You Had Me at Happy Hour follows Julien, a grumpy sommelier working at his uncle’s restaurant, and Greg, a TikTok mixologist who is hired to liven up the restaurant. When their obvious dislike for each other leads to some negative reviews, they are forced to work together to revamp the happy hour at the restaurant. Working turns to an friends with benefits arrangement that turns into feelings. I really enjoyed the beginning of this book with the setup of the novel and how both characters mental illnesses were portrayed. Julien has OCD and Greg has GAD, none of these are treated as things that need to be fixed in the novel and the MCs do everything to make sure the other is accommodated in the sweetest way. But this book ended up boring me around the half way point. Nothing exciting was happening and the romance didn’t feel strong enough to keep me interested.

You Had Me at Happy Hour is a hallmark of a soft love story that shows respect for the individual characters' needs without coddling them through having to overcome their hangups to get their HEA's.

Julien can't wait to leave his quaint hometown of Bethlehem, PA, and explore bigger and better places. Working at his uncle's restaurant is just the starting point on his way to becoming a master sommelier. He just needs to ensure that his life is set up in just the right way so it doesn't trigger his OCD oh, and of course, he needs to work on his interpersonal skills.

Having been swept up in the glitz and glam of New York City nightlife, Greg seeks emotional and financial solace in Bethlehem. Greg seems to be everything Julien is not - outgoing, glitzy, and charming.

But when Julien's cantankerousness and Greg's flirtatiousness get the restaurant in trouble they are teamed up to figure out how to revitalize Happy Hour and rescue the failing business. Soon they realize that together they create magic not just in a cocktail glass and putting their rivalry aside enter a coworkers-with-bennies pact... except... well maybe there is more to the deal than the coworkers or even friends label they allow themselves implies.

I enjoyed this book and think that the dual POV is a great asset and helps underline the mental math done by neurodivergent people when trying to navigate and communicate their idiosyncrasies in new relationships. However, I think that the third-person narrator makes it harder for the reader to truly connect with the emotional aspects of the story.

What to expect: black cat x golden retriever energy, rivals-to-lovers, friends with benefits, lost-in-translation moments.

Rep: homosexuality, OCD, anxiety disorder, therapy, ED due to SSRI's
TW: alcohol abuse, neglect by parents

3.5 /5 stars (rounded to 4)
3/5 spice

Side Note: Lehigh University is in Bethlehem, PA and I spent some time deciding between Lehigh and my alma mater in Virginia. So it was fun to revisit the town through this book. I wish there had been more mentions of the beautiful surroundings and how it's nestled so near Amish country. It would have helped hit home the difference between Bethlehem and NYC. However, this did not change my enjoyment of the book.

Very cute little story about a would-be sommelier and a hot mixologist (this is the fourth food-and-drink-themed queer romance book I've read that's coming out this summer, so it must be all the rage!!!). Perfect summer read with a relatable main character who is predictable insecure and afraid to leave the nest. A perfect beach read to escape into as you dream of cocktails!

What amazing mental health rep! And combined with wine and spirits and love? What an excellent, informed pairing. Julien and Greg are thrust together with their own mental health and life experiences and trials when they're both working at what might seem like opposite or opposing goals at Julien's uncle and aunt's restaurant in quiet Pennsylvania. The two learn to work together and in time come to work out a friends with benefits agreement that gets harder to keep in the friendzone.

Can they overcome their pasts and embrace futures that they never foresaw for themselves? Together? Of course they can! But read on anyways to find out how and enjoy Janovsky's careful writing of yet another beautiful love story.

Such a delightful story of two men who don't quite fit, and end up fitting together. An out-of-the-way restaurant provides a haven for a fallen social influencer.

Janovsky has such interesting premises for his stories. They keep me coming back again and again regardless of how much I liked or did not like some of his books. You Had Me at Happy Hour was a bit of a mixed bag for me.

