Thank you to @netgalley @berkleypub and @berkleyromance for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A Flawed but Fun Rom-Com

Birdie Maxwell, a PR nightmare, is a flawed but endearing character. Take Two, Birdie Maxwell is a fun, fast-paced rom-com with plenty of witty banter and humorous situations. The audiobook narration by Helen Laser, Andrew Eiden, and Dan Bittner enhances the listening experience, bringing the characters to life.

However, the book's pacing can feel uneven at times, and the character development, particularly for Birdie, could have been deeper. While the plot is engaging, some aspects of the characters' behavior may seem unrealistic or immature.

Despite these minor drawbacks, Take Two, Birdie Maxwell is a delightful read for fans of romantic comedies. It's a lighthearted and entertaining story that offers a much-needed escape.

3 stars

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I am usually a celebrity romcom LOVER - but Birdie Maxwell was only okay for me. I ultimately listened to the audiobooks, which was also fine - nothing negative to say there. However, to me the road trip aspect was lacking - I feel like there are so many books that do this trope (or plot point) better - it wasn't as chaotic or atmospheric as I was hoping.

As for the romance, I did like the characters, but I just wanted to shake them, scream "Get over yourself!" and hope that they just have an honest conversation and resolve everything.

Second chance romances are typically not my favorite either - I feel like they are so difficult to do, without making it seem like one character was pining for years or putting their life on hold in a strange obsessive way. And, unfortunately, I don't think it was done well here.

It was a fun, enjoyable book, but I don't see myself recommending it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for a chance to read and review!

I love AWS as a person and author. Sadly, this one just didn't work for me. I enjoyed the beginning and then it petered out for me. I didn't find that I was connecting to the characters and it felt too trop-y for me. Miscommunication is also a frustrating rom-com trait in my book.

Sadly, I didn't remember much but that it didn't "spark" what I needed to feel that pang in my heart.

Take Two, Birdie Maxwell is a delightful and charming rom-com.

If you like your rom-coms bursting with tropes, this book is for you. Allison brings together various tropes to create a story that is entertaining and sure to leave a smile on your face. If you like best friend’s brother, road trip, Hollywood romance, and only one bed, then this book is for you. I personally love a good road-trip romance. This is because you are guaranteed that there will be some hilarious antics, and I adore the fact that the two MCs are forced to spend a lot of time with one another. I love a rom-com that can make me laugh, and this book did that in spades. Besides all the charm and laughter, Allison does a great job of weaving depth into her story and the characters within it. There is some real meat to this book. The characters are real and relatable. I found myself connecting and rooting with them.

Take Two, Birdie Maxwell is a cozy read about second chances and finding out what's really most important to you. I'm always a fan of second chance romance and the road trip aspect led to many entertaining and tense moments due to the very small shared space. I found Birdie to be super lovable, if avoidant and selfish at times, and Elliot had his heart in the right place, if not always his head, but they definitey frustrated the heck out of me at times! I think this added to what made them seem so realistic, so even though there's a lot of miscommunication (which I know can be a red flag trope for some) I didn't mind it too much. I loved the anonymous love letter and that rom-com leading lady, Birdie, whose reputation has recently taken a hit, decides to road trip to each of her exes in the hopes of writing her own love story off the page/screen. It's a quick, fun read that had me laughing and with both MCs seeking redemption we definitely see some character growth, although it takes them a while to get it together!

read if you like:
💗road trips
💗second chance romance
💗miscommunication
💗secret identity
💗celebrity romance
💗self discovery
💗best friend's brother
💗forced proximity
💗only one bed

Thank you Berkley and NetGalley for the digital ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was cute and sweet. if you love cozy romances it's a must! I loved every minute of it. A total must read!

Really enjoyed this story! Did feel like it dragged on a bit at different parts but I did enjoy the storyline and characters! Audiobook was great!

Thanks for the arc Berkeley @ Netgalley

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝙃𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙮𝙬𝙤𝙤𝙙’𝙨 𝙗𝙞𝙜𝙜𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙧𝙤𝙢-𝙘𝙤𝙢 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙙𝙖𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙪𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙗𝙮 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙧𝙤𝙢-𝙘𝙤𝙢 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙣 𝙖 𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚.

📍 Read if you like:
• Celebrity Romances
• Second Chance
• Best Friend’s Brother
• Road Trips

I went into this one not expecting too much, which I’m glad I did - it was a light, cute story for what it was… nothing too spontaneous, but it also wasn’t a bad read. I had a great time reading it!

I found the actress, Birdie Maxwell, to be such an interesting character. I always love a good celebrity romance with all the gossip - which is what I got. I also loved Elliot’s character and how these two were childhood friends and became much more than that when they crossed paths again.

It’s a fun and quick story, it didn’t feel too overwhelming and was a great filler book.

While it did take a while to get into, I thought the second chance romance in Hollywood was fascinating and worth the read. There was a bit of miscommunication sprinkled here and there, but overall, this was a fun read!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Berkley for the review copy in exchange for my honest review!

This was such a cute book! Right from the start I was hooked. I feel like this would’ve been such a fun movie to watch. I felt like it was a pretty light and easy read. I felt like Birdie was such a mess, but got better as the story went on. It is written in dual POV, which I loved! If you’re a fan of road trips, second chance romance, and celebrity romance, you’ll enjoy this one. I recommend checking it out!

