This was a really cute romcom. While reading this book I was ready to watch some of my favorite Tom Hank’s movies. This was a fun read that surprised me and had me turning the pages to see what was going to happen next.

Annie dreams of being a screenwriter and doesn’t want to leave her hometown. She gets lucky when she gets a job on a movie set in her hometown. She believes in love and wants to find her person to love. She can’t get enough of romantic comedies.


This was a fun quick read that had me laughing and gave me some feels. I really enjoyed this book and knew from reading the blurb I was going to need this book.

Okay. First off, I love Tom Hanks and the premise of the book. Secondly, I think this author is a gifted writer. She has a quirky sense of humor and I laughed several times while reading. Thirdly, the story flowed well and was a quick read and I did enjoy it.

Now, for the reason I rated the book the way I did.

The heroine Annie: Wow. This poor girl is delusional. It is one thing wanting to wait for someone—not unlike the rom-com Tom Hanks’ movie characters—to treat them right. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, but this character takes this obsession to another level, going as far as asking her dates if they live on a houseboat (Sleepless in Seattle reference) and it’s a deal breaker if they don’t! I think if the author pulled back on the obsession a little, Annie would have been likeable. There was a reason Annie felt the way she did, and it was credible, but it didn’t convince me enough like her. And if I cannot like or relate to a heroine, that puts a damper on the entire reading experience for me.

The secondary characters are what made the read enjoyable for me. I loved Annie’s Uncle Don and his Dungeons & Dragons friends. They were a riot! Annie’s best friend Chloe works in the local coffee shop and gave great advice while trying to reel Annie in from her outlandish dating expectations.

I am very sad that I did not love this book. I did enjoy the writing and I’m looking forward reading the author again.

***I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of the book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affects or influences my thoughts and feelings about the story***

I know there are people out there that don't care for the romcom genre or chick flick movies, but seriously they are missing out. As I read all the movie references to the classic romcom movies (Sleepless in Seattle, You've Got Mail, and so many others), I was instantly transported back to a time I was looking for my HEA. I would watch those movies and feel hopeful that my "Tom Hanks" was out there, and luckily he was. Until I met him 6 years ago (we even have a cute little first date story), movies and stories like this helped me remain hopeful. It's nice to read a magical story like this to lift your spirits.

When I sat down to read this one it was bedtime and I stayed up until 2 am to finish it because I literally could not put it down. I thought that this was such a fun, heartfelt love story. The characters are the best kind of quirky and even the Dungeon Master will grow on you (he's an acquired taste). As you get to know Annie you'll understand her obsession with a HEA and you keep hoping she finds it. She is somewhat of a romcom expert and is currently waiting for that real life plot twist where she meets her "Tom Hanks". While leaving her favorite coffee shop she experiences a real life meet cute when she spills her coffee on a Drew, but she ignores the romcom moment they shared because he's kind of a jerk. As they get to know each other she realizes that he may not be a jerky as she previously thought. Then enters the 3rd side to a possible love triangle (sexy gaffer) and you have a whole other romcom on your hands. The ups and downs of their story will keep you invested as you wait for Annie's HEA. This book is for anybody who loves love and believes in the HEA. You won't be disappointed you picked it, I know I wasn't.

Warning: You want to binge watch multiple romcoms after reading this book. 😂

Thank you @Netgalley and @Berkleypub for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Three -I was expecting more because I''m still hopeless romantic and big fan of all rom-coms that I have been watching over and over- disappointing, most elements to create an emotional, smartly written story is missing stars

Did I like the story development? Nope, at the some parts, I wanted to throw the thickest Tolstoy books at the heads of characters. I found some parts with full of cliches.

Did I empathize the characters? Again no!

Only I loved uncle Dan and best friend Chloe. But that's the disturbing thing about rom-coms. You shouldn't root for the supporting characters. You also need to love hero and heroine and patiently wait for them find their HEA!

In my opinion, there are perfectly written, smarter rom-coms, emotional stories released lately. But unfortunately this is not one of them and this is not satisfying book for my expectations.

Thanks to the publishing company for ARC COPY and special thanks to NetGalley. I wish I could love this one more. But this is the most honest review I could give!

