Sometimes, a book falls squarely into the category of “just okay”—entertaining enough to finish but not compelling enough to revisit. Long Story Short is one of those reads. While it has its moments, it ultimately doesn’t justify a permanent spot on your bookshelf and would be best as a library rental.

The book has a solid premise, opposites attract between a disgraced romance author and the admin to an agent (who wants to become an agent herself). Freya gets assigned to accompany Jake to NYC for a romance convention to help restore his reputation after he was overheard disparaging the genre. Freya is up for a promotion to an agent if all goes well, but Jake doesn’t help matters during interviews. Apparently, he had a big personal secret that was wrecking him and he chose to badmouth romance and its readers so that another author wouldn’t learn the secret. This is my biggest pain point: just don’t tell the secret. Say you have personal issues and leave it at that. None would be the wiser. Jake was I believe in the age range 34-39 and is full adulting at this point. The personal secret didn’t seem to warrant his reaction and subsequent actions. May be more understandable if he was younger (definitely under 30). It just threw off the vibe for me. This is a low spice, open door romance.

Thank you Boldwood Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This was a cute romcom. I didn't completely jive with this book, and I think it would benefit from another round of copyediting. A few too many grammatical errors tend to take me out of a story, which happened with this one.
I did like the setting and overall plot was interesting. I liked that it was set at a romance book conference, and the community drama was entertaining!

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for giving me an advance copy. I loved this story. I like how the story developed. How the characters found their true selves. How Freya learned to stand up and speak up for herself and Jake being honest and confronting his fears and most of all accepting it. How things get rocky in life but can overcome it sooner or later. It was a cute love story. Definetly recommend it if you're looking for a funny short romance with a little bit of spice. I will definetly be checking out more books from this author. Thanks again to NetGalley and the author.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for honest review.

The premise of this book sounded so interesting to me. An assistant to a book agent is taking over her boss for 5 days at a romance conference. She'll be representing their client, a romance author who recently said he didn't believe in love and romance but was happy to take his readers' money. The conference is the opportunity to redeem himself and serves as a chance for our FMC to prove herself to her boss and become a literary agent herself.

Billed as an enemies to lovers, but there wasn't much in the lines of enemies. More grumpy/sunshine IMO. There's lots of tropes in here, maybe a few too many. I think I would have preferred several of them to be more flushed out instead of focusing on quantity. My least favorite trope is miscommunication and this one was full of them. If I was a fan of miscommunication tropes, this easily would have rated higher for me.

Things I loved- the setting of the romance conference, seeing the side of book publishing from an author's and agent's POV, their dates in NYC.

Overall, this was a cute and quick read. Romance lovers will definitely want to add this to their list!

The first chapters i was very hoocked with the story and the characters, however I did not like the book at all. I will not post this review on goodreads becuase I know it will be bad.
Although the execution didn’t completely resonate with me, I appreciated the creativity of the literary conference setting. However, it fell short of the immersive atmosphere I had hoped for, only skimming the surface of the glamorous publishing world rather than fully exploring its richness.

That said, the happy endings for the side characters provided a refreshing touch, offering brief yet heartwarming moments. Their subplots added emotional depth and authenticity, infusing the story with warmth. Another standout was Victoria Walters’ writing style—smooth and engaging—making this a quick and accessible read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ (More like 2.5, but rounding up)

This book had all the ingredients for a fun romance—forced proximity, a grumpy-sunshine dynamic, and a heroine working in the publishing industry (which is always a cool setting). Freya, a literary agent obsessed with romance, is suddenly forced to help save the career of Jake, an author who just got canceled for admitting he doesn’t even like romance novels. Cue the awkward tension and lots of bickering.

The setup had potential, but pretty early on, I noticed a pattern—Freya spends a lot of time doubting herself, overanalyzing everything, and repeating the same internal struggles. She’s supposed to be focused on her job and career, but honestly, it felt like her biggest concern was figuring out why Jake doesn’t believe in love, rather than, you know, actually doing the job she was supposed to be doing. Meanwhile, Jake has his own personal struggles that led to his big PR disaster, but we don’t really get to see much of his growth until very late in the book. Their chemistry was fine, but I never fully believed in their emotional connection (until muuuch later in the book).

The middle dragged for me. There were too many repetitive conversations—Freya doubting herself, Jake regretting his mistakes, both of them skirting around their feelings. Even though the New York setting was nice, I genuinely think at least 10 chapters could have been condensed, because at a certain point, I was just waiting for something new to happen. The dialogue was often longer than necessary, with characters repeating the same thoughts in different ways.

One thing I did appreciate was how the book handled consent—Jake always made sure Freya was comfortable before taking any steps forward, which is a refreshing change from what we usually see in the genre.

However, by the last stretch of the book, I was struggling to stay engaged. The climax took too long to arrive, and after so many repetitive conflicts, it felt a bit underwhelming. And then, in the final chapters, the dialogue became oddly simplified—almost cartoonish—like the book suddenly started over-explaining everything as if the reader couldn’t follow what was happening. It was a strange shift that took me out of the story.

