Thank you to Netgalley, for the ARC. I received it in exchange for an honest review.

First, the good. I really enjoyed how Ben and Eve each narrate the story. Their voices were distinct and I easily knew which character was telling the story. I also loved the way New York City was portrayed. It felt like I was really there. The writing in general was also really good. Cohen's style is enjoyable and easy to read.

Now, the not so good. The story itself just didn't work for me. It was hard to figure out how much time was passing in the story. We learn that Eve's mom died in the 9/11 attacks. Then we later learn that she was the secretary for Ben's dad. Ben figures this out and knows it's going to be a HUGE thing to tell Eve. And when he tells her she barely reacts. Which, is completely out of character. She has meltdowns about her socks missing their mates, but when Ben tells her his dad basically told her mom to wait in the second tower and if she had left when she wanted to she would've survived, Eve just tears up and they move on with their lives. Yes, she thinks about it later, but still not to the extent I expected from how her character had been painted.

Then Ben is just completely dull and boring. We never get to know him. He's very one dimensional and just in love with Eve. Until she kisses her ex-boyfriend, because of course she does. Could we have a love story where the girl doesn't cheat on the boy? Or how about if she does he doesn't forgive her. Eve is just another manic pixie dream girl in another predictable love story. I spent a lot of time rolling my eyes and saying, of course that's what she did.

I really wish the author had explored more of Ben's character for us. I also felt the whole 9/11 event was a character in itself and it wasn't given the weight it could have had. I loved the premise, but just didn't feel it was executed well.

I was given an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is a good book. A realistic book. It is a book about how many of us are attracted to and fall in love with people who are disastrous to us. It is a book about the things we do to sabotage our own happiness. It is a book about how your past doesn't really predict your future.

I found the book intriguing and realistic. Except for the one major coincidence---which I found unnecessary.

I liked the characters and the eventual resolution of the plot.

Yes, it is a love story, but not the sicky-sweet, we were made for each other, heaving bosom, typical romance story. Give it a try.

This is a fantastic fun book, I will read it again. I wouldn’t be surprised if this book was made into a movie!

Yes, I would recommend this book. It is life, a true authentic well written experience. This fresh, first book is my favorite new author.

I usually like unlikeable characters, but Eve was straight up intolerable. The pages upon pages of her italicized thoughts were tedious to get through. Ben is better (though he describes a multi-ethnic woman as "exotic," which was a major cringe moment), and the book becomes somewhat more enjoyable when his chapters began (30% of the way into the book, according to my Kindle). The dialogue is full of unnecessary exposition and casual language that just doesn't feel natural. A big chunk of the novel's emotional weight depends on the events of 9/11 (Eve's mother died on 9/11), which unfortunately ended up feeling emotionally manipulative to me. This definitely feels like a book meant for a younger reader (someone closer to Eve's age at the beginning of the book, or even younger). I'm sure a lot of readers will love this, but it wasn't the book for me.

Title: This Love Story Will Save Your Life
Author: Leslie Cohen
Publisher: Gallery Books
Release Date: January 23, 2018
Rating: 3/5
*Received a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

The first thing that caught my eye about this book was the cover. It’s so great, especially because it looks like a watercolor painting. The summary for this book was also very intriguing. The story itselt did not completely wow me. It’s essence, yes, I liked. It felt like there was potential and I did enjoy parts, but it simply didn’t hit the mark for me. Not connecting with the characters was part of the problem. By the end of the book I did feel like I knew them, but didn’t care enough to like them. I also didn’t enjoy a lot of decisions the heroine made, but some could argue that they were kind of realistic. However, I felt like she should think more about her actions and this bothered me. I didn’t get a sense of depth from the characters, though there was more to the story. I really appreciated how the double narration was done. All in all, I would say this book is definitely appealing, but might not work for everyone.

The beginning was a little difficult to get through but I was hooked by the time I got to the middle of the book and then couldn't stop reading. The second half is definitely better than the first half but maybe you need the first half to learn more about the characters and their story. Seems like a realistic story and I was glad that Ben and Eve end up together in the end. There are a lot of good quotes around love and loss and dysfunction in this book and a lot of relatable stuff. I really enjoyed this love story and would recommend it. I received an advance copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Favorite quote: “Anyway, I can’t predict the future, but I can tell you that based on the evidence at my disposal, I feel fairly certain that this will work. And that’s all anyone can give you. That’s all you’ll ever get. It’s the best that you can ask for.”

