I loved this book! It's a "sequel" to Waiting For Tom Hanks but really it's a book about Chloe. There was so much more to this book than just romance! Learning to love yourself is just as important as learning to love someone else...a quick, fun, lovely book!

I love rom-coms and Winfrey does a fabulous job creating a story that will leave you feeling hopeful and with a satisfied smile. This is pure escapism in a time where humor and beating the odds are much needed. This story is a wonderful follow up to Winfrey's book Waiting for Tom Hanks. We get a glimpse into past character's lives and build on both Nick and Chloe's unusual relationship. These flawed characters are relatable and their banter is grin-worthy. The supporting characters are funny and add depth to the story while touching on the agonizing reality of Alzheimer's. The story drives home that even when we are at our most genuine dysfunctional selves, it’s possible for us to be loved for who we truly are.

This is the second book in the Waiting For Tom Hanks series, with the story revolving around Chloe and Nick. This is the couple that Annie based her movie script on and people loved. But in real life, Chloe doesn't have time for romance, but Nick is always there to help her. Chloe does not like Nick, or does she? It started with a kiss during a rainy night, and ended with a love story made for a movie.

Ugh, another perfectly cute book. I loved how Winfrey writes these stories like all the classic rom-coms. Chloe, who was the fun side character in the first book, becomes a wonderful main character in this one. I loved watching her figure out her life. She is spunky and sassy, but is carrying a lot around. The banter between her and Nick is just adorable. This is just a lovely, sweet story.

Synopsis

In Not Like The Movies we finally get to see Chloe and Nick’s love story unfold! Chloe is a waitress at Nick’s Cafe, and she is slowly working towards getting her bachelor’s degree in business while juggling her job, taking care of her father who’s suffering from Alzheimer’s, and preparing for her best friend’s wedding.  She’s also dealing with the fact that her best friend wrote a screenplay based on a romanticized version of her relationship with her boss--Nick.  Now that she’s seen the trailers for the upcoming movie and read the Buzzfeed articles on why Nick would be the perfect boyfriend, she can’t help but look at her boss differently. But Chloe doesn't believe in true love, and she definitely doesn’t have time for it… 

My Thoughts

All while reading the first book in this series, I couldn’t help but connect with Chloe a lot more than Annie. I thought Annie was selfish in the first book, and honestly, this shines through even stronger in the second. Chloe is a fascinating protagonist. She’s so used to taking care of others that she doesn’t have time to stop and think about what she wants or needs. Like Annie, Chloe is self-destructive in love, but it just makes sense, because she doesn’t truly believe that she deserves it. Chloe is a three-dimensional and fascinating character, and I just love her coping mechanisms, including the “five-minute cry” which I know isn’t healthy, but damn if it isn’t efficient. 

Nick, on the other hand, is much less of an open book. We get to know him as Chloe does.  Their dynamic reminds me so much of Luke and Lorelai in Gilmore Girls, so if you’re into that, you should definitely be checking out this novel, regardless of if you read the first.

The romance is sweet and drawn out, and there are fewer cringey moments than there are in the first book. Chloe makes bad decisions, sure, but her life is such a mess that they just made me feel for her more.  I was heavily invested in the Chloe/Nick endgame (I had been since they were first introduced in the Waiting for Tom Hanks), so Not Like the Movies was perfect for me. 

We get to return to the setting of Waiting for Tom Hanks--German Village in Columbus.  It’s very Gilmore Girls-esque, with Nick being gruff and owning a cafe.  If you like taht small-town vibe in your romance novels, then this book is a perfect fit.  There's even a total weirdo regular at the cafe named Gary, and he frequently blurts out the most inappropriate and hilarious things. 

I recommend this book to any fan of Gilmore Girls, the parallels are uncanny and you’ll love the way that the romance unfolds.

*This review will be posted to https://powerlibrarian.wordpress.com/ and other platforms on June 23, 2020

I think Kerry Winfrey has claimed the title of the rom com queen. Sometimes a sequel doesn't live up to the original, this was not the case with this iteration. Love these characters and hope there is going to be a third!

An additional purchase where the first book was popular. I liked the premise and thought the leading man was wonderful, but the way he was treated by the leading lady was hard to forgive. Were the roles reversed, it's a relationship no one would support.

Chloe Sanderson is a self-sufficient person who is working for Nick Velez at a very popular coffee shop in Columbus, Ohio. Nick and Chloe have a love-hate relationship and Chloe convinces herself she has no interest in Nick. She is also the prime care-taker for her father who is in a nursing home. He is suffering from Alzheimer's disease and Chloe is often called to the home when he is having melt-downs. Nick is understanding and lets Chloe leave work when necessary. Chloe's best friend, Annie has written a rom-com based on Chloe and Nick, the coffee shop's owner. Chloe is not happy about the story and lets Annie know that there is no truth to the story. The story has been made into a movie and is scheduled to premier in Columbus. There is quite a bit of publicity and Chloe is less than pleased. A touching story of fact influencing fiction and fiction influencing fact. A good summer read.

