This book has an interesting format. Amanda is getting married and the reader doesn’t know who to. The book is told in a non linear timeline with many flashbacks to different times and different parts of Mandy’s love life. The reveal of who she was marrying was not surprising at all but the ride there was still enjoyable. Overall a good debut and I’d read another book from this author!

This is the perfect end of summer romance! I read this one in one sitting and is the perfect bingy read to cleanse your palate, beach read, vacation read, bedtime read, really any time read!

Mandy is a main character everyone can relate to and I loved getting to know her. She is at times very awkward, thoughtful, a little messy like we all can be, and searching for her person. Who isn’t going to see parts of themselves in a character like that? I definitely did.

I loved how the story was told in alternating past and present chapters starting on her wedding day and going back all the way to the beginning of Mandy’s dating life. It was kind of confusing at first, but after a little while I really loved the way it flowed and it really allowed for so much character development and build up.

There is love and a little bit of mystery, found family, and important themes of loving yourself and really going for what makes you happy. Bravo Ann Rose on an amazing debut! I can’t wait to read more from this author.

A thoughtful read about the Mandy’s reflections right before her wedding.
The chapters bounce back between the present and past with readers able to gauge more about Mandy’s past and how she makes her decisions about a major step.
Readers will delight in the variety of characters in this novel and the nice outcome.

Oh this was such a beautiful story. I love the timelines (I am pretty much exactly the age as our FMCs in the story so it was fun to see myself going through the same feelings and seeing same movies and same pop culture happening say in like 2002). I loved how the timelines didn’t mess up the storyline either or weren’t hard to follow - which can sometimes happen. I think I cried no less than three times (especially the 12 year old thinking she was “weird” for wanting to kiss other girls). The ending was perfect and so happy they found their way back to each other. There were some moments it felt a little dragged out - more like the scenes in London, but really just were more about her story rather than the romance portion. Overall I’ll be recommending this book and a solid four stars from me.

This was so heartwarming and such a beautiful exploration into the journey of falling in and out of love throughout life!

I loved the back and forth timeline. Going through the process of unraveling the mcs’ past allowed for so much more impact to be made as the story progressed and I felt the pacing flowed so steadily. There are some heavier topics touched upon, however, the tone of this story remains lighthearted and doesn’t delve too deeply into any dialogue around those elements as the focus was primarily on the development of the characters and their intertwining relationship over time. My favorite moments from this story were the sweet family dynamics, its perfect amount of yearning, and its beautiful message of self-discovery and acceptance.

I definitely expected more emotional depth than what was delivered and wished for maybe a little less fluff to deliver those more impactful moments.

Highly recommend for lovers of Normal People or One Day!

Thank you so much for the chance to read an act of The Seemingly Impossible Love Life of Amanda Dean!

The Seemingly Impossible Love Life of Amanda Dean by Ann Rose is a unique love story. This is not a book I would typically read but I actually enjoyed it. This book has a different take on a traditional love story as this is also about a bisexual woman finding herself on a self-discovery journey. The story did jump around while we learned of Amanda Dean. It was a little hard to follow at times from wedding days to past so the timeline jumped. Otherwise, the story itself was good and made me think differently.

A sweet twist on finding your true love!! I loved going through Amanda’s life, watching her fall in love!

A bi disaster she is, and I love her for it 😂

Thanks to Berkeley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks so much #partner @berkleyromance #gifted copies. #berkleyromancepartner #berkleyIG #penguinrandomhousepartner

The Seemingly Impossible Love Life of Amanda Dean
Ann Rose
Available September 17th

Amanda's getting married! Shes a hopeless romantic whose search for her one true love hasn't always gone her way. Until now, when she and her spouse-to-be are about to tie the knot. But as the "I do" moment approaches, and nothing is going as planned, Amanda finds herself reflecting on her past loves.

