This book was such a ride!
I loved that the MCs had such fun and interesting careers (probably because I love the show Chopped) and it was fun to be in a restaurant setting. The details of the food were… *chefs kiss*
The characters were so much fun in this book! I loved Jake, his family and Lexi’s friends. I absolutely adored Jake and loved that the MC met before he was famous. I’ve read many celebrity romances this year and this was one of my favorites although the ending really helped boost its rating.
The middle 50% was a rollercoaster ride I could have done without. I honestly felt like a ping pong ball with whiplash. Lexi couldn’t decide how she felt the entire middle portion of the book which was a little exhausting…
I was mostly frustrated by the miscommunication when the MMC tried multiple times to have open and honest talks with the FMC. It just made the FMC seem that much more immature.
Fortunately the last 15% or so really made up for the middle of this book and pushed my rating up to 4.25 stars!
Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!

“The problem wasn’t that I didn’t love her. It was that I loved her so much I didn’t know how to live without her.”

I absolutely devoured this book. I love a silly Jewish heroine learning that she doesn’t have to fulfil her parent’s dreams for her. I feel like some of the references were a little too obscure for non-Jews, but I wouldn’t know because I was raised on this stuff!

I wish we got a bit more of Ali, and I am dying for a Chloe/Mia spin off, but overall, such a fun and light read.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a cute fluffy romance! What intrigued me the most to read this book was the cute cover! Would’ve been a higher rating but the connection between the two main characters, Lexi and Jake, fell alittle short to me considering they were instantly attracted to each other. The last 15% of the book is why I rated this book higher, because I was at 3 stars before that part of the book! The ending definitely made me want to read another book by this author!

▪️bar meet cute
▪️celebrity romance
▪️opposites attract
▪️insta love

The way i devoured this fcking book— Lexi & Jake meet at a bar, spend a whirlwind weekend together and then Jake’s music career takes off. Jake is a bubbly and spontaneous musician while Lexi is a schedule-oriented, organized chef. This was such an easy read, done in less than 24 hours, and such a cute romcom with a badass friend group.

This is a story of a rollercoaster ride towards love. Lexi is a culinary student with a clearly mapped out career path. Jake is a musician hoping to hit the big times. The plot of the story explores the conflict that arises between choosing career over love. There is also the dissonance of living a public and a private life. The characters are interesting and well developed. The pacing is great and the dialogue is easy to read.

This was such a cute celebrity romance. I loved how the couple met before he was famous. Very cute and like that it has a happy ending!

Dnf at 35%

Review will be posted when SMP and Wednesday Books make action to correct the harm their employee has caused with their racism and Zionism.

Lexi and Jake are the definition of finding "the one". They have an almost instant connection and natural communication, making their one weekend together seem like the beginning of something special. Lexi considers lifting her ban on dating as she waits for Jake to return from recording his demo in LA; however, he doesn't come back. She is constantly haunted by the one-hit-wonder she inspired and sees the ghost of her past decisons on her doorstep over ten months later.

Tropes:
Insta-Love
Normal girl-Celebrity
One Night Stand
Second Chance Romance
Third Act Breakup

Review (Spoilers):
Overall, Till There Was You was an enjoyable read. Lexi is only twenty four years old and is hitting her quarter-life crisis and pretty early on. She doesn't know what she wants and has allowed her childhood trauma to consume her. I really enjuoyed her true love moments with Jake and his overarchingly calm and lovable demeanor. He is the golden retriever.
It was at abgout 70% that things started to feel repetitive. Every mental roadblock Lexi had involved her mother. While the loss of a parent is devestating, it felt like an excuse at that point. How would her mother handle this? What would her mother think? My mother would never abandon me? Which by the time I made it to about 95% this issue was addressed. Lexi held back her entire life because she was so obsessed with making her mother proud she put her own dreams aside, without even realizing she had any.
There are also alot of interactions with celebrity icons we know today. I am personally one for little splashes of pop culture references, but almost every celebrity mentioned in relevant only to today. I like when a book can be kept as timeless as possible but still relatable.
Till There was you feels like your average Rom-Com movie. It was funny and cute, but still cheesey. Everyone will get their Happily Ever After. How Jake Taylor's life was altered at the ending was not my favorite, but it does make for a compromise the characters needed to grow together as a couple.

I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital ARC Copy!

Till There Was You
Lindsay Hameroff
4⭐️

I adored this one. An aspiring chef, an aspiring musician, blueberry pancakes, and NYC… yes please.

Till There Was You surprised me in a great way. It was sweet, romantic, funny, and filled with so much drool worthy food. I loved watching Lexi and Jake chase their own dreams as well as one another in this emotional second chance romance. A fun debut by Hameroff and I look forward to more from her.

