I gave this my best but DNF'd. The days of a James Carville-Mary Matlin pairing are long gone, and while the writing's good, I'm not a fan of relationships where the attraction is through mutual goading then makeup sex. And the author's attempts at a whataboutist love story fall flat in this political climate.

Professional colleagues from opposing parties, Ben and Kate enter a realm of loathing, name-calling, competing bills, and... flirting? How could Kate possibly be attracted to the enemy? What kind of game is Ben playing? Better yet, what ulterior motive does he have?

Ok, guys. I know what you're thinking. Politics and romance? Why would you want to read it? Well, let me tell you. Daniels brought the big guns with this contemporary rom-com that had all The Hating Game vibes. Sparring as foreplay? You better believe it. Not only was the dialogue entertaining, it was smart, funny, and everything I love about the enemies-to-lovers trope. And, despite the political party references, Ben and Kate's story focused on open-mindedness--seeing each other's perspective on both professional and personal levels, taking risks, exploring outside of one's comfort zone, and of course, meeting in the middle.

I wanted to like this. Ok and maybe if I had read it at a different time I would have liked it more, but right now I just couldn’t get into it. The idea of people from two political parties meeting and falling in love makes sense for a premise but right now it just seemed like too much. The characters were ok, but the female lead did seem to drift into a stereotype at times.

Meet You In the Middle absolutely missed the mark and is not the story that we need in 2021. The characters were stilted, one-dimensional, misogynists. The author seemed to want their political disagreements to be about small things like taxes, but the divide between political parties is about much more. It's about human rights and there is no meeting in the middle about whether everyone deserves freedom and safety. It was very off putting to see the author trying to make light of the political situation. This is just a disappointing book that will not be on my book club recommendation list or any Readers Advisory lists.

This book was hard to get through. Professional enemies-to-lovers romances are usually fun, and this one starts off that way. But as the reader gets to know the characters more and more, this book seems to forget who its characters are. Kate is supposed to be an independent adult, yet needs rescuing almost immediately. And Ben follows her home everyday? Creepy. Also, these characters only ever discuss politics in the safest of ways. While taxes are riveting, in today's political climate wouldn't a political person want to discuss some of the deeper divisive issues of the day?

MEET YOU IN THE MIDDLE by Devon Daniels



“There’s a special place in hell for people who waste my time.” Kate Adams

Democratic Senate congressional aide, Kate Adams has no time to waste. In Devon Daniels rom-com, MEET YOU IN THE MIDDLE (Berkley) Kate works for Senator Carol Warner and has been working for nearly a year on a Families Act that she hopes to get to the floor. She’s been trying to get her Republican counterpart to meet with her for weeks to no avail. Then she finds an email from a staffer willing to take a meeting at the end of day. Immediately her back is up.

Kate’s average day on the Hill goes something like this: 9am brimming with optimism, 10am inflammatory headlines, 12noon putting out fire of errant quotes, 2pm fielding calls, 3pm questioning one’s job choice, 4pm hanging on by a thread. A 5pm meeting is asking for trouble and trouble she gets.

Republican Senate congressional aide and gatekeeper for conservative Senator Henry Hammond, Benjamin Mackenzie is waiting for her. When she arrives, the 6’4”, green-eyed hunk is ready to go toe to toe about what he thinks of her “absurd bill.”. Words are fired, the volume gets louder and eventually Kate stomps out his office, swearing he is the most arrogant man she’s ever met. He thinks she’s maddening. But wait a second. Soon he’s in her office continuing to argue. Then an interoffice mail fight starts between the two.

You know this is the perfect set up for a “James Carville and Mary Matalin”-esque romance. Author, Daniels is laser focused on the inner workings of the White House and what the staffers are up against. Her writing is so fast and crisp I had several “West Wing” moments. And let’s face it, opposites attracting is always great for a story!

MEET YOU IN THE MIDDLE is fun! Perfect for would-be lovers on Valentine’s Day!

