Thank you to the author, Alcove Press and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This rom-com lives for the "instant love" trope, which is then quickly subsumed by the "friends to lovers" trope. Could be annoying, and for large parts of this book I have to admit I found Kat, the female lead irritating and delusional - I found it hard to believe she's over 30, a hard-working consultant striving for partner in her firm and yet stuck in such a juvenile mindset. The object of her affection, Rory, was what kept me reading, tbh and of course Kat finds redemption through her friendship with him, and the two of them find lurve. I did enjoy Kat's neighbors and friends, although the Cockney slang felt very faked up. Overall, a quick read, but not on a par with what the blurb promised.

Thanks to Alcove Press for the ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. This was also the first cover reveal I participated in on Instagram, so it is fun to have been able to also read and promote the book some seven months later.

“Love doesn’t change you or make you better. It just reveals the goodness that’s already there.”

Reading this book started off kind of rough for me - I didn’t understand how the main character, who was described as an intelligent, ambitious consultant, rising through the ranks of her company, could fall in insta-love with a man sitting in a bus who she spots through her window. And not only does she fall in love with him, she is convinced her feelings are reciprocated due to the eye contact they hold (again, he is in a bus passing her apartment window). This sounds ridiculous! BUT I’m glad I continued on because I did enjoy the latter 75% much more than the beginning. Kat has much more realistic experiences through the rest of her journey, and I really started to care about her experience and future plans.
The characters in this book eat gelato a number of times in the book, and I have had such a craving for ice cream since I started reading it! My favorite flavor is pistachio. The book is now available everywhere. If you like London-settings and closed door modern romance, I bet you will like this one!

Honestly I hated the main character. She was so self absorbed and judgmental it made me want to DNF this book. But Rory and her flatmate kept me going.
Overall the book wasn't really bad and Kat did get a little better but she just really rubbed me the wrong way that I still hated her in the end.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

With a cover and title as cute as this, how could I not want to read it? I especially love books sent in London.

Kat is working in London and dreaming of her British prince to sweep her off her feet. She has a very specific list of her perfect partner and she thinks she finally has found those (at least physically) when she sees a man on a double decker bus as she’s working from her flat. She works out her own meet cute when him and once she meets him, he’s not exactly what she’s expecting.

The book also has a lot of Kat’s career and trying to move upward in a male dominated industry. She had a me too moment with a superior and has to figure out to report it without any backlash on her. She also had a friend who takes a step back in her career to have a family and Kat wonders how you can balance family and a C-suite career.

But this wasn’t quite the hit I was expecting. Kat is delusional in her finding a man and I found this hard to believe for someone who is so near the top of her career and over 30 years old! She’s too intelligent to fall for something so silly as her dream bucket list. I really liked all the workplace talk and it was very exciting to see a young woman excelling in business.

Thank you to @alcovebooks @dreamscapemedia and @libro.fm for my gifted copy. Double Decker Dreams is out now.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of Double-Decker Dreams.
While I liked the idea of this book, some things just didn't do it for me.
I found Kat to be very annoying, especially in the first half of the book. How caught up she was in her Alexander fantasy was just too much for me. (Also, this is very minor, but the inaccurate Culver's reference about curly fries also bothered me because they don't serve curly fries at Culver's. I know that's very minor, but it makes me wonder if any of the references to London/UK life or Michigan are also inaccurate?)
The second half of the book & Rory's character made it better for me and I did like how the story ended. However, the beginning stuck with me & I couldn't bring myself to give it a higher rating.

Double-Decker Dreams is a heartwarming tale of two friends who discover a deeper connection that blossoms into a beautiful love story. This slow-burn romance explores the realities of life and the grounded nature of true love.

MacMillan's writing draws readers in with her vivid descriptions and relatable characters. The story is easy to follow and understand, making it a perfect read for anyone looking for a heartwarming love story.

I love British romantic comedies and was super-excited about this one.

Yes, rom com premises can be a bit outlandish, which I don't mind. But Double Decker Dreams just never sold me on an American in London who falls in love with a man she sees on the bus. (Through the window; this is a bit like Girl on the Train without being a thriller.) She develops this whole fantasy about him and then finally screws up the courage to meet him.

It just wasn't for me.

