Double-Decker Dreams by Lindsay MacMillian is the perfect antidote for readers who are disillusioned by the romanticization of love.

Kat, is an American consultant, temporarily assignment to London. Growing up in Kalamazoo, Michigan, she knew she was destined for more than small town living. Determined to reach her professional goal of becoming a CEO, Kat prioritizes work above everything else; even if it means being subjected to workplace misconduct. While her professional life is on track, her personal life is in shambles. That is until one day, while working from home, Kat locks eyes with a man riding the bus. Convinced love at first sight is real and the answer to her happily ever after, Kat sets out to meet her mystery man. Will he live up to her expectations, or will he prove once and for all that real life is never as good as the movies?

If you are like me and enjoy reading love stories, but are sick of antiquated fairytales, this is the book for you. Double-Decker Dreams is rooted in realism. It dispels the notion that you need grand gestures and lavish gifts to experience profound love. Instead, MacMillan focuses on the little things that collectively add up to make a person feel loved.

*It took me about fifty pages before I felt invested in Kat’s story. The idea that she fabricated an entire person/ relationship with a man she only ever made eye contact with, was a bit odd to me. Rest assured the payoff is worth pushing through!

Special thanks to Alcove Press and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed MacMillan's Heart of the Deal so I couldn't wait to indulge in Double Decker Dreams. In this story, we follow Kat, an American who has been all over the world in her career. She dreams of finding a British boyfriend, as seen in all her romantic comedies. One day, she sees such a dreamy dude step off a double decker bus out her window! From there, daydreams ensue of who the man is from the bus. Throughout the story, I felt a tension of will they or won't they meet? As well as, what will happen if/when they do? Cute and charming, I enthusiastically recommend this lovely London read!



Thank you NetGalley and Alcove Press for the ARC of this book.

It was an interesting book but it didn't catch my attention as fast or as deeply as other books usually do. It was a tad bit slow and I would have like a bit more spark in it.

Dnf as it was archived.
Idk why but the book was archived before 2 months of its release date. It comes out in June but was taken off before that?
Weird. Anyways hoping to read it after it releases.


Thank you Netgalley & Publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

The following review will be posted on my blog on Sunday, June 4th, two days before publication. It will be shared on Instagram twice closer to publishing date and has already been posted on Goodreads. The blog post includes links to order the books and to its Goodreads page, so readers can add it to their to-be-read books. Will be adding links to this Netgalley review as they are published.





“Back up and start at the beginning.”
“The beginning. (…) It goes like this: I fell in love this morning.”

Genre: General Fiction, Romance
Actual Rating: 4 stars
Spicy Meter: 1 fire emoji
Content Warnings: Discusses sexual harassment and uncomfortable working conditions.

I didn’t love how accents were written on the page (“Just go talk to ‘im, what d’ye have to lose?”? Yeah, that’s a no for me), but I was able to ultimately look past that and enjoy this sweet sweet love-at-first-sight romance.

This book is sold as only that—a romance, and a general women’s fiction read—but in my opinion it should be labeled under comedy as well, this was a big rom com for sure. The way Kat had these idealized conversations in her head were just hilarious and although yeah, it touched up on some inner, bigger problems, in true Lindsay Macmillan fashion apparently, I still think it was a bit more lighthearted than her debut romance novel, “The Heart of the Deal”.

I would recommend this read if you struggle with idealizing your partners or crushes and are looking to see that reflected in a main character—Kat was far from perfect (aren’t we all?), but it was so fun to follow her through her adventures in crowded London in search for her bus prince Alexander—spoiler alert, his name wasn’t Alexander and he wasn’t even from London either. Overall, this was a very entertaining read, it didn’t disappoint.

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 and Alcove Press in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: June 6, 2023

Oh he looks dreamy - and Kat is smitten but she hasn't met the man she sees on the bus. She's an American in London and she's hoping to meet and fall for a posh British man. Well, it turns out Rory isn't that. He's also an American and he's got a love interest back in the US. So of course these two can become friends but can they be more? Of course they can. The novel would have benefited from some trimming to tighten up the story. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is light and trope-y reading that will be good for the beach.

A sweet (if overly long/drawn out) friends to lovers romance set in London between two small town Michigan transplants. Kat is a career-driven business consultant who's always chasing the next big promotion except she's finding her life lonely and starts daydreaming about Rory, the man she sees riding past her house on a double decker bus. Eventually she works up the courage to meet him and the two strike up a great friendship.

While Kat is sure Rory is hung up on his ex, she sloooooowly finds herself falling for him as she learns to appreciate that love isn't all grand gestures but comes in the quiet moments of two people being there for one another.

I liked this one but I definitely thought it would have benefited from a lot of editing. Parts felt a bit dry/boring and I would have enjoyed it more if it was a bit shorter/faster paced. Good on audio narrated by Madeleine Maby this was a fine balance between women's fiction and romance. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for early digital copies in exchange for my honest review!

