Love Is an Open Book is a charming and cozy friends-to-lovers romance with a fun, meta twist, as Mia and Gavin explore fictional tropes in real life. The concept is clever, and the chemistry between the leads is warm and believable, but the story sometimes leans too heavily on familiar clichés, and the pacing drags in the middle. While the emotional payoff is satisfying, it feels somewhat predictable. Still, fans of light-hearted romance will find it an enjoyable read.

A sweet contemporary about a romance author who's convinced that dating a friend will never work out in the long run and her landscaper best friend who's been down bad for her since the moment they first crossed paths. I really liked the overall premise of this one, with Gavin stepping in to help Mia overcome her writer's block by acting out different romantic tropes with her, but I kind of wished there were more trope scenarios for them peppered throughout the story and that their friends-to-lovers arc was more of an overall slow-burn in terms of pacing. At times, it felt like these two already had a built-in attraction to each other and there was very little stopping them from taking the plunge, so their emotional hangups (Mia's fear of commitment and Gavin's repressed feelings) became somewhat repetitive to read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this edition from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rating 3.5/5

A huge thank you to Harlequin, Canary Street Press, and Harlequin Audio for an eARC/ALC of this book.

I've recently found my love for the friends-to-lovers trope, as I have found that watching a love grow over the years is so satisfying in a romance novel!

In this book, we get Mia (romance novelist) and Gavin (project manager with a landscape company) who has been best friends since the night she and an ex-boyfriend split up in college. Now, our FMC is having to write her latest novel (a friends-to-lovers book) that she just can't write because she doesn't think friends should ever cross into the lovers label. She makes a plan to test out popular romance novel tropes, so of course Gavin agrees....what could go wrong (or right?!)

This was a fun read, overall.

This book is a soft, sparkling ode to romance tropes and the power of choosing love—again and again. It's warm, self-aware, and sweet in a way that sneaks up on you, like your BFF casually ruining your emotional stability by being the one.

🏷️ Tropes You’ll Find:
💞 Friends to Lovers
📝 She’s a Romance Author
💌 He Falls First
🏡 Forced Proximity
💝 Fake Dating
📚 Meta Romance Vibes
🔥 Mutual Pining

Blush Meter 💖💖💖/ 5
This one's mostly closed-door but emotionally intimate in all the right ways. It simmers with slow-burn tension, loaded glances, and yearning touches. It’s a warm mug of feelings rather than a shot of spice—and sometimes, that’s exactly what your heart needs.

🌟 TAK Girlie Rating: ★★★★☆
This is the kind of story that wraps you up like your favorite blanket. Four solid stars for its clever premise, emotionally intelligent leads, and the way it lovingly pokes fun at the genre while delivering on every promise. It loses a little momentum toward the middle when the tropes do a bit of the heavy lifting, but the heart always comes through.


I had such a good time with Love Is an Open Book. It’s cozy, clever, and brimming with that best friends-to-lovers tension that begs you to keep flipping pages. Chandra Blumberg absolutely gets the assignment when it comes to romance readers—especially those of us who dog-ear pages and yell at characters to “just talk already! just kiss please!”

Mia, a romance author battling creative burnout, felt deeply relatable. Her self-doubt was palpable, especially in the face of publishing pressure, and her vulnerability gave the story a grounded emotional weight. She’s stuck in a way that feels real—not just creatively, but emotionally. And Gavin? A cinnamon roll disguised as a man. Steady, kind, insightful… the kind of love interest who listens and remembers and isn’t afraid of feelings. An actual unicorn.

What I especially loved was how the Chandra handled the “friends-to-lovers” arc. There wasn’t a sense of imbalance where one character was clueless while the other pined. Instead, it felt mutual and messy in the most honest way—two people circling each other for years, both scared to say too much and lose what they already had. That slow shift into something more was deeply satisfying.

Also, the meta romance vibes? A whole treat. Watching two characters essentially go through classic romance tropes while trying to deny their feelings? Peak content. It leaned into the genre with a wink, but never lost sight of the emotional stakes. And even though some moments felt a little predictable, the story still delivered on charm and sincerity.

