MEET ME IN A MILE – Elizabeth Hrib
Harlequin Afterglow
ISBN: 978-1-335-57482-4
September 24, 2024
Contemporary Romance

New York City – Present Day

Lydia McKenzie wants to impress both her employer and fellow employee Jack by entering the New York City Marathon. Never mind that she’s a couch potato. To get ready for the marathon, she plans to train for the event that is months away. Lydia decides to hire a personal trainer and is introduced to Luke Townsend. It turns out that he’s the perfect trainer for her as he’s smart, funny, and helps get her motivated. It also helps that he’s attractive. Not that Lydia plans to get involved with Luke because she is attracted to Jack. However, the more time they spend together, the easier their relationship becomes. It also leads to a realization that they’re attracted to each other. After a sizzling night together, she informs Luke that they need to stick to running. Too bad her hormones have other ideas.

Lydia thought she knew what she wanted in MEET ME IN A MILE, but meeting Luke provides a detour to her landing Jack. She is an architect at a company that wants to impress a client, so she agrees to run the marathon, even though she is not a runner. She also is working on a design project that could help her win a promotion at her company. Luke and Lydia get along well, as they have several things in common and can banter back and forth easily with each other. It’s no wonder they became attracted, and it turned into a night of passion. Except, Lydia’s sights are set on Jack and the marathon, so getting involved with Luke is not a good idea. Of course, he is a little sad they aren’t having more nookie but understands that they need to keep focused on her running.

The interactions between Lydia and Luke in MEET ME IN A MILE show some hot chemistry. While she continues to be distracted by Jack, it’s Luke she is soon thinking about a lot. Meanwhile, Luke is hoping to open his own gym but is having a tough time getting the necessary loan. Lydia helps him out and is supportive. He keeps pushing her to run and run, as the marathon grows closer. Her design proposal at work is rejected, and she feels like she will never get ahead at work. Will something happen to make it all come out well for her? Will Luke get the loan?

MEET ME IN A MILE is a fun tale that will keep you engrossed. It is told from both Luke's and Lydia’s point of view, so we know what they’re thinking. They have similar goals, and they work well together. Will Lydia’s infatuation with Jack keep them apart, or will she realize that Luke might be her Mr. Perfect? Things are bumpy for our couple along the way, but readers are in for a treat. Don’t miss MEET ME IN A MILE.

Patti Fischer
Romance Reviews Today

This was such a fun story! I felt like the pacing was perfect and I really got to feel the character arcs of Lydia and Luke. The chemistry between these two was extremely believable, and I kept guessing in my head to see where the plot twists would come in! Excellently written, and I loved the ending as well.

4.5 stars

I hate running but maybe I love a running romance? Because this was super cute. I usually hate any sort of love triangle trope but this one wasn't too bad in that aspect, the 3rd point of the triangle was mostly unimportant in the overall romance plot with only small exceptions. I actually really enjoyed how much the running was a part of the story because as a child of a marathoner, it takes up so much time and energy it only makes sense to have them fall in love during training. I had a good time!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

When Lydia McKenzie volunteers to run the New York Marathon to impress her workplace crush, she knows she'll have to bring in professional help because she is definitely NOT a runner. Enter personal trainer Luke Townsend. Luke is at a crossroads in his life: he's trying to get a loan from the bank to start his own business - a gym that also gives free youth classes to supplement the work he does at the local youth center. The youth center is running a competition for local architecture firms to renovate the center.

Lydia and Luke start becoming friends, bonding over her designs for the youth center and Lydia's marathon training. Eventually they fall into bed, claiming it's a one-time thing and that they'll keep things professional, but it happens again. Lydia is confused and Luke doesn't want to mess up her marathon training. Eventually things come to a head and Luke confesses his feelings, leaving Lydia even more confused. Does she want the man she's been crushing on for years and someone she feels she's "supposed to" want, or does she want Luke?

Luke and Lydia had fun chemistry and banter, and the premise of the story was great. Luke is so encouraging and uplifting, but Lydia was SO oblivious to her feelings. I saw the work issue coming from a mile off, but the villain wasn't quite as evil as I was anticipating. Meet Me in a Mile is an open-door romance, but not particularly graphic.

This book was HEAVY on the running, and some of the other plot points and potential for character growth got pushed aside for that. I would have loved to see Luke interacting with his family or more youth center interactions. The book is from both Lydia and Luke's perspective, but Luke's growth and development wasn't focused on as much.

