Rachel Winters

Can you fall in love like they do in the movies? It's Evie Summers's job to find out. Because if she can't convince her film agency's biggest client, Ezra Chester, to write the romantic-comedy screenplay he owes producers, her career will be over. The catch? He thinks rom-coms are unrealistic--and he'll only put pen to paper if Evie shows him that it's possible to meet a man in real life the way it happens on the big screen. Cynical Evie might not believe in happily ever after, but she'll do what it takes to save the job that's been her lifeline . . . even if it means reenacting iconic rom-com scenes in public. Spilling orange juice on a cute stranger? No problem. Leaving her number in books all over London to see who calls? Done. With a little help from her well-meaning friends--and Ben and Anette, the adorable father-daughter duo who keep witnessing her humiliations--Evie is determined to prove she can meet a man the way Sally met Harry. But can a workaholic who's given up on love find a meet-cute of her very own?

Would Like to Meet

Ena Kalkan

i inhaled this book. the ending is actually pretty unpredictable! at some point, i honestly had no idea who evie would end up with. although it seems pretty clear who would be better suited for her as the story goes on. being said, who evie does end up with is very satisfying!

also! evie's bffs are an absolute riot and i genuinely laughed out loud reading their text messages to each other in the JEMS group chat.

Julie Burszan 

Petaco

To be quite honest I am a bit on the fence with this book. I did like it in the beginning, but I have a HUGE dislike for love triangles. I also do not like books where the love interest is unclear. It makes me think that the love will not last if the person can't get their feelings together. 

I think the friend group needed to hash out a few more things. They seemed really close in some respects but in others they did not. I think what happened at the wedding was awful! And forgiveness came too quickly. How selfish and what a way to ruin a friends' day.

Evie Summers has been working as the assistant for a prominent Hollywood agent ever since she gave up on being a writer.  Her biggest challenge is Oscar winning writer Ezra Chester who has been assigned to write a rom-com, which is not his forte.  Evie and her friends began to call him NOB when she finds that he hasn't even begun to write the script.  So to give him incentive, she makes a deal to involve herself in as many meet cutes as possible and report them to him.  When she encounters Ben and his daughter for the first time at a local coffee shop, they are witness to a disastrous meet cute.

Would Like to Meet is an enjoyable women's fiction story that includes romantic elements.  The character of Evie is well developed, but others are not.  So much of the story has to do with Evie's struggles with Ezra, that it's difficult to connect with the rest of the characters and the romance. However, the many meet cutes in the story are humorous and entertaining, but would have been far more effective if they had all been directly related to the romance.  One strength of the novel is that each chapter begins with a script style opening to parallel the script being written in the story.  Overall, Would Like to Meet is a fairly average women's fiction novel that had potential to be so much more.

Lynn Braden

Evie Summers has been working as the assistant for a prominent Hollywood agent ever since she gave up on being a writer.  Her biggest challenge is Oscar winning writer Ezra Chester who has been assigned to write a rom-com, which is not his forte.  Evie and her friends began to call him NOB when she finds that he hasn't even begun to write the script.  So to give him incentive, she makes a deal to involve herself in as many meet cutes as possible and report them to him.  When she encounters Ben and his daughter for the first time at a local coffee shop, they are witness to a disastrous meet cute.

Would Like to Meet is an enjoyable women's fiction story that includes romantic elements.  The character of Evie is well developed, but others are not.  So much of the story has to do with Evie's struggles with Ezra, that it's difficult to connect with the rest of the characters and the romance. However, the many meet cutes in the story are humorous and entertaining, but would have been far more effective if they had all been directly related to the romance.  One strength of the novel is that each chapter begins with a script style opening to parallel the script being written in the story.  Overall, Would Like to Meet is a fairly average women's fiction novel that had potential to be so much more.

Faith Kitowski

eh it was fine. i’m gonna be honest i didn’t know who the love interest was until like halfway through the book

Joana da Silva

THIS WAS SO CUTE. I loved this book to pieces. It kept me on my toes rooting for Evie's meet cutes. Everybody who's into rom-coms loves a good meet cute, imagine getting all of them in a book. Cute, romantic and extremely funny. *Sighs like her life depends on it*. Rachel Winters, will you please write my life?

Elaina 

This book felt like a holiday romance even though it wasn’t. It was easy to read and I loved the ending. It had me smiling so big at the pages.