Warning: This review contains spoilers. They’re marked behind a spoiler tag, but read on at your own risk.

Annie is an aspiring screenwriter who is obsessed with RomComs. She’s waiting for her Tom Hanks – the embodiment of all her girlhood fantasies. When she’s offered the job as assistant to the director on the set of a movie being filmed in her hometown – a RomCom no less – she wonders if this will finally be her chance to meet the man of her dreams.

Except, it’s Drew Danforth who she sees most often. He’s the lead of the movie and a total jerk. She doesn’t like him..yet she can’t stop thinking about him. Too bad for him she’s waiting for her perfect man..and he’s no Tom Hanks.

Holly: When I read the blurb for this book, I thought it sounded like the perfect, lighthearted summer read. While it was definitely lighthearted, the heroine drove me crazy. She jumped to conclusions and, in general, acted like a jerk for the entire book. I really loved her uncle and her best friend, but she rubbed me the wrong way from the beginning. I have no idea what the hero saw in her or why he kept pursuing her.

Casee: I wasn’t excited to read this book at all. I’m not a huge fan of rom coms in general, so the blurb didn’t interest me. Then I picked it up. I was actually interested for the first chapter or so. Then I realized how horrible the heroine was. She was stuck in the past and waiting for a man that only exists in the movies. She’s an intelligent woman, but so freaking stupid.

Rowena: Yeah, I wanted to read this book because it sounded cute and lighthearted and I’m pretty obsessed with RomComs myself. Too bad I wanted to burn shit down while reading this book. Actually, mostly I just wanted to pull Annie’s hair because holy shit, I thought she was so freaking dumb. I hated the way that she treated Drew throughout the entire book. From beginning to end, she was a bitch to him and like Holly, I had no freaking clue what the hell Drew saw in her.

The thing that drove me up the wall was the thing that drew me to the story in the first place. Annie’s obsession with RomComs. But the lengths that she went with her RomCom obsession was just flat out dumb. When she said, “Chloe! He.Has.A.Houseboat.” I wanted to smack the shit out of her. I stuck with the book because I thought for sure, Annie would grow up and she would learn her lesson and she’d stop being so freaking dumb but nope. In the end, I still didn’t like her and was it just me or did Annie never apologize for the texting fiasco? In a meaningful way?

Holly: Her obsession with RomComs was definitely unhealthy. The way she held up every man to this ridiculous standard set by fictional characters was out of control. If she’d shown some growth, apologized like an adult, realized what she did was wrong..anything..I might have been able to forgive her. But from page 1 to the very last, she was the same.

Let’s talk about the texting fiasco for a second. She takes a half-naked picture of Drew and texts it to her friend. Except, oops, turns out she didn’t text it to her friend, but a reporter. Her bad. 1) It was really fucking gross that she took the picture in the first place. If Drew had taken a pic of her asleep in his bed and sent it to a friend, she’d have felt justifiably violated. So why wasn’t there some kind of remorse on her part for doing that to him? 2) His reaction really bothered me. He was angry and upset at first, which is totally understandable. But he takes a few days to think about it and just, gets over it? WHAT?! I get he was a nice guy, but that was out of bounds. « Hide Spoiler

Casee: I think taking the naked picture of him (sleeping!) was a total violation. Texting it took it to an entirely different level. The fact that she thought she owed an apology for how he reacted just blew my mind. I was also surprised by how quickly Drew came back and disappointed. « Hide Spoiler

Rowena: Exactly! She never really apologized for texting the wrong person because she felt she was owed the apology after the way he blew up about it. I was pissed that Drew was so quick to forgive her because he told her all about how his last relationship blew up so she should have understood why he reacted the way that he did and she should have been sorrier. It was a legit hang up for him and I was super annoyed that she didn’t seem sorry enough about what she did. I mean, that she even thought that she was owed an apology really pissed me off. « Hide Spoiler

Throughout the book, I couldn’t connect with her as a character because I did not like the way she treated Drew. She treated him like he wasn’t a man but some other world being that wasn’t human. He didn’t have the same kinds of feelings because he was rich and he was a celebrity so he couldn’t possibly be hurt by the shitty way she was around him. That bothered me because it didn’t make me believe in what they were building between them. Even when she got to know him and should have known better, she treated him like he couldn’t have emotions because he had millions of dollars to comfort him. A lot of shit rubbed me the wrong way and it ruined what I hoped would have been a fun read.

