I was looking forward to read this one, but I have mixed feelings about this book. In some ways I really enjoyed it and in others it fell flat. The story is about a woman trying to make it in the corporate world but hasn’t got the love life she desires. Then Kat sees the man of her dreams on a bus and imagines a character for him. When she actually meets him she is disappointed but things are never as they seem. I liked the way the book deals with romance in a different way however by trying to write a romance without the spark the spark is also lost in the story. The drama towards the end of the book feels forced and I feel like the epilogue gave us more than the end of the book. It’s really hard to explain without spoilers. A light read with a hea but if you read romance for the spark leave this one alone. If you like something a bit different pick it up!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

The impact of British rom-com films on impressionable management consultant Kat results in a surprising relationship during her six-week work stint in London. Her determined climb up the corporate ladder results in a work from home gig in a flat with a bus stop view. Repeatedly spotting an attractive morning commuter who personifies her romantic fantasy of a posh British aristocrat—or royal—she decides to pursue him. But the reality of Rory is a disappointment, because her crush turns out to be a fellow Yank, a primary school teacher who has a hometown honey back in the States. However, these unfortunate facts don’t preclude a supportive friendship, which blossoms into a conflicted romance at the same time Kat must navigate a problematically masculine workplace. The combination of lightness and depth, and the London setting will find favor with fans of films and novels based on similar American-in-Britain tropes. (Alcove Press, 336 pp., paperback/ebook/audio, June, 2023)

Adorable, bright romcom with the coziest vibes. I look forward to reading more from this Lindsay MacMillan. I love her writing style!

This was exactly what I needed! I literally laughed out loud, I teared up at some moments and I was cheering at others.
Super cute and fun. Quirky, multi-layers characters, a fun meet cute and nothing over the top that takes you out of the story.
Kat is an American whose career has brought her all over the world. She's now located in England and loving it. Except she would love to find a British boyfriend like in all her favorite rom-coms. So while she's on a zoom call one day, she happens to look out the window and sees the man of her dreams sitting on the double decker bus outside her window.
She creates a persona and a whole life for them before she even knows his name or anything about him. How will she find him and when she does will he live up to her expectations?
Of course, it takes ages to finally meet, and what she goes through to get to him is fun to watch play out in itself, but then to see the discrepancy in who she dreamed him to be and who he really is is where the magic happens. Her Prince Charming isn't a prince at all but can they overcome all the odds and fall in love anyway?
I adored this and will be reading everything and anything Lindsay writes. It was adorable without being cheesy and I couldn't get enough.

Kat, being a hopeless romantic, falls in love with a guy she saw on a bus and picture him to be her royal prince. But then it turns out that he isn't her Alexander but Rory, a small town sweetheart, and the whole world she built, comes crashing down.

Soon, she realizes she doesn't need a prince but a partner with whom she can be herself. If there is a prince, she needs to be attentive and act like a princess all the time. But with Rory, she is in her most comfortable self and that guy is the greenest flag ever for her.

I loved this story. Started on a dreamy note but ended with the reality. All women deserve someone who understands them and make them feel safe and comfortable.
Writing is good too. Although, Jules' slang is a bit difficult to understand. The author also focused on many things like gender inequality and toxic environment at workplace, things women face at work to climb up the ladder and work life balance.

This is my first Lindsay MacMillan book and I received a complimentary copy from the publisher and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Imagine meeting your dream man on a bus? This is what happens to Kat who is working in London for six months and one day she sees a man on a double-decker bus and just knows that he’s her person. This is a delightful read about perfect first dates, meet cutes and how love finds you when you least expect it. I enjoyed the wittiness of the character and loved how relatable they were.

