We Can't Keep Meeting Like This
Reviews
It was a really cute book. I loved the moments they had and I especially loved how the author added mental health to it.
oh she's insufferable. and they give off breaking-up-6-months-after-the-epilogue vibes.
Cute!!
3.5 ✨
lemme get a few things out of the way - I LOVE Tarek, literally Rachel Lynn Solomon knows how to write a man, she also knows how to write sex scenes - none of them seemed cheesy they were all really well done and tasteful and I like that she doesn't shy away from including them in YA. I loved Today Tonight Tomorrow so so much ((view spoiler)[when rowan and neil showed up I SCREAMED (hide spoiler)]) I think this one just fell a little flat for me plot-wise, I was invested in the relationship between Quinn and Tarek but I didn't really care what happened too much. I will definitely continue to pick up her books though because I love how she writes. Tarek Mansour only man ever
i loved this so much. it was so incredibly cute, like i was awwwing OUT LOUD multiple times. the deep backstory stuff didn't feel forced and unnatural, it felt important to quinn's story which i appreciated. she had realistic and relatable struggles. i had high hopes for this because i loved today tonight tomorrow so much and it greatly exceeded my expectations <3
this book was very cute
I don’t know what it was with this book, because it wasn’t bad neither did it annoy me with plot decisions, but I couldn’t for the love of me focus on anything. I’d read and skip paragraphs and whole scenes because it just didn’t grab my attention. I read it in a day, and the story is cute, the book delivers what it proposes, but overall it was a deeply confusing experience.
Cute, quick read. I'm a sucker for a book involving the wedding planning business as I worked in it for years and it just brings back a lot of nostalgia. There were quite a few things that I liked about this book originally—the Jewish representation and how the main character had OCD being two of the main points that come to mind as I haven't read too many —but as the book went on, I started finding things that made me not enjoy the books as much which is there the docked stars come in. First off, the pacing was slightly off at some times, it made it so it was hard to push through some parts. My biggest issue though was the questionable Muslim representation. (I preface this by saying I am NOT Muslim, therefore I can’t say what is and isn’t good representation, however I also know the author is not Muslim, which is why I will be critiquing this). While I enjoyed the sex-positive aspect of this book, it felt strange that the Muslim love interest is depicted as having sex, with two separate people as well. He engaged in a ‘friends with benefits’ arrangement with the main character. While I’m not Muslim myself, this stood out to me, and as I read some online reviews, I saw this as an issue for other readers as well. All in all, I did end up enjoying the book, I just had a few, issues so to speak.
This book was fucking amazing. Every single thing about this book was just heavenly. The things they felt, I connected. Every single moment they felt something, I connected to it. And I couldn’t stop feeling relief knowing that someone feels that way. It honestly doesn’t matter whether it’s real or not. It meant everything to me. This book, as many of the others I’ve read, healed me in a way. Tarek and Quinn have my heart.