The set-up is clever: it's a multi-timeline novel, with the present time taking place on Amanda's wedding day, where she's about to marry ________ (we don't know), alternating with a series of flashbacks to past relationships (of which there are many) from childhood through adulthood. And while the reader doesn't know which person she'll end up with, we have a pretty good guess who it'll be. 🥰

TSILLOAD is a lighthearted, enjoyable romcom filled with nostalgia, friendship, family, and one bisexual woman's quest to find love, and find herself in the process. Despite the incorporation of a few heavier themes, this felt pretty low stakes due to the playful tone. And that's ok! Not every book needs to be deep. Sometimes a light, easygoing romcom hits just right, and for me, it was the perfect change of pace from some heavier reads.

4 ⭐

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with an egalley of this book to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
Ready for a fun tale of true love with a long journey on getting there? Then this one is for you!
Meet Amanda Dean, who has bopped from person to person her whole life while really only wanting one. Who tore herself away from her one true love so that person could become all they needed to be.
This story if told in alternating past and present day chapters. I will say at first this threw me a little. The chapters are headed with the years and I just didn't think they were necessary. It would have been easier for me to keep up had it been the main character's age listed. Then things would have made more sense earlier on. I also found it hard to keep up with the flow because it's actually told in three different time lines. Once I got about 50% into the book, this was easier to differentiate. But overall it was quite confusing at first and was taking me out of the story.
You meet Amanda on her wedding day but just who is she marrying? I will admit, I kind of guessed it from the start, but the journey was still fun to get to that point.
I liked Amanda and her growth throughout this story. You can see how she changes and morphs and becomes what she needs to be in order to find everlasting love. There were times I found her a bit whiny or annoying. She was in her head way too much. And she was too stubborn to listen to what others around her were telling her.
I liked the LBGTQ+ representation in this book. It was interesting to watch Amanda struggle with who she was and find her truth north. I feel like there could have been more to it, though. I didn't totally feel her struggle and I wanted that more than anything else.
It's not the traditional romance I was looking for. There's a bit of mystery in the plot. But you do get friends to lovers and second chance romance in the plot line.
Overall it was enjoyable enough but will not go down as a favorite romance that I would re-read.

Sorry, but I did not like this book. My biggest pet peeve is when authors randomly skip from one time to another, from chapter to chapter, for no justifiable reason. This is one of the worst examples of that writing device. At the start of each chapter, I had to calculate (based on the year) approximately how old Amanda (Mandy) was, and each time, it took me out of the story. Sometimes she was kindergarten age, then in her late twenties, or just 17, heading over to London, then second grade and so on. Not only were the loose ends not tied up at the end, but I also felt like the author intentionally misdirected readers about who Mandy was going to marry. It just all made my head spin and kept me from feeling at all engaged with the main characters or the story. Not recommended.

This adorable book is adult romance, but since there are plenty of flashbacks to childhood, it often feels like YA. If you like both, you're in for a treat.

If the road to true love ever runs smooth, it was a road unknown to Amanda Dean.

With character evolution, lessons learned, failure, and triumphs alike, we go on the twisty path with Amanda as the book opens on her wedding day and then goes into flashbacks until we return to the present day and discover who Mandy’s person is.

Both incredibly fun and heartwarming, The Seemingly Impossible Love Life of Amanda Dean is a winner and a recommendation from me 🙂



Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the DRC

I'm giving this 3 stars even though I only got through about 30% of this. I have high hopes for it, but I'm going to wait until I have a physical copy.

It's so hard to keep track of the story because of the time jumping around in a non-linear fashion. It would be so much easier if, instead of the year, we got Mandy's age. Or both. It's difficult to do the math over and over again to figure out how old she is and where she is in life with just the year.

I do want to read this, but the format as it is in Kindle form doesn't leave space for me to keep track of anything.

Holy smokes, I'm incredibly impressed by Ann Rose's The Seemingly Impossible Love Life of Amanda Dean! I read the first 3/4 of the book in one night lol, I couldn't put it down.

My favorite part of this story is how beautifully Rose weaves the time skipping. This is extremely hard to do well, and Rose executes it masterfully. This clever reveal of how Amanda and Isa's relationship developes, implodes, and all the how's and why's so much to this splendid tale.

