This was a completely unputdownable read. It was fun, joyful, and I was completely invested in the love story AND the characters. Some were just overall amazing humans, some stepped up when they needed to, and some were straight trash.

I loved all of the pop culture references—growing up as an elder millennial, this story tracked my adulthood in so many ways (well, minus the part where I had a wealthy dad and a brownstone lol). I also loved seeing how the characters each worked through their issues as either an introvert or an extrovert.

I would have loved to see more from Jake’s POV. The book worked well as-written, but I think it would have added a lot more depth to an already-engrossing story.

It was cute…but ultimately was not for me

I appreciate the opportunity to read and review before publication

Would recommend for fans of…
🫐 The Bear
🫐 Harry Styles’ ‘Carolina’
🫐 Broadway

I’ve personally been feeling a little down on rom coms lately, just because of how repetitive some of them can feel. I understand (and love!) that tropes are an essential part of the genre, but sometimes it can feel like these books are missing a little bit of individuality.

That’s not the case with Till There Was You! While the book incorporates many elements of the celebrity trope, Lindsay Hameroff manages to do that in an incredibly fresh and fun way!

Main character Lexi is a culinary student dealing with family issues as she navigates her romance-free existence in NYC…until she meets musician Jake. After a weekend together, Jake becomes a star and leaves Lexi behind. She expects to never hear from him again, until she realizes that she inspired the song that made him famous!

There were two things that really stood out for me: the characters and the pacing.

Hameroff does a great job of fleshing out the backgrounds of all characters, not just Lexi and Jake, which really made the story come alive. As I was reading, I was already planning out sequels and thinking about what supporting characters I’d like to see star in their own story.

I also really loved how the story was paced. I feel like a lot of the celebrity romances I read end when the couple actually gets together, but Till There Was You allows Lexi and Jake time to be together, and allows the reader to see the challenges that arise as a result of their relationship. This created some really organic conflicts between characters and helped ground the story in reality.

I really enjoyed this book and found it to be a great combination of light and fluffy with just a dash of angst and emotion. Till There Was You is out now. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lexi and Jake meet at a bar and their one night stand turns into a weekend. Timing could not have been worse as he was due to fly to the west coast to record an album and she was committed to her culinary school program. What should have been a slow burn, long distance romance floundered due to busyness and interference. When they finally reconnect Lexi cannot trust him. Since this is a romance, things eventually get better. However, the barriers to romance were predictable and did not keep me engaged. I enjoyed the ending and was glad I read it, but was left wanting. This is Lindsay Hameroff's first book and I look forward to reading the next one that is due in February of 2025.

"Till There Was You" is a sweet exploration of figuring out what matters most in life.

Lexi Berman is a culinary student who is pursuing a career as a chef because she knows it would have made her mom proud. The problem is, Lexi much prefers cooking for friends and family at home than she does working in a restaurant.

Jake Taylor is pursuing a music career against the wishes of his father. But performing music on stage has been his passion for as long as he can remember.

When these two meet, we're treated to all their ups and downs of figuring out what their dreams really are, what they're willing to sacrifice to get there, and whether it will really even matter to them once they do (especially considering the sacrifices they need to make).

While their romance seems burdened by too many obstacles, when love wins out, it does so spectacularly!

Thank you to Lindsay Hameroff, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

I LOVED the start of Jake and Lexi's romance with the weekend they spent together but once Jake became famous I didn't like him at all. I was also really annoyed at how bad of an employee Lexi ended up being because she had to constantly take time off to go see Jake at his events and the way Jake was really needy and selfish for making her feel bad so that she'd have to go was really frustrating. I personally couldn't forgive Jake for some of the things he said to Lexi especially about living in the past with her home never changing after her mom died. I just felt like he didn't end up being the sweet guy we met in the beginning. I feel like he let fame change him and never fixed his issues.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for na honest review!

This book was just ok for me. The “insta-love” trope is not one of my favorites, and this book was no different. It was difficult to believe that one steamy weekend would create the feelings to propel the rest of what happened in the book. The characters are a bit juvenile, particularly Jake, who really grated on my nerves with his spineless and inconsiderate behavior in several instances. If you like the “insta-love” trope, maybe give this one a try as it’s a quick read that does have some fun moments, but overall this isn’t one I’ll be remembering or recommending. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

This book had me craving blueberry pancakes (and a fan for my face!!). I adored Lexi and Jake from their first night. I'm not always a fan of insta-love, but this was more like insta-connection with a "I'm feeling the love but I'm holding back from saying it" love. Both characters were in their early 20s and, at times, they felt older, but other times, it definitely gave off a YA vibe. Despite their ages, I was rooting for both Lexi and Jake to succeed at their dreams, both with work and in love.

