overall character growth and her journey towards prioritizing her dreams. In terms of the romance it was cute but I found it to be a bit too much like insta-love which took away from my enjoyment. Unfortunately, the pacing also felt a bit off in terms of plot points and how fast their relationship progressed. All in all, I enjoyed my time reading this book but would have liked the relationship and plot to be a bit more developed.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Cancer and Death of parent
books_withbri's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
I adored this book. In addition to being witty, sweet, and relatable, it also touches on some heavy life events.
Through the course of the book, both the characters as individuals and as partners developed greatly. There was something precious and frustrating about their love for each other at the same time.
I really enjoyed the character that was Jake. His charm and down-to-earth attitude made him stand out even after he had quickly risen to stardom. He was fun to read and had a lot of great humour written in.
In the beginning, Lexi, our FMC, appeared a little bland. The way she lived seemed fairly safe, and she didn't seem to take many risks. In the story, I noticed she was stepping out of her comfort zone and adding depth to her character. Ultimately, I enjoyed her character as well.
🫐 Strangers-lovers
🥞 Second chance
🫐 Insta-love
Till There Was You was thoroughly enjoyable, and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it is a debut. Easy 4.5 stars out of 5 for me. If you are looking for a meet-cute rom-com that will put a smile on your face at least once, I highly recommend it.
Till There Was You was thoroughly enjoyable, and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it is a debut. Easy 4.5 stars out of 5 for me. If you are looking for a meet-cute rom-com that will put a smile on your face at least once, I highly recommend it.
I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Grief, and Death of parent
fatcats55's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Rating: ⭐ 3.5/5
Spice: 🌶 2.5/5
Till There Was You is a cute insta-love and second-chance romance!
Highlights:
✨ Aspiring Chef FMC
✨ Celebrity MMC
✨ Insta-Love
✨ Second-Chance Romance
✨ Single POV
Hameroff made Lexi a relatable character and I was sympathetic to her struggles at the beginning of the book. The meet-cute and beginning of the novel drew me in and I was on the edge of my seat wanting to know why Jake ghosted her after their weekend together. I also loved the relationships and dynamics that Lexi had with her friends.
There was some very mild spice - just descriptions leading up to the actual act and not much description of the act at all. It was somewhere in between fade-to-black and open door but there were around 3 or 4 of these scenes. Overall around a 2.5/5 on the spice level.
I lost some interest once Jake came back into the picture and new conflicts arose. The drama and challenges of a celebrity trying to date a normal person didn't hold my attention and by the end, I just wasn't as drawn into the story as I hoped I would be.
I felt as though Lexi was flipping back and forth constantly on whether they should be together and it took an extremely long time for both her internal and external conflict to begin to resolve. Once her internal conflicts started to resolve it was nearly instantly and the change happened in a chapter or two.
Till There Was You was my first attempt at reading a Rockstar/Celebrity romance. I think I've discovered that I'm not really that into them. Ultimately, this was an okay book for me but I'm sure that for others this might be right up their alley, so if it sounds interesting to you then I recommend checking it out! It is a light and quick read, and overall enjoyable.
Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions expressed in my review are my own.
Spice: 🌶 2.5/5
Till There Was You is a cute insta-love and second-chance romance!
Highlights:
✨ Aspiring Chef FMC
✨ Celebrity MMC
✨ Insta-Love
✨ Second-Chance Romance
✨ Single POV
Hameroff made Lexi a relatable character and I was sympathetic to her struggles at the beginning of the book. The meet-cute and beginning of the novel drew me in and I was on the edge of my seat wanting to know why Jake ghosted her after their weekend together. I also loved the relationships and dynamics that Lexi had with her friends.
There was some very mild spice - just descriptions leading up to the actual act and not much description of the act at all. It was somewhere in between fade-to-black and open door but there were around 3 or 4 of these scenes. Overall around a 2.5/5 on the spice level.
I lost some interest once Jake came back into the picture and new conflicts arose. The drama and challenges of a celebrity trying to date a normal person didn't hold my attention and by the end, I just wasn't as drawn into the story as I hoped I would be.
I felt as though Lexi was flipping back and forth constantly on whether they should be together and it took an extremely long time for both her internal and external conflict to begin to resolve. Once her internal conflicts started to resolve it was nearly instantly and the change happened in a chapter or two.
Till There Was You was my first attempt at reading a Rockstar/Celebrity romance. I think I've discovered that I'm not really that into them. Ultimately, this was an okay book for me but I'm sure that for others this might be right up their alley, so if it sounds interesting to you then I recommend checking it out! It is a light and quick read, and overall enjoyable.
Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions expressed in my review are my own.
Content Warnings
Minor: Cancer, Terminal illness, Grief, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
ktdakotareads's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Bullying, Toxic relationship, and Sexual harassment
bookrecsbyjess's review against another edition
lighthearted
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of Till There Was You by Lindsay Hameroff. All opinions are my own.
This book was an enjoyable and easy read.
I liked Jake Taylor a lot as a character; although, he did seem a bit too perfect at times. Lexi was an okay protagonist, but I found some of her decisions frustrating and immature.
I enjoyed some of the movie references such as Twilight and Ten Things I Hate About You.
While this is a sweet romance, I do feel like I have read several books that have been similar to this as far as plots go. I also felt that so much of this book was predictable, and that certain aspects were very stereotypical such as the snobby girl that always seemed to be in pictures with Jake and Jake’s manipulating manager.
Overall, this wasn’t a bad book but also not very memorable or unique. I did enjoy myself most of the time while reading it and would recommend it to people who like romance books with a lot of cliches.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing and Sexual content
Minor: Cancer and Death of parent
goodgirls_library's review
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this ARC copy in exchange for my honest review!
Rating: ★★★.75
Spice: 🌶🌶
Darkness: none
Quotes:
“I started asking myself. When was the last time you were happy? Like Really happy? And the next thing I knew, I was standing outside your apartment building.”
“You never make me feel like I have to prove myself. When I’m with you, I feel like who I am is enough.”
Short version:
This sweet, low-spice novel is the perfect read for anyone who likes a fast-paced romance with a thoughtful, communicative, and HOT main character.
Full review below:
Tropes:
🕐 One Weekend Stand
🎸 Rockstar Hero
👩🍳 Chef Heroine
❤️🔥 Insta-Love
Plot Summary:
Lexi Berman is twenty-three years old, and shocker: she still doesn’t have life figured out. Still grappling with the loss of her mother, trudging through a strained relationship with her father, and trying to figure out if her passion for cooking is ever going to amount to a passion for a long career in the restaurant industry, the only thing she has going her way right now are two best friends and half-off drinks until seven.
So when she sticks around at a bar, failing to flag down a waiter to tell him he made her drink wrong, and a handsome stranger swoops in to fix it and flirt with her… well why would she ever say no?
After a dazzling weekend-long trist with the handsome musician, who she learns is Jake Taylor, things start looking up. But when his weekend long-trip turns ends in an amazing record deal and superstar fame and he all but ghosts her? At least it was nice while it lasted.
Nearly a year later, he’s standing outside her door, a boy who got the golden ticket but whose eyes give away that he’s feeling completely lost, begging her to let him in and give him another chance.
The Good:
To start, I enjoyed in the early chapters how the author built the romantic tension between them through a series of small, but frequent physical connections, instead of an insta-lust connection where they just immediately jumped each other, as though there was never a touch barrier to cross. I felt myself blushing at the way Jake held her hand or ran his hands down her sides as they danced.
Additionally, after these first encounters, I think the conflict/circumstances that separated them at the beginning of the novel were realistic, and unlike a lot of other “second chance” romances, it didn’t leave me hating one character or the other for being an unreasonable source of drama.
It didn’t hurt that I really, really liked Jake. He was kind and thoughtful and communicative and quick to apologize when he was in the wrong. Even when I didn’t love their relationship much, I found myself rooting for them just because of Jake.
Example: This is so dumb but it bothered me for the first 50% of the book when she asked for front-row tickets to a musical because everyone knows those aren’t good tickets so when he GOT HER FIFTH ROW TICKETS because he knows they are better I think I squealed.
On the non-romantic side: I loved how much space Hameroff allowed for Lexi and her friends to “debrief” throughout the novel. That is an essential part of being a girl in her early twenties, and their dialogue was reminiscent of many nights I’ve spent with my friends laughing about our dramas.
The In-Between:
This category is for the things which, to me, come down to a matter of personal preference. Ok, yes, every review technically comes down to personal preference, but for the things noted in this section, I knew it was glaringly obvious my bias was at play, so I want to add that disclaimer.
I know that I like a slow to medium-paced novel with a lot of build-up. For my personal preference, to make an insta-love novel like this one work, I feel like I need a lot of work put into explaining how they can build a chemistry and emotional connection in such a short time beyond “oh this is my person, so we naturally clicked”. This book didn’t have that. Again, not necessarily a bad thing, it just didn’t work for me.
