What happens when your life is a rom-com . . . but you don’t even believe in true love?Chloe Sanderson is an optimist, and not because her life is easy. As the sole caregiver for her father, who has early-onset Alzheimer’s, she’s pretty much responsible for everything. She has no time—or interest—in getting swept up in some dazzling romance. Not like her best friend, Annie, who literally wrote a … literally wrote a rom-com that’s about to premiere in theaters across America . . . and happens to be inspired by Chloe and her cute but no-nonsense boss, Nick Velez.
As the buzz for the movie grows, Chloe reads one too many listicles about why Nick is the perfect man, and now she can’t see him as anything but Reason #4: The scruffy-bearded hunk who’s always there when you need him. But unlike the romance Annie has written for them, Chloe isn’t so sure her own story will end in a happily-ever-after.
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4.5 stars
First off, this book is the sequel to Waiting for Tom Hanks. I liked Chloe in WFTH, but Chloe wasn’t easy to love in the beginning of NLTM. She annoyed me because she kept going on about all her responsibilities and it became a bit whiny. However, as we got to know her more, her self-reliance and avoidance for commitment became understandable. It was still hard to watch her push Nick away and treat him the way she did because Nick (swoon) is such a great guy. While Drew (WFTH) is a movie star, Nick is the guy down the street who runs the coffee shop. Someone in the buddy read mentioned that Nick reminded her of Luke from Gilmore Girls. He’s loyal, has great banter, kinda quiet, but yet a total sweetheart when it comes to the one girl he wants. The book has some great side characters. We get more of Gary and his funny comments, but we also meet Nick’s “bros” and they add some more humor and give us a peek into Nick’s life. And Mikey Danger…well he’s a lot. As Chloe takes care of her father and figures out how to deal with her brother, we see her struggle with the family dynamics. Waiting for Tom Hanks was more of a “cute but a little cheesy” rom-com. Not Like the Movies wasn’t so simple on it’s journey to the HEA. It still has the cute banter, the “only in the movies” situations that make you laugh, and even a grand gesture but it doesn’t go the way you expect from a typical rom-com. Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to a friend and anxiously wait to hear their thoughts on Nick.
If you loved Waiting for Tom Hanks, this friends/coworkers to lovers rom-com is the bighearted, scrumptious, and sweet romp or you need. Everything about Nick and Chloe’s heartwarming romance is unassuming and witty. I wanted a smidge more heat, but I loved it anyway.
This was a great sequel to Waiting for Tom Hanks! It was such an easy, fun read. I love books with multiple viewpoints, so my only complaint is I wish we heard more from Nick and his thoughts!! I hope there is a third book!
I smiled, giggled and laughed during the story even while the main character, Chloe, cried during her journey. The pop culture references had me playing tunes while reading. I will read more by this author!
I had no problem reading this book as a stand alone as I had not read Waiting for Tom Hanks (Annie’s story).
In this book we follow Chloe from Waiting For Tom Hanks and her friend Annie just made it big making a RomCom movie about Chloe and her boss Nick.
Chloe has been denying it for years but no matter how much she denies it there is no doubt chemistry between her and Nick but she doesn’t have time for love and pfft true love Ha!
Ok so I LOVED Waiting For Tom Hanks but this one I don’t know I enjoyed it but it was an ehh read for me. I didn’t really like Chloe all that much and so it was kinda hard being sympathetic towards her. I found that some of her decisions were just plan shake my head worthy.
That being said I’m always down for a grumpy cute cafe owner and in that part this book did not disappoint!
I also loved at the end that the first book was tied in so much!
Don’t you just hate it when your BFF is a rom-com writer and she writes a movie about you and your hottie boss? Yeah, me neither. I thought this book was really charming and fun, and besides — what’s not to love about your BFF meddling in your love life?
I smiled my way through this whole book. I really loved Nick, a lot. A lot a lot. He was the perfect swoony hero.
I felt for Chloe so much in this book. She had so much on her plate and she needed a break so badly. During the whole book, as well as the last book, you could feel the tension between her and Nick but she just didn’t think she had time for anything else on her plate. She runs herself ragged and doesn’t let anyone help her. It is clear that she has a hard time letting go, but she is making herself sick by being the hero all the time.
Nick is her boss and she doesn’t want to mix business with pleasure and not only that, she doesn’t have time for a relationship in her life. You can tell that Nick has eyes only for her and you are just waiting for her to wake up and realize it.
