What a wonderful journey we get to take with Serena both literally and emotionally! Beginning at the bachelorette party from hell for her only cousin at Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Serena doesn't feel like she quite belongs. Despite being in the bridal party, she's been estranged from her cousin so is kind of participating from the sidelines. It's on those sidelines, that she meets Julian, who by chance lives near her in Seattle. Sparks seem to ignite but the evening ends abruptly before they can exchange contact information.
As Serena approaches her thirtieth birthday, she feels like that's when her life is supposed to all fall into place. But on a quest to find Julian again, Serena ends up finding out more about herself and her life than she expected. And maybe the road being travelled, isn't necessarily the one she has to stay on! So yes, this is a romance but that is almost secondary to Serena's self discovery and second chances.
This was an easy and quick read with some really fun characters (Clarence and Odette!!), cringy bachelorette scenes and romantic suspense!

I wanted to love this so bad! We read this for bookclub and while it was good, it felt like it was trying to do a bit too much within the plot. I hate cheating tropes so this was a litttttle but on the edge for me! The romance could’ve been a little more descriptive, but overall a good debut

I just couldn't relate to this one. Serena meets a mystery man during a debaucherous weekend in New Orleans and becomes obsessed with finding him when she returns to her home in Seattle, based on very few details.

There’s a lot happening in this book, and I’m not sure how I feel about any of it. It’s well-written and has great dialogue, and there’s an interesting idea here, but I had all sorts of minor annoyances that made me happy to be done reading it.

Despite the title and plot summary, this isn’t a romance book, because the potential male love interest is only there for a handful of pages. And despite the emotion and themes of self-discovery, this isn’t a women’s fiction story, because the main character, Serena, spends basically the entire book hung up on some dude she talked to for a few minutes at her cousin’s bachelorette party. (Oh, and she was very much dating another dude at the time she decided bachelorette party guy was her soulmate, so…) The lengths she went to to find the guy, Julian, just felt odd.

Serena doesn't feel like a real person; it felt like Neely Alexander had a list of bullet points of characteristics she wanted to assign to her character and just hoped they’d ring true to readers. I liked the idea that perfectly put-together Serena takes a sledgehammer to her life and then has to figure out how to put it together again. But I didn’t love how the impetus for this seemed to be a random guy she talked to for 20 minutes. Because Serena’s going to be the final subject of her mentor’s alumni magazine, a 10-year retrospective, she wants to make it seem like she has her life in order: husband, job, etc. But she’s not happy with key aspects of her life, and the profile triggers a reevaluation of her priorities and goals.

That’s the part I liked: Serena’s journey of self-discovery. I think if the romance-lite angle hadn’t been here, I’d have liked this book more. Instead, I got lost in a story about a woman falling head over heels in love with a guy she just met and changing everything about her life because of him. And I didn’t need to read all that. There’s something to be said about self-love and putting yourself first. That could have been its own kind of romance book. And it’s one I would have liked to read.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for providing me with an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Who doesn’t love a good “comeback” story after our main character experiences a tough bout of luck?

This book gave me butterflies and HUGE smiles and I’m so happy to have read it!

I was very intrigued by the premise of this book, so I was very excited when I received an advanced copy from the publisher and Netgalley.

I'm a sucker for a modern-day rom com, and while I appreciated the overall premise, this book fell fairly flat for me. I didn't particularly feel invested in any of the characters. and I was not a fan of the "instant love" trope this book is based on. I did enjoy the New Orleans setting for parts of the book - always fun!

Maybe it was the speed I listened to the audiobook on (I borrower a library copy to listen along as I read), but the narration was not great and distracted from the story. The narrator sounded very robot-like.

If you're a fan of "instant love" stories, this might be for you. Unfortunately, it wasn't for me.

thank you to Harper and NetGalley for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

Loved loved loved this book! Indian MC? Yes! New Orleans magic? Yes! Awesome song references? Yes!!

