If this were a YA / new adult book then it would be a good one. Lots of drama, super immature characters (understandable for 21 year olds), but writing that keeps you reading. However, for adult romance - no? There is just no attraction between these character that supposedly fall in love? I don't see any angst, no chemistry at all. Also they are way too immature (again totally normal for a 21 year old) in their decisions that I thought it was YA/NA the whole time. A solidly interesting story, but nothing that blew me away.

Eh, this was fine. Truly, I don't feel strongly about this book either way. It was a really quick read though, so at least there's that. If you want a sapphic Thanksgiving romance this definitely is a good time. Yes, you read that correctly, this is a Thanksgiving romance, not Christmas as I feel like this was advertised as. Anyway, it doesn't make much of a difference but I thought I would mention it nonetheless.
I think my main issue with this book is that it just felt very surface level, and underdeveloped. Basically the entire romance (meet cute, crazy fake dating idea, actually catching feelings, and a "third act" conflict) all happens in less than 24 hours, and that's just a little bit more than half of the book. Because everything just happens so quickly there is no room for things to be properly developed, or even to just actually focus on something. So yeah, I just felt like I couldn't fully get sucked into this because we were just kept away from it all.
After that we mainly focus on Murphy's life crisis, and to be fair I didn't really care. It's such an overdone storyline, and I don't think it was very well executed in this book. Especially because I don't feel like Murphy grew at all throughout. I mean, that could be contriubuted to the fact that we never really delve into her feelings or add any depth to it all. I also feel like the resolution was a bit rushed, and we don't properly wrap up quite a lot of important threads either.
So yeah, I did think this was a really quick read, and definitely enjoyable and maybe a great holiday palet cleanser. However, I just feel like this just needed way more depth and developement in quite literally every sinlge aspect of this book.

This was a cute, queer, holiday romance that was the perfect amount of cozy, queer panic, and wtf do I do next.

Okay, so maybe that wasn't as clear as it could be.

The whole book was a cozy hallmarky type book that made me relate to our MC. She's stuck in life and feels like everyone is passing her by and the one tradition she has is getting ripped from her hands. It's one of those feelings that you absolutely feel as you get older and everyone else is hitting milestones and your life ebs and flows to different places. But reading this really brought that out full force. You also get the queer panic of not being able to tell the ones you love what's really going on because you're afraid of the repercussions and how that might make you look when really you should be more concerned with being your most authentic self.

I was so mad at the situations that people kept putting our MC in but at the same time I was like girl you can't expect everyone else to pause their life for you either. Overall, this was a great read and was cozy without being steamy.

Becca Grischow’s I’ll Get Back to You is a heartfelt and relatable exploration of self-doubt and self-discovery. With a perfect balance of humor and vulnerability, she crafts authentic characters and a story that resonates deeply. This book is a comforting reminder that uncertainty is a shared experience and that growth comes with patience. A must-read for anyone navigating life’s uncertainties.

I picked up I’ll Get Back to You purely because I thought it would be a light and fluffy Christmas romance that would get me in the holiday spirit. Instead, I got a unique not-quite holiday romance that had a lot of heart and character development (aka my favorite kind of romance).

The book opens with college student Murphy dealing with the awkward moment of meeting her BFF’s boyfriend, while also sitting with the realization that her grand plan to transfer schools won’t necessarily work out. The night takes a turn when she meets a former classmate and winds up fake dating her – only to realize her date’s mom is her professor.

The set-up is a perfect comedy of errors, but underneath that is a story that is incredibly emotional and heartfelt. Murphy, while at times frustrating, was incredibly human and getting to see her work through her feelings about her love life and academic life, her friends and family was really emotional to read about. I wasn’t expecting to get so invested, but I adored this book.

In addition to the emotional elements, I really enjoyed the unique setting of the story. Setting it during the period between Thanksgiving and college finals added a very specific sense of time and place, and gave the story an undercurrent of urgency. It completely transported me back to that feeling of trying to see friends and get things done before finals and made for a really evocative reading experience.

I’ll Get Back to You is out now. Thanks to Penguin Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Becca Grischow, and Penguin Books for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

This was fun!! I'm glad I gave this a chance after being severely disappointed by 2 other sapphic holiday romances that came out this year. I do want to mention that this was very sweet and reads more like a YA, even though both of the girls are in college. This is not a bad thing for me, just something to be aware of, as I think I would have enjoyed this book more a few years ago when I was an older teenager or in college myself. I thought Grischow did a great job of writing characters that seemed real and had chemistry. I really liked that she showed Murphy's path and emphasized that it's okay to not know your exact plans for the future/if your plans don't look like others. I thought that the timeline of feelings moved fast for my taste, but it is a holiday rom-com, so I'll let that slide! I had a great time reading overall, and I enjoyed Grischow's writing, so I will be on the lookout for more from her in the future.

“I’ll Get Back to You” by Becca Grischow is a heartfelt exploration of unspoken emotions and missed connections. It centers on letters written but never sent, delving into the what-ifs of relationships that drifted apart. The story balances nostalgia and regret with the possibility of reconnection, making it relatable for anyone who has wondered about the people they’ve lost touch with. It’s got that mix of bittersweet moments and hope that keeps you turning pages, but the pacing might feel a bit slow at times.