This book felt a little like the Hating Game with the hero sitting back and waiting for the heroine to see what is right in front of her. Nick is a perfect book boyfriend but Chloe fought it so much that it got to be a little exhausting for me. Overall I enjoyed this one and it was a great follow up to the last book.
Not Like the Movies is a continuation of Waiting for Tom Hanks and is just like a rom-com movie. Chloe is the angsty heroine with a world of problems and Nick is the hunky, somber hero that we all root for.
Chloe may have been my favorite character in WFTH. She was whip-funny (is that a term or did I just make it up?), sarcastic, snarky, and a solid, dependable friend to Annie. In NLTM, Chloe is not positive. She’s scattered and self-reliant. She doesn’t want anyone’s help and doesn’t recognize the good things that some people do for her, specifically Uncle Don, Annie, and Nick. Granted, Annie is not an ideal friend in the pursuit of her career dreams; however, Chloe doesn’t refuse Annie anything to Chloe’s own detriment.
I think Chloe is a hard character to want to love for the majority of this book. She is so caught up in her own troubles and pushes people away. I kept hoping that she would take her positive performance that she hides behind and apply it to her outlook on her life.
The ending may have been a tad abrupt but tied all of the loose ends up satisfactorily. I loved the secondary characters so much and Kerry’s constant witty turn of phrase guaranteed my enjoyment. Well, that, and I love a book that makes me hungry. Chloe’s treats and pies sound amazing!
Kerry Winfrey is now officially on my auto-buy author list.
Her previous novel, Waiting for Tom Hanks, was a recommendation from my local book seller. It will always be special to me because the store closed shortly afterwards. I read and really enjoyed that book. It was sweet and really fun.
I went into this story expecting more or less the same feeling, and honestly it was SO much more. The level of emotion of Chloe’s life had me crying a few times. The book was stunning. Pick this up NOW!
And just a side note: definitely read Waiting for Tom Hanks before picking this one up. The stories are completely connected and you’ll miss a lot.
I really enjoyed Not Like The Movies. Chloe and Nick were both great characters. The stress Chloe was under and that she puts on her self was really relatable. It was a lovely story and I very much appreciated the nuances of Chloe especially. She tries so hard to be positive and cheerful and life keeps throwing stresses at her.
But there’s still a part of me that feels like I’m stuck here, sinking in quicksand while everyone else moves on.
Not Like the Movies by Kerry Winfrey, Chapter Six
As readers, you were rooting for her and Nick to end up together since Waiting for Tom Hanks. I will say, I think it’s important to read Waiting for Tom Hanks first. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself disliking Annie for writing a movie about her best friend and not taking into consideration how that would affect Chloe.
I really did love Nick for Chloe. The chemistry between them is burning and a couple of times, they hit the “we want to but we shouldn’t” moments. Nick wants to help and support Chloe but he needs to be more than just the person she turns to out of desperation. They are a great couple once they work through their issues.
In a low voice, Nick says, “You know I’m not another person you have to take care of, Chloe.”
Not Like the Movies by Kerry Winfrey, Chapter Nine
That’s why I believe in bright colors, and cute hairdos, and elaborate baked goods, and cheerful music. Because it all counts. In a world that’s often hard and cruel, the tiny bits of warmth and kindness matter, too.
Not Like the Movies by Kerry Winfrey, Chapter Nine
Especially in this social distancing world were everything is upside down, I liked the emphasis on the simple things that can bring joy and make people smile in this book.
*Received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I absolutely adored Waiting for Tom Hanks. I did not want to pass up an opportunity to review Not like the Movies. Waiting for Tom Hanks was definitely a book that if you love Nora Ephron and the Rom- Com genre you would love this book. It was the perfect sampling of funny and over the top dramatics that we have come to expect of the genre. Not Like the Movies while well with in the same genre there is a reason why most NE Rom-Coms don’t get sequels and follow ups.
The Books started out Fantastic! The book follows the relationship of Chloe and Nick after Annie’s movie is auctioned off and the trailer comes out. Chloe and Nick are constantly hounded by people and the media because the movie is so popular from the trailer and they just needed to know if this was the couple that the movie was loosely based off of? We get to learn more about Chloe’s life and how hard she works to juggle everything. She has a father suffering dementia, a brother who left her to handle everything on her own, a business degree that still needs finishing, and pies to bake for Annie’s wedding. What she really doesn’t need is to think about Nick!
