I am utterly enchanted. I fell head over heels in love with this book, much like Lanie does with her first book by Noa Callaway.

The only thing I didn't love was how irrationally upset (at least, that's how it seemed to me) Lanie was when she discovered [shocking plot twist that you sort of saw coming from at least a mile away]. And okay, yes, a lot of this book is super predictable. It was just so well written and such a fun and charming ride that I didn't care. The pacing is perfect, I was sucked in from page one and I blinked and suddenly the book was over and it was past my kids' bedtimes (oops).

Also, you know I love a good mistaken identities/online romance. The chemistry was really cute, and I was rooting for the characters both as a couple and as individuals.

Lanie loves romance. As a heartbroken young woman she found the words of author Noa Calloway and adopted her theories on love. So when Lanie met her fiancée, Ryan, she knew she'd found "the one" when he checked off all the boxes on her ninety-nine point list. Finally landing her dream role of editor for her favorite author Lanie's life couldn't be better except Noa is now months late on her deadline and in order to keep her dream promotion Lanie must get Noa to deliver her next great novel. Though Noa and Lanie have corresponded digitally for years she has never been allowed to meet Noa and when Lanie finds out why she stands to lose everything she has worked for and forces her to question everything she thought she knew about love. Now Lanie must pull Noa out of a writer's block all while pulling her life together. Romance fans - don't miss this book. I loved Lanie and all that went into her story. I read "By Any Other Name" so quickly and turned the last page wanting more. If you are looking for a new rom-com read be sure to add this one to your TBR list. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Putnam for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this contemporary romance, and would definitely recommend it!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

I really enjoyed this book but when I finished I was left wanting more. [Not sure if the following counts as spoilers, but heads up.] Too much of the book was spent with Lanie still with her now ex-fiance and there wasn't enough build up between Lanie and Noah. I wanted to read more about their emails getting to know each other and their adventures around New York. Instead it was brief mentions which quickly moved to the next scene. The ending felt a bit to abrupt to me as well. If we got to see more details of Lanie and Noah getting to really know each other I think this would have been a 5 star read.

Lanie is obsessed with Noa Callaway the author whom she has the pleasure of working with. She has just been promoted to editor to help with writers block to realize Noa is a man. Lanie is now stuck between the fictional world and the real world and does not know how to take this news. Lanie’s official job is to get a manuscript from Noa in just a couple of weeks which she was able to inspire while slowly falling for the famous Noa Callaway.
Thank you NetGalley and Lauren Kate for the opportunity to read this lovely gem!

[Thank you to Penguin Publishing Group and NetGalley for my gifted e-ARC copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions reflected are my own]

Synopsis:
Lanie has always loved romance books, but not just ANY romance books, romance books written by Noa Calloway. They are the reason she has high standards for what she wants in a partner, and why she currently works in publishing. Her superior Alix steps down when she has a baby, leaving the editor position wide open for Lanie - with a catch. This position is the only editor for the mysterious Noa Calloway, and Lanie will FINALLY get to meet her hero in real life. What's the catch you say? Noa is behind on her manuscript, and Lanie's job is on the line. If she doesn't get the draft for Noa's novel in the next few weeks, she can say goodbye to all of her dreams. However, there's a reason Noa Calloway doesn't attend her book signings, and no one knows who she is, and it disrupts their entire relationship. Will Lanie be able to get this book, and her life, back on track?

Review:
If you're intrigued by books about books, a heavy dose of wanderlust, and the most "written by woman" man EVER - you're going to LOVE "By Any Other Name". It's full of so much sweet romance, I found myself tearing up over the relationships in the story, and itching to book a trip to the Almafi coast (with a picnic pitstop in Central Park NYC, of course). I read the book in one evening, and find myself revisiting elements in daydreams ever since! The characters have depth, complicated lives, and ambition - which realistically gets in the way of romance. Lanie's character was a bit harsh and overreacting most of the book, which put a damper on the story for me a bit. It took me out of the story and felt like conflict just for the sake of conflict.
If you like your romance will all heart, and zero steam, this is the perfect read for you!

