Huge thank you to @berkleypub @berittalksbooks @thephdivabooks @dg_reads and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
.
This book has my heart! This is a romance but it’s also a love story between best friends. I looked at this cover and thought adorable, rom-com, which it is at times adorable but it’s so much more than just a rom com. Yes, it tells the tale of Natalie and Rob from enemies to lovers, but it’s also is a portrait of finding your true self and how best friends grow together, apart and back together again. I loved this one!

Not sure why, but this book didn't resonate with me. It was missing something, and I think it was romance and tension. This should have been a friends to friends book. Idk, it just wasn't for me.

Super cute, slow burn romance! This one was especially fun because it really centered around two couples. I waffled back and forth between sort of loving and hating the men in the story throughout but that also kept me intrigued. A great read for a rainy day!

I will first start off by apologizing on the late review. Life happens on life's terms and these got away from me. However, that leads me into this book. I really feel like Laura just gets life, if you know what I mean. She writes with profound realness that has you relating and rooting for the characters like no other author. Laura captures the experience of feeling like you are living life wrong. Hence my first statement on being late to a review. I must forgive myself for not being perfect. This is played out in her novel as she explores the main characters desires to find her place with a job, a relationship and friends. It very much captures the dynamic of changing friendships as some people marry and have kids while others are not and maybe career oriented. However, I am a little frustrated by the reality that women can have both was not further explored. I do at times feel like women are often pitted against each other or grouped into categories of those "with kids" and those "without." Very relatable with a happy ending!

It took me a while to get into it; I usually don't go for slow burns, and this story was nice, but it is the slowest of slow burns. I did have to push myself through the story. It dragged too much for me. It honestly took me forever to read. That being said, it is enjoyable, and I would recommend this to readers who prefer slow burns

This book captures the messiness of love in all its forms, while also capturing the weird feelings of life in your twenties.

I enjoyed this one, but feel as though marketing it as a romcom is a misstep - this read more like “women’s fiction” (a term I don’t love), because at the heart of the story isn’t really the love story of Natalie and Rob, it’s the friendship and sisterhood of Natalie and Gabby. Which I actually enjoyed more than the romance, as it honestly seemed to have more substance.
In the last few sections of the book, too, the overall tone got much heavier than the average romcom. This, combined with the focus on friendship, makes me think it would’ve been better to have been marketed differently, as my expectations were far from what the novel delivered.

Thank you so much to Berkley for a copy of this book!

This is my 2nd Laura Hankin book and I wanted to love her last book but it just fell short for me. But I had heard this one was so good & the premise sounded promising. Guess what I loved it! I am not sure if i would necessarily classify this as romance. There was a romance element that was weaved throughout the story but I wouldn't say that it was the primary focus especially since our couple really don't get together until closer to the end.

I love that this was told over a period of time and we got to see Natalie's growth as a person and professionally. Her growth professionally shows how you think you should be going in one direction but really another direction may be the path you should be taking. And I also love how we get a taste of her and Rob over time and see how their relationship changed. Rob was very stand offish and not warm at all when they first meet at their friend's wedding. Natalie had a right to be upset when she learned that Rob was behind her one star review on her debut book. In addition to see how Natalie and Rob grow over the years we also follow their friends as well. The relationship between Natalie and Gabby felt very real to me. I did feel like Natalie was a little too codependent on Gabby and really had a hard time of letting her go.

I was engaged in Natalie's story from the beginning and even though the romance was low I still really enjoyed it!

4.5

DNF'd at 47%

After two other books with the same trope, this one clinched it: I offically do not like books with spread out time lines over years.

What also doesn't help is that in each one of these books, the characters are pretty miserable in their circumstances and in their life outlook.

I need my rom coms to have a little com and more momentum with the rom.

I thought this was a very cute book! However, if you’re expecting a normal romance, I think you’ll be disappointed. This book is slow burn to the 5,000,000th degree with many time jumps. I walked into the book expecting the normal formula romance novels typically have (I don’t know why, the blurb literally suggests otherwise), and it took me a bit to settle into the flow of the book. Once I did, I really enjoyed it. The writing was honestly very good and kept me engaged.

We have a seriously flawed FMC, and I think the growth of maturity we see from her throughout the years was so well done. I also adored Angus. He was, in my opinion, the best part of the book. Amazing side character.

I will say, I don’t think the romance was the star of this book. It was the character development. This isn’t so much a romance as it is almost a “coming of age” but later on in life story.

