•ARC Review•

I loved this book! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I don’t want to give a synopsis of the story because I find that whenever I read an overview of a romance novel, it pretty much always tells me everything I need to know to predict the entire story, and it usually ruins so much for me. I didn’t read anything about this book before reading it (I just liked the cover), so I think that helped me love it more because I didn’t see anything coming. So I’ll just say that in this one you’ll see:

- death
- grieving
- love
- infatuation
- friendships
- celebrity drama
- family drama
- New York City
- apartment-living
- a little bit of spice 🌶️
- dream-chasing
- jealousy

…and blueberry pancakes! 🫐🥞


It’s a unique, heartwarming story, and I really liked that there was more to it than just Lexi’s main relationship. You also get to see the relationship between Lexi and her friends, co-workers, and with her dad. Which, of all the relationships we get to see in this book, the one with her dad might have been my favorite. At one point I sobbed because of it 😭

‘Til There Was You is Lindsay Hameroff’s debut novel. It comes out February 20, 2024 and you don’t want to miss it!

What a romance!! Everyone likes to think that a famous guy will fall in love with them, but this story shows it’s not all cakes and rainbows. I enjoyed the sweet yet realistic romance and the fun characters and all of the food. I could totally see Jake Taylor as a celebrity we all know and love. I also liked the friendships as well. Cute story for sure!

Lexi and Jake are the couple you will root for the whole way through. Their story pulls at your heart strings, and has you guessing every step of the way if they will make it. I really enjoyed how different each of their worlds were- but at the same time they were both just trying to make it in tough industries. This was a wholesome romance that I couldn’t put down- and the ending was perfection and so quintessentially New York!

This was a cute little romance. Lexi, an aspiring chef meets Jake at a dive bar one night and they immediately hit it off spending a steamy weekend together. Then Jake leaves to record some demos in LA and turns into a overnight success. Then they don't speak for a year.

I usually like my romances to have a little more drama, a little more tension, and a little more spice. But this is still a sweet romance second chance romance with a happy ending.

This was a really fun, quick read. It’s not the deepest romance I’ve ever read but I mean that in a good way. Sometimes I want a quick palette cleansing romance, not one where the characters fix each others trauma and stuff. This was great to turn my brain off and giggle a little. Loved it.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The witty and playful conversations between the two protagonists were adorable, and their chemistry was electric. Additionally, the supporting characters were well-developed and interesting, and I hope that the author will write more books featuring them in the future.

I would like to express my gratitude to NetGalley for providing me with an advance reader's copy. I am eagerly anticipating more books from this talented author!

I loved this book! The cover is just 😍. And so are the characters. My only gripe is that I felt like the fmc resolution with her dad was too quick.

This was a cutesy fluffy romance. To be honest I didn’t feel a strong connection with Lexi and Jake and it felt like their romance was rushed in the beginning. Although, the writing style was easy to read and follow along.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest opinions!

Thank you @lindsayhameroff and @netgalley for the early read of TILL THERE WAS YOU!! 🥞🎶
I absolutely adored this delightful romance. 🎶 It’s swoony, spicy, funny, and so heartwarming! ✨ Lexi and Jake have crackling chemistry—I couldn’t put it down!! 🫐
And after reading, I am off to make some blueberry pancakes… 🫐🥞
On sale February 20, 2024–visit @lindsayhameroff ‘s profile to pre-order your copy now!! ✨🫐

Set your sights on Ms. Hameroff's new book, TILL THERE WAS YOU, because it is deliciously filled with tasty food, a chaotic romance, and wonderfully funny characters. It stars a culinary student, Lexi Berman, who has set her goals on finishing school and securing a job at one of New York's premier restaurants hoping to become a Michelin-star chef. She meets dreamy Jake Taylor, a musician, in a bar one evening. When they spend an incredible weekend together, Lexi and Jake connect on a deep level. Will they fall in love?

Jake leaves for L.A. to record a demo and Lexi doesn't expect to see or hear from him again. Lexi is stunned to discover he writes a song about her, as it goes viral. Jake instantly becomes famous. When he shows up unexpectedly at her door a year later, she doesn't know what to think. Their feelings for each other are undeniable. Maybe the timing is crap and their love is complicated, but their chemistry is off the charts hot! Is this the right recipe for romance? Or will their relationship be toast?

TILL THERE WAS YOU is a lovely story about a couple, Lexi and Jake, who stubbornly fight their growing attraction to one another. They are passionate about their careers, but support one another in their goals. Ms. Hameroff perfectly blends an accurate amount of angst and desire in the story. Lexi and Jake have their share of issues, navigating celebrity stardom, relationship woes, along with a cast of colorful, encouraging, comedic characters. I learned what it truly means to follow your dreams, no matter what other people think. This a feel good story that will warm your heart.

Loved this swoon-worthy rom-com so much! Lexi is a delightfully relatable heroine, a young chef searching for authenticity in Manhattan . . . while accidentally falling for an overnight sensation, musician Jake Taylor. Hameroff does a stellar job exploring the emotional ups and downs of a hot-and-heavy romance between a normie and a celebrity. Both Lexi and the reader are pulled into a swirl of glittery lights and intense scrutiny—a world turned upside down thanks to the fragility of first love and the wow-factor of dating music’s newest heartthrob. This book was impossible to put down, with a rom-com grand gesture that left me grinning from ear-to-ear.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book!

