📖 ARC REVIEW 📖

Thank you @avonbooks for an early copy of Fancy Meeting You Here by Julie Tieu. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. 🤍

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐/5
Release date: November 7th, 2023

Blurb: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/108490300-fancy-meeting-you-here?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=23MDPwxSBE&rank=1

🛑Read on with caution; review may contain spoilers🛑

Fancy Meeting You Here is a heartwarming, romantic novel about Elise and Ben, whose circle of friends are getting married in a span of several months in between, with Elise being the florist and bridesmaid/maid of honor in some of them, and Ben being one of the bride’s brother. The book was a bit slow-paced for my liking, and the chemistry between the main characters was bland, but individually they were fascinating. Elise is very admirable with her passion for what she loves – weddings and flowers. Ben, meanwhile, was still finding his footing, but with Elise’s help, he was able to find his passion, what really stuck with him when it came to his career.

I also enjoyed Elise’s friendship with Rebecca, Beth, and Jesse. These women really seemed close to the core and would do everything for their circle of friends. Despite their busy schedules, they remained friends for 10 years and served an important role at each other’s weddings. Although it’s been a while since I read the series, their friendship reminds me of the main female characters from The Bride Quartet by Nora Roberts.

A grumpy chef and a florist? Sign me up. I really looked forward to this book because of the aforementioned, but I felt like I had a really hard time connecting to either character. Ben wasn't as aloof as he was made out to be and I didn't see enough of the chef aspect I was really hoping for. There were so many characters in this story that I had a hard time keeping track of who was getting married when and where everyone was at and who they were with. I found it a little weird that Elise didn't know Ben or have any knowledge of what he looked like and he was her best friend's brother, but I let that go.
I felt bad for Elise, always trying to be helpful to everyone, and putting herself out constantly. Ben was a slice of happiness for her, but the way they hid made me sad. Elise struggled so much and I know she didn't talk about it, but it is like no one thought about her and what she had to do to make a living and just wanted her to do all these things for their weddings. I just feel like, no one considered Elise and that made me sad. I felt like Ben and Elise were destined to be together though, and that is what pushed me through. 3.5 stars.
Thanks to Avon, Netgalley and Julie Tieu for an early copy.

"Fancy Meeting You Here" was a really cute romance. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. This is the second book I've read by Julie Tieu. I wasn't obsessed with the first one I read, but I'm a sucker for a romance with a political/campaign element so I was enticed to pick this one up. I liked "Fancy Meeting You Here" more than I liked "Circling Back to You" and I think most of the things I didn't love about both of the books were more matters of preference than actual critiques.

For me, Tieu's romances are a little too close to reality for me. While I thought "Fancy Meeting You Here" had a little more of the embellished drama that I look for in a romance novel, it still didn't totally sweep me off my feet. Again, that's not a criticism, I think there's a lot of people who will love this style of book.

I loved the cast of supporting characters in "Fancy Meeting You Here" (though I sometimes had trouble remembering how they all knew each other). I thought each supporting character brought something different and unique to the book and I also loved seeing how Elise's friend group functioned as a unit.

My biggest criticism of the book has to do with part of the political plotline. I work in politics, and love reading political rom-coms. Usually, I can suspend my disbelief when there are inaccuracies in how the campaigns function, but there was one issue in "Fancy Meeting You Here" that did bother me a little. (Minor spoilers ahead). The big drama in the back half of the book had to do with the campaign being accused of campaign finance/ethics violations. However, the things they were accused of would not have actually been violations (hence there was no need for an investigation). Additionally, there were actual campaign finance violations committed elsewhere in the book that were not addressed. The actual violations were nothing egregious and things that I'd normally not mind in a novel. However, given that the plot revolved around the campaign being accused of campaign finance violations, I wish that there was a little more research done to make sure the campaign wasn't actually breaking the law.

