Ah! I downloaded this to read this week, then thought just one chapter…and now it is 12:30am and I finished it in one gulp. It’s cute and genuine and genre perfect.

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and Netgalley for an ARC of this book.

When the first words out of your mouth after reading the final words of a novel are, “Oh my God. That was so cute.” you know you’ve got a winner. I’ve never read anything from Lauren Kate before, so I had NO idea what to expect, but BY ANY OTHER NAME was pure magic.

Following newly promoted book editor, Lainie, as she navigates her new role with one of her favorite romance authors, reclusive and private Noa Calloway, who is months behind on their manuscript, despite consistently knocking out novels with regularity. However, when Lainie finally meets the author she’s only ever corresponded with through email, her life is turned upside down in more ways than one: Noa Calloway is actually the pseudonym for Noah Ross, a man who has changed and will change her life in more ways that one.

There were so many wonderful things about this book: Lainie’s friends and her Bubby, the little Easter eggs Noah slips into his novel, Javier Bardem the rabbit and Alice the tortoise. I loved Lauren Kate’s writing style—the words flowed so beautifully—and I could feel the connection between Lainie and Noah. One of the only complaints I have about BY ANY OTHER NAME, however, is that Lainie and Noah spent almost half the book barely interacting, and Lainie was engaged for most of that time! I would have loved to have gotten more moments with them as they trekked around New York hoping to break Noah’s writer’s block, though the scenes the reader does get are so, so sweet. I was a little nervous that there wasn’t going to be a resolution at the end, but even that was wrapped up so satisfyingly that I almost didn’t miss the epilogue I ALWAYS crave to get one last peek into the characters’ lives. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from Lauren Kate in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the chance to read an ARC of By Any Other Name. I’m sharing my review voluntarily. This book was so charming and a super fun read. My attention was kept from the first chapter. The characters were well developed and seemed authentic. I especially loved BD, Meg and Rufus as captivating side characters.

I wish we’d learned more about Noah’s motivations and his feelings for Lanie more consistently throughout the book. I didn’t need a dual POV necessarily but just more exposure to his perspective. I also wouldn’t characterize this as an enemies to lovers. That is one of my least favorite tropes and I would have possibly skipped such a wonderful book!

I didn’t get most of the pop culture references but I think that’s probably an age/generation thing but I didn’t need them to stay engrossed.

I loved the inclusion of the book chapters and the work as an editor, that was fun to read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I very much appreciate it!

I enjoyed this quick and fun read. I couldn’t put it down but then I tried to slow down to make it last longer. The characters were great ; …. Very Likable and well developed. The only thing I didn’t like was the breakup with Ryan, her fiancé. They had been together for years and broke up on a whim before she realized what she was doing. However the rest of the book was well done and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

A sweet contemporary romance about an editor at a publishing house whose career is dependent on getting the reclusive star author to deliver a new manuscript on time. Only she finds out the truth about the author (and herself, of course). Lanie is likeable and quirky and the love interest, Noah, is not quite as three dimensional but you still get why she falls for him. Lanie’s friends are good sidekicks and the book feels grounded ven in the more fantastical elements. My biggest issue is that the last quarter of the book felt compressed. It needed to be drawn out more. Still, enjoyable to read.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I instantly fell in love with this book. I didn’t want to put it down. I adore it. I cannot wait for March 1st so I can buy a physical copy and hug it.

Its fast pace writing will make you want to binge read it. And my only complaint is it’s over. I finished it and wanted more. I would happily read a 2nd book and 3rd with these characters! Would absolutely love that!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publishing team for providing me with this ARC!

I was pleasantly surprised to realize this was Lauren Kate whom I had previously read fantasy for.

This book took me by surprise! We follow Lanie, who is on the editorial staff of a publishing house getting ready to launch the next book for one of their most popular authors, an author whose books greatly impacted Lanie's life. Then she meets said author and all goes topsy-turvy from there.

The writing style for this book was comical and easy to follow. I appreciated Lanie's journey, her relationships, and how her journey begins and ends. I think Lanie learning to navigate the idea she has of Noah/love vs what the reality is was nicely done. At first, I didn't really think she needed to be that upset at finding out the truth (and still don't) but I also get it. The romance was nice though you felt Noah was already invested in things vs Lanie who still grappled with things (which is valid considering she ended an engagement so abruptly and we all collectively forgot about him). In all honesty, the story didn't focus on the romance as much as it was on Lanie learning to love what she needed for herself. The story kept me engaged and entertained because it was about all relationships of life that one goes through which translated so nicely to what Noah's final book theme was about. I liked how steady Lanie and Noah's relationship actually began and morphed into what it was. When I got to the last page, I was shocked it <i>was</i> the last page. It left me wanting just a little more.

Definitely a feel-good read! It also gave me quite the urge to quit my job and want to go into book editing.

I really enjoyed this romance. Lanie, an editor, has a deadline for Noa Calloway’s new romance but Noa has writers block. And Noa, a female writer, is actually Noah Ross, a cute guy. The story follows Lanie helping Noah with his writers block before the deadline or she’ll lose her newly promoted position. Along the way l, she starts to fall for Noah, her email friend of 7 years.

The romance was cute and so were the adventures Noah and Lanie went on. Noa Calloway reminded me of Nicholas Sparks, who’s one of the most famous romance writers. It was interesting to read about Noah’s reasoning for not coming forward and how that was handled. Maybe one day we’ll get a sequel to see how his reveal was received.

My only issue was how Lanie handled her long term relationship with Ryan. She knew it wasn’t a great fit but it was sort of rushed so she was single again. They weren’t a good match but the breakup felt rushed.

