I loved this rom-dramedy so very much, and it was the perfect read to kick off PRIDE MONTH! 😍 I am typically quite picky when it comes to rom-com type books, as it can be so easy to lean into the cheese or the kitsch, but I found this book entirely palatable, with even the intimate scenes being really well-written (no throbbing members to be found here!). I didn't put it together at first that the author had also written "A Lesson In Vengeance", a book which I had found intriguing but ultimately unsatisfying, but that was not the case at all with this book. Here, I felt each plot point played out well & in a timely way, characters were (mostly) fleshed-out as much as they needed to be and the ending had enough resolution to feel satisfying while still leaving the possibility for future growth for the main characters.

*there should certainly be clearly marked trigger & content warnings for drug use/ abuse/ overdose and depictions of anti-2SLGBTQIA+ actions from family & community, so please read accordingly.*

This cover is really what drew me in to want to read this but I really stayed for the main characters. I found them very easy to read about.

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC!

Wow. I loved this book. I agree with some things I have heard that this feels more like a coming of age story than a romance. And I am HERE for it.

Even without much knowledge about Jewish culture, Ely’s story is so riveting. She has a past she is haunted by and you can tell that she’s struggling with her identity in the world without her religion and as a recovering addict.

Wyatt’s way of seeing the world is so powerful, especially considering his own past. I love the way that he (and through him) approaches sobriety.

I love their banter and the way they support one another and are drawn to one another. It truly is a beautiful story and I was devastated when it was over.

Victoria Lee writes extremely readable books, and this one tops the charts for me. Her characters feel so fleshed out and real, and even when two characters have similar backgrounds they don’t feel like they are the same. They have their own triggers and vices and responses to those things. I can’t rave about this book enough.

Please read the TWs, as this book deals with many very heavy topics and ones that are difficult to discuss generally— though it is done tactfully and with immense care.

First of all, are you ready for your new book boyfriend? I submit Wyatt Cole, hot, hot mess, deeply tortured artist, great one-nighter, even better when he finally gets his stuff together, tries to be A Professional but he's way too thirsty, sweetheart.

Second, are you ready for a ride? Well buckle up buttercup. A Shot in the Dark starts out light and steamy and super tropey. Does the one-night-stand to oops-you're-my-professor trope ever get old? Never, am I right? But our stop in fun hookup land is merely to top off the tank and put more air in the tires, so don't get comfy.

As a romance author who also features characters dealing with addiction, I really appreciate the way Lee handles the subject matter here. There are no pulled punches, no gentle hands easing you into the depths of this book. It's more of a cliff than a rolling hill, and you'll be white knuckling the steering wheel just to handle the drop. Okay, I think I've stretched this metaphor hard enough. You get me.

This story was hard to read at times, even harder to put down at others. Perhaps it's slightly emotionally uneven. Perhaps the ending sent me tires-squealing out of a massive thunderstorm to arrive a bit too easily at the beach. Perhaps neither of things really matter. I liked these characters. I believed these characters. I feel like I know these characters. I rooted for these characters. I won't soon forget these characters. A Shot in the Dark moved me, and if you too would like to be moved, look for it in September.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this advanced copy. All views are my own.

This was a beautiful love story between Ely, a former addict and Jewish woman who left her community after her addition spiraled out of control, and Wyatt, a trans man who is also a recovering addict himself. They meet the night Ely returns to NYC after several years away, and have an instant connection. Only the next day, Ely walks into her new photography class to find out Wyatt is her teacher. Thus begins a story between these two people trying to overcome their pasts and build a future for themselves. The prose is lovely, the setting so real it took me back to my post-grad days in NYC, and the rumination on art and photography really interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with Ely and Wyatt and was so happy to see them get their happy ending.

I didn't know what to expect, exactly, going into this book, but I was pleasantly surprised. There's discussions of addiction and how that affects not just the user, but their families and other relationships as well; a large part of the book also focuses on Ely and her struggle with her faith and finding a place in her Jewish community; there's a small look at trans identities and abuse; there's the seemingly ever-present feeling that you're never a good enough artist--in short, there's a lot going on in this book, but I feel like the book wasn't long enough to compensate. Everything felt like it fell just a bit short of being completely satisfying for me. I feel like the writing was very personable and easy to fall into and I liked Ely and Wyatt as characters and as a couple. My biggest issue is that not only weren't their stories equal, but not everything felt like it wrapped up fully.

Speaking of Wyatt, I feel like he didn't quite get enough fleshing out in the book. Ely seems to get the majority of the page time, which fair, but if both of them get equal billing in the synopsis, I feel like both of them should have gotten equal page time. Like, Wyatt has a lot going on outside of Ely--he's estranged from his family, has an abusive father, and was discharged from the military after coming out as trans; all that on top of being 10 years sober--but it felt like important bits of Wyatt's character were dumped into the Ely chapters at times when it would've been better served in a chapter in Wyatt's POV.