What I enjoyed;
🥞 Second Chance Romance
🥞 Mouth Watering Food
🥞 NYC Restaurants
🥞 Celebrity Drama

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Till There Was You has a very refreshing spin on a second chance romance! Instead of unfurling the first chance as the second chance unfolds, we get to see Lexi and Jake's relationship unfurl in chronological order!👀 This book was a little challenging for me due to the fact that the first chance ended due to Jake (a musician and MMC) ghosts Lexi (a chef and FMC) because he becomes famous and overwhelmed... I also struggled with the forces/people that opposed Jake and Lexi's relationship BUT that's just because this was too well written and the characters (like Vinny and Madison St. James) kinda made my skin crawl BUT that's kind of the point!😂
I think that this was a really interesting contemporary romance because it had it's bright, happy, romantic moments BUT it also dealt with the topics of grief, anger, living in the past, and trying to find one's true passion! I think the book had a lot of depth behind the romantic comedy facade!👀 It was a book that will definitely keep you on your toes with it's chef FMC X musician MMC (which causes lots of issues...) AND will keep you in a bit of suspense as you wonder when everything will fall into place (if it ever does)! Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press and St. Martin's Griffin for an early copy of this rollercoaster ride of a contemporary romance!💕

I wanted to love this based on the concept and characters, but these two had a one night stand with minimal chemistry and suddenly they’re in love? The speed of this relationship made absolutely no sense whatsoever and Jake’s reasons for disappearing were majorly sus. I didn’t care about them at all and stopped reading before I even hit the halfway mark.

I really enjoyed this introduction into this world and I just couldn’t get enough of it. I just so thoroughly enjoyed meeting these new characters and getting to go on their journey. I will most definitely be reading more wonderful books from this author.

Till There Was You is a cute and fun read. The premise of the story sounds so good, the blurb is intriguing and the cover is stunning which makes you want to pick it up immediately. Although i did enjoy reading this book, it left me wanting more. The pacing of the story was off which made connecting with the characters and the development of the story quite hard. The writing felt a bit juvenile and i had a hard time believing the chemistry between the main characters.

Lexi Berman, is studying to be a chef and has zero time for romance. but when she meets Jake Taylor a dive bar musician, she makes an exception to her non-dating rule and spends a weekend with him. Jake leaves to L.A to record a demo and becomes a celebrity overnight with his new single "Blueberry". Lexi never expects to see him again, but when Jake returns a year later right at her doorstep, is it destiny? can a friendship evolve between them? will they be able to face the media, the fans and the doubters, to hopefully rekindle what they had?

This book did have some cute, swoon-y moments and scenes that made me giggle. The found family was probably my favorite part. The side characters added a lot to the story and i really liked the friendship between Lexi, Chloe and Ali.

I would still recommend this book and just because it didn't work for me doesn't mean it cant be a winner for you. I am not a big fan of insta love or the miscommunication trope, so if you do enjoy those specific tropes, definitely pick this one up on February 20th, 2024. I'm excited to read Lindsay Hameroff's future work and see her writing develop!

Read if you love: debut novel, Insta love, celebrity romance, strangers to lovers, second chance, one night stand, rom-com

Thank you netgalley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review!

3.75/5 Good debut!

Tropes:
One of us is famous
One night stand

Lexi, an aspiring chef, and Jake, an aspiring musician, both meet one night at a bar and have a weekend together to remember. Then Jake leaves to LA, and doesn't come back. Until he is on the radio with a best selling song about Lexi.

When Jake comes back to NY and wants to spend time with Lexi there is this underlying frustration Lexi holds on to and doesn't let go. But their relationship progresses, can she keep her frustration in check or let it go?

I really did enjoy the relationship between the two characters. Lexi helped Jake realise what he wanted in life and helped him feel confident to pursue it. And Jake helped Lexi through the stages of grief and showed her what her potential could be. They were really great as friends, and although they did have some chemistry- their miscommunication really needed some work. And because of this their relationship didn't stand out to me.

I loved the descriptions of food, and cooking. I will definitely be trying lemon juice in my blueberry pancakes next time I make some! Their professions were really crucial to the story and I like how their focus on their careers tied in to their individual stories. They both stayed strong in themselves and their career which is what I wanted!

I did really enjoy this.

Lexi is a culinary student and has sworn off dating, until one night she meets Jake, and they end up spending the whole weekend together. After, Jake heads off to LA to make it big in the music industry, which he ends up doing.

As Jake’s star rises, Lexi keeps it to herself, especially that his hit song is about her. A year after he left, Jake is back on her doorstep, wanting her back. Lexi isn’t sure that’s what she wants, but ultimately they end up dating and Lexi is catapulted into the tabloids, and risking her career in the meantime.

