I did not feel a connection with this story one bit. I had a really hard time finishing. I think it could’ve been a really great story but there was just something about the characters and the Instalove.

This was very fun and cute! I loved the juxtaposition of two people who were realizing their dreams weren’t shaping out to be great in reality and what that looked like to figure out new ones. Thanks to SMG for the free copy to review!

I truly enjoyed this book! It made me feel like all my dreams from when I was a teenager, lusting after a hunky celebrity, actually came true!! I could have used a little more details during Jake and Lexi's first weekend together in terms of the emotional connection. I feel like they would have needed a deep emotional pull in order to keep the spark alive for so long before reconnecting. However, the way the story came together was really enjoyable and believable. I finished the book in 3 days which is always a good sign to me. If it takes me longer than a week, then I'm not really interested in it.

I will post my review once St. Martin's Press addresses the racist actions of their employee and their action plan for the future. Until then, I am joining my fellow reviewers in withholding reviews and any other promo for St. Martin’s Press. No backlash against the author of this book, it is simply due to the ongoing boycott of the publishing company.

Till There Was You is such a delightfully, charming book.

Lexi, an aspiring chef, has no interest in dating. However, when she meets a musician, Jake, one night, she cannot deny their instant connection. After a whirlwind weekend together, Jake leaves NYC to go to LA and record a demo album. However, he is quickly discovered by a record label and his life as a “normal” is quickly turned upside by overnight fame. Which leads to him never reaching back out to Lexi. However, he has no issues writing songs about Lexi that soon become number 1 hits.

After months, Lexi finally seems to move on from her love affair with Jake and fall into a safe routine with a new job at a restaurant. That is until Jake shows up late one night on Lexi’s doorstep. Is Lexi ready to forgive Jake for totally ghosting her for more than a year? Does she want to be forced into a spotlight by dating Jake? Is she willing to jeopardize her career to be with Jake?

Lexi and Jake’s chemistry is undeniable on every single page. The heat when they are together is scorching but their deep connection and understanding of each other is what really draws you in.

Lindsay Hameroff does an incredible job with her descriptions of food that make your mouth water. The fun banter between side characters is hysterical. Chad and Chole’s relationship is just plain hilarious and had me laughing out loud whenever they were together.

Overall, this is a fantastic book that I would highly recommend to those who love romance and especially movies such as Forever My Girl, La La Land and The Last Song.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review of this book.

OMG! This is such a Great story! Lots of angst! Lots of miscommunication but, wow, what a great ending! The characters, both main and supporting are wonderfully written. You can’t help but root for them and hope they get their act together. Don’t pass this one up!

Oh my gosh!! What a debut novel Lindsay! I honestly couldn’t put down! If I didn’t have to sleep and work I would’ve finished this book in one sitting!

The story between Lexi and Jake is sooo swoon worthy and the ENDING!!! Urgh the ending played in my head like a movie!! Actually the whole book played like a movie thats how well written this book was! It definitely hit ALL the right spots for me!

If you love a sweet, cute romantic, heart gushing story, give Lindsay Hameroff’s debut novel a try! Available for preorder now!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

As always, a big thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced readers copy. Lindsay, my girl, you have written an enjoyable book, I finished it in 2 days and I work full time lol.

Jake, not perfect. Lexi, not perfect. Their story, not perfect. The NYC in this book is the NYC where I lived in my 20s, so it was a nice trip back especially to Times Square for New Year’s Eve. It is true that you are corralled for hours while freezing with no hope of a bathroom! Some things you have to do when you are young. There were some corny bits but they fit into this quirky story somehow. Loved Lexi’s friends, especially Mia. Also brilliant having a D list celeb for comic relief . If I, as a reader, am invested in the characters then the rest works even if some of the plot is a bit inconsistent. Well done !

*possible spoilers*

Looking for a fun, quick romance? Looking for a read about a chef or a famous musician? Look no further!

After Lexi meets Jake at a dive bar, and he soon ghosts her, she works towards moving on. Soon, she hears a song on the radio by Jake - about her. As she tries to move on, she finishes culinary school and starts at a restaurant, continuing to work towards her goal of becoming an executive chef - hopefully at a Michelin-star restaurant. When Jake returns out of the blue, she has to decide whether to date him, stay working/ joining him on tour (as they both have careers with crazy hours), or to leave him. Question is, which does she choose?

This was really an overall cute book. Quick, easy to follow, and a fun trope.