I would definitely recommend this book. It’s a cute read.

Oh my! By Any Other Name is such a great book. I loved the backdrop of the literary world, the enemies to friends and finding love in the end. Lanie and Noah’s story as editor and writer starts out funny and cute and then turns deeper as the story goes. A fast read for sure. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC - it’s a good one!

Yes, super cute read!! Loved the writing, the characters, EVERYTHING!! I read this book in one setting and couldn’t put it down. I honestly wish it was longer!

*Thank you to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*

Absolutely loved this romantic-comedic heart felt story. The entire book, I kept waiting and waiting for the two main characters to get together. The suspense for how and win was tied up in the last pages of the book. The in between stories melded together quite a love story.

I loved this book, even though I knew where it was going with the romantic interest, I was still invested in getting all the details. The characters were hilarious and I wish they were my friend group. The only thing I with were different was the ending. I feel like I still have unanswered questions. Is this the opening for a follow up book?

I guess I am committed to always love books about books/publishing/editing/etc. :) This book was so sweet and fun! I enjoyed it! I don't think it was "enemies to lovers" by any means, more so just miscommunication... I enjoyed the cast of characters, and it also felt like a love letter to New York City in a way. I liked how everything wrapped up but the pacing kind of fell off for me towards the end, the tone of the book changed quite a bit.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

INCREDIBLE this was amazing and so funny and so sweet and so great it is one of my favorite books of all time and I am so lucky to have received it early

A sweet, enjoyable read -- I was really invested for the majority of the book, but I thought that the pacing fell off about 80% of the way through. The connection between the two MCs became a little dull as a result -- the stakes seemed to vanish towards the end.

I want to start out by saying, this book is not a romance book and it being marketed as one might actually hurt it more than help it. That isn't to say the book is bad, but it should be categorized as contemporary fiction rather than romance.

I liked the premise of this book. Lanie is an editorial assistant at a publishing company that just so happens to represent one of the best romance authors in the business, Noa Callaway. The twist? Nobody knows who Noa Callaway is except two people at Lanie's work who have signed NDA's. Lanie is a HUGE fan of Noa's work and has actually become friends with her through years and years of emails. So when Lanie gets promoted to Noa's editor and they officially meet, she finds out that she is actually a man, Noah Ross, writing under the guise of the female Noa Callaway. And another issue? Noah is late with his next book. Lanie needs to help inspire Noah to write his next book or she gets the boot.

I found this book so very predictable, and honestly a little boring. You could skip whole chapters of this book and still know what is going on. One of the biggest plot points is the reveal to Lanie that Noah is actually a man, and she ends up getting very upset about this, so much so that she walks out on him. I just don't see why that matters so much. I feel like it was made out to be more of a betrayal than it really needed to be. So what, he's a man? How does that change the way you see a book? Suddenly you don't like it anymore just because the author isn't who you expected them to be? Sorry, no. The rest of the book is basically just Lanie and Noah going around the city to try to find inspiration for his next novel. Nothing really amazing happens. The characters and plot just kind of fell flat.

Sorry, I really thought this was going to be a good one, the synopsis sounded like it's every book nerds dream, but I just didn't click with it. It is a quick read, I finished it within a day. I feel like if you are strictly a fiction reader, then this might be one you would like. But I wouldn't recommend it for a contemporary romance fan.

*Thanks to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*

An interesting rom com that I didn’t love but I also didn’t hate. I was kind of meh about it the whole way through.

I loved this book! Yes, it contains many tropes, oversimplifications, and many unrealistic serendipitous meetings, but it's also funny and sweet, and filled with wonderful New York landmarks. I found myself looking up pictures of the various places mentioned, such as Pomander Walk and the Cloisters, and it added to the atmosphere of the book. Plot-wise, it was very similar to Beach Read by Emily Henry, except instead of 2 authors engaging in various romantic non-dates to cure writer's block, it's an author and an editor. Despite the already-used storyline, the writing was very good, it had a nice slow burn throughout, and I loved getting an inside view of the workings of a publishing house. The ending was very sweet and satisfying as well. This is not a steamy romance AT ALL, but for what it was, I thought it was great.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book really enjoyable. It was a light, fun kind of book that could be read on vacation. I really liked the two main characters and the plot kept me interested the whole time.

If I was writing this review
a la Noa Calloway style, it would be titled "17 reasons" and it would list in vivid, descriptive detail all the reasons you should add this book to the top of your TBR list. It would be heartfelt and funny and just the right amount of tender to make you swoon and maybe shed a tear or two. You'd bring it up at dinner parties and cry about it with your friends at Girls' Nights, and your therapist would never hear the end of how much this review just *gets* you. But since I'm not a tall, dark, and handsome man living in Upstate New York, and since I've never masqueraded as a grandmotherly New York Times bestselling author, and since I've ~definitely never ridden a bright red motorcycle off the Amalfi coast, I'll save us all the embarrassment and just say this instead: Read! This! Book!

From page one Lauren Kate crafted a story I was giddy about, and I loved following Lanie and Noah through their relationship. It didn't feel like a true enemies to lovers plot, and usually I'd be irritated that I was promised is-this-hate-or-do-they-actually-want-to-kiss banter, but I actually really enjoyed that the main conflict between the two was resolved fairly early in the book, and we do still get plenty of teasing back-and-forth. My only complaint with By Any Other Name is I could have easily read another 100 pages of Lanie and Noah's story; the ending snuck up on me, and I wasn't completely satisfied with how the book ended so quickly. All in all though, Lauren Kate wrote a stunner of a book and I'm fully anticipating By Any Other Name taking Booktok by storm come March.