3 stars

I enjoyed _Today Tonight Tomorrow_ and was excited to read this as a result. Unfortunately, this was just not as gripping for me as its predecessor.

Quinn - the m.c. - participates in the family business: wedding planning. The expectation is that she, like her older sister, will go to college and then devote her career to a more intense role in this work. She has other plans, though. While a great deal of this novel centers on her angst over eventually sharing this important information with her family, the romance with Tarek - whose family runs a complementary catering business - is another important feature.

Neither Quinn's coming of age/going to college/finding her profession situation nor her relationship with Tarek ever became particularly engaging for me. Quinn's struggles often seem not that bad, so at times it is hard to understand what all of the angst is really about (beyond her lack of experience...and even still). I found myself wanting a more developed or sympathetic character and/or more intriguing romantic tension throughout the book.

This is cute, and I think most YA romance fans will appreciate the backdrop and references, but I just wanted a lot more from this one.

WE CAN"T KEEP MEETING LIKE THIS is everything you expect from a Rachel Lynn Solomon romcom. It is laugh-out-loud funny, romantic, and tackles big feelings in a tender way. Quinn is spending her last summer before college working as a harpist on the weekends for her family's wedding planning business. She's also keeping a secret that she doesn't want to work for her parents, who expect her to continue working for them and went as far as picking out her college courses. Quinn surprised to run into Tarek, who returned home after his first year of college, to work with his family's catering business. I love how this book normalizes their conversations about each of their mental health and how it manifests physically and in the way they think. In respect to their romantic journey, Quinn is a cynic, ironic because of her family's business while Tarek is a hopeless romantic. It was such a delight to watch the push-and-pull of these two as they get to know each other and learn what love means to them.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

PUB DATE 6.8 Thanks to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for the complimentary early copy.  

After my unabiding love of Today Tonight Tomorrow (TTT) and The Ex-Talk I was eager to get my hands on Rachel Lynn Solomon's upcoming release- WE CAN'T KEEP MEETING LIKE THIS. Safe to say that I will read anything she writes.

I am smitten with this contemporary, romantic YA novel.  I am a hopeless romantic and this book mainlining to all my sweet spots.  It’s charming and hilarious and full of heart.  The characters were smart, vulnerable, yet realistic and complicated. It had what I've come to expect from Solomon- top notch writing, a focus on family, and a tender understanding of discovery and self-growth. Oh- and the glimpse of characters from TTT was chef's kiss!

While I am not an #ownvoices reader, I appreciated that the representation felt authentic-  Jewish, depression, OCD/anxiety, divorce/separation, eczema, Muslim. What I appreciated even more was that it was sex positive - shame free and positive. I don't always see that in YA books but I think it's so relevant.

I love the mental health rep in this book. I think it's hugely important that teens are able to recognize themselves in the books they read. Also, the sex positivity in this book is well done, and really lends itself to a really great message that I'm sure the readers will appreciate. Definitely making sure this is in our library collection!

What a treat to read a Rachel Lynn Solomon book early! I love her books so much and it was a joy to read this one. It’s really funny.

Quinn is recently graduated harpist and wedding planning assistant down on love, even though (or perhaps especially because) she’s attending weddings every weekend. On the other hand, Tarek loves love, and is all about a grand gestures. Lots of fun wedding schenanigans ensue.

I think Rachel Lynn Solomon writes this older YA age so deftly, but with her incredible insight into Quinn’s childhood and how to dealt with family issues as an 8 y/o, I wonder if she’ll ever venture into middle grade. A reader can dream!

As a reader of Rachel Lynn Solomon books, you know you’re in good hands. Any time something potentially problematic or worrying pops up, you can breathe easy, because you know the author will take care of you.