With that said, there were a lot of political moments that I absolutely loved so I also want to share those: Parents usurping their children to work on their campaigns is 1000% something that happens in real life. The fundraiser where all of the donors begin eating the centerpieces was absolutely iconic. The son getting demoted from fundraisers to canvassing and yard signs after the failed fundraiser is hilariously accurate. Local campaigns getting into fights over things like replacing each other's yard signs is also hilarious and true to life. And I think there was a Four Seasons Total Landscaping reference in there, which was fantastic.

Overall, this was an enjoyable book that just wasn't totally my style. I think a lot of people will absolutely adore this book and Julie Tieu's other novels. I should probably be more chill about the politics things.

3.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

Julie Tieu is a brilliant author, but I'm just not connecting with this book. There are a lot of moving parts, and the main character has a negative attitude for reasons I don't understand. I think I could handle one or the other of those things, but both of them together are too much for me. DNF at 21%.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

I enjoyed Circling Back to You and Fancy Meeting You Here just might be my new favorite. First of all, if I had a nickel for every romance book I read about florists, I'd have two nickels...But this one was fabulous. I love a good meet cute and could instantly relate to Elise. To the ways she pushes herself and tries to always be accommodating, to be the best, and how she didn't let anyone in to see her struggle. She's convinced she can do everything on her own without asking for help - talk about a bit too on the nose!

Read if you like:
💍 Multiple Weddings
🔥 Slow-ish burn to 60 (1st kiss around 50%)
🛌 One Bed Trope
💋 Best Friends Brother
💐 Florist FMC
🌏 Diverse Characters
👯‍♀️ Friend Groups

Overall, this one focuses a lot on the weddings of Elise’s three closest friends as they all get married in rapid succession where she is the florist and a bridesmaid at each of the three weddings. This was a bit bothersome to me as she was also doing the florist work super discounted for them but her business was failing to the point she had to let all of her team go and was on the verge of losing her studio for her business.

I also felt like things went a bit from 0 to 100 all of a sudden with her and Ben to the point I wasn’t feeling the chemistry between them at all and wasn’t really invested in their love story.

The third act break-up was also super predictable with the way the book was set up.

This pains me to say, especially after loving the 2022 release from this author but this is not one that knocked it out of the park for me and was more of an okay romance for me personally.

Thanks so much to the publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love the fmc Elise - she is the star of this romance! She is the kind of friend we all want to have, however her friend group took advantage of her time and time again. She had so much pressure on her to be the florist for 3 weddings and be a bridesmaid at the same weddings! Whew! Her florist business was in trouble, the mmc, Ben, was into her but not as supportive as I’d have liked. He’s her bff’s brother and works on his mom’s political campaign- for now. The romance took a back seat to Elise, her goals, and female friendship, which was just fine because Elise was so relatable. There was a ton going on in this book, so if you like an action packed plot, wedding drama, and found-family side characters you will love this one!

Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC to read and review. All opinions are my own.

This felt like it would make a great made-for-tv movie adaptation as a silly goofy romcom. This is a best friend's brother trope, so Elise, our main character, falls for her friend's brother Ben! Elise is helping to plan her bff's wedding, and this puts her into a bit of a forced proximity situation with Ben. I do wish there was a bit more development of their romance, and less telling.

However, overall, the book was entertaining enough, and felt exactly as chaotic as wedding planning can be sometimes. I would read Julie Tieu's work again in the future!

Fancy Meeting You Here by Julie Tieu is an exquisite literary masterpiece brimming with laughter, heartfelt moments, relatable characters, and an abundance of longing.

Elise Ngo is an up and coming wedding florist who also happens to be a bridesmaid in each of her three best friends’ upcoming weddings. Elise enlists the caterer for help at one of the high profile events, only to find out later that the caterer is the bride’s enigmatic younger brother Ben Yu. After getting off on the wrong foot, Ben decides to contract Elise for floral design for campaign events for his mother’s upcoming re-election. Political complications threaten to undermine their blossoming romance before it really has a chance.