Serena is at the bachelorette party of her nightmares in New Orleans when she has a very brief encounter with Julian. Just by talking for a short time, Serene starts to question all of her life choices, as nothing before has made her feel like Julian has. Julian and his friends get kicked out of the bar, but luckily, they did share that they both live in Seattle. Will they ever see each other again?

Thank you to Netgalley for this Advanced Copy of Love Buzz by Neely Tubati-Alexander. I really thought that this concept had potential but didn't think the Author had enough meat to let the story flow well.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this fun contemporary debut novel.
This was a great and insightful book. It's hard to describe the genre. It doesn't fully feel like a romance or a comedy. It's a fun blend of different themes and messages. Serena was a great lead character and I rooted for her. I loved the Mardi Gras bachelorette party idea. It was a heartwarming book and I can't wait to read more by this author.

Love Buzz by Neely Tubati Alexander is an impressive debut that instantly hooked me. Serena's journey of self-discovery kept me engaged throughout. Her relationships with Odette and Clarence were a delight, and the single POV worked well. A solid 5-star read! Thanks to NetGalley, Harper Perennial, and Neely Tubati Alexander for the advanced copy. My honest review.

I liked Love Buzz. I incorrectly assumed based on the title that this would be a romance, it's not (and it does say it's women's fiction, so that's on me). Love Buzz is really about Serena coming to terms with the unhappiness she feels in her own life, and then doing something about it. Some of her decisions may be considered a little rash, but they also led her down the paths she probably needed to go on to find something that she truly wanted to do with her life.

There is a lot of focus on Julian and how he made her feel, but he doesn't really appear till the last 1/4 of the book or so (besides their opening encounter). And even that is still about Serena and her growth as a person.

Love Buzz was so so so wonderful, I loved this special debut from Neely Tubati-Alexander. Serena Khan is at a bachelorette party in New Orleans for her cousin, who she isn't really speaking to, when she meets a really handsome stranger that feels kind of perfect in every way? The only issue is that she lives in Seattle, has a boyfriend, and was whisked away by the wedding party before she even got a chance to ask for his number. Back in Seattle Serena feels unmoored by the recent encounter and it challenges her to assess her life. While she has made the "safe" choice in every aspect of her life to honor her late mother, she questions if that is really the best way to honor her and live her life. What follows is a quest to find herself, while she finds this handsome stranger.

I loved! Serena was so dynamic and nuanced and reflected so many of the true anxieties that people turning 30 face. I loved that this book was not a straightforward romance and it contained many elements around work and value and connection. Don't miss this one!

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks, Harper Perennial for the ARC - Love Buzz is out now!

Serena is slugging her way through her cousin’s raunchy bachelorette party on Mardi Gras, in New Orleans, when she’s suddenly face-to-face with a stranger that makes her heart skip a beat. Their chance encounter leaves her with only four small facts about him: His name is Julian, he lives nearby her in Seattle (what are the chances), his job and his music preferences. When she’s back home, Serena tries to settle back into her job (accounting) and her boyfriend (that should be her fiance). But ever since the buzz she felt from Julian, Serena can’t shake the habit that maybe there’s more to life, to her life, than what she’s doing now. I loved that it took a chance encounter for Serena to take a long hard look at her life and question if it was everything she wanted or not? Life can’t be only about the big moments, but sometimes we all need a “take your breath away” moment to remind us that life should be anything but boring or predictable. Love Buzz was one of my favorite reads this Spring and should be added to your TBR pile immediately!

A sincere thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a warm hug! I loved how funny this story was and it still managed to have meaning and give a message about life, grief and love.


I received an ARC of this title from netgalley in exchange for my honest review and all opinions are my own!

Serena meets Julian while at a bachelorette party in New Orleans. They have an immediate connection and discover they are both from Seattle. Fate drags them apart from the bar before they are able to exchange information. When Serena returns home she is overwhelmed by the need to find Julian and while trying different tactics she learns a lot about herself and makes some major life changes.

