Ingrid and her long-term boyfriend, Cory, decide to break up for a month to date other people before getting engaged. Ingrid immediately knows that she wants to date Macon, her work husband, but he is shy and misunderstands the situation, and she comes on too strong. This leads to a month of random dates and one-night stands for Ingrid while she nurses her wounds from being rejected by Macon. As they rekindle their friendship, and become more connected, she begins to realize that maybe the best things in life are worth waiting for.

I really liked this book. It did move pretty slow for me, but it was worth sticking with it.

A sweet slow-burn friends to lovers romance. Two introverts, one grumpy & one sunshine. The middle dragged a bit, but flowed well enough to keep my attention. The ending was heartwarming.

Thank you #Netgalley for the ARC e-book!

Overdue was a delightful and heartfelt read that perfectly captured the complexities of love, change, and self-discovery. Ingrid’s journey from the comfort of her long-term relationship to the uncertainty of new possibilities was both engaging and deeply relatable. Her chemistry with Macon was a slow build, filled with tension and longing that made every moment between them feel earned.
The author brought her signature warmth and charm to this adult debut, creating a cozy yet emotionally rich story. The small-town setting, the library atmosphere, and the endearing side characters made the novel even more enjoyable. While some moments felt predictable, the depth of Ingrid’s emotional growth kept the story compelling.
For those who love slow-burn romance with plenty of heart, Overdue was a thoughtful and satisfying read about knowing when to turn the page to a new chapter.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 stars

Overdue is a story about second chances, love, loss and finding your person. Ingrid and her boyfriend Noah, have been together for 11 years and never talked about getting married. However, when they are forced to talk about it, they realized that they have never been with anyone else. They decide to separate and date other people for a month and then come back together to get married. Ingrid has someone to date during her month break in mind, her coworkers, Macon. Ingrid and Noah realize they aren't right for each other while Ingrid's having complicated feelings about Macon. Honestly, I never really felt the passion for Macon and Ingrid. They seemed more like friends than anything but this story had lots of emotional moments.

Overdue was such a poignant modern take on coming of age! This book was the best surprise. Stephanie wrote this book in a way that is so realistic and really highlighted true themes of love and friendship. I also loved the way she wrote how Ingrid found her way, the feelings she had and how she knew what she should do.
There is so much change that happens between your 20s and 30s and this described that transition in a very genuine way.

Ingrid, Cory and Macon are all wonderful people. I really enjoyed how Stephanie portrayed them and the honesty with which they all interacted. I cried reading Cory and Ingrid realizing that they were not right for each other, but deeply cared for one another and wanted it to be right. It was beautiful and heartbreaking, but so true.

Macon is a hot grumpy Martha Stewart! Ha! I loved him. The way he shows his love for Ingrid by caring for her and knowing what she needs in such small but consistent ways was beautiful. This is definitely one of the slowest burns that I have read, but included so much growth. I also loved how Ingrid channeled her energy into being with him and caring for him as well.

Basically I LOVED IT. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

## About *Overdue*

Be prepared to swoon over Stephanie Perkins grumpy/sunshine romance *Overdue*.

Ingrid Dahl is doing just fine, thank you very much. She and her college boyfriend, Cory, have been together for eleven wonderful years and couldn’t be happier. They are the couple that everyone envies. Things couldn’t be going better, right?

That is until her younger sister gets engaged after dating for only two years. Now, Ingrid and Cory must confront the question of why they haven’t gotten married yet. They always knew they would, but they just hadn’t gotten around to it. They decide to take a short break for some fun, after which they will surely get married.

Ingrid knows exactly who she wants to have fun with: her adorably curmudgeonly co-worker, Macon Nowakowski. All she has to do is make her first move. No big deal! Mustering her courage, Ingrid goes for it, but Macon makes it clear in no uncertain terms that he is not interested.

Hurt and confused by Macon’s rejection, Ingrid stumbles through a series of disastrous dates just in time for her and Cory to reunite. When they meet up to discuss their month apart, they both realize that they are not quite ready to end their experiment.

As time passes and the break stretches on, Ingrid and Cory come to the realization that they need to end their relationship. Just as Ingrid feels her life is unraveling, Macon reaches out to her with an emergency; his aunt is in the hospital, and he needs someone to watch his adorable black tuxedo cat, Edmond Dantes. During his absence, Ingrid begins to develop a fondness for his grouchy cat and falls in love with his charming storybook cottage, complete with a magical garden.

