Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for sending me an ARC of What Happens in Amsterdam in exchange for an honest review.

The NetGalley description of this book tells you every you need to know about the plot, so I’ll jump directly to my thoughts.

What Happens in Amsterdam works because Dani is a completely believable character who you’ll naturally be rooting for. At 30, she’s at a crossroad in her life: she’s moved from California to Europe for a job, but is uncertain if she wants to stay in this career. She feels behind on her life, like she’s not living up to her potential, and is tired of her overprotective parents. Her second-chance romance with Wouter was nice, though I thought Dani spent an unrealistic amount of time creating an emotional distance she didn’t want rather than simply telling Wouter how she really felt (and which he obviously reciprocated). The third act conflict was predictable, though the grand gesture was sweet. An entertaining, comfort read. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. Recommended.

P.S. We visited Amsterdam a couple of years ago, and this story brought back a lot of fun memories. Being hit by a cyclist is probably the most likely way you would meet an ex there. And when Dani “stumble[s] past the line spilling from the TikTok-famous place that sells only one type of cookie,” I smiled at the memory of the delicious, totally worth the-line chocolate cookie at Van Stapele Koekmakerij! 😋

This book is a perfect blend of steamy romance and personal growth, with a setting that’s as charming as it is romantic. Dani finds herself in a mess of bad decisions, from a failed office romance to getting fired, but when she unexpectedly lands a job in Amsterdam, things start to look up—until she crashes into her high school ex, Wouter. The chemistry between Dani and Wouter is undeniable, and their marriage of convenience, meant to solve their problems, adds layers of tension, humor, and a little bit of drama. Watching them navigate their past and present while facing new challenges together kept me hooked.

I really loved how the book explored Dani’s journey of self-discovery, trying to figure out what she wants in life and love. The setting in Amsterdam added a lovely backdrop for their rekindling romance, and the dynamics between Dani and Wouter were both sweet and sizzling. It’s a story about second chances, taking risks, and learning how to turn your mistakes into opportunities, all wrapped up in a fun, steamy package. If you’re into a romance with a bit of humor, heart, and a whole lot of chemistry, this one’s definitely worth reading!

4.25 ⭐️

Wouter and Danika were each others first loves. First everything. Until he moves back to Amsterdam after completing his foreign exchange student program and abruptly ended their secret relationship with a text, utterly breaking Dani’s heart.
Now in her thirties and feeling a little lost in life, and after a horrible breakup, she moves to Amsterdam to get away from it all. To start fresh. But when things don’t turn out as planned and she thinks she won’t be able to stay in Amsterdam, she runs into Wouter. Literally. And he has an idea, a way to help them both out with their current predicaments- a green-card marriage. What could go wrong?

Danika was a breath of fresh air. While being constantly underestimated to the point where she even started to underestimate herself, she was also constantly proving herself to be so capable and brave. From moving to another country on a whim, to putting herself out there and making friends, to even agreeing to this crazy plan of marriage of convenience, she was always pushing herself. It was admirable and inspiring. Especially when she’s always comparing herself to others and their success in life to her own, which I find extremely relatable. That on top of her anxiety and depression that was represented almost to a T how I feel day to day, I was just in awe of her as a character and it even made me want to be more brave myself.

While these two were so stubborn and drove me crazy- I was often oscillating between 🗣️ JUST TALK or 🗣️ JUST KISS ALREADY- but I do feel that in their stubbornness, it gave them time to really get to know each other again and for that love to genuinely bloom once more.

I absolutely adored these characters and their second chance at love, and I think so many of you will too!

🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

I loved this book so much. I knew I loved Dani the moment I started reading. She has a fierce need to prove herself and grow into her independence. I thought her huge move was so brave!!!

The flashbacks with Wouter were so sweet and dreamy. How Dani remembers and compares things like his fingers and his confidence was so endearing.

The ending was obvious however I'm not a mad at all. This ended exactly how I wanted it to.

