Christmas in July! I have been reading a lot of intense books for various book clubs, and decided that I needed something light and fluffy to read as a palate cleanser. This book really fit the bill!

Oliver is the heir apparent to a department store chain and is busy getting a new store ready to open in the Chelsea district of London. Victoria is a clothing designer who also works in a bar next to the department store. They meet cute and Oliver asks her to pose as his fiance during the opening of the store in order to placate his meddling and inquisitive parents. There is quite a bit of chemistry between the two and you can predict what happens next.

It's a quick read and a wonderful story. I think I would have enjoyed it even more if I read it in December. However, it did provide a break from the 95 degree weather we've been having lately!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

Read more of my reviews at https://thegoodreader13.blogspot.com/.

I loved this book! It's well-written, enjoyable, and a great read. Juhea Kim did a great job of writing in a way that captures the readers attention, and makes you not want to put it down until you're finished! I would highly recommend it!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Harlequin for my copy of Meet Me in London by Georgia Toffolo in exchange for an honest review. It published September 28, 2021.
This was such a sweet, endearing, and inspiring Christmas story. I loved the character development, I appreciated the struggles, and I thought the love story was cute. The only thing I didn't love is the sexual tension and sex-scene.

If you love the movie Pretty Woman, (am I aging myself, it is a classic) and Christmas and all things London, then this book is a fun must!! And listen this book can be read in every season! It’s a love story, so whether you are headed for the beach or love to binge watch Hallmark’s Christmas in July, pick up this book!

I wasn't the biggest fan of this book! Romance reads are usually really big for me, but this book just didn't do it for me and I'm unsure if I would recommend it to someone else. I don't like sharing poor reviews, but honesty is key!

This was lighthearted and cute, but I did have a hard time remembering anything after I was finished. I am not sure why since I enjoyed it enough to give it 3 stars. The setting was fun, the whole concept was fun, but it wasn't fantastic. Adequate, though, and worth reading.

This book was perfectly fine. It wasn’t bad but it always wasn’t one that I’ve thought about since putting it down. I’m glad I read it and I would recommend but overall forgettable

Thank you to NetGalley, HQN, & Harlequin for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date! This in no way affected my review, opinions are my own.

I didn't love it, I didn't hate it, and two months on I don't remember a lot about it. If you're looking for a super fun holiday romance, I would recommend Faking It Under The Mistletoe by Ashley Shepherd, which I loved!

Thank you to HarperCollins Canada for an advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Actual rating is 3.5

I really enjoyed this book! It gave me all of the holiday and wintery vibes, and it was fantastic!
It would be a cute read for winter/the holidays because it doesn't entirely focus on Christmas but gives alllll those vibes for that time of year.

I like the characters, the kind of slow-burn romance. It gave me some feels of You've Got Mail which was fun! The two main characters were well-developed and likeable. And there were some great side characters that it would have been fun to get more of! A couple side characters were introduced at the beginning and then kind of dropped off and you didn't really see them again - which was just a little confusing since they were introduced right at the start, a time when you're not sure yet which side characters you need to keep track of.
Anyways, I liked the plot. There were a few really sweet and romantic moments! I like that there were also incredibly real and raw moments of dealing with scary things in life.
I will say the one thing I struggled with was that it was Victoria's idea for them to be honest with each other in their fake relationship - and then she was the one who was withholding details and telling the truth... I kind of hate when that happens. And the way it was all revealed was a tad predictable. But it was still an incredibly cute read! I read it in two days and enjoyed it!

TW: infertility, car accident, death, injury, infidelity, body shaming, medical content, terminal illness, grief.

Wannabe fashion designer Victoria is minding her own business tending bar one evening when the unthinkable happens. A very attractive man sidles up to the bar and proposes. Used to the flirtations of drunken men, Victoria declines and assumes life will go on its merry way. However, after another chance encounter with her potential mysterious fiance and the proposal of a lifetime, to pretend to be his fiance so that he can appease his meddling family, Victoria gives in to handsome Oliver's scheme. But what happens when one, or both, parties in this fake-relationship find that maybe, just maybe, they want a little bit more?

This one was super cute and gave me all the Christmasy/wintry vibes. I really enjoyed Victoria and her relationship with her friends as they reminded me of my close group of gals. Oliver was definitely swoon-worthy. A little mysterious at first, but he could easily become a potential book boyfriend. As for the plot, this was basically 'The Friend Zone' -Holiday Edition, haha! Very similar concept but with its own unique touches. I loved the narration of the audio and was very excited to see there are two more books so far in this standalone-series. Loved it.

Both Oliver and Victoria have their own reasons not to date, but after their meeting at a bar, they can’t get each other out of their minds. With a mutual benefit in mind, they begin fake dating, but slowly the lines begin to blur. Were there even lines to begin with?

This was cute, the writing was good, the plot was good but it just wasn’t for me. I don’t know if it was because I’ve already read too much fake dating but this one definitely needed something more to stand out. I felt like the book was too short and the chemistry built up was just packed up tight.

Nevertheless, it’s definitely a good, quick read, for the holiday season!

