Have you ever fallen in love at first sight? In Double Decker Dreams Kat does. However, her love interest and her have never met.
Kat, a consultant, is in England for her job. While working at home she notices a man on a bus and decides he is the one. She also decides he is Prince Charming. What the reader learns is that Kat has a great imagination and could be heading toward a big disappointment.

This audiobook was narrated by Madelein Maby. I liked and did not like the narration. When the voice was the main character it was good. However when the other characters joined in I did not. Unfortunately I believe this led me to dislike parts of the book. Still, I finished the book and had a few laughs along the way.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook for my honest review.

Double-Decker Dreams is a fun listen - and one that I definitely recommend to friends. There are themes of friends to lovers and the culture references are 10/10.

At times, it felt like Kat was holding back and could not get out of her own way, which could be a bit grating at times. However, all is well that ends well!

Thanks to Dreamscape and NetGalley!

I recently had the pleasure of listening to an advanced audio experience that took me on a captivating journey into a world of dreams and emotions. It beautifully explored the strong feelings that can come from instant attraction.

Throughout the audio experience, I was completely absorbed in the protagonist's thoughts and emotions as they developed a deep fascination with a special person. The story vividly showed their intense interest, and I easily connected with the excitement and curiosity that often accompanies such connections.

The storytelling in this audio adventure was fantastic, effectively portraying the protagonist's emotional journey. The voices of the characters were genuine and relatable, making it easy for me to understand their feelings.

The story also touched on the possibility of friendship or even something more meaningful developing between the characters, adding an element of anticipation that kept me engaged. I was genuinely invested in seeing how their emotions would unfold and if their connection could grow into something lasting.

This audio experience beautifully captured the emotions of attraction, curiosity, and the desire for a deeper connection. It transported me to a dreamy and enchanting world where emotions played a central role. I highly recommend this audio adventure to anyone who enjoys heartfelt storytelling and wants to explore the complexities of human emotions.

Special thanks to Dreamscape Media for delivering this captivating audio experience.

Cute, breezy and well-narrated. A recommended purhcase for collections where lighter WF and contemporary romance is popular.

Kat sees a man riding past her place on a double decker bus and creates this whole persona for him in her mind (a Prince!). She's a career driven woman. She's dates, etc., but has been focused on a big promotion. But she's created this great romantice Bristish Prince in her mind. And eventually, with some prodding from friends, works up the courage to get on that bus and meet him.

She meets Rory. Who clearly seems like a great guy. But, unlike her fantasy man, he's not British.
He's from Michigan, like her, and he's living and teaching in London.

I feel like they were a great fit from the start, but Kat could not get out of her own way to save her life and allow any sparks to fly. She wanted the white knight and the grand gesture.

It was cute, but Kat was super frustrating to me!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Alcove Press - for an ARC and Dreamscape Media - for an ALC, in exchange for my honest review!

Ooof. I really wanted to Love Love Love this book, but despite having everything I could have wanted going for it, it was just a really huge miss for me. The first few minutes of this book open with Harry Potter AND Taylor Swift references, which made me think it was a slam dunk from the start. However, there were just too many things that veered off course. First off, the major thing is that while the premise was really good and interesting, it wasnt fleshed out. The Main Character and love interest never felt like they had any chemistry and I wasn't even convinced they loved each other in the 8 year ahead epilogue. Kat is also incredibly self absorbed. That might be the point of the book but at no point did I think she was aware of how awful she was being to everyone around her.

