rachel runya katz has become an autobuy author over the past couple of years and I am so excited for the future of her books because of that.

i will eat up a "you've got mail"-type plot so I was so sat. the characters were somewhat frustrating but also so are humans so I can not fault them on that. absolute fire book read it!!

Rachel Runya Katz is one of those authors that I just know I’m going to eat up every single word she writes.

There’s a lot I could say about the romance of this book, which is Hot and Vulnerable and Beautiful, and I’ll get to that, but I need to speak to the queer rep in this one. Two bi MCs, a gay man, a trans lady, and a group of queer teenagers in a book club. Yael had an entire explanation about why she started this club in her library but what it really comes down to, simply, is that she wishes she had it. And the powerful statement of that, how many of us queer kids hiding and scared in our youth(and as adults), could’ve had their lives changed with this kind of safe space. I am so thankful to queer authors who throw their entire hearts into giving us this kind of representation. I can’t imagine the strength it takes to dig deep into their past to give us these beautiful spaces.

Whew. Okay. Let’s talk about the romance!!!! Full disclosure, I am not a fan of the premise of You’ve Got Mail. Mostly, it stresses me out and I’m just full of anxiety the entire time. However, Katz spun something special with Yael and Ravi and I found myself unable to put this down. The chemistry between Elle and Kevin over emails and texts to the tension between Yael and Ravi in person. There’s a scene in a diner that will live rent free in my mind for years to come. The tension in this one was devastating, to steal straight from Yael.

I love that these two are emotional. That Ravi can cry for his niece and Yael can cry for her friends. They balance each other so perfectly and I enjoyed every second of watching them fall in love.

Thank you to Lavendar PR for the physical galley and SMP/NetGalley for the digital copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This book is phenomenal! I was hooked from the very first page and didn’t want to put it down. Isn’t It Obvious? delivers a delicious mix of mistaken identity, slow-burn tension, and emotional vulnerability—wrapped in a rom-com that’s as smart as it is swoony.

Yael and Ravi are perfectly imperfect. They’re both witty, kind, messy, and deeply human. I wanted to shake them, hug them, and protect their fragile little hearts all at once. Their chemistry crackles—whether they’re bickering in person or bonding anonymously over email—and watching their relationship evolve in both spaces was so satisfying.

The supporting cast of queer teens, nosy friends, and loving-but-complicated family members adds warmth and texture without ever pulling focus. Everyone felt real, but the spotlight stays right where it belongs: on Yael and Ravi, two people trying to figure out if they can trust love again—especially when it sneaks up in the most unexpected way.

This one might just have earned a spot in my rom-com hall of fame.


#IsntitObvious
#NetGalley

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

'Isn't It Obvious" is something I found myself yelling at the characters--in my head--most of the way through this wonderful, enemies to lovers, mistaken identity romance. Yet, via a deftly woven plot, Rachel Runya Katz makes it entirely plausible that these two continually miss the fact that the MCs know each other online and in person, just under different names.

The story begins with a 'meet cute' that is both awful and funny, providing the perfect setup for the story that unfolds from it. Yael is a high school librarian, who moonlights as a podcaster named Elle, whereas Ravi is a new volunteer for her queer focused book group for teens at the same time he is the freelance editor/producer remotely working on her podcast. While loathing each other in person, they simultaneously fall for each other via email.

Threaded throughout are themes of identity, both sexual and racial, and how that affects a person's sense of self. That is a very simplistic summary of just how deep the exploration of identity goes in this book. Add in the frank representation of mental health challenges, and you have a book that I want to shove into the hands of so many people I care about.

Beautifully written and emotionally satisfying. Highly recommend.

A modern take on You’ve Got Mail, complete with podcasting, remote freelance work, and volunteering at queer teen book clubs in place of the movie’s internet chat rooms & competing bookstores. And honestly, libraries beat out bookstores ANY day. Come for the banter, stay for the relatable characters & mental health representation.

Normally I don’t love the mistaken identity trope but it was truly well done in this story. The beginning took a while for me to get into the flow, but by about halfway through I was hanging onto every word. The story was honest and heartfelt, with deeply feeling characters who were managing realistic conflict outside of their relationship. Yael and Ravi felt like people I would meet in real life, and I was rooting for them both in their romance and their personal lives. (Plus, the spice was absolutely amazing).

Read if you like: Epistolary novels, mistaken identity, body positivity, and if you’ve ever struggled to make friends as an adult or fallen too hard before having an IRL meeting

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a digital copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Rachel Runya Katz writes deeply emotional and moving stories that should be on everyone’s radar, and this latest addition is further proof of that.

To say Yael and Ravi’s first meeting was a messy moment would be a bit of an understatement. To say it impacted their interactions when Ravi answers an ad to volunteer with her after school queer book club would be more than fair. And yet. There was an undeniable *something* between them. That something slowly built into an attraction and yearning for each other that couldn’t be contained.

