I've already read this book and left it a glowing review, but I wanted to listen to the audiobook as well, I think that says a lot; that I wanted to consume it in both ways. This book is absolutely incredible and my review of the physical arc goes into detail on that.

Formally stay-at-home mom Juliana has entered the workforce as a newly single mom. Ben thinks she is an inexperienced liability the company can’t afford. Personally I think he’s the liability, a liability to Juliana’s fragile heart.

The author got to my heart quickly with this single mom finding her own way story. I received an ARC audio copy and once I hit play I couldn’t stop! Ben made inappropriate comments on Juliana’s first day that started a feud he doesn’t even know he is a part of.

Who can resist the charm of workplace drama wrapped up in an enemies to lovers trope? This book releases in January it’s a cute must read.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the eARC and Macmillan Audio for the ALC of Let's Call a Truce!

I really enjoyed this unique debut by Amy Buchanan! This story was fiction, but it felt SO REAL LIFE. I enjoyed both the eBook and the audio of this one, with Charlotte North at the helm, bringing Juliana to life... it's at least a solid 4-star read for me.

I loved this story about widow Juliana as she returns to the workforce after her husband's passing. Returning to work after being a stay-at-home mom was an adjustment, but she has dreams and wants to find that work-life balance we're all chasing. She's competent and smart, ready to take on the HR world. The only thing standing in her way? Her feud with Ben, a VP who brings out the worst in her.

A series of pranks, some bickering at the office, and then forced proximity for a project that could land her the promotion of her dreams forced Juliana to try on a truce with Ben. Which leads to realizing some things that weren't exactly what they seemed, on both sides of this feud.

I loved all the children in this story. They were so important to the growth of the main characters, as was the friend group that Ben and Juliana ended up having in common.

Read this if you low:
- love after loss
- enemies to lovers
- workplace romance
- forced proximity
- bickering & banter
- second chances
- later-in-life love
- messy family lives (real world)
- charming side characters/family/children

I'm very excited to see what comes next for Amy Buchanan! This one is out in January 2025!

“Let’s Call a Truce” by Amy Buchanan gets a three-star review from me.

The plot centers around coworkers dealing with old grudges, family relationships, and mutual attraction, which I thought had a lot of potential. The main characters are well-developed, and their interactions are sometimes touching and funny. The narrator did a good job bringing them to life, making the audiobook engaging in parts.

However, the steamy scenes felt awkward and forced. They didn’t fit with the overall tone of the story and seemed to interrupt the flow rather than enhance it. If the book had focused more on the family dynamics and less on the unnecessary explicit content, it could have been a much more enjoyable listen.

Overall, while the core story had promise and the narration was solid, the ill-fitting sexual content made it hard to fully enjoy the audiobook.

“Let’s Call a Truce” is a steamy, rivals-to-lovers workplace romance. Juliana is a stay at home mom who’s forced to go back to work after the death of her husband. Right away, she butts head with her coworker Ben. Eventually she catches feelings for him and, well… the story unfolds from there.

The banter, the spice, everything about this book was top tier! The narrator for the audiobook did a great job of encapsulating the characters personalities. I was surprised that this was Amy Buchanan’s debut as an author. It was very well written & I will definitely be keeping an eye out for her future releases.

Release date: January 14, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this advanced audiobook copy.

Juliana is back in the work force. Her husband passed away several months ago. She was a SAHM, but now has to go back to work. On her first day back, she clashes with her co-worker, Ben. For two years they trade barbs and avoid each other. But then they are assigned to a project and are forced to face the fact that they really don't hate each other at all.

I wasn't sure about this when it started out. But it did get better after the first few chapters. There were times when I was ready to strangle both characters, but overall big picture, I did enjoy this. I do have a feeling that I will forget it fairly quickly though.

Juliana's grief pops up, but not enough to make the book depressing.

The narration by Charlotte North was okay.

I received an advance audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! It had a great pace and I finished the audio in a day. Couldn’t put it down! It addressed real world experiences in fun ways. A strong fmc and dynamic Mmc! I also loved the supporting characters and found family. 🥰🥰 It gave all the feels. I laughed, I cried, I gasped, and I almost wrecked 😅 stay safe out there! But seriously give this book a chance 🥰

Juliana is the widowed mom of two young girls, forced back into the office to make ends meet and wondering how she’s going to juggle everything. Her worst fears are confirmed when she overhears Ben’s dismissive and rude comments about how she’ll be a liability to the company with her lack of experience and commitment to the job.

