Admittedly, I almost gave up on this one very early on. Hang tight. I swear, this book is great. Ben seemed like an irredeemable misogynist and Juliana's grief had me crying in, like, the first half hour of the book. 1) Ben is NOT a raging misogynist and 2) I'm a big crier. Crying at a book is pretty much my MO. 3) It turns out I was just in one of my judgy moods at the time. I get like that occasionally.

So, what's my point in even saying all this? LCAT is one of those books and Amy Buchanan is one of those authors that are going to make you FEEL things right from the start. Obviously, this is a good thing in a romance novel.

I was convinced that Ben was awful because Juliana was convinced that Ben was awful. His character is revealed to the reader layer by layer just as it is to Juliana. (Is this an undressing pun? Possibly.) Juliana's grief over the loss of her husband is honest and open. Their relationship is complicated because grief is complicated and parenting is complicated and there is no getting around that. The couple has to go through it. LCAT is a classic office rivals to lovers based on an early miscommunication that is rooted in the baggage each of the MCs carries with them. (I'm a firm believer that miscommunication is not a trope, it's a plot device-it's how it's presented that can make it tiresome.) They each have to unpack that baggage in order to see the other for they are.

Lemme move on from the emotionally heavy stuff and say that Ben and Juliana's chemistry is Heavy and Hawt. The 🔥 starts when the couple is still in the rival phase and oh d-mn...Ben's got this ability to see the kind of lover Juliana needs him to be at that exact moment in order for her to feel comfortable amidst her complicated emotions.

So, yeah, I'm obsessed with this book. Charlotte North is perfect for Juliana's sass. She's incredibly talented and I think I love her more with each audiobook I listen to of hers.

Thanks to @macmillan.audio and @netgalley for the ALC of Let's Call a Truce.

Thank you SMP Romance for my #gifted ARC and thank you Macmillan Audio for my #gifted AL of Let’s Call a Truce! #smpromance #macmillanaudio #MacAudio2024 #LetsCallATruce #AmyBuchanan

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐋𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐀 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐞
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐀𝐦𝐲 𝐁𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐧
𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫: 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟏𝟒, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓

This was an absolutely adorable and steamy debut by author Amy Buchanan!

Quick Summary: After her husband dies unexpectedly, Juliana is forced to go back to work to support her children. Her new (attractive) colleague, Ben, feels she is a liability as a single parent, and Juliana sets out to prove him wrong!

Juliana was such an amazing FMC and I loved her from the very start. I thought she was such a strong character to deal with everything she went through and I just loved her and her character. This book had so much humor and the best banter too! The feud between Ben and Juliana was something else, filled with so much tension. Buchanan is an amazing writer and I look forward to reading whatever she writes next!

💕Enemies to Lovers
💕Workplace Romance
💕Second Chances
💕He Falls First
💕Open Door Romance
💕Single Parent
💕Debut Novel

🎧I listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by Charlotte North. North did such a fabulous job bringing this story to life. I always love listening to books narrated by North, and this was no exception. This one was absolutely perfect on audio and I would highly recommend listening to this one on audio if that option is available to you!

Posted on Goodreads on January 15, 2025: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around January 15, 2025: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on January 15, 2025
**-will post on designated date

Dual POV
Single parent
Workplace romance
Strong female character
Enemies to lovers


I really liked the storyline of Let’s Call a Truce, Amy Buchanan’s debut novel. It was nice to read a book about characters in the 30-40 year old age range.

Julianna is a widow with two daughters who has gone back to work in an HR department for a company after her husband died in a car crash. She runs into Ben, who works in another department of the same company, on her first day. They work together for two years under the assumption they both hate each other. They eventually find common ground and start a workplace romance when they get assigned to work in the same project.

Julianna is thriving at her company and has received multiple promotions while being the mother to two tween age daughters. I like the strength of her character and could understand the real complications of being with Ben that she was mentally working through in the book.