Have you ever written a one star review?⁣
⁣
I have for junky products I purchased that deserved it… but never for a book!⁣
⁣
Luckily, One Star Romance gets all the stars because it’s delightfully bookish, seriously sweet, and yet another reason Laura Hankin is an auto-buy author for me! ⁣
⁣
Natalie is not a big fan of her best friend’s fiancé Angus, but she’s determined to be a good maid of honor. So she is thrilled to find a handsome best man who she has lots of sparks with, until...⁣
⁣
She realizes he has given the book she wrote a
One.
Star.
Review. ⁣
⁣
You see, Natalie based the main character in the book on his best friend Angus. And it’s not very flattering.⁣
⁣
Loved! Loved! Loved! ⁣
⁣
Such a fun plot, all the witty banter, and beyond hilarious wedding shenanigans! But perfectly balanced with raw and relatable emotions, fierce friendships, and a whole lotta love. I loved this adorable and heartfelt read so much - it was such a joy to read!

I adored this heartfelt story. Such thoughtful, well developed characters who really grew and evolved over the course of the book. I couldn't put it down and read it in under 24 hours. Thank you so much Berkley and NetGalley for my copy. Cannot wait to tell everyone I know to read it.

This book is everything I want in a rom-com book. The characters were lovable and realistic, and the situations they got themselves into were relatable and funny. I enjoyed how the author spanned the book over a number of years and realistically portrayed how their lives changed through those time periods. This was definitely a five star romance for me.

Thank you Berkley Pub for the free book! #BerkleyPartner #Berkley

This one was the definition of right person, wrong time for what spans for nearly a decade. Rob and Natalie felt that pull to each other almost immediately, but of course something goes wrong. The first time it’s finding that Rob is the one that gave Natalie’s book her first one-star review. From there, things just kind of snowball as they meet up at friend events the following years since their best friends are married to each other.
Each time they meet, they are at different points in their life— career wise, relationship wise, etc. and it just never fits, even though the attraction is there. It doesn’t until it does. It’s one of those “friendships” where everyone sees it, and knows that the other people they are with aren’t “the one” because it’s not them.
But when they do finally get together, it’s as monumentous as it is sweet. They are both at a point in their lives where they have the ability to do what would be required to be together, and they are both finally ready to fight for it.

One star romance with a one star review. The relationship was dragged on and the romance was, well I’m not sure where it was. The characters were incredibly annoying and not likable. Particularly the main character Natalie. I feel like the writer was trying to be like another popular author but it didn’t work. And then what really got me
Was the characters finally get their stuff together but it wasn’t until the last pages.

This isn't a typical romance story. This story unfolds over YEARS. The bit about the one star review happens early in the book and isn't really talked about again besides the fact that this couples relationship with each other is kinda based on it in that our fmc is pissed at our mmc and resents him for many years because of it all while harboring feelings for him that neither of them know how to work through.

I was not necessarily a fan of them together and didn't feel much chemistry between them. It pissed me off how many years we skipped between them seeing each other again.

I did like the side characters stories a lot more! The writing was good!

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy!

I admire how Hankin has pulled off a diversity of genres among her output and done it well. This was a nice comic romance that was believable, and if the characters were frustrating at times, it was for the right reasons

This isn’t really just a romance—it's more like a deep dive into Natalie’s journey of self-discovery, with a dash of romance simmering in the background.
Natalie starts off as a total mess, obsessed with her best friend in a not so healthy way and totally dodging accountability.
Her growth throughout the book is impressive though, and by the end, she’s way more relatable and almost redeemed.
The banter between characters? Absolutely top-notch!
The story is well-crafted, with secondary characters that feel so real and add so much depth. This book surprised me in the best way, blending emotional growth with some sharp, funny moments.
it’s a bit more women’s fiction than straight-up romance, but totally worth the read!

Laura Hankin’s writing makes me so happy. She has such a knack of writing such realistic and genuine characters and making me fall in love with them! Even though I didn’t necessarily fall in love with the FMC in this book I still thought this story was fresh, fun, and swoony! This was an excellent slow burn romance that also focused on how everyone moved through life differently. This was entertaining and life affirming!

Thank you Berkley for the ARC!

More slice of life than romcom, but I loved this novel. No surprise there, since Laura Hankin's other works have all been 4⭐ and 5⭐for me.

The writing is full of heart and the characters shine like always. I really enjoyed following the cast as they navigated life – all its ups and downs and beauty and craziness. The author nailed what it's like to be in your late 20s/early 30s, including the feelings of stagnancy and self-doubt that come with it.

So much of the book resonated with me and perfectly captured how I feel. Reading it felt like a balm on my soul and was exactly what I needed.