First of all Lloyd. Great. Chefs kiss. Great banter, uses humour as a coping mechanism in tense situations (sooo Chandler Bing coded), patient, kind AND hot. However, there are quite a few flaws with the book, though it is quite relatable at times and overall a good time at some points it gets a bit eye roll-ey.

The only comment I have on the actual writing/ layout? Of the book is the bloody italics please for the love of god STOP WITH THE ITALICS, it’s constant. Within the first 5 pages there are 10 italics, compared to most books which probably use ten in total. Not only this but they are used throughout the whole book and are either unnecessary or in the wrong place in the sentence (in my opinion obviously).

Anyway on to the review of the actual story and characters. As mentioned previously Lloyd is great and despite some tedious bits, which I will discuss later, the story is entertaining, cosy and relatable. Although, Anna is so ughhhhhh. That’s the only way I can possibly describe her if I only had one word. Not only does she realise she is difficult (“I’ve been difficult” and “I know we said we’d be polite but I don’t think I’ve exactly been nice and friendly towards Lloyd so far” direct quotes from her inner monologue.) but she just carries on despite liking Lloyd and realising she’s being a hypocritical, hot and cold, cow. And don’t get me wrong I completely understand why she keeps her distance, I understand why both parties initially want to keep their distance but come on. Both of you. It is so frustrating and not in a fun way the first time it was like “Oooooo tension and separation but obviously they’ll be together by the end” but by the third time I wanted to end the book. It’s not even the fact that she keeps pie-ing off Lloyd her reasoning makes sense she just wants to protect herself and her career but it’s the meanness she harbours for him even though he’s been nothing but lovely. She goes on and on about how he has a different persona around the office as if this “persona” is mean and awful but he’s literally a just more polished, polite and less bantery version of himself for the masses this is his fathers million pound company what do you want him to be acting like in front of all the co-workers and managers??? I’m not going to go in to detail about everything that annoyed me but here’s the bullet points I made while reading, my initial and raw reactions in chronological order:
- Why is she unnecessarily angry at him when he tries to get the bartender’s attention and he doesn’t come over straight away I feel like it would’ve been better if she made a jokey/ sarcastic comment so he could say the next line about her damp shirt as a comeback.
- He seems funny she seems not annoying but unsure and contradictory.
- When she asks “has it changed you?…” he responds with an answer that has nothing to do with her question and she just doesn’t even mention that even in her internal dialogue???
- He says “tell me something true about you Annalise” like he didn’t just state two true truths she told him right before that sentence??
- She’s so confrontational but like for no good reason this is Lloyd and anna’s first meeting and she just doesn’t stop instigating.
- He makes valid points and she just calls him big-headed also she internally agrees that his decision about pretending to not know her to protect both of there reputations is the sensible thing to do but then still snaps at him. Like he’s not gods gift to the world by any means but he’s literally so neutral the “problems” he’s “caused” are just blown out of proportion and I’m surprised he hasn’t at least tried to defend himself against her because she is constantly snapping at him.
- I completely understand her lack of trust in people after finding out about her mum and her uni flatmates but the email draft to Lloyd just makes me wanna shake some sense in to her and scream shut up when she says that he’s got “everyone fooled” about being a good person even though he’s not actually done anything wrong. The decision he made about acting neutral with her to protect them both she agrees with so I’m confused???
- He made a joke. A funny pun. Not even at her expense and she’s so butthurt about it that she pies him off after just saying she is being difficult and should be nicer to him.
- She has such a hatred for him that she won’t even admit he’s good at his not job.
- Ok so she spoils practically all their interactions like their hangout date cafe thing she just pushes him away as soon as it starts which I’m starting to view as relatable slightly when she regrets what she says almost immediately but it’s still annoying to read.
- I get it. I do. But both of you SHUT UP just get over it this is getting old now, either leave each other alone or get it together.

