Cute! This was a very entertaining read by Laura Hankin. The first half was hilarious and made me laugh out loud multiple times while the second half had quite the emotional punch that caused me to tear up. It's definitely not a traditional romcom, but I really enjoyed getting to know the main characters aside from their relationship. Natalie was such a relatable woman as she tries to figure out her life while everyone around her seems to have it together. I loved the forced friends trope as Natalie finds herself constantly around Rob AFTER he gave her book a one star review. I did find it moved a little slow in the middle, but all in all a great book from Hankin. I have a few of her backlist I still need to read after enjoying yet another book by her.

Every time I picked up "One-Star Romance", I was whisked away with this emotional enemies-to-lovers romance!

Laura Hankins writing is full of so much heart, and her storytelling is engaging, detailed, and moving. From the first page to the last, I was drawn in to the story, and found myself so hoping for a beautiful happy-ever-after throughout.

(Possible Spoilers!):
Natalie and Rob are in one another's lives as their best friends are married to one another. However, right before Natalie and Rob walk down the aisle together at their friends' wedding, Natalie learns that Rob has written a one-star review of her book (oh gosh!). As the years pass, they are brought together more and more by their friends lives, and Natalie and Rob start to get to know one another better and on a deeper level. I do not want to say too much about the plot itself due to spoilers, but, I will say, this novel truly has so much in it: funny moments, deeply emotional moments, romance, character growth, ups and downs in life, family, friendship, and much, much more.

If you enjoy Contemporary Romance, I highly recommend this book! I so look forward to reading what Ms. Hankin writes next.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC of this novel, and thank you so much to Berkley Publishing Group for having me on the blog tour! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I absolutely devoured this book. The writing was engaging and easy to read. The friendship portion was definitely portrayed correctly for people in their late 20s. It went through the aches and pains of best friends in completely different life stages. And then the romance was cute. I really liked Rob.

But then this brings me to the romance part… which was like 5% of the book lol Listen, I really enjoyed the book, but this was hugely misleading for someone who wants to read a rom com. Yes there was some romance, but there was no com. This was definitely women’s fiction. That won’t stop me from knocking down my rating though….unlike a character in this story 😆

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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.

📍 Read if you like:
• Enemies To Lovers
• Opposites Attract
• Slow Burn Romances
• Adult Friendships

I’m so glad this book title wasn’t accurate for me, I would’ve been so bummed if this was a ‘one star romance’ 😂

I actually really enjoyed this book - more than I was expecting to?! At times it felt so emotional and it wasn’t overly romantic, which is why I think it worked so well for me.

I really liked the writing of this author, I found it flowed so well with the pacing. Rob and Natalie were splendid characters, though I’m not sure if their relationship would be last-longing?

Rob was by far my favorite character in this, he was so witty and serious… while Natalie made some questionable decisions. I did love the detail to depth between the two, it was far more astonishing than the typical romances I pick up.

This was a fresh and fun complex with such great characters & chemistry. I loved the serious and quirky moments. I was hooked early on and kept reading until I had eventually finished it.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Berkley for the review copy in exchange for my honest review!

This was an amazing contemporary rom com. I do not usually like the enemies to lovers trope, but it worked so well. Full review to come once I fully gather my thoughts!

Thank you Berkley and PRH Audio for the gifted copies!

Laura Hankin’s novels are always such a delight to read. ONE-STAR ROMANCE is the third book that I’ve read from the author, and it did not disappoint. If you like your rom-coms heavier on the com, rather than the rom, then this is the perfect book for you. The premise of this one is absolutely genius:

“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.”

Gah! Can you even imagine!? Of course she hates his guts, and of course she’s forced to spend time with him as their paths are always crossing. Their best friends are married to one another other, so it’s inevitable! Ha! The tension, drama, and chemistry escalates all throughout!

I loved how there was such a good mix of comical and serious moments in this novel. I experienced a whirlwind of emotions. One second I was busting a gut over the groom’s entrance to his own wedding, and the next I was holding back tears to some news that breaks near the end of the novel. Expect a lot of ups and downs!

