I ended up DNFing this one at 13% because once I got to that point...I realized nothing had happened and I didn't really care about what happened to either of the main characters. Very Hallmark movie kind of cheesy (which is not my cup of tea despite being a sucker for romance). Overall, this one was just not for me.

Thank you St Martin's via Netgalley for allowing me to be an early reader.

“Till There Was You” by Lindsay Hameroff
Will Love be enough…
I rather had a love hate relationship with this story. Sometimes I loved it and sometimes I just wanted to bang a few heads together. But I persevered and am glad I did. I will remember this sweet, clean, very frustrating romance story for a long time. For certain Sure. Happy Reading ! !
Note: This review expresses my honest opinion.

I enjoyed this a lot because the hero was such a great guy in how open he was about how much he likes the heroine. He ghosted her for a while when he first made it big, but he came back and apologized so profusely that I could understand Lexi forgiving him. But she has her own insecurities so it’s predictable about the ups and downs their relationship is going to have. Any regular romance reader could predict what is going to happen. But I still enjoyed following their story.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this new novel.

I fell in love with Lexi and Jake! Their chemistry was palpable and electric which I loved :) I actually cried nearing the end... the angst was real.

Lexie was a darling, even if she lied to herself a lot. Jake was an idiot but he redeem himself. Great job, Lindsay Hameroff!

withholding review in solidarity with the smp boycott. my deepest apologiies abt this. warm regards, and PLEASE fix this

This is a cute book with understated humor and a leisurely pace. Jake and Lexi were adorable together.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this book, which comes out on February 20.

Till There Was You follows new chef Lexi as she finishes culinary school & starts her career in the restaurant industry. She has a strict no romance policy to help her stay focused, but she breaks her rules when she meets Jake, an aspiring musician. Sparks fly and they spend a magical weekend together, but then he's off to LA to record his demo. Soon enough, she's haunted by his hit song which is almost definitely about her and her blueberry pancakes. Can the two of them balance their demanding careers and their budding romance?

Okay, so, I absolutely adored this book. I confess the beginning was a bit tough for me because I tend not to love when the leads get together right away. However, as the story continued I understood why Hameroff chose to start the relationship this way, and soon enough I couldn't put this book down!

Till There Was You is one of those books that just grabs hold of you and takes you along for the ride. I loved seeing Lexi's work in the kitchen, which felt like one of the most realistic portrayals of what it's like to work in restaurants that I've ever read. Her passion for cooking really shines through even as you see that working as a chef isn't quite what she imagined.

The romance between Lexi and Jake is sweet and simple, with their attraction and affection shining through even as they navigate the trials of their situation. I liked how, aside from the initial miscommunication, they talked through their issues rather than just avoiding them. It had me rooting for them to figure things out because they were clearly trying so hard to be honest with one another.

In all, this was a delightful read with lots of lovely descriptions of food, which I always love. The ending wrapped up a little bit quickly, but of course, when don't I say that about romances these days? I highly recommend Till There Was You to anyone who loves a good love story, and especially those who can't get enough of foodie romances.

Read if you like:
🥈Second Chance Romances
🍲 Chef FMC
🎤 Singer MMC

Till There Was You has a lovely premise, a few of my favourite tropes, and some genuinely hilarious moments. I found the pacing to be very uneven.

The book follows Lexi, a chef, who meets Jake, a singer, and they spend a weekend together. He then ghosts her, becoming a famous musician. The rest of the novel follows them as they reconnect.

I love second chance romances, but because the weekend Lexi and Jake initially spent together was rushed through, when they reunited and claimed to still have feelings for each other, it felt forced.

Jake and Lexi clearly love each other, yet the second a side character made a snide comment, they gave up on the relationship entirely. It felt like the author knew there needed to be a third act conflict, and forced one in.

