I could not love this story more - I absolutely adore Kasie West’s YA so I knew I had to read her first adult romance and it met all my expectations. It had all my favorite things… a swoony guy, a lovable and relatable lead, a swoony relationship and strong female friendship. I can’t wait for more adult reads from West!

Thank you for the opportunity to read early

If I was a celebrity update account my rating would read: Kasie West Stuns With New Adult Debut. This book was fun, flirty, and exactly what my now-grown-up Kasie West loving heart needed. Just like her YA releases, this book captures the essence of finding love in unexpected places and falling for the one you least expect. It was tender and sizzling (can a book be both?) and I can’t wait to read what she releases next.

I liked this BUT...

The premise of the novel is that Margot is obsessed with meet-cutes and she doesn't think her and Oliver are compatible b/c they met on a dating app. This was issue #1 for me b/t it makes Margot seem super shallow.

The black moment/conflict didn't do much to make Oliver the romance hero he's purported to be and, in fact, gave me the ick. I don't want to give any spoilers but his behavior was pretty awful, honestly.

That said, the story is very readable and I read it in a couple of days. 3.5 stars

4 ⭐️

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this ARC. “We Met Like This” releases on 9/16/25!

What a great debut adult novel for Ms. West! This is billed as a love story for the current day, and as it’s filled with dating app snafu’s and other similar very modern references, it totally delivers.

The characters felt relatable and I really applaud the author for fleshing out some of the plot’s antagonists in a way that felt fair and appropriate considering everything.

Margot is a contemporary woman with contemporary problems. She is relatable in her habits of self doubt and self sabotage but also experiences some beautiful growth which is championed by the MMC, Oliver. His actions are supportive to Margot’s growth though, rather than a catalyst, which is appreciated. In many ways through the plot, he is a cheerleader to her life —and I love that energy.

Oliver was also quite swoon-worthy and I love the trope of a chaotic FMC with an MMC who is more composed than she is. I am so excited for more adult romances from Ms. West!

Not my cup of tea. If you’re a fan of her YA work this might not be for you. The conflict in this was messy and I didn’t enjoy the texts.

Margot Hart wants her meet-cute, not a dating app horror story. But her life is falling apart, and who shows up to help piece it back together? Oliver—the guy she once had a disastrous date with (and kept re-matching with, because the algorithm knows something she doesn’t).

I really liked this book. Margot and Oliver had such natural chemistry, and their banter had me grinning—especially during the hotel check-in scene, which lives rent-free in my head. Oliver gave golden retriever energy in the best way, and I loved how he showed up for her over and over again, even when she was a bit of a mess.

And then there was that twist—listen, I didn’t love it, but I can’t deny it was bold. Kind of chaotic. Kind of brilliant. I respect the audacity.

Overall, this was a really enjoyable rom-com with electric tension, a fun bookish setting, and some genuinely heartfelt moments. Would I read another book about this couple? Absolutely. But only if Margot promises to take a nap first.

Read if you like: enemies-to-lovers vibes, slow burn with serious heat, bookish girls with big emotions, and patient men who deserve gold medals.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Saturday Books for the ARC—all thoughts are my own!

This was a fun, relatable, messy romcom that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. The banter between not only the two love interests, but the other characters in the book as well, was some of the best I think I’ve ever read! It was so funny and real and creative. I really loved Margot and all her flaws, her complicated relationship with her sister, her very real and relatable friendship with Sloane, and her growth throughout the book. She was really messy, but life is messy and I thought this book did a great job of exploring that without it becoming unbelievable. Also the glimpses into the publishing world was super fun and something I’m really interested in so that had me super engaged!

This would’ve been higher but unfortunately the main conflict between Oliver and Margot gave me a bit of an ick. I couldn’t really move past it and that took away from the ending and the overall experience for me. Also, I don’t think we got enough of a look at Oliver and his relationships outside of Margot and his mom/sister (which was barely mentioned). Like Sid he have any friends besides one mentioned in passing that moved to Seattle so wasn’t present in the book? I don’t know. So I am going with 3.5 stars and rounding up.

