I thought that this was so adorable. I could not put it down - I was sucked into the characters' lives. My only complaint, some of it dragged on a little bit and I wish we had a little more background information on all the characters... just a little more depth. All that being said, this was real, this was adorable, the chemistry was there, the drama was there, the mountain to climb was there. Just an overall enjoyable book. A later in life romance - Sasha and Ethan are juggling divorces, children and careers. Yet, when work brings them together on a pretty deserted tropical island, they can't ignore the sparks that are flying. However, when they return to real life, the drama and bumps in the road get in the way. Learning how to let go of the past, prioritize today and take care of yourself as a parent, is not for the faint of heart. Will they be able to make it work? A truly enjoyable and fun read... with some deeper moments and series topics. 

Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

I don’t know what made me request an ARC of this one, but I am so so glad I did as it will definitely be a favorite from 2024. There was excellent banter and tension, plus fully formed characters. The multiple POVs in this were so well done and really enhanced the plot. While all single parents, their different perspectives were unique and enthralling. I will 100% be on the lookout for whatever Dahlia writes next.

So you start off by thinking that this is going to be enemies to lovers but they’re not really enemies so much as people with significantly complicated lives who tend to miscommunicate things! I found the three person POV quite interesting, but at first I was really confused as why we were getting the third person‘s point of view, but that will all be solved by the end of the book! I thought Ethan and Sasha‘s romance was the most typical elder millennial Brooklyn, former hipster romance, you could possibly get! And I mean that nicely, because I know so many of those people lol! I really enjoyed this book and definitely recommend to people who like and enjoy contemporary romances.

Thank you #netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this contemporary romance enemies to lovers debut between two single, divorced parents who continue to run into each other at their children's school. Sasha is single parenting her two children and has no use for a new relationship, instead trying to focus on reviving her career. Unfortunately she keeps running into 'Demon Dad' aka Ethan, who seems to always make her days just a little bit worse. This book has great banter, a fun workplace trip to the Turks and Caicos, a HOT shower scene, good Jewish rep, a vengeful ex wife, an absentee ex husband, close female friendship and tons of relatable motherhood moments. Heads up there is some anti-Semitic moments that were handled well. While the story is mostly told from Sasha's perspective, we do get a few short chapters that give insights into Ethan's mind (learning that he's had a crush on Sasha for while). Overall I thought Pick-up was funny, swoony and relatable and I look forward to reading more by Nora Dahlia. Recommended for fans of books like The pick up by Hannah Doyle and authors like Ali Brady. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Pick-Up by Nora Dahlia was such a fun enemies-to-lovers romp.
The story was crafted so well. All the characters felt so realistic and their emotions were so great.
Dahlia’s writing is crisp and funny, the characters are fully engaging, and the story is delightful.

⭐️3.5
Sasha is REALLY struggling. She’s a single mom to two kids and her ex sucks. Adding to the mix, she’s always at her worst when she runs into hot dad Ethan at her kids’ school.

Things look up when she gets an incredible job opportunity located on an island. The problem is, the hot jerk dad Ethan is her boss.

This one had some humor, enemies to lovers trope, and the best was the tension due to forced proximity. Overall good one especially with a twist added in.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/edit...

Pub date: December 3, 2024
Thank you NetGalley for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars rounded up! I loved this book. Enemies-to-lovers is one of my ultimate favorite romcom tropes, and PICK-UP certainly did it justice. The writing style was so quick and witty, the dialogue was sharp and snappy (strong Gilmore Girls vibes, which is always a great thing in my opinion), and I was hooked within a few chapters. I also enjoyed that in a lot of ways, Sasha and Ethan don't necessarily fit the stereotypical mold of romance leads—they're a little "older," they're both divorced, they both have kids, they're navigating career struggles, family responsibilities, etc., and just balancing all of those things together. Beyond their clear chemistry, they were also really well-developed as individual characters, and in general, all of the characters/their different relationships were also fleshed-out apart from the central romance. I could understand why some readers might not have needed the third POV of Kaitlin (I personally enjoyed it, even though it definitely threw me off a little at first!), but I overall liked how the multiple POVs provided different insights into the characters' journeys and showed how sometimes, things aren't always what they appear to be. If you're a romcom lover, don't hesitate to pick up (see what I did there?) PICK-UP this winter! I can't wait to see what Nora Dahlia writes next. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

“I am a chalk outline waiting to happen.”

Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

If you are someone who enjoys books told from multiple points of view then this is one that you should definitely check out! I love how the story unfolds and found it to be witty and relatable in so many ways.

Sasha is a single mom trying to do all the things which proves tough when Demon-Dad keeps waltzing in and messing things up for her. Ethan, for his part, is also in survival mode which means doing what he can to not let anything fall through the cracks and anger his ex-wife. When Ethan and Sasha inevitably get thrown together, sparks fly and soon they find each other impossible to resist.

Pick-up is definitely a modern-day rom-com at its heart but it also holds a deeper message of connection and relationships. Without giving anything away, from the start of the book there are chapters devoted to a third character’s point of view and for the longest time I couldn’t figure out why but once that part of the story was revealed everything began to come together and I just love how brilliantly the author ties everything up.

For a debut romance, this was such a fun read and one that I would definitely recommend! I can’t wait to see what Nora Dahlia comes up with next!

Sorry to say but this book wasn't for me.

Too many POVs to keep track of which made it seem that it wasn't a romnace at all.
Like why do we need that many POVs?

Anyway, skimmed through a lot.


Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Gallery books, Netgalley and to the author for an ARC opportunity! I did enjoy this writing style and really liked that this novel was more romance feeling than literary. I enjoyed the three person POV and the focus on school drop off and pick ups which are often dreaded times for many parents! I thought this was a fun novel!

This is a serious book, not.a romp or a rom com. I don’t read this kind of book. DNF.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley, Gallery Books and Nora Dahlia for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a unique book as it was told from 3 POV. Sasha, Ethan and Katherine are parents with kids at the same school.

Sasha and Katherine knew each other as young teens but only see each other in passing now. Sasha and Ethan keep running into each other and Ethan seems to be messing things up for Sasha at every turn.

Sasha gets an inquiry about a last minute contract job she desperately wants. Tropical Island, luxury resort, potential full time job…What could possibly go wrong?

The third POV was an interesting twist and I pieced together 50% of the “twist” early on. The twist added a different tone to the book that felt a little uncomfortable but was really interesting at the same time.

Open door.
Enemies to lovers.
Secret/workplace.
Divorced single parent

this seemed like a really cute single parent romance that stemed from pick up at school put it was kinda different than my expectations. the writing style was really unexpected to me and i think that if it was more romancy and less fictiony i would have liked it more. this was by no means bad but just different.

Thank you to Gallery books and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this title.
I loved this book so much! It was relatable, funny, and had plenty of sexual buildup between the main characters.


As a parent, the author absolutely nailed the nuances of school drop off and pick up. The MFC, Sasha, is the staple for moms everywhere. Some of the other moms look at her with envy, some with disdain, all based on preconceived notions. The truth of drop off is that we are all just trying to disguise our messiness.
No matter how much Sasha plans ahead, she seems to constantly be pitted against demon dad (aka Ethan) in the war of pleasing her children and keeping the side eye of administrators at bay.
Sasha becomes a blubbering mess around Ethan and each run-in has its own hysterical commentary. Sasha is fierce in her irritation of Ethan. The enemies to lovers is very one sided as Ethan is calm and biding his time before he can make his move.

The character development and inner dialogue is so good here with dual POV. I found it really interesting when the author introduces a third POV from a side character that has connections to both Sasha and Ethan. It was a bold move and made the story have an element of mystery.

If you like workplace romance, adult romance, enemies to lovers, and witty banter, this book will not disappoint.

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

"Pick-Up" by Nora Dahlia is a comedic enemies-to-lovers story set in Brooklyn. Our main characters, Sasha and Ethan, are both divorced parents of young children in their early-forties, who clash repeatedly at school functions but are then thrown together (of course!) for a work project. The plot is paced well, has multiple POVs, and I really enjoyed our characters being older and having real daily concerns that they needed to manage. I found Sasha and Ethan to sometimes act immaturely for their ages, but it fed into many comedic situations. It took me a while to understand the purpose of the third POV, but I understood it before the end. I recommend this if you like romance books with older characters and lower spice.

I loved this so much and I've found another favorite author of rom-coms! Whenever I really love a book, it's hard for me to write a good review, because I just sink into the story without really forming any thoughts about it while I read.  I basically consumed this book in one giant gulp, barely coming up for air.