Ben turns out to be a dream MMC. He says some things that kick off the hate portion of the relationship, but redeems himself later, but then messes up, but then realizes he was dumb. So basically a realistic “dream” MMC.

Overall this was a great story, I found myself giggling at the inner commentary as well as the banter. There were also some steamy portions of course. If a book makes me laugh and turns me on it gets 4-5 stars from me!

This was such a great read!

After losing her husband Juliana struggles to rebuild a life for her and her two young daughters. She finds herself back in the work place after being a stay at home mom for 7 years. She quickly finds herself in a workplace feud with the office hot guy, Ben. After antagonizing each other for 2 years they find themselves getting to know each other better while working on a project together.

I enjoyed the banter between Juliana and Ben. I also loved the portrayal of strong female friendships between Julianna and her besties. The topic of losing a spouse was handle was such care, and the book provides a realistic and touching view of parenthood, very through extraordinary circumstances

Rating: 4.5/5
I received an eARC for my honest opinion.

This book is perfect for book lovers that like the following tropes: Workplace romance, Enemies to lovers, Single mom/single dad, he falls first, second chance romance, great chemistry with the characters and great banter. This book is about Juliana, whose husband has passed away and is back to working full-time. She loves her job and is excited to work there until she meets Ben. Yes, he is attractive and when she hears hurtful words about her from Ben, because she must leave work to handle a situation with her kids, she is determined to have nothing to do with him. Until the day that she is forced to work with Ben on a career-making project, when other feelings other than anger start to show up. Will her nemesis end up being her knight and shining armor?

I really liked this contemporary romance, with it being a workplace romance and all the right feelings to go with it. I found the plot to be something fun, but at the same time the author did handle topics like grief, death, abandonment and being a single parent very well. I can’t believe this is a debut book, because the way that this author writes, she knows how to keep her readers engaged throughout the book, giving us what we need and want in a contemporary romance. I found this book to be fast-paced, and I honestly couldn’t believe that I finished it in one day, because I couldn’t put it down. I also liked that the twist that the plot took was needed because let’s be honest when you have children everything changes, and I could understand that being a former single parent. I found the characters to be well developed, and the side characters were great.

I enjoyed getting to know Juliana, you can see that she loves her children and understands what is needed to make sure that their lives are not just turned upside down. I liked the fact that she was understanding, fierce when it came to her children and friends, and she understood that she needed time for herself. I liked that she was flawed, that made it easier for me to connect with her characters and to understand her better. I loved the banter that Juliana and Ben would have at work and outside of work and can we talk about that chemistry between those two… it was written so well that it had me screaming silently. For Ben, at first, I didn’t like him but the more that I got to understand his character, he started to grow on me. I soon found myself swooning over things that he would say to her and the things that he was doing to her… HOT!! There was a 3rd act breakup but the way that the author handled it I could completely understand and didn’t mind at all.

I received the audio for this book as well and I found Charlotte North to have narrated this book so well. I liked the fact that she helped to bring the characters to life, and I felt as though I was watching the scenes happen rather than just reading about it. I would recommend this narrator to all my bookish friends and of course this book.

I want to thank NetGalley, St. Martin’s and Macmillan for the opportunity to review this book.

Thank you to MacMillian Audio, NetGalley, and Amy Buchanan for the chance to listen to this book early!

This book is about a young mom, Julianna, left with 2 small girls after the death of her husband. The love of her life.
Months after, we are introduced into her new norm, back in the work force. She runs into the tall, dark handsome co-worker (Ben)- and their relationship immediately starts off on the wrong foot.

We get work enemies immediately- LOVE.
LOVE an Enemies to Lovers situationship!!!

However, this is where I personally struggled with their interactions. After a bit, the petty back and forth got old. Juvenile, almost. Then we add a back and forth on feelings, I struggled. It felt like teenagers bickering

The book was NOT terrible, by any means, It was just too juvenile for my personal taste.