I have a sibling with OCD and this book has one of the best representations of this mental illness I’ve ever read!
And she somehow tackles this subject as well as depression in a way that doesn’t feel manipulative or overly melodramatic. I also want to applaud Rachel for creating characters that feel so vivid and relatable. Quinn is a whole host of contradictions, much like many of us in high school and well-meaning optimist Tarek (aka her love interest) both bakes and likes romantic comedies. But really, what I loved most is how much Quinn struggles with vulnerability. That she tends to run away from anyone who actually wants to get to know her. So in conclusion, I laughed. I cried. The heart in this book is everything and I will read Rachel’s books as long as she writes them.

This is my second Rachel Lynn Solomon book, and also the second time I'm giving her book a 5⭐ rating (which I don't do often). She has a fantastic way of writing characters that are relatable and understandable and giving them sweet romances. I particularly love that Neil and Rowan (from Today Tonight Tomorrow) show up. I will recommend this book to contemporary and romance lovers!

Before any part of this review: Borrowed + Blue is the best name choice for a wedding planning business. Absolutely loved the quirks throughout this story.

Quinn’s family is in the business of weddings: from quelling disasters to artfully crafting happily ever afters. Sometimes they get the side-eye for not following Jewish customs in order to cater to customers—but this is their way of life. For Quinn, this means playing the harp as the background music... except she’s sort of tired of all this romance in a package.

Even worse— Tarek is back from college. THAT boy who didn’t respond well to THAT email. Now she’s supposed to endure wedding season side-by-side with his family’s catering company?

I loved Tarek’s creativity and support in times of opposition. I enjoyed honesty in discussing mental health conditions instead of pushing them to the wayside of the plot and also the ability to have two Jewish teenagers bring forefront their sex positivity. However, Quinn’s overwhelming cynical voice towards romance and apathetic nature kept me from really liking this protagonist. Yes, this personality was key to the plot... but I was hoping for more “cute vibes”— yet perhaps that’s what makes this title stand apart from the usual crowd.

I’m definitely looking forward to reading more by Solomon! Thanks for the ARC, Netgalley and Simon & Schuster!

My heart is so full after reading this book. The author, as usual, did a wondrous job of taking us on a rom-com ride and I just loved it so much. I also felt so seen with this book, and truly appreciated the mental illness rep (depression, anxiety, OCD) and that one of the characters had eczema. It's so rare to see characters that have what's considered to be a flaw but they accept it and talk about it with others too. This book surpassed all my expectations!!

*Spoiler free*

I mean, it's a Rachel Lynn Solomon book, so I was looking forward to it before I even knew what it was about. I will seriously read anything that she writes. But, when I found out that this would be about a harp player, who's the daughter of two wedding planners, and the baker son of the caterer's her parents partner with often. The son who she has a rocky relationship with. Oh yeah, this definitely sounded like something I was going to be interested in. Trigger warnings: depression, OCD, anxiety

I don't think it's a surprise that I'm crying over a Rachel Lynn Solomon book, but I am crying over a Rachel Lynn Solomon book. Because it seriously is that amazing.

This book did so many things to my emotions, so I guess emotions are a good place to start! The way this book talks about mental health had my heart doing funny beating things in my chest in the best way possible. Both Quinn and Tarek struggle with mental health, and they are both in therapy and take medication. It's just so, so amazing to me to see something like this talked about so casually in a YA book. Because it is something that should not be a stigmatized as it is. I connected with both of them so deeply, and while my experiences might have been different than theirs, that connection was still so deep and so amazing.

Speaking of Quinn and Tarek, I love both of them an incredible amount. Quinn is cynical, and she is so full of emotion. She seemed angry to me, but the kind of angry that comes from such a deep sadness. She has her shields to keep herself safe, and I loved seeing her face the big, scary emotions that were present in her life. It gets messy, and it's imperfect, because that's how life is. But Solomon is so good at writing messy, imperfect emotions and characters, and it completely shows in Quinn. Plus, Quinn has a cat and likes to wear clothes with tiny animals on them and loves food that is cooked in mugs. So she's super amazing.

And Tarek was just an adorable, sweet, sensitive, and amazing baker. He struggles with depression, and I love seeing mental health being portrayed in guys. And Tarek was just amazing in general.

