This book took me a while to get through... it is a serious, slow burn, third person pov book. I found myself struggling to finish and while this should have been a quick read, it took me longer than expected. I did like the setting and friendship aspect but the romance just wasn't there for me.

- 3/5 🌟
- Third-person POV
- NYC setting
- mental health rep
- clean
- slow burn

Overview:

Raelynn (Rae) had this goal to meet the perfect man at 25 and get married and have kids as she feels like time is slipping away rather too quickly. She then met Dustin, whom she then knew struggles with depression, but their love for each other conquers it all.

Review:

What I love about this book was how real it is. It’s raw, emotional, and genuine, that I think a lot of people could relate to. It shows that not everything is about clichés and the usual sunshine and rainbows. Sometimes darkness and the severity of our mental health issues can bring out the worse in us (speaking from personal experience) and it always, always sucks, but sometimes we can’t help it.

Though I loved that aspect of the book, I didn’t quite connect with Rae’s character. And don’t get me started on with Ellen. I know she was just being a friend to Rae, constantly worried about Rae, but the way she would put Dustin out to be was not it for me. The least she could do is understand that Dustin has depression and is mentally ill, but instead of trying to understand Rae’s connection to Dustin, she instead implies that it might be better if they’re off without one another like…

The ending too didn’t do its justice to me. It left me wanting moreee like okay do they end up together? Or???

Overall this book is really an eye-opener for me. I enjoyed it, liked it, but did not love it. 3/5 🌟

Not only did I not enjoy this book, I am personally appalled that something like this would be published. Depression is represented in the most inane light, complete falsities about women's reproductive systems and child bearing capabilities are presented as fact, and I not only lost brain cells reading this, I lost respect for the author. I haven't been so incensed by a book in a very long time. I'm a woman who has lived with depression and anxiety since I can remember, and I had a baby at the age of 39. I'm deeply, deeply offended by this book.

I struggled putting this book down. Lindsay MacMillian does an amazing job showing Raes growth throughout the years. I found myself relating to the main character in multiple scenarios especially with putting a time stamp on my expectations in life. This is more than just a love story it’s about the character learning to love herself and choosing her expectations for herself over others. I would suggest this book for young adults as they can learn that life shouldn’t be a time line you follow it should just be lived.

The Heart of the Deal centers on Rae, a woman in her mid-twenties working in the all-consuming world of Wall Street finance but who dreams of one day becoming a published poet. The book follows her from her 25th birthday as she attempts to hold on to her very structured timeline for the future while navigating love and relationships as a young adult.

I agree with other reviews that while this feels like it would be a rom-com of sorts, it absolutely isn’t. There are charming moments, but it’s a more serious take on love in your twenties. I enjoyed and related to her struggles to take the jump and dive into her dream career when she had the stability, however draining and soul-crushing, of her Wall Street job.

I wanted to like this book. I think if I was younger and not weeks from turning 30, I may have had more empathy and understanding for Rae’s fears of being unwed at 30. It feels like a very immature view on love, but maybe that was a very conscious choice for the character.. I also struggled with the way depression was handled in this book. It sometimes seemed to be somewhat romanticized and at other times trivialized or completely misunderstood. Again, I’m unsure if this was a purposeful choice to show Rae’s naïveté about the subject, so I can’t fault the book for the parts that didn’t connect with me. It could very well be a case of me being the wrong audience for The Heart of the Deal

Don't be deceived by this cartoon, cutesy cover. This is a book with really deep feelings. It covers love in friend love, platonic love, self love, deep soul love, love amongst family. I think some people wont' like the ending. I have mixed feelings. Some people like a lot of closure and this books is very open ended with no epilogue to give that closure sense. I think this book is important though. It gives you a look into a dark side of depression. While you are not learning from the POV of Dustin who suffers from depression, you are invested in Rea who is his partner/caregiver/friend. She loves everything about Dustin, until sometimes even her love was too much and she had no more to give. At times I felt like she thought depression would just go away and it would no longer exist. At the end she voices that this isn't true and that Dustin will always have it. I think this shows how you can grow as you learn more about something you don't deal with. Was Rea right to walk away when Dustin was at another low? I hope to think that helped him truly get help when his mom got involved. There is so much I want to know about Dustin that is left up in the air as well. I don't know if I liked the ending. I simply couldn't imagine Rea leaving her corporate world to try to write poetry, it just seemed so extreme. I am not at all surprised she went back to Dustin. I think they connect on a soul level, and no matter what she tries she will always be tied to him. I don't know how life will turn out for them, I imagine they will have some deep conversations, there will still be low days, but I now Rea and Dustin are meant to be. I wish you could have gotten more from Dustin at the end. I know he would have that deep talk with Rea, but I wish I could have seen it (read it) to get the closure I needed to know that Rea would be okay one way or another.

