3.5 stars

Mia wants a fresh start when she moves away to Manchester. As a way to get out of her apartment and maybe meet some friends, Mia visits the bar down the street only to find the new owner to be her neighbor and object of her fantasies.

I really enjoyed the blossoming relationship between our main characters, sending notes to one another by way of the window. Mia and Luke's chemistry leaped from the page and was such a pleasure to read. A little cheesy, but this book was delightful.

**Thank you to One More Chapter, Kathryn Freeman and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review.**

"This is You've got mail meets Cocktail all wrapped up in a pretty package."

Mia Abbot has moved to Manchester to escape a bad relationship turned worse. She has changed her phone number and sworn off men. Luke is the Romeo Bartender who lifts weights every day at 10am, which Mia can see right from her window across the street. When she heads into the bar across the street, she realizes the bartender is her 10am man. She also realizes he is quite the Lothario, have dated or slept with most of the women in the bar. She deflects his flirting until they have an agreement - She will work on a website for the bar and he will take her on a non-date.

The very best of this book is all the characters that surround Mia and Luke. Mia's Mother and Sister are LOL hilarious. Her friendship with Stan, the grumpy overweight senior who lives across the hall, is priceless. I laughed a lot in this book. There were so many funny moments. It was a cute and sweet love story with barely any angst.

On reading the synopsis for this book and seeing the cover I knew it would be right up my street and I had to add to read it.

Mia moves into an apartment in Manchester and quickly notices the hot guy working out who lives in the building opposite her, in fact he quickly becomes part of her morning routine. Trying to fight off her loneliness and boredom she decides to visit the pub across the street and comes face to face with the handsome neighbour. Luke is instantly smitten with Mia also, and a friendship/romance quickly follows. The book is full or twists and turns and some very likeable characters including her elderly neighbour Stan. He becomes somewhat of a father or grandfather figure for Mia.

The concept of notes on the windows I thought was a cute idea, instead of using technology or text messages. The book is very sickly sweet in places but I have to say I really enjoyed it.

Thank you to Negalley, Harper Collins UK and the author for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately I was unable to read this book due to formatting issues. My rating is based on both the blurb and my previous experience with this authors work.

Although this was a quick and easy read with some cute moments I did not enjoy it as much as I thought I would. Despite the two leads being in their thirties they felt much younger and the insecurities especially from Mia re Luke’s past felt a little juvenile. It just felt like Mia kept letting outside forces (his past relationships, Freya etc) influence her feelings/ reactions instead of just making her own mind up based on the person she had gotten to know. I also found it strange that after some deliberately vague mentions who Grace was only came up halfway through the book . I feel given her importance to Luke during his POV this should have come up much sooner. I still like the author’s writing and previous work but this one wasn’t my favourite.

I saw this book on NetGalley, and the description piqued my interest. I didn't know what to expect from this author, but I can say I am pleased with my decision to request this book. The story is charming and fun with likeable characters and a sweet romance.

Mia is a self-proclaimed geek who has moved to Manchester to escape a bad relationship. Luke owns the bar attached to Mia's apartment building, and he lives in the flat across the courtyard from Mia. Mia enjoys watching him workout every morning from her window. After they meet in the bar, they start sharing messages in their windows. Because of Mia's past bad relationship, she is reluctant to form a romantic connection with Luke, so they become friends. However, the chemistry is undeniable, and Luck is determined to woo Mia.

I really enjoyed the characters in this book. Mia is very down to earth and comfortable in her skin. She does not feel the need to impress other people with the way she dresses or behaves. Luke is also very likeable. Though he is a bit of player, he does not deceive anyone about who he is or motives. He is a single dad devoted to his daughter. I found his kind-hearted nature very endearing. There are several side characters that are also quite likeable and charming. Even the "villain" of the story ends up being a decent person in the end.

The "friends to lovers" trope is done well in this book. It is not a trope I often enjoy, but the relationship between Mia and Luke is fun to read about. As with many romances, there are moments that annoyed me because of characters being stubborn or letting past situations cloud their judgment. Even so, I really enjoyed watching the romance develop.

Overall, I think this is a solid contemporary romance. I would recommend it to fans of the "friends to lovers" trope.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Harper Collins UK and One More Chapter for an advanced reader copy in exchange for a honest review. Mia, a computer programmer and aspiring writer, has just moved to Manchester for a fresh start after a tumultuous end to a relationship. She quickly notices the hot guy who lives in the apartment across from hers as their windows face each other. Mia has sworn off dating though and enjoys the eye candy but that’s it. Imagine her surprise when her hot neighbor turns out to be the bartender/owner at a local pub and he’s noticed her too! He begins to leave her notes in the window, harmlessly flirting with her. She decides to take a chance on Luke, a notorious ladies man, not for a relationship but just as friends. The two embark on a series of “non dates” as he introduces her to the town. Luke has his own secrets though and Mia struggles to trust him. Can this friendship turn into something more or are they just too different? While I thought the premise of this book held a lot of promise, I ultimately couldn’t feel the chemistry between the main characters. The same issues kept presenting themselves over and over again and there seemed to be a pattern of Mia being upset and Luke apologizing. Then the same thing would happen again! It was frustrating as a reader. I did enjoy the supporting characters although I wish they had been developed a little more. Cute premise and cute ending overall.

