I desperately wanted to like this book. The characters and settings are charming but the plot does not flow naturally. By the end, the story felt rushed and the leads were getting annoying. The writing in certain portions were rambled and in cohesive.

I think there were many opportunities to develop Conrad and Maeve as individuals in order for the reader to connect with them. A rom com written with a male POV is uncommon, but it adds to the appeal of the story. However, there is little character development or growth in Conrad in particular. It was odd that a character, who is introduced as the unhappy and forgotten boyfriend, is shocked when his girlfriend breakups with him. His relationship with is family has so many plot holes (particularly with his parents) and it never delves into the impact on him and his siblings in a detailed or empathetic storyline. It also seems unusual that he has no friends at or outside of work before Maeve.

There are so many more refined details that would add to this storyline and build the Conrad and Maeve.. The side characters including the co-workers and Conrad's sister were a great add on.

I love the premise of this book always enjoy a unique POV. The specific mentions to Minneapolis landmarks, roads, culture were a treat as someone who frequents the area. The writing was wonderful and I LOVED the every day life you were exposed to without becoming bored. Something that is hard to accomplish in novels.

You can tell the author is passionate about her beliefs on societal issues but I felt they were inserted in ways to make a point rather than to fit within the narrative in a productive way

Thanks to Netgalley for the copy! Opinions are my own. .

This book was so cute and heartwarming! It was a nice read for the intro of fall, gave me a warm feeling inside. A simple love story, with rollercoaster feelings, made it feel like I was inside a hallmark movie! I give it a solid 4/5 stars!

Pit and a Peach by Anna Pollock is a unique workplace romance following Conrad and his journey of self-discovery of love and life. I truly enjoyed reading Pit and a Peach, it was. refreshing different viewpoint of a classic romance, and I really enjoyed the growth that the characters had throughout the story. I think that this would make the cutest little romcom movie.

"Pit and a Peach" follows Conrad, a man who works at a magazine company and is currently faced with the aftermath of a breakup of his long-term relationship. He meets Maeve, his cheerful coworker who ends up changing his life. His breakup is the start of many realizations in his life, including his relationships with his friends and family.

I had mixed opinions with this one. I think a lot of people would love it, but I don't think it was for me (but I really wanted to love it). Starting with the pacing of the book, it jumps in pretty quickly and then jumps forward--there's a lot of "a few weeks passed" that left me wanting more, and the ending also seemed kind of rushed.

I felt a similar issue with the characters. I could tell that Conrad and Maeve had complexities, and I loved that about them. I had mixed feelings on Conrad, because while I did find his POV hard to read at times (more showing than telling in his narration), there were certainly times where I empathized with him, too. However, maybe it's the length of the book, but those complexities (particularly with Maeve) didn't seem as fleshed out as I would've liked to see. Still, I loved seeing Conrad's relationships heal with his friends at work and his sister. I also appreciated the diverse cast of characters.

As messy as their relationship was, though, it was also so cute and sweet to see the characters finding each other and finding themselves. I think I just wanted more of that. The themes of the book were great. I LOVED the entire concept of a pit and a peach for each day (the epilogue was so cute). What also resonated with me was the idea that we are constantly LIVING LIFE and not to put our lives on hold or feel like we're in a waiting period.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

I absolutely adored this synopsis for this book, but when I sat down to read it, it felt like I was reading stuff completely different. I found the characters unlikable And I couldn’t relate to Most of them. I felt like this book could’ve been decreased by 100 pages or so, and certain paragraphs seems to go on like a long run on sentence.. Great idea for a book, but when it was represented in this book I felt like it fell flat

I really enjoyed Pit and a Peach for its refreshing writing style and unique voice. The author has a knack for crafting a well-paced narrative with clever dialogue and an intriguing concept. What stood out to me was the perspective in this romance—being told from the male protagonist’s point of view. It’s not something you see as often, and it was a welcome change.

However, despite the book’s many strengths, I found it difficult to connect with the characters on a deeper, more emotional level. I appreciate a romance that makes me feel as though I’m living and breathing with the characters, and while the plot and writing were solid, I didn’t quite reach that visceral connection. For me, that emotional pull is what turns a good book into a 5-star read, and it just fell a bit short in this case.

Overall, Pit and a Peach is a well-crafted romance with a lot of heart.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Urgh I love Conrad and Maeve.

This book is everything. You truly feel like you’re on the ride with Conrad.

I sobbed with him and laughed with him. It was perfect.

Pit and a peach has now been worked into conversations at work, and home.

I cannot wait to buy a physical version of the book

pit and peach.. pit and peach.. pit and PEACH!!
i absolutely devoured this book. i can’t even begin to express how much i loved every single character, every single word, every single aspect of this book. the characters were witty and relate able and it made everything that much better. there is a 100% chance i will be buying a copy as a shelf trophy once released. THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY!!!

Pit and a Peach by Anna Pollock has its moments, but it ultimately fell short of my expectations. The premise of Conrad Sutherland’s journey of self-discovery after a breakup had potential, but the execution left much to be desired.

Conrad, the main character, starts off as intriguing, but his development feels inconsistent. His interactions with Maeve, the new associate editor, are intended to be heartwarming but often come across as forced and predictable. The pacing of the story is uneven, with some parts dragging on while others feel rushed.