Meet Me in London is the first book in Georgia Toffolo's Meet Me in...Series. In this novel, Victoria is a fashion designer who works in a pub in Chelsea and teaches design to under-privledged youth in her free time. Oliver's wealthy family is opening a new department store near the Victoria's pub. After a clever meet-cute where sparks fly, Victoria ends up posing as Oliver's fiancé to satisfy his mother's quest to find happiness for her son. For a simple Hallmark-style Christmas story, there is more going on including infertility, illness, depression. The rapport between Victoria and Oliver is great and watching them fake love, then actually falling for each other was a lot of fun. This is a great read anytime and perfect for when you "need a little Christmas" I look forward to reading the other three books in the series. Many thanks to Net Galley for a chance to read the ARC.

I really enjoyed this one! If you're looking for a heartfelt story that takes place over Christmas time, give this one a try. It was such a perfect read for over my Christmas holiday! Victoria and Oliver are both likable characters. They come for very different backgrounds, but are each facing struggles they need to overcome. When Oliver proposes a fake engagement to Victoria, which would benefit them both, she agrees. What ensues is a touching and engaging story with a great message. As Victoria and Oliver get to know more about each other and those most important to them, their lives take a turn neither was expecting. The story takes place during Christmas time, but that's not the focus of the story. Overall, this is a story about love, family, and choosing the life you want. This is my first book by this author, and I'm now looking forward to reading the next books in this series.

Really enjoyed this book! Such a fun read with great character development! Such a fun one and great to grab!

I loved so many things about this story. I loved the storyline about the young girls getting to design dresses, I loved the strong bond between the four girlfriends, I loved Oliver‘s family, and I loved Oliver and Victoria. This was a really feel-good story, and I needed that - I think we all do these days. Highly recommend for all public library collections.

The atmosphere in Meet Me in London was stunningly festive and exciting but unfortunately the dialogue and characters in general fell flat for me.

I really wasn’t sure what to expect with Meet Me in London, Georgia Toffolo’s first novel. But the description sounded like fun and who doesn’t want to spend some time, albeit through a book, in London, leading up to Christmas?

Here’s the book’s description:
What do you do when your fake engagement starts to feel too real…
Aspiring clothes designer Victoria Scott spends her days working in a bar in Chelsea and her evenings designing vintage clothes, dreaming of one day opening her own boutique. But these aspirations are under threat from the new department store opening at the end of her road. She needs a Christmas miracle, but one is not forthcoming.
Oliver Russell’s Christmas is not looking very festive right now. His family’s new London department store opening is behind schedule, and on top of that his interfering, if well-meaning, mother is pressing him to introduce his girlfriend to her over the holidays—a girlfriend who does not exist. He needs a diversion…something to keep his mother from meddling while he focuses on the business.
When Oliver meets Victoria, he offers a proposition: pretend to be his girlfriend at the opening of his store and he will provide an opportunity for Victoria to showcase her designs. But what starts as a business arrangement soon becomes something more tempting as the fake relationship starts to feel very real. But when secrets in Victoria’s past are exposed, will Oliver walk away, or will they both follow their hearts and find what neither knew they were looking for…?
I liked that this book kind of played on the same storyline as You’ve Got Mail but, dare I say it, better. I adore the movie but I am always so bummed that (spoiler alert) Kathleen’s store has to close down in the end. In Toffolo’s novel, Oliver is doing his best to make sure his family’s department store doesn’t run anyone out of business, especially after Victoria lays out all of the potential harm the store can do in the neighbourhood. Oliver and Victoria seem more like equals and there were no hidden identities in this story.




There were however, some secrets, particularly on Victoria’s part. I wasn’t totally thrilled with how her past was revealed because I hate when there are little hints when there is absolutely no reason for them. Tell me the whole story so I don’t have to wonder (this isn’t true for all genres or storylines, of course). I could understand completely why she kept it from Oliver because he really didn’t need to know. They were strangers who were just pretending to be in love so he didn’t need to hear about her past. But the reader should know and I wish Toffolo had told us up front.

Fake dating is usually always a fun trope and this one delivered. Sure, Oliver and Victoria know absolutely nothing about each other but the reader can tell immediately that they have some chemistry and you can’t help but hope for them to realize they’re so much better off together as a real couple.

Meet Me in London isn’t super Christmassy but the Happily Ever After you expect from such a story does happen on Christmas - which is always lovely! I’m not sure yet if I’ll read the next books in the series but I still found Georgia Toffolo’s debut novel entertaining enough for a pre-holiday read.

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, HarperCollins Canada, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

I started reading the book, but was not drawn in & decided not to continue reading. Thank you for the opportunity to review this book, but it unfortunately just didn't work for me to continue with it.

This really is a very sweet holiday read for those who like to indulge in that kind of book. This book had a surprising amount of depth to it. It has the sweet side that you would expect with a holiday romance but addresses some tough topics and handles them with grace. I loved the use of the fake dating trope, because, c'mon- who doesn't love a fake dating trope??

I thought the characters were well developed and I loved the touch of whimsy that the writing gave.

If you are looking to hold onto a little bit of holiday magic. check this book out!

Thank you to Harper Collins Canada for the ARC!

This was a perfect holiday read that centered around two characters who had complex pasts that affected their love lives. The secondary characters and plotlines brought a lot of out the story and I'm glad to hear that it is part of a series!

I love that romance books are able to tackle real life issues and I thought this author did it wonderfully.