Ok so now that all the negatives are out of the way here are the positive bullet points I made throughout the book:
- The holding hands “you’re not cold” moment is cute the way he actually has fallen in love at first sight you can just tell (but also just the whole confessing your deep feelings seems a bit unrealistic).
- I actually quite like the first kiss scene and the way it was left it sets a good tone for the resto of the book.
- When she meets Lloyd in the office for the first time although it’s not their first meeting it still gives me very big “meet-cute” vibes I like it the cockiness of him and the fluster of her I’m hoping it stays like this sort of vibe for the rest of the book like jokey and cockey and bantery and I don’t know just sweet.
- I like the inner dialogue about what it feels to be growing up at the end of chapter 7 it’s relatable and comforting for the reader maybe a little bit more of this, not too much though you don’t want to come across as preachy.
- He’s so nice and patient with her and even says she’s “not grumpy just fierce” which I’m not sure I agree with but then again I’m not lovesick over her like Lloyd is.
- It’s cute that he hadn’t even finished his sentence and she knew what he was gonna say and that despite “hating” him she still realises and remembers his little quirks. Really cute.
- “I spent some time with a friend Friday night” Lloyd fletcher you cocky little so-and-so I can just picture the smirk.
- Holding hands. At work. I wanna cry at the progression though no one else knows is so cute. Pleaseeee stay like this for the rest of the book (I know that’s not going to happen because there’s around a hundred pages left but a girl can wish).
- Relatable self sabotage as soon as the bubble burst. Still annoying but relatable. I don’t know if maybe I usually find Anna annoying because of the way what she is thinking is phrased/ written. Because at this point I don’t find her annoying even though she’s self sabotaging, so maybe it’s the author and not the character?
- HE’S STICKING UP FOR HIMSELF AND I LOVE IT
- After this point I just stormed through the last couple chapters of the book and didn’t really take notes but I remember really liking the scene where he shows up at the flat after he sees her leave the party and thinking how romantic it was and also the team work of getting his work looked at was adorable the way they support each other.

Honestly id say that Nadja, will and then Lloyd were my favourite characters. Nadja, in my opinion was never that scary till she was being an absolute boss and firing Tasha, to me she was always bantery but to the point and cared a lot about her staff. The whole mum plot point I thought was sort of irrelevant for the backstory I understand using the mum as context but I don’t think she really needed to be applied to the story as she didn’t really add much Lloyd and Anna had a minor argument about her “hiding” it from him but they were already arguing so this didn’t really add that much to their development but also she didn’t add much to the company and I know the reconcile in a way at the end but the reconciliation isn’t even that worth it. Its kind of just there, like it happens and then its over its not really discussed with her dad or Lloyd so it was just done?

Overall the book was good, I’d rate it a 2.5 maybe 3 out of 5, but I’m not really a fan of the whole grumpy – sunshine and miscommunication type vibe trope so maybe I’m just not the target audience.

"Sincerely Yours, Anna Sherwood" written by Beth Reekles, is not just a simple romance. It's a beautifully woven story that dives deep into the complexities of transitioning from student life to the world of work. It captures the competitive yet camaraderie-laden office environment and the longing for home and family.
Annalise's journey illustrates the pressures of personal expectations and family demands. The book resonates with adults and older young adults, addressing the delicate balance between work and life, and the inevitable mistakes made along the way.

Set in London during a summer internship at Arrowmile, an eco-friendly vehicle company, the story introduces Anna and Lloyd, whose connection takes readers on a heartwarming yet tumultuous ride. The authenticity of their relationship and the nuances of office romance are beautifully portrayed. Anna's struggle to prove herself in the corporate world while navigating her feelings for Lloyd portrays the challenge of finding one's place in the realms of work, love, and family.

In conclusion, "Sincerely Yours, Anna Sherwood" is a four-star read, perfect for college students seeking an engaging escape into the intricacies of adulthood and the heart. Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin for providing the ARC.

This Kissing Both is one of my guilty pleasure movies so I was really excited to read my first book by this author. It was kind of unashamedly trope-y, which made it an interesting and fun read. I am a huge sucker for grumpy x sunshine dynamic. Anna and Lloyd also gave us workplace romance. I finished it in one sitting!