I am giving this one a 3 star. It could have POSSIBLY been the narrator, but I don't think so.

Workplace romance, kinda second chance romance, instalust, jealous mmc, widowed mom, adorable kids, forced proximity, plot twists

I am so upset that it took me this long to pick this book up. I flew through this book, switching between the audio and ebook.

While I cannot personally relate to Julianna’s story as I am not a single mother, I was able to be able to feel every emotion she was during the story. Also, the woman deserves a vacation.

This is maybe a spoiler, but I have to discuss it, so skip this paragraph if you don’t want to know something. Ben having a daughter, and it being Juliana’s child, was so funny. Ben makes very good points about why Juliana shouldn’t be upset about not knowing anything about him, she was very vocal about not wanting to know anything about his life, so why would he tell her anything.

Thank you to St. Martins Press for an early read and listen for this book. All thoughts are my own, I do not accept money for reviews.

I love a good workplace romance, maybe because I met my husband at work. In 𝐋𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐚 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐞, Juliana is a young widow with two daughters who is returning to the workforce. Most people support her efforts to balance work and motherhood, except for Ben, an annoying yet extremely handsome coworker.

I enjoyed Juliana and Ben's rivalry and chemistry, and the surprise that both were single parents added depth to the premise. The involvement of their kids, Juliana’s grief, and Ben’s past relationship all gave layers of complexity. There is the dreaded break-up, but when kids are involved, things can get messy.

This rivals-to-lovers romcom strikes a perfect balance between work responsibilities, playful banter, and parenting struggles, all with a bit of spice. Amy Buchanan's entertaining debut is an engaging and relatable read, and I look forward to reading what she writes next.

🎧 Charlotte North did a great job narrating the audiobook. It was a great listening experience and fun to combine with the physical copy.

Thank you @stmartinspress @smpromance and @amybuchananbooks for the gifted book.

Thank you @macmillan.audio for the gifted audiobook via #NetGalley.

this was a sweet, emotional, spicy enemies to lovers, workplace romance story! Ben & Juliana have a tumultuous start to their working relationship that builds into a years long prickliness towards each other. it was so special, heartbreaking, and joyful seeing Juliana work through the grief and trauma of losing her husband to accept that she can have love and trust in her life again. I totally understand the thick protective shell she holds around herself and her daughters, and seeing her trust Ben enough to let him in was so lovely. Ben was a little hard for me to warm up to… I don’t love an MMC who irritates the FMC just for kicks and giggles…and I didn’t love the way he expressed himself all the time, but without his perspective, it really let me as the reader warm up to him from Juliana’s perspective, letting me see there is so much more to him than surface level thoughts and first impressions. so once I did warm up to Ben, I really loved the two of them together, working through old hurts to be the best partners to each other and parents to their kids.

overall, a lovely, emotional, spicy story! thank you for the arc :)

“My heart swelled, thinking back to my own ceremony, the joy and love I felt when I stood opposite Jason and pledged to spend my life loving him. Even knowing how things would end, the pain and heartbreak when I lost him, I would not have given up a single day with him. Nothing in this life was guaranteed, but the decision to choose love, for however long we got to have it, was always the right one.”

Let’s Call a Truce is a hilarious, heart warming debut novel that is a must read! It is a second chance, enemies to lovers, workplace romance full of witty banter,, angst, and heart with the sweetest HEA ending. The MC is a widowed single mom who is trying to figure out how to balance work life and parenthood all while battling the possibilities of moving on with life without her husband.

I thought it was really cute. It was exactly what I needed while being sick. An easy listen and easy to follow storyline. I appreciated the representation of mental health and panic attacks. I loved the funny and sarcastic tone throughout the story. I also thought all the pop culture references were a fun add on.

Buchanan did a great job with character development. I thoroughly enjoyed all the side characters just as much as the main characters, especially the children. They all helped drive the story and made the story feel realistic. They also helped the reader to see that family and friendship relationships are important, they showed how strong and resilient the FMC was, and how much she had changed & grew from the beginning to the end of the story.

