I devoured this book! I loved everything about it from the quirky premise to the settings (Ali captured New York and London perfectly). I also loved the cast of supporting characters, which reminded me a bit of my friends’ coop neighbors 😂. The slow burn between Nora and Eli was superb and Eli’s over the top gestures alternatively had me laughing and going “aw”. I saw a lot of myself in Nora so I was rooting for her to finally stand up for herself and take a chance on loved. And the fact that Eli has two floofy white cats made me love him even more as a character.

Fans of rom coms need to add this book to their TBR!

I love Ali Rosen’s writing style. This is the third book of hers I have read and she just reels me in with her strong characters, relatable problems and sweet romance. Nora is a therapist who lives and works in NYC. As a side gig she also writes an advice column for a London’s Sunday Tribune. Nora feels so real to me as she visits her own therapist, tries and fails to have boundaries with her own parents and cares for her grumpy rescue dog. The premise is clever. As the story begins she is realizing that she has developed feelings for her copy editor. They’ve been writing back and forth for seven years without ever meeting. In the meantime her quiet home life is being disrupted by the new tenant who lives below her in her co-op building. Eli has taken over his grandmother’s apartment and is loud and disruptive to her. And he seems to enjoy pushing her buttons.

Of course they are going to become friends as they slowly get to know each other. But her new friendship for him confuses her feelings for her editor. I enjoyed the texting, getting to know you moments, and caring for each other with kindness. When the relationship finally goes to the next level I wish it was more descriptive but that isn’t Rosen’s writing style. I enjoyed this book and it perfectly fits the category of General Adult Fiction with romance.

Our story takes place in New York city where Nora Fischer lives content in her apartment surrounded by her elderly neighbours and because she's a therapist everyone thinks she got her life all figured out. However, that's not true because Nora has her own therapist to help her navigate her feelings and recently that is the biggest thing she's been struggling with. She thinks she's in love with a person whom she never meant in real life.
"J" is Nora's copyeditor who lives in London. They work together on the advice column Nora writes and they've been working for years without ever meeting. However, that might change soon.
On the other side, there is Eli her agitating neighbour, and former patient but for some reason Nora seems attracted to him and what started as a feud between them turned into friendship and something else might be on the horizon.
Nora is stuck between two men. One she never me and the other too complicated to be true and top it all fate has a BIG surprise in store for them.

The best thing about this book is that I didn't expect it to like it that much so the surprise element kept me on my toes enjoying every bit and piece. Nora& Eli's banter was so amusing and I loved her relationship with the neighbours and how they all helped each other. I also loved how the author stressed on the importance of therapy and how it was a major help with Nora even though she's a therapist.
From A to Z it was perfection and I loved every moment.
Thanks so much to @netgalley and the publisher for granting me an ARC of #UnlikelyStory in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley, Montlake, and Ali Rosen for the early access copy of Unlikely Story.

Unlikely Story follows the story of Nora, a relationship therapist who also writes an advice column anonymously, Nora is used to her life the way that it is, she enjoys her space, relishes in her quiet, and naturally is a person who helps others. This can be an issue when family can take advantage of this quality. When Nora realizes she is in love with her editor of her column, who she knows as J. J lives in London where the column is published. J and Nora have also only interacted through writing to each other on her column edits. When he confides that he is recently single, and her boss from London wants her to go for business, she sets in motion that they will finally meet. While all of this is happening, Nora is also at risk of losing her quiet space after her downstairs neighbor Eli moves in, plans a renovation, and hates her. See he is the ex-boyfriend of a patient of Nora's and blames her for the destruction of his relationship. Over time, and forced proximity, Nora starts to see the softer side of Eli.

With complicated feelings Nora is developing for two men, Nora's life will not be the same.

This will be a great fit for those who like forced proximity, enemies-to-lovers, and self-growth. Ali Rosen does a great job at character development for both the primary characters and the cast of lovable secondary characters.

I have picked up this book numerous times now and I just cannot get into it. I really liked the premise and the cover, but I am afraid it is just not the right book at the right time for me. I liked the main character's perspective and how she could be so career focused while her personal life was a mess.
Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

This was a cute romance read by Ali Rosen. Unlikely Story follows Nora, therapist and part time column writer. She admits off the bat she is in love with the editor of her column. Queue new grumpy neighbor (British) and the fun begins. Definitely an enemies to lovers troupe followed with love hidden in the margins (quite literally). I like how the author handled topics of grief, mental health, self advocacy, and boundary setting. This is a romance, so readers will get the HEA. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you NetGalley, Montlake and Ali Rosen for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.75⭐️
Unlikely Story was a cute story, although very obvious to me how things are going to play out, I enjoyed it.

This was a slow burn and closed door…that might be why the tension/chemistry was a little lacking for me. I felt they had a connection but the passion was a little mild.

I loved the therapy sessions, honest conversations and text messages. The supporting characters were fun and added something to the story. The real life situations were relatable (people pleasing, weird family dynamics, parental health issues, etc).

I loved the idea of seeing different sides of people and being different people for many people in your life.

Tropes:
Hidden identity
Enemies to lovers
Slow burn
Closed door
Single POV

Cute entertaining story with likable characters. This was an easy read that picked up towards the middle and I appreciated the author avoided a messy third act breakup. Would recommend this one 3 stars. I want to thank NetGalley and Montlake for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not going to lie I didn't really like this one. Mainly because it didn't feel believable. I know that it's fiction but even fiction especially Contemporary needs to have a slightly believable plot.

