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.

Lanie is engaged to Ryan, an ambitious politician who lives in Washington D.C. and has big plans for his life. She is an editor for a publishing house in New York City that has the most popular romance writer, Noa Callaway. The more she thinks about Callaway’s books, she begins to realize that what she has with Ryan is all about him and what he thinks his wife should be. Lanie does not want that life, so they break up. Her association with Noa, whom she previously had not met, proves to hold many challenges and surprises. I loved this book and the friendships that evolve. Lanie’s co-workers and her grandmother are so strong and keep her grounded. I loved the surprise when Lanie meets her acclaimed author and their time together.

I LOVED THIS! It was so much fun - the romance was just right, the characters well done. It was funny and adorable and I just gobbled it up. I can't wait to get a paper copy!

First of all, I really enjoyed this book. A lot. The author’s prose is just a work of art. It kept me so engaged I read it all in one sitting. I just loved it- about 75% of it. My gripes are small, but significant. Lanie’s relationship with Ryan. The author really presents them as solid. It feels like the break up comes out of nowhere. It feels forced almost after Lanie meets Noah. My second gripe is the ending. You know it is coming. The anticipation is there. And then it just…. Ends. I would have liked to see more to the story. Because really, the writing was that good. And I feel it would have been nice as the reader to get to explore lanie and Noah being together. All in all this was a solid 4 stars for me. Thank you to netgalley for the ARC.

Awww! I realized happy tears of a person also look smudgy and ugly! I keep dropping them nonstop! This book is magnetic, heartfelt, magical! It awakens your soul and gives you enough hope to chase your own happiness!

Lanie lives her own dream: thriving career as romance editor, working with her all time favorite author Noa Callaway, having a full filled relationship with her fiancée who checks 99 boxes she’s created for finding man of her dreams.

After two decades she still misses her mother who gave her the real life purpose: chasing the love of her life and never letting him go!

Now she gets the promotion she’d worked so hard: she becomes youngest editorial director of Peony Press but there’s a catch: this promotion is only trial for three months. They didn’t get any manuscript from Noa Callaway for four months and if Lanie cannot get NY Times bestseller- worthy manuscript out of Noa during her promotion period, she will be sagged!

But she says she can do that! But she knows it’s truly hard to connect with her favorite author in person. Noa Callaway is the publishing company’s powerhouse author with forty million books in print around the world. But she’s also the rare publishing phenomenon who doesn’t do publicity. Nobody knows how she looks like instead of Alice De Rue: Lanie’s ex boss who retired after her maternal leave.

Even she never saw her face: Lanie believes they have a unique connection with the author. They are playing online chess for years and Noa always sends her inspirational and entertaining text messages.

What could go wrong? Well, she didn’t count two things: Noa is having a terrible writer’s block and Noa keeps a scandalous secret from them for seven years which shake Lanie to the core and make her question everything she believes in love. Because she wrote that those 99 boxes inspired by Noa’s novel. But what if everything she believes about love is full of lies like Noa has been telling them for years.

Overall: I loved the main characters a lot. But BD is my favorite, smart, entertaining supporting character. I also enjoyed to read Rufus and Meg’s parts.

Romance parts were slow burn and magical. The author’s location choice of Gapstow Bridge Central Park couldn’t be so right. Me and my husband shot a movie in NYC and we also chose this location at the ending tear jerking, emotional scene of lovers! That’s also my favorite place in the city!

I always love to read books about books. The end of Elizabeth and Edward’s story was amazing. I wish the author wrote a real book about them.

Only thing I didn’t like much was lack of enemies to lovers troupe: because at the beginning MCs’ first encounter gives us that vibe. But they quickly made truce and moved on. I wish the main characters spend more time together. And there were more chapters in this book showing they’re discovering new places in NY together.

I loved the slow burn romance idea and conclusion at the end. But I wish we see more chemistry and intimacy. We only see those parts from Lanie’s perspective. But we didn’t know what’s going on in our hero’s end till the end of the book.
I’m giving my romantic, big apple, books in books, romance reader, smiling, feelgood stars.

Special thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam/ G. P. Putnam’s Sons for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book- and it was a light refreshing love story with lots of likable characters. I especially love the ending. I was given an ARC of this one from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

I really enjoyed this book! I loved how it took place in the book publishing world. I was invested in the story & happy with how it ended. I would recommend it to friends!

Maybe 2.5 stars? It seems unfair to rate this one at three stars, since I also gave Helen Hoang's books three stars, and they were SO much more charming. (it's possible now that I'm reading more contemporary romance, that I need to go back and re-rate Hoang's books in relation to the actual genre, rather than in relation to Crooked Kingdom.) In the end, IDK, I liked this as a filler book? But I don't know that I'd enthusiastically recommend it to anyone?

Pros:
• Unlike some other romance ARCs I've picked up and abandoned, I actually wanted to read this one to the end.
• The main characters were kind of charming and the whole thing went down really easy.

Cons:
• The supporting characters were the same NY stereotypes that we've been seeing since SATC days (and Probably Before Then, I just don't have that reference point)
• Ends pretty much at first kiss, just in case you were hoping for Steamy Bits

Also, I now am very very interested in the physics of confetti cake balloons. That just seems...unsanitary.

I love romantic stories set in the world of writers and book publishing, so I was predisposed to love this story about Lanie, a New York-based romance publishing editor, and her publishing house's prolific blockbuster writer, whom Lanie's admired and worked with for many years but has never met. When the author's writer's block starts to cause headaches for the publishing schedule and her work life, Lanie has to level up and level with one writer's massive ego and reclusive work habits to earn a coveted promotion and help produce a manuscript they can all be proud of. This is a sweet, smart, heartfelt (closed-door) romance that has you rooting for this endearing couple.