I really hoped to like this book but this one was just ok… the pacing of it felt really off. I don’t mind a slow burn but this one felt painstakingly slow. The characters were likable enough but I sadly felt like I was just trudging through hoping it would pick up and get better. It had a big of romance but overall felt like it was a women’s fiction novel more than a contemporary romance.

It was overall a cozy and cute, heartfelt read. The age gap/ grump x sunshine was a fun addition. I think dual POV would have also made this book a bit more interesting.

Overdue is a small town cozy slow burn romance and coming of age novel following Ingrid. 29 year old Ingrid and her college boyfriend, Cory, decide to go on a break and explore dating other people for 1 month before getting engaged to be married. Ingrid knows exactly who to go for, her co-worker who she’s been secretly crushing on for years. As you can imagine, everything goes awry resulting in a very human tale about growth, change, love, and friendship.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read however the first 200 pages were very slow for me. This slow burn romance was for sure that! I love a good slow burn, but I do wish we got a few more small glimpses of yearning in the first half of the book. I also am not a fan of relationship “breaks” like ever, so that was also likely why the first half was not as good for me. The second half of this book though! I LOVED. No notes. It was so sweet, perfect, warm, and cozy!

Thank you Netgalley and publishers for the e-ARC!

Book Review: Overdue by Stephanie Perkins
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5 Stars)

Overdue by Stephanie Perkins is a heartfelt exploration of love, identity, and personal growth. When longtime couple Ingrid and Corey decide to take a break from their stagnant relationship, the space between them opens up more than just emotional distance—it sets the stage for transformation.

Ingrid’s journey is the standout of the novel. As she steps away from a familiar but unfulfilling future, we watch her slowly blossom into her true self. Her growth feels authentic and empowering, making her easy to root for. Enter Macon—a brooding, closed-off character whose chemistry with Ingrid crackles despite the slow-burn pacing of their romance. He’s the quintessential grumpy MMC to her sunshine personality, and their dynamic is both satisfying and sincere.

While the story centers more on self-discovery than sweeping romance, the emotional depth and engaging character arcs make Overdue a rewarding read. A solid four-star novel that captures the bittersweet beauty of change.

Thanks St Martin’s press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Ingrid and Cory have been together 11 years, but it takes her sister’s engagement to force them to think about their future. They decide a month break will let each independently explore other relationships before they become engaged. Ingrid even has a person in mind, her grumpy coworker Macon. Things do not go according to plan, so Ingrid has to figure out exactly what she wants for her life.

This was very much a slow burn romance, but one that made sense. It was clear very early on that the break was a death knell for Cory and Ingrid’s relationship. I don’t think that’s exactly a spoiler. I thought Perkins did a tremendous job with the emotions attached to the situation, the sadness and mourning of what might have been, the letting go of someone you love and accepting loving someone doesn’t mean they’re right for you.

Unfurling the relationship between Macon and Ingrid was not a quick process or at a steady pace. It was frustrating at times because the chemistry between them is there, as is a deep level of caring. It’s a quiet, insistent push and pull between them, one that has profound depth and requires the reader’s patience. The great thing is that Ingrid does all kinds of growing in between. She makes a life for herself where she finds great happiness and fulfillment. Adding Macon in makes it all the more joyful.

I really liked Perkins’s writing. There was a wealth of emotion in the pages, from happiness to sadness. I didn’t mind the pace because I loved Ingrid and wanted to keep reading until she was happy. I really liked Macon too, even more once I understood what was going on in his mind.

Thank you to NetGalley, Saturday Books and Stephanie Perkins for an advanced reader copy (eARC) in exchange for an honest review.

slow burn
lovable characters and animals
Grumpy sunshine
A bit of a tear jerker!
Loved this highly recommended!

Stephanie Perkins writes a cozy romance that makes your heart happy. Anna and French Kiss is one of my all-time favorite books so I was excited to give this one a go. The romance was delightful. It was the slowest slow burn book I have ever read, but it was worth it. I didn't love Ingrid at first and really didn't enjoy her character until maybe April. This story is told monthly (for a year) and it is the story of two people who want to be with each other but have so much emotional baggage to overcome. I enjoyed Macon and his grumpiness. I loved the library and bookstore references, and I really did enjoy this story. My only hesitation to give it 5 stars is that it felt a little longer than it maybe needed to be. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

As a chronic summer NC mountain girl I was excited to read this adult romance from Stephanie Perkins. Ingrid is living in that liminal space between college and full-fledged adulthood. She is almost 30 and I think Perkins does a good job honing in on the general feeling of people this age that still feel a bit like they are on the hamster wheel of life because of debt, housing challenges, and stagnant relationships. Sometimes we are looking for something or someone to signal "HEY! I'm really a grown up now!" In this case, it's the elusive marriage proposal, the comfortable boyfriend, the comfortable, stable, lackluster job. But life has jolted Ingrid and Cory and they are now facing the ennui. So this romance is really a late bloomers coming of age story. There is a slow burn year of miscommunication and unsure intensions between Ingrid and her library coworker Macon. To her looking from the outside, he is an ADULT living a full life with a home and responsibilities, but then she gets a peek of the interior of his life - the empty, blank slate house surprises her. Emotionally he's also unfulfilled and he has unrequited feelings for her. This is a story about love, fear of rejection, being brave in all aspects of your life. It was a fast read full of *just quirky enough" characters. No big villains. Lots of heart.
Thanks so much for the arc!

