This is the romance book of the year. The love is quiet but the story is so loud. Absolute perfection. I do not think there is a book that can too this. Great writing. 5 stars.

From the very beginning, this book had me hooked. I fell instantly in love with the story, the characters, the writing...everything. The way that grief was addressed and woven into this story was a thing of beauty. I very much appreciated how the loss was shown. I also love how the relationships with grandparents was portrayed. I don't even know how to talk about this book except to say that I love it and I cannot wait to get my physical copy to add to my shelf.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for this eARC. All opinions are my own.

This is the top romance of the year.
Not just by a debut author, not for summer reads.
The top. Romance. Of the Year.

I feel like Stefon (Bill Hader) from SNL when I say, this book has everything. Childhood enemies to lovers. Grief. Road Trips. TikTok Viral Videos. Adorable grandpas. Delicious man thighs. Chemistry. Spice. Growth. Emotion. I loved how Noelle honored her late grandmother by tracking down her first love and living her grandmother’s dream honeymoon road trip with the one who got away decades before. For fans of the movie Letters to Juliet, You, With a View is the perfect book to take you on a romance and nostalgia filled journey that will leave your heart bursting with joy and hope.

Thank you Netgalley & Berkley for the advanced copies

5/5
I have officially found my new favorite book and summer romance all rolled into one with Jessica Joyce’s heartwarming debut novel. You, with a View seamlessly blends the travel narrative with a slow-burn romance that left me aching for new connections and an extensive summer road trip. There are so many feelings explored within this novel and it’s not lost on me how Joyce makes you feel every single one. You, with a View, is hands down one of the best romances of 2023. With magnificent tension and a profound emotional journey, Joyce has established herself as a stellar new voice in romance.

My full review is now posted on my blog!

OMG THIS WAS A DEBUT?!?! Jessica Joyce wrote a stunning love story filled with a decades old romance, quirky grandparents, gorgeous imagery, an impromptu road trip and healing from grief. She beautifully blended meaningful moments with incredible chemistry and romance. This sexy, sweet, heartfelt novel left me with such wanderlust! Her writing is truly incredible and I could picture the scenes so vividly in my head. I can't wait to read more of her stories in the future.

Thank you Berkley and Netgalley for my copy.

Looking for a well-written, heartfelt story that will give you all the feels? Look no further!

WOW... Jessica Joyce’s debut novel was phenomenal! Everything about this story was compelling…the plot, characters, and chemistry. I loved everything about it. I am very impressed by Joyce’s work and am eagerly waiting for the next book. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the arc.

"You With a View" by Jessica Joyce takes readers on a captivating road trip adventure, interwoven with a tender love story and the exploration of personal growth. Set against the backdrop of a broken engagement between their grandparents, Noelle and Theo find themselves reluctantly reunited, embarking on a journey that will challenge their past animosity and uncover hidden secrets.

I absolutely adored this book 😍 Noelle and Theo's chemistry leaped off the page from the very start. I think we readers all channeled Paul with his never-ending ways of getting those two alone with each other.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much this book touched on grief and the loss of a close loved one. Getting to see Noelle's journey of accepting and processing the death of her grandmother through the road trip was beautiful and reminded me of dealing with my own losses of family.

This book and all of the characters were written so wonderfully by Jessica Joyce that I can't believe this is her debut novel.

If you enjoy rom-coms with a lot of heart don't hesitate on picking this one up

𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙤𝙠𝙖𝙮 𝙞𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪. 𝙄𝙩 𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙨 𝙢𝙚, 𝙩𝙤𝙤. 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙄’𝙡𝙡 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙬𝙖𝙮.

I wanted to love this book but I’m DNFing at 65%. The premise is AMAZING. The whole plot of her grandmother passing away and when going through her things, finding a box of photos/letters from her first love… then finding him, and his hot grandson, via social media then taking what would’ve been the grandparents’ honeymoon trip if they’d stayed together is such an incredible story that I was instantly in love. I also was super close to my grandmother so I quickly empathized with the FMC’s loss and even teared up several times as I read about their past relationship. I ADORED Paul, her grandmother’s first love - he is a gem and should be protected at all costs.

What I didn’t love was the pacing, the lack of relationship development, and the juvenile way the MCs are written. The story moves quite slow. They’re in their 30’s but read like early 20’s at best. The physical connection is there for the characters far more than the actual emotional connection, but the spice also left a lot to be desired. Phrases like “his hand makes magic between my legs” should never be seen in an adult romance novel. These things all had me feeling a bit bored and in no way invested in the actual love story. To the point where picking the book up in the evenings felt like a bit of a chore, hence why I’m putting it down. This book had a ton of potential but ultimately didn’t deliver.


𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘉𝘦𝘳𝘬𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘎𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵 𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

The blurb for this book does not do it justice. What might appear to be just a fun, enemies to lovers, road trip romance is really so much more. So, so much more.

Noelle Shepard is unemployed and living with her parents, down in the dumps, and a little lost. She is still grieving over the death of her beloved Gram when she comes across pictures of her with a man who isn’t her grandfather. A letter also seems to hint that their relationship was serious. So she makes a TikTok, which goes viral, asking for help identifying the man in the picture. And lo and behold, she gets an answer, the grandson of the man comments and agrees that they will meet with her in a public place so she can get some answers.

That’s when she realizes that the grandson is none other than her nemesis from high school- Theo Spencer.

Regardless, she is going to spend as much time with his grandfather as possible and hear all she can about his time with her grandmother. She’s not prepared to be sucked into a love story, getting to know Grampa Paul along the way, and having the time of her life retracing the planned honeymoon trip that Paul and her grandmother never got to take.

This is one of those books that takes its readers on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. Highs and lows, ups and downs, and pretty much every emotion in between. It’s a grief book, but it’s also heartfelt, uplifting, and beyond sexy. When the book opens Noelle is at a point in her life where she has no direction and doesn’t know what to do about that; no job, living with her parents, and still very deep in her grief. The prospect of reconnecting with her grandmother and learning more about her life gives her hope and direction. I think the surface animosity she has with Theo also gives her a little spark.

The road trip is fun, with Noelle and Theo sniping at each other but trying their best to get along for the sake of Paul. It’s never really mean, and both give as good as they get. It almost felt like foreplay to me. Theo has his own problems, all having to do with his relationship with his father and the current direction his company is heading. Noelle doesn’t know about any of it but can sense his tension. Let me tell you, when these two start to talk and get to know each other, it’s magic. And OMG the chemistry between them is romance gold that manifests into so the sexiest of sex scenes.

But what this book is really about is moving through the stages of grief and realizing when to hold on and when to let go. Believing and accepting yourself and that failure is just a tool to help you move on to bigger and better things. The secondary characters, from Paul to Noelle’s family are so loving and accepting. I couldn’t really ask for more support for our main characters. Every part of this book worked for me, from the pacing to the banter between all of the characters to the wonder of the locations that were visited during the road trip. There is so much love within these pages. I can hardly believe that this is a debut author.

You, With a View, is such a wonderful, heartwarming, and uplifting novel. Jessica Joyce is an author to watch. I highly, highly recommended everyone put this on their TBR. As for me, I’ll be placing it on my favorites shelf.

Grade- A

Absolutely stunning debut! Joyce writes with a heartfelt wit and relatability that makes her characters feel deeply real. I must say this is also my fav kind of “enemies to lovers” romance… where the resentment and tension is not overwrought or dragged out, but fully grounded in a way that makes it so rewarding when they finally break through that layer of past misgivings and give into the undeniable pull they have on each other. I truly LOVED Theo and Noelle and their (literal) journey together, and can’t wait to see more from Jessica Joyce!

I thought this was such a sweet book. I really liked all the characters. I mean how could you not? This book made me miss my grandma so much. She's been gone for 9 years. I can't believe it's been that long. We had such a close relationship. So I really connected with Noelle. I found her very relatable. Theo and his grandpa were the cutest characters too. I couldn't help but love them both. They brought a lot to this story. Theo..man, he seriously stole my heart. The "fighting" between Theo and Noelle was my favorite. And. That. Ending. (I want to say more but I'm not going to). I recommend this book and can't wait to read more from this author.

Being from Utah it was fun to read about their adventures here. But one thing about the audio (I listened and read this book) the narrator pronounced Zion and Hurricane wrong. Hearing Zion pronounced wrong multiple times drove me nuts! If you aren't from around here then you wouldn't notice. Other than that...the audio was fantastic. I thought the narrator did such a great job. She helped me feel all the feels. Seriously, I was listening on my drive home with tears streaming down my face. I laughed. I cried. I felt it all. 

Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley, and RPH audio for the copies of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Jessica Joyce just gained a new Fangirl. 🙋🏼‍♀️
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This debut book was FABULOUS.
.
Noelle is still reeling from the death of her grandmother, the loss of her job, and moving back in with her parents. She discovers her grandmother had a past that she was completely unaware of. After a TikTok goes viral, Noelle finds herself on an adventure of a life time.
Cue Theo 😍
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Read if you love:
🌅close proximity
🌅frenemies to lovers
🌅romantic road trips
🌅nostalgia
🌅only one bed
🌅photography
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I must mention the banter. It was TOP NOTCH. 👌🏻
I can’t wait to read what this author has in store for us next.
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Thank you Netgalley and Berkley Romnace for the opportunity to read this book!