This wasn’t the worst book I’ve ever read but I was disappointed because I LOVED Today Tonight Tomorrow :(
Content warnings: (view spoiler)[anxiety and OCD, severe depression (described), parental separation (in the past), grief and death of a grandparent (before book happens) (hide spoiler)] This cover, y’all, I cannot deal with the cuteness. And it’s a perfect representation of the book inside, filled with honest conversations about mental health, hilarious characters, and a delightful friends-to-lovers, opposites-attract romance. Quinn and Tarek were friends as children because of their parents’ businesses – Quinn’s family runs a wedding planning business while Tarek’s does catering. While they spent a lot of time together, they never hung out outside of those events, but Quinn still managed to develop a crush on Tarek, which culminates the summer before he goes off to college. After watching his “grand gestures” with his various past girlfriends, she finally confesses that she has a crush for him in an email…. and then he completely ghosts her. With him back for the summer and working many of the same events, it’s awkward, especially since Quinn thought she was finally over the crush (spoiler: she’s not). But in trying to resurrect their friendship, they end up opening up to each other, and maybe.. jut maybe, that unrequited crush isn’t so unrequited after all. “I did like kissing him. But I’ve seen so many miserable brides, miserable grooms, miserable families putting on a show because they think they’re supposed to. I’ve seen the expressions my parents wear with their clients. None of it is real, and I already do enough pretending. I learned from my parents like I learned how to bustle a wedding dress: love is a performance.” The book is told solely from Quinn’s first person POV, and she was a character you could really root for. The thought of a teenage wedding harpist was, honestly, one of the things that really interested me in this book, and I was glad to see how much it played a part in her arc. With high school over, she’s looking forward to her first year of college… or at least she would be if her parents hadn’t hand-picked all of her courses in order to make her a better employee for the family business. Problem is, Quinn doesn’t want to join the family business. After watching her parents separate temporarily as a child (and then never talking about it again) she has a dim view of romance, especially her own chances for it. But her family’s life is tied so inextricably to the business – their “family brunches” are actually used to update everyone on work hurdles – that she doesn’t know how to fit into the family without being a part of the business, and it’s not really like she knows what she wants to do with her life anyway. So rather than spending her last summer before college hanging out with her friends, she’s unenthusiastically playing the harp or trying to live up to her parents’ high expectations at various cake tastings, bridal fittings, and weddings. But a chance encounter at a wedding opens a new door to her, something she’s actually passionate about, and telling her family she doesn’t want to work with them becomes more pressing. Tarek’s the complete opposite of Quinn in many ways. He loves working with his family, especially doing the desserts, and his main concern is convincing them that he could handle more. His love of baking really shown through in the book and I loved his passion. Tarek’s parents got together due to a grand gesture, and for Tarek, love is supposed to be big and splashy. But he’s a great friend (he saves Quinn desserts! *swoon*), and he’s very invested into rescuing the friendship between him and Quinn. Unlike previously, though, their friendship goes deeper, and they start talking about their hopes and aspirations (or lack of them), and their new closeness leads to a romantic relationship. They have differing ideas about how romance “works” and, unlike other books, the hurdles they had to overcome felt evenly balanced. “We’re all hurting, Quinn. In different ways, some that we can treat with medication and therapy and some only with time. And some in ways that might never heal. Sometimes the good outweighs the bad. Sometimes those great times are so fucking great that they make the bad times a little easier to handle.” There’s quite a bit of rep in this book. From a mental health standpoint, Quinn has anxiety and OCD, which she treats with a combination of therapy and medication, and she talks about it a lot in the book. I thought her description of OCD was excellent and really helped me understand the thought process behind it. Tarek also had some mental health struggles, though they’re a bit spoilery, so all I’ll say is that I felt like it was handled well. Their discussions about their mental health are so honest and accepting and yes, please, more of this in YA, thanks. Quinn’s also Jewish, though her family isn’t particularly observant, but it’s something that’s woven into her family life, as is the fact that Tarek’s Muslim. Neither of their religions is a pain point, it’s just part of their identities, and I loved that. Overall, I very much enjoyed how sweet and fun this book was, along with the stellar mental health rep. I’ll definitely be picking up this author’s backlist! I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