A sweet rom com that's as much about the family we make as it is about Nora, her secret crush on her editor J, and Eli, the man who lives downstairs. Fans of the genre might well figure the twist out early on but it's a genial read that will make you smile. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

This one just didn't hit. Nothing really stood out to me and the repetitive writing was rather annoying. The characters weren't engaging and I didn't feel connected to them or the story. This is my first book by Ali Rosen and I don't think I'll be reading her others. I'm sure that others will enjoy Unlikely Story more than I did but this one just wasn't for me.

I think you have to be in the right mood for this one, otherwise you may end up picking holes in a plot that definitely reflects the title. However, if you’re up for the type of story where the reader realises very early on what’s happening and most of the fun and tension lies in how and when the protagonists will work it out, then I strongly recommend giving this a go. Nora and Eli are both very much products of their upbringings and trying to break long-held habits; their interactions in all forms are full of chemistry and it’s easy to root for them both. For me there was a little too much emphasis on the therapy aspect, but as a Brit I really appreciated the accuracy both of Eli’s word choices, and also the parts set in London. The city descriptions generally were an evocative backdrop to the story, and along with some well-drawn and memorable supporting characters, make for a delightful read.

I wish I loved this more than I did. Technically the writing is great, but I was not wowed tbh. I liked Nora and Eli, and their interactions were my favorite thing in this story. The rest of it though - the detailed therapy sessions, the rehashing of the same topic with different people, the complete lack of suspicion from Nora about J/Eli - those were less interesting to me.
This was a pretty mellow story all in all. Good for a slow afternoon of reading.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Have you lost count of the number of times you’ve watched You’ve Got Mail? Then Ali Rosen’s novel, Unlikely Story, needs to be at the top of your TBR!!! The TOP. Quite a few novels pay homage to You’ve Got Mail, but Rosen’s adaptation stands apart because it manages to do the story justice with a fresh, new spin. And I ate it up.

This is the book to escape to when you need a break from *waves at it all.* The NYC and London settings are full of life and Rosen’s love for these cities is apparent. Her writing is heartfelt and sharp. It’s a swoon-worthy romance full of banter and charm. I loved Nora and Eli’s love story. But also, the side characters are TOP NOTCH. Nora’s best friend Dane is chef’s kiss. The senior citizens who are Nora’s neighbors are perfectly quirky and loyal. Gosh, at this point I’m rambling about all the aspects of the book that I loved and I haven’t even gotten to the mouth-watering food references (Rosen includes recipes in the back)! There are countless reasons to run and go read this book, so just do it!

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I have not read any of Ali Rosen's books before. As the main protagonist, Nora is a psychologist who has an advice column on the side. While she's based in New York, she gets an opportunity to go to London. I've never been to London, but I didn't really feel I was traveling there vicariously. The twist in the book is easy to figure out early. I wanted to like the male love interest but it just seemed a bit contrived. I'm not sure Nora did anything wrong, but ethics are an important part of the profession and I'm in a similar field. I just didn't get into the romance that much and unfortunately it was very fade to black with the love scene. If you like a spicy romance, this book may not be for you.

But black and white cookies!! (I probably would just buy them at Trader Joe's) 3 stars out of 5, release day March 1. This was also available as an Amazon 1st reads choice.

Thank you NetGalley, and the publisher for this ARC opportunity!

Ali Rosen created a cute story that encompasses enemies to lovers and the love triangle tropes. This novel focuses on a therapist who falls for the wrong man, or is he the right man?! This would make a super cute rom com! A fan of lighthearted, laugh out loud, romance comedy novels may overindulge in this book!

Omg! Ali Rosen had me kicking my feet with this one. I loved that it was based on You Got Mail, and Nora was a great main character. I saw a lot of myself in her struggle to set boundaries and not want to disappoint anyone. I loved the NYC and London settings. Nora's food sounded absolutely delicious, and I'm so glad Ali included the recipes. I also loved that Nora was a therapist but was also in therapy. I saw so much growth in her from the beginning of the book to the end. I also loved Eli. He was multifaceted and his words brought me so much joy. The reveal was so good! No spoilers; even though I could see the twist coming, it was executed so well. Everything about this story made me happy. Ali Rosen nailed it, and I'm so happy I read this one when I did. Thank you to Montlake for the ARC to read and review!

Man, I love an Ali Rosen book.

In 'Unlikely Story' we meet Nora.

A therapist with trouble opening herself up. She has an easy, small life. She writes a column and has an editor she may be in love with... but she's never met him.

Now she has a new neighbor, who she has a history with and seems ready to push her buttons at every turn.

Through the book we see the ways Nora's closed herself off to avoid pain and the ways new parts of her life force her to let people in.

Rosen is so good at creating characters that you love even when you want to shake them with logic and reason.

I'd gladly walk my dogs through the park with Nora any day.

I was not able to finish this one. I liked the idea of the book and the setting, but I found there to be too many plots and it took away from the story and made it hard to connect to.

I enjoyed this sort of hate to lovers/love triangle-ish/neighbors and work place romance. Rosen writes books with pieces of culture, a warm sense of place and characters that I want to see find their HEA. This one felt paced a little differently, but in general was the romance that we wanted for two characters I was definitely rooting for. Family dynamics made both of their lives challenging but therapy and good friends made this relationship feel healthy and strong.

I loved the pictures that she painted of rooftop spaces and NYC. I loved how following Ali gave glimpses of who she is in the story but also into life in NYC. And I also love Love Actually.