This isn’t what I expected. It’s not a romance. DNF.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

When Rachel Miller's past is plastered all over the tabloids, she finds her world falling apart. The attorneys at her law firm don't seem to take her seriously, her kids are being bullied, her husband isn't supportive and her ex-boyfriend shouldn't be back in her life - - but now he is.

Rachel's high school boyfriend is an A list movie star who she seems to still carry some feelings for. When some of their old pictures and letters are made public, Rachel is thrown back into the past when they were together and thought they always would be. The memories are both beautiful and somewhat painful. She's now married to another man so obviously, she and Jack didn't last forever.

This book takes an interest approach. It examines the past and shows you not only how Rachel met and fell in love with ex-boyfriend, Jack Bellows but also how she met and fell in love with her husband, Dan. You can see both the good and bad in both men. After all, no one is perfect - - not even a famous actor - - or a perfectionistic lawyer.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: The audiobook was enjoyable. I thought the narration fit the book and made the story flow easily and kept the listener engrossed. 4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for early copies of both the ebook and audiobook. I voluntarily chose to read/listen to and review both of them and the opinions contained within are my own.

Advanced Book Review! Thank you @jessicasaunders, @unionsqandco and @netgalley for sending me this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
“A pitch-perfect exploration of modern married life, Love, Me embraces the truth that some old flames can’t be snuffed out, no matter how many years go by.”
Love, Me was a great debut from Jessica Saunders! I really enjoyed it and I couldn’t put it down. I love a good celebrity/regular person romance because I find that life so fascinating, but I’m not even sure I can say this fully fits in that category.
At first it seems like it’s going to be a second chance romance for Rachel with her high school boyfriend, Jack, who is now a famous actor. I feel like you would usually know how that is going to end, but with Rachel being married with two children, I honestly wasn’t sure! It really kept me reading and I loved that.
When old love letters and revealing photos of Rachel and Jack from high school are publicly released, we are with Rachel through the fall-out and learn how it affects her marriage, as well as her other relationships like her parents, friends and colleagues. She was honestly betrayed by so many of her closest people and I think I would have liked to see stand up for herself more than she did at certain points, but ultimately, she chose the right path for her.
I also loved that this book had three timelines – Rachel’s high school relationship with Jack, her law school relationship with her husband Dan, and present day. And I really liked that Rachel was a working mom who had it pretty together with her career and her kids.

The premise of ‘Love, Me’ is what drew me into this book! I will always love a story of a regular and a celebrity and this is no exception!

Jessica Saunders writes and explores the motivations behind her characters so well- this was one of the easiest reads I have had in a long time! The story was entertaining, it kept me gripped and it was very juicy!

Loved ‘Love, Me’!

When happily married mother of two, Rachel's love letters to her high school flame, the now superstar heart throb actor Jack Bellow, get released to the public, she begins to question everyone, including her marriage.

This book has such an interesting premise. I really enjoyed the beginning and some of the back and forth between the past and present. You could feel Rachel's anxiety as her whole world started tumbling down with the reveal of her love letters. The book also delves into looking back at your life and missed chances. I loved the connect between Jack and Rachel, in the past and the present.

All in all, this was an interesting romance with some heavy topics.

-second chance
-movie star


Thank you to the author and publisher for the gifted copy. My reviews are always honest.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Union Square & Co for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review. I really enjoyed this story, especially as the mother of two young children myself who sometimes feels lost in motherhood. While the pacing of the story was odd and felt rushed at times, it didn’t take away from the overall impact for me.
Rachel is clearly unhappy in her marriage, that is obvious from the get-go. But sometimes it is easier to say you’re happy and keep the status quo, well until her husband threw her into the spotlight due to her famous ex: Jack. It was easy to dislike her husband, Dan, at least for me because he found himself unable to give her the compliments and acknowledgments she wanted because he felt like it was giving her a participation trophy. 0/10, horrible husband behavior.
It’s this betrayal that essentially thrusts Rachel and Jack back to each other. Throughout the novel we are given glimpses into the various parts of Rachel and Jack’s history which spans twenty years. The history between Rachel and Jack is so sweet and truly full of the high school romance we all dream of (or some had). This novel gave life to the “what if” we all face at one point in our lives; what if I didn’t lose that person or let them go?