I absolutely loved this book. It was such a sweet romcom. I am always extra drawn into stories that take place in settings that I am familiar with so I loved that this was in Seattle. It added an extra amount of connection for me. I really liked how there was this overarching theme of Serena trying to find Julian but the amount of time that they are actually reconnected is fairly minimal. The real meat of the story focuses on Serena figuring out what she really wants in life and what makes her happy. She has a major careers shift and meets some amazing people in the process. This book felt like a romcom without being totally focused on the romantic relationship and it absolutely worked! I was still routing for Serena to find Julian the whole time, but even more I was routing for Serena to succeed in life. There is definitely a big miscommunication moment in the story (which many people don’t like), but like I always say, how can you have a romcom without the miscommunication moment 😆.

I loved this book. Even though the fmc and mmc spent very little time together over the course of the book, their chemistry is tangible. The ongoing missed connections are the best kind of torture. I loved getting to go along on the ride as Serena figures out what she really wants out of life and gives herself permission to actually reach for it. I was NOT prepared for the storyline about grief and the ripple effects that loss has on a family after loss. The author clearly knows what she's talking about. The only thing keeping it from being a five star read were a couple of characterizations/actions that I felt were a little cringey and uncomfortable, but the rest of the book was so lovely I chose to overlook them.

Thanks to Harper Perennial and Paperbacks and NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved LOVE BUZZ, and am so excited to have "discovered" a debut author who I will truly commit to reading every book she writes! Neely Tubati Alexander perfectly blends humor with heart, romance with realistic characters who have depth and complete backstories that make you root for love and a happily ever after with intensity
The cousin's wedding, the loss of her mom, the upcoming big 3-0, the pressure of a perfect editorial profile opportunity, expectations, expectations, expectations. Pressure to be perfect doesn't leave much room for an authentic life, and our protagonist wrestles with so many relatable and memorable stresses of the time in your life when you're not sure life will ever be what you dreamed of.
Funny, smart engaging. Alexander is an author to watch. ,

To start, I want to be clear that I would not call this a romance novel. Instead, it's the story of one woman coming to terms with the grief she feels from the death of her mother eight years prior.

I wish I had known that when I started. But expecting a romance novel that followed a magical meeting in New Orleans during Mardi Gras, I was disappointed. This featured my most disliked tropes with a love triangle and infidelity.

I was impressed with the writing quality, especially as it was a debut. And I came to like it more during the second half of the book. But overall, this wasn't the right book for me. I recommend it for those who don't mind the tropes I mentioned and who are looking for a book about a woman's journey to find her identity.

Thank you to Harper Perennial for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

2.5 stars rounded up

Happy Pub Day Love Buzz!
Love Buzz was a fast read because the story grabbed me from the very beginning. I loved the setting in New Orleans and all the nostalgia I was feeling with each chapter. I recently took a trip there so it was fun to read about the main character meeting her "soulmate" on Bourbon Street and snacking on beignets.
Serena reluctantly attends a four day bachelorette party In New Orleans and is not looking forward to all the drinking and playing nice. She's not on good terms with her cousin and really isn't interested in faking it. The night takes a turn when Serena meets a handsome stranger she ends up having a lot in common with. Technically Serena is dating someone, although if she's really honest with herself she's just going through the motions. Most of what Serena does is to make someone else proud. The perfect job, the perfect boyfriend, but what if these things don't make Serena happy?
Ever since New Orleans Serena has made many changes in her life while also searching for Julian. Serena knows nothing she’s doing makes sense to her friends and family but for once in her life she’s making herself happy. The journey won’t be easy but it will be worth it in the end.

I will be interviewing Neely for my podcast. Love Buzz is a fun second chance romance which is usually a hit or miss for me, but I thoroughly enjoyed this one because it got me out of my reading slump.