What a read! Still processing the personal feelings this brought up for me, but I devoured this! The back and forth banter was so good and I loved how the book started and then jumped forward two years to give time for healing after the loss of a spouse. Their relationship journey was fun to follow. The involvement of their children was very well done as well. The spicy scenes were oh my goodness....so hot

FULL REVIEW
This book was just beyond good, and it’s a debut, and I have no many things I want to say about it! This book perfectly balances swoon-worthy enemies-to-lovers banter with deeply emotional moments. Juliana’s resilience as a single mom rebuilding her life and guiding her two daughter through the grief of losing their father was inspiring. My personal single mom journey is more in line with what Ben goes through as a single parent, and it brought up a lot of feelings for me personally as I read. The way Juliana stands up for and protects his daughter just like she would her own had me wanting to yell, sing it sister! Seeing both Juliana and Ben navigate their shared struggles, while finding healing and love together made their journey feel real and unforgettable. Amy Buchanan was able to perfectly blend humor, heart, heat (that office scene 🫠) and healing into this beautiful story and it’s her DEBUT! I will be getting a trophy copy and I will be anxiously waiting for whatever she writes next!

Charlotte North narrates this beautifully. It is single first person POV, with some great inner dialogue and I was totally pulled in by her performance!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

Juliana's husband died and now she is heading back into the workforce to raise her two young daughters. Day one she crosses paths with Ben and while there is a connection and interest initially, things take a turn when she overhears him bad talking about her when she needs to leave early from work for a child emergency. Two years later and there is still animosity and a daily feud between the colleagues.

This is an enemies to more, single parents, workplace romance. Parts of the story I adored! I appreciated that Juliana truly loved her husband, and Jason remained a "good guy." Her grieving felt genuine. Her relationships beyond the romance were well done with her children, mother, bosses, and friends. I especially enjoyed the character of Asia who was best friends with both Juliana and Ben. She rocked being a true friend, never taking sides and being there for both of them. The kids in the story added a fun and authentic layer to the story.

Juliana and Ben definitely had chemistry even through their bickering and "hating" each other phase. I did not need so much of the lust filled dialogue and so many open-door scenes. I found the intimacy of their shared emotions to be more impactful to their relationship. And the last third of the book I despised! After everything finally was working out between our couple, we get the ex-wife who abandoned her husband and daughter to suddenly appear! Sigh. I understand Ben was taking his daughter's emotions into consideration, but letting the toxic woman stay in his home and everything else that transpired...yuck. That woman was truly vile, and Ben didn't handle the situation the right way which didn't seem like how his character would have acted.

Anyway, we finally come full circle, and everything turns out how it should, but getting there was kind of painful.

3.5 stars

This was a really good debut novel! I am a sucker for workplace romance and good banter!! Really enjoyed it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

"Let's Call a Truce" by Amy Buchanan was a different take on a typical, trope-y enemies-to-lovers, workplace romance. Although both of those tropes exist in this book, it focuses heavily on the emotional life of the main character, Juliana, who is navigating being a single parent after the sudden death of her husband. The grief aspects of this book were so well done and seemed to come from a place of deep empathy and realism. Some of the romantic conflicts and angst that occur in the plot were a bit too back-and-forth for my taste, but I can understand why the relationship between our two main characters wasn't linear. 3.5/5 stars

Thank you to Amy Buchanan, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for an ARC of Let's Call a Truce. All opinions are my own.

This review and rating was hard. I thought overall the story and themes were really cute and it's a promising start from a debut author. However, I really was bothered by Ben's initial comments at the beginning of the book that started the animosity between him and Juliana, and how quickly all of Juliana's friends expected her to brush it off.

As a recent widow, she heard a coworker say some pretty heartless, cruel, and, frankly, misogynistic things about her as a woman and mother, and, in my opinion, was justified in her hatred of Ben. The fact that all of her friends expected her to basically ignore it and chalk it up to him having a "bad moment" was shocking to me. Everyone expected Juliana to essentially get over it without calling for Ben to express genuine remorse. It took most of the book to get an apology from him about his actions and words, and an explanation, and even the explanation didn't logically explain why he would even say those things in the first place as a fellow single parent.

