“and sometimes the world is terrible, and love stories... they make it feel less heavy.”

Thanks to Simon and Schuster & NetGalley for the e-advance review copy of WE CAN'T KEEP MEETING LIKE THIS by Rachel Lynn Solomon. Expected pub date June 1, 2021.

There is something incredible about the honesty with which RLS writes her characters, making them complex with the intricacies of mental health, family relationships, figuring out one's self, the grappling of Jewish upbringing and how that plays into our identities (whether it's an Orthodox background or a cultural one), and the perfect amount of romance.

WE CAN'T KEEP MEETING LIKE THIS is the sweetest, most charming YA love story without being too much. Tarek and Quinn have both grown up in the wedding industry (Quinn's parents are wedding planners and Tarek's are caterers), they have their own histories regarding how their parents have modeled love and marriage, their own mental health struggles, and I adored the way in which they each became better versions of themselves the more honest they were with each other. Plus, if you've read TODAY TONIGHT TOMORROW by RLS, then you'll love the cameo appearance by Rowan + Neil that made me grin from ear to ear.

This is the third book I've read by Rachel Lynn Solomon and I will forever buy and read anything she writes.

CW: Anxiety, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Depression

I was blown away by the honest conversations about mental health. As someone with anxiety and obsessive tendencies, like going back to check that my apartment door is locked four times before leaving, I felt seen and heard. I also loved that Quinn was honest about her struggle with OCD, that she had coping mechanisms, and that she had good and bad days. It's been awhile since I've related so much to a story. I also felt like the pressure and expectations Quinn thought her family put on her and had for her were realistic and relatable.

From the sex positivity, to the friendships, to the desserts, and to the journey of following yourself this book has everything. I loved that RLS described that within religions such as Judaism and Islam, it can be more of about bringing you closer to your culture.

I also think grand public gestures feel performative and fake, so I appreciated that this drew attention to the little things that can make relationships special and help you fall in love.

This was romantic, hilarious, emotional, and just beautifully written.

This book is so sweet but I was so triggered by Quinn’s ocd and anxiety I had to stop reading. I hope one day when my own mental illness is under control I can come back and read this again.

“and sometimes the world is terrible, and love stories... they make it feel less heavy.”

it’s been forever since i’ve read this perfect of a young adult book. until now, i hadn’t ever read any rachel lynn solomon books, but by the time i’m writing this review, i’ve already read another one as well. i’m not even kidding when i say i’m in love with her writing. wckmlt is the ultimate grumpy/sunshine friends to lovers, which are literally my two favorite tropes. it follows quinn, jewish and the daughter of wedding planners and a harpist who is lost in life, and tarek, our egyptian american love interest who wants to be a pastry chef and has a knack for grand gestures. needless to say, this romance was adorable!!!

friends to lovers is the superior trope. there, i said it. but quinn and tarek have so much history and so much chemistry that is developed before we even meet them. and yet, there is still so much pining!! so! much! mutual! pining!! besides the romance, i really appreciated how we got to see quinn’s struggles. between her disbelief in love and her uncertainty about life after high school, her character development was so honest, and also, she plays the harp!! like a teen harpist ?? i love her

finally, the highlight of this book for me was honestly the mental health rep. quinn has OCD and anxiety, and though it’s not the main plot point of the book, it’s written to show just how it affects her daily life. i really appreciated how gently this book handled mental health, it was an aspect i wasn’t really expecting, but mental health rep in young adult books is so important!!

i haven’t loved a book this much in a while, between the beautiful writing and honest themes and the romance and literally being set at different weddings, it’s perfect.

content warnings: death of a grandparent, discussions about mental health (OCD, anxiety, and depression)

I love this book so much that I forced myself to stop halfway through so I'd buy the book when it was released this summer. Rachel Lynn Solomon is one of my favorite authors, and she again knocks it out of the park in We Can't Keep Meeting Like This. I love the Jewish representation and how she handles mental health.

Rachel Lynn Solomon has easily become an auto-buy author for me!

She writes wonderful books with characters that I can relate so much to. Quinn is a high school senior with OCD who is afraid of love and just wants to figure out what to do with the rest of her life. And that was me at her age.

Tarek was such a sweet boy—there were times where the lack of communication with him and Quinn could be a little frustrating, but I feel like that’s exactly what relationships are like when you’re young.

This was a pleasant read that helped me get out of a slump, and I know I’m going to continue reading more of her future works!

