Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for this ARC!

This book was such a beautiful exploration of life in your mid twenties to early thirties, and I could not have loved it more.

The book starts out with 24 year old Natalie, an aspiring writer living in NYC with her best friend Gabby. The two of them are inseparable, and Natalie is invigorated by all the possibilities that fan out before them... until Gabby's funny boyfriend Angus proposes and she says yes. Natalie is sure this isn't what she wants, that she's settling-- after all, they're 24 years old! But Gabby seems happy, so Natalie endeavors to support her, even though she's harboring her own doubts about the situation and is worried for their friendship. At the engagement party, Natalie meets Rob, Angus's best friend. They butt heads, but ultimately hit it off. Until the next time they meet, at their friends wedding, and Natalie finds out Rob has given her first published book a one star review on GoodReads (YIKES!).

The story follows Natalie and Rob as they are brought together over the years to celebrate the big life moments that their friends are going through-- a wedding, a job promotion, a baby, etc. Each time, Natalie feels further and further away from her best friend, and more and more like she just can't seem to get her own life together. And each time, Rob is there with some infuriating comment and a deep understanding of her that causes a fluttering feeling in her stomach. As the years span, the two of them orbit each other as they orbit their two best friends.

This book is so heartfelt and real. As a 25 year old myself, I related so hard with Natalie's experience of suddenly being in a different place than your friends and feeling left behind (as Taylor Swift once sang: "all my friends smell like weed or little babies"). She is a relatable protagonist who wants so much and never seems to get it. She makes mistakes, she self-sabotages and she has misguided- good intentions. She's witty and loves hard. And Rob is the perfect match to her, misguided in his own way and confused about his place in the world. It was so beautiful getting to see their love story unfold across the years, but this book was way more than a traditional rom com. It was about finding your place in the world and accepting change as necessary facet of life. It was about dealing with hard things, and messy feelings, and relationships, both romantic and platonic. I would recommend this book to anyone, but especially to young women just trying to figure it all out-- this is a love letter to your life, the good and the bad. I sincerely hope we see more rom coms out of Laura Hankin because this one won't be enough for me.

This reminded me a lot of One Day. The story takes place over years and we truly get to know these characters inside & out.

This is definitely a book that is going to hit you in the feels. While filled with humor, the author also handles serious topics with care and consideration. The characters really go through some tough situations. I really sympathized with them and rooted for them to succeed. I would say this is an enemies to lovers with a very slow burn. If you love angst and slow burn romances, I would recommend this one. The HEA is hard earned.

ONE-STAR ROMANCE

Romance — 4.5⭐️

Natalie’s and Rob’s best friends are marrying each other. Minutes before the ceremony Natalie learns it was Rob that gave her book a one-star review. He’s the last person she wants to spend time with but their friend situation doesn’t make that easy.

Don’t let the cover fool you into thinking this is just your next fluffy romcom. While I get why this book is labeled as a romance—it had a mix of romcom & emo romance elements—it’s a very slow burn and only a fraction of the plot. Instead this is a story of life, imo, and navigating adulthood, missed opportunities, evolving relationships, and finding yourself. (Which I loved and found SO relatable!)

However, if you like the right-guy-wrong-time trope like me, I think you’ll fall for both the characters as individuals (flaws and all) and then as a couple.

The premise was fresh and fun, but I was not expecting such an emotional journey. I laughed, I cried, and I appreciated the deeper reflections. Definitely recommend!

Slow burn, adult friendships, non traditional enemies-to-lovers.

While the title and cute cover led me to believe this book would contain quite a bit more romance than it actually does, I feel like the romance aspect takes a bit of a backseat to the friendships and even family relationships in this story. The book is divided into parts with year-plus gaps in time, so it felt like the slowest of slow burns, and while at first I was frustrated with Natalie being extremely unlikeable, (though in the end I realize she’s just flawed- aren’t we all?) the romance being essentially non-existent, (but a slow burn is still a burn…) and wanting things to just get moving, after the halfway point I stopped thinking of it as a light hearted rom-com and started enjoying it for what it actually was -much deeper, in fact.

