I recently saw the trailer for the movie adaptation and I was hooked: two strangers meeting at a wedding who instead of hooking up decide to dig deeper and share all about their past relationships with each other. Sounds right up my alley!

The book follows the same plot, so I was really into it in the beginning. I love the idea of two strangers coming together and getting to know each other quickly. But sadly, the plot got old fast. And unfortunately it was missing a lot of the humor that the movie trailer seemed to have. There was way too much focus on each of the main characters’ past relationships, which I get is the main point of the story, but It only made me dislike the main characters. And unfortunately it caused me to not want to root for them to end up together. Sadly this one just wasn’t for me!

Here’s hoping the movie is better!

Thank you, NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing, for sharing this audiobook with me! This was my first NetGalley book and I’m looking forward to future ones.

I grabbed this because I love to read a book before I see a movie. I had this movie on my lists to watch because the previews seemed fun.
The narrator was a good listen. The story for me however started out fun and silly but there were so many lines that made me cringe more than swoon or laugh.

One word: Cringey.

Jane to Elton: ‘“If you were a ride in the amusement part, I would buy a ticket just to see what would happen.” Was that what I was saying that in would RIDE him?’

“Hi cock. You, sweetie, deserve a letter of your own.” Just no.

Some funny parts like:
“There was a condom. Fiddled with the intensity of putting a worm on a hook.”

I would give the movie a try but the book was not for me.

This story was beautiful to hear on audio. I truly enjoyed listening to the romance between the two main characters get deeper and deeper as the story progressed.

I really loved this book and I looked forward to revisiting it through the audiobook but I didn't find it as captivating as I found the book. It's a great story, told in a unique way. Having the alternating narrators made it interesting as well.

A fun spin on a romance. There was a bit of drunk driving that seemed gratuitous but that did not detract from overall appeal of the story. You’ll root for the charmingly messy (messily charming?) main characters.

I was really excited to read this book, I had no idea what it was about when I went into it, but I was offered to read this movie tie-in version. I also have not seen the movie. It starts pretty fun with our FMC and MMC meeting at a wedding and then they decide to become pen pals, back when people still wrote letters. They used these letters to get to know one another and offer confessions of their past relationships. After a few letters, I was bored. I mean very bored. The book became less and less interesting the further we went on. Both characters are not likable, and their “confessions” make them less so. These two meet up again after a while of letter writing and their written words don’t seem to compare to their in-person chemistry. Some parts were really intriguing, and the whole of the story is well written, but it’s dull. Let's talk narration. I always love the dual narrators and they make the characters a little more bearable. Overall, I this story is nothing to write home about and I’m curious if this will be one of those rare movies that is better than the book it was inspired from.

Loved this! I listened to the audiobook. It was amazing. I went in blind, only knowing it was coming out on Netflix. Such a great work of fiction!

I liked the audiobook and thought it was well formatted. However, I found it was also very flat or maybe the novel itself was flat. I felt like it should have had some humorous moments that just didn’t hit.
I’m super excited for the movie, but I wish the book had been better.

After John and Jane almost have a sexual encounter in the coat room at mutual friends’ weddings, they decide instead to get to know each other first by corresponding through letters, laying bare the best and worst parts of themselves. When they decide to meet again, will the connection still be there?

I typically love epistolary novels, but this one failed to capture my attention. The more we learned about their pasts, the less I liked either character, which made it hard to root for them to get together. This book just wasn’t for me.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an audio ARC of this book.

This book starts off fun with a silly premise that quickly grabbed my interest, and then fizzled quickly. The two characters hook up at a wedding, realize they might actually have some chemistry, and so agree to stop making out and write letters instead. From there we have them trying to get to know each other, which turns into a long winded replay of every relationship they had from beginning to now, showing the ones who hurt them, and the ones they hurt. The problem come in that I don't care about their past relationships. It was a boring biography I didn't ask for. I think this would play out in movie form really well, but on the page fell extremely flat.

Thank you for the review edition.

I found the premise of this book interesting, but ultimately it felt a bit awkward and fell short for me. I did laugh out loud at times and did also find much of it to be quite "real" which I appreciated.

I began this one on audio, but found this one wasn't for me. This story is told primarily in letters, and just couldn't connect with the characters and wasn't able to hold my attention. This way it is written, I believe it will make a great movie.

I have not seen the movie yet but the book was wonderful!
I listened to the audiobook, read by the co-authors, Steve Almond and Julianna Baggott, and it was a delight.
It is funny, thoughtful, and soul crushing at times.
Two 30-ish people meet and feel the pull, but instead of getting into a fling - something that did not work for them in the past with various other people, they decide to confess all their heartbreaks and secrets to each other in letters first, before considering a new romance.
The letter format works perfectly - especially when read in two voices.
John and Jane end up confessing about much more than just the past relationships and we learn about their families, childhoods, and careers. The stories they tell each other are fascinating, the rhythm of the story is well paced, and both of their voices are strong and likable.
I really enjoyed the book. Without having too much plot situated in the present, it gives us a story of two lives - both full and interesting, and uniquely messed up. I am looking forward to seeing the movie!

Thank you, NetGalley and Blackstone publishing for the ARC. (It was suggested to me after the publishing date, I requested it and miraculously received it!)

Which Brings Me to You by Steve Almond, Julianna Baggott is a good fit for those seeking a heartwarming and introspective exploration of love, relationships, and personal growth.

I asked to read this because it was supposed to be funny. It's not funny. Two people with no real self-awareness decide to write letters to each other to see if they really like each other... With all the endless details about their sex lives, did we really learn anything important about them? And they were unlikeable and uninteresting.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me listen to this audiobook. Both the narrators did a good job with the material.

This one started out good but I lost interest after the first few chapters - I don't feel that it was badly written, I just didn't really connect with the characters.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

I'm split on my thoughts on this one! It was an enjoyable read over all but it was a bit slow. The letters were interesting but I'm not sure I loved it. The narrators were great though!

This just didn’t do it for me, which is really unfortunate. I wanted to love it so bad (the premise is great), but it just didn’t work for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing - Audiobooks, for an audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

Jane and John meet and start to hookup at a wedding where they are bored and looking for some excitement, but at the last moment decide to wait. They decided to start writing explicit letters to each other about their previous sex lives in an attempt to connect. It is told from the POV of both main characters but I think I hated this book about 5% in. They characters are vapid and dull with overt sex as their only connection. I finished it for the sake of the review but do not recommend it. I think I will pass on the movie as well. I had the audio version read by Kerby Heyborne and Renee Raudman who I also did not particularly care for. Don't waste your time.