This book was so fun! I loved the diversity of the characters, the hopeless romantic baker boy with eczema, the can't commit, harp-playing girl who's stuck working weddings, the side characters with their romances. It gave so many different perspectives on growing up (including an updated version of the DCOM classic theme "I'm not giving up my dream, parents, I'm giving up yours") and on how love changes with age. With LGBT couples, depression, and OCD included. I love reading about summers between high school and college and hope that YA continues to promote these kinds of stories.

In opposition to all her beliefs regarding love and romance, Quinn made a grand gesture, well, grand for her. She revealed her feelings for Tarek in a email, which he failed to answer. After a year apart, they were back in each other's orbits working the summer wedding scene. The sparks were still there, but would Quinn be able to open her heart to the possibility of love?

• Pro: This book had such a great balance of heavy and light. It was rife with humorous moments, but there were plenty of really deep discussions and soul searching moments. I got hit in the happy and sad feels over and over again, and it was fantastic.

• Pro: Solomon often includes mental health issues in her stories, and she did so once again her. Quinn's OCD and generalized anxiety disorder, as well as Tarek's depression, fit nicely in the storyline. I appreciated that mental health was discussed in such an open way, too.

• Pro: One of the big things Quinn was dealing with was her post-high school plans. Her parents made a lot of assumptions and arrangements regarding her future, but they never really consulted with Quinn. Quinn had to not only figure out how to tell her parents, but she also had to figure out what she wanted. Blazing your own path can be scary and exciting, and I thought that was captured well in this story.

• Pro: Such a sweet romance! Yes, it was super bumpy, but it was still great.

• Pro: I was so excited when Neil and Rowan popped up in the story. I love that Solomon let her book worlds collide, because it was great seeing where these two were a year later.

• Pro: So many fun and wonderful things to love in this story. I salivated as Tarek baked and was engrossed in the world of harps. I also got to attend a whole lot of weddings, enjoy quality time with friends and family, and be a witness to some grand gestures.

Overall: This story was about love, learning to trust, and figuring out your future, which was told with lots of honesty, warmth, and humor.

Quinn and Tarek have known each other forever. Quinn works with her family in the wedding planning business, while Tarek grew up on the catering side of things. Last summer their relationship crossed a line leaving both parties wondering where they stood with one another, but also too afraid to ask.

Now that Tarek is home from college, old habits are dying hard. Quinn is still the romantic skeptic, frustrated with working all these over the top weddings. Tarek still remains a hopeless romantic who relishes big gestures. But their feelings towards romance aren’t the only things that remain unchanged. They both also still have feelings for one another, despite being frustratingly opposite when it comes to matters of the heart.

I liked the twist on the gender stereotypes in this one. Normally the female is depicted as having stars in her eyes, while the guy tries to play it cool. In this story, Tarek is obsessed with the likes of Sleepless In Seattle (an excellent choice, by the way), while Quinn is reluctant to fall for anyone given her exposure to relationships in her own life.

It’s also a bit of an interesting slant on young adult fiction. This one doesn’t cross the line, per se, but it does straddle it a bit more than most young adult romance. Solomon herself writes for both adults and teens, so it makes sense. I found the slightly racy undertones refreshing because it doesn’t pander to its teen audience. And really, what is a teenager if not emotionally conflicted and full of hormones?

Thanks to @netgalley and @simonteen for hooking me up with the advanced copy! This fun title comes out next month!

Rachel Lynn Solomon meets wedding planning and second chance romances? Count me in. We Can't Keep Meeting Like This felt like a page ripped from my own life. Romantic declarations via email which are ignored? Hello? This was me. Because of that, I immediately connected with Quinn. Skeptical of romance, for a family of wedding planners, seems to be bad for business. But Quinn is afraid of the loss, the hurt, the fear. She knows too well the immense amount of pain that love can leave.

In pure Solomon fashion, We Can't Keep Meeting Like This examines mental health - OCD, anxiety, and depression. I couldn't stop reading because I was so involved in this story about dreams different than our familial expectations meets cynic love stories. All that with a dose of sister relationships too? We Can't Keep Meeting Like This seems like it was written for me. The characterization, the emotional high - and low - points delivers something for all readers.

Rachel Lynn Solomon can do no wrong. The representation, the cute love story, Rachel is Sarah Dessen for the Gen Z crowd, she doesn't shy away from the heavier topics, but is able to balance it with fun. Her characters are flawed in a real way that makes them interesting instead of basic and bland. Highly recommend.