I was obsessed with the storyline from the very first paragraph. It gave all the feelings reading an Emily Henry to Abby Jimenez book would! I loved how we got this snippet of a moment between Oliver and Margot years before on their first date to immediately give context for the rest of the story. Margot and Oliver have the most entertaining banter!! I literally would smile through entire chapters!! Oliver is quite literally the cutest, most golden retriever energy in the best way during this book. I would highlight so much of what he’d say to Margot because it had me kicking my feet!!! He was the perfect love interest for Margot (and for most romance readers) because of his true interest in HER and all her interests. I mean COME ON he was taking romance book recs from her?? What more can a girl ask for! I genuinely loved how a majority of the characters were late 20/ early 30s without kids and unmarried. It is beyond relatable to my generation! I want romance without a little gremlin (no offense) tagging along throughout the storyline. Margot is my soul at heart- from the kinda clean clothes chair, unmade bed, romance reader, and a girl who thought book men were better than real men (still a fact!)

I’m so excited for Kasie West and her dip into adult romance!! You’re crushing it!!

spice: 🌶️🌶️

Thank you to NetGalley, Saturday Books, and Kasie West for this free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I so badly wanted to like this book, but unfortunately, I just didn’t. There was a lot of extra prose that I don’t think was needed, and made the book seem longer than it needed to be. The FMC spoke like she was an alien communicating with humans for the first time in her life half the time, and none of the characters were particularly compelling.

The two main characters just kept talking in circles, and I wanted them to either commit to being just friends and truly building their relationship, or nothing. The constant “we’re just friends!” but whoops they’re making out again got exhausting and repetitive after awhile. The conflict felt messy and out of place, and the resolution didn’t seem worth it. The premise was cute and the cover is gorg, but that’s about it for me.

A quick note to the people leaving 1 star reviews for this based on the fact that they were disappointed the author wrote a “smutty” book since she previously wrote YA. This is a book marketed towards adults, and adults have sex! If you didn’t like the book, that’s fine, but to trash it because it doesn’t align with your purity culture is not ok.

I. Loved. This. Book! Margot and Oliver’s chemistry is so good and I loved the progression from failed tinder date to casual internet acquaintances to friends to end game. I wouldn’t have minded being able to get more of Oliver’s POV BUT I still think single POV worked here and honestly this ended up being one of my favorite books so far this year (out of around 110?). I also loved the dynamic and drama brought on by Margot’s relationships with Rob, Audrey, and Sloane. Loved, loved, loved.

Kasie West's debut adult rom-com had me reading way too late into the night. The writing was addictive, the characters and their chemistry was off the charts, and I simply wanted to know how it ended.

However, I definitely had a couple problems with it. The first (and biggest): the giant twist. Did I see this twist coming? Yes. Was I hoping with every fiber of my being it wasn't going to actually be coming? Also yes. I genuinely never want to see that in a book again, I can't even lie. This lost an entire star for me.

The other thing that ended up losing a half star: while their chemistry was off the charts the whole book, the actual spicy scenes lacked a lot of it. I can't explain how just their interactions and small moments of intimacy did so much more for them than their actual sex scenes, but it happened.

3.5 stars overall, rounding up.

this book is a hopeless romantic who hates dating apps but keeps rematching with Oliver, a guy she once had a disastrous date with. As she navigates the chaos of losing her job and starting her own business, Oliver unexpectedly becomes her rock, challenging her views on love and compatibility. With witty banter and a quirky romance, this adult debut explores love, career, and second chances.

Kasie West is my favorite author of YA contemporaries. I've read all of her books, and she has become my go-to when I want a cute, sweet, breezy read. Any book of hers will make its way onto my list of most anticipated releases for the year. When I heard that We Met Like This was her adult debut, I was intrigued and immediately downloaded it from NetGalley.

I will agree with some of the other reviewers that having the first scene of the book be a steamy scene was a bit odd, but it definitely made the book unique compared to other romances out there. (It's a pretty heavy makeout scene that sort of abruptly ends.) Just FYI: this is not a clean read, though Kasie West's other YA books have been clean reads.

