This book was my first by this author and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a quick and easy read with compelling character, both together and individually. This book was cute, humorous, and had a cat named after a Greek goddess. There was also a small mystery in the book that was fun to try to guess the person behind it. I’m also a huge fan of any book that has a bar setting so that aided to my enjoyment. Would absolutely pick up this author again.

Thank you to Bold Stokes Books and NetGalley for a eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this take on the enemies to lovers trope.
I loved that both main characters had their own hardships and how it affected them so differently, specifically Ericas relationship with her mother. Charlie and Erica were both such interesting characters alone but their dynamic together was addictive, watching them evolve and finally admit their feelings to each other was such an enjoyable read! Even with the dreaded third act break up the way it was resolved felt so realistic and honest to me I didn’t even mind! I would love to see more of the two of them, or their group of friends (Liz and Nancy i’m obsessed with you) and of course Hera who was arguably the best character in the entire book!

we met in a bar featured two characters named charlie and erica. the story between the two is well developed and the characters themselves are too. it can feel a little lengthy sometimes but outside of that the story was so cute, high in tension and easy to follow along. There’s even a little mystery subplot which i really enjoyed .

This story has it all and more. An intriguing thief, an overbearing mother, twins, love/hate, excellent sidekicks and a cat!

Erica and her brother Zachary inherited a few bars from their late father which Zachary manages. Turns out there is a thief among the staff in one of the bars so to help her brother out and maybe escape her overbearing mother she goes to London to help him find the culprit.

When Erica meets Charlie it throws her through a loop because the attraction is instant but Charlie is everything she shouldn't and doesn't want.

I enjoyed how they got through their differences and how Charlie managed to find it in herself to realize that she had to do things differently with Erica because everything was differently with her.

It wasn't a huge surprise as who was doing the stealing but I did enjoy this extra bit of mystery in the book.

An ARC was provided to me via Netgalley in return of an honest review.

We Met in a Bar is a enemies to lovers book (a trope I adore), and it definitely had a nice premise. With 'rich girl' Erica and 'down to Earth' Charlie instantly connecting in a not so great way, allowing us to watch romance bloom.

The addition of a mystery helped keep the book flowing, even if it was a tad predictable. It was nice seeing the characters go a little Scooby Doo.

Despite being a quick read, some of the chapters felt very long. Mainly due to the inner monologue of the characters that could have been conversations to help the flow of the book.

These all feel like teething issues though and nothing that can't be ironed out in future books with more experience. Claire's writing definitely has promise and I will read future books by her.

Thank you Claire Forsythe, Bold Strokes, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

Erica and her brother Zach inherited several bars in London that their father left to them. Erica does a bunch of charities and fundraisers for her mothers charities her mother who very snobbish continues to try set her up she decides to take up her brother offer to help him find a thief at one of their bars.

Charlie is amazing vet and avoid commitment well she hasn’t met anyone that wants her to commit until now when she meets Erica who takes a dislike to her because no one has gotten under her skin so quickly. Erica and Charlie are cute love the bantering between them and them bonding over Erica cat Hera.

⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️
💰🍸🐈🎳🏳️‍🌈

This book made my heart hurt. I loved everything about it until the mother ruined it all. My heart broke into a million little pieces.

Claire Forsythe writes a beautiful book about not "judging a book a book by its cover", with the way that our two leading ladies meet. Erica is a rich, socialite who happens to own part of several nightclubs, and one is getting money stolen from. She goes to the bar to go undercover to try and find the culprit, where she first meets vet nurse, and ladies' woman, Charlie. They are attracted to each other at first sight, but when Erica sees Charlie with another woman, seconds after making eyes with her, the impression is set, and Erica goes all ice queen (which is funny, considering her name is Erica Frost). Charlie, the sweetheart she is, does not believe in relationships, but she knows there's something about Erica, and then they keep running into each other. Then they realise that they're neighbours, and they're going to be seeing a lot more of each other.

This book is a slow burn, enemies to lovers, grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, rich/poor, and queer af. Lesbians everywhere, Erica has a twin brother who is gay, and his boyfriend, Olly, is Erica's landlord while she's at the bar in London. Charlie's boss Liz is married to the wonderful Nancy. There are several other sapphic side characters including Charlie's best friend and housemate, Val. There are two side Achillean characters

Like I said, I loved this book right up until near the end. The plot was great, and engaging, it had me intrigued on who was stealing the money; thought I had clocked it halfway through but ended up being wrong and pleasantly surprised.. I guess I finally found something I hated more than miscommunication, and that is third break up. It broke my heart and it literally hurt. But it ended up with a HEA, so it made up for it.

Thanks to Netgalley and Boldstroke books for a copy of the ebook. This review is left voluntarily.

This was an ARC read for me and I was pleasantly surprised by how much it kept me Hooked. Absolutely a recommended read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Read for me!