Based on the multitude of 5 star reviews I see for this book, I'm going to have to say this book probably just wasn't for me. I love the concept of it and found it to be really fun to see what goes into wedding planning and to come along with Quinn while her parents ran their business. I loved her sister Asher and the contrast there was between the siblings' personalities. I love the representation that's in the book. I loved even getting to see how harps are made and how they're played.

Ultimately what dimmed my enthusiasm for this book was Quinn herself. There are definitely parts of her personality that I liked such as her sense of style and her penchant for sarcasm. But I disliked her woe-is-me attitude in her parents wanting her to work in the family business and essentially villainizing them for this when she never spoke up and said she didn't want to be a part of it and even portrayed herself to be enthusiastic about it at times. I find it hard to believe that through the immense amounts of therapy she says she's gone through that her parents' separation never came up, especially since she hyperfocused on it during the book and has let it define her entire view of love and romance. I disliked that she was so wishy-washy in her relationship and feelings for Tarek, saying one thing with her mouth yet doing things that equaled the opposite. I completely understand why he was confused and felt frustrated with her. I disliked how she was adamant he understand certain things about her like how she didn't believe in romance yet she never tried to understand why he felt the opposite. I did like the character growth she finally managed at the very end of the book but I felt like it didn't make up for her selfishness of dragging him along in a semi-relationship she knew she wasn't committed to for so long.

Overall, the book is messy which I think is how it's meant to be with the way the main character is written. There's uncertainty and loose ends even in its closing. If you enjoy characters who struggle with self-identity and what they want out of life, you may enjoy this book but know that this particular point isn't really resolved by the end of it. It lacks those feel-good feelings but it delivers in realness. And even though this isn't a 5 star read for me, I can see why it might be for others and the representation truly is great with its variety which is nice to see in the YA genre.

ahhh this was so cute!

I loved Quinn and Tarek's dynamic and how they were able to communicate with each other. The anxiety and OCD representation was done splendidly! I feel like what the characters were going through is so relatable and I could find myself empathizing with them on a personal level.

The harp-making aspect was something very unique and I loved how it played into the story and Quinn's personality. I loved her character development and how she came to terms with her feelings for Tarek.

(and that cameo? oh, it was the best thing ever and I just can't stop gushing about it!)

This book is described as a contemporary romance, but it’s really a story about Quinn finding herself. She is surrounded by expectations and doesn’t know how to break free. She doesn’t know what she wants out of her life. All she really knows is that she doesn’t want to end up hurt.

I didn’t feel connected to or care for Quinn as a character, so it was hard for me to get into the story. However, the open discussions of depression and anxiety were refreshing.

This book is a great novel for anyone who is a fan of romance, weddings, and YA. Rachel Lynn Solomon once again knocks it our of the park!

4.5- 5 stars ⭐️
Not me awwing at the last chapter. This book was filled with so much...in a good way and I loved it. I loved Julia and Quinn’s friendship. I loved how Quinn slowly let Tarek in, because love isn’t easy and love takes time. Sometimes it’s hard to commit and it’s scary. But it’s worth it if you really love someone. This book was kind of slow in the beginning, it was basically an introduction to the characters and what happened between Tarek and Quinn last summer. This book talks about mental health... depression, anxiety, and OCD(which OCD is talked about less in books, which I felt it was well represented in this book). It also talks about eczema, and how vulnerable it is to have it...which can be hard(I don’t know what it’s like, but I have friends who deal with it, and I know it’s not easy). But the story of how Quinn learns to accept herself and what she wants and tell everyone else how she feels is beautiful, because it’s not easy and you never know how someone will react. But Quinn shows it’s not easy, but you will get through it...one step at a time. This was honestly such a good read for me. I really connected with the characters and felt that I knew them. It also did a good job of showing Jewish representation. This was between a 4.5-5 stars for me...just because of the slow beginning. But if ignored the slow beginning it would be 5 stars because it made me feel and relate.

I want to thank Rachel Lynn Solomon for letting me join your ARC team and getting a copy from NetGalley for exchange for an honest review.

This book made me so anxious because it hit the "parental expectations and unintentional guilt trip" thing a bit too hard on the head and brought out that older child of immigrants syndrome right out onto the page.

