Wow I am so glad that this book found its way to me!! I loved the slow burn romance of it so much and it was truly just a beautiful story.

Overdue is a slow-burn, introspective romance about self-discovery, second chances, and the sometimes-messy process of figuring out what you truly want. Set in the cozy mountain town of Ridgetop, North Carolina, this novel blends small-town charm with deep emotional growth as Ingrid Dahl takes an unconventional step to decide her future.

Ingrid has been with Cory for over a decade—comfortable, predictable, and never once questioning their future. But when her sister announces her engagement after just two years of dating, Ingrid and Cory start to wonder why they’ve never taken that step. Instead of diving into marriage, they agree to take a month-long break, date other people, and then decide if they should reunite and move forward together. For Ingrid, this means finally seeing where things could go with her longtime (and secret) crush—her grumpy yet intriguing coworker, Macon Nowakowski. But when Macon turns her down, and Cory extends the break, Ingrid’s safe and structured world begins to unravel in ways she never expected.

This book is more than just a romance—it’s a story about stepping outside your comfort zone, learning from past mistakes, and allowing yourself to grow. Ingrid’s journey is compelling as she slowly realizes she’s been living a life that no longer fulfills her. Macon, while an unusual love interest, brings a quiet intensity to the story, and their slow-burn chemistry is worth the wait. The library setting is a book-lover’s dream, and the small-town dynamics make for a charming and immersive backdrop.

There are a few bumps along the way—some elements of Ingrid’s dating life feel frustrating, and the pacing could have been tighter—but Overdue ultimately delivers a heartfelt and thoughtful romance. If you love stories that focus on personal growth, community, and finding love in unexpected places, this one is worth picking up.

The storytelling was stunning, the single POV never felt like I was missing something vital. I loved ALL of the characters in this book. The friendships were some of my favorite parts of reading this. And then, of course, we have Macon. What a darling man! Give me 17 more of him! Patient and full of yearning with a side of grump - yes please. The ending was possibly the sweetest ending I've read in a while and this book was just so JOYFUL!

DNF at 49%.

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. Thank you St. Martin Press. All opinions are my own and given freely.*

Unfortunately, this one just didn't work for me. I was so intrigued by this blurb. I went anticipating something similar to a love triangle perhaps... but what it ended up being (for me) was a very unromantic feeling story between two first loves who want to try other people before they commit to marriage. As well as two people who have this underlying chemistry, but just can never seem to communicate. It all felt very juvenile if I'm honest. I went in for the praised romance, and perhaps it's yet to come, but I'm just not invested unfortunately. Not the story for me, but it might be for you.

This was an interesting take on a romance novel. I don't like the idea of a "hallpass" personally which lead me to not like the book as much as others might. That being said, this book was an easy read and was well-written. Just not really a fan of the plot. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Saturday Books for a copy of this book for an honest review.

Overdue by Stephanie Perkins is a lovely story about two book lovers coming to recognize they are soulmates. This new to me author has populated her story with interesting characters and situations that definitely should keep one reading. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book from NetGalley. Highly recommend.

Ingrid is a librarian, lost on where her life is going. Her and her boyfriend decide to take a break and experience other relationships before getting married. They have been together forever and have really only dated each other. They give themselves a month. In the meantime, Ingrid knows exactly who she wants to spend her month off with, Macon. Macon is her grumpy co-worker, who barely talks to anyone. As Ingrid navigates this new territory, she learns so much about herself and finds the courage to go a different path.
Overdue by Stephanie Perkins was adorable!! I loved the storyline, the characters, everything about this book!! My only complaint was the sex scenes. They were spicy but just seemed out of place here. The story was pretty vanilla up to that point. The scenes just didn't fit with the story at all. And no, I am not a prude. I love a good scene but this just didn't work for me. I will definitely recommend Overdue to my other book-loving friends and I will be looking for future work by Stephanie Perkins. Special thanks to NetGalley, Stephanie Perkins, and St. Martin's Press | Saturday Books for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion. 4 stars for me.

Thank you again to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Saturday Books for a chance to read an advanced copy and give an honest review of this book!

Overdue is a “late” coming of age novel revolving around Ingrid Dahl, a librarian who’s been stuck in an 11 year relationship with no concrete direction. When her sister gets engaged, Ingrid and her boyfriend Cory decide to take a one month hiatus to date around, and then reconvene in 1 month in hopes of moving forward together as a couple forever. However, feelings, plans and life change the future Ingrid once pictured for herself.

