A quick, sweet read with a slow-burn feel. This is a romance novel, but is PG. It features foes-to-lovers and is told from Lanie’s point of view. It had many laugh-out-loud moments and I loved the side characters, especially BD. I thought Ross and Lanie were so cute together and I loved their banter!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

After a bit of a slow beginning (for this reader) I was drawn in and rooting for Lanie and her author. The loss of her mother when Lanie was ten had a profound effect on where life has taken her. As a college student she was introduced to the books of Noa Calloway which formed an ideal for finding her true love. Fast forward several years and Lanie is in her dream job as book editor for a publisher of romance novels when fate presents her with the opportunity to edit her favorite author! No more details from me.
I enjoyed this story of discovering what you want in life differs from what you'd thought you wanted. It's about taking chances and trusting yourself. An enjoyable read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Publishing Group for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was more like a 4.5 for me.

I absolutely loved this book. It was so adorable! Such a cute romance. I think it's supposed to be an enemies to lovers but it really doesn't feel like that. More of a friends to lovers.

I really enjoyed watching Lanie and Noah fall for each other. They are so cute that I couldn't put this book down. Lanie is thrown into a book editor position and is now able to meet Noa Callaway, a romance writer who she has corresponded with for the past 7 years as an assistant. Thinking this author she considered an online/email friend she is surprised to find out that Noa is actually Noah. She feels betrayed at first but through trying to get Noah through his writing block ends up falling for him.

This is such a great romance. The writing is good with a fast pace. Before I knew it I was finished with the book. There are some LOL moments and the side characters are the best. Recommended to any one who likes contemporary romance.

I loved this book! A love story for romance readers.

Lanie got into publishing because she fell in love with Noa Calloway’s romance novels. When she is promoted to be the elusive author’s editor, provided she can coax a best-seller from Noa amidst a bout of writer’s block, Lanie’s life gets turned upside down once she finally meets her idol.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the advanced copy. This book released March 1, 2022.

When the book promises you steam and then closes the door in your face. GAH!

Listen, I loved 𝗕𝗬 𝗔𝗡𝗬 𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗡𝗔𝗠𝗘! Loved. It. HOWEVER...There is a lot of sexual dialog in this book from the lead female, her friends, and her family. It got me all revved up for some steamy scenes. Then I got....a single kiss. What the WHA???! Don't tease me like this!

Lanie is such a sweet character. She is a bit starry-eyed about love and I loved going on the journey with her as she realized that real love was a bit different than she first thought it was. She is gutsy and smart and a nerdy bibliophile. So much to love about this character!

Noah is just perfectly swoony. I loved the pull between his more serious side and the light-hearted banter between him and Lanie. He has a wonderful backstory and it adds so much to this book!

The foundation of this relationship was emails exchanged between Lanie and Noah over the course of seven years. And, sadly, the author spends almost no time exploring that really pivotal foundation. I really wished this book had fewer pages dedicated to Lanie's life and relationship pre-Meet-Cute and more background on these wonderful email exchanges. It was the swooniest part of this love story and the reader gets short-changed.

Even with those minor issues I really liked this book. The glimpses into the world of a romance editor and the publicity that goes along with modern publishing was really fun to read! 𝗕𝗬 𝗔𝗡𝗬 𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗡𝗔𝗠𝗘 will make you laugh and maybe tear up a bit. It will make you consider taking chances and redefining what true love is.

If you are looking for a low-steam read that will make you believe in love then you'll want to add 𝗕𝗬 𝗔𝗡𝗬 𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗡𝗔𝗠𝗘 to your

typically i am not a fan of books where one character starts in a relationship with another person, but this book was an outlier. i really enjoyed reading lanie and noa's story.

Most readers can empathize with finding out something surprising about a favorite author. Unfortunately for Lanie Bloom, this happens when she is the new editorial director for said favorite author and she must now help them crack an intense writer's block. What follows is an unexpected love story where both individuals reckon with their pasts while trying to build a future they've always hoped for. Highly recommend this book.

