"𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨... 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙮."

First off, This is Rachel Lynn Solomon's book and I was so damn excited to read this because after reading Today Tonight Tomorrow by this author I fell in love with the ease in which she writes her books and I had high expectations for this one bc this was one of my most anticipated reads of 2021. Luckily I was able to get a ARC from netgalley, so thank you so much for that!

This book gave me all the feels and the mental health rep in this book is done amazingly. I could relate with Quinn on a lot of basis, regarding her future, her fears about what her future will be, will she make her parents happy at the last, and when she takes up the family business just so that her parents and family don't hate her. Ahem, so lemme tell you this book reminded me of my high-school crush but unlike Quinn and Tarek I wasn't been able to tell him how I really felt so this book hit me hard wishing that I could have just told him about my feelings for him. If you have read Today Tonight Tomorrow you might know that Rowan in that book is a hopeless romantic but in this case Quinn isn't she straight up hates romance and denies anything that comes with it, she doesn't believe marriages to last longer, nor in romantic gestures and she has her reasons for that. And here Tarek is high romantic person that goes over the top to impress his love interests. One summer changes everything for them both Tarek goes to college, and Quinn stays behind to help her parent's family business. And when he returns back the onslaught emotions Quinn faced hit me right at my face, I was there with her when she was contemplating how to approach the situation, her anxiety, OCD ect.

Tarek is the super sweet, caring boy who had to deal with depression during his college days. I love books about characters who at a young age find the courage and strength to fight against their mental health and stay strong both of these characters have done it impeccably well! I love about characters who had to fight past both of their beliefs and notions weighing the pros and cons of them being in a relationship, it was really cute. I love Quinn's friend Julia finding her way through her sexuality and eventually finding love, I loved Asher too. Such a sex positive book!

I was hoping this book would be more in the vein of The Truth About Forever (catering) and Save the Date (wedding) but the potential whimsy and delight that could arise from those situations were replaced by too much drama.

Quinn has just graduated from high school and is spending her last summer before college continuing to work for her family’s wedding planning business. Disillusioned by love and struggling with her anxiety and OCD, she begins to think about her future and what she wants, instead of accepting what has been pushed upon her her entire life.

I’m appreciative that YA novels take such strong stances in the name of mental health, because teens need to know that they’re not alone, and that they’ll be okay. In a general sense, it was refreshing to read about our two main characters being open with each other about what they deal with on a daily basis. However, I became exhausted with Quinn and her obsession with her parents separation...that lasted six months...when she was eight. There should have been a scene with her therapist because how has she spent 10 years of her life without closure on this?

Bright spots: I enjoy the consistency of Solomon making her characters Jewish, and that she explores varying degrees of how they observe their faith. Secondly, her pop culture references are always fire (John Oliver! Fleabag! Ladybird!) Lastly, I thought it was cute that Tarek was the most romantically inclined of the two. We need more young men embracing romance.

I will continue to read Solomon’s work because I am a fan. This one was a bit of a miss for me.

I love Ms. Solomon’s brilliant works so much! She nails both of adult and young adult genres and creates sweet, sensible characters you easily connect and writes remarkable stories of them.

However this new book is a little different from her previous works. I loved her choice to approach sensitive subjects like mental diseases including OCD, depression and diversity issues including race, religion and LGTBQ.

Those parts of the book and centering the story around two families work on wedding planning business were creative strengths of the book.

The realistic approach of MCs’ problems about adjusting themselves to be part of the adult world, the pressure they felt, their observations about their role models which shaped their opposite approaches to the romance were well developed.

As our main character Quinn is sarcastic and cynical girl who hardly believes in romance because of her parents’ 6 month long separation process, Tarek is hopeless romantic who can write a book about creating unique grand gestures because he’s raised by extremely romantic couple who met under the Eiffel Tower reminds us of Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks’ characters’ meeting at Empire State Building at Sleepless in Seattle.

The book is centered on two topics: Quinn is about to leave for the college and feels pressure of her parents who want her chase the same career choices they’ve made and work in family business which she doesn’t truly want to involve but she also doesn’t want to hurt their feelings.

The other topic is her unrequited feelings about her long time crush and one of her best friend Tarek who left for college and ghosted her after she told her true feelings via an email. And now Tarek is back to work at their parents’ catering business in the summer which means they will stuck with each other throughout entire summer at several vivid wedding ceremonies including Quinn’s sister Asher.

