Thank you Alcove Press and Netgalley for this ARC!

So this one was hard for me because I really really thought i’d love it, the FMC was so relatable and I saw so many of my own traits with her and was having great laughs. Yet, as the story went on the less I could relate with her and her decisions, I honestly was often disagreeing or disappointed with how things progressed.

The story was definitely cute and I can no way deny that it was well written because it was, it just wasn’t necessarily for me which is fine because i’m sure someone else would love it!

luv & kisses <3

I absolutely loved this book. It hooked me and kept me turning pages until I was done. Finished it in two days! The character development was strong, and the premise was unique enough that it didn't feel like anything else I've read.

This book starts very slow with lots of daydreaming. Once she meets her "prince" then it gets a bit interesting. However, the end is drawn out with way too much introspective analysis (preaching?) about a woman who is on a high-level career track becoming exactly what she'd always said she didn't want to be. If the middle of the book had been developed a bit more, I think I would have liked it better. The London/NYC time difference seemed backwards. Her friend was asleep when she'd called at night from London and then they'd talked "earlier today" before 8-9 AM London time??

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

Did not Finish: Stopped at 32%

Double-Decker Dreams has a very cute premise, but the execution was very flawed. Kat makes eye contact with a dude on a bus and promptly goes into a fantasy so hard it's very close to a delusion. She makes up a backstory and decides that she's going to marry this wealthy prince who rides a bus. That was where I *should* have given up, but I decided that three chapters wasn't fair to the book, and kept going. Note to self: if you think you're going to mark a book as DNF, don't give "a few more chapters, just to see", just DNF it. 

The bit where she learns who he really is and they decide to meet up to get coffee was really cute, and I think the book would have been all the better for the first few chapters without the "wealthy prince who rides the bus" and with her riding the bus, and finally getting up the courage to talk to him. Then, she wouldn't have been as disappointed.

Lindsay MacMillan's "Heart of the Deal" was a completely unexpected five-star read for me, so I was instantly intrigued by "Double-Decker Dreams," especially as an Anglophile myself.

"Double-Decker Dreams" follows American consultant Kat, who's staffed on a project in London (only my dreams lol!) with the hopes of landing a promotion and finding a British aristocrat to fall in love with. When she sees a handsome stranger riding the bus through her flat window, she's convinced that he's The One -- and a posh prince to boot. Kat quickly dreams of their entire fairytale romance before even meeting, and once she does work up the courage to introduce herself, the mystery man is nothing like her fantasy.

This book is a fun one for any fellow Anglophiles like myself, which duh, and reads quickly thanks to compelling, well-written language.

Unfortunately, "Double-Decker Dreams" didn't hold a candle to "Heart of the Deal" as the Anglophile in myself would have hoped and I just couldn't connect to it as much. That being said, "Double-Decker Dreams" is still full of authenticities and engaging language that drew me in to find out what's happened next.

CW: Workplace harassment, sexual assault

There is no way to put this nicely, I absolutely hated this book. The main character Kat was just the worst. She was so awful to the main love interest of the story Rory. She literally judged him before she even met him. Kat saw him on the bus outside her window everyday and thought he was good looking. Then one day she works up the courage to talk him and he's not what she expected. That is weird stalker behavior and I was not here for it. Rory was actually a really good guy. But because of the preconceived notions that Kat had before she met him; she could not see that. I really think Kat needed to get a reality check. I don't like selfish characters in books. Kat rubbed me the wrong way. I am sorry Rory was put in the middle of this. I really did feel bad for him. I also felt a lack of romance in this book. I think I felt the lack of romance because Kat was the worst. I don't think I will read anything by this author again. If I could give this less than one star I would.

THANK YOU NET GALLEY AND PUBLISHER FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO READ THIS. That being said, rating and feelings are my own:

This was such a good story. I think it will be a book club pick for many. Highly recommend this one!

Kat is an American, ambitious, dreamy, and romantic, and has very high expectations from her romantic and work life.
Her work requires her to always move from one place to another and now she is in London aspiring to accomplish her desire of finally becoming a partner, after all this hard work.
Her love life is complicated. She recently left her finacé, therefore feeling lonely and hoping to live her romantic movie by finding a prince or a duke a very handsome and sexy British man that will live up to her dreams and aspirations.
Here comes the double-decker dream man or as Kat believed him to be
The love of her life and the prince to transform her life. However, Rory is an American that used to live in the same place where Kat did and he is a teacher so he is the opposite of everything Kat dreamt. Will this be a blessing in disguise or will she keep on hiding and living up in the clouds?

