Looks can be deceiving…

Based on the ADORABLE book cover and title, I expected a light, funny ROM COM, but this is more of a “life story” with MANY touching, heartfelt moments!!

Told in 7️⃣ parts, Part 1️⃣ opens in 2013 with an invitation to a birthday party, and each subsequent section, opens with a jump in time, and a NEW invitation to another “life affirming” event, until we reach Part 7️⃣ in 2021.

Natalie is a struggling writer and Gabby’s best friend.

Rob is a rigid Academic, and the best friend of Angus.

The only thing they share is their love and devotion to their respective best friends-recently engaged!

JUST before they are to walk down the aisle as “Maid of Honor” and “Best Man” at Angus and Gabby’s wedding, Natalie finds out that Rob gave her newly published novel, Apartment 2F, the dreaded 1️⃣ ⭐️ review on Goodreads!!

Her book was described as the millennial perspective of a young woman living in NY, during the aftereffects of the recession, wondering if her generation could still find true love, a fulfilling career, and financial stability.

Could that description be any less enticing?

And, YET, her average rating, after fifty three reviews was respectable 4.3 ⭐️ UNTIL the latest review brought it TUMBLING down!

Rob, thought the book had opened strong, but when he got to page 2️⃣ 8️⃣-he was so incensed by “something” she wrote- that he posted his one star review-explaining how her star rating had dipped so precipitously!

Natalie is hoping that once they get through the wedding, she will NEVER again have to see Rob, but FATE (or more accurately-their best friends) will force them to co-exist on many more occasions as they celebrate many happy milestones from housewarmings to christenings and a few sad ones, over the course of the next eight years.

At first, I wasn’t sure what to make of this book, which didn’t start out quite as expected, but by the middle of Part 2️⃣-I was HOOKED after reading one of my FAVORITE “grand gestures” EVER!!

And, by the time I had finished, this “enemies to lovers” romance-I was completely and utterly CHARMED! 💘

If you are looking for an entertaining romance with a FRESH, FUN format for this SUMMER, this one is BEACH BAG approved 🏖️ and will be available on June 18, 2024.

Thank You to Berkley for the gifted ARC provided by NetGalley! It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!

A beautiful depiction of growth in love and friendship.
I truly enjoyed this book for so many reasons…the character growth and depth in all the main characters, the banter between Nat and Rob, and not to mention Laura Hankin pulling on all of the heartstrings! Wow! I would say that this book is perfect for anyone who loves Emily Henry and Netflix’s newest Rom-Coms.

If you're looking for a fun & thoughtful twist on the enemies-to-lovers trope, this one's for you! I loved following Natalie & Rob's relationship through their career & relationship ups & downs over the span of a decade. And Natalie & Gabby's friendship struggles through marriage, pregnancies, and life drama rang so true. I recommend this title to anyone that is in the mood for a rom-com with a cast of characters you're rooting for every step of the way.

dnf at 33%. This just wasn’t for me. Thank you to the publisher, the author and NetGalley for gifting me this arc.

4.5 rounded up.

All thoughts and opinions are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.💫

“How could she have known then that the time she thought she was wasting was actually time she’d spent growing?”

“Happiness followed pain and pain followed happiness, and all you could do was hang on and feel every bit of it for as long as this world would let you.”

After absolutely pouring her heart into a book, Natalie Shapiro is finally a published novelist and the maid of honor in her best friend Gabby’s wedding. The rub? Rob, the best man, gave her book a one-star review, and now she has to walk down the aisle with him, pretend to NOT want to shoot lasers from her eyes at him, and also put on a happy face when secretly, she’s mourning the end of her relationship with Gabby as she knows it.

To add insult to injury? As Gabby and Angus’s best friends, the wedding is simply the first in a series of events that have Natalie and Rob crossing paths for years to come ... Yikes.

This book had me feeling every possible emotion. It made me think back to my 20s, when I felt behind so many of my friends who were moving out of state, going to medical school, starting prestigious jobs, and getting married while I lived at home with my parents and worked on my master’s degree. It reminded me of how I felt a mixture of both happiness and sadness as my best friend got married, knowing our relationship would change. It taught me that not all change is bad, and that even when things seem to be going wrong, they just might be leading you to exactly where you need to be.

