This was a really good read. Although it was cheesy and predictable it was so lighthearted that it didn't matter and Beas character was so funny and goofy.
Good book!

How did I only just get around to finally reading Ali and Michelle's delightful second book?!! The perfect ending made this one of those books I simply had to hug to my chest, close my eyes and soak in that beautiful warm happy glow 🥰 - will also never not love a book set in my hometown #melbourne

I think I was given this book through Netgalley over 6 months ago, something I feel incredibly guilty about because my busy-ass never got around to reading this book until now.
But REJOICE ALL. I have officially become slightly less despicable!

First of all y'all. Australian lit. It's lit. I know, I know. That's the lamest and most overused phrase of ever, but I always feel really happy being able to support my fellow Aussies, and particularly my Melbournians.
And I was able to understand so much about this book! I was like I've been here and here, etc. etc. I felt oh-so-powerful. It was truly a great position and feeling to be in.

Also, y'all know I'm a big fan of my cutesy stories, and the relatableness and feeling of comradery in reading about another fellow bookworm. It was so damn cute.
I mean, I'm a little sad that there was more than Dino, but it was a cute story nonetheless.
PLUS, I'm the biggest fan of bookish annotations and passing them along. No one ever wants to do that with me. What's with that anyway??? It looks like such a fun time.

Definitely thinking about picking up The Book Ninja sometime soon!

When I was approved to read this book there was a problem with the download link and I couldn't access it. However, that didn't stop me from purchasing this little pocket of sunshine and I'm so grateful I did! Bea is a very real and likeable character who finds herself in a new city (glorious Melbourne!), a new job, and a pretty predictable love triangle to boot. If I'm reading a thriller or mystery, predictability is the nail in the coffin - BUT - in a romance it just provides a sense of comfort. It's like when you go to dinner and order parmigiana. You bought it because you know exactly what you are going to get and you'll feel satisfied. This book was my parmi, complete with some cheesy parts (I'm looking at you ferret). It was Cute with a capitol C. The constant bookish references and quotes throughout added an extra sprinkle of special. I'm certain any bookworm who is romantic at heart would find this little gem worth smiling about. It will also give you a coffee craving. But how well do books and coffee compliment each other, so just go with it. 📚 ♥ ☕

Many thanks to NetGalley and the truly wonderful publishers at Simon and Schuster Australia for this light-hearted and happy read. 😄

Book lover Bea has accidentally ruined her best friends wedding. She decides she needs a fresh new start so moves to the other side of the country where the only person she knows is her “influencer” sister Lizzie.

After finding a note filled book in a second hand bookshop, Bea becomes obsessed with finding its previous owner. Along the way she makes friends, falls in love and decides to do things on her own terms.


This is a delightfully quirky romance set in Melbourne, that I will be leaving on the train for another book lover to find.

This book was really tough to get through. I enjoyed the fun of The Book Ninja but found this one rushed and disjointed. The characters need a lot of developing and some of the cringy romantic gestures made me feel like the protagonist was about 13 years old instead of 30. I loved the bookish references but found sometimes they were a bit of an overkill, like namedropping because you can. I think it could have been a really fun and enjoyable read if the authors had taken a step back and put more heart into the story. So saying that, I encourage the authors to keep trying because they really do speak the language of bibliophiles and I can totally identify with what they are trying to do.

Coffee? Check. Books? Check. Cute romance? Check.

What do you need more for a fun and entertaining read? A light read for a weekend away or for your next holiday on the beach.
Bea is a very relatable character! Although the romance wasn't really a surprise and quite "tropey" I can recommend this to anybody who likes an entertaining read to help with your book/coffee addiction.

Thanks Netgalley for providing me with a copy.

What a fun, quirky romance this was, full of bookish references, lots of laughs and plenty of relatable moments.

This is the story of Bea, who flees to Melbourne after ruining her best friends wedding in Perth. In Melbourne Bea falls in love with the annotations written in a second hand book and and is determined to find the original owner.

Reading this made me feel warm and fuzzy, it’s a perfect feel good book! Highly recommended for fans of a good rom-com.

Thanks so much to @simonschusterau and @aliandmichelle for this gifted copy.

