Thank you to NetGalley and the author for allowing me this ARC read. This novel is from the FMC’s POV and was an emotional read. I felt that the heat of the romance took a little longer to get to than I like to usually read but that isn’t a bad thing. I did enjoy this read, it was is a slow burn which is a trope I like to read. It follows the story of Ingrid and Macon. They were in a quite long term relationship and decide that they want to take a break. The FMC begins to date other people to see if there is a spark outside of her previous relationship. I do feel like there could have been a few things added to this to make it a more exciting read. I did have quite a few moments where it made me laugh.

This story skillfully weaves a love story with a woman’s journey of self-discovery and adulthood. Ingrid, a librarian, harbors a secret crush on her older coworker, Macon. When Ingrid and her boyfriend, Corey, decide to take a break in their relationship to assess their future together, Ingrid takes the plunge and confesses her feelings to Macon, only to be rejected. As the months pass, Ingrid embarks on a path of self-discovery, learning to navigate life beyond her relationship with Corey. Her friendship with Macon deepens, and their feelings for each other grow stronger throughout the novel. This is a slow-burn romance, emphasizing the gradual development of the characters’ emotions. It’s a solid choice for library readers, especially those who enjoy slow-burning romances.

I want to express my gratitude to St. Martin’s Press for providing this book for review consideration through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own and not influenced by the publisher.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book, however, it didn’t flow nicely for me. The first half, in particular, felt rushed and the characters underdeveloped. As the story progressed, I became more interested in the characters and their journey. It was an overall fun story.

This was a cozy romance with lots of emotional depth and characters that you love to cheer for. I really connected with the main character Ingrid and all of her struggles with starting over. Her dates were both comical and cringeworthy but it made me cheer for her love story that much more. I really appreciated Macon’s character as well because it was a refreshing change to the grumpy MMC trope.

I just want to preface by saying, this book was truthfully not for me. I had so many issues with the story and the characters. I’m so sad because I loved Anna and the French Kiss. But, I digress. Onto the review.

This book easily could have been 200 pages shorter. There is too much filler and additional characters that are not needed and do nothing for the story. There were also many plot points that could have been cut. This did not need to be 400 pages.

I did not like Ingrid as a main character. She was lackluster and fairly boring. It mostly is due to the fact that there was a lot of filler. There’s nothing too memorable either, just eh.

Macon kind of sucks too. I hated how he treated Ingrid when men would so much as talk to her, but it’s brushed off as jealously. No, he was being unnecessarily rude and toxic to someone who is meant to be his friend. It made him unlikeable in my opinion. It felt manipulative, especially considering his behavior at the beginning of the book. I mean I guess I liked him in the end, but just barely.

There were some very cute scenes in this book, enough to make me think I would finally get into the story. Then it was followed with cringe that made it hard to read at times. The end of the book moved so fast to the point that I just didn’t believe it. I’m sad to say I did not enjoy this book.

***Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press/Saturday Books for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars- a bit too slow for me.

If you’re a fan slow burns, a la Mariana Zapata, this may be your kind of book. But if you’re looking for a fast-paced or escapist romance, Overdue might not hit the mark. I’d actually classify it more as women’s fiction than a traditional romance—it’s realistic, emotionally grounded, and sometimes heavy.

There’s a lot to admire here: the friendship between Ingrid and Macon is quirky and endearing, and I appreciated how the story explored the pressure of not meeting conventional life milestones. The library setting also gave the book a cozy, heartfelt backdrop.

That said, the pacing really held me back. The beginning dragged quite a bit—I didn’t feel invested until around Chapter 6. While I ended up appreciating the single POV (Ingrid’s), I still wished for a bit more insight into Macon earlier on. The emotional payoff was there by the end, but getting there felt like a bit of a slog.

Thank you to NetGalley, Stephanie Perkins, and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

Not a favorite of mine for many reasons. The tropes are common and the Library
did not really help much. The only saving grace was the conclusion, but I still
walked away tired.
My thanks to Saturday Books for the download copy of the book for review purposes.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read Overdue by Stephanie Perkins! This was my first book by the author and I will be looking into her other works!

Overdue is a cute slow burn following Ingrid. She is engaged to her fiancé for many years and then her sister gets engaged. There is some turmoil and now has to figure out what she truly wants (and needs) in life. I appreciated that the FMC was a little older as it made her feel a little more relatable. I really enjoyed the banter between Ingrid and Macon.

