Till There Was You is a fast, quirky, contemporary novel. I like that it was set in culinary school. I had a hard time connecting with the characters and ultimately it felt too insta-love for me.

I want to say that I was totally captivated by the beginning of this story. I thought it was a cute romance, they had nice origin story and a fun little weekend. But then life happened and time passed without one another and there wasn’t space to accommodate the spark they had from the beginning. I felt like their relationship was forced and I really couldn’t relate to it. I felt like Lexi was always questioning it and Jake was always having to to rationalize it. I also felt like many of the characters were one-dimensional and I had a hard time with the flow of the book because there were so many page breaks within the chapters.

BUT I did think the ending was really cute. I felt that where they were in the end - Jake having to delay his tour and Lexi starting a new business - they could potentially make it work.

*ARC provided for an honest review*

So, this book was good. It was a little disappointing, though, because I fully believe that this book COULD have been really great. The plot was compelling, the characters were interesting, the spice was well spaced. There was just a lot of extra elements and scenes which (for me) didn’t really move the plot forward much but did shift focus away from the main plot. I also thought it was interesting that the big concern was how much time working in a kitchen was going to take away from being in the relationship, so the (spoiler) solution was for Lexi to start her own business?? Because that FAMOUSLY doesn’t take a lot of time, especially in the beginning….

One absolute *swoon-worthy* book at your service!! This was such a cute read, I loved every bit of it, I had the biggest smile on my face when reading it.

Lexi is the perfect heroine that you can’t help but to root for, and her chemistry with Jake was 🥰🥰 I am usually not a fan of second chance romance or insta love trope books, but this was just so well thought out and well written than I couldn’t put it down.

I love character’s in books, and Lexi’s friends are top shelf. I want her friends to get their own books, so not only can I follow along with more of Lexi and Jake’s story but get the others as well!!

Thanks to NetGalley and to St. Martin’s Griffin for letting me enjoy this title early in exchange for my honest review.

Till There Was You: 4/5 ⭐️
🗓 February 24th, 2024
🥞 Second Chance Romance
🫐 Insta Love
🥞 Strong FMC
🫐 Rockstar Romance

Lexi Berman has one focus in life: become a chef in her own Michelin-star restaurant. She is so focused on this goal, she has sworn off dating; a chef’s shifts are crazy long and relationships often fail as a result. On a rare occasion when she has a night off, Lexi joins her girlfriends for a night at the pub when a handsome stranger sitting at the bar strikes up a conversation with her. One thing leads to another, and Lexi takes a handsome stranger- a.k.a Jake Taylor- home with her.

Fast forward a few days, and Jake is still at Lexi’s house, and they can’t keep their hands off of each other. They fall for one another hard and fast, and Lexi is suddenly questioning her stance on relationships- maybe she can make this work. Then Jake drops a bombshell of his own- he’s flying to L.A to record a music demo and will be gone for weeks.

Till There Was You is a sweet romance in every sense of the way: predictable meet cute, pattern of ‘will they or won’t they’ make it, a headstrong FMC and a well meaning-although- conflicted love interest. There is a love song, a weekend home to meet family, a third act breakup and a new year’s eve scene- all the things this romance-loving-reader loves in a book! The only downfall for me was the beginning- I seriously considered quitting reading until about 25% in- I just felt like their meeting and relationship was thrown at me straight away, and it didn’t feel very believable. However, once I accepted it and kept reading, I really enjoyed Lexi and Jake’s story.

I also really liked Lexi’s friends- they were great supporting characters and had just enough of their own things going on to be entertaining and steady throughout the story, but not distracting. They also all served a purpose, so as a reader, I felt like it was important/worthwhile to have met them. I’d love to see a second story that focuses on Mia and her love life!

Did I mention the story involves blueberry pancakes?

This book was wonderful.