Tropes:
- Enemies to Lovers

Adorable, cute, heartfelt... just an amazing book. I was not expecting to like it that much, since I love the author, but I'm used to her other books, completely different genre. So glad I gave it a try.

By Any Other Name is a fun romcom that follows main character, Lanie, in her job as a publisher for Peony Press. When her boss unexpectedly quits, Lanie finds herself in charge of Noa Calloway, Peonys largest moneymaker. Noa is 4 months late delivering a manuscript and Lanie gets to keep her new job as long as she can get Noa to deliver. While they have never met, Noa and Lanie have had an email relationship for several years. But when she finally meets the famous Noa Calloway, Lanie is in for the surprise of her life! This is a fun book with great characters, good friends, and a story that kept me turning the pages.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

It seems like romance novels set in the literary world are quite popular at the moment. I’ve read quite a few in the last couple of months — some I thoroughly enjoyed… others I did not. I just wasn’t sure if I wanted to read another book like this any time soon though. I decided to go ahead and take the plunge because truthfully, the blurb did catch my interest. I’m so glad I did.

PLOT: The book is categorized as “enemies-to-lovers” but to be honest, the enemies portion of it felt one-sided. The only one who felt this way was Lanie. That part of the plot came across as convoluted because I didn’t really see Noah being antagonistic towards her at all. I think her idea of Noa Callaway being wrong and the fact that she had to keep this secret warped her perception of Noah. That secret and the ramifications of it getting out also seemed a bit overblown. This could be because I didn’t see the problem with it. I tend to be relatively easygoing so that could be why I rolled my eyes every time it was brought up as though it was a betrayal to Noa Callaway’s readers. Outside of that though the plot progressed naturally and kept me engaged throughout.

MAIN CHARACTERS: Can’t lie, Lanie was not very enjoyable for the first third of the book for the reasons mentioned above. She came across as judgmental and preachy at times and I was praying she would not stay that way for the entire book. Once the situation with the fiancé was resolved, however, she became much more enjoyable, particularly when her scenes involved Noah. Noah on the other hand… loved him. LOVED. I say time and time again, I can handle a bland main character — not that Lanie was — as long as the love interest is excellent, and boy, was he. I wish we’d gotten more of him.

ROMANCE: Their meeting (both times) was peak romance for me. I was grinning like an idiot and had to go back and read the scenes a couple of times. I enjoyed them that much. I did hate that after their first meeting the author decided to make us sit through an entire chapter about Lanie’s three-year-long relationship and how perfect her fiancé was. I get why he was needed but honestly, it’s a peeve of mine when the MC is already in a relationship, especially a long-term one. Luckily that was dealt with early on and we heard nothing about it after.

The romance in the book was so just well done. Every interaction between Lanie and Noah served a purpose and it kept me hooked from the moment of their first meeting until the end of the book. There was no sex scene and we only got one kiss. There wasn’t even a half chapter of Lanie talking about how attracted she was to him like we usually get in romance novels. It was shown to us rather than told to us and it worked so well.

FINAL THOUGHTS: I loved this book. There really wasn’t much I disliked other than the nitpicks mentioned. My main gripe is that it ended too soon. I got to the end and was distraught that’s where the author ended it. I would have loved a few more chapters but I’m also content with where it stopped. Great book and I absolutely would recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the ARC.

What an adorable story! I LOVED this book!!!! It cracked me up at times, tugged on my heartstrings, and left me with a smile.

Romance editor Lanie is up for a huge promotion, there is only one catch. She’ll get the promotion if she can cure the mysterious writer, Noa Calloway’s, writer’s block. She finally gets an invitation to meet Noa, and as it turns out, Noa is not at all what she has expected up after seven years of e-mail friendship.

