I was a bit disappointed when I wasn't able to connect with the main character. I'm all for new beginnings and the excitement of new romance, but the (onesided) insta-love, fairytale expectations, and often judgemental mindset was a little off-putting.

What if you were staring out your flat window and spotted a handsome man sitting on the upper deck of a bus, and made up a story in your head that surely he must be some English Prince Charming, but he turned out to be an Average Joe from the American Midwest instead? What a bummer. This is what happens to Kat, an American in London with a laser focus on her career, who also has had her mind warped by countless rom-coms to expect fire and sparks and all the grand gestures. After getting up the courage to get on the same bus one day, she meets Rory, who ends up being a humble school teacher on an exchange program instead of a posh Eton boy named Alexander, and firmly puts him in the friend zone. Rory, however, is like an excitable puppy, and is thrilled to have found a friendly face from home. As they navigate their new friendship through hardships at Kat's corporate job, Kat makes an abrupt 180 and realizes that maybe real love is the kind of quiet, comfortable love that doesn't make a splash, but is steady.

This story had potential for me, but fell short because of Kat's unlikability and internalized misogyny, especially when it came to her career versus her best friend and mother's decisions to stay home, and her rationalization of workplace sexual assault to further her career. Neighbor Jules' phonetically spelled Cockney accent made for difficult reading and took away from the flow of the story, rather than adding to it, and Kat's complete transformation from career girl to happily fulfilled domestic goddess was very unrealistic to me, as someone who has been there, done that. Overall, I would recommend this one only if you really love a London setting.

Thanks #NetGalley for the advanced copy of #DoubleDeckerDreams by Lindsay MacMillan in exchange for an honest review.

In regards to the being honest part, I'll be very honest and let you know that I hated the FMC at the beginning of this book - well, really for a good chunk of the book if I'm being really honest. She was entitled and selfish and I wanted someone better for the MMC than her. Rory was sweet and kind and deserves someone who will treat him right and I didn't think Kat could be that person. In fact, I probably would have DNF'd this book if it hadn't been an ARC but it was so I stuck with it and it did take me longer to finish this book than it usually takes me to finish a book but I finished it and by the end, I was crying big, sloppy tears of happiness for these two.

This book shows a very realistic view point of love and finding and living out your HEA so if you are the kind of person that complains that romance novels set unrealistic standards for love, then you will probably love this book. Rory and Kat don't fall in love in a blaze of passion, they fall in love piece by piece with a slow simmer of devotion.

Thank you Alcove Press and NetGalley for the ARC of Double Decker Dreams! All opinions in this review are my own.

I had to DNF this book at 11%. I didn't mind Kat daydreaming about the man she saw through her window on the bus, but it was starting to get old when he hadn't made an appearance at this point in the book. Once Kat started having "conversations" with him on her trip to Bath, I couldn't read anymore.

While in London on a 6-month project, American consultant Kat has her eyes set on 2 major goals. By the end of her project, she plans to get promoted to partner and fall in love with a handsome Englishman. One morning, Kat sees what she believes is the man of her dreams riding around on a double-decker bus. After creating the perfect fairy tale life with this mystery man, Kat finally takes the plunge to find him on the bus and introduce herself. Only, this gentleman was further from the Englishman aristocrat that she had created in her head. However, Kat begins to open up to this stranger and potentially sees that goals can change and that’s not a bad thing.

I enjoyed the premise of this one, but struggled with the constant battle of reality and fantasy. Kat wasn’t the most likable character, but thankfully the other characters were much better. Kat was just all over the place. This book did however have a great setting of London and fueled my desire to visit even more!

Thank you NetGalley, Alcove Press and Lindsay MacMillan for the advanced copy for my honest review. This is coming out in the US next week, so you don’t have to wait too long to get your hands on this one.

This book feel flat to me and I did not find the main character was not likable. Her behavior seemed too young and immature. I didn't feel chemistry between the love interests and while I like the theme of separating reality and dreams it just didn't feel flushed out. This one wasn't for me.

I was beyond excited when I was given access to this title by Lindsay MacMillan! Thank you thank you thank you Dreamscape Media for granting me access to this title.

I was granted access to the e-book, but somehow missed that the archive date was well before the pub date. I went to download it and was devastated. However, when I was granted access to the audiobook, I was geeked. That frown turned upside down! :)

The narrator for Double-Decker Dreams was great! I listen to audiobooks at 2x speed and it worked well with this narrator's voice and inflections!

