Actress Birdie Maxwell finds an old lost love letter and recruits her best friends brother to help her track down who sent it.

A fun romcom with heart - we see Birdie take time to rediscover herself and get a second chance at love in the process.

Funny, heartfelt, a satisfying love story..

Tropes to note:
- Actress x Writer
- Second chance romance
- Road Trip
- Some miscommunication

I mostly enjoyed this one. The premise (a sort of My Name is Earl or To All the Boys Ive Kissed Before adjacent plot) is that an America's Sweetheart actress (I kept picturing her as Jennifer Aniston) has an altercation on set and retreats to her hometown, where she discovers anonymous note written to her by a guy from her past.

She, accompanied by a real-life ex from her past, takes off on a road trip to track down her exes and figure out who wrote the note. Her ex, Elliot, is a famous TV journalism who is also somehow in disgrace and secretly writing a feature article about Birdie.

What I did like: the road trip and anonymous note were fun. Loved Birdie's exasperated publicist.
What I liked less: For a thirty-five year old, Birdie was a bit of a mess who had fibbed about her past and seemed completely unable to regulate her emotions.

I really enjoyed the book at the beginning, and loved the characters! The arguing, not getting along and quirks of Birdie started getting on my nerves, though. Along with the miscommunication between Birdie and Elliot, it became really frustrating. I was happy with the resolution, there were just a few hiccups along the way that I could have done without. I enjoyed The Rewind by this author, and I actually liked this one more! I read this as part of a #berkleybuddyread

Allison Winn Scotch's book In Twenty Years is one of my all-time favorite books, so I was excited to read Take Two, Birdie Maxwell, and I have mixed thoughts on it. There were parts I liked, I think the chapters from Elliot's perspective were my favorite. Birdie on the other hand, I wasn't the biggest fan of her's. It was a cute story as Birdie and Elliot reconnect years later as Birdie is down on her luck in her career and she tries to discover which of her ex's wrote a secret note to her. Birdie and Elliot have always liked each other, but never admitted it to the other as they were growing up. It's a bit of a second chance as they did have one night together a few years prior. I think if there was a little less miscommunication in this book, I would have loved it.

Read if you like:
🥈Second Chance Romances
💋 Childhood Crushes
🤳🏻 Viral Downfalls
🎥 Celebrities

This book was compared to a mash up of Notting Hill and The Proposal, but for me, neither of these comparisons quite worked as those are two of my fave romances and just didn’t get those vibes.

However, despite not feeling the comparisons it was an enjoyable story, with a predictable plot for a second chance romance with a celebrity that is trying to rehab their image.

Overall, it wasn’t my favorite read, but I think a lot of people will love it!

Thanks so much to Berkley for my ARC in exchange for my review.

This book worked for me because I am somehow a sucker for Hollywood romance and second chance/childhood crush. If those are not tropes you usually swoon for I am not sure this will be the book for you because honestly it is my love for those that propelled me through the story when it got slow or silly.

I have loved Allison Winn Scotch's other stories and this one started out strong. A disgraced actress receives an anonymous love letter and goes on a trip to try to figure out who it is from and redeem herself. Birdie was just not likeable. She was very selfish and at times whiny and grating. She commented A LOT on Elliot's past romantic history and it became too much after a while. I loved Elliot and Mona. They were very supportive of Birdie. I didn't feel the chemistry between Birdie and Elliot. Overall it was a good book that I was able to get through quickly.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for my copy of this ARC.

This is a good book. The two main characters are Birdie and Elliot. They have known each other for all their lives. They have secretly loved each other. Birdie is an actress. Elliot is a journalist. Birdie comes home after a terrible director makes a move on her. While going through some boxes she finds a love letter to her from a mysterious previous lover. Elliot offers to help her find the person. They both realize they love each other.

If a novel's inciting incident is all about a main character's world imploding in a spectacular fashion, I'm automatically interested. Take Two, Birdie Maxwell features a well-developed cast of characters, lots of Hollywood drama, and tons of conflict. I was really into this because Birdie’s life just kept getting messier, which makes for great reading.
Here's the good news: I loved, loved, loved Birdie's decision to retreat to her hometown to find refuge.
The chemistry and tension between Elliot and Birdie are delicious. The quest to find the author of the anonymous love letter is also really fun.
The less-than-good news: I'm never a fan of using failure to communicate as a plot device. Birdie and Elliot could've had a meaningful conversation and resolved a lot of their issues. But they didn't so the plot slowed way down.
The ending is satisfying and enjoyable…just wish the characters had arrived there sooner.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions shared here are my own.

