I was immediately charmed by Lexi and Jake, and quickly fell in love with the idea of their relationship. I loved seeing the supportive people they had in their corner, but the ones out to ruin what they could have, broke my heart. I loved seeing that this story was about both of them making changes in order to make the connection between them flourish, and that apologies came from both halves of the couple. After getting to know the friends and family that surrounded this pair, I’m nowhere near ready to let go of them just yet, and I hope we’ll see more of Lexi, Jake, and those supporting cast members again in the future.
I received a complimentary advance copy of this book through NetGalley.

Jake and Lexi are so cute! Lexi is more practical while Jake has energy to spare, but they have a good pace and great chemistry from the start. I love the buildup and the backstory - we get to see the origins rather than being dropped in the middle. I also appreciate that it’s not one of those quick fix stories - there are conversations and apologies.
Admittedly, I was a little bit disappointed that this novel plays into the “star-crossed lovers” trope, but I love that it comes down to being with the one who feels like home.
Comfort food and a comfortable blanket; the perfect recipe for reading this comfort romance novel.

Until the following items are met by the SMP team, I will be withholding any promotion or review of any St. Martin's Press titles (including SMP Romance and Wednesday Book titles):

1. Address and denounce the Islamophobia/racism from your employee.
2. Offer tangible steps for how you're going to mitigate the harm this employee caused.
3. Address how moving forward, you will support and protect your Palestinian, Muslim, and Arab readers, influencers, and authors in addition to your BIPOC readers, influencers, and authors.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

This was a new author to me, and I enjoyed this romance with an interesting premise. Lexi is a culinary student with a dream to fulfill for her deceased mother. Jake is a musician trying to make a go of his talent. The two have an instant connection and an amazing weekend...then are separated when Jake gets a big break, and he basically ghosts her. While I wasn't a fan of what felt kind of a lame reason for the separation, I was still routing for the second chance romance. Both our leads were solid characters, and they eventually get their acts together and communicate their wants and needs, leading to the happily ever after.

3.5 stars

A seriously good read. The story of instant love, that becomes deeper is perfection. The main characters — Lexi and Jake— are realistic and well defined. You really wind up rooting for them to make it as a couple. In fact I have plotted book #2 in my head already. That’s how invested in the story I became! If only all romance books could be so well done

4.5 stars. LOVE! Celebrity romances always do it for me and having Jake be the sweetest ever was perfect. Lexi was so relatable, and her character growth was so wonderful to see. I loved how she and Jake brought out the best in each other and pushed each other to be the best versions of themselves. This book just made me so happy, and I’d definitely recommend for a cute romance!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a sweet and steamy debut story between a chef (Lexi) and a musician (Jake). It was filled with great friendships, food, tension and longing, charming moments, and some great one liners.

And while I really wanted to love this one, however, the writing and some of the witty dialogue fell a little flat for me. Especially the conversations between Lexi and her friends, they just felt a little immature and tried too hard to be funny. This made it seem more of like YA romcom with some steamy scenes.

The author does do a great job exploring the ups and downs of a relationship between a celebrity and normal nyc chef, and how they are both finding their way in life. I enjoyed reading about the two different worlds they are immersed in and how their lives collided. And while I’m not typically a fan of the insta love trope, Hameroff gave it a certain charm that just added a zap of flavour to this second chance romance.

“Aren’t you worried about getting recognized?”
“Some people are worth the risk.”

Overall, it was an okay read, if a bit boring in parts. It gave a good peek into the celebrity and culinary worlds, and while it has some tropes I enjoy reading and seeing how well they tie in with the heartwarming and charming moments, I just didn’t feel connected with the characters and the story enough.

I definitely think that the author has promise and I understand that this is a debut novel, so knowing this I would be interested in checking out Hameroff’s future novels.

Wonderful story, great character development, great writing! Highly recommend this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it

Overall, I could tell this book wasn't for me. I think it skews towards a younger audience, and at this point in my life I don't seek that out in romance novels. The base of the plot rides on the fact that you believe in the insta-love connection between Jake and Lexi, and I just didn't see it.

