Thank you to Berkley for the gifted copy of the new Accidentally Amy.

This edition improved on some of the things I didn’t love about the originally published edition. For one, the author removed all of the “OMgaaaawd”s (praise be). I also thought the change from 3rd to 1st person works really well and better matches the tone of the novel.

I think my original sentiments stands though — the book isn’t particularly well written and the characters are sometimes annoying, but I grinned my way through the whole thing and woke up after finishing it missing the characters, so that counts for a lot.

Exact rating: 3.88
Rounded to 4

Rating: 3.25 if I could give it, but rounded to a 3/5

Summary:
Isabella Shay’s first day at her new job starts with a white lie and a stolen Pumpkin Spice Latte meant for someone named “Amy.” After an embarrassing coffee spill on a hot, broad chested stranger, sparks fly—but karma strikes back when the stranger turns out to be Blake Phillips, her new boss. This quirky office romance, born from a serialized story, was expanded and polished for its full release, offering more charm, humor, and spice than ever.

Short and Sweet Opinion:
This quirky, fun, and lighthearted romance had its charming moments, especially with the adorable cat dynamics (The Darkling deserves an award). While the female main character leaned into "pick me" energy and the dialogue could be cringey, it was an enjoyable enough read overall.

In-Depth Opinion:
Accidentally Amy is a quirky, lighthearted romance with a fun premise. The male main character was a standout for me—charming and enjoyable to follow—and the addition of their cats, especially one named The Darkling, was a delightful touch. However, the female main character felt overly "pick me" coded, which detracted from her likability, and the dialogue leaned toward cringey at times. The characters’ immaturity and some rough edges in the writing made the story feel less polished. Despite this, it was an enjoyable enough read for its humor and unique dynamic, though not one I’d be likely to revisit. It’s a decent pick for readers wanting something light and entertaining.

This book is so wonderfully sweet. I didn’t read the indie edition, but I love the POV, love the characters, love the sweetness and the fun of this book. Another great release for Lynn.

This is an absolutely delightful read! There are so many occasions that Rom-Coms go South by becoming too silly but this hits a perfect tone between Lust and Play. The banter is delightful and I was totally in by page 3. No having to slog through the first chapter or two waiting for a meet cute after some angsty brain burn by the first character. I definitely have put this book on the recommend pile and buy a copy for your bestie list.

So cute!
Instant attraction-forbidden romance-workplace - meet cute-
This book is worth the read or a repeat if you read it previously. The new edited version is more of a slow burn with more details and new scenes which make the book flow so much better. I had previously listened to the audiobook and while I enjoyed the previous version this new one is so much better with more scenes to make the slow burn.. burn. 3.75
Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Very cute rom-com, with a unique meet cute. This book is perfect for fans of Emily Henry or Katherine Center!

Fun romcom full of laugh out loud banter and shenanigans. Izzy is the best kind of weirdo and Blake needs that kind of shake up in his life. Billboard Assholes sounds like the most fun, ridiculous game and I wish there were instructions on how to play! The spice was good - not too over the top or descriptive. Highly recommend!

I have a confession to make. I have decided that I really do not like romcoms that are focused around a girl and a group of her girlfriends with the “oh my God” drama and “what should I do” scenarios. I think that’s why this book hit me so perfectly.

The character of Izzy a.k.a. Amy, is structured perfectly. She’s a little quirky and odd. Her best friends are her cousins who are guys and that is an awesome balance for her.

The plot is typical where you totally have a connection with this hot guy, and then come to find out, he’s your Admin VP direct report on the organizational chart at your brand new job.

But the method that Painter uses for their connection is through texting as the people they were before they knew they were coworkers.

It sounds a little wacky, but she totally blends it beautifully, and you just fall in love with these two people and who they are becoming. They’re perfect for each other. Their wit is addicting and the whole book just makes you smile.

Their connection grows through everyday life and not through sex and high drama. But even the drama that comes in the story is not long-winded. The angst is low, which I love, but it’s easily worked through, again what I love.

Accidentally Amy is the total package. Painter creates a magical romance that is so believable and so right from the start. Funny, sexy, perfectly characterized, and synced. I cannot get enough of her stories!