I adored this book. I was expecting a laugh out loud romcom and did not having sobbing into my pillow at the 80% mark on my bingo card. I love romances that dive into heavier themes and One-Star Romance beautifully captured the transitional years of your 20s and 30s and all of the nuances that come with it. Individually, Rob and Natalie were such dynamic characters and I really loved their development throughout the book. The slow burn of their hate-to-love relationship felt well-done and realistic, making it so much more satisfying when they finally get their HEA.

Highly recommend to all fans of romance! Especially if you love enemies to lovers, forced proximity, finding yourself, authentically written friendships, and slow burns that spans a decade.

I truly enjoyed this book!! I don’t know that I would call it was rom-com, so I get the mixed reviews there, but I don’t care…I loved the heart of this book. The laughs were cringy at times and the book deals with some more serious themes. But I really related to Natalie feeling left-behind, even if I didn’t agree with how she went about managing those emotions. The story really nails that in-between stage in your 20s-30s when some friends are getting married and others are just living day-to-day. I loved Rob and the chemistry her and Natalie had. I thought it wrapped up nicely and made my cry several times.

Read this if you enjoy…
⭐️ slow burn romance
⭐️ introspective rom-coms
⭐️ opposites attract

I adore the concept of this book. Natalie’s best friend is engaged to Rob’s best friend. While the pair could not be any more different (Nat’s a starving novelist and Rob is a stuffy academic), they are united in their love for their respective best friends. Minutes before the wedding, Nat learns that Rob wrote a one-star review of her debut novel. They argue and vow never to meet again. However, the pair is drawn together over the years to celebrate milestones in their best friends’ relationship. As they move from their twenties to their thirties, Nat and Rob wrestle with their life choices and how to find the happiness they’re missing. Could it have been in front of them all along?

Nat and Rob have excellent chemistry! Their dialogue genuinely made me laugh out loud. They come to know each well over the years, able to deliver incisive advice and painful barbs in equal measure. It felt like watching a tennis match, so it was hard to put my Kindle down!

This is definitely a SLOW burn in its truest form taking place over nearly a decade. If you’re into insta-love, this isn’t the book for you. Watching Nat and Rob grow over years was cathartic and the author did a great job of revealing just enough after each time skip without it feeling like an infodump. I will say though that Natalie matured MUCH more slowly than Rob and I got a little annoyed with her over the years. Girl, everything is not about you!

One-Star Romance is marketed as a rom-com, but it’s also an emotional punch in the gut. It’s about more than romance… it’s about finding out who you are and what and who is most important. One of the final sections will probably make you cry. This book is also about the dynamics of female friendship and how it changes as we grow, a plot point I found to be particularly poignant at this stage of my life.

Regarding the spice level, here is my take: I’d call this a cracked door romance. There’s a bit on the page but it does black out eventually. It did start to show more than I was comfortable with, so I skipped a couple paragraphs. While I wouldn’t call it open door, it is not a clean read as there are frequent mentions of s*x. I know it is the nature of ARCs to not know the content ahead of time, so I can't necessarily dock a star for it even though it is not to my taste or comfort level.

All in all, I would give One-Star Romance 4 stars. It was quirky, full of life, and a nice rom-com to add my repertoire of recommendations. I definitely feel the irony of rating a book that features a Goodreads-obsessed main character, but all’s fair in love and book reviews I suppose.

Thank you to NetGalley and @berkleypub for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

There is lots to love in this modern day romance. It’s not soppy, the main characters don’t fall madly in love at first sight and they don’t hate each other at first sight either.
Nat is passionate, opinionated and very insecure. Rob is measured, sensible and opinionated too. They both have a strong loyalty to their best friends who just happen to be marrying each other. Misunderstandings and assumptions keep these two apart even though their bodies are screaming at each other to be together.
Yes, this novel is about love but not just romantic love. There is the love of your ride or die friends, the friend who you wish was your sibling, the parents who drive you insane but you would drop everything to be at their side when it’s needed. I felt warm and hopeful and happy at the end of this.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

Natalie and Rob circle each other for years - like an updated When Harry Met Sally trope. Their best friends meet, fall in love, marry and build a life. Natalie and Rob see each other at their big events.
A writer and a linguist, both with their own issues, struggling to recover.
Funny and held my interest. Natalie was kind of hard to like - they were both real characters with real issues. And I like that.