Like all romance novels, I swore, yelled, and shook my head at the characters multiple times. They frustrated and annoyed the heck out of me. But I eventually fell for them pretty hard, and couldn’t help but root for them.

READ IF YOU ENJOY:

- Enemies to lovers trope
- Closed-door romance
- Friendship fiction
- Found family storylines
- Witty banter
- Writer/author life
- Memorable characters

Overall, Hankin delivers another winner! Definitely pop this one into your beach bag this summer! 4/5 stars for ONE-STAR ROMANCE! It’s out now!

I think this had a lot of potential but unfortunately, didn't work for me. First of all, this is barely a romance. It's more like Women's Fiction, which isn't a genre I enjoy. Had I known that I would not have requested this one. I think the story had a good setup and unique storyline. Unfortunately, I did not connect with these characters at all. I was not rooting for them in the romance department either. So, it was just kind of a miss for me. But, I'm definitely in the minority.

Sometimes I need to sit for a bit before I review a book I loved because I feel like once I review it, it kind of closes the door on that story for me and I just wanted to keep this one in my head for a little longer. That being said: I loved this one!

When I first started it, I was a little nervous because I thought it was gonna move too quickly for me to enjoy as an enemies to lovers, but once I read the first couple of chapters I realized that would not be the case and I was hooked! One of my favorite things about this one is that both MCs aren't perfectly settled in their lives, careers, romantic relationships, etc. even in their late twenties/early thirties. Both have best friends who do seem very settled, getting married young, mostly happy in their careers, and I just feel like it's important to show that everyone has a different path and people find happiness in different things and prioritize different things and that is totally fine! People get to where they want to be on their own terms and in their own time. Natalie and Rob are also both not perfect characters, they mess up and self sabotage and don't always have the right answers or make the right calls but they try and they truly care about the people in their lives.

There are a lot of emotions and tough moments/topics in this one so it's not a super cozy romcom or romance but it's a realistic portrayal of ups and downs in life and it's exactly what I didn't know I needed. There's a lot of growth for our characters which I love to see and the little time jumps give the reader a better idea of the journey each character is going through without feeling rushed or unrealistic. I've been reading a few books recently with this writing style and really enjoying it. It truly adds to the story and lets the reader feel closer to the characters as we read more about their lives over years rather than just a quick snapshot.

I love Natalie and Rob because of their imperfections and how they grow throughout the novel, but I really LOVE Angus from the start. He is the ultimate goofy golden retriever character and just so wholesome and positive. I don't think I'd love him as much as an MC but as a side character, he had my heart. I'm fully aware that Natalie isn't the most likable of characters because of some of her actions but I prefer that because it's so unlikely for real people to all be 100% perfect, nice, unemotional, making no mistakes and fully aware of their flaws. I think the character portrayals and development, the writing, and the plot of the novel were all A+ and I would recommend this book to any fiction readers!

I voluntarily read and reviewed a digital ARC from Berkley and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Laura Hankin knocked it out of the park with this one. I don't know what she put it in this book but I could not would not put it down! I have read all three of her previously published novels - I like her writing style and especially enjoyed happy and you know it and a special place for women just because they were so unpredictable. That being said, I LOVED this book. I think Laura Hankin was born to be a rom com author. This will be one of my favorites of the year. It was heartfelt, not overly unbelievable or cringey, hilarious, and so so so engaging. Loved the plot, loved the characters, and had the right balance of depth and humor.

5/5

This was such a delight! Ok ok so I couldn’t deal with the third person narration, but it was still fun. It took me a while to finish because of how busy life was but I always found myself wanting to get back into the story. Loved the twist of fate.

I loved the premise for this enemies to lovers slow burn romance!! When the best man gives the maid of honor's debut book a 1 star review their whole relationship gets off to a terrible start. As the best friends of their friends, Rob and Natalie find themselves constantly in and out of one another's lives as the years go by.

I really enjoyed that this story jumps forward through the years and we see how each of the main characters go through career and love ups and downs and the beautiful, but at times heartbreaking, journey Natalie and her bestie, Gabby go on as secrets and health scares tear them apart and bring them back together.