I adored this book. The characters came to life for me and the story was a lot of fun. The main characters are relatable. I really liked the setting also. It was like a rom com Rear Window but without the murder mayhem. I really enjoyed reading this author and I may now be reading all her books. I cannot wait to read more stories from her.

I’m not a great reader of the romance genre but lockdown has encouraged me to widen my reading habits and seek out some lighter feelgood reading. This is the story of Mia who has recently moved to Manchester to escape the end of a relationship. She doesn’t trust men and definitely doesn’t want another relationship..but of course this is a romance! Luke is gorgeous, thoroughly ripped thanks to his daily weight lifting sessions. He owns the bar opposite Mia’s flat and he’s single although his list of conquests is rather long. This is a really enjoyable read, a lovely distraction of a read! I found myself chuckling away. The chemistry definitely fizzes and Mia is a gorgeous character- funny, feisty, independent and genuinely a very fair minded person. The romance has just enough ‘will they/won’t they without frustrating the reader. I’m not an expert on sex scenes but there are several here to delight a reader seeking them out! Definitely feelgood entertainment! With thanks to Netgalley and One More Chapter for a digital copy of this book.

I really liked this book - characters were good, story was good, writing was good! It maybe went a bit too long at the end but I really enjoyed it and will happily recommend it to people who want something uplifting to read

Perfect speed for me! And I enjoyed that even though he looked like a player and he was previously casual about his other relationships, he was really a solid, good guy and that the problems were things she needed to work out.

This book is quite idyllic. I love how far the author took some of the storylines. Such a rom-com in that way! I love the premise, I love the characters and I love how witty and easy the writing was.

This is the first book I’ve read by Kathryn Freeman.

It was a fun easy read romcom. A little far fetched in some places but I like the fact it was a little different and Mia had something about her more than the average girl next door.

A bit drawn out for a romance and heavy emphasis on the “not your average girl” trope. The extra obstacles once the main characters got together seemed tacked on at the last minute to draw out the inevitable conclusion.

I loved this story!

This book was wonderfully written and it had me hooked until the very end.

The characters were brilliant, so well developed with some great interaction too.

It was a romance that I thoroughly enjoyed reading and another fabulous release from this author!

It is 5 stars from me for this one, very highly recommended – loved it!

This is a fun, light read that I devoured! I saw the readalong and knew I didn't have the patience to wait a month to read it...and I was right! Less than 24 hours later, I can say that I really enjoyed it and it scratched my romcom itch. Perfect for enjoying with a glass of wine (or three!) and snuggling up.

Absolutely loved the initial meeting between Mia and Luke, it is clear they have chemistry from the off, and just as clear that Kathryn Freeman is up to her normal fabulous levels of banter between our leads.

Every conversation had me smiling and they had a unique way of communicating too which made a difference and added a different dimension to the book.

And we slowly discover that despite first appearances that Luke may not be the sex obsessed ladies man that he comes across as, and that there is a real vulnerability to him and that he has hidden depths.

And then there is Mia, who is a bit of a nerd, and who I could relate to in many ways, especially the take me as you see me approach and not continually bothering with what she is wearing or make up etc.. I also like her would have struggled to believe it if a "cool guy" was interested in me!

I also loved the different colours Mia was dying her streaks and the various nicknames that Luke was coming up with for her.

And the non dates that Luke and Mia go on as friends are really imaginative and give the reader as well as Mia a look at some of the hidden gems of places to go to in Manchester, as he is a part tour guide, since Mia has only just moved to Manchester from Somerset.

It's just a really enjoyable romance where when we finally get a sex scene, well it was enough to make me hot under the collar, It had me smiling throughout and it was just a pleasure to read.

Thank you to One More Chapter and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

This book was definitely cute and had a cute premise. The characters were likeable bur my main concern with it is some of the dialogue is just a little bit cheesy and also the “im not like other girls” idea. There’s a bit of bashing on girls who like to dress up and do their makeup from Luke and it’s a bit much. But i love the happy ending :)

This book was cute but it dragged a lot. I found myself skipping over pages. I will say I did love the characters, the author gave them a lot of depth and I appreciated that. I just think there are huge chunks that could have been taken out so that the book moved quicker.

Whilst reading this book I got toothache as it’s so sweet!!!! I found the characters too good to be true at times so I didn’t enjoy this story as much as I thought I might. The idea was good it’s just that I found it very sickly. The idea of some guy writing notes and sticking them into a window for a girl across the street too creepy for me. Maybe I’m just a little wary especially these days. If I’d read this in happier times I might have enjoyed it more and appreciated it. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.