Sooooo after binging the last 40% or so in one sitting, I have some thoughts.

Thank you to NetGalley, The Dial Press, and Camille Kellogg for this e-ARC! This published 6/10 and is out now!

WHAT I LIKED:
📓 The cover is eye-catching and absolutely gorgeous

🌎 Allllll the representation - LGBTQ+, disability, mental health (including eating disorders, trauma, self-esteem, panic attacks, & anxiety), parental loss… This book has nearly everything, and it’s handled so delicately

🥹 There is a lot of emotional depth to these characters; both the MCs and the side characters have been through a lot, and most are actively working through unresolved trauma

🌆 Kat’s journey (more about her character below). She was a child actor, and now her acting career is kind of falling apart. She’s starting to explore her sexuality more and realizes that she might be queer. From an outsider’s perspective, I think this book did a GREAT job of exploring those feelings.

📚 An indie bookstore that specializes in queer and feminist literature! Say less!


WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE:
🎬 Kat’s character. Like, are you kidding me??? Her whole relationship with Jude starts as a publicity stunt, and Jude is just blindly falling in love with her dream girl and doesn’t even know the half of it. Can you imagine being that person in a relationship??? How betrayed and blind-sided you’d feel when you inevitably find out the truth??? UGH. I know Kat was also blindly following all of her manager’s directions, but still. I felt like this took the fake dating trope to a whole new level.

🏳️‍🌈 Jude’s character seemed way too empathetic and trusting (and perhaps even naive?), in my opinion. Maybe that’s just me being too nitpicky, but something felt inauthentic in her dialogue.

🧠 Ok, this is DEFINITELY me being too nitpicky, but as a former eating disorder mental health counselor, since when is eating disorder treatment referred to as “rehab”????


I definitely think there were more elements that I enjoyed in this book than not. HOWEVER, I just can’t get over the fact that Kat and Jude’s relationship started as a publicity stunt, and only one of them knew. And when Jude finally learns the truth (because you know that’s coming) and still offers Kat back her forgiveness and trust??? I could never.

So maybe my gripes with this book are subjective than objective. It was a good book, don’t get me wrong, there were just some things I couldn’t get past. 3⭐️ for me.

Thank you so much for this ARC! Now this was cute! I loved Camille’s writing style and how well this story flowed. The chemistry was super well done too. This won’t be my last by this author! Thank you again for the ARC 💖✨

I was so excited to read “The Next Chapter” after loving Camille Kellogg's first book “Just As You Are” which is a queer “Pride and Prejudice” retelling. If you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend it. “The Next Chapter” is a heartfelt and charming story about reinvention, healing, and unexpected love. The “Notting Hill” nods: celebrity/ “normal person” dynamic, bookstore meet-cute, and other fun Easter eggs are clever and satisfying. I really enjoyed the charming “Notting Hill” homage near the end. What's not to like about a romance with a bookstore meet-cute? The writing was beautiful and I really enjoyed Camille Kellogg’s writing style. Jude the bookseller and Kat the actress hit it off immediately, but they both have unresolved past trauma that might get in their way. Kat and Jude’s individual journeys add layers to the story and help it come together to create a heartfelt romance with depth and humor. I was frustrated with Kat's actions throughout the book, but overall they had great chemistry. I loved that it was a dual POV. Romances are always much better when you can get both MC’s thoughts and feelings. It makes it so much easier to see why they fall for each other. I really loved the side characters and their fun personalities Jude’s kindness while Kat was exploring her new identity and the love all the friends in the group showed to one another was so refreshing. I appreciated the thoughtful LGBTQ+ rep, including lesbian, non-binary, and trans characters, as well as disability rep. I LOVED the epilogue. I think that this book is worth the read even if you are not normally a romantic genre reader. Thanks to Camille Kellogg, Random House Publishing and Dial Press and Netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for my thoughts. I am eagerly awaiting Camille’s next release.

When former child actress Katrina Kelly walks into a queer bookstore in NYC, she doesn’t expect to connect with the cute butch bookseller. Jude seems to have no idea who she is, which Katrina loves. As Jude gleefully recommends books to Katrina, a connection sparks. Fortunately, the two reunite after their meet-cute and continue to get to know each other. Can Jude handle the fame that being with Katrina brings? Will Katrina be honest about the real reason she reached back out to Jude?

The Next Chapter bookstore is a place that I wish I could visit! This book is a delightful queer bookish romance and I loved it. Jude and Katrina are a great couple who really grow to understand each other. Jude’s coworkers at The Next Chapter are completely fabulous and I’d love to read spin-off stories about them! Camille Kellogg creates a beautiful sense of found family. I loved how supportive Jude was of Katrina’s journey with choosing labels and exploring her sexuality. I didn’t love the miscommunication/Katrina not being more forthcoming (though understandable), but it was resolved quickly enough. This is a great summer romance read!

