The Man I Never Met is a rom com...with a significant dose of seriousness. It is a cross-cultural love story, with a precious meet-cute and it seems very predictable and enchanting until, it isn't. I was heartbroken by the challenges that these characters faced, personally and in their relationship, but the overall track of their lives and growth was positive so the book worked for me.

I must note that the description of the book skips a huge part of the plot - sickness and cancer, as well as depression and lack of motivation to change. I did not see the twist coming and there were parts of the story that seemed unrealistic to me. Also, I spent chapters of this book wanting to yell at Hannah or Davey (or both of them) for their actions and attitudes. Ugh. However, all in all this was a cute book and would be a good book to read over the holiday season as the descriptions of Christmas in London just make me want to celebrate the season!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley, Elle Cook and Dell Publishing for the ARC!

I wasn't sure what to make of this about halfway through. I had so many feelings! Can you truly fall for someone you've never actually met? Emotional connection is an intense thing! I believe Elle portrayed it really well. When you know, you know. Regardless of the circumstances of how. Just wish there would've been a trigger warning of the huge twist in the beginning with Davey. Overall, I enjoyed it!

“Nowhere. Everywhere. I know I’m going to sound like a dick if I say I went to go find myself especially when it didn’t work. I didn’t find myself. And so I went to go find you, without finding you.” This line. This fucking line BROKE me. Every single tear I was holding in throughout this book was unleashed.

This book is short is utterly beautiful. I thought this was going to be a fun rom com type book about someone never being able to meet up with Mr. Right but I was so wrong but in the best way. Honestly one of the most well constructed right person wrong time books ive ever had the privilege to read. I am a fast reader but I read this entire book within two hours because of how invested I was in Hannah and Davey’s relationship. I felt like I was going on every ride at Six Flags throughout those two hours.

Like I mentioned I thought this was going to be a silly little book, but I was wrong. This book got into the nitty gritty aspect of being in a long distance relationship and not being able to help the person like you truly want. Especially when it pertains to their declining health like in Davey’s case. This book brought me to the brink of tears describing the yearn they both had for each other during them not talking and the struggle of trying to move on but still being hung up on the past. But it wasn’t until when they were finally so close to each and always missing each other that I lost it. I cried for a solid thirty minutes, just rereading them together after all this time. It was truly beautiful.

Hannah lives in England and she gets a call from the USA from Davey shall we say a misdial. They decide to continue with texting and then it involves video calling. They bond quickly and Davey let’s her know he is moving to London for a job as an architect. Hannah is beside herself and can’t wait to meet him in person.
Joan is her neighbor and landlord and they have coffee once a week and they rate their coffee favors and chit chat. She has told Joan who is a older and she confides in her. Joan has started dating Geoff and they now are having adult sleepovers. Miranda is Hannah’s best friend and she is with Paul. Miranda, Paul and Hannah hang out every Saturday night together and they definitely have heard all about Davey.
Davey is heading out for his flight but never shows up at the airport that Hannah is waiting at? We go through weddings, not terrific relationships, great friendships, family ties and the will to live.

This book was emotional throughout the entirety of it but I just kept wanting the best for Hannah and Davey. The author really grew the characters and made you want to keep reading to find out the story. Couldn’t put this book down plus some information about a certain topic.

I received this ARC from Netgalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book was such a beautiful tale of the connection made instantly between two strangers, both on opposite sides of the world. When Davey dials the wrong number for a job interview and Hannah just happens to pick up, a truly memorable friendship is immediately sparked. I loved watching their friendship grow into something so special, something so much more while never having actually met in real life.

I was a little put off on Davey through parts of the book because his give up attitude and stupid decisions were so annoying sometimes! And Hannah also had her moments as she basically seemed to take a backseat to her life and just stay stuck in her rut. But no matter the frustration, I was still rooting for them to work out and finally be able to meet in person, so obviously the writer knew what she was doing!

Overall this book gave me a ton of feels, and I absolutely loved all of them. Without giving too much away, know that there are some triggers involving cancer and sickness, but the storyline overall deals more with friendship, love, and self discovery.

5/5 stars and thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the digital book for my honest review.

This was heavy but beautiful. Hannah and Davey (horrible name for a grown man) spark a relationship after a wrong number call. Their connection is sweet and has so much potential. Things go wrong and sad and the timing is so off. I don't want to give anything away because this story will really squeeze your heart. There's lots to reflect on with this book. Mr. Right Now isn't always the best path; go with your gut; don't settle; fight for others and yourself. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC

I absolutely loved the concept of this book. Elle (Lorna) Cook usually writes a different genre, but I think she found herself a new one! I became emotionally invested in Hannah and Davey very quickly. I had to keep reading so I could know what was going to happen between them. There were times I wanted to yell things to Hannah, that’s when you know it’s good – like yelling at a sports game on TV! At first, the book is told through Hannah’s point of view, but then it switched and gave us both Hannah’s and Davey’s point of view. I really enjoyed this progression because it felt like I was getting to know what exactly was going on in Davey’s head. This book was so cute, and now I want to know more. I want a sequel for this book! I would highly recommend this book.

THE MAN I NEVER MET - ELLE COOK
4⭐
The plot was so intriguing..the connection, friendship and banter before their supposed meet was superb.
The cause for him not turning up wasn't typical and it was actually quite deep (check T/W).
There was heartbreak, sadness and grief.
I loved Hannahs journey , her character development was fantastic.
I only wish we had a little more of them when they actually do meet.
Overall thoroughly enjoyed this one.

