This was such a charming, sweet, light-hearted read. Perfect for those of us who love romance and rom coms. It was the kind of book that's delightful to read, fast-paced, and perfect to throw in your beach bag or read poolside. I look forward to more from this author.

3.5 stars

Lightweight (who would have guessed?) chick lit about a rom-com obsessed heroine with a sad family background who is searching for the love of a good man -- the sort of character she loves to watch on the big screen. Annie Cassidy is not unappealing as a heroine, but there are an awful lot of cliches and absolutely predictable plot mechanics.

There are times when an undemanding story with a feel-good ending is exactly what you want. This book would be just right. Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

WAITING FOR TOM HANKS is a light & cute story about a young woman so obsessed with romantic comedies that she’s holding out on love until she meets her perfect Tom Hanks. Annie is an aspiring screenwriter living in Ohio with her quirky uncle. When a film crew comes to town to shoot an upcoming romcom, her uncle uses his connections to get her a job as director’s assistant. Will she find her perfect match in Drew Danforth, the film’s leading man? Of course, like any true romcom, the road to HEA can be a bumpy & unexpected one.

Overall, I thought this book was fun and occasionally silly, with a grown woman thinking she could eventually live inside one of her favorite films. I never quite understood her rudeness toward Drew, like she was creating a conflict where there shouldn’t have been one. I greatly enjoyed the secondary characters, especially her Uncle Don and best friend Chloe.

WAITING FOR TOM HANKS is a charming beach read with plenty of funny moments. After finishing this book, I had to pull out my DVDs of Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail and watch them again.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC copy to review.
Annie is twenty-seven years old, single, and obsessed with romantic comedies (she and her mother watched them religiously, before her mom died). Her dating life is limited by the expectations she’s formed from these movies. She is not as open to new experiences as she might be, because she’s waiting for her Tom Hanks–i.e., a guy she’ll find in the perfect, meet-cute romantic comedy way. When Annie does finally meet her perfect match, it’s not quite in the way she expected, and she’s forced to reckon with the walls she’s built around herself over the years.
This is such a cute book that I read it in a day. This movie speaks to any 90's kid that ever watched rom-coms with their mom.....aka ME. I loved it!

Waiting for Tom Hanks by Kerry Winfrey
Rom-Com Standalone, First in a Related Series.
2.5 Stars
I love romantic comedies, be it movies or books, so when I saw Waiting for Tom Hanks by Kerry Winfrey I was so excited to read it! I love the cover and the blurb is right up my alley.

Annie is a 27-year-old rom-com obsessed girl who lives with her uncle in Ohio. She is literally obsessed with romantic comedies and Nora Ephron (You’ve Got Mail, Sleepless in Seattle…) is her hero. She is forever writing her own screenplay, and has a lot of problems dating because the guys never live up to her rom-com standards. In other words, they aren’t Tom Hanks.
Tom Hanks isn't a person so much as he is a representation of the kind of man I deserve, as my mom told me over and over. "Don't settle for someone who doesn't adore you," she told me. "My favorite thing about your dad was that he worshiped the ground I walked on."

Annie was fixated. It’s not only that the guys didn’t live up to Tom Hanks, she actually thought she was living in a rom-com.
“Because I have it all: the sympathetic backstory, the montage of humiliations minor and major, unrealized career aspirations, the untamed pre-makeover hair. But still, I wait. Single, lonely, Hanksless.”

When a big-budget romantic comedy is being shot in her small Ohio town, her uncle just happens to have been college roommates with the director (and that never came up before with the girl obsessed with movies????) and he got her a job on set. Then she has the perfect meet-cute with the star of the movie, but she is too blinded by the movie in her head to see it in person.
"Maybe it's time you stopped waiting around for Tom Hanks to show up. Maybe this time you have to be your own Tom Hanks.”

I really liked all the supporting characters including BOTH of her potential love interests. Drew was awesome and real despite being a movie star, but that was the problem too, he was REAL, and she wanted fiction.
“I always think you’re exaggerating, but you’re literally in love with a fictional man. You know those movies aren’t real, right?

Waiting for Tom Hanks was a cute concept, one I may have enjoyed more if I hadn’t JUST read Screwdrivered by Alice Clayton. Though the story is totally different, the heroine also thought she was living in a romance.
Likes:

•The cover.
•All the side characters.
•It’s a cute concept (but taken a bit too far).
•I really liked her friend Chloe.
•Drew was a great book boyfriend.
•Though it was fade-to-black in sex, it never felt like it was missing.
•A light, sweet, quick beach read.

