Thank you Netgalley and Dial Press for the free e-arc. My opinions are being left voluntarily. I wanted to love this as I enjoyed the authors debut however unfortunately this just did not work for me and I had to dnf at 23%. I wanted more of the characters, more banter just more.

Suggest giving it a try.

3.5/5☆

Another book where the cover caught me! I love a notting hill esque read but unfortunately this was not it. A romance without chemistry, a couple you're not actually rooting for and stereotypes up the wazoo....this one fell far from the warm and fuzzy read I was expecting.



Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House | Dial Press Trade Paperback for the ARC in exchange for my review!

I really enjoyed the chemistry between Kat and Jude. I liked how both admitted their mistakes and moved on from it. I really liked Jude's friends , I would love for them to get their own stories told as I found them really funny and likeable.

This book was adorable. Found family rom-com with a Notting Hill inspired vibe? Count me in. Add in the queer representation and you’ve got a winner. A great summer read.

A very special thank you to NetGalley and Dial Press for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought The Next Chapter was a perfectly cozy and sweet romance! Jude and Kat had such good chemistry off the bat, and the light heartedness of the hallmark romance vibes mixed perfectly with how the author handled the heavier aspects. The spice was pretty excellent too, hehe.

I was genuinely so sad when this was over, also loved the narrator for this one and I wanted her to keep telling me about this found family of queer joy 🥹 this is Notting Hill inspired and I officially like this retelling even more than the original. Make everything gay 👏

Thank you to PRHaudio for the ALC.

I loved Camille Kellogg's previous book, "Just As You Are", so was excited to see she had a new one coming out. However this one just didn't do it for me. I found Kat, one of the FMC's, to be extremely annoying and had a hard time rooting for her romance with Jude because of that. I liked Jude a lot and that kept me reading but never got fully on board with their relationship.

Thanks to Random House/Dial Press for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review! I loved Camille Kellogg's Pride and Prejudice retelling, Just as You Are, and was so excited to get an early copy of The Next Chapter. A sapphic Notting Hill reimagining? Big yes. All of the charm from the original storybeats are here; it feels like a little love letter to the story, but brought into 2025 with it's NYC setting and exploration of queerness. I loved getting to see Kat's struggle with understanding herself and finding her voice and what she wanted along the way. But it was Jude's story that really touched me - her grief, her realization that the things you love might not always be the things that make you happiest, her willingness to open her heart to love and new dreams. Check out the TWs if you want to pick this one up, but I definitely recommend if you are in the mood for a tender story about big love.

Thank you to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for the arc!

While I'm not personally familiar with Notting Hill, I was excited to read a tender romance between Jude, a butch bookseller, and Kat, a former child actress on a journey of discovering her own queer identity and trying to revamp her public image. I was immediately endeared to both of them and their dynamic. I was also invested in their individual, personal arcs.

I will say my rating floated between the 3-4 star range for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I didn’t find myself reaching for this book and I just wasn't as invested as I wanted to be; this was more of a personal taste and mood reader issue than one of the actual writing though. Second, the central conflict was something I don’t think could be solved as easily/quickly in real life, but Jude and Kat get the benefit of rom-com logic here.

My final rating is also higher because their communication and relationship was otherwise really beautifully written and developed. I also think Jude's friends added even more warmth to the story.

Overall, The Next Chapter was a lovely sapphic romance that will touch hearts ♡

Camille Kellogg wrote this book for me. Have I mentioned how much of a fan I am of the celeb/normie romance. Well I'm a huge devotee to this type of love story. Throw in a child actor backstory and well earned HEA...I'm rabid. Overwhelmingly enjoyed!

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Random House | Dial Press Trade Paperback and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest
review.

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>