Ever since I read Kerry Winfrey's rom-com Waiting for Tom Hanks, I have been so eager for more - more of her work AND more of her main character Annie story. Let's just say I was super-excited to get my hands on Not Like the Movies, her follow-up novel.!
Right up front, I have to admit that because my love for Annie from the first novel was so strong, it took me a little bit to adjust to having her BFF Chloe as the lead this time around. But ultimately I fell in love with Chloe and her quirky personality, just like I did with Annie.
Chloe is a charming, funny, hot-mess of a girl. She currently is working in a coffee shop and is (and has been) head over heels for her boss, Nick, while not quite being able to admit it to herself - even though her best friend wrote an entire movie based entirely on just that fact!
Chloe has a lot to navigate on her journey to discovering her path in life and love including an unreliable (and until recently not-present) twin, an ailing father, and pursing a degree, but the journey is completely charming and so relatable. This novel was a such a fun read, full of witty (and often hilarious) banter and I recommend it completely especially if you are in the need of a "pick me up!"

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group for an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
#notlikethemovies
#netgalley

I enjoyed reading about Chloe and Nick. Chloe was a strong willed, independent, fierce, heroine. She had complex family dynamics that put a lot of responsibility and emotion on her shoulders. I related to this character in a very real way. Reading about Chloe's inability to ask for help and her "5 minute cry" theory was literately like reading the thoughts in my own head. It made me sensitive to her story and her biggest cheerleader.

Nick was also an interesting character to read. He was honest, caring, and truly wore his heart on his sleeve. He is a hero worthy of any great romcom.

The plot of Not Like the Movies is peak rom-com, which is probably why I loved it. The main characters, Chloe and Nick, work together at Nick's coffee shop in Ohio. Their lives are entirely normal until they aren't. When Chloe's best friend, Annie, writes a script (that's being made into a movie) about Chloe and Nick that romanticizes their friendship into the perfect romcom, it causes everyone, including Chloe, to wonder if there really is something more between them.

You may enjoy this if:
- You like romantic books that highlight other aspects like family dynamics
- You enjoy funny, witter banter
- You enjoy the "will-they-won't-they"

Overall Thoughts
I really enjoyed Not Like Movies. I only wish we got a bit more of everything. I wanted to see more moments between Chloe and Nick. I wanted to see more about Nick's life, dreams, plans in general. I wanted to see more interactions between Chloe and Annie. I wanted to see the story line with her mom fleshed out more. Just...more. However, I still really enjoyed this book and it's a very enjoyable and witty read. I give it a 3.5/4.

Post will go live on July 7th, publication date. I will post links here once the book goes live.

Le SWOON!!!

This book was a treat and gave me all the mushy feels. I devoured the whole thing in one day, staying up *way* too late to finish.

When Chloe's best friend writes a new Hollywood RomCom about her will-they-won't-they tension with her hot boss Nick, Chloe is seriously upset. Because now she can't stop realizing how attractive he is! She's got a lot on her plate between going back to school and caring for her dad with Alzheimer's and doesn't think she has it in her to take care of anyone else. Good thing Nick is an adult and doesn't need her to take care of him.

The descriptions of her yearning for Nick were seriously wonderful to read. And who doesn't love a curmudgeon who only lets one special lady under his skin? I thought the plot was fun, moved well, and had a lot of funny moments. There was definitely enough awww and squee! moments for me as well.

I did think she probably could have come to her realization a bit quicker... but that's a rom-com for you, gotta stick around for the grand gesture (of which I wish this one was BIGGER!)

Thank you, NetGalley and Berkely Publishing Group for my ARC.

Thanks to #netgalley and @berkley pub for the ARC.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I loved Not Like the Movies even more than the first book, Waiting For Tom Hanks. This one is just like all of my favorites romcoms - funny, sweet, and features a brooding guy with a beard and a penchant for flannel. It also has one of my favorite romcom tropes - the bantering co-workers who don’t realize they are in love with each other. This trope is used in approximately 38% of Hallmark movies and I love it every single time.