💝 Final Thoughts:
If you’re the kind of reader who dog-ears your favorite slow-burn moments or squeals when a book mentions fake dating, this one will feel like home. It's smart, heartfelt, and wears its love for the genre on its sleeve. And while it doesn't reinvent the trope wheel, it spins it with intention—and heart.

For Fans Of:

Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

When Sparks Fly by Helena Hunting

How to Love Your Neighbor by Sophie Sullivan

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
While I’ve been burned out by fake dating, I love when a book uses it as a vehicle to explore and pay homage to classic romance tropes. And it does exactly that with Love is an Open Book.
I continue to love the contradiction of the romance writer who is a bit jaded, and her struggles with love are beginning to impact her professional life, with her being plagued by writer’s block right when she’s begun to find success. Gavin is adorable, and while I did want him to have a bit more of an identity outside the friendship and his feelings for her, I loved how he’d been in love with her for years.
The romance is quite sweet, even if Mia’s self-doubt and the walls she puts up pose an obstacle to them getting together. The fake dating aspect did get a bit tiresome, as it often does for me, but leaning into the meta-ness of the narrative structure, and shouting out the common narrative tropes kept me from becoming too bored with the story.
I had a lot of fun with this one, and I’d recommend it to readers who are searching for a lighthearted, closed-door romcom.

𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁:

I really enjoyed this one! I love that the book is about an author working through romance tropes, so fun! Especially since this heavily focuses on the friends to lovers dynamic and that is a current fav trope for me right now. The friendship between these characters is just so swoony and it makes me the slow burn worth it.

𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬:

Mia and Gavin have been friends since college, where they bonded after his roommate dumped Mia for her sister. They quickly became friends and became intertwined in each other lives.

Mia became a successful romance author with her book series being turned into a tv show. Gavin went on to follow his passion of horticulture and helps runs a nursery. Gavin has always wanted more with Mia but she has strictly put him in the friends zone and tryin to push out could cost him his best friend.

Mia is up against a deadline to write a bonus book to give her MCs the HEA all the fans want. The problem is her characters are friends and she does not believe in the friends to lovers trope. It just doesn’t work! So Gavin sees this as his chance to fake date his bestie through the different tropes to help her with her block. He also hopes to prove that friendship to more works!

𝙁𝙖𝙫 𝙌𝙪𝙤𝙩𝙚:

“I’m in love with you, Mia. Romantically, physically, emotionally, wholeheartedly. I love every part of you.”

𝑳𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒀𝒐𝒖’𝒍𝒍 𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒅:

* Best Friends to Lovers
* Romance Author FMC
* Manager Garden Center MMC
* He Falls First - Pinning 10 Years
* Fake Dating Through the Tropes
* He’s a Plant Daddy
* She Friend Zoned Him 10 Years Ago
* She Has Writers Block & a Deadline
* Dual POV Slow Burn

🌿🌳💚📚💚🌳🌿💚📚💚🌳🌿

DNF at 41%, The premise of the book is cute and is written with bookish people in mind. But I had a hard time caring about the characters enough to want to continue reading. I think this book may be a good fit for anyone who loves to see popular romance tropes reflected in a story, or anyone looking for a lighthearted read. T

very well done romance that is quite interesting. the setting is really good too, and the plotting is fun. would recommend. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

Title: Love is an Open Book  
Author: Chandra Blumberg     
Genre: Romance    
Rating: 4 out of 5

Mia Brady never imagined her romance novels would become bestsellers, much less inspire a hit TV show. However, after signing a deal to write the final book of the series, she’s struck by a serious case of writer’s block. Her fans are clamoring for a passionate payoff, but Mia’s own experience with heartbreak—and current lack of real-life romance—is getting in the way. Do friends who become lovers ever truly have a happy ending?

Gavin Lane would like to think so. As Mia’s ride-or-die BFF, he’s been by her side through it all and convinced himself his crush on her is a thing of the past. He’s not about to let his feelings ruin their friendship, and never will. But that doesn’t stop him from pitching a bold idea to help save Mia’s testing out tried-and-true love story tropes…together.

