Let's Call a Truce by Amy Buchanan was a sexy, swoony romance that shows love after loss is not only possible but also worth the risk.

After her husband dies unexpectedly, Juliana Ryan finds her back in the workplace, and she immediately butts heads with Ben Thomas after she overhears him calling her a liability. Two years later, their feud is still going strong--but then she realizes that he's also a single parent and their girls become friends--so they're forced even further into each other's orbits. The tension bubbling under the surface is the sexy kind, and when they finally give in, it's so worth the wait. The third act break up was frustrating--not because it didn't need to happen but because Ben was an absolute idiot--but I persevered and they eventually got their happily ever after. Also, I don't remember how Ben was described in the book, but I kept picturing him as a younger Benjamin Bratt.

If you like single parent romances (in this case, both of them are single parents!) and books that deal gently with themes of grief and loss, Let's Call a Truce is one not to be missed. Thank you to St Martins for my advance review copy.

First off, I love an enemies to lover tale — it's probably my favorite trope. But even so, I found this book to be just ok for me. The original tension is based on a misunderstanding, which again, I know is how the genre operates and I know Juliana is a widow and needs to but her kids first, but she was often immature and petty. I liked Ben much more as a character.

And I won't get into spoiler territory, but obviously there needs to be a third act complication to keep them apart, but Juliana's reaction to it was again immature and largely lacked the sympathy you'd expect from a single parent.

So overall, this book was fine but did not overwhelm me.

4.5 hot workplace romance stars

This is at least the second workplace romance I’ve read this year and, so far, this trope works for me. I am impressed by this debut author, Amy Buchanan.

Juliana is back in the workforce after years of caring for her children. After the tragic loss of her husband, she needs the income. She’s an HR professional juggling working and being a good mom. Luckily, she has a great friend and family support system.

On her first day back at work, she feels a spark with the tall, handsome architect Ben. She’s got meetings set up with everyone when she gets a call from her daughter’s school. She’s worried about first impressions when she has to dash over to the school. She later overhears Ben complaining to a friend about how she canceled their first meeting, complaining about her family commitments. This starts the workplace feud!

Juliana and Ben constantly feud and trade insults (witty banter!) while maybe fighting off their attraction to each other. Juliana feels like she had her one shot at love with her husband and isn’t eager to start anything. Plus, she has her daughters to think about.

A new work project that could advance their careers revolves around an internship program and a work trip to Boston. Can they call a truce to collaborate on the project? I loved the descriptions of Boston, one of my favorite cities!

They might give this relationship a whirl! There are some steamy scenes for sure! Until Ben’s ex-wife returns and wants to reclaim her part of his life.

This author took time to develop realistic and authentic relationships with the main characters, their friend groups, and their families. I fell in love with these characters and rooted for them to find a second chance at love. I also thought the book portrayed the struggles to succeed at work and home well. The concept of combined families is also explored.

I had a few surprise tears at the end of this one—always a good sign when I read a book, it definitely shows I was invested! I can’t wait to read what this author writes next.

If you’re looking for a book that serves up humor, heart, and some chaos, Let’s Call a Truce is your new best friend!

The story kicks off with the fiery clash between Ben and Juliana, reminiscent of a rom-com where the enemies excel at being, well, enemies. Ben, the self-proclaimed supervillain of Juliana’s life, disapproves of her existence with a killer smirk. Meanwhile, Juliana is navigating her return to work after seven years as a stay-at-home mom and coping with the loss of her husband—all while battling her new mortal enemy. Will they fall in love or combust like a supernova? Spoiler: it’s a wild ride!

Juliana’s journey is relatable and raw, filled with bittersweet reminders of what was. Yet, she forges ahead, determined to build a new life for herself and her two daughters.

Her level of pettiness is both inspiring and hilarious—her snippy banter with Ben is top-tier entertainment!

Her besties—Asia, Dani, and Gabriela—bring essential support, reminding us how vital friendship is during tough times.

What I loved most was the transformation from enemies to an office crush filled with teasing, flirting, and swoon-worthy kisses. Ben isn’t just a smirk; he’s genuinely attentive to Juliana and her kids. Their relationship exemplifies understanding can coexist with boundaries.

This book beautifully explores whether someone can have two great loves. For Juliana, the answer is a resounding yes. Her journey with Ben shows that love can be complicated and scary but oh-so-sweet when everything falls into place.

In short, Let’s Call a Truce is a touching debut that had me smiling and laughing. If you’re ready for a story rich in emotional depth and humor, grab this book—you won’t regret it!

