Oh boy I really struggled with this book. There were a lot of things that worked for me. There was a very memorable desk scene so if you're in the mood for workplace shenanigans this could be the book for you. I also loved what a solid communicator Ben was. In a genre rife with miscommunication and immaturity Ben's directness was a breath of fresh air. I love a love interest who doesn't want to play games. Because I loved Ben so much it was very frustrating to watch Juliana respond to Ben putting himself out there with immaturity and conflicting signals. It's not a good sign when the recurring thought is "this love interest deserves better than the main character". The third act conflict also drove me up a wall. I will say I loved that the book was about single parents and I really enjoyed the way the author leaned into telling a story of characters who are a little bit older, have more life experience, and don't have perfect bodies. This genre needs more of that and I'm thrilled to see more books being published with older characters. My difficulty with this book really comes down to my struggle with Juliana. I'm looking forward to reading this author's next book though because I enjoyed many other aspects of this book and I think I'll have a much better time with different characters.

This debut was INCREDIBLE! Amy Buchanan does an impeccable job of balancing a heartfelt love story and a deeper story of the main character discovering herself after returning to work as a single mom. I really enjoyed the realistic grief aspect of this book, and it was nicely sandwiched between lighter moments. Buchanan has cemented herself at the top of my must-watch authors list. I still can't believe this was a debut!

This debut novel by Amy Buchanan was a success! It was a great read and it pulled at the heart strings!

Juliana, after the death of her husband, is a single mom and now needs to rejoin the workforce. She gets hired into an office setting and has an adorable meet-cute with her coworker, Ben. Things quickly sour between the two and for the next few years they have a strong animosity towards each other.

Fast forward a few years and they are forced to spend time together for a project. Due to their forced proximity they start getting to know each other better and realize their worlds collide in more ways than one. Due to one bad encounter Juliana keeps this single minded opinion about Ben despite him showing in many ways how he's no the bad guy she has him in her head. She needed a villain to cope with her grief, and Ben was the perfect candidate.

What I loved:
- ALL THE BANTER
- Fantastic mental health representation (anxiety, grief, depression)
- Characters in their 30s

I Would Change:
- Have it be Dual POV - we NEEDED Ben's POV
- Some second hand characters had absolutely no depth to them

One thing I hated most about this book was the cover. I put off reading this book because I hate how the cover looks.

Thank you to NetGalley and the St Martin’s Press for the arc!

Let’s Call a Truce by Amy Buchanan is the enemies to lovers in a workplace setting romance that you need! These characters feel so REAL. I cried and laughed and loved alongside Juliana. I adored the banter, the children have my heart, Orlando as a setting is perfect, and the spicy scenes were immaculate and well-earned.

Quite simply, I loved it. An easy five stars!

Following her husband’s unexpected death, single mom Juliana Ryan returns to the workforce after years of staying home with their two kids in this workplace, enemies-to-lovers romance from Amy Buchanan. Although Juliana and coworker Ben Thomas have an adorable meet-cute, their feelings for each other quickly sour.

Fast forward two years, and Juliana and Ben are forced to spend time working together on a project. On top of that, their personal lives outside of work begin to intersect more and more. As it turns out, they have more in common than Juliana originally thought.

What I liked:
- The lip-print meet-cute
- The verbal sparring
- Main characters in their 30s
- Mental health rep (grief and anxiety)
- The supportive friendships
- The smoking hot chemistry between Juliana and Ben
- The exploration of love after loss
- Seeing Juliana’s confidence grow

The main things I didn’t love:
- I understand why this is written in single POV, but I wish we had gotten glimpses into Ben’s perspective.
- Due to emotions running high, Juliana makes a snap judgment about Ben based on one encounter and clings to that opinion despite evidence to the contrary for years. I didn’t love how she is so myopic when it comes to him.
- The tone of the book shifts about halfway through, so in some ways, it felt like I was reading two separate books.
- Some side characters come across as one-dimensional and are more plot devices than characters in their own right.

I received an advance copy of the book from St. Martin’s Press. All review opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this advanced reader copy. All thoughts are my own!

3.5 stars

I really wanted to like this one as it had some great ingredients for me as a romance reader, but unfortunately, this was not my cup of tea. But I truly think this is a personal preference and I feel like this book will get a lot of love from other readers.