A celebrity second chance romance that manages to make Birdie seem like a relatable, charming character as she tries to figure out who might be the person among her exes that could have been "the one" and sent her an anonymous love letter. Great characters and interesting (if not entirely relatable) complications.

WOW!! I loved the twists and turns and LOVE in this book
And the RV omg!! and who knew that a lost letter by your twin could cause so much heartache.
The Vegas scenes made me laugh.
I am so glad they got there together in the end!!
GREAT BOOK!! T
Thanks so much

I enjoyed this wild adventure of a romance and the mystery that drives the storyline. Birdie and Elliott have a one night history and loads of chemistry, but dance around any talk of either. The wild ride in the camper may be a bit over the top, but it goes with the plot and the ridiculousness of the situation they find themselves in. Revisiting old flames doesn't seem like a great idea to me, but it made a fun novel that's a quick easy read.

Synopsis: Birdie Maxwell is the queen of rom-coms and America’s sweetheart, that is until a PR disaster sends her running to her hometown for the first time in years to hide from the paparazzi. There, she finds an anonymous love letter that sends her on a journey that could be the key to saving her career. With her sister, her best friend, and her best friend’s brother, Birdie sets out to find her past exes in hopes to reconnect with the author of the letter in her own real-life rom com.

Thoughts: I had a lot of fun reading this one! There were so many fun elements - Hollywood drama, road trip vibes, visiting past exes, second chance romance, childhood crushes, Vegas magic shows - would totally watch this as a movie. There were some deeper elements as well exploring sibling relationships, self-discovery, and the misogyny of Hollywood. If you’re looking for a rom com with realistic characters, laugh out loud moments, and really great writing, I highly recommend Birdie Maxwell!

Read this if you like:
🎬 Hollywood drama
🎬 second chance romance
🎬 rom coms
🎬 road trips
🎬 best friend’s brother

“Sweet dreams are made of cheese”

“What?”

“What?”

“Why would sweet dreams be made of cheese?”

“Because cheese is delicious!”

Allison Winn Scotch really introduced me to romance in May of 2012 when I read The One That I Want and got to meet Tilly. Ever since I always chomp at the bit to get my hands on her new releases. I love her characters, her settings, her plots, and always find myself clutching my heart and laughing out loud at her stories. I have to say that Take Two, Birdie Maxwell is my favorite book she has ever written!

This book made me want to make a mix tape of 80s ballads, grab a bag of doritos, and call my best friend! There are vibes of the movie Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, but in reverse and themes of sisterhood, chasing your dreams, and finding true and honest love not just for someone else but for yourself too. I love the way the story is told in dual POV and also has snippets of newspaper articles. There are so many layers to this amazing read and I really could not wait to see what happened to Birdie.

Birdie is definitely up there as one of my favorite main characters of all time. She is honest and incredibly stubborn, quirky, and a celebrity you are rooting for. I love that one of the lines in the book is, “No one puts Birdie in a corner, “ and that is the truth! Despite the unfortunate position she finds herself in, Birdie is still willing to put herself out there for America to see and is still trying. I love perseverance in a character and one that so many can relate to. I also love that the readers get a glimpse into what it is like being a celebrity and living out their lives with so much judgment.

With cancel culture being very much in the forefront these days it was nice to see that explored in the story and how the characters handle it. I also really loved how Eliott gets involved and the exploration of his character. Elliot is a writer that is completely and utterly married to his work. He really avoids long term relationships and commitment of any kind because then he never gets hurt, but what kind of life is that? Honestly I think more and more people are doing that in the age of online dating and the inability to feel like people are really giving others a fair shot. Why bother putting yourself out there when you can get hurt so easily. I love Elliot’s character and the way he is with Birdie. I also really love Elliot’s sister and Birdie’s best friend Mona. She is such a fun and insightful character!

This story really touched my heart and made me laugh. I missed the characters when I wasn’t reading and I think you will too. Also, who can I talk to about this being adapted into a movie because that would be so fun and DEFINITELY needs to happen! I highly recommend this story and all of Allison’s back list as well!

