By Any Other Name is my first book by this author, so I really had no idea what to expect when it popped in the romance section of NG. Both the cover & synopsis caught my attention. While overall I do consider By Any Other Name a pleasant enough read for those readers who enjoy a laidback pace & not too concerned with the nitty-gritty.

…But then there’s me.

& now if you’re still reading…

Once more, there’s nothing so seriously wrong that I’m sitting here fired up about. The simple thing is — & it’s no secret —, I can be picky. I can, I totally can. Or as I liked to call it selective 😉 . It’s such a minor thing to note, nonetheless, I did enjoy her somewhat unusual pet. I kinda wish there was a little more of her.

Anyhoo, so if you still care as to what held By Any Other Name back, here’s what didn’t tick the boxes for me & kept my thoughts about it at lukewarm at best.
📌 As it turned out BAON’s vibe was a bit more akin to chick-lit(women’s fiction as to NG would categorize)than it was contemporary romance. It wasn’t dually categorized as both over there, however, so I didn’t know ahead of time. Generally, I’m just not as into CL that lean more in that direction as I am into CR. While I’m hardly opposed to sweet romances or cinnamon roll heroes, BAON veered towards a bit too schmaltzy however for my preference.
📌 The basic concepts were solid & hooked me in enough to give this a try, but when all was said & done, several aspects felt too consistently undeveloped — the plot, characterizations, chemistry(when Lanie began going on about falling for him, with what I read to this point my reaction was more along the lines of “what? how? um, really? hmm.”), tropes(i.e. labeling of this as ETL is a bit of a stretch imho.) —. Those things just never felt like they moved past being on the cusp(& that was at best).
📌 Noah(H) - BAON is Lanie’s single POV. With the lack of overall development, I think in this case it suffers even more by not having his POV. He was far too enigmatic for the hero. To the end, I still don’t feel like I had the full picture. Just a fuzzy, hazy one.
📌 Lanie(h) - I don’t love that Lanie has a fiancé at the start (there was no cheating btw, I just mean even in the general sense it’s not a favorite), but I knew about at least going in. As an added little complication he just felt too conveniently disposable. It’s like why bother 🤷🏻‍♀️. Lanie is a little too much of a cross between high-horsed Dudley Do-Right for me. Her reaction to Noah’s true identity being revealed won’t be mistaken for a good one that’s for sure. To a degree, I understand why on a personal level it was upsetting. (Because Noah’s identity was privileged information at Lanie’s job & she wasn’t on that short list. Nonetheless because of his editor being her boss, thru work they began communicating & over the last 7 years they became email buddies.) Even so, I think she quickly crossed to overdramatic, particularly with him & the publisher never publicly revealing his identity. I still don’t understand her dilemma with it or why she acted like it tarnished his books & his credibility “lying” to his fans. I imagine many authors use pseudonyms & in the romance genre, I also imagine there probably is more difficulty for a man to get their career in this genre, so I don’t think it’s far fetch or so morally questionable. If authors want to share their personal lives, that’s their business. If authors hold extra value in keeping their anonymity/privacy, that’s their business. Either way, they don’t owe the reader that part of themselves. I’m just grateful they share their creativity 🤷🏻‍♀️.


**This arc was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

& that’s that

By Any Other Name is the light and funny enemies-to-lovers story I absolutely needed. I’d gone on a bit of a bender at the end of last year and into the beginning of this one reading some intense adult romances and was in need of something fluffy and sweet. This book absolutely fit the bill and I knew it would by the cover alone. In my opinion, it deserved each of the 4 stars I gave it!

It’s the story of romance editor Lanie, a perfectionist who lives her love life dictated by a strict checklist inspired by her favorite romance author, Noa Calloway. But when Lanie and the mysterious Noa finally meet, things take a turn in a direction she never could’ve expected.

This book was so good. So cute. So sweet. So funny. Surprisingly so, for that last part. There were several instances where I was literally laughing out loud. It was heartwarming and sweet and for me, a perfect rom-com. It had moments that were so gushy and lovey that I could barely keep my feet from swinging in the air in excitement.

It was a quick read that I couldn’t put down. And trust me, I tried! I wanted to make it last and read it over the course of a few days, but every time I did, I couldn’t stop thinking about it so I ended up picking it up again. Before I knew it, it was after midnight and I’d (unfortunately) reached the end.