"We're all hurting Quinn. In different ways, some that we can treat with medication and therapy and some only with time. And some in ways that might never heal. Sometimes the good outweighs the bad. Sometimes those great time4s are so F****** great that they make the bad times a little easier to handle. " I don't know what it is about pastel book covers... but they always surprised me when I open them up and they are full of depth, especially YA genre. This sweet book is full of raw emotion and information that made me go "wow I had no idea." WCKMLT was on my TBR because of these two teens finding a second chance romance but what I loved even more was the jewish and muslim culture references, the back stories and emphasis on what we "see" and reality of our families, understanding more about mental health, depression, and even OCD, and the power of friendships that often are the backbone to us all. Read if you like: - rom coms and a bit of pop culture references -mental health topics and awareness -young love and second chances -a YA adults can enjoy too -baklava -wedding scenes and all the planning -🏳️🌈❤️ -boys who believe in grand gestures Rating: Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Characters-⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Steam- "like a spicy margarita... a solid concoction with a bit of a KICK." Song: Lego House by Ed Sheeran
4.5 stars A big thank you to Simon and Schuster for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinions in any way. We Can’t Keep Meeting Like This is a fluffy, laugh-out-loud, feel good young adult contemporary that deals with heavy topics in the right way and shows tremendous character growth. Quinn comes from a family of wedding planners. She’s grown up looking at bridal gowns and extravagant cakes. But she doesn’t believe in true love. Dealing with anxiety and OCD, along with high expectations from her parents, she’s one of the most relatable characters I’ve ever seen and that just makes me root for her even more. She’s so caught up in her family business that playing the harp, the one thing she used to love, now no longer seems appealing to her. Then we have Tarek. He’s the son of the caterers Quinn’s parents work with and her best friend. That is, until he ghosts her for an entire year as he goes off to college after she sends him an email confessing her feelings for him. He’s dealing with depression and eczema (which I have to be honest, was a first for me in terms of representation). Unlike Quinn, he’s a big romantic and a sucker for grand gestures. They cross paths again and as expected, it leads to a lot of mutual pining and unexpected revelations. Both of them are working through their own hardships and seeing them come together and help each other was just so heartwarming. They talk about therapy and medication which I feel like are left out in so many novels even though they’re such a big part of dealing with anxiety and depression. Speaking of which, the representation was done splendidly and I loved how it played a huge part in Quinn’s self discovery. She’s feeling the pressure of going to college next year and the responsibility of handling her sister’s wedding and getting the idea of her experience with everything made the book so raw and enlightening. ”How do you convince yourself that it’s worth it?” I ask, voice shaking. “Even knowing it might end in disaster someday?” “You take a chance,” she says simply, like it really is that easy to close your eyes and leap. “And you hope the other person takes the same one.” And for readers who’ve read Rachel Lynn Solomon’s other books, there’s an amazing cameo that I just can’t stop gushing over! I was literally squealing from delight when I realised that two of my favourite characters made an appearance in this book. Overall, I’ve fallen in love with Rachel Lynn Solomon’s writing and this novel was everything I could have asked for in a light, fun contemporary!
Ugh so cute! Adorable contemporary romance. I really enjoyed the characters in this book. The beginning was a little hard for me to get Into and there were some parts where the writing got a bit confusing but overall I really enjoyed reading this . Tarek was such an incredible human 😍🍰💝 I’m excited to read more from this author
[1.5 stars] this felt like a cheap version of Normal People
what a lovely read! i absolutely adored this story and it definitely reminded me how little i read stories about jewish MCs. it was fun and fluffy and had showcased some lovely jewish wedding traditions. i absolutely adored seeing the inclusion of queer jewish identities in such a casual manner. it's always wonderful to see yourself represented in books. and seeing the growth of quinn and tarek's relationship and their ability to communicate openly with each other was lovely. i definitely need to check out more of solomon's works!
The standout aspect of this book was definitely the mental health rep. It was handled so well and felt very authentic, one of the best representations of anxiety I've read so far. TWs: death of a grandparent, underage drinking, discussions of mental health (OCD, anxiety, depression), medication for mental health, separation
We Can’t Keep Meeting Like This is many things; it’s funny, it’s charming, it’s a love letter to rom coms and wedding season and Seattle, but what truly makes it shine — and what has cemented it on my favorites list — is its exploration of breaking away from predetermined paths, standing up for yourself, and its honest mental health representation. full review here
The wedding industry is insane and making decisions outside of set expectations is hard. "Sometimes the world is terrible, and love stories... they make it feel less heavy."
