When American Lucy is kicked out of her London apartment, she moves in with her bestie Raj and her roommates in a converted warehouse in North London. The group of roommates spend one weekend a month hanging out together on whatever weekend Henry, a photographer and one of the roommates, is in town. Each chapter of the book follows the group on their warehouse weekends and the course of a relationship between Lucy and Henry.

I love London. I was lucky enough to live there for a semester during college and have traveled back several times, so I was super excited for this book. Unfortunately, it fell flat for me. The author is American and I could tell. There were several small mistakes that show me she has never lived in London. Things like references to Venmo / Venmoing (Venmo doesn’t exist in the U.K.), references to clearly American medications like Tylenol (brand does not exist in the U.K) and bottles of ibuprofen (its sold in blister packs not bottles in the U.K.), and illogical directions (taking a tube from Borough Market to s instead of a bus) among other details drove me crazy and I don’t know if I should blame the author or the editor who let it slide (I read a finished copy so I know this will not be fixed between the release of the ARC and the book). Also as someone who has had several fiends try to navigate the absolute nightmare that is the U.K.’s work visa system, there is no way Lucy would have been able to have a job as a florist in the U.K. Look I know contemporary romances are set in fantasy / idealized versions of their setting but they have to be in touch with reality.

Okay, now on to the romance… or lack there of. I’m not a fan of Henry. He is absolutely awful to Lucy and there is no way their HEA will last. The format of the book does not lend itself to a romance at all because we’re not seeing the pair together. In one chapter they begin to date and by the next one they’re breaking up. We’re told they have been texting and Facetiming in the month between chapters but because we don’t have any of that content we as readers have no emotional investment in their relationship. Could they be adorable together? sure. Do we see any of that to know? no. To be honest, Lucy is also not that great. Henry at least was honest about where he was emotionally whereas Lucy couldn’t make up her damn mind and is prone to jumping to conclusions based on nothing, which comes across as immature. Actually both of them come across as extremely immature in their relationship. I honestly don’t get what they see in each other, because again the format of the book does not fit a romance.

The best parts of the book were the group of friends having fun together on their warehouse weekends and Lucy’s florist job. I would have loved a book that was just that. That could have been a wonderful women’s fiction book. I found the friendship dynamics to be fun and they lend themselves well to the format of the book only showing us one weekend a month. I would have loved to learn more about this fun quirky cast of characters and have the story develop Lucy’s relationship with the group as a whole. The writing itself was easy to read and I essentially read the whole thing in two evenings, so I have hope for Alexandra’s future as an author, but this one just didn’t work for me.

Thank you to Avon for the gifted copy, and Avon and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a slow burn novel by necessity because the male hero, Henry, travels through Europe as a photographer and only comes back to London once a month to spend a weekend hanging out with his seven roommates. Lucy, the heroine, has moved into this apartment suite made out of an old warehouse and, as soon as she meets Henry, she’s attracted to him as he is to her. So it’s fully a physical attraction. And given that they only spend a bit of time together in the midst of the roommate gatherings, they don’t really get to know each other. So I felt that the novel was missing any real reason why they were so deeply drawn to each other.

Add in that Henry doesn’t know himself. I don’t understand this supposed career he has. He travels around spending a month at a time taking pictures of musical bands at different locations around Europe. Really? Do bands or venues need someone to be there for a month to take their photos? And, supposedly, this is a business model for other photographers that his boss is trying out. I don’t believe it. It just is a convenient framework for Henry to be lost about who he is while traveling to different locations every month.

Since Lucy wants to stay in London and work at the florist shop where she’s worked ever since she moved there from New York, this causes problems. Henry keeps blowing hot and cold with her. He’ll talk about how he wants to see where their relationship can go with calling and texting each other all month and then hanging out together for one weekend a month. He hints that maybe he might be willing to return to London then later says he’s not sure. So, justifiably, she realizes that the relationship isn’t going anywhere.

I really got to dislike Henry. He seems to have little substance as he wanders around the continent trying to find himself. The other guy that Lucy meets seems like a much better match and the fact that she prefers Henry just seems like an artifact of the novel the author wanted to write.

I did however like the dynamic between these disparate roommates and loved the idea that they set aside one weekend a month to try new things together. That is the sort of roommate set-up a lot of us would have liked in our early twenties when we were just starting out.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

I was intrigued by the concept of the storyline taking place one weekend a month and the cast of characters being a warehouse full of roommates/found family, however, the plot quickly became a bit repetitive to me. I also just could not get over the constant hot and cold romance and found myself losing interest. I think the one weekend a month thing backfired because it was hard to connect to the romance when we barely saw them interact and when they basically broke up and got back together every other time they saw each other.

That was an interesting idea to a love story. I haven't read one quite like this and it was definitely enjoyable. Time moves effortlessly with the story and all the filler info you typically read in books isn't needed because the point of the story are their weekends together. There were laugh out loud funny moments and the banter amongst the roommates was the best. You felt apart of their lives and by the end I was jealous because I wanted to be part of the friend group. Great new adult read!

A light rom com about Lucy, a florist, and Henry, a photographer. Set in London, it's a tale of missed connections and communication woes that eventually resolve for these two trope-y but engaging characters. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. A good read.

