A review by alilbitofmonica
Till There Was You by Lindsay Hameroff

  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

I cannot contain my overwhelming obsession with this book. Every step of the way, I was fully engrossed in the story, absolutely in love with the characters, and completely anxious over what would happen to them in this book.
Not to mention the fact that this was debut?? Call me a fan because I will be looking eagerly for her next book!!

I was so enamored by this story that I am sure I inevitably glossed over minor errors or inconsistencies but it's because this story was so captivating that I simply didn't care. Was this perfect by everyone's standards? No. But was it perfect for my standards? YES.

The following thoughts will be semi coherent screaming because I am completely in love with this book. But they will be spoiler free thoughts:
- I was, with no exaggeration whatsoever, laying on my floor kicking my feet while reading this book. I was squealing and texting my friend in all caps over how much I was loving reading this.
- Lexi was completely relatable - minus the stellar cooking skills of which I have none - which made her so fun to read about, knowing that she was making genuinely believable life choices and facing consequences of those choices.
- Jake is perfect? I got to the end of a romcom and didn't utterly despise the lead... I'm as shocked as you are!
- A chef and a celebrity singer?? I needed it and now that I have it I want to treasure it forever.
- This was basically the plot of every celebrity fanfiction ever, but did that take away from how much I was obsessed? Not one bit.
- This book was so tastefully romantic. The spice was so very minimal and I loved it. I can't say it was necessarily closed door, but I would say the door is only cracked open.
- The romantic scenes were beautiful and I could not get over how thoughtful both Lexi and Jake were. They had genuinely meaningful conversations and for much of the book, they actually communicated well to avoid pointless drama (a breath of fresh air for romcoms honestly)
- THE POP CULTURE REFERENCES!!! I could not stop squealing at how every reference felt somehow personally tailored to me individually - Twilight, Broadway, Les Mis, Golden Girls, Titanic, The Price is Right, and THE BACKSTREET BOYS?? Literally could not have written a book that was better suited to me as a person. (Did I accidentally write this book somehow??)

Was this perfect by everyone's standards? No. But was it perfect for my standards? YES.