This book was wonderful! I flew through it, partly because of the story and partly because of how wonderfully Amsterdam was depicted. This might be my favorite I’ve read from this author.

Thank you so much for the arc!

What Happens in Amsterdam completely stole my heart. There’s so much love and soul written into the description of Amsterdam through Dani’s eyes, it was actually magical. The amount of emotion packed into this was incredible and I felt all of it but especially the reminiscing between Dani and Wouter. I loved this so much my cheeks hurt from smiling.

Thanks so much to @berkleyromance for the free book! This is my first Rachel Lynn Solomon read and it will not be my last! I absolutely loved this book! I spent a lovely few days in Amsterdam in college and this took me back there and reminded me that I need to get back ASAP! I was also kicking my feet the entire book and absolutely obsessed with Wouter and Dani’s story! Despite everything they’re made for each other 💕

🌷Book Review🌷
What Happens in Amsterdam by Rachel Lynn Solomon
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️/5

This was everything I hoped it would be and more! It reminded me a lot of the first time I read Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins, the way that the author just immerses you in such a beautiful setting that almost feels real enough to reach out and touch!!

I will admit that I’m not usually a huge fan of second chance romances, but this was an easy exception!!! The way the author depicted the characters experiencing their first loves together was so sweet and heartwarming, and when they stumble (literally) across each others’ paths later in life, falling back in love is inevitable!

I adored every single character (especially George) and wish I could hang out with them all IRL!!!

Brb buying a one way ticket to Amsterdam ✈️🤭🌷

✨Tropes✨
❤️‍🩹Second chance
💍Marriage of convenience
🏡Forced proximity
🛌Only one room/bed
✈️Dreamy European settings

Thank you so much to @rlynn_solomon @berkleypub @berkleyromance @acebookspub for the gifted eARC! 💕

[Thank you to Berkley Romance and Netgalley for the gift eARC in exchance for my honest opinion.]

I loved that Dani and Wouter are a little bit messy. They felt all the more real! Both are living somewhere between that quarter-life/midlife crisis when you hit your 30's and can't help but compare your milestones with your peers'.

There is a lot of representation in this book: the port-wine birthmark on Dani's face, asthma, micro-premie, and anxiety, depression, and loss of a parent. It felt easy to connect with the characters (and root for them!) and there are so many passages you'll find yourself highlighting because the feelings are so relatable.

This book was so gezellig. At least until the 3rd act! But it all led to Dani realizing how much she had grown since her arrival in Amsterdam. It was so rewarding watching her grow after being coddled for so long.

While this is a second chance love story between Dani and Wouter, it's also a love letter to Amsterdam.

"With you... I want all of it. You make me feel like everything about me is on purpose. Like I'm not just flailing through life."

I have loved Rachel Lynn Solomon's writing since The Ex Talk and What Happens in Amsterdam is so cute! High school sweethearts Dani and Wouter run into each other (literally) in Amsterdam after over 10 years and this second chance romance is full of funny, sweet and STEAMY moments.

Things I loved about this book:
* I loveddddd the mental health rep. So many relatable quotes about life and battling depression.
*It included two of my favorite tropes - marriage of convenience and one bed.
*It made me want to visit Amsterdam like YESTERDAY. Also so much Dutch food, I was constantly hungry.

Highly recommend adding this one to your TBR.

Dani is hoping that a move to Amsterdam will give her a fresh start. After a painful breakup results in her getting fired, she needs to start new and leave all of her drama behind. In her first few days of being in Amsterdam, Dani is surprised to run into Wouter, her high school ex boyfriend. Wouter lived with Dani's family as a foreign exchange student when she was in high school and it has been years since they've spoken. When Dani suddenly gets fired from her new job, Wouter proposes that they marry so she can stay in Amsterdam and she agrees. As Dani and Wouter navigate their marriage of convenience, they discover each other as adults and fall in love all over again.

This was a fun book! I've never read a book set in Amsterdam before and I now that I have, I want to visit. Rachel Lynn Solomon paints a beautiful picture of the setting, with vibrant scenes and a wonderful culture.

Second chance romances are one of my favorite tropes because of the history that the two main characters have to wade through before they can find happiness again. Dani and Wouter were blissfully enamored with each other at a young age and those feelings never really went away. When they saw each other again, Dani was hesitant to reconnect with Wouter because of how he broke her heart. It took some time for him to gain her trust. Wouter was sweet, thoughtful and caring. He grew to be a man that Dani had no chance at resisting.

