A very sweet, queer hometown romance. I'm excited to read more from this author. (Bonus: Becca Grischow's instagram is a book promoter's dream. I love it!)

I really like the first half of this New Adult sapphic romance. Murphy is struggling to life isn’t going like she’d hoped. She opted for community college but didn’t get to transfer to the University of Illinois like she planned because she failed her accounting class. She is living at home with her parents and she works at the same coffee shop she did in high school. She was excited for her best friend to come home for Thanksgiving till she shows up with her boyfriend. At the local bar she meets Ellie who was a couple years ahead of her in high school. She is fresh off a breakup and not looking for something new. But somehow between a drunken sleepover (not hooking up) she hatches an idea of Murphy posing as her girlfriend for Thanksgiving dinner. Turns out Ellie’s mom is Murphy’s accounting professor.

I am not sure how sound their plan was as it quickly falls apart. I liked the main characters, parents and best friend but there is a lot going to process in just a couple of days. I don’t expect YA or New Adult books to have HEA but this felt more opened ended than I wanted. I do like Holiday romances and simple things like making puppy chow together or a mother interfering a smidge. The cover fits the story and I would like to read more from the author. (3.5 Stars)

Very quick, not-too-brain-draining read. I saw so much of myself in Murphy I honestly felt so personally attacked in almost every conversation she had with someone where they called her out on whatever she needed to be called out on. No tears shed but I was definitely close to it!

My favorite thing about this was Murphy as a character. How real she felt, and how relatable she was. What I struggled with was the overall timeline. The entire story takes place in about a weekend, and the epilogue is a few weeks after. You get a short glimpse into the characters' lives, and due to the timeline a lot of the stuff just seems way too fast. Murphy and Ellie's relationship timeline is actually so insane to me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such an enjoyable debut! I loved the small town vibes. Even as someone who has never stepped foot in Geneva, the author’s love for her hometown shone through every scene. It was a such fun and cozy vibe for a holiday book. I’ve followed the author on Instagram for a while and loved seeing the places she’s posted about written into the story.
The first half of this book starts off as a classic fake dating holiday romcom. I thought it was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed the relationship (I’m historically a sucker for a fake dating plot). The second half of the book becomes more of a coming of age journey for our main character, Murphy. This felt pretty reminiscent of a YA novel to me (which is not a bad thing, I love YA). I wasn’t expecting it to be split like that, it really felt like two different books to me. The relationship and Ellie were practically nonexistent in the second half.
One of my biggest struggles was with Ellie as a character. I just wasn’t ever able to connect with her or find her likable. I thought she fun in the first half and enjoyed her dynamic with Murphy, but so much of her actions read as selfish to me. I did think the conflict resolution was decent but I’m not sure Ellie would’ve ever apologized on her own and I didn’t love that.
That said, I did love Murphy. Her story really reminded me of my early college days and I could relate to a lot of the things she was dealing with. I ended up really enjoying the diversion from a romance plot line to focus on Murphy’s feelings of being left behind and starting life differently than her friends. Even though it wasn’t what I expected, it ended up being my favorite aspect of the book.
I’ll Get Back to You felt like a realistic and cozy coming of age story with a sweet thread of romance throughout. I read this in a day and Murphy’s story had me hooked the entire time!

**Thank you to Penguin Books for this free digital review copy.**

This was a cute holiday romance (encompassing both Thanksgiving and Christmas!) about college students in small-town Illinois. It hit on a lot of nostalgia about being in school, facing change, and uncertainty about the future. It dealt with romantic relationships (obviously) but also friendship and relationships between parents and their grown children. I felt very middle-of-the-road about this story – nothing particularly stuck out to me in either a positive or negative way, so while I recommend it, it won't become a holiday classic for me.

As a recent post-grad, Becca Grischow really captures the essence of the ups and downs of college life. The drama that feels like the end of the world, hometown hijinks, and so much more. A cute, cozy, queer read that started my fall reads off in a fun way! I wouldn't say that the book was seriously moving, but I enjoyed the ride and would read more from Grischow.

An ode to growing up and changing life plans, “I’ll Get Back to You” is a heartwarming and engaging story about a 21-year-old girl who is trying to find her way in the world. As her grand college plans start to crumble before her (along with plenty of other mishaps), our main character finds a beautiful girl needing her help. Scheme or no scheme, will the two stay together?

This almost felt like two different books. The first half takes place in a span of around 24 hours. Murphy meets Ellie the day before Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving day with Ellie’s family takes up a good portion of the first half of the book. You see them getting to know each other then you see them fake dating and then you see it all crumble.

The next half is Murphy struggling with her personal life. She is at the stage in her life where she’s no longer a kid but doesn’t quite feel like an adult yet. I feel like we can all relate to those feelings to an extent at least if you’re older than 21. It’s an awkward time.