This was ok, it started well enough introducing all the flatmates, and it’s set in London, which is one of my favorite cities, and Lucy was charming, but I just couldn’t understand what she saw in Henry, who seemed quite aloof, but then all it’s fixed and all it’s good, again it was ok but not one that will stay with me.

I always love a cozy romance, I enjoyed this one very much. Thank you to the publishing team for granting me this arc.

I received this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

Weekends with You is a story about eight flatmates who all live in a warehouse and are close like a real family in London. Lucy is a florist, who moves into the warehouse since her best friend Raja lives there, after not being able to afford her current living situation. When she moves, she meets Henry, a photographer who is only home one weekend a month, if that. Slowly, Lucy and Henry begin to form a relationship that has a ton of heartache and happiness. Henry is trying to find his home and isn't sure London is home for him and Lucy just wants to know if he is going to stay and be with her or if he's going to move, as planned.

I really enjoyed this story. I like that each chapter is a new month, therefore, a new Warehouse Weekend (a time where all the flatmates are together and enjoy activities set up by one another). In each chapter there was also a small recap of what happened in everyones lives over the past month. I felt like that cut out a lot of unnecessary text that may not have gone well with the story. I think my favorite thing about the book was the banter and relationships among all the flatmates. Honestly, I felt like I was watching a movie as I read this book. It did start off a little slow for me but after a few chapters, I really wanted to continue reading. When it comes to Lucy and Henry's relationship, I'm not sure how I feel. I really liked Lucy and the growth she showed throughout the book. I liked Henry at first, but when he kept making Lucy think they were going to work and then breaking it off and then apologizing, it made me dislike him. I felt horrible for Lucy with the things he said and I know she kept going back to him, but they did live together so I can imagine how those feelings would still linger after not seeing each other for so long and not having proper closure.

Overall, it was a great book and story. I would recommend it.

This story of romance between Lucy and Henry is a journey into snatches of kisses and weeks of yearning. Henry and Lucy live in a warehouse apartment with several quirky roommates-fun and crazy roommates. They keep Lucy alive while Henry spends all but one weekend a month away for work. Loads of ups and downs to traverse.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was cute - a warm and fuzzy read. I loved the London setting, all of the flowers, and the found family aspect. The highlight for me was the dynamic between roommates and I honestly enjoyed seeing those relationships develop much more than the romance in this. I think mostly because there didn't seem to be a huge spark between Henry and Lucy, honestly, she seemed to mostly enjoy his looks more than anything. But again, I really enjoyed most of this, romance aside.

A huge thanks to the publisher, Alexandra Paige, and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received this novel as an advanced reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The chemistry between the two main characters was great as it built in the novel I’d like for setting of London, and the idea of all the flatmates planning activities each month the storyline is believable And fun great beach read.

I liked this book but didn’t love it. The relationship between Lucy and Henry was frustrating and came across as superficial rather than a great love. Where the story really shined was with the relationships between the flatmates and the theme of found family.
I would read another book from this author as I liked her writing style and see a lot of potential.
3 1/2 ⭐️

In order to save money to be able to keep her struggling flower shop going, Lucy is forced to move into a flat with seven other roommates. The title comes from the fact that Lucy begins falling for fellow roommate Henry, who is a traveling photographer and only home for a few weekends a year.

Unfortunately, this book didn't really work for me. I didn't care for Lucy or Henry, so I couldn't get very invested in their relationship. And I didn't really buy into the idea that Henry couldn't be more committed to the relationship.

On the other hand, I did enjoy the writing style and a lot of the other characters--I am looking forward to seeing what Alexandra Paige does next.

Can you call in love with someone you only see for one weekend a month?
Told mostly around the one weekend per month that their entire flat group gets together, the story of Lucy and Henry slowly unfolds over the course of approximately a year of missed opportunities, missed connections, misunderstandings, and growth. It was an interesting way to tell the story and watch the changes in this fun cast of characters without getting bogged down in too much life stuff.

#arc
#netgalley
#weekendswithyou

I enjoyed this cute little story from a new to me author. It was a quick read, I liked the characters. I love reading books set in London, though I've never been there.

I’m sorry, but I simply cannot support this relationship. The whiplash between these two is real. I really liked the concept of just visiting our characters one weekend a month. It’s unique and a cool way to watch characters grow and evolve. However, I don’t feel like our characters actually grew all that much. And the fact that we dropped in on Warehouse Weekends every month made things feel a tad repetitive (Renee asking Lucy if she should be leaving every month).

On the positive side, I actually liked Lucy quite a bit. I would have happily read a book following Lucy in her job as a florist. Quirky workplace mishaps, the meanings of flowers, the ins-and-outs of running a boutique flower shop. These are all interesting things that could have led to the same professional conclusion. We also have Lucy adjusting to life living with a whole host of quirky characters. But so little time is focused on them that I still found myself getting confused about which male roommate is which.

Overall, I wanted to like this book. The premise was promising and the writing wasn’t bad! But I just could not with the back and forth between our lead couple. I’m sorry, but this just doesn’t feel like a healthy relationship and a certain side character was done real dirty.

