Lanie has landed her dream job as the mysterious Noa Calloway's editor. Lanie is surprised to find herself questioning the 99 reasons she's lived by and her entire life course is thrown of track when she finally meets Noa Calloway. I loved the characters and the story.!

4.5 Stars

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC of By Any Other Name. I needed a fun quick romcom and By Any Other Name TOTALLY delivered. Lanie is a romance editor and takes over for a high profile writer who is months late on their next novel. When she learns their true identity, her idea of love is questioned and they must get over their differences to get the next bestseller published.

Go into this book knowing it is very predictable - I knew what was going to happen after 1-2 chapters - but that didn't stop me from loving it any less. Fans of You've Got Mail and When Harry Met Sally will love the enemies to lovers plot line with magical and romantic New York City as the backdrop. My only complaint about the book is I wanted to know more about what happened to Lanie after the book ended!

Lanie is living her best life in New York City. She has a fantastic fiancé who checks all 99 of her boxes. She has wonderful friends and a great career as an editorial assistant for the publisher that handles her very favorite, best-selling author Noa Callaway. Everything seems to be going beautifully - except that she hasn't been willing to set a wedding date and now she is being promoted at work on the condition that she helps Noa Callaway break out of writers block and get a book in on deadline. Suddenly her very perfect life is rocked on its foundations when she finds out exactly who Noa Callaway really is.

I loved Lanie and her journey in this book. She really has a lot to work through - and figure out what to do when everything you thought you wanted, doesn't turn out to be quite as perfect as you thought it would be. And what it means to be your authentic self - both in a relationship and in her job. Noah Ross has a similar journey - and his is just as emotional, even though we don't see it from his perspective.

Overall, I can't recommend this one highly enough. It is a slow-burn with no sex-scenes closed door or otherwise - but that works perfectly in this one. It is told entirely from Lanie's perspective - and that works here too. It is written so well - that we can really see what is going on even when Lanie is pretty oblivious to some of the things happening around her. Readers may want to be aware that there are some sensitive topics discussed - <spoiler> including the loss of a parent, parent with Alzheimer's, gaslighting by a partner, and some anti-Semitic behavior.</spoiler>.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, but these opinions are all my own.

This is SUCH a charming love story. While the story does start out a little slow, the ending MAKES this book. (And by start out, I mean I checked my kindle progress when I felt like the story had really revved up, and I was 78% through! I almost wish this book was longer....)

Let me talk some more about the ending without giving anything away:
I audibly swooned. And by that I mean, while I was reading this on my kindle late at night next to my sleeping husband, I reached a point and let out an "Awwww" so loud it disturbed his peaceful slumber. But seriously, I cannot get over how adorable the ending is.

Ok that is pretty much my review: Cute love story, and the ending is *chef's kiss* perfection.

Ps, one day I am going to write a book and title it "The Epic of a Heart." I will be emailing Lauren Kate' s publicist for permission since this book inspired it.

Thank you to Putnam, Netgalley, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my review.

I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book has not been published yet so I will be holding back on most of my reasons for giving it two stars. I've thought a lot about it and I don't feel comfortable discussing that many spoilers, even if I hide them under a tag.

I thought this book at a lot of potential in the beginning. I liked the premise and I was enjoying the characters. And then Chapter Six happened. During that chapter, I seriously considered stopping (about 33% through) but I ended up finishing it so I could see if any redemption/mea culpa occurred later. But no. That wasn't addressed in any significant way and in my opinion, that's a massive misstep in this day and age.

The world Kate created was good. I recognized and really enjoyed this NYC. It was lovely and made me want to go out and explore. It was very light on the romance - PG rating. But Lanie killed any enjoyment for me. She started off good but her arc left a lot to be desired.

As it stands, I wouldn't recommend this one.

I devoured By Any Other Name in one quick sitting and enjoyed it so much! The love story is sweet and cute without being trite or silly. I think the author made the characters relatable and touched on the “real life” parts of a love story that are often times skimmed over. I loved that there wasn’t a 3rd act conflict thrown in for no reason and absolutely love how the love story was revealed. My only complaint was that I was left wanting more. I mean that in a “there was more to be desired type of way.” I would have appreciated if there were a few more scenes with Noah and Lanie when they were first exploring their friendship and while the ending does wrap things up nicely, it happened so quick, over the course of 3 kindle pages that I found myself trying to turn the page saying “Wait that’s it?”. A very solid 4 star read for me that would have been a 5 star if only there was a bit more. Thank you so so much to Lauren Kate, the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

In the beginning, I wasn’t sure how this book was going to go. However, as soon as she met him, I knew. I knew how this book was going to be typical and cheesy but I still loved every second of it.

I believe this was supposed to be an enemies to lovers trope, but Noah wasn't so much an enemy as a very personal person who was secretly a teddy bear.

At times it broke my heart, like when she met his mom, and other times I was in awe. Reading the parts of the manuscript had my heart soaring and I would genuinely like to read that book as well. I think it would be a hit, hint Lauren Kate.

Thanks to NetGalley for the early release and the pleasure of reading this book. I highly recommend it to any fiction romance readers! This was my first Lauren Kate book and it definitely won't be my last. I look forward to reading more of her previous works soon!

✍🏻 By Any Other Name ✍🏻

“If faith in love were a source of energy, you could power a small planet.”

Lanie is an editor for the incredibly popular romance novelist, Noa Callaway. When she finally meets the elusive Noa who she has shared emails with for seven years, she learns that the author is actually Noah Ross, a handsome man who shakes up her world. Noah has writers block on his latest novel and as Lanie sets out to inspire him through the block, their professional relationship turns personal in the sweetest way.

I loved watching Lanie and Noah challenge each other to grow into who they truly are. The cast of supporting characters were also top notch for giggles and quips. Don’t sleep on this ARC if you have it!

Check this one out if you’re looking for:
✍🏻 workplace romance
✍🏻 love story tidbits galore
✍🏻 a hilarious sex-positive grandma
✍🏻 a theme of, “life’s greatest mystery is whether we shall die bravely.”

Thank you to Penguin group Putnam and Netgalley for this ARC! By Any Other Name will be on shelves March 1!

Loved this cute book! Fun lighthearted super fun book with loveable characters.

Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Oh now THIS is a beautiful contemporary love story. Super low on spiciness, but high on swoon. I knew every twist and turn this story was going to take, but it didn’t matter because the ride was so enjoyable. Love it.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Such a fun book! My first to read by this author but cannot wait to read more. The story and the characters have you smiling throughout. Highly recommend!

We have Lanie who is working as an editors assistant. Until, her boss quits to stay home with her newborn. Which leads to Lanie’s trial promotion. She is thrilled about it, even if it is a trial! She has other books in the works she wants to push out. Until she’s assigned to be Noa’s editor. He is past his deadline and on top of that? With writers block. Noa, who has never been seen or heard from, Noa who is completely anonymous, Noa who is her favorite author and one she has been emailing with for years now.

But here comes Ryan, saying about how she should let it go because she’ll be moving with him after the wedding to Washington DC. Ryan, the one guy who has checked off all of her 99 things she wanted in a guy. She pushes all else aside. Her mothers dying words, she wants to honor it. She has been looking for a way to live by them her whole life, now, with Ryan she can. Until, she finally says enough. Her and Ryan are on different paths. He has a vision of a wife that just doesn’t fit her and how she wants to be. Let’s not even mention how he just discards her dreams for his own. 😒😒

Of course, when one thing goes wrong, so does everything else. She had just found out about Noa after all!

Noa Callaway. The author that made her feel connected to her mom. The author that made her feel so connected and was how she got her 99 things list. Noa Callaway, the author who has brought her to where is is in life.

Seeing Noa’s and Lanie’s relationship grow was just beautiful! The STARK differences between relationships was just, wow.

I will say I was annoyed as ever with Lanie and her assumptions. Then she gets made about it like, excuse me!? WHO was the one that thought this? YOU. WHO was the one that took a little information and made it to be bigger? YOU..

Going through the book we see Lanie really come into herself and seeing her learn who she is and what she truly wants while missing her mom and learning what her moms dying words really meant for her. Meeting BD, Meg, and Rufus, they were just phenomenal!!! I love them all. Between the bold BD, the supportive Meg, and the cheerleader Rufus. They were fantastic and a great support team for Lanie.

I would not say this was enemies to lovers. At all. It was more that she assumed a whole lot. But the slow burn of the relationship of this book is so good. It’s a cute adult romance. There’s not steam at all so if that’s something that turns you away, we’ll you do not have to worry about it. There are mentions of sex and cursing but it’s more lack there of and they mention the books that have the steamy scenes.

Also, that story that is written. 😭 such a cute story. I love that it was a book inside a book, well kind of.

A huge and special thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam/ G. P. Putnam's Sons for sharing this digital advanced reviewer copy in exchange my honest opinion.

By Any Other Name was a lighter, fast-paced read for me. It follows the story of Lanie as she works to help writer Noa Calloway produce her next novel. While this book contained romance as part of its plot, I felt most of the focus was on Lanie's development as a character and watching her definition of love transform. I enjoyed the lightheartedness of the book but also appreciated that the author tackled topics that tugged at my emotions as well. It was a good balance. However, I think I would've enjoyed a bit more romance in the book.