The main characters and all their interactions are charming. The side characters of Meg, Rufus and BD will make you laugh out loud. Alice and Javier Bardem are also the best pet characters I've come across in a book.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book would appeal to those who like a love story along with a journey of self discovery. The book also offers the component of glimpses into the editorial world. With a nice plot and character development, Lauren Kate has a winner.
Thank you to Net Galley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons for the advance readers copy and opportunity to provide my review.

What would you do if Nora Roberts turned out to be a man? This is what I thought when I realized Noa Calloway wasn’t who Lanie thought she was, and in fact, was a he. If I were a romantic like Lanie I would probably be upset, shocked, angry, etc. and eventually also realize that I love my job regardless and needed to focus on helping Noah get over his writer’s block. Lanie goes all in, showing Noah her favorite places in New York and helping inspire him on his next story. What she doesn’t realize that this real life plot shift also brings to life some imperfections in her own relationship. In this way, she grows from her youthful expectations of love to realize a more adult outlook on both love and life.

This friends to lovers romance was sweet and very satisfying! Despite the bad feelings, these two cared too much about their friendship to let that one thing stand in the way of their relationship. There was a LOT of initial tension but there’s nothing I like better than when that tone shifts from anger to begrudging respect, adoration, and even love. These two had such great chemistry it would’ve been a crime if they hadn’t found a way to be together.

If you love friends to lovers slow burn romances, this is the perfect book for you. Set in New York, this story felt like a fairytale, and their slow growing romance was fun, sweet, and led up to a fabulous conclusion. What more could a romance reader want? ❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for my honest review and it was honest.

By Any Other Name by Lauren Kate is a contemporary romance that is sure to sweep you off your feet. The storyline was fresh and entertaining. Once I started reading it, I couldn’t put it down. This book left me with happy, feel-good vibes.

If you love a NYC work-centered romance that's sassy and real, then By Any Other Name by Lauren Kate should definitely be your next read.

I've read a lot of work-related romances filled with New York City landmarks and a whole bunch of enemies-t0-lovers dialogue. However, Lauren Kate manages to pull off something different with this installment. Every bit of the book was surprisingly refreshing!

Lanie is ridiculously happy in her career as a romance editor - she even gets to work with her favorite author of all-time, Noa Callaway. She gets the promotion that she's been working for, but it's only a three-month trial. But Noa, the mysterious author who Lanie only communicates with online (though she's based her on romance expectations off this author's work), is, unfortunately, experiencing writer's block. The pressure is on!

One plot twist: Lanie is engaged for about 45% of the book.  For me, this engagement dragged on a bit too long. I really wanted more interaction between the two leads and less of Lanie figuring out that her engagement wasn't working. I'd prefer her to get that in the first 25% so that we can spend more time building the tension (and seeing real, in-person conversations) between the main characters.

However, the interactions that we DO get between the leads are just wonderfully charged. What's more, Lanie's personal journey to find love really touched me. We get to watch her refine what she sees as a "good" relationship as she struggles to follow her heart and follow the advice/wishes of her deceased mother. Lauren Kate did such a good job of portraying the lingering grief that a girl may feel when her mother isn't there to guide her through romantic pitfalls. I found myself rooting for Lanie more than anyone else. In many ways, I would almost categorize this book as Women's Lit because that part of the story just feels much more poignant.

The ending between the main characters is darling and feels well-deserved. Overall, we get to see a woman grow into her truest potential and decide what she wants instead of following the arbitrary rules that she feels are correct. It's a really empowering, sweet, and sassy read!

*I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Noa Callaway was the reason Lanie became a romance editor. Noa's first book inspired Lanie to write her 99 things she wants in a romantic partner and Lanie stuck to that list to find the most perfect fiancée. It doesn't matter that no one has seen Noa Callaway in the flesh before. Her stories impact millions.

When Lanie receives a promotion and gets the opportunity to work with Noa Callaway herself it's a dream come true. However, Lanie's promotion hinges upon getting Noa to turn in her latest manuscript which is uncharacteristically late. But nothing can prepare Lanie for actually meeting her literary idol. Expectations are shattered and Lanie's own belief in love and romance are called into question.