Besides the plot and pacing, Lanie’s character was a large part of what made me enjoy this book because she was relatable. She had so many expectations in romance and ideas about what it should look like in order to be “perfect.” What it needed to look like in order to “ensure success.” This is something that most people can relate to, but especially romance readers. It’s easy to get caught up in these fictional worlds and fictional characters and think, “This is what real love has to look like.” But it’s not real. It’s fiction. In real life, nobody is perfect. Everybody is going through something and dealing with their own baggage, but we’re all trying our best and taking it one day at a time. In real-life romance, you can’t expect perfection from people or hold them to an impossible standard. It’s not fair to you or them.

Sometimes, the best thing to do is throw caution to the wind and just go for it. You never know what could happen. Maybe something great.

2.5 Stars.
Less of a review and more of a rant. I really really need women’s fiction to stop marketing itself as romances. Does this have a HEA/HFN? Yes, but that on its own does not make it a romance. The heroine was still engaged to someone else until the 44% mark. There was absolutely no heat or tension between Lanie and Noah. There were multiple times where I thought, “why is the author trying to force these two together?” They’re fine as work colleagues. And because Lanie was engaged to someone else until almost half way through the book, we got not dating, flirting, or banter between her and Noah that would lead me to believe these two were in any way compatible. We’re forced to believe that because they have technically been emailing each other about work things for the past 7 years they and met in person a couple times that they are magically endgame. No. Just no. Like I said there was no heat. You have Lanie saying in her internal thoughts that she has feelings for Noah but we never see them. Literally they don’t even kiss until the last page of the book and instead of it being a satisfying conclusion, it made me think, “you two just ruined your working relationship.” Romances with only kissing can still be steamy, this was just boring. The more I think about this book the more mad I get. I enjoyed the concept, and it could have been a great romance, but how the story developed just wasn’t what it needed to be. The fact that this 300 page book took me 4 days to read really says a lot.

3.5 Stars

This book was VERY cute until about 90% of the way through when the author seemed to realize she only had a few pages left to tack on an ending.

Lanie has been a big fan of Noa Callaway's books since college, and working as part of Noa's publishing team has allowed Lanie to feel like she and the elusive author, whom she's never met in person, were almost friends. But Noa's latest book is 4 months late, and Lanie's promotion hangs on getting Noa to deliver. When Lanie finally meets Noa in person, she's shocked and disappointed to discover that she is, in fact....a he. At first, Lanie feels beyond betrayed, though she gets over that quickly when she and Noah come up with a plan to get him past his writer's block. But as their search for inspiration takes them all over Manhattan, Lanie wonders if the friendship she had going with "Noa" could turn into something more now that she knows the truth.

This was a really easy, fun book to read, and there were so many places for it to go. But there was absolutely no heat or swoon because the romance literally developed RIGHT at the end. It's a cute story, but I was really surprised to find myself suddenly on the last page. Now, I read an ARC, so maybe some of this will be fleshed out a little more by the final copy. However, as it stands now, this book started off strong and fizzled into nothing by the end. I was left wanting a lot more. But there is potential here for sure.

**Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.**

Lanie Bloom is in love. She was in college when she first came across the novels of Noa Calloway. She wasn’t one to pick up a romance novel, but her roommate convinced her to give the book a try. It ended up changing her life.

Now, Lanie is an editor at Peony Press, the publisher of Noa Calloway’s books. It’s her boss, editorial director Alix who usually works with the bestselling author, but Alix is out on maternity leave, and they are about to launch her latest novel, Two Hundred and Sixty-Six Vows. While Laniie helps put out the fires at the big launch event their publicity department has put together, she tries not to think about how her new manuscript is already four months late. And she’s never late.

But when is successful, with Lanie’s speech a triumph, she gets called into Sue’s office. Sue is the president and publisher of Peony Press, and she doesn’t act spontaneously. Lanie is worried that she’s about to be fired because of the overdue manuscript, but that’s not what Sue wants to tell her. Alix has decided she wants to stay home with her new baby, and Sue is willing to offer Lanie the job of editorial director. With one caveat. Lanie gets that new Noa Calloway manuscript turned in and edited by her deadline. Otherwise, Lanie is fired.

So, no pressure.

