Reviews with content warning for Grief - Thank You for Sharing

I’m always excited to read a Jewish romance, and this one didn’t disappoint. I really loved the tender relationship built up between all the characters, especially Liyah and Daniel. I also loved the insight that Rachel Runya Katz provides about being a Jew of colour; while I do know Jews of colour, I have to admit that it never properly clicked for me how much prejudice they face within the community.

What I didn’t love were the enemies-to-lovers arc and the third-act breakup. As I found with The Matzah Ball, I find “I’m mad at you for something I think you did when we were 13” to be uninspiring. They also got over it so fast in this book that they might as well have just known each other from camp without it being an enemies thing.

I also didn’t think the third-act breakup was super necessary in this book. I know that Liyah has a lot of baggage to work through, but I never really bought her belief that she is unlovable. I think he could have helped her through those feelings with it just being a fight and not a full breakup.

Overall, I really liked this book, and I think it’s a great book for anyone who wants to expand their horizons of what it means to be Jewish.

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hoagie's review

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emotional hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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womanwill's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

What a beautiful debut rom-traum-com from Rachel Runya Katz chockfullof everything I love in a romance novel: meaningful character growth, grade A banter, tension, and diverse rep.

Liyah and Daniel find themselves saddled with a joint work project years after a Jewish summer camp disaster ended their blossoming friendship. As they work closely together to craft events to raise millennial memberships at the Field Museum, the sexual tension inevitably simmers.

Runya Katz delivers not only thoughtfully crafted characters but layers to the story. Liyah works through a deep trauma from her past that left her unable to trust in romantic love while Daniel grapples with the death of his father. Their Jewish faith and biracial identities (Liyah is half Black and Daniel is half Korean) bridge a safe space for their love to grow.

On top of all this, Runya Katz also injects the story with the importance of friendship and family, both chosen and birth, as a support network. Both Daniel and Liyah have therapy sessions on the page (swoon) and regularly turn to their loved ones for support working through their traumas.

The short:
- childhood friends-to enemies-to adult friends-to lovers
- agitation-to-love
- only one bed
- airplane meet disaster
- forced proximity
- workplace romance
- dual biracial Jewish rep
- bi rep

I cannot wait to read what Runya Katz puts out next!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC. All thoughts my own.

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what_karla_reads's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective sad 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

4.0

4/5 stars
1.5/5 spice

Tropes:
Childhood friends to enemies to lovers
Reverse Grumpy/sunshine
Work together
Forced proximity
Trauma/healing
Jewish rep
BIPOC MCs
LGBTQIA rep
Dual POV

At first it was a struggle for me to get through this book because it starts off with a big misunderstanding/miscommunication issue that is brought up several times throughout the story and doesn't seem to be completely resolved until Liyah is forced to confront her trust and self worth issues towered the end. It was also a struggle because I was very upset with Liyah for the majority of the story. I had moments that I loved her personality, but every time she was confronted with her aversion to love and relationships, I wanted to shake her. But I'm really glad I kept reading.

I really enjoyed the friend group dynamic, and Liyah's bestie, Neen, was my favorite. They really brought Liyah out of her destructive behavior and forced her to confront her feelings... and they held nothing back. I honestly feel like they saved the story... because there's no way Liyah would've been able to get out of her funk without their help.

I also really enjoyed reading about Liyah and Daniel's experiences as Jews of color and how they've had to cope with prejudice and racism. There are a lot of raw, emotional moments that go beyond the surface conflicts, and it's for these moments that I was able to get through the initial struggle with reading this book. It was definitely a reminder that everyone handles trauma/grief differently, and I need to be more open and empathetic to people and situations that I've never experienced.

Overall, I highly recommend for fans of second chance or childhood friends to lovers. This is a well-rounded story with a diverse set of characters that are relatable and real.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and offered voluntarily.

Trigger/Content warnings:
SA (mentioned as a memory), death of parent (past tense), racism, grief, misogyny, sexual content

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adinarj's review

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emotional funny lighthearted relaxing 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

4.5

I flew through this book in a day. I love how real and diverse the characters were - unlike some other books, I didn't have to keep flipping back to differentiate or check to see who they were. I loved the Jewish flavor of Liyah and Daniel, and how their families and friends formed an important universe of support while still feeling real on their own.

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caseythereader's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

Thank you St. Martins Press for the free copy of this book.

- This book! THANK YOU FOR SHARING is exactly what I want in a romance novel: great banter, excellent tension, working to understand past traumas, and immense character growth.
- Every character in this book has such a big personality. I'd read a novel centering any of the side characters (but please please a book for Neen first!) I adored them all, even when they were being frustrating.
- On top of all that goodness, I've never read a novel featuring two mixed race Jewish adults before (plus Liyah is queer on top of that). I love that romance is a place where identity and and the tough conversations and experiences around it can be explored with nuance and care.

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cassielaj's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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

4.75

First, let me say that this book has a fanTAStic cast of characters. Liyah and Daniel are excellent leads, but I also adored Siobhan and Jordan, Neen, Alex, Kayla, and all of the characters that made this story feel so warm and friendly. And overall, the story is wonderful. I loved Daniel and Aliyah’s history and the relationship they build, and I was impressed by the depth of their characters’ personal struggles. This book had some really relatable things to say about grief, and it also explored the topics of religion, race, gender, sexuality, and sexual violence quite well, I thought. I would definitely recommend giving this a read, all you romance lovers out there!

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ruthhelizabeth's review

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emotional funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I received an e-arc from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

One of my favourite romance books of the year.

Liyah and Daniel first met when they were just teenagers, kids really, at Jewish summer camp, sneaking away to kiss at night time.

Years and years later, and after a heavy grudge, Liyah is horrified to realize she has to sit next to him on a plane and even worse, work with him on the most important project of her professional life. Chaos ensures.

I really enjoyed this book. I didn't find myself dragged into the pages, racing to finish, but I feel it was even sweeter savoured over a few weeks reading and I shed a few tears along the way.

It was genuinely delightful to read realistic, messy but growing people try to be their best selves from both ends. I found myself rooting for each of them to love themselves more along with the other.

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