Heartfelt.
Heartbreaking.
A roller coaster ride of emotions: despair, joy, resignation.
When the romance between Davey and Hannah had some bumps I almost walked away from the book because I don’t need more sadness. However, I stuck it out and I’m glad I did.
One never knows where life and relationships will lead us. You must have to stick it out.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
"The Man I Never Met" by Elle Cook was a beautifully written, funny, heartbreaking & original book about a non-traditional take on a love story.
It had me smiling & crying the whole time.
I would definitely read another book by Ms. Cook.

This is seriously the most fun way to get to know someone and I am dreaming of this becoming a movie! Please tell me that's happening! The next door neighbor is a gem, and I hope I become her later in life. Hannah is so perfectly written - she's flawed enough to be believable and likable but she's not a bumbling idiot like a slap-stick romcom book. I loved this!

I went into this book completely blind and I am so glad that I did. If I had assummed it was a rom-com, I would have been very disappointed, as this book is most certainly not a rom-com. What it is, is a wonderful blend of contemporary romance with a whole lot of heart and the best of women’s fiction.

This story takes us on the journey of Hannah and Davey. What starts as an accidental text becomes a love story. But what happens when life gets in the way? What happen’s when the romantic HEAs of novels doesn’t happen in real life? This book is less about the happy ending and so much more about the journey to figure out where we belong, where we want to end up, and what we are willing to risk to get where we want to in life.

I loved each of these characters and felt for them, and their struggles, as if they were my close friends. The author’s character developement is so well rounded and detailed, I can see them existing completely off of the page and in the real world.

I listened to this on audio, and while both narrators were excellent, I have completely fallen in love with Fiona Button’s narration (this is the second book I have listened to her narrate). The pain she manges to depict on audio is breathtaking, and there were many tmes while listening, I could feel myself tearing up.

This was such a great read and I highly recommend it especially if you are looking for romance with a bit more depth. I cannot wait to read more from Elle Cook.

Read if you like:
•accidental meetings
•meet cutes
•romance with depth
•women’s fiction
•book by emily stone

Thank you to PRH Audio for the ALC, as well as Dell and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchage for my honest review.

thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review. This book surprised me, mostly because I thought that it was going to be an easy, light read, and I found myself laughing and then crying. There were some points in the book that I skimmed through as it seemed a little dry, but for the most part I really enjoyed this. Looking forward to reading the next book by Elle Cook.

4.5 start. Thank you to Netgalley for granting me this wish on this E-Arc. I lovveed loooveed this story. I kept screaming at my tablet and then I would laugh and I would cry. This had all the ingredients of a beautiful story and not just the MCs but I felt the friends had good story time as well.

I really loved the concept behind this story. This book really felt different than the usual romance books and I loved it! Knowing each other through an accidental phone call and slowly getting to know each other without meeting? Such a great concept!

Be ready for all the emotions in this book! I definitely recommend giving this a read!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Hannah picks up a call from an unknown number and meets an American man named Davey who misdialed her while calling into a job interview. She never expects to hear from him again. But when he gets the job overseas he and Hannah strike up a digital friendship which they hope will lead to a real life friendship, or maybe more, when he moves to London. But when Hannah goes to meet him at the airport, Davey isn’t there—and the reason why changes both of their lives in an instant. With their future together suddenly so uncertain, they don’t know what to do but try to move on from each other. Though their chance at love seems lost forever, neither is never far from the other’s thoughts. Will fate intervene once more to bring the two together, or will Davey always be the man that Hannah never met?

I thoroughly enjoyed this read! The will they wont they the whole book was so suspenseful. I originally read the description and found it interesting but totally forgot about what it was by the time I read it. At first glance I wondered if this was gonna be a love story that was based around a scam, but maybe I just listened to too many true crime podcasts! I'm so glad it wasn't. This was so heartbreaking and wholesome. I loved the dual perspective. Davey and Hannah's friends were so precious. Their romantic partners were truly awful and a foil to what they were leaving behind. I couldn't put this book down! I had to see what would happen.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review. This book releases 11/22

There was so much I wanted to love about this story! The premise was unique when Hannah picks up a call from an unknown number, she thinks nothing of it—it’s just an easygoing American named Davey who misdialed her while calling into a job interview. And when Hannah wishes him luck after clearing up the confusion, she never actually expects to hear from him again.

However, once you got into the meat of the story, it felt like there was a lot going on that didn’t need to. It was almost as if there were two stories going on at once. I did love the different travel scenes (I now want to plan a trip to Tuscany), and Hannah’s next door neighbor was a hoot!!

I was so in love with this story from the start. A wrong digit dialed led to a friendship and some deeper feelings as well. It was like the universe meant for Hannah and Davey to find each other. Then, right when they were finally going to meet, things changed drastically. This was when I realized the book wasn’t the rom-com I thought it was going to be, but honestly, I still adored this story.