Also, this is just a personal preference, but I think the book could have done without the flashbacks in the middle of the chapters. I understand why they were there. It's just that a lot of what they had to say was already kind of illuminated in the present-day portions. The flashbacks look at Ely during the beginning of her addiction before she was kicked out of her house and community. I feel like if they were their own chapters, maybe, it might have worked a bit better. Having them tagged on in the chapter sort of broke up the flow. Truthfully, they probably could've been edited out of the book entirely and the reader would still get a good look at how Ely's life was shaped and changed by her addiction.

I know it looks like I'm ragging on the book a lot, but I did enjoy it for the most part. I just feel like it could've done a bit more to be truly great. Overall, though, I'd recommend it; just be sure to look up content warnings beforehand.

I want to Thank NetGalley for having the opportunity to have the chance to read this book. I enjoy this book but not what I expected I like going into blind to book over it was a good read

Initially, I was confused because this seems to have had an original pub date in July on Goodreads but it says September on Netgalley. I don't know what to make of contemporary adult romance since it's not what I typically reach for. But this did it for me. I don't know if it was the addiction storylines (I'm a young recovering alcoholic) who grew up quite religious and love me a good accent plus I'm queer and artsy. Romance does not have to be this severely serious genre, however, I do like when we get something a bit different than what's consistently finding mainstream success.

I'll post a concise review on Goodreads or TikTok, probably closer to the pub date.

This was really really beautiful. While more Ely’s story than Wyatt, I loved both of them a lot, both individually and together.
There was a quote at one point “The way art can say one thing to the world and something else to a community, if you know the right language.” and it’s so accurate. I know there’s things I missed from this book because I’m not in those specific communities this book is talking to, but I still loved this book. I hope those people in the communities who this will speak to will read it and love it as well.

I haven't read this author before but the description intrigued me. Once I started, I couldn't put it down. This book is real, gritty, emotional, and so lovely. My heart feels better for having read it.

Ely is a former addict who returns home to New York after being disowned from her Orthodox Jewish community. She has put all of herself into her photography craft and was accepted at an art school for the summer. She doesn't know, however, that her one night stand ends up being the professor and art world darling Wyatt that she is desperate to study under.

Wyatt is a trans man who bears the hurt of being disowned by his family and falling into substance abuse. He's made a name for himself in the art community and has decided to teach for the first time. He can't stay away from Ely but knows he has to because he's her teacher.

One the surface, this sounds like a light and fluffy romance book. There is so much depth and emotion in this book that I was blown away. Ely relapses after a triggering interaction with her family. Wyatt's awful father passes away and he speaks to his mother and brother for the first time in a decade. And Wyatt & Ely ebb back and forth into a friendship and move.

This book was so beautifully done and I can't wait to read more from this author.

Wow boy was this book heavier than the cover implies. With their trademark tone Victoria Lee yet again pens a piece of art that made me cry, swoon, and gasp out loud at. This is my third 5 star read from this author in as many years and has solidified their spot in my list of all time favourite authors.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for giving me an arc of this!

This was so heart wrenching and beautiful. This is a complex story about love, faith, and recovery that I felt was crafted with so much tenderness and care.. Reading about Ely’s journey was so touching and felt for her immensely. I think my favorite part about this book was Ely rediscovering her faith and coming to terms with what that means for her. That was something that I really related to a lot as I read this.

There were times where I felt that the dialogue wasn’t as strong but there were so many instances where I felt like the rest of what Lee wrote made up for that. I DO think Wyatt could’ve groveled just a little bit harder. Maybe Lee though that gift (that’s a crazy expensive gift) made up for it but I would’ve liked to see more of that.

A tender, angst-filled romance between two people who aren’t sure they deserve love. A Shot in the Dark is compelling and beautifully written.

Wyatt is a revered photographer. Ely is a photography student trying to make her mark. Each character is dealing with their own baggage and they can’t help but feel a pull toward one another as they each navigate their relationships with themselves and with one another.

This was a quick read for me as I was drawn in to both Ely’s and Wyatt’s worlds and couldn’t wait to see how the story unfolded. The author makes you care so deeply for the characters soon after you meet them.

Thank you very much to Random House Ballantine and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this wonderful novel.

This book is an absolute wonder. I have no doubt that it will end up on my top books of the year list when it's time to do those yearly wrap-ups.

The story that Lee has crafted here is nothing short of spectacular. It's both deeply heartbreaking and beautifully heartfelt at the same time, a story of addiction and recovery and finding the beauty in life again. It's a love letter to art, to queer culture, to family (and found family), to love itself. It's about good things and bad things and everything in between. Ely is such a wonderfully flawed character who is still lovable in her determination to keep going even when the odds seem stacked against her. She's done terrible things, but she wants so badly to be a good person and a good friend that it's impossible not to root for her. Wyatt is charming and sweet and an absolutely incredible love interest and character on his own—his struggles are so relatable and he's just such a sweetheart. I adore both of them so much. The romance between them is so compelling too for many reasons, but mainly in just that they love each other so deeply that they're willing to change and grow to become better for each other and those around them. I just—I'm in awe of this book. I'll definitely be rereading it again when the finished copies are out!