Thanks so much for this ARC. I was super into the premise (I love a famous person-normal person romance... LOVE), but overall the writing was a bit immature for my tastes. It was a nice debut, but not to the level of most romcoms I enjoy. To start, a lot of the dialog felt too young for the characters' ages, and a bit "try hard". I felt chemistry in the beginning, but then it faded in and out for the rest of the book. The third act conflict/breakup didn't really ring true, and then Lexi suddenly lets us know that cooking isn't actually her dream and she quits her job out of nowhere which I found lame! Never did she indicate even a little bit that cooking wasn't her dream... I don't get it!

I think the pacing was okay, but not perfect. I did like the plot and I bet the author will improve with time and experience, so I definitely am glad I read this so she's on my radar for next time.

This was a STANDOUT debut set in New York City that sees aspiring chef, Lexi and wannabe rockstar, Jake falling in love after a magical night only to fall out of touch for a year that sees Jake rise to super stardom after his hit single inspired by Lexi goes straight to number one.

Don't miss this book if you love:

-rockstar romances
-books full of heart
-ride or die female friendships
-food as a love language
-Jewish FMCs
-star crossed love stories

This was utter perfection and I devoured it in practically one sitting! Highly recommended for fans of books like Scandalized by Ivy Owens or The seven year slip by Ashley Poston. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review! I can't wait to see what Lindsay Hameroff writes next!

Steam level: open door/mild details

Till There Was You by Lindsay Hameroff drew me in with the promise of a hit song about blueberry pancakes (I love breakfast food) and a second chance at love between a rock star and fledgling chef (I also love a celebrity romance). But the romance aspect of the book—which was not so much second chance at love as a weekend romance followed by meeting again later on—did not work as well as I had anticipated. Perhaps it’s because Jake and Lexi were in their early 20s and seemed accurately young. While I liked Jake, what stood out for me about this book was its look at early career experiences. Lexi’s expectations for her first job out of culinary school, working at the bottom of the hierarchy in a NY restaurant kitchen, are challenged by the reality of the demands and consequences of her decisions. Her internal doubts and her actions rang true to me in a way the romance did not.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press/Griffen for my complimentary copy of Till There Was You. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this sweet romcom.

There are so many things to keep you engaged :

Food as a love language
Realizing your potential
Being mature enough to change career direction
Pitfalls of being famous
Everyone does grief differently
Pop culture

Till There Was You by Lindsay Hameroff, is a debut novel that is an endearing rom-com with all the things you need but never knew you even wanted. You will be drooling over the food descriptions throughout the story. Lexi is a culinary student and has sworn off dating, until she meets Jake, and they end up spending an amazing weekend together. Jake ends up becoming an overnight music sensation and for over a year these two are out of touch. When they reconnect they try and fight the growing attraction, both strongly passionate about their careers while still supporting one another. With Jakes upcoming tour approaching, Lexi must decide if Jake is really what she wants.

The angst and longing in this romance is wonderful; you can really feel that Lexi and Jake are meant for each other. Through their ups and downs, navigating a celebrity relationship, both Lexi and Jake (along with a cast of hilarious side characters) learn what it truly means to follow your passions, no matter what everyone else is saying.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

I had so much fun reading Till There Was You that I read it in one day. This insta-love, second chance romance follows Lexi, a chef, and Jake Taylor, new popstar sensation. They have to fight for what they want and sometimes, we just don’t know what we want when we’re in the thick of it. This book also touches on how some people become solely their careers and what would it mean for that path to potentially change if they aren’t as satisfied as they hoped.

The side characters had me actually laughing several times. I hope there are more books following their stories because they’re great! There’s references to Jewish representation and LGBT characters.

I would not call this a closed-door romance, but it is on the lower end of the spice scale.

At the end of the day, this is a lighthearted romance and that’s exactly what I needed when I picked this up. I’m really satisfied with the ending, but I just wanted a smidge more!

