First things first: this is not a romance, this is chick lit. There is no romance that happens on the page other than a bit of pining and I think there was one kiss. I had so many problems with Lanie as a character. She starts off the book with her fiancé Ryan, who she claims is basically perfect, but she conveniently blocks out the massive issue in their relationship (she lives in NYC, he lives in D.C. and expects her to quit her job and move to D.C. with him when they get married, which she clearly does not want to do). Then as soon as Noah enters the picture she just chucks Ryan in the trashcan like he’s a rotten sandwich. Oh and I didn’t misspell the name...Noa is actually Noah. And apparently it’s a massive shocker to Lanie that there are actually authors who use pen names and are different in real life than the persona they project to the public, because she goes off on Noah when she finally meets him. Oh the horror, someone with a penis who writes and reads romance!! Except he doesn’t actually write romance either, he writes chick lit. One of the most problematic passages for me was such a short one, but it’s where there’s a little recap of Noah’s book listing the ninety-nine reasons to love someone. The main character of his book has been hospitalized in an inpatient psychiatric facility, and there’s a humorous little note about “well since I have all this free time now why don’t I read these romance novels they have here, ha ha“. This is NOT okay to joke about. I have many more critiques but suffice it to say that I was deeply disappointed with this book.

Thank you to NetGalley & Penguin Group Putnam for this advanced reader copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

2.5 stars rounded up.

Man, I really wanted to love this, but unfortunately it just did not do it for me. Thank you to Edelweiss for providing a digital ARC for an unbiased opinion and review.

I DNF’d at 62% which I felt was pretty generous; I gave it plenty of opportunities to turn around before jumping ship.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange of an honest review. This book is a DNF for me, I could barely read 30% of it because Lanie is a terrible character. So we are told Ryan is the perfect man but the moment he appears the MC starts picking off vibes from him and explain all the reasons why they are not compatible. The psychiatric ward joke didn’t feel right and the have her think Noah doesn’t look gay and sometimes gay people read romance novels but also implying that’s weird,. Yeah, that pretty much told me Lanie is a terrible character and then we reach the point of her reaction of how Noa is (spoiler alert: it’s a guy) and she throws a tantrum and I decided to stop reading at this point.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group/Putnam for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really loved this book. I pulled me in from the start. I loved Lanie and getting an inside look at life as an editor. I loved her friends, Meg and Rufus…the three of them together made me laugh and the friendship was so REAL. I loved the relationship between Noah and Lanie. I would have loved MORE though. The story seemed to end too abruptly, even though it wrapped up nicely.

I want to scream to the entire world how cute this book is. I finished it in one day - and absolutely loved it. The last few pages had me crying tears because I thought it was so beautiful and touching. I loved the characters - and love how this wasn't a romance centered around some seemingly trivial miscommunication.

I will be telling everyone to preorder this one, because wow. I haven't read a romance book that has made me feel so much in such a long time.

This was an easy-going romance with easy to like characters and an expected plot. I enjoyed reading through this novel but felt it fell short, literally too short, especially towards the middle/end. I wanted more romance, more relationships, more time spent with these two characters so we can lead up to the last page and really feel as though it's earned. Otherwise, I loved the concept and the easy quick read it was. I was just hoping there would be more to it overall.

BY ANY OTHER NAME by Lauren Kate is a sweet romance about self-discovery, loss, and the power of love.

As a child, Lainie lost her mom so when she discovered Noa Callaway’s books about love and relationships, she felt like she’d been given directions. Noa Callaway’s books had such a huge impact that Lainie switches from a medical career to being an editor at Noa Callaway’s publishing house. She’s thrilled when she strikes up an email correspondence with Noa, the elusive author that never does interviews, social media, or even an author photo on her books.

But now, Lainie’s boss isn’t coming back from maternity leave so it’s Lainie’s responsibility to get the six-month overdue manuscript from Noa - her promotion and the publisher’s bottom line are depending on her. When she’s given the opportunity to meet Noa face to face, she’s thrilled and hopes to help her idol overcome her writer’s block. But Noa has a secret identity that could bring everything crashing down.

This tender story deals with how loss shapes our lives and expectations. How love isn’t just a checklist of wants to be filled. How friendship means listening and wanting what’s best for the other person.

Lovely writing with lush and beautiful descriptions. I want a balloon full of edible confetti and angel food cake now. Lainie’s friends with their bar and brunch excursions are total perfection. The banter is on-point and smile-inducing. And Lainie’s grandmother BD is who we’d all pick for our own grandmother if we could.

This is a charming, heartfelt, and sweet love letter to love. For fans of Kate Clayborn and Tom Ellen.

This is easily one of my favorite romances of the year. I loved Lanie and Noah and they were surrounded by a great cast and an intriguing premise. I do think the ending wrapped up a bit too nicely but I love how the book idea tied into the end. Definitely will be looking for more from this author.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A charming comfort-read for fans of sweet (ie: not steamy) romance.

Lanie, a romance editor, has based her romantic life on the ideal man she has put together from the books of her favorite romance author, Noa Calloway -- a formula that doesn't work out well in real life. The author, Noa, prefers strict privacy, and Lanie has only interacted with them via email -- but they've grown quite close over the past seven years that Lanie has worked for Noa's editor. Lanie imagines Noa as a secretive but kind older woman, hiding in her New York high rise.

