I ended up listening to the audio-arc of this book rather than reading the e-arc but I appreciate having both on hand! I liked the idea of this, and I enjoyed the book, but I did feel like the therapist conceit gave way to over intellectualizing feelings rather than letting the characters experience them. I did like how the heroine learned to stand up for herself with her parents, and the romance was an intriguing angle.

The story of Nora, who thinks she is in love with J, a man she has never met, but then she meets Eli, and connects with him too. I loved the other characters such as Dane and the neighbours.

This was well written and an easy read. It’s added to my list of favorites and one I will continue to recommend to friends!

This started way too slow for me and it was hard to come back from that. I loved the idea of the book, but it did not hit the mark for me.

I have loved Ali Rosen’s other books but this did not hit for me. I missed the travel and food aspects of her other novels. This was a very slow burn and I found myself pretty bored.

Come get swept away in a sweet romantic tale full of relatable and unforgettable characters. Can you fall in love with someone you have never met? Can people be different than what they first seem? Find out by reading Eli and Nora’s story in Unlikely Story by the very talented Ali Rosen.

Publication: March 1st, 2025
Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


Ali Rosen’s Unlikely Story is a charming and heartfelt novel that blends romance, ambition, and second chances. With a relatable protagonist and an engaging storyline, the book explores the ups and downs of chasing dreams while navigating love and self-discovery. The writing is warm and engaging, making it an enjoyable read for fans of contemporary fiction with a touch of romance.



Thank You NetGalley and Montlake

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Relationship therapist Nora finds herself in a dilemma. She's drawn to the copyeditor of her advice column, J, who is in London. She's also growing close to her neighbour Eli, who enjoys pushing her buttons. Who will she choose? The sweetly vulnerable man she's never met, or the closed-off neighbour?

I enjoyed this story from the start. Nora's dilemma had me confused right along with her especially with both Eli and J being such amazing guys. When pieces of the puzzle started coming together, I got excited for her as she merged worlds that were seemingly different.

I loved the side characters who helped her grow and overcome challenges that had her in despair. They livened up the story for sure.

Thank you to Netgalley and Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5⭐
Steam level: 2🌶️ Fade to black scenes

I tried to read this a few times but I couldn't get through it. It might be the writing or that the plot didn't grip me.
I probably won't reread this.

Thank you @amazonpublishing and @netgalley for sending me this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
“A swoonworthy romance bursting with wit about a therapist who falls for the wrong man…but perhaps the right one was hiding in the margins all along.”
Unlikely Story is a delightful romance that nods to one of my favourite movies, You’ve Got Mail, with specific details that will be familiar to fans of the movie, but twisted in a different way for the book. Much of the relationship between the main characters develops through texts and emails, meaning for me, the novel needs strong, engaging dialogue to keep me engaged. I enjoyed the dynamic banter between the main characters. The witty exchanges keep the pace brisk and the reader invested.
I loved the community that the main character Nora built for herself in her building of mostly much older residents. They are there for her when her own parents are incapable of supporting her. I did, however, find her parents to be a bit over the top in their complete ignorance of, well, anything to do with real life. But it made the relationships she formed with her neighbours that much sweeter.
I also love that, as in her previous novels, the author sets the story between New York City and a different European location, in this case London, creating a vivid backdrop that adds depth and charm to the unfolding romance. I look forward to seeing where Ali Rosen sets her next book.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Main character Nora is a therapist in NYC who perhaps is not quite as good at taking the advice and gives for herself. She also writes an anonymous column for a newspaper in London, and she starts to think she is developing feelings for her equally anonymous editor, solely based on the notes for her column that they exchange. But she also has a new neighbor who starts out her enemy but is also attractive.

This was a cute and sweet rom com. Yes, I guessed a big plot point of the book almost immediately, but yet I didn’t mind. And I also enjoyed that there was more to the story than just the romance, including both Nora’s family issues with her no boundaries parents, and the found family she has made for herself with the mostly elderly neighbors in her apartment building. Plus a sweetly grumpy dog and lots of baking - and since author Ali Rosen is also a cookbook writer, some recipes at the end of the book too. An enjoyable light read that still has depth.