I loved the connection between Oliver and Margot, especially their texts on the dating app when they told each other all about the horrible people that kept reaching out to them on the apps. Those interactions were quite humorous and I enjoyed seeing their banter together.

However, overall this is a much heavier book than this author's YA books. Margot is coming out of a very unhealthy relationship and it was giving me vibes of Kate Winslet's character from The Holiday for much of the book.

<img src="https://media1.tenor.com/m/RqfhXfHMGR8AAAAC/the-holiday.gif" width="400" height="300" alt="description"/>

There was also some eleventh hour drama that I wasn't a fan of either, especially since it seemed very obvious what Oliver's issue was. One of my biggest pet peeves is when the person will try to tell the other person the secret they've been keeping but the other person will cut them off so they can't tell and then the other person gets all mad that they weren't told about the secret or whatever. That happened several times in this book unfortunately so that detracted for me a bit.

I liked seeing Margot, who has always been in her big sister's shadow, come into her own. I also liked seeing the inner workings of book agents and publishers. I thought those aspects were interesting and the summaries of the different books that were submitted were amusing as well.

I thought the book was well written as a whole, but it definitely had a more somber tone than this author's other works. Overall, I didn't enjoy this one as much as her YA books, but I will still read anything and everything she writes.

I loved this book! The dialogue was fantastic and made me laugh out loud constantly. The banter and tension between Margot and Oliver was top notch. It was a bit of a slow start for me, but once it picked up I was hooked. I also really enjoyed the friendship and support between Margot and Sloane. Thank you for the chance to read this ARC!

What did he know and when did he know it?

To borrow a famous question posed during a watershed event in U.S. History, it's the intractable question not just for Margot but the reader.

Brava to the hereto consistent YA-centric author expanding into adult romance.
Brava by featuring a FMC, Margot, experiencing all the messiness one's twenties has to offer.
Brava to creating a plot that provides highs and lows for both Margot and Ollie.
But there are some lines potential love interests should not cross and this was too much for me.

And, I couldn't get past it.
Created an ick factor so to speak.

This ARC was provided by the publisher, St. Martin's Press | Saturday Books, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I completely fell in love with Margot—she felt so real and had such a great sense of humor. Then Oliver came back into the picture, and watching their relationship unfold was such a joy. Every moment between them was just perfect. I loved every part of it!

3.5 stars

I adore Kasie West's YA books, so I had to read her adult debut.

Unfortunately, as is sometimes the case when when YA authors transition to the adult genre, you get smut and innuendo on every single page. (And frequently prolific cursing, but at least this one doesn't suffer from that flaw.)

The book begins with the most unromantic love scene from our MC, who is quickly revealed to be the Queen of Bad Decisions. She eventually improves, but it is a long, struggle filled road of cringe.

The MMC is better but still falls prey to the constantly thinking/talking about sex instead of romance issue.

There were moments when the author's talent shone through, but it's a bit of a miss for me.

Kasie West is one of my favorite authors, and We Met Like This was just as great as her previous books. The story was sweet and had the right amount of drama that kept me turning pages. I loved the characters and the way their relationship developed, it felt so real. If you are a fan of Kasie West's books (like me!), or if you haven't read one of hers before, then you don't want to miss this one. It is a must-read.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of We Met Like This by Kasie West

As someone who was a fan of Kasie's young adult novels, I knew I HAD to read this one ASAP! It did not disappoint. A great romantic story of modern dating and the woes that come with it. 5/5

We Met Like This was so sweet!! Opening in the middle of a very spicy scene was a unique choice and made me worried that the rest of the book would be spice forward in favor of a real plot. BUT I was pleasantly surprised by how invested I became in Margot's life and how much I was rooting for everything to work out for her personal and professional life.

I really liked Margot and Oliver's relationship. There was so much fun banter, and their conversations had a specific cadence that felt like a very real couple talking to each other. And it's just nice to read about people who care for each other deeply.

This is the exact type of book that I could see becoming a comfort read that I'll revisit every few years when my goldfish brain forgets what happened.