This was great on audio and perfect for fans of authors like Emily Henry and Abby Jimenez. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

CW: cancer, unexpected pregnancy, parent with dementia

Thank you @prhaudio for my advanced audio copy of @laurakhankin new release, ONE-STAR ROMANCE, out now.

I have read Happy and You Know It, as well as The Daydreamers, from Laura Hankin in the past and now I am sliding One-Star Romance onto my read shelf as well!

The storyline starts with Nat, an aspiring author who uses her BFF’s new boyfriend as fodder for her novel. (ps: not cool) and Rob is the Angus’s BFF, so of course they are enemies at first sight, especially as they have to navigate maid of honor and best man for their bestie’s wedding.

Nat really struggles with her friend being married, for a really long time (this was a sticking point for me).

Rob is a mature adult and goes through some of his own struggles while planning his wedding.

Meanwhile Nat meets up with a celeb who basically rockets her career as a screenwriter, while taking a tad bit of Rob’s advice from early on in the novel.

The ending with Rob and Natt seemed a little too tied with a bow, Nat hurt a lot of characters but she seemed to get a pass when she shows up for her bestie in a true time of need. I liked all of the characters, honestly, except for Nat.

There are a few content warnings: bullying (behind the back), cheating, and cancer. Reach out and I can clarify more deeply.

I didn’t realize that this was the same author who wrote The Daydreamers! I started this book and felt like it was so well written that I needed to know what else she had done. When I saw that I had read not one, but two of her previous reads I was surprised. I think I now need to consider myself an official Hankin fan!

Natalie is best friends with Gabby. Rob is best friends with Angus. Over the course of 8 years their lives continue to be forced together for big life events in Gabby and Angus’s lives. What makes this so difficult is that the second time that Natalie and Rob met, she discovered he gave her first published book a one star review on Goodreads. Now they have to continue to be civil as they move through their lives, ignoring the spark they felt the first time they met.

This book follows Natalie and Rob over the course of 8 years. The perspectives do alternate, but not necessarily every chapter. I did appreciate getting to see both sides of this story. I think without it, you would get frustrated with both of the characters. Instead, you get a very solid understanding of who they are and why they act the way they do.

Hankins balances romance, comedy, and serious storylines beautifully in the story. The cartoon cover I feel really lessens the heart of this book. The way that Natalie grows through this book is wonderful and so relatable. It truly is a coming of age story from your early twenties to early thirties. She has to deal with who she thought she was going to be and who she actually became as well as friendships and how they change as you get older and you friend’s life changes as well.

This is the slowest of slow burns with a hint of enemies to lovers. I appreciated that Hankins didn’t rely on miscommunication or other simple tropes to build the relationship or cause conflict. The reason that Rob gives Natalie’s book a one star review isn’t petty which makes him more likable as a character too.

This book is beautiful. Natalie is an author and talks a lot about wanting to write something that people can relate to and how much writing means to her. I think Hankin did exactly that with this book. I saw myself in Natalie, in Rob, in Gabby, and maybe even a little bit in Angus. I highly highly recommend this book. Don’t let the cartoon cover let you think that this is just another romance novel.

I liked this enemies to lovers romance, although the FMC seems almost too invested in her female best friend, to the point of volunteering to help her become a runaway bride. However, the gist of the story rings true, sometimes you meet someone, have an instant attraction, and they keep appearing in your life. Over a few years, Natalie grew and matured and finally the time was right for the two to get together.
I enjoyed watching the growth both characters experienced that made it possible for them to have a serious relationship.
4 stars.

From the Publisher:

Natalie and Rob couldn’t have less in common. Nat’s a messy artist, and Rob’s a rigid academic. The only thing they share is their devotion to their respective best friends—who just got engaged. Still, unexpected chemistry has Natalie cautiously optimistic about being maid of honor to Rob’s best man.

Until, minutes before the ceremony, Nat learns that Rob wrote a one-star review of her new novel, which has them both reeling: Nat from imposter syndrome, and Rob over the reason he needed to write it.

