Member Reviews
Weekends with You by Alexandra Paige is a beautiful story about friendship, found family and star-crossed love that sees two friends with undeniable chemistry never being able to figure out how to be together in the same city and still pursue the careers they are both passionate about. Lucy, a florist in London, moves into a warehouse flat with seven other roommates; quickly falling for one of the roommates. Henry is a traveling photographer, only in London one weekend a month, which makes having a relationship quite difficult. Each chapter is a weekend in the roommates’ lives. I enjoyed the friendships between roommates and found those relationships and storylines to be more enjoyable than the romance between Lucy and Henry. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun read with a bit of chaos and romance.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
#Avon #NetGalley
There are a few too many roommates in the house and they're all introduced at the same time so I keep getting confused about who is who. The chemistry is a little off, the writing feels forced. The interactions are cold and 50% through the book and I'm literally wondering if the love interest is even actually the love interest or if they're going to spin in a new character for the HEA.
When Lucy’s landlord raises her rent, she needs to find a new place to live - fast. She turns to her best friend Raja, who immediately offers Lucy an available room in the warehouse space Raja shares with six other flat mates. Having lived on her own since college, Lucy is a little apprehensive, but with no other option, she accepts Raja’s offer. She needn’t have worried as she fits right in.
The flat mates all live busy lives. So each month they get together for a weekend of fun and to catch up. They fondly call it “Warehouse Weekend”. Henry keeps his room at the flat to have a home base, as he travels most of each month in his work as a photographer. But he makes sure he's back for Warehouse Weekend each month. It's during Lucy's first weekend that she meets Henry. Their attraction is instant, But Henry is searching for something that he can't quite identify. Lucy is concentrating on her career as a florist, hoping to raise the profile of the little boutique shop where she works. Despite the heat they each feel, the time apart each month makes their efforts at a relationship a struggle.
Setting up the book to revolve around a year of warehouse weekends was a unique idea. Unfortunately, after the first few chapters, I found it distracted from the continuity of the story. Though the flat mates take the time to provide a quick catch up each weekend, we really don't know what happens to any of the characters between weekends. A lack of continuity makes it difficult to become absorbed in the story. The secondary characters are, for the most part, one dimensional and serve to act only as a foil for Henry and Lucy to play off. There is only slightly more depth to Lucy and Henry. We really have no clue who each of them are, their backgrounds or motivations.
I think this story had potential, but it never quite reached what it could have been.
Weekends with you was an adorable, sweet romcom that kept me entertained on a long plane ride! Lucy and Henry's chemistry was phenemonal and the premise of their story was so good!
Lucy moves into a new flat with lots of roommates, and while one of the roommates, Henry, is gone most of the month, the roommates all get together once a month for a fun-filled weekend together. They are a sweet found family, and as the months go on Lucy and Henry grow closer and closer, even as Henry is trying to figure out where he wants to settle down in the world. Lucy and Henry are both hard workers trying to find their place in the world, while also finding love and they are super relatable!
Pick this book up for some good feels and a quick read!
Long Islander (NY) Lucy is living in London developing her skill as a florist working in a small two person shop. She loves her job but worries that the business might not make it. When she becomes one of eight twenty somethings sharing a warehouse conversion, she falls for Henry, who is somewhat of an enigma. The problem is Henry travels for his job as a photographer, returning to his room at the warehouse apartments only one weekend a month. He makes clear that in his travels he hopes to find a place to call home as London no longer has anything for him.
The book is well written with some sweet (no pun intended!) aspects and a unique plot line. However, I found the interaction between Lucy and Henry to be very slow moving with no real spark. That I was more interested in the information shared about the flowers and the monthly activities of the Warehouse Weekend than the relationship between the two would be lovers does not bode well for the romance aspect of this romcom. I looked forward to seeing what the group would be exploring on their planned weekends, but I cringed about the interaction between the two main characters. Other than admiring him physically, I couldn’t quite see what Lucy saw in him; he seemed quite emotionless; almost an automaton. But, who can explain attraction to someone even though at heart we know they may not be good for us?
I did like Lucy’s talent, ambition, and business acumen.
I received a complimentary copy of this book "Weekends With You" and all opinions expressed are my own. This was a DNF for me. I just could not connect with the story or the characters.
Lucy is learning to thrive while she balances adulthood, following her heart to work at a local indie flower shop but yearning to grow the shop. When her apartment building goes up for sale she moves in with her best friend and six other roommates into a warehouse style building and meets Henry. What unfolds are in-depth explorations of one weekend a month for one year.
This one had a BIG cast of characters, but I thought each was unique enough in their own way that Alexandra was able to differentiate, and the reader was easily able to follow and get to know each on the page. The chapters were long - as each was a whole weekend, but I liked that they read as little, short stories all connected by Lucy and Henry's blossoming friendship turned love story.
Such a sweet debut! A group of twenty somethings living together in a warehouse apartment in the middle of London; a dream I didn't even know I should have been having but wish I did.
Would recommend to fans of found family, large casts, and UK settings.
I cannot wait to see what Alexandra does next!