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you enjoy a book packed full of angst, this is definitely for you. You can feel the yearning both Birdie and Elliott are experiencing that they other is completely unaware of. Miscommunication is a big part of the storyline, which can be frustrating. But you can feel the angst the characters are feeling and have felt in the past. While there were some out there situations (like at the end when you find out about the letter and everything gets put out in the open) it kept me engaged and rooting for the characters. (3.5 stars rounded up to 4)

I really enjoyed "Take Two, Birdie Maxwell!" Birdie, experiencing a PR disaster of all PR disasters, returns home to her small town to escape her life when she finds an old love letter. Being the Rom-Com queen herself, she thinks there's no better way to return to stardom than to become a real life Rom-Com herself. The exes, the friends, and just everything she encounters on the way made for such a fun read, would definitely recommend!

I’m really coming around to second chance romance, and Take Two, Birdie Maxwell was second chance with a Hollywood twist as celebrity romcom star, Birdie, heads back home to sort her life out. It was another fun read that was so funny, and I once again paired the book with the audio format, and was happy to see it had a multiple narration cast along with a new fave, by Helen Laser.

*many thanks to Berkley Romance, Netgalley and PRH Audio for the gifted copy for review

I loved this one! The Hollywood background was fun to read, and the relationship and friendships among Birdie, Mona, and Elliot.

This was a fun story with some of my favorite tropes: second chance, first love and best friend’s brother. I enjoyed the plot a lot and I always love how this author has two perspectives. I think I had wished for a little bit more time for the main character to do some self reflection because I liked that angle of the story, but besides that this was a fun read that I enjoyed.

I really struggled going into this book and unfortunately it never really picked up for me. Maybe it was wrong book, wrong time. The plot sounded great, and I thought it had potential. I couldn't really connect to any of the characters, and I am not a fan of the miscommunication/misunderstanding trope.

I do know several book friends that absolutely adored it, so it's probably just me. Maybe I'll try a reread over the summer and adjust my rating.

The idea of a fallen starlet searching to rekindle a former love sounds so fun. I did enjoy the idea of the story. However, I did not care for Birdie's character. She came off really entitled & only looking out for herself. I thought it was great how she was put in her place by ex-boyfriends but she didn't seem to grasp just how bad she was. Elliot was also a boring character & just as self involved as Birdie. Also, the I called the character who wrote the letter it was pretty predictable, but come on 7 years later.

I love a good romcom set in Hollywood. Birdie Maxwell is on the bad end of the publicity target when an on-set feud goes viral, and America’s sweetheart is suddenly viewed as a fraud and she-devil. Typical right? Birdie runs back to her hometown to lie low, and reconnects with her old flame, who is now a popular journalist/reporter. While in her home, she finds a letter from an ex-boyfriend—- unsigned. This sets her off on a journey or find who wrote the letter, traveling to different areas of the country, alongside Elliot, her former flame. Elliot of course, is in love with her but too scared to say anything. And Birdie reciprocates those feelings, but after Elliot left her 7 years ago, doesn’t believe that he still feels for her. So these two who are in love with each other are looking to find Birdie her man. How rom-comy. LOL I enjoyed the interviews and seeing Birdie’s exes, and how they each have a different interpretation of her. This book is essentially built on the miscommunication trope, but I didn’t mind it as it was different. It was more of a misunderstanding I guess— plus the pressures of Hollywood added to it. Also how misogynistic Hollywood can be, and automatically blaming the woman. Birdie thought she needed to give herself a real-life rom-com to get America to love her again, but really she just needed to find herself again and stand up for herself. Nothing she did was wrong, and she should have to take the lashes. Elliot never blamed her or believed what they were saying. He knew her since they were kids, and know what kind of person she is. They’re both just too hard-headed and oblivious to see that they’re meant for each other. Nevertheless, you know the two will get a happily ever after, and half the fun is in the journey.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the copy!

Dnf @ 67%

Thank you Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for an arc for my honest review.

I really enjoyed the concept of this and wanted to give it a try since I’m not one that usually reads second chance romance or famous celebrities.

Our fmc, Birdie, goes back to her home town after her reputation was damaged and finds an anonymous love letter from one of her exes. She’s determined to visit her exes from the past and find who wrote it, and to tag along is her childhood crush and best friends twin brother, Elliot. Years ago, they had a wild night together and haven’t brought it up since and repress their feelings for each other.

All of that sounds right up my alley, but none of it was clicking for me and I would barely pay attention in some parts. For characters in their 30’s, Birdie was so whiny and I got so much secondhand embarrassment from her that I had to stop reading. And Elliot is no better when he’s so in love with Birdie, but doing absolutely nothing and not communicating any of his feelings.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. I was very intrigued by the second chance, celebrity romance, but the writing started to feel chunky and like it was dragging for me. I also was not sold on the whole road trip to find the secret admirer situation.

I loved The rewind a lot and think this one just hit below the mark of that one for me. As cute as a live story could be. I love Elliott and Birdie relationship and honestly his POV was the most I loved. Birdies character growth was nice to seeafter the whole PR fail and the mystery of the love letter from a fan kept me hooked until the last page.