The overall premise of the book was interesting and it was well written. However, this book was too of a "slow burn" for me. I'm also not a fan of the taking break and dating others trope. I also did not feel the main characters had much chemistry if any which didn't make it for an exciting read. It seemed they were more friends than anything.

Thank You to the publisher for this arc.

I just finished Overdue by Stephanie Perkins, and wow—it’s such a sweet, slow-burn romance that really digs into what it means to grow up and figure out what you want from love and life. Ingrid is this relatable librarian who’s been in a long-term relationship but starts to question if it’s time to move on or deepen things. When she and her boyfriend decide to take a break and date other people, things get way more complicated, especially with her crush on the charmingly grumpy coworker Macon.

What I loved about this book is how honest and real it feels. It’s not your usual quick romance; instead, it’s all about those messy, confusing moments where you’re figuring out who you are and what you really want. Plus, the cozy mountain town setting gives it such a warm vibe.

If you like slow, thoughtful love stories with characters who feel like real people, Overdue is definitely worth a read.

For a slow burn, this book was way too slow and did not have enough burn. It also teetered into boring at times and was very predicable. There was a lot of extraneous moments/descriptions that could have easily been removed in order to speed the pace up.

To start with, this book felt like two books instead of one. The first half really dragged for me as Ingrid and Cory, after eleven years of dating, decide to take a break for one month, see other people, then get back together with the idea they would get married. I already hate this premise but it went on for too long. Almost 40% of the book goes by and I feel like I was just powering through to get to Cory and Ingrid's inevitable breakup.

The second half of the book is where the pace speeds up a bit. I enjoyed Ingrid's path to finding what she wanted for her life outside of her relationship with Cory. However, the romance really doesn't kick in until the last third of the book and before that it felt like friendship more than chemistry.

I liked Ingrid and Macon when they actually get together but I was underwhelmed until that point actually hits. I didn't really feel the chemistry because the characters hardly interact in the first half of the book so their interactions felt more friendly than romantic.

Also, Ingrid. I did not like her character for much of the book. She was way too self-involved and can't understand why Macon rejected her in the first place. I thought it was obvious that he didn't want to be her side piece for a month before she got back with her boyfriend, but I'm not Ingrid I guess!! She annoyed me and I couldn't find myself able to root for her much.

ARC REVIEW:


Man oh man… to say this is a slow burn is a lie. It’s basically like trying to light a match that has already been lit? No point. I really did not enjoy reading this. There was nothing exclusively *wrong* with the characters but I just didn’t care about them at all. The plot was insanely slow and I felt like the writing was all over the place. I honestly would have liked a POV from the MMC to gain any kind of insight into his feelings because he had an entire other story line going on that we just get no information on. Also following her ex boyfriend’s dating life probably would have been more interesting. And lastly - can I get some justice for Gareth??? Because wtf was that????

I absolutely adored reading this book. It is formatted by chapter within a calendar month. While I usually enjoy reading a book in one sitting, this book took two weeks. I would read all of the chapters within a month and then get back to work or home responsibilities, so that by the end of the book, I felt as though I had lived with these characters for nearly a year. It was an incredible experience. Also, I thoroughly respect Stephanie Perkins for creating an inclusive universe of characters spanning the rainbow.

Ingrid is every woman who finds herself in a long-term committed relationship. Sure, she's happy, but only because she hasn't lived a fulfilling, single life. She and her boyfriend, Cory, decide to take a break, live separately, and date new people.

The story is not about Ingrid finding the perfect partner (it feels like we meet him early on in her colleague at the local library, Macon), but rather about finding herself. She meets interesting men along the way and enjoys new experiences with a few of them. The true growth comes from dawning realizations for her professional future. With friends by her side and at the ready on FaceTime, Ingrid blossoms beautifully and clumsily in equal measure, with one person steadfastly by her side.

We have several issues to resolve: does Ingrid end her short-lived break with Cory for the easy, happily-ever-after she has expected for 11 years? Does she grab life by the hand and jump headlong into an exciting new/old career? Finally, does she go it alone, or does she find a way to have everything she has ever wanted? The answers aren't easy, but they sure are fun to learn.