What Nick really needs is to not have someone toy with his emotions. This was the difficult part of the story for me. I had issues with Chloe’s inability to make decisions on pursuing her love-life and hurting someone in the process. Chloe comes off as self-centered, but she is over committed. She works to hard at pleasing everyone around her leaving very little for herself. When she finally decided that she is going to think of herself and do something for herself she strings Nick along. Give Nick hope that she is committed to him when that is not it at all.
The way that Chloe hurts Nick was a hard pill to swallow. It made it very hard to feel good about Chloe and root for her. What I did like was the diversity and realness of the book. We had someone who was taking care of a loved one with a debilitating disease, we had a gay brother, we had a bisexual main female character, and so much more. I also really liked the banter between Chloe and Nick. Also with a good Rom-com we got plenty of sexual tension.
Kerry Winfrey is an excellent writer. I really have enjoyed both books I have read by her. This was a solid 4/5 read for me. While Chloe’s choice are very real life, I just felt it was almost too real and not enough from what I want of a Rom-Com. This was more Chic-lit than romance this time around.
This book was funny, sweet and so beautifully written. I adored it!
From beginning to end I enjoyed every minute I spent reading it! I cried, I laughed and I was constantly swooning over Nick and Chloe’s relationship. They were SO cute together!
Chloe is funny, sweet, and so kind. No matter what is happening in her life she is always trying to stay positive. Sometimes she was acting a little bit immature and dramatic but that didn’t bother me at all.
I could easily connect with her character and with the struggles she went through when dealing with her father’s illness. The way the author described Alzheimer’s disease was so accurate. Every single detail, every single change in Chloe’s father’s behavior was spot-on. And there is nothing I love more than when the author is respectful, thoughtful, and spot-on about every single detail when they are writing characters with illnesses, or generally when they are dealing with sensitive topics in their books.
Secondary characters were incredible! Especially Mikey Danger who was hilarious. I loved him!
My biggest problem with this book was Chloe’s friendship with Annie and Annie herself. It’s an understatement to say that I didn’t like her, so even though I loved this book I don’t think I will be reading Waiting for Tom Hanks. And all those movie references were driving me crazy. Literally driving me crazy.
ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Told in the first person point of view. We view this book through Chloe’s jaded eyes.
I liked Chloe in the last book (Waiting for Tom Hanks) she was fun and feisty, loyal to friends, and always had a quick comeback.
Her best friend has hit it big with a movie deal “coffee girl”, and for those who haven’t read the first book, coffee girl was the nickname the hero gave our heroine.
You don’t need to read the first book. But it does help. There are a few things in this book that you’ll only get if you read the first one. But I don’t think it’s really necessary to this book.
So…… the movie Annie made was all about a coffee shop owner and his barista. News gets out that it’s based on a real coffee shop, Nick and Chloe are an overnight gossip piece of news. Everyone wants to come have coffee and meet the inspiration.
I loved how Chloe is always there for her friends. Her top priority at the moment is her dad, he has Alzheimer’s (early stage) and is in a home, but it’s hard, hard watching her dad slip away, hard being the adult and not the child in the relationship.
What I didn’t like was her treatment of Nick, he’s a nice guy, he genuinely likes her, and the kiss they share should have set the stage for the start of their romance, but no. I understand her reluctance, mum leaving a child will scar that person. But she doesn’t do commitment, and her feelings for Nick scare her. Dating someone else who is totally the opposite of Nick wasn’t going to work either! Whenever there is a hint of romance, Chloe is off!
Another book full of great characters, Gary the regular in the coffee shop, giving advice or making a nuisance of himself, Chloe’s ex (the girlfriend who looks after her dad) she’s there to offer a shoulder to cry on, and an ear to listen, even Annie and Drew make an appearance. We even get to meet her brother and his boyfriend.
I think she also feels so frustrated that her brother doesn’t help more with their father. It’s always up to “good ole Chloe”
The references to books are cute up to a point, but I don’t know anyone that lives their life through movies, so I didn’t really connect to the book.
So will Chloe finally get the message? Will she look at Nick in a different light?
This book is your classic rom-com! I was so excited that Chloe and Nick were getting a book! Chloe was my favorite character in Waiting For Tom Hanks. I was hooked from the very beginning and didnt want to put it down. While there was mentions of the classic Tom Hanks Tom coms it wasnt constant like in the previous book. Although there were points where I was wanting to shake Chloe! Overall it was a great read!
Was given an arc for an honest review