What I loved most about the novel is how it shows us how movies make many girls including me put so many expectations on men and so many high standards that even when there is a very nice man in front of you, you refuse to admit that he might be good for you coz we are so caught up in our heads.

The writer also portrayed women's struggles in the business world to be acknowledged and respected for their work and effort.

All in all, it was a good read rather slow but enjoyable.
Thank you so much to @netgalley and the publisher for approving my request for an ARC of #DoubleDeckerDreams in exchange for my honest review.

Kat is an American consultant working in London dealing with climbing the corporate ladder, workplace issues, and the possibility of love. When she spies Rory out of her window on a bus, she makes up a whole story about who he is and decides she needs to go get on the bus and meet him. Turns out that Rory is nothing like the man she has dreamed up, but maybe he is even better.

Kat as a character drove me crazy at times. The beginning parts where she spent all her time daydreaming about Rory being a prince were too much for me and made me think of her as quite immature. The way she initially reacted to Rory once she met him also had me cringing with the way she was sulking. She did grow as a character along the way, but I really didn’t like her in the start. Rory is like the guy next door who is kind and simple and comfortable. Kat’s friend Jules was like a caricature with her string accent and really strange rhyming word scheme. In short, I had trouble connecting with these characters.

The plot picked up after about a third of the book and became a dual story about romance and about women in the workplace and the crappy things that they face in male dominated environments. I liked seeing how quickly Rory was supportive of Kat and how he wanted the best for her.

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Perfect for fans of Josie Silver and Sophie Cousens, bestselling author Lindsay MacMillan gives us a refreshing take on love at first sight.

American consultant Kat is staffed on a six-month project in London and has two very small, very reasonable ambitions before returning home: get promoted to partner and fall in love with a handsome English aristocrat. No problem, right?

But work is a grind, and the British men she meets are a far cry from her royal ideal. Then one morning, she sees a man on a double-decker bus and just knows that he’s her person. But when Kat finally musters the courage to board the bus and introduce herself, he turns out to be very different from the Prince Charming she expected.

Can Kat open herself up to a love that’s not like the movies, or is she too imprisoned by her rom-com expectations? And just as importantly, will she be able to see that success isn’t about landing a C-suite job, but rather living a life that’s aligned with her soul?

Readers looking for a charming modern love story will be smitten with this sharp, emotionally resonant rollercoaster ride through the heart of London.

Kat is a flawed character who is very ambitious and down to earth about her work, but in her personal life, she is flying in the clouds; enamoured by the stories in the movies, her expectations are very high. She needs to face reality and trust in life.

I didn't like how immature and superficial Kat seems to be at times. Rory is a lovely guy next door type. The secondary characters are fine, although Jules tends to become a caricature at times with all the cockney accent.

If you love stories in London, the author manages greatly to describe the city. You can tell she has spent time in London.

On the whole, it is an enjoyable story, and if you like stories in London, this is a good one.

I'm moving to London in September so I knew I had to read this book. I deeply appreciate the fresh take on love at first site, work life, and the reality of being somewhere new and facing challenges, doubt and fear. I felt like a lot of the lines were written FOR ME and I consider that a sign of a thoughtful, honest, and meaningful book. I hadn't read MacMillan's work before but I can't wait to read more now! I will be sharing this book with others and I hope to have an experience like Kat did when I'm in London! *fingers crossed*

Very cute. Kat is career obsessed and relationship adverse. She has unrealistic fairytale expectations and creates her "Prince Charming" out of a man she sees on a double decker bus driving by her flat while working from home. I enjoyed this premise, but it fell a little flat with relationship problems that don't seem like a big deal or worth walking away from. Spoiler alert - If a guy said he needed space and I didn't hear from him for a week, it wouldn't work out. Let alone if this happened over and over. The chemistry between Kat and Rory was lacking for me and the whole story was a little to G-rated for my liking. Overall, 3 stars for this cute rom-com.