And finally, the most egregious thing for me was the complete contempt for the Midwest and Michigan in particular that seeped through the book. Honestly, it was so awful that there were many points where I was going to DNF this book. I'm not even a huge fan of Michigan, but yikes. I honestly thought it was extremely poorly researched and played too heavily into stereoptypes until I looked it up and saw this author was from Michigan, "the land of cows cornfields and kindness". Yikes. I know all of those exist in Michigan, but cornfields and cows are definitely not the top things I'd list when talking about Michigan. A little bit of those things I could understand for the point of moving the plot along, but it was way too much, and thats speaking as a Michigan resident who doesn't even *love* living in Michigan. The author used such lines as "Michiganders are lazy", "prehistoric midwestern mentality" (Like she apparently hasnt heard of the south?!), how all midwesterners were homophobic, living in michigan was living under a rock, that (weirdly as Detroit is on eof the top 20 busiest airports in the country?) that Michiganders don't fly?, and my favorite and the one where I wondered if the author had any concept of today's goings on---that Michigan was a right wing echo chamber compared to...get this, FLORIDA. I don't care what side of politics you stand on, that's just a complete reversal of truth. Michigan is extremely progressive governmentally, especially when you compare it to Florida. I would have thought this was just completely poorly researched and leaned into stereotypes, but again, the author is supposedly from Michigan. I get that there's a certain amount of license to progress the story along, but the longing for a simpler, less corporate life in west michigan/around family could have easily been achieved without completely alienating an entire state and region. Even one or two mentions of Cat's narrowmindedness would have been one thing, but at some points it felt like the bashing was literally every other line. Enough is enough. It was honestly painful to read at some points.

Overall the plot was a standard romance. It was fine. But there were just too many things that didn't make reading this a slam dunk for me.


I received a copy of the audiobook from Netgalley in exhcange for an honest and fair review.

For me this book was just okey. It wasn't anything special and I kept struggling to keep my interest up. Unfortunately I DNFed it after 45% when I felt that I couldn't finish it.

This book was really good! I liked the story, the author, and the narrator!
I liked the characters!
I hope to read more by this author soon!
A great book!

This is a nice clean romantic comedy. I can relate to fantasizing about something only to find dreams and reality don't match. They journey Kat goes on to realize this is a fun story.

As a bisexual former vegan from southwest Michigan, the constant negativity and over-generalizations toward Kalamazoo (boring, homophobic, farmer-filled loserville) honestly bothered me. I liked all the descriptions of London, though, and Kat’s lesbian neighbors were so fun. Kat’s obsession with being a CEO didn’t really match with the romcom love life expectations. And the HR department/s*xual harassment issue made her CEO determination even more frustrating (trigger warning, btw).
Rory, though, was SO precious. I really enjoyed him and he pretty much saved the book. He was a bit too childish at points, but still an excellent character.
But (yes, this review is a roller coaster) the audio narrator was no good… so monotone and boring, it made all negative storylines that much worse.
Maybe this is a romcom for pessimists. It’s an okay novel, and maybe people not from southwest Michigan or easily offended would like it better.
2.5 stars rounded down. I usually rip through books but I felt zero excitement to push play on this one.

I had a very difficult time connecting with this story, the characters and the narrator. While it was not my cup of tea, I would not discourage others from giving it a try. I found the main character of Kat to be incredibly irritating and could not finish the book. Sorry!

The only thing I can think of now that I'm finished with this audiobook is that this is one of the most self-centered protagonists I have experienced in a rom-com. Perhaps I'm feeling this because I'm used to the back and forth of a dual narrator, but I really don't think so. The first hour of listening to this book made me think that Kat, the protagonist, was actually a bit unstable as she waxed poetic about a stranger on the double decker bus. I think fewer chapters about this would have been a better entry into the story.

*ARC review*

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape media for providing me a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I didn’t particularly enjoy this book. Kat started off entirely too immature for 31 and slightly unhinged. Her ideas about the fictional character she assumed was on the bus were completely bananas. I found her grating. Rory was not especially lovable either with his neuroses.

The trouble with quiet love stories is that they can lack any stakes or urgency. This one was also hyper aware of how unromantic it was. Rory shuts down. Disengages, which made me resent him even though he’s the nice guy. And the whole Harold thing was cringe AF for a number of reasons. Also couldn’t route for Kat too much when she waits until the end to get a backbone over environmental issues.

