By Any Other Name follows Lanie, an editor, who soon finds out that the romance novelist that inspired her to become an editor and whose work has a deeply personal connection to Lanie, is actually a man when Lanie is charged with becoming his editor after her boss leaves the company. Not helping matters, Noah is six months later in producing his newest novel and if Lanie cannot manage to get his novel delivered in three months, she will lose the promotion that she has been temporarily given.

This novel was sugary sweet and is absolutely charming. It feels reminiscent to other rom coms dedicated to New York and adversarial couples who become allies. My only quibble with it is how betrayed Lanie feels after finding out that the reclusive author is a man, instead of a woman. I suppose in the day and age that many authors use pseudonyms and Noah never outright deceived anyone, it doesn't feel like publishing under a different name would make Lanie feel so betrayed. But after the book moves past Lanie's feelings on the matter and the two bond more, it's lovely and sweet and everything you could want to cheer you up.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the premise of this book: an editor, Lanie, and a best selling romance author, Noa Callaway, with writer's block have to work together to get a book finished. What I didn't expect was that Lanie thought Noa was a middle aged woman and not an man her age named Noah, even though Noa is widely known to write under a pseudonym and not share any personal details with the public. I think there could have been interesting ways to talk about why Noah writes as a woman with a pseudonym, instead it really focused on Lanie's feelings of personal betrayal, which felt way over the top given the 7 year working relationship that had existed between Noa and Lanie before Lanie found out Noa is Noah. I did enjoy the later part of the book once Lanie got past her feelings of betrayal, but I really wished the reveal had been done differently.

3/5

For a book marketed as a romance novel, or at least put in the romance category, it didn't really have a lot of romance.

Don't get me wrong it was a fun and easy read, however I was expecting a bit more romance and romantic development. The characters are fun and so easy to like, with cute friendships that keep you invested in the story. I like the idea of the story, it definitely would make a cute movie.

Perfectly sweet and swoony romance for fans of You've Got Mail and The Hating Game.

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for sending me an ARC of this lovely story. I loved it. Just like Lanie has her list of Ninety Nine Things, By Any Other Name checks off quite a few on my list of what makes a great book.

The hero is book boyfriend material - ✔
Noah is so swoony and sweet. He gets his pet rabbit a carrot roll when he orders takeout sushi for goodness sake!
It’s a slow-burn romance - ✔
Do not expect these characters to be getting together early on in the book because it’s not going to happen. We’re talking more like Mariana Zapata pace here.
No annoyingly predictable third act breakup - ✔
All I can say for that is HALLELUJAH!!!!
This story has heart - ✔
I love the emotional depth the characters family backgrounds add to the story. They are so well written, where as most books seem to either focus too much on their past or brush over it and seemingly forget it. Not here.
I didn’t want it to end - ✔
I read the whole book in one sitting and I need more.

*** There is no spice, so you can feel totally comfortable recommending this book to your mom and your coworkers***

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My only con is that I really wish there were an epilogue. Once the Lanie and Noah finally got together, I would have loved to see just a little bit more of their relationship. The end of the book is cute but abrupt and kind of unsatisfying. In Noah’s profession of love, he tells Lanie that he wants to be Edward and Elizabeth, but we don’t get to see if they actually do get to have that kind of relationship. The way the book is left, Sue could have gotten mad about Noah’s “coming out” and fired Lanie, which put a strain on their relationship and they eventually break up. We got a Happily for Now ending, but it really needs an epilogue to make it a Happily Ever After. That would make this a five star read for me.

I closed this book with a sadness that it was over but also a tug at my heart with a sense of hope and love.

You see Lanie, while sad to lose her mentor is given a provisional promotion to editing director for the companies top author. The author who inspired her own love story with her fiancé

However the author is four months late on their first draft. Lanie has to find a way to cure their writers block to keep her job. She wasn’t expecting that meeting the author could possibly destroy her career and relationship.

Through the journey of finding inspiration they journey through some New York landmarks to fall in love with the city and find the story for the unwritten book.

Lanie has her friends Meg and Rufus as well as her grandmother BD for strength and laughs, as she navigates her journey.

The last few chapters though were the gem of the story. Bringing you hope, love and a sense of forever.

A super sweet story about a romance loving book editor who receives quite the surprise about one of her favorite authors.

