I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a nice read that gave the feels and wasn't too heavy. Also, pancakes!

Thank you to the author and the publisher for allowing me to read an early arc of this novel!

I give it 3 ⭐️

Enemies to lovers is my usual kind of trope, and this book was the complete opposite of that so it was interesting! There were times, especially at the beginning, where I felt like Lexi should’ve been more angry with Jake for the things he did?? It was frustrating to see her forgive him so fast in the beginning. Overall, I enjoyed the plot because it was different and I liked the side plot Lexi had with her parents. I wish that was explored a little more in depth!

Delectable story of a meant to be love waylaid by careers, fears, and insecurities. The story of Lexi and Jake is filled with delightful ups and disparaging downs as they try to navigate a relationship.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Jake & Lexi are both highly ambitious creatives, a musician and chef respectively, who meet at the beginning of their careers. After spending a whirlwind weekend together laying the foundation for a great love, the two abruptly lose touch due to career pressures. They are both quietly devastated but have no choice but to continue on.

A year (give or take,) later the two reconnect after reaching their goals as a hot new star & kitchen cook. Jake is back in town to record a new album and wants to rekindle their friendship. But of course, that quickly escalates. The two are inexplicably drawn to each other like moths to a flame.

But can Lexi forgive Jake for ghosting her? Is he back just to use her for inspiration for his music again? Is her normal life a deal breaker for a celebrity?

Can Lexi break free from her self oppression and let herself go off of her 10 year plan for once? Is their love enough for her?

———

What an adorable, banter-y, kick your feet with the giggles rom com! I was genuinely smiling and laughing throughout this book between the antics and banter, which is the ultimate goal for me when reading romance. The main and supporting characters were very well written and developed, each with unique personalities and purposeful interactions.

I also really enjoyed the plot itself. It combined my love for celebs & cooking; truly a match made in heaven! You get a glimpse into both realities, and it added an interesting subplot to the larger romance story.

My only gripe with an otherwise perfect fluffy romance: the smut was not great. Yes there are multiple scenes in various places/ways, but they largely lacked detail and felt a little juvenile. I feel like most romance writers must feel pressured to include smut because “that’s what sells,” but for me it has to be well written to feel purposeful. In this instance I think I would have preferred closed door/fade to black.

4.5 ⭐️ this was an incredibly fun romcom but I think fell victim to the debut novel must-check-all-boxes romance checklist.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This one is just not for me. It had the same tropes as any other celebrity-dates-a-normal-person romance, so there wasn’t much new to explore here for me. If this was my first experience with this plot, I might have rated it higher. I think the friends could have been fleshed out a bit more, their sole purpose seemed to be to hype up and help out Lexi for her romance. I also found the resolution with Lexi’s dad and step mom to be too easy.

Thank you to St Martins Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I will happily leave a review for this when the racist remarks by one of their employees is addressed. I want to support the author, but also want to know they don’t support this behavior.

I was so excited for this book, but ended up DNFing. By the 50% mark I still didn't find myself rooting for the characters to be together--in fact, I found myself wanting Lexi's arc to be learning to set boundaries and walking away from Jake.
I loved the beginning, but I found it hard to get on board with just how intense both their feelings still were 15 months later, after only knowing each other for a weekend. Especially Lexi's, considering Jake had ghosted her (and when we finally see the text that Ali sent him, it absolutely did not justify the ghosting for me, especially considering he'd already dropped the ball/started ghosting before then). The pacing also didn't work for me, and neither did most of either character's choices, if I'm being honest (like Lexi inviting Jake to live with her after not hearing from him for 15 months... after only knowing him for two days; or Jake being super worried about paparazzi one second and then not seeming to care about them the next.)

I loved the premise but overall it just did not work for me. I kept hoping I would start to enjoy it (hence making it to the halfway mark) but once I realized I actively didn't want the characters to get together, I just couldn't keep going.

I really enjoyed this book. I’m usually not a fan of insta love but this didn’t make me feel that way. Unlike other insta loves where they only speak once and fall for each other, this one has them spending a whole weekend together and getting to know each other. And to me it is believable to have connected with someone and keep thinking about them even months later especially if the person doesn’t have many people in their lives.

