Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC.

I... did not like this book. It was honestly forgettable; I forgot I had to write a review on it. It's also a closed door romance, which is fine, but if I'm reading about two thirty year olds falling in love and there's no payoff from sexual tension, it kind of kills it for me. Bro, they didn't even CUDDLE.

I feel like the writing was fine, the characters fleshed out and not 2D. However Mia, the FMC, started getting annoying in the last 1/3rd of the book. Gavin is literally pouring his heart out for her, and she just keeps freaking out because "love is chaos". I totally understand her hesitation, but to have this level of anxiety because a guy you dated for a couple months (if that) was actually into your sister TEN YEARS AGO is kind of outlandish. Mia even admits she was never in love with him. So her reasons for being afraid of love didn't make sense to me.

This book just wasn't for me, but I'm sure it has an audience that loves it.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

a writer and landscaper are best friends for over 10 years and start doing some trope activities to find her writing spark and to fall in love. this was a closed book romance and there was a lot of kissing. loved that this had both of their point of views.

Gavin and Mia are two friends that met in college thanks to Gavin’s roommate, who also happened to Mia’s ex. They pretend they and much more in the blossoming. The book is a slow burn in all the right ways. I think a literary falling in love might be my new rom com trope. The book is a playful rendition of a friends to lovers trope.

I actually thought this was such a cute and heartwarming romance!
I really enjoyed the story of a romance writer trying to write a romantic comedy book and then slowly realizes, while she is writing her book, that those events are actually happening in her own romance life! It was cute, and I don't think I've read a book like this one before!
I love a good friends-to-lovers romance, and this was honestly perfect in capturing that trope beautifully. I will definitely be reading more from this author because I really enjoyed her writing style and her characters!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC!

I found the premise, a romance story about an author who writes romance stories, to be quite delightful.

In summary, Mia has trust issues due to “once bitten, twice shy syndrome.” She got her heart broken when she was younger, and chose protecting herself at all costs, good or bad. Gavin is the epitome of love and patience, choosing to stay close and wait it out (whether he realizes it or not).

I found the writing to be enjoyable, and will definitely be seeking out more books by Blumberg.

I realize this is an uncorrected proof, but I still have a few notes:

Continuity: right at the beginning, during the meet-cute, Mia goes from using toilet paper to paper towel as a tissue

There are still a concerning amount of punctuation and spelling errors

ALSO:
I don’t care if it’s a “common” insult these days; I don’t like it and find it offensive. My parents are Baby Boomers; I am not. I don’t take kindly to that kind of attitude that gets thrown around these days, even in jest.

•𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘯 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨/𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴/𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.•

I do not often read contemporary romance but I really did enjoy this. The way what the author is writing and how it mimics in subtle ways what the FMC is going through while she is also writing, was brilliant. A comment about how "the characters in a romance realize how they feel about the halway point" mirrors what is happening in the story at the halfway point was genius. Well written, good pacing. Will definately read from this author again.

Friends to lovers romcom about an author writing a friends to lovers romcom. Trying to get past her writer’s block, Mia and her best friend, Gavin, test out some tropes to see what would work best for her characters.

Another great book by Chandra Blumberg with interesting, smart, and funny characters in both the lead and secondary roles.

Thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing and Canary Street Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Watch for Love is an Open Book to come out August 12, 2025.