Enemies to lovers/ all the sweet vibes

I only wished we had a touch more of the emails leading up to them meeting to establish their friendship a little more? It felt a bit rushed at that point and the reactions felt a little off but it wasn’t enough to change my rating.

So, I have a lot of thoughts about this book. I was hesitant to read it in the first place because Kate’s books have disappointed me in the past because they have great premise, but have lackluster execution, and sadly this story was no different. I’m not even sure if this book should really be classified as an adult book considering the only adult things about it were their ages and an occasional cuss word. Kate could have this story have so much more depth with maybe a forbidden romance or a surprise reveal. I’m all for a slow burn, but when they don’t kiss until the very last page, it’s hard for me to care.

That’s the thing, I didn’t care about these characters. They were just there and I had no desire to be invested in their story or their relationship.. I wish this story had more depth and I wish it made me care more and explored some themes more than it did.

Title: By Any Other Name
Author: Lauren Kate

Review: I felt that, By Any Other Name, was a sweet story. I thought the pace was quick and enjoyed the character development. Overall, I would recommend to a friend looking for a quick light-hearted read.

I really enjoyed this book! Lanie is a book editor, for famous Author Noa Calloway. Although she has never met Noa, their friendship has been built over the years via email. When Lanie meets Noa for the first time, everything changes! I loved how the story line built between Lanie and Noa with some unexpected twists! I thought this was a great rom-com and really loved Lanie's Grandma's, BD, witty commentary. This would be a great read for Valentines day in my opinion. Overall, would definitely recommend this book to someone looking for a very cute rom-com!

This book was just so-so for me. Lanie's character was humorous and sincere. I thought she carried the story really well and it was fun to be inside her head. I also appreciated her background and family history. I thought she was a decently well-rounded character. My biggest issue with this book is that it didn't feel complete. It took ¼ of the way through the book to get to the characters meeting, but there's like no conversation between them up to that point. I mean technically they've been emailing for the past 7 years, but there aren't enough emails or moments leaning back on those to make me feel like they know each other. I wish we could have seen a few more of these emails to really get a sense of their connection so when they finally met in real life I could believe it. Also, she was with her boyfriend for 50% of the book, so you really didn’t get to see the connection between Lainie and Noah until mid-way through the story. They had good chemistry when they were together, but couldn’t really do anything about it until she broke up with her fiancée. I really wanted more of Lainie and Noah, we barely got to see them fall in love. Their first kiss is at the very end of the book, I just wanted more of them. I don’t always love epilogues at the end of books, but this is one book that I think would have benefited with one.

I would have loved to have gotten to know Noah more with a dual POV, as there was so much we could have explored about his character. I think the story would have been so much better with Noah's perspective and it not being so one-sided. I did love BD, she was the shining light throughout this book. I want BD as a member of my family. I did enjoy the humor throughout, as well as the pop culture references. I absolutely loved the story that Noah was writing and who it was based on. That would be a book I would love to read! I think this will appeal to fans of Melissa Ferguson or Sophie Kinsella. Thanks to Netgalley, Lauren Kate, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, and G.P. Putnam's Sons for an e-arc in exchange for my thoughts.

By Any Given Name by Lauren Kate is an enjoyable, quick, lighthearted read. I don’t feel that, for me, it will be a very memorable book but it was a fun read at the time. I’d be interested in reading more by this author in future.

I really loved the plot of this book, but I just wanted more. I felt like the book should have been longer to give more of a chance to want Kate and Noah together. The bits you get a glimpse of between Kate and Noah were so good! I was a little stunned at one point when the book jumps a month and basically ended shortly after. It had so much potential if there was just a little more development between the characters.

I am floored by how much I enjoyed this book, the characters were so well-written and beautiful. I wanted what was best for them and was rooting for them at every turn. Especially, Lanie, I connected to her in a very personal way. As Jewish women, we are often demonstrated as hiding our religion and traditions in media. However, Lanie was a real Jewish woman that I feel I know and am in many ways. Lanie is Jewish and proud of it and I can't describe to you how happy it makes me to see myself in her.

Thank you, NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

Lanie learned everything she knows about love from novels. Specifically, the novels written by famous (fictional) romance author Noa Calloway, which inspired her to list the qualities of her perfect mate and to switch career paths to become an editor. The novels' lessons have been a success: Lanie is engaged to the perfect man and has just gotten a promotion. In her new job, she is responsible for helping Noa Calloway finish her new book - and it turns out the famous author has one more lesson to impart.