Not Like the Movies references the Holy Trinity of Romcoms (You’ve Got Mail, Sleepless in Seattle, When Harry Met Sally) multiple times and also gives a shoutout to the criminally underrated While You Sleeping (slightly problematic storyline, but it has Bill Pullman in flannel). So I give this book 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟. If you liked The Honey Don’t List, Bromance Book Club, or The Friend Zone, read this one.

When Chloe’s best friend Annie writes a romcom that’s based on her life, it’s NBD, right? Nope. Chloe feels stuck. She doesn’t have time for relationships, she’s focused on taking care of her dad, working her butt off to make ends meet, and attend online business classes so that one day, she can achieve her dream of opening a bakery. Her life is definitely Not Like the Movies. And, there’s Nick—grumpy, but caring Nick, who Chloe wrestles with her heart to fight attraction. Is love in her cards after all? Does she get to have a happily ever after?

I was a huge fan of Waiting for Tom Hanks, so I obviously couldn’t wait to read this one. I loved the writing style, the pace, the cheesiness that fit in perfectly, and the classic romcom references.

This was more or less the same, except you have a romcom nonbeliever as the heroine and a grumpy hero with the heart of gold. I think I’ve found another book boyfriend and book bestie to add to my list! I adored Chloe’s positivity, her spin on spreading warmth and kindness through her bright clothes and baked goods. I may have been PMSing (though it’s probably not PMS), but I felt everything that Chloe was feeling. From her fear to control to not getting into bed wearing outside clothes (because that’s totally me!). My heart dropped, my stomach flipped (and craved pie), and my eyes cried. And Nick. How could you not like him? A quiet grump he was, but the sweet, loyal, and caring kind.

This book was everything I wanted it to be and more. I've been waiting to read this after loving Waiting for Tom Hanks. This rom-com had all the elements I enjoy like a fantastic plot, a relationship to root for, and it was fast-paced. Such a fun sequel!

From reading Waiting for Tom Hanks, I knew BFF Chloe was funny, but after reading it's sequel Not Like the Movies, I know she's sweet, too.
Kerry Winfrey lets us into Annie's strong and sarcastic friend's world when she gets her own turn at romance.
Definitely not like the movies, since "real life is better," the book is rife with hilarious quips yet challenging circumstances, from codependency to relationship insecurities.
Chloe's nonchalant facade is relatable, and although I could have gotten more of Nick's story, he was an attractive love interest.
Winfrey creates a sexually tense couple, like Gilmore Girls' Lorelei and Luke, in this uplifting sequel to her first hit.

Thank you for this much anticipated ARC.

Cute, fun: the perfect book to get lost in! Kerry Winfrey writes these books so well that you easily slip into the characters shoes and live out their romance as if you are them. I love this because I can see everything unfolding and empathize with these characters on every level! This book is fun, quirky, and so adorable! I devoured it in one sitting! Now I need more!

3.5⭐️— super cute!! I enjoyed this rom-com more than the first one in the series, Waiting for Tom Hanks. I think I would have enjoyed it more had I read it at a different time, but my reading is wonky right now and it is pretty cheesy. I’d love it in movie form, though.

I received this ARC eBook from #NetGalley.

'Not like the Movies' is a follow up to 'Waiting for Tom Hanks' which I loved. In this book, we follow Chloe (Annie's best friend) as she tries to navigate her life which gets even more complicated when Annie writes a movie that is based on her and Nick's relationship. Except, that relationship doesn't exist... or does it?

I love me a good RomCom so this was a fun read with the required happy ending. The characters were great and it was interesting to delve into Chloe while also showing what happened to Annie and Drew after the last book. Definitely worth a read, especially if you enjoyed the first book.

