After the tragic loss of her husband, Juliana Ryan finds herself going back to work to support her young girls on just one income. She is able to find a perfect and flexible job and jumps right into her role — with just one burr in her side named Ben Thomas. He’s gorgeous but after a few harsh overheard words, he is officially in the enemy column. Jump ahead two years. Juliana and Ben have important promotions and a project that requires them to work together. Will they be able to call a truce and successfully get the job done?

This was a super sweet, lighthearted read that still dug into some deep issues of emotional strength and self esteem. It also dove into loss and what family is and means. The enemies to lovers trope was well written and fresh and kept me turning pages. At times I got frustrated with our protagonists and their decision making but overall I really, really enjoyed this novel. I pretty much binge read it in one night! 4 stars.

Review based on a digital Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by St. Martins Press - St. Martins Griffin and NetGalley. Thank you!

I listened to Let’s Call a Truce on my morning commutes to work this week, and every day I got a little bummed when I had to turn it off and start interacting with other humans. Thanks to Macmillan Audio, St Martin’s Griffin, and NetGalley for early access in exchange for my honest opinion.
Fair warning, I shed some tears reading/listening to this one, so I wouldn’t plan to go in expecting a completely light read. Juliana’s husband recently passed away in a sudden accident, and she is left with their two young girls, needing to reenter the workforce after being a stay-at-home-mom. She is anxious, having a rough first day, when she meets her gorgeous coworker - who she then overhears bad mouthing her and her commitment to the job, wrecking her confidence and defining their roles as rivals. After two years working together, things have not improved, but the two are forced to collaborate on an account that includes traveling to Boston together. Her rival is originally from Boston, and I loved how he helped her explore the city.
If you’re a fan of workplace rivals-to-lovers, I definitely recommend Let’s Call a Truce! It comes out Tuesday 1/14.

Thank you so much to the publisher for the opportunity to read this title early. I've seen so many wonderful things about this book and cannot wait to dive in. Review to come!

𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬 & 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐤 𝐬𝐞𝐱𝐲 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞...𝐨𝐡 𝐦𝐲 🥵

Thank you, @smpromance and @amybuchananbooks, for our copy of "Let's Call a Truce" for a special traveling arc. Extra hugs and appreciation for @bookswithnopictures and @just_talking_to_my_shelf for everything they do!

PUB DAY: January 14, 2025

Workplace romance has a special place in my heart & this rivals to lovers moment is one you're gonna want in your life. I am talking hilarious office pranks. Banter that will have you wheezing. But most importantly, desk-clearing kisses.

Our female protagonist, Juliana, will always have a special place in my literary heart. There's just something about a single mother who is a full bad a**! This woman is a FORCE! She's everything I want to be when I grow up.

Pre-order this one now if you love everything that you're reading. You know I wouldn't steer you wrong when it comes to romance, right!?

🩷 Single Mom/The Most BA FMC
🩷 Hilarious Banter
🩷 Rivals to Lovers
🩷 Workplace Romance
🩷 Anxiety Rep
🩷 Debut
🩷 Slow Burn (SO WORTH THE WAIT)

[MINOR SPOIL] But the scene where Juliana drops the apology coffee into the trash is I C O N I C *slow snaps for the moment*

Thanks to the publisher, the author and NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had such high hopes for this novel when I read the blurb - workplace romance (check), enemies-to-lovers (check), characters with more substantial and realistic baggage - according to the blurb - (check). However, while a valiant attempt by the author, everything felt far too surface level and trope-y (yes, I'm aware this is meant to be a romance novel, but still!) to really land for me. The premise of navigating single parenthood while wrestling with a challenging colleague had so much potential. I hoped for a story that could deftly handle the blend of romance and the complexities of grief and resilience. However, the characters and the sometimes juvenile and cliched subplots made it fall short of its potential.

I frankly didn't understand the two-year feud when both characters were meant to be working corporate professionals, in their 30s and rarely had to to truly work with other for the FMC's "hate" to truly be justified. This made the FMC seem very immature and I pretty much did not like her from the get-go. I liked the MMC a bit more but he faltered when the third act conflict was introduced.