Synopsis: After ruining her best friend's nuptials, Bea relocates to the other side of the country in search of a fresh start, including meeting new people, living life to the fullest and finally pulling off balayage. Then Bea stumbles across a second-hand novel, inscribed with notes. Besotted with the poetic inscriptions, Bea is determined to find the author ... and along the way, she finds herself entangled in one hell of a love quadrangle.

Most contemporary rom coms are set in either New York or London or some other international city. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book based in Melbourne which is why I LOVED While You Were Reading. The book was basically an amalgamation of all my favourite things: coffee, reading and brunch 🥑. There were references to Osher from the Bachelor, Sir John Monash and Messina. I felt like for once I had the advantage as a Melbs reader since I understood most references that an interstate/international reader would have to google hehehe.

The book did start off a bit slowly and some of the quirky characters threw me at first. But the ending was super cute and all the threads came together in my head about half a page before Bea figured it out and I internally squealed 🥰. It was a quality rom-com ending which I say as a rom-com connoisseur (yes I had to Google how to spell that). Also it left me craving coffee and where can I buy Dino’s coffee in real life?!

4/5 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟
- K 📖

This was set in Melbourne in the present time. Bea Babbage moves from Perth to Melbourne to start a new life after she ruined her best friend’s wedding. Bea is devastated when her best friend does not reply to her e-mails and messages. Bea works in a boring job and goes home to an empty apartment. She is so desperate to communicate with people she leaves notes for her cleaner and spends a lot of time in the Nook a small coffee shop where she gets to talk about books with Dino the barista. Bea loves books, reading and book shops. She finds an old book in a second hand bookshop and throughout the pages she discovers someone has been writing quotes and comments in the margins. Bea sets out to find the person who previously owned the book.
Bea writes a blog and mentions she is looking for the person who owned the book and she puts up notices in places mentioned in the quotes. With Dino’s help she runs a few literary events in his coffee shop.
I loved the humor in this book and the interactions between the different characters. The best thing about this were the book quotes, names of authors and book titles. Bea is constantly talking about books she has loved and how they influenced her life and love of reading. I loved it.

This book is good story when you want something light hearted and not super heavy. I liked how Australia was represented and I enjoyed being able to relate to the setting. All the characters were great and I liked how they each had their own stories that became apparent as the book went on.
It's a great book and I found it easy to read.

While You Were Reading is a quirky, lighthearted novel just perfect for a weekend read. A delightful contemporary romance about finding your true self, and real friends that warmed my heart, and had me staying up late till the last page.

Full of bookish references, and plenty of Melbourne haunts, there's lots to love including very relatable bookworm Bea, who is trying to rebuild her life after moving to Melbourne for a fresh start. Picking up a second hand book at a local bookstore, she falls in love with the handwritten annotations in the margins, and begins a quest to hunt down the author. Finding herself in a job she hates, lacking in friends, she turns to the local Barista Dino for motivation and moral support, who supplies her apt handwritten bookish quotes on her daily coffee cups.

I absolutely enjoyed The Book Ninja, and I wasn't sure that While You Were Reading would be able to live up to the first book by Ali Berg and Michelle Baus, but I'm very pleased to be wrong. I've added them both to my must-read author list, and will be keeping a keen eye out for their next novel.

* This eBook ARC was provided by Simon & Schuster (Australia) through NetGalley for an honest review.

After an on-the-fence reading experience with Ali Berg and Michelle Kalus’ first book - The Book Ninja - I was a little hesitant about this one.

I needn’t have worried, because I loved it!

This book, while still having rich literary references, bookish themes, and name dropping places of (my heart and home) Melbourne, is completely different from its predecessor.

Bea is likeable, nay loveable. She’s an absolute mess, but that’s what makes her awesome. And the cast of characters around her were equally delightful. I mean Ruth with the ferret was hilarious!

There’s good humour, and warmth, and the book snobbery (against kindles and certain genres) was way less, and gone by the time the story got into full swing.

I really enjoyed this book, and now look forward to more stories from these two authors. Many thanks to Ali Berg and Michelle Kalus, Simon and Schuster (Australia), and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Bea is a dreamer. She dreams of the perfect job, the perfect man, the perfect life, all while doing nothing to change it. She has the passion but lacks the confidence to do anything with it. Watching her fall and grow multiple times showed just how difficult making adult decisions can be, especially when you do not believe in yourself. When Bea finds the annotated book in a secondhand bookstore, a fire is lit within her and she begins her search to find the Mystery Writer of all the beautiful and inspiring comments in the margins of that book's pages.