It's been awhile since I've read anything by Lauren Kate as I'm mainly familiar with her YA Fallen series. When I saw this adult rom-com novel written by her, I was immediately interested.

Without giving too much of the "twist" away - although reading other reviews I think the cat's out of the bag - I felt like the story was somewhat predictable. I had this thought a little over halfway through the book.

That doesn't mean the book wasn't enjoyable, it really is and it was really easy to fall into the story and connect with the characters. But I also guessed a lot of what was coming pretty early on.

What really raised the stakes for me on this one was actually the ending. I loved it, I loved the ambiguity and where Lauren Kate decided to take the characters, namely Lanie.

It's all about reconciling our expectations and kind of figuring out that shared experiences, such as love, can cross boundaries and don't particularly have to be relegated to one group or another. I loved seeing Lanie discover who she is one her own without having to rely on a list to tell her. How your wants and needs can evolve and how that is ok.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book and I like the what ifs and the questions it left me thinking about. About who gets to tell stories and if we have to leave off our expectations in order to open ourselves up to bigger and better experiences.

Thanks to NetGalley and Putnam Books for an early copy of By Any Other Name by Lauren Kate.

Lanie comes from a line of doctors, so it was obvious it was her path. The first day she meets her college roommate, she and her roommate's friends are reading the new book by Noa Calloway, a romance best-selling author. Lanie decides to read it when they leave and devours it. At the end of the book, she writes 99 things she's looking for in love. Her mother passed when she was young and Noa becomes her mentor in love. She doesn't pursue med school, and goes into editing instead. As an assistant editor, we can see her passion for her dream job-- she gets to be *the* Noa Calloway's muse! She has been able to have a rewarding relationship with her by helping her cut out extraneous writing by doing stunts to ease the pain of deleting them.

During an extravagant party for Noa's newest book, she locks eyes with "The Man of the Year" as she calls him during a speech. There's just something about him that she can't put her finger on...

Her life is picture perfect, even has a boyfriend that ticks off all her 99 things (except one), with the perfect meet cute and everything. She has a block though and can't seem to plan their wedding. In her career, she has a provisional promotion to be *the* editor of Noa Calloway, dependant of unblocking Noa's writer's block!

This book is very enjoyable. The writing is fun and engaging. Lanie learns what she really wants in life and Noa Calloway learns the gift of authenticity. Would a rose be as sweet by any other name? 🌹

Three stars. Quick, easy read. Good for if you're in between reads. Lanie finally gets two big chances to both meet her all favorite author and a promotion to edit the latest book of said all time favorite author. Only problem is author Nao Callaway has writer's block and currently has no book to speak of. When Lanie has a chance to meet the elusive author, her world is flipped upside down.

Ultimately, this book, while predictable, was fun and light. The love story progresses at a fairly quick rate, especially given her break up timing. I feel like the story would have been better served by more flashbacks of their previous communication and more scenes of them falling in love.

"While Ryan is still all of the ninety-nine things I thought I wanted, it turns out that isn’t enough.”

A short but super sweet story on the true meaning of love. I really enjoyed this. Lanie, a book editor with a seemingly perfect fiance who checks all her boxes, discovers that her favorite and bestselling romance author is not who she thought. This turns her world upside down and she has to reassess everything she thought she knew about love.

The romance in this was super cute, and I also appreciated how much of a love story this was to New York City. I’ve been to most of the “off-the-beaten-path” places here and can attest to the sense of magic they have. Now I just need my own Edward-and-Elizabeth Central Park romance!! (Or Brooklyn Bridge Park will do, since that’s what I’m close to lol)

I’m rarely one to wish a book was longer, but here I do wish we had gotten a few more scenes between the two leads, and maybe an epilogue. But that’s a minor gripe. I read this in a day and heartily recommend it.

(I also want to read all of Noa Calloway’s books - all those premises sounded so fun.)