I wish that rather than meandering into the cliched subplots, there was more of a focus on the FMC's struggles as a single-parent in the workplace (which is frankly side-lined by a later reveal) and her grief. Instead, much of the story focused on their verbal sparring and cliched scenarios, leaving little room for a true exploration of deeper issues and missing the opportunity to delve deeper into the characters' inner worlds.

I loved this one and didn't want to put it down! I think the grief element was so well done, and the friendships were life-giving. Juliana and Ben's relationship was very much giving The Hating Game, which I'm here for. I didn't love the third act breakup. I really liked Ben throughout the book, but the way he handled the situation at the end made me dislike him a little bit, especially after Juliana was working through everything and he asked her to take a chance for him. I think he needed to work a little harder for the reconciliation. Overall, this was such a great debut, and I can't wait to read whatever Amy Buchanan writes next!

Let's Call a Truce is a workplace romance with really good banter and slow burn, tension. Debut Novel by Amy Buchanan - release date: 01/14/2025

We have two colleagues who don't get off on the right foot. Juliana, a grieving widow thrust back into the work force and Ben, her extremely handsome colleague who she overhears complaining about her. Fast forward two years and they are tasked to work together on a project. Can they handle a truce?

I enjoyed that these characters were older and I feel like the first half of the book flew by with their witty banter and tension. I think the grief of the loss of a husband and father was overall handled well and felt realistic.

My only critique was I struggled with the 3rd act scenario. I was super frustrated and then I calmed down a bit and then I'd turn the page and feel angry again. Then the ending wrapped it up a bit toooo sweetly... but I felt like the first 2/3rds of the book went so well that I was forgiving (this appears to be a debut novel!)

Tropes:
- Widow (older FMC)
- Single parent(s)
- Office Romance
- Rivals to lovers
- Witty Banter
- Good tension

I honestly loved this one! I’m usually a sucker for a good office romance, enemies to lovers, and this one knocked it out of the park. The tension and banter between Julianna and Ben was off the charts. I loved seeing them slowly give into their desires. The fact that they both had complicated pasts and were single parents only made it that much better. The progression of their relationship was realistic yet steamy, and captured the messiness of things when kids are involved. Highly recommend!

This book is a great example on how you can’t judge a book by its cover, or title in my case. Prior to actually reading this book I saw the title and wasn’t sure I was interested in reading this book. But thanks to Netgalley I received an ARC of this book and had the opportunity to read this touching, wonderfully written enemies to lovers romance. Julianna is a woman who is trying to balance out raising her two daughters, working a job, and dealing with the tragic loss of her husband. Ben is her nemesis at work that she loves to fight with. Having to work together forces them to call a truce and get to know each other.

This book truly surprised me with how incredibly touching it was with how it dealt with so many difficult topics such as death of a parent and spouse, abandonment of a parent, and so many more. I found myself both laughing and crying at points in this story and loved the relationship between Julianna and Ben.

I am so thankful for Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

(4.5 stars) Thank you, @macmillan.audio and @smpromance for the #gifted advanced listening and reading copies of this truly wonderful enemies-to-lovers audiobook! #macaudio2024

After the death of her husband, Juliana Ryan never imagined she’d return to work under such challenging circumstances. On her first day back, she literally runs into the annoyingly handsome Ben Thomas—and later overhears his dismissive comments about her need to balance work and single parenting. From that moment, Juliana’s disdain for Ben is cemented. Fast forward two years, and their workplace rivalry has reached new heights. Then they discover that they are both up for executive roles with the company and must join forces to launch an important new initiative. Outside the office, their lives become unexpectedly intertwined, pushing them to confront their pasts. Together, they navigate vulnerability, trust, and the challenge of balancing their ambitions with their personal struggles. Along the way, they discover that their rivalry might just be the foundation for something much deeper.