3.49

I had barely started reading “Accidentally Amy” and then stopped. I’ve read this already! Was there more than one romcom that started this way? However, once the female protagonist Izzy showed up to her new job and met her new boss Blake, nothing was familiar. I do read a lot though and remember little after a while. Mystery unsolved, I flipped to the front and I saw that this book is derived from a collection of chapters that the author sent out in her newsletter. That would explain it, except I’m not a subscriber of her newsletters and don’t usually read anything that’s not a full book. I don’t even usually read the preview chapter of the next book after the current one but that must have been the case here.

Note: If there are other books where, upon literally running into a handsome stranger in a Starbucks, a female is mistakenly identified by the name on the unclaimed coffee drink she took out of impatience, only to be caught when introduced by her real name to the same man and also new boss, let me know.

Whether or not you’d like the rest of this book—the first part is pretty cute by the way— depends on whether you like an easy romance that does not veer off track for too long or expect a nail-biting, tragic plot twist. I don’t like either in extreme, per se, but I think that this book went a bit far in one direction for believability. It should be no surprise, however, that there is a happily ever after at the end and Izzy and Blake really are cute with their special language and easy humor and you hope that this kind of relationship does exist for some people at least. It’s a fairly chaste book to begin with, but when they discover sex, they certainly get their work out. It’s not as graphic as many recent romcoms (a fairly low bar ), but goes into more and more detail as it progresses.

All in all a cute, fast read. As my rating reflects, I don’t know that it’s my favorite of the author’s, but I liked both characters and loved the banter and texting. Great senses of humor!

Thank you to Lynn Painter, NetGalley, and Berkley Publishing Group for providing me with a free advanced copy of this book for my unbiased review.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5

This was a great lighthearted and funny read. Blake and Izzy are easy to adore, with their fun personalities and quirky humor. One thing that I especially enjoyed is how they became friends, so it was kind of enemies to friends to lovers. I think seeing them be friends and enjoy each other's company so much before any major romantic stuff happened was important. And with Josh's game, oh it was so much fun.

There was plenty of cheesiness, but what is to be expected of a Starbucks meet cute romcom?

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC copy!

I don't know why this was reissued as it was published the first time in 2022 or what the new content might be but to be honest it's s trope=y cringe-y, steamy over the top read that's either gonna be just what you want or something you'll put down. Izzy and Blake meet "cute" in a coffee shop when she spills her drink on him. And then it turns out he's the new VP at her job. SO there's the workplace romance and a grumpy/sunshine thing that's really chaotic. Thanks to netgalley for the ArC. This was too much for me but I'm sure others will enjoy it.

When the cute guy Izzy meets at the coffee shop ends up being her superior at work things get tricky, especially when he thinks her name is Amy. This was such a fun premise. I really enjoyed this read. It was light and funny. There is a ton of anticipation and build-up. I found the topic of integrity and morality in the workplace in regard to workplace relationships interesting. The only negative I have is that at some points while reading, I found Izzy to be a little immature. The third act break up is a bit of a miscommunication trope which I don't care for but because she plays a little insecure/immature it kind of makes sense for the role.

Read if you like a friend's to lovers, workplace romance. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review. This book is released 1/14

thank you netgalley for the arc!

this story starts off with our FMC, izzy, running into our MMC, blake at a starbucks. the barista ends up saying the name "amy", and after no reply, izzy runs up to pretend it's her drink. when she turns around, she ends up splashing blake with the drink, without realizing he is the new VP.

this is pretty much the entire premise of the novel. my main issue was that i felt like lynn was trying to portray too many different aspects, which unfortunately made this novel an overall mess. our FMC was constantly giving the circa 2012 : i Am NoT LiKe oThEr GiRlS which was very jarring and cringy given the prose. given with their ages and professions, i was not vibing with their deportment and mannerisms. they felt very jejune and unfledged to and around each other, even though they just met. lastly, i did NOT like the smut and the third act breakup, as it was not salient for this novel.

overall, this was not horrible, but compared to her other work, this unfortunately lacks in many areas.

2.5 stars.