At face value, I’ll admit I was excited about the idea of this book when it was first announced. But after I’ve thought more about it – and read feedback from others who read it already – I’ve decided this isn’t the book for me at the moment. Pre-2016 election? It might have worked for me but it just hits different these days.

I just could not finish this book. The entire story was just too mind-blowing (in a bad way). Nope. Nope. Nope.

I had such high hopes for this book. I typically adore the tropes of opposites attract, enemies-to-lovers, and office romances. In this case, the very thing that interested me in the book (two political rivals falling in love) was what made the story not work for me. Unfortunately, I couldn’t finish the book. I don’t think I was expecting the political debate presented within these pages to be so topical and current. Because of this, a lot of the discussion was more upsetting to me than I think the author had intended. Since I didn’t finish the book, I don’t know what “Meet You in the Middle” is referring to exactly, but I really didn’t want to read about the heroine giving up her ideals (if human rights can be referred to something as naive as “ideals”) to “compromise” for love.
I also want to add that the writing style and the way that the characters were presented were too immature and fluffy considering the political themes. That said, ordinarily I love that type of writing style, but it didn’t quite mesh with the characters being presented. (Think: workaholic professionals who work for senators talking like they just stepped off the pages of a Twilight novel).
I think that maybe this storyline could have worked for a dark romance, (I mean, if mob bosses and assassins can find love, who can’t?) but not for a light and airy rom com.

Okay, okay, okay... LET'S START OFF BY JUST SAYING THIS NOVEL IS AMAZING! Holy smokes and all it's glory was I not expect to fall in love with this novel.. The cover itself and the synopsis speak for themselves. And truly I felt a little bit majestic and transported into the world of Kate and Ben. Two individuals with total opposite views that know that together can become a power force.

Something in which took them a while to get used to. This is a must read and to make your 2021 much better for sure. I see where some people may lie and say that this is a concerning novel, but with those things set aside I truly did enjoy this novel!

I couldn't make it through all of this one. It was always going to be tricky to write a book based on politics in this current political climate. This may appeal to a certain segment of the population, but it did not appeal to me. This was tone deaf to the problems that many people face and just not something that I could stomach reading any further.

Liberal girl meets Republican boy working the hill, sparks fly, and that’s a HEA, right? Well, not when you’ve got the extreme partisanship of today. That’s Meet You in the Middle by Devon Daniels for you–a cute rom-com about finding love on the hill, but one that was of course attacked by liberals for daring to suggest that Republicans could be loveable. I’m not going to recap those reviews for you–just trust me they’re ridiculous–but what I am hear to tell you is that as a politically-adjacent person living in Washington, D.C., I found this book adorable and a perfect little rom-com read. I laughed, I swooned, I craved Union Pub. It did exactly what it set out to do.

Kate Adams is a legislative assistant for a Democratic congresswoman and loves what she does. She’s been working on a childcare bill for her boss for months, and schedules a meeting with the legislative director of a powerful Republican congressman in an attempt to get him on board. Well that meeting quickly goes off the rails, because in walks Ben McKenzie–late no less–and they immediately spar over the inevitable death of this bill, their assumptions about each other, and politics in general. Kate goes back to her office to vent to a coworker, Ben overhears her calling him an inbred hick, and a nice little office war is launched. There’s inter-office prank mail, jokes made to one another, but somewhere along the way, a little bit of a tense friendship forms, and suddenly, Kate realizes that maybe she likes Ben more than she’s letting on…but could it ever work? Dating a coworker–no less, a coworker on the other side of the aisle? She’s skeptical, but Ben is persistent…

First off, this book felt VERY DC to me–from mentions of specific locations to a get together at Union Pub to all the political talk, plus a key part of the book is the White House Correspondent’s Dinner. Who wouldn’t love that? Even if you’ve never worked on the hill, if you’ve been around politics at all you’ll appreciate the humor in this book and it’s attention to detail in key moments.

