a cute rom-com! very fun, lots of tom hanks references, and i enjoyed the characters. recommendable!

Favorite Quotes:

As usual, he’s wearing a novelty Star Wars T-shirt, because I’m pretty sure he doesn’t own any other kind of shirt. Sometimes Don feels less like my fifty-something uncle and more like a twelve-year-old boy who got a gift card to Hot Topic and went wild.

You’re calling me dramatic? You literally just rubbed your hands together like you’re a bad guy in Scooby-Doo.

“He looks fine… wait, is that sweat?” “Yes. He ran here.” Nick looks at me in shock. “That’s what that smell is? Thank God. I thought the sewage pipe backed up again.”

Did I even make my bed today? Is there underwear on the floor? I’m not in the habit of leaving any clothing on the floor, but I’m sure this is the one time that all my underwear flung itself out of the drawers and onto the floor for the express purpose of embarrassing me in front of Drew.


My Review:


This cleverly paced little tale was slyly comical and perceptively humorous and laced together with a cast of authentic characters who were endearingly odd and more than a bit eccentric. I enjoy Ms. Winfrey’s amusing wit and deft word skills. Her storylines were as entertaining as her unusual yet curiously appealing characters. I’ll never look at internet content written for hemorrhoid cream the same again, I had never stopped to consider that it is actually someone’s job to create these snippets, or what would drive them to do so.

Not be as dramatic as Annie was in this book but this may have been my biggest let down of 2019. In a story where the side characters and so well flushed out, different, full of personality, why in the world would we choose to be in Annie's head. She is so whiny and dramatic and she has no respect or boundaries. Some of her actions, and you'll know the one I mean, are completely unacceptable. Her "grand gesture" wasn't grand and did not make up for it. I'm sad that Tom Hanks' name is attached to this.

I have been trying to get into this book for some time and every time I pick it up I put it back down. There isn't anything wrong with it, just not the book for me and it is time I accept that I have to move on from it. Another case of, it's me, not you.

Romance is not my typical genre, but this one caught my attention because I am a HUGE fan of Tom Hanks romcoms, especially You’ve Got Mail. So, this one piqued my interest and I chose it as my First Book of 2022 because it also helped me with my goal of reading at least 22 books off of my own shelf this year. Plus I was looking for a happy read after reading several heavy novels at the end of last year.

Annie is always on the look for her “Tom Hanks”. She wants the whole package: the meet-cute, the sweet and sensitive guy, and maybe a houseboat, just like on Sleepless in Seattle. She knows it is unrealistic in Columbus, Ohio, but she can’t get past her dream.

Unbelievably, a movie is being filmed right in her neighborhood. Her uncle gets her a job as the director’s assistant. The lead actor is, of course, the hot, up-and-coming actor, Drew Danforth, that everyone is swooning over. Of course, on his first day in town, Annie bumps into him and spills her coffee all over him. Cue…meet-cute. But, everything Annie knows about Drew from the gossip magazines is that he is a jerk. So, she is staying clear of him.

Since romance genres are my typical jam, I liked this one just fine. It moved quickly and there was a bit of a twist and a good ending. So, if you are looking for something light and fun, this one would be worth picking up. I’ll probably read the second one, NOT LIKE THE MOVIES, which features Annie’s best friend, Chloe.

“What matters is that they have hope. Sure, they find love, but it’s not even about love. It’s the hope that you deserve happiness, that you won’t be sad forever, and that things will get better. It’s hope that life doesn’t always have to be a miserable slog, that you can find someone to love who understands you and accepts you just as you are.”

Cute little romcom. Easy fluffy read reminded me of Christina Lauren's books. Definitely would recommend to a friend.

WAITING FOR TOM HANKS is just the type of fun, romantic read I enjoy sitting down with on a Saturday. The book is a complete delight and I just love the humor as well as the characters. Perfection!

Annie has watched every rom-com out there and is ready for her meet-cute with a side of HEA. She has the quirky best friend, the tragic backstory, the random job, and will know love when she sees it. She refuses to settle for less than her Tom Hanks -- the perfectly imperfect male lead who's cute but not too cute, who has a houseboat, who is perfect for her in every way but just doesn't know it yet, and who is destined to meet her when they both least expect it. But when Annie ends up accidentally spilling coffee all over the drool-worthy actor Drew Danforth, she doesn't realize she's now in her own rom-com. Sure, he doesn't own a houseboat, but is it possible that he's her Tom Hanks? Or is it time to give up the rom-com dream?