I listened to this book and I really enjoyed the narration. I think it's a fun experience to hear words from another language spoken instead of reading them on the page. I highly recommend that you listen to this book!

Pick this one up for a fun and sweet second chance romance with a marriage of convenience set in Amsterdam!

Steam level: 🔥🔥🔥
⚠️: mention of infidelity (not between the main characters)

Another STANDOUT from fav author Rachel Lynn Solomon that sees American Dani moving to Amsterdam and running into Wouter, the Dutch exchange student she fell in love with as a girl and the one she never got over when he left.

I absolutely LOVED this second chance, marriage of convenience romance featuring an anxious, female main character who manages her depression with medication and also has a port wine birth mark on her face. Dani was so unique but relatable all at the same time and the love interest, Wouter was too charming for words - an absolute golden retriever of a book boyfriend.

It was also a lot of fun getting to see Amsterdam through the author's eyes - the city she now calls home and you could tell how much she loves it through her words and descriptions!! Great on audio and highly recommended if you want to explore a new country and enjoy books with fantastic disability/mental health rep!!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
What Happens in Amsterdam may be my new favorite Rachel Lynn Solomon book, surpassing her previous adult title, Business or Pleasure, which I also adored. I had some reservations about this one going in, as I’ve never been the biggest marriage of convenience fan, but I really soured on it this year. However, Solomon’s modern take on it, while not the first of its kind, truly won me over.
I knew a bit about Solomon’s relationship with Amsterdam as an expat, but I was not prepared to fall in love with the city myself through her vivid descriptions of it. I have a bit of background in art/art history, so the bits in tribute to Van Gogh were particularly interesting, as was virtually biking around the city with Dani and Wouter to various locations. Even their little house with its quirks seemed cozy!
I very much relate to Dani and her quest to find herself. The initial impetus is a bad breakup and losing her job in a humiliating way, but these were the latest in a sequence of events that had left her feeling adrift, as she’d never had a real sense of permanence or stability. And while her choice to impulsively move to Amsterdam doesn’t initially pan out quite as she hoped, I love how this opened doors for her to form connection and community there, as well as developing self-confidence and assertiveness to stand her ground when her parents try to put her in her place.
While Wouter took time to get to know, as the story is solely from Dani’s POV, I found him to be a total sweetheart. I loved how their initial past connection served as a foundation for their new situation and grew as their romance deepened. I did chafe at the brief insistence on keeping things “casual” quite late in the book (as they were still planning to divorce after a year), but it was pretty clear at that point that they were gone for each other, and were just holding out. This did lean heavily toward her side of things, with his stakes in it (his inheritance) being sidelined once they were married. While I appreciate the personal stakes of how things actually panned out and the crisis being weighted more toward Dani, given she’s the POV character, it is a bit weird that the legalities were brought up several times (including in the context of the crisis in question), only for this to never be relevant. But that complaint is very minor in the grand scheme of things, and I’m willing to forgive it, because this book is otherwise amazing.
I loved this book, and would recommend it to readers who love romances with vividly drawn international settings.

I want to start off by saying that this is one of the most gorgeous covers I’ve ever seen. The cover is what drew me in and made me want to request this book. Rachel Lynn Solomon is a new to me author and I will definitely be reading more from her. This is a second chance and marriage of convenience book. Now I love both of those tropes individually but together they didn’t quite work for me.
This follows Dani who has just moved to Amsterdam to start over. She is not quite sure what she wants to do in life but knows that moving will give her a clean break. While she is here she runs into (literally runs her bike right into him) Wouter. He is born and raised in Amsterdam but also happens to be the foreign exchange student that stayed with Dani in high school. They developed a secret relationship back in high school but then cut each other off when he moved back. Both have always thought of the other throughout the years so it is fate that they run right back into each other.
I think Rachel has such a talent with her writing. She is very descriptive and you could tell that she put a lot of research into living in Amsterdam. There is essentially nothing wrong with this book except that I couldn’t really connect with either character. I found myself getting bored throughout the story even though the writing is so good. This book will definitely work for others so I would recommend it.

I thought this was such a unique story. Dani is in her thirties and is looking for a fresh start to her life. She was dating someone from work that ended on a sour note that resulted in her losing her job. She decided to apply for jobs in Amsterdam for a whole new life and got a job. So she picked up her life and moved to Amsterdam.

