Member Reviews
“Charlotte Bishop is out of options in New York City. Fired, broke, and blacklisted, she’s forced to return to her hometown of Hope Lake, PA to lick her wounds. Although she’s expecting to find a miserable place with nothing to do, she was pleasantly surprised to discover it’s bustling and thriving.
She’s only supposed to be there until she can earn enough money to move back to New York. She’s not supposed to reconnect with her childhood friends or her beloved grandmother. She’s not supposed to find her dream job running the local florist shop. And she’s definitely not supposed to fall for not one but two of Hope Lake’s golden boys: one the beloved high school English teacher, the other the charming town doctor.
With a heart torn between two men and two cities, what’s a girl to do?”
*Small Town Setting
*Temporary Pit Stop
*My Childhood Best Friend Is Hot Now
*Handsome Small Town Doctor
*Love Triangle
This novel had all of my favorite tropes! I first fell in love with Hope Lake in On The Corner Of Love and Hate, where we followed Emma and Cooper through the mayoral election and their frenemies to lovers relationship. We were also introduced to their friends Nick and Henry. In this next installment we are introduced to Charlotte, their childhood friend who was taken to New York by her mother when she was still young after a nasty custody battle. Since returning to Hope Lake, Charlotte can’t remember hardly anything from her childhood, including some of her closest friends, and is surprised to find that Hope Lake is nothing like her mother told her it was. We are also introduced to Gigi, Charlotte’s grandmother. She is pretty much a staple in the community and absolutely hilarious! She is up to date with all hip lingo and always has the handsome young men (Dr. Max, Nick, and Henry) helping her around the house and bringing her food. Nick was such a funny character and a definite ice breaker for the tension going on between Charlotte, Henry, and Dr. Max. I loved every single character, even the gavel banging grump at the town meeting and his shushing wife. I cannot express how much I adore small town settings! I cannot wait to take a trip back to Hope Lake for Nick’s story!!
Thank you to for the ARC in exchange for an honest review! You still have time to read the first in the series, this publishes December 10th!
Great read! It's a charming romance about a woman who comes back to her hometown to re-start her life and nothing turns out the way she thought. Add in two love interests and the story just got more complicated. A great book to read as the holiday season approaches.
If you love Gilmore Girls tv show, then Meet Me on Love Lane will be perfect for you. It sets up the perfect small-town romance story that you would be dying to read again and again.
Meet Me on Love Lane will bring Charlotte back into her hometown that she has abandon for a few years. She completely block her childhood that she does not really remember a lot of detail especially her former childhood friends. But she is willing to make up some time while she figure out her life. She is kinda in a slump that she really does not know what to do. But hey, it happens to best of us. All we got to do is know focus and reevaluate what they want. And that's what Charlotte going to do even though she catches two hottie in town eyes such as sweet Henry.
Henry is such a sweetheart that I want him for myself. But I know i can't because he is still carrying a torch for Charlotte even though she does not remember him. That got to hurt for him but sometime what hurts you the most is what you block so it must have hurt her to leave hometown so she blocked everything. It's understandable but it is going to take some time for Henry to understand. He has been through the ringer with relationships that he is caution with Charlotte but he cannot deny their insane chemistry. It's going to be very hard for him to ignore since Charlotte is the one (even though she does not know it yet).
Henry and Charlotte relationship is a slow-burning romance because they have grown uo totally different. It takes some time for them to re-just but don't worry, they catch-up like old times. They may frustrate with each other since they both have counterpoint that they won't budge. But love is about comprise so someone needs to be willing to do so.
Meet Me on Love Lane will bring two former childhood friends back together even their relationship will be a journey for a while.
Four Stars!
I enjoyed the love triangle aspect, but i was expecting it to be a little more focused on the romance. I would have loved to know more about Henry and Max. The book spent more time on Charlotte finding a way to love herself and grow on her own than I thought it was going to. The setting was amazingly described and the friendships Charlotte re-entered were perfect. This book is perfect for people who love to see the heroine grow into herself, along with a side of romance.
I truly enjoyed this small town story of coming home again!