This is a fun, entertaining read. Ben and Juliana are interesting, relatable, intriguing, wounded, caring, complex, strong, entertaining characters. I enjoyed spending time with them and their romance. There were many times during the first half of the book when I wanted to shake Juliana, even though I understood what was motivating her actions and decisions. The secondary characters – especially the little girls – added to the fabric of the story and my enjoyment. The book is easy to read and get into.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Juliana chooses to return to work after her husband’s passing. She walks into *literally* Ben. Throughout her career she is plagued by this child hating man. Then they are both given an ultimatum to get along for the sake of Juliana being eligible for a promotion in addition to both being assigned to a major project. This book was heart breaking over and over again in all the best ways. I’m grateful for the digital arc I received in exchange for an honest review.

A sweet workplace romance with all the feels and tropes: grumpy sunshine, enemies to lovers, single parent.

Juliana meet Ben on her first day of a new job, and there is instant tension after she overhears a comment he makes about her before a meeting. Fast forward a couple of years and their paths continue to cross while the heat/tension builds.

***potentially huge trigger as the FMC is a widow and talk of her deceased spouse is HIGH throughout the book.***

I enjoyed the story, enjoyed the pace of it, and it was a well written debut. The narrator did fantastic and kept me engaged through the story. Would recommend!

3.5⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley, St Martin’s Press for my ARC and Macmillan Audio for my ALC.

Love enemies to lovers trope. You could see the love they had for each other throughout the book. I liked the honesty about the complications in their lives mixed in with the sexy banter, it felt like sometimes too many hiccups but still enjoyed it.

Thank you to netgalley for the advanced copy for review. I LOVED this book. Admittedly enemies to lovers is one of my favorite plots so this one was just perfect. Everything I wanted. Will for sure be recommending to friends and family

This book was so precious!

Julianna is widowed, she lost her husband in a tragedy. She is going back to work after being a stay at home mom, she finds a coworker talking about her. The two end up having a two year long feud, unfortunately they’re forced to work on a project together. Can they work together without their feud getting in the way?

These two were cute together, I also really loved their daughters. They were so sweet!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

As a debut book, this was a great read in terms of the workplace romance, but a lot of times things were messy, and I just could not connect with the characters as I was about to hurt them for hurting my favourite character, but I absolutely love the messy parts of life shown in this book, so all in all it was decent read for me

This was a good enemies to lovers work place romance. Juliana is back to work after losing her husband two years ago. She is forced to work with her office nemesis, Ben and we see their journey as enemies to lovers.
I enjoyed seeing both of their journey as single parents and how their children was so important to them. Their banter and connection was great and those steamy scenes were hot!
Charlotte North did a great job as the narrator.

Thank you @smpromance @macmillan.audio for a copy of this debut novel.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this book. What an spectacular debut novel by Amy Buchanan! I will admit that the cover had me thinking this book would be more lighthearted than it was but the depth in the story and the character growth throughout was just beautiful. This is the kind of romance that remind me of authors like Abby Jimenez. Buchanan crafted a book that I could not put down and it truly felt to me like Juliana and Ben were real people. I love a romance with a single parent as well and this one was well done. You can see that Juliana is doing her best to make it through life with two young girls and put on a brave face, but on the inside is just making it one day at a time. Her romance with Ben felt real and was peppered with some miscommunication but ultimately, you see two imperfect people learn that they are better together. 5 stars for me and I cannot wait to read more from this author! See below for a brief synopsis.

Juliana is reeling after the unexpected loss of her husband thrust her back into the work world after being a stay at home mom for many years. She is taking it day by day and trying to do her best at work and at home. When she has to leave early to tend to her kids, she hears unkind words spoken about he by Ben. This sets forth a rivalry at work for years between the two. As they are put together on a project on work, they set a truce and realize that they may like each other more than they realized. A beautiful and real love story that tackles the complicated subject of grief. Don't wait to read this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

n 'Let's Call a Truce,' we meet Juliana Ryan, who is on a journey to put her life back together after losing her husband. She decides to go back to work. Juliana doesn’t just have to figure out work, though; she’s also trying to be a good mom while dealing with her sadness, and maybe even finding love again. As she starts to move on, she finds new chances, makes new friends, and opens herself up to the idea of love.

Then there's Ben Thomas, her colleague who seems to be really annoying at first. He’s super friendly with everyone—except her! But as they work together more, things start to change and the way they feel about each other grows.

I truly enjoyed this book! It brought me out of a reading slump, and I couldn’t stop turning the pages. The jokes between the characters were so funny, and the chemistry was really strong. The way the family relationships were shown felt genuine and heartfelt. It beautifully illustrated what it’s like to find love again in your 30s, which was such a nice change. If you like spicy rom-coms, this one is for you.

4.25 Stars!

Out on January 14, 2025.

Such a dazzling and delightful debut!!

I loved how complex and layered this story was and
Amy handled topics of grief, mom guilt, solo parenting, and challenging parenting dynamics so beautifully and with immense tenderness. I loved watching Juliana and Ben’s relationship evolve and having shared experiences allowed them to provide the other with understanding and support where others might not understand.