The relationships in this book were so fun. From Lanie’s grandmother, to her friends Rufus and Meg, and her laugh-out-loud first encounter with Noa Calloway. The relationships and dynamic were perfect and well thought out, and had me craving more and more. I would love to spend my days with these characters galavanting around NYC.

This book was a fun, light read, and I highly recommend it for rom-com fans!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you PENGUIN GROUP, G.P. Putnam's Sons, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

This was such a sweet book, and so well written. I loved the slow burn, the writing style, the idea behind the story, and the characters. It was very realistic, and I read through the whole thing in one go because I wanted to find out what happened. The added Italian scenery was a lovely plus.
If you've been looking for a book that's better than most of the other chick-lit, fade to black books you've read lately, this is the one to pick.

This book had the potential but it did not worked for me. I have to say that I am not loving books about editors and publishing. I think it is a me problem,

By Any Other Name is a fun and entertaining romcom that can be read in one or two sittings. It's short and sweet, but still really good.

This one is definitely a slow burn. There's pretty much no steam, and the characters don't get together until near the end of the book. I've seen some other reviews saying they didn't like that aspect, but I personally didn't mind it. For these two characters, I feel it made sense. What started out as a friendship over email between the two for several years, turned into betrayal because of a lie, then turned into a rebuilding of trust and getting to know the other. This took the entire book, but as I said, it made sense for them. Lanie was in a tough situation, because Noah was still the person she'd always known, but there was a big part of him he kept from her. And while I do think her reaction was a little exaggerated and unnecessary, it felt natural that she would take a while to see him as anything more than a friend, especially because she was previously engaged before breaking that off.

Additionally, I loved the friendships in this book. Lanie's friends were always there to support her and encourage her, and you could tell they all really cared about each other. The fact that Lanie and Noah were also previously friends was something I would've liked developed a little more. I believe it was for six or seven years that they were exchanging emails, so clearly they had a history, but a lot of that was never fully discussed, and I think it could've added an extra layer to the story.

The building relationship between the two MCs was very sweet. We got to see them explore NYC together, which helped to spark Noah's inspiration for his newest book, we got a touching scene between Lanie, Noah, and Noah's mother, and we learned about the endearing old couple who had been picnicking every weekend for as long as anyone could remember. It was all so delightful and really made By Any Other Name as strong as it was. By the end I was wishing for an actual novel depicting Edward and Elizabeth's romance, and I wouldn't be opposed to seeing another book in this series about that. It was intriguing to me the way Noah wrote the story backwards, and I feel like I'd either love a book like that or hate it, so I'd be interested to see which it is.

My biggest issue with the story was the fact that it was marketed as enemies to lovers. The "enemies" part of the book is fleeting and only lasts a chapter. Maybe two. After that their relationship is still rocky and uncertain, but I definitely would not call them enemies. I feel like a friends to lovers trope could have been better here. Had the enemies part been taken out or toned down as a momentary feeling of betrayal, then we could've focused on the years of history the two had and how that played a part in their growing relationship. Even so, this didn't diminish my enjoyment of the book, it was just something that bothered me a little.

Overall though, By Any Other Name was such a cute and fun romcom, and I definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys these types of stories!

This had potential, but it didn't quite check all the boxes. The MC, was very unrealistic in her reactions and expectations of those around her. The way she treats Noa is very biased once she finds out their secret, and then seems to flip too quickly. The love story is too rush to be enjoyed and was very predictable unfortunately.

i wanted to absolutely love this book so much but it kind of fell just a little flat and rushed for me.

going to TRY not to put any spoilers, so read at your own risk!

i feel like the news of finding out who were favorite author was *actually* was a little underwhelming, especially since the mc made such a big deal of the betrayal. it felt like it was breezed by and then they were forced together and the author was just suddenly around her / in her space.

i also thought the break-up between mc and her boyfriend at the beginning of the book was rushed and while we expected them to break-up since the HEA is with the second person introduced, i didn't expect it to be so anti-climatic. at that point, it just sort of felt like the first relationship was only written just to be written / fill in space. all in all, it all felt a little empty in most parts.

i have to say: LOVE the mc's grandma so, so much.

with that said, it was a pretty quick and easy read, if that's what you're looking for!

