I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide a review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.

Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.

However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x

This was a great romance, easy to read and still the plot had depth, which was just what I needed.
I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author

Strong writing and an interesting plot, everything you want in a book. It made me swoon and it made me laugh, everything you want in a rom-com. I originally thought this would be very 'fluffy', so the depth of it surprised me.

Plus points for being set in NYC!

When I finished the first book with the same characters, I felt like I had only read half a story. There were so many unresolved things, and Stephen's character seemed too convoluted for me to stick to one opinion of him!
When I saw that there was another separate story where we could see inside his head, I had to pick it up. I usually talk of how fast I read a particular book to indicate how much it worked for me. This was a two-sitting read only because I had to sleep/eat/cook. It was just the kind of story I wanted to read to feel like reading again. Something happy-ish, but with some depth.
I am not sure I recommend reading this as a standalone, not because things would not make sense but because the changes in people and their dimensions will not be as appreciated. Noelle is back in her city and trying to work through the last book in her cozy mystery series. She finds herself in a mental block situation. This is when she runs into Stephen, who has his own mess to deal with. The growth arcs for both the characters were ones I liked. Noelle both loves her family while feeling their weight in a non-obnoxious way. On the other hand, Stephen has to come to terms with how he and the world around him view himself and what that actually means.
There are a few graphic scenes, but not elaborate enough to take more pages than they should. I did not read the next book in the series, but I am sure I would enjoy it if I did!
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

I thought this was a great easy read novels that does really good for a romance book enjoyed this thoroughly and I thought it was easily read quick to go through and I sat and read this within a couple of hours and I thoroughly enjoyed it the characters were in a table and it fell well developed as a storyline

Premise:

Stephen is out on a mission just to honor his mother's will, or atleast that's what he tells himself. To do so he has to find a certain person, but the address his mother has is of a building that was demolished few years ago. And after his search on the net ended up being futile, he doesn't know what to do.

Noelle, is a mystery writer stuck in a writer's block, she sent a very underwhelming draft to her editor and basically is asked to change the heart of the novel, she simply doesn't know where to begin. She bumps into Stephen while she is brainstorming with her writer friend and turns out six months ago, in order to resolve her friend's love life issue, she had to mislead Stephen slightly and then ghost him. But he was always good looking even when all the stories she has heard about him made it far from the man for her. But when their common friend tells her Stephen is out on a search for this person, the mystery lover in her is piquied and believes maybe solving this mystery will help her generate idea for the novels.
And hence starts the hunt for this missing person which can possible make them find each other's true self.

Review:

It was different. When I read the summary I thought it could be cliché but surprisingly it wasn't. I liked the whole hunt, the way Noelle, and Stephen complemented each other while being detective partners. Then their own insecurities were dealt with carefully.
It isn't chaste entirely, but it isn't detailed either, so I would like to consider if more on the chaste side. The characters were well-written and there was this one thing I never saw coming, it was unexpected but I think it did enhance the book and justified one character's worry.
Stephen is kind and has a hard time actually seeing what he truly is, and I like how his brother tried to show him that, and even Noelle.
I like how Stephen points out something Noelle never thought others would notice and perhaps thats what gave her the courage to finally say it out loud.
I liked reading this book. And if you want a decent romcom, then you can pick it up.

A well written book with a great story line
The characters are likeable and the book is very well written
Definitely worth a read!

Lovely book to read and enjoyable. Would love to read others by the same author. Well done on a good book written.

Thanks to Netgalley and Orion publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

So this is the oldest book on my net galley shelf, I am not sure why it took me so long to get around to reading it but I really enjoyed it. This is the perfect rom-com and left me with a smile on my face.

Noelle is a native New Yorker who loves the city but currently has writers block. In order to take her mind off things and hopefully help her get back on track, she offers to help Stephen to find his father as per the wishes of his mother's will. Before this they last met each other and had planned to go on a date but Noelle was a no-show and left him hanging. The chemistry is clear to see right from the moment they meet in this book. I believe this is the second book in the series which I didn't know at the time. It didn't stop me enjoying this book but it would have been good to get some background info on them both and understand instantly why they were both shocked and nervous to see each other again.

This is my first Emma Jackson novel but it won't be my last, her writing style really appeals to me. It is full of great characters, witty comments and was a thoroughly enjoyable read for me.

This is the second book in a series, and I wish I'd known that as I did feel a little out of place reading this book. I would love to read the first book and find out a little more there.

As my trip to New York was shoved aside due to Corona, I really loved this little substitute trip to the city. It was wonderful to walk through the streets, see the sights and experience the city through Stephen and Noelle's eyes.

I loved this love story, and it wasn't super heavily focused on which I think could have been a little improved on.

This was my first of Emma Jackson's books and I would be really excited to read more from her.

This was such a lovely, well told story, it helped that it reminded me of a wonderful family holiday to New York pre-Covid! The characters were well composed and interesting in their own right and when they were together, you really rooted for them. Not as fluffy as a typical ‘rom-com’ but entertaining and a thoroughly enjoyable read. Highly recommended.
Many thanks for the opportunity to read prior to publication x

Ahhh, I always love a book set in New York and this didn't disappoint. Intriguing characters, it was great to see how their barriers broke down and they became friends. Can't wait to travel again and visit all the locations. A great staycation read.