Despite the bumps in the road and the difficult journeys both characters had to take, the universe never stopped trying to make this couple happen. I LOVE THAT! Fate, happenstance, whatever you want to call it, I delighted in the role it played in this story. Though waiting to find out if Davey+Hannah would happen was trying at times, I did appreciate watching them grow and make some major life decisions when they were apart.

An emotional roller coaster for sure! There was laughter and tears, happiness and heartbreak, and in the end, lots of warm and fuzzy feelings.

This felt original and refreshing to me! Two people meet through an international wrong number and gradually fall for each other through texts and video chats. I definitely didn’t see the twist coming but I appreciate and respect that the author let each character’s arc run its course rather than rushing them so the MCs could be together. Super fast read and oh so cute!

I was fully prepared for The Man I Never Met to be emotional, but it was also sweet and light-hearted, despite some heavier topics. But if you go into this one expecting a rom-com, you’ll probably be disappointed. While the first few chapters do read like a romance, including an adorable meet-cute, the book does take a more serious turn, but still manages to hold on to its joyful tone. I found myself not wanting to set this one aside, almost reading it within twenty-four hours.

Reminiscent of classic rom-com films like Sleepless in Seattle and When Harry Met Sally, I loved Hannah, I loved Davey, and I loved their friendship. An accidental call that turns into more, it may sound predictable, but their story is consuming. While they both go through a difficult journey, there is happiness ahead.

Hannah’s story opens at Christmastime and covers several years. I enjoyed spending the changing seasons with Hannah, traveling with her, and experiencing several different locales with her, including London. The author surprised me, introducing Davey’s point of view almost halfway into the story at a pivotal moment, and it worked! The second point of view increased the emotion and the anticipation.

Cook has also filled the book with wonderful side characters. I wanted to be friends with Hannah’s friends—and Davey’s best friend Grant may need his own book. Everyone should have a friend like him.

The Man I Never Met reminded me of Emily Stone’s books (Always, In December and One Last Gift), as well as The Certainty of Chance by Jacquelyn Middleton, which is set in London at Christmas. All books I’ve enjoyed. If you’re a fan of any of these authors, you’ll probably enjoy this one, as well!

Check out my reviews and playlists at A Book Wanderer

This book! I wasn’t expecting it. The description sounded like something I might be interested in - a complicated love story - so I took and chance on it. I haven’t read any of the author’s other books, but it was her first foray into contemporary fiction, and Elle Cook (aka Lorna Cook) knocked it out of the park. It made me laugh, cry, cry some more, then smile. The joy of Hannah and Davey’s initial meet-cute - a misdialed number number - that leads to a long-distance relationship, where they’ve never even met each other, a relationship that seems so full of potential, only to be derailed by a tragic event just when they’re on the cusp of something really great. The book is single POV right up until their “breakup” when we then start to get both POV, which really amps up the heartbreak and drama. We follow Hannah as she tries to move on from Davey, rebounding to her friend George and half-heartedly trying to keep that relationship alive. We get Davey’s perspective as he tries to survive and get his life back. The obvious chemistry between the pair from the very beginning crests and wanes over time as they message or talk or see each other, but neither are truly willing to fully move on. This has all the heartbreaking, gut wrenching emotional depth and character investment you could want in a romance. Perfect for fans of Emily Stone!

Hannah receives a misdial from a man in America trying to reach his interviewer in London. He lets her know he got the job and she offers to help him find a place to live during one of their digital conversations. Their contact eventually evolves to video calls and they find that they really like each other. But then Davey is a no-show at the airport. Turns out he has testicular cancer and has to stay in TX for treatment. He ends their budding friendship and, although Hannah tries to move on, there’s always a part of her thinking of him. Perhaps it was never meant to be, or perhaps fate had something else in mind.

A fun premise with an engaging story. I don’t know if this is supposed to be romance, but I’d classify it as women’s fiction with romantic elements because both main characters have other relationships after meeting (maybe this is a British romance because I’ve noticed this in others I’ve read?).

I loved the premise of this romance. I loved the promise of funny banter and romantic intrigue that I thought the book would bring. I was mentally preparing myself for the likes of Christina Lauren. But I ended up with a slow, depressing story of missed connections and a side toxic relationship. I’m not sure even contemporary romance is the correct place for this, though I will admit that I was really invested in the beginning. Eventually the story was giving me JoJo Moyes’ Me Before You feels, in that deep guttural crying in the shower way. If I’m going to be emotionally gutted, I like to know what I’m stepping into. Ultimately, the book suffers from too little romantic investment and too much emotional suffering. It’s well written and I can see why some readers love it, but I was looking for a fluffy romantic good time and got a very different experience. 2.5 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my unbiased review!