I’m finding a lot of joy in the adult debuts of YA authors from my teen years lately-so this was an exciting release for me.
After being contentedly together their whole adult lives yet feeling unready to marry, Ingrid and her boyfriend decide to take a month off from their relationship to date other people, with the intention of moving toward marriage when they reunite. Things don’t quite go as imagined, and a slow-burn friends-to-lovers follows.

Despite the unconventional initial set-up, this is not a read alike to Taylor Jenkins Reid’s ‘After I Do’… if anything it felt more like a ‘You’ve Got Mail’ style quiet transition into a progressing relationship.

After the wild premise, I was surprised by the soft, realistic love story that is the core of the book. It’s tender and calm, much like our protagonists. I could see it being a bore for some, it’s not as eventful a plot as a lot contemporary romances are, but I was pleasantly surprised by the slower pace. I enjoyed getting to know colleagues, family, and friends of the female main character, it gave depth and warmth to a simpler story.
Best of all, were the tidbits of a bookish life; from the library, to the bookshop, what people are reading and recommending -it was a small but ever present thread. It felt so natural, I was not surprised to learn that the author has spent so much of her life working with books herself.

If you enjoy a quieter romance, with a small town setting, I think this would be a great pick. If you enjoyed Stephanie Perkins’ YA, do come back to her as an adult reader, it’s been worth the wait.

With thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the complimentary ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF - I tried on two separate occasions to finish this, but it was just too slow for me, and I wasn't invested enough in the characters to try again. I don't much care for the premise; it just isn't believable: take a break to sleep with others in order to get back together?? Nah...I'm out.

Thanks to Netgalley and Saturday Books for the opportunity to try this one!

Part women’s fiction, part romance, whatever this book is, I loved it. It’s extremely slow burn, but so well done. I haven’t felt that slow-burn giddiness like this since early Mariana Zapata. This book had me squealing and kicking my feet over a freaking hand-holding scene.

Yes, obviously I wanted Ingrid and Macon to immediately fall into each other’s arms and live happily ever after. But watching Ingrid navigate her life outside of a long-term relationship she had clearly outgrown was wonderful to see. I don't always love seeing other man relationships on the page, but I really enjoyed watching Ingrid grow both as a person and as someone learning to navigate dating. I think there is truth in being stuck in a relationship through your twenties and realizing, at the end of it, that you don’t really know who you are. While I wanted her to turn to Macon right away, I don’t think they would have survived as a couple if that had happened. (And how swoony that Macon was emotionally mature enough to recognize this.) By the time Ingrid is truly ready to be with him, it feels earned.

As for Macon, well, I fear everything about him works for me. Broody, loyal, mature, respectful, introverted, a caretaker, man loves his garden. You know that TikTok sound, “I like him, I like that autistic man”? This embodies that sound.

And it has one of my FAVORITE microtropes: when the MMC slowly renovates his entire house based on the FMC’s wants and likes, so that by the time he moves her in, it’s basically her dream home. The FMC is like, “La la la, I’m just here to help,” and he’s like, “Yes, this will be your home someday. Tell me everything you like, and it will be yours.”

This is my first Stephanie Perkins book, but now I definitely want to go back and check out her back catalog.

I received a free copy of this e-book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Ingrid Dahl and her boyfriend, Cory, have been together for eleven years, since college.They decide to take a month's break in order to date other people. But one month becomes two months and two months become three...And what about Macon, Ingrid's grumpy coworker at the library?
This was a really fun book. It was totally predictable and I loved every page. I really liked the character of Ingrid, and cheered for a happy ending for her. Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

I feel like I went into this blind, or at least expecting the typical romance pacing and it was different! But even with that, I loved the story. I loved how well we got to know the characters and how everything panned out. A great read!

This was such a cute and wholesome slow burn love story. The complete opposite of insta-love/lust books that seem to be plaguing the romance book community these days. If the characters hook up within in the first ten chapters, I’m bored!!

I was a fan of Stephanie Perkins YA novels back in high school in the early 2010’s (I’m aging myself here 😅) and it’s nice to see her talent has not wavered. Her books are well written with dialogue that feels realistic. Her characters are flawed but likable. Her stories really hook you in and rooting for two people to fall in love.

Overdue is about a twenty nine year old librarian named Ingrid who has been in a relationship with her boyfriend Cory for eleven years. She has no concept of her adult life without Cory being a part of it. But they’ve hit a rut and both agree to take a “break” and date other people and then meet back up a month later and decide where their relationship goes from there.

Well, as you can imagine, things do not go to plan. Our main character Ingrid is on a journey to figure things out and I love a good story about a young woman coming into her own and finding independence. And maybe finding love along the way too.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for an advanced reader copy of Overdue! 🩷🧡🌸

See my full review at http://michelleardillo.com/2025/05/25/book-review-overdue-by-stephanie-perkins/

oh i am BEYOND excited for this!! i grew up with perkins’ YA romance series and now as an adult i’ll be reading her adult debut! this is one of my most anticipated releases of 2025 and i will be posting my review to all retail sites!!