A little unsure about this one. As someone who is guilty of having 3 books on the go, I was really looking forward to The Heart of the Deal as it promised Rom-com easy reading but it didn’t quite live up to expectations.

There were elements I really enjoyed: the depiction of female friendships, a protagonist grappling to forge a healthy work-life balance and the way she challenges misogyny in the workplace with her poems.

However, the romance elements of the book is where I felt it fell flat. I think many people will relate to the fertility concerns that Rae has but reading about the way she sacrifices so much of herself in an attempt to be Dustin’s saviour was difficult to read.

The Heart Of The Deal opens on our main character Rae's 25th birthday. Her biological clock is ticking, and she makes a rash vow--schedule included--to be married by thirty so she can have her kids by 35.

It sounds like the premise of a comedy, but this is anything but. The Heart of the Deal is an unflinching, unromanticized, and utterly compelling exploration of love, friendship, mental illness, and the cost of commitment. It is real; it is raw, with occasional moments of light humor, biting social commentary, and some exquisite poetry. You can't help rooting for these characters. Rae and her best friend Ellen are the kind of friends we all wish we had--supportive and yet brutally honest when necessary. Rae's experiences working on Wall Street are by turns enraging and inspiring. The detailed, concrete glimpses of New York City life makes this a vivid read; it's clear the author is writing from lived experience.

The book covers a full five years, but it's a testament to the quality of the story that the time rarely feels skimmed over.

Thank you NetGalley for this E-ARC !
This book deserves 5 stars. I love all romcoms taking place in NYC . It makes it so much better. Rae and Dustin are the main characters . They both have their issues, I feel for Rae I always thought you had to be married by 30. Now being 30 I’m glad I’m not married. I love watching Rae grow as a character. I HIGHLY recommend this book.

Once I started this I could not stop. Rae’s journey in this book is fantastic.
Her platonic love is just as, if not more important and amazing in this story as the romantic love. Her self discovery and growth was fantastic. The writing was beautiful and it was so nice to read about someone in their 30’s instead of 20’s. It felt very relatable and made me laugh, cry and everything in between.
This is a great read and I will be recommending it to everyone I know

This story explores many forms of love: romantic, platonic, self-love and more. It’s not your straight-shot rom com but an HONEST story full of highs and lows about finding yourself and following your heart. What you thought you wanted out of life may not be what you truly need ⁠— even if you get it. I recommend going into this book with an open mind and get ready for some raw depictions of true depression.

I’ve never highlighted so many quotes in a book I read for leisure before. The writing is perfectly poetic and SO REAL. It felt heart-wrenching to be in the shoes of someone looking at another with depression. Usually, the author puts us into that person’s POV, and we can make judgements from their thoughts but we’re seeing it secondhand. How do you love someone who can’t love themselves? And how do you continue without dulling your own sunshine? As someone who’s been through these stages of life and experienced depression, the only thing I kept flinching at was when Rae kept saying “when he’s better”. I kept thinking, oh, sweetie, no. It’s unpredictable and you could work on controlling it, but it never really goes away — like that hum in your heart.

This is a book I didn’t know I needed. I'm glad Rae was able to leave when she did at each turning point. The ending is a bit open-ended, but I loved it. I know; WHY am I like this? I'm rooting for you, Rae. I couldn’t stop ugly crying after I read the last few lines of the book. BEAUTIFULLY balanced writing that brings out the depths of human emotions.

Thanks to NetGalley & Alcove Press for an advanced copy of this book. And thanks to Lindsay MacMillan for sneezing so much poetic snot into this world. I'm hoping to catch that cold.

I loved everything about this book, from the first page to the very last. The thing that definitely impressed me the most was the writing. It was so beautiful and I feel like this author is exceptional at bringing out emotions and feelings simply by using language. I've marked so many lines that really stood out to me and had such a deep and raw meaning.

The story itself is at times heart-wrenching but also has its uplifting, humorous moments that created the perfect emotional balance. The characters felt very real, especially Rae, and I often found myself able to relate to her in more ways than one. Even though this book deals with darker and heavier topics than I had originally anticipated, for example depression and a very toxic relationship, it was told in a very approachable way that made this story so realistic. I had a great time reading the story of Rae and Dustin and I'd highly recommend this book, even though it's not a traditional romance. But keep tissues nearby because you're going to need them!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this eArc!

DNF @ 30%
I really wanted to like this one, but I just couldn't get into it. I was bored most of the time. And when I wasn't bored, I was annoyed with the characters. Overall I just wasn't having a fun time. This book might be the book for somebody, but that somebody is not me.

