4.5 - “I’ve ignored it for years, letting myself be quietly frustrated, pushing back only gently. Maybe I was worried there’d be nothing out there to protect me if I let them go. Maybe I did t realize I could protect myself.”

I have not read a book by Rachel Lynn Solomon that I haven’t loved, and this one was no different. Her writing is beautiful and I have just loved the characters she creates.

Dani is such a great character, and her growth throughout the book is handled so well. After a breakup and a lost job, she accepts a position for a job in Amsterdam where she runs into her high school ex. Wouter was the Dutch exchange student her family hosted and their relationship ended in a painful breakup. But running into each other against has the same feelings creeping back up as the form a plan to keep Dani in Amsterdam.

I love how Dani throws herself headfirst into life in Amsterdam despite the way her job falls apart. She starts taking Dutch classes and makes friends, and finds a job she feels like she could be passionate about. Wouter is so understand and encouraging with her, and he loves seeing her embrace life there. Marriage of convenience is one of my favorite tropes when done well, and here it’s just a knockout. Dani and Wouter have chemistry from the moment they run into each other and I really loved the way their relationship develops from there.

“He told me I was brave. I finally feel like I am.”

There’s also so much to be said about how Dani gets out from under her parents’ worrying eyes. They’ve always been overprotective of her, and through this journey she learns how much she can rely on and protect herself. It’s so satisfying to see her set boundaries with her parents, and also to admit to herself how she really feels about Wouter.

What Happens in Amsterdam was a fun read! I thought this was one of Rachel Lynn Solomon's strongest showings. I liked that this book was set in Amsterdam. Solomon did a wonderful job setting the scene. Having been to Amsterdam, I felt like I was transported back to the city. I enjoyed watching Dani's journey as an expat. I liked how layered Dani's character was. I sympathized with the pressure she felt to live a big and meaningful life. I found her character realistic and relatable. Her anxiety and depression representation were done nicely. I loved the way Dani and Wouter reunited. There were a lot of funny moments in this book. The children's bike bit made me laugh. Wouter was sweet, caring, and helpful. The post-it notes around the apartment were adorable. I loved that he named his dog after George Costanza. Although his character was layered, he didn't feel as flushed out as Dani. I liked the way Dani and Wouter's relationship played out. I thought Solomon's use of the forced proximity trope was done well. Chapter 14 with them was 👏The side characters were written well. Phoebe and Roos were fun characters. Overall, this was a quick and enjoyable read. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC.

This was cute! I really liked the descriptions of Amsterdam and all the beautiful sights! I really wanted more of that yearning feeling since these two characters have so much history. I mostly felt the connection during their teens years more than their adult ones.

This is a contemporary romance set in Amsterdam.

Dani had lost her job and her boyfriend. So she leaves her family and life in Los Angeles to move to Amsterdam.

She is 30 years old, but her overprotective parents don’t treat her like an adult. So while she tries to rebel a bit she is still very close to her sister Phoebe.

When Dani was 17 she had a secret romance with Wouter, an exchange student who was staying at her house. Things did not end well when he left to go back to Amsterdam.

I really loved the setting. Amsterdam is such an amazing backdrop for a romance book. I really liked seeing all of the tourist destinations, especially the canals. And I loved learning so many words in Dutch.

I also really liked Dani’s relationship with her sister. I loved that even though there was physical distance between them they continued to stay so connected.

There is a lot of mental health rep in this book as Dani suffers from anxiety and depression.

There is some Jewish rep in this book. Dani is Jewish.

Wouter was an interesting character. I like that he was a physiotherapist. I do enjoy second chance romances although what he proposed that he and Dani do seemed so fast.

There was a lot of miscommunication and what Dani told her parents towards the end made me crazy. But this cover and the setting made me so happy. Overall, this book will definitely make you want to get a plane to visit Amsterdam.

This was cute but fell flat for me in some parts. The setting was my favorite part I loved being in Amsterdam with this characters and Dani’s exploration of the city was my fav part! However the MMC and their relationship didn’t do it for me, I felt like they didn’t evolve much together and I was hoping for more of that!

Such a cute story—and honestly, it surprised me how much I loved it! 😍 Set against the canals and cobblestones of Amsterdam (a city so close to my heart), this book was a total nostalgia trip. From the stroopwafels to the street bikes...I ate it up!!

A second chance romance, set in one of my favorite cities in the world, Amsterdam, it truly warmed my heart. As someone who grew up in Europe and spent a lot of time in the Netherlands, all the little details and cultural references felt so nostalgic and lovingly authentic.

Add in a marriage of convenience trope and I am SO IN!!

It had the perfect blend of emotional depth, sweetness, and just the right amount of spice 🔥—a balance that made this story so satisfying. If you love romance with heart, heat, and a European backdrop, this one’s for you! This was my first Rachel Lynn Solomon book—but certainly not my last. I was genuinely surprised by how much I adored this story. 💛

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Pubishing Group for providing the E-ARC in exchange for my honest review!!

