Reviews

By Any Other Name by Lauren Kate

moodreader3302's review against another edition

4.0

This reads like a Nora Ephron romcom from the 90s. Loved it ! :)

car3war's review against another edition

3.0

This was a short really cute read. About the struggle of finding love in the world, forcing yourself to try and fit in a box you don’t fit in.

samleacher's review against another edition

funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Such a cute love story! The only reason I’m not giving it 5 stars is because the main character was insufferable to me for the first third of the book. Other than that, I loved it!

4ng3l's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

iadoreforks's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

aoconnell's review against another edition

4.0

I’ll be honest, I had no idea what to expect with this book! I usually pick up a book because I’ve heard about it on booktok or youtube so I know at least something about what to expect when going into it, but this one popped up as an instagram ad and I loved the cover so much I just decided to read it. With that being said I was so surprised by how much I loved it.

This book doesn’t have the level of romance that I usually read in books because there were so many other things going on. I think at the end of the day this book was ultimately about Lanie figuring out who she was in her job and personal life instead of just the romance she shared with Noah, and that's what I loved so much about it. In the end we don’t just get to see Lanie get her HEA with Noah, we also get to see herself learn how she is supposed to fit into the world the way her mother wanted for her. It was really a beautiful story.

I think it was such a refreshing read, once I started I didn’t want to put it down! I have been in a little bit of a reading slump these past few weeks, I haven’t really found anything that I wanted to give my undivided attention to, and this book really helped me out of it. I fully recommend it!

jackiehorne's review against another edition

3.0

2.5. A romantic comedy with occasional humor but not much in the way of compelling romance. It's narrated in the single POV first person present tense by Lanie, an editor at a NYC publishing house who inherits the house's biggest name author after her boss decides to stay home with her new baby. Said author, who writes romance, is months late with her latest ms., and Lanie's promotion to editorial director depends on getting that author over writer's block and the book edited in time for a summer release.

Lanie's been emailing with Noa Callaway for years, but has never met the author, as Callaway doesn't do author appearances or visit the publishing house, despite living in NYC. So Lanie's totally thrown for a loop when she discovers that

Spoiler

Noa is actually Noah, a man, not a woman, a secret that both he and his publisher have been keeping for years. Not too big a surprise, given the cover image and the sell copy...

. This situation could have led to an interesting interrogation of gender roles, or identity construction, or even publishing standards and mores (As Lanie exclaims to her hip grandmother, "But morally, I am violating the trust of millions of readers! Can I even call myself a feminist?") But the author chooses not to do anything more with the big secret except to use it as a set-up for a romance between Lanie and Noa, a romance that is rather underdeveloped and disappointingly tepid (the first kiss doesn't happen until the story's final page). Because Lanie, apparently forgetting the relationship she'd forged with Noa via email for all these years, immediately deems the author a narcissistic asshole, a judgment that seems wildly out of proportion to either the big secret or Noa's behavior after they meet in person.

Lanie is engaged to another guy for the first half of the book, and Lanie and Noa don't spend much time together, even in the book's second half, which makes for not very engaging romance reading. And the time they do spend together isn't all that sparky or entertaining. I did enjoy the sweetness of the final twist (the final chapter of Noa's latest book). But otherwise, I found the book underdeveloped and underwhelming.

bearclaw97's review against another edition

3.0

So many thoughts and things to say about this one. I loved it from beginning to end, the chemistry the banter; this one had me swooning throughout

neudorfl's review against another edition

5.0

I quickly fell in love with these characters and were cheering them on as their relationship developed. While it's advertised as a "enemies-to-lovers" type book, I think it is more accurately a "friends-to-lovers" slow burning romance type story. Set in NYC, it's also a love story about love stories, and all things New York. If you're a fan of the genre, and of books that talk about books being created, this will be right up your alley!

kiksf's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0