This is a contemporary fiction with an interesting blend of different emotions in it. The book focuses on the lead character named Claire. The plot takes the reader on a rollercoaster of emotions and feelings as we go along with our protagonist on a road of self discovery and development. The author has written down the an very interesting plotline where the plot focuses on the character development of the protagonist along with amazing characters and scenarios involved in it. The narration of the book is so smooth and easy that the readers are able to enjoy the spirit of the book. There are numerous characters involved yet each shines throughout the book as the author has well potraited each and every character. The book is being layered nicely with the situation and incidents that were quite interesting to read. The characters in the plot kept me hooked till the end. Each has been given sufficient scope to contribute to the plot. The language used is lucid. It is definitely a good read for all the readers.

This book was heartbreaking in such an eloquent way. Rae is in a romantic recession (a phrase that I love!) and relates all of her romantic endeavors to financial terms. The writing was beautiful, but the story was heavy. I could see myself in Rae, struggling to stay in a toxic relationship in her 20s because she wants that happily ever after. However, I couldn't feel the chemistry between Rae and Dustin, especially with the way he treated her. 

The Scramblettes were a fun bunch. It made me miss my girlfriends from my 20s and how we all moved on once we got significant others. This book was equal parts haunting, relatable and loveable, but I strongly disliked the ending.

2.5 ⭐️

Really wanted to like this one but couldn’t get past the pacing and the toxicity of their relationship to really get too invested into the story.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review! I was so excited for this debut as I thought the synopsis sounded so good and I am really into illustrated covers right now! Huge 5 star read and it was just really well done. It makes you feel emotions and isn't just a light read. She really digs in deep and I thought it was great.

It’s been awhile since a book really made me FEEL. Like genuine heart aching feelings. It wasn’t the romance novel I expected, but I loved it so much. I’m almost at a loss for words, because I feel like I’m still processing the ups and downs.

My favorite relationship is between Rae and Ellen. Their friendship was totally relatable and they felt like real people. I always love seeing strong female friendships, especially in a book like this, where the main character desperately needs the support.

This one will definitely be a reread. I feel like there’s more I could get out of it depending entirely on my mood and current life circumstances. I can’t wait for the release!

Thank you to Alcove Press and Netgalley for this book in exchange for an honest review

4/5

Despite the cover, this book is not a fluffy, pink, happy romance. And thats why I have come to love it so much.

This book follows rae, as she is in a romantic recession. Yet I wouldn't save this book is completely a romance book. This book follows Rae as she finds her way through her late 20s, with friends, romance and career as a women in corporate america. The side characters felt so realistic, heartfelt and human!

The way that Lindsey McMillan wrote this book, makes it not feel fake, overly romanticised, but real, which is something I extremely appreciate. I wouldn't say this is a romance however, but just gives us a glimpse in self discovery. Rae starts aspiring for love to accomplish a goal of marriage and childbirth, however her growth is evident not only revolved around these plans yet throughout (quite awkward) time jumps we see a change of her expression, by the authors writing style which on the literary analysis side, I really enjoyed

However, I felt there was fault in the characterisation of the love interests. They honestly seems like blank slate with not so much personality, and weren't really pleasant to see along. I could never tell their attitude which felt quite ambiguous as a reader, and I think that, accompanied with the slow pacing (which I will get into next) felt very unnecessary. I did enjoy those scenes however I think that we're not done well because of your characterisation.

That brings me to pacing. This book works in a way which is very weird Lee time jumpy, which felt very confusing for a lot of it. I felt like the introduction was overly Long however the somewhat conflict and ending felt really rushed and confusing at times. It was presented well however, and was somewhat cohesive, but was quite confusing especially at the beginning

Lastly… The title. I don't understand what it means. Is it somewhat to refer to her job in corporate America? I feel like the title definitely need some alterations.

Overall, hopefully a book that I would recommend. This definitely feels like a book which I will see more people reading as time passes by, due to the enjoyable interactiveness and plot. I really hope that it can get more recognition

I really enjoy this cute story. The plot kept me interested and I will definitely recommend to my friends!

I didn’t love this one, but I think that it was the mental health aspect that caused me to struggle. I find that after dealing with mental health situations in real life I don’t enjoy reading stories with these heavy parts. It may be a great one for someone else!

I appreciated how real this book is. Not a worked up happy ever after but a true portrayal of how many loves and relationships play out in the real world. Certain parts felt like they were dragging along and I feel the story overall was much longer than it needed to be. I liked the story itself though and look forward to future books by MacMillan.