Beyond just the romance, this book as a whole moved at a blistering pace, and at times I felt like the conflicts were also resolved quickly. I wish maybe she had left a few things unresolved or partially resolved. Additionally, the “aha” moments to me sometimes didn’t make a ton of sense.
The Bad:
First, I wasn’t sure Lexi had a clear voice or rational motivations, and sometimes it was hard for me to get a clear picture of who she was. To some extent this makes sense, Lexi herself is a little lost in her life, so it makes sense to see this play out on page, but there were times when it didn’t track with the larger narrative of her trying to figure out who she really is.
On that note, I personally didn’t love Lexi all that much. I felt like she was a poor communicator, who lashed out or pouted every time they came across a challenge. The way she talked to Jake was often unfair, and he never called her out for it.
Finally, at times, Jake’s and Lexi’s banter, while cute, felt a little childish. It didn’t feel like two people in their twenties talking, more like awkward teenagers flirting for the first time. Their relationship felt reminiscent of a YA novel sometimes, which isn’t necessarily bad, just not my personal taste.
Spicy Chapters: while there were a few chapters that featured them sleeping together, personally the descriptions were not “graphic” enough by mainstream spice standards for me to include any of them here. That said, please note there are scenes scattered throughout the novel if you are sensitive to that.
Cheating: It’s complicated
Third-act Breakup: Yes
HEA: Yes
OWD: Yes
Rating: ★★★.75
Spice: 🌶🌶
Darkness: none
Quotes:
“I started asking myself. When was the last time you were happy? Like Really happy? And the next thing I knew, I was standing outside your apartment building.”
“You never make me feel like I have to prove myself. When I’m with you, I feel like who I am is enough.”
Short version:
This sweet, low-spice novel is the perfect read for anyone who likes a fast-paced romance with a thoughtful, communicative, and HOT main character.
Full review below:
Tropes:
🕐 One Weekend Stand
🎸 Rockstar Hero
👩🍳 Chef Heroine
❤️🔥 Insta-Love
Plot Summary:
Lexi Berman is twenty-three years old, and shocker: she still doesn’t have life figured out. Still grappling with the loss of her mother, trudging through a strained relationship with her father, and trying to figure out if her passion for cooking is ever going to amount to a passion for a long career in the restaurant industry, the only thing she has going her way right now are two best friends and half-off drinks until seven.
So when she sticks around at a bar, failing to flag down a waiter to tell him he made her drink wrong, and a handsome stranger swoops in to fix it and flirt with her… well why would she ever say no?
After a dazzling weekend-long trist with the handsome musician, who she learns is Jake Taylor, things start looking up. But when his weekend long-trip turns ends in an amazing record deal and superstar fame and he all but ghosts her? At least it was nice while it lasted.
Nearly a year later, he’s standing outside her door, a boy who got the golden ticket but whose eyes give away that he’s feeling completely lost, begging her to let him in and give him another chance.
The Good:
To start, I enjoyed in the early chapters how the author built the romantic tension between them through a series of small, but frequent physical connections, instead of an insta-lust connection where they just immediately jumped each other, as though there was never a touch barrier to cross. I felt myself blushing at the way Jake held her hand or ran his hands down her sides as they danced.
Additionally, after these first encounters, I think the conflict/circumstances that separated them at the beginning of the novel were realistic, and unlike a lot of other “second chance” romances, it didn’t leave me hating one character or the other for being an unreasonable source of drama.
It didn’t hurt that I really, really liked Jake. He was kind and thoughtful and communicative and quick to apologize when he was in the wrong. Even when I didn’t love their relationship much, I found myself rooting for them just because of Jake.
On the non-romantic side: I loved how much space Hameroff allowed for Lexi and her friends to “debrief” throughout the novel. That is an essential part of being a girl in her early twenties, and their dialogue was reminiscent of many nights I’ve spent with my friends laughing about our dramas.
The In-Between:
This category is for the things which, to me, come down to a matter of personal preference. Ok, yes, every review technically comes down to personal preference, but for the things noted in this section, I knew it was glaringly obvious my bias was at play, so I want to add that disclaimer.
I know that I like a slow to medium-paced novel with a lot of build-up. For my personal preference, to make an insta-love novel like this one work, I feel like I need a lot of work put into explaining how they can build a chemistry and emotional connection in such a short time beyond “oh this is my person, so we naturally clicked”. This book didn’t have that. Again, not necessarily a bad thing, it just didn’t work for me.