Every time I read a book by Rachel Lynn Solomon, I fall for her writing even more. I absolutely loved this story, especially for the vivid glimpse into Amsterdam. It’s clear that Solomon knows the city well, and I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the food, history, culture, and scenery through the eyes of her unique and lovable characters.

One of the things I appreciate most about her writing is how real and relatable her characters feel. In this book, the main character has experienced bouts of depression, struggles with self-esteem due to a large birthmark on her face, and navigates a complicated relationship with her parents. These elements add so much depth to the story, making it more than just a romance—though the romance itself is definitely swoon-worthy and steamy!

Rachel Lynn Solomon continues to impress me with her storytelling, and I can't wait to see what she creates next. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for my gifted review copy.

Love this new title from Solomon! From the beginning, I felt like I was along on this new adventure with Dani, and the depictions of Amsterdam are stunning! Wouter is a walking green flag, and I love that he is realistically described. The spice later in the book is also kickin’!

The way in which Rachel Lynn Solomon crafts her stories, captivates the reader enough to transport them out of reality and into the book for the duration of the read. What Happens in Amsterdam is no exception, it’s truly a magical reading experience. Seeing Amsterdam through Dani Dorfman’s (and ultimately Wouter van Leeuwen’s) perspective was a unique reading experience. I’ve never been or had a strong desire to go to Amsterdam, but after this book I am dying to visit! The setting was lush in description and I felt like I was watching a movie in my mind. Rachel is an expat in Amsterdam and it was really intriguing to read it through her eyes and see Dani learning Dutch.

Dani and Wouter’s meet cute was highly anticipated for me, because I was curious how they’d go from reconnecting (he was a foreign exchange student who lived with her and broke her heart in high school) to a marriage of convenience. Really, the story just fell into place from there. I was so engrossed the entire time. All the little details mattered to me so much. The tea, George Constanza, the post it notes, the food, the drawings, the tattoos, Iulia & Roos. I mean Rachel really had me thinking a guy named Wouter is the one 😂

There were so many important representation details, including Dani’s port-wine birth mark that takes up a portion of her face. I wish that was depicted on the book (also this is Rachel’s first book with a full cartoon couple and I love it dearly, it’s her best yet) because it was so important to her book. There is also very well done high-functioning anxiety and depression representation. The anxiety/panic and breathing moments really meant a lot to me and I strongly identified with. There is also asthma representation as well as being a micro-preemie. Rachel handles these topics with care and grace.

Seriously, if you’ve read ANY of Rachel’s work, you will love this one! It’s her classic, lusty, flowerful writing in the best way. It’s spicy, sexy and heartwarming. I think all along there was some invisible string pulling Dani and Wouter together.

I had the best time reading this book and hope to read it again when it’s published AND I’m manifesting 🤞🏼 a Dutch guy narrating the audio!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

eARC Review: What Happens in Amsterdam by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Pub Date: May 6, 2025

Thank you @berkleyromance for the early #gifted copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

My goodness gracious I absolutely LOVED this book!! I also cannot believe that dear Rachel made me fall in love with a man named Wouter. WOUTER. But I am irrevocably in love, smitten, and already want to reread this book. He is just such a sweet and wholesome character who basically looked at Dani with heart eyes for the entire book. If you've been around this page at all in the last few years, you know that marriage of convenience is my all time top tier trope. I typically find that it works better in historicals, but when I find a contemporary that does it well?? Just obsessed.

Dani has just lost her job and her boyfriend when she decides to move to Amsterdam after getting a job at a start up. The last thing she expects in a city full of people is to run into her high school ex/foreign exchange student, Wouter. But she literally does crash into him while biking. As they reconnect and Wouter offers her an apartment in his building, they see if they could be friends. But when Dani's company ceases to exist, time starts ticking down - she needs to find another job fast or she won't be able to stay in Amsterdam. Wouter has another option for her though - a marriage of convenience which will help him out with an inheritance as well. While they navigate the rules of their marriage, they can't seem to stop thinking about each other....and what might happen if they break those rules.