I never thought I would like a running book as much as I did with this story. It also made me want to run but only if I had a trainer like Luke! Luke and Lydia were great! I loved both of them! Lydia was hilarious and also a strong female character. She knew what she wanted and she reached for that. Even if it sometimes lead her down the wrong path. Doing something crazy to impress someone she signed up for a full marathon! This where Luke steps in! Mike after mile they slowly get to know each other. On a training level and personal level. What happens when those lines blur and feelings take place? Read to find out. This one was great! First time reading this author and definitely won’t be my last.

I think this was overall an enjoyable book. I don't normally read a love triangle but I was interested in the premise.

There were many facets of Lydia that could be likeable, but she read way younger than an adult pushing 30 in her behaviors and outlook on what her life should be.

I liked Luke a lot, his background made him seem relatable and he was extremely dependable which was endearing.

Nothing about Jack made sense about him as an object of affection which probably contributed to my thoughts on Lydia.

Despite the shortcomings in that character, I really liked the plot and its development and execution.

I want to thank harlequin romance and netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this arc.

This was such a cute, quick read. Luke and Lydia were great. They had great chemistry, and the end was just <3.

As an architect struggling to climb the corporate ladder, Lydia ends up volunteering to run a marathon for a charity with her office crush. But the only running she ever does is to the hand-off counter to pick up her iced coffee with extra cold foam. So she decides she needs to hire a trainer.

Luke is a personal trainer who has a dream of opening his own gym, but real estate in New York is expensive. So he continues to take on training gigs, and he starts training Lydia in preparation for her marathon.

This book was so cute. It was a book that was comfortable in its own skin and didn't try to be anything that it's not. Idk if that makes any sense, but that is my big thought coming away from reading lol. It's got friends with benefits (kind of), friends to lovers, and you should read it when it comes out on September 24th!

This is a dual POV friends-to-lovers romance featuring Lydia, who signs up for the NYC marathon to win over her office crush and impress her boss. She hires Luke, a dedicated youth center worker, as her marathon coach after a chance encounter, but soon finds herself developing unexpected feelings for him. Their relationship grows naturally through marathon training and shared career ambitions, strengthened by their chemistry and banter.

The story is enriched with themes like architecture, sustainability, and personal growth, adding depth beyond the central romance. While the love triangle subplot and the development of side characters (Eric, Kirsten, Jack) may feel predictable or underdeveloped, Lydia's evolving connection with Luke is compelling. The subplot with Jack, though somewhat drawn out, encourages Lydia's self-reflection. Overall, it's a light, witty, and engaging read that balances humor with the complexities of personal and romantic growth.

In an effort to both impress her boss and get close to her office crush, Lydia volunteers to run the NYC marathon for charity and hires Luke to help her get ready. The two immediately hit it off and become friends, sharing about their days and their hopes. As their friendship deepens, Lydia feels herself drawn to Luke, forgetting about her crush.

Read if you like:
-Friends to Lovers
-Sports Romance
-Just Once to Get it Out of Our Systems
-Banter

Meet Me in a Mile was so cute! The banter and chemistry between Luke and Lydia kept me turning pages at a rapid rate. And as a runner, I can tell you that the workout scenes were spot on. I really related to Lydia, because who hasn't agreed to something big to impress someone at some point in their life? And I really admire her for finding her voice.

As someone who runs inconsistently at best, this book made me want to commit and start training for a marathon. I loved the trainer/ trainer relationship and the way that he saw her potential before she did. I appreciated the banter and the connection both characters had and was rooting for Luke all along. Jack was cringy from the beginning and I wanted more closure there, but was happy with the ending regardless. I dislike when characters have feel inconsistent, but overall it was light and fun, full of office politics, but still a good read.

I received an advance review copy for free from the publisher via Netgalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

3.5 stars - A delightfully breezy, low stakes romance! Lydia McKenzie has done the unimaginable - well, for her - and signed up to participate on her architecture firm's team for the New York City Marathon. Now she's got five months to become the kind of woman who runs 26.2 miles for fun to avoid embarrassing herself in front of her boss. Enter Luke Townsend, personal trainer and the man Lydia almost doused in coffee the day prior. Between nachos, youth center visits, and a whole lot of running, Lydia and Luke find themselves spending quite a bit of time together, and so what if there's chemistry there, they can be professionals.

Quick and relatively straightforward, Meet Me in a Mile is a sweet romance with a spicy flair. I enjoyed watching Lydia's confidence grow and seeing her remind herself why she loves the work she does, and Luke is an absolute sweetheart with so much passion for helping others, it just made me smile. They, along with the small but charming cast of supporting characters, made for wonderfully fun read!

Thank you to Afterglow Books, Harlequin, and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

A solid romance! Mildly spicy

I liked how the career goals of both characters was a focus point. As far as personal growth, that part was kinda lacking, which made the characters somewhat hard to connect with.

