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I am so glad this is getting love from other reviewers because this one was not for me. The characters were frustrating. I cannot stand adults choosing not to be open with each other. I also usually love the celebrity/normal person trope, but it felt super cliche here and I wanted more originality. I know I’m in the minority and I will recommend it to readers that I know like this kind of story.

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3.5 stars

Lexi and Jake meet one night in a bar. Their chemistry is undeniable. A perfect night together inspires Jake to write a song. The irony? That song is the very thing that drives them apart. As Jake propels to superstardom as singer/songwriter, Lexi pursues her dreams as a chef. They resign themselves to lives apart, until the pull that first drew them together proves stronger than ever. But can Lexi get over her insecurities and let love in?

Jake is a super yummy cinnamon roll of a hero, with puppy dog eyes and a velvet voice. The scenes in which they embrace the love they feel are absolutely top notch. I swooned so hard! The characters all felt so real. The struggles so authentic. Despite all of the challenges, I found myself desperate to see these two happily together in the end. Speaking of the end, it didn't disappoint! I also enjoyed the sprinkling of real-world stars throughout the story. What fun!!

Lexi, while often realistic and down-to-earth, often drove me crazy. She ruined so many magical moments with her unfounded insecurities. She could medal in jumping to conclusions! I appreciated the conflicts, but I would have loved it if she'd succumbed to them less. That said, I did have a good time with this book, and the author will remain on my radar!

Trigger warnings: death of a mother (before story begins), cheating (potentially), cyber bullying

I'd like to thank St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the eARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

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I had really high hopes for this one, but it just didn't work for me. The book felt a bit young in regards to dialogue from Lexi and her interactions with her best friend. I know that Lexi is supposed to be in her early 20s, but she read younger to me. Now I don't mind YA at all, but it was hard for me to feel invested in the story, and I decided to put it down a little over halfway through. I don't think I'd say I would never come back to it because the premise was very cute.

I would give a rating of about 3.5/5 stars.

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I loved the characters in this book. Lexi and Jake were both likable and relatable. The connection between them was exciting and I loved their instant connection. The supporting characters were fun and entertaining. The book moves quickly and was a lot of fun to read. I was invested in their relationship from the first meeting. I will definitely look for more books by this author in the future. I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

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Thank you @smpromance @netgalley for a copy of this debut romance about an up and coming chef and rock star. Lexi just finished culinary school and is starting her job as a chef. She goes out and meets Jake and has a magical weekend with him. Jake becomes a break out star and ghosts her. They reconnect again and Lexi has to decide what she wants...her career or Jake. I enjoyed the interaction between Jake and Lexi and how hard it was for them to both start their career and the fame of Jake. I enjoyed seeing the growth journey for Lexi as she figures out what she wants professionally, her love life as well as her relationship with her dad.

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Till There Was You by Lindsay Hameroff was a delightful rom-com that I devoured easily.
This is a well written debut novel that I read in a day. Compulsively readable, entertaining, and very charming. The story is well-written, engaging and delightful on all levels.
The characters were so easy to fall for and the relationship was so real.
They are realistic, funny and so very awesome you'll wish they were real.
This book was equal parts funny, heartwarming, sweet and emotional and I loved every page.
Hameroff’s debut was such a fun read that I found myself so giddy towards the end.
Easily one of the best romances I have read in the past year!

Thank You NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

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Well this was a fun one. Years and years and years ago I used to take recreational cooking classes at the ICE in NYC. So how fun was it to start reading this book and find Lexi in cooking school there! And when she meets Jake…such a vicarious thrill. Loved reading as they navigated an impossible-seeming relationship with two incredibly difficult jobs, but a love that felt worth it.

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I genuinely enjoyed this book and that was refreshing. I’ve been on a stretch of immature main characters or ridiculous reasons couples are kept apart. When one is a celebrity, there’s certainly a lot more material to work with.

I love the idea of the normal girl getting the famous guy. Lexi was a likable lead while her experience with her mom echoed mine and was hard to read, the author kept feelings and actions believable. Jake was a Georgia boy and I couldn’t love that more. He was a great leading man to swoon over.

This is a mostly light, fun read for rom com lovers and an interesting foray into the culinary world. I recommend to all those who want a romantic story where the main characters communicate and genuinely like one another, not just lust.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC!

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24 year old Lexi Berman loves to cook and is set on becoming an executive chef in a very successful restaurant. But her perfectly planned future is turned upside down after meeting Jake Taylor on a girls night out.

Jake Taylor is a musician who after writing a song after Lexi’s amazing blueberry pancakes, he goes viral and his life is never the same.

Balancing their busy careers abs their relationship at the same time, Lexi and Jake struggle to make time for each other without sacraficing their dreams.

There were many funny/cute moments that had me wanting to keep reading. I liked the pace and the reality of showing the not so perfect life of a famous musician. I really enjoyed this novel and hope to read more from Hameroff.