This book surprised me with its depth and complexity. Juliana and Ben’s journey from antagonists to partners is filled with raw emotion, sharp banter, and moments of incredible vulnerability. Their relationship is richly layered, and I was captivated as they lifted each other up, let each other down, and ultimately found a way to move forward.

The workplace setting adds another dimension, with thoughtful secondary storylines about ethics and diversity that make the office more than just a backdrop. It’s a well-rounded, relatable story that balances professional challenges with personal growth.

Charlotte North’s solo narration is outstanding, giving every character a unique and authentic voice. Her performance kept me immersed in the story, and she captures the emotional nuances beautifully. (10h, 3m)

Let's Call a Truce is a second chance romance for a couple that is in their 30's and single parents. Juliana lost her husband and has 2 girls and Ben is divorced and has a daughter. His ex-wife comes into play and she most definitely is not a nice person. To anyone! Juliana and Ben start as enemies who are coworkers together. Then there is forced proximity between these too and things heat up. They have rough patches along the way, especially dealing with ex's, kids, work, etc. But the love these two share is wonderful.

I love that the MCs are older (in their mid to late thirties) and this is their second chance at love. FMC lost her husband (the love of her life two plus years ago) and her office antagonist is the MMC. I was not expecting that spice - it was great. The twist was not unpredictable but it was irritating
The book is near and dear to my heart as I currently live in Boston and spent five years in Florida. My husband went to school in Gainesville.

Tropes: Enemies to lovers, Forced Proximity, Its Always Been You, Single Dad, Single Mom

This book has three tropes that I love: enemies to lovers, single parent, and office romance. I was so excited to start this book, but it really fell short for me. Juliana is a widowed single mother of two young daughters, and she goes back to work after being a stay at home parent for years. I was a stay at home parent for many years, and I could relate to Juliana's feelings. When she is at work, she meets Ben, her co-worker, and they don't get along from the beginning. She overhears him complaining about her having kids and it interfering with scheduling of a meeting. Because of this interaction, they hate each other and play immature pranks on each other for two years!

We are supposed to believe that all this time, he is really falling in love with her, but they don't know anything about each other. They never have a conversation! Something that really bothered me was the descriptions of Ben as being this breathtakingly gorgeous man- there are multiple times when women are speechless when they look at him. It was over the top.

When they go to hook up for the first time in his office, I was uncomfortable with the aggression that he used toward her. They didn't have a discussion about how rough to take things, and it felt out of place in the book. I also didn't like how he tried to make her feel like she owed him something because he waited so long for her.

When Ben's ex returns (she left him and their 5 year old daughter) , he decides to stay with her to work things out, for the benefit of their daughter. The daughter has abandonment issues.= why would he subject her to a false sense of hope that her parents woul be a 'happy family' again?

In the end, Juliana forgives him and they live happily ever after. I didn't root for Ben or Juliana. They are both immature and selfish. I don't understand how a relationship between the two of them would be healthy at all. The book frustrated me so much.

There's some major miscommunication going on that didn't have to happen. But there's fun banter and sexy times. Still worth reading.

Juliana and Ben’s story was a cute and quick read that I enjoyed.

While there were a few things that occurred that I didn’t love, I still would recommend this to others.

Newly widowed single mom Juliana has hated Ben since the day she met him, when she overheard him badmouthing her to a mutual colleague. When they’re forced to work together on a major project, they discover there’s a thin line between love and hate.

This one wasn’t for me overall. I found Juliana to be truly infuriating. I really didn’t understand why Ben kept trying with her when she was so often rude and even sometimes downright mean to him. Their third act conflict made me really angry because it was avoidable but no one was acting like a reasonable adult to me.

I did love the blended family aspects and thought that all three kid characters were really cute and sweet. I loved that Juliana loved Paris so well and so quickly, giving her another adult to count on. I thought that the village that Ben and Juliana built around themselves was a lovely example of found family. The grand gesture at the end was really sweet, even if I wasn’t totally sold on them as a couple.

