I thought this would be a very different story than it turned out to be. Librarian Ingrid and her longtime boyfriend Cory have been together since college. Ingrid's now 29 and with her younger sister getting married, wondering why she and Cory haven't done the same. The two agree that they need to take a month-long "break" to date other people before settling down, since they never had a chance to do so before meeting one another.

But after a month, neither is ready for marriage. And while Ingrid was turned down by her co-worker, Macon, her crush on him isn't going away. So Ingrid and Cory extend their break...

This is such a slow burn romance, and I would argue it's a book about finding yourself that turns into a romance. Ingrid has spent so long with Cory that she realizes she doesn't really know herself, so before she can commit to anything, she has to learn about herself. After Macon rejects her, she does date other people, but can't help always returning to Macon. The two start up a friendship, but it oozes with the undercurrent of their tension, and they have some pretty good banter going as well.

Of the two, I certainly preferred Macon and found myself wishing we heard from his POV once in a while. He's dealing with a lot--family members with various mental illness--and I just identified with his gruff, sarcastic manner. While Ingrid presents as cheerful, she often came across as ungrateful to me. I understand that her unhappiness was somewhat the point; she's finding herself and working out what truly makes her happy, but sometimes you wanted to shake her.

It takes a while to get into this story; you certainly want the Macon and Ingrid romance to happen right away. Still, I eventually warmed up to the way the plot was going. The end made me smile, and there's a cat, which is always a plus.

This was a slow read and kind of blah for me. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Not my cup of tea romance-wise. Engaging prose, but the set up of a relationship break for the purpose of sowing oats is not my favorite. I really enjoyed the main character and her fellow librarian love interest.

The premise of this book seemed very enticing, but unfortunately as soon as I got 15% in, I knew this was not going to be the book I thought it was. Our FMC seemed so immature for 29 years old, and the "slow burn" romance was essentially a lack of romance until the end. The book just DRAGGED on and some things felt unnecessary to the story. I was so bored and annoyed most of the time.

Single pov ! Super slow burn , I couldn’t put this book down ! Only gripe wth is with the name Macon ‘ , won’t lie I changed it to mason in my head

I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. Several years back, as a teen librarian, I read all of Stephanie Perkins' teen books, so I was intrigued when she released an adult book. Unfortunately, this book fell flat for me. I could not find the chemistry between the two main characters, and felt it was odd.

This book started out slowly and I almost did not finish it. But about halfway through it started to pick up and glad I finished it. Ingrid has had the same boyfriend Cory for eleven years. They have settled into a complacent and deadly dull relationship. Cory suggests they take a month long break and see who else is out there and that maybe just maybe after this break they can decide if they want to breakup or get married. Ingrid reluctantly agrees and starts seeing some other guys. The only problem is Ingrid has had a major crush on her coworker Macon. They have worked side by side in the library for years also. What follows is a two steps forward one step backward courtship between Macon and Ingrid. After a slow start I enjoyed the build up to their romance. Thanks NetGalley for another enjoyable book!

Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Saturday Books for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was really excited to get into Overdue, having not read a Stephanie Perkins novel in over ten years — and I'm happy to report that her writing is just as lovely to me now as it was when I was a teenager. That said, I have a lot of mixed feelings on this novel.

I was a bit confused at the pace and direction, particularly for the first half of the novel. I had reached 35% and felt that there was still a lot of "story" left considering that the main character, Ingrid, had already made a lot of headway in her dating exercise but was still at the same stage of her relationship with the love interest as she was at 2%. About midway through, though, the book went in a completely different direction than I was expecting. By the time I reached the end, I felt that the story made sense, technically, and I could see that it was a bildungsroman of sorts, but the contrast from where I began was pretty jarring considering the plot summary. It's a good premise, and more complex than the summary suggests — a story about questioning whether you are actually comfortable where you are because you've never considered "what else," a perspective on learning to be open to growth and change — but it was definitely a messy path to get to that conclusion. Ingrid was pretty insufferable at the start of the novel; her dramatics were overbearing and she overthinks and dwells on (in my opinion) relatively simplistic topics far more than necessary. Her internal monologues are often mean, considering how preachy she comes across — ripping the men she's dating apart for being too eager, not eager enough, too similar to her, not similar at all... it felt very out-of-place for a romance novel and just made her sound whiny. (Example: I had just finished reading Maud Ventura's My Husband and honestly felt that Ingrid's overly dramatic monologue and chaotic sense of self and others was comparable to the protagonist of that thriller novel!) I didn't feel that her personality was much improved later in the novel, either. Towards the end of her dating experiment, she blows off the last guy she dated (I can't remember his name), in what I think was a very selfish and immature way of handling things — and there's no revisiting later on, no apology, the guy never returns to the library. Is it really growth and maturity or are you just a bad person?

The romance itself is a very long journey, so I'll warn readers that this novel hovers between "literary fiction" and "traditional romance." There is definitely pay-off and I'm sure a lot of readers will enjoy Macon's character, but to me, the grouchy indifference he shows for most of the novel was a little annoying and tedious. Unlike a lot of other slow-burn romance novels, though, this one leaves a lot of room at the end for readers to see the growth of an established relationship between the love interests, which I did appreciate.

My opinion overall is less on the romance and more on the perspective on dating, marriage, etc. that this novel is bringing to light. I just think these things are... not as big of a deal as Ingrid is making them out to be? If you want to date, do it. If you don't, then don't. It's not the end of the world either way!

