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.

I got half way thought this and couldn’t do it was to cheesy and too predictable like how is this a book maybe try again

This is a fun romcom that reminded me a bit of the British show Crashing (Jonathan Bailey anyone?). Eight roommates in conversion housing and the relationships that develop. Henry and Lucy have a flirty attraction made challenging by his job as a photographer and he's only there one weekend per month. I loved their monthly Warehouse Weekends and the creativity that went into planning the meals and activities. I also enjoyed learning more about flowers and floral arranging. I hope there will. more books exploring the other characters and their lives too.

The description was right up my alley - a florist living in London with friends and smitten with a professional photographer who travels - and I found it ok.

The format - short chapters centered on their interactions - didn't work for me as the MCs felt flat, never allowing the audience to know or feel invested in their fate. I appreciated the tension in the form of each finding fulfillment in their respective professions and recognizing the obstacles posed that would impact a relationship.

The supporting cast was a lot more interesting and I enjoyed the concept of a communal flat share and seeing these players interact. Overall, I didn't feel especially moved or connected to the storyline. It was perfectly average but with the benefit of beautiful descriptions of floral arrangements.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an advanced copy of this to read before release date.

"Weekends with You" by Alexandra Paige offers a charming premise centered around Lucy Bernstein, a florist struggling to keep her shop afloat while navigating the complexities of her personal life. Set against the backdrop of London, the novel explores themes of love, community, and self-discovery.

Paige's prose shines when depicting the beauty of flowers and the art of floral arrangements, adding a touch of whimsy to Lucy's world. The concept of using flowers as metaphors for personal growth and emotional expression is a refreshing and poignant aspect of the story.

However, while the premise is intriguing, the execution falls somewhat short. The pacing feels uneven at times, with certain plotlines and character developments receiving more attention than others. Additionally, the romantic entanglements between Lucy and her flatmates, particularly Henry Baker, lack depth and believability, detracting from the overall impact of the narrative.

Despite these shortcomings, "Weekends with You" has its moments of warmth and charm. The eclectic cast of characters and the vibrant setting of a quirky warehouse conversion provide a unique backdrop for Lucy's journey of self-discovery. Readers who enjoy light-hearted romance with a touch of floral flair may find enjoyment in this novel.

Overall, "Weekends with You" offers a pleasant but somewhat uneven reading experience, with its floral-themed premise serving as a highlight amidst its narrative shortcomings.

Weekends with You is a fun, sweet romance, full of found family and self-discovery. Told in monthly installments, it follows a group of friends as two of them find their way to each other and a love seemingly destined to be. The characters are fun and sometimes frustrating, but aren't the best love stories always that way? This is the perfect romance for any time of year!

Many thanks to Avon for the advanced review copy of this romance, which came out on April 9th.

Weekends With You follows florist Lucy, who moves into a massive warehouse with eight roommates. She's not thrilled about the change from her formerly rent-controlled London flat, but soon she learns that she's joined a tight-knit community... one that includes the attractive and elusive photographer Henry, who comes home for just one weekend every month. As they spend those brief weekends together, they try to figure out what to do about the attraction between them.

When I saw this one billed as "for fans of Beth O'Leary and Josie Silver" I knew I had to give it a go, and I'm glad I did!

What I Liked

The structure of Weekends With You is a really interesting approach to telling a love story. Each chapter centers on one of the titular weekends, so there's big jumps in time between each. This lets us spend the maximum amount of time with Lucy and Henry as they fall in love, and while I was initially unsure about the structure, it won me over in the end.

Henry and Lucy have a natural chemistry and banter that is almost immediate. It makes you want to root for them in spite of all the obstacles in their way.

I loved that they both had career goals and ambitions outside of their love story that made them feel like real people and created believable tension and obstacles for their romance.

What I Didn't Like

Even though I ultimately got used to the structure, it did feel a bit difficult to settle into the story and get to know the characters with such big time jumps between chapters. It felt like I was missing big chunks of their lives, and though they did get filled in over time, I do wish I knew just a bit more about what Lucy got up to when she wasn't waiting for Henry's weekend at home.

Final Thoughts

Overall, Weekends with You is a fun romance with an excellent found family element. I enjoyed watching the flatmates interact and their genuine love for one another, which fell right in alongside the romantic relationship. The challenges our couple faces before they can find happily ever after felt real and not contrived, which I always appreciate.