Holly: Oh, and this:

It’s McDonald’s. Drew Danforth, star of screens both large and small, takes me to the home of the McNugget. “This is a joke, right?” I ask as I stare up at the golden arches, but he’s out of the car before he even hears me. Of course, when Drew has a chance to go somewhere good—to take me, someone who rarely goes to fancy restaurants, to a nice place—he decides it would be oh-so-funny to visit a fast-food joint.

The sheer entitlement of this statement kills me. The director of the film suggests they go out together because Drew needs to get out. He basically orders her to go. This is their first time spending time together outside of the set, and she’s FORCED into it by her boss. Yet she gets pissed because “He has millions so he should have taken me somewhere better”. HE DIDN’T INVITE YOU ON A DATE! HIS DIRECTOR MADE HIM GO. Jesus.

Rowena: This is me, reading through both of your thoughts....*gif of woman saying "Okurrrr"*

Casee: Burn shit down indeed.

Holly: Something else that really bothered me was the lack of diversity in this book. The characters have a full-on conversation about the lack of diversity in RomComs and how the director of the movie wanted to change that, but the only POC in the entire book is talked about once or twice? She’s the co-star of the movie, yet she had zero page time and neither did anyone else of color?!? It made no sense.

Rowena: I completely agree with Holly about the lack of diversity in this one. It’s brought up as part of the reason they were filming a diverse RomCom but everyone in this book, that had actual page time, were lily-white as can be. Like, why bother at all?

Casee: Another thing I didn’t care for was that Annie turned over her screenplay before telling Chloe that it was based on her life. That was pretty fucked. Annie was just a crappy person all the way around.

Rowena: Yeah, I thought Annie turning over her screenplay about Nick and Chloe BEFORE telling her best friend about it was pretty creepy and by that point, I wasn’t surprised that Annie would do something like that to a loved one. I didn’t like her in the beginning and even in the end, I didn’t like her so that about sums up this book for me. There were parts of the book that I liked (mostly Chloe and the Uncle) but for the most part, I didn’t like this one.

Casee: My favorite character was Chloe. I just adored her. She tried to get Annie to see reason throughout the whole book, while she herself was so adorably clueless. But she was real, she could see that Annie was living in la-la-land. Too bad Annie couldn’t see it herself. Then, when she did find her dream man, the one that checked off all her romcom boxes, there were no sparks. WTAF.

Holly: I really liked Chloe. She was so down-to-earth. I definitely wanted more from her. I also really liked Annie’s uncle. He was hilarious.

Casee: This book just wasn’t for me. I’m curious about Chloe and Nick’s book, but not enough to read it. I can certainly imagine Chloe’s character being ruined or completely changed from this book. I really don’t want to see that happen.

Rowena: I’m curious about Nick and Chloe’s book too but I don’t know that I’d actually read it. I’d be scared that the Chloe I loved from this book would turn into an Annie and I don’t know that it’s a risk I’m willing to take.

Holly: I’m too scared to read Chloe’s book. I don’t even understand why she was friends with Annie. Every good friendship is filled with give and take. Sometimes you give, sometimes you take. It seemed to me all Annie did was take. Chloe could do better.

Casee: I would give this book a 2 out of 5.

Rowena: I would give this book a 2 out of 5.

Holly: I’m giving this 1.5 out of 5. I liked Drew, Chloe and Annie’s Uncle, but the fact that the book revolved around Annie killed it for me.

I smiled the whole time reading this. Delightful for moms, teens and grandmas who all love Tom Hanks movies!

Fantastic!! I loved Annie - the main character. I loved how Kerry wove into the story almost every romantic comedy movie I ever saw!! This is the first book of hers I have read and I can't wait for her next one!! This one should be a movie!! Very very fun read!!