Lastly, this book heavily discusses the themes of balancing work and time with the ones you love. There is a ton of potential in Lindsay Hameroff's writing and ideas, and I'm excited to see what she writes next.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Reading some of the other reviews for this book makes me wonder if I read the same book. I LOVED this story (I also devoured The Idea of You and hated the ending). THIS! I laughed, I squealed, I shed a few tears. In this book we have Lexi Berman who meets hot guy, Jake Taylor, with an even hotter voice and they have a phenomenal weekend. He heads off to LA to become famous and she’s left pining. Cue some time later when he steps back into her life and maybe she’s been his muse the whole time. Maybe :) this book had great tension and Jake definitely took top place as my new book boyfriend. I don’t usually love the celeb/normie trope but I felt this one was done well. It made me question how would I balance my own career aspirations when it comes to love.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the e-ARC! Would happily recommend this book to friends and read again next Valentine Day!

2.5 rounded up.

I feel really sad about rating this a 2.5 but I feel it’s hard for me to rate it any higher.

This book started out as an 11/10. It was funny. It was swoony. It was perfection. But then it felt like it did a bit of a nosedive. It was beautiful. Then it was a mess. I feel like I’ve read this or a variation of this story at least a dozen times. The third act break up is what really made me not like this book, paired with all the other drama that happened it just made me want to not even bother finishing. The Madison character 🙄 Vinny 🙄 the restaurant staff aside from mia 🙄 there were so many sucky side characters. We had incredible friends. Confusing FMC. Confusing MMC. Idk. It just felt like a swing and a miss for me and it breaks my heart.

While this book wasn’t necessarily for me, I can absolutely see how so many would love it.

this one was just okay to me! i didnt feel really connected to the story or characters at any point which was super unfortunate. the cover is absolutely adorable though

This book is *cute* and pure escapism. 3.5 stars rounded up for an excellent debut showing from this author.
I’m not into celebrity stuff… I don’t follow any celebs on social media or read tabloids or watch gossip tv, so Jake being a pop star didn’t really interest me, but Jake as a love interest was so so sweet. Lexi on the other hand had such tunnel vision on her culinary career and was such a negative-nancy-debbie-downer, I just wanted to shake her.
Their insta love weekend was steamy steamy and well-written and I did root for their second chance romance on Jake’s behalf, but overall I felt like Lexi was really childish… she read as immature while Jake acted much wiser (after his initial disappearing act which succcked).
Overall, this book is a neat glimpse into the culinary world- I actually really liked all the kitchen scenes and details about the career options itself. I didn’t really care about the stardom aspect with the managers and the paparazzi just feeling dreadful and annoying. I felt like Lexi ended up with excellent character development (even if one of her final choices would be a NEVER in this economy).
It’s a cute romcom with some definite spice. I’d recommend for celebrity crush types, aspiring chefs and lovers of NYC.
(FYI- I kept thinking of the 1997 movie of the same name and, while there are similarities, they definitely aren’t associated.)

Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Till There Was You was a cute second-chance romance (which is not usually my thing) about Lexi, a culinary student, who meets and falls in love with Jake, an aspiring singer, in a bar one night. They have an amazing weekend but he has to leave for the opportunity to record a demo, and when it takes off, he ghosts her.

They reconnect years later and hit it off, but with all new challenges that come with his fame and her desire to become a Michelin chef to make her late mom proud.

I enjoyed their love story, even if I thought Jake was a huge jackass in the beginning for ditching her the moment his star began to rise. The fact that his biggest song was based off of the weekend they spent together was sort of just salt in the wound, and they had a lot to overcome.

I would definitely read more from this author though, and in the end it was a cute romance!

3.5⭐️
This was a cute light read. Til There Was You takes us on a journey of love, work/ life balance, stardom and second chances.
Lexi is a student chef who meets Jake at a karaoke dive bar. After spending a weekend in together they form an instant connection (insta love). Jake leaves to record a demo and becomes famous overnight and ghosts Lexi. She didn’t expect to see him again until his hit single “Blueberry” is released and is about her.
A year later, Jake is at her door and back for a second chance. With Lexi starting work at a new restaurant and Jake dealing with fame, there is a lot for them to navigate.
It was a bit to insta love for me and the conflicts were immature. It’s still an enjoyable romance to read with cute and funny moments.