Laura Hankin has really crept up on me and become a must-read author. Since devouring HAPPY & YOU KNOW IT in 2020, I have read and enjoyed each of her subsequent novels, all so different from one another yet all so fully realized. ONE STAR ROMANCE is the author's first foray in rom-com but she's a natural fit for the genre. When a book like this takes place over the course of many years (in this case, I believe it came up to 10 years in total) it can be difficult to sustain interest but Hankin really had me in the first half! There is not much plot here; instead we follow these characters from their 20s to their 30s, and see all the changes and challenges that come with it, really diving into their inner feelings of fear, failure, and the fight to find themselves amidst society's expectations of what it means to be an adult. If that sounds like your kind of thing (it's definitely mine!) than you'll love this one.

Rating: 4.5/5

Thank you to Berkley, Lavender Public Relations and NetGalley for these advanced copies...all opinions are my own.

I was thrilled to dive into Laura Hankin's first romance novel. While it leans more towards women's fiction, it is delightfully funny and had me rooting for the couple—particularly for Natalie. Hankin articulated feelings I've experienced and continue to dissect in my own life, especially about belonging in the world of my evolving friendships as our lives and responsibilities change.

One-Star Romance beautifully explores friendship, complex familial relationships, professional setbacks, and the ever-changing shifts in life phases, all while developing Natalie and Rob's unlikely friendship. I loved that we got to see these two over time, witnessing their growth and evolution.

Rob and Natalie didn't win me over immediately, but I think that's the point. Throughout the novel, they both undergo significant personal development, and the well-executed time jumps effectively showcase this evolution. The story unfolds through poignant moments in their lives and witty dialogue, rich with humor and heart, making it an engaging read from start to finish.

I also delighted in Laura narrating her own novel. Listening to the book in the author's own voice adds an extra layer of authenticity and connection to the story.

Hankin's debut romance is a delightful and insightful read, perfect for anyone who enjoys a mix of humor, heart, and relatable life experiences.

Many thanks to @berkleyromance and @prhaudio for the gifted digital and audio copies of this very fun enemies to lovers book. Below is my honest review.

Natalie, a free-spirited aspiring author, and Rob, a straight-laced academic, meet when their best friends (Gabby and Angus) get engaged. They had a great conversation and were intrigued by each other, developing a fun best man/maid-of-honor banter via text over the two years leading up to the wedding. But at the wedding, Rob's demeanor is different. Then she discovers that he is the person who just posted a scathing one-star review of her new book. Now she has to make it through the ceremony, speeches, and reception with that a##hole - with hopes of never seeing him again. But life doesn't work that way. From vacations to christenings to holiday parties, Natalie and Rob spend the better part of the next decade in each other's orbits, hating each other, being incredibly attracted to each other, and living complex, messy lives of their own. 

I love romances where the slow burn is years in the making, and Hankin takes Natalie and Rob through so many years where they independently grow as people and begin to discover what drives them. They each go through some tough things, and I enjoyed that we got to check in on them throughout so many important moments over the years. At the core of this story, however, is friendship, Natalie's love for Gabby and Rob's for Angus, and how these four people show up for each other. I think you'll love this one if you like slow-burn, opposites attract, and enemies to lovers!

The audiobook, narrated by the author, is so fun! Hankin does a fantastic job, and I loved knowing that every sarcastic aside, cutting remark, and breathless confession was spoken precisely how she intended it.

