A group of 20 something year olds that have found solace in each other every week to talk about their issues. Their issues in life, work and love. As the months go by they see the growth within themselves, and they realize the found family they've created. Liyah and Daniel rekindle the feelings they had so long ago when they were teens. However, Liyah still has so much she has to work through herself.

I loved the amount of representation this book had that's mainly the reason I picked it. However, there was still so much that surprised me. I really enjoyed the on-page therapy, how it showed when a person realized they needed therapy and working through their feelings. So many things. This book made me feel so many emotions. I loved this book please make sure you pick it up this fall!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review as always, all words are my own.

4.5 stars

This book surprised me in the very best way, and I couldn't ask for a better way to celebrate my 800th NetGalley review!

Liyah and Daniel, and Liyah's grudge from more than a dozen years ago, are at the center of this remarkably charming romance. These two first meet as kids at summer camp, and there they connect over their shared religious and multiracial identities, and also over their raging hormones. They are make-out buddies in a very innocent way, but it all goes south (as these things do) over some bad moves and wild miscommunications. What's funny is that neither of them - but especially Liyah - has let go of these experiences from so long ago. Readers have to get beyond that point a bit, but it's worth it!

When the novel begins, the pair get a meet-again-cute and then another chance situation forces them back into each other's lives.

Both characters are complex without being ridiculous or grating, and that is a rare find, particularly in a romance that features a cis woman and a cis man. I typically spend most of those wanting to shake or punch one or both characters, but I spent this one wanting to make friends with both of them. Katz also does an incredible job of explaining why Liyah has held on to some of what seems like it maybe should have been let go long ago, and that really diminished any incoming frustration I felt with her character.

There is reference to sexual assault and rape, but it's off page and it's truly one of the best handlings I've seen of this issue, especially for the genre. There's even some educating happening, and it never feels didactic or ridiculous.

Other things to love? The representation. We get main characters who are intersectionally diverse, and I love how much queerness there is in different forms, and how this is featured as both incredibly significant and just another part of folks' identities in various situations.

This is the rare romance that I grew to love more as I kept reading, and I'm hopeful that we get a lot more from this author in the future. I know I'll be queuing Katz's work from here.

I genuinely cannot believe it took me as long to finish this as it did, as I really enjoyed the story.

Liyah and Daniel’s relationship was very believable, from childhood friends to enemies to colleagues to friends to fwb to in love (a very long and complicated timeline, I’m aware).

I would’ve liked more from the side characters, here’s holding out hope that we might get a sequel about Siobhan or Jordan or Neen or even Alex!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an arc of this book.

My sincere thanks to St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read Thank You for Sharing by Rachel Runya Katz. I give my unbiased opinion of the book in the following review.

Daniel and Liyah were friends way back in Jewish summer camp before something happens and they don't see or speak to each other for 14 years. A chance meeting on a plane brings them together again with less than wonderful results, but they are meant to rehash the past when they are brought together again on a work assignment. Liyah is less than happy to be working with Daniel, but a promised promotion is motivation enough to try and get along. Since this is a romance, we know it will all work out in the end, but a lot of stuff comes to light, and we understand what happened 14 years ago and in between to make Liyah as prickly as she is.

I had a hard time getting into this book. The second half was much better than the beginning. I truly disliked Liyah's character at the beginning of the book. When I learned what was behind her attitude and behavior I was able to enjoy watching her grow and accept the love Daniel had for her. The friend group was fun and if the author has plans to write their stories, I am interested in checking them out.

Liyah Cohen-Jackson and Daniel Rosenberg hadn’t talked in fourteen years after a disastrous summer camp romance ended. So, imagine Liyah’s surprise when she sits beside Daniel on a flight home from San Fransisco. Thinking the flight will be the last she sees of him, Liyah is surprised when Daniel is the representative chosen to meet with Liyah to help market her new exhibit. Forced to confront what happened in summer camp, Liyah and Daniel discover they have much in common. The more time they spend together, the more their chemistry grows. But will they stay just friends, or will they step towards being something else?

When I read the blurb for Thank You for Sharing, the blurb caught my attention for several reasons. One, because this was the second book that I had read the blurb for that featured the Jewish religion or had references to it, and both main characters were people of color who were Jewish. The other was that it was billed as an LGBTQIA+ book. So, with these reasons in mind, I downloaded Thank You for Sharing. I am glad I did because this was a sweet romance.

The main storyline in Thank You for Sharing centers around Liyah, Daniel, their friends (and their friends were a significant part of the storyline), and their personal/work relationship. The storyline was well written. It kept my attention, and I couldn’t put the book down.