I recommend Weekends with You to anyone who loves a look into the chaos of those times in life when you're not quite sure of your place but are desperately seeking somewhere to belong.

WEEKENDS WITH YOU - Alexandra Paige

Friendship and Romance - 4 stars

Plot - 4 stars - Unwillingly becoming one of eight flatmates in a quirky warehouse conversion would have been difficult enough without any romantic entanglements, but when Lucy lays eyes on Henry Baker, the traveling photographer who only comes home twelve weekends a year, she knows her hands will be full with more than just posies. As each weekend progresses, Lucy also finds herself unexpectedly falling for all her new flatmates, along with this bustling but ultimately sweeter home.

Writing - 4 stars - This book was easy to read, and I immediately felt a closeness to the characters and their lives.

Characters - 4 stars - The characters are what makes this book fun. Lucy is good as the focus, with an interesting career as a florist and plenty of insight into her feelings about her attraction to Henry and friendship with Raja. Henry is a pretty wishy-washy main character, unable to make a decision about his job and where he wants to live. He seems to want a relationship with Lucy, but he can't bring himself to fully commit. The rest of the flatmates are entertaining and pleasant, and we learn bits and pieces about them, just enough to feel like close acquaintances and feel interest in their lives.

Title - 4 stars - I didn't really understand the title until I started reading and learned about the Warehouse Weekends shared by the roommates, plus the added complication of Lucy and Henry's budding relationship, but it only happens once a month when Henry is home from his business travels.

Cover - 3.5 stars - This follows the typical trend of cartoon-y characters on the cover, but I love the bright pink color that attracts the eye.

Overall - 4 stars - Paige is a new-to-me author, and she caught my attention right from the first page. Her characters are appealing and very approachable, living lives that are comfortable, up-and-coming, and friendly. I loved their relationship as a group--very supportive of each other.

Lucy and Henry. Are they MTB (meant to be)? Or will the frustrating rhythms of only meeting on Warehouse Weekends morph into a broken record? If you are like me, you might even stop rooting for Henry and back another guy. Here's what I liked:

📅The monthly chapters focusing on the Warehouse Weekends and Henry's London time.
💐Lucy's job as a florist brought lots of flowers into the narrative.
🍀The weekend in Cork was a welcome change from the London outings.
📸Henry's grand gesture was one I would really love!

So I am rounding up and giving this one four stars. Was Lucy a bit too naive at times? Yes. Did Henry lead her on with his words and then not follow through a time or two? Yes. I would have loved a little more flirty banter between the two as well. There is a happy ending and that's why we love to read this genre.

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review. Happy Publication Week!

This book was just ok for me. I loved the characters but Lucy and Henry’s relationship was a bit annoying and over the top. Unrealistic. I love the idea of the warehouse, warehouse weekends and their closeness. That was amazing. But the love story of Lucy and Henry was annoying and I was rooting for Oliver.

It’s giving cringe debut vibes.

I tried my best with this one, but everything felt very stilted and the chapter time jumps felt very jarring. I also didn’t like how disconnected the setting felt from the rest of the story. Very disappointing.

Thank you to Avon and Harper and NetGelley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I binge read this in one day. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it as much as I did due to the other reviews but I heavily related to Lucy and physically felt the chemistry between she and Henry.

Although there were definitely flaws, and the pacing sometimes felt a little off, I loved it. The concept of a story being told during only one weekend at a time was so unique that the premise alone was enough to hold my interest. The characters and their personalities were a bonus.

I loved the found family aspect of this story so much. Each person was developed well enough that it felt like I was the one living in the warehouse with them. However, I do wish that we had a little more backstory for both Lucy and Henry. Understanding a character’s past is important to understanding who they are in general. I also think there could have been one less breakup for our protagonists - the third one is the only one that felt forced and then was resolved too quickly. The first two were necessary to the plot and to the character growth but some annoyance kicked in by that late third act breakup as it felt unnecessary for their relationship development.

I would love to see a book written about several of the other warehouse roommates - each of them deserves their own story. But for now I’m content with the outcome for Lucy and Henry and will be thinking about their little love story for a while to come.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed reading the book Weekends with You by Alexandra Paige. I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and the publisher. This is my honest and personal review. Happy Reading!