A lovely kind of silly read.

So I always love a bit of romance in a book, not as the main event but I need a little bit of it. Full romance books where the plot is just a love story seems like a massive waste of time to me.

This book! I loved the story with Stephen trying to find his dad and the little moments between him and Noelle as they grow closer. Some bits were a bit cringe which brought it down to four hearts but I just really enjoyed it.

I think this is the type of genre I can read every couple of months, as it’s a light, feel good story with a lovely ending. I could not read something like this all the time as I would get bored of the predictability and general lack of plot.

I thought this would be a fun romance, but it was much more! The mystery of the plot drawn me to finish the book asap and it was worth it.
I can't remember if I ever read a book about a writer, this intrigued me to pick the book. And writers with writing block had the best story to tell, I guess.
I loved Stephen-Noelle, though I could connect with these characters at first. Maybe there is another book, and I needed to read it to understand. But slowly they grow on me and I was getting to know what was on their head. And I didn't mind the backstory anymore.
The writing was good. The author worked on character development and you can see that in characters' growth.
Thank you for giving the arc. I got more than I hoped for.

With New York being one of my favourite cities to visit I always jump at a chance to read a story set in this vibrant metropolis and I certainly wasn't disappointed. From the starting blocks the chemistry between our main characters was off the charts....their verbal sparring repertoire was witty and cutting and made me laugh on numerous occasions. I loved the change in character perspective as the story effortlessly changed between the first person narrative of Stephen to Noelle. This ensured we were able to delve into the minds of both stars to gain a better insight into their internal thought processes and understand the book better.



The scope of the narrative lead us all over NYC in a quest to locate Stephen's biological father, to fulfil a request set out in his mother's will. This quest set in motion a turmoil of emotions that worked for and against our main characters in an emotional roller-coaster that did leave me rather exhausted. My favourite moments were spending time with Noelle's large family brood and enjoying the jovial banter only close family can bring and also witnessing such a character development in Stephen as he travels along his path of self learning in search of his father.



Summer in the City was a joy to read and I was left feeling that the characters still had more to say. So I hope to meet up with them in the future.

Stephen is on a very personal mission to find his father as per the wishes in their mother's will. But he has no idea where to start, not that he's going to tell anyone that... When Noelle, native New Yorker, daughter of a detective and desperate for a distraction from the novel she's been struggling to write, offers to help, it feels like the perfect solution.

Except the last time she spoke to Stephen he thought they'd be seeing the New Year in together and instead she stood him up and sold him out! Stephen's big enough and been around the block enough times to understand that all is fair in love and war, isn't he? But when Stephen accepts her offer and they begin their search across the city, it soon becomes clear that the weather isn't the only thing that's heating up.

Rom com at its best. Perfect read that I flew through in no time at all.

This was my first Emma Jackson book and I was pleasantly surprised. I went in expecting a lighthearted summer read and that’s what I got.

The main characters, Noelle and Stephen were likeable enough and the story showed some decent character development - they both done some growing up throughout the book and there was clearly chemistry between them. There was a little bit of mystery throughout so the plot wasn’t solely a love story.

It was quite cliche, the plot wasn’t that thrilling or clever, but I think that’s ok for this type of romance so I didn’t mind too much. Personally, I would have liked if the epilogue was set further in the future but that’s just preference.

Overall, a summer romance set in New York City. How could you not enjoy it?

This was a fun and relatively quick read. The two main characters are poles apart in how they approach life. Stephen a high flying accountant, pleasing on the eye and Oh so full of himself, at least that's what Noelle thinks when she meets him for the second time. Their first meeting made the impression that Noelle has of him.

This is set in New York and is very much a "will they/won't they" style of contemporary romance book. Noelle is an author who is stuck and as Stephen is looking for his father she volunteers to help him. Hopefully, it will give her some ideas and give her writing the kick it needs.

The author does a great job of building the characters and their personalities. Not everything is revealed straight away, instead, she builds a picture and then adds to it and then tweaks it. So first impressions are different by the time I got to the end.

The author uses Stephens story as a way to bring the characters together and give them time to get to know each other, but they are both still guarded. Neither one completely letting themselves just go with the flow.

As I mentioned, this is a fun read and was ideal for me to pick up and read over the course of an evening. I wanted something light and this was what I got. Thoroughly enjoyable and one I would recommend.

Loved this read! Couldn't put it down and decided to read it all in one sitting, definatly did not disapoint! Thankyou author!

A sweet summer romance.
Stephen is working in New York for the summer. Noelle is a writer of fiction but her latest needs a lot of work. They bump into each other at a bar. Stephen's brother Nick is the boyfriend of Noelle's best friend Beth.
Stephen's dad left when he was 3 but after his mum's death he needs to track him down as she left him something in her will. Noelle helps him find his father and to come to terms with the person Stephen is now.
At times I wanted to knock their heads together with the misunderstandings but it all worked out just fine.
Thanks to Netgalley and Orion for the opportunity to read.