A quick, fun read

I thought this was a very cute romcom and I enjoyed reading it. I appreciated that both Lydia and Luke were fleshed out characters with their own goals in this book. Their relationship never felt one sided which was nice. This book had an added bonus of making me want to get back into running! This was a quick light read and I would definitely recommend it to others.

I was so excited to be approved for an ARC of this book! I thought the premise was really cute, and as someone who is obsessed with marathon training TikToks (lol my algorithm is diverse) I was excited to see how the FMC progressed in her running and her romantic life, With that being said, I did not find myself obsessed with the FMC, unfortunately! I think she made a lot of weird excuses for her co-worker and really took a minute to realize that the MMC was a catch? I found I was not really rooting for her as much as I would have liked! Overall, the book was a quick, easy, light read, that was exactly what I was looking for when I downloaded the book.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for allowing me to have an ARC!

Should we go download Couch to 5k and start an audiobook now? :)

Love may be a marathon, but Lydia never expected to literally have to run for it!

Lydia finds herself in a Crazy situation. She is not a runner, but she signs up for the New York City Marathon as part of her architectural firm’s outreach program. Her motivation? To catch the eye of her office crush.

Lydia has to get help from personal trainer Luke Townsend!

This book was absolutely adorable! From start to finish, it was an easy and enjoyable read.

The meet-cute between Lydia and Luke had me laughing out loud, truly!

Lydia’s determination to complete the marathon was so impressive, especially given her initial inexperience with running.

If you love workplace drama, fitness themes, and friends to lovers you will love this book!

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was just okay for me! While it was cute, it was hard to get into. I didn’t seem to click with either of the characters.

Their meet cute was adorable! And there was good banter.

I enjoyed this book much more than I thought. I am not a huge fan of fluffy rom-coms without some emotional grit to them, and I wasn't sure if this book would give me that emotional grit-- But it did. I was drawn to this books because I love to see goal driven FMC and the premise sounded cute. I really enjoyed the characters and felt like their chemistry was great and believable. The real growth experienced added to the believability of the story itself. It was just so much more than a cute rom-com and I feel like it has a lot of themes that are universally palatable and a lot of people can and will enjoy this book.

I absolutely loved this book. As a runner the author was informed about running technique, training and races. The characters had great character development. The characters were lovable and not annoying. You follow a woman’s journey to running a marathon for her company, her crush on a co-worker and eventually where she ends up for her future. Alongside her you’re following her trainer, his dreams, his crush and his struggles. I loved the banter, the realness and the spice level which wasn’t gross or overly done. Cute romcom best I’ve read this year.

Meet Me in a Mile is a dual POV friends-to-lovers romance. Determined to impress her boss and catch the eye of her office crush, Lydia signs up for the NYC marathon. After literally running into Luke at the gym, she hires him to be her marathon coach. When her office crush seems to be noticing her it feels like everything is going according to plan, but she wasn’t counting on feelings for Luke developing and derailing her course!

I really enjoyed this one! As an ex-runner, I felt Lydia’s pain as she committed to an intense training plan! As a fan of friends-to-lovers, I really enjoyed the developing relationship between Lydia and Luke- their banter and playfulness as well as their support of each other’s dreams!


Read dates: 08/14/2024 - 08/16/2024
Goodreads review: 08/16/2024
Instagram review: 08/16/2024
Blog review: 09/24/2024

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for a review.

This book was delightful. It was a fun read with some great characters and development. As a person who HATES running that part was definitely my least favorite, but Lydia and Luke definitely make up for that with their relationship and dynamics.

Lydia McKenzie is not a runner. Not even close. But in her quest to be taken seriously at work—and catch the eye of her office crush—she signs up for the New York City Marathon as part of her architectural firm’s outreach program. Now she just needs to avoid making a fool of herself. Thankfully, she knows how to outsource.
Personal trainer Luke Townsend is definitely a runner, and he’s exactly what Lydia needs to get in shape: experienced, motivational, funny, kind, well muscled… And when he and Lydia bond over her redesign of the Manhattan Youth Center, a place near and dear to Luke’s heart, their training time intensifies from hitting the pavement to hitting the sheets. Still counts as a workout, right?
Suddenly, everything Lydia thought she wanted feels less clear, but she’s determined not to let a little unplanned indiscretion derail her goals. There’s no reason she and Luke can’t keep training as if they don’t share mind-blowing chemistry. They’re professionals. But when her project proposal suddenly hangs in the balance, and her office crush offers some awfully tempting one-on-one help, she’ll have to decide which direction her heart wants to run.