If I were to come up with a phrase to describe _The Man I Never Met_, it would be "quietly charming." As one could guess from the title (and the publisher's blurb), the main problem initially is the distance between Hannah (London) and Davey (Austin, TX). For readers who fondly remember _Sleepless in Seattle_, the distance dilemma here is similar; they have a "meet cute" virtually but circumstances interfere with their meeting in person. I won't give a spoiler about why they can't meet as intended, but I will say that the reader is lured into rooting for them both. It's refreshing to read a book where the couple doesn't have to overcome initial dislike or some bad character flaws.. Maybe it's old-fashioned of me, but kudos to Elle Cook for writing a romance where the main couple is likable and their friends are witty, kind, and down-to-earth. This was a pleasure!

I would give it 4-1/2 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read an ARC.

3.75/5

When Hannah answers a call from an American man, Davey, who’s got the wrong number for a job interview, she wishes him luck and assumes she’ll never hear from him again. When he messages her to let her know that not only he got the job, but that he’ll be moving to London in a month, the two begin to explore friendship and possibility of more when he gets there. The day comes and Hannah is left waiting at the arrivals gate alone- what does this mean for them now? Was it love? Can you really be in love with someone you never met!


Spoilers?!

Things I didn’t like:
Not enough from the ending. I think I realize now that this is not a romance so maybe I should’ve gone in more open minded. I just really needed more from the end. I felt like there was this huge build up and then only a small amount of actual happiness for them. If there was a book 2 that explored their relationship, I would read it in a heartbeat.
I also didn’t like that we never confronted the fact that George encouraged Hannah’s body image issues- she hid her snacks, and every time she ate something “bad” she made the conscience thought not to tell him. He made her feel bad about herself and it was just brushed off, which I didn’t love.

Things I liked:
I loved the writing and the side characters (I want to judge coffee with Joan on Saturday mornings and meet Miranda and Paul at the pub in the evenings).
I loved the genuine friendship that sparked between Davey and Hannah and the way you could instantly feel their connection leap off the page.
I loved the personal growth that Davey and Hannah were both able to have through their own separate journeys.


Thank you to Elle Cook, NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

So I appreciate getting my wish granted and being able to read this book. I loved the concept of how answering a wrong number could lead to love. To me, it felt like there could’ve been more talking between Davey and Hannah before the diagnosis changed everything for them. I loved how they found their way back to each other and how it wasn’t a quick thing. All in all, it was a fun read.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this E-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Ah, contemporary romances. I've been reading a lot of them lately. It's been hit or miss and this one was more of a hit than a miss. I went in thinking it'd be a cutesy romance, but alas, it was not. It dealt with heavy topics and the romance while is part of the main story, it is not what a contemporary romance is. It was a sweet read with a HEA.

3.5/5 ⭐

Hannah and Davey's story begins with a long distance meet-cute, when Davey has a phone interview for a job in London but dials the wrong number and gets Hannah instead. They form a friendship over texts and phone calls that quickly grows into more-than-friendship as they plan to meet face to face when Davey moves overseas for his new job... and then suddenly tragedy strikes, and Davey isn't able to come. The reason why is what drives the rest of the story, and makes the eventual happy ending so very sweet.

holy smokes this book had my full attention! It had me in a rollercoaster of emotions wanting to know what was going to happen between Hannah and Davey.
I started off feeling happy from their encounters to anxious and concerned and cried tears at the end with how the story left off. I need more Hannah and Davey!
This was one of the best romance novels i've read. I loved every minuet of it!

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Victory Editing NetGalley Co-Op and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

What a fun story. A mix of reality tv and cheesy romance. More like this please.

I loved this book! It was part romance part just heartbreaking fiction and I’m here for it. I loved the thought and detail put into each part of the novel, and felt myself rooting for Hannah and Davey, while also being annoyed with Davey throughout a lot of the novel. Also we hate George. He was perfectly set up to be an alright person, then a good person, then the worst character! I appreciated feeling invested in the side characters as well, and that it wasn’t merely focused on Hannah and Davey the whole time. Definitely a new fave!

Thank you to netgalley and the author for the arc of this novel.

I was surprised by how much I liked this book - I read it in about 24 hours. Not necessarily a romance but with romantic aspects. Good for anyone who’s feeling “stuck” in their life

I loved how the book just jumped in and introduced the main characters and we were able to see both of them develop through the book. It took a classic romance a little further to be more relatable with the generation of online dating and getting to know someone you have never met. This book gives so much hope! I would definitely recommend this book and hopefully we can get more books from this author in this genre. I do wish we got see more of the main character romance between Hannah and Davey but still thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Thank you Random House - Ballantine and NetGalley!

Hannah gets a call from a wrong number and is suddenly connected to this person named Davey who lives across the pond and is planning to move to London. She feels a deep connection as the two continue to call and video chat before his planned move. She shows up to the airport to meet him, and he doesn't show. She's heartbroken.

I won't give it away, but this was a touching story about hope, resilience, and holding on. I really liked this book! I want to read more from the author!

I love the premise of The Man I Never Met. A wrong phone call turns into an opportunity for a romantic relationship. But then something life altering happens to derail everything Hannah and Davey were hoping for.

The Man I Never Met reminded me of Helen Hoang’s The Heart Principle. In both novels there is one main character (the love interest) dealing with major health problems. The difference though is, for me, I felt so much more emotionally connected to Hoang’s characters than with Cook’s. Though, there were moments in The Man I Never Met where I was glued to my Kindle, feverishly swiping each page to figure out what happens next (i.e. the train!!! Italy!!!).