Truly, hats-off to Lee. This is spectacular!

"A Shot in the Dark" is on trend given the popularity of shows like "Unorthodox". A complex LGBT romance for anyone seeking this kind of story.

I seem to be in the minority here of not loving this book, I didn't hate it! Just didn't love it. The primary issue as I found the dialogue to be very cringy.

A Shot in the Dark by Victoria Lee is the best book I've read this year. Although I know very little about addiction, phtography, orthodoxy, or even what it is to live in New York, Lee painted her characters and their surroundings so intimately that I had no choice but to dive deep into their world.
A Shot in the Dark takes a standard romantic trope - a woman meets an attractive stranger and hits it off, all before realizing that he's her professor. While the trope's been done before, I can guarantee that it's just the foundation for a captivating storyline. As Ely and Wyatt war their attraction to each other with their duty to their careers, they also face challenges to their sobriety, their spirituality, and their interpretation of the past.
There are so many things I love about Ely and Wyatt's story. For one, the author wove what I felt were authentic characters, allowing the plot to fold around them instead of forcing them to bend to the pen. And the struggles each faced, main and secondary characters alike, were done with the care and intelligence. The world Lee created was so encompassing, I had no choice but to fall head first into it. It was the kind of read where I looked up and couldn't believe that these people weren't real.
In general, I also believe that the best novels provide you access to feelings, emotions, and experiences that you might never have in your own life. I cannot pretend that after reading a single novel written from one author's perspective that I know all there is about addiction or transgenderism, but Lee's writing helped me to understand far more than when I first picked up her book.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random house Publishing Group for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Okay. Ookay. Ookaay. I’m trying to put into words what an insanely good book A Shot in The Dark is and what it did to me, so forgive me if this review seems to be a vomit of incoherent thoughts.

Want. Need. Desire. That’s what this beautiful love story is about. A craving for addictive substances, still, after so many years of both being sober. A yearning to be completely and unapologetically themselves after both having lost their family all at once. A longing for each other after just one night together and simply feeling lost without the other. A hunger so tangible on every page, in every sentence, that it made the constant tension in the book jump over to my body and soar through my veins until my stomach flipped, my chest tightened, and my heart ached. But that tension also let a smile reach my eyes, and that same body, stiff from anxiety and worries, began to tingle. My heart opened up time and again for those two beautiful people, a professor and a student, both photographers, both sober, both abandoned by their families, and their forbidden love.

This story belongs to the category of books I desperately want to read. Need to read. Desire to read. Darker, heavier topics against the backdrop of a love story. Flawed and fully fleshed-out characters jumping off the pages. Mesmerizing poetic and descriptive writing. I hadn’t read anything by Victoria Lee before, but this story made me obsessed, and I can’t wait to read more of their books! Thank you so much, Victoria, for one of the best novels I read this year!

Wow. I was hooked to the story of Ely and Wyatt from the jump, the first few pages and chapters had me eager to keep reading to find out where this would all go. An extremely steamy R rated scene in the beginning leads way to a complex story of addiction and recovery, family, loss, and art.

Lee manages to write a romance novel with all the tropes and none of the convention. Ely and Wyatt were both complicated, and neither character arc left me wanting more insight or development which is pretty rare when it comes to a romance.

The most fascinating part of this story for me was the way that Judaism is highlighted and explored in a way that both someone from within, and someone on the outside (like me) can appreciate and understand.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the privilege of reading this ARC!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Y'all...this book is GOOD! I have seen Victoria Lee speak at a YA book festival years ago and found them interesting and captivating, and I've been meaning to read one of their books for awhile. When she posted that she had written an adult romance I knew I wanted to read it, and I'm so grateful NetGalley gave me an ARC because this is one of the best books I've read so far this year.

There are content warnings around drug use (alcohol/pills/opiates) and an emotionally abusive father to a trans man.

We have dual perspectives from Ely, our main female character, who grew up in a strict Jewish faith home, who also abused drugs as a teen, and is recently 4 years sober. She has moved back home to NY to explore a summer program focused on mixed media photography, and is excited for the program but nervous of the ghosts from her past lurking around every corner in NY. We also have Wyatt, our trans man perspective, who is a somewhat reclusive photographer and new professor at the school Ely is going to.

There is a quite R rated scene early in the book, but besides that, the steam and smut is rather tame, lending more time and focus to character building and depth. Ely explores what the Jewish faith means to her now, her viewpoint as an artist, her troubled past, and her sober future. Wyatt also has to deal with some ghosts from his past, and together they develop complex emotions for each other, as well as a lot of support for each other as well.

Lee has a beautiful writing style and I felt immersed in this while reading. I also really liked the three-legged cat, Haze, who is a little scene stealer in his own right.

I'd characterize this more as literary fiction with a side of romance than a flat out "romance" novel. Definitely enjoyed this book!