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I wanted to love this one, because the premise sounded so good, but I was disappointed in the execution. It was very insta-love, not so much a one-night stand as a whole-weekend stand, and then the MMC just disappears, which ok, sure, that can happen but the FMC pines for him for a year and a half after? You spent 2 days with the guy, calm down. He just shows back up out of nowhere and it's miscommunication after miscommunication, which I did not enjoy; just talk to each other and tell each other the truth instead of skirting around your issues!

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I really liked the start of the book and the romance between Lexi and Jake. Right from the start there was chemistry between them and it was love at first sight. And after their incredible weekend together Jake leaves and then returns for their second chance. And as they come back together, that chemistry and love is still there even if they’re at different places in their lives now. I’m a fan of second chance with the chemistry and tension, which this book did have some of, but for me the first weekend of their relationship wasn’t long enough for me to put all my heart and hope into rooting for this second chance. But the relationship was still good and worked for me to keep reading and like it until the third act breakup. It felt like a lot of the arguing that led to this point was out of character and too forced, and ultimately made me not like the romance if this is what it led to. The first two thirds of the book were definitely better than the last third.

Overall, there are good and bad things about this romance and a neutral 3 stars.

Read if you like…
•second chance
•celebrity love
•insta love

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This was a fine read. I don't know that I'd recommend it to anyone if you've ever read any celebrity dating trope books before. I wanted to love this book, truly. A young aspiring chef? Yes. Touches of jewish foods interspersed throughout the chapters? Yes.

One steamy weekend, the singer goes to record a demo, gets signed right away and forgets all about Lexi? Meh. Just wasn't in the right mood for this.

Was the book very readable? Yes. Will I read more from this author, for sure.

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This was a fun read! A weekend together turns into more than either of them expected. A sweet romance with some cute and funny moments. There’s some heart touching scenes and you could help but root for the main characters even through their trials.

My only qualm was I wanted a more definite ending. It just seemed to stop.

4 stars/ 2 🌶️- for fade to black moments.

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This one was cute with some funny moments. I am a big fan of second chance romances. I loved the chef/musician part of it. I really wanted to love it but it fell a little bit short. It dragged a little bit through the middle for me. I just didn't connect with the characters as much as I wanted to. I think this one just wasn't for me. Huge thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

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Till There Was You is a rock star + chef romcom with so much heart. Culinary student Lexi has a whirlwind weekend with musician Jake. She thinks they share a real connection, but he ends up ghosting her. When he shows up at her doorstep a year later, now a famous rock star, she has to decide whether their still-there connection is worth risking her heart again.

First of all, I think this is the author’s debut, which astounds me. This was a very easy book to read. The voice was clear and distinct, and the plot kept me flipping the page. The main conflict here is that Jake’s rock star job is at odds with Lexi’s fledgling chef career. They’re both figuring out what they want in life, and while they both know they want each other, Lexi has a hard time seeing how they can make it work.

This book is lighthearted while being deeply emotional. I found it very easy to relate to Lexi’s doubts and struggles. It’s told entirely from Lexi’s POV, and while I would have loved a peek inside Jake’s head, I never felt like I was missing anything. Overall, I would definitely recommend this swoony romance, and I can’t wait to see what comes next from this author!

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An NYC chef and a rising musician risk their all to find love 💕

✨ Book Review: TILL THERE WAS YOU by Lindsay Hameroff

🥞 Book Synopsis: Culinary student Lexi Bergman has a plan to work her way through the New York restaurant ranks to someday be an executive chef and make her late mom proud. When she meets Jake Taylor, a musician in a dive bar poised for a bigger stage, they have a whirlwind weekend of romance. Jake goes off to LA to record a demo and chase his dreams. Lexi lands her first restaurant job. They lose touch until Jake shows up on Lexi’s doorstep looking to hide from the paparazzi who now know him well. They must decide if their second chance at love and friendship is worth the risk and determine how to balance romance and their career dreams.

🎸 My Take: This was a romance but it was mostly a book about the choices and sometimes sacrifices we make to both be with someone and to realize our succeed professionally. It’s a classic question, especially for young professionals looking to balance career aspirations and budding romance. How can you have both? Lexi and Jake want to be together, but feel pulled in different directions by their respective work commitments and paths. Their whirlwind and second-chance romance both feel right, but they struggle with the realities of their work demands. This question is the crux of the latter half of the book, which felt both real (maybe too real?) and a bit tedious to me.

Read TILL THERE WAS YOU for
👩🏻‍🍳 Restaurant kitchen chef insights
🎸 Rock star fame
🏆 Big career dreams
📈 20s coming of age
🔥 Steamy romance
❤️‍🩹 Second-chance romance

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3/5 stars)

😘 Thanks to @SMPRomance and #NetGalley for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. TILL THERE WAS YOU publishes this Tuesday, Feb 20!