This will be a great read for those who enjoy small town reads, slow burns and stories about life changes.

3.75 stars

I have very fond memories of reading and rereading Anna and the French Kiss as a teenager. I always felt it was a perfect novel, simultaneously angsty and heartfelt. When I heard Stephanie Perkins was writing another romance, I immediately put it on my tbr and I was so glad when I received the arc for Overdue.

Overdue is definitely a novel written as a love letter to all the introverted bookworms out there. I felt a kinship with the main character and her love interest from the very first page, and the whole story gave off warm, cozy hallmark vibes (except without any of the signature cheesiness and bad dialogue those movies are known for).

This would be a perfect holiday read. It's a low intensity romance but very slow burn, which I absolutely loved. There was lots of yearning and hesitant glances and hand holding until I couldn't wait for these two people to get together. (also this book has the whole "he built his whole house based on her likes and dislikes because he's always been in love with her and was just waiting for her to realize it" The Notebook-esque type scene and I'm trash for that kind of thing so that's another plus).

I will be buying a hardcopy of this novel when it's published and can absolutely see myself returning to it when I need to read something comforting.

* Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review

First, thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley and Stephanie Perkins for allowing me to read an advanced copy of Overdue in exchange for my honest review. I absolutely adore Stephanie Perkins’ previous books, and I have been consistently checking for new books by her for years. Receiving this arc was such a dream.

This is a tricky review for me to write, because I ultimately had pretty mixed feelings about Overdue. I think that that can chalked up to the fact that I went into this book expecting a romance novel - and this is more women’s fiction with a side of romance. Once I adjusted my expectations, I enjoyed the story so much more. So for future readers: Overdue is about Ingrid transitioning to a new stage of her life. She’s turning thirty, putting her life back together after a breakup, figuring out what she really wants for her future, and taking strides to achieve those goals. And eventually, Macon’s there too!

A few gripes. The first 50% of this book really dragged for me. I didn’t particularly enjoy the section where she was going on dates with random men, and I feel like at least some of those stories could have been edited out or shortened. I also cringed so frequently at Ingrid; the things she said, the way she acted, the choices she made… I was ready to say goodbye to her by the end of the story. I liked Macon more, but he frustrated me as well. I love a slow burn immensely, but when we’re 75% in and barely starting to thaw, it’s a little much even for me.

However, there was also so much to love. I especially enjoyed the last quarter of the book. Once I began thinking of this as a story about Ingrid’s growth, I really enjoyed the storylines about her working toward and achieving her dreams. What she manages to build (both literally and metaphorically) was beautiful and idealistic, and I loved living in those sections of the story. I was also a big fan of a lot of the side characters (shout out to one of the best ex boyfriends I think I’ve ever read). And of course, once the romance plot line started to heat up, I loved every minute of it. Stephanie Perkins is a master at tension and yearning.

So yes, I recommend this, but be prepared to stick with it through the long haul. By the time you finish, you’ll be happy you did.

Overdue will be out on October 7, 2025!

Ingrid may be my new best friend. Stephanie Perkins has created such a relatable and likable characters. I felt as though I was receiving life updates from a friend, rather than reading a book. This friends to lovers book checks all the boxes for me: realistic emotions and reactions during the plots challenges, strong supporting characters who enhance the plot of the story, easy to read.

When Ingrid and Cory are face to face with their future, they couldn't feel more meh about it. They decide to take a break and see what dating other people is like after 11 years together, as they navigate the other relationships in their lives, they realize, that maybe life can have more umph. Will they the past define their future or try something new?

Thank you to St. Martins for providing me with an eARC via NetGalley!

Regrettably, I wasn't able to finish this book. I was really looking forward to diving into my first ARC, but I struggled to engage with the story in the initial chapters. The writing was clear and easy to understand, but the pacing felt a bit slow and the repeated references to the pandemic became monotonous.

As someone who isn't a big fan of basketball, I found my interest waning when the sport was introduced into the narrative. I usually enjoy books that incorporate sports, but for some reason, basketball-themed stories just don't hold my attention.

I wouldn't say it's a poorly written story - in fact, the concept and description initially piqued my interest. However, based on my personal preferences, I had to make the decision to not finish the book.

