Disillusioned after being passed over for a well-earned promotion and a broken engagement, Andie has a meltdown that leads her to reevaluate her life choices. She decides to take time off and travels to Hawaii, at her best friend’s request, to help save a failing family business. On Christmas Eve she meets Warren, who is also exploring his career options. After several chance meetings, they decide to spend time together with the agreement that their past and present circumstance are off the table. Warren, born and raised on the island, decides to provide Andie with some much needed relaxation by taking her on “Friday Moments” to experience the beauty and the spirit of the islands.

I enjoyed the storyline and particularly found the coffee plantation a refreshing change from the usual settings for a romance novel. The characters were well-developed and relatable although the “secret” of their respective identities and the resultant fallout was much too predictable and seemingly naïve given the availability of information on the internet. The descriptions of Hawaii and their Friday adventures were most satisfying and kept me engaged throughout the book, even when the pace slowed down.

The book is divided into three parts. The first reflects Andie’s perspective and represents about 2/3 of the book. The second is told from Warren’s viewpoint of the same events and the third again picks up Andie’s narrative. If this seems a bit imbalanced, I agree. This is another book that devotes a great portion of the book describing the emotional nuances of the protagonists and then resolves the inherent conflict by fast-forwarding to the future in the remaining few pages. Personally, I am beginning to find this writing style a bit annoying, but it didn’t detract from the overall read.

My thanks to the author, Rosewind Books, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing a digital ARC in exchange for an independent, honest review.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

What is the proper balance between work and personal life? I'd say most middle-income Americans have it about right--we work to live, hopefully enjoy our jobs at least to some degree and generally take about two days off per week. We take vacations that do not include regular contact with the office. If they can arrange it, I'd say most families have at least one parent whose job permits a certain amount of flexibility to deal with child rearing. However, people on the higher end of the income scale often pay for those higher incomes by dedicating their life to their job. If the surgeon's kid throws up at school he or she is not going to leave in the middle of an operation to get the child from school. The international deal maker isn't going to be able to fly home from Paris tonight for a band concert and tomorrow for a football game.

Andie has a high-powered career, along with the perks and pitfalls. She loves her job which affords her a luxury apartment and designer clothes. It is also the most important thing in her life, and when she has to choose between it and marriage, she chooses it. Unfortunately, the company did not show her the same loyalty and when she finds out that a co-worker got the promotion she wanted, Andie has a nervous breakdown.

Thereafter, a college friend who has remained one of the only real friends in her life asks her to take over running the coffee shop she recently inherited while the friend goes on a long-term honeymoon. The coffee shop is in Hawaii so Andie heads over there for some R&R and low-key work, and given who she is, she turns that sleepy coffee shop around quickly. She also gets to know her friend's employees and a very special man. Warren won't tell her much about who he is, but I enjoyed traveling with them to various spots in Hawaii.

Of course the book ends with Andi realizing that she doesn't want to go back to living the way she did before, but what changes will she make?

In a lot of ways it was a pretty basic romance novel, but I loved the setting, and enjoyed seeing Andi and Warren both figure out what they wanted in life, not just in love.

I'd like to thank the publisher for providing a review copy via NetGalley Grade: B.

Moments like this is such an enjoyable and relatable read. I have read books by Anna Gomez, written under a pen name. As in her other books, I continue to find her writing style to flow with ease.

In a wonderful added bonus, the embraceable collaboration of Anna Gomez and Kristoffer Polaha in Moments Like This provides the warm and fuzzy feeling of family, friends, and a budding relationship that seems destined to grow with every passing day.

Much of the story takes place in Hawaii. Although, I have never been to Hawaii, I very much enjoyed the rich narrative, flowing with a natural and authentic feel. And, as a certified scuba diver, I loved how the realistic depictions of sea-life rang true and called forth wonderful underwater memories for me.

If there will be sequels to Moments Like This, I can’t wait to read them!

Full book review coming soon on my book blog site.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of Moments Like This by Anna Gomez and Kristoffer Polaha. I loved this book! It was a feel good story with main characters you fall in love with. It was set in Hawaii which only enhanced the story. I loved reading about the topography of Hawaii and the way of life there. I would, and have already, recommended this book!

In a beautifully written book that is part travel log and romance, we meet Andie and Warren. Andie, who has had a terrible year, is now questioning the choices she made. In a quick decision, she escapes it all for a change of pace in Hawaii. What she finds is more than a coffee hut and run down plantation; she finds a purpose.

Warren has a routine on Christmas Eve; this year, he deviates and meets Andie. While both agree to keep histories and details to themselves, we see the chemistry develop. I looked forward to the Friday “moments” Warren created for Andie, as the descriptions took me there.

Will she go back to Chicago and her previous life? Does she complete the job in Hawaii? Can Warren break down his walls and accept love? Although the book has co-writers, the flow is seamless. I highly recommend it and can not wait for the next book.

This review will go to Amazon on release day.

I enjoyed reading this book, and it was enjoyable from start to finish. I thought the characters were well developed, realistic, and at turns both fun and poignant. I also loved the setting for the story. The pacing was nice as well for the overall story, but I felt like some interactions between the characters were rushed and unrealistic. Some of the interactions definitely came off as “written” more than “happening” in real life. Overall, though, the story was engaging and interesting, and I felt like I gained something from reading the story.

I requested this one on NetGalley because the blurb seemed nice and I
liked the cover. I started reading last night, the first chapter immediately got my attention and the writing was active and descriptive. So I thought this would be a nice read. But sadly it wasn’t. Why? I don’t know yet and maybe I’ll never know. Somehow I didn’t connect to Andie and after a few chapters I found myself skimming through the pages. I only kept reading because I wanted to know more about Warren and I waited for his part to come because part 1 was called Andie. And that part only came after 2/3 of the story and didn’t last long. So maybe it wasn’t the nice read I expected because of the illustration at the start of every chapter, I thought it was a little cheesy. Maybe it wasn’t because I just read a wonderful story that still haunts my mind. But in the end I think I found Moments like this too boring and too predictable and just not the right fit for me.