I also really liked Julia, Quinn's best friend, and Asher, Quinn's sister! They were both super cool, plus Julia is queer and the girl she likes, Noelle, was amazing as well.

The portrayal of love was also something that I really, really liked about this book. Quinn is so jaded towards it, and she has solid reasons to be. It's a hard, painful journey for her, and I really, really liked watching it. Plus, I loved how it was imperfect. Couples fight, weddings have glitches, and things just don't go smoothly sometimes. But, that's alright, because that's just how life is sometimes. The whole overarching romantic/love piece of this book was so, so amazing. It's sweet, but realistic, and I love it so much because it was written so well.

Another thing I really loved was the harp aspect of this book! I think it's a fascinating instrument, so it was really cool to see Quinn play it, and learn new things about it along with her! Really, I just found out that the harp is even more fascinating than I thought it was.

Along with harps, this book also had weddings and baking, which are both super cool haha.

This book is also extremely sex positive, which is always something that I adore in YA books.

There were parts of this book that I had a really personal connection with. I'm keeping it vague because of that, but I did want to mention that some of my love for this book comes from that. And I say all this as a huge compliment.

AH AND THERE WERE TODAY TONIGHT TOMORROW EASTER EGGS.

Overall, this was a fantastic, amazing book. The last line destroyed me in the best way possible. It's sweet and painful and romantic and angry and sad and pretty much every emotion. I loved it a whole lot.

This book fell really flat for me. I liked how this book addressed different topics and characters working through things, but the characters themselves were a little dull at times. The story was cute enough, but it just didn't pull me back into it or wanting to be excited about the story. When the side characters are stronger than the main, it becomes a difficult read. It just wasn't as captivating as I had hoped. Just an ok read at best for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

As a Jewish girl raised in a not particularly religious family, I loved Quinn watching her sister become more religious with her new husband. I definitely can empathize with feeling too Jewish for non-jewish spaces and not Jewish enough for Jewish spaces. Solomon definitely did an amazing job of presenting Quinn's anxieties in a realistic way.

I love slow-burn romances, and at first I was slightly disappointed that Quinn and Tarek seemed to jump right into a relationship. But Quinn's reluctance to label what they were doing, and the angst of Tarek wanting more but not knowing how to ask for it really grabbed me. It sort of did end up being a slow-burn of sorts, a friends-to-exfriends-to-friendswithbenefits-to-exes-to-lovers.

Overall, I enjoyed it. It was an easy sweet romance that brought in some heavy topics, like OCD and depression, without ruining the cuteness of the two falling for each other. I liked how Quinn felt like she could discuss her OCD with Tarek, and in turn Tarek could discuss his depression with Quinn. While they got off to a rocky start, their ending was beautiful and it's a story that everyone will enjoy.

“And sometimes the world is terrible, and love stories...they make it feel less heavy.”
— 𝒲𝑒 𝒞𝒶𝓃’𝓉 𝒦𝑒𝑒𝓅 𝑀𝑒𝑒𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝐿𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝒯𝒽𝒾𝓈, Rachel Lynn Solomon

Rating: 🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀/5

Quinn and Tarek’s families have been in business together forever. Quinn’s family owns a wedding planning business and Tarek’s a catering company. At the end of the previous summer, Quinn confessed to Tarek that she had a crush on him the only way she was brave enough to - via email. And he left her on read. And ignored her for nearly an entire year. It figures that the first wedding of the summer, Quinn and Tarek come face to face again. Knowing they have to survive an entire summer wedding season together, Quinn and Tarek continue to clash. But she can’t deny her feelings for him, and when the real reason he ignored her for so long comes to light, Quinn can’t help but fall a little further. But while Tarek is the king of grand gestures, Quinn can’t help but feel like the whole concept of love is fake, a performance. Can she overcome her fears and let herself experience it, or will it all fall apart?