I really wanted to like this book, since the premise was so interesting (having an ex-boyfriend become a major movie star and then he drops back into the main character's life because of something bad her husband does), and because I know how much work a writer has to put in to complete a manuscript. But the execution of the story just didn't hold. There was little interiority of the main character the further you got into the story, which left me confused about why she was doing certain things. Many of the secondary characters also felt unlikeable (i.e. her parents). Overall, a great idea but not such a great reading experience

I HAVE A LOT OF THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS but I really enjoyed this!! Despite the description I’m about to give this - I want to emphasize that this is NOT a romance. it has romantic elements and is maybe romance adjacent (like in the way TJR or Rebecca Sterle books are) but it is solidly women’s fiction and for that reason I am allowed to excuse the bad, unpopular, i-would-normally-hate-this-in-a-romance-book things. but this book felt like Funny You Should Ask meets Romantic Comedy meets Every Summer After???? but like if none of those were true romances (I know that makes no sense but just go with it).

rachel is a lawyer and mom living in the suburbs with her kids and struggling but fine enough marriage and her life is upended when scandalous photos of her and her high school boyfriend, now famous movie star Jack, are leaked online along with the love letters he wrote her. thrust into the spotlight & media frenzy she starts to question her marriage & life & career. betrayed by someone she trusted & reunited with the man she tried to forget, she can’t help but wonder how she ended up here & what would’ve happened if things were different?

it’s been a while since I got a good “famous man obsessed with normal woman” book plus the second chance and nostalgia of them being high school sweethearts just had me devouring this book in 24 hours. warning that there are things that are very unpopular in the book but since I wouldn’t classify it as a romance (there’s a bit of an ambiguous ending that makes you assume a HEA but doesn’t confirm it), I don’t mind it being dramatic and messy and the characters slightly irritating with questionable actions but in a way that feels purposeful. But I can understand how this book isn’t for everyone. I think as a romance reader I just really wanted it to be a ROMANCE when it wasn’t and so I wanted way less about her husband and more of rachel and jack and I was left a little unsatisfied at the end but overall, I had a lot of fun reading this & it was a fantastic debut!!!

Rachel Miller is a successful lawyer as well as a married mom of two young children. You’d never guess that in high school, she was the girlfriend of the now hugely famous movie star Jack Bellow. Her current life is stable (or to be honest, stale), but things seem to be humming along on autopilot. That is, until a tabloid posts some racy letters and pictures of Rachel and Jack from their teenage years, things that Rachel thought were private and safely hidden away. The public spectacle upends Rachel’s life and forces her to reexamine the choices she’s made.

This book sucked me in right away, the opening scene all too familiar for many a working mom: Rachel’s bustling morning of trying to get two small kids fed and ready while simultaneously getting herself into her staid corporate pantsuit and get them all out the door without any help from her clueless husband. The nonlinear timeline shows us Rachel’s life in the present while also taking us back to her teenage years and showing the trajectory of her relationship with her high school sweetheart. This book is partly women’s fiction, partly romance (including one short, somewhat spicy scene), and wholly relatable to anyone who ever wondered “what if?” Although I didn’t agree with some of the characters’ actions, overall I found this to be an enjoyable read with a fun touch of 90s nostalgia. This one should resonate with fans of Sophie Kinsella or readers who enjoyed Amazing Grace Adams by Fran Littlewood.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Union Square & Co. for providing me an advance copy of this book.

This debut novel reads like a blend of Hollywood gossip and domestic drama, and it sucked me right in!

Rachel’s high school boyfriend Jack has made it to the big time as an incredibly famous actor. Rachel is leading a very different life from Jack as a married mother of two living in the suburbs, commuting to the city for work. When old photos and letters Jack wrote to Rachel are leaked to the gossip rags, old feelings start to emerge and Rachel and Jack meet up for the first time in years.

The story is undeniably messy, full of poor decisions by multiple characters, but that only makes it feel incredibly authentic. The characters are realistic, which flaws and big feelings and reactions. Even while watching them make awful choices, I still felt for them and the things they were experiencing.

The story is told with multiple timelines, a plot device I always love when it is showcasing the origins of a relationship. We get to watch Rachel fall in and out of love with Jack and in love with her husband, and we see her two best friends supporting her the whole way.

I did find the ending to be slightly abrupt, and would have liked a bit more there, but I was entertained and captivated throughout the read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Union Square & Co for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was a sweet, well paced and romantic story—it reminded me in many ways of Nora Goes Off Script. I love a novel set in multiple timelines and this particular story benefitted enormously from that device to really let the reader see the long love story of Rachel and Nick, her now movie star high school boyfriend. I didn’t love the marriage storyline as much, but I love how the author pulled everything together at the end. This is a great airplane/vacation book and I know many readers will love it!

I devoured this book. It's one of those stories where I'm choosing to ignore the terrible decisions made by the characters simply because it was so unbelievably addictive. In many ways it's a story of marriage, motherhood, and choosing yourself. But ultimately it was the romance that completely sucked me into its chaos. I couldn't put it down!

Rachel Miller is living a seemingly normal life with her husband and children until some photos resurface of her alongside high school ex-boyfriend—now famous actor—Jack Bellow. Told in past and present, I loved that you're not only given flashbacks of her relationship with Jack but her husband, Dan, too!

