Lauren Kate has written a lovely slow-paced romance. I throughly enjoyed the enemies to lovers story with a few secrets sprinkled throughout.

This book didn't feel like a romance at all for me. It's women's fiction with a small side of romance. I can't lie, I was hoping for something very different. I liked Lanie's character arc and the development of her relationship with Noah was good, but it was not enough to call this book a romance.

I liked Noah more than Lanie, and I hope this had been dual POV, because I would have loved reading his thoughts. He was a very interesting character but in the end, we barely know anything about him. He was very secretive during the entire book, and only in the end we got a glimpse of what he really feels for Lanie or when it started happening. Again, not enough for a romance.

This book was one of my most anticipated reads of 2022, and I'm sad it didn't meet my expectations.

Thanks to the publisher for my advance review copy.

This book started out well for me. The premise is interesting: a young editor is put in charge of her favorite author, only to discover her preconceived notions are wrong. The writing is solid as well. However, the pacing felt slow and the plot lost steam before I could get invested in it. I love an enemies to lovers trope, but what makes it work is the tension and build up with a good dose of chemistry that I didn't feel in this book.

Lanie's life has been shaped by her love of Noa Callaway's books. They are the entire reason she went into publishing. Now that she has the opportunity to work closely with her favorite romance author she discovers that Noa is nothing like what she had envisioned. In fact Noa is actually Noah and he is no where near finished with the book she needs to keep her job secure, Despite feeling betrayed as Lanie spends time with Noah she begins to see glimpses of how the man in front of her could have written the words that have moved her for years.

I was charmed by this book despite not at all understanding why Noah using.a pen name was such a big deal, I did think that Lanie completely over reacted to the revelation. Luckily it blows over quickly as get to know each other better, I say better because the two had been in touch for years when Lanie was the assistant to Noah's editor so their relationship already has a foundation. It also helps the Noah is a man who pays attention. This was a slow burn romance. So slow I was watching the end creep nearer with dismay.

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

As I’m writing this review I have to note that it’s 4:55am, and I’ve stayed up all night reading because I simply couldn’t put it down.

Lanie is living in my ideal world and I am beyond jealous. She’s a successful editor in New York City who is in love and happy. When I read the blurb I had some assumptions on what could go down… I was wrong.. and it was written brilliantly! Things completely fall apart, but they are stitched back together so beautifully!

And the last chapter that Noah wrote gave me goosebumps! I can’t remember the last time that happened. Obviously I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

There is only one reason this isn’t a 5 star book for me, what would make this book even more satisfying… an epilogue, bonus futuretake, something… I need to see a glimpse of their HEA or more of their story. I want to READ them together. I’m hoping the author will eventually give us something.

I was given this book for free from NetGalley for my honest opinion.

Started this with high hopes that the first few chapters justified, but then it all went downhill from there. She had preconceived notions about what the author should be like and when she turned out to be a he, she flipped out and was really quite unprofessional. And I really just didn’t understand why it was so bad that the author was a he. Something about having to turn in a feminist card? Like, why can’t a guy right about live and romance? I might have liked this much more without that issue. Like, maybe he made a bad impression on her and now they have to work together? That I can see. But really, she’s the one who made a bad impression when they first meet by implying that she’s only there to get a book for his wife and get laid.

Lauren kate was my absolute favorite author growing up. I have read her Fallen series so many times, i cant even count. So, i was excited to see she wrote a romance book! I do have to say, i was expecting more. The love connection build up between Noah and Lannie is sweet, but slow and isnt quite fulfilling. The book overall was well written, and i enjoyed the book. I'm excited to see what Lauren Kate does next!

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam for the ARC.

I requested this book because someone described it like ‘You’ve Got Mail’ and I can see why they said that but I personally wouldn’t describe it that way.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and thought it was well-written. The romance between the two main characters is a slow burn and done very well. I believed it and was rooting for them to get together. I liked how the story progressed and the character development. I would definitely recommend this book to readers looking for a somewhat lighthearted and grabbing romance.

Wow... Despite the fact that I had plenty of other things that needed to get done today, I read "By Any Other Name," stealing moments with it here and there throughout the day because I just needed to read what happened next.

This book is a slow-burn journey of self-discovery, love and finding the perfect (for you) partner.

As an author, editor and publisher, I love reading stories based around writing and publishing, and some of the trickier aspects of author branding and marketing. And this one completely delivered for me!

The secondary characters provided spice for a story that I thoroughly enjoyed, as Lanie and Noah's story unfolded.

Brava, Lauren Kate. And thank you NetGalley and Penguin for the review copy.

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam for the arc.

This has one of my favorite tropes (and the favorite of many others), enemies to lovers. Although I enjoy a good slow burn romance, this was a little TOO slow burn about 25% before the characters ever met which was just frustrating, but it’s okay!! The rest of the book made up for it! A solid fluffy romance.

