Than you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I was excited to see this title had been picked up by a major publisher. I love when indie stories go to print and reach the larger audience and get the recognition for the great tales they are.
I'm a big Lynn Painter fan. She is a go to author for me. I love her YA but I think I like her adult books even more. The romance is always done so well.
This one is a light hearted and easy read. The build up of romance between the two main characters is fun and realistic. Painter infuses the story with humor that had me laughing out loud many times during my read. The story line is nothing new and very much reminded me of the movie Working Girl, which I really enjoyed.
I loved both Izzy and Blake. I enjoyed their differences. His grumpy to her sunshine. Their romance was cute as it blossomed, though I did feel there was that slight bit of insta-love I don't always meld with. But it worked well in this particular story. There was a bit of push and pull with their relationship given their circumstances, as well.
Painter got the pacing and banter spot on in this one, though. She really knows when to infuse the story with the lightheartedness is needs to break up those more intense moments.
This one does have a bit of a third act break up type thing to it but it is resolved fairly quickly. The circumstances under which is happens are understandable. I'm not sure I would have done what Blake did had I been in his shoes. I don't think my heart could handle it.
If you're looking for a fun feeling, funny, and entertaining rom-com with friends to lovers, workplace romance, and grumpy sunshine and characters that are quirky and relatable, I highly recommend this one.

I picked up "Accidentally Amy" for its eye-catching cover and my love for the author., but unfortunately, the story didn't quite live up to my expectations. This romcom had its moments, but it didn't quite feel like a traditional romantic comedy.

The Good:

A lighthearted, easy read
Cute romance between Izzy and Blake
Hilarious moments that had me giggling out loud
Relatable protagonist and quirky supporting characters

The Not-So-Good:

Izzy and Blake felt immature and chaotic at times
The story lacked originality, feeling similar to other books in the genre
Lackluster plot that failed to impress
Underdeveloped characters that left me wanting more

Overall:

While "Accidentally Amy" was a fun, quick read, it didn't blow me away. Despite its shortcomings, I still enjoyed it for its lighthearted, easy-reading vibe. If you're in the mood for something fun and uncomplicated, this might be the book for you.

Recommendation:

I'd recommend "Accidentally Amy" to fans of romantic comedies, but with the caveat that it's more of a casual, beach-read type of book.

Listen, i’m not the biggest fan of insta love and workplace romance so I didn’t absolutely adored this book BUT I feel like the pacing the banter and the tension makes it really enjoyable. You won’t waste your time with this one, it’s a fun short romance. It does a great job for what it is.

sigh...i am pretty sure I loved this even more the second time. As a Lynn super fan, I read this a couple of years ago as an indie pubbed book and really enjoyed it. Getting a copy of her reprint felt like the perfect excuse to reread. Perfect is exactly the right word. It's sweet and swoony and so incredibly funny. It's steamy and romantic and light but also makes you feel things with the characters. I love Lynn and I love Amy and I can't wait to force my friends to read this.

Isabella Shay is about to be late for her new job. While waiting at Starbucks for her PSL, the name Amy is called three times. With no Amy forthcoming, Izzy decides to be a petty thief claiming said latte only to spill it all over a handsome man. Thinking this meet-cute turned out well after all, Izzy is shocked to find that Blake Phillips turns out to be her new boss after she arrives at her new workplace.

Blake is not only dismayed that their almost relationship started out by Izzy lying, he is also not about to date an employee. They start a “friends” relationship that is texting only, pretending to be just work buddies. Not surprisingly, this facade gets difficult to maintain especially when they run into each other at work. When an opportunity arises to take things to the next level, all seems okay for a real relationship, until it is not.

This rom-com is a light, mostly predictable read. Izzy and her quirky family along with Blake and his brothers are amusing for the most part. Blake seems like Izzy’s perfect idea of a man once she gets to know him, but of course, obstacles ensue. Her quirky, ditziness coupled with his straitlaced, rule-book persona make for a grumpy sunshine story.

This is a fun short romance with excellent banter. I loved both characters and their text interactions. Also loved the "forbidden romance". I did feel it too short and could use a bit more...

I feel like Lynn Painter loves to write her ditzy and clumsy female characters with no filters. She was definitely a character full of pure chaos and sometimes it was hard to read. I struggled to get through this one. I prefer Lynn's others works. I do like dual POV stories, but this one was just not for me.