If you’re a fan of the romantic comedies of the 1970s, 80s and 90s, this is the book for you. In an homage to the late Nora Ephron, writer of When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, and You’ve Got Mail, Winfrey introduces us to Annie Cassidy, aspiring screenwriter with a major in film studies, who has spent her entire adult life waiting for the meet-cute with her perfect partner, someone like the characters Tom Hanks played. As a result, she’s 27, living with her man-child uncle, and still single because no man she’s ever met lives up to the ideal she set her heart on in high school after her fellow fan and mother died. What’s the likelihood that a sweet, sensitive, attractive man will fall into her lap, especially one who owns a houseboat in land-locked Columbus, OH?

When it’s announced that a top director is coming to her town to film a rom-com starring notorious prankster and action film hero Drew Danforth, Annie is less than pleased. When she’s hired as a production assistant, rather than swooning over the movie star, she constantly argues with him and makes it clear that she doesn’t like him and is very disappointed that a man who has never even watched a romantic comedy thinks he’ll be successful in the role of the hero.

What ensues is as much fun as any of the rom-coms she’s watched ad infinitum. Is Annie, as her friend Chloé suggests, hiding behind rom-coms to avoid making a major change? Will she give her heart to “Sexy Gaffer” Carter, a local who ticks all of the boxes and actually DOES own a houseboat, fall hard for immature joker Drew, or end up on her own? You’ll have to read this delightful, romantic story to find out.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Berkley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

My Thoughts:
For fellow rom com fans, you’ll be treated to so many great rom com references and nods to classic romantic comedy films, and yes, many of them feature actor Tom Hanks, hence the title! I personally really do love You’ve Got Mail and many of the references made me smile. However, while this book had a lot of the makings of a cute romance, it left me feeling a bit disappointed.

Annie, the MC, is obsessed with rom coms and I was totally on board with her story to unfold in a cute rom com fashion but instead of unfolding naturally, things felt a bit forced. Her story didn’t feel natural and the parallels just felt like ticking boxes off a checklist. I think there was too much emphasis on what the formula of a romantic comedy was instead of just showing how her life was mirroring one.

Annie was also really aggressive at the beginning and while I understand the why, it felt a little unnecessarily over the top and well, mean. I just didn’t click with her and her story. There was also sort of an odd second guy thrown in briefly for a short lived love triangle (not even really a triangle but it just felt annoying).

There were definitely some cute moments in the story though! I enjoyed the setting of the town and really liked her BFF Chloe! Drew was also cute and I really liked him even if their chemistry always felt a little off to me.

In Short…
If you love rom coms, you will definitely smile and reminisce about these 90s films as the references come up! This is a cute story, perfect for a summer afternoon, but the execution missed the mark for me. And if you’re anything like me, you’re now longing to go rent one of the 90s rom coms mentioned! Check it out if you’ve got a penchant for romantic comedies, especially those featuring Tom Hanks!

I didn't love this book. It was cute, but none of the characters were particularly unique and they were all surface level. It felt like I was reading a book where everyone is an archetype instead of feeling like real, complex people.

It was a sweet read overall. Her love story checks all the boxes just like a good rom com. It is equally unrealistic, and you want to shake the heroine about a million times, groan when the couple has their "big misunderstanding," and break into a cheesy grin at the grand gesture that is the start of happily ever after.

I did appreciate that the author poked fun at romcoms (and even criticized their lack of diversity) just as much as she paid homage to them. Excited for the follow-up about Annie's best friend!

If you love romantic comedies, and get nostalgic when there are references to your favorite movies of all time in the book you are reading, then pick this book! I admit, I had my reservations going into this one. (I'm not a big fan of the movie star romances.) However, this one had me hooked at the first Sleepless in Seattle reference! For a fun, fast, and funny read, I highly recommend this book!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced readers copy in exchange for my review.

First off this book was hilarious. I truly laughed out loud several times. I loved the wacky moments. It was meant to be a bit cliche so that didn’t bother me but near the end it did get a little tiresome so that dropped it a little for me. But this would be a perfect book to read during vacation. Also, the cover is absolutely amazing.

