Accidentally Amy by L. Painter, published by Berkley Publishing Group is a witty and fun read. A meet cute, grumpy vs.sunshine, friends to lovers romance that gives all the feels.
Isabella Shay is usually a very honest person.
But when she’s running late for her first day at a dream job and the barista yells for “Amy” 3x with no answer, she does the unthinkable.
Izzy takes that PSL.
It’s the exact drink she ordered and paid for, only waaaay further ahead in the line, so she mutters “I’m Amy” and grabs the cup.
But when she turns around and runs directly into the most attractive man she’s ever seen, spilling the drink all over his shirt and tie, she ends up having the ultimate meet-cute. Sparks fly and things feel beyond promising until he says the words, “See you tomorrow, Amy.”
Uh, oh – she’ll definitely have to straighten him out the following day.
Only when she gets to her new office and meets the VP of her department, it is none other than Blake Phillips - the hottie from Starbucks. And the man might’ve been charming to “Amy,” but he is a grump to Izzy, one who dos not find her explanation funny at all.

I am obsessed with this author’s writing style!
-Grumpy x sunshine
-Workplace
-Rom com

This book was so cheesy in the best way possible! It was so silly and just a “feel good” book. The banter between these characters was so funny! I absolutely loved the FMC, Izzy, her awkward & ditzy personality was incredibly relatable in the way she just word vomits anything & everything she thinks. Both the characters are cat lovers and I loved seeing that written, such a green flag from them!
This book put me in the best mood while reading it. Definitely one of my new fav Rom coms!

Isabella Shay is usually very honest. But it was the first day that Pumpkin Spice Latte was being offered for the season, and her annual vice could NOT be denied despite the fact that it was also her first day at a new job.

She orders, pays and waits and waits and WAITS!

The barista yells “Amy” - “Amy”- AMY! (3 TIMES)

“Amy” never steps forward to claim her latte- so Izzy does the unthinkable- She swipes the Pumpkin Spice!

But Karma is a “witch” and as she turns around with her hot coffee-she runs directly into an even hotter man-spilling the drink all over his expensive shirt and tie.

Luckily, he is actually pretty forgiving and sparks fly as they flirt a bit and agree to meet the next day.

“See you tomorrow, Amy.”

Not so luckily-he turns out to be Blake Phillips, the VP of her department, and her new boss and he doesn’t take dishonesty lightly!

This “Meet-Cute” started out as a Serial that author Lynn Painter sent out to her subscribers one chapter at a time, and once it concluded, (2022) she published the manuscript in book form for those who requested it. But she says she always wished she could go back and change a few things. So when Berkley offered to publish it she added about 10,000 new words, wrote it from a different POV, and added more Izzy and Blake along with some new characters.

So, you might say that Accidentally Amy, Accidentally became this 2025 book!

The result? A Rom-Com filled with lots of witty banter and spice-and not just the Pumpkin Spice variety and it was as cute as the book cover!

I enjoyed my first book from Lynn Painter and was definitely rooting for this pizza 🍕 loving FMC and the MMC-her 🐈‍⬛ cat loving boss to find a way to be together despite company rules that PROHIBIT them from dating.

It was entertaining from start to finish, and just what I needed this week! I will definitely looking to read more from this author!

This updated version will publish on January 14, 2025.

Thank You to Berkley for the gifted ARC provided by NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts!

Accidentally Amy by Lynn Painter

At the beginning of the book, Lynn Painter explains that she'd written a serial for her fans, published the serial in full for her fans, and then decided to reedit and add to that serial to make the book that is the present day Accidentally Amy. So you may see another version of the book out there but this is the book that is being published in 2025 so make sure you are getting the version you want when you pick up this book.

Who is Amy? I don't know but Isabel, in a hurry, already having paid for her Pumpkin Spice Latte and standing in Starbucks as Amy's name is called out, over and over, decides she might as well grab it, it's not as if she hasn't paid for one and Amy seems to be MIA. And then she immediately does a meet cute splat against the chest of Blake and somehow never manages to tell him her name isn't Amy.

These two have instant chemistry but Blake has this thing about not telling the truth and later that day, Izzy's latte swiping pours a massive amount of cold water on the hot start to her relationship with Blake. Can they overcome it? Can they overcome some other stuff that they now know? How can Blake, the hottie at Starbucks, be the same grumpy Blake that is above Izzy at her new job? The two are still massively attracted to each other, they can be just friends, can't they? Blake's very strict moral code won't allow for any deviances from the straight and narrow, after all, and Izzy almost cratered any chance of friendship with her taking a latte that wasn't hers even if she'd paid for one.

