Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Griffin Press. First of all, the cover!!!! Every time I looked at the title...it made me want blueberry pancakes...which are one of my favorite breakfast foods. lol. On a different side note, Lexi and Jake made a cute story! It was very enjoyable to read about a couple and see different worlds collide. Definitely read like a YA book and would recommend to a young adult audience.

This book was SO good! Lexi and Jake were a great pairing and I really enjoyed the timeline of their love story. It felt quick at, first but there was quite a lot of development and growth before they reached their happy ending. I also think it was great to see the shift in dreams and goals. Just because something was your dream once doesn't mean it has to be for your whole life and I liked seeing that you could change your path. The friendships in this book were lovely and I'd want Ali Chloe, and Mia in my corner. The Jewish representation was also so nice. It wasn't hugely part of the story but it was definitely important to Lexi's character which I valued. The romance was great, I loved the aspect of food, and I loved the NYC setting. This one was for sure a win. Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing me with an e-ARC to read and review!

I enjoyed this novel about a romance between a music star and a 'normal' who is working in a somewhat menial capacity in a restaurant after graduating from culinary school at the Institute of Culinary Education in NYC. The book is immediately engaging when the two meet, at which time Jake is a struggling musician playing in dive bars. He and Lexi immediately hit it off and form a connection, but conflicts arise when Jake gets his big break out in LA, and eventually he ghosts Lexi. Though he returns to her later, asking forgiveness, Lexi's issues of abandonment arising from her father leaving town and remarrying only a few months after her mom's death, and the machinations of Jake's sleazy agent and a music star with a crush on Jake, all conspire to cause problems in their relationship.
I appreciate that Lexi's backstory lays the ground for her insecurity, but I did find her continued mistrust of Jake, after quite a bit of time where he redeems himself, to be a bit frustrating. She seems to believe the agent, Lenny, and Madison, the music star, even though she has a lot of reason to doubt their motives. I also felt she was pretty harsh on her dad--couldn't she ask him to explain his motives for his actions a bit sooner? However, these are pretty minor quibbles. I found the pace of the story perfect; it keeps the action moving while avoiding feeling rushed. I also appreciated the humorous touches, some of which made me laugh out loud. It was funny without being over the top, which not all romantic comedies achieve so well. I'd definitely read more from this author.

To me, this one was a 3.5⭐️
Fun, easy read!
Lexi and Jake had such cute, heartwarming and important, eye-opening moments!
And Lexi, Ali and Chloe's (even Mia towards the end) friendship was so refreshing! They were always there for each other, regardless of the situation.

Just didn't connect to it that much and thought some things were loose and some things too repetitive.

This is super cute (with surprisingly deep moments, and I think if I was 15 years younger, I’d be the ideal market for this book. I don’t think this story is silly or unrealistic - I think the MCs are young and naive with parental issues and little life experience. Of course they’re going to screw up. Of course they’ll have moments of selfishness. Of course they’re going to see the world through rose-colored glasses. They haven’t lived outside of their comfort bubbles long enough to learn from their experiences. All that said, it’s still cute and funny.

I received a copy of this book from SMP.

4.5 stars - this is not my normal genre of romance (second chance, instant love, romance com) but it was great to me! I loved the instant connection and their love story. I appreciate the growth they both went through, both together and separately). I did get a little sad by the miscommunication (sorta) trope that led to their break up (really not a fan of third act break ups) but loved the comeback story too much to downgrade the rating.

I received an advance copy of this book from Lindsay Hameroff and the publisher in exchange for an honest review, and I absolutely loved it.