Waiting For Tom Hanks was a cute, quick and fun read. Was it predictable? Yes, Yes it was. Did that take away from the story. Nope, not at all. This is not the book where you are going to say it changed me as a person. Or this was the best literary fiction I have ever read. Do not read this one if that's what you need. I will also caution you that if you need steamy Romance...this is not the book for you.
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WFTH is a closed door Romance that is based on Rom-Coms. I would go as far to say if you are not well versed in the Rom-Com movie genre...you won't get it. Luckily for me, I am well versed in Rom-Com! Tom Hanks in You've Got Mail is the dream...I get it.
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If I am being fair...I rolled my eyes a few times because, Annie (the lead) is a little too clueless. However, I really enjoyed Drew's character....I'm a sucker for a good looking actor who is a genuinely good guy. Drew fit all the check marks for me!

I'm ending with four cute, fun stars.

I was lucky enough to get a copy of Waiting for Tom Hanks by Kerry Winfrey through NetGalley. Berkley published this book on 06/11/19. 💜

Annie is 27 and obsessed with romantic comedies. Because of her unrealistic expectations, her dating life has been pretty limited. She's waiting for her very own Tom Hanks. When a huge romantic comedy rolls into her town to film, Annie has to decide if she can remove the walls she's spent so long building, or risk losing the potential great love of her life.

YOU GUYS. I am NOT a romantic book fan. I've said it several times. That being said, I.LOVED.THIS.BOOK. I was hooked from the first paragraph I read. I actually found myself sending random paragraphs to my bookstagram friends who love romantic books because I just loved it so much. It is so easy to related to Annie. Because she lost her mother, her support system is made up of her best friend and her uncle. They are so endearing. I loved everything about them. Just wait until you read about her love interests. 💘

This book was so refreshing and it just felt GOOD to read. I loved it from the very beginning, and it made me immediately want to binge watch all of my Tom Hanks movies. Winfrey has built such a sweet world, and I was sad to leave it. I was given an digital ARC of this book to review, but I was instantly sad I didn't have a physical copy of this book to lend to all of my girlfriends. I may end up buying this book once my library of unread books shrinks a little.

Overall, I loved this book. Thank you Kerry Winfrey for introducing me to Annie. I feel so lucky to have received this book!

Easy 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5 Stars for me. GO READ THIS BOOK NOW!

WHAT DID I THINK OF WAITING FOR TOM HANKS?
Waiting For Tom Hanks by Kerry Winfrey is a super cute, super quick read. Was it earth shattering and life changing? No, definitely not. However, it is easy to follow and easy to like. For me, it probably suffers a little bit in comparison to The Friend Zone which I had read within like a week or two of Waiting For Tom Hanks. So, inevitably, I was comparing books of the same genre.

Winfrey’s book is about a writer named Annie who is obsessed with romantic comedies. She grew up watching them with her mom. So, she expects to have a love story that is similar to a romantic comedy and will not settle for less. Anyways, one day Annie has an encounter with this movie star named Drew who has come to town to star in a romantic comedy. Annie decides she cannot stand Drew. Unfortunately for her, she ends up working as an assistant on the movie and has to work a lot with Drew. As all romantic comedies go, the hate ends up turning into something that absolutely does not look like hate.

Well, I liked all the references to movies that I love. I thought it was funny how Annie is so determined to live her life that way. And then there’s a part of me that thinks, we all deserve a great love story and for someone to treat us excellently. So, I could get behind her state of mind and life in Waiting For Tom Hanks. Also, Annie’s Uncle is a treasure. Most of the side characters are great in this book.

HOW’S THE NARRATION?
The audiobook of Waiting For Tom Hanks is narrated by Rachel L. Jacobs and is 8 hours 33 minutes long. Of course, I listened to this sped up and in a single day. Jacobs does a great job voicing Annie — making her sound a bit on the young side and kind of naive. But still, nailing her growth as a character. I’d for sure recommend this audiobook.

