this one was a lot of fun! I really loved the aspect of grumpy x sunshine, aspiring book agent x romance author. it reminded me a lot of Emily Henry. I didnt want this one to end, I enjoyed how it took place in both the uk and nyc and all the shenanigans they went through to find that happily ever after. a fun ride, I will read anything Victoria Walters writes!

Victoria Walters’ Long Story Short is a spicy New York rom-com that follows assistant literary agent Freya Harrison as she navigates a challenging week managing the agency’s most insufferable client, Jake Richards, at a swanky romance conference. Jake, a global best-selling author, is adored by fans but reveals a condescending attitude toward the romance genre and its readers, calling romance “easy money” and his readers “fools.” Freya finds herself tasked with salvaging Jake’s reputation while also proving her worth to her boss .​

Initially, Jake's arrogance and dismissive behavior made it difficult to connect with his character. His rudeness seemed unnecessary and off-putting, hindering the development of a believable romantic tension between him and Freya. As the story progresses, Freya's persistent efforts to coax Jake into sharing personal secrets, sometimes in public settings, felt intrusive and overbearing. This dynamic raised concerns about boundaries and respect within their evolving relationship.​

Moreover, the imbalance in their relationship, with Freya viewing Jake as an idol of sorts, complicated their interactions. This hero-worship dynamic made it challenging to perceive their bond as genuine or healthy. While the novel offers moments of humor and insight into the publishing world, these problematic dynamics overshadowed the story's potential. Overall, Long Story Short is a decent read with its moments, but it falls short of delivering a fully satisfying narrative.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this story. Very simple and smooth going. I love how all the characters are evolved in an year, especially Freya's.
To be honest, some of the sentences confused me and I had to double take while reading. Other than that I liked the writing. I love short chapters. And it never felt boring while reading.

This enemies-to-lovers romance brings together Freya, a budding literary agent, and Jake Richards, a popular romance author whose career takes a nosedive after he publicly admits he doesn’t actually like the genre he writes in. Their mission: survive a publishing conference in NYC while salvaging Jake’s reputation. Along the way, sparks fly, but so do complications—

The premise is fun and has a lot of potential, and I appreciated the slow-burn dynamic between Freya and Jake. There’s definitely charm in watching two flawed characters grow—not just in their relationship, but individually. Freya learning to speak up for herself and Jake confronting his own disillusionment were satisfying arcs, even if the execution sometimes felt a bit rushed.

That said, parts of the story felt predictable, and the conflict resolution came a little too neatly for my taste. There were moments when the miscommunication dragged a bit, and the stakes—though present—didn’t always feel as urgent as they could have. Still, I did enjoy the glimpses of professional pressure in the literary world and the idea of characters opening themselves up to new experiences, both personally and professionally.

Overall, it’s a cute and quick read with likable characters and a solid (if familiar) story. I’d recommend it to fans of the genre who enjoy stories about finding your voice, second chances, and love in unexpected places. Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the advance copy.

I absolutely loved this! Long Story Short is such a lovely, feel-good read, perfect if you’re in the mood for a quick romance that still hits all the right notes.

I was hooked from the first few pages. Victoria Walters’ writing is warm and effortless, and I found myself flying through the story. Freya and Jake completely stole my heart. I had a feeling from the start that they were endgame and I was rooting for them the whole way through.

If you’re after something sweet, comforting, and romantic, this is definitely one to add to your list.

A fun and quick rom-com with a bookish twist!
Set against the backdrop of a NYC romance convention, this story follows Freya, a quirky assistant with big dreams, and Jake, a grumpy romance author trying to salvage his career. With tropes like grumpy x sunshine, age gap, workplace romance, and forced proximity, it’s a charming setup. While some elements felt a bit rushed and the romance leaned toward insta-love, the chemistry was sweet and the premise engaging. A light, low-spice read perfect for fans of character-driven love stories.

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a cute quick read - 3 stars for me!

I don't know what it is about books about books/authors but I eat them up & I also live an enemies to lovers trope, so naturally I enjoyed this one.

