Beautiful story

Thank you soooooo much netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advanced review copy if this book💗
"I voluntarily read and reviewed the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Thank you St. Martin's Publishing for giving me the chance to read a digital ARC of Thank You for Sharing by Rachel Runya Katz. What immediately drew me to this book was the interracial main characters on the cover. I knew that this was going to have important representation, and it didn't disappoint. I like how Katz talks about Liyah's struggles of not fitting in to people's perceptions of what a certain race or religion should look like. Liyah and Daniel used to be friends a long time ago when they met at a summer camp, but something happened at summer camp that ended their friendship. They go a long time without speaking, until they find themselves sitting next to each other on a plane, and then Daniel's firm is hired by the company Liyah works for. Suddenly, they find themselves thrust back into each other's orbit. They start off getting back to the point of friends, and then it is a bit of a slow burn from there. They don't want to admit their feelings for each other, and they spend a lot of time trying to keep it casual, but secretly, they are both falling for each other. They also have a group of friends that start meeting once a week, and there are a couple of characters that I would love to see get their own book, namely Jordan and Siohban. Overall, I thought this was an enjoyable read, although maybe a little long, but I did enjoy it. I'm not always the biggest fan of the third act breakup trope, but I'm glad that everything worked out in the end for Liyah and Daniel. 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.

I really enjoyed this book. It felt authentic and genuine and I loved that the characters felt multidimensional. They all clearly had flaws that they dealt with throughout the book and I honestly don't know how else to describe the journey of how love and companionship helped these characters learn and grow with each other. I loved how the author highlighted how different people deal with emotion and strife. This all goes to say how genuine this felt for me. I felt all the feels lol.

I also loved the meeting minutes the author included at the end of most chapters. I felt they brought a necessary light and comedic break throughout the book and thought it was a creative way to detail meetings without taking us through every SSC meeting.

In terms of the writing style, I felt it was very detailed, sophisticated, and very witty. Definitely appreciate the extra detail, especially for readers who have a harder time picturing things in their minds. I also thought the book was really well-paced overall.

I really wish I could share my highlights and annotations here to share my live reactions to some of the scenes! I'm really grateful to have been able to read this book and share my thoughts. Thank you!

A powerful and moving debut from Rachel Runya Katz! These characters are full of heart and feel authentic. Doesn't shy away from tougher topics and the complicated facets of falling in love.

10* stars. This book snuck up on me and won me over chapter by chapter. I was so happy to see how these two found and fell for each other and I adored the epilogue. I hope we get more from this group of characters. It was a beautifully told love story.

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

I almost almost DNFed THANK YOU FOR SHARING by Rachel Runya Katz—mostly because I was initially taken aback by the heroine & her interactions with the hero —but by the middle & end this contemporary totally won me over & it wasn’t by the heroine drastically changing her entire personality.

This is still a story about a heroine who is not all sunshine & rainbows. This *is* about a heroine who roasts the hero at most opportunities. Whose museum curating job is very important to her. Who is dealing with her past & confronting the fear of opening up.

& in the end, I adored Aliyah Cohen-Jackson & Daniel Rosenberg separately, together, & as part of a friendship quartet.

I also love the Jewish rep in this book (& the discussions of what it means for the leads to be Black & Jewish & Korean & Jewish, respectively); the sensitivity of the hero; the epistolary elements (the meeting notes from their friendship group are so funny!); & how pro therapy this book is.

In the end, this is a rich, compelling romance that addresses so many weighty topics (see CWs) but does it with grace & moments of humor & heat & I’m really glad I finished it.

Also really glad for the reminder that romance heroines can be “unlikeable,” that they don’t have to make it comfortable for everyone all the time to earn a HEA or a place in a friend group.

4.5⭐️. Out 09/12.

CWs: Racism. Previous death of father. Heroine’s college best friend raped her when she was intoxicated & during the book she runs into him at an event.

ID: Jess’s white hand holds the ebook in front of a grayish blue ocean. Rocks are in the foreground & a blue sky with clouds is in the background.

This was an enjoyable romance novel, and and I appreciated how seamlessly the author incorporated a wide variety of diverse characters without calling attention to this fact. Liyah Cohen-Jackson is a feisty quick-witted protagonist who by chance (or is it fate...) runs into her old middle school crush-turned-enemy and ends up forced to collaborate with him on a work project. The book is at times cheesy and eye-roll enducing, as one fully expects a romance novel to be, but between the tropes and angst was witty banter, character development, sensitive healing from trauma, and tension. A solid debut novel.

A hilarious, kind, and friends-to-lovers novel, this one lingers in the quiet moments and allows the reader bask in the slow-burning but sizzling passion.

A great book to curl up with on a rainy day and get bear-hugged in your emotional spots, even if you insist you don't have any, like the reluctantly melting Liyah.

Thank you to NetGalley and SMP for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

CW: death of a parent (past, cancer), grief, sexual assault (past, recounted on page), work tensions, racism, microagressions

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f contemporary romance
-childhood friends to estranged to friends to lovers
-this is just a hookup
-queer and Jewish rep
-forbidden romance elements
-second chance elements
-workplace romance
-found family

This was such a soft story with heavy elements. Rachel has such a unique writing voice. Dan has been pining for Liyah since they were kids, but some miscommunication has made her detest them for years. But add in a bunch of coincidences and they're back in each other's circle. I adored how they really became friends first. Establishing the Speakeasy Survival Club. How we all struggle to find our space in this world.