This book made me want to be like Dani and run away to a foreign country to fix my problems - and ya know, falling in love with a Dutch dude would be okay too. I just loved the descriptions of the city and the people, it really immersed me totally into the book even though I've never been to Amsterdam. Both Dani and Wouter are flawed but they work so hard to communicate with each other and both of them also really see the other beyond the persona they show everyone else. I loved the level of intimacy they had with each other both in and out of the bedroom.

In addition to being a marriage of convenience, this is also second chance which isn't always my jam. But they were in high school during their initial relationship so I can forgive the dumb way/reason Wouter breaks up with her since they were so young.

I am so glad I preordered the B&N exclusive of this book, I just loved it so much!!

You know, I made a mistake with this one. I realized very quickly that I'm just kind of tapped out on millennials and our problems.

Danika and I weren't getting along; she's a bit whiny and a lot passive aggressive, and I'm just impatient. I like the second chance trope in romance, but I have a real allergy to brief, all-consuming high school romances that go awry—and then one of them just spends the next 10+ years lamenting the loss. Come on.

Thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read this.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

"You think anyone automatically knows hot to be in a healthy relationship? No. You fucking practice. You communicate. You figure out the hard shit together."

If the point of this book was to convince me to visit Amsterdam, SOLD!

I honestly fell in love with the setting of this book. The cover embodies how Amsterdam was described, and I am fully committed to moving it up on my list of places to visit. The city was basically its on character in this book, and I'll be daydreaming about how beautiful it is and how amazing all of their sweets are 🤤

And I don't know if it's just me, but the spice in this book is a whole other level compared to previous books, not that I'm complaining. At. All. Just ended up being pleasantly surprised 🩷

Wouter was a great MMC, though I struggled a bit with how he ended things when they were younger and his explanation for it. As far as writing, just seemed a little lazy to me. But was such a good book boyfriend, and his heart was on his sleeve the entire time, which leads to my main frustration for this book: Danika.

Dani had the makings of a pretty decent FMC, but I was just having a hard time with her. Much respect for her making a really big, scary decision to move to Amsterdam, but she was rubbing me the wrong way a couple of times. She a a peculiar ability...communicate without actually communicating. She would have internal dialogue or have a scene with Wouter where you're really feeling and understanding where she was coming from or how she was feeling, but she would just do a complete 180 for seemingly no reason or just not communicate on the most important parts.

But overall I loved the setting of this book and marriage of convenience will always be a favorite trope of mine. Absolutely recommend for romance readers 💛

Really enjoyed this book! A fun romcom with heart, humor, and heat. The writing carries emotional depth and her writing has grown from book to book. Love Solomon’s books and cannot wait for more!

I loved everything about this story!

Dani Dorfman is lost in life and love, so she takes a chance on a job in Amsterdam. But when she collides, literally, with her former love Wouter, her fresh start takes an unexpected turn.

Dani and Wouter felt like real people with flaws and struggles that made their journey so enjoyable to me!

Their second chance romance mixed with marriage of convenience was such a fun combination!

The Amsterdam setting was beautifully described, and now I desperately want to visit.

If you’re in the mood for something light, romantic, and charming, this one is definitely worth picking up.

Thank you Berkley for the free ARC.

This was on track to be a high star review for me but things kind of tanked in the final act. The side characters in Wouter's family felt developed (as much as you can hope for from the supporting cast at least) but Dani's parents were total caricatures and the Drama of it all with them was too much for me and felt a little out of left field for the tone of the rest of the book. The third act breakup and resolution from there all felt rushed and silly to me as a result. The descriptions of Amsterdam are wonderful and compelling though - I wasn't surprised to see that the author is an expat living there - and I liked the book overall, I just didn't feel like it stuck the landing.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Rachel Lynn Solomon does 👏🏼 not 👏🏼 miss! 👏🏼

This book is centered around Dani and Wouter who has preciously fallen in love during his time as an exchange student in America while he was 17. He breaks Dani’s heart and then ghosts her until they “crash” into each other while she is living in Amsterdam after being betrayed by her ex and fired from her company. This book made me feel all the feels as they help each other out with an illegal marriage of convenience but of course it’s easy to fall back into an old relationship, especially when it’s with the love of your life!