American consultant Kat is in London for 6 months for work and thinks she’s found The One after seeing him on a bus—only he’s nowhere near the British aristocrat she imagined and work isn’t living up to her goals too and now she’s forced to look inward to find what happiness and love mean to her. I have some mixed feelings about this book. I liked the journey Kat goes on and I loved the discussions of what love mean to each character. Plus Jules, Kat’s friend, was so much fun! But Kat was hard to connect to, she felt a little flat and felt pretty pessimistic. There was a lot of talk wanting to love herself and I so wanted that for her because she goes through so much and is so resilient but I wish there had been more moments of that feeling for her. But I loved the progression of her love interest, Roy. He was so adorable and sweet, he’s the perfect guy next door type. I was really rooting for them. There is a lot of heart in this and I really enjoyed Kat finding what she wanted out of life.

I really enjoyed this story. It brought a new definition to 'love' that we do not often see in romance stories. Often we see the fireworks and chaotic emotion in love stories but the love between Kat and Rory is quiet and steady. They show that they can be strong individuals but can be better together. It was refreshing reading this story.

This book took a little while for me to get into, and is quite a slow burn. However, I adored the characters from the start. While it was a longer read, I still very much enjoyed and would recommend to anyone who enjoys a good living abroad romance!

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really struggled to connect with this book, and I ultimately did not. Kat is an American business consultant working on a project in London. She is super career-focused but also hoping to fall for a British aristocrat in her time across the pond. When she spots a man on a double decker bus, she is convinced she has met her match, but will expectations align with reality?

Ok... so, the premise was fun and seemed like the perfect setup for a really cute romcom. Unfortunately, the execution fell flat for me. Kat imagined a personality for and future with some random guy she saw on the bus, and that daydream dragged on for the first quarter of the book. I persevered, but it didn't get much better. The writing style didn't work for me, I found Kat mostly unlikeable and her co-workers deplorable, and I didn't buy the romance for a moment. Perhaps this will satisfy someone else's whimsy, but it wasn't the right book for me.

Thank you to Alcove Press and NetGalley for gifting me with an ARC to review!

3.5/5

This novel had me giggling from the start! Kat an American in England sees a man on a double decker bus and imagines up a personality for him.

I like that Macmillan writes a a tale where what you think you're getting might not be exactly as you thought. The discrepancies between fantasy and real life.

The pacing could be a bit off at times but overall this is a solid and clean rom
Com. I have to say I enjoyed it! It was a cute book and I enjoyed the ending. Will pick up another novel by this author any day!

Thanks for netgalley and alcove press for this Arc

I don't think I picked this one up at the right time. Probably a second or non priority purchase for most libraries.

Thank you Alcove Press and Netgalley for thid arc. I could not resist it. I love friends to lovers abd instant love. This was made perfectly. Ups and downs are just part of our lives and this was a wonderful distraction.

The premise of Double-Decker Dreams sounded like something I would love, but unfortunately I couldn't connect and did not like the writing style whatsoever

3/5 stars

Double Decker Dreams is a slow-burn, cute romcom.

Kat, a workaholic from America, moves to London for a six-month project and she finds her charming prince.

Even though the plot was good, at the beginning the book was a bit boring and the female protagonist was annoying.

I liked the trope insta love.

Overall I enjoyed it.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

:I received a copy of this book via Netgalley Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own
Pinapple Street is is not my usual type of book choice, but I rather enjoyed it.

I was looking forward to reading a lighter book between all the WWII books I have been reading.

Although the book was light-hearted the writting style was not to my taste. I could not finish the book sadly

From the time she was seven years old Kat knew she wanted to be a CEO. She has been singularly focused on that goal since then. Now she’s a senior consultant, working on a long term assignment in London. While a partnership, the next rung on the ladder that is her career plan is in sight, she’s beginning to feel the effects of her single minded pursuit. One morning, while working from her flat, she glances out the window to catch the eye of a good looking guy sitting on the upper level of the double decker bus stopped on the corner. In her mind, he becomes the worldly, sophisticated noble who is going to steal her away and introduce her to a whole new life. Each morning she watches for him on the bus, creating a longed for fantasy romance.