A novel about what ifs. Ingrid and her boyfriend Corey have been together over 10 years. They both were each other’s firsts. First date, first partner, first everything. When they decide that they need a change. They decide for a month to take a break and explore. Ingrid knows an interesting co worker she would be interested in seeing but he immediately refutes her advances. After this she goes on a whirlwind tour of dating. This story is about complacency and change. How we get complacent with the things that we like, where we should definitely see the world instead of sticking with what is safe.

So for me this book dragged hard. I wasn’t a huge fan of Ingrid. She’s naive and assumes her coworker who is her best friend would be cool with dating/sex for a month before she goes back to being with Corey. I mean who would be okay with that? The author tends to go off on a tangent of things that aren’t really interregnal to the story. The description of some candle stick or a past story that’s irrelevant. That’s why this bogs down. For 50% of the story she’s not with the MMC and you feel for the one guy she’s with. She’s not nice to him (she does acknowledge it, but never does anything about it.) The male main character Macon isn’t the greatest either. He rejects Ingrid but never once communicates to her why he did until me has to make the second advance. Girl if I was rejected once, I would never try again. He needed to be the one that tried and he never did.

This was just okay. I didn’t love it, and I didn’t hate it. For a romance novel the spice wasn’t spicy. The chemistry was super chemistryey. Just a bland novel.

Thank you to St Martins Press/ Saturday and NetGalley for the arc.

I really enjoyed this book! Very well written. A slooooooow burn, but that time was spent on building Ingrid and Macon into complex enough characters where I was either loving or disliking their decisions, while still hoping they would end up together

Thank you NetGalley for the e-arc!

DNF at 30%.

30% through and the love interest has said like five sentences. He's not even really a part of it so far which really bummed me out and I don't have the patience to wait until he's suddenly relevant again. Also, this takes place in the span of twelve whole months, I was not aware of the slowburn it was going to be.

So, this book was just not for me.

Ok, the writing was very good and I'm sure a lot of people will enjoy this story. I, honestly, did not. The premise of two long time partners being together and then taking a break to date other people was already a stretch for me. But when the heroine begins dating a lot of different people and sleeping with them AND using some really nice guys for sex without being honest with them, it really made me sad. In addition to all of this, the hero who she's supposed to be with (not her original partner, but her coworker that she loves and we meet on page 1), has to watch while she sleeps with all of these other men. It was beyond frustrating. The later half/third of the book was very good, but the part where the main character was sleeping around with so many different guys and lying to the nice ones, it went on for far too long and made me feel really sad. And I'm saying this as a woman who is very supportive of a woman’s right to date whomever she wants and to have all the s*x she wants. I just really didn't appreciate it in this story.

Thank you to Saturday books and Netgalley for an early copy of this book

Don't like the fact that the main character is already crushing on the love interest while she is in a different relationship. Also, a weird situation where you would separate for a month with the understanding that you will then get back together. Thought this would be a cute little rom-com. Didn't expect the spicy scenes.

Rating: ★★★½ (3.5 - 3.75)
Publication Date: October 7, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Stephanie Perkins’ Overdue is a tender, incredibly slow-burn romance following 29-year-old Ingrid—aka Iggy—a librarian turned aspiring bookshop owner who finds herself in the middle of a long overdue (pun intended) life transformation. After an 11-year relationship hits pause, Ingrid starts dating again, reevaluates her future, and finds herself drawn to Macon—her older, brooding, bookish coworker with a heart of gold, a garden full of vegetables, and a soft spot for his mom.

The romance between Ingrid and Macon simmers for nearly a year, and the slow pace honestly worked in its favor… to a point. Their chemistry, emotional intimacy, and realistic relationship arc had great depth, and I appreciated the story's grounded portrayal of dating, growing up, and making big life choices. That said, this book dragged. Certain sections—especially Ingrid’s dating detours—felt overly detailed and bloated. And while I usually love single POVs, this one sorely missed Macon’s perspective. A dual POV would have balanced the pacing and allowed us to better understand the grumpy heartthrob we only saw from Ingrid’s lens.

Perkins shines in her description of setting, food, and character habits—Cory’s frozen pizzas vs. Macon’s slow-cooker lattes was chef’s kiss symbolism. The pandemic-era mentions felt authentic, and the themes of personal growth, maturity, and choosing joy were well done.

All in all, a charming, introspective read with a satisfying (if rushed) payoff. Just… be ready for a very long wait for the swoon.

Sweet, romantic, and perfect for book lovers. Perkins brings cozy vibes and emotional depth in equal measure. The love story was heartfelt and satisfying. A charming ode to second chances and storytelling.