This was not the story I was expecting from the blurb, it was so much more.
The beginning was a little difficult for me to get into. Ingrid and Cory's plan to take a break, just for a month, and date others was honestly a little silly to me. Do people really do that? Clearly they weren't going to last as they extended that break into two, then three months. They were the only ones who couldn't admit it.
The grief that Ingrid experienced was real and raw. It was hard to watch her grieve over the loss of a relationship and future, even if it wasn't right for her.
The shining light in this was Macon. A true grumpy older man and coworker at the library. Set in his ways, quite, and a loner, but the care and support he shows for Ingrid brings tears to my eyes. He showed how he loved her in so many ways.
Their slow burn relationship took forever! I understand Macon was shy and needed for Ingrid to be ready. That was a healthy choice! And once they got together, it was fireworks.
This was definitely a heavier read than I was expecting, and longer too, but still a good one.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I was initially drawn in by the premise and found the first half of Overdue engaging and well-paced. Stephanie Perkins does a great job of establishing relatable characters and a cozy, small-town atmosphere that immediately pulled me in. The early chapters had a nice energy and momentum that kept me turning the pages.
As the story progressed, it shifted into a slower-paced exploration of friends-to-lovers romance, self-healing, and personal discovery. While these themes are meaningful and thoughtfully handled, the second half didn’t hold my attention quite as much. The pacing slowed, and the emotional beats, though heartfelt, didn’t resonate with me as strongly as I’d hoped.
Overall, Overdue was just okay—not a favorite, but still a comforting read for those who enjoy introspective journeys, emotional growth, and slow-burn romance. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

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

I really enjoyed this book a lot. It was a sweet, slow burn romance involving Ingrid who is starting new after a very long relationship. The setting in a library and bookstore was a nice bonus for those of us who loves that sort of thing. I loved the quirky characters as well. I would definitely recommend!!

Before we start: I think reading the blurb for this book almost ruined my enjoyment of it. So maybe skip that. Or if you've already read it, adjust your expectations because whatever you THINK this book is about, it's not that. BUT it is so worth it!! LITERALLY KICKING MY FEET AND GIGGLING AS WE SPEAK!

Thank you to netgally for the arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
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“Of course I just wanted to be the one who was happy first.” Ooof. Felt.

“You’re my most, too.” AHH AHH AHH I’M BEING ATTACKED!! I HATE COUPLES!!
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Full Rating: First 30% of this book was a 3, next 20% went up to a 3.5, and then the last 50% of this book was a 4.

Full Review:

Y’know those moments in TV shows where the main character does or says something that is so unbelievably cringe that you have to stop watching and take a lap? Maybe watch something else in between? Or fast-forward all together? Yeah. That’s this book in its entirety. It’s sorta like watching a slow motion train-wreck as Ingrid (the main character) embarrasses herself over and over again, but for some inexplicable reason you can’t look away. (It’s also VERY millennial too, so proceed with caution.)

I really enjoyed this book. As someone who is graduating in the next couple of years with only vague concepts of a plan, I sympathize with Ingrid and the way she compares herself to the people around her: friends, family, coworkers, complete freaking strangers. I don’t think the feeling of being left behind every truly goes away, and there’s only two things a person can realistically do when they feel that way, accept their position in life or change it.

And Ingrid chooses to change it.

The first thing I have to say about this book is this: it is a SLOOOOOOW burn. Like a true SLOW burn. The romance is always there–it’s actually what kickstarts the entire story–but the main story here, what we’re focusing on the most, is Ingrid and her development. Majority of the story follows Ingrid's trial and error with dating, with her business, family, and with her LIFE.

Because of this, I can understand why people wouldn’t like the book, especially if their expectations weren’t properly set, and if they decided to give up on it before they over the first 30-50%. Personally, I LOVED the direction Macon and Ingrid’s relationship went. Macon’s initial reaction to Cory and Ingrid’s “lets date other people for a month and then get back together and get married” arrangement was so terribly realistic and MATURE. Like, YES! A grumpy mmc that isn’t a complete and utter douchebag??? FINALLY A WIN FOR THE GRUMPY/SUNSHINE LOVERS COMMUNITY!! MACON MY SHY KING!!

And I mean come on, Macon and Ingrid are adorable as a couple (cringey? yes!! but what couple isn’t cringey??), and I’m so glad I stuck it out till the end! Seeing the payoff for all that romantic tension was so worth it! For those of you wondering: there are sex scenes, but they’re not really graphic. They’re on the page, but it’s more of a summary, the emotions are focused on more than the actual physical acts, and they’re brief.

I fell in love with the characters of this book, not just Macon and Ingrid. The premise of the book hooked me enough to pick it up, but it was the CHARACTERS that I stayed for. All of the characters, not just the protagonist and the love interest, felt real. They felt like complete human beings with flaws and stories of their own. They felt like ACTUAL people, not just archetypes, and I hold the personal opinion that characters make or break a story.

Regarding the writing, I've already mentioned how millennial-leaning some of the references to pop culture and real-world events are, but there were a few very dated topics that felt out of place in this book. I expected a Friends reference, a Booktok or Bookstagram reference, but, um... Chinese spy balloon? Yeah... did not expect that one. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but it felt a little weird--I was taken aback by a lot of the moments like that.

Another issue for me was the general overall writing style, there was an egregious amount of telling and over-explanation. For me, the telling was most prevalent during the speed dating sequences. It felt like the author was trying to include too much info—every guy’s name, how they met, all of the tiny little details that made Ingrid not want to be with them—which really made the pacing drag. There were also these weird time jumps?? Like, from paragraph to paragraph there are time jumps that span days and I would get confused every single time. Overall, the pacing was very slow, especially in the beginning. We follow Ingrid’s life for a year, from January to December, and the first two and a half months are very long. But once the middle of March hits, the pace does speed up.

In conclusion, I loved it despite its issues, and I definitely think there is an audience of people that will resonate deeply with it.

P.S. never thought I would actively cheer when a main character finally got their freak on, but go off queen 💀

P.P.S. free my man Gareth, he did nothing wrong!! “I had so much fun with you,” HUH??? ID TELL HER TO FUCK OFF TOO!

P.P.P.S. 😐😐 Ingrid girl I know your life is falling apart, but would you stop with the wailing… please, I’m begging you

P.P.P.P.S. this might be an entirely me thing, but it gave me sitcom x fanfic vibes?? anybody else??

P.P.P.P.P.S. (last one i swear) no one: … Macon: *gasp* omg

I was overdue for a good read like this! I found myself obsessing over the characters! The slow burn was on point!

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!!