The beginning of her move was extremely stressful from the job that she got looking like the company is going under to the apartment she got that flooded immediately to her missing her parents. Things were off to a rough start that had you really feeling for Dani.

Until one day, she crashed (literally!) into her (secret) ex-boyfriend, Wouter, that she dated back in high school. Wouter lived with Dani and her family for years as a foreign exchange student. They fell for each other hard but had to keep it a secret from her family. When Wouter returned home, he broke it off with Dani, which made things really hard.

I felt the story really started to pick up once Dani crashed into Wouter. Dani loses her job in Amsterdam and may be forced to leave, while Wouter is facing losing his family’s apartment unless he marries. So they agree on a green card marriage for one year to help both of them.

I loved seeing their feelings for one another resurface. It will have you rooting for this second chance romance. They are adorable together!

The author does such a great job at helping you visualize Amsterdam that it will make you want to book a trip immediately!

I do kind of wish we got a dual POV to see what Wouter’s thoughts were. The story was only told from Dani’s POV.

This story touches on the struggles of mental health. I do think it was written really well.

Thank you so much to Berkley Romance for an eARC gifted copy!

Seeking a fresh start after a life upheaval, Dani's move to Amsterdam takes an unexpected turn when she encounters her ex and finds herself in a marriage of convenience. While the pacing felt uneven, fluctuating between engaging and lagging before a rushed conclusion, Dani's relatable character and the enjoyable banter and rekindled connection between her and Wouter made this a pleasant read. As a fan of second-chance romances, I found myself smiling despite its flaws.

I'm usually a bigger fan of Rachel Lynn Solomon's books, but this one just didn't grab me. I don't know if it was the premise or the characters, but I just didn't care...

4 stars.

"What Happens in Amsterdam" by Rachel Lynn Solomon is a tender second-chance romance featuring a marriage of convenience plot. I felt quite a bit of joy and happiness while reading this story. I really appreciated getting to know Dani and Wouter individually and as they became reacquainted with one another as a couple. Wouter was a foreign exchange student living with Dani when she was in high school. Over time, they fell deeply in love, but once he moved back to Amsterdam, he broke up with her via text, leaving her to pick up the pieces of her shattered heart alone. Many years later, Dani is moving to Amsterdam for a job opportunity at a start-up, but all is not what it seems. She hopes she won't run into her former lover... but that's exactly what happens. From there, it's a mad scramble to get Dani a job so she can stay in the country, and marrying Wouter might just be her best option fr staying. It was refreshing to sit with a character in her 30s who doesn't have her life mapped out down to the tee, a woman who is a total mess and has no clue what she wants or who she is. This feels extraordinarily relatable as a millennial who has gone through her fair share of stuff in life! Wouter is a delicate (if extremely coddled), deeply caring soul. He has his fair share of foibles as well. Mostly, he laments what he did to Dani 'lo those many years ago and regrets how he handled the situation. Their flaws don't necessarily feel bad or negative like they could have in other novels. I understood them, I relished in them. Dani and Wouter have excellent chemistry and banter with one another once they wander back into each other's lives. There was always a niggling thought in the back of my mind that Dani never quite took their "fake" marriage seriously enough, though it was painfully obvious that Wouter did. That was a bit annoying. Though you can see the ending/third-act turn coming a mile away, that didn't ruin the rest of the story for me. My one complaint is that the unfolding of this story felt very slow. The book is pretty plodding at times. Even when stuff I liked was happening, it still felt glacially paced. Still, Rachel Lynn Solomon is one of my favorite authors, and she has yet to disappoint!

Thank you to NetGalley, Rachel Lynn Solomon, and Berkley Publishing for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

Rachel Lynn Solomon is officially an auto-buy author for me—I’ve now read FOUR of her contemporary romances and each one has been absolute magic... including this gem right here! 💕
We meet Dani and Wouter, two teens who once fell in love during his time as a foreign exchange student in L.A. 🌴💌 But after Wouter broke her heart (via text 😭📱), Dani spent the next 13 years running—from jobs, from love, from anything that could hurt her again.

Fast forward to present day: Dani’s ready for a change and accepts a job in Amsterdam... only to lose her apartment, her job, and—plot twist—run (literally, on a bike, in the rain ☔️🚲) into Wouter.