This was a cute and fun romance that also very heavily delved into female friendship and what it means to be a good friend. I loved Elise and all of her friends, especially Beth who really saw and appreciated Elise. Elise’s romance with Ben often took a backseat to her friendships as she navigated her way through running her business and all of their weddings, and I would’ve liked a bit more of Ben overall. What we got was really good (minus the breakup where he was not my fave) but I would’ve liked more!


Recommended if you enjoy:
🤞best friend’s brother
💐 wedding florist and caterer
👎 bad first impressions
👗 27 Dresses (especially the stuck in a storm part)
👰🏽 always the bridesmaid (& florist) never the bride
🗳️ political campaign drama
🎲wild Las Vegas bachelorettes
🍜 delicious food references

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books for the advanced copy to read and review. All opinions are my own.

What do you get if you pair the most awkward meet cute with a wedding and political machinations?

The most adorable grumpy sunshine pair of the year, of course.

I can't help but adore Elise. She's under so much pressure but manages to be the perfect character.

And Ben. Oh my. Definitely worth all the complications.

"We were supposed to meet earlier. Before the wedding got in the way."
"Remind me why you like weddings again."

Elise, Rebecca, Jesse, and Beth have been friends since college and now all of them except Elise are getting married within months. Elise has a florist studio that she struggling to keep afloat but agrees to provide the flowers and be a bridesmaid in all the weddings. It is a lot but she is determined to make it work even as all of her friends seem to be moving forward without her. Enter Ben Yu, Rebecca's grumpy brother, who Elise keeps getting paired with.

This is so good! It draws you in, you feel like you are talking to friends (I want to be friends with them), and you are invested in the outcome. A story of good friends finding a way to live their lives, find their happily ever afters, and stay close.

I'd been wanting to read Julie Tieu's books for a long time, because they sound so cute! And I've also been really in the mood for wedding-themed romances. So this should have been a win for me, but unfortunately, it ended up not being my thing at all.

It's hard to explain what I didn't like about it, because it was really just the vibe I got from the characters. I didn't like any of them, and I felt like we wouldn't get along at all in real life because we'd misunderstand each other on a fundamental level. Which is sometimes just the dynamic you have with people, and it's not fun to read about them in that case.

I wanted to DNF very early on, but I ended up giving it a second chance and then DNFing it at 34%. I could tell by then that it was not going to be for me.

This was so so damn cute. I love my romance with lots of angst but this was heartwarming so it didn't need it. It very like a hallmark movie which I LOVE.

This book was a slow burn romance. I ended up having to give up on this one about the halfway point. I just didn’t like the characters. I found the main character so annoying! She is trying to run her own business, and is struggling, but yet she doesn’t seem to be willing to put in effort to make it better. I hated the friendships in this book as well. I care deeply about my friends, and these all seemed so superficial and out of touch.

I was really looking for a fun and light romance but this one just wasn’t for me. I would read something else by this author and wish this book all the success.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for granting me access to this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishers for this Advanced Readers Copy of Fancy Meeting You Here by Julie Tieu!

This is a cute romance about Elise, a florist who is always a bridesmaid but never the bride and the handsome caterer (who happens to be her friend's brother) she meets at her best friend's wedding. She's done the flowers for one friend, and now her other two. Conflict and romance ensues. I loved the friend dynamic, though I feel like her friends were each given one personality trait (the smart one, the athletic one, etc.). There is great detail surrounding food and how it smells/tastes, made me hungry! I also liked the brief mentions of cultural traditions with the families. I didn't grow up in an Asian family (I am Asian) so it made me, in a way, mourn the fact that I don't get to have a traditional Chinese wedding. There were also references to Asian culture and American pop culture. Writing wise, it's good for contemporary romance. I keep trying contemporary romance, but maybe it's not for me. This book, like many others, has idk how to word this in another way but, straight humor. Personally, I find a lot of western wedding traditions like the garter and bouquet toss outdated. I did like the one bed trope. I wished they had leaned into it a little more. It was occasionally spicy but not like an erotica.

