I really enjoyed You, with a View by Jessica Joyce. There are 3 main characters featured in this novel. High school rivals, Theo and Noelle, discover that their grandparents once had a whirlwind romance and broken engagement. They embark on a road trip that follows the plans for the honeymoon that never was joined by Theo's grandfather Paul who shares letters and stories that document what changed the course of their lives. Noelle, who is an aspiring photographer, is also sharing her family history, photos from the trip and her grandmothers "secrets" on TikTok which has quite a following. The main characters were well developed and the pacing was perfect.
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I can’t believe this is Jessica Joyce’s debut novel. It had everything to make a wonderful book to indulge – the writing style, the plot, the pacing, the amazing and relatable characters. The book is about soulmates, wanderlust, grief, and how delicate life is. As I was reading this, I had so many laughs and felt so many emotions. There was depth to the plot but enough lightheartedness to keep the whole book enjoyable. Noelle and Theo are so easy to love and captured my heart from the very beginning. Their interactions were sweet, fun, and filled with great chemistry and spice.

I alternated between an ebook copy and an audiobook. The audiobook is narrated by Kyla Garcia. The performance is well done. I think the ebook was a little better for myself b/c I was able to really feel all the emotions better.

Noelle Shepard is grieving the loss of her Grandmother and questioning the next steps in her career, or lack thereof, having just been fired from her job. Noelle moves back home with her parents, and she stumbles upon a picture of her grandmother posing with a man Noelle has never seen, and clearly, they are in love. The picture is accompanied by a love letter from this name with just a name, Paul. Noelle and her grandmother, Kathleen were extremely close, and she can't believe she knows nothing about Paul since sharing secrets was one of their favorite things to do.
Noelle decides to create a TikToc video to see if she can find out his identity. The video goes viral and the grandson of the man in the picture responds to Noelle. It turns out that the grandson, Theo Spencer, is Noelle's high school nemesis. The two voted "most likely to succeed" and fierce competitors.

Noelle develops a relationship with Paul, he tells her that he and Kathleen were going to elope and even planned out an itinerary for their honeymoon, which of course never happened. Noelle decides to go on this trip as a tribute to her grandmother. Paul offers to join her, with one stipulation, his grandson will come with them.

This is the author's debut novel. I liked it, sometimes a lot, and other times not so much. What I loved is the development of the relationship with Noelle and Theo. Their chemistry is off the charts. And I loved how their story plays out. But I didn't believe the "epic love story" that is supposed to have taken place with the grandparents. Their story was tepid at best. And the reasons behind their breakup were not sufficient enough to support such important relationship. Overall a good story, written well and I would read this author again. 3.5stars.

Thank you to Net Galley for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH! For sure going to be in my top reads of 2023 and I think one of the books to beat for my fave of the year.

Anyone who has dealt with the loss of a loved one (specifically a grandparent) will relate to this story. Grandparents are like magic and as you lose them, part of that childhood magic dies with them. That’s no lie for our FMC Noelle, who recently lost her grandma. The discourse of grief through this novel is super poignant and well done, and really emphasizes how it can hit you at any time and in little or big ways.

I loved the chemistry and build up of Theo and Noelle’s story. I wish we had gotten to see or hear a bit about their competitive streak in high school, but I enjoyed their 28 year old vibes.

I’m also really pleased with how TikTok is a focal point but not overdone or corny in any way. It’s the equivalent of any book in the last few years that mentioned Twitter or Instagram.

Noelle’s family, specifically Thomas, are great. All the side characters of her family are well written. And then there is Paul, which what can I say? He’s the best! I loved how he slowly unraveled his and Kathleen’s story to both Noelle and Theo.

Jessica Joyce is an amazing and vivid writer. The visuals of this book were so easy to picture and it felt like watching a movie as I was reading it. I love a good road trip book. Perfect for fans of Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson. I can’t wait to read another book by Joyce.

What you get in You, With A View:

📱 TikTok that went viral
🎾 High school rivals
📝 Love letters
🚗 Road trip
😂Many LOL worthy moments
📸 Photography talk
🧪 Serious chemistry
🌶️ Open door spicy scenes (3/5)

Thank you to @PRHAudio for the free #audiobook and @berkleypub and @netgalley for the ARC.

“Secrets get harder the longer you keep them.”