Weekends with You had an incredible found family that was impossible to not fall in love with. The ensemble of characters here was the best part about this novel and made you absolutely fall in love with the group as a whole. While I found myself completely annoyed with Henry most of the time, I felt that it made the book something I couldn't put down because I just had to know when he was going to finally get it together.

Alexandra Paige has a great writing style here that is so easy to read. I enjoyed the layout of each chapter being the next month of a Warehouse Weekend as it kept the plot continuously moving and building to what came next, not just with Lucy and Henry, but also with Lucy and the flower shop as well. The atmosphere created here was incredible and I read this all in one sitting. Really enjoyed this!

Many thanks to Harper Collins for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review!! Pub Date is April 9th, so make sure to check it out!

⭐️: 2.5/5

I wanted to love this book so much. The idea of 8 flatmates living together, then one new one comes in and falls for the one who is only there one weekend a month sounded so good and had so much potential but this just felt super flat for me.

My favorite part was the friendship the 8 flatmates had and then when I turned to the last page and realized I was finished. I was incredibly bored through the entire book and the chapters were painfully long 😩

Henry and Lucy had absolutely zero chemistry. Like literally none. They flirted back and forth and laughed but that’s all we got to see, we didn’t get to see them fall in love on the page which made me absolutely not root for them at all. They had absolutely nothing in common at all and they were both on very different paths, their paths crossing was just so random it almost felt forced.

It was so annoying how Lucy kept trying so hard to make it work just for Henry to run the other way, change his mind after Lucy made an effort to move on, act all hurt and sad when he saw she wasn’t hung up on his rejections and then rope her back in to his childish game asking for time and communication when he was the one that couldn’t provide Lucy with either.

Like cool dude you’re trying to find yourself, that’s awesome and super understandable but don’t drag this poor girl along who is also trying to find her way in her career and make her feel bad for wanting to be there and then tell her your excuse is you’ve never done relationship before when you’re the one who initiated the whole thing. 😡 He just seemed very immature and after Amsterdam I couldn’t get past the mind games he was playing.

The writing style was nice, I loved all the dialogue, it made the long chapters more bearable! If you read it I hope you enjoy it more than I did!

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the eArc and Harper Collins, Avon Books and author Alexandra Paige for sending me a finished copy of Weekends With You in exchange for my honest review.

I thought the concept of this book was really interesting. Like trying to fall in love with someone on just the weekends. However, after a while, the book gets a little repetitive with each chapter starting with Lucy at work with Renee and a story with that and then Lucy going out with her friends. I would've liked a little bit more variety but I understand why it was like that.

Also, a little hater moment but I don't like that Renee calls Lucy "pet". I'm sure it's a term of endearment but it feels really belittling and grates on my nerves every single time she calls her that.

Anyway, overall, I did like the book. It was interesting enough and it kept me fairly well hooked. My biggest problem with the book was the love story. I feel like Lucy and Henry are definitely a book couple that broke up after the epilogue. They do not seem well suited for each other at all. I know the whole premise of the book is how it's hard to have a relationship with each other because of their schedules but they act so childish about it. If they really wanted to, they could've made things work forever ago. I just didn't really like them together at all which was annoying because they are obviously a big part of the book (if not the whole book).

Again, the book was interesting and kept me reading it but I think it could've been done better.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Semi spoilers ahead:

I wanted to like this book more than I did. I really liked Alexandra Paige's writing style and the premise of the story was really cute. I loved the found family that the FMC got with her new roommates but I did not like the romance part of this romance book. I ended up realllyyyy disliking the MMC and almost had to stop reading because he upset me so much. I didn't think that the FMC and MMC had any chemistry together, only physical attraction. I could go on like a fifteen minute rant about the MMC (which I did at home when I had to pause reading) but the bottom line is that Lucy deserved better. He never was invested in the relationship or her. They spent, what? 15 days together? And half of those were ending things between the two of them.

On the other hand, I was invested in Lucy. I felt her triumphs and rooted for her personal successes. I loved the new friendship that we got to watch turn into family. I enjoyed reading about Lucy with her boss. And I loved the inclusion of all the flowers. It was nice reading about them in a way that was more than "fLoWeRs ArE pReTtY". I will be adding more Alexandra Paige to my TBR.