What I loved about this book? I was a big fan of Juliana as a single mother. There was a bit of a surprise in regards to Ben's personal life and I did think that them navigating their experiences while growing closer together was a really interesting read. I don't want to spoil it at all but I did think that their positions in life made for a different kind of drama than I'm used to.

What didn't work was that I feel like this book was a bit misleading in its description as I was expecting a bit more of the office rivalry that this was marketed as. Sure, they are enemies but a lot of their back and forth banter happens in a two year gap that we don't see on the page. There's also quite a bit of miscommunication and back and forth on whether or not they want to pursue their romance, especially towards the end, and that felt a bit like whiplash that led to me feeling frustrated at times.

I do think this is a really strong debut from Amy writing wise, so I'm very excited to see how others feel about it and I do think this book will find a ton of fans. I'm wishing Amy tons of success when this releases next year!

This was a fun one! I loved the beginning. The enemies to lovers was perfect, and I could feel the tension between Juliana and Ben. The daughters were adorable and unpredictable in such a good way. The only thing keeping my review from 5 stars was the last 15% of the book. The chemistry I loved at the beginning of seemed to go away a little bit, and I wanted some of the later conflicts to be more flushed out. I actually feel like it could have been a little bit longer.

Overall, it was a really fun read and I would definitely pick up another book by Amy Buchanan.

Thanks NetGalley for the eARC and Goodreads for the physical ARC.

This book had such promise, but it featured the most frustrating protagonists.

Julianna and Ben had a falling out two years ago and even though both are adults and Julianna works in HR, they have become enemies - rivals - ever since. The way the speak to each other and the "pranks" they pull are frankly, a bit childish.

The push and pull was cute at the beginning, but quickly become frustrating. It was three steps backs for each half a step forward.

Overall, Let's Call a Truce was a sweet romance read, but not entirely my cup of tea.

I loved everything about this book! The banter between Juliana and Ben is so cleverly written. Slow burn is probably one of my favourite tropes, and the back and forth between these two did not disappoint! It was the ending I was hoping for, but not without bumps along the way......and a few tears gathering in my eyes.

(I received a complimentary ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you St Martin's Press, Netgalley and Amy Buchanan)

Thank you Amy Buchanan and NetGalley for this eARC.

#workplaceromance
#singleparent
#enemiestolovers

When Juliana's husband dies in a tragic accident, she is forced to go back to work after being a stay-at-home mom. On day one she (literally) runs into Ben and thinks they fit it off. That is until she hears him gossiping about her and knows this changes everything.

Loved the banter and the enemies-to-lovers aspect. I do with more of that banter was kept after a relationship begins to bloom.

Possible spoiler: I loved this book until the third-act breakup. I have nothing against the third-act breakup, but was not a fan of Ben's choices during that point of the story. This led to a lower rating than I anticipated giving this book but this is my opinion only.

2.5 stars

Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this book as much I thought I would. The premise is interesting and I really enjoyed the beginning of the story. The banter between the characters was really good and entertaining which the author did well. However, I didn't really feel connected to the story and the characters. I was a bored throughout the story especially after the 40% mark. I also found the fmc quite annoying. I understand where she is coming from and her reluctance to be in a relationship with Ben but at the same time, I just wanted to jump into the book and shake her lmao.
I did enjoy the importance of diversity in the workplace that was emphasize throughout the story!

Thank you to the publisher for an early copy in exchange of an honest review!

Let's Call a Truce is a classic enemies-to-lovers story, which I LOVE! What could make it even better? It's set in their workplace. *Insert heart eyes emoji here* This was a sweet and sexy read and I've already recommended it to several friends at work!

Okay. I loved this. I loved it so much.

This is a very niche reason, but as someone in talent Acquisition as a profession, I loved this detail to the story and thought it was really well done!

I wasn't sure how we were going to do second chance at love, but I absolutely loved it. The guilt our FMC had to work through and overcome felt so real and raw. My heart ached in this book more than I think I've ever felt it ache before. Also....that mom guilt is REAL and whew it was felt.

I loved our MMC. This was definitely one of those "this is a perfect man" scenario. He was extremely understanding, extremely confident, and of course perfectly swoony. This isn't sarcasm. He was everything our FMC needed because she felt a lot and she was scared and she needed someone solid.

I will say this. That third act breakup....maybe actually broke my heart. I think I had tears lining my eyes through the whole part of their breakup.