In the meantime, Yael hires a new editor named Kevin for her growing podcast, which she records under the name Elle. Elle and Kevin connect over email and open up to each other in ways they struggle to with others in person. If only Elle knew Kevin was Ravi, and Ravi knew Elle was Yael. Every possible plot hole that could reveal their alternate identities is filled and accounted for in a way that makes it entirely realistic that they wouldn’t figure it out until the moment they each actually do.

Between book club afternoons with Yael and Ravi and emails between Elle and Kevin, there were so many topical and timely conversations had and so many deep emotional dives into family and partnerships and mental health and queerness, and it was such important discourse about all of it. Rachel Runya Katz writes in such a way that you can just feel how deeply embedded these stories being told are for her and how intensely invested she is in being someone who tells them.

The romance genre is a better place for having Rachel Runya Katz sharing words with it. Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin via NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin and Netgalley for an advanced reader's copy of Isn't It Obvious, by Rachel Runya Katz! This was stunning. This has a You've-Got-Mail premise, with both main characters connected in real life and via email under other professional names/aliases. I loved the push-and-pull as the two develop a deep emotional connection and physical connection simultaneously, and appreciate how well-built their sense of trust and mutual respect is in both dynamics, so that when they ultimately (finally) discover their true identities, the resulting relationship feels earned.

There are so many elements in this I really loved: the depiction of a mood disorder (Bipolar II) and its literal highs and lows (and how a character navigates it with the support of therapy, medication and a network of loved ones), the bi-for-bi representation (with significant time spent discussing identity, mentoring queer teens and dealing with strained family dynamics after coming out), and the intersecting racial and ethnic identities for both main characters. These characters feel so authentically lived-in, and it is so easy to root for each of them.

I'm also delighted by how the author navigated sexual intimacy, sexual health conversations and sex language! Oral sex is sex! I feel so grumpy when characters act like they haven't had sex if they haven't yet had penetrative sex (especially when this happens in queer romances, don't we know better?!) and the way both characters call this out on page is so naturally done and so affirming. Love seeing characters discussing prior partners and STI testing on page, too.

Not done yet with my laundry list of things I loved, because the friendships in this, particularly for Yael, are SO GOOD. One of my biggest pet peeves in romance is terrible, toxic friends we're supposed to just laugh off OR one-dimensional friendships that don't add anything to the story other than comic relief. These friendships help build out so much of Yael's personal growth (her friendship becoming REAL REAL with Gina was so beautifully done) and feel essential to the story (and I was living for Sanaa live reacting through the third act, truly).

And ultimately, this story still manages to be greater than the sum of its parts, and I am so grateful to have spent this time with Yael and Ravi.

A sharp, heartwarming, and utterly charming romance, Isn’t It Obvious? delivers all the tension of a classic enemies-to-lovers trope, with a clever twist of mistaken identity and a touch of podcast-era magic.

Yael, a high school librarian with a passion for queer teen lit and a not-so-secret struggle to balance it all, finds solace and success behind her podcast persona, Elle. When she hires Kevin—really Ravi—as her remote producer, their professional relationship blossoms into something deeply personal, all through email. The catch? In real life, they’re already enemies, thanks to an awkward one-night-stand-adjacent disaster.

Katz plays beautifully with dual identities, crafting a slow-burn romance that unfolds on two timelines—digital and real-world—and leaves readers breathless as they collide. Yael is a complex and relatable heroine, and Ravi brings the perfect balance of vulnerability and wit. The chemistry crackles, the banter shines, and the emotional payoff is deeply satisfying.

This is a romance that understands the messiness of real love and the power of forgiveness. Prepare to swoon, laugh, and maybe cry—this one’s got it all.

This book isn't You've Got Mail (which.I love)--it's so much better! The tension between these two characters from the very beginning was so juicy, and I absolutely devoured this book. The stakes were really strong, and I especially appreciated the bi4bi rep. RUN to read this book!

I think this is one of my favorite romances I have ever read. I don’t remember the last time I gave one five stars but this one deserves it so much.

Our fmc, Yael, is a school librarian who runs a queer book club and runs a secret podcast. She hires an editor, Kevin, for the podcast so she can focus more on this book club where she also has a new volunteer, Ravi, but these two men happen to be the same person.

Yeah I was so giddy reading this book knowing everything but they didn’t. The tension was top tier. I loved how much communication we got between them and a lot of their communication was through emails and I just love that. I loved the discussions about their queer identities they are both bisexual but also the safe space that Yael has created with her students to join this club. The author mentioned many books throughout as well as had a list in the back of the book for recommendations and I thought they were great!

I’m obsessed and if you like romance I would 100% check this out!