Thoughts: This was absolutely adorable! I loved the witty banter between Annie and Drew, and they made a cute couple. Annie isn't my favorite character -- sometimes I wanted to smack her in the back of the head and tell her to get real and to get over the rom-com obsession -- but Drew's dreaminess more than makes up for it. She's adorably clueless and he's incredibly patient, not to mention not incredibly full of himself (i.e. his constant reminders that his abs won't stay rock hard forever and that he misses McDonald's). The sarcasm is on-point, and the dialogue is too funny! Case in point: "We're not on the same playing field. We're not even playing the same sport -- it's like she's in the WNBA, and I'm playing with a child-sized Fisher-Price basketball hoop." I almost did my own spit-take when I read this line! And the secondary cast of characters had me constantly laughing out loud! I can't wait to tell my rom-com book club about this title, and to read the second in the series.

**Thank you, NetGalley and publisher, for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.**

It’s the summertime! School is out! It’s vacation time! Days of the beach and carefree fun! Or, if you’re like me, have a kid, and a job, that kind of summertime really doesn’t exist these days, amirite?

Well, before you get down and depressed about that, not to worry! Do you know why? Because this deliciously funny, quirky, entertaining, and heartwarming read has hit bookstores and it’s books like these that make any day feel like the sun is shining down on you and you’ve got a frosty tropical beverage in your hand.

Waiting For Tom Hanks is a romcom wrapped in a romcom with an ode to romcoms. I promise, I haven’t been enjoying one of those frosty tropical beverages yet today, this really is exactly how I just described it….and it’s FAB!

From endearing characters looking for love, and some avoiding love, to so many pop culture iconic romcom mentions, you can’t help but love every bit of this story. I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to see this book become the next Netflix hit, like To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before was. Yep, I loved it that much.

So, whatever you’re doing this summer, pick up this book and enjoy the heck out of it!

Thank you, Ms. Winfrey, for this fab read and I’m already dying for Chloe’s book! (hint, hint, cough, cough, wink, wink)

A sweet and quirky romantic comedy novel by Kerry Winfrey. Looking for her own Tom Hanks. Secondary characters were more intriguing than the main character.

Received a digital ARC of this book via NetGalley.

Cute chick lit about a woman who loves romcoms and seeking her Tom Hanks. Makes me wanna watch some old school romcoms. Love the geeky stuff thrown in like D&D, Star Wars, and Lord of the Rings.

I mean, who wouldn't want a Tom Hanks of their very own?

Kerry Winfrey crafted a cute enemies-to-lovers story for Annie and Drew that had everything you could want: a sweet heroine in search of a job, landing a dream job on a movie set, her hating the leading actor but always managing to look like a dork in front of him, her adorable house and uncle, and a rambunctious bestie as the cherry on top.

I'm a huge fan of rom-com movies, so reading Waiting for Tom Hanks felt like a love letter to them. I definitely appreciated all of the pop culture references. My only complaint is that it took Annie so long to get over her Tom Hanks obsession that she almost missed out on the best thing to ever happen to her. I guess that's what the grand gesture is for, right?

A story for romantic comedy fans—this one is for you!

If I were to rate this on the spectrum of romance books, this one is on the cute, funny, non-steamy end of the spectrum. After all, just like the Nora Ephron movies that made our leading lady Annie Cassidy a fan of romantic comedies, sex tends to be hinted at but doesn’t need to be explicitly shown!

Annie has loved rom-coms her whole life, and she dreams of being the next Nora Ephron. She is even writing a screenplay about her best friend Chloe and the cute but surly coffee shop owner that she is convinced Chloe is destined to be with.

Meanwhile Annie herself hasn’t found her romantic comedy yet. Or maybe she just hasn’t realized she is in one until it is already happening!

I really enjoyed Annie’s backstory. In addition to the main plot of the search for romance in the book, Annie is very much grieving the loss of her mother. She lost her father already, and her closest relative is her Uncle Don. They have such a sweet relationship, and Don himself is full of fun surprises as a character. I absolutely loved them.

Don connects Annie with the director of none other than a romantic comedy that is filming in town, and he hires Annie to be his personal assistant during filming. Of course, Annie is thrilled but uncertain about the male lead Drew, who is certainly no Tom Hanks. Known mostly for comedy and prank comedies, Drew doesn’t exactly have that sensitive Tom Hanks vibe to him.

Meanwhile, Annie has a few dates of her own. But what happens when you meet the perfect leading man, but he isn’t perfect for you? What happens when the man stealing your heart is all wrong, but so right too?