After having left Hope Lake to New York as a child, Charlotte finds herself having to return back after 20 years and reconnecting with childhood friends. The only thing is she can’t seem to remember her best friend Henry. All thoughts of her earlier life have been negatively impacted by things her mother ingrained in to her. She is resilient and independent and her thoughts are to return to New York once she gets back on her feet.
Henry is thoughtful, kind, understanding and patient. I really loved his calm demeanor and how he felt about Charlotte.
This is my first book by Nina Bocci and I really liked her style and how the story flowed so naturally and smoothly. I love how it left me with a smile on my face and wanting to know more about the side characters.
Meet Me on Love Lane was a pure delight to read! It's sweet, fun and funny. Charlotte finds herself back in her hometown after years of being away. She's lost and confused but quickly finds herself in a bit of town drama. Soon she's torn between two wonderful guys and two cities she loves. I loved reading about this adorable town filled with wonderful people. Meet Me on Love Lane is a feel good story that will leave you smiling long after you finish!
The Hopeless Romantics series is sweet and swoonworthy, a perfect read for this time of year.
Charlotte is struggling to find herself. There was an incident in NYC and with her mom already passed she decided to come back to Hope Lake for a few months to see her dad. I really liked Charlotte, she's someone I could see myself being friends with. She's fun and caring.
There is a bit of a love triangle, which I personally could have done without. It's not a true love triangle, and I didn't think it added anything to the story.
There are quite a few characters, and all of them are amazing. Besides Charlotte we have Henry, her BFF from childhood, hot doctor Max, Henry's friend Nick (who I adored and fully expect him to get his own book with a certain someone), Gigi, Charlotte's awesome grandma and Emma and Cooper, whom we met in the first book. All of these characters are what makes this series. They are such a good group.
Meet Me on Love Lane is the second book in Nina Bocci’s ‘Hopeless Romantics’ series, and it was one I was really looking forward to. I loved Henry in the first book and I couldn’t wait to get his story!
Charlotte Bishop is Doctor Bishop’s daughter and is back to Hope Lake for the first time in a few decades. Charlotte moved away when her parents got divorced and never came back. Now, she’s back temporarily to get her life back together. She doesn’t want to connect with anyone, she doesn’t plan on staying, but she quickly falls back into her friend group and starts running a flower shop.
Charlotte is torn between going back to NYC and staying in Hope Lake where she is starting to feel like she’s truly at home. She’s also deciding on if it’s the time for love… she has the attention of her father’s partner, Dr. Maxwell, and Henry, her childhood best friend. As much as I liked Maxwell, I rooted for Henry. I loved him so much from the first book.
I honestly wasn’t expecting this to be a love triangle of sorts. I feel like this was less of a romance (the couple didn’t get together until VERY late in the book) but more a chick lit story of a woman finding herself. It’s not that I didn’t love that aspect, it’s just that I really wanted Henry to have an epic love story that was all his own.
More than anything, I love the small town vibes, found family, and friendships in these stories. I’m excited to read more from this ‘world’ and I have high hopes that Nick and Parker’s story will be fantastic. If you’re looking for a slow burn romance with a fantastic hero and a story of self discovery, be sure to pick this one up!
Right from the epilogue, Meet Me on Love Lane had me invested in the story between Charlotte and Henry. Charlotte and Henry were inseparable and the best of friends, but that would soon change. At ten years old Charlotte's life would change. She would go on to live with her mother in New York after her parents divorce. The place she called home for the first ten years of her life would never be the same to her.
It is now twenty-one years later and Charlotte is broke and living in New York. She's recently been fired from her job as a florist, her mother has passed and she doesn't quite know what to do with her life. She decides to come back to Hope Lake to live with her father for the summer. The feelings of coming back "home" after you haven't lived there in years really touched a place in my heart. I always feel a touch of nostalgia when visiting my old hometown or college campus after not having been there for years. It's always strange that a place that you knew so well, now is different and yet exactly the same. I loved how Nina Bocci captivated these feelings in Meet Me on Love Lane.