In short, it was a vulnerable, heartwarming, heartbreaking, and incredible read, which is what I've come to expect from author Laura Hankin.

⭐️

I've been a Laura fan since reading A Special Place for Women, and, most recently, The Daydreams. And while every single one of her books has been so different, two things always remain true: Her characters are always relatable, flawed, and well-developed, and her stories are always full of emotion and heart.

⭐️

And talk about a home run for her first foray into romance! Rom coms are my comfort reads, and in her romantic debut, Hankin managed to give us a fresh, unique approach to enemies-to-lovers without sacrificing the real-life emotions and ups and downs that accompany growing up, marriage, parenthood, aging, and illness. I loved that One-Star Romance spanned nearly a decade of Natalie, Rob, Gabby, and Angus's lives, and the time jumps and secondary relationships allowed for so much character growth. It was definitely a slow burn, and I sometimes felt like the pacing was a bit too slow in the first half, but boy, did that second half deliver! I laughed, I cried, I felt all the heartbreak and angst, and I fell in love with characters I didn't necessarily like at the outset.

⭐️

Do yourself a favor and pre-order this one before it hits shelves in June; you won't regret it!

One-Star Romance deserves ALL the stars! Let me start by saying, this is a SLOW burn with lots of build-up and not your traditional contemporary romance. It follows two MC's over several years, as they navigate life, friendships, relationships, and run-ins with one another. You won't be swooning or kicking-your-feet throughout, but it somehow still delivers all the feels and I was completely invested, nonetheless. There's something so magical about story-telling that can make you invested in each character as an individual as you are in their relationship together.

Just a heads up, this book is told in 3rd person POV, but that actually made the story -- dare I say -- better!? I'm usually not a fan, but I kind of loved it in this instance!

Overall, this book was absolute, utter perfection and I really hope that Laura Hankin continues to write more in this genre!

ARC provided by Berkley in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to love this book. The premise is awesome, and I love these types of stories. However, it was not working for me. I made it to around 30% before I decided to give up. I wish it was a little more fast-paced.

laura hankin, a new author to me, delivers an incredibly compelling read with one-star romance! spanning years and formative phases of life, the book utilizes various third-person perspectives as the reader follows a group of friends as they navigate their messy, beautiful lives. love, friendship, the highs and lows of their careers...we journey through it all with these characters.

natalie and rob, first brought together by the relationship of their respective best friends, continue to cross paths over the following decade. in the years that follow, the pair can't help but partake in witty and snarky banter. each interaction becomes a game of chess for them. anticipating the other's next conversational move is both thrilling and frustrating. whether they can ever get on the same page is half the battle.

overall, one-star romance truly felt like a labor of love, like a story that was rooted in its purpose. while reading, it became clear that laura had an intentional goal when she began writing this book – to convey the patience and grace we should give ourselves (and others) as life changes and evolves, making us new, shinier versions of ourselves, strengthened by lessons learned. a perfect of such being natalie, our lead here. before she knew to anticipate it, the future she pictured shifted beneath her feet, leaving her feeling unsteady and scared. though it was hard, what followed was a journey of discovery that enriched her life, bringing beautiful clarity she didn't know to hope for. alongside her, the characters of one-star romance, a found family of sorts, felt honest and relatable.

for those who enjoy flawed characters that find their people, find their place, over time, I would compel you to give one-star romance a chance. from the very start, this was such a pleasant surprise of a book, one that could easily be devoured in just one sitting. given how the events are sectioned off, you'll find it hard to put it down, craving to know more following the next time jump.

thanks to berkley and laura hankin for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I'd like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for a chance at reading this.

At 35% into the book, I had to abandon it. I did not finish it, did not find it all that great

Plot is kind of unhinged. The girl is bi, has a friend / roommate she lives with who she sees as her best friend. (She also may have some crush on her, since this is where the plot kind of goes off the rails.) Girl's friend starts dating a guy named Angus who our main character does not like? There is a strange level of jealousy from her. Then, at a birthday party for Angus, he proposes to her best friend. Best friend accepts.