The beginning had me questioning if it was worth continuing not because i didn't like it BUT because im not used to the long distance type of romance, especially one where they've never met. I did continue though and I don't regret it, im so happy I chose to continue because it was really worth it. What I do wish is that they had more scenes together and to be able to read more about their story other than the beginning. There was a lot of angst and frustration, even had to put my phone down a couple times to rethink. I fell in love with this and will definitely recommend!

The Man I Never Met is filled with delight! On a whim, Hannah answers an unknown number on her phone setting off a chain of events to last a lifetime. On the other end of the line is Davey, an American trying to have a phone interview with an office in London. Their chance encounter turns into a platonic friendship and eventually to one with real possibilities for romance. The only catch is, Davey doesn’t show up at the airport in London. As life begins to unravel, both Hannah and Davey are forced to make decisions in their own best interests. Their connection seems impossible to forget, but how can you love someone you’ve never met? I really liked this exploration of the possibility of how two people can truly be connected and even more the idea of falling in love without having met in person. Elle Cook has written a novel filled with fun, excitement, tragedy, romance and hope all wrapped together. Out in November, The Man I Never Met is perfect for curling up on the coach and getting lost!

A sincere thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book hooked me right away and I loved it instantly. That said, I almost stopped reading it because it deals with cancer and illness, something that is not clear from the summary. Despite it being difficult to read at times, I'm so glad I kept going because it's truly a beautiful love story. I loved both Hannah and Davey and all their friends so much. The author totally had me in suspense right to the end as to how the characters were going to find their HEA. (It's not a spoiler to say they did since this is a romance). Even though the characters were rarely in scenes together, their chemistry shined through.

This book kept me guessing until the last pages! I was not sure how it would turn out and recommend it for fans of Sophie Kinsella and Abby Jimenez.

Well, I had so many feelings while reading this book.
At the beginning, I thought it was going to be a "cat-fishing" book. Then a "ghosted" book. Then I thought it was going to be a sweet vacation romance that turned into a real romance. But then, BAM, what in the world, I did not expect that to happen at all!!!
-- I wish there had been a trigger warning and I wish the acknowledgements had been at the beginning of the eARC and not the end, the story would have been that much more emotional for me, personally.

But weirdly enough, when I thought it was going to be a "cat-fishing" story, I totally turned off my emotions because I did not want to connect with any of the characters. I decided I did not like Davey if he was going to be that kind of guy, and I really did not want to go through all that pain with Hannah.
I enjoyed seeing the growth and maturity of Davey and Hannah via the dual POV.

I am glad I pushed through because it turned out to be such a heart warming second chance romance. I want to book a trip to Tuscany and find a field of poppies.


Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for my eARC. All thoughts are my own.

Every. Single. Star.
I loved this story. Not your typical British romcom. Hannah and Davey connect when he calls the wrong number. But they soon become friends and more. But yet having never met. Something changes in their plans to finally meet and they seem destined to never make it to find each other.

I wasn’t sure where this one was headed, but when it arrived I broke for both Davey and Hannah. Their story felt real and I became invested. I couldn’t put this one down and yet didn’t want it to end either.

This book captured me from the beginning and I fell in love with the characters and the storyline. It didn’t go quite the way I expected but I really enjoyed it!

I’m thankful for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my review and I look forward to more from this author in the future!

This book was a lot different than I thought it would be. I had to DNF because of the content. Trigger warnings for cancer. I also felt like the writing was a little all over the place and the MC’s thoughts were all over the place.
Also, who takes a shower, puts on a towel, then sits down to call a girl and chats for a while and then takes a pic of yourself practically naked with water droplets all over after about five minutes? It just didn’t work for me.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, I was provided an ARC of The Man I Never Met by Elle Cook via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

***** Publishing November 22,2022*****

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A heart wrenching love story that will leave you feeling satisfied in the end!

Hannah lives and works in London. She hasn’t had much luck in the romance department. Her neighbor, Joan is an older women whom she confides in over coffee every morning.

One day, Hannah receives a phone call that is a wrong number, from Davey, an architect, who lives in Texas. When he proceeds to accidentally calls her twice in a row, she gives him advice on how to find the right number for his over the phone job interview. They proceed to text each other and start become more than friends over the phone with video calls. When tragedy strikes, Davey ends the relationship. Will Hannah be able to forgive and forget or will she pursue him? Hannah moves on with her friend George, a personal trainer, but will this relationship be the one? Her heart is still with Davey. Will Hanna end up finding “the one” or will she just have to accept she is better off alone, while her friends are off getting married. This book will have you turning the pages to find out Hannah’s fate.

A book that is hard to put down and will leave you thinking about it long after its done. Perfect for book clubs!

I can't believe I'm saying this but I just had to DNF this one. I had such high expectations for this book but I couldn't bring myself to finish it and to be honest, I can't pinpoint why

* I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All thoughts are my own.

I absolutely LOVED this book!! I loved Hannah and really liked Davey (we get a little less of him throughout the story). I really liked reading Hannah’s story because it’s includes the ups and downs of a relationship so she felt like a real woman in her twenties. The authors note at the end is very heartfelt and you can tell absolutely inspired this story.

I would recommend over and over.

I mostly loved this this book. It’s a Brit-lit romance oozing with personal growth vibes. It’s very slow burn and the characters are sometimes frustrating but I found myself rooting for them 100%. This reminded me very much of One Day in December by Josie Silver which I thoroughly enjoyed. I think that a little more communication between Davey and Hannah as the book progressed would have been nice as the long-distance pining got a little repetitive. Davey was absolutely an endearing character and his story was done so well. I don’t know if the author has any personal experience with cancer but it read very heartfelt and truthful to me. Overall, this is what I love about Brit-lit…the earnest introspection that borderlines on overthinking but is a nice antidote to the sometimes brash, more obvious American romances.