Thank you Rachel for this banger!!!

their chemistry was very much lacking. It felt very low stakes even though there was angst. I enjoyed it but it wasny my favorite

I most liked how Amsterdam was like a character in the story. It makes the reader feel like they are there experiencing the action. I honestly had no clue why the male lead was so infatuated with the female lead. That said, the chemistry between the two was good and readers that like spicy scenes should enjoy. The female lead's parents seemed like caricatures and their actions seemed almost too awful to be believed. Minor quibbles aside, most library patrons should enjoy this title.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reading copy! Full disclosure, I lived in Amsterdam for my study abroad experience, so I totally get the idea of falling in love with the city and culture. But I think beyond my nostalgia of experiencing Amsterdam again through this book, this story fell a little flat for me versus Lynn Solomon’s other works and the overall romance, pacing, and character development in this book. First of all, to be fair, second chance romance is my least favorite romance trope and rarely do I like it in a book. So maybe this book just isn’t for me! I don’t think that this book having a marriage of convenience attached made the second chance element of this book work for me. Overall I liked the plot of creating a life and finding love in Amsterdam - which is a fabulous city to live in. But what fell short was rooting for and caring about the arc of the lead of the book. I thought her trauma of her helicopter parents was a little silly and her job woes of finding passion in her work came off as whining to me. Also I did not feel a connection to the male lead and thought the reasons for breaking up were not really resolved enough for me to root for them. But saying all this, overall this book was cute and fun, especially the Amsterdam element - I found her descriptions of living abroad in Amsterdam very accurate. Overall recommend this book for fans of Lynn Solomon, Amsterdam, second chance contemporary romance.

Although I usually love Solomon's books, this one didn't hit for me- Amsterdam, though she clearly loves it, still read like a Disneyfied version of a city. I couldn't quite believe that the two characters fell so quickly back for each other, but more importantly- that they hadn't really done much growth since their high school years. Overall, it was fine but I've come to expect more from Solomon.

The thing about Rachel Lynn Solomon is she makes you fall in love with her settings. When she was based in WA state, reading her books always made me appreciate how lucky I was to be based here. I discovered places I wanted to visit, idiosyncrasies that were endearing, and people I wanted to observe and get to know. Now that she's moved to Europe, she has done the exact same thing to her newest setting, Amsterdam. There were the usual mentions (stroopwafel and bicycles), but her setting has become almost another character in her book. And if you fall in love with the world, it's that much easier to fall in love with the story.

I quite enjoyed Dani and Wouter. I love second chance romance, and this one had all the hallmarks of one-- warmth, depth, growth, and love. Highly recommend!

After a breakup and getting fired, Danika, who lives in LA, applies on a whim for a job in the Netherlands and to her surprise gets the job. In Amsterdam, she wonders if she might run into someone she knew a while back but knows it's a big country and he could be anywhere. Her job and apartment aren't as great as she expected. Riding home on a bicycle, she crashes into Wouter, the foreign exchange student who lived with her family when she was 17. They were dating and planned on seeing each other long distance until he broke up with her on a text as soon as got back home to the Netherlands. As way to make amends, Wouter offers her an apartment he has for rent. In return Dani agrees to marry him in name only to help him inherit his house and extend her visa. Could there still be feelings between them after 13 years? I liked that Dani was a unique character, she was born a preemie and had heart and lung operations as a baby. She struggles with feeling like she's not doing enough with her life. since she was miracle baby. She also has a port wine stain on her face that she no longer hides behind make-up as she's grown older. Reading about Amsterdam in this book makes me want to visit.