The thing I enjoyed the most out of this book was how realistic it was. That awkward in between time where you still feel like a kid but you’re now an adult is so hard. The way this book depicted this time in Murphy’s life when your friendships are changing and even the relationship with your parents change felt so natural and real.

I really liked it. If you’re looking for a cozy coming of age sapphic romance then I’d recommend this one.

And now I really want a chaicoffski. ☕️

This is new adult, so I’m probably the wrong audience and if I was more patient with Kat and Elly’s angsty and kind of childish behavior, I’d probably rate it higher. It’s very sweet, with fake dating that happens fast, some friendship issues (again young and angsty), and both Thanksgiving and Christmas, which I loved (though I would be on board for even more Xmas spirit).

This premise was cute and I love the cover. I think I’m just not able to get into the fake dating trope. If you enjoy it - this will be for you! If you have ever gone home for Thanksgiving and saw everyone from high school the opening scene will totally resonate with you!

This is a sapphic holiday story that mainly takes place during Thanksgiving Break and the weeks leading up to Christmas. Two former high school acquaintances run into each other the night before Thanksgiving and decide to fake date in order to achieve their separate goals. I think this book was more than a romance though. It felt like the main focus was actually on the friendship "love story". Trying to figure out the transition of high school/college life to adulthood and navigating the complications and changes in friendships when you no longer see each other everyday and how painful growing apart can be once you leave school. The actual romance portion of the book was a little too "insta love" for me, but the best friend story-line really made it special and pulled it along.

Thank you Net Galley and Penguin books for the opportunity to read this book in advance in exchange for my honest review

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Books for the advanced copy!

3.5 stars rounded up- I’ll Get Back To You is a cozy, sapphic, coming of age, holiday book with touches of romance. I think it did lean more coming of age which I personally enjoyed, but is notable for someone looking to pickup a more traditional romance. That being said, the book was still fluffy, with some ‘fade to black’ steam in there.

This is such a great fall/beginning of winter read with the Thanksgiving to Christmas timeline and small town feel.

I thought it was cute, a classic case of attraction/turned love at first site. The characters were fun, the friendship was fun, the setting was great. It wasn't my favorite, but defiantly worth the read.

”I’ll Get Back to You” is a love letter to Chicago & its suburbs. Murphy, named after Murphy’s Bleachers, drops the ball on her transfer from community college to UIUC where her bestie, Kat, is waiting. During Thanksgiving break she runs into Ellie, fresh off a break-up and whose Mom just happens to have flunked Murph. They craft an unbelievable fake-dating plot to win Murph a passing grade and Ellie support for grad school in NYC. The Chicago & sports references are as thick as deep dish pizza. The stronger plot is between Kat & Murphy, who navigate that tension of besties who are growing, but not apart. Thumbs down to Murph’s jerk parents. Overall, it’s cute & perfect for a cozy day on the couch with a warm beverage.

2.25 ⭐️

ARC kindly provided by publisher via NetGally in exchange for an honest review.

This was supposed to be a cute holiday rom-com with fake dating/friends to lovers vibes. unfortunately it just wasnt for me. the story itself felt a bit rushed, while certain parts of the story felt slow. the sparks weren’t sparking. the MC was just a bit too whiny for me. 🤷🏼‍♀️

I didn’t finish this book because it was giving serious biphobic energy. Can we please just acknowledge that BI PEOPLE EXIST and so do late in life lesbians and ditch this “gold star lesbian” attitude?
Sincerely,
A Bisexual reader

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! This was a cute holiday read. I loved the friendship between Murph and Kat and them working to maintain their friendship while going through life changes sending them in different directions. I enjoyed the romance between Murph and Ellie, but I wanted more from it. I wanted to see more moments between them and have their chemistry build more. However this is a fun read for the season!

This is so much fun! I love fake dating, I love holiday romance and I love the combo! The characters are cute and I love them both. I love the relationship. It’s absolutely a comfort reader for me!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I'll Get Back to You by Becca Grischow is a beautiful, fun, and heartfelt romance that hits all the right notes.
I just loved Murphy and Ellie!
I loved the writing. It was catchy, fast paced and full of wonderfully funny and touching scenes.

It's September and I can definitely feel myself falling into a holiday romance era with the ARCs I've gotten my hands on (and my own mild obsession with holiday romances anyway). At least this is less explicitly Christmas centered and just in the general holiday season that my brain mushes November and December into and the holiday isn't the main focus of everything.

I'd heard bits and pieces about this book from the author's TikTok over the several months (couple years? I don't even know anymore - what even is time?) and was SO excited to finally get to read it a few days early. I'm never sure if I'll actually finish the ARCs I get approved for a few days before publication before they're actually published, but this was so fun and easy to get invested in that it wasn't a problem at all - even during one of the busiest weeks I've had in awhile.

An easy 5/5 for me.