Surprise baby books are not my thing. To be honest, I don’t find much about babies romantic at all and I’m not one of those people who think HEAs have to come with a wedding and 2.5 kids. But I loved Matzah Ball Surprise so I decided to take a chance on this book, and I’m glad I did! Besides the surprise baby, it’s also got the workplace romance and forced proximity tropes.

Nine-month-old Archie might be the result of a drunk hook-up with a guy whose name she didn’t know, but he’s the center of Izzy’s life. So while starting a new job with a Deaf advocacy org is important to her – she wants to be able to financially support her little family by moving out of her sister’s place – it’s also bittersweet. And things only get worse when she realizes her new supervisor is the hot Deaf hook-up – and the father of her kid. Nolan’s been a screw-up for most of his life, but the situation with Izzy takes the cake. How can he possibly go from bachelor pads and video games to being a dad, especially when he never had a father figure in his own life? To further complicate things, the spark of attraction that got them into this mess in the first place is still there. Can they navigate coparenting and working together, or are Izzy and Nolan set for another massive disaster?

“Father” was a meaningless word to him that could mean sperm donor, and considering Archie’s creation, the same could be said about the next generation.”


Izzy is fiercely independent. Though she’s had to rely on her sister, Gaby (the heroine of the previous book) and her fiancé, Levi, to manage graduating college while pregnant and then with a baby, Archie’s nine months old now and she’s ready to stop relying on them so much. But navigating breastfeeding, working and childcare is hard, and adding in navigating some kind of relationship – coparent or romantic – with Nolan is overwhelming and exhausting to someone who feels like she’s barely holding it together as a twenty-three-year-old single mother. While he doesn’t have the same life complications as Izzy, Nolan’s convinced he’s a screw-up. No matter what good thing he has, he always manages to screw it up, and that’s been true since he was born. He was the result of an unplanned pregnancy and his dad wasn’t present in his life, so he’s worried about how to be a father figure and partly convinced that he’s going to mess up Izzy and Archie’s lives just by being in them. Besides Archie, their relationship is also complicated by the fact that their employer has a strict no dating policy. That, along with Nolan’s self-doubt, provides most of the angst in the story. The way their relationship unfolds slowly was just so sweet, and I loved how consent-focused it was as well.

“The kid resembled the powerful computer character that could unlock worlds and opportunities, but he didn’t have a clue how to unlock him.”


This book was overall less humorous than the previous one, though Archie provided a lot of comedy. Nine-month-olds are, well, chaos monsters (or at least mine were) and there’s a lot of new parent humor that brought me right back to those days, diaper changes and all. I liked that, along with the romantic relationship between Izzy and Nolan, it also focused on the relationship that Nolan has with Archie. There’s a particularly sweet moment where Nolan’s trying to soothe a fussy Archie and suddenly realizes that his son is signing “milk.” It’s a lightbulb moment for Nolan, and it absolutely made me melt.

I loved the seamless integration of Deaf culture from both characters, from the flashing lights to the special baby monitors to the call out to my alma mater (go RIT Tigers!). While Izzy is far from fluent in ASL, she’s able to communicate well, and most of the dialog is in sign. I loved that his Deafness – and their Jewishness – isn’t a problem or a pain point, it’s just another part of who he is.

Overall, I enjoyed this book even more than the first, and I’ll definitely be picking up whatever Laura Brown writes in the future!

I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

About That Night was one of those books that called to me after reading the blurb. A one night stand turns into an unexpected pregnancy, made complicated by the fact that the man in question was deaf and the woman, barely proficient at signing. Fast forward two years and she see’s the father of her son again, at her new place of employment. That, that right there, is what reeled me in.

I really, truly enjoyed how the author handled this delicate story. She made both main characters real and relatable. I enjoyed how she depicted Nolan and his reaction to discovering he had a son and the fact that he wasn’t father material, but that he was going to try his hardest at being one. Izzy was a strong woman, she had to be. In her early twenties, in school and pregnant, did not make for easy, but she was lucky to have an incredible support system in her sister and her fiancé.

Watching Nolan, Izzy and baby Archie get to know one another and lay the framework for a beautiful family, made this a throughly enjoyable romance read. About That Night was my first book by Laura Brown and will most certainly not be my last. TBR and Enjoy.

I loved this surprise baby/office romance!