<spoiler> I know the book harps on feminism meaning not judging women’s choices for what they want to do with their lives, but I find myself judging Kat. I would have hoped for her that she would find a path towards breaking down the corporate boys’ clubs instead of disengaging with it and her lifelong goals. Not everyone has to make that choice and her quiet life at the end is fine but I guess I would have preferred a more balanced ending. </spoiler>

If you like sweet and predictable romances, this is the book for you.

Kat is in London working toward partner in a consulting firm. She's very close to achieving her goals, if only she plays along with the games of the men. Originally from Michigan, she has her sights set on a proper Englishman. She sees the man of her dreams in the bus outside her apartment window and it's love it first sight until she throws herself into his path and finds out he was not what she was expecting. Will it be love or just friendship?

I gave it ⭐️⭐️⭐️. It was sweet. The characters were likable. It would be a good beach read if you are looking for a closed door romance that is light and happy.

Thank you to @netgalley and @dreamscape_media for an advanced audio copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.

Kat is an American in London who sees from her apartment an attractive man on the double decker bus. She starts imagining this whole life with this man. Giving him a name , occupation and how he feels about her. This rubbed me the wrong way completely with how she is in her early 30’s and being this in the clouds about a guy and then gets upset when shock this guy is not a prince but also a American.

Rory is super sweet and a great male character. Kat gets better but that beginning just had me rolling my eyes.
The side characters are cute especially her neighbors and Rory’s student.
The 3 rd act conflict was predictable and the ending was fine as well except for a cliche which I’m not a fan of.

This is a sweet friends to lover story and if can get past the beginning then can enjoy.

Thank you Net Galley, Alcove Press and Lindsay MacMillan for the audio arc in exchange for my honest review.

When I requested this title I thought I was asking for a mindless rom com, however this book was way more than that. Although this book had all the hallmarks of a simple romantic comedy and it actually began like one, the book ended up having some overarching themes that could have been very preachy, but thankfully wasn't. Sexual harassment in the workplace, OCD, theories of happiness, etc. are all explored, but with a touch that makes a point, but doesn't hit the reader over the head with it. Kat and Rory begin as friends, but then develop into so much more--just like their story. Please be advised that the ending may bring a few tears of happiness--it is the perfect ending as every rom com should have.

This was such a cute book. At first I thought Ka may be taking the fantasy a little too far…believing it a little too much. But who among us hasn’t let a fantasy take over our hum drum lives? Kat and Rory are likable and easy to cheer for. While they are insistent that they do not have a rom com love story, they clearly do! And just like all good rom coms, their story envelopes the reader and carries them away. If you’re looking for a fun rom com, I recommend this one.

What a wonderful "meet cute" < in parenthesis because well.. read it and you'll understand :)
Sometimes we think we know what love is, and how we will find it.. but the truth is, when it arrives at our door.. the true reality as far BETTER than the one we envision. Double Decker Dreams is a true testament to that.
A worthy page turner, with LOL and heartwarming moments.
Also want to point out, there's a scene in the book where HR is involved.. and let me tell you I AM in HR and we have more empathy than that! Not a true HR representation! LOL
But other than than 5 stars!

I didn't dislike this book it just wasn't my favorite. The character sees this man on the bus through her window and thinks he's the perfect English gentleman then when she does in fact meet him he's not what she imagined. Which is fine, but my issue is she spends weeks coming up with this whole story about him and pretending he's there having these convos and then when she meets the person in real life she just is heartbroken and kinda cold to them at first and I just find it all a bit odd. It does get better but that beginning plot point made me cringe.

I did enjoy the audio and thought the narrator was enjoyable to listen to.

Thanks netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this book.

Cute story friends-to-lovers story. I felt compelled to keep reading (listening, actually). We follow Kat’s professional and love life, and it’s curious how this 31-year-old woman acts like a teenager in relation to love expectations, but as a successful businesswoman when it comes to her career. I was annoyed at her and admiring her at the same time, depending on the moment. Personally, I would have liked that the author wrote a different ending for her professional life (no spoilers), but it’s a nice story nonetheless. Romantically speaking, it was predictable but with some nice twists along the road.

3,5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.