Characters: 7/10
Atmosphere: 7/10
Writing Style: 8/10
Plot: 7/10
Intrigue: 7/10
Logic: 7/10
Enjoyment: 8/10

Overall Rating: 3.64/5

Quickly coming into your late 20's Rae, a Wall Street banker who wants to be a poet, has set a goal for herself to meet a man, get married by 30 and have 3 kids by 35. She dives into the world of dating apps and meets a number of duds and just when she has given up on them she meets Dustin. There is an instant connection and Rae starts to imagine a future with him. However, Dustin struggles with depression and it begins to test their relationship.

This book explores female friendships, mental health, and how much can you give of yourself before you need to reclaim yourself.

Oh man I have so many thoughts on this book. A few things you should know; This is not a romcom so don't expect that, also this books covers some deep depression issues.
This was definitely a good read, I found myself heartbroken, frustrated, and all kinds of other emotions throughout it.

It took me a while to get into it so give it a few chapters to connect with the characters! I can't say I was really rooting for any of the romantic relationships, but I was rooting for her friendship with Ellen. I think this would be an awesome book club read, it would provide so much material to discuss!

Thank you Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought that this book was going to be a rom-com based on the cover, but I was mistaken. This book is more of journey of self discovery for the main character Rae as she approaches age thirty. I really related to this book being so close to the age of thirty myself and how there are these "timelines" that we make for ourselves. I liked how the book took place over an extended period of time but I felt the pacing of the story to be somewhat off. The introduction was very long but other parts seemed to be quickly jumped over. This book is quite heavy. There is a lot of talk of depression and mental health struggles and how they affect the people around them. I really didn't expect the ending at all. Overall, I enjoyed this debut novel and look forward to seeing future work by the author.

(I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.)

I feel like I have a loooot to say about this book, but let's start with the basics. This is a debut novel by Lindsay MacMillan. Rae is a woman in her mid-twenties working in finance and living in New York. On her 25th birthday, surrounded by her group of girlfriends, she starts to freak out, when she realizes that she needs to find a partner quite soon (like, right now!) if she wants to be on track with her desired life plan: being married by 30 and having three kids by 35. Because of this, she tries to find love in dating apps. While all of this is going on, Rae is also a poet at heart and would like to someday quit her corporate job and finally give her passion a try. On her journey, Rae will meet some very special people, work on her friendships and get to know herself even better.

Soooo here are my thoughts: I just couldn't put this book down! In the beginning, I wasn't sure what to think of it. I think that was mainly because I went into this novel thinking it would be a typical romance and, let me tell you, it is not! I would say that this is a coming-of-age story and I appreciated that a lot. Obviously, romance plays a big part on the book, there's no use denying that, but I'm so very glad that the author focused our attention on Rae, her passions, her friendships, her career and basically her personal goals,

I really valued the complexity and depth of most characters. It was very refreshing to see their flaws as well as their "good" parts. I was a little conflicted about the portrayal of depression and people who suffer it, because the book definitely shows some pretty hard moments. Nevertheless, I thought it was a very raw and honest, which I also appreciated.

To sum up my thoughts: I genuinely treasure the realness of this book and I felt like I could relate sooo much to the main character on some aspects (I'm also very confused and conflicted about my future, okay?). The writing style was very poetic and absolutely stunning. There were so many moments in the book that were undeniably gorgeous! Aaaaaand I think this is mostly all I wanted to say without spoiling anything about the plot, but I can say that there also were some twists and turns that kept me so excited to keep reading <3

I wasn’t sure what to expect coming into this one…but it made me FEEL.

Happy, sad, angry with tears streaming. This was so relatable. The writing it beautiful and the story is even better.

4 strong stars from me. I highly recommend.

Rae has a plan to get married by 30 and have 3 kids by 35. The problem is that she is currently single and fast approaching her self-imposed deadline. As a woman climbing the ladder on Wall Street who secretly wants to quit an become a poet, she isn't having much luck finding the right guy. Then she meets Dustin and they click. Dustin struggles with depression and Rae struggles with supporting him. Will he be the right one to help her reach her timeline?

I wanted to love this book, but I just couldn't get there. Maybe it's because I'm 35 and I couldn't get behind the repeated inaccuracy of all your eggs drying up by 35. Or it could be the romanticizing of a toxic relationship that didn't sit right with me. I am someone who makes change happen when I'm not happy with something in my life, so maybe I just didn't see any of myself in Rae. I think it's probably all of those things. I know everyone makes some poor decisions in their 20s, but Rae had so many opportunities to make a change and did nothing. The relationship with Dustin was so unhealthy that I couldn't root for them. I also really wanted Rae to talk to a doctor about the reality of fertility. Her best friend, Ellen, (by far my favorite character of the book), is the friend we all hope to have who can tell us the truth we don't want to hear and love us no matter whether we listen or not.

On the plus side, MacMillan's writing is beautiful. I would absolutely read another book by her with a less problematic storyline.

Thank you to Lindsay MacMillan, NetGalley, and Alcove Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"The heart of the deal" is a new adult romance. The book had quite short chapters and is easy to read. I really enjoyed this book.