Note: I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Weekends with You was a 3.5 star, but I rounded up to 4 stars. It was a beautifully written rom-com debut that was easy to read and was hard to put down.

I LOVED the plot and the premise of the story. I thought it was incredibly creative and new. I loved how memorable the characters were - not only the FMC and the MMC, but also all of the sided characters who made up this amazing found family.

The only reason for the rating is that I went into it expecting a love story but I didn't feel the chemistry between the FMC and MMC. it was hard to root for the relationship because the chemistry was lacking.

I loved the relationship between all of the friends and that was enough for me.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher Avon for an advance reader copy of Weekends with You.
Loved the setting in London for this cute RomCom. This story was light and every romcom lover will enjoy as you will get lost in the story. Lucy's story kept me entertained as she navigated through young love, working and maintaining a business and friendships.

2.5/5 stars

OK, I have really conflicting thoughts about this book and actually that’s pretty rare (and frustrating) for me. While the cover appeared that it would probably be a rom com, it lacked that feel between the mains. In fact, I felt that I would have enjoyed it more if it had been more about the roommates’ friendships than centering on the turbulent romance.

This story revolves Lucy (younger 20s) and Henry (late 20s). Lucy is a talented London florist who works at a shop with a 70-something boss/owner who is slowing down (as is the business). Lucy has dreams/ambitions but finds herself being discouraged by her boss when she mentions trying to branch out to bigger events. She worries about her job security and reluctantly finds herself moving in with a friend and her six roommates to save money.

Henry, one of her new roommates, is a freelance photographer who travels extensively and is only “home” one weekend a month. He’s also trying to figure out where in the world might be calling to him to settle down as a homebase.

Lucy and Henry are attracted to each other immediately, but while Henry would like to act on that attraction, Lucy is cautious as she’s feels limited with a one weekend a month relationship and also doesn’t know where Henry will ultimately end up. And as she finally begins to win more notice at work and make more definite plans for her future, she begins to doubt that she should wait around to see if their relationship might be worth it in the long run.

I definitely liked Lucy’s character more here…although she definitely had her frustrating moments. She was a talented, good-natured young woman that I found myself cheering for when things (both personally and job wise) began turning around for her.

Henry was just a mess. I actually ended up not liking his character throughout, even at the end as I couldn’t tell for sure that he had actually changed/grown. He was self-centered, immature, a bit arrogant at times, and I just wanted to shake him and say, “Move forward. Make some decisions. Get on with it.” He was just so wishy-washy with Lucy and put her through such an emotional wringer that I found it hard to have much sympathy for the guy. Lucy, bless her, tried and tried and tried to make a relationship work, but Henry was just not THERE, literally and figuratively.

What I loved about this story? The roommate relationships. They were such a diverse, lovable and loyal group, and I fell for each and every one…they were just so wonderful. It really is a great book about friendships, and I think that in a way that arc of the story ultimately saved the book from being a total emotional slugfest for me. And thank goodness for friends because unfortunately by the end of Lucy and Henry’s arc, I was feeling utterly exhausted.

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the free early arc of Weekends with You for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

When Lucy was unable to afford the rent hike on her place, she took a room in her friend's warehouse flat. Though she was initially leery of being one of eight inhabitants, she found life with the roommates to be quite lively, especially warehouse weekends.

Those special weekends were reserved for the roommates to spend time together. The bonding sessions were made even more special because they were the only time Henry was home from his travels. Though there were sparks between Lucy and Henry, could they really form a meaningful relationship in one weekend per month?

I want to set the expectations right for this one. For me, it felt like Lucy's story with a very strong romantic subplot. The move, her career struggles, new friendships, and the challenges of trying to form a relationship with Henry all played a big part in Lucy's personal growth. I really enjoyed seeing her grow and change. It took quite a few nudges, but Lucy eventually embraced the changes while taking on some new challenges in her work life. There were setbacks but Lucy also enjoyed some success, and I celebrated that with her.

This story had an interesting format. It was told over the period of year focusing on one weekend per month - the warehouse weekend. I loved the whole concept of these weekends, and bits and pieces of the time between the weekends was filled in via the update that each roommate gave at the beginning of the weekend. This was clever and effective, in my opinion, and were a great lead in to these boisterous events. The events were rather fabulous, but what I really adored was seeing the roommates in action. They had an interesting and great dynamic. They truly formed a family, and I am such a sucker for found family.

I have to admit, the romance between Lucy and Henry drove me up the wall. There were aspects I really loved, and in the end, I had happy tears in my eyes, but it was frustrating. I understood Henry's position of trying to find himself and his place via all this traveling, but often, his actions didn't line up with his words. While Lucy was over there trying to really form a relationship with Henry and learning to open her heart, he was waffling on previous decisions. Despite that, there were some very sweet and tender moments between the two that were able to convince me that this could be a good idea. Just be prepared for a bumpy ride.

Overall, I enjoyed this story of friendship and love. It was a fun take on new adulthood when you are trying to figure out what and who you want to be, and it was great that Lucy and her friends had each other as they attempted to discover these things.