However, when Lanie is unexpectedly promoted at work, she becomes Noa's editor, and discovers that Noa is actually much younger, male, and handsome than she had thought. He's also suffering from severe writer's block.

To try and stimulate his creative process and keep her promotion, Lanie and Noah travel to some of Lanie's favorite spots in New York City to find the right setting for his newest novel. Along the way they learn that there is more to romance than popular romance novel tropes.

You can see the ending coming a mile away, but that's okay -- you're reading this book for the HEA, enjoy the ride there.

This book was the cutest thing ever! I thoroughly enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it to someone. Finally, a good, enjoyable book that I read for Once Upon A Book Club because I have not been reading good books. Even though I saw the plot twist happening, I thought it was a very cute and imaginative! Something that I have not read before. It was a very classy book too, where there was not any steamy romantic sex scenes so a breath of fresh air.

Adorable enemies to lovers romance. I enjoyed Lanie and Noah’s trips around NYC to unlock his writer’s block. While definitely predictable, it was an enjoyable and entertaining love story.

Yes, times and reading needs have evolved and the longer the news makes us want to crawl in a hole the MORE we need easy lovely stress free stories like "By Any Other Name" by Lauren Kate to take us away from the insanity. Lanie is herself, a romance book editor, and about to finally get to work with her idol - the writer who inspired her both in her love life, and her career. This author has never appeared in public, Lanie has only ever had contact thru email, but everything is about to change. Okay, it's not totally angst free - Lanie lost her mother when she was a child and an important character's parent suffers from Alzheimer's, BUT, Lanie has two fabulous friends and an even more fabulous grandmother - it's worth the read when you want to forget about the real world and simply sigh.

When I found out that Lauren Kate was releasing an adult romance, I jumped at the chance to read it. When I was 11/12 I read every book that she published and she’s one of the authors that made me enjoy reading from a young age.

I’m rating this book 4.5 amazing stars.

Reading By Any Other Name took me back to that feeling. The happiness, the sitting on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happens next and the fact that you can feel the love through the pages when you’re reading. Noah and Lanie are two characters that just get each other. Their chemistry throughout the book is incredible and it makes me want a love like theirs. Throw in the fact that he’s a writer in New York and she’s his editor and I’m actually obsessed.

By Any Other Name

This is my first romance book I’ve read and reviewed and I tried to keep myself together as I read the last two chapters (and Chapter One of course!). This book is cheesy, and it’s in no way completely realistic. There’s flaws, like Lanie’s ability to call from Italy without needing a new card overseas. That was a fun ordeal I’ve gone through. But do we really read romance for the realism? I read this because I needed it. I needed something cheesy and cute and heartwarming. Something to give me a little bit of squealing giddiness.
This book did that! Seeing Lanie and Noa build their relationship from hatred, but not true hatred, only added to that giddiness because although I knew what was around the corner, sometimes you need that. It’s a safe book. A comfort kind of book. When she went to Italy I knew who would show up. Despite knowing, I was dying for it to happen anyway. When this comes out next year, I really hope those on the fence of this book end up reading it. Especially if you need something easy, fun, and absolutely comforting!

The most compelling part of this story is completely omitted from the blurb, and barely touched upon in the actual book - the fact that these two have been friends via email for SEVEN YEARS. They've connected while editing love stories, exchanging jokes, and playing online chess together. They've never met in person, and our heroine has always assumed that she was communicating with a woman her mother's age... but what was our hero thinking? The story is told exclusively from the heroine's point of view, so this sweet, cinnamon roll of a hero remains a mystery throughout. I wasn't a big fan of the first half - there's almost zero romance, our heroine has a major overreaction, and she's engaged to another man - but the second half ended up being refreshingly great. I'd love to rate this higher, but the best parts are completely underdeveloped.

The story follows Lanie, a book editor who is finally getting her big break. When her boss quits, it becomes Lanie's job to handle her company's biggest client, reclusive romance author Noa. While the two have been exchanging emails for years, Noa has never missed a deadline - until now. With the future of the whole company in jeopardy, it's Lanie's job to get Noa writing again. The only problem? Once they meet in person, Lanie discovers that Noa is not the sweet older woman that she always envisioned - he is a young, attractive guy who knocks Lanie off-balance. She feels deceived and lashes out, causing plenty of friction in their ever-changing relationship. But as the two work on finding Noah's inspiration, their connection grows.

Part of me really wants to rate this as four stars (for the concept), but the other part of me knows the execution doesn't warrant more than three. The author knows that she's got a great concept buried within the story, but she didn't do enough with it. The first half was just a lot of Lanie - Lanie talking about her job, Lanie's relationship with her fiancé, Lanie whining that Noa is a man. It's not until the second half that her relationship with Noah even goes anywhere, or they even spend any time on the page together. I would've loved to have seen some of the emails they wrote to each other in the past, experienced the friendship they had developed before things shifted. Lanie's reaction is so over-the-top that she forgets that Noah is a human being with feelings. I needed more insight into him, not just small observations from Lanie's point of view. I get what the author was trying to accomplish - and would've absolutely LOVED it had it been done well - but it wasn't entirely successful. The ending is jarring but very solid, and left me wanting THAT book - the one I didn't get to read. I received an early copy and am voluntarily leaving a review of this women's fiction / romance crossover.