Thanks to Berkley Romance for the ARC of this book!

An absolutely STUNNING debut from Jessica Joyce. This book has so much heart, relatability (especially if you are a recovering perfectionist like me), and depth. It’s also a tender but fiery romance, a sweet visit to the love of past generations, and a fun, adventurous road trip. I absolutely absorbed this book and didn’t want it to end - it’s one of the best and most captivating love stories I’ve read in awhile.

Read if you:
- want to cry while reading a romance book
- have a soft spot for a grandparent
- love to travel to new places
- love an angsty male lead who loves to rile her up

What a heartfelt, fun, romantic adventure. You, With a View swept me off my feet the instant I met the main character Noelle. Noelle is adrift. She’s been laid off from her job, and moved back home with her parents, all while dealing with the loss of her grandmother—her best friend. One day she finds pictures of her grandmother and a mystery man from her early twenties. Shocked her grandmother kept a secret from her, she creates a TikTok video to find the man in the photos…and she does.

Only he isn’t just a random man. He’s the grandfather of her high school nemesis/rival. And somehow Noelle, Theo, and Paul all end up on a road trip together–the road trip her grandmother never took. Along the way, Noelle rediscovers her love for photography and finds herself feeling more for Theo, her high school rival.

The banter between Noelle and Theo made my cheeks hurt from smiling too much. The next second, my heart broke at Noelle’s grief, only for my heart to warm watching her interact with Paul.

You, With a View is a phenomenal debut. Jessica Joyce did a phenomenal job. I can’t wait to see what she writes next! Highly highly recommend this book!

Things to expect:
Rivals to friends to lovers
Angst
Spice
All the feels
A scenic roadtrip

Unemployed, living at home, and grieving the loss of a beloved grandmother, Noelle Shepard has hit rock bottom. At twenty-eight, her life does not look like anything she dreamed about. Noelle planned to be a professional photographer until a boss destroyed her confidence, later she was laid off from a soulless job after grief left her barely functioning. Noelle’s grandmother, Katherine, was her best friend; they each other told all their secrets, or so she thought until a discovery of a letter from an old lover and photographs tore another hole in Noelle’s heart. After a TikTok plea to help find the identity of the man, Noelle is nonplussed to discover not only does that man, Paul, live near her, he is also the grandfather of Theo Spencer, her archrival in all things from High School.
Theo seems to have his life together in a way Noelle never has with a successful travel app putting him on a Forbes list. It seems old habits do die hard as Noelle feels their every meeting is a competition to be won. When she decides on a road trip taking a proposed honeymoon route Paul and Katherine never made, the men ask to go along while Paul tells their love story parceled out in letters that he kept from the many years past.
Noelle and Theo resume their competitive mode which helps her come out of the sorrow that has subsumed the past six months. Their mutual attraction is evident while each one needs this trip for varying reasons as it turns out Theo’s life is not so flawless after all. Noelle begins to find her joy for photography again while Theo deals with an overbearing father and business partners who have let him down. Forced proximity heats up Noelle and Theo’s fraught relationship while helping them to see what their lives could look like after such major upheavals.
This story captures many strong emotions, being as much about grief and life disappointments as it is about Noelle and Theo’s relationship. With plenty of angst and sorrow to go around for Noelle and Theo’s own stress plus major life changes, their history of striving to win all competitions and the subsequent romance aspect helps to balance things out although it is not the main focus. The quality of the writing in this book makes for a compelling read as well as the main characters being likeable and a story with thought-provoking complexities about family dynamics.

Full confession: I did not read the synopsis for this book before requesting or reading it. That said, I found the plot to be a rather wonderful surprise. I even posted a reading update at about 15% where I declared myself "all in". With my penchant for grief and loss books, I knew I would at least love that part of the story, but I truly adored it all!

Noelle's world went dark when she lost her beloved grandmother, and from there, other parts of her life began to crumble. No job, no boyfriend, and living in her childhood home, Noelle found a sort of purpose when she came across a photo of her grandmother with a man who was NOT her grandfather. She did what all people do when they are looking for information - she asked the internet, specifically, TikTok. Imagine her surprise when someone recognized the man, AND that person happened to be her high school rival. This delighted me to no end.