My one major complaint of this book is that Tarek was Muslim... except it was mentioned once in one paragraph (of course it was about pork) and then NEVER MENTIONED AGAIN. It bothered me a lot not because he was non practicing (which could have bothered me a lot more because that's a stereotype I'm tired of seeing in media) but because it was mentioned that he was Muslim and then never mentioned again. If you took out the ONE PARAGRAPH with that little discussion, nothing about the book or the character changed. So it felt like it was just there for this extra brownie point when he could have just been Egyptian and that would have been absolutely fine.

Other than that, I did enjoy the book because of the discussions about mental health and family struggles and pressures but yeah, for those that read the book I would just keep the Muslim rep being kind of an annoying stereotype and unnecessary in the back of your mind.

I liked the voice of the main character and her inner monologue was honestly really relatable and she was really funny at time which I enjoyed. There were a lot of relatable moments and I really did enjoy the book because of it especially with the discussions about mental health (OCD and depression) and seeing really strong family and friendship bonds.

Thank you to Rachel Lynn Solomon for providing me with an eARC as a Jewish Own Voices reviewer. WE CAN'T KEEP MEETING LIKE THIS is scheduled for release on 6/8.

I am melting. RLS has done it AGAIN. I was uncontrollably smiling from the very start of the book and didn't stop smiling once. It was such a cute read, I couldn't put the book down.

Quinn Berkowitz and Tarek Mansour's families have been working together for a long time. Quinn's family are wedding planners and the Mansour's are the caterers they work with. Quinn confessed her love to Tarek via email before he went off to college, so when he comes back for the summer, she feels extremely thrown off to be working with him again. Quinn still has feelings for him, and eventually finds out the reason for his lack of email response.

BUT YOU GUYS. This book goes SO much deeper!! I wish I had YA books like this when I was younger. So, so much is covered in this heartwarming story. There's a main character with OCD and anxiety, a love interest with depression as well as eczema that makes him self-conscious, a bisexual best friend, parents who separated, and a family dynamic that no one in the family wants to talk about. And last, but most definitely not least, the Jewish representation!! Ugh I loved it. I saw different aspects of myself and my life in every character, and I truly believe everyone who reads this will either see themselves or someone they know.

And every single character had so much development between start and finish. There was so much personal development for every single character, even the side characters, which is not something I see very often. I truly don't know how RLS does it. Every book she writes is like a little piece of magic that touches my soul in different but special ways.

I know I just read an ARC of this, but I pre-ordered it already because I need to own it. And I suggest everyone else go pre-order it too! Bye gonna go yell at everyone to read this!!

<b> "May you always have that top-of-the-Emipre-State-Building kind of love." </b>

<img src="https://media.giphy.com/media/VhFbKg5ShFygMw3ykA/giphy.gif"/>

Rachel Lynn Solomon. You did it again!
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Major swooning. Characters who have burrowed their way into my heart. My heart was fluttering. Quinn has spent too long convincing herself that romance isn't real. She doesn't believe in grand-gesture move romance. Tarek is the complete opposite. Every cell in his body is die-hard-romantic. Tarek is THE sweetest boy who bakes all the sweet things and his favorite movie is Sleepless in Seattle. *sighs dreamily*. Quinn is implementing a No-Boy Summer...or will that turn out to be a spectacular failure?

YA readers are going to want to be a part of the Tarek fan club. We Can't Keep Meeting Like This is charming and adorable and I want cake.

READ IF YOU LIKE:
-Sleepless in Seattle
-epic, sweeping, romantic gestures
-mug based desserts
-childhood friends
-mental health rep: generalized anxiety, OCD, clinical depression
-a sweet, sentimental, optimistic LI
-#IsThisAKissingBook: "Do you want to make out with me in my 2011 Ford Focus, Quinn Berkowitz?"

Song: The Greatest by Cat Power

We Can’t Keep Meeting Like This, by Rachel Lynn Solomon, is as sweet as the cake on the cover. Fans of Solomon are sure to be pleased by her latest novel, which follows Quinn, a harp player who works with her parents and sister at their family wedding planning business — but isn’t sure she wants to anymore. Enter Tarek, an old friend (and old crush) who she hasn’t spoken to in a year — not since she confessed her feelings and he ignored her.

This story is everything you want a YA romance to be — cute and funny, with the supportive best friend and plenty of family drama. We Can’t Keep Meeting Like this also serves a big helping of mental health rep: Quinn has OCD and anxiety, while Tarek has his own mental health story that is revealed throughout the novel.

This is a perfect summer read — just make sure to have some tasty desserts on hand while you read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for the ARC!