The Seemingly Impossible Love Life of Amanda Dean, written by Ann Rose, was not my usual choice of reading material. Unfortunately, I found myself unable to finish the book as I struggled to become engaged with the storyline.

Who doesn’t love a messy love story? i know i do! This was such a cute book about love, family and hope! Mandy is such a fun character that you can’t help but love her! Definitely recommend this one!!

"The Seemingly Impossible Love Life of Amanda Dean" is a novel that intricately weaves a tapestry of love, self-discovery, and the myriad challenges life presents over two decades. The narrative begins on the tumultuous day of Amanda's wedding, rife with uncertainty and chaos, yet skillfully shifts between the present and the past, offering insights into pivotal moments that have shaped her romantic journey.

Amanda Dean defies the archetype of a romance novel protagonist. She is a beautifully flawed, complex character whose path is littered with errors and heartaches, yet punctuated by instances of sheer happiness. Through her introspection, readers are presented with an unvarnished truth about the nature of love, loss, and the pressing issues of grief and reproductive health care, all seamlessly integrated into the plot without detracting from the central romantic theme.

The narrative structure fluidly navigates through various periods of Amanda's life, engaging readers in a puzzle-like quest to understand her romantic history. The suspense surrounding her eventual partner adds to the novel's allure, culminating in a gratifying and warm resolution. The cast of strong, supportive characters—particularly the women, including Abuela, Isa, and Sophie—highlight themes of chosen family and enduring friendships.

This book transcends the confines of a mere romance story; it is an ode to the beautifully flawed odyssey of life and love. Combining poignant moments with valuable life lessons and a dash of suspense, "The Seemingly Impossible Love Life of Amanda Dean" promises a profoundly moving experience that resonates well beyond the last page.

The Seemingly Impossible Love Life of Amanda Dean is at one time a thoughtfully constructed, emotionally deep love story running across two decades—to the inner precincts of relationships, self-discovery, and life's challenges. The novel opens on Amanda's wedding day, full of doubts and pandemonium, but it moves artfully between present and past to afford glimpses into those key moments that had turned her life in love.

Amanda Dean is anything but your typical romance heroine. She's a gorgeously messy, multifaceted character whose journey is marked by mistakes and heartbreaks, with moments of pure joy. In her reflection, we get to see naked, unfiltered realness on how to love, lose, and confront such major issues as grief and reproductive health care, deftly woven into the storyline without overshadowing the romance.

The structure of the story is a fluid slide through different times in Amanda's life, keeping one guessing at, and thereby piecing together, how she got into that love life. There is suspense about who she finally marries, and that makes it satisfying and heartwarming to see. Strong supporting characters are strongly represented females in the form of Abuela, Isa, and Sophie, bringing out found families and long-lasting friendships.

This is so much more than a romance novel; it's a celebration of the beautifully imperfect journey of life and love. With its perfect mixture of heartwarming moments and hard-earned life lessons, flavored by just the right amount of suspense, The Seemingly Impossible Love Life of Amanda Dean leaves the reader with a breathtakingly beautiful read that will linger long after the final page.

4.25 stars

Mandy is about to get married, if everything would quit going wrong. While she's getting ready, she reflects on her lifetime of great loves.

The jumping around in time really threw me off on figuring what was happening when, especially with references to Mandy's standing with Isa. Past that, it was a pretty cute story about a bi woman living her life until she gets to marry her forever person. I grew up in the same time period as the character, so I really liked all the references to things I loved as a kid. This book also tackles a couple of hard topics like abortion and death of a prominent family figure, and it does both with grace.

If you want an atypical queer romance, this is the one.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

Maybe 3.5-4?

I truly did enjoy watching Amanda's story play out, even if the trope and the ending were fairly obvious from the get go! Seeing someone work through their identity as love interests weave in and out of their life is such a real and relatable way to enjoy a rom-com. The flashbacks and flash forwards got a little hard to follow, but over all, I had a great time reading it!

Some heavy-ish things were handled that weighed the tone down a bit, but it was essential to the character and relationship development, but it's always good to make sure readers are aware.