REVIEW: By Any Other Name by Lauren Kate

If you love a NYC work-centered romance that’s sassy and real, then By Any Other Name by Lauren Kate should definitely be your next read.

I’ve read a lot of work-related romances filled with New York City landmarks and a whole bunch of enemies-t0-lovers dialogue. However, Lauren Kate manages to pull off something different with this installment. Every bit of the book was surprisingly refreshing!

Lanie is ridiculously happy in her career as a romance editor – she even gets to work with her favorite author of all-time, Noa Callaway. She gets the promotion that she’s been working for, but it’s only a three-month trial. But Noa, the mysterious author who Lanie only communicates with online (though she’s based her on romance expectations off this author’s work), is, unfortunately, experiencing writer’s block. The pressure is on!

One plot twist: Lanie is engaged for about 45% of the book.  For me, this engagement dragged on a bit too long. I really wanted more interaction between the two leads and less of Lanie figuring out that her engagement wasn’t working. I’d prefer her to get that in the first 25% so that we can spend more time building the tension (and seeing real, in-person conversations) between the main characters.

However, the interactions that we DO get between the leads are just wonderfully charged. What’s more, Lanie’s personal journey to find love really touched me. We get to watch her refine what she sees as a “good” relationship as she struggles to follow her heart and follow the advice/wishes of her deceased mother. Lauren Kate did such a good job of portraying the lingering grief that a girl may feel when her mother isn’t there to guide her through romantic pitfalls. I found myself rooting for Lanie more than anyone else. In many ways, I would almost categorize this book as Women’s Lit because that part of the story just feels much more poignant.

The ending between the main characters is darling and feels well-deserved. Overall, we get to see a woman grow into her truest potential and decide what she wants instead of following the arbitrary rules that she feels are correct. It’s a really empowering, sweet, and sassy read!

What she doesn’t know about love could fill a book.

With a successful career as a romance editor, and an engagement to a man who checks off all ninety-nine boxes on her carefully curated list, Lanie’s more than good. She’s killing it. Then she’s given the opportunity of a lifetime: to work with world-renowned author and her biggest inspiration in love and life—the Noa Callaway. All Lanie has to do is cure Noa’s writer’s block and she’ll get the promotion she’s always dreamed of. Simple, right?

But 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.