Not Like the Movies is the follow up to Kerry Winfrey's Waiting for Tom Hanks, focusing on Annie's best friend, Chloe. Readers were introduced to Chloe in the first novel, and Annie's big movie break happens around a screen play that's "roughly" based on Chloe and her boss, Nick. Not Like the Movies basically picks up where the first book finished up.

Chloe, a snazzy dresser with a love for fun music and baking pie, makes ends meet by working at a coffee shop, Nick's. The aforementioned Nick, Chloe's boss, is a no-nonsense hottie with a secret heart of gold. Everyone can see the sizzling chemistry between Chloe and Nick, including Chloe and Nick. Chloe spends most of the book reasoning why she can't be with Nick while slowly getting closer and closer to him.

Kerry Winfrey's novels are kind of amusing because she uses classic romance tropes while also acknowledging them in the stories. Overall, this story is breezy and genuinely funny, with some recognizable romance situations that somehow find a way to still be engaging and fresh.

Reading this fun and touching ARC made me realize I absolutely have a ship type and it's hyberverbal emotional disaster woman plus the scruffy grumpy kitchen-talented man who loves her. Chloe and Nick were my favorite part of Waiting for Tom Hanks and getting to see their story play out in this sequel was so satisfying! They have great banter and chemistry and I liked Chloe's overall character arc in particular.

Thank you Netgalley and Berkley for an advanced ebook of Not Like the Movies in exchange for an honest review.

The cover and the description of this book made me instantly want to read it. After a few chapters in, I realized it was the sequel to another book by Kerry Winfrey. Waiting for Tom Hanks is the first in the series, but I was not lost at all.

Not Like the Movies focuses on Chloe Sanderson and Nick Velez. Chloe works in the coffee shop that Nick owns and she is juggling trying to go to school online, take care of her father who has Alzheimer's, figure out a way to someday own her own bakery one day so she can make all the pies and deal with the reappearance of her twin brother back in her life.

Chloe has a lot going on and added to her life's drama, her best friend Annie wrote a movie script about the budding sexual tension between Chloe and Nick. Having a stable relationship is the furthest thing from Chloe's mind because it's already to full of all the other hardships in her life. But when she begins to realize that maybe trying to take on the world by herself is not the best course of action and thinks that maybe she is falling for Nick, she begins to do a lot of soul searching.

This book is full of witty dialog and side characters who steal the show. What I enjoyed about this book is that the main character is portrayed with very realistic flaws. She is almost 30 and still doesn't have most of her life together and that resonates with a lot of people today. Some things that I did not like is the romance between her and Nick only really takes off towards the end. I would have loved to see more of them throughout the story. It ended on a cute and satisfying note. But sometimes Chloe was a little frustrating with how she continued to push people away.

Waiting For Tom Hanks was one of my favorite books of 2019 and I've been impatiently awaiting Chloe and Nick's story ever since. Not Like the Movies did not disappoint and if possible was even better!

***Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***

I loved Kerry Winfrey's first book, but was sadly let down by the follow up. The plot moved along at a glacial pace and I could only get through about half of this book.

This book is your classic rom-com! I was so excited that Chloe and Nick we’re getting a book! Chloe was my favorite character in Waiting For Tom Hanks. I was hooked from the very beginning and didn’t want to put it down. While there was mentions of the classic Tom Hanks Tom coms it wasn’t constant like in the previous book. Although there were points where I was wanting to shake Chloe! Overall it was a great read!

Was given an arc for an honest review

Why are these books so cute? I loved this one, maybe even more than the first one. This one for sure had a little more depth to it, but overall I loved them both,.

Fun sequel to Waiting For Tom Hanks. This is a more realistic adult relationship than the first book.and I enjoyed the story. The caregiver storyline hit home for me and was very realistic and added dimension to the book.

#partner Thanks to Berkley Jove for the ARC.