I really enjoyed Take Two, Birdie Maxwell. It's a fun story that makes me glad I am not a celebrity. I loved the dual perspectives and the journey that Birdie and Elliot took throughout the novel. I found myself cringing at times and grinning a lot. I also loved the flashbacks to their high school days.

I really liked the feel of adventure in this novel. So many different challenges came up for Birdie and Elliot and sometimes they ended up being on the run from paparazzi. There were also some misunderstandings that led to more bumps in the road. Both characters were entertaining and I enjoyed their banter.

This novel made me think about how I handled some past relationships and what I maybe should have done better, but the past is in the past. I'm just glad I never received a letter like the one Birdie got, which led her on this wild goose chase in the first place. I was also frustrated that everyone believed the director over Birdie so easily, especially in the era of #MeToo. I don't blame her for speaking up either, even though it came at such a high cost to her career. And as I said before, I am glad I am not a celebrity because I wouldn't want people in my business like that all the time. This was emphasized even more when I recently watched The Princess Diaries for the first time in many years.

Overall, this is a charming story to add to your TBR in early March!

Movie casting suggestions:
Birdie: Lyndsy Fonseca
Elliot: Skylar Astin
Mona: Anna Hopkins

Actress Birdie Maxwell returns back to her small hometown after a PR disaster. She finds a mysterious love letter sent a few years prior and recruits her best friend’s brother Elliot (and the boy she’s loved unrequitedly) to help her find her past loves and see who sent it. This is a win-win for Elliot too as he is a journalist and needs a story like this to save his career.

There is a lot of depth packed into this rom com but at its core, I loved how it centered on Birdie’s self discovery alongside her second chance romance with Elliot. The witty banter and laughable drama, especially with the RV, gave this story the lighthearted vibe I was looking for and the audiobook, narrated by Helen Laser and Andrew Eiden and Dan Bittner, as a great listen. Of note, as someone who is very direct with their feelings, some of the lack of communication pulled me away from the story.

Read if you like:
-Best friend’s brother
-Road trip
-Hollywood romance
-Actress x journalist
-Only one bed

Thanks to Berkley for an advanced copy of Take Two, Birdie Maxwell by Allison Winn Scotch.

I love a good Hollywood and second-chance romance but unfortunately, this wasn't the book for me. I couldn't stand Birdie and I couldn't believe she was 35. So much miscommunication. The road trip was the best part.

Take Two, Birdie Maxwell is a beautiful story that is much more than a rom-com. It’s an insightful story of Birdie Maxwell’s journey to connect with her authentic self rather than the actress who tries to be what other people want her to be. I loved witnessing her transformation as it felt authentically traveled and completely relatable.

I loved the witty banter. It’s intelligent and funny and helped create a fast pace. I also loved the pairing of Birdie and her best friend’s brother, Elliot. It provided a forbidden-type love (at least in their minds) that came with a lot of delightfully natural tension and felt more realistic than the typical barrier that suddenly pops up near the end, which often happens in this genre. They are a fun pair that I thoroughly enjoyed.

I also got loads of laughs from the real journey that went along with the symbolic one. Just imagining the RV had me laughing out loud. Even though deeper storylines are the most prominent, the romcom-ness of it thoroughly entertained me. The situation created an enemies-to-lovers and forced proximity story, two tropes I enjoy that made the story wholly irresistible and addictive.

Thank you PRH Audio and Berkley Romance for my gifted copies. All opinions are my own.

I’ve been a fan of Allison Winn Scotch for awhile, but this might be a new favorite! I absolutely binged this and never wanted to put it down.

Birdie’s world has absolutely imploded when she returns home and finds a love letter someone sent her. She decides to track down the sender alongside her best friend’s brother, Elliot, who is a well known journalist. Elliot is having some career struggles so decides that telling Birdie’s story could give him just the boost he needs. Birdie and Elliot travel in an old RV to try and track down which of her exes may have sent the letter while battling their lifelong attraction to each other. Birdie has some not so pleasant reunions and learns about herself in the process. The sender of the letter took me by surprise and I loved the ending. It was great to see Birdie regain her career and her place as America’s sweetheart. I absolutely adored this and can’t wait for more books from Allison Winn Scotch!

After a disastrous public relations fail actress Birdie Maxwell heads home to pick her wounds when she finds an anonymous love note. With the help of her best friends twin Elliot, Birdie embarks on an adventure to revisit her former boyfriends and discover the author of the note. Along the way she just might find her true love.