Overall, this wasn’t bad, but it lacked that spark that makes a romance really stand out. It had potential, but I think this easily be a 20 chapters shorter and better structured. If you love rom-coms and don’t mind some drawn-out introspection, this could still be an enjoyable read!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

A glitzy New York literary conference, a grumpy bestselling author, and an ambitious assistant tasked with salvaging his reputation — Long Story Short had all the right ingredients for a swoon-worthy bookish romance. But despite the promising setup, it left me underwhelmed.

While the premise held plenty of potential, the predictable plot and one-dimensional characters made this story feel disappointingly formulaic. Jake and Freya’s romance leans heavily on outdated stereotypes: the "older, jaded man-child" paired with the "young, inexperienced woman" at the start of her career. Their ten-year age gap could have added depth with more nuance, but instead, it only highlighted Jake’s immaturity and Freya’s lack of complexity. Their chemistry relied on frustrating miscommunication and surface-level tension, making their eventual connection feel more forced than fated.

While the execution didn’t fully land for me, I appreciated the creative literary conference backdrop. However, it lacked the immersive spark I was hoping for — barely scratching the surface of the glitzy publishing world when it could have been a richly atmospheric setting.

That said, the side characters’ happy endings were a welcome reprieve, offering brief but heartwarming moments. Their subplots added some much-needed emotional depth and authenticity, bringing a touch of warmth to the story. Another highlight was Victoria Walters’ writing style, which was easy to follow, making this a quick and accessible read.

Ultimately, Long Story Short is a light, easy read — pleasant enough for a weekend escape, but too predictable and surface-level to leave a lasting impression. That said, fans of trope-driven romances may still find its familiar beats comforting and enjoyable.

Apparently, this was part of a series because the author has several other books related to the characters in Long Story Short. However, it can act as a standalone.

This is my first Victoria Walters book and I have a lot of opinions.

Long Story Short follows 25-year-old Freya, an aspiring agent and assistant to a badass agent who gets assigned to go to New York help handsome, yet messed up rom-com writer Jake, 35, fix what he screwed up.

First, I have to say the writing is decent. I stayed up until 4 am reading this, which doesn't always happen. I was too caught up in everything and couldn't put it down. However, the dialogue was a bit simplistic and cliche, and it was like they were in high school, not in their 20s.

Second, the third-act breakup was actually quite good. I hate third-act breakups because they're useless and the action is all because of a misunderstanding and gets solved in 24 to 48 business hours. This one was a bit more complex, although yeah, still a major misunderstanding at play that could've been fixed with good communication. Typical rom-com.

Third, hell yeah for the sexy scenes! SO. GOOD.

Fourth, and what puts me off everything is the age gap. After 25, I don't feel like there any issue with age gaps, so I'm not actually upset about the 10-year-difference but Freya's age. It makes no sense for her to be this young, story-wise. Sure, she's an assistant and aspiring agent, but she wants it to happen... ASAP? like, girl, what, you've been an assistant for six. months. ASSSISTANT. six. months.

It would make more sense to make her at least 28, based on absolutely everything about her, her behavior, aspirations, and personality gives off older character, so it isn't too early to edit her age, Victoria. Jake can be 38 to keep the age gap, but 25 is way too young. and SIX MONTHS? in six months you barely learn the job you're at, let alone start training for a new one. I know it's a rom-com, but still. SIX. MONTHS.

I also don't really see it as an enemies to lovers, since they are... hardly enemies.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun and quick read. I thought that the conflict between Jake and Freya was believable and that their characters were compelling.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC.

Freya, 25, is assistant to literary agent Hayley Harper. She wants to become a literary agent herself so when Hayley asks her to travel to New York to do damage control to a romance author's reputation at a five day romance convention, she happily accepts.

Said romance author is none other than Jake Richards, 35, whose books she loves but who has publicly declared he doesn't believe in happy endings but will take the readers' money anyway. Freya tries to get him to be more honest with his readers, in direct contravention of Hayley's instructions. I actually counted, the word "honest" appears 88 times during the book. Honestly!

The plot to this enemies to lovers story is very simple and predictable, the list of tropes is long, with the inevitable miscommunication and third-act break-up, the heroine is ditzy and chaotic, wears unprofessional clothing but being honest to the point of being rude means Jake declares her "unique", "a breath of fresh air" and "not like anyone he knows". He himself is grumpy and nursing a secret about his parents. His jokes at the beginning are wholly inappropriate but he gets better. There is an age gap of ten years which I personally don't mind but some readers might not like.

There is spice a couple of times but it's entirely skippable if you're not into that sort of thing. What's not quite so forgivable is the stiff dialogue and the notion that the most popular romance author would be male. Most male authors, if they write in that genre, try to make it edgy or literary or they only write love stories without happy endings (I am looking at you, Nicholas Sparks!) David Mulberry, the crime writer with contempt for the romance genre is quite typical - it's often thought that romance doesn't require particular skill.