📚💻

This was such an easy, predictable, romcom read and I was 100% there for it! Something about a book about someone writing a book always appeals to me, I can’t explain it. I read this ebook in one sitting and enjoyed it from beginning to end.

✍🏻📖

Don’t go into this one expecting swoon-worthy romance or even a dash of spice - you’ll find none of it here. This is more a story about one’s idea of romance and falling in love should feel like. All the while, totally falling for someone you don’t particularly like half the time. Go figure.

🤷🏻‍♀️

I found both main characters likable as individuals and I was totally rooting for them as a couple. I recommend this one to anyone looking for a cute and entertaining weekend read.

Thank you to the author along with NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I consumed this book so quickly (within 24 hours), you'd think I neglected basic human needs like eating and sleeping. This was delightful.

The heroine, Lanie, works as an editor of a publishing company that is known for partnering with a famous romance novelist who publishes under the pseudonym. When Lanie is promoted to chief editor, she earns the privelege of discovering this author's identity, the one who inspired her to enter the publishing industry to begin with. The book Noa and Lanie create together is almost better than the actual book I was reading. I feel like that constantly happens with this trope! I always desperately want to read the book written by the characters within the book. Anyways, this was Colleen Hoover-level beautiful. Highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4⭐
✅ Female main character is BOOK EDITOR
✅ Swoony male main character
✅ Set in New York City
I mean, it doesn’t get any more perfect and perfectly romantic than this list, does it?!?
Speaking of lists, our main character, Lanie, is engaged to a man that checks all 99 boxes on her list of qualities needed in the perfect-for-her guy. This is important for two reasons: 1) Lanie gets the 99 boxes idea from a romance novel by author Noa Calloway, who is not only her favorite, but is also the author whom she will need to pull out of writer’s block to save her job, and 2) because on her mother’s death bed, her hope for Lanie was that she find love. But we all know what happens to the best laid plans…

There is some drama surrounding Lanie’s first time meeting the male main character in person (I don’t want to spoil the plot here!), and things are tense between them for a while. Through excursions to some of NYC’s hidden/romantic gems, Lanie comes to realize that love isn’t found in list form; her thoughts on love, and her life in general, are turned upside down.

I adored this story and these characters. Two things I really wish were included: 1) more details from the 7-year back-and-forth email relationship between Lanie and male main character (because, I mean, it’s like they’ve known each other forever!), and 2) some steaminess (which isn’t for everyone!).

Thank you @Netgalley and @PutnamBooks for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review which has not altered my opinion of this book.

I always appreciate a story about a woman who knows what she wants in life, and Lanie is just one of those types of women, down to the list she has made that includes every single trait she requires of a man in order to date him. This traits being based off of one of her favorite romance novels, which is another thing that I’m sure many of us can identify with. While Lanie was a super fun character to follow, I found her very quick to judge and liable to hold a grudge with the best of them. This being said, that’s the only thing that I found difficult to identify with.

WITHOUT SPOILERS, the twist that came about didn’t really surprise me and I anticipated the results. However, the way that it all came about was something that, as an aspiring writer, I would love to have happen to me. To visit all these interesting places in order to attempt and garner some inspiration sounds like such a wonderful way to spend free time.

Be prepared for some laughs, some eye-rolls, and a certain appreciation for writing and books that any book lover will see and enjoy. Overall, this book was really well done and felt quite realistic, a little fast paced but realistic in general. I would highly recommend for enemies to lovers fans and has reminded me, at least, that inspiration for a story can come from literally anywhere. 4 out of 5 from me.

A romance editor gets more than she bargained for when she meets an elusive romance novelist who isn't at all what (or who) she expects. A fun rom-com that leave you with a smile long after you're finished reading.