Hannah is cruising along when she answers a phone call that will change her life. Davey is calling a number that he believes is for his job interview, but he gets the number wrong and ends up calling Hannah. The two end up hitting it off and pseudo-dating over the phone lines. When Davey finds out he got the job, they plan their meeting in London. When that day arrives, things don't end up working as they had planned and when Davey does not arrive at the airport, their lives are sent spiraling. But will fate bring them together to actually meet face to face? This was a fun light read that was very enjoyable. I will for sure pick up another book by Cook. 4 stars. Thank you, NetGalley for the eARC.

4.5 Stars. This was such a beautiful, romantic and heartbreaking book and I really loved it. The way that Hannah and Davey "met" was just so organic and unique and what they built based off that was truly amazing. Then when they actually met after so much heartbreak, it was truly amazing. I only wish we could have gotten more of the ending. Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC.

I went into reading this book expecting a light hearted fun rom com and I was so surprised! Pleasantly surprised! I loved this story so much! George absolutely sucks. Davey is INCREDIBLE! The ending was perfection 🙌🏻

CW: Cancer. Abusive relationships.

This book was a massive slow burn. I’m very glad I stuck with it until the end because that author note had me in tears.

Were the characters likeable? Not really—unless we’re talking about Joan here—did I want to strangle some of them a time or two? Yes—specially Hannah, for staying in a relationship with so many red flags for as long as she did.

Not gonna lie, this one is not gonna be on my top “favorite books of all time” list, but there is value to it.

Even though I’ve lost my mother to cancer, I couldn’t imagine what the author’s gone through as I was only 3 years old when that happened. I couldn’t even fathom what it would feel like to have your husband, best friend and life partner go through such a hard and trying time. I couldn’t imagine the pain and exhaustion both of them must’ve endured. I’m glad her husband got the better outcome of that 50/50 battle.

This book will definitely remind you that life is short and while it can offer so much, it can also take it all away as fast as one can blink.

Thank you to the author’s husband for letting her share his story, to bring awareness to anyone who reads this book to do self-checks regularly to try and prevent such a nasty disease to take hold.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Group for a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not going to lie, I totally thought Hannah was about to get scammed in the first 25% of this book. But then we got a Davey POV chapter, realized he was a real person, and I was relieved.

This is a rollercoaster of a story. There's a chance encounter, a shocking reveal, illness, and a toxic relationship. I think this falls more under women's fiction umbrella than romance.

While I adore the slow progression of Davey and Hannah's relationship, I did not like how so much of this book was focused on Hannah's interim relationship. I also hoped Hannah would end up becoming more self-assertive after realizing how she is, but that doesn't really happen in the book. And I felt like the ending was drastically unsatisfying considering how drawn out Davey and Hannah's romantic story was. I also don't know why the two of them couldn't just confess to the other at any point of the book?!

I do respect and appreciate that this book showcases how cancer can affect a person and the people around him. You can tell the subject matter is close to the author, considering how raw some of these chapters feel.

Overall, I found this to be a bit too long, was not a big fan of the fmc, but it still had its charm.

Rating : 4 out of 5
Blurbs : Is it possible to love someone you've never met? A young woman finds out in this sweeping love story that begins with a chance wrong number dial. . . .

When Hannah picks up a call from an unknown number, she thinks nothing of it—it’s just an easygoing American named Davey who misdialed her while calling into a job interview. And when Hannah wishes him luck after clearing up the confusion, she never actually expects to hear from him again.

Then she gets a text saying he got the job and he’ll be moving to London, and she can’t help but smile. Soon their texts become phone calls that turn into video calls, and their friendship becomes a relationship they can’t wait to start in earnest once Davey lands in London in a month’s time.

But when Hannah goes to meet him at the airport, Davey isn’t there—and the reason why changes both of their lives in an instant. With their future together suddenly so uncertain, they don’t know what to do but try to move on from each other.

Though their chance at love seems lost forever, neither is never far from the other’s thoughts. Will fate intervene once more to bring the two together, or will Davey always be the man that Hannah never met?

Thoughts : Thank you Netgalley for the ARC. I love the blurbs...they're very interesting. The pacing is okay. Sadly this book can't make me care for the characters, both Hannah and Davey. The ending also not really my favorite but I still recommend this book if you like sweet romance.

Oh how I loved this story...it was just the sweet romance I needed right now. Part of why it really hit well with me is the depth and "realness" of the situation. Life isn't always roses and rainbows, and I thought this book did a good job portraying real life struggles. The ending went down differently than I was expecting, and I enjoyed both the Davey and Hannah character. Overall very enjoyable!

I really enjoyed the first 30% of this book and then end. Love triangles aren’t my thing so when a different man enters the picture I was so frustrated! Haha! Overall it was a sweet/fun read and I would definitely recommend to to rom com lovers that don’t mind love triangles 😊

Hannah is enjoying her life in London when she receives a call intended for someone else. Davey was intending to call for a job interview from his home in Texas when he accidentally calls Hannah. This chance encounter sets the two on a course of texts, phone calls and video chats. Through the ups and downs of their changing lives, we are left wondering will they or won’t they connect? I enjoyed the plot and the cast of characters.