From workplace romance to fish-out-of-water, Mia and Gavin embark on a series of “dates” to spark a little creativity—but are not prepared for the flame that ignites between them. Does their friendship even stand a chance when pure fantasy suddenly becomes a little too real?

This was a cute read. Nothing unexpected, but a fun story. From Mia’s always-gotta-have-a-plan ways to Gavin’s more laidback approach, seeing these two look at each other through new eyes was enjoyable. Add in trying to keep it a secret from everyone who knows them, and a litter of adorable kittens, and this is a perfect summer binge-read.

Chandra Blumberg lives in the Chicago area. Love is an Open Book is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin Trade Publishing | Canary Street Press in exchange for an honest review.)

(Blog link live 8/16).

I was excited to dive into Love is an Open Book by Chandra Blumberg.
Mia is a rom/com author. Gavin is a landscaper who has been best friends with Mia for a decade.
When Mia is having writer's block, Gavin decides to help Mia by testing out some tropes but things do not go as plan.
I found myself not caring about what was happening and tried many times to DNF.
I think there will be those who absolutely love this book, unfortunately just not me.
Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing Books for the the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a cute bookish interracial romance between an author fmc and her best friend mmc. The fmc is going through writers block and gets help from her bff with her story about friends falling in love. I thought the characters were related and so cute especially with the mmc who fell first and has always wanted to be the fmc. I liked the pact aspect as well as the side stories, family and friendships aspects. The romance was cute thought it felt surface level at times. Overall a nice bookish romance. Thanks to the Hive for this arc for an honest review.

This was such a cute romance! I don’t usually gravitate toward friends-to-lovers, but this one was done really well—it totally won me over. I read and listened to this one, and the audiobook narration was so well done. I really think audiobooks make rom-coms even more fun, and this one was no exception. The story made me smile so many times and gave me all the warm, feel-good vibes. If you’re looking for a sweet, heartwarming read, definitely give this one a try!
Thanks to Harlequin Audio and Canary Street press for the gifted ALC and ARC.

Love Is an Open Book took me a while to get into—so much so that I paused after a few chapters, read three other books, and then came back to it. But I’m glad I did. By chapter five, the story started to pick up, and I was all in.

Gavin is chef’s kiss the dreamiest of cinnamon roll MMCs. All green flags, all heart, and just impossible not to root for. His dynamic with Mia had so much natural chemistry, helped by a decade of shared history and friendship. I also really enjoyed the meta angle of Mia writing a book that paralleled her own life - at least, at first.

Unfortunately, the third-act breakup completely derailed my investment. Around 85%, the story lost me. The conflict felt forced and out of sync with the emotional depth the couple had built. I went from rooting for them to feeling like Gavin deserved better. Mia became increasingly difficult to empathize with, and it made the resolution feel less satisfying than it could’ve been.

All in all, it’s a solid read with some truly heartwarming moments, but the ending just didn’t land for me like some other books have.

Love is an Open Book by Chandra Blumberg is a friend's to lovers sweet romance. Mia is a romance writer who is struggling with writers block. Gavin has been Mia's best friend for years, secretly pining after her but not willing to cross the line as she has a no dating friends rule. They decide to act out common tropes to help with her block and infuse some real life romance into her life. This was a fun and easy read with so many fun tropes. The author did a great job of developing the characters and progressing their relationship from friends to lovers in a wonderful slow burn way. I also loved the side characters and how they enhanced the story. Definitely a fun bookish read to add to your TBR.

Thank you Netgalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a super cute friends to lovers book. I was a fan of Gavin from the first meet cute of him and Mia!
The way the fmc was a romance author in a writing rut & how Gavin “sacrificed” himself to act all the cliche romance book tropes was fun to see. I love it when the guy falls first & then the girl falls harder. The internal conflict of being afraid to love was a nice touch as well because as all we friends-to-lovers romance readers know, falling in love with your best friend can be the most scariest thing but also, the most rewarding way to go.