Rachel Kanyid

This is the first rom-com I have adored in a long time! I really enjoyed how clean and sweet this was from start to finish!

lindsey

idk how this book managed to feel so long despite it being only 350 pages idk it just didn't work for me and i'm upset 😭

Sheena

Rating: ★★☆☆☆ (2/5 Stars)
Title: Would Like to Meet
Author(s): Rachel Winters
Character(s): 
― Evelyn "Evie" Summers: 29 years old, Red, 
― Ezra Chester: 33 years old, Blonde, Blue Eyed
― Ben Williams: Black, Brown Eyed
Setting: London, New England
Tag(s): Romance, Contemporary 
Content Rating: PG
POV: First Person (Heroine)
Smexy Level: Subtle
Favorite Quote(s): 
― "Evie, don’t you dare back out now. Go get your Hugh Grant."
― “Whatever you write, Evie, ‘Make it mean something.’”
Overall Opinion:
I wanted to like this. I really did but for whatever reason it just fell flat. It was missing that spark to really connected me with the storyline and toward half way through the book, I found myself skimming far more pages than I would've liked too. Besides Ben, Anette, and Evie friends I was not a big fan Evie or Erza (for obvious reasons) nor did I like how Erza story concluded. I don't know, but it was just blah. You know? This novel had so much potential that I am somewhat disappointed with the end result.

I never really liked NOB he was 2-faced and did everything for fame

Ben and Rosaly are the best father daughter dynamic I have read

They were always trying to be there for her.

I really liked how they did the meet-cutes and that she tried almost every meet-cute but what she was searching for was right under her nose.

Eslie

I liked this book, it was really great.

I never really liked NOB he was 2-faced and did everything for fame

Ben and Rosaly are the best father daughter dynamic I have read

They were always trying to be there for her.

I really liked how they did the meet-cutes and that she tried almost every meet-cute but what she was searching for was right under her nose.



Nicki 

This was the perfect light-hearted rom-com that I needed at the moment! After just finishing up a heavy, emotional book, I was looking for a cute, quick read and Would Like to Meet was definitely that. I felt like all the characters truly added something to the story, and I loved them all. Well, except for a few that I ended up disliking much more than initially expected. Evie’s friend group was hilarious, and Ben and Annette were adorable and heart-warming. While the direction of the story seemed a little messy at the start, I loved the unexpected turns it took at the end. I would love to read more from Rachel Winters in the future!

Liz Carpenter

Cute, but by the 20% mark I had mostly started skimming.

Robin Sturm

When I was halfway through this I was thinking that I liked how the love triangle was loose enough that I could get into it going either way. Unfortunately after I said that the story did a 180, which was disappointing. 

This was a fun enough read but I would like for romantic comedy send-up novels to reign in the references a little. I think your readers will understand where you're coming from without listing every romcom film that you like.

I had a couple of nitpicky problems with the way literary agents were written and the business side of the industry, but I did my best to put them aside.

Sofie

Okay. Put down the books you are currently reading. Do it. I'll wait.

Okay? 

nOW PICK THIS UP. AND READ IT. BECAUSE MORE PEOPLE NEED TO AND I NEED TO TALK ABOUT IT WITH SOMEONE.

_____________

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ EASIEST 5 STAR OF 2021

This book is NAUSEATINGLY CUTE. I am TRASH for it. Usually I hate when books drag on, but I DID NOT WANT THIS TO END. 

God, did I laugh. I cried. I had to take a few breathers because of how heart-hiccupy this made me feel. I.... am overjoyed.

Spoilers ahead (but hidden) so let's TALK ABOUT IT.

Evie. Spectacular. Unapologetically her. Brave, funny, kind, and basically everything I aspire to be. She was such a rich, complex character, with her own insecurities and tragic histories and self-doubt, and I loved her for every bit of it.

The story. WOW. I haven't read anything so heart-wrenchingly adorable in a LONG time. Usually I would only care about the romance and would give little attention to any b or c-plot, but I COULD NOT get enough of this. Her meet-cutes. Her writing. Her friends. I literally loved (very nearly) every word of this book. Every page. 

Based on the blurb, I truly thought (view spoiler)[ this was going to be an enemies-to-lovers book about Evie and Ezra. And I was HERE for it. And for the first half of the book, I had little suspicion. I thought, 'oh, a love triangle, okay'. And I was torn between Ezra and Ben because Ezra was, like, witty. And Cute. And sarcastic. of course, halfway through, I had my suspicions of his real intentions (and i was right) but like, I didn't even CARE that it was kind of predictable.  (hide spoiler)]I could not read this fast enough. I HAD to know what happened. I HAD TO KNOW.