Kat has been assigned to work in the UK for 6 months and while she's there she is determined to find herself a prince charming. Kat's life has been wildly driven by her career and now she's set on being promoted to partner after her stint in London. Work is a grind and Kat has only met frogs in London so far. That is, until she sees a man on a double-decker bus and knows he's the one for her.

Unfortunately, things are as they seem when Kat meets her Prince Charming, but as Kat opens up, she starts to see that maybe she's been looking for happiness in all the wrong places.

Kat was so unlikable to me for about 1/4 of the book. Even beyond that at times I found her shallowness off-putting, but I also saw a lot of character development over the span of the book and by the end I was rooting for her to find her true happiness.

This was a great sophomore novel from Lindsay MacMillan, I loved her debut, The Heart of the Deal. It had a nice balance of meet cute meets friends to lovers. I liked the concept of the career-driven female main character who is obsessed with finding her British Prince Charming, but instead she meets an unassuming cinnamon roll from her hometown. This is the perfect example of why you shouldn’t judge a person by how they look on the outside. Although it was a cute and lighthearted romance, it still had important underlying themes,

Thank you to the author, Alcove Press and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This rom-com lives for the "instant love" trope, which is then quickly subsumed by the "friends to lovers" trope. Could be annoying, and for large parts of this book I have to admit I found Kat, the female lead irritating and delusional - I found it hard to believe she's over 30, a hard-working consultant striving for partner in her firm and yet stuck in such a juvenile mindset. The object of her affection, Rory, was what kept me reading, tbh and of course Kat finds redemption through her friendship with him, and the two of them find lurve. I did enjoy Kat's neighbors and friends, although the Cockney slang felt very faked up. Overall, a quick read, but not on a par with what the blurb promised.

Thanks to Alcove Press for the ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. This was also the first cover reveal I participated in on Instagram, so it is fun to have been able to also read and promote the book some seven months later.

“Love doesn’t change you or make you better. It just reveals the goodness that’s already there.”

Reading this book started off kind of rough for me - I didn’t understand how the main character, who was described as an intelligent, ambitious consultant, rising through the ranks of her company, could fall in insta-love with a man sitting in a bus who she spots through her window. And not only does she fall in love with him, she is convinced her feelings are reciprocated due to the eye contact they hold (again, he is in a bus passing her apartment window). This sounds ridiculous! BUT I’m glad I continued on because I did enjoy the latter 75% much more than the beginning. Kat has much more realistic experiences through the rest of her journey, and I really started to care about her experience and future plans.
The characters in this book eat gelato a number of times in the book, and I have had such a craving for ice cream since I started reading it! My favorite flavor is pistachio. The book is now available everywhere. If you like London-settings and closed door modern romance, I bet you will like this one!

Honestly I hated the main character. She was so self absorbed and judgmental it made me want to DNF this book. But Rory and her flatmate kept me going.
Overall the book wasn't really bad and Kat did get a little better but she just really rubbed me the wrong way that I still hated her in the end.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

With a cover and title as cute as this, how could I not want to read it? I especially love books sent in London.

Kat is working in London and dreaming of her British prince to sweep her off her feet. She has a very specific list of her perfect partner and she thinks she finally has found those (at least physically) when she sees a man on a double decker bus as she’s working from her flat. She works out her own meet cute when him and once she meets him, he’s not exactly what she’s expecting.

The book also has a lot of Kat’s career and trying to move upward in a male dominated industry. She had a me too moment with a superior and has to figure out to report it without any backlash on her. She also had a friend who takes a step back in her career to have a family and Kat wonders how you can balance family and a C-suite career.

But this wasn’t quite the hit I was expecting. Kat is delusional in her finding a man and I found this hard to believe for someone who is so near the top of her career and over 30 years old! She’s too intelligent to fall for something so silly as her dream bucket list. I really liked all the workplace talk and it was very exciting to see a young woman excelling in business.