Even though the pacing is somewhat sluggish, portions that were too heavy on exposition or internal thoughts, The Man I Never Met is a roller coaster of a ride in finding unexpected happiness while also taking risks on second chances.

Happy Reading ~ Cece

I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for granting my wish to read this book and give an honest review. At first, I thought this book was going to be about catfishing. Davey sounded too good to be true. And Hannah fell so fast and so hard for this charming man. A horrible twist of befalls Davey and what ensues is a great love story. I can't put in words how much I love this book!

3.5 stars

A lot of this book will feel familiar: young white professional London woman who is a bit stuck professionally and personally, has good friends and not great relationships. She meets a guy. He’s not suitable. They stay apart for most of the book, (and she dates someone who isn’t right for her) and she makes needed changes and embraces herself before falling in love. We saw it in Bridget Jones’s Diary and multiple times since then. There’s nothing wrong with the formula, But it is a formula.
What makes this one a little more interesting than some (though Bridget Jones is still the platinum standard) is that we get more of a sense of what’s going on with the love interest. Here, we get a few chapters from his perspective. That makes him more fleshed out and not just a symbol for the progress the female main character must make in herself.
I read this four days ago. I can’t remember the main characters’ names. But I remember details of what the MMC went through and that’s stuck with me. Ultimately, I think he’s even more compelling than her.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a really pleasant surprise. It made me wish I were traveling around Europe and frolicking through poppy fields in Italy. The author took something as unbelievable as falling in love with someone in another country who misdialed you and turned it into a sweet yet heartbreaking story. Hannah and Davey’s connection was so pure and I was rooting for them so bad. Davey’s situation was very sad and I hated seeing Hannah get hurt (and I hated seeing her date a total d-bag even more). I loved how the idea of fate was used and the ending was perfectly cheesy. I would recommend this book but I will say there is quite a lot of talk about weight so you might want to avoid it if that’s a sensitive subject. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Having never read a book by Elle Cook before, I wasn't sure what to expect with "The Man I Never Met." However, just from the book's synopsis, I was hooked! When British Hannah receives a call from an unknown number, she answers. On the other end is Davey, an American who accidentally dialed the wrong number. From there, a friendship develops and finally leads into something further. They discover that they have a lot in common and sparks begin to fly. They make plans to meet, but life has other plans: a cancer diagnosis for Davey. Their emotions go on a roller coaster ride and twists and turns abound.

I enjoyed the sweet relationship between the two of them, and was rooting for them the whole way through. This was an enjoyable, romantic novel that I greatly enjoyed reading! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This story is told in first person primarily from the point of view of Hannah with a few chapters here and there from the point of view of Davey. I was expecting this to be a tearjerker for me but I’m afraid that I just didn’t emotionally connect with the main characters for the majority of the book. I usually love stories where the romantic partners don’t meet in real life for a long period of time. Unfortunately, their communications cut off about a third of the way through the book and never really picked back up, so I was left with spinning wheels while Hannah went through the motions of work and a sort of boyfriend that felt like more of a placeholder than a real person in her life. Davey meanwhile is dealing with his own issues, which was a storyline that I could relate to in my own life. However, without the context of the communications with Hannah that excited me at the beginning of the book, I again felt an emotional disconnect.

I enjoyed the supporting characters in both Hannah and Davey’s lives from the interfering and jolly Grant to Miranda and her boyfriend Paul. I especially loved Hannah’s coffee rating weekend morning confessional with neighbor/landlord Joan. I found George’s character to be a bit inconsistent. I understand people can be different on vacation where I felt George was notably caring and thoughtful while returning home to daily life and suddenly more self-involved and unobservant though I often felt that Hannah not only hid things from him but did not communicate about serious life matters. I did enjoy the way everything came together in the end. Recommended for romance lovers that don’t mind their fated lovers to be separated through the majority of the book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dell Books for the free copy provided for an honest review.

I need to emphasize that this book is not a romance, and since that’s the only genre I read, I was pretty disappointed. However, the book was beautifully written and I couldn’t put it down. I ended up really enjoying it in the end.

This book was really good. Really sad and emotional but also happy. I felt the entire spectrum of emotions well reading this book! I loved and wanted to kill the characters a lot. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

When Hannah answers a phone call from an out of country number, Davey enters stage right, she doesn't anticipate it being the start of an entirely new adventure. Texts turn into phone calls, which turn into video calls, which turn into Hannah standing in the airport waiting for Davey to arrive.


Oh my freaking gosh this book was so sweet. This is NOT a spicy romance novel but it does have romance in it, as well as a happy ending, so I don’t care at all. Hannah is such a “go with the flow” non confrontational main character, but she does so in such a charming way that I kind of envy her. Between her relationship with her friends and sweet neighbor, to the romantic ones she finds herself in, she just kind of lives life the way the road lays it out for her. Really up until Davey shows up. This sweet architect is the opposite of Hannah, very “why not, what's the worst that can happen” energy, and it works so well for him, up until it doesn’t. But their conversations and long distance start of their relationship ran so parallel to my own partner and my relationship that I squealed out loud a few times at the similarities. There are some hard parts in this story with a health issue (so TW for that as well as some body image shaming/fatphobia), but goodness I really cannot wait for you all to read this one.