Reviews

We Can't Keep Meeting Like This by Rachel Lynn Solomon

allisonferguson's review against another edition

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5.0

Another book that isn't getting the appreciation it deserves.

purrfectpages's review against another edition

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4.0

Quinn and Tarek have known each other forever. Quinn works with her family in the wedding planning business, while Tarek grew up on the catering side of things. Last summer their relationship crossed a line leaving both parties wondering where they stood with one another, but also too afraid to ask.

Now that Tarek is home from college, old habits are dying hard. Quinn is still the romantic skeptic, frustrated with working all these over the top weddings. Tarek still remains a hopeless romantic who relishes big gestures. But their feelings towards romance aren’t the only things that remain unchanged. They both also still have feelings for one another, despite being frustratingly opposite when it comes to matters of the heart.

I liked the twist on the gender stereotypes in this one. Normally the female is depicted as having stars in her eyes, while the guy tries to play it cool. In this story, Tarek is obsessed with the likes of Sleepless In Seattle (an excellent choice, by the way), while Quinn is reluctant to fall for anyone given her exposure to relationships in her own life.

It’s also a bit of an interesting slant on young adult fiction. This one doesn’t cross the line, per se, but it does straddle it a bit more than most young adult romance. Solomon herself writes for both adults and teens, so it makes sense. I found the slightly racy undertones refreshing because it doesn’t pander to its teen audience. And really, what is a teenager if not emotionally conflicted and full of hormones?

Thanks to @netgalley and @simonteen for hooking me up with the advanced copy! This fun title comes out next month!

lolasbooks's review against another edition

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4.0

i loved this.

- you can aways count on solomon to write a scarily relatable jewish fmc and an adorable love interest.
- the sex positivity in this book was making me tear up.
- the familial relationships were complex and i loved quinn’s individual journey.
- the added detail of tarek’s eczema was lovely

some cons:
- took me a second to become invested in the story, some yearning/chemistry was missing from the start
- i loveee wedding settings i feel like it could’ve been utilised more
- we find out tarek is muslim in the later half of the book. whilst solomon seems to prefer to write characters with complex relationships with their religion (e.g. quinn doesn’t keep kosher), i feel like this wasn’t necessary for tarek. he drinks and has sex before marraige, him being muslim didn’t add anything to the plot (not that a persons religion must be a plot device, i just think in this case where the rep is questionable it’s worth leaving it out) and i imagine is frustrating for muslim people to read about when rep is severely lacking. i’m not muslim so of course listen to muslim people over me. but just something i thought about

marylynbirds's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

ashley_po's review against another edition

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3.0

I received a free copy of this book thanks to NetGalley. I actually finished this book weeks ago. I wasn't sure what to think of it then, and I literally haven't thought back to it once, so I guess that shows how I feel about it. It was by no means bad, but I felt like the family dynamic was a little unrealistic, as was the relationship at the center.

sunny_momster's review against another edition

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inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

chelseao2's review against another edition

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3.0

i’m being real honest when i say i only read this for rowan and neil.

UM

i don’t remember a single thing about this book other than he was a baker and she played a harp

shopthebookworm's review against another edition

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5.0

We Can't Keep Meeting Up Like This does a great job at pointing out that nothing is perfect, but I'm finding it extremely hard NOT to call this book perfect.

Much like Quinn, I am not a romantic--we're probably on the same level of cynicism and dodging romances as much as possible. It's a hard thing to explain to people, so seeing that exactly what goes through my mind was somehow on paper felt surreal. For a while, I was starting to think I was twins with her characters and then remembered I know absolutely nothing about the harp, I'm no where close to being Jewish, my family most certainly does not have a family business in the wedding industry, and she's fictional.

And then later down the line, the same thing happened with Tarek. I'm also not Egyptian, not a baker, and not interested in romantic gestures in any way, but my first-year college experience was just like his.

Rachel Lynn Solomon not only wrote a book that I couldn't put down, but quickly found a place on my 'Top Favorite Authors' list. I didn't hate a single moment in her book and when it comes to all the YA contemporary books I've gone through, I have never related to two characters more.

profmlremmel's review against another edition

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4.0

It's okay. For some reason, I wasn't expecting the YA aspect. What gives it a fourth star for me is the

thenextgenlib's review against another edition

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4.0

“May you always have that top-of-the-Empire-State-Building kind of love.”