Loved! This! So! Much!

Reading this book felt like watching a Tom Hanks rom-com and it was just what I needed. So cozy and cute and fun.

Calling all romcom lovers! Waiting for Tom Hanks is a fun romcom about...romcoms. I basically read this book in a day, and I’m not sure if that’s because it was a short, quick read, or because I’ve been reading more during my commuteYesterday I finished Waiting for Tom Hanks, which was a fun romcom about...romcoms. I basically read this book in a day, and I’m not sure if that’s because it was a short, quick read, or because I’ve been reading more during my commute this week and didn’t want to put it down. Annie, a single aspiring screenwriter in Columbus, Ohio, who is obsessed with romantic comedies finds herself on the set of a romcom as an assistant when filming starts in Columbus, of all places. As the title suggests, Annie has been waiting for her Tom Hanks; not the actor himself, but a man like he places in the movies. She’s looking for a meet-cute, and is so focused on this dream that she may be holding out on chances right in front of her face. When her path crosses with Drew Danforth, heartthrob actor and leading man in the film, Annie is forced to decide if he can fit into her idealized vision of love, or if she should keep waiting for that perfect romcom kind of love.⁣
this week and didn’t want to put it down. Annie, a single aspiring screenwriter in Columbus, Ohio, who is obsessed with romantic comedies finds herself on the set of a romcom as an assistant when filming starts in Columbus, of all places. As the title suggests, Annie has been waiting for her Tom Hanks; not the actor himself, but a man like he places in the movies. She’s looking for a meet-cute, and is so focused on this dream that she may be holding out on chances right in front of her face. When her path crosses with Drew Danforth, heartthrob actor and leading man in the film, Annie is forced to decide if he can fit into her idealized vision of love, or if she should keep waiting for that perfect romcom kind of love.⁣

So cute and refreshing. A wonderful, light, romantic story!

This book has a very sweet and modern love story, but what I really liked is that the entire story is a loving tribute to romantic comedies. Our heroine Annie may live in Ohio with her uncle but she thinks in terms of a rom-com and everything in her life is filtered through that lens.

I am obsessed with movies and with rom-coms so this book was right up my alley. Annie is certain the love of her life is just around the corner, and that Tom Hanks is the embodiment of her future partner. She can quote movies word for word and hold out hope that her lonely life might be changed any moment, if only a man like Tom Hanks would appear.

"There's a part of me that needs to see a world where everything works out of the best, where people are together forever, or where Tom Hanks can destroy someone's business but they fall in love anyway."

Her life changes overnight when she gets a job working on the set of a movie filming in her town. And she of course has a "meet-cute" with the movie's star, Drew Danforth, a man she takes an instant dislike to.

But of course there is more to Drew than meets the eye, and Annie soon realizes that real life is not always like the movies. I adored Annie, who was funny, smart, awkward and seemed very real. I love a good movie-star romance and recommend this book to anyone looking for a smart, funny, modern love story. 'Waiting for Tom Hanks' is relatively angst-free and felt very fresh and contemporary. I am excited that the author is planning a sequel featuring Annie's best friend Chloe!


(I received a complimentary copy of this book via the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)

Well written, super cute PG-13 rom-com. Tom Hanks would be proud. The characters are great and I love that Nick and Chloe are already in their own rom-com, as Chloe is such a fun character to read. I would’ve like a bit more sexy time, but I understand why the “fall on the bed, cut to the next day” scene replaced a more rated R lov scene. 😉

Annie lives in an old house in Columbus, Ohio with her Uncle Don who plays a lot of Dungeons and Dragons. Her life is not glamorous but she dreams of writing a rom com and working in movies. Fate intervenes when the newest Rom Com by a superstar producer who just happens to be an old buddy of Uncle Drew decides to film his next movie in Annie's neighborhood and offers her a job as his assistant during production. When she gets to set sparks immediately fly between her and the leading man Drew Danforth.

What I loved about this book is the leading man. Drew Danforth was so sweet and so relentlessly romantic in the way that he pursues Annie. Not to mention that he's handsome and charming. I also love that the author overtly played with the rom com trope referencing many classic movies that every rom com lover knows. What I didn't love was the main character Annie. She didn't just mess up once but routinely in a way that made her character hard to like because quite frankly she wasn't being a very nice person. Also, sometimes it felt like the author was trying too hard to write something that Netflix would option for a movie adaptation (which, to be fair, I would totally watch as long as they got the casting of Drew Danforth right). Overall, I enjoyed this book which was quick and cute but I suppose I was frustrated by the parts that just weren't quite perfect because I really wanted to love this book instead of just liking. it.

kerry winfrey had me at tom hanks. super cute story for the hopeless romantic, when the movie comes out, tom hanks should play himself.