This book captured transitioning to adulthood well. Anna’s characterization also felt realistic and I was rooting for her when she slowly started opening herself up.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read with good writing and packing in my opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book UK for providing me this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I red this book in one day as I couldn’t put it down when I started reading it. I have just started reading YA books more this year and I found this book was really enjoyable and easy to read due to the tropes in it. Sadly the characters didn’t jump out the page at me and I wasn't too invested in them but I liked learning about them and reading about them none the less. It’s a fun read about office romance. The writing style of this book wasn’t for me sadly and i didn’t really like the writing style but overall a good romance book xxx

To put it shortly, I bloody loved this book and I read it within 48 hours of picking it up! As mentioned in the acknowledgments, this book really did feel like a love letter to tropes, the two most notable being grumpy sunshine and workplace romance.

The story follows Anna who has gotten a place in a highly coveted internship for the summer in London. Things take an unexpected turn when she finds out the boy she kissed on her first night out in the city was the boss’s son!

I thoroughly enjoyed how easy this book was to follow (even with a large cast which can be sometimes difficult) and I can’t wait to pick up more books by the author.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for this arc.

The type of romance book I enjoy reading on a long train or bus ride. I do not usually enjoy YA but this was enjoyable due to the tropes and the popular culture ref scattered around it. The characters did not jump out the page at me and I wasn't too invested in them but I liked knowing them . A fun read about office romance and shines light on how people have things going on in their life that they don't show off to people. Be kind.

The premise of this book sounded like it would be right up my street. Two people get together and then she finds out he's her bosses son - a classic. I definitely did enjoy the first meeting of the two main characters.
But after then, it fell apart for me.
Annalise is annoyed that Lloyd pretends not to know her, despite his reasons for doing so are incredibly valid. There is so much mundane 'work chat' about this company that I had no reason to care for other than it being 'a good place to be'. Apparently it was something around scooters?
I found the beats of the plot really predictable (even beyond normal rom-com tropes) and found the main characters really unlikable by the end.
Good concept, but didn't enjoy the execution.

This is my second Beth Reekles book, and I must say, I thoroughly enjoyed it!


This book is about Annalise (or rather Anna) Sherwood, who has just secured a spot for an internship at a top company. Ambitious and determined to succeed, Anna won’t allow anything to distract her from excelling in her role this summer. Enter Lloyd Fletcher. A cute guy she meets on an ice-breaker night out with the rest of the interns. They spend a magical summer evening together wandering the streets of London. After they say goodbye, Anna is convinced they won’t cross paths again. That is until she officially starts her internship and realises that the cute guy she met is actually the boss’s son…and he is surprisingly infuriating and nothing like whom she thought he was. However, as work projects see them spending more time together, lines are blurred and Anna realises having a summer of no distractions might be a lot harder than she initially thought.


The characters and relationships were written really well in Sincerely Yours, Anna Sherwood. I was expecting this book to be a fluffy, lighthearted read, and although it was, there was also a lot of depth to it. Anna is quite a complex character who undergoes excellent character development that is explored in a realistic manner. She’s diligent, ambitious, and determined to forge a successful career for herself. However, she struggles to make friends and feels like a bit of an outcast. She also grapples with coming to terms with her mom walking out on them when she was younger, placing her career above her family. I thought the author balanced Anna’s desire to be successful with her fear of becoming like her mother really well. Anna did frustrate me quite a lot at times - I thought she was unnecessarily snappy with Lloyd and her behaviour towards him was quite unfair at times; she also blew hot and cold quite a lot. HOWEVER, the author did an excellent job of examining why Anna behaved like that, and furthermore, Anna was self-aware enough to realise some of her destructive tendencies and proactive in changing them. I think a lot of people will resonate with Anna in that discomfort of recognising parts of ourselves we don’t like, but having grace with ourselves as we unlearn those behaviours.


Then there was Lloyd, who - I’ve got to hand it to him - was incredibly gracious and patient with Anna. There were several times I thought he would call her out, but he extended grace and kindness to her which was really sweet! He was also quite a complex character. He was a human golden retriever (most of the time), yet he also grappled with the stress of knowing he was the future of his dad’s company and also wanting to forge his own path.