Lanie agrees, because what choice does she have? And then she gets to work. She has never met Noa in person. She notoriously doesn’t go to her own launches or does in-person interviews or shows up at the publishing house to shake hands with those who help her get the books ready for shelves. Lanie knows Noa’s assistant Terry, known as “The Terrier,” who protects her fiercely. And she does have an email relationship with the author. Shortly after starting at Peony, she emailed the author to tell her how much she enjoys her books, and the two have been writing back and forth and even playing online chess ever since.

But things are different now. Lanie needs the latest book, and she just knows in her gut that Noa is blocked. Lanie doesn’t know why, but her editor’s instincts tells her that Noa needs help. And she comes up with a plan to help her. And when Noa wants to meet in person, Lanie is all in. But when she does, she finds out the secret Noa has been keeping, the reason she never comes face to face with any of her readers, and Lanie is stunned. It makes her question everything she thought she knew about life, about relationships, about love, and even about her impending marriage to her fiancé Ryan. But she has to figure out what she truly believes about love to figure out what she wants, what Noa needs, and how to make the new book a success.

Author Lauren Kate has written many bestselling YA romance novels, but By Any Other Name is her first adult romance novel. And it is worth the wait! With charming characters and lots of interesting situations, this novel brings a sweetness and an effortlessness to love without getting maudlin or glib.

Whether these characters are taking lessons on motorcycle riding, irritating people on a train with smelly food, breaking into a house, or just hanging out with Javier Bardem (he’s a rabbit), these scenes are just fun to read. Add in Lanie’s scene-stealing grandmother, and the book is a triumph. I absolutely loved this book. It’s the one I reached for when I was feeling down or frustrated, and my only complaint is that is was over too soon. I loved it all, and I recommend it anyone who loves romance novels, or for anyone who just needs a sweet pick-me-up during a rough week.

Egalleys for By Any Other Name were provided by G.P. Putnam’s Sons through NetGalley, with many thanks.

The story follows Lanie who is a romance editor and specifically working for an author named Noa Callaway who is a well renowned author and one that she respects and seeks inspiration from. Lanie is told that she will get the promotion she’s been dreaming of if she can get Noa to produce a manuscript after they have been behind schedule. The thing about Noa is that they are mysterious in the sense that nobody has met them in person before. When Lanie actually gets to meet Noa, it shatters her interpretation of who Noa would be. Noa turns out to be a guy named Noah.

This story is marketed as a romance, but I would think it is more so a women’s fiction novel. There is pieces of romance in the storyline, but that is not the main focus. To be honest, I could not get into the story as much as I thought I would and did not get hooked from the start. I found myself not really liking Lanie as a main character, and felt that the pacing of the story was off.

However, I believe those who work in the editor/publisher space may really resonate with the development Lanie goes through and may enjoy this read!

Thank you Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

By Any Other Name is a standalone enemies to lovers is a standalone contemporary romance by Lauren Kate. It is told from the heroine’s POV, with a happy ending. Tropes: enemies to lovers

Book editor Lanie Bloom is a romantic through and through with a ninety-nine check list for her ideal man. But after having to meet with her idol, author Noa Callaway to help with writer’s block, she’s blown away with who she comes face to face with, and after seven years of digital friendship they’ll have to reorder everything they knew about each other.

I hadn’t read a Lauren Kate book in ten years with her young adult, fantasy series! So when I saw this title in the contemporary romance genre, I jumped at the chance to read it and I had a great time doing so,

I really enjoyed both Lanie and Noah’s character development which was the focus of the story as it is low steam and PG. The banter between them was wonderful and the plot felt fresh and charming. I would have loved some parts told from Noah’s POV with I still enjoyed getting to read about his backstory and weaknesses.