This book was fun, full of banter, and lighthearted. Described as a romance, I was expecting a little more of a love-story, however the build-up fell a little flat for me. The main character, Annie is obsessed with romantic comedies. To the point where she believes her romantic life deserves the perfect Tom Hanks moment, and easily dismisses love when it’s right in front of her. I found the constant references to rom com movies charming, and the way it ended was definitely cute and creative, but I never got the warm and fuzzies from the “love story” and I wish a little more time was spent on building up the romantic tension and side stories. I suppose this book meets the expectations of a lighthearted rom com, but don’t read it and expect anything swoon-worthy or steamy. Overall, a cute read.

Thanks to #netgalley and #berkleypub for my egalley ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Very enjoyable light reading, a perfect vacation read.. Great fun for romantic comedy fans. Definitely an easy hand sale.

A cheesy, predictable romance. Nothing really stands out or makes it special but still a quick, fun read.

This has been on my list for awhile and I didn’t expect to start reading it today but it came through on Libby as audio so I started listening and reading the book when I got the chance. Yup I finished it and yup I’m a sucker for a rom-com written about a rom-com. It should of had more conflict but hey it was still good. It started out slow but is a very quick read.

An easy, sweet read that would translate perfectly into an onscreen romantic comedy just like the ones that it references constantly, this is a fun contemporary romance for fans of stories about celebs falling in love with "normal" people. The pop culture references are so fun (you'll want to go rewatch every Nora Ephron movie, stat), the chemistry between the leads is palpable, and the book is bubbly, light, and perfect for beach reading. Winfrey will find fans from this novel, for sure.

This was a new to me author, but I am so glad I read this. This story is absolutely adorable and so sweet. I had so much fun reading this and I couldn't help but smile through much of the book. I love these characters and this story was so fresh. I am definitely looking forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

I had so much fun reading this rom com. It was entertaining and very enjoyable. I loved all the references to 90s movies, they are some of my favorites too.

I loved the characters. Their relationships and conversations made me all giddy and happy. Just such a heartwarming, happy feeling book.

Ever the fan of 90's romantic comedies and Tom Hanks in particular, I was elated with the approval to read this story! I loved every aspect of this book and found it the perfect Summer read. I literally laughed out loud many times and had a wonderful, light-hearted feeling as the story began to unfold. Through hilariously funny writing, this book is one that will immediately engage you and have you begging for more. I am thrilled that this is going to be a series because I cannot wait to see more from Winfrey. I smiled so hard during this story that my face literally hurt. Highly recommend!

<i>Waiting for Tom Hanks</i> is a really cute, incredibly fluffy romantic comedy, and I devoured it in one evening. It's a really fun read, especially if you are a rom-com afficianado and will understand all the references.

The heroine of the book, Annie, is obsessed with romantic comedy films, and she's waiting for her own romance to begin. She expects the whole thing: the meet cute, the tragic backstories, the playful banter, the hijinks, the misunderstanding, and the grand gesture to cement an HEA. In fact, this is her tragic flaw, as evidenced by the commentary of her friends at the small town coffee shop (run by a guy who is very reminiscent of Luke on <i>Gilmore Girls</i> but who is not the love interest, which I found marginally disappointing). Annie rejects any guy out of hand if there's no meet cute and if he doesn't fit her idea of a "Tom Hanks" type guy, meaning a sort of catch-all for a perfect rom-com hero rather than Tom Hanks specifically.

At times, her characterization feels too focused on her obsession, and she feels more like a caricature than a real person, so the novel can occasionally feel like an unflattering parody of romantic comedies than like a loving tribute to them as well as being one itself. For example, Annie's obsessed with the idea of falling in love with a man who has a houseboat, because Tom Hanks' character lives on one in <i>Sleepless in Seattle</i>. Given that she lives in Columbus, OH, this is illogical. Also, she regularly explains to people that it's not Tom Hanks she wants, but she does specifically seem to seize on his character in <i>Sleepless in Seattle</i>, so it made her feel internally inconsistent. It would have made more sense for me to have her merely expect for him to live somewhere quirky with a ton of personality and then be thrilled to meet a guy with a houseboat because of that connection, rather than to search specifically for a houseboat. Things like this made Annie seem a bit TSTL at times, because she takes everything to the extreme, when it's a completely realistic thing to have high expectations. Less would have been more with this concept for me.

The book runs pretty much how you would expect given that premise, with Annie meeting a couple of different guys in meet cutes and her romance proceeding accordingly. The ship is cute, and I enjoyed it for what it was. That said, there's not enough character development for anyone in the book to make the romance anything above cute. Most of the cast is pretty much one-note, so it's hard to care about much of anything outside of the main ship, which is a shame because I actually love the elements that Winfrey created in the set up.

In summation, this was a cute, fun read with so much potential, but it lacked the characterization and depth to make it particularly memorable or special.

"In most romantic comedies, the first scene establishes why the female lead needs a change in her life."