And then, of course, (view spoiler)[ Ben is a-fucking-dorable. And Anette was also a-fucking-dorable. And the three of them were A-FUCKING-DORABLE. Did I roll my eyes at Evie's OBVIOUS blindness to Ben? Hell yes. but I loved her all the more for it. And I loved him. His secret pining. Oh, how I go SOFT at the knees for secret pining. Even NOB surprised me in the end. Good for you, NOB, not being a complete NOB for once. (hide spoiler)]

My ONLY complaint (and this is the true romantic in me) was that the actual (view spoiler)[ kissing scenes (hide spoiler)] were too brief. Not an afterthought exactly, but never as truly satisfying as my heart desired. My butthole clenched in anticipation. And then... meh. Wrapped up in a sentence. Next chapter. NO, WINTERS. GIVE ME THE JUICY BITS. I NEED THEM. I will also admit i was expecting (view spoiler)[ a bit of smut, considering the norm of the NA romance genre, but I honestly wasn't missing it (too much). And.......... tbh I was like, the TINIEST bit disappointed in that epilogue. Was a little on-the-nose. BUT I WILL FORGIVE.  (hide spoiler)] This book is dang cute.

All the stars. All of them. Even if I'm tempting to take one off because of how LONELY I FEEL NOW.

Laura Yaneth Martinez

Aghhh so GOOD!!! I’m so happy I took a chance on this. I was literally about to DNF it- I wasn’t feeling the cover (it seemed too generic & trendy) & I checked the reviews & didn’t see much hype but thank godddd I ignored all that & I just read because I LOVED IT . It’s such a cute story & honestly not predictable. I need this to be a movie. I’ll eat it up. I’ve been needing good rom coms and this is it!! I fell in love. Im a slow burn type of reader that loves sincerity in the story & this gave me it

Esther

It is a truth universally acknowledged that the moment the words “What’s the worst that can happen?” are uttered, a dozen possibilities pop into existence.

Ariel Duke

This book was refreshing, though cliche but that was kind of the point. Once I started reading, it was hard to put the book down. Rachel Winters' writing style was expressive and easy to fall into. She created characters that were easy to become invested in and honestly root for. I called the ending about half way through the book and every interaction after that had me silent screaming at the book and wanting a resolution already. When that resolution finally happened, I was relieved and so happy, not to mention swooning over the way it happened. 

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a light hearted read.

Heather Harrington

**I received a copy of this from the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

Evie Summers is in a rut. After spending the last seven years as an assistant at a film agency, the now 29-year old wants more. There's a few problems standing in the way of Evie's much deserved promotion: 1. The agency she's been basically running by herself is going under, 2. The only way she can save it is by getting the arrogant screenwriter, Ezra Chester, to finally finish the romantic comedy screenplay he's been contracted to write. A bit of a cynic with writer's block to boot, Ezra only agrees to start writing again if Evie can prove to him people can actually fall in love like they do in the movies. Desperate to save her agency, Evie sets out to find her own meet cute.

From spilling drinks on unsuspecting cafe patrons, to planning the perfect Holiday-esque romance, Evie is determined to try anything to inspire Ezra to write, no matter how humiliating it is for her. Along the way, she meets a father and daughter duo who always seems to be around during her most embarrassing moments, but who will help her open her eyes to what really matters most.

This was such a cute and quick read. It was fun to see Evie play out these famous rom-com moments, and even funnier to see how disastrous they tend to turn out. Evie wasn't the perfect leading character; she was insecure, not always the best friend, and selfish at times, but I think that all made her a bit more real and relatable. I really enjoyed Ben and Annette, the little family Evie meets at the coffee shop. Although, it did annoy me slightly that Annette is supposed to be 7, but the way she was written made her seem way more mature and it just didn't always feel believable. There was an almost love triangle brewing, and there's a moment when you think Evie will go one way, and I was so happy when that didn't pan out. All in all, I didn't find any major moments that really blew me away, but it was cute for what it was.

Emily C Peterson

Amy Arthun Lorton 

I adored this book! I listened to it, and the narrator’s accent is so thick that I needed to focus on it in the beginning, but I wasn’t focusing. There were a lot of characters introduced in the beginning, so I was a little confused. Because of these things, about halfway through I needed to go back and re-listen to a lot of it. I think for me, it may have been better to have read the physical book so I could easily go back. Despite that, I liked the narrator, and I loved this book when I wasn’t focused, and loved it even more when I was. I will buy the hard copy AND I’m sure will listen to it again! ❤️

Alyssa Jacunski

I was seeing this book everywhere on the internet and the premise sparked my interest. Naturally, I had to get it from my library. 

I felt like this book started off a little slow, if I'm honest. It took a bit for me to get into it, however, once it picked it, it went for it. We follow Evie, who is an assistant to a screenwriter agent. She does everything to bail the agent out of trouble. This includes striking a deal with Ezra, an self-absorbed and narcissistic writer, who is meant to be delivering a script for an upcoming romantic comedy. If Evie can recreate meet cutes and prove they're real and deliver (in writing) the stories, Ezra will write the script. 

At first, I felt that Evie wasn't standing up for herself and what she was truly capable of. However, she turned out to be a fabulous character that is equally as flawed as any human. She has arguments with her friends, she sometimes puts herself first and messes things up. She yells and cries and felt real. 

