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 … 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?
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Would Like to Meet was a good debut novel with great life lessons and wonderful characters.
The beginning started off strong. I really thought Evie was doing everything humanly possible to catch the attention of the cute guy with the Ramones shirt at the cafe and have an epic meet-cute moment… But it didn’t go as planned and she doesn’t even get to say one word to the guy (cue second-hand embarrassment ).
After that begins the real reason why Evie is working so hard to capture a meet-cute moment worthy of a movie moment! She needs to persuade Ezra Chester (an egotistical screenwriter) to have a script ready in 3 months before she and her boss lose everything (the agency is at stake) and get this; Ezra hasn’t even started writing it yet .
Next thing you know Evie makes a deal with the N.O.B. (Number One Boychild) to prove she can fall in love in real life like they do in the movies. If she succeeds, Ezra will write the script and sign the deal.
Rachel Winters keeps the who will Evie end up with card close to her chest (she had great chemistry with two love interests), which in turn, keeps readers intrigued. I would say Would Like to Meet is a good chicklit story. Not too centered on the romance as the main focus is on Evie and her personal growth as the story progresses.
Though I hated that Evie was a bit of a pushover when it came to her boss Monty and Ezra (he treated her poorly in the beginning), I loved Evie’s style and her group of friends. Overall, Would Like to Meet was hilarious and heartwarming. I’ve hit a slump in reading which could be why I found this book to be a bit too slow. However, I definitely will be giving it another chance later on
Reading this book was like being wrapped in a warm, fuzzy blanket, watching a favorite rom-com. Heartfelt and at times, very funny. Really enjoyed.
A wanna-be Hollywood agent tries to convince a famous but blocked screenwriter that the meet-cutes in romantic comedies do work by acting them out on her own.
1.) The Hollywood insider angle. Truth is, screenwriting is not my jam. But books about people who do something I do not do—and in particular, books about characters who are assistants and just need to grab their chance and move up to the big leagues—yeah, I’m in for that. So I loved all the background here.
2.) The friendships. The friend characters in this rom-com are more present than the love interests, and it’s the protagonist’s relationship with her friends that evolves even before romance appears—in fact, if she doesn’t clue in that she’s reading their lives wrong, romance is never going to happen.
3.) That rom-com. Can we see the better love interest from the beginning? We can. Is it clear that that’s the way this is going to pan out? It is not. And that makes for fun reading.
4.) The villains. This is a rom-com with actual antagonists. Typically, I go for books where the protagonist’s worst enemy—no, only enemy—is herself, so it was fun to have some real (and not always easy to spot) villains here.
5.) The pace. This one’s for my fellow writers out there: there’s a point in this book when a whole bunch more things need to happen and we all kinda know what they are but we still need to see how they play out—and the way the author moves things zippily along to the ending works really well. And then the ending is complicated—and that’s fun, too. Satisfying. #nailedthelanding #that’snoteasy
I didn’t even MENTION that this book references just about every RomCom meet-cute movie out there—in fact that’s the theme–because that’s not my jam either. But if it’s yours, this book is definitely for you.
Cute romantic comedy that was fun but not outstanding. There really wasn’t anything that I didn’t like about it, just that it didn’t stand out from the books I’ve read recently. I had a book hangover from another book that blew my mind — could be the reason why I didn’t connect with this one. I would suggest giving this one a try even though it wasn’t a 5-star read for me. I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC for NetGalley.
ARC received from Hachette Australia for an honest review
I am kind of in love with all these cartoon-type covers that are about lately. Don’t know what it is, but they suck me in every single time.
I liked the sound of Would Like To Meet right from the start, because our leading lady Evie seems like a real cynical kinds of gal – and me likes that! I like that yes, she is the typical overworked, underpaid assistant that really does all the hard work. But there is an awareness about Evie that she can see this, and she will -eventually – grab life by the balls and do something. It is like if she was in one of her rom-com meet cutes, she would talk to the camera about the stuff that is happening.
I did laugh, I did cringe, and I did smile at the meet-cutes Evie does on the way to helping the self-centred writer and her (a-hole) of a boss get what they want.
We have a hen’s night, a wedding, the group of BFFs who will never let her down – all the expected of a rom-com. Oh, and the cute child that will just steal the heroine’s heart – though I was surprised at how old they turned out to be, as I had her pegged as at least double her age lol
And we the reader knew exactly who our lovely lady was going to end up with, but it was the road getting there that was fun.
The story is totally implausable, but that didn’t bother me. Would Love To Meet is just a whole lot of fun. It was just the perfect read for me as I was on my sick bed for a couple of days.
Wonderful, fun and easy to read debut novel. A great summer (or winter) read.
A comedy with a side of romance, this light and fun book is filled with classic rom com tropes and meet cutes that will make you nostalgic for your favorite movies of years past. It’s well written (if not a bit long), and features a feisty heroine who meets her match in the most unexpected way. I loved every part of the romance, I just wish it had been featured more prominently.
The story follows Evie, an aspiring screenwriter who has been working as an assistant for much longer than is acceptable in the industry. She quickly discovers she’s at a make or break moment in her career – her boss’s star writer needs to get out of his funk and write a new screenplay, or the business is in trouble. If Evie helps Ezra, she gets a promotion; if not, she’ll be looking for a new job. With that in mind, Evie goes about recreating classic rom com meet cutes to help with inspiration, meeting a man and his daughter who watch all of her antics take place.