Enter 27-year-old Annie Cassidy a freelance writer OBSESSED with romantic comedies...and obviously, Tom Hanks. Annie spends her snow-filled days in Columbus, Ohio trekking between her mortgage-free home (where she lives with her D&D playing uncle Don) and the local coffee shop that employs her best friend, Chloe (read: the story's MVP), working on her articles and screenplay. And while she seems content in her friend/family life, it's stated no less than 5 times within the opening pages that Annie is looking for her happily ever after...in the form of Tom Hanks.

"Tom Hanks isn't a person so much as he is a representation of the kind of man I deserve."

Thanks to her uncle Don's somehow secret connection to Oscar-winning director, Tommy Crisante, Annie is able to secure a job as Tommy's assistant while he's there in German Village filming his newest romcom. Before filming begins, clumsy Annie literally runs into the film's leading man, Drew Danforth, spilling freshly-acquired coffee all over him. This incident sparks the beginning of an "enemies-to-lovers" plot line that I truly wish had worked for me!

Here's the thing: I REALLY wanted to love this story. From its adorably charming cover art to the romcom-positive synopsis this should have been the summer contemporary of my dreams. And despite the cute brought forth from our male MC (read: the hair pulling scene 😍), I just couldn't get behind our female lead.

Annie is a grown-ass adult that claims to be using "Tom Hanks as a symbol," yet seems to be using his FICTIONAL characters' quirks as dating gospel. She repeatedly shuns potential dates for lacking traits of a Hanks role and freaks the eff out when they do have a matching trait (i.e. Carter "houseboat" Reid). That frequent romanticizing of fictional strangers just seemed too extreme and unbelievable for an otherwise intelligent person.

Ultimately, I think I'm just disappointed that this romance didn't turn out to be anything like I expected. There were pockets of perfection that clearly demonstrate this could have been the sexual-tension filled slow burn of the summer, but the majority was too cheesy, unrealistic, and convenient to stir up anything but apathy.

This was not my favorite. However, if you are looking for Mom friendly romance selections that feel like a Hallmark movie this could be for you!
Honestly the constant bringing up different Rom-Com titles in every single chapter just kept reminding me how much I loved those movies, how boring this book was, and how I would rather just go watch some Tom Hanks movies. The main heroine is not charming and honestly is bordering on obsessive with her love of Rom Com movies. The most interesting character in this story is her Uncle Don. Man I wanted to know about her uncle more.

My experience with this book/deciding to pick it up was kind of weird. When I saw it available for review I jumped at the chance to review it because the cover and the premise sounded so fun. Once I was received my eARC, I was a little wary to pick it up because I read so many meh reviews about it. For a while I was on the fence about when to pick this book up, but then I listened to Not Your Mom's Romance Book Club episode on Waiting for Tom Hanks, and I had to pick it up immediately because they really talked it up.

"'I mean, I don't let what I watch affect my life.' 'That's because you mostly watch documentaries about murder'"

Y'all, this book is funny! I laughed out loud so much while reading this novel, people were looking at me strangely when I was reading this in public. I have so many highlighted sentences and paragraphs that I loved throughout the novel.

I really enjoyed seeing Drew and Annie's relationship progress. At the beginning of the novel Annie is waiting for her Tom Hanks, but she's so closed off and not open to meeting anyone, but the more time she and Drew spend together, she starts to enjoy spending time with him and their feelings progress from there.

"That's not the point, okay?...It doesn't matter how someone in a romantic comedy affords their absurdly nice house, or whether or not their profession makes sense, or if technically they're sort of stalking someone they heard on a call-in radio show. What matters is that they have hope."

Before starting the book I read a lot of meh reviews about this novel, mostly about how people were frustrated with Annie. I totally get where they're coming from, but I think her being so closed off and not open to getting to know Drew is intentional and part of her personality, and something she has to learn to work on.

This was an upbeat fluffy read, and overall I really enjoyed it. I'm definitely planning on picking up the second book in this series because I loved seeing Nick and Chloe interact, and the fact that Annie's script is about them is gold.

If you've read this novel, what were your thoughts on it?

Annie Cassidy, obsessed with Rom-Com, writes screenplays, watches Sleepless in Seattle, and daydreams of making a movie. She also daydreams of finding ‘her’ Tom Hanks, aka the perfect man, wondering why at the age of 27, she hasn’t met him yet. When she discovers that a romantic comedy is being filmed in her hometown of Columbus, she thinks fate has intervened, and she will finally have her ‘meet-cute’, when she gets a job on the movie set. When Annie meets the lead actor, Drew Danforth, who takes nothing seriously, and is nothing like Tom Hanks, she trips and spills coffee on over him and her meet-cute fails. He’ll be leaving town as a soon as the filming is over, and besides, she can’t stand him, right?

This is a funny and very entertaining read, the plot flows smoothly, it’s upbeat and FUN! I really enjoyed it and certainly recommend it. A great summer read.

It may just be that this is not the genre for me. I found it very one-dimensional and silly. And repetitive. You could see the pivotal conflict coming a mile ahead. I didn't love it, but I was determined to finish ... until the main character made that defining mistake. I actually said "Nope" out loud and set it down.