The following review will be posted on Sunday, June 5th, two days before publication. It will be shared on Twitter and Instagram between that Sunday, and the publication date (Tuesday, June 7th), but the review has already been posted on Goodreads. The blog post includes links to pre-order the books and to its Goodreads page, so readers can add it to their to-be-read books.

“She was living the life she thought she should, not the life she thought she could.”

Genre: Fiction, New Adult, Romance
Actual Rating: 4 stars
Content Warnings: Depression and suicidal ideation.

“The Heart of the Deal” is Lindsay MacMillan’s debut novel and it follows Rae, a young Wall Street investment banker who is originally from Indiana, and whose poetic dreams make her feel stuck in her job and, at times, even stuck in New York. She is in her mid-twenties and seeing how life is flourishing for her friends and yes, she’s happy for them, but she’s also heartbroken that she isn’t getting her happily ever after… but what even is her happily ever after supposed to look like? That’s for her to find out and for us to follow along.

First things first, wow. This is a heavy one, but one that’s worth reading. Don’t let the cover fool you, this book is partly about depression and mental health struggles and how they affect the person going through them and how they shift the lives of everyone around them as well.

I’m not the biggest fan of third-person narratives, but I actually really enjoyed reading this book. Because it was in third-person it took me a bit longer to get hooked on it, but once I was, I finished the book as soon as was humanly possible with my work and school schedule.

Full-on disclaimer, I am a big swiftie (aka Taylor Swift superfan) and I can’t even begin to explain how much I loved all the Taylor Swift song references here and there. I had my suspicions that the author was a swiftie (I can usually tell) but with the lil’ Paper Rings scene (and the “fuck the patriarchy” and the “forevermore” and the “single strand of golden thread” and many more), it was all confirmed. It couldn’t be a coincidence anymore. This just made the book a little more enjoyable for me, as I was trying to find all the other imperceptible references.

I feel like there was a lot going on in this book. I’m used to romances that are more straightforward—where the whole plotline revolves around one thing or one period of time. But this book? It’ll take you across state lines and it’ll have you see Rae fall in and out of love various times, something more akin to real life and its volatileness, not just have the main characters fall in love and live their happily ever after right away. Yes, I know that that is what we all want and what a few get, but then there are more of us that have thought we’ve been fully in love with different people at different stages of our lives. Love is always different. Even love between the same two people at different stages of their lives could look radically different when compared, as was also seen in this book. But that’s what makes love so wonderful, isn’t it?

I feel like this book, that’s about a quarter-life crisis, could easily induce a quarter-life crisis on its readers. Lindsay MacMillan will have you thinking about life and what you want from it and what (you think) will make you happy. It’ll make you want to take a leap towards your dreams.

I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who’s single or casually dating under 30, as that seems to be this book’s target audience. Nonetheless, if you’re happily taken or above that age range, don’t hesitate to grab this book. I, myself, am taken and I enjoyed this book thoroughly even though I have never used dating apps, which was a side of the story I couldn’t directly relate to. I think this book would be a wonderful addition to the shelves or any New Adult and YA literature lover. Don’t expect this to be an all-consuming, explicit romance, because it’s not that, but the romantic bits and pieces will still succeed at warming your heart.

If you click here, you’ll be redirected to Goodreads, so you can add the book to your TBR list.

Or you could click here, and be redirected to Amazon, so you can order the book.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: June 07, 2022

“But love wasn’t just the lightness in the air and sunny days with mountain views that stretched for miles. It was the clouds and the weights and the fog that blocked even your own feet sometimes. Real love required finding a way, not walking away.”

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

As someone with depression, the way it was talked about in this novel veered into offensive territory multiple times, as did the way the character with depression was talked about as if he weren’t a fully functioning adult was incredibly jarring. I have to agree with other reviewers who said that it seemed like Rae had a saviour complex, and it made for a very uncomfortable read.

All of this overshadowed everything else about the book for me, but that didn’t matter much anyway, since Rae and her friends didn’t come across as particularly likeable. Plus, as a 28 year old, there’s only so much agonising over turning 25 I can bear to read before I become exhausted.

I really enjoyed this story. It was easy to relate to the characters and be invested in their relationship. Definitely a worthwhile read.

I think it's clear from the one star, but I did not like this book.

Every character is annoying, especially the main character. The relationship between her and Dustin comes one so suddenly and is incredibly toxic. It would be one thing if the author showed this and them improved their relationship over time but she spends most of the book not even with him.

The "Scramblettes" are the girls you went to high school with posting bougie brunch pictures every Sunday that you avoid like the plague. They were obnoxious and immature the entire time.

My main issue with this book, that many others had, is that this is not a contemporary romcom. It's not even romance. I am frustrated and disappointed after reading this.

I received an advanced copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.