I have to admit: I found Quinn dislikable and whiny. She’s suffering from OCD which is troubling for her to deal with her insecurities but I didn’t find her problems so hard to deal. She may deal with family issues and come clean with them and her immature attitudes around Tarek were also annoying.

I didn’t find their love story so intriguing like other characters the author created. Because the love story is not the main part of the book. This is mostly Quinn’s self discovery: it’s most about how she sees the inequality around genders, sexes, religion, race, how she looks for her passion, how she wants to explore her self.

Tarek was lovely, sweet, romantic and more mature part. He deals with his own issues, trying to get approval of her loved ones but he was more sincere one of the relationship from the beginning.

Overall: it was still good reading with thought provoking, genuine, realistic approach to the young adult problems which earned my four stars. ( it would be five if I resonated with the heroine )

Special thanks to NetGalley and Simon&Schuster Children’s Publishing for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

Excellent charming book about a teenage harpist who doesn't really believe in love even through she works in the wedding industry with her parents. Fantastic characters and banter that I adore in all Rachel Lynn Solomon's books. Absolutely recommend to anyone who enjoys YA novels and love stories.

First of all: I like the representation in this book. LGBTQ+ , racial diversity, religious diversity, neurodiversity, and honestly just seeing a romantic lead with a skin condition was refreshing.

This was a bit more graphic than I am used to seeing in YA novels but it's important to acknowledge that many teens are doing these things.

I felt like the second half of the book was a little rushed as was the main character's big realization. I would have liked a bit more of a smoother build up. Otherwise a quick and enjoyable read.

3 stars

I enjoyed _Today Tonight Tomorrow_ and was excited to read this as a result. Unfortunately, this was just not as gripping for me as its predecessor.

Quinn - the m.c. - participates in the family business: wedding planning. The expectation is that she, like her older sister, will go to college and then devote her career to a more intense role in this work. She has other plans, though. While a great deal of this novel centers on her angst over eventually sharing this important information with her family, the romance with Tarek - whose family runs a complementary catering business - is another important feature.

Neither Quinn's coming of age/going to college/finding her profession situation nor her relationship with Tarek ever became particularly engaging for me. Quinn's struggles often seem not that bad, so at times it is hard to understand what all of the angst is really about (beyond her lack of experience...and even still). I found myself wanting a more developed or sympathetic character and/or more intriguing romantic tension throughout the book.

This is cute, and I think most YA romance fans will appreciate the backdrop and references, but I just wanted a lot more from this one.

WE CAN"T KEEP MEETING LIKE THIS is everything you expect from a Rachel Lynn Solomon romcom. It is laugh-out-loud funny, romantic, and tackles big feelings in a tender way. Quinn is spending her last summer before college working as a harpist on the weekends for her family's wedding planning business. She's also keeping a secret that she doesn't want to work for her parents, who expect her to continue working for them and went as far as picking out her college courses. Quinn surprised to run into Tarek, who returned home after his first year of college, to work with his family's catering business. I love how this book normalizes their conversations about each of their mental health and how it manifests physically and in the way they think. In respect to their romantic journey, Quinn is a cynic, ironic because of her family's business while Tarek is a hopeless romantic. It was such a delight to watch the push-and-pull of these two as they get to know each other and learn what love means to them.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

PUB DATE 6.8 Thanks to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for the complimentary early copy.  

After my unabiding love of Today Tonight Tomorrow (TTT) and The Ex-Talk I was eager to get my hands on Rachel Lynn Solomon's upcoming release- WE CAN'T KEEP MEETING LIKE THIS. Safe to say that I will read anything she writes.

I am smitten with this contemporary, romantic YA novel.  I am a hopeless romantic and this book mainlining to all my sweet spots.  It’s charming and hilarious and full of heart.  The characters were smart, vulnerable, yet realistic and complicated. It had what I've come to expect from Solomon- top notch writing, a focus on family, and a tender understanding of discovery and self-growth. Oh- and the glimpse of characters from TTT was chef's kiss!

While I am not an #ownvoices reader, I appreciated that the representation felt authentic-  Jewish, depression, OCD/anxiety, divorce/separation, eczema, Muslim. What I appreciated even more was that it was sex positive - shame free and positive. I don't always see that in YA books but I think it's so relevant.