Culinary student Lexi Berman, is 24 and has only one goal. To make her late mother proud by becoming an executive chef in a Michelin-star restaurant. And she isn’t going to let anything–or anyone–get in the way. But when she meets Jake Taylor, a dive bar musician who charms her with show tunes, she makes a rare exception to her no-dating rule. After a steamy weekend together, Jake leaves for L.A. to record his demo, and Lexi never expects to see him again. And she definitely doesn’t expect him to become an overnight celebrity, with a breakout single that’s almost certainly about her famous blueberry pancake recipe. As Jake’s star rises and the world speculates about the subject of his song, Lexi keeps the affair to herself. After all, she’s finally found her footing at her new restaurant job, and even has a prospective romance with her coworker. But her carefully-laid plans are thrown for a loop when a distraught Jake turns up on her doorstep late one night. Though she and Jake try to be friends, things between them soon reheat but a relationship with Jake means risking her face in tabloids, withstanding cruel internet comments, and worst of all, jeopardizing her career and goals. As Jake’s upcoming tour approaches, and rumors swirl about him and another pop star, Lexi has to decide if holding onto her meticulously planned future is worth walking away from what could be the perfect recipe for love.

This was a 3.5- star read for me that had me swooning from start to finish. I loved Lexi and her ambition, and I found Jake was super likeable. I especially loved how Lexi didn’t want to drop everything and put her life on hold just because she was dating a popstar. It was cute, loveable, and made me really want lemon blueberry pancakes. I also really enjoyed finding all the musical theatre references throughout.

I definitely look forward to seeing what the author does next.

Lexi, a New York culinary student, dreams of becoming a chef at a Michelin-star restaurant. She is a perfectionist who refuses to take risks, especially with men. She is a homebody and is usually in bed by 9, until one night her 2 best friends convince her to go to a dive bar to watch a musician.

The musician, Jake Taylor, woos Lexi with show tunes and his captivating voice. Lexi breaks her no-dating rule and has a weekend fling with Jake, Their chemistry is electric and they are instantly in love. The morning after their first night together Lexi makes Jake her famous blueberry pancakes (this is relevant, I promise).

After their weekend Jake flies to LA to record his demo album and instantly gets signed with a label. Lexi tries to connect with Jake while he's in LA, but he ghosts her and they don't speak for 2 years.

Lexi is heartbroken for 2 years until one night Jake randomly appears at her doorstep and starts begging for forgiveness.

What I LIked (spoilers):

I really liked Jake, he knew who he was and what he wanted in his life. After their reunion, he gave Lexi space and was constantly communicating with her about his feelings.

I also liked the aspect of the story where both characters had very high-stress jobs - Lexi being a cook and Jake being a musician. The dynamic between them was refreshing in a way where you saw two people try and work through their high-stress jobs while trying to maintain a relationship.

What I Didn't Like (spoilers):

Lexi was a boring FMC. Her only personality traits were that she wanted to become a chef and that her mom died when she was 16. Her apartment, the one she grew up in, is still decorated the way her mom had it when she was 16.

I also didn't like that you learned nothing about Jake. He wants to be a musician and his dad doesn't approve. That's It.

Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this ARC copy in exchange for my honest review!

Rating: ★★★.75
Spice: 🌶🌶
Darkness: none

Quotes:

“I started asking myself. When was the last time you were happy? Like Really happy? And the next thing I knew, I was standing outside your apartment building.”

“You never make me feel like I have to prove myself. When I’m with you, I feel like who I am is enough.”

Short version:

This sweet, low-spice novel is the perfect read for anyone who likes a fast-paced romance with a thoughtful, communicative, and HOT main character.

Full review below:

Tropes:

🕐 One Weekend Stand
🎸 Rockstar Hero
👩‍🍳 Chef Heroine
❤️‍🔥 Insta-Love

Plot Summary:

Lexi Berman is twenty-three years old, and shocker: she still doesn’t have life figured out. Still grappling with the loss of her mother, trudging through a strained relationship with her father, and trying to figure out if her passion for cooking is ever going to amount to a passion for a long career in the restaurant industry, the only thing she has going her way right now are two best friends and half-off drinks until seven.

So when she sticks around at a bar, failing to flag down a waiter to tell him he made her drink wrong, and a handsome stranger swoops in to fix it and flirt with her… well why would she ever say no?

After a dazzling weekend-long trist with the handsome musician, who she learns is Jake Taylor, things start looking up. But when his weekend long-trip turns ends in an amazing record deal and superstar fame and he all but ghosts her? At least it was nice while it lasted.
Nearly a year later, he’s standing outside her door, a boy who got the golden ticket but whose eyes give away that he’s feeling completely lost, begging her to let him in and give him another chance.