I enjoyed this Stephanie Perkins’ writing. Her characters are flawed, messy, real and relatable. Ingrid is naive yet unapologetically herself in a charming way. The situation that she’s in with Cory is difficult, but I’ve seen this scenario happen in real life so often—where you’ve become so comfortable with your partner that you can’t see any other future without them even if you’re no longer in love with them.

This story is a love letter to anyone in their late-20s that’s just starting their life over. Ingrid has her self-doubts and insecurities, but that doesn’t stop her from going after what she dreams of. I absolutely loved that for her. Highly recommend if you’re a fan of Kate Goldbeck and Tarah Dewitt.

Overdue is beautiful from its bright and cheerful cover through to its grumpy sunshine core. I feel like this is a book written as a love letter to book lovers, as Perkins treats readers to descriptions of libraries, cozy downtown streets, and coffee shops. For fans of the grumpy/sunshine trope, age gap, a slow burn romance, and characters that have been doing life for awhile. It's possible the slow burn is just a smidge TOO slow burn for my tastes, and the book is just a PINCH longer than it maybe had to be, which kept it from reaching 5 star status for this reader. However, the extra pages means that we really got to know these characters. They feel real and fully formed and I was very invested in their story and its outcome.

Overall, I loved these characters, this lush setting, and this beautiful writing. It's a fantastic reminder that it's never too late to take stock of your life and see if you're happy or just doing the days.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to fall in love alongside these characters in exchange for my honest review.

As an OG Stephanie Perkins girl from the Anna and the French Kiss era, I have been waiting over a decade for her adult romance debut. Overdue is not just a romance but an ode to books, the written word and booksellers and librarians. All of the book was so heartfelt that I felt myself melting into the pages. 

Usually cheerful Ingrid is having the worst year of her life. She and her longterm boyfriend agree to take a break and see other people before reuniting and getting married. But there's only one man she really wants to experiment with and that's Macon, her grumpy coworker who she's always felt that spark of electricity with. Except when she propositions him, he shuts down, and her easy relationship with him changes. 
The book was an incredibly slowburn but worth the payoff. We get to be part of Ingrid's journey as she realizes how stagnated she's been feeling, not just in her relationship but in her life and as her awareness grows of what she wants in life, she's able to make choices that both bring her forward but also bring forth the opportunity to be with Macon, a man who has been secretly pining for her for years.
Adult romance readers and Stephanie Perkins fangirls will love this book.  

Thank you to SMP Romance and NetGalley for the ARC. What a treat!

Big thank you to St. Martin's Press, Saturday Books, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Overdue definitely ventures into slightly new territory than most romance/contemporary fiction novels out there. We have a couple who decides to take a one month break before getting married, which... let's be honest... we all know how that is going to end, right?

Anyhow, we get to see Ingrid date for basically the first time all the while she is pining both subconsciously and consciously for her coworker, Mason -- who is ten years older than her (which is totally fine IMO in case you were wondering).

It's a big 'will they or won't they?' slow (very slow) burn with a career change and family drama mixed in.

And.... it just didn't work for me.

Ingrid seemed slightly younger than twenty-nine and as a recently thirty-nine year old myself I just couldn't picture Mason in real life. He just seemed too over the top, too immature, too yuck. I didn't get the appeal both with him and Cory (aka the dude who at 29 only eats chicken nuggets).

Additionally, Ridgetop is basically Asheville (the author states this in her acknowledgements) and it was somewhat distracting to me that it was basically a carbon copy of it. Like why not just make it Asheville then?

Also, I'm all for left-leaning fiction (seriously love it!) but it came off like a check list of liberal topics to slightly mention throughout the novel: book banning (which legit made sense), climate change, unhoused people, LGBTQ+, veganism, child-free, anti-marriage (I'm sure there is a better way to describe that but I'm blanking on it) and more. The issue wasn't that they were included but more so that they felt forced, awkward, unnecessary, and distracting from... you know... the plot of the book.

Lastly, there was more than one "steamy" scene that came off creepy or weird more than steamy.

Anyhow, this book wasn't for me. It's bones were good but the characters and the secondary plots were just too much to overcome.

I was asked to review “Overdue” by Stephanie Perkins.

I love books about librarians and avid readers. Here, the protagonist, Ingrid, is in a long term relationship with her boyfriend, Cory. Yet, unsure whether marriage should be the next step, they decide to take a month apart so they can decide if they want to marry. This opens the door for Ingrid to connect with a few frogs but also Macon.

Stephanie Perkins is apparently a prolific writer, though I have never come across her work. However, I thought she handled the plot in a thoughtful and delightful well. Yes, the reader as some idea of where the story is going but it doesn’t mean they won’t enjoy the journey to get there.

I look forward to reading more by this author.

Four out of five stars.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for a chance to read this book.

