What Happens in Amsterdam has all of the highlights of a typical Rachel Lynn Solomon book (Jewish rep, candid mental health representation that doesn't feel cheap, a ridiculous height difference, and a very swoony MMC) with some extra added goodness. You can tell how much love RLS has for her adopted city, and each page drips with joy. The best slow burn in this book is Dani's love for the city and how she is finding her place in the world. Though I can't discount the beautiful development of the relationship between Dani and Wouter, a slightly trope-y but not overwrought love.

What Happens in Amsterdam? Apparently the most wonderful things, and the best inspiration for one of my favorite authors of all time.

Thank you to Berkley for entrusting me with an eARC. I received this through their Influencer Hub for Underrepresented Voices, and I am so grateful to be a mentally-ill Jewish girl reading mentally-ill Jewish romances.

Thanks to @berkleypub and @berkleyromance for the gifted e-ARC and to @prhaudio for the ALC!

First things first, I need to gush over this narrator. As far as I can tell, this is the first audiobook Elizabeth Lamont has read. But she is already on my list of favorite voices. The book is quite spicy, and she absolutely brought the heat. Her tone and voicing were so hot! And since I don’t speak Dutch, having the correct pronunciation of all the words added to my enjoyment. As did the variety of accents. I cannot recommend this audio enough. Listen to this one if you are at all able!

As for the book itself I love a good marriage of convenience! Dani has lived a sheltered life thanks to her parents helicoptering. Shes always struggled to find her place. When she again loses her job, she rashly decides to move across the world to Amsterdam. There she runs across her first boyfriend Wouter, whom she met when he was a foreign exchange student in high school. When she suddenly finds herself in need of a green card, Wouter steps in with a marriage proposal. But clearly there’s unfinished business between them!

Dani is so relatable as she felt like everyone around her had drive and ambition while she was treading water. And Wouter is my new favorite book boyfriend. He’s a bit grumpy and tight-laced. But underneath that gruff exterior is the gooiest cinnamon roll of a guy. Watching them open up to each other had me grinning and kicking my feet.

I thought the plot was perfectly paced, and all the side characters really added to the story. The interactions with Dani’s parents as they learned to let go were really well done. And I loved the ending!

I think this may be my favorite romance of the year so far! Look for it on audio today!

3.5 STARS

Danika Dorfman’s life in California imploded after her office romance ends badly, costing her job as well. Dani decides to run off to Amsterdam getting away from a mess she is responsible for and find a new start. At thirty years of age, Dani feels like an under-performer thinking everyone but her has matured well. In an almost fairy tale set up, Dani loses her new job…again, runs into an old high school exchange student ex-boyfriend, literally on bike, who broke her heart, and gets an offer of marriage from said boyfriend, Wouter Van Leeuweun.

Wouter has some issues of his own. He desperately wants to keep the house he grew up in owned by his grandmother; she stipulates Wouter must marry to inherit it. Dani and Wouter have a lot of unfinished business which she wants to avoid while taking him up on an offer to live in the house which had been converted to take tenants.

They come to an agreement for a marriage of convenience because Dani wants to stay in Amsterdam. Dani has a lot of emotional and some physical issues along with overprotective parents who cannot let go of controlling their daughter, even from afar. While she and Wouter go about a delicate dance of managing the “marriage” while lying to almost everyone about it, Dani tries to figure out what to do with her life after many failed attempts, before and now, to find meaningful work.

Dani’s woe is me attitude gets a little old at times. She is so determined to avoid any real emotions with Wouter, going beyond sense because of their shared history. This gal is way too much in her own mental dungeon of despair; however, at least she can appreciate her new city embracing the local lifestyles. Wouter did make a mistake with Dani in his youth, although he is trying hard to make up for it. The story seems a mashup of women’s fiction, a little romance, and some explicit intimacy. The best part of this book is the description of life in Amsterdam that the author does quite well as she is an expat herself having moved with her husband to that city.

Dani Dorfman is in her thirties, still clueless about her life’s direction. After a disastrous office romance leads to her firing, she impulsively applies for a job in Amsterdam, never expecting to actually get it—but she does. By the end of her first week, she’s never felt more lost. That is, until she crashes her bike into her high school ex, Wouter van Leeuwen.

Wouter was Dani’s forbidden love back when he was an exchange student, and though time has passed, the chemistry (and a little bitterness) is still there. But Wouter has a problem—he needs a wife to inherit his family’s stunning canal-side home. And Dani? She needs a visa. So, what starts as a marriage of convenience begins to stir up old feelings—and maybe even a second chance. Dani’s at a crossroads: is this new life just another mistake, or could it be the best risk she’s ever taken?