<i>By Any Other Name</i> is an absolute delight. An entertaining and easy read, it is by turns funny and heartfelt, goofy and moving. There isn't much in the way of suspense - the big twists, such as they are, all come early on - but the book kept me reading. Lanie is an easy heroine to root for, smart and vulnerable, and the cast of supporting characters is quirky enough to entertain without distracting from the story. Perfect for curling up in front of a fire or whiling away a long plane ride. Read it now!

I enjoyed this book. The plot was well paced and the characters were well developed. I would enjoy reading additional works by this author.

This is a light-hearted quick read that I really enjoyed, but I must say I saw pretty much the whole story from the start but I still enjoyed every page and kept reading on until the end. I would read the next book this author writes.

This is one where i honestly wish I had licked it more than I did. I love a good book themed romance. Editor and writer? Yes please! I think I just didn’t feel the chemistry. They were supposed friends for 7 years only writing via email. I feel like he obviously had a thing for her since he knew who she was. I just didn’t feel the insta-love from her to Noah. Then the ending felt so rushed. I kept seeing I was at 97 then 98 then 99 percent and they still hadn’t really had a moment. Then the next to last page they had a declaration, a kiss, and then the end. Ultimately the idea was fantastic to me, but the ending just didn’t live up the build up. I think I felt more connected to Meg and Rufus than the Noah relationship. It was well written, funny, and I LOVED BD. We all need a grandma like that!

Lanie Bloom is a hopeless romantic and book editor at a publishing house. Through work, she casually corresponds with her literary idol, the mysterious and media-evasive bestselling author, Noa Callaway. For seven years, they email, play online chess, becoming modern day pen pals.

When Noa is months behind on the first draft of the next book, Lanie is tasked with the challenge of unblocking Noa, and getting the writing back on track. They finally meet in person in Central Park and everything Lanie has ever assumed about her famous friend is shattered. Noa Callaway—literary genius and bestselling romance novelist—turns out to be Noah Ross, a 34-year old straight white man.

Cue Lanie’s mind being blown! Cue the madness of two people who have to reorganize everything they know about each other through seven years of friendly emails! Cue the treacherous balance of author-editor work mode vs. could-this-be-more-than-friends feelings…? Ahhh, I love it!

I really enjoyed Lanie’s personal development throughout the book. It was heart warming and empowering to read, almost a coming-of-age realization of who she was as a woman, and the type of partner she wanted to be with. Noah’s arc was also great to experience; his backstory, vulnerabilities and initial standoffish attitude. I would’ve loved to have read some chapters in his POV, just to ramp up the tension he and Lanie obviously had for each other. The steam is low and closed door in this one, focusing on the characters’ growth and deepening feelings for each other. As much I personally prefer some heat in my reading, I totally understand and respect the author’s choice to keep it PG in this story.

Ultimately, what stood out for me was the Noah and Lanie story cleverly woven into the Noa Callaway story. It was an unexpected and beautifully poetic choice. The ending tied everything up perfectly, it gave me 100% pure romance tingles.

Lastly, if you love stories featuring main characters who are writers and/or people in their orbit ie. publishers, editors, readers etc—like I do—you’ll absolutely love this wonderful twist on a somewhat-friends to somewhat-enemies to friends to lovers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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I enjoyed this book, though I found parts to be a little too cliche.

Before this, I'd read a few very heavy books, and a rom com was a welcome breath of fresh air, but some parts felt just like movies I'd seen before, and I had trouble with that.

I really enjoyed Lanie's interactions with BD, and her wanting to connect with her mother.

This is a definitely a book for you if you're looking for some cookie cutter romance.

Such a sweet book! This was sort of a twist on the "You've Got Mail" storyline. Getting to know each other over the internet and finding out who you are talking to isn't exactly who you thought it was....

Lanie is your basic type A personality who is obsessed with love, but also thinks you have to plan it. She is obsessed with Noa Callaway's books, but doesn't know that Noa is really Noah Ross and she's very attracted to him.

I guess in a way this is a friends-to-lovers romance. Because they were friends online before they met in real life and Lanie discovers the truth. I definitely feel like once Lanie figures it out, she sort of falls in love with him on the spot. She pretends she's so mad at him, but we all know the truth. I sort of wish their was more build up for us to see.

If you like a sweet contemporary romance with a quirky lead and some even better side characters, then I would check this one out!