Izzy never caught the name or number of the one-night-stand that gave her Archie, her 9-month-old son, until her first day on the job when she's introduced to him as his new assistant. To say that Nolan is shocked is an understatement; the poor guy had absolutely no fatherly role model himself so he's completely adrift in the sea of what-ifs and how-tos.

This is a sweet, gentle romance that never forgets their amazing chemistry yet doesn't rely on it to drive the romance forward. There are enough outside conflicts to keep things interesting, but I liked that it was their internal conflicts that were the hardest to overcome.

I love the decisive HEA and I really appreciated the follow=up on Gaby and Levi's romance (from the earlier book). This was a truly delightful story and I highly recommend it for anyone who loves contemporary romances, but especially if you're interested in reading about realistic people in the deaf community. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

I am so shocked by how fast I read this book. Things happened so smoothly and I could not believe when it was over.
I loved Izzy and Nolan! From a one night stand, Izzy finds out she’s pregnant but doesn’t know how to find the guy. Months go by and then on her first day of work she comes face to face with him. Izzy knows her son deserves to meet his father but Nolan isn’t confident in his parenting skills. Baby Archie was so cute and was always there to break up the serious moments
This was the first book I’ve read by this author and I loved it. The story flowed so well and I of course was happy they got their HEA
*this was sent to me via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

About That Night features the secret baby trope, which is one of my favorites as long as there is a believable and relatable reason why the father didn't know about the child. In this book, I'm happy to report that the reason was plausible. Izzy and Nolan met at a deaf event when she was an ASL student in college (Izzy is hearing, Nolan is deaf). They had wild chemistry and spent one night together, but because Izzy was not yet fluent in ASL, and was distracted by her attraction to Nolan, she didn't catch his name when he signed it, so when she learned she was pregnant, she had no way to track him down. Eighteen mos. later, she has an adorable 9 month old baby, has graduated college and secured an entry level position with a Deaf not-for-profit, and is gobsmacked when she meets Nolan (now their social media manager) on her first day on the job.

Nolan and Izzy still have mad chemistry, but now, not only does Izzy have to figure out how to integrate Nolan into her and her son's life, but they also must contend with the HR rules at their workplace that expressly forbid intimate relationships between co-workers. A large part of the book focused on Nolan learning how to be a father, in spite of his fears that he would not be able to live up to the role due to his own lack of a father and role model.

I loved that although Nolan had doubts, his deafness was a non-issue, both in his ability to parent but also in his relationships with others. Izzy was strong when she needed to be, but at the same time, she was only 23 and sometimes her age really showed. Initially, after she told Nolan about their son, she got quite unjustifiably angry that he didn't just immediately jump into the role of father, not understanding that he'd been given quite a shock and needed at least a few days to absorb the news. Aside from this, I thought the romance was heartwarming and sweet.

I fell in love with this book simply from the description on NetGalley and the my love for it only grew as I continued to read.

While a romance at heart, this novel captures the challenges of unplanned pregnancies, one-night “flings”, how to overcome your deepest fears, and how to have faith in yourself. Additionally, one of the main characters is Deaf, and I just have so much love and respect for the Deaf community –– this book is impossible to not love!

I could predict a lot of what was going to happen, and that’s okay! But even still, this book is sweet, heartwarming and heartbreaking all at once. I love Izzy and Nolan – and baby Archie!! – so much, and I just know that you will too.

First, I want to thank #netgalley and #entangledteen for providing me with a copy of this to read.

This book was a really cute read. Normally I am not a huge fan of single mom romances, just because I’ve lived the single mom life and these romances, to me it is just unbelievable. However, with this one, I was fully invested in this one because it was believable from the beginning. I also loved the way that Nolan and Izzy reconnected, boss-employee forbidden romances are something I love so I put aside the single mom thing to dive into this one. While it was a shorter read it was completely fulfilling in that romance read, I was looking for with Valentine’s day coming up. If you are looking for a cute romance this one is for you.

This is a good story. The author does a does a realistic job of having the reader getting a feel of the atmosphere surrounding the deaf characters. I love that she made even the baby learn sign language. Izzy and Nolan work great as a couple. Archie makes the most adorable baby. He provides some funny moments in the story. It is a great diversity romantic story.

AHHHHHHHH! I needed to scream because I LOVED this one so much! I discovered Laura Brown last year with Matzah Ball Surprise and absolutely fell in love with her writing style and the unique perspective she brings to her stories.