This looked like a funny rom com so I was excited to get this ARC. I would not call this a romance necessarily. The book spans 10 years. Rob and Natalie are the best friends of Angus and Gabby. As Angus and Gabby celebrate events in their life it brings Rob and Natalie together. So we only see their relationship in snippets. This book is about life and the ups and downs of it. It is about friendships, Rob and Angus and Natalie and Gabby. It is definitely a slow burn but I enjoyed the journey. We are different people in our twenties, still trying to find ourselves than we are in our thirties, hopefully having more things figured out. I liked seeing the characters grow and feeling the things they were going through in life. I enjoyed this group of friends and celebrating life with them. It was a quick read.

Okay so now I have to go and read Hankin’s backlist because I was a fan of this and already loooved THE DAYDREAMS👏

✨more chick lit than rom-com in my opinion
✨friendships between people moving at different speeds through life
✨SLOW BURN romance
✨told in multiple parts + POVs spanning 10 years
✨great on audio - narrated by the author!
✨closed door

It was slow to start and honestly sometimes Natalie was tough to root for but I really enjoyed it! The writing was great and it was super relatable for me (as someone in their early 30s with decades long friendships) - I recommend!

Just finished reading this wonderful, funny, and emotional romance, and it's a 5-star read for sure! 🌟

The story follows Natalie and Rob, the maid of honor and best man at a wedding. Their chemistry is off the charts from the start, but things get complicated when Natalie discovers Rob wrote a one-star review of her debut book! 😲📖

Told from both of their perspectives over several years, this book is full of heart. While it’s a romance, it also beautifully explores Natalie’s deep friendship with Gabby. Watching Natalie navigate her friend’s marriage and family life adds a layer of complexity that can be frustrating, but it kept me hooked until the very end. The chemistry between Natalie and Rob is undeniable, and their journey to happily ever after is so satisfying. 💖

I went into this one thinking it was going to be a fun and silly little romcom but it was definitely not always that. Spanning years in the characters lives we see them weave together and apart.

Well this is awkward…

I tried really hard to like this book but it just wasn’t there for me. I tried picking it up at two different times thinking it was me being in a weird mood but alas, it wasn’t me. I feel like the book starts off very slow and is mostly the FMC complaining. I wasn’t really invested in the characters. I quickly grew bored and disconnected.

The constant lamenting over a 1-star review was taxing. Be an adult ask him “why” if you figured out it was him, rather than stewing on it a long period of time. Couldn’t overcome to enjoy this story.

Thank you, Berkley.

Thank you, NetGalley and Berkley Pub, for my free E-book for review.

This novel is a unique journey through different stages of the characters' lives. Laura Hankin breaks it into parts, making the story easy to follow.

The initial meeting of the main characters, Natalie and Rob, doesn't follow the typical "sparks fly" scenario. I found it quite bland, but it revealed Natalie's bubbly personality and Rob's no-nonsense demeanor. As these two are compelled to meet on various occasions, especially being best friends with an engaged couple, the author subtly introduces tension between them. They can't help but outdo each other, and I often find myself torn between them. Nat is sometimes hard to like, falling into life's pitfalls and peer pressure, while Rob's snobbishness is a turn-off. It's pretty bold of him to rate the book of his best friend's fiancée's bestfriend with the lowest star. Their relationship is a slow build, and I appreciate seeing them grow throughout the novel.

The most touching and engaging part for me is the relationship between best friends Natalie and Gabby. This isn't just a love story between Nat and Rob; it also delves into Nat and Gabby's bond. Anyone with a close-knit relationship with their best friends can relate to them. Natalie's emotions about their relationship, the missed opportunities as single women about town, and the feeling of being left out are poignant and hit hard.

"One-Star Romance" isn't your typical love story; it shines a spotlight on friendship and its evolution through life's changes. It's a delightful surprise of a novel, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Opposites attracts, they say. But they obviously also clash. Nat and Rob are opposites to each other in every way! Their best friends are engaged and they need to come together to be part of wedding party. Banter, chemistry…if you are looking for a quick read, this is it. Unfortunately, I didn’t like it as much as I might…