While I love Stephanie Perkins' young adult novels, "Overdue" was a great adult book. It kept me entertained and I hated to see it end but alas it did.

You had me at books, library and a bookstore. My favorites. He is a grump and she is a bubbly friendly person. They are part of a the employees at a busy library. So many hours sitting next to each other. Feels grow. She and her long time love decide to take a break. As if that isn't a recipe for disaster. But can the grump take advantage of this break to final change the relationship? A good story that takes us from floundering relationships to potential for so much more.

This book is the ultimate slow burn romance and it couldn’t have been written better!!

I loved the pacing of this book - following our characters over the course of a year as they explore their friendship as it grows into something more intimate. Given the length of time we spent with Ingrid and Macon, the depth we got into each of their characters was so well written. From career changes, shifting family dynamics, and the fear of unrequited love, this book was able to cover so much while keeping everything so well paced

This was my first Stephanie Perkins book (and a part of me is dying over the fact that I didn’t have the experience of reading her books as a teen) but it won’t be my last. I hope there’s a lot more to come with her and her future adult romance releases.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I loved that this book was both a gorgeous slow burn romance and a relatable coming of age story. I would happily read anything else Stephanie Perkins writes.

Stephanie Perkins’ romance novel, Overdue, was the sweetest slow-burning telenovela-adjacent story ever! Its protagonist, Ingrid, goes through allll of the romantical tropes while finding herself.

Library worker Ingrid had a long-term boyfriend, Cory, who had been her bff and live-in love interest for over a decade, when they both decided to take a break (but that didn’t mean “breaking up” to Iggy) to sleep with other people for a month before reuniting and getting married. I think we all see where this is going.

During this month, Ingrid begins to finally not do only what is expected of her, or what she thinks is expected of her. She ventures out of her little bubble, and fails at the experiment. So, when Cory suggests another month, of course she jumps at the offer, so that they can have parallel experiences again.

Then, life happened.

I love that Overdue let us all see a life that was waaaay overdue in so many areas for so many reasons. It allowed me to feel what a lot of Gen Z adults have experienced and appreciate what had to be put off (and become Overdue) because of the pandemic, the dating culture, the economy, and the job market. I really appreciated this deep dive into that perspective (one could say that it was Overdue. Heehee).

The telenovela aspect to the book was the misunderstanding that led to most of the basis of the book’s plot, as well as the strong characters with some flamboyant outbursts (e.g.- who has a sign by their workstation that warns people Not to interact or try to have small talk with that worker? Haha). I was Here for this!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Saturday Books, an imprint of St. Martin’s Press, for this amazing ARC!!

Cute but kind of forgettable tbh…

Okay sooo Overdue had such a cute setup like, a bookish girl working in a cozy mountain town library falling for her grumpy coworker? Sign me UP. And honestly, the small-town vibes and soft, slow-burn romance were solid. If you’re into a mellow, introspective kinda love story, this might hit the spot.

BUT… I kinda kept waiting for it to do more?? The whole “let’s take a break and date other people” premise felt like it had potential for juicy drama or major emotional growth, but the execution was just kinda… mid. Ingrid is sweet, but she felt passive most of the time, and her internal monologue sometimes dragged. I wanted to root for her harder, but she didn’t really start owning her choices until the very end.

And then there’s Macon. He’s the grumpy/sunshine dynamic done right, but we didn’t get enough of him to truly fall for him. Like, yes, he’s broody and sweet underneath the layers, but I wish we had more scenes with deeper convos or romantic tension because when it did show up, it was really good.

Overall: not a bad read, but not one that’s gonna live rent-free in my head either. I liked the cozy setting and the concept, but the pacing and lack of emotional payoff made it feel a little overdue for something more.

Would recommend if you’re in the mood for something quiet and contemplative with a bit of romance, but not if you’re looking for major swoons or drama.