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Till There Was You is a contemporary romance novel about a young woman who has a whirlwind weekend with a musician and inspires a hit song.

Lexi is a culinary school student in New York City when she meets Jake Taylor performing at a bar late one night. He’s leaving in a few days to record a demo but they spend an incredible weekend together and Jake’s song about her pancakes (“Blueberry”) becomes a huge hit. After never hearing from him again Lexi is shocked when he shows up on her doorstep a year later. The two try to juggle their respective careers, celebrity and their blossoming feelings as the world watches on.

Till There Was You is a sweet romance about two people trying to chase their dreams and the disappointment when it wasn’t exactly how they pictured. A lot of readers will relate to Lexi’s insecurity over her “normal person” status and long-held hurt over her father’s hasty marriage and retreat to Florida after her mother’s death. But, also Jake’s fear of being a “one hit wonder” and having his career taken away from him. Overall, this is a fun and romantic story with a lot of great food descriptions.

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*I received a free ARC of this ebook from the publisher.*

3.5 stars.

My feelings about this book are mixed. On the one hand, it was a cute story with characters I care about and rooted for. On the other hand, it was very frustrating because they were sometimes idiots. I also would have liked it more if it had left out some content--it could have been 4 stars.

Lexi (23 at the start) and Jake (don’t recall an age given) were adorable with each other from the start. Overall, I liked both of them. Lexi was driven, supportive, and hardworking. I loved Jake’s happy nature and how he constantly drew her out of her comfort zone (in a good way) and persisted in his efforts to counteract all of Lexi’s self doubts. Despite how much she liked him, she was very hesitant to allow him any permanent space in her life because it didn’t fit in with her plan and because she was afraid. Their relationship was somewhat of a roller coaster mainly because of two things: Jake was naive, and Lexi lacked self confidence. Those two qualities were not a good mix, especially for a relationship between people in their fields.

Lexi was fortunate to have supportive friends. Ali's personality took me back to my youth, reminding me of Six from the TV show Blossom. I really loved Jake's mom, and I wish she'd had more presence in the book. Madison's character was a little over the top for me, and I struggled to believe people like her actually exist in the world. Maybe I'm wrong, though--I don't know everyone, after all.

At times, the writing was reminiscent of Emily Henry, but only here and there. Hameroff has her own style, and it flows well as a first-person fictional narrative. Characters were, for the most part, believable. The dialogue felt natural but contained far too much strong language. One thing that shook Lexi's credibility as a chef was her claim that a turkey takes all day to roast. Sure, you can do that, but only if you want a really dry turkey. A good-sized turkey can easily be done roasting in 2 to 2 1/2 hours (that's how I cooked them for years until my husband started smoking them instead, which takes about 2 1/2 to 3 hours).

I would gladly recommend this book and read another book by this author if it weren't for the content I mention in my Notes section. It also could have used an epilogue.

Notes: Swearing, including at least 10 f words. A couple of moderate sex scenes, easy to skip. A couple of LGB side characters.

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3.75 stars rounded up

After quite a stretch of not being too impressed with NetGalley ARCs, I was happy to have enjoyed this quick paced, second chance rockstar romance. While not usually my favorite tropes, the NYC and restaurant scene settings were familiar enough to me to keep my attention.

Lexi Berman is a culinary student, desperate to land a restaurant gig upon graduating to fulfill her late mother's wishes. She has a staunch no dating policy, not wanting anything to distract her from her goal. One night at a bar, she meets musician of the night Jake Taylor, and is captivated by his easy Southern charm and talent. They have a weekend fling together, and Lexi fully expects to never hear from him again, as he was about to leave for LA to record a demo. A few months later, she is shocked to hear him on the radio, singing a song that was certainly inspired by the blueberry pancakes she cooked him during their time together. When Jake unexpectedly shows up on her doorstep after a year of whirlwind fame and inserts himself back into her new life as a restaurant prep cook, she must decide if she can balance the demands of her career along with supporting Jake in his. This one was at times a little frustrating to read, because Jake did expect a lot from Lexi and almost trivialized the importance of her job, and I didn't really love how that when Lexi did finally suffer consequences in her career for supporting Jake, she went right back to him even though it was his fault. Overall though I did enjoy this one more than the other new to me authors I've been reading lately and would still recommend for a quick palate cleanser.

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Contemporary romance with a definite meet cute. A one night stand that evolves between a musician(Jake) and a culinary student(Lexi). When Jake writes a song inspired by Lexi it explodes into the next new thing. Now famous he comes back for the girl he just can’t forget and his fame is a major disruption in her life. Both Lexi and Jake have to decide if they can combine their lives and if it’s worth the risk. Charming story from this debut author. Thanks to netgalley and St Martins Press

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