Lexi, aspiring chef, meets Jake, aspiring musician, and sparks fly. The two enjoy a steamy weekend fling, and then they are catapulted into reality. Jake gets signed to a label and his career takes off immediately, while Lexi pushes herself through culinary school and secures a job in a restaurant kitchen.

I love that we get to follow Lexi and Jake as they follow their dreams and then realize that maybe they should rethink the way they want their lives to go. I admire Lexi’s ability to move on with her life, even though the evidence of her short-lived past with Jake plays on the radio everywhere she goes.

This book highlights the fact that it is not easy being in a relationship with someone who in constantly stuck in the public eye. It causes Lexi to constantly question herself and the relationship, which, I assume, is the reality when you’re in a position like that. Instead of just calling it quits, Jake continues to fight for her and refuses to give up.

The ending scene was something out of my dreams. It was so sweet and romantic. I can’t wait to see more from this author!

I want to extend a huge thank you to Lindsay Hameroff, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book!

The plot of this book caught my eye. This will definitely appeal to fans of “The Idea of You" and rock star romances. I loved that the main character was a chef. The writing is simple and full of current cultural references, so not exactly my jam, but I think this will be a popular fun read for many.

What a cute debut!! It reminded me of all the adorable romcoms I watched as a teenager, in all of the best ways! If you've watched the show Young and Hungry, you will absolutely adore this book. It gives me Sarah Adams meets Tessa Bailey vibes, with just the right amount of sexy, great friendships, and hilarious one-liners.
Lexi is a total perfectionist with a dream of becoming a chef, but when her culinary instructor points out her mistake in front of everyone and disappointment surges, her bar night with friends turns into a multi-night stand that she was unequivocally unprepared for and disrupts all of her precisely planned goals over the next few years. It's a foodie meets celebrity, second chance romance that any girl is bound to adore!
If I could give just one piece of feedback, it'd be that I wanted just a tiny bit more out of their first encounter together. I want to fall in love with him right then and there, and could have benefited from seeing more of those conversations they realistically would have had the first few days. That being said, I still thoroughly enjoyed this book and the writing style and will absolutely be reading Lindsay's future books!

Such a cute story! I'm not usually a fan of "rockstar" love stories, but this one had me hooked! Both characters feel relatable, and their story felt unique. I only wish there was some kind of epilogue to follow up and see how the couple is doing in the future!

This was a tad bit unrealistic, but a good read nonetheless. There were definitely some cringeworthy parts, but this was a cute book. I liked the premise & enjoyed how it all played out.

Oh. My. Sweet. Southern. Heart.

I picked this one up on a whim when St. Martin’s Press sent me an email for NetGalley access. It has pancakes on the cover….PANCAKES y’all. I didn’t read the synopsis, just snatched it up out of the email and immediately began to read.

So at first I thought, we’ll shit, this is an insta-love rockstar-ish romance. To my surprise this was NOT that. After a few chapters it became clear this was going to be a shifting will they-won’t they tug on my heart.

Lexi and Jake are both chasing dreams, big, big dreams and eventually fall apart. They weren’t anything serious to begin with, but that singular weekend they spent together really packed a punch. I was worried at first that the emotion wouldn’t make an impact, but holy smokes it does.

When they get a second chance life happens and everything the experience felt genuine and real. It’s hard to explain honestly. The balance of stardom and normality was executed splendidly.

I enjoyed this book so much, it was exactly what I needed. A mix between southern comfort and celebrity drama. Thank you again St. Martins Press and NetGalley for this advanced copy! My review was written voluntarily, all opinions are my own.