The other characters in the book were all very different, which is a brilliant way to show how many different types of people call Melbourne and surrounds home. I loved how the people Bea surrounded herself with once she moved to Melbourne were the types to build her up and help her achieve her goals.

It was an enjoyable contemporary romance with a nice chunk of book love. I also enjoyed the little mystery element surrounding the author of the annotations. There were a few predictable elements to the story, though if the story had concluded any other way I would have been disappointed. What I loved most about this book was how satisfying it was to read. It was light, fluffy, a nice balance of romance, friendship and life, and it was easy to finish in a couple of hours.

While You Were Reading is a book for book lovers - a book about books and those that love books - what is not to love? Set in Melbourne this is a light hearted book that you can get lost in for a few hours. The characters are fun and realistic, while the story will make you laugh and cry at the same time. As a book lover I found this book very relatable in that when you find somebody that gets it, really understands what it is like to love reading you don't let that go.

Bea has just moved to Melbourne from Perth after accidently ruining her best friends marriage - oops! She wants a fresh start but has no friends, no contacts and is not all that outgoing. In fact her awkwardness is something that I loved about her - as I kept thinking "that would be me" all the time. Anyhow, she finds solace in a coffee shop called The Nook - where the barista Dino writes book quotes on her coffee cups - cute!! While exploring the city she finds a book shop and inside she picks up a second hand book. While the blurb sounds good, it is the hand written notes all throughout the book that has her intrigued. She needs to find this Mystery Writer at all costs. Joining Instagram and stalking out the places the writer mentions in the book it is a hilarious journey, in which she learns a lot about herself and what she wants in life.

There is so much more to the story than just this but to find that out you will just have to read the book. You really do need to read this book - I just loved it and was very sad when it was all over. I am now going to go back and read The Book Ninja by the same writers. Do yourself a favour as a famous Melbournian would say - read this book!!

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Australia for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.

After accidentally ruining her lifelong best friend’s marriage, a mere hour or so after the wedding, Beatrix Babbage moves from Perth to Melbourne looking for a fresh start, but it’s more difficult than she envisioned. The only respite from her loneliness is provided by The Nook, where barista/slam poet Grover ‘Dino’ Dinopoli, scribbles book quotes on her coffee cup, and pastry chef, Sunday, occasionally lets her lick the spoon.

Until, one evening while exploring the city, Bea, a self confessed bibliophile, wonders into a bookstore where she discovers a second-hand book. While the blurb piques her interest, it’s the handwritten notations in it’s margins that captures her imagination, and Bea grows increasingly convinced that finding the ‘Mystery Writer’ will be the catalyst that will change her life.

While You Were Reading is a likeable, modern contemporary romance, the second book from co-writer’s Ali Berg and Michelle Kalus, who are also cofounders of the fabulous Books on the Rail project.

Instagram posts (complete with photo’s, follower comments and likes), texts, instant messages, email’s and notes (left for her cleaner) helps tell Bea’s story as her obsession with the ‘Mystery Writer’ leads her in surprising directions.

I mostly liked Bea, and had some sympathy for the awkward situations she found herself in. Her level of self esteem is awfully low though, and she makes some immature assumptions, and decisions. It takes her quite some time for her to find her feet, but I was glad she did.

I did enjoy the romantic plot developed by the authors. I like a friends to lovers trope, and though the obstacles were mostly predictable, there were some interesting elements, particularly surrounding the identity of the ‘Mystery Writer’. I also enjoyed the mini romance plot that played out through Bea’s Instagram comments.

Supporting characters, Ruth, with her pet ferret, and Bea’s sister, Ex-bachelorette star, with her Instagram obsession, add a touch of absurdity. I liked the odd start to Bea’s friendship with Martha, and the supportive relationships Bea formed with them.