This novel truly is a love letter to Amsterdam.

As someone who visited Amsterdam for the first (but certainly not last) time last year, this setting felt like an absolute treat. Solomon really managed to turn the story locale into its very own character that influences not only the romance but serves as the perfect backdrop for Dani on her journey to stand on her own. You could tell the love the author has for this place as there went a lot of detail and thought into which places ended up being the setting for important moments in Dani and Wouter’s romance. And speaking of our main characters:

Dani and Wouter took the “running into your ex” trope literally, which made for a sweet and funny re-meet-cute. From the beginning, you could tell how this second chance at their first love was a dream come true for both of them. A fun marriage-of-convenience aspect made for the perfect set-up to get these two in close proximity and turned up the dial on their chemistry.

Dani was an incredibly relatable character. I loved how she tried to make it on her own in a whole new country, a continent away from her family, not because she doesn’t love them but because she needed to forge her own path and show them that she could do it on her own. She’s headstrong and stubborn and funny and smart and really, who wouldn’t fall for her?

Wouter was a bit tougher to nail down, but the more the story progresses, the more we learn about what has shaped him and his behaviour in the years since he’s last seen Danika.

Overall, their chemistry made them a great fit for each other and I really enjoyed the flashbacks we got to when Wouter stayed with Danika’s family as well as seeing them growing closer again as adults who have a whole new outlook on life.

The side characters in What Happens in Amsterdam added a lot to this story, for better or for worse. While Danika’s parents read more like one-dimensional antagonists most of the time (you can tell they mean well but the way that shows is…dubious sometimes, especially in the third act), her new friends and Wouter’s family had a wholesome charm going on that reminded me just how open and genuine people in Amsterdam are. Not to stereotype, but they are just so friendly and welcoming and this is wonderfully shown here.

Really, my only gripe with the story was the miscommunication/cluelessness of the characters. Don’t get me wrong, we all love a good “oh, he probably doesn’t even like me like that anymore” narrative, but there are limits to making this work.

This, of course, pertains to one of my biggest pet peeves—a third-act break up that makes no sense with weird, out of context drama that does not track and that is resolved so quickly that you question the intelligence of certain characters—but also in the story overall.

I had to suspend my disbelief quite a few times to wrap my head around Wouter not thinking their relationship back when they were teens meant a lot to Danika and that he was the only one having real feelings.

Meanwhile, Dani questioning her relationship with and the commitment of Wouter at every turn especially right after he tells her how he feels is fine the first few times and could speak to internal fear of not being good enough (which is in this story, so I do get the intention) but by the fifth time this inner monologue happened, I was frustrated to say the least. There was no growth and no open communication whatsoever until the third act rolled around and then everything (including Dani’s self-growth) was summarized in a few paragraphs in the final two chapters after the big blowout. If this had been spaced out a bit more or shown the progress rather than going from A to B in less than two scenes, the story flow could have really benefited.

As it is, I still had a good time with the characters and their romance but also felt a bit like I was transported back to the early 2000s where unnecessary break-ups just were part of the norm. Still, if you can look past that little trip back into the past, you’re going to love Dani and Wouter’s rekindled romance.

If you’re a fan of second-chance romance, the marriage-of-convenience trope or just really want to immerse yourself in an atmospheric story about falling in love in and with Amsterdam, then What Happens in Amsterdam is sure to make your reader’s heart blossom like a tulip in spring!

I adored this book! Rachel Lynn Solomon always knows how to write yearning and banter in the best way. Dani and Wouter (and George) have my heart, and I am already planning my way to Amsterdam because of this novel. Rachel always writes with such care that you can't help but love what she loves.

Omg Rachel did it again!

The setting, magical. The romance, marriage of convenience meets second chance romance. The perfect imperfection of the characters, beautifully balanced.

I can’t recommend this enough!!

Welp, I’m moving to Amsterdam! Just kidding, but I wish I was! This wonderful book was not only a deliciously steamy love story between Dani and Wouter, but a beautiful love letter to Amsterdam. I love a second chance romance and the chemistry between Dani and Wouter was soo wonderful…I had so many butterflies! I loved it!!

This book was very cute!!! I loved how the characters were described as such real people with real problems and experiences. When you read it, you’ll get it. It’s fantastic.

I ADORED reading about Amsterdam!! Are you kidding me. That was so much fun. I love a good adventure.

I’m giving it 4.25 stars because I wasn’t too keen on the start of the interactions between the characters but it’s gets better.

This is a perfect spring/ summer read!!

Ahh!!! Thanks so much to @berkleypub @berkleyromance for the digital ARC of this sweet romance read!