I was pleasantly surprised by the STEAM, considering it’s not typical of a YA novel at all. That being said, I really enjoyed this novel. Quinn is truly a flawed character - suffering from OCD and general anxiety - and I love her all the more for it. Solomon did a great job of showing what it was like for Quinn to function with her disease. As someone with general anxiety disorder myself, I deeply identified with her. Her fear of relationships with emotional entanglements. Her fear of disappointing her family. Her fear of not knowing what she wants to do with her life. And Tarek was the perfect foil to her personality - enough like her to make their pairing make sense but different enough to make things interesting.

I truly enjoyed this one, and I highly recommend y’all read it when it comes out in June 1st!

𝕋𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕜 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕥𝕠 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕡𝕦𝕓𝕝𝕚𝕤𝕙𝕖𝕣, 𝕒𝕦𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕣, 𝕒𝕟𝕕 ℕ𝕖𝕥𝕘𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕖𝕪 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝔸ℝℂ 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕠𝕡𝕡𝕠𝕣𝕥𝕦𝕟𝕚𝕥𝕪 𝕥𝕠 𝕣𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕓𝕠𝕠𝕜 𝕓𝕖𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕖 𝕡𝕦𝕓𝕝𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟!

"Sometimes the world is terrible, and love stories... they make it feel less heavy."


After the incredible love for Today Tonight Tomorrow, I couldn't wait to see Rachel Lynn Solomon deliver another sex positive, Jewish centered contemporary novel, but this time with a flood of eager readers who have finally discovered her pure talent. Being an OG fan of an author means seeing them reach new readers is as joyful for you as it is for them. Although this is too heavy to be a romcom, the trademark humor and second-hand embarrassment are all present.

CW: divorce/separation, OCD, anxiety, depression

WE CAN'T KEEP MEETING LIKE THIS is like the fluffy white frosting artfully piped on a delicious wedding cake that you sneak extra pieces of in your purse as you leave. Quinn is an anxious wedding harpist with high family expectations, OCD, and my exact personality. I screen shotted half the book to send to my best friend, exclaiming "IS THIS NOT ME" and then freaking out because Quinn's best friend is just like that best friend. The way 👏🏼 that I 👏🏼 saw 👏🏼myself in 👏🏼 this 👏🏼 book 👏🏼!! Down to the mental illness, the high expectations of her from adults everywhere, and the business-oriented parents. Seeing her open and honest struggle with OCD, her coping methods, her frustration and her good days and her bad days... it was raw. It was my experience on a glistening, glowing page on my phone.

And then we have Tarek.

"We're all hurting, Quinn. In different ways, some that we can treat with medication and therapy and some with only time. And some in ways that might never heal. Sometimes the good outweighs the bad. Sometimes those great times are so f-cking great that they make the bad times a little easier to handle."


Tarek is Muslim, the son of the staple wedding caterers, a college boy returned for the summer, and a Soft Boi™️. He also has the unique struggle of eczema, something I struggled with in middle school. I have literally never read a book with that representation in it before. Unlike Quinn, he believes in love, passionate love that stems from grand gestures. We have a lovely mutual pining/secret romance trope going through this story, as well as some second chance romance vibes.

Tarek also struggled with depression at college in an authentic, heartbreaking way, and I love love love reading books with two main characters both working through their own mental illnesses and learning to allow others to love them. Seeing them discuss therapy and medication? In a YA novel? Indescribable. It feels like a warm hug.

Also, for other RLS fans who have read her backlist, there's a glorious cameo that you will not miss. IT IS FLAWLESS.

4.5 stars rounded up due to overall enjoyment and the pleasure of seeing myself in such a beautiful story 🥺I rarely add books to my "I see myself" shelf because I only want the most similar experiences to mine to live there, and this one just signed a lifetime lease.

I’ve enjoyed other books by Rachel Lynn Solomon, both her YA and adult romance books. This one did not have the heart and lightness of the other ones. Quinn was really hard to root for because she never gave anyone the benefit of the the doubt and always jumped to conclusions. Tarek, on the other hand, was easy to like. I know in romance there’s always a bit back and forth, but Quinn’s same fears and thoughts we just too repetitive. It made the book drag too much.