I really enjoyed this read. I overall like it. I think i still preferred the structure and characters of Today, Tonight Tommrow. I also sometimes struggled to be in quinn head. I thought this representation of anxiety and depression for both quinn and her lead were super compelling. I also really loved the wedding business being the center of this read!. I also loved how this book featured a flash from the past romance. Like her previous book, this novel is also very sex positive. Lack of communication is major factor in this read both with her parents and her future carrer path and sometimes it frustrated me a tad. I also really liked the presence of creative careers at the heart of the read and also the focus on sisters realtionships. A super fun read for the summer
This was one of my most anticipated reads... And to say that it's a two star was really hard for me. The mc just got on my nerves a bit (just acted too much like a horny teen 😤). But I did really like how Rachel Lynn Solomon had the main characters with OCD and depression and talks about it in a great way. Just overall this book was not for me 😭
Highlights
I chance a step forward, keeping a very safe few feet separating us. “Hi.” My heart does this infuriating beat-skipping thing in my chest that I decide to attribute to the wasps. They are terrifying, powerful creatures. “We can’t keep meeting like this.” “You’re the one who followed me here.” He steps closer, something small clasped in his hand. “So I did.” The sweet, earthy scent of him blends with the trees and the flowers and the summer air, and for a moment I think I might need to lie down. Just right here in the dirt.
😩✋
I blink up at him, trying to seem as innocent as possible. “So college didn’t change you at all. You’re still the sappiest person I know.” His mouth twitches, his eyes bright. This. This is the Tarek I recognize. “While I don’t take offense at the word ‘sappy,’ I prefer a word like… sentimental. Dare I say… romantic.” He says it with an overly cartoonish lift of his eyebrows, knowing how much I hate it. “Having strangers in your wedding photos is extremely romantic. Can’t argue with you there.” “It’s not about the photos,” he says. “It’s about—okay, you see everyone here? They all came because they wanted to celebrate Josh and Graham.” “Or they wanted the free food.” “Such a cynic.” “Thank you.” “It breaks my heart, honestly, all the great things you can’t appreciate. I still can’t understand how you don’t think the ending of Sleepless in Seattle is romantic,” he says, resurrecting one of our old arguments.
On shut up Tarek.
“Plus, it’ll be similar to what you’ll be doing in a few years anyway. Might as well get a sneak peek.” She says this like it’s some gift they’re giving me. Like I should be thanking them. “It’s my last summer before college,” I say quietly. I’m already booked for six weddings with two new songs to learn. Mom doesn’t even acknowledge this. “We’ve been flexible with your schedule in the past. You know how much the clients love that this is a family business. It’s one of the reasons they pick us over other firms with more experience.” “And how can you resist working with your favorite people?” Dad says with a wink. No is not an option. They’re not asking me to do this—they’re telling me this is what I’m doing.
Parents…
He believed epic, sweeping gestures were the epitome of romance. If he wasn’t babbling to me about his latest flashy display, he was posting about it, interspersed with couple photos that were so clearly staged but inspired comments like wow otp and omg you two are the CUTEST. Meanwhile, I did… things I definitely wasn’t posting about on Instagram. This was what we bickered about: romantic gestures, the very thing keeping our parents in business. Everything Tarek did felt fake, performative, bordering on intrusive. He’d insist he only planned a gesture when he was already in a relationship or when he was certain the other person would be open to it, but I couldn’t imagine the pressure of being on the receiving end of something like that. It wasn’t jealousy. I swear.
Quinn and I are besties lmao.
The boy I used to know slouched when he walked, a side effect of a too-early growth spurt, and tugged on his long sleeves to hide the eczema I knew embarrassed him. Sometimes he even skipped weddings because of it. He’s not feeling his best today, one of his parents would say when I asked where he was. Maybe it’s cliché to think this, but he looks so adult now. There’s a confident edge to his shoulders he didn’t have before, a new definition in his jaw. Like he “figured himself out” in college, the way people always say they’re going to do. The thought of it makes me suddenly, painfully jealous, an ache that settles beneath my ribs, pulses next to my heart. He runs a hand over his face, drawing my attention to the scruff there. Oh yes. That too.
Damn 😳😩
It takes only a few minutes for my body to surrender to the allergic reaction. My lips swell and a rash climbs up my arms and neck and then I am being buckled into the passenger seat of Tarek Mansour’s car. “I’m so sorry,” he says for the twelfth time. Asher was ready to drive me to the hospital before my mom insisted she couldn’t lose both of us, and there was Tarek, keys dangling from his index finger, concern slanting his dark brows. It’s been years since I had an allergic reaction, mainly because I don’t encounter mangos very often. It’s not severe enough to trigger anaphylaxis—and my mom has an EpiPen in her emergency kit anyway—but because it’s been so long, my parents insisted I go to the hospital. Just to be sure, they said. “Not your fault.” My tongue is swollen, so I have to force out the words. “Although I don’t know why you’d put mango on a cheese plate.” “It actually goes quite well with creamy cheeses,” Tarek says. “Mango has the right amount of acidity to balance out the—” He breaks off, shaking his head. “Sorry, that’s probably not helpful right now.” “Not really.”
