We Met Like This was fun and such a quick read. I got sucked in immediately, and was here for the chemistry and banter between Margot and Oliver. The ending however was meh lol

Fun book and storyline! I enjoyed Margot and Oliver’s characters. I was not a big fan of the conflict later in the book but it resolved fine enough.
This was a big change up for Kasie West and I was 100% for it.

let me start this off by saying I love Kasie West. I've read all of her books, I adore her clean YA romances. they're always soft and cute and the perfect palate cleanser between reads.

this though . . . . . this was not . . . . as great as it could have been. and it hurts my heart to admit that. especially since this is my most anticipated book of the year.

i will say, this was just as addictive and sweet as her YA novels. Kasie West writing voice is so fun and unserious and i absolutely adore getting lost inside of it.

when you first open this book, it has so much potential to turn into liquid gold. the first chapter is witty and cute and definitely steamy. it perfectly sets up the second chance romance aspect of the book and makes you want to keep reading!

but then you do. and all that potential and all that magical stardust you felt in chapter 1 kind of gets thrown out the window.

-things i liked-

• how realistic this seemed to be at depicting the lifestyles of people in their late twenties.
• that the romance was actually quite sweet. i loved how engaged the love interest was and the banter between the two was fabulous. had the conflict not relied on miscommunication, i probably would've liked it a lot more. (also, i enjoyed the smut but Kasie, you are the clean queen! i get that this probably would've read a lot more trivial if it had been clean but still, i wish it went without at least some of the sexual stuff)
• i love seeing characters with a passion for books. our MC is a wannabe literary agent and i found the tidbits surrounding that interesting.
• the quick wit and humor made this an easy breezy beautiful read.

but between the unnecessary boss/assistant dynamic, the weird kind of incestual (but omg not in that way!!!!) part of this otherwise fine romance that is unveiled 75% of the way through, and the immaturity of these 25-30 year old characters, i just think that this wasn't the best option for Kasie's debut adult book.

i will still champion the hell out of this and will for sure read her second adult book which comes out very shortly after this. but sadly, this won't be making it onto my shelf of all-time favorite kasie reads.

This is Kasie West's Adult Rom Com debut.

Let me repeat for you: It is an <b>ADULT Romance</b> book.

This book is a 3.5-leans-4, but when I read so many reviews complaining about an ADULT Romance book being open door when the author has built a career out of YA, which tends to be clean/no sex, it's like, <i>I get it</i>, I do, but the different age ranges allow for different things, even within the same Romance genre. Authors are allowed to jump genres and age ranges and change their writing to match that without creating a new pen name. (Especially when trad pub simply will not give YA Romance its well earned flowers.) I understand why this would upset some readers, so for a third time: this is an ADULT Romance book that has open door makeout and sex scenes. The end of the blurb even says so.

On the note of it being Adult Romance, what an ugly cover they chose for it. It says Adult, but it does not say Romance to me. I mean, it's about meeting again on multiple dating apps and you chose a setting from the minor character's horror book??

The prologue is yet again unnecessary and the only reason it's included is because it's a hot makeout session to set the stage for her YA reader fan base to know exactly what they're getting into, and no one will be able to convince me otherwise. But, then again, based on some of the popular reviews right now, they weren't wrong to do that since it's turned so many readers off.

I lowkey hate the blurb (and thinks it's mildly inaccurate after reading the book), and I only requested this to preview Kasie West's jump from YA to Adult because her YA books were often a little underwhelming for me, and I was hoping for the best. I haven't read her entire catalog, but of the ones I have, this is the best. Solid 3.5-leans-4 star book.

There is excellent banter and chemistry, fun side characters, a crazy twist, and enjoyable writing and author voice. The flirting hinders on a lot of sexual-like jokes that might border on being OTT. I loved the opposites-attract aspect to Margot and Oliver, but it's really not an enemies-to-lovers like the blurb made it seem. It's more like acquaintances-to-friends-to-lovers.

I like Margot's character and her speaks-her-mind attitude. She's a little internally judgey, and that ebbs and flows with her feeling bad about it or not, and I do wish someone had kind of called her out on it. Her sister would've been good to, but her sister had her own judgmental problems that were also only partially addressed in resolution. Overall, I wish there had been a little more obvious growth with Margot, and that's what stops this from being a solid 4 star read. (What stops it from being a 5 star is some of their friends-to-lovers-like dynamics that were frustrating to read.)

Even in the climax (which was GREAT btw but will be a huge deal breaker for a lot of readers, and unfortunately, you'll be 80% done with the book at that point.), Margot needs to take time and think. Cool. Understandable. No big deal. But then Oliver is still the one who comes back first and approaches her. He's respectful; he leaves her alone. And then she's still so stuck on her (I'm sorry) juvenile idea that they need a Meet Cute, that she doesn't text him, doesn't call him, just says "Oh, I'll swipe right on him again and go from there. But if I can't find him again to swipe right, then that's fate saying we shouldn't be together." And it takes her like a week and hundreds of swipes to find him again, so idk girl, Fate might be telling you something, and it might be: be a big girl.