Full Disclosure (of a personal nature): I abhor self-destructive characters and will often stop reading a book about drug use or people seeking out toxic relationships. That said, I almost gave up on Eve. As a student at Columbia, she falls in love with poet rock star Jesse, a drug dealer and user who is into unhealthy relationships. But something about Eve, perhaps when she doesn't take up the offer to snort a line of cocaine, made me think that Eve was made of better stuff. I stuck with it and so should you.. This Love Story Will Self Destruct gets better and better.

Eve and Jesse break up and she continues to cross paths, peripherally, with Ben, an engineering student and then an engineer working for the firm building the Freedom Tower. Eve is quirky and kind of self-defeating. But she is highly intelligent, if not introspective.

Over a period of 10 years post college, Ben and Eve orbit each other like twin planets. Ben is "normal", yet falls hard for Eve, who struggles with abandonment issues - first her father deserting the family, then her mother dying on 9/11. This love story self-destructs and mends itself several times over. The dialogue is tart, funny and moving and even the minor characters (read Glick) develop in the course of the novel.

Leslie Cohen is a clear, endearing new voice I look forward to reading more from in the future.

Thank you to the ;publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book to review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for an advanced copy in exchange for this review.

Eve is a dreamer who can't quite keep her feet on the ground or stay away from trouble. Careless is almost a good description, except sometimes she means well.

Ben is an engineer. He likes order and for conflict to be resolved. He wants structure.

These two keep bumping into each other, over and over again.

Cohen's tale follows Eve and Ben throughout their twenties - a time for self discovery and figuring out what an adult means.

I found this story to be more about Eve and Ben individually more so than their relationship together. I did not quite buy them together and felt that their romance was more of what the individual needed, not what they needed as a couple to have their relationship thrive. Of course, perhaps this is what they will need to learn as they make their way into their 30s. I also wish their separation would have fostered more growth for each of them. It also seemed that their reunion was way too easy. Maybe this is one love story that would have been more believable had they gone their separate ways. I did not dislike Eve, but perhaps she would have evolved into a more complete person watching Ben move on without her.

4.5 stars

Before I start with a brief synopsis, I just want to say that the writing was superb. It is the author's debut novel and it was written with such care, I was very impressed.

We are introduced to Eve and her group of girlfriends as they navigate friendship and love in NYC. There are a group of guys who always seem to be just around, cue in Ben. Eve is anxious and over analyzes everything, that she feels most of her relationships are doomed from the start. Ben is not her typical type and also has a connection to her former life that she is not aware of; they have a moment and a series of meet-ups soon after lead to the story of Eve and Ben.

The characters are relatable and the dialogue is authentic, it felt very real. I felt very connected to Eve, and often as I read I would say "me too" when she was working through the feelings or thoughts in her head.

I read this book in 1 day, as I had to get to the ending to see what transpired. It was a quick, delightful read. I highly recommend.

Not your typical love story. Eve and Ben are living in each other's circle of friends. Eve has events in her past that make her wary of relationships and she tends to go for ones that she knows will self-destruct. She prepares for the heartbreak before it even happens. Ben slowly works his way into her path for self-destruction. As the story goes on Eve starts to learn to accept and reconcile with her past enough for her to move on. I loved Ben and Eve together they were the perfect contrasts. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This Love Story Will Now Self-Destruct follows the relationship of Eve and Ben – who they are, why they are and how they get together. Full warning, this story starts out with people so crazy and shallow you wonder if it will ever get better. After struggling through wondering if people this stupid actually exist, the story and characters start to come around. And that’s part of the point.

The characters move and mature throughout the book. The author throws in some pretty funny scenes, descriptions and situations that you wonder (again) if they are even theoretically possible. And she adds many directions including “literature majors shouldn’t be allowed to date each other.”

It’s a wild ride and you wonder how it will end up turning out. There’s plenty of sex and drug and alcohol abuse to keep a salacious reader interested. A solid four stars to keep you reading until the end. Will they or won't they?

I was so excited to read this book! How could I not with it being compared to One Day and When Harry Met Sally? For the most part, This Love Story Will Self Destruct did not disappoint.

The Good:

Setting: New York is the ultimate, classic backdrop for rom-coms, and I loved it. The city itself was a character in this book, and it worked so well for the story. Cohen wrote about New York in a real, authentic way where the city buzzed within the pages.

Character Voice: I find that a lot of writers have a hard time pulling off two distinct voices, but with this book, I could tell Eve’s and Ben’s chapters apart. Their voices were their own and I liked getting both POVS.

Authenticity: As someone who is entering their mid-twenties, this book was super relatable. Like when Eve had a break down in an ATM vestibule or how her anxiety about finding a new job and where she was going to live occurred. Many readers will identify with this.

Writing: I loved Cohen’s writing style. There were a lot of great metaphors that I thought were really clever. However, I wish more of the story was shown instead of told.