Encouraged by her friend and neighbor, Kat finally gets up the nerve to introduce herself to her dream man. Those dreams are crushed when she takes a seat beside him and discovers he’s not anything like she imagined. Instead, she discovers he’s an American named Rory from the same Michigan town where she grew up, the one she’s done her best to run away from. Though she’s greatly disappointed, she reluctantly agrees to meet Rory for a coffee date.

Rory is a teacher, spending a year teaching second grade in the UK, while he and his girlfriend are on a break (at her request). For Kat, that’s perfect. She and Rory can be buddies as neither of them has had the chance to make many friends since they’ve come to London. Rory is down to earth, not like the high powered, go getters Kat is used to dealing with. He’s content to be a teacher, enjoying the light he sees in his students’ eyes as they learn something new.

Spending time with Rory begins to change Kat’s attitude. When she hits a bit of a set back at work, she decides to head back to her parents home in Michigan for the winter holiday. Centered on her career as she has been, Kat hasn’t been home in years. Thanks to Rory Kat sees her hometown in a different light. She finds she’s enjoying the slow pace of the town, even with the craziness of the holidays, but when it’s over Kat jumps right back on the treadmill that is her life. Only, the continuing need to complete and get ahead just doesn’t hold the same appeal it once did. She begins to believe it might be time to give up the life that fills her back account but drains her soul.

Kat is a strong character, but working toward her long held goal leads her to compromise her principals, the bane of many women working their way up the male dominated corporate ladder. I think meeting Rory was the best thing that could happen to her. I loved his character from the start. He’s Kat’s exact opposite. He lives his life to the fullest, drinking up the experience of living and working in London. I also loved that he was a second grade teacher, not an age male teachers often choose to work with. His energy, his excitement and his joy simply jumped off the page. His attitude is infectious and Kat couldn’t help being affected by it. Though somewhat predictable, this is an enjoyable story and one I plan to read again as it offers everyone some life lessons we would all be wise to listen to.

This book just wasn't for me - I requested it on the basis that it looked and sounded like a cute romantic read but the storyline was too far-fetched and the characters didn't capture my heart at all.

This was such a cute read.

I stuck with it because of all the Taylor Swift references, because the beginning, I have to admit, wasn't great.

Kat seemed to complain too much, although she didn't do anything to improve her situation. But man, I started this book in a similar situation, work-wise, and I could totally relate to her struggle.

Plus, I really understood her daydreaming about Alexander, her made-up British prince. How many times have I not created full relationships in my head with people that don't exist? However, her Prince Charming wasn't real.

But man, Rory was such a great book boyfriend. All relaxed, chill, reliable, and overall nice. Too nice, maybe.

I am a sucker for the friends-to-lover trope, and this one was almost perfectly executed. There were some pacing issues, the beginning seemed kind of dragged and it took forever to get to the good part, some accent issues (especially her friend Jules from London), but other than that... I loved it. Loved the feminist turn it took, loved her professional struggles, and her romantic ones.

Thank you Netgalley for providing a free arc in exchange for an honest review. Real rating: 3.5 stars.

If I hadn’t gotten this as an ARC, I would have abandoned it very quickly as the first few chapters are pretty painful. It’s rare that I actually come to like a book after such a rocky start, so Double-Decker Dreams at least has that going for it.

The plot feels straight out of a rom-com - an American consultant living in London falls in love with a handsome man she sees riding the bus every day past her window. The problem with this one was that the FMC was so obnoxious and elitist and you really have a hard time rooting for her. Although she does eventually get redeemed, it takes a long time and you find yourself wondering what the MMC sees in her at all.

I did eventually get into this book, especially towards the ¾ mark, but I can’t rate this book higher than a 2.5, rounded down to 2. While I wouldn’t discourage anyone from reading it, I would discourage friends from purchasing it outright.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Alcove Press for sharing a digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.