Let me start off by saying that this book was charming, and I could have easily read it in one sitting. The minor characters (BD, Meg, Rufus) were the brightest spots, particularly BD. That being said, I had some major issues with the storyline, the pacing, and the marketing.

First, the storyline: Lanie's anger and feelings of betrayal upon learning the true identity of Noa Callaway was frankly ridiculous. Pen names are common, especially in genre fiction like romance, and truly... who cares? Her indignation felt super disproportionate. I understand that she idolized this author, and it caught her off guard, but it felt a little silly for her to worry about being "complicit" to the "lie."

Second, the pacing: I love a slow burn as much as the next reader, but the chemistry wasn't there so it didn't really spark to begin with and then the book just...ended. I understand wanting to do something a little different, maybe trying to step away from the traditional pacing of a rom-com, but the execution wasn't there.

Third, the marketing: This book is not enemies-to-lovers. They're not enemies and they're not lovers, and I think that marketing line is going to hurt this book because it won't meet reader expectations. The good news is, it's not too late for your team to find a new tagline!

Wow, wow, wow…. I adored this book. I literally couldn’t put it down. To me, this classified as a perfect romance book. It tugged on all the heart strings, gave me butterflies, and had me tearing up in the final chapters. I loved Lanie and Noah so much. Literally, just wow. Lauren Kate, I am proud to share a first name with you.

When Lanie’s editorial director quits her job, she’s given the opportunity of a lifetime to prove she’s worthy of taking the job. Catch? She has to get internationally best-selling romance author Noa Callaway to submit the manuscript for her newest book…which is already 3 months late. But what happens when Lanie finds out Noa, the author who inspired her to pursue publishing and has guided her views on romance, is actually Noah? 👀

Every character in this book was distinct, memorable, and overall enjoyable. BD, her grandmother, was a personal favorite. I loved the humor throughout, as well as the pop culture references to some of my favorite musical artists. The plot and pacing flowed well, and while I could anticipate how the story would end, it didn’t make it any less thrilling to experience. Something that distinguished it from other romance novels for me was the interspersed familiar ties and connections throughout the book- Lanie's desire to feel connected to her late mother and grandfather, her close connection to her grandmother, etc. Lanie is a character that I believe many readers will see parts of themselves in.

I am so excited for this book to come out so I can share with my friends and family, and will definitely be gravitating to more of Lauren Kate’s books in the future.

You’ll Love This If You Love:
💕Enemies to Lovers trope
💕Books about books/publishing
💕NYC
💕The Notebook
💕Mamma Mia 2 Here We Go Again, specifically

A little bit predictable, a little bit unexpected, but a whole host of enjoyable and entertaining pages comprise Lauren Kate’s new novel By Any Other Name, due out in March, 2022. A book written within a book is always fun to read, and this is no exception. The story of book editor Lanie and her “star” author Noa is a beautiful story full of self-discovery, love, and romance that will take the reader on a magical journey. Thank you NetGalley for an advanced eCopy of this lovely tale.

This novel is definitely perfect for hopeless romantics and lovers of love. It was an incredibly sweet and light-hearted read that put such a big smile on my face. Lanie and Noah had incredible chemistry, and I really liked their dynamic! In addition, the dialogue was very well-written and engaging. The banter between the characters made me laugh out loud on multiple occasions.

I loved Lanie as a protagonist and I had a blast reading from her perspective. Noah is such a swoon-worthy love interest, and I was quite sad to let him go. He is incredibly thoughtful and pays attention to the little things even after years have gone by, which is all that any hopeless romantic could wish for in a partner.

The only part that disappointed me was the rushed ending. It would have been more satisfying to have an epilogue or gone into, but I still enjoyed this book nonetheless. Overall, I definitely recommend this as a super cute and quick read that’ll make you fall in love with love.

thank you to Putnum Books and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Read this if you:
*have ever wanted to be a book editor
*enjoy witty banter
*like swoon worthy characters

This book was SO DANG CUTE!!! I read this super quickly & was immersed right away. Laine is a hopeless romantic. Noa/Noah is an author who writes romance. BD (Lanies grandma) make me laugh out loud multiple times. This has everything I wanted in a rom-com. This book make my heart happy!

Thank you NetGalley & Putnam for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: March 1

There are so many things that I like about this book, but a few things that bothered me and kept it from being a 5 star read for me.

What I liked:

1. Lanie's voice was great. It 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 well-rounded character.
2. The chemistry between Noah and Lanie was great. For a couple that really only kisses once (and even then it's practically on the last page of the book) I thought they had great chemistry together and romantic tension.
3. There were several side-characters that made me smile. I loved meeting Lanie's colleagues and Noah's family. They all added something to the story--both levity and weight when it was needed.
4. It was hard to put down. I really wanted to see how the story (and the story Noah was writing!!!) would work out. The suspense with that was well-timed.

What didn't sit well with me:
1. I cannot fathom why there was so much fuss made over Noah's gender. I get Lanie felt betrayed somehow because her favorite author was a man and not a woman like everyone imagined, but shouldn't we also assume that an author who does ZERO publicity or abstains from any type of appearances might be using a pen name and might be more than what we assume about them since we know NOTHING about this author?