And instead of reaching out to him after he doesn't swipe back, she just resigns herself to having messed up. Even though <i>he</i> was the one who lied, big time, to her. If she was ready to hear him out, she should've just... heard him out.

His attempt at the resolution was so cute. It really was. Swoony. Heart eyes. All the things. It just was frustrating that HE was the one to initiate it when it should've been her. It should've been her for plot reasons, but also because she still needed to show that last little bit of growth.

Is Margot different at the end of the book than the beginning? Well. She's no longer sleeping with her boss. She's running her own agency. And she's in love with Oliver. But other than that? Not really. Her relationship with her sister sure isn't really much different that we can see, which is weird since that was a huge secondary plot. And usually the resolution of the book really highlights that growth, so it was a disappointing note to end on. The whole ending felt rushed and left me wanting more in a unsatisfied way rather than hungry-for-more way.

I hated how her ex-boss/lover didn't have comeuppance in the end. I know that's real life and all, but I don't read Rom Coms to read about real life. Nail him to the wall. It was such an interesting storyline to explore, and it was developed to an extent, but it also kind of felt like it a was spring board for other aspects of the story. Don't go into it thinking it's going to be an in-depth expose on sleeping with your boss or anything deep or psychological. Which is also fine for a Rom Com.

I hated how she claimed to be close to her sister, despite the story showing the opposite, and then that circle was never fully closed with satisfying resolution, but again, that speaks to the ending feeling rushed.

All in all, it's a fun read that you can put down and pick up rather than need to devour immediately, and I liked it! It was an enjoyable read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I'm still really interested to see what the Adult side of Romance brings Ms. West's career!!

I enjoyed the writing and storyline was entertaining and engaging. I found both main characters very likable (and the sister not so much, IYKYK). The conflict of the story (no spoilers) came too close to the end and more rushed than I would have liked it. Nonetheless, it was a modern contemporary romance that was fun and witty and very enjoyable. A add-to-you-list-and-preorder-now-book.

This was a fun read and I was cheering for Margot and Oliver for most of the novel. They had great banter and lots of chemistry. The professional plot in which Margot is trying to get her overdue promotion was also compelling. However, once the plot twist arrived (I was expecting it but hoping I was wrong!) it made it much more difficult for me to root for Margot and Oliver to be together (I think there were other ways to add tension/throw an obstacle their way that would have been less off-putting). 3.5 stars.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

The title “We Met Like This” immediately evokes HIMYM for me, which I think was deliberate. Margot and Oliver keep bumping into each other (mostly online) for years, dating other people before they decide to be friends and then more.

This is sunniest, fluffiest book I’ve read in a long time. It’s just fun! The stories within the story of the manuscripts Margot’s reading are great fun too.

This was a great fun little romance book. It is filled with great banter and tension. I would highly recommend this book.

Wow, a Kasie West book opens with a spicy scenes, not what I expected. I'm a huge fan of Kasie West YA novels, so a was very excited to read her adult debut. I loved the banter between Margot and Oliver. Sloane, I wish we got to know a little more, she was almost unrememberable. And Audrey, I disliked her so much. I love the fun little tropes thrown in there, but the twist and 3rd act break up not my favorite. I would still, however, read more adult Kasie West if there is more to come. Good or bad she will always be my auto buy author.

3.75 stars

It can be a tricky balance of making a main character flawed and still likeable and Kasie West managed it, much to my delight. I really enjoyed rooting for this couple to finally get together and the main character's own growth in her career and family. A fun story and read.

This book began with such promise, but unfortunately, it took a turn for the .

The story kicks off with 24-year-old Margot Hart passionately kissing 27-year-old Oliver Gray as if her life depended on it. They met through 'the apps' (to avoid any unintentional publicity, the specific apps that are central to this story are never named, but we can assume it’s Tinder, given the references to swiping left, which I believe is a concept associated with Tinder). They had a truly dreadful date filled with awkward small talk and unintended rudeness. However, now they find themselves in his car, and the chemistry is palpable—until Oliver suggests they talk, prompting Margot to retreat, and they part ways for the next three years.

Yet, they don’t completely forget each other. Occasionally, Margot re-downloads the apps during bouts of loneliness, where she encounters Oliver once more. Eventually, she decides to message him, leading to a chain of events that results in something she never anticipated: a relationship that didn’t begin with a classic meet-cute.

Ultimately, my main concern with the book is that its entire foundation revolves around the concept of 'the meet-cute'. I didn’t find the romance particularly enjoyable and I jusr wanted more development to see between them!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

I am a huge Casey West young adult fan so I was excited to check out her first adult novel Casey West always explores some hard topics and this novel doesn’t shy away from sibling relationships, and the pressures we feel being compared to each other.