Foes at the onset, an editor and her secretive author develop a relationship against the odds. Such and enjoyable story about relationships in real life and in book form.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is one of those books where your reading experience and opinion of this will vary depending on what you're in the mood for.

If you want something very light and sappy, maybe a beach read, comfort read or just plain 'ol escapism that's still semi rooted in reality, you'll really enjoy this.

If you want something with substance that's original and memorable, skip this.

I'm part of the latter category. I didn't hate this and I usually don't mind light reads, but this one's not for me. It's heavily cliched (FMC is engaged to someone who seemingly meets her criteria for the perfect man but, surprise, they're not compatible; unoriginal use of the gay best friend, married best friend who complains about her lackluster sex life, raunchy grandma troupes; OTT writing style, etc), cringey and largely forgettable. The chemistry between the MCs felt forced, the characters felt one-dimensional, immature and boring.

The premise seemed promising and there were a few scenes I enjoyed, but overall it's a big no from me. The cover also gives away the "big twist" that's revealed early on in the book, hopefully it's changed before the publication date.

⭐️⭐️.5 / 5

🌿Quick hits: singular POV; enemies to lovers contemporary rom-com set in New York; publishing editor FMC working for one of the biggest names in the romance novel world; great beach read or light escapist read. 🌿

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In all my years reviewing books, this specific review is directed at the PUBLISHER, but I’ll share it with readers. By Any Other Name is written by Lauren Kate and has a few “meet-cute” rom-com moments. However, I truly believe that this is a TRUE ROMANCE novel with heartfelt love, not lusty rolls in the sack (not in the book), no bodice-ripping, and featuring real-life love. The book gets FIVE STARS, and the COVER gets ONE STAR. The cover does not go with this book AT ALL, and I beg Penguin Publishing Group to change it. Where are the tulips, the bridge, and the senior couple sitting on their blanket in the background? There are so many good options to make this cover reflect the written word. @penguinrandomhouse, you have a fantastic story, but a dumb cover that misleads the reader into thinking it’s has little depth and a lot of silliness. Ms. Kate has done a fantastic job, and I love EVERY character in the story, especially Lanie’s grandmother with her hilarious advice. I would like to see more books written with a “love” factor as the Lanie and Noah romance takes a sweet wind-up to the satisfying conclusion. I CHEERED at the ending. I know this isn’t Wuthering Heights, but I don’t think you have to dumb it down for today’s modern Romance reader. To my fellow readers, this book comes out in March 2022, and I will be reminding you regularly to buy this book. To the publisher, I’m on my knees begging you to change that awful book cover. #IMHO #truelove #notcheesy #notsteamy #lovewithfeelings #lovewithmeaning @laurenkatebooks #byanyothername @penguinrandomhouse #penguinpublishinggroup @putnambooks #gpputnamssons
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Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read this book which absolutely delighted me.

3.5 stars! I actually really enjoyed this cute book of mistaken identities. Lanie has it all; her dream career editing for an author she loves, great friends and a loving fiance. When her mentor goes out on maternity leave, she lis left being in charge of all things Noa Callaway, which would be great, except Noa is 4 months late on deadline and she had to coax a new book out of her.. and soon.
Lanie is in love with all of Noa's books and the author is her "love inspiration". I don't want to give too much away, but the twist is revealed pretty early on. Because Lanie has to work so closely with Noa for inspiration for the new book, it has her questioning if she really is in the right relationship and if her life is on the track she wants it to be. This was a very cute, clean romance. I wish it was a little longer to see more of what happend between these two as they progressed, but it was sweet and I loved their banter.
Thank you to Penguin, Netgalley and Lauren Kate for an early copy of this book.

The story starts with Lanie who is a assistant book editor in New York city.
We soon find out that she became an editor because of how a popular writer Noa Calloway's work really influenced her.
The writer in question is very reclusive and has never met her or mostly anyone.

She is currently engaged to a Ryan who doesn't seem the most supportive of her. Most of the story is told from her viewpoint.

Her boss suddenly decides to take a break and Lanie falls into the position of wheedling the next book out of Noa who happens to be a him (to nobody's surprise).

Lanie flips out but soon they develop a rapport and try to solve's Noah's writing block.

The story was nicely done if somewhat short. The final book written by Noah has a lovely concept. They trapeis around New York and I love a book where the city is a character. I liked both Lanie and Noah.

Problems: Lanie ditches her boyfriend out of the blue. Shouldn't she have second thoughts first before that happened. I love a good supporting cast but they were OK. I was not a fan of grandma. She was a tad bit on the annoying side. There was some disparaging of smelly food. As an person of color, the food smell is a sensitive topic and I did not appreciate the intolerance. The book ending felt abrupt. I think more was needed.

Thank you #netgalley for the ARC. The opinions on the book are my own.