- Forced Proximity
- Frenemies to Lovers
- LGBQT
- Slow burn
- Spice (1/5🌶️)

Erica one of our FMCs is a high society heiress who's need to get away from the pressures of her mother left her agreeing to an "undercover operation" at the bar her brother and her own in London. Little did she know that escape would rattle the world as she knows it. Will she finally pick herself or will she let her mother control her?

Charlie the other FMC is a Vet Nurse and "player" with all the charm and no intentions of settling down. Every thing changes when she spots the new bartender at one of her frequent night clubs. She never thought she could feel like this. It has
her wondering if she could actually have her happy ever after?

The ups and downs and the banter kept the wanting more. I love seeing them both grow and prosper. The "dual" plot kept it interesting at every turn. I couldn't wait to find out who the culprit was.

Thanks to Netgalley, publisher Bold Strokes Books, and author Claire Forsythe for providing an ARC.

This one wasn't for me. I was intrigued by a Romeo-and-Juliet or Aladdin-and-Jasmine idea, where two starcrossed lovers found a way to bridge their differences in social status and tax brackets to be together. I love a slow-burn. I love an enemies to lovers! But I kept finding myself having to force myself to continue. Around 30%, I checked to see how many pages this book is, because it felt like 500. I was surprised to see it was a little over 300 pages. I couldn't believe I'd only read 100 pages and had another 200 or so to go. It felt like all I was reading was how Charlie was a player, Erica was a snob, and there was the mystery of who stole the money from the bar! It all felt very superficial.

At 50%, I had the mystery figured out. It isn't difficult, when you have a Big Mean Scary Man, and a Sweet Thoughtful Super Nice Woman, to know which one's the red herring and which one's the real culprit. I was so confident I was right, I considered DNFing right there, but my sister encouraged my to at least skim far enough to confirm whether or not I was right with my guess on whodunit.

I skimmed the last 40% of the book, found out I was right, went through a third act break up because Erica is a coward and a liar, and then went through them getting back together because Charlie is just too nice.

I feel like it's important to say, though, if Erica were a man, and a man had gone to Charlie's favorite bar and sent a round of drinks and followed her and insisted on talking, every single red flag would be going up. It's creepy, stalkery, it's not taking no for an answer, its too aggressive. If a man had done that, the police would have been called immediately. It is such a double standard to imply its OK for Erica to act like that because she's a woman.

Is it me or is it hot in here???? Brilliant chemistry and filled with vibrant characters, great writing and a dynamic plot and romance. Ridiculously warm and fuzzy with lots of banter and humour as well.

This was a book I simply did not want to put down to go and do boring responsible things like working or household chores.. I absolutely loved the whole story, plot and detail, some of the writing is a little too run on but overall it’s decently written.
The dialogue and relationships between characters were very well written, natural and realistic with great emotion and warmth.
It was a little annoying that there’s no physical descriptions until a few chapters in, but you do get detailed yet subtle descriptions when they meet so it wasn’t too bad.
Charlie is very quickly loveable where Erica needs to warm up a little before you realise she too is a lovely person, despite her upbringing and initial frostiness.

Really good background characters that all feel equally three dimentionall and real. I loved the whole story and just couldn’t put it down, it felt wholesome and interesting although admittedly a little predictable and obvious. Still, perfectly enjoyable and highly recommend, I wasn’t expecting to love this quite so thoroughly!

Ps: CLEXA vibes!!!

To discover who's stealing money from the business where she's a silent partner, wealthy and aloof London nightclub owner Erica goes undercover as a bartender. Carefree Charlie generally avoids commitment, but can't help falling for enigmatic Erica. Will Charlie's heart be captured for the first time?

This novel is adorable. For the first 20%, Erica and Charlie behave in unlikeable ways to each other. But once they make a heartfelt connection, the story really takes off. I'm skeptical that someone with zero work experience would be qualified to work as a bartender, so I wish the author had made Erica a cocktail waitress instead. Still, the book is a fun and steamy read.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I really enjoyed We Met in a Bar and watching this will-they-won’t-they romance blossom. Charlie and Erica were fun to read and I’d definitely recommend this title to friends.

This is a story about Erica who is partners with her brother Zach, in owning several bars in London that they have inherited from their father. They grow up in a very upper class family with a controlling and snobbish mother. Erica has been doing charity work and fundraising for her mothers charities. Zach calls asking for help to solve a theft at one of the bars. Erica agrees to help him and get away from their mother. One night in the bar Charlie is there with friends and makes eye contact with Erica. Charlie is a player and trying to make a move on another woman. Erica has an instant dislike of Charlie with her womanizing ways.

I really liked the banter and humor in this book. Charlie and Erica were both likable characters and their friends were good supporting characters.

This did have the grey moment at the 80% mark and you knew it was coming from the start. The banter and the writing kept the story fresh and I’ll be reading more from this new author.