How absolutely gorgeous is this cover?!?!

Marriage of convenience is a trope that doesn’t always work for me, but pairing this marriage of convenience with second chance romance was an absolutely gorgeous choice. I felt like Wouter and Dani getting their second chance at love through their arrangement really worked for both of their characters. They each had something to learn and gain from their relationship, and I felt like this made me love them both even more. The romance had a lot of depth and emotion which I really enjoyed reading. It was realistic and heartfelt in all the right ways.

I’m always a sucker for travel/wanderlust vibes in a book and I really liked seeing Dani’s character growth as she was getting comfortable in a new place. Travel can bring out the confidence in a person, and that really was the case for Dani. I thought neurodivergence was well represented in this book. It felt authentic and I particularly enjoyed seeing Dani come to terms with her hovering parents.

The main points of conflict toward the end of the book did feel forced and awkward at times. I wish their arguments felt more natural. Their first spat was a little random and out of place. This never took away from how much I enjoyed the book, I do just wish their conflicts were a little more fleshed out and realistic.

I seriously loved both of the main characters. It’s so refreshing to find two leads you can really truly root for, and this was my favorite thing about this book. Wouter and Dani were both written so well! I will definitely read more by this author.

This would be the perfect choice for a spring/summer vacation read! I definitely recommend it if you're in the mood for a sweet, wanderlusty, second chance x marriage of convenience!

Thank you again NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This book is pure wanderlust between the pages! Amsterdam was never high on my travel list, but it might be moved up after reading this book! I really related to Dani. Her parents have always been overly cautious after she was born prematurely and had to be in the ICU the first 6 months of her life. While I didn't have that much of a dramatic upbringing, I do know what it feels like sometimes to have the bumpers put on me. I loved seeing her getting her bearings in a new city, grasping life on her own without the safeguards of her family, and eventually finding a career she was passionate about. Wouter was such a precious hero. American men could take notes from him. I loved that we got to see snippets of their first time at love as well as their rekindled relationship in the present.

Read if you like a fake dating, second-chance romance set in Amsterdam. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review. This book releases 5/6.

✨𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑠𝑜 𝑚𝑢𝑐ℎ 𝐵𝑒𝑟𝑘𝑙𝑒𝑦 𝑅𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑒 𝑎 𝑑𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝐴𝑅𝐶 𝑖𝑛 𝑒𝑥𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑦 ℎ𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑤!!✨

I'm sorry, did I just read my new favorite romance? Did I just find my new addiction? I'm ready for a reread already, I need more😍

I had the amazing opportunity to visit Amsterdam this year, and I think that experience made this book that much more special to me. Everything felt so real to me, as if I was back on those streets. I immediately fell in love with Dani and Wouter; their backstory was so bittersweet, but the way they reconnected and immediately seemed to fall back into the rhythm they were familiar with? Ugh my heart🥹 Rachel's writing is new to me; this is the first book I've read from her, but it definitely won't be the last! I adore how beautiful her writing style is!

Even though I've already turned the last page, I'm not ready for their story to end. It feels as if Dani and Wouter will continue their love story even beyond the epilogue, and I'm so sad I can't be a witness to it. I truly loved every second of this book, and I absolutely can't wait until it's on the shelves at bookstores so everyone else can experience it too. I will 100% be getting myself a physical copy of this because I need to transfer all of my highlights and little notes onto paper🥹

You'll love this if you love:
📖 second chance romance
📖 forced proximity
📖 marriage of convenience
📖 "it will always be you" vibes

✨TW: this book contains cuss words and topics of cheating, emergency c-section and NICU, sexual content, stroke, and death of a parent.

RLS is a queen of writing the sweetest romance books ever. Her characters are always so dimensional and real and she always adds in details that humanizes them, which is one of my favourite things about her books.

Following our FMC Danika's abrupt move to Amsterdam after a disastrous workplace relationship, RLS guides us through her process of falling in love with the city. Dani's trouble to reconcile what she thought her life would look like at thirty vs how things actually turned out spoke to me on a very personal level. Life never turns out the way we think and Dani's struggle to find something she was truly passionate about made her character so approachable.

I will admit after reading this book, it has shot up to the top of my list of places I need to see. I feel like I've already been to be honest. As we traveled through the city with Danika I really felt her fall for it, I think What Happens in Amsterdam is just as a much a love letter to the city itself as it is a romance about Wouter and Danika.

The romance between Wouter and Dani was so cute, I love second chance romances and a marriage of convenience. Put those two things together and I'm sunk. If you want a sweet and immersive romance, dripping with culture I would recommend picking this up!