A heartwarming and romantic debut told over the course of one year in monthly weekend installments, about found family, new love, and the magic of London.
When I saw that this book was perfect for fans of Beth O'Leary and Josie Silver, I knew I had to read it. It has the quintessential British Womens fiction charm that I love. While this is a romance at the core, it also explores living in a city in your 20s, friendships, and careers. I really enjoyed the authors writing and the pacing was unique by having each chapter focusing on a weekend in a month.
I did find the love storyline frustrating at times but I also think a lot of 20-somethings will really relate to the miscommunication and immaturity of the male lead.
Lucy Bernstein loves her job as a florist, but it doesn’t offer her a lot of money for things like rent. So when she loses her small London apartment, she has no choice but to move in with her old college roommate Raja, who lives in a warehouse space with 7 others. Lucy isn’t sure about all the roommates, but she can’t pass on the low rent. Raja assures her that it’s a good place to live, and everyone is pretty busy most of the time. But one weekend a month, they all stop what they’re doing and get together, each roommate taking a turn at the planning.
Lucy moves in and starts to make friends with her new roommates, but the last one she meets is Henry. Henry is a photographer who spends most of his time on the road. He finds himself in a different European city, photographing a venue for a month before coming home for a couple of days and heading back out again. But as soon as Lucy and Henry meet, there is a definite spark.
But Lucy just got there and doesn’t want to upset the chemistry of the group. And Henry is spending all of his time traveling because he’s tired of London and looking for a new place to live.
The Warehouse Weekends bring the roommates together as they laugh and eat and drink, each month a new activity, personal updates, encouragement and personal growth, and plenty of teasing that makes them all feel like family. But that spark between Henry and Lucy glows brighter the more time they spend together. Lucy wants to get to know him better, but she’s worried about that impending deadline. Henry has a date already in mind when he wants to move out of the apartment. He just has to decide on a place. And none of the places he’s thinking about is London.
Meanwhile, the flower shop where Lucy works is struggling. It’s a small shop, just Lucy and the owner Renee and a part-timer. Lucy wants to take on bigger projects, to help with the finances that she knows are tight. Renee is getting older and moving more slowly. Lucy tries to keep things going as best she can, but she worries that the shop will end up closing. Will Lucy figure out a way to save her heart and her job, or despite her new warehouse family, will she find herself heart-broken and out of a job? Or will she figure out how to grow roots and bloom like the flowers she loves so much?
Weekends with You is a lovely slow-burn romance set in London, where the chaos and peace come together to create a harmony of a backdrop for this beautiful love story. Author Alexandra Paige has crafted a debut novel that is heart-breaking and sweet, nuanced and moving. This is a romance that will stand tall on the shelves next to beloved authors and be right at home.
I tried to zip through my reading of Weekends with You, but I just couldn’t do it. As much as I wanted to find out what happened with these characters, the nature of this book was to slow me down and make me savor each scene. It was almost meditative, as it drew me into this London warehouse, into the flower shop, into the lives of these young people as they make plans and chase dreams and fall in love. This is a book to be savored with a favorite cup of tea or over a long weekend. This story just seemed to demand my full attention, and it was worth every slow moment I spent in the pages. Highly recommended as a balm to this crazy world.
Egalleys for Weekends with You were provided by Avon through NetGalley, with many thanks.
I think the premise of this book was really good! I really liked the characters and the way each chapter was a different month, but it just seemed like it just ended. There could have been more that happened and it could have dragged out longer instead of just ending. It seemed rushed in my opinion.
If you like:
🏡 Roommates to more
🗓️ Weekend Romance
⏳ Limited Time
🧼 Messy vibes
This book gave so many vibes and I was here for it! It was such a fun read and truly hooked me from beginning to end on the mess and the love story of our FMC!
Also, I loveeeee flowers so the floral aspects to the story telling I felt were a nice addition and soooo well done!
The set up reminded me of the vibes from the spin off of the fosters and truly loved the multiple roommates and forced proximity of the story!
Thank you so much to Avon for my arc in exchange for my honest review!
It was just an adorable story. A pleasurable, light read--just what I needed. If you're a fan of Abby Jimenez, Rebecca Searle, Emily Henry, then I think you'll enjoy this book.
This story follows Lucy who moves into an apartment with other roommates and meets a guy who she begins to develop feelings for. I enjoyed the storyline for this book. It was good but not entertaining all the way. This story was a bit tame with not many conflicts and being very light on the romance aspect. I did enjoy how the story was in London and seeing bits of it from Lucy’s pov. I loved the found family part of this story and seeing how they all treat each other. This story is only written in Lucy’s pov but would have loved to get Henry’s.
Lucy is the FMC of this book who works at a flower shop and wants to keep it open. I enjoyed her character and how willing she was to make sure the shop was running. I liked her development in this book. Then there is Henry who is supposed to be the main side character but I felt that he was MIA half of the story and wouldn’t consider him the main side lead. I wish he was more in the story or it would have been better to get pov. There are many other side characters in this book and I really liked them. The romance in this book is very light and the story felt more like women’s fiction. The romance is forced proximity and friends to lovers with some light make-out scenes.
