This was a fun memoir. I learned about it through Zibby Owens' podcast and was so glad I had a chance to read it.

This was an interesting love story. I thought that this story was lighthearted but also self-indulgent. This could have been better as a short story. I usually dont rate Memoirs but I had a hard time getting through this one sadly.

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for this e-arc!

Almost Romance explores unfailing love between two people mirroring their early meetups and them now all sparked by a letter
I really enjoyed reading this memoir. The writing felt like i was catching up with a friend so engaging

An intriguing memoir of a friendship, or romance, or soulmate connection. I won't give away spoilers, except to say this provides an interesting reflection on friendship, romance, love, and life. Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Little A for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The cover and title of Almost Romance caught my eye, and I expected a contemporary romance until I read the description. When I saw the book was a memoir about a heartfelt, decades-spanning-friendship-turned-maybe-romance, I was just as interested. It was clear from the first few pages that Nancy and Howie had a once in a lifetime, soulmate connection even if they convinced themselves they were meant to be just friends. VERY When Harry Met Sally.

After reading, my opinion is that the author Nancy is clearly overflowing with personality and someone I’d love to know in real life. I pictured her as a later-in-life Cher Horowitz: likeable, intuitive, effervescent. The kind of person that makes those around her feel at ease, and someone who sees the best in nearly everyone. That being said, I also feel that Almost Romance read more like a blog than a book. That’s not necessarily a criticism – the author’s personality translated well to the page, and had a kind of familiarity that made me root for her and Howie from the start. Their friendship and subsequent relationship was described beautifully, and even though the ending is hardly a surprise, it was rewarding to experience it vicariously through Nancy. Without giving too much of a spoiler, I wish we got to see more of their lives after where the story ended.

Things I liked: inspiring yet light story, great humor, fun flashbacks, fast paced, decent length, great descriptions of NYC and the wonderful people in Nancy's life there, the way she let us "meet" her family but also protected their privacy

Things I didn’t like: some parts felt lacking in structure, many run-on sentences that were hard to follow, excessive Hollywood references I wasn’t familiar with

Almost Romance is a memoir chronicling Nancy and Howie’s relationship from flirty friends to soulmates. Told with humor and emotion, the story was an interesting look at love and friendships evolving.

“…doesn’t wistfully referring to someone as “the one that got away” suggest that this person “got away” completely of their own accord, slipping out through an unattended portal? But what if “the one” “got away” because, in fact, they were shoved out the door, bum’s-rush style?
That’s the story I remember.”

The story felt a bit drawn out as Nancy sometimes seemed to run off a tangent… but don’t we all?
-3 Stars-

This story is engaging, and I believe that people who love real-life romance stories or who appreciate the friends-to-lovers trope often found in fiction will enjoy this book! However, Nancy's writing style isn't really for me; she's overly conversational to the point that she often goes on tangents, and her storytelling occasionally feels stream-of-consciousness instead of well-thought out and structured. Definitely an acquired taste, but that's okay!

I wavered between giving this memoir three and four stars, because the writing is uneven, the author constantly and sometimes annoyingly name-drops (mostly celebrities a younger generation will not know & plays they won’t have seen/read), and her style is frenetic and long-winded. However, even though we know how this romance ends, or rather, truly begins, this memoir is hard to put down. And it contains some delightfully funny episodes interspersed with deep emotional insights into the nature of romance.

Nancy Balbirer, an actress-turned-writer, and Howard Morris, writer of the popular streaming series “Grace and Frankie,” first met back in college in New York City. In classic movie rom-com style, it was boy meets girl…again and again and again. For 32 years, they teeter-tottered between an abiding friendship and romance, despite each eventually living on separate coasts. But they never really fully connected or committed to one another. They each lived separate lives, married different people, had children, worked hard at their craft, divorced their respective spouses, yet never lost touch. This is the story of how Nancy and “Howie” finally chose one another—and who intervened on their behalf (it’s a large cast!) to help them see they were made for one another, as the saying goes.

Readers who like breezy reading, witty dialogue, and theatrical references will enjoy the snapshot moments into the romantic intrigue that lies beneath this couples’ many encounters over the years. Balbirer also creates poignancy through the inclusion of email exchanges between herself and Morris that reflect their states of mind throughout the decades. Given that this is a galley with only a few photos, it’s hard to know if photos of the couple through the years and finally together will be included in this memoir. But they would certainly enhance it and save readers from having to Google images, as this reviewer did, to enjoy the spark and sparkle that seem to emanate from this couple at long last.

This review is based on an Advance Reading Copy provided by the publisher.