This is pure comedy to me 😭😭
The first thing my eyes land on is the tray of hors d’oeuvres on the counter next to me. So I grab a tiny cube of cheese and stuff it into my mouth. “Quinn,” Asher says, voice pitched with worry, and before she finishes her sentence, I realize what I’m chewing is not the savory, cheesy goodness I was expecting. It’s tart. Too tart to be cheese. “That’s a mango.”
💀💀
Maybe I can go around back. Maybe I can slip outside before he sees me. I have to slip outside before he sees me, before— “Quinn?” That voice. It’s a time machine of familiar longing, tugging me back to the weddings our families worked together, the days we spent stealing sweets off caterers’ trays. The nights we spent in some of the loveliest places in the Seattle area, the scenery playing tricks on me, turning a childhood crush into something heavier. The email I sent last September, hazy with the end-of-summer blues, confessing my feelings to him. The email he never answered. Tarek Mansour is staring right at me, black tie loose around his neck, vest half-buttoned. The pleats in his slacks are crisp, like they’ve been freshly ironed. His eyelashes are long and his hair is longer and my lungs are tight, tight, tight.
🫠
The harp is the kind of instrument usually associated with old ladies or baby angels in Renaissance art who are all dead behind the eyes. I learned from my grandma, who played at weddings and retirement homes and babysat me when my parents were busy building their business. Her music was the only thing that could lull me to sleep. That evolved into spending hours upon hours watching her as I grew older, and as soon as my coordination skills caught up with my fascination, she started teaching me with a child-sized 22-string.
The harp is one of those instruments that’ll always capture your attention.
“Don’t talk to me about shoulder pads. I’m still recovering from Tiffany Schumacher’s wedding, and that was five years ago.”
I’m a simple girl. I see the surname Schumacher and I immediately think of F1 🥹
I’ve never known someone who draws so much energy from the chaos around them. Mom’s suit is pressed, not a hair in her bun out of place, her cat-eye glasses making her look somehow both retro-cool and fifteen years younger. Asher is her carbon copy, already leaping into action across the room, plugging in the steamer and holding it up to the first mauve bridesmaid dress, a chic Grecian halter with a floor-length skirt. They’re often mistaken for sisters, so it makes sense that she followed in Mom’s footsteps, studying business and officially joining Borrowed + Blue after graduating college three years ago.
Yeah, this is gonna suck for you Quinn.
As my mom always says, we’re in the business of the most important day of people’s lives. Nothing less than our best—that’s her motto.
And what if your best is not good for the rest?
“This is going to be the worst part. You’re in the thick of it now, but it’s going to get better. And hey—you finally did it. You ripped off the Band-Aid.” “I just have to hope the wound doesn’t get infected.” He cracks a smile at that. “Not sure how much longer we’re going with this metaphor, but hey, even if it does, I’ll get you some antiseptic.”
I once had a convo like this with a boy. Easiest convo ever and shit, I miss stuff like that. But I never want to talk to a guy again lol.
“Okay. Things I like about Quinn Berkowitz. You have a fantastic sense of humor. I can open up to you in a way I haven’t been able to with anyone else. You care about your family, which is why it’s been so difficult for you to decide what to do about B+B. You’re brave, even if you think you’re not. And…” A flick of one eyebrow. “You’re sexy as hell.” RIP me.
😳🙄😙❤️🔥
I pull his face down to mine, kissing him for the first time today. I breathe him in, his laundry-fresh scent and the spices from the food. “Are the dogs on your dress wearing hats?” he asks against my mouth, biting at my lower lip.
Bye, the biting 😩🦋