I really wanted to like this one. The premise sounded really cute, but I kind of lost interest at the day dreaming bit. It just went on for too long, too intensely. Some of the characters were really fun, I liked Jules (the cockney slang explanations got a bit much, but I can overlook those), but I just couldn't stand Kat for the majority of the book. The feminist approach fell a little flat for me, it seemed a little on the nose without really pushing into the issue. The environmental part also felt abrupt at points, and again, a bit too on the nose. There was a glimmer in the middle that I thought it would redeem itself from the initial issues, but then it fell down again for me.

Four friends have stolen aboard the Titanic. They're after the Rubaiyat - a book inlaid with priceless jewels. Josefa is a charismatic thief, Hinnah a daring acrobat, Violet an outstanding actress and Emilie a talented artist.

It is Josefa's plan, but she needs all of their skills. Despite their very different backgrounds, in a world of first-class passengers and suspicious crew members, the girls must work together to pull off the heist of their lives.

While I appreciated the major themes in this story such as the importance of separating dreams from reality, consent, equality, and facing sexism in the workplace, this book fell flat for me. Respectfully, Kat needs a lot of therapy and a reality check. She acted 13 and not 31. I considered DNFing 5% in but decided to stick in our because I was curious about the boy on the bus. Kat irritated me to no end and even more so once she met him. Her behavior was sporadic. She fantasized about “Alexander”/“her British prince”, his job, his accent, their love, all of the above and didn’t even give him the time of day once she realizes he is nothing like she wanted. She had the nerve to snap at him for “looking in windows” and referred to him as “plain and simple hometown guy” for the majority of the book. She also had the nerve to be upset when he calls them friends even though she insists he is the complete opposite of everything she wants. Rory, on the other hand, is an absolute Angel and deserves the world. And Mala is the cutest thing on this planet.

The writing was a little all over the place for me and often distracting. I ended up skimming certain parts and reading every word in others. Kat’s friends were great but I wish we could have spend more time with them as well as exploring more about her family and hometown. I also wish we could have had Rory’s POV. I feel like I’d have enjoyed it more and felt more of a connection that way.

Overall it wasn’t for me but I feel like so many would enjoy this one

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I adored this book. It was beyond cute and charming and full of delights. If you like British rom coms do yourself a favor and read this book.

The premise of this book really got me. I’m one thousand percent guilty of being an American girl who grew up dreaming about moving to London and meeting a perfect Brit boy who Mr. Darcys me away to his gorgeous country estate where we wear wellies and live off scones and jam. So the idea of a girl who sees a man on a bus and then gets caught up in her daydream of him isn’t hard for me to get into. I mean, hello, did you read my first run-on-sentence?!
The problem is, this day dream session of hers {our heroine} takes up a huge chunk of the story. Chapters upon chapters. I quickly became burnt out and book the book down for weeks. I had zero desire to read the rest, even if just to see who the man actually once. Once I forced myself to finish I was irritated with the outcome. I totally know what our author was going for. Rory was really sweet. But hear me out….. I wanted a Brit! We have to happy with what we have. We can’t choose who we love. Yadayadayada. (I know, I’m the worst). After all the lead up, I knew he wouldn’t be the aristocratic Oxford gent she had dreamed, but come on! Throw us a bone. To top off my complaints- the other aspects of the story such as our MC’s job weren’t interesting enough to compel me to enjoy the story. 2 ⭐️

Kat has a huge imagination; she imagines becoming a CEO and changing the world, and finding true love after seeing her prince charming on a bus passing by. She’s imagining him being her British ‘knight in shining armor’ so to speak. In her imagination everything about him is perfect, she has even imagined what his name is. I started skipping pages because she goes on and on and on about how fabulous he is but nothing really happens for ages; it actually takes nine chapters for her to take an actual bus ride to meet him. Of course, her ‘aristocrat from Oxford’ turns out to be a teacher from Michigan, the same state Kat is from. She’s hugely disappointed at first (duh!) but Rory is an actual nice guy. Very sweet and really making an effort to be sensitive to what Kat likes and dislikes. In the meantime Kat is trying to make promotion at her consultancy job, but cannot make a difference but instead experiences a #metoo incident.
To summarize the story, fantasizing about the perfect man and the perfect job is pointless. You just have to see the beautiful things on your path or carve you own way, is the message of this book. A nice light read.
I received and reviewed an advanced copy of this book and am grateful for this opportunity. All thoughts and opinions are my own.