I would love to attend a literary pub crawl like that which Bea attends, and the event she organises, Next Chapter: speed dating for books. There are dozens of references to classic and modern books, from Little Women by Louisa May Alcott to The Sunday Girl by Pip Drysdale, including a cheeky mention of the authors’ first novel The Book Ninja, throughout While You Were Reading. It’s a fun addition to the story for book lovers, and handily the authors provide a list of every title at the end of the book, which I appreciated (quite a few I’ve either read, or are on my TBR).

When You Were Reading is an engaging romance, particularly if you are a bibliophile. I do feel I need to add however, that despite Bea’s age (she turns 30 early on in the story), While You Were Reading, overall feels like it’s probably more suited to a younger barely ‘adulting’ demographic.

This book follows Bea as she moves to Melbourne to get a new start after ruining her best friend's wedding. Friendless and working at a job she hates, the highlights of her day are her books and getting her daily coffee fix until she discovers a second hand book with beautiful annotations and poems littered throughout. She falls in love with the writing and decides to track down the owner of the book.

When I heard that this book is about books, I knew I had to read it! I love reading and finding a book with gorgeous annotations and poetry is every bibliophiles dream. However this did not live up to my expectations. It is in no way a bad book by any means but to me it was just average.

I initially loved all the book references in this novel but it quickly got to be too much. It kinda felt like this book was trying too hard. If you are not a BIG reader then this book is probably not for you as some of the references can go over your head. Kinda like someone quoting a movie or TV series you have never seen. However I did like that all the books that were mentioned in this novel were listed at the back of the book so if you do want to go back and read them to understand the references then you can.

This novel is very on trend at the moment with its instagram posts which I found quite enjoyable especially the comments on the pictures. I love bookstagram so it was fun seeing that in a novel. Also love that Bea's account name is an actual account on instagram (yes I checked).

I don't often read novels set in Australia so it's always fun to come across one set in the country you live in and I loved all the descriptions of Melbourne cafes and day to day life. Made me want to book a flight to visit.

I didn't have a favourite character in this novel as I honestly found most of them quite annoying or just average. Dino was an interesting character though and I did really enjoy Phillip the ferret.

The annotations in the book that Bea discovers were my favourite, however I wish the book that Bea had discovered was an actual real life book and not one made up for the story. The entire book is littered with real book titles and quotes but the main book mentioned in this novel isn't real. I would have loved to be able to have bought my own real copy and annotate it myself. It honestly would have made a fantastic bookstagram post that Bea would approve of.

Definitely not my favourite book of the year but definitely worth the read if you are a book lover!

Are you looking for a fun, light weekend read? A book that loves books as much as you do? 'While you were reading' might be just the book you’re looking for. Thanks to Simon and Schuster (Australia) publishing for giving me an advanced copy of this one to read!

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
'While you were reading' is a contemporary romance novel by Ali Berg and Michelle Klaus. The book follows Beatrix Babbage (‘Bea’) as she seeks to start over in a new city after accidentally ruining her friends wedding. Bea dreams of living life to the fullest, meeting new people and landing the dream job. But it doesn’t take too long for her to realise, not all things in life go to plan.

With only her books, barista and cleaning lady to keep her company it’s not long before Bea finds herself feeling very lonely in the city. Her job makes her miserable and she hasn’t had the romantic adventure she was hoping for.

When Bea stumbles across an annotated novel in a second-hand bookstore, the scribbles seem to be there just for her. Bea becomes determined to find the author of these notes, and in her quest to find out who wrote them discovers more than she could have imagined.

Ginger cat cuddles up next to 'While you were reading' book and cup of tea
Ca†s, tea and a good book. Sounds like the perfect weekend to me.
WHAT I LIKED THE MOST?
As a Melbournian myself I really enjoyed reading a book that is set in my city! The places Bea visits, the cafés and bookstores she talks about are described perfectly and Berg and Klaus have done such a great job distilling the feeling of Melbourne into this book.

As a book lover myself I really enjoyed all the literary references in this book! As one who has recently started a book blog I related to Bea’s feeling of joy when you discover someone who loves books as much as you do. If you’re reading this blog I’m pretty sure you know what I’m talking about! This book read like chatting to a friend you’ve known for ages, it was comfortable and fun.

The characters were unique and quirky, and just really enjoyable. At different stages in the book you see some characters motivations be more revealed and that’s always fun to watch.