The audiobook was a fun listen. The narration was clear and easy to understand. She did a great job portraying all the different characters giving them their own distinct voice bringing the story to life.

Thank you @macmillan.audio, @stmartinspress and @Netgalley for the #gifted ALC & ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

This debut novel from the author was super adorable! I'm a sucker for single parent stories, and this one had that plus a rivals-to-lovers twist. The chemistry between Juliana and Ben was so intense, it really made the story pop. Haha! And the kids? I just loved them! The family-focused plot was so heartwarming, showing their struggle to balance life and parenthood during tough times. The audio narration was fantastic and kept me hooked the whole way through.

I don't know how much more outside of the description listed for this book I can tell you without spoilers. This isn't the type of book where having spoilers would really kill the vibe or experience, but some things are best left unknown to the reader until the main character, Juliana learns about them or experiences them herself.

I listened to the audio version of this book. Charlotte North narrates Let's Call a Truce and does a great job.

Like the description says, Juliana's husband died suddenly and left her as a grieving widow with two grieving children. Her entire purpose has switched to making sure her kids are okay. And well that job just got harder as she has to take on roles that weren't meant to be hers. Most importantly, she needs to provide for their physical needs. And that means she needs this job. So when she overhears a co-worker blasting her on day 1, she feels justifiably irate. Who does this guy think he is? How can he judge her or her life or her kids on day 1 without knowing her or anything about her? She strikes out in a campaign against him.

And well, as the description says, two years later the feud is still going strong. An added complication is that Juliana and Ben share a best friend. The best friend, I can't remember her name, doesn't want to play the middleman. She always indicates that she knows more than Juliana does, and Juliana ought to give Ben a break.

There are "on-page" scenes that are descriptive. It's been a month and a half between listening to this book and writing my review. So I don't remember it all clearly. I've stated frequently that I have a lower spice tolerance than most people. And well some of the scenes made me cringe a little if I remember correctly. However, audiobook versions of these scenes are always harder than paper because skipping ahead is a little more complicated.

In the end, I decided that Let's Call a Truce gets 4 Stars. I enjoyed the relationship build-up and transition from enemies to lovers between Juliana and Ben. Their backstories and the resolution worked really well. Have you read (or listened to) Let's Call a Truce? What did you think? Let me know!

I’m a sucker for workplace romance and this book does not disappoint. There is angst, tension, forced proximity. Juliana is a widow who lost her husband to a tragic accident recently and raising 2 young girls on her own. Ben is that attractive coworker that seems to be popping up everywhere in her life. Is he the creep she originally labeled him as when they met 2 years ago, or is he actually a decent human being? She struggles with her own emotions surrounding her husband’s death and how to move on with a potential love interest.

I enjoyed Juliana’s character and story. Her girls are adorable and it was great having an independent FMC that was over 30. She met her husband young and I loved seeing her journey of finding love again. Juliana was just a little too perfect though if I have any criticisms. Everyone loves her and she just has people flocking to her, her bosses, her coworkers, her friends, and men. I mean good for her!

I listened to the audiobook version of this novel and it was extremely well done. Charlotte North’s performance added to the enjoyment of this book.

Thank you NetGalley, Amy Buchanan, and Macmillon Audio for an advanced listening copy of this book.

This book was so cute and so good!

Juliana Ryan is looking for a new job after her husbands unexpected death, leaving her with two grieving kids and a stunted career from being a stay-at-home mom. She starts work at a new company and she is all excited to dive in, until she overhears her condescending but infuriatingly handsome new colleague, Ben Thomas, talking about how her kids and inexperience are a liability. This sets off a feud between the two. Will the two be able to call a truce and work together or will the man Juliana considers her nemesis, actually understand her life more then anyone?