I loved Stephanie Perkins books when I was younger - they were some of the first young adult books I obsessed over! So I was really excited when I was invited to read her new adult novel, Overdue. Unfortunately, it ultimately fell flat for me and I didn’t finish. First of all, it’s way too long. It could have been wrapped in 250 pages, but it was over 400. Second, the writing still felt like she was trapped in YA mode. It isn’t bad, I just felt it was a bit too immature for me. Third, the plot - and this is the most important - was just…dumb. A long term couple, Ingrid and Cory, have spent over a decade together decide to take a month apart so they can decide if they want to marry. If you don’t know if you want to marry someone after a year, the answer is probably no. 10 years? Definitely not. So we all know where this is heading. Ingrid works at a library, which is my favorite part of the book and why I read more than I wanted to. Macon is her grumpy coworker that she clearly loves. She tried to kiss him and he put a stop to it, so she pretty much hides from embarrassment for the rest of the month, only to find out Cory has been sleeping with someone and wants to take another month off. Relieved, because she doesn’t really want to be with him and definitely doesn’t want to marry him, she agrees. Then she starts dating around and sleeping around the second month, and I’m pretty sure she hurt a guy or two because she was still hung up on Macon, so that was lame. And then…Macon just doesn’t do it for me - not that Cory made me swoon either. I could be totally wrong, but Macon makes me think of a short pudgy guy who wears a lot of turtlenecks and khakis and has a bad bowl haircut and always looks and smells greasy. And maybe it’s because he’s awkward but he just doesn’t seem that nice. Anyway, I just expected more. More from Ingrid, more from Macon, and more from Stephanie Perkins.

2 stars because I like the library aspect and the cover is gorgeous!

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for a review and opinions are my own.

This book was sweet. It was romantic and sweet. I think I wanted a little more in this because it was an adult romance from this author. I really wanted something more grand and sweet exciting and HUGELY romantic at the end. So that part felt somewhat lacking to me. But overall it was a sweet romance that I enjoyed reading but might not remember completely.

This was a slow burn romance that I was needing in my life. I loved Ingrid and really all the characters, even mister grump. This book felt like real life and real people problems which I actually enjoyed and want to read about. This was overall just such a nice feel good book that I can not wait for the next one!

Thank you NetGalley, St Martin’s Press for the advanced E-copy in exchange for this review.

Some books just feel like a warm hug. They wrap you up in their embrace and you gratefully sink into the comfort they provide. Overdue by Stephanie Perkins, is such a book. I wanted to linger in the world she created, to be friends with the characters and stay in their lives.

Ingrid is one of my favourite FMC’S that I have read recently. I found her struggles with self doubt, and her feeling of being defined by a romantic relationship to be wholly relatable. I was rooting for her every page, wanting her to find what would truly make her happy.

The slowburn romance was perfectly executed. When people say we want yearning brought back in books, this is what they’re talking about. I lived for the tension between Ingrid and Macon, and every little crumb that indicated their feelings for each other.

I appreciated the mental health representation in this book. The struggles of the characters were handled with sensitivity.

This was a five star read for me, and I’m looking forward to future releases by Stephanie.

Reviewed for NetGalley:

Ingrid, librarian extraordinaire, coming to terms with a "break" from her boyfriend of 11 years, makes a move towards her longtime crush and coworker, Macon, and is quickly shut down.

Thus, Ingrid embarks on a long adventure of trying dating others, within the confines of a pact with her boyfriend, they will have a month of free dating before setting down.

This was the slowest of burns in a wonderful way. I kept thinking of this story as warm blanket, a hot cup of tea, a cozy cardigan that I never wanted to part with.

I loved the world Perkins built for Ingrid and would love an off shoot if possible.

When I say that this book was slow burn... it was sloooooooooooooooow burn at its finest. I don't think I've ever read a book that was slow burn but so impeccably done. Wow - kudos to you Stephanie! *chef's kiss*!!!!

What to expect:
- slow burn... duh
- shy MMC
- he falls first
- sunshine x grumpy
- age gap (10 years)

Overall thoughts is that this book was well written but had instances that felt quite juvenile. I didn't realize that the author was originally a young adult author which now makes sense because things felt very "young adulty" in sections.

Thanks to NetGalley and the published for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Now this is how you do a slow burn!!! I was giddy reading this book and couldn’t put it down. I loved the characters and their growth. The concept could have been cringe but instead it was heartwarming and beautiful. So thankful for the ARC!

Pros: the characters! I truly loved Ingrid and Macon. I enjoyed following Ingrid through her development and opening of her store.

Cons: I think the book was a bit too long. And while I truly enjoy a good slow burn, this was really stretched out.