How Dan and Liyah bonded over their Jewish heritage and Dan's grief over his father was so lovely. That running theme as Dan talked to his father about Liyah, how he slowly opened up to his family. Both Dan, Liyah and really the friend group really went through it in this book. Because you don't magically have life figured out when you get a job and become an adult. Love is scary, wearing your heart on your sleeve is scary, and living your life without the person you've leaned on it the entire time (your dad) is scary.

The romance builds in such a soft and tender way as Liyah and Dan lean on each other for so many things and bumble through learning about each other, meeting each other's family's and just figuring out what they need. The found family elements especially just had me feel like I was wrapped in a hug.

Steam: 3

Great Jewish rep! The Jewish rep is definitely my favorite part of this book! I didn't buy the romance so much and I didn't love the texts at the end, but if you're looking for a Jewish rom com at this to your list!

A fabulous feel good story. Liyah and Daniel work through their differences, past and future.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Loved this book, it is a modern day love story. Very diverse and inclusive which was refreshing, and I found it relatable. I enjoyed the second chance romance and how they navigated their secret had me giggling. All the characters were perfect and added the perfect touch to the background. Super easy and fun read! I cant wait to read more from this author.

A sweet and spicy enemies to lovers romance with fantastic, diverse rep! I loved seeing so much Jewish rep on the pages, the Chicago setting, and the splashes of humor from the club notes. I breezed right through this one.

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC of this book!
Two young, hip, hot, Jewish BIPOC characters learn to love and trust in Rachel Runya Katz’s debut novel Thank You For Sharing. I enjoyed this representation as I don’t think I’ve read it anywhere else. I love seeing underrepresented characters in a book and thinking about how meaningful that will be to just the right reader.

The book also features a nonbinary friend, supportive family, and a fun group of coworkers making each other laugh and holding each other accountable.

Liyah Jackson-Cohen is passionate about her work, and prickly in her dating life. She’s got a good reason to be, especially where Jewish-summer-camp-hottie Daniel Rosenberg is concerned. Daniel cannot believe it when beautiful Liyah pops back into his life. Even when she is doing her best to irritate and provoke him, he can’t get enough of her. Mutual work goals help distrust turn to friendship and support, and before long Liyah and Daniel have fallen hard.

This was a fast, fun read, even with some of the darker things the characters have experienced. Themes of grief and healing helped bring depth and relatability to these cool kids. I’d give it a 9/10 and recommend it to romance readers everywhere.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read Thank You for Sharing. This was a great summer Romance read. The two main characters were great. I liked Daniel slightly better than Liyah, only because she was so stubborn, but that really helped the plot. I loved how the author wrote about diverse, professional characters and explained different religious aspects as part of the story for people like me who needed it. I really liked the supporting characters Neem, Jordan and Siobhan. Neem especially was great at grounding Liyah and saying exactly what I was thinking! It was great to get both main characters point of views, I feel like this is a hit or miss practice, but it really worked in this case. I also liked that there was so much character growth, especially for Liyah. Overall it was fun to read.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC on this book.

I'm giving this book 3 stars. I liked the subject of the book, but for some reason I just didn't connect with it. I really had a hard time picking up my kindle to continue reading. The book is based in Chicago with the main 2 characters meeting on a plane and realizing that they knew each other a camp while teenagers. I found the characters very likeable including the supporting characters. The characters had real world problems and "baggage" that each one had to go through some self discovery before being happy in a relationship.

I honestly think if I had picked up this book at another time that I would have loved it. I look forward to reading other works by this author in the future.

What a fun, thoughtful, swoony read! As someone from Chicago, I love the way the city comes to life, serving as a perfect backdrop to Liyah and Daniel's romance. Liyah's job at the Field Museum is particularly fascinating, and she's such a hilarious, memorable protagonist. Getting to see her through Daniel's eyes makes both of them all the more lovable, and I love that while they find common ground in their shared history and identities, they also complement each other with an opposite's-attract vibe, too. With snark and tension in equal measure, their back-and-forth banter is top-notch, made even better thanks to the group dynamic with Siobhan and Jordan. Overall, THANK YOU FOR SHARING is a great, well-written romance with sparkling chemistry and a full cast of entertaining side characters.

This was a sweet/semi spicy love story between two reconnected childhood friends/crushes.

This book had a lot of great representation from a lot of groups of people. I appreciated each character and the perspectives and experiences they brought to the story. Although we didn’t get to know them very well. I felt like some of the plot went missing throughout the story and the pacing was off. Just an okay book for me, but definitely had a lot of positives.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

A really satisfying read- it really captured the mid 20s living in the city/figuring out life and jobs. Liyah was sharp and "unlikeable" in a way that made her a very realistic character; I did not get the same depth from Daniel. The plot was a little slow, but I also haven't read too many romance books recently so that may just be a part of the genre.

Thank you to Rachel Runya Katz, St. Martin's Griffin, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I liked this one. The chemistry between the two main characters was there. I loved the entire friend group. I love good enemies to lovers; this one was a perfect example of that trope. This wasn't the typical romance, as the characters faced some heavy topics, but in my opinion, it just made the book that much better. I loved the Jewish representation in this one! We need to see more of that.