The Good:

To start, I enjoyed in the early chapters how the author built the romantic tension between them through a series of small, but frequent physical connections, instead of an insta-lust connection where they just immediately jumped each other, as though there was never a touch barrier to cross. I felt myself blushing at the way Jake held her hand or ran his hands down her sides as they danced.

Additionally, after these first encounters, I think the conflict/circumstances that separated them at the beginning of the novel were realistic, and unlike a lot of other “second chance” romances, it didn’t leave me hating one character or the other for being an unreasonable source of drama.

It didn’t hurt that I really, really liked Jake. He was kind and thoughtful and communicative and quick to apologize when he was in the wrong. Even when I didn’t love their relationship much, I found myself rooting for them just because of Jake.

LIGHT SPOILER!!!!!!!!!
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Example: This is so dumb but it bothered me for the first 50% of the book when she asked for front-row tickets to a musical because everyone knows those aren’t good tickets so when he GOT HER FIFTH ROW TICKETS because he knows they are better I think I squealed.
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END OF SPOILER

On the non-romantic side: I loved how much space Hameroff allowed for Lexi and her friends to “debrief” throughout the novel. That is an essential part of being a girl in her early twenties, and their dialogue was reminiscent of many nights I’ve spent with my friends laughing about our dramas.

The In-Between:

This category is for the things which, to me, come down to a matter of personal preference. Ok, yes, every review technically comes down to personal preference, but for the things noted in this section, I knew it was glaringly obvious my bias was at play, so I want to add that disclaimer.

I know that I like a slow to medium-paced novel with a lot of build-up. For my personal preference, to make an insta-love novel like this one work, I feel like I need a lot of work put into explaining how they can build a chemistry and emotional connection in such a short time beyond “oh this is my person, so we naturally clicked”. This book didn’t have that. Again, not necessarily a bad thing, it just didn’t work for me.
Beyond just the romance, this book as a whole moved at a blistering pace, and at times I felt like the conflicts were also resolved quickly. I wish maybe she had left a few things unresolved or partially resolved. Additionally, the “aha” moments to me sometimes didn’t make a ton of sense.

The Bad:

First, I wasn’t sure Lexi had a clear voice or rational motivations, and sometimes it was hard for me to get a clear picture of who she was. To some extent this makes sense, Lexi herself is a little lost in her life, so it makes sense to see this play out on page, but there were times when it didn’t track with the larger narrative of her trying to figure out who she really is.

On that note, I personally didn’t love Lexi all that much. I felt like she was a poor communicator, who lashed out or pouted every time they came across a challenge. The way she talked to Jake was often unfair, and he never called her out for it.

Finally, at times, Jake’s and Lexi’s banter, while cute, felt a little childish. It didn’t feel like two people in their twenties talking, more like awkward teenagers flirting for the first time. Their relationship felt reminiscent of a YA novel sometimes, which isn’t necessarily bad, just not my personal taste.

Spicy Chapters: while there were a few chapters that featured them sleeping together, personally the descriptions were not “graphic” enough by mainstream spice standards for me to include any of them here. That said, please note there are scenes scattered throughout the novel if you are sensitive to that.
Cheating: It’s complicated
Third-act Breakup: Yes
HEA: Yes
OWD: Yes

I love the humor, the dialogue, the setting, the romance, the story, and most importantly the characters of this book. When they meet, both Lexi and Jake are working on their dreams. Lexi is in culinary school and wants to work her way to becoming a Michelin chef. Jake is currently singing in small bar, but has dreams of becoming famous. Time together inspires him to write a hit song. When they next meet, they will have to deal with Jake's celebrity status, her work as a line order cook, and the break in their relationship. I receive a free copy of this ebook from the publisher through Netgalley. This is my honest and voluntarily given review. I love how Lexxi grounds Jake. It's also interesting to see they deal with his celebrity status, the paparazzi, and his management. I love her supportive friends. For me, the only thing lacking was a recipe to Lexi's blueberry pancakes.

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I was really intrigued by the description—I love romance novels that feature a chef/baker—but ultimately found that the novel focused on elements that did not interest me.