Thank you Putnam and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel. All opinions are that of my own.

In complete honesty I don't exactly know how I feel about this book. I want to say I did enjoy it and I do feel good recommending it to others to read it, but it wasn't a favorite book. I adore when books are written about the publishing world and this book is that!

My biggest issue with this book is that it didn't feel complete. It took to 24% of the way through the book to get to the characters meeting. Look I can handle slow burn and even later for characters to meet (looking at you Fastest Way to Fall), but there's like no conversation between them up to that point. I mean technically they've been emailing for the past 7 years, but there aren't enough emails or moments leaning back on those to make me feel like they know each other.

I liked where the characters were going and I could start to see some of the build-up, but there wasn't much chemistry between them. Maybe if their emails had been shown more or slipping into their history had occurred I wouldn't feel this way. Idk.

That ending was anti-climatic. I seriously read it like three times making sure that it was the end of the book. The fallout of everything was SO needed and it was skipped.

I did love BD and she was the shining light in it all. I want BD as my own. I loved Lainie's history and how she came to be in her work. Lainie was a great main character and I wanted so much more for her.

I don't want to seem like this was a terrible read because it wasn't! I did enjoy it! I desperately need to get to NYC to feel the full magic that was written about. And I definitely will pick up additional releases by Lauren Kate as the come. It just fell a bit flat and I wanted more.

Let me start off by saying that this book was charming, and I could have easily read it in one sitting. The minor characters (BD, Meg, Rufus) were the brightest spots, particularly BD. That being said, I had some major issues with the storyline, the pacing, and the marketing.

First, the storyline: Lanie's anger and feelings of betrayal upon learning the true identity of Noa Callaway was frankly ridiculous. Pen names are common, especially in genre fiction like romance, and truly... who cares? Her indignation felt super disproportionate. I understand that she idolized this author, and it caught her off guard, but it felt a little silly for her to worry about being "complicit" to the "lie."

Second, the pacing: I love a slow burn as much as the next reader, but the chemistry wasn't there so it didn't really spark to begin with and then the book just...ended. I understand wanting to do something a little different, maybe trying to step away from the traditional pacing of a rom-com, but the execution wasn't there.

Third, the marketing: This book is not enemies-to-lovers. They're not enemies and they're not lovers, and I think that marketing line is going to hurt this book because it won't meet reader expectations. The good news is, it's not too late for your team to find a new tagline!

A little bit predictable, a little bit unexpected, but a whole host of enjoyable and entertaining pages comprise Lauren Kate’s new novel By Any Other Name, due out in March, 2022. A book written within a book is always fun to read, and this is no exception. The story of book editor Lanie and her “star” author Noa is a beautiful story full of self-discovery, love, and romance that will take the reader on a magical journey. Thank you NetGalley for an advanced eCopy of this lovely tale.

This novel is definitely perfect for hopeless romantics and lovers of love. It was an incredibly sweet and light-hearted read that put such a big smile on my face. Lanie and Noah had incredible chemistry, and I really liked their dynamic! In addition, the dialogue was very well-written and engaging. The banter between the characters made me laugh out loud on multiple occasions.

I loved Lanie as a protagonist and I had a blast reading from her perspective. Noah is such a swoon-worthy love interest, and I was quite sad to let him go. He is incredibly thoughtful and pays attention to the little things even after years have gone by, which is all that any hopeless romantic could wish for in a partner.

The only part that disappointed me was the rushed ending. It would have been more satisfying to have an epilogue or gone into, but I still enjoyed this book nonetheless. Overall, I definitely recommend this as a super cute and quick read that’ll make you fall in love with love.

thank you to Putnum Books and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Read this if you:
*have ever wanted to be a book editor
*enjoy witty banter
*like swoon worthy characters

This book was SO DANG CUTE!!! I read this super quickly & was immersed right away. Laine is a hopeless romantic. Noa/Noah is an author who writes romance. BD (Lanies grandma) make me laugh out loud multiple times. This has everything I wanted in a rom-com. This book make my heart happy!

Thank you NetGalley & Putnam for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: March 1

There are so many things that I like about this book, but a few things that bothered me and kept it from being a 5 star read for me.

What I liked:

1. Lanie's voice was great. It was humorous and sincere. I thought she carried the story really well and it was fun to be inside her head. I also appreciated her background and family history. I thought she was a well-rounded character.
2. The chemistry between Noah and Lanie was great. For a couple that really only kisses once (and even then it's practically on the last page of the book) I thought they had great chemistry together and romantic tension.
3. There were several side-characters that made me smile. I loved meeting Lanie's colleagues and Noah's family. They all added something to the story--both levity and weight when it was needed.
4. It was hard to put down. I really wanted to see how the story (and the story Noah was writing!!!) would work out. The suspense with that was well-timed.