Two high school rivals reunite for a road trip inspired by their grandparents’ broken engagement on this romantic debut by @jessicajoycewrites.

If you have ever adored a grandparent or had an especially close relationship with one, your heart may just break a little in the most heartwarming way reading this one. There is just a something so special about that grandparent/grandchild dynamic.

“I sense the same connection between him and Paul as what I had with Gram. That soulmate thing, the string connecting two people, longer than death, further than forever.”

I absolutely loved the audio version, narrated by @kylark. She did a fantastic job of embracing the funny parts, adding emotion to the heartfelt parts, and differentiating the characters. She made an already enjoyable book even more fun!

You, With A View by Jessica Joyce 🏞️

Wow, wow, wow. I loved this so much! Noelle is unemployed, living with her parents, and grieving the loss of her grandmother. When sorting through her grandma's things one day she finds a picture of her with someone who is not her grandfather. Curious to find out who he is, she posts a video that goes viral. She ends up finding the mystery man, Paul, but he also turns out to be the grandfather of her high school rival Theo. Noelle learns that her grandma and Paul were going to elope and had a road trip honeymoon planned, but their plans didn't end up working out. So she decides to take the road trip and invites Paul, but Theo decides to tag along as well.

Everything about this was so much fun! I love an outdoorsy sort of romance and the road trip brought so much forced proximity. The romance was there but I also loved Noelle's relationship with Paul and how he acts as sort of a pseudo-grandparent for her after losing her grandma. All along the trip Paul tells Noelle and Theo about his history with her grandma, sharing letters and pictures along the way. It was so sweet and I was so invested. It's kind of like getting a double romance in one, Noelle and Theo's and Paul and Noelle's grandma's.

The banter between Noelle and Theo was hilarious! They both love to tease each other but they also were so in tune with each others emotions, knowing what the other needed. They had these ideas in their head from high school of what each other were like but as the trip goes on they develop deep feelings for each other and it's oh so good. The tension and the forced proximity build up to such good spice (and a good bit of it)!

While I love dual POV I wasn't really bothered by not having Theo's POV in this (though I would have loved it). The communication between Noelle and Theo was so good that I felt like I knew enough of Theo's thoughts that his POV wasn't needed.

And oh my gosh, the epilogue?! The sweetest thing ever! I love them both so much.

Tropes:
😠 high school rivals to lovers
🚗 road trip
🛏️ only one bed
👥 forced proximity
🤭 hilarious banter

single POV
5/5 stars ⭐️
2/5 spice level 🌶️

You, with a Viewis compelling and I can't believe that this is Jessica's debut. It made me cry and it felt similar to Mr.s Nash's Ashes in a good way. I loved the pining and while I wanted a little more tension, I thought that this did an excellent job with childhood rivals to lovers and road-trip fun while managing grief.

This was like a vacation in a book! I loved the road-trip Romcom, the grandpa, discovering a part of your grandmother you never knew & enemies to lovers trope.

You With A View by Jessica Joyce is her debut novel. Noelle Shepherd is currently not employed, living with her parents, and is struggling with the loss of her grandmother. She finds a letter from her grandmother from another man who was not her grandmother and the adventure begins. Theo is Noelle’s high school nemesis who happens to be the grandson of the unknown man.

This was an enjoyable read. The characters were interesting and had good chemistry and banter. I loved the road trip. I appreciated how the author dealt with the deep parts of grief in the story in such a thoughtful realistic way. It was great to see the characters change and grow throughout the story.

You With A View is a solid romance with thoughtful themes of accepting who you are and becoming who you were meant to be. I recommend.
I was given a copy and not required to write a positive review.

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy.

I heard a lot of good things about this book, and it didn't disappoint. It was another book where the main character is dealing with grief, and her growth and journey throughout the book focused a lot on that.

Noelle's grandma recently passed, and in her belongings, Noelle finds a love letter and some photos from a man that is not her grandfather. She posts a video on TikTok trying to find the man, and someone responds saying it's his grandfather. They make plans to meet and turns out that the man is named Paul and his grandson is Noelle's high school nemesis, Theo.

Turns out Paul and Noelle's grandma had plans to elope and go on a road trip honeymoon. Noelle decides she wants to take that trip, and Paul and Theo go along with her. Use your imagination about what happens next.