(Over the years,) Natalie and Rob grapple with their own choices—and (discover) how your harshest critic can become your perfectly imperfect match.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley, I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Did I just become a romance reader? I know I rarely pick up books that fall in this genre, but I adored Laura Hankin’s Daydreams and recently had the pleasure of getting to hear her talk about her newest book. She fully convinced me I needed it in my life and I’m so glad I picked this one up!

In my opinion, One-Star Romance is way more than just a love story. This is a story of friendship, found family, and self-discovery. Don’t worry, there’s all the fun stuff for romance readers, like the enemies to lovers, slow burn, and forced to share a bed tropes people love!

Our story unfolds through the eyes of Natalie and Rob, who I immediately wanted to be friends with in real life. Their interactions are messy, but the tension between them is blatantly obvious. Through a series of life events thanks to their best friends getting married, these two continue to cross paths. Speaking of those best friends, I adore Angus and Gabby! All four of these characters felt so realistic and I loved that Hankin spread the book out over years to allow readers to watch them each grow and develop.

And that’s all you get. Go in blind and fall in love with Hankin’s storytelling.

This story might start with a one-star review, but it’s most definitely a five-star read!

I strongly enjoyed this, but I do think it’s more about Natalie and Rob growing up themselves — and about friendship — than about their romance, per se. Much of the time, the romance was secondary and the HEA wasn’t necessarily even about them finally getting together. (Don’t worry, they do!) it was about them becoming themselves. So if you prefer your romance focused on character development and less on spice, this is the book for you.

So cute!! I loved the premise of this book and it was honestly the perfect summer read. Highly recommend! 30 pages in and I knew it was going to be good!

This was a much heavier read than it appeared! Natalie and Gabby are best friends. Natalie meets Rob when Gabby gets engaged to his best friend Angus. The two share some mutual sparks, but minutes before they walk down the aisle together as maid of honor and best man, Natalie learns that Rob has given her new book a one star review. Following the ensuing blowup, he says some hurtful things to her, and their relationship is seemingly forever soured. The book then spans several years of interactions and life changes among the friend group, bringing Natalie and Rob together again and again, and testing Natalie and Gabby's friendship. It is much more than a fluffy romance.

Things I liked: the conflict between Natalie and Gabby's platonic friendship and Gabby and Angus's romantic one. I think this is something that so many women experience and agonize over. Natalie not always being a likable character and making some hurtful decisions. I love a good realistic protagonist. The realistic difficulty of the portrayal of life in your twenties and thirties. The agony of their years of enmity.

In short, this is so much more than a romance. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I would recommend it to romance readers and non readers alike.

Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Natalie, a struggling author, pens a loosely autobiographical book in which she heavily criticizes her best friend Gabby’s husband, Angus, and is devastated when she gets a 1* review. It causes her to doubt herself, until she realizes that it was posted by Angus’s best friend, Rob. She already knows, from their first meeting, that he’s an academic and literary snob, and when she learns that his 1* review is based on his anger over her skewering his best friend rather than the literary merit of the book, it leads to a multi-year love/hate relationship as they reconnect for major milestones in Gabby and Angus’s lives over an eight-year period.

Like Natalie, Rob, a linguistics professor, also cares too much about the opinions of others. In his case, he pursued academia in the hopes of getting the approval of his arrogant, carelessly cruel father. It isn’t until late in the story that he finally gains some perspective and realizes that he can use his education and experience in a field that he finds compelling and is passionate about rather than following in his father’s footsteps.

I was exhausted by the time I finished reading this second (third, fourth…) chance romance, partially because I found Natalie annoyingly immature but also because the pacing was too slow for me. Honestly, I’m tired of books with female protagonists who don’t reach their full potential and are discouraged or depressed by it, often wanting to blame others for their failures. Although I gave this 3*, I found it very forgettable and wouldn’t recommend it.

Laura Hankin wrote one of my favorites from last year (THE DAYDREAMS) so I was very excited to read this one. This was such an interesting and unique rom com, spanning years and places. Because of this, there is some serious character growth and Hankin does it so well. I loved seeing the characters’ lives throughout the years and navigate through their hard times. This is a perfect palate cleanser book if you are in need of one!