Book Description

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.

My Review

I am a sucker for second-chance romances, so I was definitely excited about reading this book. I’m also a big Broadway fan, so I loved that the many references to classic musicals began with the title itself. I also loved the Jewish representation

Lexi is a delightful protagonist. She’s already following her dreams by going to culinary school when she meets Jake. She’s certainly not looking for anything serious, so their weekend together is totally out of character for her. Even so, she doesn’t really fall apart after he ghosts her: she moves on with her life, graduates culinary school, and gets a job at a NYC restaurant. She is not perfect, and there were times I was shaking my head at her naivete.  

Needless to say, she doesn’t know what to expect when Jake reappears after achieving success in the music industry—but she’s willing to give him a second chance, which gives them both the opportunity to get to know each other better.

The narrative is single-perspective, which works well because if the reader was aware of Jake’s thoughts, that would eliminate a lot of the tension. And frankly, we don’t really need Jake’s perspective because he consistently shares his innermost thoughts with Lexi and he doesn’t have a hidden agenda. That’s not a spoiler: who would want to read a romance with a shady character who lied to the protagonist?

Speaking of spoilers, I’m going to have to keep this vague to avoid giving too much away, but I appreciated that getting a man didn’t “fix” Lexi and that she needed to put herself first and figure out what she wanted to do with herself. I also love that the perceived villain of the piece ended up not so villainous.

I would absolutely recommend Till There Was You. This book was sweet and funny and full of feelings. I loved the secondary characters, and the musical references, and I even loved that Lexi lived in a “classic six” in NYC. This is a spectacular debut and I can’t wait to read more from Hameroff in the future.

I received a digital ARC of this book from St. Martin’s/NetGalley