How our 'once-star romance' comes into play? Rob, Angus' best friend, is at the party. Rob and Natalie hit it off pretty good with their conversation. They seem to have some slight hesitancy of their friends getting married. Natalie decides to then turn Angus' and Natalie's story / love into a basis for her book. Yes, she adopts their story and turns it into a hit book.

Why would you do that? Why would you take your creepy attitude towards your friend and make it even creepier by turning your friend's romance into a book without her permission. (Thank god her friends find it creepy too.)

Natalie is on goodreads (of course) and discovers someone gave the book a ONE STAR. At first, the rating comes from a girl, but finding out Rob's middle name and last name, and noticing that Rob was acting rather odd with her.... it becomes clear he was the one who left the review. Their friends are getting married and both of them have to be the best man and maid of honor while they have this 'issue' going on in the background.

I kind of sat there thinking, why hasn't anyone said anything to Natalie about it. Some did, and you could tell they had issues and they were a little wigged out (or refusing to finish the book), but Natalie didn't see to find any issue with it.

Is the girl dumb?

Why is there a huge 'issue' built around something that is clearly an issue (and respectfully)? At 31%, I couldn't believe she hadn't realized what she did was wrong and or creepy. I also found it humor lacking, but with this issue being the catalyst for the 'humor'., it left a sour taste in my mouth.

Natalie is an aspiring New York writer that hits all the stereotypes - young, broke, working service jobs, and brimming with talent. Rob is a PhD student whose people pleasing tendencies have led him to follow in his fathers big footsteps. The pair of them meet via the engagement of their respective best friends and there is an instant spark. However, time passes and the next time they meet there is an uncomfortable air around them - Rob read Natalie's debut novel and rated it one star. We follow the lives of both of our characters for the next several years as they grow on their own, and continually find themselves drawn to one another.

I really thoroughly enjoyed this book. It felt like both of our protagonists had complete character arc's of their own, which can sometimes fall flat in rom-coms. I liked the angst as both Natalie and Rob navigated their late 20's and early 30's; finding happiness within their respective career fields. Their romance was like a cherry on top! I believed in their connection from the very beginning. and was ecstatic when they finally worked out their feelings.

One-Star Romance is a witty and heartwarming tale that proves even the harshest critics can lead to unexpected love.
Natalie and Rob couldn't be more different, but when their best friends get engaged, they find themselves reluctantly thrown together as maid of honor and best man. Sparks fly between them, but just when things start to heat up, Natalie discovers that Rob wrote a scathing one-star review of her novel. Talk about a plot twist!
As they navigate the ups and downs of friendship, love, and self-discovery, Natalie and Rob learn that sometimes the most unlikely connections can lead to the most magical moments. With humor, heart, and plenty of romance, One-Star Romance is a delightful read that will leave you swooning and rooting for love in all its messy, imperfect glory.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Gosh what a great book! I honestly couldn't put it down, and probably read about 60% of it in one sitting. I really enjoyed seeing Natalie and Rob go through failures and successes, and I especially loved seeing the variety of relationships happen across the book. I'm definitely going to be recommending this book once it's out in the world.

incredible but I’m not surprised because I have loved evening @laurahankin has written! Thank you @berkleypub for the advanced copy! This was a romance at its core but to me this is a story about friendship and holding onto the ones that matter most as you get older. It reminded me so much of my core friends and how we have been through everything together and come out of it stronger. Natalie and Gabby felt like people I’d be friends with! MVP of this book is Angus and his emails!!

Meet Natalie, she’s a 20-something mess/aspiring writer with a bestie who is moving on with her boyfriend Angus. Enter Rob, a stuffy academic and Angus’s best friend, and the two are forced together over the years in various states of evolution/romantic situations.

I LOVE THIS BOOK! Natalie - what a mess of an adult! I love her and her fragile/idealistic/artistic self. Her personality is so real to me that she practically jumps off the page. Rob, the other end of the spectrum, one who follows all the rules and expects a certain result, who follows and lives in his father’s shadow, I adore him and who he becomes. I believe this novel will be cathartic for a lot of readers - it speaks to the generations of people who go out in the world trying desperately to be adults, but the systems in place sometimes prevent you from becoming your best self, or you are preventing you from becoming your best self. These characters are not perfect and thank goodness. They make some awful mistakes, but watching them grow is the best part because I believe we all know those growing pains, intimately.