With Jakes upcoming tour approaching, Lexi must decide if Jake is really what she wants.

This book was rather interesting. I think that it is most definitely one of those that you will have to be in the right mindset for. It’s an insta-love, second chance romance, rom-com that is very light and fluffy. There is no depth to any of the characters at all and I really wish that there was. We only ever got to know the characters on the surface level. This was one of those books where it felt almost like the author was trying too hard and it came across a little cringy. I did enjoy seeing the relationship between Jake and Lexi evolve, but it was a bit formulaic at times. I do think that this one is best for those looking for a NA book. All the would be spice scenes are pretty closed door and the characters are young and dealing with new adult problems.

If you are looking for a sweet rom-com that will have you craving delicious food, then check this one out.

Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Griffin, St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up

Till There Was You was a pretty cute, but predictable romance. I flew through it in one sitting but I didn’t find the characters to be that engaging or the love story to be that compelling. I was hoping for more depth, but still cute!

Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 foodie rock star romance stars

This is Lindsay Hameroff's debut novel, and I enjoyed the characters and premise of this one. If you are a fan of Insta-love, restaurants/food, and songwriting, this one might be appealing to you. The characters are in their twenties, so that might skew to a younger reader, but I still found plenty to enjoy.

Lexi is in her mid-twenties and a culinary student when we meet her. Her dream is to move up in the restaurant world and eventually own her own restaurant. Indeed, no easy path, but she loves to cook for people.

One weekend, she meets Jake Taylor when he’s performing at a bar in New York. They hit it off well, sharing a love of Golden Girl reruns and Broadway show tunes. They spend a magical weekend together before Jake heads off to LA for a recording session. Could this be the love of her life? Sadly, Jake ghosts her, which breaks her heart.

It turns out that Jake has made it big, and his handsome face is soon gracing buses that go by her in New York. And she hears his hit song about her blueberry pancakes. As Lexi finishes school and gets her first restaurant job, she feels she is on her way to achieving her dreams.

And then, drum roll please, Jake shows up on her doorstep. Will Lexi forgive him? Is there any chance they can make their crazy worlds sane enough to have a relationship? How can they both achieve their goals?

This one has a bit of spice, and I enjoyed Lexi’s friendships as well. It was interesting to see the perspective on the culinary world and the not-so-glamorous side of the rock-and-roll world, where you never know who a friend is and who is out to capitalize on your success.

I would definitely read this author again and I look forward to seeing what she cooks up next!

This wasn't my favorite book of the year and it wasn't my favorite romance either. But it was cute and it was a pretty fun read. I feel like the romance between the two main characters was pretty well written, but the characters themselves felt like they were paper deep and I didn't like that because it was hard to connect to either Lexi or Jake. I think that had their been more depth put into the characters it would've been an amazing book that made for a really compelling story.

I was along for the ride until about 2/3 through, then the FMC really got on my nerves — enough that by like 80% I almost DNFed it but made myself keep going because I’d gone too far.

I really did like the relationship between the main characters in the beginning (which is kind of surprising, because their relationship was a little insta-lovey, which is not usually my thing but worked here)… but they just really lost me in the end. The FMC gets mad at the MMC for silly reasons, becomes suddenly super insecure at the end of the book and that’s all her inner thoughts are about, and because of this they have the same fights over and over, so it just got really repetitive. They came off as immature toward the end.

I loved the side characters, especially Ali and Chloe! They were such supportive besties. I’d totally read a book about Chloe… but maybe with fewer real-life celebrities named. I loved Chad — totally COULD have been a real-life bachelor contestant but is still generic. But there were too many other celebrities appearing in this. This is totally a personal taste thing, but it really weirds me out when celebrities appear as fictionalized versions of themselves in books. Like there were interactions with Jimmy Fallon and Ryan Seacrest in this book, plus mentions of what the Backstreet Boys were doing at this party, and that kind of stuff just weirds me out. It feels like crossing some sort of boundary and pulls me out of a book even more than a bunch of made-up people we only see once.

Culinary student Lexi Berman meets Jake Taylor, a singer/songwriter/musician. They share a steamy
weekend together, just before Jake leaves to record a demo in L.A. An executive from a record company
hears Jake sing at a local bar and asks him to audition for the head of the label. Jake is signed and is
on his way. He gets caught up the publicity machine and communication with Lexi ends.
The two reconnect when Lexi likes one of Jake's posts on social media. Will Lexi be able to have her
career in the New York culinary world and have a relationship with Jake and his celebrity status?
#TillThereWasYou #NetGalley