Thank you to @alcovebooks @dreamscapemedia and @libro.fm for my gifted copy. Double Decker Dreams is out now.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of Double-Decker Dreams.
While I liked the idea of this book, some things just didn't do it for me.
I found Kat to be very annoying, especially in the first half of the book. How caught up she was in her Alexander fantasy was just too much for me. (Also, this is very minor, but the inaccurate Culver's reference about curly fries also bothered me because they don't serve curly fries at Culver's. I know that's very minor, but it makes me wonder if any of the references to London/UK life or Michigan are also inaccurate?)
The second half of the book & Rory's character made it better for me and I did like how the story ended. However, the beginning stuck with me & I couldn't bring myself to give it a higher rating.

Double-Decker Dreams is a heartwarming tale of two friends who discover a deeper connection that blossoms into a beautiful love story. This slow-burn romance explores the realities of life and the grounded nature of true love.

MacMillan's writing draws readers in with her vivid descriptions and relatable characters. The story is easy to follow and understand, making it a perfect read for anyone looking for a heartwarming love story.

I love British romantic comedies and was super-excited about this one.

Yes, rom com premises can be a bit outlandish, which I don't mind. But Double Decker Dreams just never sold me on an American in London who falls in love with a man she sees on the bus. (Through the window; this is a bit like Girl on the Train without being a thriller.) She develops this whole fantasy about him and then finally screws up the courage to meet him.

It just wasn't for me.

A quick and easy rom com! Kat is working in London trying to progress as far as she can professionally. Yet, she’s in her thirties and really has nothing to show for it

That is until she sees the man of her dreams, “Alexander”, a top the number 4 bus that passes her window every morning at the same time. She’s almost certain he sees her too

After much self doubt and convincing, she one day boards this bus to meet her Prince Charming she’s spent days dreaming about. Only he isn’t as he appeared from the window, or her dreams

Will a new found friendship be enough to humble Kat? Or will she risk losing a truly enjoyable life but always wanting more

I enjoyed this book. I did feel at times that Kat was annoying and immature, but she grew on me towards the end. If you enjoy the miscommunication trope, this one is for you!

*2.25*

Double-Decker Dreams is a novel following Kat, a woman who goes to live in London for work, and there she sees a man every time on the bus passing in front of her house, and she decides it's love at first sight.
Sadly, this story didn't quite work for me. I was fine with the insta-lovey trope since it is literally mentioned in the synopsis, but I really could not connect with Kat for the majority of the novel. The way in which she thought was not something I connected with, and I found her to be isnufferable for the major part of the story. Rory, the man she sees on the bus, is a good guy, and I felt sorry for him at times, in regard of the way Kat treated him.

The second part of the novel was when the story redeemed a bit for me, and when it shifted in tone, going with the theme that love does not have to be like the movies in order to be beautiful and real. And while I appreciated the sentiment, I still think this shift happened way too quickly, like a switch being turned on in the main character's mind, rather than a slow process, I don't know, it didn't particularly felt real for me.

The setting I loved. London is my favourite city in the whole world, so it was very nice to read about it for the whole novel.

The ending was cute, and what made me raise my rating a bit. In the end, this novel was not my favourite, but if you like insta-lovey stories, this could be the book for you.

When American Kat moves to London, she has dreams of meeting a British man. When her eyes connect to said man who is aboard a double decker bus, she just knows that they have a connection. Determined to meet him, she psyches herself up to board the bus and find out everything about him. But the man is not the one she has dreamt of. Can Kat broaden her expectations and still have a happy ending?

I enjoyed this book, though it was somewhat predictable. I liked our two main characters and their friendship but would have also liked to see more chemistry which I think would have added to making the ending more satisfying. Still an overall great read. I will be on the lookout for more by this author.

Cute, breezy and fun. A recommended purchase for collections where lighter WF and contemporary romance is popular.

Kat sees a man riding past her place on a double decker bus and creates this whole persona for him in her mind (a Prince!). She's a career driven woman. She's dates, etc., but has been focused on a big promotion. But she's created this great romantice Bristish Prince in her mind. And eventually, with some prodding from friends, works up the courage to get on that bus and meet him.

She meets Rory. Who clearly seems like a great guy. But, unlike her fantasy man, he's not British.
He's from Michigan, like her, and he's living and teaching in London.

I feel like they were a great fit from the start, but Kat could not get out of her own way to save her life and allow any sparks to fly. She wanted the white knight and the grand gesture.

It was cute, but Kat was super frustrating to me!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Alcove Press - for an ARC and Dreamscape Media - for an ALC, in exchange for my honest review!