Thank you to Elle Cook, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Dell for an advance copy of this book for an honest review. It was such a delightful read.

I'm not a particularly emotional person but this book made me cry. Going into The Man I Never Met, I expected a heartwarming friends-to-lovers romance and while there are certainly moments which were up to my expectations, this book is so much more than that. Elle Cook has written an amazing, monumental novel which is so, so much more than I expected from a cartoon cover.

Such a genuine and heartfelt read. I really enjoyed reading the dual POVs and though that the relationship between Hannah and Davey seemed authentic. I do have to say that I wish the ending was a bit more fleshed out than it was, but overall, I thought the book was so sweet.

Davey! We were lucky enough to score an ARC of The Man I Never Met from @lornacookauthor

An answered wrong number leads to a new relationship with beautiful future possibilities only to fall apart before it’s truly begun. This one will have you in tears and demanding a HEA for these two!

I absolutely devoured this book. The writing was absolutely beautiful and I loved the chemistry between Hannah and Dave’s when they first begin texting. While the path of their relationship takes lots of twists and turns that will have you feeling all the feels it is absolutely worth the ride!

#novemberreads #newreleases #romance #romancereads #romancebooks #bookstagram #igreads #spicyreads #booksofinstagram #readingtime #ilovebooks #bookobsessed #currentlyreading #igreads #instaread #readersofig #booksofig #readmorebooks #alwaysreading #readabook #bookrecommendation #bookstagrammers

I must admit, I am not much of a romance reader. In the beginning, I debated on whether to finish this book. But at one point in the story, my interest increased and I am so glad that I kept reading.

Hannah and Davey, the main characters are likable and interesting. I liked that each of them had some good friends and great parents behind them. I also liked that the story took readers to some interesting locations throughout the book.

A wrong number is what gets Hannah and Davey together. They hit if off and begin texting and doing FaceTime calls. Davey is moving to England and Hannah is so excited to meet him in person. She goes to the airport to meet him when he steps off the plane. But he never arrives.

For me, this was the turning point in the story. I had to keep reading to find out what happens to this couple. As with any decent romance, the ending in wonderful. I loved it and highly recommend this to anyone feeling the need for a good romantic story.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for allowing me to read an advance copy. I am happy to give my honest review.

So many feelings!

A wrong phone call places two strangers in each other's orbit.

Hannah is single and living in London. She is a young woman who is happy with her life, she spends time with her best friend and her friend's husband.

Davey is British but he has been living in the USA since he was a child.

When Davey calls Hannah by mistake, their paths will intersect. The same night Davey send a text telling her that he got the job. He is going to be moving to London. More texts followed over the next few days. They graduate then to phone calls and lastly to video calls over the next few months. A friendship begins until new feelings start developing on both sides.

As Davey's move becomes imminent, the two can stop thinking about it and be excited to finally be together. Hannah decides to pick him up at the airport but Davey never shows and the reason behind it is a big one.

Thoroughly enjoyed this love story of serendipity mixed with hope! I liked both characters and I was rooting for a happy ending. The secondary characters were also quite interesting and good friends all around.

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Dell via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This story starts out with Hannah. She’s walking back to her apartment and her phone rings. She sees that it’s an American phone number. This man misdialed and was actually trying to make an over the phone job interview. he was a little bit late for it but ended up getting the job. He texted Hannah and told her he got the job and Hannah texted back and said congratulations. From there they kept talking. She learns his name is Davy and that he will be moving to London for his new job. But within days of Davy leaving tragedy strikes Davy and he is forced to put his life on hold.

I loved this book so much. I cried during that plot. I was so sad for Hannah. This is honestly my favorite read of 2023. I will definitely be buying a copy of this book. It was such a beautiful ending to an amazing story.

Such a wonderful, heartwarming story! Well written characters that you don't stop rooting for throughout their journeys. Perfect for any romance readers who want a well thought out plot & don't stop rooting for HEA.

This book was cute and I would recommend it to someone who reads the occasional romance book. For me, I was a little disappointed with the plot line. I have read a lot of stories lately with the wrong phone number, dial, and they keep in touch plot line. It just seems to be overdone and a little far fetched for me.

Hannah and Davey's story is so complicated, and so beautiful. I have to say, I really loved the complications that each character faced - Davey with his cancer and Hannah with her unfulfilling relationship and missing/loving a man she's never met. Hannah is that lovely heart of gold personality that you can't help but love, and the fact that she's with some gym-bro douche is maddening. George (the gym-bro) is an all too familiar character that I've unfortunately crossed paths with many times, so he was written with incredible accuracy. Davey, sweet and broken Davey...his fatal flaw of pride? I ate it up.

Overall, I sincerely really loved this story.

It took me months to finish this. I did not enjoy this book very much, I think it was not the time to read it and at the same time it was not what I expected. I feel like I was expecting a feel good romance but I found a deeper and sadder book than the one I was willing to read at the time. It wasn't the book's fault, I don't think The man I never met is a bad book.

I would recommend it for readers looking for a contemporary fiction book with a bittersweet romance and lots of drama.

I loved Hannah and Davey, except that his name is Davey for a grown man haha. But this story was so cute and kept you rooting for both of them individually and together.