We Can't Keep Meeting Like This follows Quinn, a teen harpist who works for her family's wedding planning business. The thing is, though, she doesn't want the business to be her future. However, she also has no idea what exactly she DOES want her future to be. After experiencing heartbreak the summer prior, living through her own parents' separation when she was younger, and witnessing happy couples get married only to learn that many of them end up divorced, Quinn is hesitant to enter into a relationship. Tarek, the handsome hopeless romantic and childhood friend who works for the catering business they often use, has a thing for grand gestures and epic love stories—but he's also the one who broke Quinn's heart. And now, they're back together for the summer before they both leave for college, navigating their differences and discovering their similarities—and themselves—while falling in love, even if Quinn doesn't want to admit it to herself.

I loved this book (but I love every Rachel Lynn Solomon book, let's be honest), but there were a few things that really stood out to me: 1.) it was so sex-positive! 2.) The representation of and discussion about OCD and depression, and normalizing not be ashamed of mental illnesses and the willingness to seek help. 3.) Representation of teens being uncertain as they go off to college!

Quinn drove me bonkers at times because she was pushing the amazing, romantic Tarek away, BUT I did understand WHY. Rachel developed characters with very clear arcs, who you can't help but root for the entire time! The harp aspect of the story is so unique and was actually very interesting to learn a little about. Oh, and the ultimate embarrassing scene (no spoilers) had me laughing and feeling second hand embarrassment. :) This book was adorable and so much fun.

Like every other one of her books, I highly recommend reading this!

Just because you've graduated doesn't mean you are grown. And Quinn, who is in the transformative summer between high school and college is due for a come-to-Jesus moment. But Quinn is Jewish, as Rachel Lynn Solomon puts front and center in characterization (because representation matters, so good for her). Quinn's family has a wedding planning business and they work closely with a catering company whose son, Tarek, has just come home from his first year at college . . . and he kind of ghosted Quinn after she sent an "I really like you" email as a sort of "Hail Mary pass" to kickstart a relationship. And when there's no real response to the message besides an "I've been busy" text, Quinn sinks further into the "there's no such thing as real love" mode than has her losing interest in weddings, scoffing at relationships, and wondering if there's more to life than just going through the motions. But as the nonstop action of event planning throws Quinn and Tarek back together, they reconnect and start to figure out the pulsing connection that brings them together and helps Quinn realize that she needs to pull off some major maneuvers to prepare for the next part of her life.
We Can't Keep Meeting Like This is a realist's love story that explores what gets in the way of a real relationship, whether it is with friends, parents, or someone you want to kiss in dark hallways and call in the middle of the night. The book should be praised for acknowledging that there should not be a stigma about acknowledging physical or mental illness. And the interfaith Muslim/Jewish relationship of Tarek and Quinn makes for a hopeful presentation of love.

What a great story! Quinn, the daughter of a pair of wedding planners, is having some serious doubts about going into the family business. Good thing she's got a summer full of nuptials and high-profile-weddings to think about what she does want to do before college starts. Now if she could just stop running into the son of the caterers her family partners with while he's home from school for the summer that would be great. Especially since he hasn't spoken to her for nine months. Not since she torpedoed the grand romantic gesture he planned for the next girl he wanted to date and then sent him an e-mail telling him she liked him. His silence was deafening, but now that he's back they have to at least try and be friends because they can't keep meeting like this.

Oh how I loved this book! I loved the witty banter between the characters, I loved the weddings, I loved the open feel to teenage love. I really liked how Solomon discusses learning about yourself and how you feel even in sexual ways. I think it can be so hard to write about that and get it right and I think here is was really done right.
I liked the family dynamics and how they worked everything out together.
Tarek and Quinn, their relationship was sweet but real. And I adored that. I liked that Quinn learned its okay to fight in a relationship and that somethings can really be real, they just take time and hard work.

Thanks NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC!

***Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
A fun read with witty banter and also some heavy issues being dealt with.