I did find the characters and their romance to be a bit underdeveloped and insta-lovey, but I liked them together as a couple. I think it is interesting that Freya acted like she "knew" Jake because she had read his books when they had no relationship before the conference (I wish they did, even if it had been more enemies oriented...I think that would have added more dimension to the story).

ALSO while I didn't like Hayley...I do think it is kind of crazy that Freya expected to just become a full fledged agent after only working at the job for 6 months? That just seems kinda crazy lol.

But overall I did think this was a cute story and I enjoyed it.

Thank you to Netgalley & Boldbook Books for the ARC copy!

With any true romance, we know we are guaranteed that HEA, but gosh, the journey to get there... I wasn't sure. This book follows Freya, who dreams of being a literary agent, but right now she is an assistant. Due to her boss's sister's wedding, Freya is sent in her place to attend the Romance Convention in NYC. While there, she is tasked with trying to make big-shot romance author Jake likeable again. After a recent article was posted, Jake is out with his readers for dissing on romance readers, aka his readers. While in NYC, Freya and Jake spark up a romance and the rest is history. I would say more, but I don't want to give it away. I loved the way everything played out and how much it made me kick my feet with giddiness. I could not put this book down.
I loved all the tropes, age gap (10 yrs), workplace romance, enemies to lovers, and even some slow burn. While this book with very relationship/main characters focused, which normally I like more of a background plot too, I really enjoyed it just focusing on Freya & Jake. It was a fun and cutesy read.
And even though I am a high spice girl, I enjoyed the low spice in this book. It seemed fitting for the characters, their relationship, and their personal goals. Nothing felt rushed. It seemed like this relationship could truly happen & wasn't just one found in romance books.
I can't recommend this read enough, it comes out in a few short weeks, May 19, 2025!
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Thank you, NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review

I enjoyed this book, but it unfortunately did not stick with me in a memorable way. It was a fun and easy read with low stakes drama and likeable characters.

If you're looking for a short rom-com that is:
- grumpy x sunshine (I could see an argument for enemies to lovers maybe?)
- forced proximity
- age gap (MMC is older)
- workplace romance

This could be what you're looking for!

Jake is a romance author who tanked his reputation following some controversial comments and Freya is a literary agent's assistant who is given the task of trying to help Jake get his career back on track.

I was quite excited about the premise of this book, however it didn't hit the mark for me.

Freya (the FMC), felt really immature and her 'quirkiness' felt quite forced. Jake (the MMC) just gave me the ick the entire time if I'm being honest. He came across as rude and arrogant rather than grumpy (telling Freya to 'not use her school teacher voice' and that maybe she needs to lie down? No thank you.)

I didn't get enemies to lovers or slow burn from this and if anything, I felt it was quite insta love? They've been at this conference together for like two days and now they're in love? I didn't really feel any connection between the characters and their dialogue felt quite forced and repetitive.

Throughout the entire book there was a lot of telling you what was going on and not a lot of showing. I also found the spice scenes quite cringey and by the end of the book was just skipping through them.

I did really enjoy how the book didn't just finish after Jake's career dramas were resolved. I also liked the storyline behind Davis's redemption ARC.

Overall, this book wasn't for me, but it could be just what you're looking for.

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

2★

Well, that was a slow read. Relatively short, but took me quite a while to finish.

To be quite honest, I really disliked this book, and it took me so long to read because I literally had to force myself to actually get through it.

Let me start with Jake. I usually like grumpy men, but not when they’re misogynistic. I would never accept a man telling me to “calm down”. While they were not his exact words, you know what we’re? “It’s fine, Freya. No need to put on your school teacher voice about it. Maybe you need to lie down.” LIE DOWN? No I need to spit in his face and tell him to fuck off. That is so disrespectful.

Now Jake wasn’t all too bad after that initial setback. He was quite bland and had some super cheesy/awkward lines but he was an ok character.

Freya was ditzy and childish. She was always flustered and unaware of how loud she was, so her embarrassing stories or comments were overheard by others multiple times. I hated how the one outfit she ever wore was a dress and cowboy boots. Girly, you’ve gotta dress professionally in a professional working environment! She gave me second hand embarrassment. She was also very pushy in trying to get Jake to be honest and tell his readers why he said what he did in the article, but apparently him saying it was something “too personal” wasn’t enough. Ma’am, nor you or his readers are entitled to information about his personal life!

Now, I did not understand their relationship. Freya annoyed me the most with trying to forcibly get him to be honest and open up more, as if they’re not two total strangers to each other. She thought she knew him because she read his books. Like what? You can’t tell someone’s personality from the fictional books they write. And THEN she would say stuff like “who is the real Jake?” Like miss girl, you don’t know anything about this man apart from the fact he’s a romance author! Get a grip!

I thought they moved waaayyy to fast and felt too much too quickly. They never had any deeper conversations. Their emotional connection is told to us, but we don’t actually see it. Their 10 year age gap only emphasised their immaturity and lack of complexity. I mean, Freya’s whole shtick is that she’s “young and inexperienced” like come on!

That was my biggest issue with the writing overall. Too much telling, not enough showing. There were paragraphs upon paragraphs about the little details like Freya’s morning routine, or what outfit she was wearing, like I don’t give a shit about that. It reads like a Wattpad fanfiction.

Also those spice scenes were cringe. I did not like them at all.

What I did like though, was the side characters storyline’s. Particularly Davis’ storyline. I liked his whole sub-plot and how he got his happy ending.

I’m always a sucker for a characters book being dedicated to their partners

Overall, this had a lot of potential, but I was majorly let down.

Many thanks to Boldwood and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book started out promising but got very repetitive and unbelievable as it progressed.

Our story follows Freya, a publisher’s assistant on a mission to make a name for herself and save her favorite authors career. The only problem
Is, she keeps embarrassing herself in front of him and he’s as grumpy as they come.

Jake Reynolds is a popular romance author who was caught saying that writing romance is essentially easy money. That he doesn’t really believe in happily ever after but will happy write sappy stories so long as it pays the bills.

As you can imagine, an anti-romance romance author attending a romance convention is quite the controversy.

As Freya gets to know Jake she urges him to be honest and share the truth that led him to share such comments in lieu of discussing his private life.

Just when they think they have things managed, Freya’s boss Hayley shows up and takes credit for Jake and Freya’s efforts. Her appearance quickly cools off their budding romance and after a fall out, Jake and Freya head back to London and go their separate ways.

Freya shortly learns that Hayley never had plans to promote her. She also starts to see Hayley’s true colors and realizes that she doesn’t like what she sees.


I found Jake’s bedroom talk to be a bit cringe. If I never hear good girl again, it will be too soon.

I also didn’t like how both Jake and Freya fall into the same pattern and conversations again and again. So much could’ve been fixed with a simple conversation instead of assumptions and pouting

I liked this for an easy read, even though I do think it went on a little too long. It is a cute little story and I loved that it was about the book world!

Thank you to net galley, the publisher, and the author for letting me arc read this book!

Okay, grumpy-sunshine/enemies to lovers, eat your heart out!
I've read a few of Victoria Walters' books now, and this was precisely the kind of story I would have expected.
Another story in the publishing world which I LOVE!
Our FMC is Freya. She's a true romantic, as well as a romance fan. Working as an assistant at a Literary agency is a dream for her, and she aspires to be an agent one day.
Enter our MMC, Jake, a grumpy but popular romance author who is one of Freya's boss's biggest clients, and also out of favour with the romance community at this stage, because of some unsavoury comments about the genre.
By a twist of fate, Freya ends up on a business trip to New York, a place she has dreamt of going to, accompanying Jake, with the sole goal of repairing his reputation at a Romance conference.
OMG! So much to love, here!
We always go into a romance expecting a HEA or HFN, and the journey to that ending makes or breaks a story.
The difficulties that both Freya and Jake go through during this trip make for gripping reading. I finished this in one day! Plus, there is a bit of a spice factor going on!!
And featuring a previous book's character was another little bonus. I love revisiting characters and hearing how they are getting on. :)

3.75/5 stars....The FMC and MMC developed a romance pretty quickly in this book & I wasn't thrilled with the 10yr age gap between them. Some of this story takes place in the UK and some in New York. I really love reading books about books (the MMC is a romance writer and the FMC works in publishing). But I did not see that plot twist with their boss (Hayley) and the MMC's nemesis coming. This was a fu, cute, & quick read and it kept me entertained.

eArc provided by the Publisher through NetGalley. Thank you in advance.

The book is about an aspiring agent and a writer who tanks his career by making inappropriate/hurtful comments about the books he writes. The question is, can she help him without falling?

Let’s take this part out of the way: there is an age gap, and there are spicy scenes.

Jake is a romance writer, and Freya is an assistant aspiring to be an agent. Her task is to help save Jake’s career, which is borderline done because of the comments he made about his genre. Freya is being tested by her boss to see if she has what she needs to become an agent. Has to travel to New York to a big conference to save Jake’s career. Jake has a big secret, and Freya is pushing for the truth; the New York setting is cute but a bit basic. There was no big spark for NYC, which was Freya’s dream place to visit. Their relationship between Jake and Freya goes from none to jumping in it, taking advantage of the short trip, and basically, you only live once. There are insecurities and a bit of drama, but mostly, the book gives you the vibe of a bit of romance while navigating a new career and trying to find your place in that career.

The romance was okay, but I did not fall in love with the main characters. There were times that I smiled, but there was no clenching in the book for the OMG moment.

Overall, the book is a sweet read, and I loved that it just did not finish when everything got resolved.

I love a romance novel and I enjoyed this book. It's fun that it's set within the romance and wider literary community and through that puts a different spin on it. The plot was interesting and it kept me turning the pages. Having said that, I feel the story and the characters could have had more depths. There isn't much scene setting or character background. But if you are after a quick and entertaining story, it will deliver.

The premise of this book—an aspiring literary agent and a grumpy romance author forced to team up in New York—immediately grabbed my attention.
The New York setting was actually one of my favorite parts (I’ve always wanted to visit!). The literary conference was also a fun backdrop, but it didn’t quite have the same atmospheric magic as the city.

I really liked the idea of Freya navigating her big career break while being thrown into this PR mess with Jake. I related to her a lot—starting out in your career is scary, and I also want things to happen fast, even though I know growth takes time. That said, Freya did come off a little naive and unrealistic at times. She was so eager to jump into being a literary agent after just six months, and I found myself thinking, “Girl, slow down!” Still, I was way more invested in her professional journey than the romance, if I’m being honest.

As for the romance… Jake was fine. I didn’t dislike him, but I wasn’t super drawn to him either. I didn’t feel much emotional connection between them. I personally prefer more emotional depth in a love story but that’s more about my taste than a flaw in the book itself.

All that said, I was never bored. It’s a fun and cute rom-com, and I flew through it. The writing is super accessible and easy to read, which made the whole experience enjoyable.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Victoria Walters for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The book is about Freya, a literary agent's assistant, who is sent to a Romance Conference in New York City to help Jake win back his readers after some bad press.

The premise sounded really good, and I was intrigued by it. However, I didn’t enjoy that the main conflict between Jake and Freya was based on miscommunication, which felt frustrating. If they had simply talked to each other, their issue could have been resolved easily—there wasn’t a strong enough reason for them not to.

That said, I really enjoyed the parts of the story that focused on Jake and Freya’s work and the struggles they had to overcome to succeed in their careers. I also didn’t fully understand why Jake and Davis were enemies, and it felt too easy that everything was resolved after just one phone call.

Overall, though, it was a fun story to read.

Received as an arc from Netgally I loved the premise of this book, I loved the characters Jake and Freya, I thought they had great chemistry together and didn’t want it to end

Jake is an author who’s been overheard by a reporter saying that he hates romance which is what his books are all about. Freya is assistant to Hayley who is his agent.

Hayley manages to get Jake a place on at the Romance conference in New York, but she’s unable to go as her sister is getting married so suggests that Freya goes instead

Jake shows Freya around New York where things start to hot up between them. Unfortunately things come to an end when someone sees them and some misunderstandings happen. But will they get back to each other before it’s too late …