I absolutely adored Kerry Winfrey's WAITING FOR TOM HANKS. It was exactly what I want a rom-com to be: a couple to root for with a balance of witty humor and sweet romance. Her follow up, NOT LIKE THE MOVIES once again delivers on all those components. I just felt happy when I was reading it. Plus- I found myself laughing out loud (LOUDLY) on more than one occasion.

Chloe and Nick's journey from frenemies-to-more was positively delightful but not without struggle and conflict. The grand gesture culmination was so fabulous! I will admit that I've read the last chapter of WFTH at least 5 times. I keep going back to it when I need a pick me up. I've already done the same with NOT LIKE THE MOVIES. So yeah- I liked it. A lot.

Light on the steam.
PUB DATE 7.7.20

I love romcoms! I love their cheesiness, the clichés, the illogical coincidences, awkward positions the characters they find themselves into, misunderstandings, entertaining sidekick characters, so much groveling, tears and finishing with over emotional happy endings with the great gestures one of the characters does to win the other’s heart back.

As I examine this book, it mostly fits the formula I wrote above. Chloe Sanderson, golden-hearted, caregiver, wearing vivid, colorful dresses, always smiling to share her positive energy, listening to motivational, entertaining songs is our heroine, looking like Meg Ryan but her indecisiveness, stubbornness and the way of sabotaging her relationship with our hero irritated me a lot. She may be written like a Meg Ryan character but her inner Anne Hathaway (we mostly hate her, don’t we?) may emerge at the most scenes and ruined the soul of the romcom.

Chloe works with Nick: charming, introvert, secretive, enjoys his daily banters with Chloe, always supportive and chivalry.
From the first book we’ve met Chloe’s scriptwriter bestie Annie who just used Chloe’s life and her undeniable attraction with her boss as her inspirational material to write her last romcom movie and voila! It turned into a hit after the trailer’s release. Annie wasn’t creative enough to change the names ( she changed Nick’s name as Rick)

So now everybody talks about movie and everybody thinks Chloe and her hot boss in affair. But Chloe insists to reject her own feelings because she doesn’t believe in happy endings (which contradicts her positive, sunshine and flowers approach to the life) she is already exhausted to take care of her father who suffers from Alzheimer, hospitalized in a facility. And her troublemaker, irresponsible brother Milo comes back to town in out of blue, accompanied by his hot supermodel boyfriend Fred moves with their childhood friend Mickey Danger (reminds me of Michael Keaton’s Johnny Dangerously). He promises he will help her to take care of their father but Chloe has hard time to believe him because of her past disappointed experiences.

After a rainy night, stuck in the café with Nick, lights go out and they share a special kiss. But Chloe achieves to ruin this moment by telling him that was mistake and they have to forget it. And later she starts to date with Mickey Danger ( he’s totally stoned, having underage kid eating habits, enjoying the sharp knife commercials as if he’s binge watching You’s second season but Chloe thinks he resembles disturbed version of Jake Gyllenhaal) which is really silly move. And this is not the first and only immature thing she’s done throughout the story. Sometimes I wanted to kidnap Nick who didn’t deserve to be treated like doormat and I wanted to insert him into another romcom with more tolerable heroine.

The positive elements of the book: Great references to romcoms including Proposal, When Harry met Sally.
The strong and adorable supportive characters: Milo, Fred, Chloe’s adorable father and their loyal customer Gary were my favorites. I didn’t like the first book so much but Annie and Drew turned into better supportive characters at this book.

I loved the plot, main characters’ chemistry, Chloe’s heartbreak after being abandoned by her mom at young age and her hard lesson involving only depending on herself and her family affair parts. But at romance parts she acted like selfish moron. ( Sorry about my language but Nick was great catch from the beginning and she acted like blind person not to see it.)

Overall: It was fun, sweet, swoon and one of my fastest readings. I came back between three and four stars because of my hatred about the heroine’s illogical actions but finally I’m rounding 3.5 stars to 4 because I enjoyed this book so much more than the first installment.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this sweet Arc with me in exchange my honest review!