Man, this book was so good! The tropes were great, the characters were great...it was wonderful. I don't relate much to the story - it was about Jews who are also POC, and I am none of that - but damn, I would read romances like this one all day. 4 stars!

just your typical grumpy/sunshine romance, nothing about this one really stood out to me, in fact I found myself pretty bored.

This book was published by St. Martin's Press, which is unfortunately being boycotted. If the boycott reaches a resolution, I hope to come back and review this book.

Synopsis:

Daniel Rosenberg and Liyah Cohen-Jackson’s last conversation—fourteen years ago at summer camp—ended their friendship. Until they find themselves seated next to each other on a plane. At least they can go their separate ways after landing, until Daniel's marketing firm gets hired by the Chicago museum where Liyah works as a junior curator, and they’re forced to collaborate with potential career changing promotions on the line. As they find comfort in their shared experiences as Jews of color and fumble towards friendship, can they ignore their growing feelings for each other?

Review:

I loved this diverse perspective romance. I was rooting for them the whole way through. This story is proof that people can change, and grow and become better / more compatible. I enjoyed Daniel & Liyah's characters and how they navigated their religion while being mixed race. I also enjoyed their best friends, and family, who I thought added a lot to the plot and banter. I liked the setting of the museum and I enjoyed the flow of the story. Highly recommend this one!

This book just wasn't it for me. It had a lot of potential, but there was so much miscommunication and emotional unhealth that wrapped up WAY too quickly for me. It had potential but it wasn't for me.

I. Finished this book, but struggled to do so, the story didn't really grab me.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this review copy

This is a delightful read, full of all that good tension that you want from a romance novel, a little bit of steam, and the common enemies to friends to lovers trope. Also, I have to mention this because it is unfortunately rare - the main characters are Jews of Color! Liyah is half-Black, half-Jewish and Daniel is half-Korean, half-Jewish and they meet as young teenagers at an overnight camp for Jews of Color. The Jewish representation was really well done and while its not a huge part of the story, there weren’t explanations for all of it so you might need to Google depending on how familiar you are with Jewish rituals and holidays. One thing that I really liked about this story was that the “come on just get together already!” frustration that comes with a romance novel wasn’t really there, each character had relatable reasons why they were reluctant to move forward and while you rooted for them, you also understood their own internal struggles. I credit the alternating chapters with each main character for really enhancing the understanding of each character, and in the audiobook they are each represented by a different voice actor. There is a content warning referenced in the beginning of the book for s*xual assault, which I wanted to make sure to mention as well. I love when authors mention a content warning at the beginning, I wish more did. I definitely recommend this one, if the content warning isn’t an issue for you. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy, and it was published in September 2023 so it is out now.

I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

I’m going to have to put this one aside for now. I just find myself zoning out and not being paying attention or caring about the story. I do love the characters’ backgrounds though.

Liyah hasn't thought of Daniel Rosenberg in years, but all of a sudden, he's everywhere--next to her on a flight, in her friends' Instagram posts, and most annoyingly, he's the contact she's been assigned for a project that could land her the most important goal she's set herself as a museum curator. Can she let go of the feelings of hurt and betrayal she feels from those long ago days at summer camp? And what is waiting for her if she does?

This was a sweet book. I love that the main character works at the Chicago Field Museum--you can only read so many romances where the main characters own coffee shops or bookstores or some other highly romanticized occupations. Having two professionals having to work together to reach their goals while also trying not to kill each other is a favorite trope--I love the banter you get between Liyah and Daniel as they try to navigate through both their pasts and their presents. I also hope that we get a book about Liyah's friend from the museum, Siobhan, as I think she was my favorite character in the entire book. Sarcastic and Irish is a good combination.
I also really enjoyed the diversity of the cast--watching Liyah and Daniel not only navigate their own romance, but the world around them through their very similar yet very different lenses--both are mixed race Jewish professionals, but Liyah is black and Daniel Korean, both struggling to figure out how the fit not only as minorities in race but how that fits with them being Jewish, as well.

This is a fun read with enemies to lovers tropes.

I absolutely devoured this own voices biracial gem about Daniel and Liyah! I was hooked very early on and was so smitten with this story!

Daniel and Liyah met at summer camp. Fourteen years ago they were best friends, until an incident ended their friendship. Years later, they meet again on an airplane and their rivalry begins again. When Daniel's marketing firm is hired by the museum Liyah works as a junior curator, they are tasked to work together on a very important project.

This was a pretty cute read, and I am a sucker for second chance romances especially if its enemies to lovers! I liked both Daniel and Liyah as main characters and I loved the dual POV between the two. Liyah got on my nerves at times and I do think that her reason for being mad in the first place was a bit... much, but she definitely grew on me by the end. Daniel was so sweet and caring, even when Liyah would try to push him away. It's definitely a slow burn romance, but I really liked seeing them reconnect and it was funny watching them try to deny their chemistry with one another. I also really liked how they worked through their trauma together, as well as apart, to allow them to open up to one another. They were both open and honest with each other, and it laid a great foundation for their relationship. I also adored the found family in this - the Survival Club was so fun and definitely help balance out the more serious moments in the book.

I I think this book had a lot of potential, but I think I just wasn't the audience for it. I wasn't able to connect with the story and inconsequentially wasn't able to invest in the plot fully.

I really think it was a me problem, but I would like to read more of this authors work to see if I'll be able to enjoy the story more.

A cozy read with layers.

I love the history of the MC's and the way their relationship to each other transforms throughout the story. I truly enjoyed reading this.

Grumpy/sunshine is a trope I enjoy! I'm from Chicago so also enjoyed that setting :) It was cute but won't stick with me

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. A classic enemies to lovers - well, lovers, to enemies, to lovers - which makes it all the more fun. Tensions rise as the characters confront their past and move forward with the future.

This was a really cute, well written read! I loved Daniel and Liyah's growing relationship (and I do adore the 'we reconnect on a plane' trope). Absolutely loved the Jewish representation!

A promising debut featuring BIPOC Jewish summer camp sweethearts who had a falling out and haven't seen each other in years, until they're seated next to each other on a plane and discover that they now have to work together. The main characters have great chemistry and the museum setting was fun.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

I thought this was a fantastic debut! The enemies to lovers storyline was great, and had just the right amount of spice. Daniel + Liyah's friendship ended years ago while they were away at summer camp but as adults, they ended up being seated next to each other on a flight. The two end up needing to collaborate on a project and well, you'll need to read the book to find out what happens! Definitely interested in reading more by this author.

Thank you to the publisher, SMP Romance, and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I will submit a review for this title once the demands for the St. Martins Press Boycott have been met.