Unlikely Story is a fun comfy read. It give vibes of You've Got Mail making the plot somewhat predictable once you recognize the trope. Yet, there's a certain cozy familiarity in knowing where a story is likely heading, like watching your favorite movie for the hundreth time. The book began a bit slow and took some time to engage me fully. Particularly, the therapy sessions, talk of therapy, and internal monologues etc. Despite being a therapist herself, the FMC seems better at doling out advice than taking it, or even following her own guidance. Also worth mentioning, the romance in the book is closed-door. Overall, Unlikely Story is a satisfying comfort read that I think many will enjoy.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a wonderful book. I enjoyed it from start to finish!

Unlikely Story is a contemporary romance set in both New York City and London.

Nora is a therapist in NYC. But she also writes an anonymous weekly advice column. She has an editor in London who she develops feelings for.

She is a therapist who sees a therapist. And honestly her therapist Ari was a wonderful part of the story.

I love when the main character is a therapist. So Nora’s jobs were definitely one of my favorite things about this book.

There is a little Jewish rep, although I would have loved more.

I loved everything about the NYC apartment where Nora lived. Her older neighbors and her best friend were perfection. And she has one neighbor who she finds handsome, but she can’t stand him.

I liked a lot about this book. But there was one aspect that confused me. I could not figure out whether the reader was supposed to be aware of it or not. That part of the story definitely went on too long.

The romance in this book was good (which man will she choose?). But it was a bit too slow burn. But overall this was a quick read that I did enjoy.

Unlikely Story was such a pleasant surprise. I love reading a book that makes me feel like I won’t be able to stop until I read cover to cover, and this one certainly is like that.

The story revolves around Nora and Eli, but giving You’ve Got Mail vibes and I loved the drama of it all. It hits hard with all the flirty messages, funny banter, romantic gestures, slow burn feeling, HIGH LEVEL TENSION and honestly free therapy. The book is fun, charming, and will have you yelling at Nora to open her eyes (girl, please!).

I’m so glad I decided to read this today. My first but surely will not be my last Ali Rosen book. Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and author for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Unlikely Story by Ali Rosen
Contemporary romance.
Nora is a relationship therapist during the day in New York. She also has a part time job writing a weekly advice column for the London Tribune. She and her long time editor for the column have become online friends through the process trading notes and conversations in the app. He’s intuitive, open with his own feelings and entertaining to chat with. When an opportunity to travel to London comes up, Nora admits to herself and her own therapist that she has feelings for J.
At the same time, her co-op has a new resident and he’s driving Nora crazy with his noisy renovation happening directly above her. His ex was a client of Nora’s and he blames Nora for their breakup so he’s not too upset about disturbing her.

Nora loves her job as a psychiatrist and being able to help people. She also needs her downtime. “Being able to build a life where I get to introvert alone is one of the greatest advantages to aging.” Hear, hear!
Beyond that comment, I loved how she had feelings for both men and she didn’t just ignore those. Also loved how intuitive and free J was in his writings.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley. I also purchased an audiobook to keep.

This book was really a study in how much you can like a book when you can see every twist coming? And the answer is, a whole heck of a lot. The secret identity of her editor was obvious to me from the jump but the journey of her realizing was so well done.

Nora is such a relatable, charming narrator. Watching her realize she can ask for help and doesn’t need to do everything for everyone was so lovely. The advice her therapist gives her is what so many of us need to hear.

And Eli. Secret softie Eli who tries to cover it up with a cool exterior. Readers will fall in love with him right along with Nora.

Hilarious and romcom movie worthy. I loved the tropes enemies to lovers, a love triangle, mistaken identity. Nora and Eli and J had great chemistry and the fun part was waiting for the identity to be revealed.

The plot of this story was...unlikely. I like my romcoms to be a bit more believable, and the actions of the characters just didn't seem all that realistic. I think the characters surrounding our FMC were really enjoyable. I liked the apartment complex/senior citizen friend group/

I really enjoyed this book. I usually enjoy dual POV, and while this is a single POV book, I was engaged throughout. The author conveyed what was going through the other characters head really cleverly through the messages the two share. I found both main characters likeable and quite endearing and I love how everything unfolded.