Juliana is no shrinking violet, and wastes no time telling Ben exactly what she thinks of him. So refreshing! I’m so sick of characters who would shrink away or decide to maintain so-called “professionalism” in that type of circumstance. So the hate and sniping are on. Yes! Forget about the fact that the chemistry is off the charts tension is unsustainable…

I’m going back and forth on this book. I LOVED the writing, the banter, the family love, and so much more. I did have a couple issues. The book dragged a bit; the characters faced the exact same situation over and over with minimal forward movement and it would be nice if that had been edited down. But my biggest problem is how Ben acted in the last third of the book, which left a sour taste in my mouth and made me root against a happily ever after. Juliana should have told him to go pound sand.

One other thing and a massive problem with Juliana’s late husband. What sole provider with financial means, a spouse, and two kids doesn’t get life insurance? Her husband had a good job to provide for his family, but left her in the lurch when he died with no life insurance money. People don’t think it’ll happen to them, but it does.

So 4-5 stars for the writing, banter and fun, 2-3 stars for the issues, and overall 3 stars.

Oh boy I really struggled with this book. There were a lot of things that worked for me. There was a very memorable desk scene so if you're in the mood for workplace shenanigans this could be the book for you. I also loved what a solid communicator Ben was. In a genre rife with miscommunication and immaturity Ben's directness was a breath of fresh air. I love a love interest who doesn't want to play games. Because I loved Ben so much it was very frustrating to watch Juliana respond to Ben putting himself out there with immaturity and conflicting signals. It's not a good sign when the recurring thought is "this love interest deserves better than the main character". The third act conflict also drove me up a wall. I will say I loved that the book was about single parents and I really enjoyed the way the author leaned into telling a story of characters who are a little bit older, have more life experience, and don't have perfect bodies. This genre needs more of that and I'm thrilled to see more books being published with older characters. My difficulty with this book really comes down to my struggle with Juliana. I'm looking forward to reading this author's next book though because I enjoyed many other aspects of this book and I think I'll have a much better time with different characters.
I will say that the narrator made my reading experience quite fun. It's single pov so we're in Juliana's head the whole time. The narrator really brought out all of the emotions she is processing. The audio experienced preserved some of the joy of reading a book that I otherwised struggled with which is quite a feat.

I really enjoyed this one! I love a good enemies to lovers and this took that trope for all it was worth. I thought it was sweet, spicy, and funny when it needed to be. It was also caring and mature which helped it feel more grounded than romcomish. It’s worthy a read (or listen) and I would definitely try more by this author!

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I thought this book was everything I love in a romance. Some books have this perfect formula and this book is my favorite formula. I had banter, it had a beautiful backstory of both characters, it had realistic hardships. I really enjoyed this book!

Let's Call a Truce by Amy Buchanan was an absolute joy to read. Juliana Ryan is a widow with two young children who has to venture back into the workforce. She overhears handsome new colleague Ben Thomas talk about how her being a parent might be a detriment to the company, sparking off a years-long feud. It gave off some "The Hating Game" vibes, but it added to the fun as well.

So, when they are forced to work together on a project, they call a truce. There was a tiny bit of unnecessary drama in the final third of the book, but I don't think it detracted too much. I don't want to give too much away, but I LOVED how my feelings towards Ben changed as the book went on. I adored him by the end of the book. I cannot believe that this was a debut, and I will absolutely read what Buchanan puts out next.

Narration was wonderful - and one of the best male voice impersonation that I've heard!

This was a GREAT story to listen to! AWESOME narration! Great main characters. The plot was easy to find. The story was engaging and easy to follow. Will be purchasing this book. Shout out to Netgalley and publishing for allowing me to listen and review this story.

4 STARS!

I received this ARC via Netgalley and this was a fun read! I enjoyed the themes of handling grief and anxiety while still feeling like a fun enemies to lovers romance. I do wish there was more of a progression from the enemies to the lovers part, it felt like things moved fast and became intense really quickly. Solid book though I’d recommend to others!

Let’s Call a Truce by Amy Buchanan is the enemies to lovers in a workplace setting romance that you need! These characters feel so REAL. I cried and laughed and loved alongside Juliana. I adored the banter, the children have my heart, Orlando as a setting is perfect, and the spicy scenes were immaculate and well earned.

The audiobook for this story was SO great! I listened to it on a long flight and it made the time fly by. I'd definitely recommend!