Loved this follow up to Waiting for Tom Hanks (which I also loved)! Chloe is such a great character with a wonderful emotional arc. I loved her snark and the slow burn with Nick was so much fun to read.

Chloe's best friend (you may remember her from Waiting for Tom Hanks) wrote a movie script inspired by Chloe and her boss, Nick. They pretend to be annoyed by each other, when everyone around them knows they're just trying to avoid their sexual tension. As the buzz for the movie grows, Chloe reads one too many listicles about why Nick is the perfect leading man, and now she can’t get his perfect beard and intense stare out of her head. But unlike the romance Annie has written for them, Chloe isn’t so sure her own story will end with a couple riding off into the sunset...

Chloe's life doesn't have room for a HEA. She has a father with early-onset Alzheimers, a runaway mother, a twin brother who left her to handle everything on her own, a business degree that still needs finishing, and poms and pies to make for Annie's wedding. What she really doesn't need is a boyfriend who needs attention too.

What Nick needs is someone who won't toy with his emotions, and right now, Chloe is not that girl. Chloe wants easy. A late-night "u up?" text works just fine for her. Except her pesky feelings for Nick keep getting in the way as he proves time and again that he's not just willing, but wants to be there to support her. Nick fully understands what a partnership is, while Chloe just sees a relationship as one more thing she has to manage. Chloe treats Nick pretty badly for a while there, but at least she has Annie, romcom guru who will set her straight.

I had a couple small gripes with this book, but in general it was a fun, quick read. If you liked Waiting for Tom Hanks, you'll like this. Just enough tropes to make your heart flutter, but just enough snark to offset the cheesiness that always comes along with the perfect rom-com

I ended up with mixed feelings about this book. The beginning first half came off with a definite young adult vibe. Plus I was really looking forward to the connection portion and that did not wind up fast enough for me.

For the second half we really started to see some lessening of the young adult vibe as we started to get to know Chloe a little bit more. Always doing for others but never allowing anyone to help. The connection with Nick was winding up. You can actually feel the emotion start to build.

This part of the book I absolutely loved. I connected with her in so many levels. The author did a great job with the balance of humor in the face of stress and anxiety, and learning to let go and let others in.

The delicate balance between family and friends, passion and dreams, and finding your happy place was richly detailed. And Nick… What a sweet character he turned out to be.

Winfrey brings a lovely story that crosses many genres and envelops the best pieces for a witty, emotional, sweet romance that leaves you with a smile and a sigh.

Enjoyed this sequel to Waiting for Tom Hanks! Explores how not everyone wants to experience that rom-com thrill of a relationship, but everyone still deserves love that is real and lasting. The entire book made me crave pies and simultaneously examine my need to take care of everyone else over myself. I would recommend this book and this author! Lovely book!

Maybe I shouldn't have read this immediately following the first book in the series but I found Chloe to be annoying and it was missing the same humor and charm of the first book.

I enjoyed this way more than the first book. Nick and Chloe have excellent chemistry. This was an excellent follow up.

Another home run! It is always great to see authors improve with each book. I was a big fan of "Waiting for Tom Hanks". But Kerry has is even better with "Not Like The Movies". I loved Chloe and Nick even more. The depth and complexity of their characters was great. This story was everything a Rom-Com should be: funny, sweet, smart, and romantic.
Great job from Kerry Winfrey!

This book was just ok for me. I went in expecting a Tom com and that’s exactly what I got. The main character Chloe was a little frustrating for me. At times she was fine but at other times it seemed like the author was trying to cram so many character quirks into one character that it just became too much.

What do you do when your rom-com obsessed friend is determined to make you their next rom-com heroine? You resist. But also wear super cute skirts and floral tops, and obsess over your hot boss, deal with real life, and bake delicious pies like nobody's business. That's what Chloe does, anyway, and it works out OK for her.

I'll be honest, I started this book expecting the typical cheesy rom-com story. I did not expect it to touch me so deeply that I cried. Several times. It is heartbreakingly real and I love that the author embraced that real life can be hard and messy and unresolved. This book has some beautifully written moments as well as the typical lighthearted scenes that make these kinds of books so much fun. Highly recommend to anyone looking for an authentic and sweet story.

3 stars
I really bought I was going to love this one. How could I not when the title has Tom Hanks right in it! Who doesn't love Tom Hanks????
It was a little flat for me. Maybe because I didn't read book one. I just felt like it was missing something.

Such a cute and heartfelt sequel! I'll be posting a full review on my blog in the aftermath of the book's release.

I liked this book, but I didn't find it to be something that wowed me. It was cute, but nothing really stood out as particularly exciting, new, or fun.