Margot is struggling in her work life and her personal life online dating is going nowhere and she is having trouble breaking out of the mold. She’s stuck in at work. She is resorted to an inappropriate and unsatisfying relationship with her boss that has made things even more complicated, but over the years Through her online dating she keeps getting matched with one person Margo and Oliver have a very cute banter filled sort of friendship. Their first date was disastrous, but they continued pairing causes them to become friends, but the chemistry keeps pulling them closer.

I loved Oliver, but some of the twist will make you question him. Margo was a little harder of a character for me to love because she’s in the stage of her life where she doesn’t necessarily love herself either, but I did like to see her growth I will say I felt that the sexual comments and banter were a bit over the top And tried to show that this was an adult novel instead of a young adult novel, but all in all, it was a solid read.

Kasie West, welcome to the adult Rom-Com genre. I have loved every book I’ve read by you and have never been disappointed, and that still holds true for this book. It was great. I loved it from beginning to end.

Life is messy, and not everyone can be perfect, but you just can’t help but love the main character, Margot. She’s quite the character. In publishing, currently as an assistant hoping to move on but from one bad mistake to another everything leads her to leaving her job and trying to do it all on her own. She’s constantly looking for that perfect meet cute that usually just does not exist in life, especially when you are looking for it constantly. Sometimes it’s when you least expect it that things begin to happen.

We meet Oliver, who they just keep matching on and have been talking for a while. It’s so obvious there is a chemistry between the two of them. But I mean, chemistry!! Even I felt it through the pages. I loved him too because he was just the opposite of Margot.

There are a lot of things that happened throughout the book, but I really don’t want to spoil it for anyone. I just loved all the different dynamics throughout the book. The different relationships Margot has, whether between her and her sister, her parents, roommate, coworkers. It was all pretty great. I couldn’t put the book down and I would recommend this to anyone. Amazingly addicting chemistry.

I loved this. A light, breezy, but emotionally layered and complex read. Romance fans, don't miss out on this one!

I really needed a meet cute, and this one was perfect 🫶🏻

If you are a romance girlie, and I mean romance in the purest form of the word, this is for you. No shmutty little scenes here, everything just happens when it needs to, and you know what? I missed sweet romances like this 🫶🏻

Even though I kind of guessed why the third act breakup would happen quite early on, I was still on the edge of my seat waiting for it to happen.

Margot and Oliver are the cutest and they are so respectful with each other, I can't. They had me giggling with each of their interactions 🙈

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this early!

I was absolutely hooked on this book from the first page. There chemistry crackled, the banter made me giggle, and I was just having a ball reading this book. Then we got to the big reveal- and it just completely fell flat. I am so disappointed by the turn this took. I can understand the themes the author was trying to address but I just hated the way it was executed. It ultimately left a bad taste in my mouth.

3.5 STARS!
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When looking for and finding our own meet-cute is the focus of the story, it can detract from the book a bit. I never correlate a spicy book with a meet-cute, but this author is working on blending those two together.

I really enjoyed the main male lead in this one. After the first (somewhat) disaster of a date, the main characters evolved into the friend zone for a bit. Oliver slowly transformed into a hottie with a naughty sense of dry humor and the hottest kisses and bedside manner to blow her mind.

Margot focused on looking for her meet-cute that doesn’t exist as she unwound her failing career, all the while relying on Oliver to be there when needed. She is convinced life is like the books she surrounds herself with, looking for something that is in front of her.

We Met Like This is a flirty read, with some spice, great text conversations, and a few heated scenes that level up this adult romance from rom-com to sexy.

Kasie West should keep writing adult romance (on top of the YA) forever! This was such a fun read and a fresh spin on modern dating.

Margot was so relatable and such a fun character. I loved her growth through the story. Her journey was very inspirational and had me thinking about my own life.

The banter between Oliver and Margot was awesome. Their love story was one full of laughter, fate, and surprising twists!

4.25 Stars

First off I want to say that I really enjoyed my time with this and I'm sorry to see some of these reviews with lower rating simply stating it is because of explicit sex scenes (that *I* definitely don't see has explicit but to each their own, it just shouldn't be the cause for low ratings) and how disappointed they are in Kasie because of them....... authors are allowed to change, grow and write something different, in fact the whole premise of the large author featured in the book is that she is writing something different...... I feel like some of you missed the ball on that one.

I would have liked to see more of the back and forth between Margot and Oliver when they reconnected, more messages and more banter and I didn't quite believe that Margot at 24(?) could just up and start her own company and get inquiries right away but it in no way affected my enjoyment of it. It's a sweet, fun, enjoyable story.

This is my 14th, I think, time reading Kasie West and I'm so happy she has dived into adult romance as I have very much aged out of most YA lol. I hope she continues, and I can't wait to see what love story she comes up with next.

Thank you to St. Martins Press, Kasie and Netgalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I just finished a great book. We Met Like This by Kasie West is out this summer. Pick it up! This is one you won’t want to miss!