Very enjoyable book IMO.

ARC received from Net Galley for an honest and voluntary review.

Erica is wealthy and has inherited a club in London. Now, she has to turn into an undercover bartender, and she's on a mission to catch a thief. Charlie is a cocky vet assistant who has never thought she could settle down. But now that she's met Erica, maybe things will change...
This is an entertaining sapphic romcom with great banter. Erica was very annoying to me at first, she did nothing but complain for like the first 5% of the book. Luckily, there was a good character growth on her part.
I received an advance review copy of this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I’m on vacation and wanted a light and easy read that I could jump into whether on the subway, bus or lounging in my hotel. We Met in a Bar filled all my needs except I got so into the story I finished too quickly. This gentle opposite attracts romance has posh Erica who wants a real relationship. She is use to the high social life in Cornwall and her mother has many expectations. She temporarily moves to London to help out with a situation at one of the bars inhereited that is run by her brother. While there she meets Charlie a popular womenizer. She’s never had an interest in a relationship of a second night.

Turns out Charlie is also a very skilled veterinary nurse and happens to live next door to the apartment where Erica is staying. Bonding over Hera, Erica’s beloved cat, neither woman can deny their attratction. I love that they take things relatively slow and actually having a few dates. But they both know Erica is only in London temporarily.

I thought the story was sweet and the characters flirty and fun. The pacing is good too. I’ve read the author’s previous book and here again I think she overly explains the thought process of her characters. It makes some scenes longer than necessary. Use dialogue to share their thoughts. Over all very enjoyable and easy to recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for the ARC and I am leaving a voluntary review.

This story has been quite interesting, because the two protagonists are great separately and together they are outstanding. Although a priori Erica, the haughty and seemingly unapproachable bartender, would not have much in common with Charlie, the vet assistant with a certain cockiness. Perhaps that is why they are certainly taken aback from their usual behavior from the moment they meet. And it's certainly entertaining to follow this change in them, as they also realize the effect they have on each other.

The parallel plot of why Erica is bartending when she has obviously never served a single sparkling water is interesting, although it is not really relevant. Although it does help Erica and Charlie interact despite their reluctance.

Some secondary characters also play their part in it, particularly Hera, Erica's cat. And also Charlie's neighbor, Olly, who is also related to Erica. And in addition to the interesting plot and its characters, the book is good paced .

A few days ago, I found myself looking for the perfect book to get me out of a reading slump. I wanted something cheesy and witty, something that would make me cover my face while giggling. And lucky for me, I found it with this book.

“We Met In A Bar” by Claire Forsythe tells the story of Charlie and Erica, two women who are complete opposites, that could not be more perfect for each other. It’s a rom-com full of intriguing twists, funny dialogue and a cast of characters great enough to make you love every single one of them. This book perfectly encapsulates how our background can shape who we become, and how, with the support of our loved ones, we can even dare to defy it.



Like I said before, I loved all the characters; be it Erica and Charlie or their friends, all of them got a development that made me smile from ear to ear. One of my favorite things about this book is how much it values friendship, and how it shows us that we, as people, need that kind of support in our lives.

I do think the pace could’ve been better, but maybe that’s because I thoroughly enjoy slow-burns. Aside from that, I think that if you are looking for something funny, cheesy, full of love and friendship, this book might be perfect for you.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you Claire Forsythe and Bold Strokes Books for the ARC of We Met in a Bar.

I enjoyed the banter between Erica and Charlie. I also liked that there was a mystery to it with trying to figure out who was stealing from the bar.

I didn't like Erica's character very much, she felt too disconnected from reality. The challenges of their relationship didn't feel sensible. There was also so much detail sometimes that it felt like recapping the same information numerous times. The mystery was something that I was really excited about when requesting this book and it was a very minor part of the story.

This was the first book I read by Claire Forsythe, and let me tell you… I will be devouring anything else she writes. I read this one on a trip with friends and I found myself so enthralled in the emotions between the two main characters that I couldn’t pry myself away from this book. I will also admit that the slow-burn nature of this book made it even more appealing. I wanted nothing more than these two main characters to fall in bed, but with every twist and every turn of the plot they were further away from it. I might have shed a tear or two, or many towards the end of this book. All in all, this book has everything you want; Cats, bars, intrigue, romance, an evil mother, a twin brother. Talk about the full package! The writing was also funny and witty, and Forsythe knew exactly what she needed to do to keep you engaged throughout every single page. I will recommend this book to anyone and everyone I meet, but one word of caution: You will fall in love with the main characters, and you will wish you could experience their love all over again when the book is done. Simply outstanding.

****Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an eARC so that I may give my honest feedback and review****

This book starts strong and I enjoyed the writing style but there was just something lacking. I found myself not being emotionally invested in the characters and felt their motivations were predictable and a bit shallow. The chemistry between the two leads was lacking as well and I wasn’t compelled to finish the book.