This was a thoroughly enjoyable book. From the descriptions of Amsterdam to the open communication between characters, everything is richly detailed and emotionally compelling. The reunion of Dani and Wouter is the happenstance romance everyone dreams of, and the character growth is spot on. On top of that, the supporting characters are well-developed and utilized in the story; and it's just downright funny. Add all of that to a beautiful backdrop, and you've got a great spring romance read.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Romance for this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

What Happens In Amsterdam is the perfect romcom combo. You have forced proximity, second chance romance, chemistry, banter, and emotional depth.

Dani, after a messy break up that gets her fired, she applies for a job in Amsterdam in hope to escape her current reality. After a week, she quite literally runs into her ex boyfriend Wouter. Another painful break up. But the chemistry is still there and he needs a wife to inherit the family home. This marriage of convenience did not feel fake at all. It gave all the feels!

This book is the definition of discovery, wonder and growth. From discovering how to live life in a foreign country, wondering if every decision you make is the “right” one to growing up and realizing life isn’t what you pictured it would be. On top of all of this, imagine accidentally running over your ex-boyfriend from 13 years ago on a bike RIGHT AFTER you just moved to said foreign country.

Honestly this is one of those books that make me thankful for the opportunity to read. Personally? I could never just pick up and leave by myself the way the FMC does so going on the journey with her was scary but I buckled up for the ride. This book does have me at least wanting to plan a vacation to Amsterdam though!! The vivid descriptions from landscape to how traveling around works painted a wonderful picture.

Pub Date May 6 2025

Thanks so much to Berkley Pub and Berkley Romance for the this eARC.

review posted to NetGalley & Goodreads

Such a lovely novel about second-chance love and finding yourself!! An easy read gratifying so many delightful tropes! My only complaint is that I wanted more!

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkeley for a DRC!

Cute romance that made me want to travel to Amsterdam. I loved the descriptions of the food and the art. And I loved that we got the fake marriage troupe and one bed troupe in the same novel.

Thank you to Berkley Romance and PRH Audio for the review copy!

If you’ve been following me, you know that I’ve been starting a new book every day since March, and that I like to jump between a lot of books every day. But not once I started What Happens in Amsterdam! I could not possibly shift my attention to another book until I’d finished every last page.

What Happens in Amsterdam is absolutely a romance between Dani & Wouter, but it’s also a love letter to Amsterdam itself. Dani moves to Amsterdam on a bit of a whim after blowing up her life (and job) in LA. She has a job and an apartment lined up, but her apartment floods and she has to move. Fortunately, she has a chance meet-disaster with Wouter, who had lived with her family as an exchange student when they were both teenagers. Wouter was her first…everything. Including heartbreak. But Wouter also happens to have an apartment that Dani can rent. Then the start up she was hired by goes under, and Dani has 3 months to find a new job or her visa will expire and she’ll have to move back home.

Wouter is an absolute golden retriever book boyfriend. He is absolutely perfect, his family is fantastic, and you may also want to upend your life and move to a new location after reading this one. Or at least, take a long vacation. Probably to Amsterdam.

Highly recommend What Happens in Amsterdam to fans of yearning, setting as a character, “finding yourself in your 30s”, and found family.

A heartwarming, refreshing, steamy romance. Ex-high school lovers reunite on the streets of Amsterdam many years later. Their meet-cute involves a bike, and a second-chance for their hearts. Dani is in search of a fresh start from her life in Los Angeles, and Amsterdam provides her the outlet she needs to begin anew. What she doesn’t anticipate is running into the Dutch exchange student who broke her heart, Wouter van Leeuwen.

Their fleeting crush from their youth resurfaces as Wouter snatches a plan to fulfill his grandmas wishes to inherit her apartment. Their chemistry becomes overwhelming due to their forced proximity. Together, they let their hearts open for emotional, sexy story.

Great setting. Adorable couple. Self-growth to true love.

Thank you, Berkley Romance.

I have really loved all of RLS adult romances and this one was enjoyable too. Not new favorite or anything but I had a great time reading it. Dani and Wouter were great characters and worked well together. Their second chance romance was easy to root for and the marriage of convenience set up was fun. Of course the Amsterdam setting was delightful to read as well!

4⭐️

"what happens in amsterdam" was such a fun and very cute read. it touched on such realistic and relatable emotions & it really made me want to travel to amsterdam 🤭

our fmc, dani, goes through an awful breakup & loses her job so she spontaneously decides to move from her home in LA and head to amsterdam, it seems like a grand plan to just start over, but she's in for quite the predicament. her apartment floods, the start-up company she works for ends up not working out, and she's trying to figure out the next move before her visa is revoked and she's forced to move back home. then, she runs into weuter - an old flame (& foreign exchange student who used to stay with her and her family). he proposes a plan to get married and have her live with him in his apartment, so she gets to stay and he doesn't have to sell it. with old feelings sparking, they come to find it isn't so hard to live that married life.

this romance felt so sweet and tender, i adored their chemistry and found it so sweet that they found each other again. their spicy scenes were also swoon-worthy, i was blushing 😮‍💨 the tid-bits about amsterdam and the history was also so fun and fascinating, it felt like i was more connected to the story just through the setting alone.

thank you to berkley romance for the gifted ARC.