I would definitely recommend this book to friends who are looking for a book that has a romance plotline but also focuses greatly on character development and character reflection. I would also recommend this book to anyone who is looking for books with bookish settings and who is looking for books regarding lessons about love. This is also a great book for anyone looking for an enemies-to-lovers trope as well.

I requested this book on a whim when I heard someone else talk about...somewhere. I can't remember where, but I am SO glad I clicked "request" because I LOVED THIS BOOK. It was a love letter to romance novels, to publishing, to New York City, to love. Very Nora Ephron-ish and almost old-school 90s romcom. The stakes were relatively low as was the angst, but the build-up to the slow-burn romance, the witty banter between all the characters, the NYC references? Absolutely delightful and entertaining from the first page to the last. I've never read this author before, but I am officially a fan! I imagine this will be in my top 10 reads of 2022.

A nice slow burn of a story. The twist about Noa was easy pretty clear but it was still interesting to read about Lanie and her experiences with the author. The chemistry with Lanie and Noah was a bit bland but overall this is still an interesting read.

This was a super cute and fun read. Enemies to lovers with a fun twist. It’s is about an editor who gets a promotion to work with an author who has never been seen in public before.

She has a list of what her perfect love story would be stemming from a favorite book written by said author. Read to find out if she gets her fairy ending to love. You won’t regret it!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC read.

Entertaining love story, writer using a pen name and Italy. So much to enjoy.
Lauren Kate is a new author to me. I look forward to reading Lauren's other works.

3.5 stars, but rounded up to 4.

There were so many positives about this book. I love the whole "never meet your hero" adage playing out in reality, and how that initial meeting turns into something different. Loved getting a chance to see the backstory of Noah, and what led him to where he is today - his family, his hardships, and his writing block.

Where I was more disengaged is that the love story / relationship aspect felt a bit anemic. The enemies-to-lovers seemed to stall into enemies-to-friends. There was a lack of romance between the two. With how much time passes between each interaction, it made it even harder to see the relationship progress to love interests and not just misunderstood friends.

Overall, enjoyed the writing, the character backstories and interactions, but wish there was more scenes where the two leads feel like aspiring lovers. Another good Lauren Kate delivery!

This book was awesome and grabbed me right from the beginning and I definitely lost some sleep, but it was so worth it. Awesome engaging characters and an encompassing story line and highly recommended.

I've read a handful of editor and writer books but this one was honestly really good and is not an enemies to lovers book... Really was more of a friends to lovers. I won't lie that by chapter 2 or 3, I knew the plot twist of this book. I saw it from a million miles away. I know what you must be thinking, "How is this book so good when you predicted the twist less than 20 pages in?" Well young grasshopper, it is just the beginning of this story.

Lanie is a romantic which is great because she is an editor for the best selling romance author at her publishing company. She has loved Noa Calloway's books for a decade. She wanted to work at this publishing house just because this is where Noa publishes. After 7 years, she finally has the opportunity to be the main editor for Noa and the opportunity to finally meet her! After 7 years of emails back and forth, tense games of online chess and quick remarks, she will meet her idol. Yet... it doesn't go as planned.

<spoiler>Meet Noah Ross. The face behind Noa Calloway. The secret identity and now one that Lanie has to keep. She needs to get this manuscript out of him. Noah doesn't feel the spark for New York anymore. Feels like he has gotta all the love stories out of it but Lanie is determined to make him fall in love with some part of New York again. I really liked Ross. He was super funny right away. I could see he would take the seriousness out of Lanie.. Bring her the happiness. she so rightfully deserves.

I really enjoyed Lanie. I just loved her inner monologue. She brought something to the page... what is that thing called? Oh yeah! Voice. I so rarely get to feel a character off the pages these days. She wears funky clothes from her grandmother, wants to learn how to ride a motorcycle, eats on the train and has fun brunches with her friends on Saturday's. Maybe I just want to have that fun life in New York. Who knows! But she was a fun character to read about and she felt realistic. Like I could be her.

Let's talk about Ross and Lanie's friendship. I felt sparks right away. Ross had this snarky fun quips back and forth with Lanie. They felt easy. Over time, I saw how they were opening up to each other and how they were slowing picking away at each others barriers. The ending though! Lauren.. please I need an epilougue. It can't just end open ending like that! I must live through their love now that they finally have it :( </spoiler>

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and it was fun to read something by Lauren Kate again. It has honestly been ages since I read the Fallen series and it was so fun to read her first adult romance novel. Thank you to NetGalley for giving me this advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.