Accidentally Amy was absolutely adorable! It was sweet, witty, charming and so full of warm fuzzies! I really enjoyed both of the MC's Isabella and Blake. They were both so cute and fun on their own and together they had this awesome chemistry. It was part best friend, part steamy romance and I loved every second! This book has an adorable meet cute, workplace romance, friends to more, forbidden romance and some cute cats thrown in for good measure. I highly recommend if you are looking for something light hearted, sweet and fun (with a little spice).

I did struggle a bit to want to read in general recently but it was not because I didn't thoroughly enjoy this book it was because of many other things going on. The light hearted happiness of this book kept me going though and the fact that it made me smile considering everything going on says a lot!

I like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me a chance at reading.

I know this story was originally free, and it was on KindleUnlimited. Yet the author said she edited this version, cleaned it up and gave more plot. I gotta say, since I never read the original, I rather liked this.

Accidentally Amy is a very much When Harry Met Sally / nod to those corporate mid 90's rom coms. You got the boss who isn't really an ass, run into a girl named Amy - but her name isn't really Amy, it's Izzy. Sparks ignite at the coffee shop, they exchange numbers, ready to meet up again... when she finds out he is her boss, and well, she lied. He had just got out of a serious relationship (close to marriage) and that fizzled due to her lying. So this sets him off a bit, takes it out on her a little. She feels there is an attraction, yet she keeps bumping into him at work, but god help her - they can't have a relationship due to him being her higher up.

Sooooo they decide to be friends. If he can't date Izzy, welp, he can be friends with Amy. So they text, they start to hang out, they make up rules, they pretty much get invested in one anothers lives.

If there is something Lynn Painter can do is write characters who feel real with situations that feel, well, real enough. That's what I liked about their relationship. It felt real and the supporting characters felt real too.

I gave it a star less because the problem was a little weak and it could be easily resolved, but we just love it when a man grovels because of a fuck up of his own account.

This cute, workplace rom-com has some great banter between the protagonists, Blake and Izzy, as well as some scorching chemistry. It begins with Izzy anxious to get to work for her first day and so she picks up a duplicate Starbucks order for someone named Amy. Except she literally bumps into Blake as she's leaving and spills the drink all over him. And then when she gets to work, realizes he's her new boss. Mayhem ensues. It's a fun ride, and a quick read. Is it anything special? Not really, But it is enjoyable anyway.

This is one time that making changes to a book--expanding and revising, really did some beautiful things for a story. My readers will love this!

4.0-5.0

This books was amazingly good. It kept me turning the pages and the pace was so fast that I felt like I desperately needed to keep turning pages. I burned through this book so quickly. The characters were so well thought out and saw so much of myself in Izzy. Also THE BANTER? Chefs kiss.

While I enjoyed this novel I found the dual POV messy and inconsistent. I know this was originally an indie pubbed novel without dual POV and I think that works better.

Accidentally Amy by L. Painter, published by Berkley Publishing Group is a witty and fun read. A meet cute, grumpy vs.sunshine, friends to lovers romance that gives all the feels.
Isabella Shay is usually a very honest person.
But when she’s running late for her first day at a dream job and the barista yells for “Amy” 3x with no answer, she does the unthinkable.
Izzy takes that PSL.
It’s the exact drink she ordered and paid for, only waaaay further ahead in the line, so she mutters “I’m Amy” and grabs the cup.
But when she turns around and runs directly into the most attractive man she’s ever seen, spilling the drink all over his shirt and tie, she ends up having the ultimate meet-cute. Sparks fly and things feel beyond promising until he says the words, “See you tomorrow, Amy.”
Uh, oh – she’ll definitely have to straighten him out the following day.
Only when she gets to her new office and meets the VP of her department, it is none other than Blake Phillips - the hottie from Starbucks. And the man might’ve been charming to “Amy,” but he is a grump to Izzy, one who dos not find her explanation funny at all.

I am obsessed with this author’s writing style!
-Grumpy x sunshine
-Workplace
-Rom com

This book was so cheesy in the best way possible! It was so silly and just a “feel good” book. The banter between these characters was so funny! I absolutely loved the FMC, Izzy, her awkward & ditzy personality was incredibly relatable in the way she just word vomits anything & everything she thinks. Both the characters are cat lovers and I loved seeing that written, such a green flag from them!
This book put me in the best mood while reading it. Definitely one of my new fav Rom coms!

Isabella Shay is usually very honest. But it was the first day that Pumpkin Spice Latte was being offered for the season, and her annual vice could NOT be denied despite the fact that it was also her first day at a new job.

She orders, pays and waits and waits and WAITS!

The barista yells “Amy” - “Amy”- AMY! (3 TIMES)

“Amy” never steps forward to claim her latte- so Izzy does the unthinkable- She swipes the Pumpkin Spice!