What do you get when you write a romcom about a chef and an a rising pop star? You get one hell of a highly satisfying time. Highly recommend the story of Lexi and Jake's love.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin, and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

it was a cute quick romance but i wish it was more of a slow burn than insta love for jake and lexi. i enjoyed the chef aspect of the book because i haven’t read a lot of romance books with a chef so i thought that was fun and different for me! i felt the love between them fell a little flat at times and could have been developed more for being insta love. overall, it’s a cute fun fast romance read that i enjoyed.

thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Till There Was You follows Lexi Berman, a young woman with aspirations of becoming an executive chef at a Michelin-star restaurant. Lexi does not date. However, when Jake, a charming musician in a dive bar catches her attention, they spend a whirlwind weekend together before going their separate ways. Lexi graduates culinary school and gets a job in a fancy New York restaurant while Jake goes to LA to start his music career. Lexi does not expect to see Jake again, especially after he becomes an overnight music sensation. When he shows up unannounced at her door months later though, everything changes. Till There Was You is Lindsay Hammeroff’s first novel.

If I were to describe Till There Was You with one word, it would be charming. This is a cute romance that references a lot of feel-good things. Food, music, musicals… blueberry pancakes. Reading this book felt a little like the literary equivalent of a warm hug. The writing is easy to get into and holds your attention. Truthfully, if I hadn’t known Till There Was You was Hammeroff’s first novel, I wouldn’t have guessed it. The story fits together in a way that makes the plot progress quickly and smoothly, and the characters are well fleshed out and feel three-dimensional in ways that not all first novels pull off.

This is a second chance romance with an excellent meet-cute that exceeded my expectations (and warmed my musical theater heart). I was cheering for Lexi and Jake from the start and continued to do so throughout the rest of the book. With that said, there were aspects of the romance that I didn't love from time to time, but overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the chemistry between the pair.

Till There Was You is a cute, feel-good romance that’s hard to put down. I gave this book 4-stars and will be recommending it to my friends when it comes out in February.

If you want to read something sweet, joyful, and fun, this book is for you! I had such a wonderful time reading this romcom, and it gave me all the giddy feels. I think the achingly sweet cover represents that story well! Lexi and Jake are so charming, and it's just a feel-good, heartwarming book that will have you smiling throughout.

A culinary student meets a struggling musician in a bar and so begins Till There Was You by Lindsay Hameroff. This book was fantastic and I would highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys reading feel good, rom-com type books.

One thing I really enjoyed was how the book had a clear voice throughout. Even though I am past my early twenties, the author employed the voice and feeling of a character in their early twenties struggling to make peace with the past and find themselves.

Lexi and Jake are likable characters who you are cheering for to be able to make it work despite all the obstacles in their way. Despite the fact that he is the world's biggest pop star and newest sensation, the author manages to keep him grounded.

This book also had so many fun pop culture references in it that made reading it easy and fun!

This started out really cute! But by the midway point, I was already over it. There was so much unnecessary drama and all of the characters and plots started to annoy me. I ended up skimming the last half because I just did not care about what was happening. I loved Mia though, she was def my fave!

I fell in love with this Harry Styles-inspired novel about an aspiring chef who falls for an up and coming pop star. After they meet, everything changes, and she unknowingly inspires his first album, a smash hit.

I had such a blast escaping into this charming romance. It made me forget about the fact that I’m pushing 35 and constantly dripping with kids. Who wouldn’t want to imagine a whirlwind love story with a gorgeous musician?! The writing is polished, detailed, and strong. The author’s workshopping and many edits on this book come through in the final draft. The story never stops moving, and there’s a lot of humor, especially in a dopey D list celebrity character named Chad. Lindsay Hameroff is a funny, highly entertaining writer to watch.

Great book, read it in a single day. The author did a great job, I did not want to put it down. I will definitely put her on my TBR list for any future books.

This book was perfection! I found myself with a cheesy grin plastered to my face as I read through this romcom, surprisingly emotional through the final chapters as this story came together beautifully in a happily ever after. The chemistry between Jake & Lexi was effortless and I couldn’t help but root for their second chance at love!

Till There Was You was heart warming with so many lovable characters, and I’m kind of hoping for a continuation of some of their stories! Lexi’s besties all deserve the world.

I was able to read an advance copy of Till There Was You thanks to NetGalley, and I can say this will likely be one of my favorite books of the summer! The cover is just as cute as the story inside.