Things I absolutely adored: Jake bringing Lexi to meet his family (and watching the stars!), Mia telling Lexi that she has green M&M energy, and the 10 Things quote. Jake is a unicorn and I love love loved the ending. Such a cute, fun debut!

Thought I did really enjoy this story overall, I felt it was hard to connect with Lexi and Jake. Which kind of killed me. It was fun and easy to read just couldn't connect with he main characters.

Lexi Berman is single minded in her quest to become a professional chef, fulfilling a promise she made to her deceased mother. It leaves her little time for fun or relaxation. On a rare night out, listening to music at a dive bar, she meets Jake Taylor, one of the bars musicians. Their chemistry is instantaneous. Like Lexi, though, Jake’s energy is on making it in the music business. After a weekend together, Jack heads to the bright lights and disappears.

Months later, Jake is back in New York. Lexi doesn’t know what to think when he unexpectedly shows up at her door. Completely worn out, disillusioned and tired of everyone else controlling his life, he came back looking for a friend. Lexi has her hands full with her first professional kitchen job, but the chemistry between them is still there and she wants their closeness back. Is she willing to take a chance?

I really liked the development of the relationship between Lexi and Jake. I liked that Lexi was who Jake went looking for when he needed to be himself. It was then that each of them began to realize they weren't living their best dreams, but maybe needed to take those dreams in a slightly different direction.

I also thought the characters in the kitchen in which Lexi was working were fun. Were they kind of a caricature? Well, yes. They were also Lexi's friends and, sometimes her nemesis, providing a background that served to illustrate Lexi's frustration and disillusionment with her chosen field.

I enjoyed this story. Unlike a lot of the reviews I've seen, I wasn't put off by the age of the characters or the statement the story was making. It provided some food for thought, even though I'm old enough to be the parent of Lexi and/or Jake. We're never too old to redirect our goals, or even set new ones. That's what makes life fun.

please note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
HEA: yes
spice: several suggestive mildly open-door spicy scenes (not fade to black but also not very descriptive)
TWs: death of a parent (past, recounted), cancer, sexual harassment (recounted), OW drama, manipulation, mild cyber bullying, misogyny
standalone: yes
final thoughts: this book felt like a rollercoaster of emotions- it was sweet and insta-lovey but also extremely angsty and dealt with some hard-hitting topics (see TWs).
There was a lot about this book I enjoyed- their meet-cute, their passions, the song writing, the female friendships, the banter
The things that didn’t work for me personally- this felt like a YA novel with some moderately open-door scenes which was confusing, I don’t mind insta-love but I felt like the FMC’s personality did a complete 180 after meeting the MMC and it was confusing, the unnecessary OW drama, the miscommunication overall
I liked the writing style which was easy to read and this was a fast-paced book, but overall it fell a little off the mark for me preferences but I didn’t dislike it- definitely worth a read if you lean more toward the YA/NA border for content and style. And I’ve been wanting pancakes since I saw this front cover (which is SO CUTE).

read this book if you love

😬 angst
🍪cinnamon roll MMC
🤐 miscommunication
🎸 musician
💌 moderately clean romance
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 found family
2️⃣ 2nd chance romance

I enjoyed this book! I am a big fan of the author online and was excited to learn about her first release. This book was cute, and I enjoyed the book alot. I like this author and will read more by her!

Till There Was You by Lindsay Hameroff is a cute romcom of a book. It is about Lexi Berman, a culinary student out to make her late mother proud of her and Jake Taylor, whom she meets as a struggling bar singer that makes it huge. Lexi and Jake have an instant connection, but due to some misunderstandings and his new fame, the two of them lose contact. They end up meeting up again about a year later, but his lifestyle seems to be too much for Lexi and it seems like they'll end up drifting apart again. The two of them have a lot to work through and I enjoyed their journey of deciding if being friends or more is how they'll end up. I know one thing, being a chef or even working in a kitchen seems like way more than I would ever be interested in.