Liyah did a lot of growing up in Thank You for Sharing. In the beginning, she was a stress ball who held on to grudges and slights like they were lifelines. I thought she was immature and obnoxious during her scenes with Daniel. But, the more she interacted with Daniel and the more was revealed about what happened fourteen years ago, I didn’t blame her for being mad. Without giving away spoilers, she was right. Men (and boys) are continually celebrated for stuff like Daniel did, while women (and girls) are shunned and called names. I liked how she dealt with the casual racism and sexism throughout the book. Some scenes (like the one in the Temple) had me steaming. By the end of Thank You for Sharing, I liked her. She had morphed into a strong woman who wasn’t afraid to admit she was wrong.

Daniel was everything that any woman would want in a boyfriend. He liked to talk about his feelings. Daniel supported his partner and wanted the best for her, even if that meant putting himself first. He was in touch with his emotions and wasn’t afraid to cry. Daniel also admitted when he needed help (his mental health suffered a blow after his father died). I did think he was a bit of a sadist for dealing with Liyah. But I also saw that being around her pulled him out of his depression and made him want to be a better man. I also liked his tattoo (the reason behind it was funny).

Mental health is brought up quite a bit throughout Thank You for Sharing. Both Daniel and Liyah see therapists. Daniel starts seeing one to help get over his father’s death. Liyah sees one because of a highly traumatic incident in college and has continued to see her over the years. Both therapists had great advice and let Daniel and Liyah come to terms with their trauma independently. But, I did like that Liyah’s therapist wasn’t afraid to push back at Liyah (the scene after Liyah confesses to Daniel about what happened to her).

The secondary characters made the book. Siobhan, Jordan, Alex, and Neen were excellent. I liked the club they all formed (with Neen being an honorary member). I loved the notes at the end of the “meetings.” They were freaking hilarious. While here, I want to add that I loved Neen. They were the best friend that Liyah needed. They were not afraid to tell it as it was, and they weren’t afraid to force Liyah to face the truth about things (i.e., Daniel).

I liked the romance angle, but it was predictable. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing—sometimes, you need things to be predictable. But I loved reading how the author had Liyah and Daniel go from enemies to lovers. It wasn’t an Instalove situation; instead, it took several months and a couple of profound apologies from Daniel for them to get to that point.

Now, Liyah and Daniel did have some serious chemistry. It was electric, and I was on pins and needles, waiting for them to sleep together. That sex scene was one of the best sex scenes I have read to date. It wasn’t too graphic, and the feeling behind it was chef’s kiss. There were other sex scenes, but they didn’t have the amazingness of the first one.

The end of Thank You for Sharing was your typical HEA. I loved that Neen told Liyah to get over herself. That made for a fantastic makeup scene. I also loved that the author had an epilogue three years in the future.

I would recommend Thank You for Sharing to anyone over 21. There is language, mild violence, and sexual situations.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin, NetGalley, and Rachel Runya Katz for allowing me to read and review this ARC of Thank You for Sharing. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

4.5 stars rounded down.

This book, first off, was hilarious. I generally read rom coms because i can't deal with deep seriousness all the time, but i don't think they are FUNNY per se. This book? So funny. I laughed more at it than i have at every book not written by Sam Irby in the entire last year combined. Second off, it was really emotional. In a believable way, not a forced intensity way.

If this is marketed as second chance and you find that generally unappealing (i do too!), i just want to say it is not a second chance romance in the "you have been my truest love forever and every other person i have ever tried to have feelings for has fallen flat and i didn't know why but it was you all along" sort of way. It's just like, they knew each other, they kissed as literal children, they had a miscommunication, they are now adults who meet again. I don't think it's a spoiler to let you know that their kiss at 13 hasn't ruined them for all other people for the rest of their lives.

Anyway i LOVED this book and you might also! It's making me realize, as well, that despite knowing queer Jews of color in my life, i've never read a romance novel about one! So if that feels like compelling rep to you (and it feels v integral to the plot, characterizations, connections--not like some random Representation thrown in), this is an extra good choice!

This book was so delightful! I found myself so invested in Daniel & Liyah’s relationship. This book did get a lot darker than I was expecting but it was handled so well. This was a great debut novel & I cannot wait to read whatever Rachel Runya Katz writes next.