This is a slightly slow-burn enemies-to-lovers with the hero and heroine working for the same magazine, and both on a work trip to a secluded Caribbean island.  If any of those tropes are your jam, pick this book up ASAP!  Publication date is Dec 3rd!

This is one of those "real" romances, with characters that feel complex and well-developed, who have annoying traits that real people have, and who are balancing parenting, elder care, and romance.     Dahlia is writing what she knows, since both she and the characters live in Brooklyn, with school-aged children, with job experience working for an online travel magazine, so all of the details felt accurate.   Of course, this is also a romance, so it's got one foot firmly placed in fantasy land, and the heroine is always effortlessly cool (although she thinks she's old and boring) and the hero is buff and  handsome and always willing to admit when he was wrong.

The banter between Sasha and Ethan is quick-witted and funny.  All of the supporting characters felt well-developed and interesting.  Unlike most romances, there is also a third POV, and at first it's not clear who this third person is (other than another mom at the same school), but it gradually comes together.

Every romance has the characters face one or more roadblocks or misunderstandings before they can fully commit to loving each other, and these roadblocks felt real and believable here.  

There were just a few things I didn't like, and none of these are show-stoppers:
* Kaitlyn (the third POV) is a little over-the-top, I wasn't sure why that was necessary.  <spoiler>I guess her actions are what drive the plot, since she is the one who keeps taking Sasha off the email lists and who bumped Sasha's kid off the activities she signed up for, which is what pushes Sasha and Ethan together at the school, and is also part of why Sasha initially can't stand Ethan.   But this could have been handled without Kaitlyn being a crazy harridan.  Perhaps Sasha and Ethan could have (literally) bumped into each other jogging.  Perhaps Sasha truly could have just been late signing her daughter up for the after school activity.</spoiler>
* Sasha doesn't remember meeting Ethan at the playground several years ago, which is a major sticking point for Ethan, and this is never fully explained.  I wanted the author to either explain this better, or drop the issue and stop having Ethan think about it or bring it up.
* Twice the verb "pad" is used to describe Sasha walking across a room, and this is just a writing pet peeve of mine.
* I wasn't crazy about the cover art.   The characters' outfits are described fairly regularly and thoroughly, and they never wore anything like what they are wearing on the cover.  The artist should have put Ethan in a T-shirt and hoodie, and Sasha in an olive green raincoat.  I know this is a dumb thing to complain about.

DNF'd @ 45%

I didn't feel connected to the characters. This just wasn't for me.

Thank you Gallery Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

I picked this up when I realized it was by the author of 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴, one of my favorite books from a few years ago. This book is a huge switch in style from both the author’s previous book and my own reading tastes but I’m happy to say I really enjoyed it. I don’t read a lot of romcoms but when I do, I don’t want to read about twenty somethings getting it on. I want to read about grown ups with a mortgage and kids and a job and trying to figure out where romance fits in. And this book checks those boxes. I swooned, I laughed out loud, all of the things you want from a really good romance.

Competitive Grieving was my favorite book I read in 2023 and I was so excited to hear the author was trying her hand at romance. While the writing itself is good and the New York + beach island settings are strong, I am just not vibing with this one and going to call it and DNF at 50%.

The three points of view are not working for me. If the male POV is going to be included, I want it to be more than super short chapters about his physical attraction to the woman. Then this villain-esque third character POV…there’s meant to be a mysterious aspect and I am finding it SO obvious what her connection is to the point that it makes no sense to try to hide it for the female lead to not know this information? She is a smart woman, it just doesn’t make sense for her to be this unaware and lack any curiosity. It’s driving me crazy. 🙈

I’ll still read whatever else she writes and hope I gel with the next one more!

This was not only a fun read but one that unexpectedly had me crying at certain parts. Any mom out there who does drop offs and pick ups at school and witnesses the PTA at work will enjoy this book! As a mom in her 40s, it's highly relatable in regards to how we think we're doing as moms, as women, as partners and as friends. I loved being whisked away to Turks & Caicos and felt like I was living the luxurious life that Sasha was for a bit and fully felt the realities of coming back home, of being a mom who has to have it all together, of the doubts that creep in and the what ifs, the sandwich generation and more.

The spicy parts were a welcome part of the book as well! I devoured this book in a day because I couldn't put it down!