I really loved the banter between Noelle and Theo, and their chemistry was smoking hot.

I will definitely read more by this author. 4.5 stars

Whatever the secret sauce* for contemporary romance is, Jessica Joyce has got. it. I loved this book from start to finish, and when I tell you it’s for the Speak Now girlies… it’s like if there was a mashup of I Can See You and Timeless and it *worked*

I feel like I just fell in love AND road tripped through states I’ve never even been to. What a journey, and what a treat!

*the secret sauce is when the book makes you Feel Things™️ because real feelings inspired by fake people is the cornerstone of romance, thanks for coming to my TEDTalk

this book was the one i needed at this point in my life! not only is it the road trip romance of my dreams; it healed a piece of my heart in its pages. the way grief is handled with such patience and quiet care felt like a warm hug💓

Noelle and Theo's love story is filled with chemistry and witty banter, but also so much growth and self-exploration individually and together. if you like a former academic rivals to lovers moment, they are gonna be it for you! the flirting disguised as roasting, the calling each other by their last names?! also, these characters are for the AP/honors students who have a fear of failure as adults and that hit a little too close to home!

there are elements of forced proximity, found family, and a meddling grandparent, which for me was a recipe for success. there are also letters throughout, and the last one in particular had me in tears. this is an absolute must read for the summer!

*thank you to Berkley & netgalley for the ARC and free finished copy!

What an enjoyable read! Heartbreak, learning to live with grief, finding yourself and your happiness this book is so much more than a romcom. The banter however is spot on. I loved their spirits and Theo’s grandad was my absolute favorite. I enjoyed how the author navigated showing both Theo and Noelle’s growth with their work lives and their relationship. I will say the one thing that got to me was something Theo said in their argument (you’ll know it when you read it) but other than that I really enjoyed it!

I enjoyed this book. It is told entirely from Noelle's point of view, as she is reeling from the death of her beloved grandmother and desperately trying to find her footing after losing her job and having to move back in with her parents. She finds herself on a roadtrip with Paul, her late grandmother's first love, and his grandson Theo, who also happens to be her high school nemesis. Noelle must find a way to endure Theo's company, discover the secrets of her grandmother's past, and rediscover who she is.
Noelle was very relatable and the descriptions of the scenery in the book were very well done. I liked the relationship between Theo and Noelle and the way it grew and developed. I feel like they really depended upon each other in high school a lot more than they realized. I had a little trouble with the big inevitable fight at the end--I really thought that Noelle was being a bit harsh and hypocritical. But she soon realized she was acting that way, so that definitely helped.
I would recommend this book if you enjoy contemporary romance and will probably read another book by this author.

I started this one and it was okay, but it didn't really draw me in.... it didn't feel romantic enough, the romance felt secondary to the other story. I made it about 15% but just didn't feel very invested.

You, With A View gets 5 stars from me! Jessica Joyce nailed this story about second chance romances, walks down memory lane, creating new starts, and reigniting your self-confidence.

Noelle's life is pretty dim. She's living at home with her parents and her mother is hovering. She's uncertain about her direction in life and worst of all, she's grieving the loss of her best friend/grandmother.

When Noelle discovers her grandma had a love story she knew nothing about, she types up a post and asks the internet to help her find this man. Noelle’s desperate for anything to keep her grandma feeling close.

An unexpected reply launches Noelle on an adventure to learn about the life her grandmother had before she was even a twinkle in her parents eye. The only catch? The man happens to be the grandparent of her grande school “nemesis”.

Read You, With A View if you’re into:
Second Chance Romance
Starting Over
Forced Proximity
Wanderlust
A Walk Down Memory Lane

A huge thank you to Berkley Romance and PRH Audio for granting me access to this title!!

A book that deals with grief in a positive, even sexy way? Yes please! Loved everything about this book and have been recommending it to all of my friends. Loved all the tropes (enemies to lovers, only one bed! Yes!) and how well it all was written. Jessica Joyce hit it out of the park with You, with a View and I can't wait to see what she writes next.

Don't you just love it when one of your most highly anticipated books lives up to all the promise and more?! Especially when the author is such a sweetheart? (You have NO idea how grateful I am to you for sending me an ARC, Jessica!)

I read this back in February and have not been able to stop thinking about it since. Hands down a new all time favorite!