Hayley Harper is a bit of a cartoon villain. I'm hope agents like her don't exist!
There is a cute meet cute, New York is described well and Tessa from The Paris Chapter makes a short appearance. Altogether this is a sweet romance in the literary world that won't tax you unduly, and it's nice there's some redemption for David.

3.5 stars

I really enjoyed this book! The characters were relatable, the plot was interesting, and the story was great! I would definitely recommend!

This is a cute, fun book about a wanna be literary agent eager to prove herself. She’s sent to a romance convention with a disgraced romance writer and together they are supposed to try to reignite his failing image. It’s a cozy, feel good romantic story.

Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books, and the author for granting my request to read this e-ARC and provide my honest opinions.

As soon as I read that this was set behind the publishing industry, I knew I had to read this, and I'm so glad I did because this book is so, so good.

Forced proximity! Literary agent and best-selling romance author! Age gap! The author did a fantastic job with the tropes, characters, and the setting 🥰.

The romance was not rushed into; I was swooning, y'all 🥰. The one thing I didn't like was the miscommunication trope. The miscommunication trope brought a bit of a gap between our main characters, but that ending, damn.

Overall, I loved this book ♥️.

This book had an interesting premise, but sadly, the execution didn't quite deliver for me. I liked the idea of a romance between a literary agent and her client, but the dialogue often came across as forced and unnatural, making it hard to get more into the characters. The conversations didn't feel like real-life exchanges, which sometimes pulled me out of the story.
I also could not really feel for the FMC, as she somehow *always* found herself in situations where put her foot in her mouth or did something embarrassing. The MMC made inappropriate remarks that were not it when regarding their work relationship.
This book was not 100% for me, but I could see someone really enjoying it! It is a lighter read and the workplace romance trope was kind of reimagined, which was a nice twist.

This was my first book by this author and I wasn’t disappointed. It was the kind of romance book that takes you into its bubble and gets you quickly to the point you don’t want to put it down. Great characters with relatable insecurities who you want to succeed. The right balance of romance, sexiness and reality leading to the perfect ending, exactly what you want from a Romance story. A lovely escape from real life that leaves you just feeling happy.

An enemies to lovers novel, this book is quirky and cute. Freya is sent to NYC with romance author Jake to save his career after he made a huge confession about hating romance books, and was overheard by a reporter, who, of course, published it. In the process of attempting to salvage what is left after the damage was done, Freya finds out why Jake actually made those comments and everything else surrounding the drama. The unlikely duo of course ends up falling in love, but what kind of risk will that put to her starting career? There is miscommunication and strife, but the journey to get to the HEA is worth it! Both characters are really likable, and if you’re up to date with this author’s writing, you will see characters you have met in other books, which brings a really nice sense of familiarity to her novels.
What I like most about this book is the author’s dedication to her character, Freya, staying true to herself while being under immense pressure that is being a professional in a challenging industry. I like that she was quirky and brutally honest, and I definitely appreciated how she was a diehard romance reader, but the author allowed her to open her mind to other genres, which to me as a reader is something I find special because it’s too easy to find your genre and box yourself in. It made me connect more with the character.

As far as the blurb went, I was all the way down for this. Grumpy-sunshine, awkward-meetings? Sign me up.

But well, that was where it sort of stalled for me well. The premise was great, the execution a lot less so.

The writing, at the start, made the whole read feel like junior fiction instead of N/A or adult romance. The rather simplistic/stilted voices made both Jake and Freya more cardboard characters than flawed, three-dimensional protagonists, with just the central plot driving the story of Freya needing to rehabilitate Jake’s image despite her inexperience in all ways. New York then, became the place where they got closer and of course, a spanner must be thrown into the works and a good misunderstanding (a personal peeve of mine because communication just can’t come easy between adults especially in romantic fiction?) messes things up.

I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but much of the dialogue felt like it was taking place between mostly teenage girls. There sometimes wasn’t much distinction between Jake and Freya and Freya’s friends; Jake’s own narrative voice was in some ways, as awkwardly feminine as Freya’s, just from an opposite point of view and that wasn’t anything I could get used to even when I got halfway through the book.

Things definitely got a bit more interesting after the halfway mark though, and just as I was about to give up on the flightiness of Freya’s behaviour and her repetitive internal monologues, the growth and development that emerged from there was in fact, a welcome change of pace and depth.

I’m afraid this wasn’t quite the book for me after all. It’s an easy read in retrospect and I do appreciate the happy end for all involved (including the side players), but it was just difficult to enjoy the flow of the narrative.

I love grumpy sunshine I pretty sure that goes back to my childhood favorite movie being Beauty and the Beast. As well as he falls first, as long as we the reader get to watch him fall first. Which is really great when we get dual point of views.

This was a light and cute read about enemies to lovers. The book was cozy and feel good - an easy rom com for the summer!

This was cute, but it felt long. As I was reading, I thought, "Oh, we've got to be more than halfway through. Perfect." I looked down to see I was only 30% finished.