Firstly, I think the romance in the novel was too insta-lovey for my taste. The characters meet at a bar and instantly fall in love, have a steamy weekend together, and then Jake (the love interest) leaves for LA to record a demo reel. I think this second-chance romance could have been successful if the characters were capable of communicating to each other. After Jake leaves, he is offered his big break and then never calls or texts Lexi again. Obviously with second-chance romances, there has to be some sort of reason that they broke up to begin with, but because this was just a one-night stand, it was unbelievable that Lexi would hurt that much, be that upset, and that he would write multiple songs about her.

Secondly, the pacing was so strange and hard to follow. The first weekend they share together happens immediately, then there's a two year break where he does not reach out once and then randomly shows up at her door, and then throughout their relationship (if you can call it that) there are random month time jumps. It seems like the author was taking the easy route after their (many) arguments and time-jumping instead of showing the consequences of their argument.

Thirdly, I don't think any of these characters actually have a personality other than their careers. Lexi is a Chef and she is a perfectionist; Jake is a musician and that's all we ever know about him. It was so boring to read because I knew nothing about these characters and did not feel anything for them.

Fourthly, Lexi's mother died when she was 16 and her father immediately married a new woman and moved to Florida. This came up so many times and honestly just felt like the author was reaching to find a personality to give this girl. But it was so boring and overdone, I didn't feel anything for her losses.

Overall, I think the premise of this book is really fun and with some editing, reworking the pacing, and adding some definition to these characters, that it could be great.

Thank you for the early copy!

'Till There Was You' intertwines the whirlwind worlds of culinary arts and pop music stardom into a romantic narrative that both entertains and delights. The story revolves around Lexi Berman, an ambitious culinary student with a clear vision for her career, and Jake Taylor, a charming musician whose sudden rise to fame upends both their lives.

The novel shines in its portrayal of the bustling New York City restaurant scene and the glittering chaos of celebrity life. Lexi’s passion for cooking, especially her famous blueberry pancakes, adds a deliciously unique flavor to the story. Jake, with his dimpled smile and heartfelt music, is a character who’s easy to fall for.

However, the novel struggles with pacing and character development. The initial weekend shared between Lexi and Jake, pivotal to their relationship and subsequent breakup, feels hurried and underexplored, making their deep connection seem somewhat unconvincing as they reunite. As the plot progresses, the conflicts introduced feel forced, detracting from the authenticity of their relationship.

The dialogue, particularly among Lexi and her friends, sometimes veers towards juvenile, which might not resonate with all readers looking for an adult romcom, and certainly not with myself. While the book aims for light-hearted and funny, these attempts don't always land with the intended charm.

Despite these drawbacks, the book has its strengths. Moments of humor and heartfelt emotion do break through. ‘Till There Was You' is a book with a heartwarming premise and genuine moments of enjoyment, but it falls short in delivering a fully cohesive and mature romantic comedy.

I would love to give this a full length review, However, SMP needs to take accountability for the harmful things that were said by an employee. This is nothing negative about the book or this lovely author. I will be happy to share it privately with those who want to read it!!

I enjoyed the first half of this book so much and then it kind of tapered off. The characters kept finding themselves in the same conflict and it just became very repetitive. This author has tons of potential and I think with a little more editing this would have been an easy five star read. I still look forward to checking out more from this author.

I would love to support your authors, but unfortunately it seems as though St. Martin's Press and Wednesday books would prefer to stay quiet about the vile posts made by your employee. These statements were anti-Palestinian, Islamophobic, Queerphobic, and made even more vile by the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people. Your influencers want to know that St. Martin’s Press is committed to the safety and well being of ALL of their influencers, employees, and authors.

This is not a reflection on the author or the story in any way, shape, or form.

So, despite the Elder Millennial obsession, a QUEER WOMAN (side character) is shocked to find "another human being" who likes The Golden Girls? Come on.

I felt like this about every reference, every conversation, including internal ones.

This dude literally can't cut potatoes and thinks saying "prologue" is impressive. He ghosted a woman he liked for barely any reason. I don't need mediocre men in my books.