2. The gender thing. Yes, I'm still on it. They made a huge stink about Noah being a man writing under a woman's pen name... I'm having a hard time accepting the fact that it matters that he's a man. Is it possible for readers to enjoy a book and not care if it's a man or woman writing it? I think so. I think his books were judged on their merits (which they were best-sellers several times over and he had fans all over the world) and not on his gender. People weren't buying the books because he was a woman. They were buying the books because they enjoyed reading them. Wait for it... I actually like that a lot. I like that you can pick up a book and not judge it by its author's gender or identity. They went so far as to say that Noah would be "cancelled" because he was a man writing romance under a female pen name. I think we can find more important things to "cancel" someone over besides an author just trying to sell books that he enjoys writing.

3. I didn't like how there was so much pressure put on Noah from Lanie to reveal his identity. I think he eventually came to the conclusion on his own, but he was definitely nudged there repeatedly by Lanie. I don't think he owed it to anyone to reveal his true name. It's one thing if he makes the choice for himself. It's another if he's bullied into it, which it felt like more of a self-righteous push from Lanie than a sincere approach from Noah to tell his fans his real identity. Other people keep their personal and professional life separate all the time in any other profession... why isn't an author allowed the same courtesy? Are readers so demanding that they deserve to know every aspect about a writer's life with full clarity?

4. They made such a fuss about revealing Noah's identity and then there was NO closure once he did. We didn't see any fall out or reaction from the fans. This BIG reveal was promised and then there's no follow up. The book just ends. Sure the romance get's some quick *very quick* closure, but the whole reason behind the secret identify of Noa Calloway is just left hanging.

5. The cover doesn't seem to match the book. I don't know. Usually covers don't bother me at all, but this one feels off.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced reading copy of the book. All opinions are my own.

Lanie is in college studying for premed when her roommate introduced her to a book that would change her life forever. She becomes a book editor instead and creates her own checklist of 99 things to make her own perfect match. Ryan ticks off all those boxes and now they're engaged. Then she has an opportunity of a lifetime to become the editor for Noa Calloway, her inspiration since college. But when they meet face-to-face her hero is nothing like she expected and suddenly everything in her own life is in question.
I like the fact that they're email friends for 7 years before meeting, and I get the disillusionment when they first meet. But her whole reaction shows why Noa's identity should be kept a secret. I like that Noa wanted the next book to have more meaning than the meet-cutes and Lanie's ideas to help with inspiration. But at 99% done with the book and no happy ending, I was starting to wonder if I'd be left hanging like the last chapter in 2000 picnics. Overall just OK for me.

I was obsessed with this story and could not put it down! I was in tears reading the last few chapters, they were perfection. This was a really original concept for me, and I thoroughly enjoyed this!!

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Lauren Kate is out here giving us a novel that encompasses all of your hopeless romantic dreams and desires.

This book was extremely well written and will let you live out all the life your heart as ever desired. I’m normally hesitant when wandering into the adult fiction and chick-lit genre, as someone who prefers a clean romance the genre in itself doesn’t have much of it, but Lauren Kate really kept that in mind with this book. With a clean romance the love she was writing bled through on every single page and makes you just want to dive in and experience it firsthand.

Also, this is a book about books which is pretty much everything I could have ever dreamed of. Highly recommend!

By Any Other Name is a cute, if formulaic and expected, novel that fits into this genre perfectly. There’s nothing outstanding about it, but it serves up the promised premise of enemies to lovers, with mistaken identities and mostly likable protagonists. I think Noa/Noah was the more interesting and well conceived of the two, though we don’t really ever get inside his head. I sort of filled in the blanks with Dominic West’s character from The Affair, as his name is also Noah and he’s an author. Maybe that made me gravitate more towards him. While the author skips over many of the cultural complexities and character nuances that could’ve deepened the story and given this book some real gusto, I do think it will appeal as a simple beach read.

This novel is definitely what you would call a “meet/cute” romance. It was a light read that I needed after reading a dark and despairing novel. It was fluffy and fun and gave you the feeling that love is possible.

I liked the way the story portrayed the many books written by Noa Callaway. I liked that the novel was based on writing a novel. I feel like it allowed the author to get creative in writing the details of each of the books the pen author in the novel wrote.

I feel like as readers we could have had more of the lists of places to visit for Noah to get inspired. It felt like it was too quick. The character development was good but I would have loved to see more on Noah’s side. He was this amazing author that the world unknowingly loved and we really didn’t get to delve into who he actually was besides what he said.

The ending was too dramatic and short for the flow of the rest of the novel. Maybe an epilogue would have helped make it so the novel didn’t seem like it just ended with a quickly written HEA.

All in all this novel was a fluffy read. Something you can easily conquer while flying on a plane or taking a long drive. It’s light hearted. It has its funny moments. A definite recommend ti anyone looking for any of the above.