Till There Was You was a heart warming one night stand turns into something more rom com and as much as I wanted to love this, i just didnt. I did enjoy a lot of the story but it all got lost as soon as the story dragged. It was still enjoyable and I was able to finish the book, but it did leave me hungry for more.

Is it a shame that I absolutely did not like the male love interest? Cause I was rooting for her to end up with Ethan instead. Jake was ugh. Sorry but his ass left her high and dry for MONTHS and decides to come back like nothing happened and swears its all because he did truly love her? Haha no sir.
The writing was good, a few laughable parts, and great side characters.
The cover is absolutely gorgeous though!
I wanted that cute romance with the sweet pastry chef with a broken heart ultimately and could not stand the romance we got as there was little chemistry between them.
Thank you to the publisher for the copy!

I enjoyed this one, it was sweet, well written with good characters, a good back story and good dialogue. There was some spicy parts as well.

I think my biggest issue with it, and it's not really a big deal, is it follows the typical romance formula exactly. Romance lovers love that, and I do too, but I knew exactly how it was going to go the whole time. I do like it when I am a little surprised.

All in all, worth reading!

"And in that moment, I know Jake Taylor and I will never be just friends" From the first chapter, to the acknowledgments, this book had me captured. Till There Was You had me guessing multiple times who would get the happily ever after! The main characters had such effortless chemistry, but their conflicts was so real, so I couldn’t imagine if they would ever and up together. From the very beginning I was invested in Lexi and Jake. I’ve never experienced such a page turning books that wasn’t a thriller. I considered calling off of work to finish this book, twice! But I also had to force myself to put it down, so that it wouldn't be over so soon.

I can empathize with Lexi for having a portion of her career not be what she expected, I’ve found myself at that point before.

I feel like a typical romance has a plot that moves very quickly, but this book spans across multiple years. The writing is amazing. I could literally feel anxiety coming through the page during some of Lexi’s cooking scenes. Both Lexi and Jake have past issues with their parents, but I think I reflected really well in the writing style.

Till There Was You had multiple funny one-liners that felt authentic between the friends. The humor felt very natural. One of my favorite quotes was from Ali but out of context, it doesnt seem as funny so you'll need to read the book. “I need to go home and set myself on fire." Aside from the lovable, romance plot, the friendships and betrayals in this book keep you turning the page.

#JusticeForEthan. Hi Lindsey, if we can put in a request, I would love for an Ethan moment, even if he is vanilla.

I already know this book will be in my top three when I rate them at the end of the year. I can’t wait to read more from Lindsey Hameroff!

2.5 stars

Unfortunately, this was a miss for me. The premise of this was promising but the execution left a lot to be desired.

Lexi is a young culinary student who spends a romantic one stand weekend with Jake, a musician she meets in a bar. Sparks fly and instalove occurs. These two fall head over heels for each and it was wildly unbelievable. Within hours of meeting she's already thinking that she feels like she's known him her whole life. Pump the brakes Lexi.

Everything was rush rush rush with these two and then it all came to a screeching halt when Jake goes to Cali to record a demo. He proceeds to ghost her for 15 months and then one day just pops up at her apartment with the flimsiest excuse of he "got busy" with recording and becoming a musician. Too busy to apparently return a text message or make a promised phone call. What follows is a wash rinse repeat second chance romance where the hero tries to win back the heroine.

These two felt forced and I cheered more for her to be with Ethan the pastry chef. Justice for that man, he seemed genuinely nice.

The dialogue was cringey and the romance felt formulaic. All in all a predictable rom com with the typical third act breakup. No new ground was covered here.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, SMP Romance, and NetGalley for the arc!

Honestly it had everything I love IN a book. Breakfast foods, celebrity dating, Broadway shows, a healthy appreciation of Les Mis, traveling, grand gestures, casual Bachelor satire- it's all there.

For me one of the standout parts was the female friendships - Chloe especially had some great zingers. It also didn't feel overly trope-y and I appreciated that it didn't add to my anxiety levels. I could just relax and enjoy it. Does that make sense? I hope it does.

4.5/5 stars

This was a cute and fluffy (no pun intended) read but the emotional tension felt off given the stakes of the romantic conflict. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advance copy.