A quick and easy rom com! Kat is working in London trying to progress as far as she can professionally. Yet, she’s in her thirties and really has nothing to show for it

That is until she sees the man of her dreams, “Alexander”, a top the number 4 bus that passes her window every morning at the same time. She’s almost certain he sees her too

After much self doubt and convincing, she one day boards this bus to meet her Prince Charming she’s spent days dreaming about. Only he isn’t as he appeared from the window, or her dreams

Will a new found friendship be enough to humble Kat? Or will she risk losing a truly enjoyable life but always wanting more

I enjoyed this book. I did feel at times that Kat was annoying and immature, but she grew on me towards the end. If you enjoy the miscommunication trope, this one is for you!

*2.25*

Double-Decker Dreams is a novel following Kat, a woman who goes to live in London for work, and there she sees a man every time on the bus passing in front of her house, and she decides it's love at first sight.
Sadly, this story didn't quite work for me. I was fine with the insta-lovey trope since it is literally mentioned in the synopsis, but I really could not connect with Kat for the majority of the novel. The way in which she thought was not something I connected with, and I found her to be isnufferable for the major part of the story. Rory, the man she sees on the bus, is a good guy, and I felt sorry for him at times, in regard of the way Kat treated him.

The second part of the novel was when the story redeemed a bit for me, and when it shifted in tone, going with the theme that love does not have to be like the movies in order to be beautiful and real. And while I appreciated the sentiment, I still think this shift happened way too quickly, like a switch being turned on in the main character's mind, rather than a slow process, I don't know, it didn't particularly felt real for me.

The setting I loved. London is my favourite city in the whole world, so it was very nice to read about it for the whole novel.

The ending was cute, and what made me raise my rating a bit. In the end, this novel was not my favourite, but if you like insta-lovey stories, this could be the book for you.

When American Kat moves to London, she has dreams of meeting a British man. When her eyes connect to said man who is aboard a double decker bus, she just knows that they have a connection. Determined to meet him, she psyches herself up to board the bus and find out everything about him. But the man is not the one she has dreamt of. Can Kat broaden her expectations and still have a happy ending?

I enjoyed this book, though it was somewhat predictable. I liked our two main characters and their friendship but would have also liked to see more chemistry which I think would have added to making the ending more satisfying. Still an overall great read. I will be on the lookout for more by this author.

Cute, breezy and fun. A recommended purchase for collections where lighter WF and contemporary romance is popular.

Kat sees a man riding past her place on a double decker bus and creates this whole persona for him in her mind (a Prince!). She's a career driven woman. She's dates, etc., but has been focused on a big promotion. But she's created this great romantice Bristish Prince in her mind. And eventually, with some prodding from friends, works up the courage to get on that bus and meet him.

She meets Rory. Who clearly seems like a great guy. But, unlike her fantasy man, he's not British.
He's from Michigan, like her, and he's living and teaching in London.

I feel like they were a great fit from the start, but Kat could not get out of her own way to save her life and allow any sparks to fly. She wanted the white knight and the grand gesture.

It was cute, but Kat was super frustrating to me!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Alcove Press - for an ARC and Dreamscape Media - for an ALC, in exchange for my honest review!

Double-Decker Dreams by Lindsay MacMillian is the perfect antidote for readers who are disillusioned by the romanticization of love.

Kat, is an American consultant, temporarily assignment to London. Growing up in Kalamazoo, Michigan, she knew she was destined for more than small town living. Determined to reach her professional goal of becoming a CEO, Kat prioritizes work above everything else; even if it means being subjected to workplace misconduct. While her professional life is on track, her personal life is in shambles. That is until one day, while working from home, Kat locks eyes with a man riding the bus. Convinced love at first sight is real and the answer to her happily ever after, Kat sets out to meet her mystery man. Will he live up to her expectations, or will he prove once and for all that real life is never as good as the movies?

If you are like me and enjoy reading love stories, but are sick of antiquated fairytales, this is the book for you. Double-Decker Dreams is rooted in realism. It dispels the notion that you need grand gestures and lavish gifts to experience profound love. Instead, MacMillan focuses on the little things that collectively add up to make a person feel loved.