The banter is white-hot, the writing is great and fluid. The spice level is fairly low, but the will they/won’t they is off the charts! I absolutely loved everything about this book and it set off to do what it meant to do: describe the ugliness of early adulthood, plus the friendships, the loyalty, the pain, the betrayal, the feeling of free fall, and perhaps more than we realize, the expectations and shadows of the people we come from. Everyone go buy this book and cry and love it as much as I did!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This book hooked me in from the first chapter. I loved the character development and how the story progressed.

One-Star Review is anything but one-star. After hearing the synopsis of this book I knew I had to read it: A struggling writer is forced to walk down the aisle at her best friend’s wedding with the man who gave her book a very public one-star rating. Oof, are you kidding me?

This book could have followed the first life event, initiated by the engagement and wedding of her roommate/best friend and been a complete story that was fully rewarding and well written. But this book couldn’t be stopped. By jumping forward in time it made pit stops at so many pivotal life moments following the evolution of friendship. Having long term friends is great, but keeping those relationships strong when your lives are changing(or staying the same) in dramatically different ways proves to be incredibly challenging.

This book had me crying. The honest and sometimes gut wrenching moments, feelings, and conversations were so real. The FMC, Natalie, is a fully formed(and flawed) individual. Sometimes she just can’t get out of her own way even when she sees the wreckage ahead. But I get it. Even if your friends have something you don’t necessarily want, it's hard when their life appears to be moving forward without you. Add in Rob, the buttoned up best man, who she’s destined to run into many more times in the coming years and we’ve got that perfect push and pull tension.

But I promise, this book really is a romantic comedy. I’ve shared all the serious bits but there's some levity in there too. The antics are there. We’re talking ziplines, close quarters, and verbal sparring. This book isn’t your typical rom-com. It’s written in third person as opposed to a dual perspective. I would have loved to hear both Natalie and Rob’s inside thoughts and reactions opposed to being told about them. In the way of romance, this book gave tension and chemistry. It was at a full simmer until it had to boil over. This book isn’t necessarily a closed door, but it’s not a full fledged open door either. I would say the door is cracked-it’s ajar. It was tasteful, supported the plot, and had the “omg finally!” to the question of “will they or won't they?”

If this book doesn’t get a TV/movie deal, I’ll be SHOCKED.

If you're reading this and you find yourself stuck in the first half of the book keep reading, it does get better. Woof though the first half was tough. My other gripe is personal as I do think cancer as a subject matter should be disclosed. The romance and friendship is very well developed here. The commentary on publishing and book writing is something I am always excited to have and there were so many good thoughts here, sometimes too cynical but I digress.

The FMC in this novel is almost unbearably insufferable for so much of the novel. Like no wonder the LI rated your book 1 star, you talked shit about his best friend the entire plot. And no wonder your friend starts to distance herself because you clearly hate the man she loves and had a kid with. That being said, I did enjoy the book. There was a ton of room for growth for the FMC and I truly did see that through the course of the novel. I also love a book that takes place over many years which this did. If you aren't afraid of female characters that are assholes, this is for you!

I want to thank NetGalley for this ARC of Laura Hankin’s new novel, a moving romance that’s a lot of fun and full of heart. This story tackles the platonic love of two friends with the same care and complications as the romantic love of the two main characters. I appreciated the honesty of the story and how authentic the voices felt. This novel doesn’t shy away from those really ugly and unpleasant emotions of jealousy, judgement and resentment. But that makes the ending all the more sweet, as you’re brought on this journey of growth for all the characters. I have now read every book Hankin has written and this is a special addition to her growing collection. This will make for a wonderful summer read! Check it out!

One-Star Romance by Laura Hankin was a fun and entertaining read. I thought it had a unique plot and overall, enjoyed the time it took me to read it. I found the first part of the book to be a little too slow but it does start to pick up halfway through the book. The funny thing is that I don't think I found the romance to be five stars. I mean, it definitely wasn't a one-star but it was about a three-star. I really wasn't rooting for them to get together. It seems like a lot of what they originally liked about each other was based on their first interaction because every time they met up afterwards seems to have fallen in the 'don't like' category. Overall, it was a fun read but it was not memorable and I don't think it'll stick with me.