Actual Rating: 3.5/5

I thought this book was a cute, fun read. I will say that the twist of her favorite author being a man was a bit predictable, but I doubt that it's supposed to be this big reveal. At first, it's supposed to be giving enemies-to-lovers, but I say it's more like friends-to-enemies-to-friends-to-lovers. Lanie and Noah have been friends for years, even though Lanie doesn't know it. I liked the dynamics between Lanie and Noah and the eventual build to their relationship. I don't know if I'd say this plot is super original or one of the best romance books I've read recently, but it was a good, quick paced read to get me out of a reading slump.

By Any Other Name is my first book by this author, so I really had no idea what to expect when it popped in the romance section of NG. Both the cover & synopsis caught my attention. While overall I do consider By Any Other Name a pleasant enough read for those readers who enjoy a laidback pace & not too concerned with the nitty-gritty.

…But then there’s me.

& now if you’re still reading…

Once more, there’s nothing so seriously wrong that I’m sitting here fired up about. The simple thing is — & it’s no secret —, I can be picky. I can, I totally can. Or as I liked to call it selective 😉 . It’s such a minor thing to note, nonetheless, I did enjoy her somewhat unusual pet. I kinda wish there was a little more of her.

Anyhoo, so if you still care as to what held By Any Other Name back, here’s what didn’t tick the boxes for me & kept my thoughts about it at lukewarm at best.
📌 As it turned out BAON’s vibe was a bit more akin to chick-lit(women’s fiction as to NG would categorize)than it was contemporary romance. It wasn’t dually categorized as both over there, however, so I didn’t know ahead of time. Generally, I’m just not as into CL that lean more in that direction as I am into CR. While I’m hardly opposed to sweet romances or cinnamon roll heroes, BAON veered towards a bit too schmaltzy however for my preference.
📌 The basic concepts were solid & hooked me in enough to give this a try, but when all was said & done, several aspects felt too consistently undeveloped — the plot, characterizations, chemistry(when Lanie began going on about falling for him, with what I read to this point my reaction was more along the lines of “what? how? um, really? hmm.”), tropes(i.e. labeling of this as ETL is a bit of a stretch imho.) —. Those things just never felt like they moved past being on the cusp(& that was at best).
📌 Noah(H) - BAON is Lanie’s single POV. With the lack of overall development, I think in this case it suffers even more by not having his POV. He was far too enigmatic for the hero. To the end, I still don’t feel like I had the full picture. Just a fuzzy, hazy one.
📌 Lanie(h) - I don’t love that Lanie has a fiancé at the start (there was no cheating btw, I just mean even in the general sense it’s not a favorite), but I knew about at least going in. As an added little complication he just felt too conveniently disposable. It’s like why bother 🤷🏻‍♀️. Lanie is a little too much of a cross between high-horsed Dudley Do-Right for me. Her reaction to Noah’s true identity being revealed won’t be mistaken for a good one that’s for sure. To a degree, I understand why on a personal level it was upsetting. (Because Noah’s identity was privileged information at Lanie’s job & she wasn’t on that short list. Nonetheless because of his editor being her boss, thru work they began communicating & over the last 7 years they became email buddies.) Even so, I think she quickly crossed to overdramatic, particularly with him & the publisher never publicly revealing his identity. I still don’t understand her dilemma with it or why she acted like it tarnished his books & his credibility “lying” to his fans. I imagine many authors use pseudonyms & in the romance genre, I also imagine there probably is more difficulty for a man to get their career in this genre, so I don’t think it’s far fetch or so morally questionable. If authors want to share their personal lives, that’s their business. If authors hold extra value in keeping their anonymity/privacy, that’s their business. Either way, they don’t owe the reader that part of themselves. I’m just grateful they share their creativity 🤷🏻‍♀️.


**This arc was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

& that’s that

By Any Other Name is the light and funny enemies-to-lovers story I absolutely needed. I’d gone on a bit of a bender at the end of last year and into the beginning of this one reading some intense adult romances and was in need of something fluffy and sweet. This book absolutely fit the bill and I knew it would by the cover alone. In my opinion, it deserved each of the 4 stars I gave it!