*It took me about fifty pages before I felt invested in Kat’s story. The idea that she fabricated an entire person/ relationship with a man she only ever made eye contact with, was a bit odd to me. Rest assured the payoff is worth pushing through!

Special thanks to Alcove Press and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed MacMillan's Heart of the Deal so I couldn't wait to indulge in Double Decker Dreams. In this story, we follow Kat, an American who has been all over the world in her career. She dreams of finding a British boyfriend, as seen in all her romantic comedies. One day, she sees such a dreamy dude step off a double decker bus out her window! From there, daydreams ensue of who the man is from the bus. Throughout the story, I felt a tension of will they or won't they meet? As well as, what will happen if/when they do? Cute and charming, I enthusiastically recommend this lovely London read!



Thank you NetGalley and Alcove Press for the ARC of this book.

It was an interesting book but it didn't catch my attention as fast or as deeply as other books usually do. It was a tad bit slow and I would have like a bit more spark in it.

Dnf as it was archived.
Idk why but the book was archived before 2 months of its release date. It comes out in June but was taken off before that?
Weird. Anyways hoping to read it after it releases.


Thank you Netgalley & Publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

The following review will be posted on my blog on Sunday, June 4th, two days before publication. It will be shared on Instagram twice closer to publishing date and has already been posted on Goodreads. The blog post includes links to order the books and to its Goodreads page, so readers can add it to their to-be-read books. Will be adding links to this Netgalley review as they are published.





“Back up and start at the beginning.”
“The beginning. (…) It goes like this: I fell in love this morning.”

Genre: General Fiction, Romance
Actual Rating: 4 stars
Spicy Meter: 1 fire emoji
Content Warnings: Discusses sexual harassment and uncomfortable working conditions.

I didn’t love how accents were written on the page (“Just go talk to ‘im, what d’ye have to lose?”? Yeah, that’s a no for me), but I was able to ultimately look past that and enjoy this sweet sweet love-at-first-sight romance.

This book is sold as only that—a romance, and a general women’s fiction read—but in my opinion it should be labeled under comedy as well, this was a big rom com for sure. The way Kat had these idealized conversations in her head were just hilarious and although yeah, it touched up on some inner, bigger problems, in true Lindsay Macmillan fashion apparently, I still think it was a bit more lighthearted than her debut romance novel, “The Heart of the Deal”.

I would recommend this read if you struggle with idealizing your partners or crushes and are looking to see that reflected in a main character—Kat was far from perfect (aren’t we all?), but it was so fun to follow her through her adventures in crowded London in search for her bus prince Alexander—spoiler alert, his name wasn’t Alexander and he wasn’t even from London either. Overall, this was a very entertaining read, it didn’t disappoint.

If you click here, you’ll be redirected to Goodreads, so you can add the book to your TBR list.

Or you could click here, and be redirected to Amazon, so you can order the book.

ARC provided by NetGalley and Alcove Press in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: June 6, 2023

Oh he looks dreamy - and Kat is smitten but she hasn't met the man she sees on the bus. She's an American in London and she's hoping to meet and fall for a posh British man. Well, it turns out Rory isn't that. He's also an American and he's got a love interest back in the US. So of course these two can become friends but can they be more? Of course they can. The novel would have benefited from some trimming to tighten up the story. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is light and trope-y reading that will be good for the beach.

A sweet (if overly long/drawn out) friends to lovers romance set in London between two small town Michigan transplants. Kat is a career-driven business consultant who's always chasing the next big promotion except she's finding her life lonely and starts daydreaming about Rory, the man she sees riding past her house on a double decker bus. Eventually she works up the courage to meet him and the two strike up a great friendship.

While Kat is sure Rory is hung up on his ex, she sloooooowly finds herself falling for him as she learns to appreciate that love isn't all grand gestures but comes in the quiet moments of two people being there for one another.

I liked this one but I definitely thought it would have benefited from a lot of editing. Parts felt a bit dry/boring and I would have enjoyed it more if it was a bit shorter/faster paced. Good on audio narrated by Madeleine Maby this was a fine balance between women's fiction and romance. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for early digital copies in exchange for my honest review!

Steam level: kissing only

I could not finish enough of this book to be able to leave a comprehensive review, but I hope it finds its audience and I am grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy.