Firstly I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for this arc.
Unfortunately, I wasn't a fan of this book. I really and I mean really disliked it, which is a shame because I found the concept intriguing. I don't want to be mean or anything but this was probably the most poorly written book I've read in a while. Almost everything that was happening in the book didn't make any sense. The relationships were all over the place, the pace was weird and the characters were flat. The MCs had no chemistry whatsoever and their getting together didn't make any sense. They literally went from 0 to 360 real quick. A read that really wasn't for me but one I also wouldn't recommend. They only thing I slightly enjoyed was what Lars did at the ending, which was also very rushed.

On the Same Page is a sweet romance story between a secretive author hiding behind her lawyer/lit agent persona and the CEO of her new publisher. Miles Robinson is the daughter of renowned high-brow readers, a poet mother and novelist father, who inherited their literary skills but chose to secretly write and publish historical romance novels under a pen name while pursuing a law career. But when her self-published novels with a cult following are suddenly thrown into the limelight, she's forced to decide what's more important to her - her privacy or her writing. Because her well-meaning assistant submitted her for a prestigious writing prize, one that comes with not only an award but also a contract to release her backlist as well as all her new novels mainstream by a highly-regarded (and kinda snobby) publisher. Figuring that she has no chance when compared to all the poets and literary authors she's up against, she's very surprised to find herself winning the award - the problem is she doesn't want it, or the publishing contract it comes with if it means she has to give up her privacy. Because that publisher very much wants to exploit the author for their new romance imprint, which is supposed to save the company. Which is how she finds herself across a conference room table from Lars, the CEO of said company, fighting to save her author's privacy (meaning her privacy) as well as some very strong attraction. As these new enemies face off over issue after issue and Miles continues to create roadblock after roadblock trying to delay the inevitable public debut of her secret identity, the pair grow closer and closer while fighting their mutual attraction.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. It was a quick and easy read, but did not come off as light and breezy, yet still had some humorous scenes. There are some nicely handled issues of mental health, anxiety, and parental emotional abuse. The supporting characters of Pippy, Jack, and the pole-dancing girls were fun and helped balance out Mile's seriousness. There is some low-level steam here, but I more enjoyed the frustration of the pair fighting their mutual attraction. Their banter back and forth really set it up as an opposites-attract love affair. If you like enemies-to-lovers, opposites-attract, or hidden identity, you'll like this book!

Many thanks to Escape Publishing for the opportunity to read an early copy ahead of the publish date - all opinions are my own.

I wanted to stop reading this book the second I got it. But since I received an ARC of this novel, I stuck through it in order to give the most honest review I could. Let's get into it.
Repetitive. As a reader, I did not see any growth in any of the characters. This book is written in the first person, and repetition often happens more in that tense, but it didn't seem like there was any attempt to develop the character of Miles more. The author wrote her and stubborn and standoff-ish (which, mission accomplished), but aside from those qualities, the character was very flat. There was absolutely no chemistry between Miles and Lars (the love interest). If this was written in the third person, I think the readers could have gotten a better glimpse of Lars as a character, but I would not tell you a single thing about the character except that I got whiplash from his scenes. Because I knew nothing about the character, I couldn't predict where the story was going to go, in a bad way.
There were entirely too many side characters, with unnecessary (and sometimes uncomfortable) storylines. !Spoiler free! The character of Ruby was underdeveloped, seemed to be thrown in last minute, and made me uncomfortable as a reader seeing not only how she was portrayed, but how the other characters treated her.
I was really tired of 'Emma' being treated as a character. Maybe if it was done less often it would have been okay, but I found myself getting annoyed very very easily. And annoyed by the premise itself. I get it, there is a huge group of people who don't believe romance novels count as literature, obviously stemming from inherent misogynistic ideals in society - namely, anything loved by women as a majority is not seen as legitimate, etc. I get it. It is a very good premise to tackle in a romance novel, featuring a romance author as a main character. But it was not done well. The character came off whiny, and honestly I didn't care about her "big reveal" being the romance author, and I feel as if a point was not made. Characters defend the romance genre in the book (as they should! It's fantastic), but the point was entirely missed. I feel like this novel was written in order to make a statement, and then forgot to make it. This one was a miss for me. But, as always, read it for yourself. Maybe my thoughts won't reflect yours.
Also, at multiple points the character of Miles is noted as being a maestro of writing sex scenes? And that is her only merit? That was super weird and unnecessary. And there were barely any steamy scenes in this book, so it didn't really make sense, since this novel tried to closely reflect the fictional novels written by the main character.

