Book Review: Till There Was You

Till There Was You by Lindsay Hameroff ~ 320 pages ~ published on February 20, 2024 by St. Martin’s Griffin

Goodreads Synopsis:

Culinary student Lexi Berman, 24, has one goal: to make her late mother proud by becoming an executive chef in a Michelin-star restaurant. And she isn’t going to let anything–or anyone–get in the way. But when she meets Jake Taylor, a dive bar musician who charms her with show tunes, she makes a rare exception to her no-dating rule. After a steamy weekend together, Jake leaves for L.A. to record his demo, and Lexi never expects to see him again. And she definitely doesn’t expect him to become an overnight celebrity, with a breakout single that’s almost certainly about her famous blueberry pancake recipe.

As Jake’s star rises and the world speculates about the subject of his song, Lexi keeps the affair to herself. After all, she’s finally found her footing at her new restaurant job, and even has a prospective romance with her coworker. But when a distraught Jake turns up on her doorstep late one night, her carefully-laid plans are thrown for a loop. Though she and Jake try to be friends, things between them soon reheat faster than a bowl of Lexi’s matzah ball soup. But a relationship with Jake means risking her face in tabloids, withstanding cruel internet comments, and worst of all, jeopardizing her career. As Jake’s upcoming tour approaches, and rumors swirl about him and another pop star, Lexi has to decide if holding onto her meticulously-planned future is worth walking away from what could be the perfect recipe for love.

Set both in the chaos of fame and the high stakes world of New York City restaurants, this novel sprinkles in a second chance at love and a dollop of celebrity drama to create a romantic romp that will make even the most jaded reader smile.

What I Thought:

*I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you so much to NetGalley and [publisher] for this ARC!*

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This was such a sweet little romance, both literally and figuratively! I love books about music, and books about food, so this was a lovely little merging of the two. Second chance romance is not one of the tropes that I am generally drawn to, but this one was precious and I highly recommend it!

I loved the main character, Lexi. Her character growth throughout the novel was so much fun to see. She starts off incredibly closed off, highly meticulous and afraid of taking chances. Then, she meets Jake. Of course, what happens with Jake kind of closes her off again, but when he comes waltzing back into her life, she begins to unfurl like a flower. I loved getting to see her become more confident, both as a chef and as a person.

Speaking of her being a chef, this book made me so hungry. And it made me crave blueberry pancakes 😏 I also loved the fact that said blueberry pancakes helped Jake become famous. That was amazing and kind of hilarious. This book dove into the ill effects of fame, which was an unexpected turn that I really enjoyed. Jake was such a lovable love interest, and I enjoyed seeing him navigate this new and scary world of insta-fame.

The friend group in this book was fun, and I wish we could have seen more of them. I also wish that we had seen more with Lexi and her dad. The main romance was incredibly flushed out, but the supporting characters could have seen some more time on the page. Honestly, that is my main complaint.

This was a really sweet second chance romance. I loved the characters and their romantic journey. I loved getting to see the things that they love, music and food. If you are looking for a lovely, fairly fluffy romance this season, look no further!