I love the mental health rep in this book. I think it's hugely important that teens are able to recognize themselves in the books they read. Also, the sex positivity in this book is well done, and really lends itself to a really great message that I'm sure the readers will appreciate. Definitely making sure this is in our library collection!

What a treat to read a Rachel Lynn Solomon book early! I love her books so much and it was a joy to read this one. It’s really funny.

Quinn is recently graduated harpist and wedding planning assistant down on love, even though (or perhaps especially because) she’s attending weddings every weekend. On the other hand, Tarek loves love, and is all about a grand gestures. Lots of fun wedding schenanigans ensue.

I think Rachel Lynn Solomon writes this older YA age so deftly, but with her incredible insight into Quinn’s childhood and how to dealt with family issues as an 8 y/o, I wonder if she’ll ever venture into middle grade. A reader can dream!

As a reader of Rachel Lynn Solomon books, you know you’re in good hands. Any time something potentially problematic or worrying pops up, you can breathe easy, because you know the author will take care of you.

I have a sibling with OCD and this book has one of the best representations of this mental illness I’ve ever read!
And she somehow tackles this subject as well as depression in a way that doesn’t feel manipulative or overly melodramatic. I also want to applaud Rachel for creating characters that feel so vivid and relatable. Quinn is a whole host of contradictions, much like many of us in high school and well-meaning optimist Tarek (aka her love interest) both bakes and likes romantic comedies. But really, what I loved most is how much Quinn struggles with vulnerability. That she tends to run away from anyone who actually wants to get to know her. So in conclusion, I laughed. I cried. The heart in this book is everything and I will read Rachel’s books as long as she writes them.

This is my second Rachel Lynn Solomon book, and also the second time I'm giving her book a 5⭐ rating (which I don't do often). She has a fantastic way of writing characters that are relatable and understandable and giving them sweet romances. I particularly love that Neil and Rowan (from Today Tonight Tomorrow) show up. I will recommend this book to contemporary and romance lovers!

Before any part of this review: Borrowed + Blue is the best name choice for a wedding planning business. Absolutely loved the quirks throughout this story.

Quinn’s family is in the business of weddings: from quelling disasters to artfully crafting happily ever afters. Sometimes they get the side-eye for not following Jewish customs in order to cater to customers—but this is their way of life. For Quinn, this means playing the harp as the background music... except she’s sort of tired of all this romance in a package.

Even worse— Tarek is back from college. THAT boy who didn’t respond well to THAT email. Now she’s supposed to endure wedding season side-by-side with his family’s catering company?

I loved Tarek’s creativity and support in times of opposition. I enjoyed honesty in discussing mental health conditions instead of pushing them to the wayside of the plot and also the ability to have two Jewish teenagers bring forefront their sex positivity. However, Quinn’s overwhelming cynical voice towards romance and apathetic nature kept me from really liking this protagonist. Yes, this personality was key to the plot... but I was hoping for more “cute vibes”— yet perhaps that’s what makes this title stand apart from the usual crowd.

I’m definitely looking forward to reading more by Solomon! Thanks for the ARC, Netgalley and Simon & Schuster!

My heart is so full after reading this book. The author, as usual, did a wondrous job of taking us on a rom-com ride and I just loved it so much. I also felt so seen with this book, and truly appreciated the mental illness rep (depression, anxiety, OCD) and that one of the characters had eczema. It's so rare to see characters that have what's considered to be a flaw but they accept it and talk about it with others too. This book surpassed all my expectations!!

*Spoiler free*

I mean, it's a Rachel Lynn Solomon book, so I was looking forward to it before I even knew what it was about. I will seriously read anything that she writes. But, when I found out that this would be about a harp player, who's the daughter of two wedding planners, and the baker son of the caterer's her parents partner with often. The son who she has a rocky relationship with. Oh yeah, this definitely sounded like something I was going to be interested in. Trigger warnings: depression, OCD, anxiety

I don't think it's a surprise that I'm crying over a Rachel Lynn Solomon book, but I am crying over a Rachel Lynn Solomon book. Because it seriously is that amazing.

This book did so many things to my emotions, so I guess emotions are a good place to start! The way this book talks about mental health had my heart doing funny beating things in my chest in the best way possible. Both Quinn and Tarek struggle with mental health, and they are both in therapy and take medication. It's just so, so amazing to me to see something like this talked about so casually in a YA book. Because it is something that should not be a stigmatized as it is. I connected with both of them so deeply, and while my experiences might have been different than theirs, that connection was still so deep and so amazing.