Following Lexi and Jake’s journey was fun, though honestly I wouldn’t have probably followed the same decision as Lexi. When he returned, I wouldn’t have taken him back. He really had no excuse to act as he did, regardless of his excuses given (in my opinion).

Also, it felt as if there wasn’t a lot of depth to their relationship. They fell in love instantly, but I really didn’t see a lot of growth. It felt more surface.

However, regardless, I really did enjoy it and it was a light read. I thought that it was a cute debut novel and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, received from St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin, and Lindsay Hameroff through NetGalley. However, all thoughts and views reflected are strictly my own opinions.

I cannot contain my overwhelming obsession with this book. Every step of the way, I was fully engrossed in the story, absolutely in love with the characters, and completely anxious over what would happen to them in this book.
Not to mention the fact that this was debut?? Call me a fan because I will be looking eagerly for her next book!!

The following thoughts will be semi coherent screaming because I am completely in love with this book. But they will be spoiler free thoughts:
- I was, with no exaggeration whatsoever, laying on my floor kicking my feet while reading this book. I was squealing and texting my friend in all caps over how much I was loving reading this.
- Lexi was completely relatable - minus the stellar cooking skills of which I have none - which made her so fun to read about, knowing that she was making genuinely believable life choices and facing consequences of those choices.
- Jake is perfect? I got to the end of a romcom and didn't utterly despise the lead... I'm as shocked as you are!
- A chef and a celebrity singer?? I needed it and now that I have it I want to treasure it forever.
- This was basically the plot of every celebrity fanfiction ever, but did that take away from how much I was obsessed? Not one bit.
- This book was so tastefully romantic. The spice was so very minimal and I loved it. I can't say it was necessarily closed door, but I would say the door is only cracked open.
- The romantic scenes were beautiful and I could not get over how thoughtful both Lexi and Jake were. They had genuinely meaningful conversations and for much of the book, they actually communicated well to avoid pointless drama (a breath of fresh air for romcoms honestly)
- THE POP CULTURE REFERENCES!!! I could not stop squealing at how every reference felt somehow personally tailored to me individually - Twilight, Broadway, Les Mis, Golden Girls, Titanic, The Price is Right, and THE BACKSTREET BOYS?? Literally could not have written a book that was better suited to me as a person. (Did I accidentally write this book somehow??)

Was this perfect by everyone's standards? No. But was it perfect for my standards? YES.

✩°｡⋆Till There Was You⋆｡°✩
4⭐️ | 🌶️🌶️🌶️

An aspiring chef and an up-and-coming singer, mix that with a bit of drama and romance. Lexi and Jacob (Jake Taylor) met one night while he sings at a bar, from there their one week romance blooms. She inspired his number one song, he made her feel like herself and become her old self.

Jake leaves for LA to pursue his singing career while Lexi stays in New York to pursue her dream of becoming a chef at a Michelin restaurant. A year passes and both have no contact with each other until Lexi likes one of Jake’s pictures.

Lexi is cautious of Jake when he shows up in her life after having ghosted her in the past, but was he really to blame for the ghosting? They rekindle their romance, but Lexi is unsure if she can handle what being with Jake really entails.
- - - - -
I liked that you Lindsey showed a glimpse of what it’s like behind the scenes of working at a restaurants kitchen. Even though there were setbacks with Lexi’s life, she didn’t let it stop her completely, she took time when she needed it and moved on from the huddles. She also found inspiration when working in the kitchen made her no longer love cooking

This was so good! I loved this book, it was a 4.5/5 for me. I loved both of the characters and I could definitely feel their chemistry throughout the entire book.


*spoilers from here*
The only reason it's not a 5 is because I felt like a few things were missing, namely in the end. This book really needed an epilogue! I didn't understand how she was running her new business while on tour. I wanted to see how they made it work maybe 1 or 3 years in the future. I also wish we would have gotten to see Vinny get punished (fired, exposed, whatever) because he was like the villain of the story in a way and we never got the satisfaction of seeing him pay for his actions. I know Jake says at the end that he realized Vinny played him, but he never says what he did about it or what happened after. Epilogue could have solved this and also given us proper HEA instead of a HFN.

Thanks NetGalley for the arc! Definitely would read this author in the future.