The central relationship of this book was so good. I thought their banter was great and they had very clear chemistry. I also like that they were both focused on their dreams as well as each other, and worked to make those dreams come true in a way that was best for them. The spice level was thankfully not too much, it was just right!

I feel the author did great research on the life of a chef, I feel I learned a lot about cooking terms and foods!

The side relationships were also great! I could see some great possible follow ups to this that focus on her friends finding love.

I do feel that the ending was really abrupt, an epilogue or just an extra 20 pages would have gone a long way with me. It followed a lot of the typical tropes and pacing, but I don’t consider that to be bad. It’s popular for a reason! It just didn’t stand out from other romances as better.

I read a review by Jennifer Close and it was completely actuate - Jake and Lexi’s story definitely had The Idea of You and Happy Place vibes. Thank goodness for the HEA or I wouldn’t have recovered. One thing I did love is while there was insta-love they had to WORK at it. Rockstar romance with second chances and compromise. It showed the relationship building and the couple having normal life moments. That is missing from so many rom-coms right now.

I think the length of the book was prefect for their story! And for their stories in particular I really love how Lexi and Jake both ended up not having the end game life they envisioned for themselves without regrets! They both had jumped some stepping stones for towards their dreams only to realize they wanted to take a different path!

Now the ending- yes YES it was so cheesy but I WANTED IT! I really really wanted that bubbling over silly happy ending feeling and I got it!

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin for the Arc!

Lindsay Hameroff explores the pitfalls of dating a celebrity in this sweet, second chance debut, 'Till There Was You'.

It's insta-love between culinary student Lexi and musician Jake after meeting at a dive bar where he's performing. The two fall fast for each other over a weekend spent together before he goes to Los Angeles to record his debut album. Despite assurances from Jake to remain in touch, Lexi is left reminded of her heartbreak on the radio after his debut song, inspired by the blueberry pancakes she made for him, becomes a huge hit. When Jake, overwhelmed by fame and his manager's demands, finally returns seeking forgiveness Lexi is extremely reluctant to date someone famous, knowing she will be judged publicly by the virtue of being his girlfriend.

I love reading an exploration of fame. Lexi is stubbornly determined not to give Jake a second chance despite the attraction burning hot. At times though, I felt her stubbornness dragged out the story too much and the emotional beats fell a bit flat. I'd have liked to see an earlier resolution regarding Lexi's professional life with respect to why she was a chef and how its tied with her grief, plus her distant relationship with her father. I also think we were missing more from Jake’s side, especially the conflict between him and his manager which seemed one dimensional at times. It had promise but it, too, didn’t quite ignite for me. Overall, this was a charming, solid and easy escape. I look forward to reading more from Lindsay Hameroff in the coming years.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

What if the dreams you are chasing are not the right ones? And what price are you willing to pay for those dreams to come true? Alexa (Lexi) Berman is an aspiring chef in culinary school and Jake Taylor is a musician looking for his big break. A meet cute turns into a magical weekend. After the weekend, their paths diverge, with a trip to LA resulting in Jake's big break, bolstered by an inspired song about blueberry pancakes. When they next meet, Jake is struggling with the celebrity lifestyle. It certainly has its perks, but his life is heavily stage-managed, he is not sure who he can trust (including his manager), and he is spending less time than he expected actually practicing his craft, doing the things that drew him to music in the first place. Lexi has graduated culinary school and found a job. She knew the work would require long hours and that she would have to start out at the bottom of the kitchen pecking order and work her way up to executive chef over time. She has no problem with hard work or paying her dues. However, what she loves about cooking is creating new recipes and bringing comfort to others with her food, which is not what her job allows her to do. Jake and Lexi will attempt a relationship but the pressures of their jobs and lifestyles will interfere.

There is a great supporting cast in Ali, Chloe, Mia, and Lionel. The story has some amusing moments, and some very tender moments.

Unfortunately, this will be an unpopular opinion, but I couldn't go through the first three chapters, the MC was on and on about recipes, and nothing happened like nothing, just thinking about food. Usually, I'm a bit more patient but this book wasn't for me...

I was captivated with this story, it left me with a desire to cook and the feeling anything is possible. A sweet romance met with many challenges. Not much angst but there is Drama!

Here you will find
- Celebrity romance
- Follow your dreams
- On the page spice
- Swoony dates
- Press drama

Overall I really like the characters and the story. Thank you St. Martin’s Press and Net Galley for the ARC.

Girl meets boy, boy becomes famous, ~drama~. I don’t typically enjoy the instalove trope, so that was one miss for me in this story. I did like the arc of the characters and their relationship, though! Overall like not love.

This story was swoon-worthy. I actually liked both characters! The relationship intrigue and dilemma felt very plausible and not just people being difficult and whiny -- which is usually the case in most romance stories. If you've ever fantasized about a love story with a celebrity or the most fascinating man you'v ever met writing a song for you, you're going to love this one. You'll also be very hungry and feel the strong urge to listen to your favorite love song simultaneously. Very fun and dreamy read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a cute story of second chance romance. I liked Lexi and Jake and the first weekend they met and got together. The middle of the book was ok, I think Lexi gave Jake too many chances. But it had a sweet ending.