excellent book. was so excited to receive this ARC. it became one of my top favorite reads. cannot wait to read more from this author.

I love how Lexi and Jake meet, and I love how the conspire between them later. The premise and setting is pretty original in the romance world, and not your typical meet-cute, and the way they keep bumping into each other was fun. I thought it made for a more exciting story than your typical rom-com.

Till There Was You
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Lindsay Hameroff

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Culinary student Lexi Berman, 24, has one goal: to make her late mother proud by becoming an executive chef in a Michelin-star restaurant. And she isn’t going to let anything–or anyone–get in the way. But when she meets Jake Taylor, a dive bar musician who charms her with show tunes, she makes a rare exception to her no-dating rule. After a steamy weekend together, Jake leaves for L.A. to record his demo, and Lexi never expects to see him again. And she definitely doesn’t expect him to become an overnight celebrity, with a breakout single that’s almost certainly about her famous blueberry pancake recipe.

As Jake’s star rises and the world speculates about the subject of his song, Lexi keeps the affair to herself. After all, she’s finally found her footing at her new restaurant job, and even has a prospective romance with her coworker. But when a distraught Jake turns up on her doorstep late one night, her carefully-laid plans are thrown for a loop. Though she and Jake try to be friends, things between them soon reheat faster than a bowl of Lexi's matzah ball soup. But a relationship with Jake means risking her face in tabloids, withstanding cruel internet comments, and worst of all, jeopardizing her career. As Jake’s upcoming tour approaches, and rumors swirl about him and another pop star, Lexi has to decide if holding onto her meticulously-planned future is worth walking away from what could be the perfect recipe for love.

My Thoughts: This was a cute, fun romcom that I enjoyed very much. Lexi is a culinary student working at her first restaurant job with one goal, to become an executive chef in a Michelin-star restaurant to make her mother proud, who has passed. She is out one night for a drink and meets Jake Taylor, a dive bar musician, they hit it off right away. They spend a steamy, magical weekend together. Jake leaves to make his demo and becomes an overnight celebrity, with a song about her. Jake then shows up at her doorstep, at first they begin friendship but rather quickly, things steam up again. She has to be able to handle the pressure of dating a celebrity without losing her footing at her restaurant. Will she be able to balance both? Or can she walk away from her career or the love of her life? This follows the tropes of celebrity romance, friends to lovers, second chance romance, and insta-love. There is a third-act breakup, but I think for this novel, it was necessary and enriched the storyline.

This is narrated by Lexi in her POV. Lexi is independent, strong, but needs more confidence in her cooking abilities. Jake is a brilliant song writer that needs a break from a producer, that ends becoming an overnight celebrity sensation. While I would like to have had a deeper dive into the characters, I think we got good character development, even on a surface level, that had witty banter, chemistry, and were intriguing. Lexi’s character did have a good amount of personal growth throughout the story. The author’s writing style was closed door, steamy, heartfelt, and creative. The characters were built up (I would have like to seen a deeper character enrichment) and the plot was developed with the right flow, the pacing was a little slow. The supporting characters of Ali, Chloe, and Mia were fantastic and really elevated the story to another level. There is a tad bit of belief suspension required, but it is well worth it.

For a debut novel, this was stellar and I cannot wait to see what else this author does. This sweet romcom will melt your heart. While this read a little on the New Adult / Young Adult spectrum, more geared towards readers in their twenties, I still enjoyed it. The only cons for me is I would loved to have seen Jake’s POV mixed in and a deeper dive of the characters. I love the message that the author was conveying, you can balance your career and love life and sometimes your dream changes. This was a great debut novel that I would recommend to other readers.

As a massive Harry Styles fan, this book made my heart sing because it feels like a novel version of the song "Carolina." I mean, two people hook up and then he releases a chart-topping song about her? LOVE. I especially recommend this to people who love books about celebrities dating real people.
This one almost had an origin story-esque spin.
This book was loaded with fun pop culture references and really great detail work, especially in the food! We all know I'm a sucker for books with lots of foodie details, and this one really nailed it for me.
I've seen some criticism that this book felt a little too insta-lovey and that the conflict felt repetitive. While I'd somewhat agree, it didn't hamper my reading experience.

Till There Was You is Lindsay Hameroff's debut novel and it was a cute one. I really enjoyed the plot and to see how everything turned out between Lexi and Jake. They are both dealing with their own demons but manage to come together. A+ to Lindsay for a great start.

Thank you to NetGalley, St Martin's Press and Lindsay Hameroff for the e-ARC of this book. This review is my own opinion.

Sometimes I finish a book I got from NetGalley and ask myself why I thought I’d like the book. For this one, I’m thinking it was the debut author description that snagged my attention.

Sadly, this one fell pretty flat for me. I mean, I did finish it. But it took me over a month. And when I dragged my feet on writing the review and couldn’t remember if I had actually finished, it took more than a quick skim of the last several chapters to refresh my memory.

While the writing in Till There Was You is decent, what you’ll find story-wise is filled with cliche:
➤ The bar meet-cute
➤ The rock-star hero who ghosts the heroine, then goes back to her when the celebrity lifestyle becomes too much for him
➤ The heartwarming visit to the hero’s home town
➤ The evil manager who manipulates the hero behind his back and continually orchestrates drama
➤ And the worst of all…the BIG other-woman-drama-caused misunderstanding that results in a third-act breakup

At this point, I think I’m mostly just a jaded reader. I keep having the thought that there’s no new stories being told, I’ve read them all. Nine times out of ten I can tell you what’s going to happen two chapters before it happens. And that was very much the case with this story. I may be willing to read this author’s next book, but I’ll definitely cut out much sooner if the story doesn’t pull me in and keep my attention.

* thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Thanks for the gifted e-copy.