Overdue had some really enjoyable moments. The library experiences were spot on, and any book references are always fun for me. But as for the plot, it felt almost like two separate books. The situation with Ingrid and her boyfriend is clearly a bad idea to everyone in the book except for them. I'm not sure if it's supposed to highlight the main character's immaturity or what. Ingrid was a difficult person to like, treated several people in this book poorly, and it was difficult to get past that. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

This one was not for me, DNF @ 39%. The writing was poor and there was a lot of telling and not showing which really made for a boring story, I felt no connection to the characters and I had no desire to actually finish the book unfortunately

Okay did I love the story of these two falling in love? 100% yes. Did I love the women's fiction aspect of this? 100$ yes. Did I love how everything transpired? Yes. Did I ALSO think it could have been 50-75 pages shorter? also yes. That was the only downside for me. truly. I loved everything. I connected wonderfully with the characters and found myself feeling the emotions that they were feeling. A great story about navigating life after the end of a very long relationship.

This took me a minute to get into but overall, it was a lovely, cozy, quiet slow burn and I really liked the grumpy/sunshine dynamic.

In a cozy mountain town a 29 years old lady librarian has been dating her boyfriend for 11 years but marriage never came up. But when her sister is engaged then she starts to think about what her future holds.

As a longtime fan of Stephanie Perkins, I was excited to dive into Overdue. Her past work, especially the Anna and the French Kiss series, left a lasting impression on me, and I appreciate her voice and emotional nuance. Overdue definitely continues her trend of compelling character-driven storytelling.

The novel is well-written with strong atmosphere and solid emotional beats. The tension builds slowly, and while I normally enjoy a good slow burn, this one was too slow for my taste. There were stretches where the story dragged, and I found myself wishing for tighter pacing.

That said, I think fans will find Overdue engaging - just be prepared for a very slow unraveling.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After reading the synopsis, I knew I had to read this book. I thought it was good but really long and slow. A little too slow for my liking. I don’t think the authors writing style is for me. As much as I do enjoy romance, this slow burn was too slow for me.


Rating: ✨✨

Publication Date: October 7, 2025

Thank you NetGalley, Stephanie and St.Martin’s Press for the eARC!!

This was such a cozy, cute, and surprisingly hilarious read. I loved these two main characters so much. And the way their story unfolded was perfect.

I absolutely loved the synapsis of this book, and the fact that the story took a year to tell. The pacing of the second half did feel a bit rushed- which is almost comical as all of Ingrid's friends and family say the same thing. However, I did enjoy Ingrid's journey and seeing her character grow.

First - thank you to netgalley and to St. Martin’s press for my copy of Overdue in exchange for my honest opinion.

I think this book has so much going for it. The book girlies are gonna eat this UPPP and Macon feels ridiculous as a love interest. WAS ALL OVER THAT. I was told like three facts about him and felt immediately like he was the dreamiest character. (Like genuinely I felt a little ridiculous at how quickly I was obsessed and pro-Macon). ((Am I allowed to say he has the most refreshing golden retriever energy compared to like every ridiculous macho dude love interest ever?)) Like. Finally. A love interest for the female gaze. Man, I’m SO !!!!!

The writing itself had these stand out moments but was a littttle mid. I found the book totally binge-able though. And I think weirdly, the premise will resonate with/compel a lot of people in mid-but-“happy” long term relationships. 👀 (While I don’t feel like I’m on that, I think some women will relate.)

An issue I had a bit was how quickly it felt our narrator launched into feeling 100% down and un-conflicted about taking a break from her long term partner. She was almost right away ok with the break? I won’t give much away, and I think we got some retroactive information to try to remedy this… But more active, present, totally blush-worthy, more bad relationship/ and more “longing” moments up front in the beginning of the book, or more information in a “show don’t tell” way would have gotten me way more in my feels throughout. But know, I’m being picky here. I was still kicking my feet (And a lot of romance novels I have this critique of.)

Also - around 3/4ths in, I felt like things were dragging. I know it’s slow burn, but I felt like there was some missed opportunities for some more tension/slow burn /heat moments!

Also also - I thought the way the other significant relationships in the book were handled was super neat. That’s hard to do and didn’t feel like a loose end!

I can think of legit six people I’m going to recommend this book to. Super super fun. I just wasn’t the exact target audience. Strong 3.5 stars? Rounded to 4 stars. ✨ 🌟🌟🌟

I didn’t enjoy this one very much. The slow burn left much to be desired. Would have love a split pov with her boyfriend.

Stephanie Perkins is an author I trust. I trust her with words, with characters, and especially with details. This book feels different than her other books, but that could be said for many of her stories. She has the gift of exploring many genres while still distinctly having a voice and style. 

In this book we are following Ingrid Dahl. Ingrid was instantly lovable, though a bit naive at first. I loved being with her on her journey from first dates, to heartbreak, to fresh starts, following dreams, and finding (enviable) love. Love is something no one writes quite like Stephanie Perkins. She writes what I like to call “good love”. The characters are always good to each other. The conflict never comes from mind games or hurting the other, it comes from the nature of being human, of being unsure of yourself, others, and of the natural vulnerabilities that come with letting yourself love and be loved. 

This book was such a cozy read. There are many stories woven in this book but it all worked well together. The details and side characters allow you to be fully immersed in the world. It is definitely a book that will stay with me and that I will think about often.