I absolutely devoured this book. I loved watching the connection between Juliana and Ben grow and them fall in love. Buchanan knows how to pull at your momma heartstrings and had me all in my feels while listening to this book. I loved the connection with the kids and I felt that she did a great job with the character development of each character. I also loved all the side characters! I cannot believe this is a debut book. Oh and that spice, that was a nice unexpected surprise! I cannot wait to see what else Amy Buchanan writes!

I loved the narrator Charlotte North and that that she did a great job with both the female and the male voices.

Read if you like:
-Workplace romance
-Enemies to lovers
-Cinnamon roll MMC
-Single parents

Thank you @macmillan.audio and @netgalley for the #gifted copy.

Okay enemies to lovers in the workplace and I am here for it.

This one is a little different from the norm as we have grief from a dead spouse and kids involved. BUT it was done well. I do fell like for a book it was a little heavy on the grief but I don't have a spouse who passed so who is to say too much?? Anyway I would have a loved a dual POV on this one as I think it would have taken down grief to a more manageable amount for the reader.

UGH. But when Ben's ex-wife decides to come back and uses the kid as an excuse. gross. I wish this part didn't happen.

Overall I enjoyed this one.

annnnnnnnd Henry Cavill as the lead? Yes? Okay. Sold.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.

Juliana is a stay at home mom of two children when her husband suddenly passes away. Newly widowed and re-entering the work force for the first time in a while, she is balancing all of her new routines while also dealing with her coworker Ben. She overhears him saying something hurtful and that’s where their feud begins. They’re paired together for a huge work project, can they find a way to get along?

This book was such a surprise! I expected another entertaining romance but this was so much more. It was touching, emotional, and laugh out loud funny at some parts. The character depth was great and the topics of motherhood that were touched on were so relevant in today’s society. I did feel like it was very long in certain areas but overall I really really enjoyed this one!

Charlotte North did a wonderful job narrating this story. I was engaged immediately and loved her portrayal of the characters.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Amy Buchanan, and Macmillan Audio for providing this free ARC. This is my honest review. This publishes on January 14th!

I had a really hard time buying into the relationship between the MMC and FMC. It is almost like the author took two different plots of books they were writing and smashed it together. It made NO SENSE for Ben to accuse Juliana of not being a hard worker and dropping the meeting for her kids…when he himself is a single father. Also some of the dialogue made me wonder if they were actual parents in their late 30’s or if they were in the early 20’s.

Romance tropes:
-Enemies to lovers
-Forced proximity
-second chance love after loss
-Miscommunication/Lack of communication

Thank you to St. Martin Griffin and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

What more to say other than - workplace romance + enemies to lovers + single dad trope + ex-related jealousy? It's like a sandwich made up of all the romance tropes I love the most. This was so fun, substantial enough to keep me engaged, but frothy enough to be entertaining and light! Very much a little dessert of a book. I strongly recommend for fans of any of the tropes listed above! I especially recommend this one on audio, where the narration was so well done and well-suited to the characters and nature of the story.

2.5 stars

I think this book isn't bad and it is quite well written. Even though I personally didn't love it, I did still feel things from it which I think was a feat. The plot just didn't fit right in my head for quite a few reasons. 1-She works in HR but is clearly ok with a hostile work environment between her and the MMC. 2-She works in HR and is a single parents but never once worried about losing her job for the things they were doing. Not for the bad blood, not for banging IN THE WORKPLACE, not for secretly dating a colleague (even if it isn't against the rules, it is definitely frowned upon for an HR person to do). And the 3rd act breakup felt like such a copout and the way they got back together was rushed and cheap in my opinion. He needed to GROVEL for that screw up. For weeks he should have been groveling! Girl, have more respect for yourself after what he did and you get back together like 12 hours after you said no?

Regarding the audiobook, the narrator is great, don't get me wrong, but I found her male voice to be flat and monotone and a bit creepy at times. I enjoyed the MMC much more in writing than in the audio solely because of the voice.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this eARC and ALC!