WHAT I LIKED LEAST?
As a romance novels go this one was at times a little predictable, but I felt like the story managed to go a bit deeper than just being about girl-meets-guy-they-fall-madly-in-love so I think some of the predictability in plot was made up for by that.

There was a lot of name-dropping in the book which I’ve already mentioned (of places and books). I suppose this might annoy some readers, but I found it showed how much the authors love the city of Melbourne and this story.

Bea as a character is flawed, but wonderfully so. No one is perfect so I think the best characters aren’t either. I found her antics entertaining.

SHOULD YOU READ THIS BOOK?
If you love all things bookish this book is going to be a lot of fun for you! For young adult fiction lovers I think this book has a lot to offer. The popular culture references and tone of writing reminded me a little bit of Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell.

The romance storyline in this book is sweet, and had some really unique elements to it. I really enjoyed this book as a light fun read. I actually laughed out loud in some parts of this book, which I rarely do!

Going away on holiday? This book would make a great vacation read!

While you were reading by Ali Berg and Michelle Klaus is available to the purchase from next week 1st July 2019! Add it to your TBR (To be read) list!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR?
I don’t always do this segment on my reviews, but I thought I would today because I was super excited! Have you heard of ‘Books on the Rail’? No? Well! let me tell you about it.

As well as being superstars for writing this awesome book, Ali Berg and Michelle Klaus are also the founders of ‘Books on the Rail’. A Melbourne based organisation that formed to help commuters rediscover the humble novel and peel their eyes away from their iPhones. The initiative gets ‘book ninjas’ to leave books on trams, buses and trams which are then available for people to read! How cool is that?!

Have you ever spotted on of these books on your commute? I have! I read a few on my commute to and from uni. Whenever I spy one of these well-loved paperbacks on a bus, train or tram it brings a smile to my face! To find out more about this awesome movement, check out their website here.

This book was WOW. Set in Melbourne, it follows Bea Babbage who recently moved to the city from Perth, trying to find herself whilst tracking down a mystery writer.

I loved every page of this book and I felt a connection to Bea and the other characters. The plot itself also got me hook, line, and sinker and I loved EVERY page of this book.

The book references and relatableness of the coffee addiction Bea made this book very well rounded!

Rating: 5/5

(This review will be published on my blog on the 24th June)

Fun, breezy and full of bookish references, While You Were Reading is the second novel by Books on the Rail founds Berg and Kalus. Fans of The Book Ninja will enjoy the crossovers, abundant literary references, romance and humour.

After booklover Bea unintentionally ruined her best friend's wedding in Perth, she dropped everything and moved to Melbourne as penance. What she didn't expect was to fall in love... with a book! Full of insightful marginalia, Bea's second hand treasure sets her on a quest to discover the mystery marginalia writer's identity, and she finds herself becoming rather romantically entangled in the process.

Littered with instagram posts, hashtags and texts, not to mention the many name drops of recently released books, this is very much a novel in the now. Bea's encounters with Melbourne hipster culture - cafes, poetry slams - inspire her entrepreneurial side, and we watch her go through the ups and downs of bringing her projects to life. The balance between her career and relationships is managed well, and her self doubt and misplaced trust in others is highly relatable. I enjoyed the depiction of some pretty quirky but strong women showing up for Bea, as well as Bea's growth to be able to change the terms of some of her existing relationships. At times I cringed (she's just so young!) but I also laughed and cheered.

The plot has several parallels to Berg and Kalus' debut, and even has protagonist Bea stop by the book shop The Book Ninja features as a key setting - a nice nod for fans. I can see how the 'start a blog or instagram' premise appeals, but wonder whether Bea's bookstagram is a bit too close to Frankie's blog? Actually, the instagram posts weren't integral to the main story, and as such felt a bit unnecessary to me. They did, however, allow readers to pick up the thread of a relationship that budded in the comments of Frankie's blog, with @StephenPrince and @NotOffenceBut returning to further link the worlds of the two books. The plot is mostly predictable, but still an enjoyable ride with a few surprises along the way. Fans will also appreciate the many Harry Potter references strewn throughout.

A fun, flirty read - it will be interesting to see how it stands the test of time.

Recommended if you liked: The Book Ninja

I received an advanced e-book copy of While You Were Reading from Simon & Schuster Australia via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.