Following her husband’s unexpected death, single mom Juliana Ryan returns to the workforce after years of staying home with their two kids in this workplace, enemies-to-lovers romance from Amy Buchanan. Although Juliana and coworker Ben Thomas have an adorable meet-cute, their feelings for each other quickly sour.

Fast forward two years, and Juliana and Ben are forced to spend time working together on a project. On top of that, their personal lives outside of work begin to intersect more and more. As it turns out, they have more in common than Juliana originally thought.

What I liked:
- The lip-print meet-cute
- The verbal sparring
- Main characters in their 30s
- Mental health rep (grief and anxiety)
- The supportive friendships
- The smoking hot chemistry between Juliana and Ben
- The exploration of love after loss
- Seeing Juliana’s confidence grow

The main things I didn’t love:
- I understand why this is written in single POV, but I wish we had gotten glimpses into Ben’s perspective.
- Due to emotions running high, Juliana makes a snap judgment about Ben based on one encounter and clings to that opinion despite evidence to the contrary for years. I didn’t love how she is so myopic when it comes to him.
- The tone of the book shifts about halfway through, so in some ways, it felt like I was reading two separate books.
- Some side characters come across as one-dimensional and are more plot devices than characters in their own right.

The audiobook is narrated by Charlotte North. North captures the strength, determination, and frustration of Juliana. North also captures the children’s voices well, but I didn’t love her voice for Ben.

I received an advance copy of the audiobook from Macmillan Audio. All review opinions are my own.

4.5⭐️
I went into this book not knowing what to expect, but it turned out to be really good—I loved it. Initially, Juliana annoyed me a bit, but as the story progressed, I grew to understand her character and appreciated her more. Ben, on the other hand, was perfect in my eyes; he could do no wrong. Their kids added such a sweet touch to the story, and they were absolutely adorable. I always enjoy kids in books, as long as they’re well-behaved and add to the charm of the story, which these definitely did.

Lots of heart, humor, and spice sprinkled throughout. Possibly the best paced romance I've ever read. I enjoyed the story and would gladly read many many more in this universe or about these main characters. The chemistry was fun. The main character got a bit obnoxious at times, but was over all an enjoyable character.

This contemporary workplace romance was a pleasant surprise for me! Unlike many rom-coms, this one presented realistic everyday moments (and, of course, still plenty of steamy scenes). The emotional complexity of the characters went a lot deeper than many books in this genre; I especially appreciated how the author expressed the characters processing and navigating grief, while trying to tackle everyday life moments such as raising kids, making it to work on time, etc. While I really liked the characters and the plot line of the story, I found the spicy scenes a bit cringey to read, which made the overall story a bit less enjoyable.

Let’s Call a Truce follows Juliana Ryan—a recently widowed working mother of two kids, who finds herself forced to work with an infuriating colleague. The two develop a continuing workplace feud but decide to call a truce when they’re forced to work on a project together in the hopes of both receiving promotions. When the truce turns into something more, neither Juliana nor Ben know how to navigate their blossoming relationship with their workplace one.

Thank you to Amy Buchanan, Macmillan Audio, & NetGalley for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

Y'all, I needed an indulgent five-star read, and Let's Call a Truce by Amy Buchanan delivered! I absolutely loved this early 2025 release, so go don't wait to add it to your goodreads TBR to keep it on your radar!

When Juliana returns to work after her husband unexpectedly passes away, she gets off on the wrong foot with one of the department heads at the office. She works in HR and of course has to work with him whenever his department has hiring needs, and they develop a (mostly innocent) frienemy schtick whenever they have to interact. Turns out they have a friend in common and end up at the same wedding one night, and kind of hit it off in a what-are-you-doing-here kind of way ;-) Then, at work, she and Ben are assigned to the same project and have to work together more closely than ever before. In order to be successful, they have to call a truce.

This book is such a winner. This is a complex story with real, deep conflicts that inform the decisions each character makes. I kind of love it when characters are falling hard, but don't completely lose their heads. In this case, they both have young children and are very thoughtful about how their actions are going to affect them. The chemistry is there - it is so there - but falling in love, especially when kids are involved, is messy, and this novel really honors that.

That being said, when these two do finally indulge in their primal urges, they really go for it. There is some spice here folks, and some of it is at the office. *wipes brow nervously*

I am so grateful to St. Martin's Griffin and netgalley for the opportunity to listen to an advanced copy of this book. The narrator, Charlotte North, did a great job with this one.

If you're looking for a great romance to really sink into during the bleak winter weather this year, this one is a great choice!