Jessica's writing absolutely crackles off the page and the forced proximity, high school rivals to lovers romance is the best example of every trope and microtrope it represents. I am so obsessed.

The way Jessica writes Noelle and Theo's physical awareness of each other is just magical. I highlighted SO many passages and every time I see her post an excerpt it makes me want to do a reread. This isn't the most explicit book but it's just so steamy and tender and ridiculously hot. If you like the roasting as flirting trope this is absolutely the book for you. The banter and chemistry is off. the. charts.

This book is also a beautiful exploration of grief, finding your purpose in life after loss, and multigenerational friendship. (Paul is the most adorable matchmaking surrogate grandpa to Noelle!)

Plus, it's set on a road trip through the national parks, one of my favorite pastimes! (Although sadly I've never had a Theo along for the ride.)

If you only read one contemporary romance this year, make it this one. It's unbelievable to me that this is a debut and I'm already dying for whatever Jessica writes next. (Hint: it's second chance and I need it now.)

You, With a View is out now and I'm so jealous of everyone who still gets to read it for the first time!

Thank you SO much Jessica and Berkley for the review copy.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝙏𝙬𝙤 𝙝𝙞𝙜𝙝 𝙨𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙡 𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖 𝙧𝙤𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙥 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨’ 𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙣 𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙘 𝙙𝙚𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚.

📍 Read if you like:
• Enemies/Rivals To Lovers
• One Bed Trope
• Love Letters
• Traveling/Road Trips

I have found a new all-time favorite romance, I finished this last night and I can’t stop thinking about it - I’m completely obsessed! 🤩

I had the pleasure of buddy reading this and we both absolutely loved this book. I’m honestly amazed this is a debut novel, it was so well written and I connected to the story & characters early on.

I honestly couldn’t put this book down 😴 I was engaged from page one to the very end, these characters - Noelle, Theo, and Grandpa Paul - had me grinning the whole time.

Let’s honestly talk more about Theo cause oh man 😅, the banter between both chapters was beautiful and heartwarming. There’s a enemies/rivalry from early on, but the way he talked about Noelle was so wholesome.

There’s a lot of traveling ✈️ with a road trip 🧳 in this book, and I have never wanted to travel more in my life until after finishing this book. Theo’s grandpa, Paul, had a passion for traveling. Also the love letters 💌 Noelle’s grandma left behind had me sobbing! 😭

I felt the immediate chemistry 🧪 from these characters, and oh man, this cover absolutely threw me off - it’s cute and all, but I was not expecting those scenes 🥵😏

I absolutely adored this book, it’s going down as a favorite romance for me 💘 everything about it was perfect. And that ENDING!! It was so beautifully wrapped up, I cried happy tears 🥹 didn’t want it to end 😭

This was a brilliant debut novel with love letters, traveling, lovable characters, one bed, and spice 😝🥰🤗😱 definitely go check this one out!

Thank you so much NetGalley for the eARC and Berkley Romance for the free physical book in exchange for my honest review!

•𝗧𝗪/𝗖𝗪: Grief and Sexual Content

Everything about this book was perfect. I loved every single second. The former academic rivals was so well done and added so much to their individual characters arcs as they both struggled with the idea of who they used to be and failing to live up to their own expectations. They complimented each other so well and having that shared past was so integral to who they are and who’d they become. I love them. I love them. I love them. Noelle felt so real and genuine and het struggles so authentic. Theo was so hot and sweet and charming and charismatic. Their banter could sustain me for dayyyyyyys, it was perfect. “last names as a form of foreplay” is my new favorite trope. Not to mention the surprisingly deep and profound depiction of grief interwoven perfectly with a hot, funny, lively road-trip-with-your-former-rival-and-his-sweet-old-grandpa backdrop. I love romance books that address grief and this has the perfect balance of humor and seriousness, so accurately capturing the grieving process as life moves on all around you and you keep finding yourself sucked into random pockets of profound, overwhelming sadness at the most unexpected times. I wasn’t prepared to cry over this cute little rom-com. They were sad tears but also healing tears. And I’m so glad this book exists to explore the concepts it does so expertly. Overall this is a masterpiece. The characters, the chemistry, the setting, the dialogue, the themes, the emotions. Everything was so well done and I’ll be thinking about them for a long long time.