Readers who love queer romance stories, bookstores, and found family should check out The Next Chapter.

Thank you to Camille Kellogg, Dial Press Trade Paperback, and NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, and Barnes & Noble etc.

There is so much to enjoy about this book! After reading Just As You Are, I was pretty sold on anything by Camille Kellogg and this did not disappoint!

Kat and Jude meet at a bookstore and through some chosen family meddling wind up on a date. Both characters engage in their own mistruths which cause them to go on their own journeys that lead to each other.

If you’re looking for a cute queer retelling with characters that make (mostly) relatable mistakes and engage in reflection and growth, this book is for you!

These two are messy humans who don’t make a lot of sense together but somehow work? I found myself wishing the side characters (Jude’s friends) had a bigger role instead of the drama and secrets and miscommunication between Jude and Kat. It wasn’t bad, but I never felt like rooting for them.

I enjoyed this queer romance. There was good diversity in the character list and the main characters were relatable. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy.

Pride Month 2025 #3

🍦 🍓 The Ripped Bodice's 9th Annual Summer Romance Bingo 🕶️ 🏄🏼

/ Grand Gesture

I loved JUST AS YOU ARE, a P&P retelling. I unfortunately did not love this NOTTING HILL retelling, a film I loved. Do I need to rewatch it? Will I not love it if I do? Or is London > NYC

I hated Kat from the start. I felt bad for Jude, but slowly disliked her more as time went on. That's not why this has a mid rating. I've enjoyed plenty of books where I didn't like the characters. This is a romance. I don't feel like they were right for each other. And as someone that's trying to decipher what's right for me, I'm all eyes right now, okay?

The drama just felt unnecessary. So did the levels of pettiness for grown adults. I know pettiness exists for adults. I've lived it. But it just felt like so much. For no good reason. I hated Kat's manager. I hated her former costars. I hated everyone she interacted with.

I loved Jude's friends. I wanted more for them. I wanted her to want more for herself. I hated the conservative straight man that bought her mother's bookstore. I hated how stuck she felt working there. Change your life. I say this as a stuck-in-one-place-until-I-explode Taurus sun. Blow up. Do it. Live your life. Do something.

📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Dial Press Trade Paperback

Well, this was just a delight! I love a meet-cute and having theirs take place in a bookstore was just adorable. I really loved getting to see Kat’s character grow throughout the book as she as she discovered more about herself. There was some really great secondary characters as well that created such joy. Their relationship was definitely complicated and a little (okay, a lot) messy, but made for an enjoyable rom-com.

3.5 stars

I enjoyed this but it isn't my favorite. It's a quick read, with short chapters and a fast plot. I loved the cast of characters and the bookstore. The book does a wonderful job of exploring the trauma and that come from having been a child star. It also explores eating disorders and panic attacks. It touches on grief from the loss of a parent, too, but doesn't dive as deep into that as I would've liked.

Jude and Kat have such a great spark at the beginning! Jude's kindness and confidence paired with Kat's insecurities and uncertainty around her orientation make for an adorable meet-cute. But somewhere along the way, the spark seemed to fizzle. It didn't help that while Jude and Kat were well defined and acted like the early twenty-somethings they are, they were hard to connect with. I could feel most towards the end -- I didn't really feel the impact of the 3rd act break-up and subsequent happily ever after.

Technically, this book suffers from an overcorrection of the gay pronoun problem. When two characters are romantically involved and use the same pronouns, things can quickly get confusing. The solution is often to use the characters' names more than you might normally. In this case, however, it felt like their names were used too much. When you write from one character's point of view, there's a way to structure sentences that alleviates the confusion without constantly using Jude or Kat's names. It bugged me because it changed the flow of the narrative.

It's a cute, quick, moderately spicy sapphic romance. It's not my first recommendation but I can see it finding its audience.

<i>Many thanks to NetGalley, The Dial Press, and the author for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.</i>

Love a good bookstore employee, a love story, and finding yourself. This is a cute, quickish read. The middle dragged for me had me starting and stopping. I am sure I am in the minority on this.

Thank you Netgalley & Random House Publishing Group - Random House | Dial Press Trade Paperback for the advanced reader copy.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
This is my second book by the author and I have really enjoyed both. This is a perfect read for pride month and celebrating everything queer. I loved that Jude worked in a bookshop and their friends were the best. I loved the look into the cons of child stardom.

this book was many things: cute, anxiety-inducing, heartwarming, frustrating, and more. i appreciated the opportunity to learn more about the experiences of child actors from Kat's point of view. but, while Kat's story wraps up nicely with her getting everything she ever wanted (including making amends with her first love who is never mentioned again after she is used as a plot device), Jude's story on the other hand feels...incomplete. it seems like she gave up everything for Kat, including the apartment that she shared with her mom and her dream job. what is next for her, other than being Kat's girlfriend? readers don't get to know.

Thank you to Dial Press and Netgalley for a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.25 stars, rounded down to 3.