It’s the story of romance editor Lanie, a perfectionist who lives her love life dictated by a strict checklist inspired by her favorite romance author, Noa Calloway. But when Lanie and the mysterious Noa finally meet, things take a turn in a direction she never could’ve expected.

This book was so good. So cute. So sweet. So funny. Surprisingly so, for that last part. There were several instances where I was literally laughing out loud. It was heartwarming and sweet and for me, a perfect rom-com. It had moments that were so gushy and lovey that I could barely keep my feet from swinging in the air in excitement.

It was a quick read that I couldn’t put down. And trust me, I tried! I wanted to make it last and read it over the course of a few days, but every time I did, I couldn’t stop thinking about it so I ended up picking it up again. Before I knew it, it was after midnight and I’d (unfortunately) reached the end.

Besides the plot and pacing, Lanie’s character was a large part of what made me enjoy this book because she was relatable. She had so many expectations in romance and ideas about what it should look like in order to be “perfect.” What it needed to look like in order to “ensure success.” This is something that most people can relate to, but especially romance readers. It’s easy to get caught up in these fictional worlds and fictional characters and think, “This is what real love has to look like.” But it’s not real. It’s fiction. In real life, nobody is perfect. Everybody is going through something and dealing with their own baggage, but we’re all trying our best and taking it one day at a time. In real-life romance, you can’t expect perfection from people or hold them to an impossible standard. It’s not fair to you or them.

Sometimes, the best thing to do is throw caution to the wind and just go for it. You never know what could happen. Maybe something great.

2.5 Stars.
Less of a review and more of a rant. I really really need women’s fiction to stop marketing itself as romances. Does this have a HEA/HFN? Yes, but that on its own does not make it a romance. The heroine was still engaged to someone else until the 44% mark. There was absolutely no heat or tension between Lanie and Noah. There were multiple times where I thought, “why is the author trying to force these two together?” They’re fine as work colleagues. And because Lanie was engaged to someone else until almost half way through the book, we got not dating, flirting, or banter between her and Noah that would lead me to believe these two were in any way compatible. We’re forced to believe that because they have technically been emailing each other about work things for the past 7 years they and met in person a couple times that they are magically endgame. No. Just no. Like I said there was no heat. You have Lanie saying in her internal thoughts that she has feelings for Noah but we never see them. Literally they don’t even kiss until the last page of the book and instead of it being a satisfying conclusion, it made me think, “you two just ruined your working relationship.” Romances with only kissing can still be steamy, this was just boring. The more I think about this book the more mad I get. I enjoyed the concept, and it could have been a great romance, but how the story developed just wasn’t what it needed to be. The fact that this 300 page book took me 4 days to read really says a lot.

3.5 Stars

This book was VERY cute until about 90% of the way through when the author seemed to realize she only had a few pages left to tack on an ending.

Lanie has been a big fan of Noa Callaway's books since college, and working as part of Noa's publishing team has allowed Lanie to feel like she and the elusive author, whom she's never met in person, were almost friends. But Noa's latest book is 4 months late, and Lanie's promotion hangs on getting Noa to deliver. When Lanie finally meets Noa in person, she's shocked and disappointed to discover that she is, in fact....a he. At first, Lanie feels beyond betrayed, though she gets over that quickly when she and Noah come up with a plan to get him past his writer's block. But as their search for inspiration takes them all over Manhattan, Lanie wonders if the friendship she had going with "Noa" could turn into something more now that she knows the truth.

This was a really easy, fun book to read, and there were so many places for it to go. But there was absolutely no heat or swoon because the romance literally developed RIGHT at the end. It's a cute story, but I was really surprised to find myself suddenly on the last page. Now, I read an ARC, so maybe some of this will be fleshed out a little more by the final copy. However, as it stands now, this book started off strong and fizzled into nothing by the end. I was left wanting a lot more. But there is potential here for sure.

**Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.**