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I love Lynn Painter YA books. Better than the movies and Nothing like the movies are my favorites 💜
But for some reason, I always struggle a little bit with her adult romance books. I don’t hate them, but I find it quite difficult to connect with the characters somehow. I feel like sometimes they behave childishly. For instance, I couldn’t understand why Blake was so upset with Izzy after they first met. I get it, it wasn’t cool that she lied, but it wasn’t that big of a deal and surely it was something that could easily be fixed by talking to her.

Anyways, I will always recommend Lynn’s books because they have a way to keep you entertained and they’re perfect when you need a light reading or for when you need to get out of a reading slump.

P.S.: This ARC included a sneak peek of Lynn’s next rom-com, Maid for each other. It was just the first three chapters, but couldn’t put them down! Can’t wait to read this one 😍

This is so cute! The beginning was a little rocky but once Blake stopped being self-righteous about their meeting I got into the story. The banter was so cute and I really enjoyed their dynamic. I loved how they could be their silly selves with each other. I was relieved to see that there's never any abuse of power with him being her boss. I didn't read the indie version but I quite enjoyed the traditionally purchased version. This is a quick, light romance that I recommend to anyone who is looking for a contemporary with fun banter.

Thanks to Berkley for my copy of Accidentally Amy by Lynn Painter.

This was originally self-published in 2022 after being a serial and in the 2025 release by Berkely, it's been updated, rewritten with 2 POV and about 10k more words.
I love Lynn Painter's banter and funny scenarios and Accidentally Amy includes all of that. It starts with a funny meet cute x2!

I love we have by Izzy and Blake's points of view for this funny romance. I was dying at the Billboard Assholes game -- that's some serious high stakes! I loved the text threads and while it was a little instalove, it was a fun and enjoyable read!

Isabella Shay, oblivious to Amy’s identity, is patiently waiting for her pumpkin spice latte. After several unsuccessful calls to Amy, assuming she ordered the same drink, she impulsively declares, “Hey, I’m Amy,” and snatches the latte. However, her actions inadvertently attract Blake Phillips’s attention, setting the stage for an inevitable attraction.

While Blake might have dismissed “Amy,” the unexpected encounter with a cup of the same PSL could be their first meeting, potentially leading to a beautiful relationship. However, aside from their shared instant attraction, Blake discovers that they both work for the same company and thus adheres to a strict moral code. This fundamental difference creates an insurmountable obstacle for their potential romance.

In Lynn Painter’s humorous tale, readers are treated to witty banter, steamy moments, and the delightful presence of cats. The chemistry between the characters is undeniable, but the moral dilemma they face threatens to extinguish their budding romance. Despite my initial confusion about the significance of PSL, I found myself thoroughly enjoying Painter’s writing style and eagerly anticipate reading more of her works in the future.

Many thanks to Berkley and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

This was a cute story, after I got past Blake being a little too self righteous about a cup of coffee. I liked the slow build and the way the characters communicated. An enjoyable read.

Thanks to NetGalley & Berkley for an ARC of the new & improved version of Accidentally Amy with new chapters, different POV, and new characters. This is a really cute, lighthearted rom com about Izzy & Blake. They have a meet-cute at Starbucks on Izzy’s first day of her new job then she finds out he is her new boss so they can’t be together. They have a sweet & funny friendship and try their best to not fall for each other… but of course they do anyway! It’s short & sweet but not much depth to it. I felt like it was a little too goofy and cringey at times, but it will definitely put a smile on your face!

I usually love Lynn Painter's work, so I was eager to dive into Accidentally Amy, expecting her signature charm and wit. The premise was promising: a quirky meet-cute involving a case of mistaken identity, a PSL, and a grumpy-sunshine workplace dynamic. On paper, it had all the makings of a delightful rom-com.
However, this one fell flat for me. While the setup was cute, the story quickly became predictable, and the characters lacked the depth I've come to expect from Painter's writing. Izzy and Blake's dynamic felt repetitive rather than engaging, and the humour didn't land as often as it should have.
I struggled to stay invested as the story dragged on without much emotional weight or character growth. This was disappointing, especially since Painter has delivered so many vibrant, engaging romances in the past.
While this one didn't work for me, I'm still looking forward to reading more from Lynn Painter in the future—just not revisiting this particular story.