Kerry Winfrey offered me exactly what I was looking for, a fun, romantic comedy escape. She took a fun premise, included the appropriate pop culture references, added a meet cute and a fun romantic journey, and entertained me fully. The characters were for the most part engaging, the heroine had some growing to do, and I was glad Ms. Winfrey addressed that fact and by the end, I found the heroine stronger. I did really appreciate the pop culture references, and I thank Ms. Winfrey for jogging my memory and pointing the way to a marathon of romantic comedy watching! If you're looking for a light escape, spend a few hours "Looking For Tom Hanks."
I received my copy through NetGalley under no obligation.

I wanted to like this one. In fact, despite the rom- com obsessed heroine, the over abundance of romantic comedy movie references and the name Tom Hands being mentioned every other page, I forced myself to read to about 40%. I’m not sure what finally had me throwing in towel, maybe when I realized the heroine, Annie, was absolutely ridiculous and I didn’t see her getting any better, maybe it was her attitude toward the supposed hero who frankly hadn’t done anything to deserve her rudeness, or maybe it was the seven billionth time Tom Hands was mentioned… but I surrendered and gave up.
Final grade- DNF

As a huge fan of rom-com movies, and someone who has probably seen almost all of Tom Hanks' classics, I didn't hesitate when I saw this book. I knew I wanted to read it. Of course the bright and adorable cover didn't hurt either. Having never read this author before, I had no idea what to expect when opening this up. This probably sounds strange to say considering my rating, but I actually do think that she's a talented writer. But there's a difference between being a good writer and storytelling effectively and that's where my problem lies. I had several big issues with the book:

1) How the enemies to lovers trope was created/developed
2) The heroine's childish and illogical behavior
3) How her rom-com obsession is in actuality more of an unhealthy fixation. It ruled her entire life and affected every thought process and decision throughout her day.

I knew from the synopsis that Annie would be obsessed with rom-coms. I just had no idea that it would be presented in the way that it was. I was so down for being served a heaping smorgasbord of movie references. However I knew within the first couple of chapters that I didn't like Annie's thought pattern on them at all. It goes beyond her loving rom-coms because of her fond memories tied to her mother. Or her parents' once in a lifetime romance that has erected impossibly high standards. She's created a fantasy world because of it.

Annie finds out that there will be a big budget romantic movie filmed in her town, and her friends urge her to get a job on set. Drew Danforth is the male lead, and when she hears he's the star she immediately starts a judgmental tirade about his character. All this based on gossip sites and times she saw him on TV. She doesn't know the man! You can imagine how grating this would get when she insults someone she's never met before, and it only got worse from there.

Far from her imagined meet-cute, her first meeting with Drew is uncomfortably awkward and every interaction thereafter goes downhill. She snaps at him and misinterprets every word out of his mouth making her appear like a shrew. Bluntly put, this guy is FAR from a jerk and does not deserve her attitude. She got so bad that I had to skim over a couple of their conversations because she wouldn't stop insulting him.

I believe this was all in order to create an enemies to lovers trope, but there was no sexy banter, no logical explanation for how she felt. There was no antagonism on his part, not even when he was unfairly insulted. They weren't enemies, it was one person making assumptions about another and getting angry all the time. In other words, it all felt manufactured and fell flat. As for Drew, he didn't seem to be affected at all by her behavior and somehow developed a crush on her through all of it. I really couldn't understand why. Because of all of these things I had a hard time getting through the first half of the book. She finally did realize that she was wrong about him, but once their flirting kicked in, I didn't have any investment in their HEA.

To sum things up, I do like the author's humor and there were sporadic moments in there where I was entertained by her friends' relationship with each other. But unfortunately the heroine was unlikable for too long, the movie theme was set up too strangely, and I didn't feel the chemistry I should have. Many will disagree with me, maybe some will relate to how I felt. I was really disappointed and wish I could have loved it more, but I think I can safely say that this particular story wasn't the right fit for me.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for my early review copy! I really enjoyed this romcom. I have read many thrillers lately and wanted a light read for the summer. This book was sweet, endearing, and had me laughing at parts. I would definitely recommend this book to all the romcom fans who need a light read. Fun and enjoyable - add this to your summer list!

Annie is 27 years old and loves a romantic comedy movie, which also have significance and nostalgia for her. Her dating expectations have since been influenced and she is waiting for the perfect match. She must also figure out how to be his match with the defenses she has.