This is truly a love note for all of the people out there who grew up absolutely loving romantic comedies and hoping for their own happy-ever-after. I loved that the events of the book are often discussed in terms of when and how they would fit into a rom-com. Kerry Winfrey also has a commentary on the shortcomings of the genre, while still celebrating them. There were some really fun moments and scenes, and all around I just absolutely loved this book!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for my copy. Opinions are my own.

DNF
At this time, I am no longer interested in reading this title. Thank you for the opportunity to review this title and I apologize for the inconvenience.

3.5 stars. Annie is an aspiring screenwriter and self-described rom-com expert, still living in her childhood home in Ohio, when she finds out a movie shoot is coming to town. She gets a job on set as personal assistant to the director, and has a literal meet-cute with lead actor Drew Danforth when she runs into him and spills coffee all over him. Drew is handsome and funny, but he's not Tom Hanks, and Annie is holding out for her own sensitive, sweet romantic comedy lead--someone worthy of living on a houseboat with his young son, or being strangely likeable while shutting down a rival business. But as she and Drew spend more time together, she wonders if maybe she wants something different--from a relationship and for her life--than she's always thought.

This was a very meta romantic comedy. Annie (classic rom-com name) is aware that she's not living in a movie, but she behaves very much like the heroine of such a movie would. For instance, she's constantly falling down, and there's a Big Misunderstanding that she somehow doesn't recognize as a plot device. Drew is lovely, though, and subverts Annie's expectations. I went immediately on to the next book.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review.

A light and gentle romantic comedy. It didn’t do much in the way of shifting the genre or propelling it forward, but still an enjoyable read.

Waiting for Tom Hanks is a rom-com movie in the form of a book.

Meet Annie, our clumsy heroine, who is working a job that she doesn't enjoy so that she can pursue her real dream of being a screenwriter. She is writing a screenplay based on her best friend, Chloe and her 'will they, won't they?' boss, Nick. What Annie doesn't seem to realise is that she is actually the leading lady in her very own rom-com.

What really made this book for me were the characters. I loved their banter, how funny they each were and how each one had their own quirks. Kerry really made her characters come alive through their dialogue which I appreciated as character development is not always a focus in plot driven books. And I now feel like I need to have a local coffee house and coffee house friends too.

The plot moved along nicely, it was a little predictable but most rom-coms are. Let's be honest, we don't read rom-coms for their unpredictability, we read them because we know them and we like the security of knowing what we'll get with them.

If you are looking for a romance book that is going to pull at your heart strings, that's going to make you question everything this isn't it. But if you are looking for a little bit of a feel good romance and a little bit of escapism to take you out of reality for a little while then you can stop your search right here.

In all honesty, I am not usually a fan of rom-com books but I really enjoyed reading this one and I'm looking forward to reading the spin off which is based on Annie's best friend Chloe.

I was prepared to love this book just based on the premise alone. And maybe that was part of the reason why this ended up as a disappointment. Maybe my expectation was too high and I ended not loving this despite the cute premise.

Can someone make this into a rom-com, because it is completely something I would totally watch. Sweet, fun to read, and great characters.

One word that comes to mind is cheesy!! It’s fun, but definitely cheesy. 
We have a wannabe writer who spends her whole life in a daydream. She’s watched so many Rom-coms, that she sees her life as one. (Almost like “The Truman Show” with Jim Carey) She knows what her ideal man will look like, what he will say and do once they meet, but real life keeps interrupting her. 
Dating is a nightmare too, life is not like a screenplay, it’s not like in the movies. 

The romance between Drew and Annie is fun to read. Annie was expecting the star of the movie she’s working on to be more!! And he wasn’t, he’s definitely sadly lacking that something, it doesn’t help that she spilt coffee all over him. Albeit not her fault, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. And now she’s saddled with the nickname “coffee girl”
They butt heads constantly, they always argue when they see each other on the film set she’s working on. But a slip (literally) sees Annie looking at Drew in a different light. Drew reveals to her why he always acts the idiot, why he shouldn’t be taken seriously. 

I loved Chloe, Annie’s best friend, her take on life was totally different from Annie’s, and I did wonder how they became friends?! 
The barista and her boss Nick for me was the highlight in this book. The banter, the sarcasm, their connection I totally got. 
Loved Uncle Don too, so laid back, never fazed with the antics of his niece. He’d moved in after her parents had died. He played Dungeons&Dragons and always had a smile for his niece. 

The constant referrals to films and actors did get a little wearing. But I did find myself making a list of films to watch😉so maybe not all bad. 

But In a strange way, by the time I finished the book, I liked it. I got flashes of “Bridget Jones Diary” the internal dialogue, the moments where I had to chuckle, or eye roll. 

So does Annie get her happy ending? Your only going to find out if you read the book. 

🦋