This book was a fun rollercoaster ride of emotions for me! There was laughter, frustration, spice, anticipation, and of course, a HEA. I couldn't ask for more! Jake and Lexi are both great MC that I instantly was invested in, and I loved watching them find a way to follow their dreams and fall in love at the same time. Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

It was hard for me to connect with this story. I didn't ever want to pick it up to read it, but I didn't want to DNF it, either.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's press for the ARC of Till There Was You. I highly recommend this book to all contemporary romance enthusiasts. Once you start reading, you won't be able to put it down! The main characters, Lexi and Jake, are incredibly well-developed, individually and as a couple, and their growth throughout the story is genuine. I also loved the cast of characters and Lexi's friend-group, they were so fun and always brought a smile to my face. Although I typically dislike insta-love as a trope, it was executed flawlessly here, and I was thoroughly invested in their relationship from the start. I'd be remiss if I didn't talk about the food - Lexi is a chef and I wanted everything they talked about her cooking/drinking (whisky sour with two cherries, matzo ball soup, roasted chicken, sweet tea the list goes on! While the blurb emphasizes the celebrity angle, the second-chance trope is handled so cleverly and creatively that it becomes the star of the show. I was cheering for these characters so much that I couldn't put the book down.

Lindsay has written a cute romcom that will make you laugh and break your heart. Lexi has big dreams of being a head chef, so finishing culinary school is her focus. Men are just a distraction, and she doesn’t have time for that. Ali is the opposite. She’s rotating through men as quick as she needs to. Chloe’s up for finding Mrs Right…or at least Miss Right Now, but a nightmare PR client keeps her in turmoil. Regardless, Friday night is happy hour, and they are going to have a good time, dang it. A new band is supposed to play, and Ali wants to see the lead singer. It takes to long, and Ali and Chloe are off to start their night.

Somehow, Chloe stays behind for one more drink, which the bartender can’t be bothered to get right. Imagine her rule-following self being horrified when a stranger reaches over the bar to get her fruit she was (ok, loudly) complaining about. He ends up being a nice guy, which a great voice. Who knew it would end up falling head over heels for Jake Taylor. The bigger surprise is when he becomes a huge success.

Life as a prep/salad chef, with horrible hours, and the struggles of fame both weigh them down in their own ways. However communication is the biggest issue.

I get Lexi’s issues and heartache. I really do. However, those issues dragged out a bit too much for me. Then again, Lexi is nicer than I am. ;) Still, it is definitely worth the read. You’ll laugh, your heart will melt, you’ll be hungry (and crave sweet tea). You’ll also be angry, want to cuss someone; and feel the heartbreak of all Lexi had been through.

I want to thank NetGalley, St. Marten’s Publishing, and Lindsay Hameroff for the ARC and opportunity to read it in exchange for an honest review.

Thenk you to St Martins Press & NetGalley for a ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was the perfect mix of romance, laughter, emotion, and drama! I enjoyed the characters individually and as a couple.

One-word review: Frustrating
Emojis: ❤️‍🔥🥹😤
Rating: 4🌟s

My thoughts:
What a roller coaster of emotions I felt while reading this story. I loved Lexi and Jake, and then I was frustrated with Jake and, at my wits end, with Lexi. I don't even know that I was happy with the ending either because after going through all those emotions, I felt like I needed a bigger ending one way or the other.

The story begins with Lexi, a culinary school student, and Jake, a local musician, meeting at a local bar and experiencing instant love that people only dream of. Then Jake goes to LA to record a demo and gets discovered while there. Lexi graduates from culinary school and procures her first job as the lowest person on the kitchen totem pole in a well-respected restaurant.

I loved the pacing of this story, which was consistent and quick due to well-balanced amounts of exposition and dialogue. I also enjoyed the instant love at the story's beginning. Still, I wished for more witty and mature dialogue from all characters. I loved the behind-the-scenes peek into a culinary career, but I wish I was given the same peek into a music career.

Overall, though, I enjoyed this quick story that took me on quite an emotional journey.