The rotating POV made this a unique and clever read. It was fun discovering how Sasha and Ethan’s journey panned out. Messy, funny, and with solid banter and tension.

Sasha is a single mom navigating the everyday struggles of solo-parenting. At school pick-up she encounters Ethan and quickly grants him the name "Demon Dad". However, their relationship teeters between friends and lovers throughout the book.
Pick-up is narrated in three different POVs, providing a quick pace and a lot of humor. Small things like the title of each chapter and the to-do lists in Ethan's POV draw you into the book and offer laugh out loud moments.
Overall, this was an entertaining & quick read. Predictable plot line, but who doesn't love a happy ending.

Thanks NetGalley for the early read!

A sharp on your toes romance!

Dahlia is quick witted, with an essence of Lorelai Gilmore-like dialogue to bring these characters to life. Sasha Rubinstein, balancing motherhood must navigate the aftermath of her recent divorce. Juggling parental responsibilities never was so complicated until Ethan Jones, a single father became involved. So we learn there’s more than meets the pick-up time!

I caught myself laughing aloud while reading, thinking: now this has tickled my funny bone.

I don't think this book was for me. I finally gave up at 66%. Personally, I didn't enjoy the writing style, and the story really did not hold my interest. I especially did not like when it switched to a third, barely-related character's point of view. I needed more of the main characters, not a rando with a decades-long grudge. We also got a lot of this school absolutely sucking, and they do nothing about their own mistakes. Just "better luck next time!"

The spice is what really done me in, though. We get 3 instances of interrupted kisses (feeling very redundant), then we finally get spice, and it cuts to black after foreplay! It was explicit foreplay, so I assumed the writing would continue, but no.

The book just dragged on for me, and I didn't enjoy the choppy writing style.

The chemistry in this one, oh my good!!!!! It was palpable from the beginning and I just loved Sasha and Ethan. I love reading a story where you can actually feel the chemistry between the pages and can truly imagine these characters in real life. Also, the addition of Kaitlin was confusing at first but made so much sense by the end.

Thanks NetGalley and Gallery Books for an ARC!!

When I read about the enemies-to-lovers plot involving single parents trapped on a tropical island, I expected to enjoy “Pick-Up.” As soon as I started the three POV narration, the quick-witted, humorous, engaging, and entertaining writing style hooked me! It absolutely exceeded my expectations. I have already added Nora Dahlia to my favorite romance/women’s fiction authors list!

“Pick-Up” refers to the action where helicopter parents gather after school to pick up their children, highlighting the challenges of parenting, including providing enough attention, care, focus, and involvement their child needs.

The story revolves around Sasha Rubinstein, a single mother whose ex-husband preferred Hollywood’s bright lights and fame to his kids, moving to LA from New York to chase his dreams. Sasha raises her artistic yet mature daughter and quirky son alone, keeping up appearances but lately missing school newsletters that make her forget silly sock day, buying the last sweatshirt for her daughter, or assigning her to the last spot at the theater club.

Her encounter with Ethan Jones, when she wants to get away from a talkative mother, walking backward and bumping into him, resulting in her falling to the ground, is not the meet-cute she dreamed of. It’s more of a meet-your-nemesis and sharpen-your-weapons kind of meeting, especially when Ethan buys the last sweatshirt left in her daughter’s size. When he acts fast to assign his daughter to the place Sasha's daughter dreamed of, things get heated, and this means war!

Ethan is still clueless why Sasha hates his guts and why she doesn’t remember their meeting a few years ago when he felt an instant connection with her. He is sure he is still attracted to her and intends to prove she’s wrong about him. He has a plan to win her over, including correcting her joking style and teaching her how to serve fabulous cotton candies at school festivals.

We also have the POV of Kaitlin, an efficient mother and active member of the school committee, and a childhood friend of Sasha, from whom she’s estranged since puberty. Kaitlin seems obsessed with Sasha, watching her every move like a hawk, as if she has no other hobby than stalking her for fun.

Initially, I didn’t understand why Kaitlin’s POV was included because this book started as the enemies-to-lovers story of Ethan and Sasha, who find themselves in Escapade magazine’s special edition article filming in a luxurious, paradise-like resort in Turks & Caicos. However, it becomes clear that Kaitlin’s involvement in the story is significant.

Now, let’s get back to Ethan and Sasha: Sasha is shocked to see Ethan on the island and also finds out he’s the mysterious editor-in-chief of the magazine, which means he’s also her boss for this project. Can she bury the hatchet for the sake of her job? Yes, she can. Spending more time with Ethan and his devoted team, she realizes he’s not the evil incarnate father figure she thought he was. But can she resist her attraction to him? Nope, this is a lost cause. Sparks already fly, and the entire production team seems to want them to be a couple. The romantic settings of the island increase the attraction even more!

But the important question is, when their jobs are at stake and they let their chemistry lead their decisions, what will happen when they return to New York to face their routine lives as two divorced people in a school circle where gossip is the main entertainment? Can they survive the odds and their full past baggage?

I thoroughly enjoyed the author’s quick-witted tone. I especially guffawed each time I read Ethan’s to-do lists from his POV and the FaceTime calls between Sasha and her mother! Stephanie is also my favorite supportive character; I would love to hang out and get drunk with her.

Overall, this is an entertaining read with high-chemistry enemies-to-lovers themes blended with the challenges of divorced parenting (indeed, being a parent and giving the children the care they need). I am rounding my 4.5 stars to 5 for the brilliant Turks & Caicos chapters and the entire humorous writing style!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for sharing this entertaining read’s digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.