One thing I love about being an arc reviewer is that it draws my attention to debut authors! It was so fun to kick off Let’s Call A Truce as a traveling arc and I really enjoyed this fun romance!

I love a forced proximity situation, and there’s no proximity more forced than someone you loathe and have to work with anyway. Let’s Call A Truce is office romance meets rivals to lovers (or one sided feud to lovers?) and the banter and desk-clearing kisses were top tier.

I also really loved Juliana’s relationship with her kids! I love when kids are utilized well in a single parent story, and Amy did a great job making the kids an essential part of the story instead of an accessory or afterthought.

Definitely pick this one up after it comes out later this month!

Thank you to SMP Romance for the traveling arc copy and eARC. All thoughts are my own.

4.5/5 - Julianna and Ben don’t hit it off on her first day at work. Julianna is back to work after the loss of her husband. She is now a single parent to two girls and an incident at the school causes her to cancel a meeting she had with Ben. She overhears Ben complaining about her and is angry he would do that. Flash forward two years and the two have been trading barbs since that day (in (mostly) fun). Forced to work together on a project they start to enjoy each other’s company, but Julianna struggles with if there could be two loves in her lifetime.

The tension between these two could be cut with a knife. With that tension comes sparks. Julianna struggles with the death of her husband while managing grief and helping her daughters. She is also dealing with the guilt that comes with being attracted to someone else after losing the love of her life, struggling to understand if she could have another different love with Ben.

Ben initially comes off as the bad guy, but we come to understand his story and the reasons for what he said that first day. He is kind and compassionate, allowing Julianna to move things at her pace while being there for her even as a friend. I loved that Ben was so understanding of the love Julianna had for her husband and openly accepted, and talked about him, while Julianna processed her grief and growing feelings.

I will admit that I didn’t love how some things between Ben and Julianna were handled, but even then, it felt so raw and real that I felt it. There is a third-act break-up that I felt didn’t need to happen and took away from some of the great emotions we saw.

I felt that Julianna’s kids were added so well to the story and were important in the story progression. When her husband died, Julianna had a group of people who surrounded and supported her. The friendships she made, and her parents, helped her manage the job of being a single parent while working through grief. I loved that she had her group of people to help and support her.

Overall, I thought this was an enjoyable read filled with love and emotion. There were many times I found myself crying throughout the book because I could feel those emotions Julianna was going through. I could not believe this was Amy’s first book and I look forward to seeing what she writes in the future. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for a copy of this novel. Opinions are 100% mine.

Of the many, many sub-genres in romance, an office-set rom-com with the enemies-to-lovers trope mixed in is just *chef’s kiss* for me. Maybe it’s the result of imprinting on Sally Thorne’s The Hating Game and Ali Hazelwood’s The Love Hypothesis so young (*cough* 29-years-old *cough*). Whatever it is, that specific brand of book is like catnip to me, and Amy Buchanan’s Let’s Call a Truce seemed right up my sexual-tension-filled-conference-rooms-and-eyes-locking-across-office-kitchens alley.

The debut novel from Buchanan is a spicy contemporary romance about embracing second chances in life, in love, and in your career, while weaving in humor and a hell of a lot of yearning as the long-simmering feud between two warring colleagues, Juliana and Ben, eventually boils over.

In real life I’m sure office romances are already an Human Resources nightmare, but the ones I’ve encountered in fiction? Good god are they a lawsuit waiting to happen. Juliana and Ben’s situation is no exception, with their rocky courtship dotted with unprofessional, antagonistic, and borderline discriminatory behavior going on over the course of the two years they’re at odds. And Juliana’s habit of keeping a running document of all the fights she’s “won” against him on her company-issued laptop? Girl. Girl. (Though I guess that pales in comparison to what she and Ben end up doing practically on top of said laptop . . . el oh el.)

OK, anyway — now that I’ve gotten that very cool and glamorous HR complaint out of the way, let’s get into what worked for me, what didn’t, and my thoughts overall.

