This was not it, Kat has to be one of the most selfish MCs I have seen in a while, she was so distrustful of Jude when she was the one manipulating and lying to Jude, and Jude, I liked her more but still there was something missing.

No sophomore slump for Kellogg's second Sapphic dual POV romance that has lots of great nods to Notting Hill and sees an anxious bookseller falling for a newly coming out of the closet actress looking to make her image more queer. Full of heart, emotional depth, queer found family and while yes there was a third act miscommunication break up, I thought the good far outweighed the bad in this book. I loved all the bookish parts, thought the author handled losing a parent to cancer and struggling with disordered eating very sensitively and really enjoyed the audio narration by Mara Wilson. Very much recommended for fans of authors like Amy Spalding or Meryl Wilsner. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review.

The Next Chapter reimagines Notting Hill with a sapphic twist and a cozy NYC bookstore setting, but while the premise had promise, the execution felt uneven. Jude, a thoughtful and endearing lead, shines through her vulnerability and found family, but her romance with former child star Kat is weighed down by dishonesty and miscommunication. There are lovely, quiet moments and a few standout side characters, but Kat’s lack of growth made the central relationship hard to root for. Still, readers who enjoy messy characters and emotional exploration may find this a worthwhile, quick read.

Best for readers who enjoy:
📚 Bookstore romances
🎬 Celebrity/normal person love stories
🌈 Sapphic romance
🧶 Found family dynamics
💔 Flawed characters in emotionally messy situations

A reimagined telling of Knotting Hill. Katrina Kelly (24) is a former child star who hasn’t successfully made the transition to an adult acting career. Her manager has plans and Kat is willing to do whatever she says. She meets Jude Thacker at The Next Chapter, a NYC bookstore that Jude’s mother once owned before dying of cancer. She sold the store to pay medical bills but Jude has the option to buy the place back as long as she continues to work there. When the pair meet there is attraction but they get off to a bumpy start. Jude suffers from trust issues and occasional panic attacks. Kat’s manager insists now is the perfect time for Kat to come out to her followers. It will update her image and the attention should land her the lead in an off broadway play. But Kat doesn’t tell Jude she is part of her new PR campaign.

I enjoyed all the nods to Knotting Hill. And there were probably more references I didn’t catch. Kat is harder to like because she isn’t being honest with Jude and is mostly concerned about herself through much of the story. But their dates together feel real and they share private moments from their past when getting to know each other. I liked Judes’s family of choice who are her co-workers at the store. They were a good sounding board for her and helped her see the grand gesture near the end. I thought this was fun and read it fairly quickly. I liked the cute cover as well. I would have liked to know where Jude ends up career wise and wanted some comeuppance for the store owner but those are small things. I did enjoy the curling story at the end of the book. (3.5 Stars)

If you’ve seen Notting Hill you’ll be very familiar with this plot but I think Kellogg does this in a new and fresh way. It’s unapologetically sapphic and its characters are complicated, making the plot more engaging. I had a lot of fun with this one.

The Next Chapter had all the ingredients I usually love — sapphic romance, gorgeous writing, and a main character working who is an absolute sweetheart — but this one didn’t quite land for me. The premise was promising, and I really liked the glimpses of what the story could have been, especially in the quieter moments between Jude and Kat. There were some genuinely tender scenes, and I appreciated how the book touched (albeit lightly) on big themes like anxiety and disordered eating.

But overall, I found it a bit too messy. The drama between characters often felt unnecessary, and I struggled to connect with Kat. I don’t need to like every character, but I do need to feel like the relationship makes sense — and I just couldn’t see how Jude and Kat worked as a couple. There was so much lying, miscommunication and avoidance that I found myself more frustrated than invested. In addition, I didn't really want sweetheart Jude dating awful Kat - which isn't a great feeling to have when reading a romance novel.

That said, there were still parts I genuinely enjoyed. Jude was lovely — thoughtful, compassionate, and slowly working through her own fears — and her circle of friends brought warmth and grounding to the story. I just wanted more emotional clarity and less chaos. I know the messiness was intentional (and true to life in many ways), but it left me feeling a little disconnected from the romance at the heart of the book.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House | Dial Press Trade Paperback for a copy of this novel. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

A sweet met cute in a book store between two young ladies. The love of books and opened of Jude helps Kat explore and express herself.

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.