Speaking of Quinn and Tarek, I love both of them an incredible amount. Quinn is cynical, and she is so full of emotion. She seemed angry to me, but the kind of angry that comes from such a deep sadness. She has her shields to keep herself safe, and I loved seeing her face the big, scary emotions that were present in her life. It gets messy, and it's imperfect, because that's how life is. But Solomon is so good at writing messy, imperfect emotions and characters, and it completely shows in Quinn. Plus, Quinn has a cat and likes to wear clothes with tiny animals on them and loves food that is cooked in mugs. So she's super amazing.

And Tarek was just an adorable, sweet, sensitive, and amazing baker. He struggles with depression, and I love seeing mental health being portrayed in guys. And Tarek was just amazing in general.

I also really liked Julia, Quinn's best friend, and Asher, Quinn's sister! They were both super cool, plus Julia is queer and the girl she likes, Noelle, was amazing as well.

The portrayal of love was also something that I really, really liked about this book. Quinn is so jaded towards it, and she has solid reasons to be. It's a hard, painful journey for her, and I really, really liked watching it. Plus, I loved how it was imperfect. Couples fight, weddings have glitches, and things just don't go smoothly sometimes. But, that's alright, because that's just how life is sometimes. The whole overarching romantic/love piece of this book was so, so amazing. It's sweet, but realistic, and I love it so much because it was written so well.

Another thing I really loved was the harp aspect of this book! I think it's a fascinating instrument, so it was really cool to see Quinn play it, and learn new things about it along with her! Really, I just found out that the harp is even more fascinating than I thought it was.

Along with harps, this book also had weddings and baking, which are both super cool haha.

This book is also extremely sex positive, which is always something that I adore in YA books.

There were parts of this book that I had a really personal connection with. I'm keeping it vague because of that, but I did want to mention that some of my love for this book comes from that. And I say all this as a huge compliment.

AH AND THERE WERE TODAY TONIGHT TOMORROW EASTER EGGS.

Overall, this was a fantastic, amazing book. The last line destroyed me in the best way possible. It's sweet and painful and romantic and angry and sad and pretty much every emotion. I loved it a whole lot.

This book fell really flat for me. I liked how this book addressed different topics and characters working through things, but the characters themselves were a little dull at times. The story was cute enough, but it just didn't pull me back into it or wanting to be excited about the story. When the side characters are stronger than the main, it becomes a difficult read. It just wasn't as captivating as I had hoped. Just an ok read at best for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

As a Jewish girl raised in a not particularly religious family, I loved Quinn watching her sister become more religious with her new husband. I definitely can empathize with feeling too Jewish for non-jewish spaces and not Jewish enough for Jewish spaces. Solomon definitely did an amazing job of presenting Quinn's anxieties in a realistic way.

I love slow-burn romances, and at first I was slightly disappointed that Quinn and Tarek seemed to jump right into a relationship. But Quinn's reluctance to label what they were doing, and the angst of Tarek wanting more but not knowing how to ask for it really grabbed me. It sort of did end up being a slow-burn of sorts, a friends-to-exfriends-to-friendswithbenefits-to-exes-to-lovers.

Overall, I enjoyed it. It was an easy sweet romance that brought in some heavy topics, like OCD and depression, without ruining the cuteness of the two falling for each other. I liked how Quinn felt like she could discuss her OCD with Tarek, and in turn Tarek could discuss his depression with Quinn. While they got off to a rocky start, their ending was beautiful and it's a story that everyone will enjoy.

“And sometimes the world is terrible, and love stories...they make it feel less heavy.”
— 𝒲𝑒 𝒞𝒶𝓃’𝓉 𝒦𝑒𝑒𝓅 𝑀𝑒𝑒𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝐿𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝒯𝒽𝒾𝓈, Rachel Lynn Solomon

Rating: 🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀/5

Quinn and Tarek’s families have been in business together forever. Quinn’s family owns a wedding planning business and Tarek’s a catering company. At the end of the previous summer, Quinn confessed to Tarek that she had a crush on him the only way she was brave enough to - via email. And he left her on read. And ignored her for nearly an entire year. It figures that the first wedding of the summer, Quinn and Tarek come face to face again. Knowing they have to survive an entire summer wedding season together, Quinn and Tarek continue to clash. But she can’t deny her feelings for him, and when the real reason he ignored her for so long comes to light, Quinn can’t help but fall a little further. But while Tarek is the king of grand gestures, Quinn can’t help but feel like the whole concept of love is fake, a performance. Can she overcome her fears and let herself experience it, or will it all fall apart?

