Who would have guessed that when Hannah picked up a call from a number unknown, she would end up making a connection that would change her life? Davey is an American who was trying to reach a number for a job interview. And when he lands the job in London, he and Hannah start making plans to meet. But when he doesn't show, and the reason why is life-altering, can they both move on?

I felt like this novel was very British--the writing, the plot, the dialogue (which was very cute), all had a different flavor. It was almost like watching a British rom com. The whole thing was sweetly atmospheric. I could FEEL the story, the setting, the characters' feelings--everything. The writing was very upbeat and hopeful, until it wasn't. Hannah really feels ALL the feels. Both characters make self-destructive decisions in a way that kept me screaming in frustration and turning the page, hoping they'd wise up. It was a satisfying book in the end, and I felt invested in seeing it through. I do recommend it for fans of the genre.

Oh my heart. You know a book will stay with you for a long, long time when your heart is broken and then put back together again. This book took me by surprise. A romcom to start, a tortured romance to hold hope for, with heartbreak and hope in between. I wanted to keep reading and reading and then I didn’t want it to end.

This was one of those love stories that made me remember all the feelings of first love. The excitement, the anxiety, the butterflies, the anticipation, the worries, the first fight. I fell right into the pages of this book and stayed there until the very end, and then, I just sat lost in daydreams. I received a complimentary copy of this book.from NetGalley and Dell Publishing. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I was not prepared for all of the emotions to hit me in this book. The meet cute was adorable, and then I thought I was prepared when Davey didn’t show up thanks to the blurb. I was not. I thought I was going to hate him, but my poor heart was breaking for both him and Hannah. I liked seeing Hannah and Davey grow throughout the book, through their struggles and their triumphs. It’s. A good book, a romance with a heavy dose of real life problems. It’s heavier than most romances, but that’s definitely not a bad thing!

Davey is trying to call to London from Austin, TX for a phone interview for a job he is hoping to land. Imagine his surprise when a young woman answers the phone. After some problem solving, he quickly hangs up and proceeds to complete his interview. He quickly messages her that he made the interview. And then again when he got the job. And then again to see if she had any suggestions on where to start looking for a flat. Messages led to phone calls, which eventually video calls. And then the day he was supposed to make the big move, he doesn’t show up. He doesn’t respond to any messages. Was she fooled?

I loved it! "The Man I Never Met" by Elle Cook is a heartwarming, enjoyable, endearing and interesting love story of two people, on different continents that fall in love, yet life gets in the way of their union. Wonderful build up, complex entanglements, fabulous characters, all told in a relatable note. Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for the e-reader for review. All opinions are my own.

4.5 stars. This is EVERYTHING I want my contemporary romances to be!! Fate, swooniness (silly spell checker does not believe this is a word), wrong place-wrong time scenarios, angst, personal growth, missed opportunities, etc. etc. etc. I take off a half star because I get very frustrated by the "I'm doing this for your own good" BS that characters in romances tend to pull, but that's just a personal thing for me. For heck's sake, as an adult, kindly give me the information I need and let ME make the decision on what's best for me...grumble, grumble!!! I was super-impressed by this writing and story and highly recommend. Those sensitive to certain triggers may want to hunt for some spoilers and tread carefully - but I didn't think it was anything too triggering.

I can't wait for this to be published, so I can chat with more people who read it! The romance and light suspense swept me off my feet. It was cute and I found the characters to be realistically written.

4.5
I really loved the beginning of this book with Hannah and Davey’s misdial meet cute. It had all the feels! I wondered what would happen since the arrangement to meet each other came fairly early in the book. I had visions of “The Impossible Us” but doubted it would go down that route. I was as shocked by the twist in the middle and it quickly turned into the type of book I don’t like with miscommunications and disconnection. But, these things happen. You don’t always take a straight shot path to your HEA. So, I appreciated the set up of the story of a connection, a relationship, that went through many trials and errors over time. The supporting cast of characters was so well crafted that I think we need another book for Grant!
*Thanks to Dell & NetGalley for this advance review copy.

This was such a cute book. I loved how we were able to see the characters grow throughout the year & I LOVED that it switched to dual POV. I felt the ending was rushed.. I wanted more of Hannah & Davey.

(Big thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for giving us this eARC in exchange of an honest review!)

I really liked Davey and Hannah as characters, their interactions felt very real and personal. I instantly fell in love with their relationship when they began video calling and texting. I liked that there was a long distance relationship type feel to it, how this couple is not able to see each other and may never see each other. Going with the title of the book, I was super excited to see what the premise would be since the character doesn't ever meet the other love interest. I just wished that there was more of Davey's perspective, because we don't see his perspective until much later in the book. It felt like there was a lot left unsaid and the pacing of the ending was a little too fast. There needed to have more explanation. The pacing within the beginning and middle of the book felt incredibly slow and were very heavy on the internal thoughts. When it came to the twist and why Davey never went to meet Hannah at the airport felt off, like it didn't really make complete sense to me and I didn't think the twist was super well developed. Overall, it felt like a typical rom-com and definitely the type people are looking for if they want a little bit of something on the emotional side but with a happy ending!

