A review by imtashamonet
When I Think of You by Myah Ariel

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Disclaimer: I received a free advance review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own. (Releases April 16, 2024)

When I Think Of You by Myah Ariel is a second chance romance between two former college flames who have not seen or spoken to each other for seven years. Kaliya Wilson has been working reception at a big film studio, though she has “paid her dues” to move on to something more directly related to movie making (which is her dream since studying at NYU)  rather than making coffee and copies. Danny Prescott, her former college lover, is a director who reappears in her life and offers her a job on his newest production. It’s an opportunity for Kaliya to finally get from behind the reception desk, but it requires trusting Danny again. Allowing herself to leap out on faith, she agrees to the job. Yet “Hollywood politics and scandal” could damage both Kaliya’s career and the production, so she has to decide if she’s going to do what’s right — even if it means she’ll miss out on this second chance at love. 

I am well aware that this is a romance novel, and I know that romance is the focus of this book. However, I cared about nearly everything else in this story way more than the romance. This is not to say that I do not believe this book should be classified as a romance novel because it is. Rather, I just think the story was so rich with other elements outside of the romance that it really didn’t matter to me whether Kaliya ended up with Danny. I may be in the minority on that thought, but the excitement of Kaliya finally getting her chance to work on a film and advancing her career was the more compelling storyline for me. I wanted to see her win professionally. If she also won romantically that was just an added bonus. 

The book is an easy read and I did not feel at any point I was laboring to finish. I was engaged from beginning to end, even without caring about the romance. In other romance books I’ve read, I was deeply bothered by not being invested in the romance plot of the book because oftentimes, it is the only part of the book that has substance. With When I Think Of You, this was not the case because all of the other subplots were so richly detailed, interesting, and compelling. This is a testament to Myah Ariel intimately knowing the backdrop of her novel, movie production in Hollywood.

My favorite thing about this book is that Kaliya was very aware of her own feelings and when she realized what she needed, took the time to take care of herself. It was very empowering to read about a woman who understands that taking care of yourself is just as important as being in and having love.

This is likely just a thing that happens in a lot of romance stories, but the end portion of the book felt like it flew by. The last 20% of the book advanced a lot timewise and things I wish I could have seen the character go through would have made the ending more satisfying for me. I felt I was not given enough time to see how the FMC and MMC were dealing with the things before I was getting to the end of the book. It felt like a summary of things that happened in an “in-between” time. In particular, I would have loved to see more on the process of Kaliya creating the professional life she wanted for herself. Having said this, the ending was also somewhat satisfying for me because of getting some closure for the other subplots of the book that I felt more connected to than the romance.

People who enjoy medium-burn (is that even a thing?) second chance workplace romance would love this book. I’d gladly read other works by Myah Ariel in the future.

 
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