As Macon gradually opens up and includes her in his life, Ingrid realizes that there may still be hope for her to find her happily ever after with her shy, bookish colleague.

## Who Should Read *Overdue*

**✅ Read if:**

- You enjoy slowburn romances
- You love romances centered around books
- You enjoy grumpy/sunshine romances

**❌ Don't Read if:**

- You need a lot of spice in your romance
- You need payoff in the first half of the book
- You don’t like cats 🐈‍⬛

**✏️ Similar Authors:**

- Christina Lauren
- Abby Jiminez
- Laurie Gilmore

## My Review

- **0.5** ⭐️ **Plot & Pacing**
- *Overdue* may be the slowest slow-burn romance I have ever read. It felt as though Macon was a reluctant hero. He shot down Ingrid's advances so forcefully that it made it very difficult for her to regroup and try again. However, the payoff was worth it. He is the world's most considerate boyfriend; he is always feeding her, bringing her flowers, and making her feel at home. I just wish he had been a little clearer about his intentions!
- **0.5** ⭐️ **Characters**
- **Ingrid** - Ingrid undergoes an incredible transformation in *Overdue*. She goes from being a cheerful, carefree person to crying on the bathroom floor at work. However, she lifts herself off that grimy floor and decides to manifest her dream life. With the support of a fantastic cast of supporting characters and the adorably awkward Macon, she makes her dreams a reality.
- **Macon** - As a woman in her forties, I find it a bit frustrating to see the lack of emotional growth in Macon. He is a grown man who struggles to express his feelings. While I understand that this isn't uncommon for men—after all, I'm married!—I wish he would meet her halfway instead of making her do most of the work to advance their relationship.
- **1.0** ⭐️ **Prose & Style**
- Stephanie Perkins uses emotionally charged prose and character-driven narratives that pull readers into Ingrid’s hear and mind. She brings us along on Ingrid and Macon’s emotional journey from friends to lovers.
- **1.0** ⭐️ **Emotional Impact**
- I believe Perkins provided clear explanations for the issues that Ingrid and Macon face. Ingrid’s parents are terrible! It’s surprising that they chose to have children given the way they treat her and her sister. While Macon comes from a family struggling with mental illness. His mother is a shut-in, his aunt is an addict, and his father was never involved in his life. As a result, he has had to take on the role of primary caregiver for the two women who raised him.
- **1.0** ⭐️ **Intellectual Stimulation**

Give me books, give me sweet little books

Give me books

Givel me, give me books


## Final Thoughts

Let me wrap up this review by expressing my deepest love for romances that revolve around the enchanting world of books. If it’s a story set in publishing, count me in! Tales about writers? I can't get enough! And when it comes to heartfelt discussions about bookshops and libraries? Seriously, need I say more?

**Here’s a short list of some of my favorites:**

- *Book Lovers*
- *Beach Read*
- *Funny Story*
- *The Love Haters*
- *Meet Me in the Margins*
- *By Any Other Name*

**Bonus: Movies centered around books:**

- *You’ve Got Mail*
- *Notting Hill*
- *Serendipity*

I was really intrigued by the premise of this book as it sounded in a similar vein to Taylor Jenkins Reid’s One True Loves, which I loved - but I ended up having to DNF Overdue at 25%.

Ingrid comes across as incredibly immature and naive for a character that’s supposed to be pushing 30. I can understand that she doesn’t have a lot of experience in asking men out/dating, but it came across like she’d never been with a man at all and had never gone on a single date. And Macon just creeped me out. I feel like the author was trying to make him into this quirky character (black tape over his phone camera?!), but the way he’s described completely turned me off. The writing itself also felt more in line with a YA book than adult and a lot of the descriptions read very juvenile.

I wish this had worked out, but unfortunately this wasn’t a hit for me.

A new romance by Stephanie Perkins was long 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗱𝘂𝗲. (HA! that was dumb)

Ingrid Dahl and her boyfriend have been in a mostly-platonic-less-romantic relationship for the past eleven years and they've decided to take a month longbreak to see new people then get back together to marry (icky).

And Ingrid only has the perfect man in mind... her co-worker and best friend Macon. But suddenly she does not want to get back together again. She's seeing her life anew and realising all she ever wanted has been right in front of her.