By Any Other Name is a love letter to readers and romance novels, and the impact they can have in our lives. ⁠
⁠
Unlike traditional romance novels, this story covers the shock of having the rug pulled out from under you when your favorite author turns out to not be who you thought they were; that inspiration can strike anywhere; and that sometimes what you plan for is not what you actually need in your life. ⁠
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BAON has a literal man written by a woman with Noah being raised by three romance-loving women. It has a dash of crime, motorcycle lessons, people bonding over eating pungent foods in confined public spaces (Noah and Lanie: why? 😖), the cutest pets that are the opposite of their owners but also perfect: a tortoise for Lanie and a rabbit for Noah. ⁠
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A Spoiler Rant:⁠
I was appalled at Lanie's fiancee expecting her to convert religions and leave her whole life once they got married. The expectation that she leave such a big part of her identity, history, and culture that is embedded in Judaism in order for his political career to appear flawless gave me a major ick. Ugh, he made me so mad and it made me mad at her that she didn't confront him about it until way later in their relationship! Like girl-this is something you say immediately!!⁠
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Rant over.⁠
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⭐⭐⭐⭐.5⁠
🌶️ (no spice, really)⁠
🌈🌈⁠
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Triggers: Mentions of and cancer Alzheimers in family members, mentions of parental death⁠
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Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Putnam for the ARC in exchange for an honest review and the opportunity to read this work of art.

I absolutely adored this book! I read this book in two sittings. I could've read another 200 pages. Or a bonus chapter from our love interest would be good. I thought it was pretty predictable, but that didn't put any points against it.

Lanie's happy - she's a romance editor (her dream job) at Peony Press and she's engaged to Ryan, a perfect man who checks off her 99 boxes. But is it enough? She's starting to wonder. Lanie's up for another promotion at work - but only if she can get another bestseller-worthy manuscript out of their star romance author Noa Calloway (who also happens to be Lanie's hero - the author who changed Lanie's career path to editing). In three months. But Noa has writer's block. Oh - and she has to sign an NDA. Noa Calloway has never been seen at her launches or events. She doesn't have bios in her books. She's a mystery to everyone who doesn't sign that NDA. Lanie and Noa have been emailing for seven years and have formed a deep friendship, but the truth of Noa's identity is about to turn Lanie's world upside down.

The different dynamics between Ryan and our new love interest could not have been explained better.

This isn't a classic steamy romance (no steam at all actually, but I was ok with it) - there were heartfelt moments and chemistry and it was a true love story rather than instalove.

What I liked:
-the unique yet realistic plot
-Lanie's pet tortoise, Alice.
-our love interest (swoon - he checks all my boxes!)
-Lanie's grandma BD
-Lanie's independent spirit
-Chapter 1 of Noa Calloway's upcoming book. I may have cried happy tears.

What I didn't:
-I wanted a teeny bit more romance at the end
-The cover

Tropes: Clean Romance, friends to enemies to friends to lovers, books about books,

BY ANY OTHER NAME by Lauren Kate is my first experience reading anything by this author. I enjoyed the storyline, the pace of the writing, and the character development. It reads really fast and leaves you with that good feeling in your chest. The ending was unique, and it took me a while to figure out what I thought of it. I guess that just shows how much I wanted the story to continue. I don't want to spoil anything in this review so I will just say that people who enjoy a good romance will enjoy this book. I received an Advance Review Copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This book is about books and a slow-burning romance that will give you all the swoony feels. Books about books tend to scare me, but I went ahead and read this. I don't regret it at all. This book will make you swoon from left to right and blush until your cheeks hurt.

What do you do when the person you've had a faceless connection with turns out to be someone you never expect? I love a man with so much mystery and sophistication. Noah is that man. The banter between Lanie and Noah at first seemed like these two weren't going to work out. Then you have Noah helping Lanie break into her ex-fiance's apartment.

I would have loved to see more of their relationship as a couple. Oh, did I say it's a clean romance... yes, it is! All fluff aside, this is a must-read.

Thank you, Netgalley and Putnam, for this gifted arc.

4 STARS

By Any Other Name narrates the story of Lanie , a romance editor and Noah , a romance author . Lanie had been Noah's fan since the beginning of his career and she comes to light about his identity when she is given a chance to work with him.

I have never read a book like this following a similar plotline which was refreshing . It is a REALLY SLOW SLOW BURN . Their first kiss is the last page of the book . It was a quick read . I finished it in two sitting. It has slow burn, friends to lovers ,bookish tropes . They both have been friends with each other for 7+ years before seeing each other. I loved how they bonded over online chess. The end was beautiful but felt rushed . We never get a glimpse into his head as it is one pov (other than the first chapter of his book). Maybe that is why I felt rushed . Other than that it was perfect.

OUT 1ST MARCH

3.25/5 stars!