And then, there’s the romance! This book is not an HEA from day 1–you have to work from it. It’s more like enemies to friends to enemies to lovers to friends who love each other, and it’s a really enjoyable ride. Kate is pretty likeable, but she’s also stubborn and a little biased, and though we only get Ben’s perspective in the epilogue, he is almost too good to be true. But that’s the fun in this–it’s just a book! But it’s a fun, fun read and maybe can give a lot of us hope for cross-aisle romances, because they are SUPER prevelant in DC, whether the rest of the world realizes it or not.

I couldn’t imagine marrying someone who agreed with me on every single thing. How boring! I also have dated across the aisle and never had serious issues. People who let politics dominate their whole lives–including their dating lives–are really missing out on the world around them. You can disagree about healthcare reform and tax cuts and abortion and Supreme Court nominations, but as this book shows, if you get to know someone for who they truly are, you may just find out that the respect you have for them can overcome any differences in opinion.

This book was the biggest miss I have ever read. Why would two people just decide not to talk about their issues?! Why was this centered around the current administration?? Why was literally everything wrong with this book?

I loved this book. I loved losing myself in a fictional world where right and left weren't tied into the real-world of our politics. It was charming and nice to imagine a world where it was possible to overlook political affiliations,

I wish I could give this a zero.

I’m not even going to dignify this with a real review. I gave up at 30% because it’s blatant Trump propaganda and it doesn’t deserve my time.

Wonderful read. Funny, informative, romantic and sexy! Two great characters that prove that opposites attract. An excellent romantic comedy that is easy to read and very enjoyable. I recommend it heartily. Can't wait for her second book!

Take away the politics and it’s literally The Hating Game...and I really wish the politics were ripped out of this one. The author claims this is a bipartisan love story, but the contrast between conservative Ben and liberal Kate will make you feel guilty for even thinking of identifying as Democrat.

Maybe if Ben’s point of view was also shared throughout, it would even the playing field? But because the entire story (except one chapter) is told from Kate’s perspective, she comes off as an emotionally unhinged radical feminist because that’s what all democratic women are, right? And you rarely hear from other republican characters, but all of Kate’s democratic colleagues are depicted as Republican-hating cohorts who literally only talk about how much they hate Republicans.

Ben IS a perfect male protagonist romantically and could be up there with Joshua Templeman. But I can’t wrap my mind around the fact that he’s a gun owner because his sister was raped. Is it an excuse to own a gun? Or because it’s his responsibility as a male to teach women how to shoot potential rapists? Why did Kate never make the argument to “teach boys NOT to rape?” Why is Kate so kind as to not force Ben to attend a pro-choice rally but Ben is so giddy to make Kate learn how to shoot a gun? The discomfort she feels when she sees Ben’s gun for the first time...I felt that in the pit of my stomach.

This would be such a fun rom-com...if it wasn’t politicized...especially now?! It’s sad that the author thought this book was a good idea just because it’s timely and relevant. You can’t distract readers with a political love story when the president the characters are working under is 45.

This story is a must read. Two political workers who share adjoining offices are attracted to each other, but their political views get in the way. A humorous story with a lessen for all, especially now.

A grin-worthy workplace romance perfect for fans of THE HATING GAME. The chemistry sizzles and the prank war is a crowd pleaser, but what brings it home is the characters' hard-fought mutual respect.

In the first chapter of this book, I wasn't too sure about Ben, but then they have a major confrontation where all the insults fly, each character letting them know what they think about the other's political party, and it was the funniest, most gasp-and-cover-your-face kind of scene ever. It felt spot-on for what each political party would say about the other! From there, they descend into a prank war that had me grinning for whole chapters, and it never crossed the line into mean or cruel. I really loved the way Ben treated her through the middle of the book, even when they disagreed, and I liked the way he showed that their political views weren't always as different as they appeared at first glance--a lot of the time, they were born from similar values but different approaches to how you'd accomplish that politically.