I say this as the daughter of a musician: meh

DNF 35ish%

Til There Was You is a cute insta-love, second-chance romance story. Despite the few tropes and some slightly silly parts that I had to overlook, it was a nice story and was entertaining.

**Spoilers ahead:** There were some parts in the story that frustrated me like Jake (MMC) essentially ghosting Lexi (FMC) after he got signed with a record label and the reason behind that, and then at the end when Lexi realizes after Jake brings it up that being a chef or being an executive chef in a Michelin-star restaurant isn't her thing or her dream. I found that to be a little weird since she seemed to genuinely like her career path throughout the entire book. I never picked up any hint that it wasn't her thing. So it felt like a quick way for the author to "fix" the issue of her career path not meshing well with his and touring the world etc. That being said, I did enjoy reading this story and my nitpicks about certain aspects in the story weren't terrible enough, in my opinion, that it warrants a lower star rating.

4.5/5 ⭐️

Grab a stack of blueberry pancakes and a tall glass of iced sweet tea to sip on while diving into the love story of two pressured souls in the busiest industries in the world: the culinary (Lexi) and music (Jake) industries. Their romance moves fast which causes conflict when their careers do too. Will Jake’s fame keep her from her dreams? Or will they find that they both are unhappy and only happy when together?

Overall a pretty short read where love is simple and real but life is complicated. I loved the conflict and reality in their romance. Real life sometimes makes it hard to find time and space for love, and this very much shows it. (To an exaggerated extent.)

Also, we get a Gordon Ramsey reference…but a scene where Jake cooks for her and she calls him an “IDIOT!” 🤬 because it’s missing salt or something would have been hilarious!

This book was AMAZING!!! Till There Was You was honestly my most anticipated read of 2024, and it did not disappoint! It's a chef/rockstar romance, instalove but also second chance! I loved Lexi and Jake, and their love story was so swoon worthy! I do wish we had gotten to see some of Jake's POV, but I really loved Lexi's character arc throughout the book. I also loved the side characters, and I hope we get to see their stories in the future! This book also made me so hungry, so make sure you don't read on an empty stomach. You will be craving blueberry pancakes throughout. I highly recommend this book!
Also: We need more Chad.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I quite liked this book in parts and would say it was a solid 3.5 stars for a debut. Till There was You is a cute rom com type book. Lexi is an aspiring chef, and Jake Taylor is an aspiring musician. They meet at a dive bar after an outing with Lexi's friends. Jake is there to perform - just before he goes to record a demo in L. A. They spend a magical weekend together, in which Lexi makes him blueberry pancakes for breakfast.

After a weekend, which was an instant like, Lexi doesn't hear from Jake again. She finishes culinary school and gets a job as a line cook in a popular Mediterranean restaurant. From watching Food Network, I know work in a kitchen is a hierarchy, and it takes years to move up to sous chef. Lexi finds Jake at her door one night, as he's back in town to record his second album. They have it out, Jake apologies, They decide to be friends. Honestly, he's cute but it wears off. He's pretty much a golden retriever in human form but also immature and a little selfish. When Jake and Lexi start up again, she puts her job in a secondary priority. I get that chopping vegetables isn't glamorous or creative, but it's paying dues. Lexi seems to be a good chef but creative? I've read other cheffy books that were more interesting. The dishes she makes her friends sound good, but nothing original or her own.

I had a hard time with the romance because I didn't feel like they quite meshed. Maybe I liked Jake's mom more than him? Lexi's mom died of cancer when she was 16, and then her dad moved on, remarried, and moved to Florida. Her main friendships with Chloe and Ali were fine, I just felt like they were a little 2 dimensional. While I enjoyed the ending, I also rolled my eyes at the rich famous beautiful people in Jake's life. The comparison was very black and white. I also enjoyed the Jewish representation, but it wasn't the focus of the book. I truly don't understand the folks giving this author 1 star reviews. She says nothing in this book about Israel or the Middle East. It takes place entirely in NYC with trips to LA and Georgia. Goodreads needs to do bette4 on removing fake reviews. Anyway, I liked this book - 3.5 stars out on Feb 20, 2024. Trigger warning for childhood loss of mother to cancer, awful famous people, discussing sexual harassment in kitchens.