Steam level: kissing only

I could not finish enough of this book to be able to leave a comprehensive review, but I hope it finds its audience and I am grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

I was looking forward to read this one, but I have mixed feelings about this book. In some ways I really enjoyed it and in others it fell flat. The story is about a woman trying to make it in the corporate world but hasn’t got the love life she desires. Then Kat sees the man of her dreams on a bus and imagines a character for him. When she actually meets him she is disappointed but things are never as they seem. I liked the way the book deals with romance in a different way however by trying to write a romance without the spark the spark is also lost in the story. The drama towards the end of the book feels forced and I feel like the epilogue gave us more than the end of the book. It’s really hard to explain without spoilers. A light read with a hea but if you read romance for the spark leave this one alone. If you like something a bit different pick it up!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

The impact of British rom-com films on impressionable management consultant Kat results in a surprising relationship during her six-week work stint in London. Her determined climb up the corporate ladder results in a work from home gig in a flat with a bus stop view. Repeatedly spotting an attractive morning commuter who personifies her romantic fantasy of a posh British aristocrat—or royal—she decides to pursue him. But the reality of Rory is a disappointment, because her crush turns out to be a fellow Yank, a primary school teacher who has a hometown honey back in the States. However, these unfortunate facts don’t preclude a supportive friendship, which blossoms into a conflicted romance at the same time Kat must navigate a problematically masculine workplace. The combination of lightness and depth, and the London setting will find favor with fans of films and novels based on similar American-in-Britain tropes. (Alcove Press, 336 pp., paperback/ebook/audio, June, 2023)

Adorable, bright romcom with the coziest vibes. I look forward to reading more from this Lindsay MacMillan. I love her writing style!

This was exactly what I needed! I literally laughed out loud, I teared up at some moments and I was cheering at others.
Super cute and fun. Quirky, multi-layers characters, a fun meet cute and nothing over the top that takes you out of the story.
Kat is an American whose career has brought her all over the world. She's now located in England and loving it. Except she would love to find a British boyfriend like in all her favorite rom-coms. So while she's on a zoom call one day, she happens to look out the window and sees the man of her dreams sitting on the double decker bus outside her window.
She creates a persona and a whole life for them before she even knows his name or anything about him. How will she find him and when she does will he live up to her expectations?
Of course, it takes ages to finally meet, and what she goes through to get to him is fun to watch play out in itself, but then to see the discrepancy in who she dreamed him to be and who he really is is where the magic happens. Her Prince Charming isn't a prince at all but can they overcome all the odds and fall in love anyway?
I adored this and will be reading everything and anything Lindsay writes. It was adorable without being cheesy and I couldn't get enough.

Kat, being a hopeless romantic, falls in love with a guy she saw on a bus and picture him to be her royal prince. But then it turns out that he isn't her Alexander but Rory, a small town sweetheart, and the whole world she built, comes crashing down.

Soon, she realizes she doesn't need a prince but a partner with whom she can be herself. If there is a prince, she needs to be attentive and act like a princess all the time. But with Rory, she is in her most comfortable self and that guy is the greenest flag ever for her.

I loved this story. Started on a dreamy note but ended with the reality. All women deserve someone who understands them and make them feel safe and comfortable.
Writing is good too. Although, Jules' slang is a bit difficult to understand. The author also focused on many things like gender inequality and toxic environment at workplace, things women face at work to climb up the ladder and work life balance.

This is my first Lindsay MacMillan book and I received a complimentary copy from the publisher and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Imagine meeting your dream man on a bus? This is what happens to Kat who is working in London for six months and one day she sees a man on a double-decker bus and just knows that he’s her person. This is a delightful read about perfect first dates, meet cutes and how love finds you when you least expect it. I enjoyed the wittiness of the character and loved how relatable they were.

American consultant Kat is in London for 6 months for work and thinks she’s found The One after seeing him on a bus—only he’s nowhere near the British aristocrat she imagined and work isn’t living up to her goals too and now she’s forced to look inward to find what happiness and love mean to her. I have some mixed feelings about this book. I liked the journey Kat goes on and I loved the discussions of what love mean to each character. Plus Jules, Kat’s friend, was so much fun! But Kat was hard to connect to, she felt a little flat and felt pretty pessimistic. There was a lot of talk wanting to love herself and I so wanted that for her because she goes through so much and is so resilient but I wish there had been more moments of that feeling for her. But I loved the progression of her love interest, Roy. He was so adorable and sweet, he’s the perfect guy next door type. I was really rooting for them. There is a lot of heart in this and I really enjoyed Kat finding what she wanted out of life.

I really enjoyed this story. It brought a new definition to 'love' that we do not often see in romance stories. Often we see the fireworks and chaotic emotion in love stories but the love between Kat and Rory is quiet and steady. They show that they can be strong individuals but can be better together. It was refreshing reading this story.

This book took a little while for me to get into, and is quite a slow burn. However, I adored the characters from the start. While it was a longer read, I still very much enjoyed and would recommend to anyone who enjoys a good living abroad romance!

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really struggled to connect with this book, and I ultimately did not. Kat is an American business consultant working on a project in London. She is super career-focused but also hoping to fall for a British aristocrat in her time across the pond. When she spots a man on a double decker bus, she is convinced she has met her match, but will expectations align with reality?

Ok... so, the premise was fun and seemed like the perfect setup for a really cute romcom. Unfortunately, the execution fell flat for me. Kat imagined a personality for and future with some random guy she saw on the bus, and that daydream dragged on for the first quarter of the book. I persevered, but it didn't get much better. The writing style didn't work for me, I found Kat mostly unlikeable and her co-workers deplorable, and I didn't buy the romance for a moment. Perhaps this will satisfy someone else's whimsy, but it wasn't the right book for me.

Thank you to Alcove Press and NetGalley for gifting me with an ARC to review!

3.5/5

This novel had me giggling from the start! Kat an American in England sees a man on a double decker bus and imagines up a personality for him.

I like that Macmillan writes a a tale where what you think you're getting might not be exactly as you thought. The discrepancies between fantasy and real life.

The pacing could be a bit off at times but overall this is a solid and clean rom
Com. I have to say I enjoyed it! It was a cute book and I enjoyed the ending. Will pick up another novel by this author any day!

Thanks for netgalley and alcove press for this Arc

I don't think I picked this one up at the right time. Probably a second or non priority purchase for most libraries.