A charming story set in the midwest with a fake-dating trope, coupled with self-realization and the struggles of adulthood. Some scenes really dragged out and the plot was slightly predictable, but the chemistry between Murphy and Ellie shines! Overall it's filled with humor and heartfelt moments making it an enjoyable, festive, queer read!

Sincere thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Books for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was definitely a book I couldn't put down. It had the perfect amount of angst but also was the perfect amount of coziness somehow! I only wish the epilogue was a little bit more in the future rather than a month later.

I live in Chicago, and I should have loved this. However, I found Murphy to be infuriating and hypocritical. The character relationships felt superficial and fluffy. I didn’t feel like any of the resolution was earned.

Hmm.

I don't know what I want to rate this yet so maybe I'll figure it out by the end of this review.

I kind of hated like 3/4 of the cast of this book? Murphy's parents really sucked. 'We put our lives on hold for you, we had plans but we changed them, blah blah blah' umm.... you shouldn't have had a kid then? Idk, I know Murphy is an adult but to come back from vacation and be like 'btw we're moving and selling the house you currently live in but you're not coming with us so you have like a month to find somewhere to live because we want to get on with our lives and you're holding us back'- that's just wild to me. Ellie wasn't great either. Murphy finds out some pretty devastating news at Thanksgiving dinner and Ellie gets mad because she is more focused on what she's going to do next than she is on talking up grad school to her fake girlfriend's mom. Kat also wasn't my favorite, though at least she apologized before the book was almost over (like Ellie waited to do).

I also feel like this is more a coming of age story than a romance. I think I would've liked it better that way.

Idk man, I'm really disappointed because I love a midwest setting and the beginning had the potential! I just didn't really like it. Also, I was expecting a Christmas book from the cover. We got Thanksgiving and then an epilogue a couple days after Christmas.

This was such a sweet read! I’ll Get Back to You is technically a holiday romance, but honestly, it felt more like a coming-of-age story with some cute romantic vibes thrown in.

Murphy’s story of feeling stuck in her small town, working a dead-end job, and trying to figure out her life is super relatable. The fake dating setup with Ellie was fun (who doesn’t love that trope?), and their chemistry was adorable. That said, the romance kind of takes a backseat to Murphy’s personal growth—this is really her story about figuring herself out and taking some big steps forward.

If you’re into cozy, queer stories with a mix of romance and self-discovery, this one’s a great pick!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book!

I loved this book so much! As a product of the Chicago suburbs myself I loved the small-town Geneva setting and related well to the back from college for Thanksgiving feeling at the start of the book. It was such a treat to follow along and root for Murphy and her relationships with Kat, Ellie, and even Daniel and Kara. The perfect cozy holiday read! Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC!

ok so i had to DNF this one, unfortunately.

it sounded like it would be right up my alley! plus usually the fact that it’s sapphic will tide me over! but… the prose here had some weird metaphors that didn’t land, the dialogue was really lackluster, and i couldn’t bring myself to care about the characters and the growth that was (hopefully) to come, especially the POV MC, who had some struggles i related to, but came off to me as really irritating.

just not the one for me!

A well written, fabulous read about growing up and dealing with what life hands you, planned or not. Life is complicated for Murphy. She is attending community college, living at home, and her best friend brings her boyfriend to Murph’s birthday party. The complications continue as Murph meets a new friend and encounters a number of life events that do not go her way. However, rather than whining and being angsty about all of these curve balls, she steps up and meets each challenge head on. Thank you NetGalley for providing the ARC.

This was so cute! Set on Thanksgiving weekend, this book tells the story of Murphy, a 21 year old who is stuck in her hometown working the same job she's been working since she was 16 and going to community college, wishing to transfer to the University of Illinois to join her best friend, Kat. On that weekend, they plan to get blackout wasted and spend the holiday together, but Kat shows up with her new boyfriend. After an awkward reunion, Murphy runs into Ellie, a girl she knew from her high school years but seems to have changed quite a bit. These two were adorable, the fake dating was funny and I really enjoyed the small town vibes. I devoured this book in 24 hours, perfect timing just before Thanksgiving!

I enjoyed this sweet sapphic new adult romance. The pace kept me interested and HEA is what my heart needed. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review.

This was a cute read, it felt very Hallmark holiday movie but in the best way. Sometimes that's exactly what you need and I'm also a sucker for the fake dating trope so that didn't hurt.
I also enjoyed that it was slowburn, which allowed it focus on their coming-of-age and each character's growth.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review. I enjoyed reading this fake dating romance! Murphy is easy to relate to and I enjoyed watching her grow in herself with Ellie. Murphy is helping out Ellie by being her fake girlfriend to get her family off her back and get financial support for her schooling. Murphy benefits from this arrangement for tutoring from Ellie and to also spend time with her. Being able to convince Ellie's family that they are a strong couple may be harder than they thought.

I also appreciated real issues like growing apart from friends. When friends move away, go to college, get boyfriends, etc., that can change a friendship dynamic. In this case, Murphy and her best friend Kat have been growing apart. This was relatable as friendships do change and friends to come and go, but the time with them is always appreciated. Murphy and Kat try to figure out how navigate their friendship with all these new changes.

thank you netgalley for the e-arc. i would have liked this 30% more if the characters were aged up by 10-12 years. i don't understand why about half of the first part was all focused at thanksgiving and the "romance" was way rushed. it was hard to get past the immaturity all around but that's because of them being in their early 20's.