About That Night is the story of Izzy, Nolan and Archie. A one night stand that resulted in a surprise bundle of joy. Izzy has been raising baby Archie alone—that is until the day she walked into her new job and came face to face with her mystery hottie. The man she wanted to find but didn't know how. What ensues is a fun yet poignant story of how these three learn to be a family.

One of the things that I enjoy the most about this author's books is how authentic they feel while reading. Her characters are imperfect. They are ordinary, everyday people that you can envision meeting right next door to you. She seamlessly weaves ASL into her novels and gives us a glimpse into the world from a Deaf person's perspective. Even the fact that the characters were Jewish was incorporated into the first time Izzy went to Nolan's apartment. Side note: Checking for a mezuzah is definitely something that I would do!!! The key to all of this is that Laura Brown has made these an integral part of the story. Not just a prop to showcase diversity. And has definitely bumped her up to an author I don't want to miss!

About that night is a heartwarming, sweet second chance romance that you don't want to miss!

This is my first time experiencing this author but definitely not my last. This book was so beautifully written. Will be definitely telling my book club about it and will be looking for this author and more books in the kindle store

4.75/5 stars!

When a one-night stand ends up with consequences, the heroine has to halt her future plans and adapt to the changes it brought in her life. After adjusting into her new responsibilities, she ends up getting a job...with the hero as her boss. Pleased to see the heroine again, the deaf hero got the shock of his life when the heroine told him about his baby. As the two adjusted into this new family dynamic, the simmering attraction they still have for each other remains. However, their workplace has a no-fraternization policy. How wil the two face this obstacle and their own relationship dynamics as the two learns more of each other and eco mint co-parents to their adorable baby?

I want to state that this is my first Laura Brown book and it won't be the last. I thoroughly enjoyed the story, the glimpse of the deaf community, and the overall vibe of the story. I liked the couple, even though the hero's outlook of his luck got on my nerves a bit. I liked the sibling relationship the heroine has with her sister and how she started teaching her baby the American Sign Language as soon as possible. There were some troubles that didn't require a lot of drama within the story and I was all for it. I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading more of the author's books in the future.

**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

I have read several books by Laura Brown, including the book that comes before this one, Matzah Ball Surprise, in which Izzy's older sister, Gaby, brings home a Deaf guy she met at the gym to her family's Passover. We are first introduced to Izzy in that book, and we learn that she is a student who is learning ASL. You do NOT need to read Matzah Ball Surprise in order to understand anything in this book. In About That Night, Izzy takes center stage as a single mom to a little boy. She slept with a man who is Deaf, but didn't get his name or number. One days, several months later, she gets a new job, and her new boss is Nolan, who just so happens to be the same man that Izzy slept with and the father of her child. My favorite thing about Laura's books are the ways she portrays her Deaf characters and the hearing characters that interact with them. It always feels so genuine, and she creates them in ways that show there is nothing wrong with being Deaf. Her Deaf characters are successful and strong and authentic. I liked that we got to see what Gaby and Levi were up to (the two main characters in the first book), and see how much ASL Gaby and Izzy have learned since the first book. I also liked the Izzy was teaching her little boy ASL. Even though she was a single mom, she was strong, doing what she needed to do in order to take care of him. I also appreciated that Nolan completely stepped up to the plate the second he found out that he had a son. I love a good second chance romance story, and one that proves if it is important enough and meant to be, fate will always make sure you get a second chance. Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

Laura Brown’s ‘About That Night’ is inclusive and heartfelt. It’s a great story if you’re a fan of baby tropes in romance, but is probably best skipped if you don’t.

When Izzy Fineburg meets a handsome man at an ASL conference, the last thing she expects from their one night stand is a baby. Nolan Holtzman never planned on having kids, but when Izzy reenters his life, he’s determined to step up. Throw in the fact that he’s now Izzy’s superior at work and there is an explicit ban against inter-office dating? Things are about to get infinitely more complicated.

I really appreciated this story for what it taught me about the Deaf community and the nuances of ASL as an independent language. And I loved how Nolan’s deafness is normalized and not tokenized. The connection between Izzy and Nolan is palpable, and I wish the author would have spent more time exploring their connection separate from their child.