The rest of the characters, while important, are best learning about and encountering on your own, not through a review. 

Overall, this was a fun read with a great main character. I highly recommend this if you're looking for a contemporary romance to read.

Jessica 

(3.5 stars) Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Review can be found here at Booked J. 


  As always, a copy of this book was provided by the publisher or author in exchange for my honest review. This does not effect my opinion in any way.


Would Like to Meet is what rom-com dreams are made of and I thoroughly enjoyed it for all that it was. Not that this is surprising--the premise alone soothes my very soul by engulfing itself with all the romantic comedy tropes I love. The moment I read the synopsis, I was like, yes, give me all the cynical and "I don't believe in happily ever afters" and give them one!! (Seriously, it's SUCH a weakness at this point. I'd be embarrassed but, well, you know, no shame.) 

Add in the setting and all the potential it has for cute and hilarious rom-com hijinks, and you've got the definite combination for something to make you feel all warm and fuzzy. And in this day and age? As we near the winter season? We definitely need a little more of that! Would Like to Meet has the effect of all your favourite rom-coms, whether that be literary or on screen, and will leave you feeling like smiling is all you can do. 

One thing I noticed about Rachel Winters' writing is that it's warm and cozy and SO easy to slip into. I picked my ARC of this novel, intending to read a few chapters, but before I knew it I was breezing into about half of the book in little to no time. What makes this book so nice to focus solely on is entirely in the characters and how they got about their days. 

It felt a little predictably familiar at times, and I definitely felt like I knew what was going to happen for the vast majority of the novel, but it was not unlike having a night in with an old, reliable friend. Would Like to Meet made me smile and laugh, swoon and scoff, dance around a little bit (okay, maybe not quite true but it did energize me and make me want to dance). It's kind of impossible not to like Would Like to Meet, because it's just so dang charming and feels classic in its rom-com nature. 

I really enjoyed getting to know Evie and Ezra; their world, and seeing how they develop as the story goes. I didn't think I would like the concept as much as I did, but there's definitely a lot of great to this story and really and truly left me feeling buzzed with feelings. 

The romance, the bonds, the character development and meet-cutes of Would Like to Meet will surely charm its way into the hearts, and shelves, of many readers. It definitely did for me. You can't go wrong with such a sweet little gem and I promise you, this is a must-read for the romantic at heart. An instant mood booster, Would Like to Meet is a truly delightful novel.

Kaylee Z

3.5*

If you are a fan of rom-com films of the 90’s and early 2000’s, boy is this going to be a winner for you!

For some reason, 2019 included a lot of contemporary reads for me. I am not generally one to enjoy something outside of the fantasy or historical fiction genres but the number of fluffy contemporary romances certainly increased on my shelves. I was surprised to see that I had missed out on this particular book late last year but very happy I picked it up in February.

I have always had a soft spot for romantic comedies and regularly rewatch some of my favourites - such as Serendipity, You’ve Got Mail, The Holiday and Kate & Leopold along with many, many more. I am fully aware that these aren’t earth shatteringly stunning works of art, but I find a happiness in them. Much like I found with this book. Much like, our lead, Evie does. I immediately found a connection with the character of Evie, her drive, her passion for writing, the trials she has faced… I just wish that I had her gumption and boldness.

Rachel Winters has managed to tell a story that is both relateable and over the top. It truly is a love letter to the rom-com. I enjoyed the way the story unfolded and I was second-guessing who the true love interest would be for the first quarter of the story but quickly had a favourite and settled in to see what happened. Each of the characters had such a clear voice and opinion in a way that you wouldn’t normally expect of this genre. It is also nice to see a familial element that is not generally used but was done so perfectly. 

I will say, I was profoundly grateful that while most leading ladies in rom-coms make the most ridiculous decisions or could make their lives so much easier for themselves if the just did this One Simple Thing, I did not feel the need to hit Evie upside the head. And that is a big plus for me. Her motives and reasoning were always clear to me even when I (as the reader) could see another avenue, the fact that she did or didn’t do something made entire sense.

The movie references added perfectly to the inspiration of each of Evie’s meet-cutes and you can tell that Rachel Winters is a true rom-com fan. I also cannot help but mention how great it is that Winters took inspiration from a typically ‘down moment’ in her life and turned it into such an uplifting and fun story.

While I do not want to give away the ending, I will admit I was over the moon happy about it and certainly has me wanting to follow Anette’s advice to Be Like Evie. 

Who knows, maybe I will continue my foray into contemporary fiction this year. It’s nice to have a break from heavy fantasy or dense historical fiction… which I guess is partially the point of the genre, in film or literature, according to Evie.

Would Like to Meet

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