I enjoyed this book. The plot was easy to follow and the characters were well developed. I would recommend this book and author to others.

I thought that this book was just alright. I thought the concept was really interesting. But I just felt like the pacing was a bit off, and I was confused at certain points.

Miles Franklin is the daughter of two literary writers (author and poet) but chose to become a lawyer instead. However, secretly she also writes historical romances under the pen name Emma Browning. Constantly harangued by her overbearing and narcissistic parents, Miles suffers crippling anxiety, she uses Emma as a crutch to lean upon and spends inordinate amounts of time rehearsing scenes from her books to make sure they are authentic (eg trying to make love in a moving horse-drawn carriage).

Miles' PA enters one of her books for the prestigious Australian Stapleton Prize for literature, when she wins the award her secret life threatens to become public, especially since the winner is obligated to do publicity and work with a prestigious publishing house.

What follows is a comedy of errors where Miles pretends to be Emma's lawyer and battles against Lars Kristensen, the new CEO of Iconic International Limited, a global publishing house which normally publishes high-brow fiction, poetry and non-fiction books, which sponsors the prize. Lars has been brought in from a non-publishing background to turn around the business, he sees the low-brow romances as a cash-cow to support the house's more important works and is determined to wring every drop of publicity from Emma. What makes it even more difficult is the visceral physical attraction that Miles feels whenever she is near Lars.

What can I say? This book expects the reader to, like Alice, believe in as many as six impossible things before breakfast. First, the idea that a publishing house could force an author to sign a contract which was so disadvantageous is ridiculous and, as a lawyer, Miles should have known that. Second, instead of renegotiating payment terms and a large advance, Miles tries to get the publisher to back out of the contract by requiring Lars to send her topless pictures and read all her previous novels. Third, Emma's writing is truly dire and her heroines appear to be TSTL. Also Miles' secret alter-ego appears to be the worst-kept secret in Australia! Don't even get me started on the pole-dancing.

Penelope Janu says that the first draft of this book was written when she was a Masters student in creative writing and TBH I think it shows, particularly the rather affected references to classic novels and novelists, it just screams 'I know stuff about Jane Austen and Madame Bovary, me'.

And yet, and yet, I did kind of like this despite all the things I hated. Lars faces Mr Darcy's dilemma of being drawn to Miles/Emma whilst also wanting to exploit her for the good of his failing company (which okay Mr Darcy's didn't want to do at all), and also finding her refusal to act the way he wanted. But then to be fair Miles/Emma's hot-and-cold relationship with Lars didn't make much sense either. Anyway, parts of this were a two star and parts were a four star, so it gets the average of three stars.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

How do I adequately describe how this book made me feel? I loved it and hated it. I wanted so much to stop but I also couldn't.

I loved that it was based in Sydney. It felt really nice to read about landmarks and places that I knew and grew up around. I felt a new level of connection to the book and it's characters as a result.

I loved the characters. I loved how we got to see truly unique and somehow familiar characters. I felt a sense of connection to each character that I don't think I've felt that sort of authentic connection before.

I'm not sure how much I loved Lars to begin. He was pig-headed and hard to come to terms with. But he grew on me the same way he grew on Miles and by the end you can't help but notice how he worms his way into your heart.

I also want to acknowledge how real and authentic Miles' mental health struggles were, and how well Janu wrote about her struggles. Miles represented so many things and it was amazing to see them manifest and to find so much comfort and solace in experience.

I adore the way Penelope Janu writes and I'm so excited to read more by her. It took me a good while of reading and going back to re-read before settling for 4 stars.