This is a hard one to review. I enjoyed the first half very much. But it ran out of steam and I felt the primary romantic relationship became increasingly toxic as the story went on. I did however appreciate the portrayals of grief and figuring out identity in adulthood.

Jude is a bookseller hoping to buy back her deceased mom's store, and Kat is a former child star looking to break into work for an adult audience. When their reading rec meet-cute seems like the perfect way for Kat to come out to fans as queer, her agent orchestrates a series of one-sided publicity stunts sure to generate buzz. But can a real romance grow from these deceptive beginnings? This dual POV romance is full of all the best baby queer angst, miscommunication, yearning, and messy friendship. It covers stuff like disordered eating, panic attacks, and growing up in high control environments. You might like it if you like books about books, queer normative writing, and child star memoirs like "I'm Glad My Mom Died". This was a great second novel after "Just As You Are"; I'm a Camille Kellogg fan for sure!

CWs - Cancer, Eating disorder, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Body shaming, Child abuse, Outing, Alcohol, Cursing, Pedophilia, Vomit

I love the fake dating trope, especially watching the feelings slowly become real. This book delivers a heartfelt, slow-burn romance that keeps you rooting for the characters.

Full transparency I only read 60% of this book. It was boring and I couldn’t justify spending my time finishing it. Nothing about it was anything that grabbed me or something I hadn’t read before. I really liked the authors last book so I was hoping to like this. It just didn’t work out for me. I like books with bookstores in them and famous characters but that wasn’t enough to pull me in.

I DNFd at 60% in the middle of a sex scene if that says anything…

Disregard the star rating, I don’t rate books I DNF but I don’t want to give it a low rating because it wasn’t bad necessarily just not for me.

I wanted to really like this book and there were moments that I did and moments that I didn’t. I had a difficult time connecting with both characters though I preferred Jude to Kat. I preferred reading about Jude’s group of friends at times more than the main characters. The plot and story felt really rushed, it was a quick read. The ending also felt a little forced and honesty I thought the conflict and third act breakup felt off. I did like the complexity of navigating coming out and Jude’s authenticity was one of my favorite parts of her. Thank you to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC and a chance to read this and review..

4.5 rounded to 5

Jude is shuffling by as a bookstore manager of the queer bookstore her and her mom curated before her passing. She's set on living out her days, saving up enough money to buy it back from the man her mom sold it to to pay her hospital bills. She's stagnated since, until sweet Kat walks into her bookstore and asks her all about how to recognize she may be queer, and all of the books to go with it. An instant spark forms as they realize they could open themselves up for more - if only they stop falling back on the behaviours of their pasts.

*****

I absolutely loved this book. One of the best parts was how unlikeable Kat was as a character. She was so unfathomably human. She didn't make the best choices after a life of every choice being made for her, and she didn't have healthy relationships or coping methods, nor know who she was or how to trust her own gut.

Kat was broken, lonely and thrust into the spotlight at such a young age that she was a shell of who she could be. This was a novel that not only encompassed her and Jude falling for each other, but her own growth into being the person Jude saw her as - the person she had the potential to be - instead of the person she'd become in the public eye and privately. She cared so deeply for Jude and yet she used her, manipulated her, and lied to her. Her gut screamed at her while doing so, she often felt sick with regret, yet she thought she was making the best choices for her life and career. The juxtaposition between her actions and her feelings felt so poignant as we saw her managers actions of callousness and words of caring being at the same odds.

The book for me was more of Kat's character ARC, as well as Jude growing into her potential, than the romance that pulled them together. This was a book about trust, redemption, and choosing love even when it's hard, which felt so genuine and real instead of being fluffy or light (even though it had those elements as well). All in all, I loved it!

*****

Thank you to Random House Publishing for the digital ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5 rounded to 4

The Next Chapter by Camille Kellogg is a heartfelt sapphic romcom that blends celebrity chaos with quiet emotional truths. It’s smart, tender, and full of sincerity—my first read from Kellogg, and it definitely won’t be my last.

The story kicks off with a familiar setup—a famous actress and a reserved bookseller collide in a fake dating scheme—but what unfolds is refreshingly layered and emotionally rich. Kat, a former child star trying to reclaim control of her narrative, and Jude, a grieving, introverted bookstore manager, are both navigating deeply personal crossroads. Their chemistry is real, but it’s the vulnerability and emotional growth that give this romance its depth.

Kellogg’s writing shines in the quiet moments: the tentative steps toward trust, the soft unraveling of guarded hearts, and the beautiful mess of trying again when it’s easier not to. There’s a wonderfully supportive queer friend group, meaningful reflections on identity and reinvention, and a love story that feels earned.

While I found myself wanting a bit more from the middle section and thought a few threads resolved a little too easily, the emotional payoff is strong and satisfying.

If you're craving a queer romcom with brains, heart, and a soft but steady burn, this one’s worth a spot on your TBR.