Beyond just the romance, this book as a whole moved at a blistering pace, and at times I felt like the conflicts were also resolved quickly. I wish maybe she had left a few things unresolved or partially resolved. Additionally, the “aha” moments to me sometimes didn’t make a ton of sense.
The Bad:
First, I wasn’t sure Lexi had a clear voice or rational motivations, and sometimes it was hard for me to get a clear picture of who she was. To some extent this makes sense, Lexi herself is a little lost in her life, so it makes sense to see this play out on page, but there were times when it didn’t track with the larger narrative of her trying to figure out who she really is.
On that note, I personally didn’t love Lexi all that much. I felt like she was a poor communicator, who lashed out or pouted every time they came across a challenge. The way she talked to Jake was often unfair, and he never called her out for it.
Finally, at times, Jake’s and Lexi’s banter, while cute, felt a little childish. It didn’t feel like two people in their twenties talking, more like awkward teenagers flirting for the first time. Their relationship felt reminiscent of a YA novel sometimes, which isn’t necessarily bad, just not my personal taste.
Spicy Chapters: while there were a few chapters that featured them sleeping together, personally the descriptions were not “graphic” enough by mainstream spice standards for me to include any of them here. That said, please note there are scenes scattered throughout the novel if you are sensitive to that.
Cheating: It’s complicated
Third-act Breakup: Yes
HEA: Yes
OWD: Yes
Content Warnings
Minor: Cancer and Death of parent
muchmuchado's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
4.0
This was very fun and cute! I loved the juxtaposition of two people who were realizing their dreams weren’t shaping out to be great in reality and what that looked like to figure out new ones. Thanks to SMG for the free copy to review!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer and Death of parent
Not described in detail but discussed fairly often.dogoodwithbooks's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Closed Door Modifications: Chapter 3 (some parts), Chapter 17 (some parts), Chapter 21 (some parts)
I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Months after a magical weekend with Jake Taylor, Lexi Berman never expected to find him become an overnight musical sensation nor be the inspiration behind his most popular song. Yet, when she finds Jake outside her apartment door in the middle of the night, Lexi navigates trying to be friends with Jake despite their lingering feelings for each other.
Hameroff does provide a somewhat unique and very interesting premise for Till There was You, and her writing style is very good for a debut novel. Readers are able to get right to the heart of the book, experiencing the rush of Lexi following her dreams of being a chef and the magic of falling in love more than once. Hameroff is able to create a solid group of characters to help advance the plot and you will fall head over heels for Lexi and Jake’s relationship.
I do think there’s some work Hameroff needs to improve on when it comes to character development. Specifically, I felt that Lexi seemed hypocritical about dating a celebrity and her reactions to her work not immediately falling in line with Jake’s schedule feels frustrating at times as a reader.
Nevertheless, Till There was You is a swoon-worthy romance for readers that like the soulmates and second chance romance tropes that you will want to look out for next year.
I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Months after a magical weekend with Jake Taylor, Lexi Berman never expected to find him become an overnight musical sensation nor be the inspiration behind his most popular song. Yet, when she finds Jake outside her apartment door in the middle of the night, Lexi navigates trying to be friends with Jake despite their lingering feelings for each other.
Hameroff does provide a somewhat unique and very interesting premise for Till There was You, and her writing style is very good for a debut novel. Readers are able to get right to the heart of the book, experiencing the rush of Lexi following her dreams of being a chef and the magic of falling in love more than once. Hameroff is able to create a solid group of characters to help advance the plot and you will fall head over heels for Lexi and Jake’s relationship.
I do think there’s some work Hameroff needs to improve on when it comes to character development. Specifically, I felt that Lexi seemed hypocritical about dating a celebrity and her reactions to her work not immediately falling in line with Jake’s schedule feels frustrating at times as a reader.
Nevertheless, Till There was You is a swoon-worthy romance for readers that like the soulmates and second chance romance tropes that you will want to look out for next year.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
maggie_the_ferocious_reader's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
I can see this being really popular when it comes out, in a time where Harry Styles could almost be a deity. This was pretty lighthearted and cute, great for February. Lexi & Jake have quick chemistry, and then he ghosts her. Only to show up more than a year later after he becomes a rockstar. Lexi has been following the path she laid out for herself, with a more regular trajectory of success, but she can't ignore the way he makes her feel.
Content Warnings
Minor: Cancer and Death of parent
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