I wish there was a point five. I enjoyed this. But I felt it could be so much better. The beginning banter was absolutely delightful. However, when it came to the head banter, I just didn't care enough to be involved. I really liked Ben.

It reminded me a lot of Red, White, and Royal Blue--in a positive way. Tons of deep and crackling chemistry, a somewhat offbeat sense of humor, and a satisfying ending. I didn't know I loved politically-charged books until now, it's a compelling trope for sure :)

Meet You in the Middle is one laugh-out-loud read of a rom-com! Filled with humor and wit, the writing/the voice is on point and the pacing of the story kept me turning the pages. As an American writer married to a French rocket scientist, I love “opposite attract” romances, especially when there are differences/issues to overcome and they get solved with humor. With that said, I totally related to Kate (she’s hilarious) and found Ben completely swoon-worthy (what a catch)! Five stars to this sparkling debut.

REVIEW ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️| Meet You In The Middle by Devon Daniels, for release September 8.
.
Kate is a democrat. Ben is a republican. As political staffers for opposite parties, naturally they’re mortal enemies. But what happens when they begin to realize they have more in common than meets the eye?

I’m going to start off this review by flat out saying this is officially my favourite romance of 2020. I devoured it & loved every minute of it. I can’t believe this is Daniels’ debut book! She is officially my new auto-buy author. I’m already desperate to know when her next book is coming out!

Let’s break down what I loved:
❣️The enemies to lovers banter- it was smart, unique, and laugh out loud hilarious. Ben and Kate had amazing chemistry from start to finish! It jumped off the page and hit me in the face. Ben was also ADORABLE. Hello new book bf.

❣️The writing style was everything. Y’all know I love snarky, voice first person. The writing was so witty, and full of little hidden gems.

❣️The character development was SO good. Daniels gives both characters amazing backstories that help the reader understand why they are the way they are without being too over dramatic.

❣️The pacing was spot on!! Every chapter left me wanting MORE. And I loved that every detail kept coming full circle.

❣️The slow burn. Lord knows I love a satisfying slow burn. This one was sooooooo good.

The ugly:
❣️I’m not going to sit here and say “who cares about your political beliefs as long as there’s love”. There is truly deep privilege inherent in this concept, which makes sense as both characters are white and middle/upper class. Some people have been offended by the idealistic undertones and have a problem with idolizing the hero for what he stands for. I understand sometimes you can’t “Meet in the middle” when it comes to important issues. And I get it. I really do.

❣️With that being said, here is my trigger warning: I do not recommend this book if you feel very strongly about politics and this social climate. But if you can read it purely for entertainment and romance, DO IT.

On the other side of the coin, even if you’re not super into politics, it isn’t over the top. The love story is very readable and stands out over the politics.

All this to say, I’m obsessed with this book. 💗You need it in your life yesterday. Massive thank you to Berkley, Neggalley and Devon Daniels for access to this amazing ARC. It doesn’t come out until Sept so you’ll see more shameless posts in the coming months.🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼

Meet You in the Middle
@devondanielsauthor
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
.
I was so lucky to receive an ARC from @netgalley and @berkleyromance. **The pub date is September 20, 2020.**
I requested Meet You in the Middle from NetGalley because of the cute cover, and I read it immediately because of the cute story. Kate the Democrat and Ben the Republican work on Capital Hill. Their first meeting is a disaster, and even if it wasn’t, Kate would never consider dating a republican. Through a series of events, Ben and Kate become friends and eventually more. This is a slow burn, but it pays off!

Meet Me in the Middle has a very worthwhile message to get across: the polarization of politics is not good for the individuals who work in government and it’s not good for the American people who have to rely on politicians to govern. It’s easy to get behind that message. This theme has great potential for a rom com. Sadly, in this case, Ben, the man of many women’s dreams, falls for a colleague whose appeal is not apparent to anyone but him. Kate has so much antipathy for people in the opposite political party that she is hard to relate to as a character. The book is a little too long and Kate is very slow to come around to and acknowledge how she really feels about Ben. I just lost patience. I love a slow burn but this was more about Kate slowly flailing around emotionally. There was some witty dialogue and fun back and forth, just not enough plot substance to get to 4 stars.

If you're into romantic comedies with a slow, sizzling burn, snappy dialogue, lovable secondary characters, a strong heroine, a hot AF and sweet hero, and a grand gesture to swoon over, look no further than Meet You in the Middle. Running through this outstanding debut by Devon Daniels is the ongoing theme that sometimes you need to look beyond labels to see the person inside, and that love doesn't always appear in the expected package. As a democrat, I wasn't sure how a bipartisan love story in today's political climate would work, but I can say with full certainty that not only did it work, it was hopeful and wonderful. I look VERY forward to the author's next book!

I was nervous about the premise about a liberal and a conservative being attracted to one another especially in today's political climate; but this will make you realize if you have a similar heart and character there is nothing that can come between each other. Kate is trying to pass a legislature, but needs some support from a conservative Senator. Ben, the senator's right hand man, is the key but they have a rocky meeting, and now they can't stand one another. I couldn't put down this hate to love romance, and I think it will be a great book to read during the election season to show that yes two people from two different sides can get along and find love.

I couldn’t put this book down! It reminded me of The Hating Game and was just so good. The humorous voice, the swoony love interest and quirky cast of characters, the witty banter. Simply put: I loved it.

The writing made me laugh out loud, and the slow sizzle of the romance had me eagerly turning pages. Highly recommend!

A tricky topic in today's day in age that Daniels handles with seeming ease. I enjoyed the banter in this hate to love story and truly enjoyed this one so much, I read it in one sitting.

I really wanted to like this one. I REALLY did. As a liberal married to a moderate republican, this seemed right up my alley. Cathartic even. But no.

I had to set the book down around the 30% mark.

Also, that DNF is not for the reason most people would think. The male lead was actually fine. More of a fiscal conservative trying to make his party less of a shitshow, which I could totally get behind. But then you have the liberal female lead. Who proudly declares in the beginning that she's a feminist and then when she sees another woman hand a man her number, says this little gem:

"I can't believe women actually do that. It's so desperate."

And this is simply one example of her outward displays of misogyny in the first third of this book. As for the rest of my issues with her, I'm not going to get into them. Suffice it to say that I could not have dreamed up a better archetype of a character to symbolize everything wrong with white feminism if I tried.

Maybe there's a point. Maybe by the end, she does a total 180, but honestly? That would surprise me after everything I just read.

I really enjoyed the dynamic between the two main characters. This is definitely a slow burn book that builds over time. Lots of funny moments and great side characters. I also really enjoyed the author’s writing style. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.