Lexi is a culinary student in New York City whose one goal in life is to make her late mother proud by becoming an executive chef in a Michelin-star restaurant. She doesn’t intend on letting anyone or anything get in the way of her goal. But then she meets Jake Taylor, a musician in a dive bar who charms her with show tunes, leading Lexi to make an exception to her no-dating rule. Jake and Lexi spend a steamy weekend together before Jake leaves for LA to record his demo. Lexi never expects to see him again, and expects even less that Jake will become an overnight celebrity with a hit single about her blueberry pancakes. Lexi keeps their steamy weekend to herself until one night a distraught Jake turns up on her doorstep, throwing Lexi’s carefully laid plans for a loop. Lexi soon has to decide if her meticulously planned future is worth walking away from what could be the perfect love story.

TILL THERE WAS YOU provides an interesting look into the perspective of a culinary student as Lexi works her way through school and into her first restaurant job. I have no experience or exposure to the reality of working in a restaurant, much less a highly rated restaurant in NYC, so the fast-paced environment and gruelling schedules were enlightening. The author did an excellent job at portraying Lexi’s love of food and her joy of sharing that with others.

The meet cute at a dive bar was so well executed and I loved how this one chance meeting set sparks flying so intensely that it turned into a weekend affair. I am a sucker for second chance romances so I really enjoyed how this trope played out between Lexi and Jake. The communication between the two MCs was strained at times, bordering on miscommunications, but I liked that the author forced them into clear communication and not just ignore the issues held between the two for the most part. It was very refreshing to see them work through their issues in this manner.

I absolutely adored the NYE ending. It threw me for a bit of an emotional loop but I loved how things ended for Jake and Lexi!


<i>I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher, St. Martin’s Griffin, of this advanced digital copy for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review! All opinions expressed are my own.</i>

This was a cute strangers to lovers, second chance romance! Lexi, the FMC, was hard to relate to for me, but she felt real with her internal struggles and career choices. Jake was the star of this story, literally, but I found no faults with him and you could see he was trying his hardest to balance everything through the story. The banter was top notch between all characters; Lexi's friend group, Ali, Chloe, and Mia, reminded me of my own friends and I loved them so much, they were a strong support system and had humor when needed! The book stayed on top of current trends and relevant social topics. This was a cute, rom com for me, it had predictability that still made you swoon, but I would've loved to see an epilogue for Jake and Lexi!

I am so glad this is getting love from other reviewers because this one was not for me. The characters were frustrating. I cannot stand adults choosing not to be open with each other. I also usually love the celebrity/normal person trope, but it felt super cliche here and I wanted more originality. I know I’m in the minority and I will recommend it to readers that I know like this kind of story.

3.5 stars

Lexi and Jake meet one night in a bar. Their chemistry is undeniable. A perfect night together inspires Jake to write a song. The irony? That song is the very thing that drives them apart. As Jake propels to superstardom as singer/songwriter, Lexi pursues her dreams as a chef. They resign themselves to lives apart, until the pull that first drew them together proves stronger than ever. But can Lexi get over her insecurities and let love in?

Jake is a super yummy cinnamon roll of a hero, with puppy dog eyes and a velvet voice. The scenes in which they embrace the love they feel are absolutely top notch. I swooned so hard! The characters all felt so real. The struggles so authentic. Despite all of the challenges, I found myself desperate to see these two happily together in the end. Speaking of the end, it didn't disappoint! I also enjoyed the sprinkling of real-world stars throughout the story. What fun!!

Lexi, while often realistic and down-to-earth, often drove me crazy. She ruined so many magical moments with her unfounded insecurities. She could medal in jumping to conclusions! I appreciated the conflicts, but I would have loved it if she'd succumbed to them less. That said, I did have a good time with this book, and the author will remain on my radar!

Trigger warnings: death of a mother (before story begins), cheating (potentially), cyber bullying

I'd like to thank St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the eARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

I had really high hopes for this one, but it just didn't work for me. The book felt a bit young in regards to dialogue from Lexi and her interactions with her best friend. I know that Lexi is supposed to be in her early 20s, but she read younger to me. Now I don't mind YA at all, but it was hard for me to feel invested in the story, and I decided to put it down a little over halfway through. I don't think I'd say I would never come back to it because the premise was very cute.

I would give a rating of about 3.5/5 stars.