Charlotte's relationship with her old friends and her father and grandma were such an integral part of this story. Although Charlotte was only in Hope Lake for the summer, her friends and family welcomed her back with open arms and were there for her no matter what she needed. Gigi was such an amazing character and I loved her so much! I feel like the older I get, the more I think about what my kids/family will remember me by. These thoughts are so prevalent in Gigi's mind and it was hard not to tear up at the sweet scenes between Gigi and Charlotte.
My only gripe was that Henry and Charlotte weren't even on the same page til at least a quarter of the way into the book. But I absolutely loved their scenes together. These two individuals used to be so close and all of a sudden it was as if the relationship was one sided. Henry remembering a sweet ten year old Charlotte and Charlotte only remembering bits and pieces of their friendship. My heart broke for Henry, but I loved the reason why Charlotte wasn't able to remember Henry. Those scenes in the book were so heartfelt.
I had a few minor issues with the book, but overall I really enjoyed it
3.5 Stars ~ Reviewed by Sharon Thérèse at KFF
If you haven’t read the first book in Bocci’s Hopeless Romantic series, no worries. Meet Me on Love Lane is a stand-alone; however, you will meet up with characters from On the Corner of Love and Hate, become familiar with them and everyday life in Hope Lake. Yes, the author has taken her readers back to the small town where everyone knows everybody’s business in an endearing way.
What I couldn’t quite fathom out was why Charlotte seemed to be having trouble remembering what she’d left behind. And then I tried to do the same and it’s not easy. Twenty-one years is a long time, details escape us, things change and people move on. Hope Lake had changed for the better and to top the lot, Charlotte has a couple of admirers. Don’t get me wrong, there’s no love-triangle involvement, just a confused lass trying to find her way after recently experiencing an unfair happening.
‘Hope Lake seemed like the best, well, hope to get my life back on track.’
Even though she hasn’t got a bad bone in her body; at times her blurred feelings got the better of me. I wanted her to stop dwelling on the past and value everything around her. Granted, her family’s backstory has a lot to do with her being as she is but the question is, will she make this enchanting town her home or leave the folk who want her to stay!
“Think about it. Tell me what would make you run back there when you have all this and all that”—
Henry has a good-guy-next-door vibe about him. I have no complaints regarding Charlotte’s, viewpoint, but I do think if Henry had had his say, it would have given the story more depth. Especially observing what was going on and how he felt about it. Also, being drop-dead gorgeous was kind of irrelevant for me since he has such a gentle personality. Charlotte’s attitude towards relationships I found a tad peculiar but hey…I didn’t dislike the soft-spoken Dr. Max who’s also vying for her attention.
‘…I wanted temporary. Dr. Max was okay with that. Henry was not. I needed to keep reminding myself that.’
Henry’s best mates, Cooper and Nick play an important part and even though Nick’s a tad tactless, he certainly tickled me pink. And who cracked me up was Gigi, Charlotte’s grandma. She’s kept up with the times, giving words of encouragement when they’re due.
“She had to teach your father how to use his Apple Watch. She’s a pro.”
I did feel that some areas of the story needed a little more editing but to be fair, the copy I read was an early one. If you like easy-to-read feel-good romances low on angst and high on laughs, friendship and family, this book is for you. Looking forward to Nick’s story and wink-wink, hoping to see Charlotte’s bestie, Parker in the spring, too!
Charlotte Bishop’s life is in disarray, she lost her job in New York, is blackballed in her industry, and is broke. She goes to her father’s home in Hope Lake to lick her wounds. She was last in Hope Lake when she was ten and her parents’ contentious divorce ended with her mother being granted primary custody. Her return twenty-one years later brings her back into her childhood friends lives. She ends up in a bit of a live triangle with the hot new Doctor Max, and her childhood BFF High School teacher, Henry. I liked this book so much more than the first book in the series, mainly because of Henry. He was my favorite character in the first book and he was so likable in this book. What kept this from being a five star review was the fact that Henry was not really in the book (other than a brief encounter) until about 40% in. If you like small town romances with a slightly neurotic heroine and the perfect book boyfriend, this is the book for you. I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley for my honest review.