This is a debut novel and to me it was a fun read! The sarcasm and humor were great and had me cracking up. The twilight references were awesome. 😂

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC!

Lindsay Hameroff has done an amazing job in her book Till There Was You. A wholesome romance story about love, friendship, chasing one's dream, & trying to balance it all in life. Great characters, funny banter, & plenty of passion. The characters are so well written that I'd give anything to crash their fictional happy hour.
Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC & a small plea to Lindsay Hammeroff to hopefully write another book soon, but this time Chloe & Mia's story please.

"Till There Was You" is a decent romance novel. It was interesting and the backdrop of celebrities and the restaurant trade added a unique twist to what would otherwise be a pretty run-of-the-mill relationship.

However, I didn't like either the heroine (h) or the Hero (H) very much. I found myself becoming impatient with both of them at times, and honestly, the whole situation didn't seem very realistic to me - either the way their romance unfolded or each person's reactions to the various obstacles thrown in their way. I was especially irritated with the h as I felt like so much of her angst could've been addressed in a few frank conversations with the H, and if she honestly wasn't happy with the H after that, then she should've just let him go and been done with it. Both the H and h seemed somewhat immature to me, and there was far too much hand-wringing and "woe is me" for my tastes.

I did want to continue reading every time I had to put the book down for other things, though, so it was successful in that way.

I rate each individual element of the story as follows:

heroine - 3/5 stars
Hero - 4/5 stars
Supporting characters - 3/5 stars
World-building - 4/5 stars
Dialogue - 4/5 stars
Plot - 3/5 stars
Pacing - 3/5 stars
Spelling/grammar - 4/5 stars
Sex scenes - 3/5 stars

I guess I just like my main characters to have a little bit more backbone than the h and H exhibited here, so I give this book a solid 3 stars out of 5.

Lexi & Jake’s!!!!

Wow!

This book was original and hooked me from page one! I loved all the chemistry between Lexi & Jake, twists and turns!

Storytelling at its Best! This book has it all spice, heat, humor and great dialogue!

Character development was excellent!

You know a book has you hooked when you are thinking about it when your not reading it and can’t get back to reading it quick enough! Well, this is that book!

I gave this book 5 stars! I could not turn the pages fast enough!

Great story! Thank you Netgallery!

No spoilers with my review!

Well done Lindsay Hameroff!

This book reminded me of a cozy morning getting ready with a warm cup of coffee to start off the day. A sweet yet promising romance of second chances and rising up to the top to accomplish career dreams. It was a tender hearted yet witty book that I especially enjoyed reading because the characters were relatable and ideal for this genre. I would recommend this book to my romance livers. It brings a smile to your face for it's a charming cozy read!

This one didn’t work as a rom-com for me! I’m convinced if it was marketed as general fiction, I would’ve enjoyed it more. The romance fell flat, and it felt like the hero was just added to check the romance box off. Overall, this wasn’t my cup of tea.

Thank you to Netgalley and Union Square & Co. for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars

**Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.**

"Till There Was You" by Lindsay Hameroff left me torn between the potential for improvement and the evident shortcomings. The premise of a culinary student and a dive bar musician navigating love amidst fame and the culinary world was promising, but the execution fell short.

The pacing issues were glaring, with uneven development that affected both character and plot. The rushed initial weekend between Lexi and Jake left me questioning the authenticity of their connection when they reunited. The love declared between them felt forced, lacking the necessary foundation for a convincing second chance romance.

The conflicts within the story seemed awkwardly written, particularly towards the end. The characters' sudden abandonment of their relationship at the slightest provocation felt unrealistic and detracted from the overall narrative. The attempt to introduce a third-act conflict felt contrived, undermining the emotional depth of the story.

Moreover, the book's exploration of themes related to work-life balance felt unconvincing. Lexi's actions at times portrayed her as a questionable employee, and the narrative implied a binary choice between career and home life, rather than exploring a nuanced balance.