~

Let me begin by saying Ingrid, the fmc, is not exactly virtuous she definitely has made some questionable decisions but damn if I didn't have fun reading this.

The entire plot, although icky at times, was so well executed I'm giddy. The jealousy scenes, the pining, the chemistry, the angst and the confession... beautiful beyond words.

I will say though, keep your mind open going into this because you'll likely want to leave off after the first half (where the character's integrity is questionable) but I promise the slowest of all slow burns is quite worth it.

~

4.01 / 5 ★

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is 10000% the BEST slow burn romance I have ever read! The setting and characters were all fantastic and I loved the depth of the characters. Such a sweet book!

Thank you to Netgalley for this arc. I really enjoyed this romance novel. It was sweet. Ingrid and Corey have been in a relationship for eleven years. They have only been with each other and dated each other. Ingrid's sister is getting married to someone she just met and Ingrid and Corey rethink their relationship. They agree to take month break and date other people and see if they see each other the same way after the term is over. So much happen within that month and Ingrid realizes she might just be in love with someone new.

I was so pleasantly surprised by this book! Had no idea what I was going into and I really enjoyed this. I flew through it and I think that speaks a lot to how well it was written and that I picked it up at such a great time. I’m excited to share this one as we get closer to publishing date!

I loved this book so much!! It was slow burn, friends to lovers and exactly what it’s like to date in 2025. It felt a lot like an Emily Henry or even older TJR. Amazing transition to adult romance Stephanie!!! So cozy.

ARC REVIEW

Sorry, DNF at 15% This was way too info dumpy and descriptive. Plot nowhere in sight. She also described her bestie as fat? Like you couldn’t have said it a nicer way?? I dont Care why a minor side character prefers to drive a truck over a sedan, I don’t care about potential MMC neighbors cat, I dont Care about all the old people who come into the library!

Oh! Oh! Yes. This was a refreshing story to get lost in. I love how the cover came out, but the story is what got me the most. The characters and plot are written so well. I was engaged and enthralled from the start. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I really enjoyed reading this, there is something about a book set in a library, or a bookstore, or even both, that really resonates with me. Typically I will have something in common with the characters, and always, I will wish that I worked in that library, or that bookstore.

This library has a wood burning fireplace, that gets lit! Gah. How amazing would that be?

This is the story of Ingrid and her boyfriend Cory. They have a moment in their relationship where they have do decide, do they, or don't they. And they can't decide. That sounds wishy washy, but it leads down a path, for both of them, where they get to experience things they hadn't previously experienced. I don't want to say too much more, except that if you're reading my review, you will also likely enjoy this book immensely.

My only critique, if you will, is that I am not a fan of not communicating. That's a genre I can skip for the rest of my reading life. ;)

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

watching these two fall in love with each other was a little like watching paint dry, and I don’t mean in a delicious, angsty slow burn type of way.

✰ 3.5 stars, Étienne St. Clair is her best book boyfriend. you may argue with the wall if you would like.

thank you to St. Martin's Press and Saturday Books for the ebook arc in exchange for an honest review

platform: netgalley ebook arc

Reading the synopsis I was excited to read this one.

A cozy location, a librarian, and a romance.

It was so slow and I thought the dialogue was sometimes very immature and off putting.

NetGalley/ St. Martin’s Press October 07,2025

The first 30% was incredibly slow, to the point where I considered not finishing. However, I enjoyed the main character enough I chose to continue. While overall the story was good (I loved the side characters and the character arc of our female lead) there were definitely some problems. The story felt as though it could’ve been complete much earlier than it was, and the relationship is treated as if it’s perfect when there are definitely some major problems they never address. While I think their relationship COULD work out in the long run we didn’t see any of that work to make it work go into it, and I felt as though it wasn’t as good/healthy a relationship as the author was trying to tell me it was. Overall, 3 stars. Still fun.

Thank you net galley and publisher for this ARC. This was a cute and cozy book. I enjoyed seeing how the characters progressed.

A cozy and very slow burn romance. It took me a while to warm up to the story and to Ingrid, and once I did I really enjoyed her journey of self-discovery.

The length of the novel allows us to fully immerse in Ingrid's day to day tasks and adds a sense of realism to her relationship with her colleague, Macon. I feel like Macon's appeal waxed and waned throughout the story and while I thought Ingrid and Macon had chemistry, I'm not sure they are a perfect match for one another. Overall, this is a sweet story of love and community. 3.5 stars.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.