But Karma is a “witch” and as she turns around with her hot coffee-she runs directly into an even hotter man-spilling the drink all over his expensive shirt and tie.

Luckily, he is actually pretty forgiving and sparks fly as they flirt a bit and agree to meet the next day.

“See you tomorrow, Amy.”

Not so luckily-he turns out to be Blake Phillips, the VP of her department, and her new boss and he doesn’t take dishonesty lightly!

This “Meet-Cute” started out as a Serial that author Lynn Painter sent out to her subscribers one chapter at a time, and once it concluded, (2022) she published the manuscript in book form for those who requested it. But she says she always wished she could go back and change a few things. So when Berkley offered to publish it she added about 10,000 new words, wrote it from a different POV, and added more Izzy and Blake along with some new characters.

So, you might say that Accidentally Amy, Accidentally became this 2025 book!

The result? A Rom-Com filled with lots of witty banter and spice-and not just the Pumpkin Spice variety and it was as cute as the book cover!

I enjoyed my first book from Lynn Painter and was definitely rooting for this pizza 🍕 loving FMC and the MMC-her 🐈‍⬛ cat loving boss to find a way to be together despite company rules that PROHIBIT them from dating.

It was entertaining from start to finish, and just what I needed this week! I will definitely looking to read more from this author!

This updated version will publish on January 14, 2025.

Thank You to Berkley for the gifted ARC provided by NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts!

Accidentally Amy by Lynn Painter

At the beginning of the book, Lynn Painter explains that she'd written a serial for her fans, published the serial in full for her fans, and then decided to reedit and add to that serial to make the book that is the present day Accidentally Amy. So you may see another version of the book out there but this is the book that is being published in 2025 so make sure you are getting the version you want when you pick up this book.

Who is Amy? I don't know but Isabel, in a hurry, already having paid for her Pumpkin Spice Latte and standing in Starbucks as Amy's name is called out, over and over, decides she might as well grab it, it's not as if she hasn't paid for one and Amy seems to be MIA. And then she immediately does a meet cute splat against the chest of Blake and somehow never manages to tell him her name isn't Amy.

These two have instant chemistry but Blake has this thing about not telling the truth and later that day, Izzy's latte swiping pours a massive amount of cold water on the hot start to her relationship with Blake. Can they overcome it? Can they overcome some other stuff that they now know? How can Blake, the hottie at Starbucks, be the same grumpy Blake that is above Izzy at her new job? The two are still massively attracted to each other, they can be just friends, can't they? Blake's very strict moral code won't allow for any deviances from the straight and narrow, after all, and Izzy almost cratered any chance of friendship with her taking a latte that wasn't hers even if she'd paid for one.

There are cats, the cats are loved! Both characters are funny, fun to be around, have friends/family who like to spend time with them, and they get along so very well. I like that they are mature adults, too, when it comes to trying to working things out. This feels like a mature, very hot relationship and once they allow the sparks to ignite, it's open door all the way. I like that I didn't have to fret too much about these two, I could enjoy their journey to figuring things out and didn't have to spend much critiquing how handled themselves in life. So, can Izzy and Blake do this friend thing by the book? It's fun watching them try!

Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for this ARC.

Lynn Painter never misses. She's one of those "if she writes it, I will read it." authors for me. This book was funny, adorable, witty and had ALL of the tropes.

Meet cute
Grumpy/sunshine
Office place romance
Forced proximity

I'm really happy Lynn didn't bank on miscommunication as being the major plot point and place for conflict. Such a fun and flirty read!

This book was an absolute delight! Omg, it had me giggling during the very first chapter. A perfect mix of humor, romance, and tension. The meet-cute at Starbucks was relatable and funny, setting the stage for a story filled with misunderstandings and steamy chemistry.

Blake is the ideal "love to hate' grump with a hidden soft heart of gold and the way he goes from Mr. Charming to Arrogant VP and back again gives their interactions an entertaining dynamic. I loved his and Izzy's banter and the longer they worked together the tension kept building. Adorable!!

So many fun tropes:
meet-cute
workplace romance
grumpy/sunshine
some conflict without feeling overly dramatic
character growth
witty banter

Such a fun one to read - lots of laughs and swoon worthy moments.

Very cute romance. I thought this was going to be one of those situations where a communication error was going to last the entire book, and I was happily wrong! Then after the error was fixed, I thought it would take awhile for the MMC to get over himself, and again happily proven wrong. There was a 3rd act bit of nonsense, but in the long run I suppose it made sense. The spice was perfect and I was even invested in the side characters for a bit. Cannot wait to see what is next!