Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me access to this audiobook in exchange of my honest opinion!
Let's call a Truce by Amy Buchanan will be released Jan 14 2025. After losing her husband, Juliana Ryan struggles to rebuild her career while clashing with her arrogant colleague, Ben Thomas, who doubts her abilities. Their feud simmers for years until they’re forced to work together, and sparks of romance start to emerge. Just as Juliana begins to open her heart, Ben’s past threatens to derail their newfound connection. Honestly I loved this book! Love the talk of grief and workplace shenanigans, it felt so real to be honest! Regarding the audiobook, I really like the voice of the narrator, she did not change her voice a lot for Ben's character but after some time I got used to it!

Juliana, a widow heading back to work after seven years of being a stay at home mom, doesn’t expect juggling single parenthood and a career to be easy, but she wasn’t anticipating outright antagonism from Ben, a department head who she overhears complaining about working parents soon after starting her new job. What follows is a two-year feud of snarky comments, tiny pranks, and needling at one another while working at an Orlando-based architectural firm. Attraction simmers under the surface of their animosity. When Asia, a colleague who values them both as friends, hosts a birthday party, they declare a truce for the night… there’s alcohol and dancing… and Ben invites Juliana to come home with him. She declines, but can’t stop thinking about it, and he says that he won’t ask again, and will wait for her to make the next move.

When Juliana and Ben are forced to work together on a new internship program with the boss Eduardo’s alma mater in Boston, they eventually start dating in secret, made more difficult when Juliana keeps bumping into Ben at her daughter's events (soccer games and school field trips). When Ben’s ex shows up and allows their daughter Paris to think her parents are getting back together, Juliana can’t accept the deceit, that Stephanie is living with Ben, or the uncertainty of the new relationship, and ends things in a third-act breakup.

Debut author Buchanan infuses the story with a lot of drama: giving in to their chemistry and then Juliana changing her mind, fighting and calling truces. Better editing might have dialed the drama down to a more appropriate notch (for example, there's a scene where Juliana goes from calm to screaming in the blink of an eye, and another with her opening a text with an f-bomb; her screaming and swearing make her seem unhinged). While I think the author beautifully and sensitively portrays what it’s like to cope with widowhood and the trauma of losing a spouse, and the tenuous nature of being new to dating after a long relationship (and the feeling of betrayal a spouse's death evokes, in particular), Juliana’s behavior towards Ben sometimes comes across as selfish and immature.

A therapist is mentioned at the very beginning, and never again—running is Juliana's therapy, but it would have been good—and realistic—for Juliana to have a professional in addition to her strong circle of friends to dispense advice and prop her up (the friends are all distinctive and wonderful, yay for sisterhoods!). I would have liked to see more of Clara and Sophie, Juliana’s kids, and more details about her workplace and the company (Juliana is in HR for an architectural abs interior design firm, and I’d love to know more!). Architect Ben is portrayed as mature, relationship-ready, and willing to give Juliana all the space she needs, and comes across as very tolerant, plus hot, plus a good dad.

The plot moves briskly, towed in part by the suspense of wondering what Ben needs to come clean to Juliana. A subplot around diversity, equity and inclusion is progressive and well-handled without being preachy. The settings of Boston and Orlando are described with affection and authenticity, but Billings professor James and Ben’s ex are not as fleshed out as other supporting characters. I was a bit shocked that there was no "disclose the relationship" requirement until the Epilogue, especially given the protagonist’s role as an HR staff member! And I was more than a little shocked over the location of their first (juicily detailed) sexual encounter.

Narrator Charlotte North does a fantastic job capturing Juliana’s voice (she sounds a little like Courtney Cox, musical with a little huskiness or vocal fry at times), and when North portrayed one of the kids, I actually thought it was another narrator. Juliana has a strong, clear narrative voice throughout the book, so this felt like a great match for the character. Bonus points for the pronunciation of timbre with its French pedigree. I listened to 32% of this and had to stop because it was bedtime, and was SO happy to see I was approved for the digital ebook as well, so I switched and kept reading—I had to find out what happened next.

I received a free advance readers copy of #LetsCallATruce via #NetGalley courtesy of #MacMillan.

Thank you Netgalley smp and MacMillan audio for the free ALC. My opinions are being left voluntarily. This started off a tad shaky for me but under 10% in it picked up and I gobbled up this perfect romance book. I loved the narration, the side characters, the mmcs every little hit. I will need a copy for my forever shelf.

4.5/5☆