There are cats, the cats are loved! Both characters are funny, fun to be around, have friends/family who like to spend time with them, and they get along so very well. I like that they are mature adults, too, when it comes to trying to working things out. This feels like a mature, very hot relationship and once they allow the sparks to ignite, it's open door all the way. I like that I didn't have to fret too much about these two, I could enjoy their journey to figuring things out and didn't have to spend much critiquing how handled themselves in life. So, can Izzy and Blake do this friend thing by the book? It's fun watching them try!

Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for this ARC.

Lynn Painter never misses. She's one of those "if she writes it, I will read it." authors for me. This book was funny, adorable, witty and had ALL of the tropes.

Meet cute
Grumpy/sunshine
Office place romance
Forced proximity

I'm really happy Lynn didn't bank on miscommunication as being the major plot point and place for conflict. Such a fun and flirty read!

This book was an absolute delight! Omg, it had me giggling during the very first chapter. A perfect mix of humor, romance, and tension. The meet-cute at Starbucks was relatable and funny, setting the stage for a story filled with misunderstandings and steamy chemistry.

Blake is the ideal "love to hate' grump with a hidden soft heart of gold and the way he goes from Mr. Charming to Arrogant VP and back again gives their interactions an entertaining dynamic. I loved his and Izzy's banter and the longer they worked together the tension kept building. Adorable!!

So many fun tropes:
meet-cute
workplace romance
grumpy/sunshine
some conflict without feeling overly dramatic
character growth
witty banter

Such a fun one to read - lots of laughs and swoon worthy moments.

Very cute romance. I thought this was going to be one of those situations where a communication error was going to last the entire book, and I was happily wrong! Then after the error was fixed, I thought it would take awhile for the MMC to get over himself, and again happily proven wrong. There was a 3rd act bit of nonsense, but in the long run I suppose it made sense. The spice was perfect and I was even invested in the side characters for a bit. Cannot wait to see what is next!

“Congratulations, you PSL-stealing loser.”

Thank you to Berkley Romance, Berkley Pub and NetGalley and for this gifted e-ARC. All opinions are my own.

Nothing excites me more than a book full of witty banter, cozy vibes and adorable main characters. I loved Accidentally Amy the first time that I read it and I love this version even more. With its added scenes and Blake’s point of view, it is just the perfect rom-com. I am convinced that there is nothing Lynn Painter could write that I wouldn’t absolutely love.

Accidentally Amy starts with a pumpkin spice latte, the perfect meet cute and a tiny white lie that quickly turns into the sweetest love story. Izzy, late for her first day and stuck in line at Starbucks anxiously awaiting a much needed PSL, does something she ordinarily would never even think of doing -- she steals someone else’s drink. She absolutely knows it’s wrong but in her defense the barista called for Amy three times and she didn’t respond so clearly she had left the building. Plus they had ordered the same thing and Izzy did pay so it wasn’t really stealing, right? But of course fate steps in and as she is running out the door, stolen latte in hand, she crashes directly into the cutest man she has ever seen. Spilling the latte but undoubtedly making an impression, Izzy rushes off to her new job where she comes face to face with Blake, the VP of her department who is very surprised to learn that her name is not actually Amy.

From start to finish, Accidentally Amy is just the sweetest book. I loved every minute of this silly, smart romance. Although it is filled with instalove which is my absolute least favorite trope, I couldn’t bring myself to dislike any part of this adorable story. Sometimes it’s all about how a book makes you feel and this one makes me so very happy.

It was a cute read. It wasn't my favorite book by her, and it felt like the pacing was quick at times, but I'm also not a massive fan of the insta love trope. It felt like things were rushed throughout the book. I adored the forbidden romance vibes and the friends-to-lovers vibes.

I absolutely adored Accidentally Amy!

I loved the meet-cute between the two main characters. Fate brings them together when Izzy grabs coffee meant for Amy and ends up spilling it on a handsome stranger. And so begins a case of mistaken identity. The chemistry between Izzy and Blake is off the charts and begging to be explored....That is until they find out they work together 👀

I loved the premise of this story. Izzy is an absolute riot and I love her quirky personality. She has this magnetism about her and Blake didn't really stand a chance. I loved how Izzy brought Blake out of his shell. Their banter steals your heart from the first page and leaves you begging for more.

All in all, Accidentally Amy is an entertaining read that will leave you glued to the pages. This is just the cute, lighthearted read I was looking for.

I've generally been a fan of Lynn Painter's books, so I was excited to have the opportunity to review the ARC for this re-release. Sadly, this one doesn't quite hit the mark. The cover art is gorgeous, so kudos there! The *premise* of the story held so much promise, but was poorly executed. The MMC Blake seems almost too good and pure to be true (which I suppose he is). I found the FMC Izzy to be borderline obnoxious. There are inconsistencies in the timeline that were a huge distraction. It's light and fluffy, and if you are looking for pure goofy entertainment with zero substance or character growth, then go for it.