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for this ARC

I wasn't too sure about this book at first, but it's the perfect slow burn love story for book lovers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Synopsis: 29 year old Librarian, Ingrid, and her first and only boyfriend of 11 years decide to take an experimental break and date/explore other people for a month.

I want to just say, this book was ok/good. Solid 3 star read. I never wanted to DNF it. I loved the cover and really wanted to love the story itself also. But, overall, I just liked it.

The description and details are very well written. I enjoyed the effort the author put into creating Ingrid's world for the reader. This reads more like a journey of self discovery than a romance novel. You get to see Ingrid grow as a person but at times it feels painfully slow. The book goes back and forth with the romance aspects but technically it's a slow burn for her love story. My main issue with it was at times I found parts of the characters' communication or growth slow/immature for their ages. (Ingrid's is explained... but Macon is a grown man sooo....)

As a book lover, I loved the incorporation of librarians and book stores for our main characters. I felt the other characters were interesting and honestly wouldn't mind reading more from the author is she ever wanted to share their stories.

Overall, enjoyed the book and glad I made it to the end.

She just wanted to test the waters… but her heart had other plans. A month-long dating break, a grumpy coworker, and a librarian caught between comfort and curiosity… Overdue is a sweet, slow-burn reminder that love—like the best books—sometimes needs a second look. 4 stars.

The ultimate slow-burn romance! I devoured it over a weekend. I loved getting to read Ingrid’s story and see her figure out what she wants in life and decide it's never too late to start over. Will definitely read more by this author!

A librarian stuck in a long relationship takes a break to date others, but finds true love much closer than she thinks.

The ultimate slow-burn romance! I struggled to put this one down and devoured it over a weekend.

The main characters are so likeable. They are real. We have nightguards and non-chiseled abs! Also, librarians, bookstores, and cats! What more do you need?

Looking forward to reading more by Stephanie Perkins.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the ARC,

I was SO excited to see a new romance from Stephanie Perkins--I had very high hopes! I did like Overdue, but I found the first 35% of the book to be little bit slow and drawn out. I wondered if that pacing was intentional, as Ingrid is feeling very stuck in her own life choices, but it made it hard to get very invested in the characters. The second half of the book really did pick up and I liked that a lot, but it wasn't as swoony as I remember her romances being. It could also be her writing YA vs. writing romance for adults. Anyway, I will still always read anything she publishes and I hope there are more adult romances in her future!

Oh my GOD I am OBSESSED WITH THIS BOOK.

The character development. The plot. The romance. THE FEELS.

The characters are so vividly written and have so much depth that I got sucked in from page 1. I could literally picture every scene in my head and I was absolutely in love with each and every one of them. I felt like I never knew quite what was coming next with the plot, I was discovering it along with Ingrid and that made the whole story THAT MUCH richer.

Macon? I have no words. He’s the perfect man despite his flaws. I adore him.

I want to be Ingrid. I have always wanted to work in a library and just reading her POV made me feel like I was there. I love how much she changed and evolved
as the story went on.

I literally have no notes for this book. I’m not going to shut up about it. I loved every single minute.

A sweet, thoughtful coming of age story, spanning a year in the life of perennially cheerful, bookish Ingrid Dahl, a 29-year-old woman who’s floating through life, with an 11-year relationship she’s checked out of, a job she doesn’t love, a stack of books she never really wants to finish, and an apartment that doesn’t feel much like a home. Everything’s fine, but is fine enough? Perkins uses the first half of the novel for Ingrid’s exploration of casual dating, consideration about her job prospects, and growing dissatisfaction about her apartment, to bring her to the point where she recognizes she wants more. The second half follows her journey to create a sense of home, a career she’s passionate about, and a relationship she wants to hold on to. I love that Saturday Books is now creating a catalogue of works targeting readers in their 20s who are past the YA stages of first flutters of flirtation and the excitement and anxieties that come with growing independence, while still at a stage of figuring out what they want in life. This book is perfect for readers asking those transitional questions. Is what I’ve grown used to what I really want? What if what I really want is riskier than what I already have? How important is loving my job or my home? Is a comfortable romantic relationship worth holding on to, even if it feels more like a friendship? How do we even figure out what we want, especially if it’s not the same as what our family and friends want? I loved Perkins’ Young Adult trilogy when I read it years ago (she wrote about a costume designer—how could I not love that?!), and I was thrilled to get an early look at her New Adult debut.