There was also very little explanation to me as to why the relationship suddenly went from animosity to affection. It seems like a switch was flipped one day for Ben and he was suddenly asking Juliana for a chance. Why? Where did that come from???? I also think the back and forth of "will they/won't they" was dragged out a lot. Once is fine, more than that is repetitive and boring.

Overall, this book was fine. It's an admirable start as a debut, but not my favorite book.

(Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC; all opinions provided my own.)

Let's Call a Truce by Amy Buchanan clearly has a lot of heart, particularly when it comes to the grieving FMC, who is processing the loss of her beloved husband and navigating returning to the workforce as a single mom. I related to part of her story as a mom who often feels like she isn't quite measuring up but really wants to.

But my annoyance over a plot element, added to my lack of 100% engagement in the story, made me begin to skim this one at around the half-way point.

Overall, I enjoyed Buchanan's writing style, which I think a lot of readers will connect to, but I didn't love the directions the plot went in.

This book started out feeling very “The Hating Game” to me, but it kept so similar to that story line in the beginning that it was hard for me to read it for its own merits and not compare it to one of the best contemporary enemies to lovers books. Ultimately, I think this book wasn’t a great fit for me as I had trouble connecting with the characters.

Debut author brings us a funny, heart warming, gut wrenching story in Let’s Call A Truce. Juliana Ryan’s husband Jason dies leaving her with her two daughters, Clara and Sophie. She’s forced to go back into the work force to make ends meet. She hears one of her co-workers, Ben, make condescending remarks about her inexperience and how her kids are going to be in the way of her ability to work. This leads to a two year feud. When they are forced to work together on a project, and as their lives being intertwined inside and outside the office, they call a truce. And just as Juliana is opening her heart up to Ben, someone from Ben’s past waltzes back into his life, threatening to break her heart yet again.

The description of this book doesn’t do it justice. This book will make you laugh and it will make you cry. Some of the things that Ben says will make your heart skip a beat. You’ll get frustrated that things aren’t working out the way that you want them to and at the person that shows back up in Ben’s life. Basically, it gives you all the feelings you can think of!

I really enjoyed how Buchanan wrote Juliana’s character. She’s so strong and witty, yet vulnerable. The banter between her and Ben when they are feuding is written so well. This isn’t always the case, but Buchanan really has perfected it! I loved the relationship between Juliana and her girls, as well as the relationships between the girls and the other adults in their lives. They really were surrounded by love, showing that they had such a strong village.

I will say that towards the middle, the back and forth of the should I, shouldn’t I with Ben did get to me a bit and I could have used a little less of it, BUT overall, I think the romance in this book was spot on. I felt the chemistry between Juliana and Ben, and that’s all I ever want when I read a romance book. Through all the heartbreak, there is sunshine, and in the end, this book felt like there is hope and a warm hug.

My last read of 2024 was an ARC that releases on January 14th, and it was fantastic!! It started a bit slow for me, but about 30 percent in, I got hooked! By the time I got to about 60 percent in, I was anxiously awaiting the expected 3rd act breakup, and it came with a vengeance. I don’t think I’ve ever loved and hated a MMC more than Ben. This story had me on the edge of my seat once I was hooked, and I couldn’t put it down!!

Honestly, I'm so uninterested in this couple. The story is thin. It started out much like The Hating Game (she even keeps a log of their interactions) but nowhere near as flirty or fun. The FMC is wishy washy and the MMC isn't holding my attention. They're just not developed characters in my opinion. There's a whole spicy scene that seems cut out of a completely different book. It just doesn't fit with the characters. It's just not as good as I had hoped.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the author for this eARC. I am leaving my review voluntarily and honestly.

After the tragic loss of her husband, Juliana Ryan finds herself going back to work to support her young girls on just one income. She is able to find a perfect and flexible job and jumps right into her role — with just one burr in her side named Ben Thomas. He’s gorgeous but after a few harsh overheard words, he is officially in the enemy column. Jump ahead two years. Juliana and Ben have important promotions and a project that requires them to work together. Will they be able to call a truce and successfully get the job done?