This was okay? It felt very hallmark cutesy and I think that works really well on screen but it just did not hit for me.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sorry, but this book is definitely not for me. No book made me cringe before as much as this. It was too cute and too cringey at the same time I can’t describe it. I love Lynn’s books a lot but this one is definite no for me.

Book Title: Accidentally Amy
Author: Lynn Painter

I love how this book started out, the meet-cute. Isabella, "Izzy" is waiting for her pumpkin spice latte, but in a rush, she takes one meant for "Amy", a person who had her name called 3 times and didn't pick up her order. In her rush, she turns around and spills it on a sexy man, who she later finds out is leadership at her new job. They toe the line of getting to know each with the lines of HR policy.

What made this book great was Izzy. She is just so spunky and impulsive, which paired perfectly with the male lead's uptight character. Izzy gets into such shenanigans, that I felt entertained, and even secretly wished I could be her friend. Blake was a lot more bland, but that's kind of required, to balance out all her flavor, and to show the growth of him opening up.

This was a great romance! Not a five star, I'm going to remember this book for the rest of my life, read, but creative with enough unique moments that I'd happily recommend it to others.

3.5 stars ✰
⟶ this was such a cute romcom!

☕️ ᴘʟᴏᴛ ☕️

izzy is late to her first day of work. but she needs coffee to get her through the day (me too girly.. me too😭) so she’s in line at starbucks waiting for her pumpkin spice latte. and it’s taking a while, so when the barista shouts a psl for amy 3 times with no answer, izzy takes it and tries to get the hell out of there in a rush to get to her new job. 🫡

except when she’s turning to walk out, she bumps into a solid chest and spills the coffee on him. he thinks her name is amy, and gets her number bc he found her cuteeee. she goes into work, only to find out the man she bumped into is her new boss. and he’s not too happy about her explanation as to why her name is not amy. but for some reason he finds himself drawn to her 🤭 (wonder why)

💌 ᴛʀᴏᴘᴇs 💌

➵ workplace romance
➵ meet cute
➵ dislike-to-friends-to-lovers
➵ romcom

🫶🏼 ɢᴇɴᴇʀᴀʟ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛs 🫶🏼

💗 what i enjoyed. I think izzy and blake were pretty likable, despite their occasional cringy moments. they were kinda cute together and i love how he tried to dislike her for taking someone else’s coffee but he still always found himself thinking about her and wanting to see her. SO CUTE. I don’t have much to say, I enjoyed the vibes more than the plot tbh. it was just a quick and easy read, and for that I enjoyed it!

🙁 what I disliked. i defo think better than the movies is literally one of the best books ever, which is why i was so shocked this one didn’t hit the same. I thought its bc it was an older book and lynn just hadn’t found her style yet. but this book was written after bttm so that doesn’t make sense. i think she’s just better at YA and this was not so that may be it!

🧸 ᴄᴏɴᴄʟᴜsɪᴏɴ 🧸

this was a quick and fun read, if you’re in the mood for something lighthearted and cutesy, and if the tropes I listed before are the kind you enjoy, definitely pick this up!

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me this arc in exchange for an honest review!!

Have you ever been tempted to take a latte that wasn't yours at Starbucks? This was a really fun read that was fast paced and easy to follow. I enjoyed the concept and execution and understand why this book has been so popular. It really was a fun read. The characters were really fun on their own and their tension was great. I loved how they were constantly thrown together and got to know one another. There was obviously some miscommunication but not enough to annoy me. The side characters weren't a huge aspect of the story but I did enjoy them. Overall, just a really fun read!

This wasn't my favorite of her books. I normally love Lynn Painter, but the characters just felt rushed and flat. I personally am not a fan of insta love stories so that might just be me.

A rather cute and sweet story that felt like reading a Rom-com. I laughed out loud at several times and quite enjoyed Izzy and Blake developing their relationship.

I first read Accidentally Amy when Lynn Painter wrote it as a serial part of her newsletter and loved it. I can honestly say I love it even more now that it's being traditionally published. This is a fun love story with a meet cute that is so adorable. Izzy and Blake meet when she takes a Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks that was made for a girl named Amy and then proceeds to spill it all over Blake. Sparks fly when they meet several times throughout the day. This story is just adorable and I loved every minute of it.

3.5 stars for this Accidentally Amy. This was an easy, fast paced romance with a compelling enough premise. I didn’t love the MC and found some stuff too cringey for my tastes, but not bad!