The heroine is satisfied with how her professional and personal life are doing. She has a man who pretty much completes her checklist, and an editing job that she loves. When something unexpected occurred at her job, the heroine finds herself working with the author she has corresponds with for years. As the heroine tries to solve the author's writer's block, she learns new things about this particular author that will change her life.

This is the first Laurent Kate book that I've read. It was an entertaining read about an editor and her relationship with a particular author. This felt more like a women' fiction book rather than a romance, though said romance is still there. I liked the latter half of the book than the first half due to how the story flowed. The heroine has flaws, but she changed to become a better person in the end. It would have been better if the story involved dual perspectives since I needed to know the author's voice in this book. Overall, an entertaining read.

**Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions and thoughts in the review are my own.**

This was an entertaining, well-written book. It was clever, fun and sweet. It held my interest and I wanted to find out what would happen next. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.

When Lanie gets a promotion at work and becomes editor to her favorite author she is so excited. But Noa Callaway is notorious for being difficult and very few people have met her. Lanie is about to find out there’s a reason for that and the person she has idolized for so long is really a lie.

I love a good book about book lovers and this one did not disappoint - especially since it was about a romance book editor and author - what could possibly be better? This book was such a fun and quick read and book lovers definitely need to pick it up as soon as possible. I’m a sucker for a good enemies to lovers story and this was just the light read I needed. I adored the side characters (Lainey’s grandma is hysterical) and getting the behind the scenes look at he publishing world. I do wish there had been a few more chapters, but that is my only complaint. I will definitely be reading more by Lauren Kate in the future!

Thank you to Putnam Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

By Any Other Name is such a wholesome and serendipitous book. I loved reading Lanie and Noa's story. It encourages us to lean into the mysteries of undeniable attraction. I would have loved a little more spice, but the bond between the characters and the story is satisfying enough. Such an honor to read this grounding and hopeful story. Go read this book, preferably on a park bench.

BY ANY OTHER NAME is a romance about a book editor, Lanie, who finally gets to work with her favorite author, Noa Callaway, only to find out that Noa is actually a man named Noah. I enjoyed every minute of reading this book. It definitely gave me all the happy squishy feelings. But when I finished, I was left feeling like I wanted so much more from the story. You can see the romance between these two characters coming a mile away (which is totally fine), but nothing even starts until the very end of the book. Ultimately, the story felt too easy, and I would have liked to see more of the characters getting together and messing things up before figuring it all out. Again, though, it was fun to read and made me happy. I guess I'm just not used to reading romances that end with the first kiss, but if you're in the mood for something light and fun, check this one out.

(I received an eARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

This was not my favorite romance story i've ever read. I did like the 'reclusive author is unexpectedly a hot guy' angle and the bitterness turned romance was fun. But I felt no chemistry at all and little interest in Lanie as a character. The fact she and Ross had become friends online ebfore the big reveal was nice, but I still didn't feel anything.

Real Rating: 2.5 stars. I really really wish I liked this more but nothing happened. I mean yes, there was a story and it did end. But to me, it felt like there were parts of the story that were missing to make it a complete story. It was just not for me. I didn't find Lanie's relationships with really anyone believable. Every relationship with people was short and to me didn't fit. I guess you could say there was character development with Noah but was there really any with Lanie? There were moments but it didn't fit. I needed more to care about the characters and the people. Lots of loose ends that were not tied up.

Ok, this was CUTE. I overall liked our characters and the storyline - Lanie is a romance book editor living in NYC and gets the opportunity to work with her favorite author, who she finds out is not who she thought she was. I loved the NYC setting and the premise itself (even if the "twist" was not surprising at all), and I loved Lanie's grandmother, BD! Sadly, a few things fell flat for me:
- this was marketed as an enemies-to-lovers... it is def not lol
- felt like the characters themselves needed more development
- the ending... I just felt like there was a lot left on the table... I wanted to see what happened AFTER that... kinda felt like a cop-out instead of actually finishing the story?
- TOO SLOW BURN - look I love a good slow burn, but that comes with a ALOT of character and story development because it makes the payoff that much better! These two didn't even kiss until the second to last page so... you've been warned :)

I would def put this more in a Fiction category (vs. Romance) as I felt this story was more around Lanie's journey to self-discovery but I still enjoyed it. If you're looking for a sweet, low-angst, closed-door, and slow burn story - then this is the book for you!

Rating: 3.5 stars