I was really excited to read this book, but unfortunately it didn't work for me on several levels. I had a hard time believing Charlotte not remembering anything about her best friend she left behind and/or her Grandmother and Father never mentioning him. Sorry it wasn't like she was 3 or 4 when she moved and this was just ridiculously unbelievable. I hated that the synopsis indicated a love triangle, there wasn't one not at all. Charlotte's so called relationship with her father's associate doctor was a flirtation at MOST and truly not even that, trying to bill it as more was a bit of a bait and switch. I loved that she and Henry reconnected, but the story was so tainted by her supposedly blocking out everything about their past I couldn't enjoy it. As this book did not work for me, I will not be posting reviews on my blog or on Amazon or Goodreads.
This was sweet. And the whole world, the whole town is utterly enchanting.
I enjoyed both hero and heroine separately, thought their chemistry was slowly unfolding. How one didn't really listen to what the other was saying and respecting it, was a touch annoying.
Also the triangle felt somewhat unnecessary. There seemed no connection between the other two, and he appeared but briefly.
I would be curious about more in the world though this seemed to get tangled up in a lot of nothing at times.
Meet Me on Love Lane!!
What I liked about this novel:
That cover is to die for! Screams fall to me and love everything about fall!! I love the atmosphere of the.novel and the small town feel. Everyone is so supportive and just felt so homey to me.
I loved how the author continue the series and we get to know more about the characters since the first book.
Some of the things that didn't quite work for me is the relationship between Nick and Charlotte. The pacing was extremely slow and didn't feel much of a connection/chemistry between these two. The relationship was supposed to grow from their childhood friendship but we didn't have enough background memories from their childhood? So, this didn't quite add up to me?
The author left out a lot of the important plot in my opinion and her writing was a bit repetitious for me.
Overall, this was a decent romance but left me feeling more disappointed.
3/5 stars
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Gallery for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
Publication date: 12/10/19
Published to GR: 11/24/19
There was a bit too much for me to swallow in Charlotte’s backstory. When she was ten years old, her mother divorced her father and forced her to leave the little Pennsylvania town where she was very happy with her friends and her father and grandmother. Then, supposedly, her mother so poisoned her against that town that she lost her childhood memories. Most surprisingly, she totally lost the memory of Henry, her best friend since Kindergarten. Even after her mother died, she didn’t travel the three hours from New York to visit her former best friends and beloved grandmother and father. Instead she just skyped with them and waited for them to travel to visit her.
Now she’s had to come home because of being blackballed in her event-planning career back in NYC. She thinks that it’s just for the summer for her to get back on her feet. But soon the charms of the town plus the help of friends begin to change her mind. And she even has Henry, who is now grown into a sexy English teacher and Max, a sexy doctor, both courting her.
I found Charlotte’s loss of memory and the rather shameful way she’d ignored her lovely grandmother and father rather off-putting and unbelievable. And Henry is not really fleshed out as a character. He’s just there to appear periodically and tempt Charlotte into a relationship.
It all felt quite Hallmark-movie-ish to me.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.
Meet Me On Love Lane has all the Hallmark Movie feels!
MMOLL is a realistic, heartfelt small town romance that'll leave you wanting more.
Beautiful character development, with an amazing story, that'll make you rage and cry, and swoon!
I highly recommend Meet me on Love Lane.
In the second installment of this series (Hopeless Romantic) - Nina Bocci has given us a small-town romance the likes of a Hallmark movie!
This time of year everyone is gearing up for Hallmark Christmas movies, but I am going to suggest - Hallmark Summer Movies and this book needs to be the first movie made.
Charlotte's return to Hope Lake after her life in NYC has fallen apart. She hasn't been there since she was a child and little did she know she has memories that have molded her.
Charlotte is broken, but slowly she's returning to her glory. Learning to forgive herself and love herself too. She's funny, smart, driven and a bit indecisive at times. But seriously - choosing between the hot English teacher (who was her childhood best friend) and the new town doctor who looks like Idris Elba isn't an easy decision. Both of these men offer two different paths and Charlotte doesn't know which road to take.
The cast of characters in this story is what made me love it even more.