When requesting the advanced copy, for The Man I Never Met, I expected a light-hearted easy read and what I got was neither. The book is made of mostly light-hearted banter, pulling you in instantaneously, and having you smiling by the end of page two. That said, Cook does a fantastic job of getting you attached, catching you off guard, causing mayhem on your emotions, and putting you back together by the end…read: you are in for quite the emotional roller coaster.

You will be reeled in from the first chapter alone, as Hannah’s internal dialogue is nothing short of amusing and relatable. Cook has built characters you probably encounter in your everyday life: the good-looking guy who isn’t quite what the outside shows, the gym rat…who might be just that, the older lady who may be the best friend you’ve ever had, and your best friend who pushes you to do things you most certainly would never do on your own. It’s these characters that will have you in a vise, take you on adventures, endure their mistakes, and find their true loves.

If you are looking for a good cry, laughs, and many adventures - this book is absolutely for you.

Trigger Warning and loss of star explanation contains SPOILERS at the end of the review.



**SPOILERS BELOW**



The book lost a star for two, kind of three, things. First, there is a character, who is rather unlikeable, who sticks around too long. We could have said goodbye to him a bit earlier and the complacency we see from Hannah in regard to his actions/words towards her is unsettling. Second, the apology does not cut it. I needed more drama and anger with this apology - Davey dropped her after everything they went through, traveled to London and didn’t tell her, and had her pining for him for a year and a half and she just accepts a simple “I’m sorry” after everything?

TW: Illness; Cancer; Loss; Controlling Partners; Food Control and Body Shaming via Partner

I keep going back and forth between 4.5 - 5 stars. I cried a lot during the book and it sent me on an emotional roller coaster.

In the UK, Hannah answers a misdialed call from the US. Davey was trying to call his potential employer because of an upcoming move to the UK.

They happen to strike up a friendship and then just before his big move, he doesn’t.

We follow Hannah as she navigates the feelings she has to when he doesn’t move, breaks off their relationship, and learns the reason why. We follow her as she dates a bloke who I found myself absolutely despising his character and just hoping for Davey to reach out to Hannah and confess his feelings. (And vice versa)

Did I mention emotional roller coaster? Did I mention tears? And lots of them? Super writing, amazing story - one that leaves you crying and yelling at the characters because you are holding onto hope even when they have none.

Thank you NetGalley & Random House for this ARC in exchange for this honest review.

Every now and then, you are thrown something so unexpected that you just know and feel that it’s meant to be. What starts as a wrong number, can be the start of something beautiful, or heartbreaking.

Davey (I did have a hard time with a grown man calling himself Davey) makes a phone call to a wrong number. Hannah answers. She’s in London, he in Texas…but looking to relocate to London. So what I thought would be a cute romance, ended up in much more. Heartwarming and emotional story about finding love in unexpected ways and letting someone in to our lives, for good or bad.

Thanks to Ms. Cook, Random House and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone!

4.5 stars. Do you ever pick up the phone when an unfamiliar number is calling you? Honestly, I never do (so many spam calls these days). Hannah, though, decides to pick up, not realizing that her life was about to be changed forever. So begins a serendipitous, slow burn love story between Hannah and her accidental caller, Davey. The setbacks along the way are heartbreaking, and one character makes for a frustrating distraction. Still, this book was so bingeable-- I devoured the audiobook and couldn't get enough. Hannah is an easy to love main character, and I enjoyed how Davey's perspective is integrated into the plot.

Read if you like:
-One True Loves by TJR & Would You Rather by Allison Ashley
-Closed door romance
-Long Distance Relationships
-Emotional Romances

4.5 stars, rounded up.

This book is so stinking cute!! There is no other way to describe it than that.

Hannah is minding her business in London when she randomly gets a call from an unknown number and for whatever reason, she feels inclined to pick it up. On the other end of the phone is Davey, a Texan who is trying to dial a potential future employer for a job interview. He quickly hangs up and to call the actual interviewer and that should be that, but no, they keep talking.

I won't say anymore because I don't want to spoil anything, but oh my, I loved this book!! I read it all in one sitting, I couldn't stop. I was cheering on Hannah and Davey the whole time. Part of what I found so enjoyable was that all of the characters were so real. Flaws and all, but not too many flaws (for most anyway). They were very well developed which really helped add to the story. I loved it even more when Davey's perspective was thrown in there too, I wanted more of him!

The only reason I didn't give it the full 5 stars was because the ending felt a little rushed for my taste. I wish there would have been a couple extra chapters in there before it ended.

If you're looking for a quick, cute read that has it all, the heartaches and the joy, this is the book for you!

Thank you very much to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.