What I liked:
-the representation of OCD and anxiety. Very rarely do you see both handled well in a novel but I think Janovsly hits the nail on the head with his portraly of both
-Greg and Julien are very open to listening to one another and adapting to their partners needs. I love seeing communication in my romances
-loved seeing the Allentown PA rep, as a Pennsylvania resident myself I think Janovsky captured what's it like living in a small town really well
-I liked that both Greg and Julien had their own reasons for dabbling in professions that dealt with alcohol and that someone who does not drink alcohol was included as it's becoming more and more of the norm.

What I didn't like:
-the sex scenes kind of fell a little flat in the sense we were told about them and very little showing happened during them - also very little dialogue during them
-the writing in general felt a little more YA than I think I'm used to in romances I've read before
-the resolutions at the end felt a little rushed and Julien's hesitations about leaving Allentown kind of fell to the wayside

Overall a sweet romance that feels like a hallmark movie as you're reading it.

I wasn't a huge fan of this one. I thought the smut was super cringy, and I didn't feel like it had much of a plot. I rated it 2 stars.

4.25 stars

This might be my favorite Timothy Janovsky book I’ve read so far. I liked both MCs and how careful they were with each other’s neurodivergence but that is also why the third act conflict didn’t make as much sense to me. I also really disliked the decisions Greg made in NYC but we lol make mistakes so I forgive that. However I think their resolution was good and I can imagine them together for the long haul which is always a nice way to feel at the end of a romance novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

"You Had Me at Happy Hour" somehow lacks passion and substance despite it's plot. The backstory/plot about each characters' past and mental health issues should have been deep, personal, and intimate but instead felt thrown together. The representation of someone with OCD and someone who deals with erectile dysfunction due to taking SSRI's is really cool, but it just felt...lifeless. The dialogue was INCREDIBLY cringey to the point that I had to take breaks to awkwardly laugh off my secondhand embarrassment. The sex was lackluster and felt too informal and clinical.

This book had the makings to be cute, funny, sexy, and inspiring but falls flat.

Thanks so much to Harlequin - Romance and NetGalley for an ARC of You Had Me at Happy Hour in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 3/5

I really loved this book and was cheering for the couple to get together the whole time. It had just the right amount of spice and romance. I'd say it's like a wholesome Hallmark movie with some steamier scenes. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a heartwarming and cozy read.

There's something about Timothy Janovsky books that keep me coming back for more every time. Every single one feels like a warm hug, You Had Me at Happy Hour is no exception. From the start, Janovsky's characters, Julien and Greg, create this sense of belonging (Julien has OCD and Greg GAD), that personally makes me feel so seen with my own mental illness.

They're almost complete opposites — grumpy/sunshine, wine vs liquor, and so forth. A spilled tray of drinks and one semi-ruined shirt leaves them starting off on the wrong foot, but the sizzling attraction is burning steadily on the back burner. It's both hot & steamy and soft and full of yearning glances. I enjoyed every second of it!

You should read this if you like mental health representation, grumpy/sunshine dynamics, food-adjacent romances, and sweet and steamy love.

Thanks to NetGalley for sending the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I was enamored with this story from the start, the premise is so good, the characters are well written, and the romance was top shelf. Greg and Julien and so adorable to watch together, and seeing them become more comfortable with one another and grow closer and let down their walls brought a smile to my face. I wish the “conflict” had been drawn out a little more, it just felt too easily fixed, but otherwise I really enjoyed this book!

Not my favorite book by Janovsky (I think the last release before this was my favorite), but it was still so entertaining, tender and had lovely individual coming of age moments for both characters. The mental health representation was written with great care and the steam was steaming oooof!

4.5 stars, rounded up.
My second book in a week featuring a bartender/mixologist…this is the best way to experience cocktails without a hangover!

Julien is a certified sommelier working in a bar/restaurant owned by his aunt and uncle. He dreams of becoming a master sommelier, which will help him write his ticket out of small-town Bethlehem, PA.

In an effort to attract more business to the restaurant, Julien’s aunt and uncle decide to hire Greg, a tremendously handsome mixologist who had gained some notoriety on TikTok. They believe with Greg’s cocktail-making skills and Julien’s expertise about wine, a huge flow of customers should be imminent.