This was a super sweet, lighthearted read that still dug into some deep issues of emotional strength and self esteem. It also dove into loss and what family is and means. The enemies to lovers trope was well written and fresh and kept me turning pages. At times I got frustrated with our protagonists and their decision making but overall I really, really enjoyed this novel. I pretty much binge read it in one night! 4 stars.

Review based on a digital Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by St. Martins Press - St. Martins Griffin and NetGalley. Thank you!

I listened to Let’s Call a Truce on my morning commutes to work this week, and every day I got a little bummed when I had to turn it off and start interacting with other humans. Thanks to Macmillan Audio, St Martin’s Griffin, and NetGalley for early access in exchange for my honest opinion.
Fair warning, I shed some tears reading/listening to this one, so I wouldn’t plan to go in expecting a completely light read. Juliana’s husband recently passed away in a sudden accident, and she is left with their two young girls, needing to reenter the workforce after being a stay-at-home-mom. She is anxious, having a rough first day, when she meets her gorgeous coworker - who she then overhears bad mouthing her and her commitment to the job, wrecking her confidence and defining their roles as rivals. After two years working together, things have not improved, but the two are forced to collaborate on an account that includes traveling to Boston together. Her rival is originally from Boston, and I loved how he helped her explore the city.
If you’re a fan of workplace rivals-to-lovers, I definitely recommend Let’s Call a Truce! It comes out Tuesday 1/14.

Thank you so much to the publisher for the opportunity to read this title early. I've seen so many wonderful things about this book and cannot wait to dive in. Review to come!

𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬 & 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐤 𝐬𝐞𝐱𝐲 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞...𝐨𝐡 𝐦𝐲 🥵

Thank you, @smpromance and @amybuchananbooks, for our copy of "Let's Call a Truce" for a special traveling arc. Extra hugs and appreciation for @bookswithnopictures and @just_talking_to_my_shelf for everything they do!

PUB DAY: January 14, 2025

Workplace romance has a special place in my heart & this rivals to lovers moment is one you're gonna want in your life. I am talking hilarious office pranks. Banter that will have you wheezing. But most importantly, desk-clearing kisses.

Our female protagonist, Juliana, will always have a special place in my literary heart. There's just something about a single mother who is a full bad a**! This woman is a FORCE! She's everything I want to be when I grow up.

Pre-order this one now if you love everything that you're reading. You know I wouldn't steer you wrong when it comes to romance, right!?

🩷 Single Mom/The Most BA FMC
🩷 Hilarious Banter
🩷 Rivals to Lovers
🩷 Workplace Romance
🩷 Anxiety Rep
🩷 Debut
🩷 Slow Burn (SO WORTH THE WAIT)

[MINOR SPOIL] But the scene where Juliana drops the apology coffee into the trash is I C O N I C *slow snaps for the moment*

Thanks to the publisher, the author and NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had such high hopes for this novel when I read the blurb - workplace romance (check), enemies-to-lovers (check), characters with more substantial and realistic baggage - according to the blurb - (check). However, while a valiant attempt by the author, everything felt far too surface level and trope-y (yes, I'm aware this is meant to be a romance novel, but still!) to really land for me. The premise of navigating single parenthood while wrestling with a challenging colleague had so much potential. I hoped for a story that could deftly handle the blend of romance and the complexities of grief and resilience. However, the characters and the sometimes juvenile and cliched subplots made it fall short of its potential.

I frankly didn't understand the two-year feud when both characters were meant to be working corporate professionals, in their 30s and rarely had to to truly work with other for the FMC's "hate" to truly be justified. This made the FMC seem very immature and I pretty much did not like her from the get-go. I liked the MMC a bit more but he faltered when the third act conflict was introduced.

I wish that rather than meandering into the cliched subplots, there was more of a focus on the FMC's struggles as a single-parent in the workplace (which is frankly side-lined by a later reveal) and her grief. Instead, much of the story focused on their verbal sparring and cliched scenarios, leaving little room for a true exploration of deeper issues and missing the opportunity to delve deeper into the characters' inner worlds.