Thank you so much to HTP / Canary St Press and Netgalley for this eARC! I always appreciate the opportunity to read and review ahead of pub day.

Love is an Open Book drew me in initially because of the awareness and tension around the friends-to-lovers trope within the book, even with the story itself being friends to lovers. I'm a friends to lovers super-fan, having married my college bff, and so I was really excited to dive into this book!

I had a good time reading Love is an Open Book but it wasn't quite for me - On the positives, Chandra Blumberg's writing and voice kept me invested even if I was disagreeing with Mia at many points, and I was sincerely rooting for them to get together. I was also really invested in the storyline around Mia's novel, the hollywood production, and the actors who have played the characters that would be the focus of this upcoming book!

On the negatives... While I appreciate and want flawed characters in my romance books, Gavin wasn't really given "flaws" until he was forced to put down a line in the sand late in the book. The switch-up felt a bit sudden - but also the negative reaction from other characters showed there was a lack of empathy and understanding that Gavin was also putting his heart and friendship on the line, and it rubbed me the wrong way. The core of friends to lovers is a foundation of respect and trust, and it didn't feel like Mia's past issues with dating friends was truly heavy enough to undermine that foundation (in my opinion), but she allowed it to anyway. There was a sense of imbalance in the relationship and the events that brought them to this point, which made the conflict resolution feel less satisfying.

I rated this book 3 stars, because despite some of my beef with Mia as a character, this is a well written book and I was invested, and did finish it! Other friends-to-lovers readers may love it, it's just likely not a book I will reread. Also just to note: this is a closed door romance, which I didn't know going in!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I thought this was... ok. I'll be the first to admit that it isn't something I would naturally gravitate towards so, read this with a grain of salt. I'm not a huge friends to lovers or slow burn reader. But, it was cute. I liked the charm. It was charming... sometimes. I thought Mia was actually pretty annoying and her main personality trait was being afraid of love. I mean I get it but we didn't need it repeated 100 million times.

If you love heartfelt, character‑driven romances steeped in friends‑to‑lovers tension—with clever nods to romance tropes—this is a warm, feel‑good choice. Charting Mia and Gavin’s journey from boundaries to breakthroughs is a satisfying trip down a sweet relationship road. Ideal For fans of quiet, witty romances with emotional depth rather than steam—especially lovers of cozy trope‑aware storylines.

"Love is an Open Book" by Chandra Blumberg felt like a book written for book lovers, by a book lover. It’s full of little winks and nods to us trope-loving girlies—especially those of us who’ve ever swooned over a friends-to-lovers story (even if the FMC swears it’s the one trope she’ll never believe in again—cue the angst). This is my second book by Blumberg and easily my favorite so far.

The FMC is a romance author writing about characters in the publishing world. Her series is being turned into a show, and with a looming deadline for her next book (one that’s hitting a little too close to home), she enlists her best friend to help her out—by acting out classic romance tropes like forced proximity, workplace romance, and fish-out-of-water scenarios. Since the MMC has been in love with her for years, he sees this as his chance to prove not just that her characters can have a happily ever after—but that she can too.

Yes, it gets a little overly cheesy at times (especially toward the end), but honestly, it knows it’s cheesy and leans into it in the most fun, self-aware way.

I swear this book was written for the BookTok girls who love a trope and aren’t afraid to laugh at the formula. And I’m absolutely here for it.

“Love is an Open Book” is by Chandra Blumberg. This book had so much potential - friends to lovers (one of my favorite tropes!) and the female main character, Mia, is an author - what is there not to like? This book was a cute one with a slow-burn. Gavin was great as the friend of oh-so-many years and I really liked how he knew Mia. My problem was with Mia - there’s the saying “the lady doth protest too much” and Mia really protested a lot about how her fear of dating friends (including the contract) but between her mentioning it A LOT and her constant questioning over if Gavin liked her that way or not - it became tiresome and repetitive. But, I’d still recommend this book because the “meet cute” is, well, cute and once things got going with Mia and Gavin in the “okay, I’ll help you with your research for your book” dating, but not dating - it was a fine and cute read.