What I liked in Let’s Call a Truce by Amy Buchanan:
The chemistry! It’s there in spades, and abundantly obvious from their very first moment together. With these kind of books you kinda go in knowing how it’ll end, and all the usual beats that’ll happen along the way. What makes it worth reading is a pair of people worth rooting for, who keep things interesting. And despite this book’s faults, they do keep things interesting.

The ~spice~ (if you’re into that) is . . . OK! Nothing wild, but Ben is hot. Let’s celebrate that.

Juliana’s relationship with her group of friends — it’s grounded and sweet, with plenty of realistic interactions between them all. I think the book sometimes gets too much in the weeds with her friendships vs. focusing on the book’s romance, but for the most part it’s a nice handful of supporting characters who are witty, supportive, and honest with Juliana when she acts like an idiot.

What I wasn’t crazy about in Let’s Call a Truce by Amy Buchanan:
The dialogue has a tendency be stilted and unrealistic, and a glaring lack of contractions in the text really emphasizes this. I know this is nit-picky, but one of my biggest pet peeves in fiction is refusing to let your characters use contractions when speaking — people use them in real life! All the time! Constantly! Maybe if this was set in the Victorian era it would make more sense to keep the language more rigid, but in a contemporary romance that creative choice makes everything seem unnatural.

I wanted to scream, “JUST ASK BEN ABOUT HIS PAST ALREADY, JULIANA!!!!” She’s been through a lot, sure, but you only get so many passes before your bizarrely avoidant behavior becomes pathological. Also rude and hurtful?! The way she was dedicated to causing so many issues because she refused to ask a simple question . . . annoying as hell.

On that note, I’m not sure Ben or Juliana had ever communicated with another human being before ending up at the same architectural firm. In that sense I guess they really are meant for each other.

This book majorly suffers from ‘let’s all pretend the main characters have never looked each other up on social media’ syndrome. Come on.

There are a few specific plot beats that seemed eeeeerily similar to the storyline in The Love Hypothesis, on top of the miscommunication trope — both pairs travel to Boston for work, both heroines are hit on by an older man while there, etc. etc. Just a thought.

As far as Ben and Juliana’s relationship evolution goes, it felt like a pretty sizable step was missing, one where they start to thaw from ice-cold enemies into the possibility of something else entirely — a scene where he helps her through one of her panic attacks, maybe? Or a moment of her getting him through a tough meeting when she doesn’t have to? Something to bridge that gap. Sexual tension bubbles under all that arguing, of course, but due to the harshness of Ben’s verbal misstep that sets their conflict off to begin with, the narrative needed the presence of something more to sand down the sharp edges of their relationship.

So, the TL;DR of it all? This wasn’t a perfect read for me, but I still had a good time with it. (Mostly.) It’s entertaining and angsty, if you’re looking for an easy weekend read to warm you up this winter.

(2.5 stars, but rounding up!)

Let’s Call a Truce hits shelves on Jan. 14, 2025. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Rating: 4/5

Loved this book a lot. Juliana and Ben are a perfect example of why we need more romance books with characters who are a little older, in their 30s or 40s. I'm so glad I was able to read an ARC of this book. More books from Amy Buchanan now, please!

One of my favorite things about this story was how open and vulnerable Ben was. When the shift in their relationship happens, it's Ben who puts himself out there most directly first, and he really remains open and vulnerable for the rest of the book, even when he's conflicted about how to manage his responsibility to his daughter and his feelings for Juliana. Ben is unapologetic in his want for Juliana and it really make this book excellent.

The way Juliana handles the complicated emotions that come with moving on as a widow is beautiful. I really love the internal dialogue the author provides for this aspect of the story. I think it's so refreshing how the issue of grief is handled in this book about a young widow. Juliana feels sadness and love for her late husband, but she's also still a young woman, albeit older than most female main characters in romance books, with desire, both physical and emotional, for a new guy in her life. Just a really beautiful book.

The love story in this is so different from most books and is done so well. The spice is great, as well.
A really wonderful book and I can't wait to read more from this author.

ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for honest review