I picked up this book because of the political rivalry- because I had to see if a cross-the-aisle romance could be pulled off in today's world--but I kept forgetting about that piece as I was reading because the romance was just so irresistible. I was hanging on every exchange of the banter, and the chemistry raised the temperature in my apartment by several degrees. It reminded me a lot of the dynamic in the Hating Game, where the hero appears forbidding (physically and psychologically) at first, but turns out to be a giant marshmallow for the heroine.

Toward the end, I loved that Ben not just paid lip service to their shared values but DID something concrete to build stuff Kate cared about into a bill he was working on. I wish she would have done the same for him, to show that she also understood some of what was important to him, and could find redeeming value in some of his political stances. Nowdays, it's become gasp-worthy to say you could find any common ground with someone from the opposing party, but I loved what the author said in her author's note about how "we're all much more committed to finding common ground than the loudest voices in the media would have you believe." I enjoyed how this book showed people as individuals, not stereotypes, and showed that you can have the same core values while differing some in public policy, rather than perpetuating the false dichotomies of dividing political parties into "good" and "evil" and assuming everyone on the opposite side is the same person. As an open-minded liberal, I think we should all try to avoid stereotyping, whether it's about matters of race, sexual orientation, or yes, even political party. One of the reasons I think fiction is important is it builds empathy, which is always preferable to dehumanizing the opposition.

At the end of the day, though, as important as the issues underneath this book were, I have to admit I purely just enjoyed it for the romance! It was a lighter and much more fun read than I might have expected, and I hope to see more in the future from this author!

Devon Daniels debut novel, MEET YOU IN THE MIDDLE, is an enemies-to-lovers office romance with a political spin. Daniels has an engaging voice that drew me right into her story with laugh out loud moments and snappy back and forth dialogue between main characters, Kate and Ben. I was excited to read this book for a variety of reasons: the subgenre, adorable cover, and the idea that Kate, a Democrat, and Ben, a Republican, could find middle ground as they fell in love. This idea of taking time to see past political parties was intriguing but, in the end, not very well executed.

Ben and Kate really are adorable together. As mentioned, their witty banter was exactly what I’d hoped for as were the laughable moments. As both characters work for a U.S. Senator, there is a lot of insider-type info that Daniels weaves into the narrative in an informative way without dumping a lot of information. Their meet-cute is fiery and introduces readers to the steady, somewhat stoic Ben and Kate, a successful woman who has written her first bill for her boss to take the senate floor. With the bill basically dead in the water, Ben has no trouble letting Kate know she is wasting her time when she meets with him in order to procure his boss’s vote. This results in a hilarious month of pranks meant to embarrass each other. This leads to them eventually becoming frenemies.

As I read there were a few things that stood out in a negative way. Probably the most important is that MEET YOU IN THE MIDDLE should have had a dual POV narrative rather than the entire story being told by Kate. I have no issue with a single narrative, but this story needed to hear from Ben. Instead we get Kate’s perspective of Ben, which is that he’s a really steady guy who isn’t apologetic at all for his Republican beliefs while appearing to have an open mind. Usually this is a great thing! Swoony romance heroes for the win every single time—and make no mistake Ben is swoony. What he’s not is a hero meeting his heroine in the middle. At least that’s how Kate tells it.

MEET YOU IN THE MIDDLE is a slow burn romance as Kate battles with herself to see beyond Ben’s Republicanism. The further into the book the less we hear about Kate as a professional woman and more about all the reasons she can’t fall in love with Ben. There’s little substance to this battle as Ben and Kate don’t really talk about their differences. The focus is more on the fact that they happen to have different political beliefs. As Kate seems to unravel emotionally over this, the perception that Ben lacks any emotional vulnerability creates an imbalance. The fact that he sees no problem with Kate being a Democrat just adds to this, resulting in her appearing immature.

Overall, MEET YOU IN THE MIDDLE is entertaining with lots of laugh out loud moments, but fails to meet its potential.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for an advanced copy of MEET YOU IN THE MIDDLE in exchange for honest feedback.