I loved this one and didn't want to put it down! I think the grief element was so well done, and the friendships were life-giving. Juliana and Ben's relationship was very much giving The Hating Game, which I'm here for. I didn't love the third act breakup. I really liked Ben throughout the book, but the way he handled the situation at the end made me dislike him a little bit, especially after Juliana was working through everything and he asked her to take a chance for him. I think he needed to work a little harder for the reconciliation. Overall, this was such a great debut, and I can't wait to read whatever Amy Buchanan writes next!

Let's Call a Truce is a workplace romance with really good banter and slow burn, tension. Debut Novel by Amy Buchanan - release date: 01/14/2025

We have two colleagues who don't get off on the right foot. Juliana, a grieving widow thrust back into the work force and Ben, her extremely handsome colleague who she overhears complaining about her. Fast forward two years and they are tasked to work together on a project. Can they handle a truce?

I enjoyed that these characters were older and I feel like the first half of the book flew by with their witty banter and tension. I think the grief of the loss of a husband and father was overall handled well and felt realistic.

My only critique was I struggled with the 3rd act scenario. I was super frustrated and then I calmed down a bit and then I'd turn the page and feel angry again. Then the ending wrapped it up a bit toooo sweetly... but I felt like the first 2/3rds of the book went so well that I was forgiving (this appears to be a debut novel!)

Tropes:
- Widow (older FMC)
- Single parent(s)
- Office Romance
- Rivals to lovers
- Witty Banter
- Good tension

I honestly loved this one! I’m usually a sucker for a good office romance, enemies to lovers, and this one knocked it out of the park. The tension and banter between Julianna and Ben was off the charts. I loved seeing them slowly give into their desires. The fact that they both had complicated pasts and were single parents only made it that much better. The progression of their relationship was realistic yet steamy, and captured the messiness of things when kids are involved. Highly recommend!

This book is a great example on how you can’t judge a book by its cover, or title in my case. Prior to actually reading this book I saw the title and wasn’t sure I was interested in reading this book. But thanks to Netgalley I received an ARC of this book and had the opportunity to read this touching, wonderfully written enemies to lovers romance. Julianna is a woman who is trying to balance out raising her two daughters, working a job, and dealing with the tragic loss of her husband. Ben is her nemesis at work that she loves to fight with. Having to work together forces them to call a truce and get to know each other.

This book truly surprised me with how incredibly touching it was with how it dealt with so many difficult topics such as death of a parent and spouse, abandonment of a parent, and so many more. I found myself both laughing and crying at points in this story and loved the relationship between Julianna and Ben.

I am so thankful for Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

(4.5 stars) Thank you, @macmillan.audio and @smpromance for the #gifted advanced listening and reading copies of this truly wonderful enemies-to-lovers audiobook! #macaudio2024

After the death of her husband, Juliana Ryan never imagined she’d return to work under such challenging circumstances. On her first day back, she literally runs into the annoyingly handsome Ben Thomas—and later overhears his dismissive comments about her need to balance work and single parenting. From that moment, Juliana’s disdain for Ben is cemented. Fast forward two years, and their workplace rivalry has reached new heights. Then they discover that they are both up for executive roles with the company and must join forces to launch an important new initiative. Outside the office, their lives become unexpectedly intertwined, pushing them to confront their pasts. Together, they navigate vulnerability, trust, and the challenge of balancing their ambitions with their personal struggles. Along the way, they discover that their rivalry might just be the foundation for something much deeper.

This book surprised me with its depth and complexity. Juliana and Ben’s journey from antagonists to partners is filled with raw emotion, sharp banter, and moments of incredible vulnerability. Their relationship is richly layered, and I was captivated as they lifted each other up, let each other down, and ultimately found a way to move forward.

The workplace setting adds another dimension, with thoughtful secondary storylines about ethics and diversity that make the office more than just a backdrop. It’s a well-rounded, relatable story that balances professional challenges with personal growth.

Charlotte North’s solo narration is outstanding, giving every character a unique and authentic voice. Her performance kept me immersed in the story, and she captures the emotional nuances beautifully. (10h, 3m)