There were some definite cute moments between Ben and Eve, and I like how when they met it wasn’t some big grand gesture or ordeal we see too often in rom-coms. When we first see Ben in the story, he’s barely mentioned. And I think this rings true to real life. Not everyone we meet is going to make some huge impression on us at first.

My minor complaint:

Pacing: I am one for fast paced novels. I like short chapters and story lines with a high stakes, quick plot. This was a bit slow for my taste, and the beginning dragged on for a bit. The first 60 (Nook) pages was one party!? The story also jumped around a bit, so I had a hard time following at some points. However, the second half of the book was way more interesting than the first.

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Besides this story dragging on a bit too long, I recommend Cohen’s debut for all the romance fans out there. New Adult is a genre I struggle to get into, but this book made it easy.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Simon and Schuster (thanks y’all). This in no way influenced my review. These are my true, unbiased thoughts.

*This cover is so cute! Love it.

This book wasn't anything too special. I found that sometimes there was too much unnecessary writing that I got bored reading and would skip a few lines to try and power through this book.

Eve and Ben have been acquaintances throughout college, but never really friends. You know, the type of person that you recognize in the campus library but avoid making eye contact with because small talk is exhausting. Eve is kind of an emotional basket case, while Ben is a tidy basket with structural support beams and a backup basket just in case the first one has a flaw. They're opposites, and yet somehow their paths always seem to cross.

The book blurb describes this love story as a modern re-imagining of When Harry Met Sally and it is, perfectly so. It takes place over a decade in Manhattan with both of them graduating from Columbia University in 2006. Full disclosure, I graduated from college in 2005 so there was a major nostalgia factor at play for me.

This is a winding story of emotional stunted youths, poor decisions, head-shake inducing mistakes, and swoonworthy meet cutes. I couldn't put it down.

I enjoyed this book however there was so much internal dialogue that it was almost confusing. Eve is a total headcase as many of us are but it was a little unnerving. It seems she has no strong connections with anyone. The beginning of the book until about a little past the middle you knew very little of one of the main characters. And even now as I finish I still know much more about Jesse than I do about Ben. I’m disappointed there was no true closure in regard to Eve’s father. Overall it was a decent read that I did enjoy.

***ARC received for an honest review***

Have you ever grabbed a handful of brightly colored candies and tossed them in your mouth thinking "all right! m&m's!" only to discover you now have a mouthful of skittles? That's what this book did to me - an unexpected tart flavor with a surprising deliciousness. I thought I was going to get sugary sweet, but instead I got something to chew on.

A large portion of this book is about how Eve is neurotic and self-destructive and a hot mess. Cohen doesn't dip her toes in the crazy pool - she goes in with a cannonball. Eve has to be one of the most believable, relatable and all-around lovable characters I've met. During her bizarre inner-monologues I thought "cool. Leslie Cohen has been inside my head." I found a story and an author that allowed me to connect to the characters on this visceral cerebral level. There was little physical description of Eve or Ben - but their beautiful idiosyncrasies were there in vivid detail.

Ben is...okay, this is gonna sound rude. But Ben seems so incidental to the story...until he doesn't. I was all about Eve - riding the Crazy Train with my girl wondering "what's this guy doing here?" Til suddenly Ben felt like air - necessary. Cohen pulled the disparate strands of her multi-hued story from the air and weaved them together at the end - a bold tapestry of a story.

I am jittery. A worrier. An overachiever. My husband is my rock. My anchor. And this is a love story that reflects real life - Quirky. Mundane. Stressful. Brilliant. A couple of times the story was so painful I had to set the book down and walk around. Twice I read paragraphs out loud because I needed to experience the writing on more levels. And while I didn't cry I did get a little teary - more than once.

So yeah - not a romance. Not silly. Definitely way more book than indicated by the cover or the blurb.
Way more book than I anticipated - in the best way possible. If you're looking for a love that's not about throbbing members, glamorous women and unrealistic expectations but about cockroaches, pajamas and the *Potato Chip Incident* this is the story for you.

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A decent story of acquaintances who often cross paths, then somehow fall in love. For some reason, it took me about half way through this book to really get what the author was trying to do, and there were parts of the book that I found a bit tedious. Eve was a character who seemed to let life just happen to her, which got old after a while. However, I enjoyed the overall story.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

A sweet and bitter story about a young couple that was always crossing paths with each other but never actually met… later on, Ben and Eve are a couple, but one of them is keeping a secret that could change the future of their relationship.
I read this book in one day, it keep me awake at night, I was waiting for something to happen, the beginning was a little boring, I was almost giving it up then suddenly right in the middle, I felt in love with Ben and Eve!