The book follows Rae, who after her 25th birthday, starts to think she'll never find love. Her roommates make her download a dating app and they make her go on a date with Tim. However, after 46 minutes, the date ends and Rae goes back to her usual life. She agrees with her roommate Ellen to go on a dating app ban, but one day, she gets a random text from someone named Dustin. They decide to go out for tea, but after Dustin leaves before the hour mark, Rae is sertain that he didn’t like her. However, a few days pass and Rae gets another message from Dustin, asking her to go with him to a Christmas party.

This book was a nice read. The pairing is a really good fit in my opinion and I really feel like they compliment eachother. The writing is really well done and really adds to their relationship as well.

Amongst the writing and story being really good, I also thought that the characters was really well written. They were both very developed characters and it really complimented eachother. Rae dreams of becoming a poet one day, but that's not her whole personality. She has a lot of detail to her, for eg. in the way she uses the toothpaste. As for Dustin, you start of thinking that he's so deeply into his work, but you soon realise that there's so much more to him.

It was so easy to feel for and to like these characters, and the story was really good too. I would definitely recommend this book, especially if you like these types of stories.

For more reviews and recommendations from me, you can find more of my socials here: https://linktr.ee/MarieSomerville

It was difficult to fully immerse myself into this novel but nonetheless I pushed through. Wished the pacing of the novel could be done better but I enjoy the touch of platonic love and it's refreshing that you don't see that often in typical rom coms.

I was not able to get into The Heart of the deal. The plot was interesting and the cover was cute. I wasn't able to find a reason to finish the book after all and did not finish it at about 25 percent. This story can still be for others, it just didn't work for me.

Thank you Netgalley and publishers for allowing me the chance to read and review this.

A little unsure about this one. As someone who is guilty of having 3 books on the go, I was really looking forward to The Heart of the Deal as it promised Rom-com easy reading but it didn’t quite live up to expectations.

There were elements I really enjoyed: the depiction of female friendships, a protagonist grappling to forge a healthy work-life balance and the way she challenges misogyny in the workplace with her poems.

However, the romance elements of the book is where I felt it fell flat. I think many people will relate to the fertility concerns that Rae has but reading about the way she sacrifices so much of herself in an attempt to be Dustin’s saviour was difficult to read.

The Heart Of The Deal opens on our main character Rae's 25th birthday. Her biological clock is ticking, and she makes a rash vow--schedule included--to be married by thirty so she can have her kids by 35.

It sounds like the premise of a comedy, but this is anything but. The Heart of the Deal is an unflinching, unromanticized, and utterly compelling exploration of love, friendship, mental illness, and the cost of commitment. It is real; it is raw, with occasional moments of light humor, biting social commentary, and some exquisite poetry. You can't help rooting for these characters. Rae and her best friend Ellen are the kind of friends we all wish we had--supportive and yet brutally honest when necessary. Rae's experiences working on Wall Street are by turns enraging and inspiring. The detailed, concrete glimpses of New York City life makes this a vivid read; it's clear the author is writing from lived experience.

The book covers a full five years, but it's a testament to the quality of the story that the time rarely feels skimmed over.

Thank you NetGalley for this E-ARC !
This book deserves 5 stars. I love all romcoms taking place in NYC . It makes it so much better. Rae and Dustin are the main characters . They both have their issues, I feel for Rae I always thought you had to be married by 30. Now being 30 I’m glad I’m not married. I love watching Rae grow as a character. I HIGHLY recommend this book.

Once I started this I could not stop. Rae’s journey in this book is fantastic.
Her platonic love is just as, if not more important and amazing in this story as the romantic love. Her self discovery and growth was fantastic. The writing was beautiful and it was so nice to read about someone in their 30’s instead of 20’s. It felt very relatable and made me laugh, cry and everything in between.
This is a great read and I will be recommending it to everyone I know

This story explores many forms of love: romantic, platonic, self-love and more. It’s not your straight-shot rom com but an HONEST story full of highs and lows about finding yourself and following your heart. What you thought you wanted out of life may not be what you truly need ⁠— even if you get it. I recommend going into this book with an open mind and get ready for some raw depictions of true depression.

I’ve never highlighted so many quotes in a book I read for leisure before. The writing is perfectly poetic and SO REAL. It felt heart-wrenching to be in the shoes of someone looking at another with depression. Usually, the author puts us into that person’s POV, and we can make judgements from their thoughts but we’re seeing it secondhand. How do you love someone who can’t love themselves? And how do you continue without dulling your own sunshine? As someone who’s been through these stages of life and experienced depression, the only thing I kept flinching at was when Rae kept saying “when he’s better”. I kept thinking, oh, sweetie, no. It’s unpredictable and you could work on controlling it, but it never really goes away — like that hum in your heart.

This is a book I didn’t know I needed. I'm glad Rae was able to leave when she did at each turning point. The ending is a bit open-ended, but I loved it. I know; WHY am I like this? I'm rooting for you, Rae. I couldn’t stop ugly crying after I read the last few lines of the book. BEAUTIFULLY balanced writing that brings out the depths of human emotions.

Thanks to NetGalley & Alcove Press for an advanced copy of this book. And thanks to Lindsay MacMillan for sneezing so much poetic snot into this world. I'm hoping to catch that cold.