What didn't sit well with me:
1. I cannot fathom why there was so much fuss made over Noah's gender. I get Lanie felt betrayed somehow because her favorite author was a man and not a woman like everyone imagined, but shouldn't we also assume that an author who does ZERO publicity or abstains from any type of appearances might be using a pen name and might be more than what we assume about them since we know NOTHING about this author?

2. The gender thing. Yes, I'm still on it. They made a huge stink about Noah being a man writing under a woman's pen name... I'm having a hard time accepting the fact that it matters that he's a man. Is it possible for readers to enjoy a book and not care if it's a man or woman writing it? I think so. I think his books were judged on their merits (which they were best-sellers several times over and he had fans all over the world) and not on his gender. People weren't buying the books because he was a woman. They were buying the books because they enjoyed reading them. Wait for it... I actually like that a lot. I like that you can pick up a book and not judge it by its author's gender or identity. They went so far as to say that Noah would be "cancelled" because he was a man writing romance under a female pen name. I think we can find more important things to "cancel" someone over besides an author just trying to sell books that he enjoys writing.

3. I didn't like how there was so much pressure put on Noah from Lanie to reveal his identity. I think he eventually came to the conclusion on his own, but he was definitely nudged there repeatedly by Lanie. I don't think he owed it to anyone to reveal his true name. It's one thing if he makes the choice for himself. It's another if he's bullied into it, which it felt like more of a self-righteous push from Lanie than a sincere approach from Noah to tell his fans his real identity. Other people keep their personal and professional life separate all the time in any other profession... why isn't an author allowed the same courtesy? Are readers so demanding that they deserve to know every aspect about a writer's life with full clarity?

4. They made such a fuss about revealing Noah's identity and then there was NO closure once he did. We didn't see any fall out or reaction from the fans. This BIG reveal was promised and then there's no follow up. The book just ends. Sure the romance get's some quick *very quick* closure, but the whole reason behind the secret identify of Noa Calloway is just left hanging.

5. The cover doesn't seem to match the book. I don't know. Usually covers don't bother me at all, but this one feels off.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced reading copy of the book. All opinions are my own.

Lanie is in college studying for premed when her roommate introduced her to a book that would change her life forever. She becomes a book editor instead and creates her own checklist of 99 things to make her own perfect match. Ryan ticks off all those boxes and now they're engaged. Then she has an opportunity of a lifetime to become the editor for Noa Calloway, her inspiration since college. But when they meet face-to-face her hero is nothing like she expected and suddenly everything in her own life is in question.
I like the fact that they're email friends for 7 years before meeting, and I get the disillusionment when they first meet. But her whole reaction shows why Noa's identity should be kept a secret. I like that Noa wanted the next book to have more meaning than the meet-cutes and Lanie's ideas to help with inspiration. But at 99% done with the book and no happy ending, I was starting to wonder if I'd be left hanging like the last chapter in 2000 picnics. Overall just OK for me.

I was obsessed with this story and could not put it down! I was in tears reading the last few chapters, they were perfection. This was a really original concept for me, and I thoroughly enjoyed this!!

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

By Any Other Name is a cute, if formulaic and expected, novel that fits into this genre perfectly. There’s nothing outstanding about it, but it serves up the promised premise of enemies to lovers, with mistaken identities and mostly likable protagonists. I think Noa/Noah was the more interesting and well conceived of the two, though we don’t really ever get inside his head. I sort of filled in the blanks with Dominic West’s character from The Affair, as his name is also Noah and he’s an author. Maybe that made me gravitate more towards him. While the author skips over many of the cultural complexities and character nuances that could’ve deepened the story and given this book some real gusto, I do think it will appeal as a simple beach read.

This novel is definitely what you would call a “meet/cute” romance. It was a light read that I needed after reading a dark and despairing novel. It was fluffy and fun and gave you the feeling that love is possible.

I liked the way the story portrayed the many books written by Noa Callaway. I liked that the novel was based on writing a novel. I feel like it allowed the author to get creative in writing the details of each of the books the pen author in the novel wrote.

I feel like as readers we could have had more of the lists of places to visit for Noah to get inspired. It felt like it was too quick. The character development was good but I would have loved to see more on Noah’s side. He was this amazing author that the world unknowingly loved and we really didn’t get to delve into who he actually was besides what he said.

The ending was too dramatic and short for the flow of the rest of the novel. Maybe an epilogue would have helped make it so the novel didn’t seem like it just ended with a quickly written HEA.

All in all this novel was a fluffy read. Something you can easily conquer while flying on a plane or taking a long drive. It’s light hearted. It has its funny moments. A definite recommend ti anyone looking for any of the above.