This was a cute debut (I think?) rom com about an aspiring chef and a musician. They have a one weekend stand, he ghosts her, and writes a song about their night, and gets famous. Then they meet up again later.

Kind of predictable, yet super sweet and made me soooo hungry. In fact, I'm hungry for pancakes again just writing this review! I loved the scenes at the culinary school, as that has always fascinated me. I low key wanted to be a pastry chef, so I love reading about aspiring chefs.

Their romance was cute, but I'm not a huge fan of instalove. I couldn't really get into their relationship, especially to where I could get really invested in them getting back together. I do think many people will really enjoy this book though, and it's a great read heading into summer.

What a lovely read. Had a hard time putting this one down. It was really enjoyable. And well written. Looking forward to more from this author.

This might be the cutest cover I’ve ever seen! It’s perfect for this super cute second chance romance. I really enjoyed this book. I loved all of the references to music and food. Famous blueberry pancakes and songs about them, yes please.

The characters lacked some depth and some interactions were surface level, but it didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment of the story. Jake and Lexi were sweet and I enjoyed how they each evolved throughout the book.

A fun debut romance I’d recommend to anyone who enjoys music, food, and second chances. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author in the future!

I enjoyed the foodie chef and famous musician angle, but I feel like a lot of the book was very surface level and was showing more than telling. I would have enjoyed some more backstory and feelings.

I love a celeb-non celeb romance so I was curious to check this book out. It did not disappoint! Culinary student Lexi meets Jake, a dive bar musician and she spends a whirlwind weekend with him only to get ghosted when he gets his big break. With a good dose of drama, this would make a great vacation read. I really enjoyed the inside look at the restaurant (The Blue Bistro is a favorite of mine so I think I’ll read anything that gives me a glimpse of that world).

Wow! This book is such a great combination of some great romance tropes and storylines that we all love. I think Hameroff did a great job with these characters and creating a romance that you didn't want to put down!

Very fun contemporary romance! I loved the way this romance developed. The characters were great and really easy to connect with and root for throughout the story. I thought the idea of having the issues in the relationship be factors that were out of their control and not trope like miscommunication which can feel repetitive and hard to connect with was great, it made the story feel a lot more realistic and unpredictable! Definitely recommend reading this one if you enjoy rom-coms, insta-love, and stories where the main conflict are external issues.

I really enjoyed this story. Romance and women’s fiction are my jams and I just really liked these characters and their journey. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting a lovely escape.

3.5 Stars. This was adorable. It felt like a 90's rom-com movie. I am a self proclaimed foodie, so I loved all of the yummy food references. This was a fun easy beach read for me!

Till There Was You by Lindsay Hameroff is a cute rom com. It’s perfect for those who love this genre. The romance was lovely if not a bit predictable. The musician and chef worked so well in this book. This is definitely not a clean romance. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publishing house for the ARC. This is my honest review of this book.*

The chemistry between Jake and Lexi is so, so, so good!! I really thought this was just the cutest book. I did yell out loud when Lexi was ghosted but then the story unfolds and you find out what happened and it just makes it all so much more worth it. Who doesn't want a swoon worthy guy to sing a song or 2 about them?!

This feels like a perfect beach read to me.

3.75 stars


Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an eARC via NetGalley to read. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this one. It took me a while to read, but every time I came back to it I was fully drawn into the story again.
I’m not a big fan of time jumps in romance books, but I didn’t hate it in this book. I thought it was written well, and it actually served a purpose instead of just to cause drama.
I liked Lexi most of the book. Towards the end I was frustrated with her for not communicating with Jake, but I could also understand her thoughts and emotions. I really liked Jake’s character and I thought he was so sweet. He truly cared for Lexi and was willing to fight for her.
The pacing was a bit off at times for me. One moment we could have one day span several chapters and then the next we would have a couple months in a page with no warning. It felt a bit disconnected at times.
I also felt that some things were touched on but never really developed. The Madison and Jake thing was hinted at, but it felt really rushed. The Ethan and Lexi thing was barely any part of the story.
Overall this was a cute and enjoyable romance that touched on some heavier topics.

Lexi has a meticulous plan for her life which includes working in a Michelin star restaurant like she promised her mom before she died. When Lexi meets Jake, a hot dive bar musician one night, they share an incredible weekend. Jake is headed to LA to record his demo and promises to connect with Lexi when he's back in town but things begin to take off in LA and eventually, their communication dies.

After falling out with Jake, Lexi finally is ready to start her career and has even found a restaurant to work in and a hot coworker she connects with. Just as life starts to settle, Jake shows up disheveled on her doorstep and Lexi has no idea what to do. She agrees they can be friends and he can stay with her but their chemistry is not something they can deny. Eventually, Lexi has to decide if she can take the life in the spotlight with Jake and balance her career together without losing herself.

This was great! The setting in New York felt genuine and so was her life in the restaurant. The added stress of restaurant life and Jake's fame created a world of celebrity drama I liked ready. Both Lexi and Jake were so likable and with a second chance, you can't help but root for them. Also, not that this wasn't lighthearted, but the cover made it look like it would be an "easy" read. There was a little more darkness that I didn't anticipate but that I did like reading.

A book I'll be recommending!

I loved how Lexi and Jake met and how it was insta-love, but he's leaving town to cut a demo and that seems to be the end of that. Suddenly Lexi hears a song that references their time together, which also launches Jake to instant stardom. Needless to say they both have things to deal with, like Lexi stuck in time due to her mother's death. I've read some reviews that say this should be YA or NA, but I don't agree, NA maybe, but I'm way beyond those age groups and I didn't get that feeling at all. I loved this book from beginning to end.

Thank you to St Martin's Press, St Martin's Griffin for providing an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.