4.5⭐

What Happens in Amsterdam by Rachel Lynn Solomon is so good! It’s cute, fun, raw, honest, and unique.

The story follows Dani and Wouter. Dani impulsively moves from LA to Amsterdam to escape her life and takes a job at a new start-up company. Her plans unravel quickly when her dingy apartment floods and the company collapses overnight. Just when things couldn’t get worse, she runs into her ex, Wouter. Wouter was an exchange student who lived with her family when she was seventeen. They fell in love, but he broke up with her over text after returning home. With her job gone, Dani has just 90 days to find new employment or face the expiration of her visa, forcing her return to LA. When she explains her predicament to Wouter, he proposes a deal: they marry temporarily, allowing her to stay in Amsterdam while giving him the chance to inherit his grandmother’s apartment. Reluctantly, Dani agrees, and they move in together. What starts as a tense arrangement gradually shifts as they reconnect and question whether their marriage is truly fake.

One thing I always adore about Rachel Lynn Solomon’s books is how realistic and imperfect her characters are. Dani is messy, searching for her passion in life without ever fully finding it. By the end of the book, she embraces her struggles with mental health and the immense pressure she’s faced. Wouter was so charming, while he has made mistakes in the past he was committed to doing his best now, fully supporting Dani in every way. His devotion is heartwarming, and I was obsessed with how deeply he cared for her. Their relationship is beautiful—I’m a sucker for second-chance romances and marriages of convenience, so I couldn’t help but love it. Watching their relationship evolve as they revisited the past and moved forward in the present was incredibly satisfying.

The Amsterdam setting added so much to the story, with plenty of fun cultural insights mixed in. The side characters were fantastic, they brought so much warmth and depth to the narrative. Dani’s friendships were delightful, and the way everyone supported one another was truly touching.

Every Rachel Lynn Solomon book I’ve read has been wonderful, but this one might just be my new favorite. It’s quick, heartfelt, and an amazing read. I highly recommend it!

Rachel Lynn Solomon has done it again! I was thoroughly entertained from start to finish. I haven't read a book this quickly in months!

There were so many things I loved about this book. The characters were incredibly lovable. The setting in Amsterdam was rich and vibrant. The conflicts and tension felt tangible. And can we please give Wouter a huge round of applause for being (in my opinion) one of the sexiest MMCs, maybe ever?! His personality, love for his family, bedroom mouth, and deep longing for Danika basically had me foaming at the mouth. In my opinion, Rachel Lynn Solomon writes some of the best open door scenes of all time. There's a scene or two or three that will probably be permanently burned onto my brain for the rest of time.

My only beef with the book is that the resolution of the main conflict felt a bit rushed and seemed a tad unrealistic. But that's not going to stop me from rating it a solid 5 stars for pure entertainment value!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🔥🔥🔥

Quick Breakdown

Second Chance
Marriage of Convenience
Set an Amsterdam
Sudden Roommates
Only One Bed
Mutual Mästǔrbation
Mental health rep
Single POV
Open Door - Moderate

All my thanks to @berkleyromance for the eARC and free copy & @prhaudio for the gifted ALC #berkleypartner

After loosing her job & her boyfriend in one fell swoop, she drastically changes things up by taking a job for a start up 5,000 miles away in Amsterdam. Expat life is not exactly going to plan - until she literally runs into Wouter, the Dutch foreign exchange student her family hosted when she was 17 & her first 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨. Their new friendship is awkward given their impactful history, but when Dani’s start up goes under & the countdown starts to either find a new job or move back to the US, Wouter offers another option - a green card marriage of convenience.

I adored this.

Rachel is a QUEEN of soft & gentle romances that bring the heat in a real & relatable way. The romance itself was everything. As someone who doesn’t always agree with the second chance trope, this worked for me. I loved the flashbacks to Danielle & Wouter at 17, the tension & naïve optimism of loving someone who lives on the opposite side of the world. I could feel the magic between them back then & it carried over to the present. Their chemistry translated into some of the best spice that only added to their intimacy.

Outside of the romance, there was so much more to love. The way this felt like a love letter to Amsterdam, with so much of the city built into the book. The gentle handling of mental health that made itself known but more as a secondary or tertiary character - there but light.

My love for this book is largely in part to the fact that I read it primarily on audio. It’s narrated by Elizabeth Lamont (who I’m 99% positive is none other than my new favorite narrator, Alex Finke). Her performance is flawless & if audio is your thing, I recommend you listen.

Don’t sleep on this one!

hmm, this was fine, solid even! very entertaining and great spice, but nothing really attached me to these characters. as i wrapped up the book, im left feeling that the couple wouldn't last past the epilogue, especially with how rushed the romance felt. not sure its believable that after a decade plus of not speaking, somehow they still have all those feelings they had when they were kids? eh. nonetheless, still an entertaining read and liked the setting.

I am so sad right now!! I'm a big Rachel Lynn Solomon fan but this book was not for me. I unfortunately did not connect with the main couple, so I did not find myself connected to the story. There were a couple other things that didn't work for me either like some of the writing choices and the overall marriage of convenience plot. I will continue to pick up more of this author's work in the future, but still very sad this book did not work for me.

Thank you Berkley romance for the earc.