But after Greg and Julien’s initial meeting fizzles awkwardly and their subsequent interactions go awry, business is flowing…away from the restaurant. So the two are tasked with creating new happy hours at the restaurant which can feature fun cocktails and excellent wine. That means they have to overcome whatever issues they have with one another and work together. Or else.

Of course, the awkwardness hides the strong mutual attraction between the two at first, but it’s not long before their feelings for each other intensify. But with Julien’s OCD and Greg’s anxiety and ED issues, the road to casual sex isn’t as smooth as it should be. And as their relationship heads towards love, both panic in their own ways.

I’ve read all of Timothy Janovsky’s books and this may be my favorite. I loved how he balanced the banter and the incredible steam with the serious emotional issues both Julien and Greg were dealing with. It turned what could have been a typical M/M rom-com into something more complex, and I loved it.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Afterglow Books by Harlequin for the advance copy. The book will publish 7/23.

Cute little romance with a sommelier in training and social media mixologist. Both have neurodiversities and it effects their love life, but the author does a great job of showing how to navigate the challenges. Only thing I would say is that it is a bit too rushed. This all supposedly happens over a span of a year but it feels shorter.

This was such a fun, lovely read! So many romance novels rely on a lot of big, unearned emotionality without any underlying heart- but this paints a beautiful portrait of two, very real people who (like so many of us) struggle to risk the vulnerability required to emotionally bond with another person. Which, as a reader, had me rooting for them to overcome their emotional hurdles and come together even more!

I especially appreciated how both neurodivergence and anxiety were represented with such accurate attention to detail and a great deal of care- so much so that I would be shocked if the author wasn’t (at least in part) writing from personal experience. Extra points for the LGBTQIA+ theme as well, and telling a queer story with the emphasis on the humans, and not the label.

Overall, this was a quick read that gave me all of the feel goods- and if you’re in the market for a highly endearing, equal parts spicy & sweet story about chosen family and finding home, then this is for you!

*Thank you NetGalley & pubs for this treasure!

Thank you to Netgalley, Harlequin- Romance, and Timothy Janovsky for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a sweet little "nemesis to sex pact to lovers" M/M story. It's my first read of anything by Timothy Janovsky but certainly will not be my last.

I loved, loved, loved, loved the way being an influencer was portrayed. LOVED IT! Adored the mental AND physical health representation and LOOOOOVED Julien meeting Greg where he was at. It truly was a masterclass in how to support a partner... many should take note.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Beware of possible spoilers.

The rating is actually 3.5 stars.

I have to say, I really enjoyed this one. I haven't read this author before, but had heard a lot of decent things about their other works.

It was wonderful to see the topics such as OCD, anxiety, and sex (especially when connected to medication and how that can change for someone) handled so well. I really connected with Greg and Julien and how they navigated their lives having to deal with these things. I loved their scenes together and their way of connecting.

The one thing that really knocked this story down for me was the ending. I hated that Greg left, I hated that Julien didn't do anything about it. And while I don't mind people having multiple partners or anything like that, I hate that it took Greg his ex to realize what he did wrong. It was just...so unnecessary in my eyes and it nearly made me throw the book across the room. Drama is one thing, over-drama is just annoying.

But I'm glad I had a change to read this book and that it had a happy ending with characters learning they can have life despite the obstacles they face. It really was a good read!

I have read all of Timothy Janovsky's books and have had an uneven experience with them. Some I have really liked and some, not so much. Unfortunately, I did not love this one. I did not connect with either of the MCs, and felt that their mental health issues did not really make them more likeable. I felt the third act could have been easily avoided with better communication so that it felt unrealistic to me. For me, this was a 3.5 stars rounded up. I will continue to read this author though, because the next book may be another winner for me.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

This was such a sweet, complex and enjoyable romance. This was my first Janovsky novel & I am certainly going to go back and read some others after how much fun I had reading this. The author did an amazing job navigating hard topics such as OCD, anxiety, and alcoholism. I was giggling and kicking my feet while reading these two fall in love.

I did feel like the ending/resolution was a little bit rushed but it didn’t stop me from loving this book. Overall, this was a really fun and loving romance, i highlt recommend!!

Thank you Harlequin and NetGalley for providing the eARC in exchange for my honest review