Yes! I loved this. It had a romance-y vibe (no spice) more of a friendship that explodes with witty banter. I thought the characters were well developed and the story is easy and fun. A female MC who is trying to figure out what she wants and dreams for and then align it with what she deserves. It was a quick read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Lauren Kate’s ‘By Any Other Name’ is a sweet, light-hearted read and a nice little escape. Kate’s characters are compelling and likable. Lanie is strong-willed and professional, while Noah is shy and kind. Both characters are stubborn, and it’s their stubbornness that drives the story. There is a bunny, many manuscripts, a not-so-perfect fiancée, and sushi in front of the fire. Although it is a quick read, Lanie and Noah’s story doesn’t take off much until mid-way through the novel. It is not completely a romance novel, but Lanie’s exploration of her wants and needs both in a relationship and in her career. It was super lovely, and I would absolutely recommend!

I loved the concept of this book, but the story fell a bit flat. It was an enjoyable read, but when I finished it I felt like something was missing. I loved the bits with the book within the book though!

A swoony, cinematic romance, with enough emotion and comedy that kept me interested enough to finish it in one sitting. I enjoyed both the heroine and the hero, Lanie and Ross, and their varied scenes, ranging from chess matches and sushi to breaking and entering. I personally am happy with a 'fan girl' for a heroine, but some might be put off with Lanie and her "Noa Calloway' obsession. Perfect closed-door romance.

4/5 stars

Who knew mistaken identity could be so fun?

Lanie is a romance novel editor who has the most perfect boyfriend who she is most definitely in love with, the best job, and an amazing grandmother with so much spunk, you'd think she was 17 not 70. After getting the promotion of a lifetime at her publishing company, Lanie will finally have the chance to work with her favorite author of all time: Noa Calloway. Here's the catch: Noa's 4 months behind on releasing another book. And upon further notice, Noa isn't exactly who Lanie thought she was.... Can they get they past their differences and publish this book on time or will Lanie be left with 99 reasons why she doesn't have a job?

I honestly adored this book. As a fellow New Yorker, reading about all the differences places in the city and the beauty that is Gapstow Bridge in Central Park just gave me all the feels.

Lanie is hilarious. Her inner dialogue is so totally me and I had an absolute blast reading this book from her perspective. I really loved the more deep, emotional sides of Lanie that we got to see as the story went on and we got to know more about her mom. I think the topic of grief was explored really well and it made the story go from cheesy to realistic. Ross was great. I was a little thrown off because I was expecting the grumpy-sunshine trope but I was pleasantly surprised by his character and grew to love him. I LOVED the little details the author added that just made his character feel more whole like him having his own jade chopsticks and just these tiny tidbits that make up our personality.

It was *slightly* rushed in the beginning in terms of the enemies-lovers trope. I felt like one page they hated each other and on the next they were best friends. However I absolutely loved their relationship once they became friends and watching them give over little pieces of themselves to each other was adorable.

Overall, I love this book. Anyone who's a fan of reading about books or even just want to mental trip to New York (and Positano!) I would highly recommend this adorable read



Thank you Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam/ G. P. Putnam’s Sons for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Ok, so I might have put off this review a few days because I have no idea what to say. Why is it so much harder to review books you love?

This book gave me all the feels. It’s one where you finish it then sit there and think about it. Then have a nice delayed cry. THEN go back and read the last few chapters AGAIN because you are not actually ready for it to be over. This is one of the new times where I really wish we had an epilogue. I was not ready to give them up.

Anything I say from here would have spoilers, so just read it them message me so we can gush about it together!!!!

G.P. Putnam's Sons,
Thank You for this eARC!

By Any Other Name by Lauren Kate

An enemies-to-lovers romance about an editor, her bestselling author, and one life-changing secret.
What more could I want?
This was brilliant, amazing, interesting and beyond amazing.
This book is fantastic.
A sweet rom-com but as I start knowing more about the characters and back stories, I easily connected with both of them.
Lanie and Noa have such witty banter and they had me cackling since the beginning. 
This enemy to lover story kept me flipping the dang pages till 3am....
Until I said "one more chapter one too may times and I was done" truly upsetting when I didn't want it to end!
Lauren writes the cutest characters.
And the best stories!
I really hope she writes another one very soon!

I liked this book, but felt the pacing could use some improvement. It was a little too slow at the start and ended a little too abruptly at the end. All in all, this serves the grumpy stuck in a rut male lead meeting a determined, get stuff done female personality. It was fun and I enjoyed the characters' banter for the most part.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for access to the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

An editor needs to help her brooding author find some inspiration for his next book? Sounds good to me!

This is a great read for those looking for a feel-good romance with a lot of heart and not a lot of spice. I really enjoyed the book and cruised through it in only a few sittings.

I removed one star because I felt like the book was a tad slow in the beginning (I think it really hit its stride about halfway through), and the end felt a little abrupt even though it tied off nicely. I would have been happier if a few chapters in the beginning were removed and a few more were added at the end. But overall this was a delightful read!

4⭐️

#netgalley #byanyothername