I’ll say up front that secret baby/babies in romance isn’t my personal favorite, especially when so much time is spent on the difficulties of parenthood and less time is spent on romantic chemistry. However, that’s solely a personal preference on my end, and not a criticism of the story itself. It just might not be everyone’s cup of tea. The bulk of the novel explores the challenges of parenthood in all its forms, and I applaud the author for not shying away from all of the realities. I just wanted it to be a little more balanced.

In all, this is a sweet story that will definitely tick all the boxes for readers who love it when babies are included in romantic storylines.

Thank you to Entangled and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Izzy finding a job at the same office as the father of her child, Nolan starts off an interesting sequence of events that change her life for good. The way the author depicted Nolan’s interactions and his life in general when he is in fact deaf and uses Sign language is simply beautiful. It was quite different and was good to understand how the interactions would be with an infant who can hear and a parent who uses sign language. Kudos to the author for handling it beautifully. I enjoyed the slow burn romance and the cute antics of the kid.

3.5 Stars
I enjoyed this one un until the computer/video issue at the meeting. I’m not sure what happened, but the story went downhill from there for me. It just simply lost my attention and even skipping chapters at a time didn’t re-gain my interest.

I requested this eARC on a whim, and I'm glad I did. I really enjoy a 'falling in love while learning how to parent' plot, and this did not disappoint. I appreciate the complexities the author added to the characters by drawing on her own experience being hard-of-hearing. I also liked that the main characters were Jewish, which I feel isn't seen enough in romance. One big positive, which the author mentions in the author's note, is how baby Archie wasn't just a silent prop or story set up. He was part of the story and interacted with other characters just as Nolan and Izzy did.

Izzy starts a new job and is surprised to find out that she will be working with Nolan - he is the father of her child and she has been trying to find him since finding out she was pregnant. Will they become more than co-parents, when their jobs could be at risk?
I liked how it is told from both of their points of view, and it makes you think about the issues that are dealt with in every day life by deaf people.

About That Night is a heart-warming read by author Laura Brown. The book focuses on Izzy Fineburg and Nolan Holtzman. Izzy has faced some challenges in her life, but none as big as raising a child after an amazing one-night stand. After trying to find the father of her baby, she gives up, until one day she stumbles upon him at her new job and to make it more awkward, he remembers who she is!

Nolan never expected to see Izzy again, least of all find out that he is a father to a beautiful son. Surprised not only by meeting Izzy again but also by the revelation, Nolan doesn’t feel like he is the best person to be a father and doesn’t quite know what to do. Yes, he is still attracted to Izzy, but now he has a lot of responsibility, not only to Izzy and his son, but also to his new job.

This book was a slow burn romance about people who aren’t perfect and trying hard in a quite cruel world. I enjoyed seeing a diverse character (Nolan being deaf) and how the interaction between a deaf and hearing character was handled with compassion and care. There was a definite connection between Nolan and Izzy and how their relationship (as well as the relationship between Nolan and Archie) progressed throughout the book. A heart-warming and sweet read!

ARC received for a fair, honest and sometimes long review. All opinions are my own. 😊

More of my reviews can be found on my blog: http://thehotmesslibrary.blogspot.com

I am a bit of a romance newbe, so I don't know all the troupes out there, but I believe one where people meet again, after a time, are called second chances, and that is what this story is about, a couple that meets up after a one night stand, and a baby have both occurred.

What I like about this one is it is written about the deaf community. The man is deaf, and the woman has been learning how to do American Sign Language (ASL) because she is both interested in it, as well as having a soon to be brother-in-law who is deaf.

The baby, Archie, is super cute, and super not sleeping, which sounds about right.

What I loved about it was how the deaf culture was worked into the story. My Uncle's parents were both deaf, and I had to learn a little bit of finger spelling to talk to them, though they were really good at lip reading too.

It is a good, quick romp, and the only complaint I have is the cover. The cover shows a brunette man, hugging a brunette woman. All very well and good, but the story is about a blond man. Also, there is no baby visible in cover, and the baby is the big part of what brings them together.

But, other than that, a good fun little romp.

Thanks to Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for making this book available for an honest review.

First off - Thank you to Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for allowing me to read an advanced reader copy of About That Night by Laura Brown.

I love the unplanned baby trope and Laura has done such an amazing job in writing a believable, mature, and heartwarmingly comedic story. Izzy and Nolan are well-written characters, giving readers a great insight into the development and consistency of their lives.

I always love reading diverse storylines, etc, hearing impariments. I believe Laura has done the Deaf community justice.