Thank you for the opportunity to review this new novel.

I think the synopisis for this is wrong. There was way too little of Davey and Hannah and the ending was rushed. I'm disappointed that we didn't get almost any pages of them together. Also, Davey's POV should have been more of.

4.5 stars. Oh how I loved this book. I am not giving it the full 5 stars because I wanted more of Hannah and Davey and I felt the end was a little rushed. It was a quicker read and I gladly would have read more of the two of them. They complimented each other so well and their entire relationship throughout the book was really amazing. I loved the back and forth with the different points of view. Just goes to show you that sometimes what people say, they don’t necessarily mean. Put this book on your ‘must read’ list. You will not be disappointed.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is a really good book but... it's not a romcom! I requested this from Netgalley thinking it was going to be a lighthearted romantic comedy, which is 100% user error on my part. After considering the title and the description before I read it, I started to get worried that this was not going to be the cheerful story I was looking for. I read it anyway and my second interpretation was correct--I was completely choked up from the 20% mark to about 40%. Finally I got a grip on myself and settled in for the long haul, desperately hoping for a happy ending.

The start of Hannah and Davey's relationship, in my opinion, reflects one of those beautiful relationships in real life where you click instantly with someone. Hard to do and so precious when it happens. I loved reading how their connection unfolded naturally and was devastated when they weren't able to meet. The majority of the rest of the story is more about how Hannah and Davey develop as individuals, rather than focusing on their romantic relationship, which I wasn't expecting, but I enjoyed nonetheless.

This book is for fans of heartwrenching romance who are okay with possibly sobbing in the middle of the story. Anyone looking for a lighthearted romp is going to be surprised, but you might like it anyway.

Trigger warning: THIS IS A SPOILER (which you'll find out about at about the 20% mark) <spoiler> testicular cancer </spoiler>

I have mixed feelings about this book. I loved the alternating perspectives and how chapters moved so quickly. I loved Hannah's friendships with Joan and Miranda and the hometown nostalgia.


Potential spoiler: I absolutely hated George and wish there was more mention of how textbook abusive he was. Her being lukewarm on the relationship is not an excuse.

I loved the slow burn of Hannah and Davey's relationship. Davey's struggle with cancer -- both physical and mental -- were so real and heartbreaking. That said I wish we got just a little bit more of them at the end. It felt so rushed and I wish the conclusion was a little more drawn out.

Possible trigger - cancer

This was such a cute read about Hannah who mistakenly receives a call from native Texan Davey who mis-dials, not once, but twice for an interview to move overseas.

A relationship builds from there as Davey prepares to move to London. They develop a relationship via phone and video chat. I loved how the relationship was built on a solid foundation versus virtual.

The day Davey is supposed to arrive things happen, but is the connection too strong to keep them apart?

I truly enjoyed this book.

If you like the Sophie Kinsella one shots, you will probably love this book. Not for romance readers who like a substantial or creative plot.

I went into this one expecting a pretty light rom-com type of book. While it definitely had its moments it also dealt with a few heavier things and it dealt with them well. I won’t get into too many details so as not to spoil anything but this book was not what I expected in a good way. Hannah and Davey meet by accident on a miss dialed call and their relationship grows from there. There are the usual twists and turns and also some unexpected. I really liked the character of Hannah and felt she was very easy to relate and to like. This book was between 3 and 4 stars for me rounded up to 4. I want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the digital arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

The Man I Never Met is about a British woman (Hannah) and an American man (Davey) who connect via a misdialed number and have an instant connection. I really liked their phone calls and connection and love the idea of a couple falling in love while they're apart from each other. It reminds me of the olden days of the internet or when people connected via phone call. I enjoyed the characters but they were a little flat to me and the story dragged. Overall, it was enjoyable but not my favorite.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this ARC.

Do NOT read the official plot summary, as it contains a big spoiler I wish I hadn’t known! Instead, suffice to say that Texan Davey is trying to call into an interview for a job as an architect in London, but he misdials and reaches Hannah, a 20something Londoner. After the call, he texts her to tell her he got the job and will be moving to London – and the two start calling / texting frequently. I absolutely adored this novel, especially how it showed that what people are thinking / feeling may not be what they’re expressing to others. This was really engaging and hard to put down, and my only complaint is that the ending was a little bit rushed… but I still loved it :)

Content warnings: cancer, ghosting, breakups

Davey calls Hannah thinking he's beginning a job interview at a London architectural firm. Hannah tells Davey he misdialed, but asks him to tell her how the interview went. They text, then call, then FaceTime and begin to develop feelings for each other. They can't wait to meet when Davey moves to London for his new job.

Although the story has an ideal beginning, the rug is pulled out from under our characters and they must navigate illness, other relationships, and career changes separately. But a connection as strong as theirs doesn't just go away...

Recommended for readers of contemporary romance and women's fiction.

Representation: living with cancer, long-distance romance