The attempt at a humorous yet poignant writing style occasionally falls flat, which makes it hard to follow along. Though brilliant, the adage "for every peach, there comes a pit" has been overdone to the point of cliché.

Overall, "Pit and a Peach" falls short of my expectations regarding depth and emotional resonance, albeit having some redeeming characteristics. If you're looking for something light to read, it's a decent read, but it might not stick with you.

I loved these characters and the tension Anna was able to build between them—this felt like watching New Girl and knowing that at some point Nick and Jess were going to end up together but WHEN and HOW when so much is stacked against them!!! I already shared about the book with my audience on Instagram and will continue to include it anytime I'm recommending romances to other readers. Can't wait to read more from this author!

If you were to ask me what my pit and peach were reading this, I’d say my peach was every time I laughed while reading and my pit was starting this book at 10pm and having to stop reading so I could get some sleep.

Pit and a Peach is a beautiful book about love of all kinds, personal growth and how important perspective is. One of my favourite things about this book was the different ways food is discussed - from Lacey using food as a way to gain fame and adoration to Maeve writing about food in a way that showed her love for not just it but the world too.

I really loved every character, they all felt so whole and real and I’d love to read more by this author about the other characters in the book and how their lives are going.

I adored this book.

I desperately wanted to read it because I am a sucker for romances that include beautiful writing about/experiences with food, and this gave me both in abundance. The romance was sweet and realistic and vulnerable- whilst I am not normally a fan of romances that occur quickly after /during breakups, this was so sensitively and heartbreakingly done that I just loved it. Conrad had such an honest, charming voice and I really resonated with him intermittently realising that he had become one-sided within his relationship with Lacie and forgotten who he was. I loved watching him develop relationships with the editorial team and his relationship with his sister was tender and delightful.

I hope we get more in this world- George and Kiara and Zakariyah were all so vivid and established that I would love to see them again!

*Pit and a Peach* by Anna Pollock is a beautifully written novel that explores themes of love, longing, and personal growth with poetic grace. Pollock's vivid imagery and emotional depth create a captivating world that resonates with readers. It's a heartfelt and memorable story that lingers long after the last page.

Couldn't get over that his name is Conrad and all I could picture was Catcher in the Rye. He's so angsty and not in a charming way. I didn't find the "peach and pit" thing as charming as I think it was meant to be. I don't know I usually love a slow burn but this was just okay for me.

This book was absolutely peachy and I ate up every single bit of it!
Written from the POV of Conrad the MMC, he sort of breaks the fourth wall by talking to the reader every now and then and I found that unique and quite cute.
At its core, this book is about personal growth, reflection and vulnerability.
This book was well written, the characters all had depth and I may have teared up a bit in some parts.
Overall this book was an easy 5 stars for me and I’m so glad to have read it!
Thank you so much Braseberry Press & NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Honestly I was hesitant just because it was written from a man’s POV (but by a woman, so I love!) but I was lastly surprised. This felt refreshing and so heartbreaking. It was such a good book, and really really made me feel and think about my own heartbreak/love experiences.

I had no hesitation reading this book and finished it in one day! This story is about a man (written by a woman) sharing the feelings and coping with heartbreaks and when a crush develops into something more. Anna Pollock did an amazing job in capturing these feelings, I as the reader felt like I was reliving a crush all over again. There were no parts that felt dragged on, which I feel like anyone who is looking for a cute, lighthearted, and quick read would appreciate this book.

It’s very demure and cutesy. The way the book is written is very easy to read as it’s short book but it does pack a punch with all the scenes the characters pass through. Their is a lot of emotions that pervades the story from the very beginning which is good, it shows the author knows how to write angst.

I would not be surprised if the author watches a lot of Christmas lifetime and hallmark movies as this book reads like one with the office romance. I can easily see this book being turned into a movie like one of those where they cast a very hot male lead to play Conrad and a very cute girl to play Mauve.

My one critic is that I could not believe I was reading from a male perspective as men don’t analyze situations the way women do. So I struggled in the first few characters to understand if I was reading a male perspective. I even wondered if I was reading a lesbian romance at first because men don’t think the way women do. The author needs to learn this, it’s the only reason this book is getting three stars from me. Otherwise it’s a good way to spend a few hours reading.

4.5/5

This was really surprising to me, I mean, I expected to like it, but I didn't know it would be this much!

This was a super short and relaxing romance. It was super cute and a lot of fun. And I never thought I'd describe a book as relaxing before (maybe because I've never read a relaxing book, I guess), but this really was so chill to read. I wasn't overly stressed at any point, I just felt like I was having a really nice and relaxing time.

This follows Conrad (who works at a magazine), Conrad has just been dumped by his influencer girlfriend because he's not into being an influencer like she is. But things turn around for Conrad when there's a new employee at the magazine and they get along very well.

This felt very slice-of-life, but in a really modern way.

The characters felt like real people with real problems and realistic ways of dealing with those problems.

This book was super short, you could read it in a single sitting if you wanted to. And I do think the cover and concept behind the peach and pit thing is super cute. And I like how there was a little epilogue "chapter" at the end with a list of peaches and pits (you'll understand what that means once you've read the book if, like me, you'd never heard that phrase before).

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My review on Goodreads is already up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly wrap-up.