While I think this is well written, I’ll openly admit that it dragged for me. I was expecting more of a rom com feel, but it’s much more a comedy and it takes awhile to truly get going. Once our hero began showing up more frequently, my enjoyment of the book increased exponentially. It’s a sweet, clean, feel good romance that develops slowly and takes a backseat to the screenplay storyline. The interactions between Evie and her guy put a smile on my face, and made the whole story worth a read. Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with an ARC. I am voluntarily leaving a review of this heartwarming and funny book.
Even though the HEA is a given, and even the details of what is going on (that Evie is stupidly clueless about) are obvious, it was a very fun book to read – characters are well written, situations actually LOL – terrific! I loved it and only regret that there is not another book to read next by this author
Really cute! Exactly what I needed to read.
There were so many moments that this book made me literally laugh out loud! “Would Like To Meet” has everything I live in a RomCom; a good strong dose of humor, a little dash of intrigue, a super lovable hero, and a relatable, struggling heroine. Rachel Winters did a great job combining all of the classic RomCom “meet-cutes” in a way that still made the story uniquely her own. Absolutely perfect for anyone who needs a good laugh and a dash of romance!
In Would Like to Meet, we open with watching Evie spill her drink on a stranger in a coffee shop. On purpose. Because Evie is on the quest for the perfect “Meet Cute.” Not to meet her perfect man (though she may along the way), but to get her egotistical man-baby of an almost client, Ezra, to finally finish his romantic comedy script, and Evie can get promoted from Agent to Assistant.
A tale that feels, at first, quite predictable ultimately keeps you guessing as to Evie’s love interest and throws in some fun surprises. The book has a multitude of laugh-out-loud scenes, though it could have done without some of the grosser ones, and recreates the charm of romantic comedies effortlessly on the page. I found this novel charming, and it brought a smile to my face, which is something we all could use. I would love to see this book on the big screen, even if it would be quite meta to have a movie within a movie. Fingers crossed we get a film!
5 stars – 8/10
If you love romcom movies, you’re going to enjoy this story. Evie is an assistant at a film agency that represents writers. In order to save her job and the agency, she must get their star client, Ezra, to write a romcom script he’s obligated to deliver. Ezra and Evie make a deal and she promises to prove that romcom meet-cutes really work by trying out all the famous meet-cutes in the classic romcom movies we love until she falls in love. Of course, the results are hilarious and humiliating. Evie has a great group of friends who are wonderful side characters that add fun dialogue to the story. They’re also the voices who always bring Evie back to focus on her real life, outside of her job. Reading about her many attempts at meet-cutes kept me laughing and wondering what she would try next. The way this book is written, the story moves along quickly and smoothly. Would Like to Meet is a funny and sweet romance that would make a great romcom for the big screen.
Enjoyed very much. Pokes at rom-com meet cute tropes, but underscores the value of a circle of friends. Funny parts and thoughtful parts.
A little predictable, but such a great read!
This was such a fun book! I highly recommend to those who love chick-lit!
A charming meet-cute story plus…the UK, past or present. Her cast of compadres is fun, and hapless Evie is a heroine to root for, along with the one you hope she’ll have the sense to wind up with.
I loved this book. Will be reading again.
4.25 Stars!
For me, this story was classic Brit lit romance. The writing, plotting, and single POV was reminiscent of my favorites by Giovanna Fletcher. The beginning of the story began a little slow for me with (dare I say) almost too much development preceding the crux of the story. Once all of the characters were introduced, it had my full attention and didn’t let up until the end. I really enjoyed the story arc and lighter romantic elements. Overall, it was a somewhat predictable humorous women’s fiction novel, but still a satisfying read.
3.5 out of 5. I enjoyed Would Like to Meet though it wasn’t what I expected, but that’s my fault. I was expecting romance and it was more chick lit.If you enjoy Sophie Kinsella/Madeleine Wickham, this should work for you too. I loved the dry British humor as well as the character development we see in Evie. Rachel Winters did an excellent job of setting up a villain and I was anxious about how one major issue was going to be resolved (I saw it coming early), but she also handled that in a very satisfactory (and surprising way). There’s also a bit of misdirect when it comes to the actual love interest in the book and I thoroughly enjoyed that as well. I like that a strong friend group is incorporated in the book as well. All of the characters were well fleshed out IMO and the more I think about the book the more I realize I really liked it, so now that I know what to expect as far as heat level, I will definitely be checking out her future endeavors!
Would Like to Meet by Rachel Winters a romping five-star read. This was a story that I knew I needed in my life when I saw the blurb a story about meet-cutes and rom coms, that’s what I enjoy most in life!! (other than chocolate and wine I suppose) Evie Summers, what are you going to do, this had me laughing and then pleading with a made up character not to do what I thought she was going to be doing!! There are a couple of twists with this tale and there was one twist in this that I am so glad I didn’t see coming as it would have clouded my judgment of someone that it was already a shadowy figure. This will be one of my favourite rom coms of 2020, I am looking forward to hearing more from Rachel Winters as she has a style of writing that brings a smile to my face, and a giggle to my life.
What a fun, cute, feel-good read with a great concept! I’ve really enjoyed this sweet and truly funny rom com and will definitely read more by the author in the future.