I think one of my favorite parts about this book was how real it felt. From the grief, the fear, the lust, the love, and everything in between....all of it.

This is one of those books that will make you feel everything, and then you'll feel lighter for it in the end.

Overall: highly recommend!

This was a pretty solid 4 star read for me until the final 20ish perfect of the book. Up until then the only thing I wished was that we saw more of them openly dating and being happy. I felt like it went straight from them sneaking around into the conflict. Juliana and Ben had great tension and banter, and I enjoyed how their families came together. Workplace rivals to lovers is always so fun. The conflict soured me though, I hate OW drama and I just did not understand the choices Ben made. I wanted to punch him. This is still a solid debut and I look forward to more from this author.

Oh man, got to love a single mom trying again! I loved the enemies to lover aspect and the build up of the relationship. This was a good one!

Let's Call a Truce is my first book by Amy Buchanan and I LOVED it! Juliana and Ben are co-workers and feud back and forth for two years, until they FINALLY call a truce and become friends, and later become a family. I really enjoyed the witty banter between the characters as their relationship progresses, which had me laughing several times. The story seemed realistic on how two families, with a past and baggage, come together, with some bumps in the road, and make things work.
If you enjoy enemies to lovers, steamy office romance, and second chances at love, then I highly recommend this book!
Thank you Macmillan Audio, NetGalley, and Amy Buchanan for my advanced copy of this book!

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book!

Workplace romance? Check.
Great Banter? Check.
Romance? Check.

I did not love the miscommunication throughout the book but it did not deter me away!

In Let's Call a Truce, the premise of Juliana 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, it fell short for me, mainly because of the characters and the pacing.

Juliana's journey through grief and her unwavering determination to rebuild her life are deeply relatable. However, her character development felt hindered by the prolonged rivalry with Ben. The two-year feud, instead of adding tension, made their dynamic feel repetitive and at times, even petty. The sudden shift to a truce made it challenging to believe in their transition from enemies to lovers. Ben's 'charming determination' also fell short for me, often coming across as more arrogant than appealing. His comments about Juliana's children and her experience were difficult to overlook, even as the romance unfolded.

While the story aimed to balance personal growth and romance, it struggled to maintain a consistent pace. There were moments that hinted at depth, particularly Juliana's struggles as a working mom, that I wish had been explored more fully. Instead, much of the story focused on their verbal sparring, leaving little room for authentic connection and missing the opportunity to delve deeper into the characters' inner worlds.

Overall, Let's Call a Truce had moments of promise, but it failed to deliver the emotional depth and chemistry I was hoping for. The story, while engaging, missed the mark in fully capturing the complexities of the characters' relationships and their personal growth.

This story pulled at my heart strings!! Juliana is a widowed single mother who is getting back into working after being a stay-at-home mom. Her new colleague, Ben, is caught talking about her and having to reschedule a meeting due to her kids. Juliana is determined to prove him wrong and the feud lasts for two years. They are forced to work on a project together and have to call a truce and start to realize that the other is not that bad.

This was such a heartwarming story between two people who deserve love and to be happy. At times, the feud felt silly, but it did create good tension between the two main characters. Their daughters were adorable and I knew exactly where this story was headed once two of their daughters became best friends. Ben's ex wife coming back into the picture was a good distraction and it made Juliana realize her worth and that she wasn't going to be second choice.

Let's Call A Truce is a sweet, steamy and delightful workplace, enemies to lovers, double single parent romance. Already there Amy had me in her grasp. I liked that it was a great mix of fun and emotional moments. The author did a good job with the harder themes. I loved the pacing, there was never a dull moment. It was truly a fun read and a great debut.

I enjoyed the characters even though sometimes I wanted to shake some sense into Juliana. Both had their flaws and went through some traumatic events which made them grow together. The kiddos were absolutely adorable. The book started off strong with great banter, amazing sexual tension, a great storyline and some fantastic characters. However, I had a little issue with the third part where it did become a little too dramatic for me. I felt it was a little unnecessary and for me I would have preferred a deeper dive into their relationship together as a real couple. I wanted more Juliana & Ben in love and not fighting.

A great debut that had me absolutely hooked. Very fun and super fast read that is hard to put down. I truly can't wait to see what Buchanan comes up with next.

✨️Thank you to @smpromance & @amybuchanan for my gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.