Dislikes:

•Annie is immature and thinks she is living in a movie. While I liked being in her head sometimes, others I really couldn’t stand her, I just wanted to smack some sense into her.
•She has been sitting around not going after anything she wants.
•Her uncle is close with a famous director and he doesn’t tell the movie-obsessed niece he lives with?

The Down and Dirty:
Waiting for Tom Hanks was a cute, light beach read and if you love 80s rom-coms, you might enjoy this. For me, I need to love the heroine to love the book, and I spent most of the book wanting to smack her upside the head. A gorgeous Hollywood leading man is crazy about her but she ignores it because it’s not like a rom-com? SMACK. Her obsession was over-the-top ridiculous as were a couple of other things that just held me back from really loving it. The potential was there, the writing skill was there, I just found her to be annoyingly in her own head.

Rating: 2.5 Stars, 0 Heat

Sometimes you just need a book pick-me-up. Lately I’ve found that I am on the look out for books that uplift me and make me smile. I’ve found another one to add to my collection. Waiting for Tom Hanks by Kerry Winfrey is just the kind of story I’ve been searching for lately. It is sweet, funny, a little bit corny, and frankly, to me, just a lot of fun to read.

The main character, Annie, is obsessed with Tom Hanks movies (and romcoms in general). Now… this may be my biggest caveat to this book because her obsession can be a little over the top and annoying as the story proceeds. But I put up with it and I’m glad I stuck with the story. When a movie crew comes to town to shoot a romcom, Annie (who is writing her own romantic comedy) is excited. Her Uncle Don is able to secure a spot for her on set working with the famous director. It is basically like a dream come true. Of course Annie does not realize that the male star of the show, Drew Danforth, is the right guy for her. She is pretty oblivious to his clear interest in her. But that’s to be expected in any romantic comedy! There is misdirection and pratfalls and pining. It is everything you want and enjoy in a romantic comedy wrapped in a fun book.

It is not a perfect story of course. Sometimes I wanted to prod Annie to find her own direction in life. I wanted her to take the advice of her best friend, Chloe, and just go for it. Don’t wait for Mr. Right, try dating a few guys and see what happens. Of course, no romantic comedy female lead is going to find that to be a perfect solution but I did want Annie to try.

I liked Drew. He is fairly generic in terms of romance love interests but I found as I got to know him, I liked him more. He shed some layers of “movie stardom” to reveal who he is underneath. A caring guy, a bit of a goof, and someone who likes Annie exactly as she is. He respects her, is kind to her Uncle Don, and just wants to be a part of her life in some small way. It was very sweet.

Waiting for Tom Hanks had me engaged immediately. I’m so glad I gave this book a chance. I know the title intrigued me to begin with because I admit, I love a good Tom Hanks movie, but Kerry Winfrey’s expressive writing and great characters moved this story from good to great. There is a reason many people (myself included!) love the romantic comedy genre in film and Kerry Winfrey captures that emotion, that hope at happiness and joy, very well in this book. I’m eager to see what she writes next!

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.

Waiting for Tom Hanks hit me with all the ’90s nostalgia! I’m pretty sure that Annie and I were BFFs in another life!

Coming from someone who, much like our leading lady, is obsessed with romantic comedies, this book is an utter delight. I smiled, I laughed, I was thrown back to when I thought men were actually like the guys in these movies/books (LOL #sorrynotsorry)…Waiting for Tom Hanks was my cup of tea!

This story is quirky, adorable, and sweet! To be honest, I think there is a rom com overload in the beginning that makes the heroine a smidge annoying. I mean, we have a rom com-loving main character who references her fave rom coms A LOT and happens to be writing her own rom com AND gets a job on the set of the rom com filming in her town…while waiting for her own, real-life “Tom Hanks,” just like in the rom coms of old *cue brain explosion* However, things level out as the story goes on, and I fell in love with this book.

Despite my aforementioned feelings and her flaws, Annie really is a delight. Her counterpart, Drew, shined, though. Their first encounter had me laughing out loud, and their banter is a lot of fun! They are surrounded by an amazing cast of secondary characters that I enjoyed just as much as the leads.

Overall, I enjoyed Waiting for Tom Hanks, and I think fellow rom com fanatics will appreciate this one! I CANNOT WAIT to see what Kerry has in store for us next.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book. Please note that it, in no way, had an effect on my opinion or review.

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!

Waiting for Tom Hanks is a MUST READ for rom com fanatics like me. From the pop culture references to the quick wit of the characters, you'll be charmed by this daydreaming heroine as she waits for her Tom Hanks. <3

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.