I also really appreciated how Amy spoke to the pressures on moms and how so many of the tasks we complete and support we offer can often go unnoticed, but we still carry and have to navigate that emotional load.

While this book is tender, it is also so spicy and hot!! Amy knows how to bring the heat and I love how the spice deepened Juliana and Ben’s emotional intimacy as well.

I cannot wait to read what Amy writes next!

4.25⭐
1🌶️
Tropes: starting over, single mom, workplace romance, enemies to lovers
Single POV 1st person
When her husband dies unexpectedly Juliana Ryan needs to find a job to be able to support her and her two daughters. She ends up taking a position as a hiring manager and meeting Ben, the head of the engineering department. She is instantly attracted to him, but when she overhears him speaking badly of her for needing to postpone their meeting due to an emergency with her kids, it sets off a years long feud between them. When they are both pegged to work on a project together, they agree to a truce, and start to realize there might be more than hatred between them.
Definitely enjoyed this story. I love that the MCs are in their upper 30s, and I thought the author did a great job with how she handled the grief the FMC and her daughters experience- it was very well done and didn’t diminish Juliana’s marriage/relationship for the sake of her feelings for/relationship with Ben. I’m also not much of a crier but I definitely got teary in a few parts where Juliana was dealing with her young daughters. My only complaint is I wish it was dual POV because I’d love to know Ben’s thoughts through all of it.

[4.25 Stars 😍] Let’s Call A Truce was a heartfelt yet humorous read that is perfect for fans of The Hating Game by Sally Thorne! I enjoyed this workplace rom-com that had me crying one minute then giggling and kicking my feet the next.

The depiction of Juliana’s grief felt so raw and real, and on top of having children the same age as hers, it meant I was emotionally invested in her story. The side characters and friendships provided humor, growing pains, and moments of introspection and character development. There were times that I was frustrated with her, but that’s what I loved about her character as well! She was doing the best she could while maintaining her children, her job, her household, and her grief, and honestly, her journey to finding new love is one I will remember for a long time.

The chemistry between Juliana and Ben was so fun and dynamic and HOT that I stayed up way too late to know what was going to happen next! The “will they/won’t they” romantic development was entertaining and sweet, especially when the workplace enemies began to turn to workplace lovers. While Ben had his secrets and had a “rock and a hard place” decision to make in the third act, I loved how Juliana understood her worth and chose to walk away when the situation didn’t serve her. The heartache radiated from the pages, but I loved how Juliana and Ben rekindled their relationship and found a way to move forward.

Overall, I’m so glad that I picked up Let’s Call A Truce because it was a great debut novel by Amy Buchanan! I’m excited to see what she comes out with next.

+A huge thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of Let’s Call A Truce! All thoughts in this review are my own.
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Details:
💘Contemporary romance
🎈Romantic comedy
👔Workplace romance
👀Single, first-person POV
⛈️Darker themes and elements
🥀Third act breakup
🙌🏻Would re-read

Characters and Tropes:
⚔️Enemies-to-lovers
>>>🥊Dislike-to-love
📍Forced proximity
💙He falls first
🦸‍♀️Single parent/guardian

Spice
⚡️Fast burn
🔥Explicit content (hot)
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Emoji Ranking System:
🤩Excellent to Fantastic (4.75-5.00)
😍Very Good to Great (4.25-4.50)
😊Good to Really Good (3.50-4.00)
😒Just OK to Decent (2.75-3.25)
😑It's A No (1.00-2.50)
🚫DNF

Overall, I really enjoyed it - I liked the nemesis to lovers trope in this and glad it didn’t get dragged on too long!

The third act conflict was not my favorite but the could see that as something that could come up and it was interesting to read more about Paris before and after.

I also loved the kids personalities and that Juliana had her friend support group!

This book was a good way to show grief and also have romance be a part of it too. I loved it very much.

A new enemy to lovers in the office is coming with Let's Call A a Truce. After her husband suddenly dies, Juliana is returning to work after being a stay at home mom for the past seven years. But the day doesn't go as planned as she overhears a new colleague talking poorly of her. This starts a 2 year bicker fest with said colleague, Ben. The tension is next level and they finally admit to having feelings for each other but soon the balls are dropping when parts of Ben's life are thrown in the mix. The rollercoaster of emotions continues in a will they, won't they story with lots of real life drama along the way. Amy Buchanan writes a sarcasm filled novel with hilarious and loving side characters, laugh out loud moments, and hopes of a second chance at love for both Ben and Juliana. In rare form, I actually loved Ben more than Juliana. I enjoyed her character in the beginning but by the middle I was over her wishy washy-ness. A solid debut though and I'd happily read Amy's work again. Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the gifted copies in exchange for an honest review. 3.5 stars rounded up.