The publisher kindly provided ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

DNF 15% I tried but it was just so bad. I glanced at other reviews and it looks like I'm not going to be missing out on much by not finishing this one. I don't know how Miles became a lawyer. She is incompetent. I work int the legal field here is no such thing as a non-negotiable iron-clad contract so the fact that she didn't even try to fight it was just so moronic and unrealistic. Her assistant Pippy is beyond words annoying and should have been fired for her actions. The excerpts from the books that were supposedly the biggest and best written books on the planet were sub-par and there is no way they would have won anything. Lars and his dismissal of romance as a genre was just misogynistic and I saw a few reviews that referenced that he lashes out at Miles when she refused to sleep with him so I flipped to that part and read it, and yeah it was just as bad as the other reviewers said and he does not improve at all. Had I made it that far I would would stopped there and given the book 1 star, so I'm just glad I saved myself from even reaching that part. What made me stop at 15% was Miles asking Lars, who is essentially her boss at the publishing company, for shirtless pictures, which is inappropriate on so many levels. I am done. I do not recommend this book and will avoid this author in the future.

First of all, thanks for the arc!

This book was funny and entertaining at some parts, and really confusing and annoying at others. I tried to like Miles, but she was annoying and indecisive since the very first page. However, I did try to like her while reading the book. I liked Lars, he was funny and charming and very honest. I liked the insight we had to the publishing novels world, it was something really cool and also loved the book references given every here and then!

I'd recommend this to whoever is looking for some cute and funny rom-com!

Miles is a lawyer by day and an author by might but she keeps her writing very secret and even uses a pen name. Once she wins a prize for her writing there is a chance that her whole cover will be blown.

I had a harder time getting into this book. The premise was great but I wasn't a complete fan of the characters.

I found there wasn't much chemistry between Lars and Miles and I would have liked if there was a lot more romance.

I would say this is somewhere between a 2 and 3 star rating.

I loved the inclusion of qualities that made Miles seem so real, especially her blushing and the strained relationship with her parents. The excerpts from her historical fiction novels were fun and it was interesting to see her research into the characters.
Something about this book didn’t feel quite smooth enough for me, I felt like the relationship with Lars was a little jumpy and it didn’t keep my full attention.. I never knew where they stood and was surprised each time they kissed, but I suppose maybe that was the point?

This book was a quick read for me. I loved the cover and the book synopsis but I’m not sure how I felt about it once I finished it. There were many things I liked about the book, the writing is strong and the plot fairly believable. Maybe the problem was I thought it was a romance, maybe even a rom-com but I just did not feel the attraction between Miles and Lars. I loved the Australian setting and will seek out an earlier book by the author.

I thought this was an incredibly good read if you are looking for something light and enjoyable. It warmed me up inside with the fact that the main character has severe anxiety. On the surface, this seems like a simple romantic comedy. However, how to main character dealt with her crippling anxiety really resonated with me, as I am sure it will with other characters.

The writer does a good job of showing us characters that are relatable, yet memorable. I especially enjoyed the relationship that the main character formed with the girls at the dancing class. As an educator, it really meant a lot that there was a character that turned things around and found something that she wanted to strive to achieve.

Overall, the book was well done. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for something that they can just enjoy without over analyzing.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Miles is a lawyer by day and an author in her spare time. When she is entered into a competition she needs to decide whether to admit the truth to her family and publisher Lars.
Fab read!

Secret identities, enemies to lovers, and Historical Romance scenes; what could possibly go wrong?

In On The Same Page, by Penelope Janu, the reader meets Miles Franklin, a successful lawyer by day and a secret romance author by night, under the pseudonym Emma Browning. When Miles’s assistant, Pippy nominates “Emma” for a literary award, she has no clue she’s also nominating her boss for a prize that involves revealing her identity! It also means Miles has to cooperate with Iconic Publishing and their CEO, Lars Kristensen, who is anything but the romantic type.

While the supporting characters of this novel are lovable and hilarious, they do not make up for the major missteps in this novel. The writing is very hard to follow, as snippets from Emma Browning’s historical romances are randomly dispersed through our main plot. There are also moments when the main characters go from arguing to embracing without any build up beforehand, or at least an explanation to why it was so sudden.

The most disappointing moment involves a spoiler, so please skip this paragraph if you would like to read without them (Content Warning: Ableism). Near the end of the novel, Miles offhandedly mentions that her physiatrist believes her panic attacks are due to her “overreactive imagination”. It is hard to enjoy a book that brings anxiety into the plot to only throw it away in an unbelievable and- most importantly- dangerous manner.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Escape Publishing for an advance reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a sucker for an opposites attract story! This was such a cute and witty story and I really liked the dynamic between the two main characters. The cover also drew me immediately. Everyone who is in the mood for a sweet, dynamic romance should read this!