I read Overdue in one day—stayed up until 3 a.m. with it, which tells you a lot. It’s such a sweet, romantic story, but what really stuck with me was the sense of community and found family. I loved the main character’s relationship with her love interest, of course, but also with her friends. It felt genuine and warm in a way that made the whole book feel like a hug. There was nothing I disliked. Just a lovely, comforting read.

Equal parts depressing, uplifting, realistic, and hopeful, this story was a pleasant enough read. The book takes place over the course of 12 months where an astounding amount of less than ideal things happen to the fmc. Breakups, moving, quitting a job, and randomly opening up a bookstore to name a few. I wasn’t that invested in this story until probably half way through, which is when I started to find it a bit more interesting. This is a VERY slow book. If you don’t like that, I’m gonna say this probably isn’t for you.

The writing was good, clunky at times but overall mostly enjoyable. I did keep forgetting that the main characters were in fact in their 30s and (nearly) 40s because they didn’t read like that.

The plot was weird and depressing like I said, but it ended in a way that kinda wrapped things up in a nice bow? Probably a few chapters too late, but I digress. One of my personal biggest gripes of the story was that the fmc worked in a library, turned down (from my understanding), ‘free’ education to become a librarian (because she didn’t have her MLIS), and quite that job to open up a bookstore, but the book was titled overdue, which feels odd. As someone who’s going to be a librarian officially in the next few months and has gone through 2 years of education to get to this point, it felt a little weird and off putting?

Overall, I’m still thinking about how I feel lol. I didn’t dislike this story but also didn’t totally enjoy it.

This was a sweet, lighthearted read with plenty of charm and relatable moments. The setting and premise were intriguing, and I enjoyed the dynamic between the characters. It had all the makings of a fun, cozy romance, and the writing style was engaging, making it an easy and enjoyable read.
However, I felt that the story didn’t quite explore its potential. The characters, while likable, didn’t have as much depth as I had hoped, and the emotional stakes felt a bit low. There were moments where I wanted more from the relationship development, and I found some of the conflicts resolved a bit too easily.
It’s a good pick if you’re in the mood for something light and cute, but if you’re looking for a deeper or more complex romance, this might not fully satisfy.

This book was too spicy for my taste. Many others might enjoy the banter in the bedroom or vulgar descriptions of the act, but I do not. This book seemed interesting, and to many others it will probably be. It was not up to my review standard.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's/Saturday Books for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Let me preface this by saying as I deeply enjoy the majority of St. Martin's books I have read I am not sure if this is an outlier or if I'm just not in a good mood and after a while this will grow on me.
Now to the review.
In this book we follow a woman who decided to take a one month break with her boyfriend so they could date other people before deciding to get married. We pick up after this decision, which surprised me and led me to believe this would be a fast paced read, which it was NOT. We spend a year following Ingrid, and let me tell you, it felt like it.
There is slow burn and then there is whatever this is. From 14% I could tell this wasn't for me, but I persisted because I thought it would get better. The writing style is so slow and we spend a lot of time in parts we really didn't need to. At 80% the main character was still fixated on something that happened in the very beginning, and then from nowhere everything was resolved and we moved to the honeymoon phase. I just don't think it worked for me.
At the halfway point something happens with her boyfriend and I realized the book would be much less boring if we followed him, or did a split pov between them both. It is too long and while I like slow burn romance this was done in a way that didn't work at all.
If you decide to read it, just keep all this in mind, it might be helpful to know beforehand.