There were also several secondary characters featured in Sincerely Yours, Anna Sherwood. Mainly the other interns but also Anna’s family. Although there were a lot of secondary characters, most of them had very unique personalities, and it was easy to differentiate between them. Again, going back to Anna’s development, I loved the progress of how she allowed herself to open up more to the other interns and pursued friendships with them. It was bordering on the “found family” trope towards the end of the book, which I absolutely loved!


I also thought the author wrote the family dynamics aspect very well and navigated the love and respect we have for our family, but also the pain and disappointment that can exist alongside that, with acute perception and tenderness.



Lloyd and Anna’s romance was obviously a big part of this book, but if I’m being honest, a lot of the time it was really frustrating to read. As I mentioned earlier, Anna would often blow hot and cold and there would be a lot of misunderstandings. Things would go well between her and Lloyd, but then everything would kind of implode. Is that typical of the enemies-to-lovers trope? I haven’t read much of that, so maybe that is characteristic of it, I’m not sure. Things did improve midway through the book though, including how their dynamics were written. I also liked how the author focussed on them getting to know each other slowly, as well as learning the multiple facets of their personalities. I also appreciated that it was quite a realistic relationship in the sense that it wasn’t all rainbows and butterflies. There were hard conversations, misunderstandings, apologies and taking accountability, which I loved seeing represented in a romance book! 



The writing, plot, and pacing were done quite well too! This is a pretty chunky book, nearing 500 pages (according to Goodreads). There were parts, especially at the beginning of the book, that lagged a little bit, but after that, the pacing really picked up and I flew through the book. Last night I said to myself “Kyra, only read a couple of chapters, you have to get up early for work”…but I ended up reading the last 200 pages. There were several things that ended up happening in this book that made it impossible to put down. I also really liked the author’s writing style. It flowed easily, the dialogue felt natural, and I was able to get swept up into the story. 



Another thing I really liked was that this book featured characters who were in university/working. It’s so hard to find books that navigate that stage of life, and I thought the author discussed the strange nature of navigating early adulthood really well. I also liked that although I guess this was technically a new adult book, it was fairly clean. There was a sex scene (which I skipped), but that one instance was about it.


Sincerely Yours, Anna Sherwood was a fun enemies-to-lovers novel that I would recommend to anyone who loves realistic contemporary novels that feature the ups-and-downs of first love, found family, excellent character development, and messy but real family dynamics.

Really cute office romance YA book. I really enjoyed watching the romance/ Lloyd and anna develop! Im normally a fantasy reader but Beth’s books remind me just how good romance / romcom books are!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC of 'Sincerely Yours, Anna Sherwood'.

2.5-3/5 ⭐️

Let’s start with the positives:
This whirlwind workplace romance is well paced and is packed with interesting side characters (I would LOVE to see more of Lloyd’s brother, perhaps let him be the main character in another book?). The banter between our main characters was written well and flowed nicely.
The parent-child dynamic was definitely one of the more interesting parts and I wish it was explored further, especially talks about post-partum depression as I feel like that a topic that’s not addressed very often.

Now for some of the negatives. Or, more accurately, things I personally did not enjoy.
The author has made Anna way too slow, she struggled to connect the dots constantly and I found myself irritated with her more often than not. I only started to like her in the last third of the book.
Unfortunately, most of the side characters seemed to have more personality than our main two. I feel like this could’ve been rectified with a dual POV.
The London setting was nice but the amount of times Victoria and Waterloo was mentioned got tiring after a while.

All in all it was an enjoyable read but it would make me hesitant about picking up another title from the author.

Sincerely Yours, Anna Sherwood - Beth Reekles

A good story line, with good characters and side characters. I enjoyed the relationship between Annalise and Lloyd, but I did find Lloyd a little irritating at times. I particularly enjoyed the personality of Lloyd's brother and would have liked more from him. This was my first time reading a book by this author and I would definitely pick up more from them in the future. Thank you very much Netgalley and Penguin Random House UK for this e-arc in return for my honest thoughts and opinions.

This ended up being a sweet YA office romance. The writing style wasn't quite for me but I loved the character building and watching Lloyd and Anna develop.