Liyah and Daniel grew up together at summer camp but had a falling out during childhood. Fast forward to their 20s, Liyah works at the Field Museum in Chicago as a junior curator and Daniel works for a marketing firm and they by chance are paired together on a project to boost museum sales. Together they work through their past issues and also form a friend group which was one of my favorite aspects of the book.

I feel like the conflict between them and Liyah's resentment was a little soft but I loved how both her and Daniel actively discussed therapy, and especially how they worked though their issues in their friend circle. The midwest setting was also close to my heart 🐄

Final Thoughts: I loved that this book had different representation than a lot of standard romance novels and I learned a lot about Jewish traditions. It fell somewhere between 3-4 ⭐️ for me.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Rachel Runya Katz for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you @smpromance @netgalley for a copy of this debut romance. This was a great enemies to lovers book that explores the prejudices for biracial people. I liked that diversity in the book and shared a lot of Jewish culture and people's assumption of people based on skin color. The friend group was great and I enjoyed Liyah and Daniel together. I didn't understand how Liyah kept a grudge on Daniel for something that happened as teenagers and even after he explained the situation. Overall, a great romance.

Thank You for Sharing is a frenemies to lovers, workplace romance. This stand-alone is the author’s debut novel.

The MCs have great chemistry. Sometimes workplace romances have too much angst but there is just the right amount of tension between Daniel and Liyah. The author’s emotion and subtle sense of humor pour throughout the storyline.

The representation in this book is great! The author gives great insight into navigating Jewish culture as someone who is biracial. She covers everything in a very thought provoking and honest way.

I look forward to reading more books from Rachel Runya Katz in the future.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press (St. Martin’s Griffin)!

This was such a fun read. The representation in this book was amazing. I felt like I could read this for awhile because all of the dialogue was so poignant and real. I am so happy that this was my first Rachel Katz read. Here is to many more.

4/5 ⭐️

This was a great romance with depth and layers I wasn’t expecting.
The relationship felt believable and relatable.
Added bonuses: 1) great supporting characters and 2) excellent diverse representation across characters

I was so hopeful for this one. I think the little blurb on the front was spectacular, and I had high hopes. However, it fell pretty flat for me.

David and Liyah were childhood friends to lovers to enemies to friends to lovers and although that is super enticing…I got lost with how immature the writing felt to me. There was no depth for Liyah and her history with love and romance. Also, I feel like her bisexuality was left to the imagination and I know that shouldn’t always be a front runner, but it was something I hoped was more prominent, too.

Overall, I wish I could give this higher than a 3.5 star rating but I only liked it. Did not love it.

I really wanted to like this book. It started out fine, but the more I read the more frustrated I got. Liyah and Daniel knew each other as kids In Jewish camp, and Liyah can’t forgive him for not standing up for her. She thinks she’s unworthy of love, and kept repeating it throughout I finally finished it, 2 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

What a cute book. The banter, the interactions, the chemistry, the drama. It was just a fun, realistic and great read. I loved the Jewish characters, especially given their mixed backgrounds. A Korean Jewish man and a Black Jewish woman. Their experiences in life seemed real, their challenges not forced. I enjoyed both characters and their changing relationship. They were not perfect and never pretended to be. They had their demons, they had their struggles and they were just great. The story isn't rushed, but it also doesn't feel slow. It was just done incredibly well from all angles.

Daniel and Liyah had not spoken to each other since their friendship ended at camp 14 years ago. Until they are seated next to each other on a plane and then find themselves working together - each with promotions at risk. As time goes on, their issues, tension and chemistry change and build until they have to confront their actual issues. Will they be able to ignore their feelings and just be friends?

Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

Couldn’t get into after a few chapters. Writing style just wasn’t for me.

I may try reading it another time.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC. All opinions are entirely my own.

I am completely enamored with Daniel and Aliyah from Thank You for Sharing, a truly special debut.

Thank You for Sharing is a forced proximity, workplace romance between former childhood friends, Daniel Rosenberg, and Aliyah Cohen-Jackson.

“She’s hated him since they were kids. He’s missed her just as long.”

Watching Daniel and Aliyah evolve from ex-childhood best friends to workplace acquaintances to friends to lovers was a truly special journey. Thank You for Sharing is filled with sharp humor, witty banter, tenderness, and beautiful representation that will appeal to many readers. I laughed (so many times), I cried (twice) and had consistent butterflies while reading.

Aliyah is passionate, quick-witted and keeps her heart and feelings locked away after experiencing trauma (check TW). Daniel is compassionate, thoughtful, and patient; still grieving from the loss of his father a year earlier. TYFS is an emotional (and physical) slow burn; through a series of vulnerable shared moments, Daniel, and Aliyah work together to build trust, validation, and love. Each confession is handled with the utmost care and extreme gratitude from the listener. It is evident how sacred and important a moment it is for their budding relationship.