Cue:
💘 Second-chance romance
💍 Modern-day marriage of convenience
🧳 An unforgettable European setting
🐶 A dog named George Costanza (yes, really)

This story is emotionally rich, sexy (like surprisingly filthy 😏🔥), and full of self-discovery. Watching Dani grow, embrace uncertainty, and slowly fall for Wouter again was the kind of swoony, satisfying journey I crave in romance. And Amsterdam?? I’m ready to pack my bags. ✈️💐🌷

Very cute story that brought me joy. Easily the highlight of the book was how Solomon really makes the city a major part of the story. As Dani falls for her adopted country, so does the reader. Now I have the added joy of having visited there previously, so I could see how closely Solomon stuck to the truth of a beautiful and unique city. It is cool how the city almost became a character as the couple builds a new home together. The character growth for both was believable and made me want to follow along. The friends and relatives were all fleshed out and made it more believable.. A bit annoyed that they kept the secret from his sister and they took a bit to talk about past wrongs but they made sense for plot, I guess.

WHAT HAPPENS IN AMSTERDAM is the newest cute-but-meaningful romance from Rachel Lynn Solomon. I really like her books because they have real, flawed characters, but with all of the charm you still want in a romance novel. WHIA follows Dani Dorfman, who moves to Amsterdam on a whim to try to figure out what to do with her life. While there, she runs into the high school boyfriend that broke her heart. She needs a visa and he needs his inheritance, so they cook up a plan. What could go wrong?

I loved these characters. They are absolutely the shining point of this book. Wouter van Leeuwen is a gem. Even his name is so Dutch and quirky to us Americans that you have to love it. Their relationship history and development was fantastic. I loved them!

What didn't work for me: it did not have as much plot as I'd hoped. The fake marriage trope is very fun, but it didn't feel like much happened.

Still, I would read this for the characters. I think if you like a lower stakes romance, you'll enjoy this one a lot. Thank you to the publisher for my gifted copy!

Thank you to Ace Pub Books and Berkeley Romance for the free book.

Oh boy. Where do I start with this one.

Let's get the good things out of the way, because there's not many.

I loved seeing a character who's 30 and doesn't have her life figured out. I love that she was depressed and it wasn't sugar coated. I also loved the vivid descriptions of Amsterdam. It wasn't what I imagined it in my head, but I think it echoed my sentiment that it's a lot of tulips and also windmills, but I found out that it's more than that. That's probably about it. I wasn't fond of her as a character for many other reasons, and while Wouter was a cutie, it just wasn't doing it for me to be able to ignore everything else I hated.

Now onto the bad!

WOUTER???? That's German for Walter, by the way. Is he 70? Either way, no. I could not get past it. Pronounced like Powder but with a V instead of a P, by the way.

Her parents... don't even get me started. They were walking tropes of villains. And his? Babied him so badly. He's 30, let the man have a life!!

The pacing was horrible!! It didn't even get to the main plot idea until chapter 9 ish, and even then, things didn't get rolling til a bit later, but when it's 30% in and the main plot hasn't happened? I'm wanting to dnf.

Why else did I abhor this?

Maybe it's that it features my two least favorite tropes: miscommunication and third act break up, and this book had both.

Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be giving this one a reread. It just .. underwhelmed me in so many ways, and I really wanted to like it

This book was absolute perfection and has put Amsterdam at the top of my travel wish list. The setting of this book was unmatched and I loved the description. Rachel Lynn Solomon has such a talent for writing compelling, romantic relationships between characters and Wouter and Dani were no exception. Their chemistry was amazing and there were so many great moments. I also really liked Dani’s personal journey throughout the book and think it will resonate with a lot of readers. Can’t wait until this one comes out!

After the fallout from a disastrous breakup also leaves her unemployed, Dani decides she's ready for a major life change and accepts a new job at a startup in Amsterdam. Only she arrives in the Netherlands to find the job isn't exactly what she was promised, her apartment has flooded, and then she literally runs into her high school boyfriend on her bicycle. Wouter was an exchange student that Dani's family hosted when the two were teenagers and they became each other's first loves, but it ended in heartbreak. Now Dani needs a place to live and a job or a green card, and Wouter needs to be married in order to inherit his family's canal house. So they do what any logical exes would do, and fake a marriage. As get to know each other as adults, the sparks soon follow, but can they trust each other enough to give it a second chance?

This was a cute romance with flawed but loveable characters. Dani's journey to learn how to stand up for herself and trust her own judgment added a lot of depth to the story. The sense of place was super strong and I enjoyed that extra dimension.

Tropes: Second chance, fake marriage
Overall: 4/5
Spice: 1.5/3