From a literary family who looks down on the romance genre, Miles Franklin hides that she’s a successful indie romance novelist while holding down a respectable (if not financially successful) legal/literary agent career. She does pretty well keeping the two worlds separate until her PA Pippy nominates Emma Browning, who she knows as a reclusive client and *not* the secret identity of her long time friend, for the Stapleton Prize and the publishing deal that comes with it.
From then on Miles is pulling out all the stops, trying to avoid the coming publicity and keep her secret. Lars Kristensen, Iconic CEO, is of course working just as hard against her trying to introduce Emma to the world and revitalize his business in the process.
Even though I thought the story was a little slow to start, once it got going I was hooked. There are plenty of entertaining and ridiculous scenarios, but also a good deal of heart. And drama, yes, especially when she gets to the two big questions - Just how secret is her secret identity *really*? And how can two people working at cross purposes be together?

Thank you to NetGalley and Escape Publishing for the arc

4.5⭐️

This was a brilliantly written, warm and fun read! The ending especially had me in my feels. I loved the little snippets of Miles’ work, as well as the overall subject matter of the importance and integrity of romance novels. I loved the characters, though at times I did find it hard to connect to Miles. I think maybe it was a little long in the middle because at times I didn’t really understand the MC’s decision to push the love interest away. I also would have liked to have seen the fall out with her parents. I feel like the writing style reminded me of Boyfriend Material in some ways.

However, I thought this was a very clever and interesting read and I especially liked the reference to what chapter 45 means in Miles’ books and the mirror of that in On The Same Page.

“Three, I don’t want anyone to discover I write her novels”
“Sorry to bother you again, God. Emma is deserving, but please don’t let her win”
“Enigmatic? … I like the sound of that. Mysterious yet strong”
Please say it’s not the end!!!!
Please tell me it’s not over already !!!!
I absolutely loved this book!!!
The story, the themes, the characters were so captivating I fell instantly for them all!!!!
This book gives perspective to all those authors out there who thinks they have to hide their passion for a certain genre because it’s not generally acknowledged as a literary genre when even the smallest word out on paper can be a literary masterpiece!!!!
Miles is an amazing, strong willed, confusing, frustrating woman. Half the times I couldn’t understand why she tortured Lars so or why she was behaving in a certain way. But reading her story I got to the conclusion that it doesn’t matter !!!
The only thing that matters is the passion and dedication she puts in her writing.
Although more than once her relationship with Lars was giving me headaches!!!!!
At the bottom of it all there was just the firm belief that in loving we should be completely seen and in turn love the other for every aspect of their personality !!!!
And they experienced even some spicy scenes !!!!!
Also , let me just openly appreciate the attention the author puts in giving chapter 45, and 54 a peculiar and fundamental role in the story !!!!!!
Great, beautiful and heart-warming … I needed it and you all should check it out!!
“Just like Mr Darcy when he came across Lizzie and Wickham”
“Lars is conventional and in control … You are unconventional and out of control”
“I cannot give you space. It is impossible to do so”

Thank you Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"On the same page" is the first book I have read by Penelope Janu and I have to say that I didn't like it.

The first thing that caught my attention was the plot, as I really like to read books in which at least one of the main characters is a writer. In this case, Miles writes under a pseudonym, which made it even more appealing to me.

However, although the beginning of the book does have a good pace, I don't think it is maintained throughout the book, and it gets boring at some points.

On the one hand, I didn't believe the relationship between the main characters. I don't see their evolution clearly, nor how they go from hating each other to loving each other from one page to the next. I think the problem is that it's a bit "instalove" and that's something I don't enjoy in books.

On the other hand, I didn't really understand the drama of the book. I think it's something that would have been fixed if the characters had talked things out from the beginning. And that's one of the main problems of the book, Miles refuses to talk to Lars for most of the book so how is it possible for them to get to know each other? I see it as a big inconsistency.

In short, a book that had a lot of potential but as it develops it loses steam.