Emma - the best BFF ever (who we fell in love with in On The Corner Of Love and Hate).
Cooper & Evan - the childhood friends of Charlotte's who made me laugh through the entire book).
Henry - oh Henry, the ultimate man - the hot English teacher, volunteer at the local bookstore with the town's kids (swoon) and all-around good guy.
Gigi - Charlotte's grandmother who is an absolute spitfire and also had me cracking up through the entire book.
Another sweet, small-town romance with just a touch of spice...I love this kind of book, it just makes me smile.
Meet Me on Love Lane was a fantastic and realistic story about small towns, friendships, love and always being able to come home. This book was funny and heartfelt as we followed Charlotte and her return home twenty years after being forced to leave by her mother when she was ten years old. We get to see her reconnect with family, friends, the town and even herself as she navigates learning who she is, what she really wants and why she always loved Hope Lake.
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We also see Charlotte being pursued by two men…the charming Dr. Max and childhood best friend Henry. But Charlotte does plans to return to NYC, so which man is willing to be happy with the “for now” relationship she is willing to offer?
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This is my first book by Nina and I really enjoyed it. I was completely pulled into all the craziness and small-town atmosphere of the people of Hope Lake. I was totally invested in which man Charlotte would end up choosing and the love story was very slow burn, which is my favorite thing ever. This book is full of amazing characters, like Gigi and Emma, plus we get to see a beautiful love story. If you are looking for a book that will touch your heart, check out Meet Me on Love Lane.
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I received an ARC from in exchange for my honest opinion. Meet Me on Love Lane releases on 12/10. .
I fell for Henry after meeting him in On the Corner of Love and Hate and have been dying for his story. Nina Bocci did not disappoint! Meet Me on Love Lane is such a beautiful, feel good novel. It's funny and romantic and though there are sad moments in the book, the book itself was so hopeful. This is book 2 in the Hopeless Romantics series, but can be read as a standalone. It would be most enjoyed, however, if you read the books in order since previous characters appear and that is where we first meet our hero, Henry.
I was hooked from the very first chapter and couldn't wait to get back to it whenever I had to unfortunately put it down. I really enjoyed Charlotte's healing journey back home. Yes, there are serious moments and heartbreaking ones too, but I loved how everyone in the town of Hope Lake came together to welcome Charlotte with open arms (well, maybe not Birdy). The cast of secondary characters were fantastic and I loved catching up with Emma, Cooper, and Nick. It was Charlotte's grandmother, Gigi, who really stole the show though. She was so supportive and had me laughing out loud so many times! I can only pray that one day I am half as amazing and cool as Gigi is when I'm (hopefully!) a nana myself.
Oh, sweet Henry. There hasn't been a character in a long time that has checked all of my boxes the way he did. Henry was everything I love in my heroes. He was smart, understanding, compassionate, loyal, honest, thoughtful, and so much more! I know that many readers (myself included!) love all different kinds of characters. There are the bad boys, the alphas, the manwhores, the jocks, etc, but no one ever beats the all around good guy to me. I loved everything about him and when I learned the story behind his cochlear implants, I only loved him more.
I was worried at first when I read the synopsis, because I was afraid this would be a love triangle. Once you start reading though, you will see that that's not the case at all. This childhood friends to lovers/second chance-ish/slow burn romance will have you smiling and swooning throughout. The epilogue was the sweetest and was truly perfect for our characters. I can't wait for Nick's story next and those sparks that were flying between him and Parker have me very intrigued. Meet Me on Love Lane is not to be missed!
*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*
4.5 stars
This book had me on tenderhooks wondering why Charlotte couldn’t remember certain moments of her past! The memories that did surface were minimal at best and she struggled as to why!
I was captivated after initially wondering whether things would get more interesting and the storyline grabbed my attention the further into the book I read!
I genuinely loved Charlotte’s grandma, she was fantastic and the way she was with Charlotte made me miss my grandma! I thought the connection between her and the group of friends was wonderful and how certain things brought the past to light and I especially loved how the book ended!
This was a beautiful book that reminds us some things can stand the test of time and all with a small country town feel!