I can't even explain how much fun I had traveling with Noelle, Theo, and Paul. Paul was a sweet and gentle man who reminded me of my own beloved grandfather, and the affection he had for Theo was lovely. Between Paul and Noelle's recollections of her gram, I found myself missing my own grandparents. I have a soft spot for grandparents, and these relationships were so beautifully drawn. It really tugged on my heartstrings.

The road trip was also fantastic. I had recently done a vacation out west and was giddy when I recognized many of the places they visited. But it wasn't all about where they were, but rather, how they all grew closer as they learned the details of Paul and Gram's love story. The romance between Theo and Noelle was a fun one too. I always love when characters have history, and these two had plenty between them.

I can sit here all day and recap my favorite bits, but I would rather you discover them yourselves. In summary, I had a fantastic time reading this book. It made me laugh, smile, swoon, and it touched my heart. I hope it does the same for you.

What. A. Phenomenal. Debut.

I honestly don't even have the words to express just how much I loved loved LOVED this book. I love road trip romances but this was so much more than that. A parallel love story in the past, explorations of grief, love, loss, expectations of self and others, fear of failure. Theo and Noelle were amazing characters to root for, Paul was an amazing side character, the healthy family dynamics, the idea of knowing when to hold on vs. when to let go. It all resonated with me on a very fundamental level. I can't wait to see what this author writes next, I'm already a huge fan.

Content notes: Off page death of grandparent, toxic parental relationship, end of relationship in past, grief

The cover and title for this one made it seem like it wasn't gonna for me, but I love road trip novels, so when I read the description, I had to go for it. I'm glad I did because this was such a cute read! I was hooked from the beginning, though I do think by the end it got a touch too formulaic. The relationship was fun (and way hotter than I expected), and the grief was handled with such care. Easy 4 stars for me!

This was a really sweet and sexy romance, but it was also a heartfelt story about grief. Noelle's journey to process the loss of her grandmother and follow her photography dreams put this one more into women's fiction for me, but there is definitely a strong romantic story line.

Things to look forward to:
- Tropes like: childhood rivals to friends to lovers, forced proximity, road trip, caretaker, only 1 bed, epistolary, and slow burn.
- Beautiful grandparent/grandchild relationships. The love between Paul and Theo, as well as Kathleen and Noelle, jumped off the page. I loved how much they supported and cared for each other and how each grandparent created a soft place for each of their grandchildren to land.
- The fantastic banter between Theo and Noelle. I loved how they each gave as good as they got and the innuendo was chef's kiss. I was very pleasantly surprised by the build up and steam in this one!
- Two love stories in one! Even though Kathleen and Paul's love story was bittersweet, I really appreciated how that love remained a beautiful thing to each of them. Having Theo and Noelle's relationship mirror theirs made everything come full circle.
- Noelle's family and BFF. They provided such wonderful comic relief and unwavering support.
- The handling of grief and loss. I know this is an odd thing to "look forward to", but it was done so well in You, with a View. The novel showed all the different ways a person can grieve and how that grief can either hold you back or push you forward.

The pacing of the book was inconsistent for me and it started off on the slower side. Once things got going though, I really became invested in the characters. I'm not a fan of lying by omission, but the third act conflict was understandable given Theo and Noelle's histories and relationships with their families. The final chapter/epilogue was so sweet and tied everything together so well. It left me with a huge smile on my face and I'm excited to see what Jessica Joyce writes next!

I both read and listened to the audiobook of You, with a View, and Kyla Garcia's performance was wonderful! She conveyed so much emotion during the more somber moments, but also had such amazing delivery for the more silly and comical scenes. I really enjoyed this one on audio!

Audiobook Review
Overall 4 stars
Performance 4.5 stars
Story 4 stars

CW: death of loved one (past), grief, unemployment, financial concerns, emotionally abusive parent, strained relationship with parent

*I voluntarily read and listened to an advance review copy of this book*

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy for me and others in the Joyful Chaos Book Club and thank you to PRH Audio for the complimentary audiobook. These opinions are my own.

This is such a lovely book. And that includes everything from the characters to the scenery. Noelle posts a TikTok to find a man, Paul, who used to be involved with her grandmother. When it goes viral, she connects with his grandson, only to learn it is her high school rival, Theo.

This book shows so many kinds of love and really explores what love is. Noelle's love and bond with her late grandmother are so beautiful, and the relationship she develops with Paul is just as heart wrenching.

There are beautiful landscapes, as they travel to some of the most gorgeous national parks in the west. Noelle's way of looking at landscapes and people to tell a story is so powerful. And we see what real and messy life looks like.

I could go on and on about the amazing themes of competition and striving, grief and processing, secrets and games, and more. Plus there's so much chemistry and steam.

4.5 stars rounded up