I so deeply appreciated the anxiety representation in this book. Dani grew so much as a person throughout the story and it was amazing to see her find her footing despite her trauma and anxiety. This book was so well written and descriptive that I was hit with the most intense desire to travel to Amsterdam.

Thank you so much Berkley for the e-ARC & free final copy! 💓
I’ve enjoyed all of RLS’s books, and this was no exception! I absolutely love her stories and how every book has some sort of mental health and/or disability rep - I loved the rep in this one with our MC Dani!
This book was overall so good: atmospheric, wholesome, romantic, and just a great time!!

i just love a good calm palate cleanser. and this was that. rachel lynn solomon has been a favorite of mine for a while and this book was amazing. love her forever!

I was already. fan of RLS, but this is a new fave from her! Sweet, sexy, tender, introspective and deeply romantic. I really loved the explorations of mental health and finding yourself by living abroad. A heartwarming, multi-faceted second chance romance

💭 ⓂⓎ ⓉⒽⓄⓊⒼⒽⓉⓈ
The spice was hot, and the descriptions of Amsterdam were magical, but the story itself felt just okay. I couldn’t get past the reason for the original breakup; it really annoyed me. There was a noticeable lack of growth in the FMC from age 17 to 30, especially when it came to relationships, which made her seem immature and frustrating at times. I wanted more character depth from both Dani and Wouter. I liked him more, but I didn’t get any book boyfriend vibes. The marriage of convenience trope also came on really fast and felt kind of random. There were definitely fun parts, especially learning about Amsterdam and Dutch culture, but the toxic family dynamics and the love story itself made it fall flat for me. I know a lot of people will enjoy this one. It’s not a bad book, just not a favorite for me. That said, it definitely made me want to visit Amsterdam!

📚 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
💕Second Chance romance
💍Marriage of convenience
🔥Slow burn
🌶️A good amount of spice
💚Mental health rep
🌷Love letter to Amsterdam
🐶Cute dog

🌷𝕄𝕐 ℝ𝔸𝕋𝕀ℕ𝔾🌷
⭐️⭐️⭐️

💕Q U O T E: "𝒥𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝒷𝑒𝒸𝒶𝓊𝓈𝑒 𝒾𝓉'𝓈 𝓈𝒸𝒶𝓇𝓎 𝒹𝑜𝑒𝓈𝓃'𝓉 𝓂𝑒𝒶𝓃 𝒾𝓉'𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓌𝓇𝑜𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔. 𝒥𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝒷𝑒𝒸𝒶𝓊𝓈𝑒 𝒾𝓉'𝓈 𝒽𝒶𝓇𝒹-𝒹𝑜𝑒𝓈𝓃'𝓉 𝓂𝑒𝒶𝓃 𝒾𝓉'𝓈 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝓌𝑜𝓇𝓉𝒽 𝒹𝑜𝒾𝓃𝑔."

🙏 Thank you for the free book @berkleyromance!💕#BerkleyPartner #Berkley #BerkleyBookstagram

Rachel Lynn Solomon is always an auto-read for me. This book definitely did not disappoint.
I enjoyed reading about Dani's leap of faith into another country. She was an adventurous character. I could definitely relate to her feeling untethered and uncertain. I feel like we all come to a similar crossroads when we are young adults and make our first big decision to do something different in our lives.
Dani's romance with Wouter was an exciting journey as well. My only compliant would have been that they talked out their differences and the things that were still bothering Dani way earlier in the story. Other than that, I loved watching their second chance romance unfold while Dani worked on asking herself really tough questions so that she could figure out what kind of life she wanted to build for herself.
Wouter and Dani's romance was surprisingly unconventional (and appropriately spicy) and it was a great foil to the idyllic setting of Amsterdam.

I adore books by Rachel Lynn Solomon, and I enjoyed this latest work: What Happens in Amsterdam. This story of Dani Dorfman and Wouter van Leeuwen reconnecting after they met when he was an exchange student was a fun play on the marriage of convenience motif.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

First of all - this book has all of my favorite tropes. Second chance romance? Check. Marriage of convenience? Check. Forced proximity? Check. Plus it’s set in one of my favorite cities, which was captured so beautifully it was almost a character in and of itself.

I absolutely loved this heartwarming story! It was brimming with joy and when I finished it left me with that feel-good-book feeling. Something Rachel is so good at is crafting such authentically human MCs, and Dani’s self-discovery journey throughout the course of this story was one of my favorite parts! This book also has amazing Jewish and chronic illness representation which we love to see done this well!

Not to mention this book has some SPICE to it! 😉🌶️ Dani and Wouter’s chemistry was off the charts. I love them 😭😭

4.5 rounded down