My biggest complaint was that a true friend wouldn't let another friend give their goods/services for free or at a discount? Maybe that's a generational thing. If someone as rich at Rebecca knew her best friend was just starting a business and still paying loans, she would've offered to pay for Elise's services. Actually, no, my biggest complaint is that, I feel like we as as a society should be past half-joking that our partners are horrible, especially on a wedding day *cough Rebecca and Mark * (not a spoiler, this happens in the beginning). Just don't get married.

I loved the friendship dynamic more than the romance, to be honest. Our love interested was fine, but I wasn't head over heels. Maybe if I saw him more lol

Wedding season is stressful enough. More so if you’re a bridesmaid. Or the florist. Or have this weird push/pull dynamic with one of the bride’s brothers. Roll all three into one, and you have the problems facing Elise Ngo in Julie Tieu’s sweet, funny rom-com Fancy Meeting You Here.

The story follows Elise as she pulls double-duty for each of her best friend’s vastly different weddings, and in the process meets Ben Yu, the younger brother of her friend Rebecca. Though the two get off to something of a prickly start, circumstances throughout wedding season keep forcing them together until the banter between the two evolves into something a little more intimate.

But beyond just focusing on Elise and Ben’s secret developing relationship, Tieu also puts an equal focus on Elise’s three bride-to-be friends - Rebecca, Beth and Jesse - and the friendship that the four of them share, specifically how that grows and changes as three of them reach a major life milestone within a few weeks of each other.

Elise’s friends’ weddings are each unique in their own way, in style, in budget, and in how much they each incorporate tradition versus modernity. As someone whose background and culture also features elaborate weddings with traditions that are less commonly seen in media, seeing how Tieu brought these to life was a treat. The traditions felt lived-in: not talking down to the audience, but instead inviting you to join in through Elise’s eyes.

The romance itself is very sweet. The two are all snark with no real bite to it - it’s clear early on that both Elise and Ben harbor certain insecurities that might take the other a while to draw out. But what’s genuinely lovely about it is how willing they each are to let their guard down, to heal, and more importantly to put more focus on themselves.

Fancy Meeting You Here hits the spot for those looking for a romance novel with the vibe of a rom-com movie when those movies were in their heyday. It’s sweet, thoughtful, romantic, and brimming with comedic moments.

Fancy Meeting You Here hits shelves on November 7. Special thank you to Avon for an advance copy for review purposes.

By far one of my “cozy romance” reads going forward. I am not one for unwarranted tension or drama, but plots of love and understanding. Julie always delivers and allows me to root for the couple as units—I did hope that their communication could’ve had a better start but it wasn’t extremely off-putting.

I also do love the details of the wedding planner aspect & it provided insight into how lives & live can flourish even in the middle of professional chaos.

The silliness! The friendship! The flowers! And most of all, THE REP. As always, Julie Tieu nailed them all. Fancy Meeting You Here felt like reading about one of my cousins, who also happen to be a bunch of goofballs who speak Teochew and have the last name Ngo. Elise is a talented florist who isn’t good at asking for what she’s worth, and her business is in trouble. When her three best friends all get married, each of them asks Elise to do the flowers, which means each wedding is a chance to showcase her skills and drum up business. But it also means she has to keep bumping into her friend’s brother, Ben, who’s grumpy and distractingly hot. What follows is a quick, fun story about friends, family, and nonstop weddings, with so many different traditions represented, down to the tea ceremony, long procession with cellophane-wrapped food, and door games. Julie’s books are brimming with authenticity and real family and friend dynamics, and I’m very into the grumpy man who can cook. I wish we'd gotten to understand Ben a bit more, or maybe get into his head, but I loved being in Elise's messy and wacky POV.

Many thanks to @avonbooks and @netgalley for the ARC.