Romance Review: By Any Other Name

Summary: This wasn’t particularly unique or substantive, but it was exactly the sort of heartwarming, bookish, sweet romance I was looking for.

This is the first romance I’ve ever been offered a review copy for and I was really excited for the bookish premise. Our protagonist, Lanie, is an editor whose expectations for love were shaped by author Noa Calloway’s romance novels. Her fiancé checks off every item on her list of 99 things she wanted in a romance, inspired by the first Calloway book she read. She works as an assistant editor who gets to edit Noa Calloway’s books – her dream job. But – to quote the book blurb – “there’s a reason no one has ever seen or spoken to the mysterious Noa Calloway. And that reason will rock Lanie’s world. It will call into question everything she thought she knew. When she finally tosses her ninety-nine expectations to the wind, Lanie may just discover that love By Any Other Name can still be as sweet.”

This paragraph will include some light spoilers that I think are obvious very early in the book, some even from the book blurb I quoted. This is a filler sentence to give you time to skip to the next paragraph and avoid the spoilers if you prefer. Maybe a little more filler, just in case. Okay, so obviously Noa(h) turns out to be a guy. A hot guy. Obviously, our main character will realize her fiancé isn’t right for her and fall for Noah. I was concerned about the amount of overlap there would be between her two relationships, but the pacing was managed such that I felt like our protagonist was someone I could root for. No having an emotional affair in this one. I also appreciated that the author didn’t portray the fiancé as a monster. I feel like sometimes when an author wants us to be on board with someone cheating or breaking up, they portray the significant other as such a jerk that its hard to understand why someone would have dated them in the first place. Here we have a more reasonable relationship, with ups and downs, but also some fundamental incompatibilities that clearly need to be addressed.

This book was a bit predictable and there were a few serendipitous happenings that were too unbelievable and too saccharine for me. It also felt light compared to the Jasmine Guillory romances I’ve reading. It doesn’t address any big issues and the main couple don’t work through any particularly difficult challenges. I’d also give is a spiciness level of zero – even the kissing is mostly imagined. This was really lovely and romantic though. There were several places in both the ‘real’ story and Noa’s book within the story that made me tear up. The relationship was built convincingly, with our romantic leads having had a long time to get to know each other via email correspondence before they met. They’re also each able to rely on each other through tough life events. Lanie was a lovely protagonist. The author did a great job using the single perspective in this romance to give us time to get to know Lanie’s friends, family, and corworkers. Her grandmother was particularly delightful, but her supportive, funny, reliable friends were a close second in my affections. The author also wrote about the publishing world and the romance community convincingly. Little details made everything about Lanie’s love for books and her job feel real.

So, this didn’t feel substantive or especially unique, but it did give me that heartwarming feelings I’m looking for in a romance. The main character, the side characters, and the relationship were well developed. There were several really sweet moments that made me happy and teary-eyed. It was exactly the light, happy read I was looking for and I definitely recommend it if you’re looking for a cozy read to get you through a tough day.

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