While the book had its flaws, it still managed to provide some entertainment. Lindsay Hameroff's potential as a writer is evident, and there is room for improvement in future works. Despite its earnest attempt at a romantic narrative, "Till There Was You" falls short of creating a truly immersive and believable love story.

I've gotten very into culinary romances lately and while this one was a bit sweeter than what I usually go for it worked.

Lexi is a culinary student working toward becoming a chef in honor of her mothers memory when she meets Jake Taylor, a then nobody musician at a bar where the two share an amazing weekend together and neither can deny the sparks. When Jake heads off to LA to record he doesn't expect to run into a record exec and he definitely doesn't expect the fame that comes with it and the two lose touch.

Fast forward several months and the two meet again and the story from there is amazing. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars was because I hated how it seemed like Lexi was always the one sacrificing.

Lexi Berman is too busy focusing on her culinary studies to date; she dreams of becoming an executive chef at a Michelin starred restaurant to make her late mother proud. After meeting Jake Taylor one night when he performs at a dive bar, they spend one amazing weekend together before he leaves for L.A. to record a demo. Soon, Jake’s song about Lexi’s blueberry pancakes is everywhere. Lexi is busy now with her new restaurant job, so she tries not to follow Jake’s career too closely. When he shows back up at her apartment one night a year later, Lexi has to decide whether she is willing to risk her private life and career for the pitfalls of dating a celebrity and the chance of a true love.

I really liked the first half of this book. Then, I felt like Lexi turned into a different person, and the story went a little off the rails for me. This was the author’s debut book, and I will definitely check out her next book to see how her writing improves!

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book.

🩵🩶 Till There Was You ARC Review 🩶🩵

Thank you so much to Lindsay Hameroff, St Martin’s Griffin and netGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Till There Was You is a standalone contemporary romance novel. Over a year after an intense weekend fling with a local musician, Lexi hears a familiar voice on the radio and a song about her blueberry pancakes. Jake has finally hit it big with a song about the weekend he had with a passionate chef, but he’s missed her since he left. What happens when they finally run into each other after not seeing each other for so long??

This was a cute rockstar read! I enjoyed Lexi and her growth throughout the story. Jake was a fun character and I liked his relationship with Lexi. I wish we would have had some chapters from his POV too. I enjoyed the world building and thought this was a fun story

Overall this was a solid three star read. Enjoyable characters and a cute romance story! This book had some spicy scenes throughout, so overall three flames for spice

If you’re a fan of contemporary romance with strong characters, sweet rockstars, second chances, and a fun storyline, then absolutely pick this one up!

Cute, but extremely heavy on the tropes and the pop culture references that will make it feel dated a month after publication. A light, fluffy read, but probably not one I'll be recommending to others.

This is one book that I do feel a little bad about giving two stars. Think of it like 2.5 but rounding down.

The premise was super cute and I was here with the characters enjoying their whirlwind romance (sure, it's instalovey, but it was a one-night stand-turned weekend. It was always going to be fast-paced, I was just ready for them to slow things down after he ghosted her.) But I started losing interest and enjoyment in the characters as the book went on. Quite a bit of the drama felt like it was being created just so things happened, and while the idea of him ghosting her after their weekend was interesting and made me curious how it would be fixed, I was not expecting her to be "sure, well, how about you move in with me" in the face of his sort of pathetic excuse.

Both characters fell too hard too fast (especially Jake good lord) but then Lexi kept going back and forth of "oh we come from two separate worlds" and "nah it's fine" over and over and over again.

It was okay. I did think that every scene both characters were in together was adorable - their banter and the general connection are as sweet as pancakes sorry I tried to be funny.

thank you Netgalley for the free ARC

An enchanting journey through vividly imagined worlds and compelling characters. This fiction gem weaves a tapestry of emotions, adventure, and unexpected twists that kept me eagerly turning the pages. The author's masterful storytelling evokes a powerful connection, making this book an absolute delight to read. Highly recommended for anyone seeking a captivating escape into a richly crafted story!