I truly loved everything about this book. Katz has created a cast of lovable characters, memorable humor and the sweetest love story I have read in ages.

SMP romance, thank you for sharing this wonderful book with me. I will be thinking about D&L for the longest time.

My 10 favorite things from TYFS
1. Sweet Potato
2. SUE’s furcula
3. Speakeasy Survival Club meeting minutes
4. Daniel (the softest MC) blushing & beaming
5. Aliyah’s sharp wit ((A man admitting he was wrong? In this economy? I’m in love)
6. An emotionally intimate one bed scene- the ticket
7. The representation
a. Aliyah is Bi, Black, and Jewish
b. Daniel is Korean and Jewish
8. Therapy positive- both MC’s attend therapy
9. Learning more about Jewish traditions and culture
10. An epilogue, 3 years later

Speakeasy Survival Club #17 Meeting Notes

Secretary: Allyson

Siobhan: amazing Irish graphic artist
Daniel: cinnamon roll, thoughtful
Jordan: rock climber and Daniel’s BFF
Liyah: salty and then she’s sweet


Rule Addition: 12: You MUST read this book!

Additional notes: Thank you so much Rachel Runya Katz for allowing me to read this wonderful story and meet these characters!

What an amazing debut! I definitely hope it is part of a series! I need to know what happens to the characters and miss them already! There is amazing diversity and representation in this book and I fell in love with these vivacious 20 somethings! I am older than that but Liyah, Daniel, Siobhan, and Jordan were relatable and so fun and reading this reminded me so much of my twenties.

Liyah and Daniel met at sleep away camp many years ago and had a falling out. They meet again years later and the meet cute is a DISASTER, but I loved it! Liyah is sassy and prickly and Daniel is softer and sweet and they're dynamic had me laughing out loud and making heart eyes. I have never been to a sleep away camp but my best friend has and to this day still talks to her friends that she met there. Have you been? This book made me want to go back in time and beg my parents to let me go!

I loved Liyah and Daniel’s friendships. I loved Jordan and Siobhan’s support and really hope to read more about what ends up happening to them! Together with Daniel and Liyah, they start the Speakeasy Survival Club where they get to vent, gossip, and support one another. Found family is so special in books and I think we all need more of that. A safe place to really be yourself with friends you call family is so important.

Katz does an amazing job of writing such a layered story. There are subplots that I really enjoyed, especially centering around Liyah’s job as an exhibition developer/designer and her goal to become a curator. Liyah works at the Field Museum in Chicago and I have always wanted to go there. It was interesting to learn about what is done to keep museums running and functioning. I also really loved the way Katz explored more sensitive topics. As a mental health therapist, I found the representation of the therapeutic process very relatable. I loved the healing journey that was showcased in this book!

If you love a slow burn romance with dual point of view and fun friends you can’t get enough of, read this book immediately! Rachel, please write us more!

To be honest, this book really surprised me! There was much more depth to it than I anticipated - early on I assumed it was going to continue to be one giant miscommunication issue, going all the way back to summer camp. I was pleasantly surprised when that plot point was addressed early on. While squarely a romance, this book touched on sexual assault and grief in a really thoughtful way.

The writing was fine - there were times I wished we got to hear more from the characters rather than just a quick recap of a conversation. I think it’s better to piece things together from a character’s words and action than be told by the author directly.

What made this book so loveable to me were the characters! I thought Daniel and Liyah balanced each other really well. I hope that Rachel Runya Katz writes more about this group in the future, because Neen, Jordan, and Siobhan were so fun to read and I want to see more from the Speakeasy Survival Club.

Thank You for Sharing by Rachel Runya Katz was a wonderful story! Although simple in its plot line, the story weaved a beautiful tale of two people meeting by chance after not seeing each other for years. The writing was captivating and I honestly felt like I was part of the friend group watching these characters interact with each other. There were some tough subjects that the author handled with grace and both main characters were given the chance to support each other through these things (as well as the supporting characters/best friends). I really enjoyed the explanation of the characters Jewish traditions around the holidays and the overall support and acceptance of all the characters - POC, non-binary, LGBTQ+, and those that practiced a religion. Liyah and Daniel and all of their friends and family were just perfect and I am so grateful for the opportunity to read this ARC! Thank you Netgalley, Author Rachel Runya Katz and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.