It was an undeniably messy love triangle with a lot of betrayal wrapped around these characters. I was truly uncertain (even at the 90% point) who Rachel would choose. I will say, it's somewhat of an abrupt ending, which I think could bother some readers, but I personally loved the open-ended closure. What a fun, super bingeable story!

🌟🌟🌟🌟✨ (4.5/5)

This was an excellent audiobook with a great choice for the narration.

This book had well defined characters and a great story. It’s about going through hard things and finding yourself, whilst making sure you’re surrounded by the right people…flaws & all.

Rebecca was such a strong FMC. I loved her personality and she was someone I could easily be friends with. I loved the flashbacks to her old boyfriend Jack, before he got famous. Their story just felt sweet but troubled at times but always authentic.

Rebecca’s husband Dan, I’m not sure I could forgive his betrayal along with all of his other character flaws. Not for relationship purposes anyway.

I liked how everything worked out and I 𝙇𝙊𝙑𝙀𝘿 that Rachel was strong and happy regardless of whether she had a man in her life.

I adored all of the characters, even had a tiny soft spot for that idiot husband, Dan.

It was just a good story overall. Satisfying.

Love, Me by Jessica Saunders was a fun debut romance.
I was immediately sucked into this second-chance romance story.
With the most relatable and entertaining characters ever.
The detail was amazing and the writing really sucked me in.
The characters in this book are amazing to say the least.
This story is so well-written and engaging, I really enjoyed it.

Thank You NetGalley and Union Square & Co. for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

A moving women's fiction story about a working mother of two young kids who finds her life imploding after her husband confesses to a gambling problem and then betrays her to the press because of her connection to her famous movie star ex. Full of second chances, starting over and learning to be an independent single woman in middle age. This was good on audio and perfect for fans of authors like Sophie Kinsella. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

Excellent read about how a housewife’s world gets turned upside down by a hubby who has problems. As Rachel navigates through a world she wasn’t willingly in, she finds the meaning of family.

I was immediately captivated by the first few pages and couldn’t put the book down. I enjoyed the relatable references. This story is told in dual timelines which helps build the suspense. This is a must read!

A fun flirty read for lovers of Annabel Monaghan or other romance novels with deeper themes for reflection. Really enjoyed this book - it truly took me back to my first love in high school. Can’t wait to hand sell this one!

I really loved this book! When I first read the description I knew I had to read it and once I was approved for the eARC I started it right away (Apologies to all the other books on my TBR😅)

Synopsis:
Rachel, a lawyer who’s married with two kids, is shocked out of the monotonous routine her life has become when private photos and letters of her and her high school boyfriend surface online. Normally this wouldn’t get much reaction, but Rachel’s ex and first love just happens to be famous actor Jack Bellow. While trying to deal with the breach of her privacy, Rachel must also come to terms with her marriage, career and old feelings for her high school love. Will seeing Jack again heal old wounds or cause new ones?

This book has:

💫Drama
💫Second Chances
💫Betrayal
💫What ifs
💫Self-discovery

This isn’t as romance-y as I usually read which was part of what I liked about it. It’s a good fit for fans of women’s fiction. The family dynamics/romantic relationships were really well done and the flashbacks put a lot of it into perspective and had me conflicted on which guy I was rooting for. Ultimately I wanted Jack ~ I love the first love/second chance trope! But mostly what I like is that the story focuses on Rachel discovering who she really is and what she wants out of her life.

This book drew me right in and I couldn’t put it down. The characters were all very realistically flawed and I found myself loving and hating some of them at different moments of the story. I love when an author creates characters that are imperfect because it gives the story so much more depth and makes me care more about the character growth - not to mention no one is actually perfect. While I wanted a bit more out of the ending, I still really enjoyed it all the way through and highly recommend it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and Union Square & Co. for the eARC in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Union Square & Co.-A subsidiary of Sterling Publishing for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a gripping and heartfelt story on second chances, what-ifs, choices we make and how those choices structure and affect our lives today. Is this just a romance? No, it is so much more than that!! Honestly, I would consider it more of a women's fiction read with romance. Once I started reading I was hooked and could not put it down!! I absolutely enjoyed this book so much!! 🩷🩷🩷🩷

Rachel is a powerful lawyer, mother of two and a wife whose marriage is on autopilot. If you asked her, she would say life is good! However, that quickly changes because her world is upended when racy photos of her and her high school boyfriend, Jack, who is a famous actor, along with his love letters to her are published in a tabloid. When Rachel discovers that her husband has betrayed her it causes her to question her marriage and career. How did she get here? What does she really want? Is she really happy with her life? What will she do? Can she forgive him or is their marriage unfixable? As a result of the scandal, Jack appears back in her life and old memories and feelings are surfaced. Is the timing right for them to get a second chance? In the end, this was about Rachel figuring out what makes her truly happy and not about a man in her life.

Overall, it is an entertaining read and I was completely immersed from start to finish! The epilogue was perfect and I do recommend!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️