Thank you to NetGalley for sending me this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, I really loved this. I loved the writing style, the characters, the setting, the plot. This was such a unique story, I can’t say I’ve read another romance story like this. The book opens in a way that puts you straight into the story and into the mindset of our main character, Nora. She’s so relatable as a people pleaser and she’s learning throughout the story how to put herself first. I don’t want to say much so I can avoid going into spoiler territory, but the book is full of banter, tension, rivalry, friendship and family drama. I love when the obstacles standing in the way of relationships feel real, and they are so legitimate in this book, I never once thought they’re being silly and just need to communicate here! This is my first Ali Rosen novel but I’ll definitely be picking up her others.

Nora is a relationship therapist who pines for her editor and her client's ex-boyfriend. Love Nora and Eli's disagreements.... They are great characters and their interactions are fun. I love all the swonny moments... A great enemies to lovers story.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

I adored Unlikely Story—Ali Rosen packs every page with heart and humor. Featuring lovable and relatable characters, amusing scenarios, and thought-provoking insights, Rosen’s slow-burn romance is proof that love can be found in the unlikeliest of places.

I am a sucker for You’ve Got Mail so when I read that this was inspired by it, I immediately begged the Netgalley gods to approve me and YAY they did.

This was EVERYTHING. Super funny, quirky, wholesome, and the enemies to lovers (my FAVE) was done SO WELL

If you like Shop Around the Corner/You've Got Mail inspired stuff, this book is for you. It's heavily inspired by those films.

That being said, I've read better books based on the same topic, but this one was still mostly enjoyable.

I will say the enemies to lovers aspect was done very well and that is probably the shining part of this book. I'd recommend this book if you're into You've Got Mail and love the enemies to lovers trope.

Thank to Netgalley, the publisher, and author for the ARC!

3.5/5 stars

I’m a sucker for a good The Shop Around the Corner/You Got Mail retelling. The story of Nora and Eli was so sweet and with more depth than I expected. Of course you know how it will all play out in the end but it was so fun to see how they get there.

Unlikely Story by A. Rosen, published by Montlake, is a witty and fun read with lots of depth to characters and story. A slow burn with kind of a love triangle, Nora has to decide what she wants, who she is and what she wants to become. A fantastic, literally unputdownable rom/com, 4.5 stars.
Blurb: As a relationship therapist, Nora helps patients explore their feelings honestly. But she’s hiding an embarrassing relationship secret of her own: she’s in love with someone she’s never even met.
J edits the advice column Nora’s been writing anonymously for the last seven years. He’s in London, she’s in New York, and they communicate solely through shared files. When he confides that his girlfriend’s out of the picture, and her boss asks her to come to London, Nora takes both as a sign.
But that’s not the only thing on her mind. A client’s ex-boyfriend just moved into her co-op, directly beneath her. Eli blames Nora for his breakup and seems determined to make her life miserable, gleefully planning a noisy renovation.
Yet despite all his bluster, Nora eventually starts to see the softness behind Eli’s brusque, charming exterior…and after a slipup reveals a startling secret, Nora wonders whether someone can be two things at once.

Thank you NetGalley & Montlake for allowing me access to this ebook! It'll be released next year, March 11th, this book follows Nora, a relationship therapist with a secret crush on her advice column editor, J. She finds herself navigating complicated feelings when her boss sends her to London. Meanwhile, her life in New York is upended by Eli, her new downstairs neighbor who blames her for his breakup. What starts as a tense relationship with Eli slowly becomes something more tender, leaving Nora questioning her own heart. It has witty banter, complex emotions, and engaging twists, honestly I add a very nice time with this one!

I throughout enjoyed reading this it had that romance element that I was looking for from the description. It uses the therapist element perfectly and thought the concept worked with the characters. Ali Rosen wrote this perfectly and had that element that I was expecting from the genre. I thought the characters had that element perfectly with the story being told. I enjoyed the cover and how it brought me to want to read the book and I was glad I was able to read this.

Unlikely Story by Ali Rosen is a charming romance full of wit, humor, and emotional depth. Nora, a relationship therapist who helps others navigate love, finds herself caught between two men. The exploration of love and the complexities of human connection adds depth to the story. The romance is a slow burn, with flirty banter showing that love can be found in the most unexpected places!