The story follows Anna who has earned one of 15 places on a prestigious summer internship following her first year of uni. On the first weekend settling in all of the interns go out as an icebreaker before the internship starts where she meets Lloyd and the two have an intimate connection, sharing secrets and a kiss only to part ways thinking they would never see each other again. Things don’t go to plan however when on the first day in her new role Anna find out that Lloyd is actually the CEO’s son.
The book follows her journey over the 12 week internship, working hard to show she deserves a place at the company whilst also trying to ignore her connection with Lloyd and failing.
A great book that kept me engaged throughout showing the difficulty of finding a place in the world between work, love and family.

This was a gorgeous whirlwind romance, set in London over a balmy summer - but mostly taking place in an office. I love grumpy/sunshine, especially when we get a grumpy fmc. Let girls be grumpy and cold and determined and still very loveable !!!! Annalise and Lloyd had such great chemistry and there was a whole host of interesting secondary characters. I loved seeing Anna come out of her shell not just with romantic relationships but all of her relationships. Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC! I really enjoyed reading it.

Sincerely Yours, Anna Sherwood by Beth Reekles

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Sincerely Yours, Anna Sherwood was so good. I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for a review.

Anna is a university student in the summer following her first year who has received a place on a prestigious internship in London. Lloyd is the golden-boy son of the CEO of the company Anna is interning for. Both Anna and Lloyd had some growing up to do, despite both feeling like they knew their place in the world. They both have walls and want to protect themselves and have to put effort into learning how to be themselves.

Anna meets Lloyd the weekend before her internship starts, not knowing of his connection to the company. Their connection is instant, but both are wary and continue to be wary throughout the book. They lash out at each other and there is definitely some angst but it’s not too awful, and they both give good apologies for their mistakes.

Sincerely Yours, was the book i didn't know i needed.
Anna is a university student embarking on her summer internship, Lloyd is the golden boy who turns her summer upside down.
This feel good romance shows strength in friendships, the power of motivation and how envy and greed can tear apart everything.

I read this book in one sitting. The writing was heartfelt and beautiful. I need to now go find every other book by this author to devour.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this early copy of Sincerely Yours Anna Sherwood by Beth Reekles. This was a romantic and joyous read that I can't wait to share with my students.

I was so excited to get this ARC! Thank you Beth and Netgalley!!

So this book focused on an FMC who is doing an internship in London after first year of college. The other interns are after finishing second year. Before starting the internship they all go out to get to know each other. The FMC feels like she doesn't fit in and believes herself to be unlikeable. She meets a boy at the bar and they spend a lovely night together walking around the city. They do not exchange numbers at the end of the night.

Then the unexpected happens and they meet again. But will they acknowledge they know each other? Will they be open and honest with each other? Will this be a summer romance to write home about?

Solid 3 of 5 stars. Enjoyable vacation read.

This was a realistic YA romance where Anna is starting her dream internship and through a twist of fate she meets someone just before she begins who is her best kiss but she doesn't want anything more in order to concentrate on the internship. However, her dream kiss, Lloyd, is the boss's son.....and he is everywhere!
Their bond is strong and their relationship develops and blossoms.
The standard romance book third act drama is probably the only element that was weaker on it's realism. Whilst this book's story was overall realistic and enjoyable the characters were not setting my world on fire but I am certain this is a me preference and nothing to be taken away from Beth Reekles character development. The chemistry and banter between Lloyd and Anna was brill so whislt my 3 stars may seem lacking I am certain it will be many people's 5 stars!

I received this book as a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ambitious Anna Sherwood may have lied on her application, but now she’s on a prestigious internship and nothing will stop her from clawing her way to the top. Well, except maybe the very gorgeous ray of sunshine son of the CEO, Lloyd Fletcher.

I absolutely love Beth Reekles’ recent works. She might just be one of my favourite romance writers alongside Lynn Painter! Her characters are always so relatable and raw in the best way

I didn’t exactly get the hades/Persephone vibe it’s being marketed as. To be honest I’m fully convinced this is a Jily fanfic and I stand by that statement. Will is Remus coded too.

It’s a really great read and the miscommunication trope actually works for the story and isn’t just stupidly annoying!