The ending was good but with a cute HEA. The story wasn’t bad but it also wasn’t a memorable experience. For me I felt this story was promised something else but instead, we got something different. I did enjoy the found family and Lucy’s story and seeing them development in the story. Though I did wish there was more to the romance.
*this arc was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*
This was a cute, fun read. I enjoyed Lucy's character, and I adored her roommates. I really loved the energy that they brought to the story, and I loved the family unit they became. I am a sucker for a found family trope. As for the romance, it had all the angst. Lucy only saw her crush once a month. It was fun to watch it all play out. Overall, it was a fun read. I will definitely read another by this author.
This book was truly a beautiful fresh breath of spring air!!!! @alexandrapaigewrites wonderful writing really made it hard to put this book down! Such a wonderful debut!
I WEEKENDS WITH YOU Mini Review💕
📍London
🌸Flower shop owner, Lucy meets new flatmate/always away from home (except for one weeks a month) busy photographer, Henry and romance ensues.
📚OUT NOW!
⭐️Troupes:
✨Found Family
✨Will They or Wont They
✨Love Triangle
✨Roommates to Friends to Lovers
✨Close Proximity
✨Long Distance
✨Loving Someone Has Their Heart/Life in Another Place
Though this was a contemporary romance, the found family aspect of the book was the highlight for me! The meshing of all the different personalities in the warehouse flat just gave me the most wholesome energy. The romance part of the book definitely depicted the modern dating world to a tee (situationships/will they won’t they/ love triangles/ non-committal relationships/long distance relationships etc.)
Thanks again to Avon Books for the finished copy of this book! All thoughts are my own!
4.25⭐️
#weekendswithyou #alexandrapaige #avonbooks #debutbook #debutnovel #debutromance #romcom #romcombooks #contemparyromance
Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book.
I loved the premise of this book. However I found the chapters to be unbearably long and really pushing to get through them.
I think this had the ability to be something more amazing but I found the the MMC was very immature and a commitment phobe and Lucy a doormat at times.
I just didn’t love this one and thought it was by far too slow paced.
Weekends with You by Alexandra Paige
Contemporary new adult romance.
Lucy Bernstein loves working with flowers and making people happy with her arrangements. She dreams of displays and artful decorations that make a statement. At the flower shop where she works, Lucy is limited to the walk in bouquet customers but she can dream of more in the future.
Lucy moves out of her single room apartment and into a warehouse flat where her best friend lives. There are a total of eight roommates within the shared space and one weekend a month they get together for planned fun around London. Roommate Henry travels as a photographer and is only home for that one weekend each month but Lucy wants to get to know him better. Their chemistry so far is intriguing.
New adult is not my core passion.
Angst, on-again, off-again, severe lack of communication, love vs career building, roommates, and the fragility of new relationships. Stress!
Of course, resolution of all these things has me happy to be reading romance. I’m just glad I’m well past those uncertain and new path years.
The ending is worth slogging through the angst and drama.
Made family, friendships, new love, and finding your path.
3.5
I received a copy of this from NetGalley.
I never had more than a couple of roommates at once in college but after reading Weekends With You, I feel like I missed out by not doing a giant Flatshare. It is the story of a woman who moves into a flat with 7 other roommates and once a month, one of the roommates is in charge of planning weekend festivities for the rest of the roommates. And of course there is a crush on one of them but he is only there 1 weekend a month and otherwise traveling for work. Let me tell you, this book was a sneak attack for me. I really really liked it. The roommate dynamic was so fun - they were quirky and silly and I loved how their personalities all were out in full force. The romance was sweet and angsty and I loved watching it play out. What a sweet, funny little book that I gobbled up.
The premise of this book is so cute- girl in the midst of figuring out her life moves into a flat with a quirky cast of characters and falls in love over the course of a year with one of her flatmates, who is dashing with a cool job.
That being said, this book was not it for me. Lucy is young and figuring it out, but she felt very stagnant and gloomy and I didn't have confidence that she would figure it out. The story felt choppy and flat, and at first I read right past the moment where Lucy met Henry for the first time. I missed the spark, maybe because it wasn't there for me. I was just unconvinced in general.
I did check out other reviews for this book, and there were many who loved what I did not. I tend to go for books like make you feel lovesick and hungover, and this was more of a front porch read than an "up at 2am" one.
I believe this is Alexandra Paige's first book, so I'll be curious to see what she writes next. I really appreciated the creativity of the story and the elements of a great romance that it pulled together.
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the opportunity to read this eARC!
Weekends With You is such a fun debut novel about finding yourself in your early 20s, and the mistakes you make along the way.
Lucy is struggling to find her spot in life, and finds herself forced to move into a cramped flat with seven other roommates. Though at first she dreads the chaos of such cramped living conditions, her roommates turn out to be great fun, and the banter between them all , and the adventures they go on, are honestly the highlight of the book.
Henry, her love interest, was miserable and I found it hard to find any redeeming qualities within him, though I still felt like the book overall was fun.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.