I was pleasantly surprised by the STEAM, considering it’s not typical of a YA novel at all. That being said, I really enjoyed this novel. Quinn is truly a flawed character - suffering from OCD and general anxiety - and I love her all the more for it. Solomon did a great job of showing what it was like for Quinn to function with her disease. As someone with general anxiety disorder myself, I deeply identified with her. Her fear of relationships with emotional entanglements. Her fear of disappointing her family. Her fear of not knowing what she wants to do with her life. And Tarek was the perfect foil to her personality - enough like her to make their pairing make sense but different enough to make things interesting.

I truly enjoyed this one, and I highly recommend y’all read it when it comes out in June 1st!

𝕋𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕜 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕥𝕠 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕡𝕦𝕓𝕝𝕚𝕤𝕙𝕖𝕣, 𝕒𝕦𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕣, 𝕒𝕟𝕕 ℕ𝕖𝕥𝕘𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕖𝕪 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝔸ℝℂ 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕠𝕡𝕡𝕠𝕣𝕥𝕦𝕟𝕚𝕥𝕪 𝕥𝕠 𝕣𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕓𝕠𝕠𝕜 𝕓𝕖𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕖 𝕡𝕦𝕓𝕝𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟!

"Sometimes the world is terrible, and love stories... they make it feel less heavy."


After the incredible love for Today Tonight Tomorrow, I couldn't wait to see Rachel Lynn Solomon deliver another sex positive, Jewish centered contemporary novel, but this time with a flood of eager readers who have finally discovered her pure talent. Being an OG fan of an author means seeing them reach new readers is as joyful for you as it is for them. Although this is too heavy to be a romcom, the trademark humor and second-hand embarrassment are all present.

CW: divorce/separation, OCD, anxiety, depression

WE CAN'T KEEP MEETING LIKE THIS is like the fluffy white frosting artfully piped on a delicious wedding cake that you sneak extra pieces of in your purse as you leave. Quinn is an anxious wedding harpist with high family expectations, OCD, and my exact personality. I screen shotted half the book to send to my best friend, exclaiming "IS THIS NOT ME" and then freaking out because Quinn's best friend is just like that best friend. The way 👏🏼 that I 👏🏼 saw 👏🏼myself in 👏🏼 this 👏🏼 book 👏🏼!! Down to the mental illness, the high expectations of her from adults everywhere, and the business-oriented parents. Seeing her open and honest struggle with OCD, her coping methods, her frustration and her good days and her bad days... it was raw. It was my experience on a glistening, glowing page on my phone.

And then we have Tarek.

"We're all hurting, Quinn. In different ways, some that we can treat with medication and therapy and some with only time. And some in ways that might never heal. Sometimes the good outweighs the bad. Sometimes those great times are so f-cking great that they make the bad times a little easier to handle."


Tarek is Muslim, the son of the staple wedding caterers, a college boy returned for the summer, and a Soft Boi™️. He also has the unique struggle of eczema, something I struggled with in middle school. I have literally never read a book with that representation in it before. Unlike Quinn, he believes in love, passionate love that stems from grand gestures. We have a lovely mutual pining/secret romance trope going through this story, as well as some second chance romance vibes.

Tarek also struggled with depression at college in an authentic, heartbreaking way, and I love love love reading books with two main characters both working through their own mental illnesses and learning to allow others to love them. Seeing them discuss therapy and medication? In a YA novel? Indescribable. It feels like a warm hug.

Also, for other RLS fans who have read her backlist, there's a glorious cameo that you will not miss. IT IS FLAWLESS.

4.5 stars rounded up due to overall enjoyment and the pleasure of seeing myself in such a beautiful story 🥺I rarely add books to my "I see myself" shelf because I only want the most similar experiences to mine to live there, and this one just signed a lifetime lease.

I’ve enjoyed other books by Rachel Lynn Solomon, both her YA and adult romance books. This one did not have the heart and lightness of the other ones. Quinn was really hard to root for because she never gave anyone the benefit of the the doubt and always jumped to conclusions. Tarek, on the other hand, was easy to like. I know in romance there’s always a bit back and forth, but Quinn’s same fears and thoughts we just too repetitive. It made the book drag too much.