Culinary student Lexi meets musician Jake. Sparks fly after their weekend together and Lexi is certain that it means something more to both but then Jake gets a lead in his career out in Los Angeles. Lexi doesn’t hear from him again except his voice on a hit song about Blueberry pancakes, like the kind she made him during their magical weekend. That is until he is one of the biggest musicians on the planet and back in New York looking to rekindle the romance with the girl he mistakenly got away.

In my experience, second chance romances always pick up on the second chance. Very rarely do we witness the big miss or relationship ruining moment from the very beginning. Till There Was You definitely approaches a well-known romance trope from an interesting perspective. Their initial meeting was full of banter and chemistry. Unfortunately the time they spent together is so rushed that I’m not sure why either looks back on it wanting more, particularly after the way it sort of fell apart. The novel briefly covers their time apart but the action picks up more during Jake’s return. Perhaps if Lexi and Jake had spent more than a weekend or rather a few short chapters together I could have bought into it more. Instead it makes for some odd pacing and what follows after his return felt like mostly filler content with brief moments that felt real or that we were getting somewhere between the two.

Truthfully, I never really bought into their feelings being more than nostalgia for something that could have been. The two both seemed keen on spending time with each other immediately upon his return to New York and yet they (mostly Lexi) let trivial things keep them apart.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing an advanced reading copy through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

A cute story that rang very similarly to an Abby Jimenez read I recently finished. Will be a hit with true rom-com fans!

3.5 stars rounded up

This was a cute, easy read. For a debut novel, this was pretty great! It was polished and well-planned. I liked the characters, the rockstar/normal girl trope. I was nervous that there would be a love triangle, given the way the synopsis was written, but there wasn’t, really. I also really liked Lexi’s character growth by the end of the book and how she owned her mistakes.

It was a pretty straightforward romance plot, nothing you’ll be surprised by. There was enough drama to build the story, but not an excessive amount of contrived situations, for which I was grateful. That stuff annoys me. Instead, it was believable problems with reasonable solutions and great character growth, as I mentioned.

The romance was more sweet than spicy. There were a few on-page spicy scenes but they were pretty low-key, not graphic at all.

While I really enjoyed it, I'm not sure I’ll remember much about it after posting this review, but it's no less enjoyable and totally worth it!

A captivating lighthearted romance, seamlessly interwoven with unexpected depth. The protagonists are endearing, making it effortless for readers to invest in both their individual journeys and the evolving dynamics of their relationship. The inclusion of quirky side characters contributes a charming layer to the narrative. Furthermore, the well-managed pacing ensures an engaging experience, maintaining reader investment without sacrificing narrative coherence.

I am participating in the St Martin’s Press boycott. I will not publicly be reviewing this title until St. Martin’s Press addresses reader concerns.

Till There Was You is a super cute heartfelt romantic comedy about a chef and a famous singer that had me flipping pages faster than Lexi flipped her blueberry pancakes.

When Lexi meets Jake, he’s a singer in a dive bar but that quickly changes after their weekend together — an overnight sensation, Jake’s star is on the rise while Lexi complete’s chef school and starts the grind in the kitchen of Olive & Pomegranate.

After almost a year apart, Jake shows back up in Lexi’s life and together they have to navigate his newfound fame and the realities of the demanding nature of her job.

I really felt there was a lot of heart in the story. The romance was cute and I loved the banter. But, it was Lexi’s family situation and her inability to truly move past a loss in her life that really made the story shine for me. I enjoyed the cast of characters and really did like Lexi and Jake together. The various real life celebrities were at times jarring, but it truly was a cute read!

Thank you SMP Romance for the chance to read early!

I’m so incredibly disappointed. I’ve never read of more outrageously naive and selfish characters than what I’ve encountered with this book.

Also, these tropes are so tired. I feel like this book was really unnecessary for an overestimated market. If you’re going to write a celebrity romance, it needs to be fresh and interesting and this was not that.

Thanks, I guess, to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

The story of Lexi a chef and Jake the singer. They both spend a weekend together. After that weekend Jake ends up ghosting Lexi. Jake moves on to become a famous singer. Queue in second chance romance. Lexi and Jake reconnect about a year later. They rekindle their friendship which quickly escalated into a romance. Even after such a great reconnection can Lexi ultimately forgive Jake for ghosting her after that first weekend they spent together?
Overall I really enjoyed this cute romcom. I loved the connection between the characters. There were so many times I caught myself smiling and laughing. This was my first read by this author and I would consider reading another book by Lindsay Hameroff. I love the book cover also!

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the eARC.